Part 9: Stratum 2: Forsaken Part 1

It is said that some powerful Majin would test mortal warriors and grant them rewards if they succeeded. Sadly, few mortals appreciate the sorts of ‘gifts’ a Majin would grant.
- excerpt, “Legend Cycles of the Ancients”

Tough

We returned to the Desert, and were immediately confronted by the Majin.



Video- “Forsaken, Part 1”

Click Here For Video With Commentary



Ally Team:
Pretty standard team for this. I bring Ares, Velnor, and Stein for physical power, buffs, and restoration respectively. Vivian comes along as well to Sleep Cancer Gigas.

Enemy Team:
Okay so fuck the Majin opposition on this map. There’s a Thiefler (though the chest on the map isn’t worth it anyway so fuck him), two Cancer Gigas, two Vespula, and two each of two all new Majin, Laquo Magus and Acrida. Let’s look at them.



These things potentially really suck. Aero II can Bleed, and Malus I can Fear. Fear prevents you doing anything but moving. If Ashley were to get Feared and not be in range of someone to cure it, we’d be fucked. This is important to keep in mind. They’re vulnerable to Light and Bashing so you’d think they’d be easy to kill. While this is true, we’re going to see that a condition on this map is about to make things super shitty.



These are some of the worst goddamn Majin in existence because their cast animation takes fucking forever. They’re like regular Laquo but now they’ve got magic as well. The biggest threat from them is the potential fracture from Terra II. Otherwise they’re a lot like regular Laquo.

Deployment:



My deployment is predicated on the map’s secondary objective, which is to kill or capture the Cancer Gigas first. I set up to rush the first Cancer Gigas. My idea is then to run Ashley up the middle to get around the back of the second one, which isn’t going to go very well because I get terrible luck time and again.

Tactical Objectives:
-Capture the Cancer Gigas
-Don’t die

Map:



Well, he’s—
Ashley!
Don’t you think the fight at hand is more important?
Right. Sorry.
Holy Atona, please guide and protect us.
Majin! You better watch out!

I start out with buffs and advance Ashley towards the first Gigas. There’s a Laquo Magus nearby as well who’s going to be the height of annoyance.



I will devour your souls!
Heeheeeheeheeheeeeeheeee!
Not if we have any say in it.
Falsin, give us the librum!
NOW!
Never! It’s mine!
Then you will DIIIIEEE!

We start out strong, Ashley avoids the attack from the Gigas and Ares takes a little damage from the Magus. We’re pushing into position to smash it flat.



Do you sense something hiding somewhere?
I’m not sure… Be careful!

This is the map warning us there’s a secondary objective. Anyway, Ashley clocks the Gigas one good, after which Glynne gives it a bit of love with his spear and we sleep it with Vivian. Now Reyna’s going to tell us something I fortunately already know.



So?
If we kill them first…
I think their master might come out of hiding.
We can take him down, though, right? No problem.

So yeah, we have to defeat the Cancer Gigas without killing any other Majin to complete the secondary objective. Thank god we’re allowed to kill them because capturing them both is very goddamn hard. We overkill the first one with a combo and get ready to start moving towards the second. The problem is that the map is utterly terrible. We can only get back up onto the middle walkway on one end of the map, so we’ve got to take a horrible circuitous route to everything. What I’d LIKE to do now is send Ashley to get behind the second Gigas while everyone else hits it from the front. This sounds like a good idea and if I had a second healer it might just have worked.



Not if I can help it!

The Thiefler steals the chest, which is a Cleaver. Nobody in my main party uses those so it’s not a problem really.



Smaaaash it, wrrrrreck it, destroooyyyyyy it!
You think I’d let you do that!?

So, I get ready to start throwing what I can at the second Gigas. The Vespula near the team moves up to start slaughtering us, which we can’t do jack about because we have no healer and aren’t allowed to fight back. Meanwhile Ashley gets the first of many unlucky breaks by getting Diseased.



Tired already?
Who do you think you’re talking to?

I throw some fire at the Gigas and then sleep it. I then ruin everything forgetting that pierce attacks do nothing to it and wake it up way earlier than I should have with Velnor. Vivian levels up, she doesn’t really get anything and I was too pissed off to remember to capture the stat screen. They also throw a bunch of magic at Ashley up top and she ends up leveling up as well. This gets her the incredible spell Sacrasphere, which we’ll be seeing a lot more of next map. The Gigas Fractures Ares, which sucks terribly. This is especially true because the Vespula takes down Stein.



I keep throwing what I can at the Cancer Gigas to wear it down and manage to sleep it again. Then the Acrida up top ruins my day by Bleeding Ashley, which is really the only way they have any real chance of stacking damage on her. They’re also getting in my way a lot, making it hard for me to advance to where I need to be. I THOUGHT it couldn’t get worse, but then the same damn Acrida Fears her with a Malus I. Now I’m seriously concerned, because there’s a very real chance Ashley could get killed here.



I’m fine!
A bit overprotective?
Shut up!

The Vespula then finishes off Ares, who’s not doing too well after that Fracture. Making things worse, Glynne gets Fractured by the Gigas as well. I start running Ashley away hoping to get some luck on her status curing or at least get her in range of Velnor or Glynne to cure the Fear. Glynne cures his Fracture with an item, but just gets smashed by the Gigas and Vespula for it. At this point I say fuck it and just kill the Gigas with a Pyro II from Reyna. This completes the secondary objective, which fortunately ends the map right there. Luckily we’ll be fully restored before the next map, because we were in really bad shape there at the end.

We managed to defeat the Cancer Gigas, barely.



*pant pant * It’s coming from over there!
Let me test the strength that triumphs over Majin!

And sure enough their master appeared, a grim black knight…



Remember my name, for you shall submit very soon!
Your strength cannot compare to mine!
We’re the ones who’re gonna take YOU out!
Gwahaha, such folly! Let our blades meet and decide this!
We’re ready for you!

The battle resumed in earnest…
- journal entry