Part 37: Valley: Stray Boss: Rondemion

Magical theory suggests that all entities have a ‘Nemesis’, a being both equal and opposite who stands in opposition of them. This has been found to be demonstrably true for powerful Majin.
- excerpt, Legend Cycles of the Ancients

The Hero and the Legend

If you’d told me what was going to happen today before we left Isapolis I’d have laughed at you.

Video- “Stray Lead In”

Click For Video

Yeah, we’ve been here before.
It’s just like where we fought Morpheus earlier.
Ma’am, I don’t think Sir Logue should continue on…
…

I was almost ready to abandon the search earlier. Even worse, we ended up in that weird space again.



Are you saying that as the Valdian Commander? What do you REALLY want to do?
…
We’ve been friends a long time, Olifen. I know when you aren’t following your heart.
No! As the leader of this group, these are my orders!
If you’re just doing your duty…
I’m not going to listen to your shallow reasons.
You’re the one who told me to act more like a Commander!
I did, but right now you’re not ACTING like a Commander. You’re not even acting like yourself.
Logue, listen to me. You won’t last much longer if you stay here!
You’re right! I won’t last long! That’s the point!
You have to leave me here. There’s more important things, and you KNOW that.
…!?
(What should I do…?)
…?
A human? What’re you doing here?

As we searched the area, we met an… unexpected guest.



Straight to the point, huh? Alright.
I asked you a question! Who are you?
The name’s Rondemion. I’m just a wanderer.
Ron…demion…!?
(He has the same name as the Hero of Legend… But Rondemion’s dead… Is it just a coincidence?)
I can guess who you are…
I am Commander Olifen of the Valdian Knights.
I’ve heard rumors about the Commander… You haven’t distinguished yourself in battle, and you don’t have the King’s favor…
H-How do you…!?
I won’t let some mercenary talk to me like that!
Don’t hear the truth too often, do you?
Well, if no one’s told you, I’ll be the first. You aren’t worthy to lead the Knights.
Shut up!
Your friend is worthier than you.
Do I look like I need YOU to tell me that…?
I… I know the truth!
If you don’t deserve your title, you should step down. Or do you like playing “hero”?

I can’t step down, though.



Successor…?
You don’t just get HANDED the title. You have to EARN it.
And forget about those legendary heroes. They’re all just relics now.
Huh…!
The more you try to be like someone else, the less likely you’ll ever accomplish anything.
If you can’t get away from that foolishness, you’ll never be a good commander.
You…!
Whether you’re the Commander or a cadet, you can’t try to be someone else.
Until you learn to be yourself… you’ll never be ready to lead the Knights…
I’ll show you…!
The time for words is over.
Let’s see what you’re made of, Commander.

At that moment all I wanted to do was take this old bastard apart.

Video- “Stray”

Click For Video with Commentary



Ally Team:
We’ve got the same team we faced Dahlia Queen with. We’re going to need all the healing we can get here.

Enemy Team:
We’re up against Rondemion the Hero and a group of Priests, Priestesses, and Acolytes. Recall that Acolytes are hard-hitting two handed attackers, Priests are light melee with Seal attacks, and Priestesses are healers with Light magic.



Rondemion is a serious threat. He’s got powerful greatsword attacks and his special skill can really wreck us. He’s not particularly resistant to any type of magic we’re likely to use which is nice, but he does have a solid defense against physical attacks. I’ve got a little trick to use on him though, so stay tuned.

Deployment:



I’m confident I can slog it out with the enemy here and am planning to just push up the gut. This may or may not have been a good idea.

Tactical Objectives:
-

Map:



Logue… I was just…
Are you taking orders from HIM? Who’s the Commander…?
Must be an easy way to run your life, boy.
Do you always wait for other people’s advice?
…!?
A knight can’t ever lie to himself!
I’m not… worthy to be Commander.
I shouldn’t’ve stayed in this post.
But today… From now on…
I won’t lie to myself an longer!
I’ll show you who I REALLY am!

Our first order of business is to lure in the nearest guys and try to put them down fast. We need to get something down really quickly because this is about to turn into a mosh pit really quickly.



You’re in pretty bad shape.
Don’t fear the Majin inside you, or he’ll consume you.
WAAAAAAAUGH!!!
Remember who you are, and you can escape the curse.

Marie set one of them on fire and Logue finished the job, getting us off to a good start. There is a Priest and Acolyte coming on one side and the other Acolyte on the other side, we need to be really careful about when they hit because their Wild Swing skill hits brutally hard.



If you’re not the Commander, then what are you?
I’ll tell you after you surrender!

We hit the Priest on Olifen’s side and the Acolyte on Logue and Ares’ side. I’m hoping to wear either of them down to the point where I can finish them off quickly. Worryingly, the casters are starting to get in range to throw stuff at us.



The King sent you on a secret mission, didn’t he?
…!?

The longer we’re bogged down with the melee guys the worse this gets, because the casters will tend to focus their fire when they all use the same element.



Could he really be the Hero of Legend…!?
That’s impossible, Ma’am.
That Rondemion died long ago.
…

I make a big mistake and don’t just blow up the injured Priest with Marie, I try to kill him with a Malus II but end up not quite getting it down, letting one of the Priestesses heal it back up with a Prayer II. Olifen’s taken a lot of hits but it’s just a matter of keeping his health up while we get things down to manageable sizes.



It means having the strength to protect the people!
Noblemen aren’t like that anymore.
Now it’s up to the Knights to take on that responsibility.
It is their duty to resist corruption…
Fame and glory alone don’t decide who a man is.
I don’t need your lectures!

Now the Acolytes come in and smash Ares and Olifen with their Wild Swing attacks. I’m seriously concerned now that Olifen could get killed, Ares I’m not so worried about because it’s not like I game over if she dies. I need to do something to deal with this serious problem.



What happened to your manners, Commander?
Shut up! I’ve got no reason to be polite to you!
Ha! Some Valdian Commander YOU are.
But… at least you aren’t lying to yourself anymore!

We give the Priest a good whack as we pull Olifen back a bit, though it doesn’t quite die and gets a retaliatory shot in on Olifen.



It doesn’t matter… Just be careful who you trust.
…!?

Logue spears the Priest to death, taking another annoying and dangerous enemy down. I’m really worried about the casters right now, so I just have Marie use an item to heal Olifen. I’m proven correct, because all three remaining enemies go right for him. Luckily he manages to Evade the last hit anyway, keeping him well alive to be healed back up. I also throw a heal on Ares so she can get back to the fight next turn.



And if I tear your uniform to shreds, what then?
I don’t need it.
Is that so? What good is a knight with no clothing?
All he needs is the will to protect people!

Logue gets Fractured by an Acolyte, always annoying. Olifen gets started on the last Priest but gets Countered, and after a hit from his Acolyte I’m officially starting to get worried. I run Ares up so she can take some spells instead of Olifen, she’s much more vulnerable and if she’s got to die so he can survive so be it. I’m sick of messing around now, and blow up the injured Priest with a Delirium from Marie. The Priestesses focus in on Ares as we’d expected, taking her out but keeping Olifen alive. We heal up Olifen and Logue and cure his Fracture. I try to take down the most injured Acolyte with a Combo from Olifen and Logue, but when it doesn’t quite die Logue is doomed to be dragged down by every single enemy focusing on him. Now, though, it’s time to strike back. Marie burns both Acolytes and a Priestess, killing the most injured Acolyte and putting the Priestess down low enough that Olifen can kill it when his turn comes back up. I also am able to throw all my firepower out this turn, because nobody is hurt. Marie smokes the last Acolyte, and the Priestess follows soon after to a slash from Olifen and an arrow from Irina, who levels up.



Irina’s getting almost useful now, it’s quite good. Marie hits the last Priestess with a spell and then Olifen chops it down, leveling up in the process.



Olifen gets Evade II here, so now with skills and his accessories he’s got 25% evasion. Now it’s time to deal with Rondemion, and I do it with brutal effect. I buff Olifen up, and then he runs up and uses a Curse Attack on him. Rondemion gets Cursed, and the battle is over as soon as it happens. See, Curse status means that you can never activate your passive skills and enemies will always activate theirs. Since Olifen has passive Evade, Rondemion can NEVER hit him as long as he’s cursed. I pick him apart at my leisure, finishing him with an Everthrust because I might as well.



You’re too old for this.
Hahaha…

Battle Results:

Levels:
Olifen 17->18
Irina 10->11

Gold:
16500

I don’t know who that old man really was, but I’m glad I met him.

Video- “Stray Lead Out”

Click For Video

I guess I should thank you, old man.
Hey, shouldn’t you respect your elders?
What can I say? I’m just being myself.
Maybe I should’ve just kept my mouth shut…
So what’ll you do next?
I’m going to rescue Princess Lenarshe!
After that, I’m gonna find a way to break Logue’s curse.
…
I see.
I can’t help you with the first one…
But I might know something about the other.
R-Really!?

I don’t know how he knows so much about Majin and if it means there’s hope for Logue I really don’t care.



Umbra’s enemy is the Shade Dragon, Penumbra.
Ah! I see.
Then we must find the enemy of the Majin who cursed Sir Logue.
Right.
We’ll find him, but how’ll we know where to look…?
Penumbra is found somewhere in the Third Stratum.
R-Really!?
H-How do you know that, Sir?
That’s not important.
O-Okay…
If you stick to the light, you’ll find your prey.
We’re in your debt… Rondemion.
Hey, I’m just here to make sure the Valdian Knights don’t fall apart.
Stop worrying so much. You’ll see.
*smirk * I probably won’t. See ya, kid.
Take care of yourself, old man.

Rondemion left. Somehow I get the feeling we’ll meet again, someday.



Don’t worry. He’s trustworthy.
Hm… So you’re gonna follow your intuition?
So are we gonna go find the Majin he mentioned?
Of course!
Aren’t you here to find the Princess? She could be in trouble. Shouldn’t we hurry?
We will, and while we search for Logue’s cure, we’ll find the Princess too.
What!? That’s optimistic, Boss.
Perhaps, but I think we could use a bit more of that.
How can we follow a leader who’s so blindly optimistic?
Marie, I cant’ do this without you. I need your support. Please…
Huh!? This new act doesn’t fool me…!
Look, if we don’t remove the curse soon, we’ll have an even bigger problem on our hands.
But, Commander…
Without Logue, we’ll never get to the Eternal Poison. You know that, right, Levatte?
Y-yes, you’re right…
The Third Stratum’s pretty big. There’s no guarantee we’ll find Logue’s Majin any time soon.

Levatte came through again.



They say he’s the “darkness who dwells in the light with the apostles.” I don’t know what it means…
Neither do I… but Sir Logue’s time is running short…
Levatte’s right. Let’s move now and talk later.
Hey, wait a minute.
The Princess is our priority. Don’t worry about me…
Were you listening to what I just said? They’re BOTH our priorities.
Besides, we need all the manpower we can get, or we won’t be able to rescue Her Majesty.
So if you want to be of any use to us, we need to find that dragon.
But…
It’s a waste of time, Logue. Once he’s made up his mind, there’s no stopping him.
Okay… I’m at your command.
Good.

For the first time in a long time, there’s hope now.



Muse: I played Iryth’s game…
But she’s so crafty! I couldn’t win, not even once!
The prizes are so tempting, though, so I’m gonna keep trying…
But I don’t know if I’ll ever win… Argh, I hate losing…

I wonder why the Koona even work for the Count.



Mih ekil t’nod Anook…

I think people can tell we’re all feeling a lot more hopeful.



Leon: Hm… You look much better now! Resolved all your problems?
I’m glad to hear that!

Stein’s been finding ways to entertain himself off the front lines.



Stein: She is full of interesting information. The Count knows how to pick his people.
Hahaha… I’ve been enjoying my time here.
This investigation is the most fun I’ve had in years!

The Count seemed really interested that we’d met Rondemion in Besek.



Rondemion… the Legendary Hero? You’ve actually seen him?
I’ve heard rumors he was alive, and in search of that dreadful Morpheus…
Perhaps he’s come back for one final battle. What a grand spectacle…!

I’m glad we’ve got Yuri along.



Yuri: What’s the reason for my journey?
I want to live a life of purpose by helping people!
That’s it! Pretty simple, huh?

I think everything’s starting to come to a conclusion. Mana’s going to need to leave soon, seems her teacher is sick.



Hello, Mana.
Mana: There’s something I’d like to talk to you about…
What’s wrong?
Mana: My teacher has become sick and is bedridden.
I just received a letter to return home immediately.
That’s terrible! You better hurry then!
Mana: Yes, I’ve already started packing.
But I’m surprised that a witch could get so sick.
Mana: Well, my teacher is very old.
How old?
Mana: Wellllllll… about 987 years old.
…
Mana: She was perfectly fine up until now, so I think she’ll pull through.
987 years old…!?
Mana: Well, she is a witch after all!

Shelayla asks a lot of really strange questions.



Hello again, my lady.
Shelayla: If you are of royal blood, you did not need to become a knight.
You could have chosen to live a life of luxury. What made you join the Knights?
I was the second son, not the heir. I had to start my own life eventually…
And unlike my brother, I was never very good at academics.
Shelayla: I hear your swordsmanship is even better than Logue’s. Is that true?
You enjoy teasing me, don’t you, my lady?
The way of the sword just seemed like the only option I had, at the time.
Shelayla: Well, it’s better than having no skill or trade at all, right?
Perhaps there’s more to be gained from academics than swordsmanship, though…
Shelayla: I think it depends on the person and their path in this world.
…
Shelayla: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lecture you.
Oh no, there’s nothing better than being lectured by a beautiful lady.
Shelayla: My, my…

I had to give Xiao Mei some bad news, unfortunately.



So, are you ‘Full of Love’ today, Xiao Mei?
Xiao Mei: …!?
S-Sorry, I thought that would please you.
Xiao Mei: Commander, you gotta remember to stay in character. That’s rule number one.
Huh?
Xiao Mei: Well, nevermind, it’s okay. I slip up all the time too!
Now, in order for me to become the heroine of your party…
About that… I can’t, in good conscience, let you join us.
Xiao Mei: Whaaat!? Why!? This was supposed to be my big chance!
Our mission is too urgent to wait for you! I am sorry.
Xiao Mei: But I’ve been practicing my kicks all morning! You can’t back out now!
After all, what’s an adventure without a cheerful, stylish heroine!?
I am sorry, but it is my duty as a knight to protect you from harm.
Xiao Mei: Nooooo!!! Come back! I’ll settle for being a plucky sidekick!

Nadesico asked around about the Princess while we were out.



Hello, Miss Nadesico!
Nadesico: I heard a rumor about you the other day!
Oh?
Nadesico: That you and the heiress are going to tie the knot!
The heiress…?
Nadesico: The Princess.
And, uh, “tie the knot”…?
Nadesico: It means “get married” in my country.
M-Married!?
Nadesico: You are engaged, are you not?
Y-Yes… but…
Th-That’s not why I want to save her! My duty as a knight is to--!
Nadesico: Oh, you’re so flustered! You must really like her!
…
Nadesico: Romance is a wonderful thing!
I-Is that all you have to say!? I should be going.
Nadesico: Hehehe… Sayonara…

I think I pissed Christina off. I mean how was I supposed to know?



Hello, Christina.
Christina: Thou are too familiar, Commander.
Wh-What? I am older than you! Don’t be ridiculous!
Christina: Older!? THOU art the ridiculous one…!
What are you angry about?
Christina: Thou calls thyself a noble!? Thou dost shame thy family!
Wh-What?
Christina: I am Lady Christina Semper, of the immortal House Semper!
Oh…!
Christina: I saw thy father when he was a mere infant!
I am sorry, Lady Christina. Maybe I should just go…

Kai and Kanat set out again today. I hope they’re staying safe.



How are you both?
Kai: We’re recovering quite well. Thank you.
Good to hear. Just take it easy, and you’ll be healthy in no time.
Wait, you’re not planning on leaving, are you?
Kai: This is enough rest for us.
Please accept this as our thanks.



Feinne’s Notes: Feather hat is a good accessory for casters, and we’ll give it to Marie for now.

Really, there’s no need for this.
Kai: Just an expression of our gratitude, that’s all.
Well then, I’ll gladly accept it. Thank you.
Kai: I guess it’s time for us to go.
Are you sure? You can stay longer if you want.
Kai: Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.
Kanat: Thank you very much.
Okay… take care of yourselves.

We’re going to get some quick rest then head out to the Third Stratum. It’s time to push even harder.
- operation record, Commander Olifen