Part 40: Stratum 3: Bastion Part 1

Some scholars try to claim that creatures such as dragons were natural species in order to deny the very existence of the Majin, but this only serves to downplay the horrors inflicted by those creatures and the very real threat they could still pose were Besek to appear again.
- excerpt, Legends of Besek, Vol I

Shadow of the Dragon

Today, we found it.



The Majin we were searching for.

Video- “Bastion Part 1”

Click For Video with Commentary



Ally Team:
Our now-standard team takes the field once again, no real reason to change anyone out.

Enemy Team:
We’re up against a more modest number of Majin this time, there are three higher level Aquila, two Unseelies, two Zyr Phantasm, and a Thiefler.



These Zyr Phantasms have an almost identical skill-set to the version we met in Desert. They’re totally immune to Pierces and take double damage from Strikes. If it’s not Strike or Slash damage chances are it’s going to do absolutely nothing to them. The only thing in our favor is that they don’t have any depth at all and are slow as can be.



These Aquila are the logical step between the ones we saw earlier and Garuda. They suck almost as much as Garuda does and we’ll want to use similar tactics against them.

Deployment:



We deploy ready for an aggressive push at the Thiefler to stop it stealing either of the valuable chests. We’ll play it by ear at that point.

Tactical Objectives:
- Capture some Majin
- Chests

Map:



Falsin who have made it this far must be quite strong.
If I eat you, I will absorb your strength, too!
Umbra: Not a chance! I’ll eat you all!
Logue!?
Umbra: I shall become the strongest Majin in Besek!
Damn…!
Levatte, do you think that Majin is around here?
I can feel a powerful presence further in…
But I can’t tell what it is, Sir.
Umbra: Whahaha… Good, almost there!
I will consume them all, and then… Ughhh…!
Ughhh…
What’s wrong, Logue!?
The dragon’s control suddenly weakened… I don’t know why.
What…!?
Falsin! I’ll eat you all!
Boss, we better deal with the task at hand.
May Holy Atona bless our swords with her might.
We shall vanquish all evil, in the name of Valdia!

We as always start by buffing Logue’s speed and then pushing towards the middle of the map. I move Olifen up so that he can cover almost anywhere the Thiefler could go.



Why’re they so excited…?
Rejoice! Rejoice! HAHAHA!

Thiefler fortunately moves in a good place for me to engage it with Marie at range. I get some magic defense buffs up, because Zyr Phantasm is pretty powerful.



The dragon’s natural enemy might be close by…!?

Olifen runs up and drops the Thiefler with a Dual Attack, getting it out of the way. I also start advancing towards the middle of the map to face whatever the Majin are going to throw at me, which at this point looks like both Unseelies and at least one Aquila.



I’m alright… the dragon hasn’t finished me yet.

I send Logue to get started on the Unseelie to the left, since it’s about to engage me anyway. The middle Aquila engages, which was what I expected. I’m also likely to get the left Aquila any time now, because it’s started moving.



Ugh… Uh…
Umbra: S-Stop it! I-I can’t take this… No!
I see… How generous of you to tell us that!

Zyr Phantasm starts casting on Logue, it’s pretty much what we’d expect. Even more annoying, it pulls back into an alcove. There’s a trick to the Phantasms on this map, we actually need to engage them in melee before they cast or they’ll pull back and we’ll never get them out.



Umbra: Ugh… S-Stop that…

Now we get to work on the Aquila from the middle. We throw a bunch of firepower into it and hope to set up a Combo against it. Logue manages to Fracture the Unseelie, which is always helpful even though it can cure it. Our plan to Combo down the Aquila is dashed when it gets healed by its comrade, so we instead direct the Combo at the Fractured Unseelie. Once again, though, we fail by a few points of damage to Overkill it. Meanwhile, the right Unseelie has advanced to the middle of the map. Levatte does something useful again by Fracturing it with a Terra II. Ares also gets a level, which is nice.



She gets Dual Attack, which is nice. We trade blows with the Aquila and Unseelie, and the left Aquila joins the show as well. We fight with our new addition a bit and then take the second Unseelie down with a dash of Pyro III.



His natural enemy must dwell in this place.
Even a Majin is afraid of death, huh…

The middle Aquila follows it, taken down by a Combo from Olifen and Logue. We’ve already gotten started on the other Aquila and we continue to do so.



How do we draw him out of his hiding place?
If we defeat all his servants, he might appear.
It’s worth a shot…

We start dragging down the Aquila we’re fighting now and get it to the point where Olifen can Overkill it with an Everthrust. I’m now too close to the Zyr Phantasm, though, so I rush Ares into contact with it to stop it running away.



Levatte might be right about this…
We won’t know until we finish them all off. Keep going!

The Aquila from the right has now joined the fight, and with Olifen and Ares engaged with the Zyr Phantasm it’s actually a real pain because there’s only one melee to keep it busy. I send Marie over to help with the Phantasm, because while she can’t harm it with magic she can do huge damage with a book bashing. I pull Ares back to deal with the Aquila since I need Logue to Overkill the Phantasm, but I’m far too late to stop it from slipping Logue and attacking Levatte. The Phantasm sees an opening and finishes the job with an Aero II.



I-I feel good…! Yes… I can do this!
Alright! Let’s finish this!

Zyr Phantasm falls to a Combo and I send Olifen back to help with the Aquila, followed by everyone else. I also get access to the first chest now, it contains the leather armor Wyrmskin. This is an interesting piece of armor, it’s got high magic resistance and comes with the Quad Resist skill, which works a lot like Hexa Resist but doesn’t include Light or Dark. The Aquila falls dead to an Everthrust, and I keep my bound ones down so I can grab the other chest. We just straight kill the other Phantasm so we can grab the chest, which contains a Devout robe with Prayer II in it. Logue levels up from a capture after that, and the map ends.

Battle Results:

Levels:
Logue 18->19
Ares 14->15

Majin:
Unseelie Lv 19 x 1
Aquila Lv 18 x 2
Zyr Phantasm Lv 20 x 1

Gold:
14800

Once we’d defeated the Majin, the real show started.



I shall answer to your summoning! Behold my power!
Umbra: (Th-This presence…)
(I-I recognize this frightening power.)
What’s happening to Logue!?
Olifen… S-Something’s got the dragon terrified!

It could only have been the Shade Dragon, Penumbra.



Umbra: Y-You… You are…!!!
A dragon who can’t keep his mouth shut…
How ironic that you’ll be my food…
Umbra: Penumbra…!!!
Trapped inside such a puny body, yet still so proud…?
I shall feast upon your soul!!!

Our greatest battle was about to begin.
- operation record, Commander Olifen