Part 63: Stratum 3: Anathema Part 1

Deep within the darkness lies the great king of evil, the fallen angel.
- excerpt, Legend Cycles of the Ancients

The Ruler of Darkness

Today was a very good day indeed.



As we reached the end of the Stratum, a little rat decided to make itself known.

Video- “Anathema Lead In”

Click For Video

This place feel so… overpowering.
This is the Seat of Purgatory.
Ugh… AHHH!!!
Ugh! Get out of my head!!!
Thage, step away from him!
There’s a powerful Majin here, and it’s taking possession over the runt.

Raki was definitely right earlier, something seems off about the Majin.



Why have you two come this far into Besek? Why have you slain your own kind?
What are you talking about?
In Besek, the strong prevail, and the weak perish. That’s the law.
We’re here for the rebirth of Izel.
Why are you stopping us?
Mwahaha! I am pleased, Guiding Sage.
I am pleased your soul continues to plunge into darkness.
Darkness, huh? Hahaha!
If you think my motives are evil, then you have no grasp of the situation.
Move, or we’ll move you by force.
You have no right to pass through this place.
Izel, you will regret those words…
Somehow, I doubt that.
Ugh… H-Huh…?
What happened?
Hahaha, looks like things are going to get interesting.

Pride is a terrible sin for the weak.

Video- “Anathema Part 1”

Click For Video with Commentary



Ally Team:
Our standard mercenary group joins us, we’ll be using them exclusively from now on as a starting party.

Enemy Team:
Just like last time we did this there are three Zerda, three Scytodida, and two Chiroptera. There’s a lot of Dark immunity on the enemy group, but it’s not going to matter much.

Deployment:



We deploy in a pretty standard sort of way, we want to push one side and sweep the Majin just like we did with Ashley’s party.

Tactical Objectives:
- Murder everything

Map:



Huh?
Begone from this place!

We’re close to the first Majin, a Zerda, and Raki runs in and casts on it to start the show. We then start pushing up everyone else to get stuck in on it in a moment. It shoots at Ares and manages to Bleed her, but by doing so I’m able to hit it hard. Raki and Ares dish out hard hits on the thing, making good progress.



It’s a world ruled by the King of Darkness.
If you let your guard down, the darkness will engulf you.
It’s time to meet the ruler over the power of Zalis.
If we fail here, the Eternal Poison will never be ours.

We quickly pound the Zerda down into Overkill range, though I can’t finish the job until Thage gets another action. Retica gets Bleed by the Zerda as it runs away. We take advantage of this to start advancing on the Scytodida, casting on it with Raki. Then it moves up and Curses Raki, always annoying. I move Ares up to the Zerda then blow it up with a Malusphere, letting me Lead a capture on it. I then brutalize the Scytodida with an arrow from Irina and a Fracture Attack from Alexei that leaves it broken and nearly dead. It hits Alexei and runs back toward the center, and our efforts to pursue it attract another Zerda and a Chiroptera.



This realm is ruled by the strong.
The Silver Wolf should understand this.
Then get ready to fight.

Raki runs up and Bleeds the Chiroptera. While the Scytodida is Fractured, its high Overkill HP does make it tricky to Overkill without a Combo so we need to play some funny positioning games with it to trick it into advancing into a Combo. Ares swings at the Chiroptera to get it to bleed out a bit more. Meanwhile we’ve got a nice little pocket for Thage to hide in, so we push her far forward and blast the Zerda with a Malusphere. It takes a quick shot and then runs away, the perfect result. With my melee in a cross formation, I’m able to draw Scytodida into the perfect position. We weaken Chiroptera a bit more and then we unleash a brutal turn on the enemy, dropping the Scytodida with a Combo from Alexei and Raki and the Chiroptera with a Last Rites. Both Raki and Alexei level up from this.



Raki’s pretty badass, there’s not much that’s a real threat to him at this point. Now I start capturing and pushing forward to the injured Zerda. I want to drag it down a bit more so that I can Overkill it as well. Yuri levels up from healing, always good. Irina runs up and shoots Zerda, and while she gets shot herself in return the Zerda doesn’t run anywhere near far enough away and falls to a Malusphere. I then move Raki up far enough to capture it and also lure in the next few Majin. We get a Scytodida immediately and a Chiroptera incoming, no real problems. We hit the hell out of Scytodida and manage to Bleed it with an Aero II. Chiroptera comes in finally, and we Bleed it too. We start weakening both, I’ll need Combos or specials to bring them down so positioning is key.



The King of Darkness is waiting for us.
Thage, no one has seen him before and lived.
The darkness shows you things you couldn’t see before.

We blow up the Scytodida with a Combo and Chiroptera with a Last Rites, just like last time. Now we’re down to just a Zerda and a Chiroptera.



I’m not listening to you!
Deny us and ignore us, but you are one of us…

Retica levels up after healing up some of our injured, always helpful. We throw lots of stuff at Zerda, I try to bring it down with a Combo but end up just killing it because it’s so resistant to physical attack. It’s not a real problem though. Ares levels up, which was the intent. Now I start dumping firepower into the last Scytodida.



Can you feel something?
A long battle lies ahead.
We already know the outcome, though…

Scytodida gets Fractured by a Terra III then broken by a Combo, map over.

Battle Result:

Levels:
Raki 18->19
Retica 16->17
Ares 15->16
Alexei 18->19
Yuri 13->14

Majin:
Scytodida Lv 20 x 3
Zerda Lv 19 x 2
Chiroptera Lv 20 x 2

Gold:
3000

If this idiot was going to insist on standing in our way, there was just nothing for it.



The King is here! Show yourself!
I will make you my slaves, Falsin.

Arrogant, as you’d except the ruler of darkness to be.



I am King Bellion, the ruler of darkness!
You should not be in my realm!
I am the new ruler of your realm.
Let us pass, or spend eternity inside this librum.
Selfish Falsin, your souls are magnificent.
You have my utmost respect for your sins!
You should be proud of your horrible deeds, Falsin!
He seems to destroy destruction…?
The truth of destruction cannot be seen.
Strength that grows in the dark, hidden from sight…
I praise this power. It is the great truth.

Only one of us was getting destroyed here, though.
- recovered text fragments