Part 74: Stratum 2: Redemption

The deserts of Besek are parodies of those in the real world. While a natural desert is hot and dry due to simple climate, Besek’s deserts are lava-filled wastelands.
- excerpt, Legends of Besek, Vol I

The Land of Fire

The previous battlefield overlooked a wide area of Besek. There seemed to be an easy path through the burning mountains.



The Majin were there, of course.

Video- “Redemption”

Click For Video with Commentary



Ally Team:
We’ve got our normal group of mercenaries this time, we’re unlikely to change unless we do some crazy joke fight where I use a Koona or something.

Enemy Team:
We’ve seen this map before and we’ve seen the Majin setup before. There’s a Thielfer, two Laquo Magus, two Hecta Gigas, two Velox, and three Armatus. It’s a pretty versatile group but there’s no healers so they’re pretty vulnerable.

Deployment:



We want to do the same thing we did with Ashley’s party, we’re going to push hard into the Majin.

Tactical Objectives:
- Just kick Majin ass.

Map:



My Koona scouts report that the Princess is in the area.
She was kidnapped by the Majin, right?
Don’t believe everything you hear, my dear hero.
If we’re fortunate, we might come across her out here.
Hmph, that’s not important to our mission.
There could be unexpected gains in meeting her.
…

Rondemion is able to push far enough forward to batter the Hecta Gigas in front of us with his Earth magic so we do that.



Hmph.

Now I start pushing everyone else forward. The near Armatus didn’t activate on its first turn, which gives us a full cycle before we need to worry about it. The Hecta Gigas ends up moving in to Hecta Crush the Count and Rondemion, which sort of sets it up nicely to die.



Hehehehehehe!
Where’s Morpheus!?
In myyyyyy stomach!
Ugh, useless!

The Count and Rondemion team up for a Combo on the Hecta Gigas, but it’s not quite low enough to Overkill for them. Oh well. The near Armatus is moving now, so we need to deal with that. We also want to push ahead with anyone we can to deal with the Thiefler.



Falsin! Food! Hungry!
*sigh * These Majin are so excruciating to talk to.

We push the Count forward and cast on the Laquo Magus, it’s vulnerable to Wind and doesn’t really have much magic defense. Everyone throws some offense into the Armatus in the backfield to get it down to Overkill range. An Armatus is coming in ahead of the group as well, so I need to get Laquo Magus out of the way. Rondemion cuts it down with his Heroic Slash, a good use of our powerful technique. The near Velox starts shooting at Rondemion, but he’s got a pretty deep well of health and it’s no big thing. Armatus also attacks him, which is good because it was otherwise in the way of my efforts to kill Thiefler. The Count then moves up to make it harder for Thiefler to pass. The Majin upfield make a nuisance of themselves while we finish off the back Armatus, who falls to a Combo from Yuri and Alexei. This is a good thing, because a Hecta Gigas is coming that way. The Count then drops the Thiefler with Grand Design, and Vivian levels up from casting on the Armatus upfield.



Vivian just became pretty awesome. She went up to A rank in Fire, which makes her Pyro I a lot more effective, and she got the powerful Meta II spell. Meta II can sometimes Confuse targets, which is a good addition to our set of options. Since the Armatus in the back is down, I start pulling everyone back towards the group slowly but surely. I want to drag the Hecta Gigas back towards my support lines. Meanwhile, I get a real start on the Armatus upfield with Nena.



Hmph, nothing was ever gained by hesitating.

I start caging up the upfield Armatus while weakening it and the Velox now. We need to just tolerate their attacks a bit, because I want to take advantage of the experience I could gain from them. Alexei’s been getting beat up by the Hecta Gigas pretty badly, but he’s finally got something to show for it as he levels up. As I’m messing around milking these guys for experience I realize it’s possible for me to Overkill the Armatus with Nena, so I start setting that up. We hold the line everywhere else, getting valuable experience from weakening what we can. Nena blows up the Armatus and the Hecta Gigas backs off due to low health, so suddenly Velox is all alone. Velnor levels up from a buff as we surround the Velox, giving it no targets in its bow range. I set up a Combo with Rondemion and Nena, which doesn’t end up being enough for an Overkill but does get the big man a level.



Rondemion gets Quad Resist as a Crusader at seventeen, which gives him no magic weaknesses at all. That’s because Rondemion owns. Now we can go turn everyone around but Vivian and go for the Hecta Gigas. Vivian is going to open the chest behind us and then wait for us to meet her as we swing around the other side.



You aren’t going home now, are you?
Don’t fret. I’ll make sure we finish the task at hand.

We hit the Hecta Gigas hard and fast, and get it low enough that Nena can Overkill it with her Malus magic. We now secure the chests and start swinging around to engage the last three Majin. We push to the far bridge, which lures an Armatus in a bit and allows us to start barraging it with firepower. We drag it down low then flank with Vivian, who downs it with her Meta II. We’ve now got the Laquo Magus in as well, but it’s no threat at all. Capturing the Armatus gets Nena a level.



Nena picks up Malus III, which is a huge offensive upgrade for her. We throw a bunch of attacks into the Laquo Magus quickly, which takes it down to very low health. The Velox is making itself annoying, but all alone it’s easy to heal through its arrows. The Laquo Magus falls to the Count, who levels up but doesn’t get a new skill. We drag Velox down and even manage to land a Sleep on it, which leads to a brutal takedown with Rondemion and Alexei. Yuri levels up after everything’s dead from a heal, getting the Divinus skill. A pretty easy victory all around.

Battle Result:

Levels:
Rondemion 16->17
Duphaston 13->14
Nena 10->11
Alexei 11->12
Vivian 10->11
Yuri 11->12
Velnor 11->12

Majin:
Hecta Gigas Lv 12 x 1
Velox Lv 13 x 1
Armatus Lv 12 x 3
Thiefler Lv 7 x 1

Gold:
3900

Refugee:
Nolstein

It seemed the Count wasn’t totally wrong, though.

Video- “Redemption Lead Out”

Click For Video

Who’s there!?
I am Lenarshe, Princess of Valdia.
Pardon me, are you Sir Rondemion? The Hero?
(She appears this soon after the Count mentions her… Is this just a coincidence…?)
I’m a wandering swordsman, nothing more. What does a princess want with someone like me?
I’ve come to give you a warning.
Do not trust Count Duphaston. He’s most certainly NOT your ally.
That’s not news to me.
So how do I know YOU’RE even telling the truth?
As far as I can tell, neither of you can be trusted.
I understand your reservations, Hero.
But there’s one more thing I must tell you…

Besek began to shudder again.



I ask that you leave Besek at once.
I can’t do that.
Why not?
I thought we agreed I shouldn’t trust you…
Please listen to me. Something horrible will happen within Besek very soon.
You must leave.
Do you tell this story to everyone in here?
Sir Rondemion, please…
The time of destruction is very soon. Please, remember what I said.
Farewell, Hero…
Wait, I need to ask you something.
It’s about the late Queen of Valdia…
My… my mother…?
Hm, nevermind. Forget it.
(Why’d I try to ask her…?)
(Ha, just lingering questions… It’s not like me to get so sentimental…)

No point worrying about the past.



Ares: I’ve heard it’s quite dangerous to find. I might start looking for it.
I could use a little more excitement…

One of those Koona who work for the Count joined up with us.



Toma: Oot uoy…?
Ni em tnuoc annaw uoy? Anook! Anook!
Uoy htiw krow ot desaelp! Emosewa!

If I ate as often as Alexei I don’t know that I would make it out of bed in the morning.



Alexei: You can’t wage war on an empty stomach! Let us sit down and eat, my friend!

If the Count is looking for a hot spring, I suspect we’re close to a good source in this hellish place.



I confess, it could use a nice hot spring to relax one’s troubles away.
But alas, some things aren’t meant to be.

Komori seems happy.



Komori: It looks like Nena and Eriel have become friends.
Nena’s always talking about her, which is really encouraging.
It seems like she is opening up to the other townsfolk, as well.
She’s having more fun now. I’m still worried about her, but much less now.
It’s just one of the challenges of being a parent. Don’t you agree?

It must be pretty bad where Amelie lives if this place is more peaceful.



Hey…
Amelie: This town is nice and peaceful.
It’s my first time in a peaceful place, so I’m a bit uncomfortable.
You’ve never known peaceful times where you’re from?
Amelie: No, the war between the winged ones started before I was even born.
I see…
How did you hear about Besek?
I doubt word of King Valdus’s decree reached your homeland.
Amelie: No, I didn’t hear about the King’s situation until I came here.
But we’ve told stories in my homeland about Besek and its mysteries.
Hm, intriguing…

I’m checking with people to see if they’ve seen Morpheus.



Not bad.
Kuni: That’s good, I guess. I mean, ya could be worse off, right?
Though it’s not as good as good, right? …Now I’m all confused.
So what can I do for ya?
I need information. Have you seen a Majin named Morpheus?
Kuni: Morpheus… Hm… Wait, didn’t ya kill that guy years ago?
…
Kuni: Hey, ya got real silent all of a sudden…
Nevermind, it’s not a big deal.
Kuni: Alrighty then.
Sorry to bother you.
Kuni: No bother at all, buddy!

Still not sure why Misty is even in Besek.



Hey.
I haven’t found your master yet.
Misty: I see…
I’m sorry.
Misty: No, I’M sorry I’ve been wasting your time!
I don’t mean to be such a nuisance!
What’re you doing in Besek anyway?
Misty: Well, er, uh…
Can’t talk about it?
Misty: It’s just hard for me to talk about it.
…
Misty: But I promise that keeping it a secret won’t cause you any trouble.
Okay.
Misty: Thank you!

That guy we saved is some nobleman. We should have let the Majin chew on him a bit.



That’s right.
Nolstein: Hm… You must feel so privileged…
You can barely stay composed around a nobleman such as myself!
Composed, huh…
Nolstein: Regardless, I must compliment you for saving me.
Even though a commoner like you cannot fully ascertain its importance.
Not to worry. You will realize my greatness over the coming days.
Why’s that?
Nolstein: Because I am staying here until my servants come to bring me home.
You will have the distinct pleasure of entertaining me for as long as needed.
You’re staying…?
Nolstein: Hahaha! You must be overjoyed, I know!

Seeing the Princess threw me a bit, but dredging up the past won’t help me now. Just need to keep moving forward, find that bastard Morpheus, and make him pay.
- unknown