Part 17: Information Warfare

Welcome back. Last time on Exit Fate, we attempted to perform a pincer attack on Keyser and the Kirgard legion that had invaded Mayfall, only to find that half of the pincer had already been routed and we were vastly outnumbered. We retreated, but not before finding out that Brunhild was the supreme commander of the Almenga army. While we'd love to look into that, we have a battle report to give first. So let's get to it.



Before we do anything, though, I take the Black Kirgard Plate we stole from Trevor and put it on Daniel. It has double the PDF of the Bronze Plate he was originally wearing, and also provides a slight STR boost, which is pretty much exactly what Daniel needs. After that, it's on to Matrech.




Music: Chancellor - Final Fantasy VIII, "Overture"



Oh, Colonel Vinyard. I'm glad to see you. I've been waiting here so I could hear any news immediately. It's hard for me to focus on any other work when the State Union is in such grave danger.
I wasn't expecting you back so soon. I assume you didn't win the battle, then?
I apologize, Captain. Our plan was doomed to fail from the beginning. Amen Corner was already abandoned by the time we arrived. All Kirgard troops had left during the previous night. They must've intercepted the Mayfall forces while they were in the open. The city had already fallen when we got there. There was nothing we could do by ourselves against the second legion.



Did our plan leak to the enemy?
On the contrary, Chancellor. I believe General Keyser misled us from the beginning. By dividing our armies and enticing them to attack at different times, they could capture Mayfall City with little effort.
This is terrible... We were convinced that we had the upper hand, but we were playing right into their cards?



What a disaster! Two of our states are already lost to Kirgard, and all we could do was stand by and watch!
It's my fault. I should've been expecting this. Keyser is a legend back home. It was stupid to think he would overlook something so obvious.
That man! He's making a mockery of us! How can we stand up to a monster like that? We lack the manpower to simply overwhelm them. If we want to take back Mayfall, we'll have to face him with strong tactics. The problem is, who can do it? Is there anyone in Zelmony who can match him?




But... isn't Keyser supposed to be undefeated? I've always heard that he never lost a battle.
It was a long time ago. I suppose it was easily forgotten by those who lost. Moreover, Keyser was not yet a general at the time. His defeat would not have been major news.
Who are you referring to, Chancellor?



Him? But he's been retired for years. Do you think he'd be willing to return? There's a reason he never advanced past the rank of major. He didn't make himself popular with the Matrech leadership, and he didn't exactly leave on the best terms either.
You don't know him as well as I do, Captain. I'm certain he will return.



If you explain how General Keyser has taken Mayfall, I have no doubt he will be interested.
I understand, Chancellor. Where can I find him?
He moved to Highland after retiring. I believe he's living in the mountains north of Grunthall.
If you can convince him, bring him back here to see me. I would like to hear his ideas on how to fight Kirgard.



Good luck, Colonel Vinyard.



Welp, looks like we've got ourselves a new objective to work towards. But before we head back to Highland, we've got another matter that we can now look into. A matter that requires Ljusalf.

Music: Forest - Suikoden V, "The Deep Forest, The Lost Forest"



If you'll recall, way back in update 7 we promised the forest ranger Richard that we'd return eventually to help him out with the mist monster problem in Mayfall Forest. Up until now, we haven't been able to do anything on that front, since his house has been unoccupied whenever we showed up. Once we've returned from the losing battle at Mayfall, however, Richard will appear in front of his house.



If we have Ljusalf in the party, Richard will invite us inside.



Over the past weeks, I've made several journeys into a certain place deep inside this forest. I think the source of the mist is somewhere around there, as the fog gets thicker the closer I get. Unfortunately, the frequency of mist monsters increases as well. They regenerate faster than I can take them down, so there's a limit to how far I can go by myself.
I see... So you think that with our help, you could reach the source of the mist and somehow disable it?
I know I shouldn't be asking this of you, but I can pay you back once the forest has returned to normal. It doesn't have to be right now. Just come by if you ever have the time.



Thank you. I'll be seeing you around, then.



This is another case where control is given back to us in case we want to prepare first. We have to talk to Richard again to actually get things started.



Yes.
Thanks a lot. If we go through the back door, we can reach the center of the forest by following the path.




Richard joins us temporarily here, but this brings us to four required characters and that means Royston needs to head home for the moment. Sorry guys.



Richard is basically a weaker, but faster and more accurate Stromgaard. His STR is nothing to write home about, but he's also interesting because he has a passable MAG rating, similar to Daniel's. Unfortunately, he's not good enough at dealing physical or magical damage to really be of use to the party.





Richard fights with his longbow. His damage output is okay, but we can do better. He won't be in the active party for this segment.




Anyway, if we head out the back door and go up the path, we'll find ourselves in a misty area.




Just as Richard said, there are mist monsters here. These particular enemies are Proto-Mists, who don't have quite the power of the Mist Monster we fought earlier. But they're still pretty strong, and they often come in groups of three.




Their regular attack hits fairly hard, and since there are usually three of them attacking in a row, they can quickly bring a frontline character down to critical health before you even realize what's happened.





They're also quite fond of casting Enfeeble and Lightning. These aren't generally as dangerous, but they're still annoying.



They have a lot of HP, but repeated Shadowcasts bring them down eventually, bringing in a crapton of experience. We may have entered this area underleveled, but that will definitely not be the case by the time we leave.




There's a bit of loot scattered around the misty area, and what sweet loot it is. The Green Herb and Gold Dust are our first glimpse at the next tier of healing items. The Green Herb heals 500 HP, which is more than twice what any of our characters currently have, and the Gold Dust heals 200 HP to the whole party, which basically means it's a full party heal at this point. I equip these to Daniel immediately.



Then I run into a mist monster. Oh, did I neglect to mention that mist monsters are regular encounters now? Their stats are a bit beefed up to ensure they're still a threat to us, but they still have the same moveset as the one we faced as a boss.



They also carry copies of Lightning for us to steal. Even though this area is pretty short, you can easily rack up a lot of them.




Elsewhere in the area we find a Cotton Scarf (+2 SPD) and a Silk Beret, the next class of light helmet. The beret goes to Outsider to speed him up a bit while still providing good defense.



On the next screen, things get even more misty.



If we venture too far inside... will we be able to find our way back?
Hold on. I'll leave a beacon here.




Just as Ljusalf said, the mist here is so thick we can't see the ground. And that means this area is a maze with invisible walls.



There are a lot of treasure chests scattered around this area, but they're usually placed with invisible walls blocking most of the space around them.




The enemy formations also take a step up here, though we can still deal with them.



Well hello. The Frost Shard is an attack item that casts not Icicle, but Frostwave, the next tier up. This is going to be seeing some use very shortly.



And the loot just keeps getting better. The Quartz Amulet is an accessory that grants +2 to MP+ instead of +1. This goes to Midian.



Finally we find some Steel Boots, which go to Ayara for a small PDF boost.



After stumbling through the invisible maze for awhile, we eventually run into a scene.



This area... I know it. If we go a little further...




So... this is the source of all the mist?
The mist is nothing more than water vapor, isn't it? It'd make sense if it came from this lake... but how?



This lake is home to many water spirits, so that's no surprise. I wonder where they've all gone, though...
Hmm, let's take a closer look.




Music: None




A ghostly figure appears. There's no fade-in or movement here--the figure instantly springs into existence, and then flashes forward several feet in the span of a single frame.



The energy I felt... It's her! She's the source of the mist!
I won't let you destroy our perfect unity!

OPTIONAL BOSS: Mist Queen

Music: Boss Battle - Wild Arms 2, "Battle vs. Solid"





Hoo boy, the Mist Queen. The above set of images is just the first move, and it should really convey the tone of this battle if you come here at the level we did. Thunderbolt is the next tier of lightning spell, and it's guaranteed to do ~90 damage to at least two characters, if not an entire column. The Mist Queen is all too happy to cast it, and as you can see from the turn order, she gets two turns for every one set of turns we do.




Her physical attack is no slouch, either. It's very hard to keep the frontliners alive in this battle.




She's also quite fond of using the Mist Cloud that the regular mist monsters use, as well as the Enfeeble spell. These can both be debilitating, and they're probably the least dangerous abilities she has.



Physical attacks are useless against the Mist Queen at this level. She's just too fast, and our choices of frontliners are fairly inaccurate to begin with.



Anyway, first things first. I nab another Gold Dust from the Queen, which is great since I end up having to use the first one.






So what's the strategy? Well, for the most part it appears to be "come back here at a higher level." But if you insist on completing this quest as soon as it becomes available, you're going to want to bring out the big guns. The Frost Shard item, as well as the Waterfall we stole from Joshua, will knock a big chunk out of the Mist Queen's HP. After that, you should have your mages unload on her with every spell you have. Characters like Ayara and Outsider don't have enough MAG to break through the Queen's MDF with spells, so you should load them up with healing items instead and have them ensure your mages stay alive. If your frontliners go down, you can keep fighting for awhile; if your mages go down, you are not winning this battle.



Even then it'll be a close shave. I died on my first attempt at this battle, and the second attempt ended up like this. But Yan Angwa was getting a small stat boost from Daniel being dead (which is what the ! signifies), so I went for the Hail Mary.



And it worked.

Music: Boss Battle Won - Chrono Cross, "Victory (A Cry In Summer)"



The victory bumps us up a good two levels, and combined with the levels we gained in the forest, we're going to be a bit overleveled for the next few updates. We also get a copy of Thunderbolt for our trouble.

Music: None



I'm sorry...




The Queen falls to her knees, and fades from yellow to a blue color.

Music: Reflection - Chrono Trigger, "At the Bottom of the Night"



She transformed?
I'm sensing a different kind of elemental energy now...




A single water fairy was causing the whole mist problem? I don't get it.
You're right. It was all my fault. I've been so naive... You see... I wasn't happy living here in this forest. I wanted to see more of the world, so I left this place and wandered around by myself for a long time.



I brought him here to show him my home... but this is what happened.
Fire and water... a dangerous combination.
Yes, but we found out too late. The mixture of fire and water is what caused all the mist. I'm so glad it's over now. I'm sorry for all the trouble we caused.
Where have the other water spirits gone? Were they driven away by the mist, or...?



We're one with this lake. We were born from it, and we'll all return to it someday. The ones who vanished will return eventually.
Fascinating... I had no idea that combining pure elements could have this kind of result.



It's all right. We should've known better. I can't thank you enough. Please let me pay you back. I'll help you in any way I can. After what happened, I don't want to return to this lake for a while...







Unlike Richard, Naja is actually quite good, filling the as-yet-empty niche of "speedy mage." She's the fastest of all the mages we currently have recruited, and her MAG is also quite high, beating out both Yan Angwa and Ljusalf (though not Midian, who's currently sitting pretty at around 70 before equipment boosts). Her downside is that her MP+ isn't quite as high as our other mages, but it's still workable, especially if we give her some amulets.





Naja's weapon of choice is what appears to be a blunt naginata. Like most mages, her physical damage is less than impressive, but that's not what you'd want to use her for anyway.

Some time later...

Music: Forest - Suikoden V, "The Deep Forest, The Lost Forest"



The mist is still around, but it's no longer being produced, so it'll all fade away soon. As promised, I'll try to help you in return as well.








Right then, now that we've dealt with that, there's kind of that whole issue with Keyser and the Kirgard second legion currently occupying Mayfall. It's time to head back to Highland and meet this Major Gunwood fellow.




Before that, though, I make a quick stop in at the Bergstadt blacksmith...







...and with the money I earned from the forest I throw a big ol' weapon-upgrading party. Even Midian gets in on the action.




After that, it's time to head up into the mountains north of Grunthall. The northwest corner of the town has this path which I ignored earlier. I think we could have gone up into the mountains when we first came here, but the encounters would have likely chased us out.

Music: Mountain - Final Fantasy VII, "Tifa's Theme"



Mt. Bosch is a tiny area, too small to really be called a dungeon.



The encounters here mainly consist of the tougher enemies from the Highland overworld, just in bigger numbers. The only new guy is the Wild Barbarian up front, but thanks to the Mist Queen sidequest we're about five levels higher than this area expects us to be. Nothing here is much of a threat, even the ogre.



The mountain isn't completely empty though. There's a Bronze Ring (+2 MAG) hidden in an alcove...



... as well as this guy hanging around.




We can attempt to recruit him, but...



...he's got other things on his mind.



The game actually gives us dialogue choices here. But we can just talk to him twice and use both.

Avalon?
I can't tell you any more. I don't want anyone else to beat me to the punch, you know?
What, on this mountain?
I heard rumors that this mountain holds the key to entering Avalon... I just can't seem to find it.



Fascinating. Anyway, our actual destination is this house, which is pretty much right next to the entrance of the mountain. You actually have to go further up the mountain to find the stuff I mentioned above.






Oh, hello. I'm looking for Major Gunwood. Is that you?



I dunno, I'm definitely seeing some guns.

...Eh? But I thought he--
You fool, what are you calling me a major for? I've been out of the army for years!



Oh... sorry. I'm Daniel, Daniel Vinyard, commander of the Elysium Army. I don't know if you've heard of me...
What do you take me for? A hermit? Of course I've heard of you! I may not live in the city, but I still pay close attention to the news, especially interesting things like your recent military career here.



Fade to black...



When you hear a lot about someone you've never met, you start forming an image of them in your mind. Usually I'm pretty accurate with that, but I thought you'd be a little less timid.
Well... Surely people easily look timid compared to you.
Haha! You got me there. Now, I can guess the reason why you're here, but go ahead and tell me anyway.
Yes, as you must've realized already, it's about the war with Kirgard... but I doubt you've already heard the latest news. The real invasion has begun. Mayfall City has fallen to the Kirgard army, and the whole state is now under their control.

Music: Suspicion - Suikoden V, "Suspicion"



As you can see, the situation is critical. Kirgard has advanced to the Matrech border, and they're obviously aiming to bring down the State Union. To be honest, I don't know if we can stop them.
I don't believe it... They've come this far?



It's not just for any reason that we want you to return. You don't know the reason we lost to Mayfall. We lost because we were outsmarted by the enemy strategist. He fooled us all into thinking we had the upper hand. That strategist is someone you know better than anyone else in Zelmony. It's General Keyser.
Keyser!? He's here, in Zelmony?
Yes, I've seen him in person. This invasion was all his plan...

Fade to black...



So that's it. That's why you came to see me.
Will you help us?
Those idiots in Matrech... Are they really all afraid of Keyser? It's like they've already admitted defeat.



I guess it's unavoidable. I intended to live out the rest of my life in peace, but I won't get any rest if the State Union is like this. It's time I put Keyser in his place again.
So it's true what I heard... that you fought and defeated Keyser before. I never heard about this in Kirgard.
Yeah, that's right. He was the same back then. Confident, self-assured... He knew exactly how much he was worth. Maybe too well. So you never heard what happened between us? Well, I can't blame you. I guess it wasn't a significant battle.





You're going to be fighting Keyser, aren't you? You'll want to learn as much about him as you can. It's basic strategy. You went to a military academy, didn't you?
You could've just said so...




It was about thirty years ago. I still remember it well. It was my first real war. You probably don't remember much about it. It was the time when Ryan was fighting to unite Zelmony...

(And it's flashback time! This scene features both a young Keyser and a young Bast, but they don't have portraits. I'll use their sprites to show them speaking, and Bast's portrait for his narration.)

Music: Reminiscence - Suikoden II, "Reminiscence"



That's where it all took place. An ambitious young Kirgard officer was carrying out a plan to set up a temporary base on a small island off the coast.



Yeah, you could say it was a brilliant plan. However, luck wasn't on his side. He had the misfortune that a ship that happened to pass the island spotted some of his men.

Fade to black...





Even if we were aware of Keyser's presence, he was still there. He could still attack us. Before anything else, we had to get rid of him first. But his position was easy to defend. A tiny island, with tall cliffs covering most of the shoreline. Me, I wasn't all that different from him. I, too, wanted to show that I was more than competent. I told everyone that I would come up with a successful plan in under five days. Oh, I wasn't so overconfident that I was sure I could do that, but I just realized something at that moment. This was my big chance, a chance I felt I would never get again. I had to prove myself. That's why I made that gamble, and hoped my ambition would help me through.



Although he wasn't as well-known then as he is today, reports from Kirgard did say that he was one of the most promising young officers. Thanks to our intelligence department I could find all the information I needed. His military record, his academy grades, his personal life, everything. I had to know how he felt, what he thought, and most importantly, how he would handle this situation.



He had already lost his main advantage. We knew, even though he wasn't aware of it, that he was there on the island. All we had to do was capitalize on it.

Fade to black...



No matter how we decided to attack, we couldn't hide ourselves. He was going to notice our ships well in advance, regardless of where we'd come from. It seemed the best option was to launch a decoy attack on the city of Harlinton and hope he'd take the bait. The moment he sailed out he'd be vulnerable. But studying Keyser's history, I realized that it just wasn't possible for him not to have taken that possibility into account. Confident as he may have been, he wasn't so arrogant as to think his plans were infallible. His strength lay in his ability to consider almost every possible outcome. He didn't know we had found him, but he definitely hadn't ruled it out. His plan was built around that very fact.





Hmmm, it's a caravan of merchant ships? So, they know we're here. This is not a regular trading route.
Should we take any actions, Lieutenant?
They're still far away. We won't take action until they've shown their real intention. For now, make sure everyone is on full alert.

Some time later...



Ridiculous. What are they trying to achieve that way? Is this some kind of diversion?
Maybe it's a blockade! Maybe they want to attack Harlinton and are using those ships to prevent us from coming to their aid!
Nonsense. Flimsy ships like that... our war vessels could easily break through them. No matter how many soldiers they crammed inside them, there's nothing they can do on open water. They intend to land on the island. It's the only explanation.



If they're spread out, they must intend to land on all sides simultaneously and surround us. If they're concentrated, it means they'll attempt to land on the opposite side of the island and hit us in the back. That could be more dangerous. Hmm...



A-Are you sure, sir? If we do that, our ships will barely be defended...
Exactly. They know where our ships are, so they'll assume we're staying there to protect them. Tell your men to lie in hiding, and attack as soon as they've landed. And send a messenger to us as soon as anything happens. I will stay here with the fifth company, and subtly make our presence known. They won't expect us to be all alone here. If they do try to surround us, they will land on the far side earlier than on this side, since those troops have to travel further to reach us here. Our messenger will get here before the ships on this side do. Then we can move back and crush the troops at the north side first, splitting their army in two. The only danger is losing our ships if they decide to destroy them after our initial retreat, but that's better than losing the battle. Now go! Don't waste any time!
Yes sir!



Some time later...



Lieutenant! The ships are changing course!
What!? They're heading straight for us!? All of them!? What's going on? Is it a feint? No... could this mean they're sending all their troops this way? But... that's... That's madness! It makes no sense! Our whole force is supposed to be on this side! Only a complete idiot would do something like that!
Sir! What should we do!?




If this is true... we are far outnumbered. We won't stand a chance. Even if we join with the other group, we'll be cornered with no way to go, and we'll lose our ships...




Prepare everyone to leave! We will incinerate the forest behind us to prevent them from catching up with us!
But what about our men on the north shore?
That's an order! We have to save what we can!



Some time later...

Music: None



Then what are you waiting for? Weren't you staying behind just to see me?
I simply wanted to know who it was.



Don't act so proud. Your strategy was foolish. You would've been slaughtered if I had taken any other direction.
But you didn't. And I knew that. I knew exactly what you were going to do.
... What's your name, Zelmonian?
Bast. Bast Gunwood.
Hmph.



Fade to black...

Music: Mountain - Final Fantasy VII, "Tifa's Theme"



I'm sure of it now. With your help, we'll stand a chance against Keyser. Well then, will you accompany us to Matrech?



Huh? But...
Didn't you pay attention to my story? Don't you understand why Keyser lost?
Ah... I get it. You knew everything about Keyser, but Keyser knew nothing about you. That's how you managed to defeat him. If you openly return to the State Army, Keyser will find out. That's what you're trying to prevent, aren't you?
Exactly! Hiding my presence from Keyser is the first step towards defeating him. Now, I've heard you're stationed in the old castle at Credence, right? And your army mostly consists of volunteers and mercenaries?
Yes, that's right.
Excellent. That's perfect.



You all leave on your own. I will follow shortly in disguise. I'll have to keep a low profile. Oh, and this should go without saying, but don't tell -anyone- about me being on your side unless they really have to know.
I understand. Oh, what about Erin, the captain of the Matrech Guard? She's the one who sent me here in the first place.
Yeah, we'll need to talk too. You go fetch her, and I'll be waiting for you at your castle.



Next time: That plan's so crazy that it just might work!