Part 10: Yates's Cabin

Update 10: Yates’s Cabin



And we’re back. Last time we fought Alphonse after he’d absorbed the energy of one of the temple relics and turned into a giant demon. Anadine went to grab the device he used and collapsed, covered in a dark flame. This time, we’re taking her to Yates, a healer who Reiner apparently has a very strong grudge against.



First off, because so many people got downed during the fight with Alphonse, we’ll need some fresh faces to help fill out our ranks.



So after a few patrols for AP, our 3 new generics will be: Azure who’ll be starting out as a Ranger. More ranged damage is always good, and being able to have 2 ranged attackers is always a plus.



Selina who’ll be a plague doctor. This job will have a mix of support, healing, and some offense as well. A big plus is that it can wear heavy armor and shields, so she’ll add some nice survivability too.



And finally, we have Eustace who’s starting off as a wizard. There are a few classes that can use rapiers, so I’ll be trying to have him hop between them.



With introductions made, we’ll be heading to see Yates.



Kyrie and Co. come in on the corner of a map



Which is dominated by a pretty large house.



This way. I think we’ve found it.
(no portrait): If you seek healing, then indeed you have come to the right place.



A guy with a cane and cloak walks from the house down towards Kyrie.



Wait, aren’t you…?



Oh no.
And Yates takes off back into his house.



There’s a brief moment of calm, and then you can hear moans in the distance.



As a bunch of zombies and undead harpies come into view.



One of whom grabs Reiner



And throws him up to the top of the house!
Kyrie (worried): Reiner, are you all right?!
Reiner (happy): Barely a scratch. I’ll be fine.




And we are in a fight. This one has a different victory condition than normal fights, in that it’s essentially on a timer. Until that ends, enemies will gradually appear on the edges of the fight.



We start off with Kyrie, Azure, Mongo, and Eustace down below.



And Reiner and Selina up top. Selina has a specific job of keeping Reiner alive and unpoisoned, because the AI loves to focus on him, and poison can especially take its toll.



Regardless, I won’t see you without an appointment. That, you may take up with my attendants.



Azure then opens the fight by rooting one of the zombies. They have no ranged attacks, so rooting them can effectively knock them out of the fight for a few turns.



And Reiner deals over half of an undead Arpia’s health in a single sneak attack.



Who then retaliates by poisoning Reiner for the first of many times this battle.



Meanwhile, down south Kyrie gets swarmed and slows all of the zombies while Mongo and Azure keep the ones on the other end of the house tied up.



“Vile” is a strong word, my friend. There are two perspectives to all things: the educated one, like mine, and that of grubby buffoons like yourselves.
I’m going to throttle you with my bare hands!
Reiner! Remember Anadine. Tell Yates we pose no threat and that we’re not here to indulge your grudge.



Reiner does no such thing, at least immediately, but he does take out the undead arpia up top, lightening Selina’s healing load a good bit.



Down below, there’s a lot of setting zombies on fire and stabbing them. However, Azure gets to show off a new Ranger ability. It’s a bit weaker than a normal strike, but if you kill a monster with it:



You get an extra component! It also has some other bonuses, but I’ll go over those another time.



Reiner’s turn comes around again.

We have a wounded.
Please pardon me if I don’t take your word for it.



To vent his frustrations, Reiner takes out another one of the zombies.




Also, the undead termagaunt uses a neat ability that picks Selina and deposits her on a different space nearby. Thankfully, it just does a normal attack’s worth of damage regardless of where it puts her.

The fight continues until another of Reiner’s turns



…



A new zombie pops on screen as Reiner continues to appeal to Yates.



Our friend was exposed to dark energy, of a kind we’ve never seen before, and she hasn’t regained consciousness since.
Hmmm. Dark energy you say? That DOES sound rather interesting…

But apparently not interesting enough for him to call off the corpses.



Reiner finishes off the undead termagaunt that’d been poisoning him every turn



And most of the zombies down below have also been dealt with. And eventually Yates decides to speak up again.



Know, Yates, that I share his opinion of you. But you have my word. No harm will come to you by our hands.
Excellent. Please, tell me as much as you can recall about this “dark energy” business while I examine the patient.


And the fight ends. Nothing too difficult, though both Eustace and Reiner nearly went down a time or two.



I’ll need to hear the details first. I find the best decisions are based on facts. If everyone would adopt such basic scholarly methods, the world wouldn’t be such a ruin.
…

(Side note, I love Reiner’s sprite during this conversation. He changes position a few times, but you can always tell that he is just pissed about being here)

All right, this is what happened… (screen fades to black and fades back in)
Fascinating! And you yourself witnessed this nobleman’s transformation into a demonic being?
Look, can you help Anadine or not?
Tsk, tsk. Please be careful of your tone. Even the implication of violence against my person severely curtails my healing skills.

(If it’s not clear in the portrait, Yates is rolling his eyes while saying this)

…
Yes, I can help her. Fortunately, I am not only the world’s greatest healer, but also have extensive experience in what the unwashed call The Dark Arts.



If you believe yourself in possession of even a fraction of my knowledge and skills, I invite you to try and heal her yourself. I will fabricate a protective talisman, a powerful amulet to neutralize the dark energies coursing through her.
And this amulet of yours will cure her?
No. Her condition is too critical for an outright cure at this stage. The amulet will suppress the dark energy for a time… if her strength holds, up to a year I’d say.
And after that?
She’ll revert to the state she’s in right now. Or degenerate even further. Yes, most likely the latter.
But let’s worry about that later. First, I must fashion the amulet to counteract the immediate danger. This working won’t be some parlor trick, mind. The spell will require a certain rare component, an Ancient Beast Bone.



Yates then pauses to do the smart guy glasses raise.

There is good news amidst the gloom, however! In a nearby graveyard, a burying ground for beasts, I’m sure you will find a specimen. Unfortunately, the graveyard is not quite the quiet resting place one might hope for. Make sure to bring a few of those oversized scalpels all you Arbiters seem to favor. By the by, time is of the essence here.
Got it. Thanks for your help, Yates.
Please. To heal others has been my lifelong calling.
Ha.



And with that we’re back on the world map. The Resting Giants has appeared to our north. However, this is where we’ll leave things for this update.