Part 34: Strangled Cove

Update 34: Strangled Cove



Welcome back! Last time we took a quick detour to save Somier from his own questionable decisions. This time we’ll be continuing the main story and moving through more of a poisonous swamp.



When we head to the cove, the scene is set on Katja, surrounded by her former comrades.



After what I witnessed at the Temple, it’s not *our* cause nay more. But I’m a reasonable lass. I know how to hold me tongue. I’ll be on me way now and leave nothin’ behind but fond memories.
Ah, no. You won’t be going anywhere. Trusting a bounty hunter was a mistake on my part. Your kind knows but one kind of loyalty, to coin.

Raife turns and addresses his henchpeople

Dispose of her. When you are finished, rejoin us at the Gogombob City Temple.



And then he walks off.

Tsk. Shoulda seen that comin’



At which point our party walks in.



It sure is. Sigil must have decided to take the Fenfjord shortcut too. Although it looks as though Katja has fallen out of grace with her friends. As tricky as she is, I still don’t fancy her odds on this one.
Keep going or stop for a quick brawl? What do you think Kyrie?
It goes against my better judgement, but let’s give her a hand.





And it’s time for the fight. This is actually another escort mission, but Katja is much more concerned with her safety than Somier was, so I don’t need to really worry about her.



This time I’m bringing Azure (as an Assassin) Bobby, Yates, Sophia, Hannah, and Kyrie who’s locked in. There wasn’t any real thought on who to bring this time, I just went with whoever it felt like had been sitting out a lot recently.



Up top we have Katja, who’s a Bounty Hunter (her unique class) and Assassin. She’s also fully kitted out and decently bulky. In fact, in this fight in specific she might be close to the ideal AI partner.



Up against us are a Knight, Druid, Duelist, Gunner, Reaver, Gyaum (top-level Vangal),



And then an Assassin and another Vangal hiding in the back. These guys could be annoying because they’re actually a decently balanced party, if a little light on magic damage.



Now, the reason I say that Katja could be the ideal AI partner is because she uses her free turn from initiative to move up the boat and then give herself a mirage charge.



And then uses her second turn to shoot the Reaver and then move up to the very top of the boat, basically out of almost all of the enemies’ range.



As for my guys, everyone starts out pretty far away so I just gradually move up.



The Reaver hits Azure with a ranged attack so she shoots him back.




While the Gunner uses his turn to pop Katja’s mirage charge.



Not too much happens as people keep moving forward. The druid heals the Raver back up and Katja uses her turn to get mirage back, but doesn’t move from her perch.



The Assassin does make things a bit dangerous by buffing a few people’s attack.



While Kyrie inflicts my first purposeful damage of the fight on the Druid.



The Gyaum hits Azure for a huge chunk of her health so I have Sophia heal her back up.



While the Duelist makes a questionable decision of his own by jumping in the poison water to heal the Druid. Yates falls just short of taking him out fully though.




The Reaver exploits my positioning to hit Kyrie and Yates,



And the Gunner keeps shooting at Katja.



The Druid moves up to hit Sophia and Yates as well, nearly taking him out.




Bobby falls just short of taking out the Gyaum with a doublecast of Fire Locus and basic Fire.



And the Knight heals the nearly dead Duelist back up to full with a potion.



Katja continues making herself invulnerable up top.




And Azure finishes off the Gyaum and does some good damage to the Reaver too.



Sadly, thanks to his low health, Yates gets collected by the Assassin, taking him out of this fight permanently.



Kyrie hits the duelist for a bit of damage and he returns the favor with a decently strong desperate blow. He does not leave the water though, so he stays poisoned.



Sophia heals Kyrie up, while Hannah uses the Werewolf’s Blood Trophy to severly overkill the Duelist.



Katja gets shot again and redoes her Mirage.



And the Knight gets into position for a vert nasty One For All thanks to his lance.



The Assassin debuffs Hannah’s defense, which triggers a hit.



I have Azure root the Reaver to keep him away from Hannah. It works, and he just uses his turn to cure himself of conditions.



And Kyrie falls about 3 HP short of killing the Druid.



Katja’s so much faster than the Gunner that she barely gets a 2nd turn before the Gunner does, so she actually gets to do some damage to the Assassin.



Though the Gunner just shoots Hannah instead, triggering another One for All hit that she only survives thanks to a previous heal from Sophia. Hannah also gets crippled, so I have her use a remedy instead of killing the Druid.



And the Assassin then exposes a flaw in my unit choices and swaps places with Sophia to instantly drown her.



Bobby retaliates by killing the Druid.



And the Assassin made me realize I could do that too, so I drown the Knight after he nearly kills Bobby.



Sadly the Reaver does finish the job and takes him out. Azure retaliates again and crits, nearly killing him but not quite making it.



But Kyrie does finish off the Assassin.



The Gunner uses his turn to revive the Knight.



And Hannah keeps numbers down by taking out the Reaver.



While the Knight uses their last Phoenix Ash to revive the Druid too.



After an uneventful round as I closed in again, Azure drowns the knight for a 2nd time.



Hannah takes out the straggler Vangal who finally moved up from the back corner.



Sophia snipes the Druid.



And Kyrie takes out the Gunner to finish the fight.



Definitely not too bad of a fight overall. Though more people went down than I would’ve liked, I felt like I was pretty solidly in control for the majority of the fight.



Afterwards, the party surrounds Katja.



But I’m obliged just the same.
In return, I expect answers.
Ha! I should have known.
I hope this doesn’t pose a problem for you.
Nay, I don’t owe Sigil nothin’, since they tried to off me. I’ll tell ye all I know. First, I can tell ye I don’t know as much as I’d like. I ha dno idea they were consortin’ with demons, fer instance.
What are they up to with the Relics?
Only the two head cheese types, Raife and Grim Eye, know the details. But the claimed to have found a way to be rid of the Council fer good. As I understand it, they got what they wanted from three Temples already. Only the Gogombob City Temple remains.
How did the leader of Sigil get to become a Marked anyway?
Couldn’t rightly say. He said only a Marked could activate them Relics, that’s why he needed the power.
He must have a sponsor on the Council. But I can’t figure out which Immortal would want to see the Council abolished.
Do you know anything about Raife himself? Who is he?
Raife’s been the head of Sigil for the last decade. Very secretive, that one. He’s got some trainin’, I can tell. I only saw him fight the one time, but he knew what he was about. Kinda like you, I guess.
As much as I enjoy our little chats, I think it’s time I be on me way.
While your information was helpful, your crimes are too numerous for me to simply let you go.
Hoho!



And she throws out a smoke bomb!



But Bobby and Anadine are too fast and block her off.



There are two ways this can go. First option: I escort you to the nearest Chapterhouse and let the dice fall where they may. With crimes including conspiring against the Council, assaulting an Arbiter, and murder of a Marked, execution is the likely outcome.
Ha. I’ve heard a more enticin’ proposal from a drunken Bzil during matin’ season.
Second option. As a Captain, I have the authority to enlist you to my command for a duration suitable to the severity of your crimes. “Suitable” in your case will mean “a very long time.” It’s your choice.



Katja thinks for a moment.

In that case, when do we leave, Captain?



And with that, we head back to the world map. There’s a new event here, but I’ll leave it until next time because this update’s already getting pretty long.