Part 52: Invisible Ties - Battle
Chapter 23 Battle
Who needs healers? (I do!) Morgan returns for some reason, so he'll get the Valflame tome to make up for lost times.
You're one of us, Robin, and no "destiny" can change that. 
Now let's kill this dastard and be done with it! 
You must face your grim fate alone! 
You may have noticed in the preparation update that Validar has the same stats as the first mission. They really want to make sure even the worst leveled Chrom and Robin can beat him. And if not, what happened
Battle Music: Chaos (Ablaze)
Nah starts out below the barrier by chipping an Assassin up north. Just to mention that Nah can't get any more speed and skill since she's capped those stats, so this is still her usual great level.
Morgan tags along with Cynthia to deathbomb Nah's wounded prey.
Yarne continues to prove the Sniper class's worth by abusing the 3-range for the safe kill.
Tiki softens up a tough-plated General for Noire to find the cracks and put him out of commission.
Noire gets tracked down by the other nearby Assassin, but Donny protects and then Dual Strikes in retaliation for the counterkill. What a nice guy.
This...is not nice.
Well, it's no Thoron but I'll take the superior stats for Robin.
And besides, the alternative? Have you considered what happens should I fall? These followers of Naga will spurn you now that they've learned what you are. Kill me, and you incur the wrath of the Grimleal as well... Would you truly choose to be so utterly alone?
...... Humans are weak, pathetic creatures... Your "bonds" with them will bind you. You are destined for a greater purpose! The GREATEST purpose! You are to be a GOD!
...Not your god—not today. If Chrom fights Validar here
Heh ha, are you so eager to meet your end, little Prince? You WILL die here. Your future is already written. I tell you again: I make my own future. And it's one you'll not live to see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idYVkoMwBlo
With the five Gemstones in hand, my magic knows no bounds. Robin is powerless to resist me. 
Do you see now, Daughter? Human bonds are leaves in the wind. They offer you nothing.
This can't be happening. We were supposed to change this! Everything I have done is...worthless.
Huh? I know that voice...Music: Don't you put any stock in this destiny hogwash!
Let the dead whine about their fate... As long as I draw breath, I choose to keep fighting! 
That's what life is all about! Khan Basilio! I-I thought... We all thought you were— Worm food, back in Valm? It almost went that way. But I scraped by, thanks to you. I don't understand. Once I took a couple hits from Walhart, I knew he was too strong for me. Normally pride would've had me dead before I'd even thought twice about it. But your warning gave me the courage to be a coward, hah ha! I played dead like a big, bald opossum! It wasn't hard. In truth I almost WAS dead. You saved my life, Lucina. Had you not said anything... I'd have stood my ground against that monster and died on the spot.
Oh, Basilio!
If you didn't die there, then you can die HERE! Hah! You're no Walhart, snake eyes! Not as strong, or even as clever... For example: you STILL haven't realized that you've been tricked.
What?! Robin predicted everything that would happen here. She saw it in a dream. Saw this very fight with you. If you think— Guess what else was in the dream? The five Gemstones. When Flavia gave my stone to Chrom, Robin saw what fate had in store. She knew Chrom couldn't bring the real Gemstones here to Plegia. That would be like swinging a big, juicy steak right in front of destiny's choppers! Gya ha ha! A worthy bluff, Feroxi fool, but ridiculous all the same. I've had your merry little band watched since Carrion Isle. Your every move! So I know Robin hasn't touched the stones—he/she hasn't been near them!
But they weren't watching dead men, were they? ...They weren't watching me. I... No, that's not— Heh, looks like it might be finally starting to sink in... That is not possible! These have to be... They must be... Why? Because of...DESTINY? PAH ha ha! Robin had your destiny beat days ago, when she came up with this plan. The expression on your face...it makes all those long nights in hiding worth it. Hah! Damn you! Damn you to all the hells! None of this matters! Chrom is dead! Your fates sealed! Grima will— ...Eh?
Father! You're alive!
Robin...spared me... She weakened her magic...just before the strike... ...... GRAAAAAAGH! Damn you all, and your stones! I won't need them to kill you! Ready to end this, Robin?
Let's do it. I'm ready to see what our true future has in store. We will. Now. Together.
The barrier cracks, allowing Robin and Chrom to join the rest of the Shepherds. Validar teleports to the middle of the far right, upgrading his stats to be a more appropriate boss.
Let's put this dastard down, for good this time! Finally, we get access to Basilio and Flavia though I'm not expecting much since most of our troops are-
Where are you all this time?! Especially you, Flavia!Well if you somehow didn't level your previous 20+ characters or need a couple extra heavy hitters, the game gives you a couple of excellent characters. Basilio has Rally Strength which boosts strength by 4, while Flavia is packed with the abilities that a Hero of her levels would normally have.
Inigo digs in on a weakened Sorcerer for exact damage thanks to Yarne.
Even with a strength tonic and Lucina's pair-up bonus, he can't muster that much actual power.
Lack of power is certainly not in Morgan and Owain's dictionary, despite many other nonsense in there.
Owain gets a Wyrmslayer from his victory.
Event Tile to trigger a father/son conversation.
Dragon, dragon, rock the dragon
Tiki's growths sometimes makes me question if she secretly has Aptitude as well. She receives an Arcfire afterwards.
Donny does some chipping.
While Vaike gets to chopping.
AGAIN?! WHAT?!
And again, a no-stat level followed by someone else getting a terrible gain. Damn you Vaike, damn you forever!
Morgan learns Slow Burn, which slowly increases hit and avoid to 15. Basically the opposite of Quick Burn.
Donny summons the power of the sun to melt the General into oblivion.
A Sorcerer gets the honor to miss horribly and get an axe thrown to his face by Donny.
Flavia easily wards off a couple Grimleals herself.
Cynthia uses the legendary Gungnir to pierce another General's fleshy parts, while Yarne continues to chip away at distance.
Excellent level, along with the addition of Sol to his arsenal.
Noire and Owain continue to work on their lesser weapon ranks.
Flavia knocks down an Assassin and gets his Silver Bow from the aftermath.
Tiki and Nah will try and bait out the rest of the Grimleal to their fangs.
At least Flavia is thinking the same as me on those stat gains.
Reinforcements are coming from those stairs at some point, so better move forward to avoid being too hurt by an ambush.
Excellent. Noire's got to get as much strength as possible since her other stats don't exactly lend to other playstyles for her.
Gotta love effective weaponry after all these missions still.
The one-two punch of dragon's breath followed by the Flamingo Flare would end most mortals. This Assassin drops a Silver Sword.
A Chrom level. Haven't seen that in a while. He's got 30 defense now which is pretty solid for a decent tank. Too bad Donny and the two dragons just do so much better at doing that job.
Not too bad for reinforcements right now with two appearing ahead of us. The two manaketes and Flavia do a great job of weakening any opposition that came their way.
Cynthia sneaks in a Dual Strike to get to level 3. Despite having lower strength than Noire, her Lancefaire and Gungnir effectively gives her +10 Mt.
And just 2 more HP before she caps out there.
Henry gets the kill, but Owain gains the EXP needed for level 7.
Chip, chop, Chip, chop.
Hooray! You might not be useless after all!
Axe a question, get a dead answer.
Henry got a little bored watching his son get all the blood.
Never really understood jumping high in the air to release an arrow.
Her stats could really be better for someone that's gone through 2 class changes.
Could've been a lot worse, but luckily I've hidden most of my squishy units away from the surprise guests.
Mmm. Toasty. Morgan picks up a Silver Lance from the barbeque tin can.
A couple bow snipes in action, with Basilio getting a Silver Axe for his battle.
That was a quick exit.
Minerva picks up Roy's Blade, 8 Mt D rank sword with 25 uses. Basically only useful for a D rank user to get a Steel Sword-like.
Morgan is going to camp and wait for Validar to attack him. Validar has the Dragonskin ability, which halves all damage taken and nullifies Lethality and Counter. Only Manakete's breath and Dual Strikes can deal full damage.
I expected this, and still it's a dick move everytime.Validar Boss Music: Monstrosity
Destiny cannot...be...unraveled...!If Lucina attacks him
Die, Validar! Impudent meddler! You have failed to change the future at every turn. What makes you think this time will be different?!
Perhaps it won't... But either way, it's no reason to spare your miserable life! 
Justice Cabal strike!
Finally some magic. Validar drops a Talisman, but this is a route mission so it's not over yet.
Basilio takes a good licking, but comes out victorious with a new level.
Gerome borrows Chrom for the strength boost needed to oneshot the Sorcerer. Good level, Rome UNLIKE SOMEONE RELATED TO YOU HMM
Basilio's Rally Strength gives just enough of a boost for Inigo to get the fatal blow.
This is a good run, lover boy.
31 strength isn't a thing I could complain a lot, I guess...
And a Bronze Sword ends Validar's reign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDFdpLTWr6E
Robin...my daughter...
We... We've won.
*Black fog figure transforms to Robin*
Music: Id (Dilemma)
What do you mean?!
It is still written that Chrom died here at your hands. 
Or, perhaps to be more precise...mine.
Who are you, really?! I told you. I'm Robin. The Robin that murdered you and became the fell dragon, Grima. When this "Marth" of yours decided to come back in time...I came with her. Another version of me? But how...? *Sigh* I can be so daft sometimes... It's really quite simple. I am you. Our only difference is the decisions we've made... Those vivid dreams you have—those are my memories. We share those memories because we share the same heart...Grima's heart. Th-the headaches... The voices... It was you! Your recollection begins the day I entered this world. I intended for us to unite then, the first moment I found you. But your heart was still too weak to contain Grima's power... The shock of my attempt wiped your memory clean. ...... I knew if Lucina managed to rewrite history, Grima would never be resurrected. And I, in turn, would cease to exist. So I had to step in, now and again, to keep my future secured. Like when Validar was killed in his attempt to assassinate Emmeryn... But that is the past, now. We have our future past to think of. All that remains is for you to become Grima, as I did. Then you and I will become as one, and we can reclaim my power. We are not yet the same? ...You were supposed to choose godhood over your pathetic band of servants. But if you'll not claim the sacrifice laid at the Dragon's Table... I will claim it in your place!
And though my journey through time has diminished my power...
the life force here shall renew me!
Music: Grima, it's all over...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxb9tSlPJgw
Music: The life force here shall renew me!
That's Grima! That's the demon who destroyed my world. And now he is among us...
The terrible size of it...gods! For once the legends spoke true. We can't face him, not in a straight battle—he'd kill us all! If only we still had the Fire Emblem, we could ask Naga for her power. Then at least we'd have a chance.
But Validar took the Emblem! And it was lost inside the Dragon's Table... I know. What, you mean THIS Fire Emblem?
I stole it from you once, remember? The least I could do was steal it back.
Quickly now! We must complete the Awakening before Grima catches on!
It's said the first exalt paid tribute to Naga at a site on Mount Prism. Do you know where, exactly? Yes. There is an altar at the peak of the mountain. If milord would perform the Awakening, it must be done there. A small hope is better than no hope at all. Hurry, everyone! Extras
Basilio
Starting Class: Warrior
Weapon Ranks: Axes (A), Bows (B)
Abilities:
-HP+5
-Zeal
-Rally Strength
Reclass options: Fighter, Barbarian, Knight
Base stats-Hard Mode (Growths)
HP: 62 (110) Spd: 25 (50)
Str: 34 (70) Lck: 20 (45)
Mag: 4 (10) Def: 23 (50)
Skill: 28 (60) Res: 9 (20)
Super-tough, good class options with the Knight reclass giving him access to Luna, and overall you have an out-of-the-box endgame unit all ready to take on Grima.
Official Bio: The West-Khan of Regna Ferox. His rival, Flavia, calls him "oaf" due to his attitude, but he is actually quite quick witted. He exhibits a fatherly side around Chrom's group. The guy with the biggest reactions.
Flavia
Starting Class: Hero
Weapon Ranks: Swords (A), Axes (B)
Abilities:
-Armsthrift
-Patience
-Sol
Reclass options: Mercenary, Thief, Knight
Base stats-Hard Mode (Growths)
HP: 53 (95) Spd: 30 (65)
Str: 28 (55) Lck: 24 (55)
Mag: 6 (20) Def: 25 (40)
Skill: 32 (70) Res: 13 (30)
Flavia is a little weaker than Basilio, but more than makes up for it in being faster, having Armsthrift along with Sol, and still having access to the Knight tree for good skills. Both Basilio and Flavia are limited in supports, but luckily their other support besides Robin is each other. Barring bad luck, they should have a C rank ready by the end of the mission, furthering their killing power.
Official Bio: The East-Khan and current ruler of Regna Ferox. She has swagger about her and dislikes formalities, but nonetheless looks after her own. Basilio is her rival and best friend. The first to push for push-ups.