Part 38: Bonus Chapter: Thieves

Update 23: Bonus Chapter (Thieves)
Hey, this is the first update after Fire Emblem: Fates came out in Japan! Hope people lucky enough to read Japanese/have a Japanese 3DS are enjoying that (and hopefully not marrying your anime sisters).

So, last time we met these people.

Viking Dad

Eyepatch Swordswoman

And we had no idea who they were or why we should care. Well, this bonus chapter will...uh...sorta answer it? No? Doing it anyway.

For reference's sake, all these bonus chapters take place before Shadow Dragon, so about 3 years before this game begins.



We're skipping Dragoon because that's going to involve characters we won't meet for a while (i know i did Fall before we had met literally any of those guys but shhhh)



This is a rad title.



Back in the library.

Narrator: A man and a woman stepped foot in the palace town. The man's name was Rickard, and the woman was Lena.



: ...Rickard, must you continue your thieving ways?

This is Lena, Julian's girlfriend. She's probably the nicest person in Archanea, but she's not...the brightest.





: We put our lives on the line stealin' not for our own pockets, but so we can shower the poor with gold!

: B-but...

: Hmm, I guess a palace of this size will be absolutely teemin' with guards. It ain't gonna be easy sneakin' in. Well, Lena. I'll go and scout for a bodyguard, so you just wait here for a moment. I'll be riiiight back!

: Oh, please don't be long!



Why does this one guy keep popping up? Oh and

: P-please leave me alone, I'm waiting for someone.

ThatGenericBanditICan'tFindAPortraitFor: C'mon, even a littl' moment would do.

: N-no! Let go of me!

Only one hero can bring justice now...



... Man!

TGBICFAPF: Who's there? This ain't got nothin' to do with ya!

: I see...then I have no choice.

TGBICFAPF: H-h-hey... You kiddin', right? W-wait, d-don't tell me you're... Navarre...! S-somebody, save meee!



His heroic catchphrase is uttered, and dramatic wind begins to blow (no seriously there's a wind cue here)

: So you are Navarre, sir? My name is... Lena. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

: ...It's dangerous here. Be careful.



: Ah, err... I wonder if you would agree to be our bodyguard?

: Bodyguard?

: Yes. We, er, have our reasons, so we've been looking for somebody capable to be our bodyguard.

: ...I'm expensive.

: I-if it's gold you want, then Rickard should be able to... Oh no, I mean... How expensive? I don't have much gold on hand... However, we need more help if we are to save the people in the village...

: ...Fine, tell me the details.

: Ah! Thank you, Navarre!

Meanwhile, let's see what heroes Rickard can scrounge up. Maybe Ogma, or Minerva, or



Dammit I already made this joke

: Heeey! You alright? It's just a light wound, pull yourself together!

: W-water...

: You want water? Here ya go!



I should have called this update "Slurrrrrrrp"

: Ugh, you're kinda dirty. Hey, you alright?

: Huff... Thanks. Me name is Castor. You are?

: I'm Rickard. You're not gonna live long if you stay in a place like this. What happened to ya?

: I desperately needed gold for me mother and young siblings back home. When I heard there'd be people willin' to hire me in this city, I came here without thinkin' to eat or drink...

: Hmm, I gotcha. Oh, in that case, why doncha join us? We'll have gold if everythin' goes well.

: Really? Then, let me come along!

: Rickard! Are you there, Rickard!

: Eh? Lena! Len...... What the? Err, who's that guy with you?

: Rickard, this is Navarre. He rescued me from a tricky situation.



: Whoa, he's mighty scary! Oh right, Lena. I found somebody willin' to join us.

: I am Castor, a hunter. Rickard saved me life.

: Saved your life? C'mon, you're exaggeratin'!

You just gave him some water to SLUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRPPP

: Teehee. Rickard, it seems I have misunderstood you. I was unaware of how thieves operate, so I thought they were all bad people. But you're different, aren't you? You desperately seek gold, but only so you can save people. Am I right?

Lena is...uh...kinda dumb.

: W-well, sorta! Y-yeah, it's somethin' like that. Hahaha...

: I-I need gold for me ill mother...

: You guys... better not be lying...



I like this scene.

: Ah-ahahahahaha... A-anyway, we have enough people now. I reckon it's time we set up a plan!



: Oh my gosh, Rickard. How did you come by this?

: Huh? Oh, er, I got this... From a traveler. Yeah, a traveler.



: Eeeeeeeek! No, no, I remembered wrong. Errr... I found it lyin' around as I passed by a nearby room, so I, er, borrowed it for a bit.

: Rickard! Taking things without permission is a terrible thing to do. No wonder people mistake you for a bandit. I'll go apologize for you later, so don't do it again. Am I clear?

...really Lena?

: Yeah, I won't do it again. Promise.

: Rickard, tell us the plan already.

: Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Lessee... First, there's a rampart HERE. We'll cross it and open the door. Then, once we're HERE, Navarre will take the lead. Meanwhile, Castor and I will stay close behind. We'll take care of any guys who escape from you, Navarre.

: Though I hardly think there's anyone who'd survive my blade...



: Eeek! No, no, gotta focus. Either way, I'll show 'em my moves as soon as we encounter the treasure.

: ...Don't forget I'll be watching. Always.

: C-c'mon, Navarre! Whadya think I'm gonna do? Run off with all the treasure?





: Sigh... Even though I'm workin' sooo hard to save people in need... My own comrades don't even trust me... Oh, woe is me... Sniff, sniff, waaah!

: Oh, Rickard! Don't cry... Navarre, you went too far this time. Rickard is but a fragile child whose feelings are easily hurt...

: Uwaaaah! Lenaaaaa!

: It's okay, Rickard. I believe in you.

: Hmmmmm... I see... So that's how you get people to trust you... Very clever...



why is navarre so good in this chapter

: Eeeep! Alright, I got it. Then, uh, back to the plan! Lena, you stay behind us, alright?

: I'm coming along too?

PLEASE DO.

: Well, if you don't, who's gonna heal us when we get all battered an' bruised? Besides, Navarre here said he wouldn't come with us unless you were comin'.

: I don't remember saying that...

: You don't need to say anythin'! I can tell these things! Navarre, you're the type that has a soft spot for a pretty face and the right features.



: You... You sure like spouting nonsense.

: Huh? Castor, whatcha you doing? Have you been taking notes of our conversation?

: What? Oh no, this is, err... Reference. Yes, it's for reference.

: ...Don't tell me, you're planning a con act, with Rickard as the base.

: No way! I'm so cute and cheerful that everybody forgives me if I just smile! But I don't think copyin' my style would suit a serious guy like you, Castor!



HOW ARE YOU SO BAD AT THIS

: Ahaha. 'Tis nothing, my dear Lena. Anyway I'm gonna catch some shut-eye. Good night y'all!

: ...How irresponsible. Sister, I'm going to rest as well.

: Alright. Good night, Navarre.

: It seems even Navarre--the Scarlet Swordsman--completely fell for Rickard's smooth talk.

: Do you really think so? To me, it just seems like he's bullying poor Rickard...

: Haha, you're too good of a person. Anyway, I'll rest for a bit, too. How about you?

I like how Castor's accent goes away when he's not doing the con act.

: I'll stay here a little longer.

: I see... But, don't blame yourself too much.

: ... Is saving people really so difficult...? Am I just a step away from committing a sin? Oh, gods! Please protect our weak souls...

The next day...



Chests!



Lots of chests!



: I could never tire of the thief's life! The palace is just as I expected! If I don't focus on crackin' open them treasure chests, why, it'll be morning before I notice it!

And with that the map starts. We get Lena, Navarre, Rickard, and Castor. Everyone has one iron weapon of their type, except Lena, who has a Heal, Rescue, and Warp stave. This chapter is really technical if you want to keep everyone alive and get as much treasure as you can, so I had to try it a lot and look for some strategies online. The first enemy we want to kill is, ironically, the boss.



I start by warping Navarre



To this chest. He can't open it, but it doesn't matter.



Rickard and Castor meatshield for Lena, but on the first turn...



These two are slightly to the left of that big crowd of thieves. I got crop-happy, my bad. Whatever you do, don't send Rickard near them, Malice oneshots him and you fail the map (same with Lena, they're required to survive)

: Do we really need to work so hard for these disgusting thugs?

: Well ya see, we got no gold on hand. Not even enough to buy bread. If we wanna eat, sometimes we gotta do jobs we don't like.



Maris is AWFUL at salary negotiations.

: Damn straight. If only somebody would pay us 500, I'd work for them in a heartbeat...

Dice is not much better.

: Sigh... Being hungry makes me angry. I don't care who, just come here. I'll make my sword rust with your blood.

This is actually a hint. If you don't have 500 gold, you can't even talk to Maris.



That gold is hidden in some of the many chests populating the map. This enemy thief is going to go for some of it, though.



Here's why I warped Navarre there, he'll pull Vaam here over.



Nabarl is more than a match for him.





This is more of an issue. Rickard and Castor can't take too many hits, so I probably should have pulled them back into that chokepoint hallway...but I manage.



Vaam goes down on Turn 2, the quickest of any boss so far.



This is nice.



This is nicer. This is the key to beating this whole map.

I had Castor and Rickard pick away at the thieves as Lena healed them. It was dull, I'll spare you the shots.



Ooh, this I want. It'll give any non-thief 5 free opens of a chest or door.



Vaam's henchmen aren't much of a threat to Navarre...sadly he can't double them, though.



Hanging on by a thread!



Eh.



Thieves are cleared out now.





I want to get Navarre off this chest to bait one of the thieves into opening it for me.



Perfect.



The other thief feeds Navarre's STR some more.



Mine now.



But there are more chests...



Mag is always good...not that any of these levels will matter after this map, because it's a BS chapter and thus has no connection to the main campaign.



The surviving thief from Navarre's rampage gets cut down by Rickard.





This looks dumb. But trust me, I have a plan.



Nice staff. Speaking of nice staff...



Rescue!



And again!





Now that I have the Armorslayer, I want Navarre over here, which is why I pulled him back.



He doubled, but missed the second hit



This guy wasn't as lucky.



And the knight falls on the next turn.



Have I mentioned thieves are worth a shitton of XP? They are.



This is going to boost Castor's firepower substantially.



I spent a turn distributing these items to their proper users.



Then Warped Navarre with the Master Key back to the top portion of the map.



Man, Lena's not getting very good levels. Guess it took her a while to get as good as she is in SD.



Ooh, here's a nice prize. If your Navarre doesn't have the STR to oneshot those knights with Armorslayer yet, I'd use this on him to conserve Armorslayer uses.



Mine has just enough, even without the unnecessary crit.



Time to clean up.



And some more...



Lena's Thief staff brings us to 600.



Navarre's in position to lure this knight.



And NOW I can warp Rickard to Maris.





: What the hell, don't frolic around kid. This ain't no childrens' playground.

: I'm not a kid. I'm a thief. Say, why doncha join us?

: Wait, what?

: Since I'm a thief, I can open treasure chests like I eat breakfast. There ain't anybody who can earn gold faster than me. Impressed?

That line is so...Rickardy.

: Hey kid. Are you telling me the truth?

: I told you, I'm not a kid. Well, if you don't trust me, I guess I'll look for someone else.

: Hmm, you're pretty interesting. Alright, I'll believe you. However, you'll pay in blood if you betray me. Got it?

: Alright. Then, we're set. How about I give you 500 gold in advance and a contingent fee later?

: 500 gold? Heh, sounds fine to me. Alright, I'll join you then.



We have Maris now, that Lady Sword access would be great if all the remaining enemies weren't knights weak to the Armorslayer, so uh...Navarre kinda makes her irrelevant. Sadly reflective of the main game.



Anyway, let's get Dad. As you can see, he's pretty Tanky, and he has range with that Hand Axe...but his only other option is the Devil Axe, which is always a gamble.



: I see, sounds interesting. Alright, gotcha. I'll come along, too.

: Yes, I figured you would, Pops.

(and yes, you can make Maris murder her dad if you want, you horrible bastard)

: Damn straight. That's mah daughter for ya. Life's a gamble: it's always sink or swim... Betting on the unknown is more interesting than a sure win.

get it his name is dice



I'm gonna level with you, this is pretty much all over now. Now it's just mostly Armorslaying and opening chests.







See? But I do want to show off the others a little, so, uh, let's do this.



A cunning trap.



Ooh, best pull with the Thief Staff yet. This is going to help...





HE TOOK THE BAIT



There, we used Dice. It was all worth it.



This is a pretty lazy use of Physic, but eh. Now I'm just going to march everyone to the top corner. Mostly Navarre though.



Another Thief Staff for the road.







Now we're getting close.





Last Thief Staff pull nets us 200 more gold, useless for all but points now.





Here's how the rest of this map is going to go. These Knights are in a staggered formation, so I can keep edging Navarre one square forward, killing one he lures, and having Lena Physic him back up. I didn't screen shot all that, because it's boring as hell, but I got the level ups and treasures and such.





Now, I did notice there was one chest I probably wouldn't be able to get, because if I kept up this plan, Navarre would have killed all the enemies and ended the map first.

I want it all. So I sent Rickard out...grabbed the 200 Gold...



And Rescue is so good you guys.



This is less so.



The final treasure is here, and...





That took me way too long to figure out. Mostly just the beginning bits, but it's a fairly complex map.



Oh, this guy again

(Camus' Theme, The Proud Commander, gets used for a few other characters in SD too (Michalis), but I usually associate it with him)

: What? They are fearless men for sure, if they've come to assault the palace's treasury. Very well. Capture all of them!

Well, shit.



: Uwah! L-let go of me! Nooo, stoooooop! L-Lena!

: Oh...!

: ...Who-who are you!?



: Are you the thieves who intruded here? Hmm... and a cleric too? Sister, what is the meaning of this? Why are you aiding these pack of thieves?

Note that only Rickard seems to have been captured and nobody else talks in this conversation, so I guess Navarre, Castor, Dice, and Maris just found a back door? (Probably because they CAN die in this mission)

: So you are General Camus. Indeed, we came here to steal treasure. However, we're only doing this for the people of Archanea. Don't you know... how much suffering the Dolhrian army is causing to the people of this sacred land of Archanea...? Ever since the Dolhrian army invaded, Archanea has changed for the worst. Many have had their houses razed, lands stolen, and are now suffering from hunger even.



Lena with the morality

: Sister, 'tis true that Archanea's misery brings pain to my heart. However, I am a soldier. So long as my motherland Grust obeys Dolhr, I, too, must follow the empire's orders.

: General! Then, are you nothing but Dolhr's pawn?

: I suppose... regrettably, that's the only way one could describe me.



Oh, hey, another character we haven't seen since the last bonus chapter.

: Think about it! You defied Emperor Medeus's orders, allowing me to keep my honor and freedom as a princess. I am certain that, deep inside, you despise Dolhr as much as we do...

And yet he still wasn't recruitable in SD.

: ...Perhaps you're right. However, just what do you expect I do...!?

: You could turn a blind eye once again and let these people walk free. Sister, I'll let you keep the treasure you've obtained. Please distribute it among the poor and needy.

: You're... Princess Nyna? Oh, thank you so much! With this gold, we'll finally be able to begin rescuing the poor.

: Camus, I beg of you. Take these people to somewhere safe.

: Haha, if it's an order from you, Princess, then what choice do I have?

Camus isn't great at the whole "occupation" thing.



: How lucky of us! Well, seeya!

: Thank you very much, General Camus. Please extend my thanks to Princess Nyna. I shall never forget this favor.

: Lena, let's hurry, hurry! C'mon, I'm leaving you behind!

: Please, stay well!

: ...









Maybe! Or maybe he'll just get impaled by a Rapier wielding prince. Or both!



There's my final score. I think i could have gotten Speed higher if I hadn't dawdled so much luring guys, and Exp more if I had let some of the lower level units get killing blows on the knights/thieves instead of having Navarre decimate them, but I'm happy enough with this.

Anyway, after that surprisingly long interlude (Forgot how much chatting there was in this one), we'll return to the main story and face off with Roro next time. See you then for

Update 24: Rampaging Randomized Roros Rumpus