Part 30: Chapter 17 - Part 1
This is the cost of a basic Wind tome.
This is the cost of a Wind tome with +5 Mt. 350% power, 1800% cost. I don't fucking think so.
Let's go with +4 Mt, thus cutting the total cost down by almost a third.
I think Soren's all set.
Now, we kit everyone out.
This is not a mission where you want to be skimping on equipment. We've got four battles to fight, and we don't get to access the shops or even the Outfit menu in between. The only thing we get to do is call (and equip) reinforcements, and that will be our sole means of resupplying if we need to.
It is thus very much in our interest to load everyone the fuck down with all the weaponry they can carry, make sure everyone's got a vulnerary, etc etc.
It is especially important to make sure Mist has enough staves to last the whole chapter.
Laguz can't use weapons, but they can carry them, which makes them useful. Also note, since we're looking at Muarim's inventory, that because the Demi Band and Beorcguard are both accessories, you can't have both of them equipped at once. Just a thing.
Alright, Chapter 17. You're a pain. You burn people the fuck out. Some credit you with the death of the last PoR LP.
I liked that LP.
Let's fucking do this.
Take a look at the ground here.
Those dark tiles are Swamps. They'll slow your walkers down a bit and your cavaliers down a lot. They don't exactly form chokepoints since you can still walk through them (slowly), but it's worth keeping an eye out for chances to use them to stop enemies from reaching your rear lines.
Astrid gets us started, but sadly doesn't do so with a crit.
Instead, Oscar takes out the offending Myrmidon and Jill flies up to annoy his buddy.
The rest of the team is going left, although Marcia could still suddenly veer off in either direction. Perks of being a flyer, and all.
This guy could've maybe attacked Jill if his buddy had moved! Oh well.
Now, this guy, I was really expecting to attack Nephenee. He doesn't damage Oscar, but still poisons him. How irritating. Not. Oscar duly fucks him up in response.
Oh, now you're not even trying anymore. Of course, neither is Oscar, who misses the counter.
Enemies shuffle around, and it's our turn again. Oscar takes a point of poison damage.
Soren and Nephenee deal with this intruding Fighter.
Astrid, Jill and Oscar each take care of one of the Myrmidons near them, Oscar breaking out his new toy in doing so.
Since he's here, Oscar is also going to try and annoy the two Knights to the north.
Muarim helps by shoving Ike into Oscar's support range. Earth Pair bonus + Thicket = Oscar's got this.
Speaking of breaking out new toys, Mist heals Oscar back up to full from the safety of the back lines. Physic staves are awesome.
Anyway, we're done for turn 2.
Nope.
Oh, come on... no one's going to go for Oscar?
Ike's been holding this in for like four chapters.
This Fighter passes on Nephenee and instead chooses to attack Mia. Sure.
Okay, someone attacked Oscar. That's fine. (He was also reduced to 1 HP. That's also fine.)
This guy, too!
Then these assholes show up. What, you thought we'd see a rout mission without reinforcements? Also, that one in the middle there? He's got a Killing Edge.
Well, let's get our mileage out of that Knight Ward. Nephenee goes alone to hold off the assholes.
Everyone else continues pushing north, including Muarim and Astrid, who effortlessly disassemble this Javelineer.
Y'know, as terrible Astrid levels go, this one's pretty great. It's great when Astrid gets Defence. Really, really great. Isn't it?
A Venin Axe fighter also happened to be carrying an Antitoxin, which is handy.
Ike, Jill and Oscar all mop up more bad guys, and Oscar is healed once again.
This mission has no "boss" as such, but it does have these four guys filling the role. There's a Myrmidon with a Longsword, a Halberdier with a Killer Lance, and two mages with Elfire and Elthunder tomes.
Oscar goes in anyway.
I couldn't really decide what to do with Soren, so I just left him standing there. Enemy turn.
That's not a crit!
This is a crit. Neph takes all of 6 damage between all the Myrmidons down there, and leaves the other two on half health.
Oscar doesn't particular mind being hit with the Longsword at this point, either.
Poor Myrmidon never knew What? hit him.
...fuck.
This was a bit more worrying, but as you can see, we got pretty much the best possible outcome.
Two more reinforcements. Actually, four more - this is Hard Mode, so we also got a Fighter and another Myrmidon from the southeast. They're not much consequence, really.
Astrid and Jill take care of the Halberdier from a safe distance.
For the love of- Y'know, when I said Jill will be fine as long as she just gets some speed, I was not using the word "just" to imply mutual exclusivity. Just saying, Jill. Anyway, we get a shiny new Killer Lance for our troubles.
It's the night of the two-stat levels! In any case, Neph direly needed some strength, so I'm still OK with this. Besides, this one point of strength means she can now counterkill the remaining Myrmidon near her on the next Enemy Phase, so that's nice too.
Finally, we move Mia into position to hold off the latest reinforcements.
Mia does this job to specification.
The Fighter reinforcement makes the smart decision to attack Muarim. It goes about how you'd expect.
The two enemy mages advance on us, and one of them attacks Jill.
He does so using a very heavy Elthunder tome, and Jill has a Javelin out.
So, yeah.
Nephenee is still doing her thing.
I was kinda hoping she'd at least get hit enough times to start Wrathing people, but it's not to be.
So instead she just cleans up regularly.
Astrid helps Mia clean up the eastern guys...
...and profits quite meaningfully.
Marcia deals with the Elfire mage...
...and Jill and Oscar take out the last remaining Fighter. Victory in five turns, motherfuckers.
(there would've been more reinforcements if we hadn't murdered everyone so efficiently
)
That's not a bad idea. And while we wait, we could take a breather and reorganize our attack strategy... Let's do it.---
I heard something, too.
It came from the northeast. It's unlike anything I've ever heard. To the northeast...? Aha! There are ruins over there. Perhaps the White Prince found them to be a good hiding place.
Let's check it out. Maybe we can find him and escape while the humans fight amongst themselves. What are those humans thinking? Why would they be trying to lop each others' heads off? Shall I make an inquiry? Leave them. They're nothing but trouble. I second that! Now, if we want to avoid the human skirmish, we should head... thataway! Through these trees! Let's go. Yes, sir!---
What is it, Mist?
Just now, did you... hear a sound? Huh? No, nothing special. Really? I guess it was just me then.
Ah! Yes, it was! That's it exactly! I didn't hear a thing.
It came from the ruins to the northeast. It was a very slight sound indeed--one that required extraordinary ears to hear. Which means that your sister has hearing par on with that of the laguz. Wow! Did you hear that? Neat! Don't let it go to your head. A sound that beorc can't hear... Hmm... That's interesting. It is said that those of the heron clan are all practitioners of seid magic. Perhaps this sound is related to that? Seid magic? What's that?
For example, a galdr can restore lost strength and vitality to those who hear it. And if the singer is of royal blood, the galdr may be powerful enough to move its listener to extraordinary feats.
That doesn't sound at all like a unit that can allow other units to move twice, as is in line with Fire Emblem Tradition!
Wow... That sounds incredible, doesn't it, Ike! Yeah. But even with all that power, they were still wiped out by the beorc... Right... Herons are highly attuned to the forces of balance. Even if they had the means to resist, I doubt they would have used them. ... We leave as soon as our reinforcements arrive. Duke Tanas must not succeed! Let's rescue the heron while there's time! All right!
---
In another masterful display of proving that they can write variable scripts but won't, IntSys provided a whole host of versions of the previous conversation, with variations depending on the presence (or not) of Soren, Mist, Titania, Lethe and Mordecai, all of which are basically word-for-word identical but with different people speaking (with Nasir taking on the lines of anyone not present). Of all ten or so possible variations, the only somewhat interesting nugget of dialogue occurs if you bring Lethe and don't bring Mordecai:
... We leave as soon as our reinforcements arrive. Duke Tanas must not succeed! Let's rescue the heron while there's time!
I understand... Lethe, hold on a moment. What is it? The sound and the ruins... Thanks for telling me about them. It is nothing. It is only natural... to aid one's companions. I couldn't agree more. ...---
Well, here's the next-
...?
The forest whispered earlier, but I must drive these wretches out before I can speak to it further.
Well, this sounds just lovely.
---
Alright. It's Supplementary Voting Time! Let's choose our first two reinforcements!
The chosen units will arrive at the start of the Player Phase in turn 3 of the upcoming battle, and will remain on the team until the end of the mission.
Oh, and yeah, the Thief Rule is in effect for this vote. This mission has stuff we want.
Choose from Boyd, Titania, Rhys, Ilyana, Rolf, Lethe, Mordecai, Volke, Kieran, Brom, Zihark, Sothe, Gatrie, Makalov, Stefan, Tormod, Devdan.
I'm not sure exactly how long you've got, but it'll be at least 48 hours. Plenty of time!