Part 65: Chapter 27 - Part 1

Before we begin, let's throw around some more BEXP because.



Volke's basically peaked offensively, and there's not much left in the game that he can't double, so... well, I guess he can dodge a bit better now.



Haar gets more Haar.

Now, since Largo's been doing so well for himself and is so popular with voters and everything, let's give him a treat.



Beeautiful. No, we're not done yet.



Remember, "increases" here means "goes up by fifty". When Largo hits half health, he's going to find himself at ~70% crit chance at all times, and 100% if he happens to be holding a Killer Axe. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is absurd.



Remember the Runesword? Here's how stupidly great it is. It's got the Mt of a Silver Blade and is about as accurate. It's got the 1-2 range we'd expect from a magic sword, and of course there's the whole health leeching deal. Mist has enough strength to use this without a penalty, too. That's just... great.



I have this feeling that I've forgotten something...?





This doesn't seem so bad, does it?

There's one - or rather, three - immediate concerns:





Thieves! The one on the left side even has a Stiletto.



Rolf is our hostility-opener today.



As usual, he gets a redundant crit.



This guy could be trouble for us, so we employ the nuclear option.



Astrid musters all the damage she can (Largo's hogging all the good axes).



Ike is going to handle the middle more or less alone.



If this is going to happen every time he takes a little scratch, then that's fine by me.



I couldn't really think of anything else to do with Haar, so I guess Haar's going to the middle as well.

(You'll notice, over the course of this mission, a general sense of certain units being stuck around the middle with me having no real clue where to send them in the long term.)



Volke is heading left.



Largo, meanwhile, is heading right.



Yes. He. Is.



Oh, how irritating. Well, let's not do this then. Elincia just hangs back.



Another annoying thing about this map is that it's quite hard to get a good shot that shows everything. #lpproblems



One of Haar's current functions is to be an irresistable Bolting magnet.



Largo's function is to not die.



The problem with using Haar as I am is that he also tends to distract enemies from Ike.



An opportunistic general goes to attack Largo.





He is denied.



Damnit, wrong kind of knight. Well, whatever. Nephenee makes do.



Astrid is as effective as ever.



There is some shuffling around.



Oh, hey, another Aether. Lovely.



Joy. The thief's getting away.



These too.



On our turn, Ike continues chipping away at-



-oh. This is a pretty good day for Aethers, isn't it? _{I hope this is a good omen...}



Mist cleans up after Haar.



In fact, cleaning up is generally the order of the day.



Elincia goes for it this time. Sadly, no crits result from this, so Nephenee takes the kill.



In ridiculously overkill fashion.



We introduce a thief to Largo...



...and one to Rolf.



Rolf gets this level...



And this curious bow that he can't wield yet. Hmm...



Volke takes a nasty hit but manages to finish the tiger.



Astrid almost-kills the remaining warrior.



Haar is going to continue attracting Boltings, and he's got a date with that swordmaster to his north. That guy's special, you see.



End of the second turn.



Go Haar.



Also go Astrid.



Largo pulls off a Vantage hit but it's not a crit and he can't double, so... bleh.



So, yeah, this one swordmaster here has himself a Brave Sword. You shouldn't take him lightly, because of the uncomfortable possibility that he might-



-crit.



Twice. Asshole.



Well, two can play at that game.



And one of us is better.



One of the door generals decides to engage Mist and gets a face full of Mistilteinn for his trouble.



The second one goes for Ike and is similarly afflicted.



We do not want that guy opening that door. Trust me on this.



Mist is annoyed.



So is Ike.



Oh, hey, that's four now. Keep this up.



Rolf and Astrid clean up the left side and find themselves a Door Key. There're quite a few keys on this map, which is handy if you're only bringing one thief.



So, yeah, this is a Crimean castle, and you are attempting to pinch Elincia's stuff.



No.



Well, we've got this Knight Killer, and nothing better to do with it, so... yeah.



Haar's in a bit of a bad way after his crit incident, so he applies a vulnerary and stands next to Reyson. When properly employed, Reyson is a great source of free heals.



Reverse angle this time because I don't know.



Oh dear. Bolting man has noticed Largo.



Nothing else really happens, so Haar gets his heals and we prepare to move on.



Now, let's just...



...oh.



...oh.

Let's take stock in here. We've got a Sleep Asshole, a Silence Asshole, and a Brave Bow Asshole in the middle...



A Thoron Asshole, three generals and a second Bolting Asshole (plus Physic) on the left... and we'll get to the right in just a second.



Also we now have eyes on the boss. Brave Weapon and a goddamn Knight Ward for fuck's sake. And there's our final Occult Scroll!



Anyway, Astrid breaks out the Hammer.



Huh. I guess she really does have her eye on that Bolt Axe. Not that it'll do her much good, but whatever.



Mist rushes over to bring the healing...



...and proceeds to hit the level cap in spectacular style.



Now, the right side. You may notice that there are a lot of laguz in that room. There is also a Meteor Asshole. Yeah, that room might be trouble. Especially when the two Siege Assholes can easily kill Largo between them.



We hang back for now.



Largo's out of range, so Bolting Man goes back to picking on Haar. Or, well, trying to.



Other Bolting Man goes after Rolf.



Two Short Spear generals and the Thoron guy all fail to hit Astrid, while the general who was Hammered runs away to heal.



There be Physicians about.



Now, let's see what we can't accomplish over here.



Elincia takes a quick potshot at this hawk and runs away while we think about what to do next.



Meanwhile, Astrid spots an opportunity to murder the shit out of Other Bolting Man.



At the same time, Volke's new toys start being seriously worthwhile.



Ike steps in to lend a hand too.



I don't know if this is a sign that Ike is now seriously Aether-happy or if it's a problem that he's using up all the Aether. I don't know. I don't know!



This is pretty OK though. Remembering that Ike has capped strength, speed and resistance, defence and HP is pretty much the last remaining thing that he really wants.



Rolf finally busts out the Brave Bow in order to avoid potentially eating a Thoron.



I've been wondering for a while now what to do with Haar, so I have him break down one of the doors leading to the middle area.



Haar's going to draw out the tigers in the middle, and Nephenee's going to jam up the right side for a while.



With this, Bolting Man's Bolting tome disintegrates. Now there's just Meteor Guy left!



Aaaand Astrid gets Sleep'd. Well, shit.



Nephenee easily dodges a burning space rock.



Haar's fight gets started...



And a tiger turns out to be a cheating bastard and attacks from a square that really ought not to work like that, thus clawing Rolf in the face.



I'm not sure but I think this would have been fatal. I was really not banking on both of them being able to attack Rolf.



Nephenee duly proceeds to take a tiny amount of damage off a cat.



The others just run into the door. No, clearly this is not going to be fast enough... we need a better idea.



While Ike picks up his sixth Aether of the mission, his buddies get to cleaning the room around him.



In particular, Volke and Rolf kill a dude and nab themselves a chest key.

At this point I start being totally unsure as to whether or not I should send Volke to another room at this point (to maybe steal some more Physics or something).



Haar and the tiger continue their dance.



Then, with Reyson's help, they continue it some more.



Shit.



I also start worrying about the fact that Mist isn't carrying a Restore stave and should I maybe have her go trade for one with Elincia or something crap I don't know fuuuuck...



Right. I have a plan. We clear a guy out of the way and then...



...er. Decent level. Anyway. And then...



...okay, another Elincia potshot, yes, yes, AND THEN...



...Largo. This hit doesn't crit, and Largo takes a hit himself, but it doesn't matter. We are officially Rolling With This Gambit.



Here we go.



Thanks to Meteor Guy being first, Largo goes directly to <50% health.

He's holding a Killer Axe.

Remember what we discussed?



Aggravatingly, the other laguz in that room are lower down the turn order, so here's a load of less awesome shit first.



Also enemies start trying to gang up on Astrid.



We should probably do something about them.



Just because she's asleep doesn't mean she's not impenetrable sometimes, of course.



Ah. Finally. It begins.







One.



Two.



Three.



Four consecutive vantage-crit kills. Largo, ladies and gentlemen.



Here is a man with his priorities firmly in order.



Right. Let's take the heat off of Astrid.



It's minimal but functional!



This guy has been a great help, what with triggering Largo's berserker rage, but it's time for him to die.





Elincia finally gets that crit. And a Chest Key, too.



Haar tentatively moves one square forward.



For some reason, my priority list has Volke nabbing us another Physic staff ahead of him helping open the chests on the left side (protip: there are three chests there, and only two Chest Key uses).



This isn't looking so bad anymore, is it?



This whole thing here keeps going on.



Rolf dodges death a second time (actually this wouldn't have killed him, but still).



Oh, really?



Five.



It's not ideal to have Mist lead offensives since she's capped her level, but I'm impatient and annoyed with having people aimlessly wander around the middle so there it is.



Reyson flies in, chants, and then...



Fuck. Well, it's only a longbow.



Yoink. This probably wasn't necessary, but if you ask me you can never have too many of these.



Mist kills his ass.



Actually... hmm...



Looks like Reyson's safe after all.



Rolf and Ike take care of the last guy pestering Astrid. Ike decides to break his Aether streak and crit instead.



Largo spots another pretender presuming to wield a killer weapon.



Six.



Elincia finally gets to beginning the looting. Our first claim is this Spear, which is... nice, I guess.



Alright. We've basically got this. We just have to coordinate the looting.



FUCK.



Well, both archers completely fail to damage Mist, so that's something.



Astrid takes one more hit.



Largo doesn't.



Right. Let's get on with it.



Archers = toast.



Haar = still Haar. More importantly, that last archer dropped another Chest Key, so Haar can now loot the middle room.



So. Commence wasting fools.



Seven.



This... is good, I guess. Largo wants some more speed.



Basically everyone kills a dude.



Oh hells yes. While the Ashera Staff is kinda like the nuclear option of healing, Fortify is a moderately scaled back version that is still totally amazing while also having nearly three times as many uses. It will heal all units within [magic / 2] squares of the caster for [magic + 10] HP. That is pretty fucking awesome.



While Ike entertains the nearby General, Rolf pilfers another of this mission's main prizes - a Resolve scroll. This is going to make someone hells of broken.



Yep. We sure are winning.



No, I don't think so.



This tiger finally breaks Largo's crit streak and survives a round of combat.



And Astrid wakes the fuck up. About time!





With Reyson's help, Haar loots both of the middle chests. I think we're definitely set for Physics now.



Remember how Mist kept obliterating wyverns using the Sonic Sword? Well, the Flame Lance can be used like that too, as Nephenee demonstrates.



...what the fuck, RNG. What the fuck.



Elincia repeatedly clobbers the Brave Bow guy. It doesn't kill him, but...



...It gets her a level.



Largo does the honours.



And there goes the last remaining enemy (who will ever move off their spot, anyway).



The second-last chest yields its prize.



Now we just have to get Volke over to the left side.



Oh, right, Sleep Guy's still alive, isn't he? Well, whatever. Largo deserves a good nap.



Anyway. Elincia, being the one with the Restore staff, heals Volke.



Reyson then sings to Elincia (capping magic in the process).



Elincia then heals Largo while Volke runs up the stairs.



While we wait for the next turn, Largo takes a potshot at the boss with his Short Axe.



For a warrior, meeting a powerful foe is a joy above all others... And for this I give thanks to the king! Now, let us enjoy the gift we have been given.



Enjoy away, mate.



Now, looking at Ike's stats, a few things strike me as lacking.



Fortunately, Ike thought ahead and packed a Dracoshield. Congratulations, Ike now has capped defence.



It's looking awfully one-sided in here.



Since Largo's at range and Hafedd won't move, he switches to his Spear.



Moron.



Ike also takes the time to apply a Seraph Robe, while Astrid picks up Volke, gets chanted to, and carts him off to the left side.



Also, Elincia finally puts down the guy formerly known as Sleep Guy.



I hate stalling, but it's necessary to get the last treasure.



And here it is. We're probably not even ever going to use this fucking thing.



Well, whatever.



Step aside. I have business with him.

Aha... It would seem you and Sir Knight have some connection! My curiosity knows no bounds, but... Before you reach Sir Knight, you must first vanquish me!



As you wish.







And now Ike has capped HP as well. That's five stats! We also grab that final Occult scroll.



Some shoves and a chant later...



And we're done.

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The one I seek is behind these doors. Don't follow me. I'm going in alone.







Soren would be right if it wasn't for the whole blessed-armour deal we're up against. Every good Fire Emblem player knows that there are bosses you're just supposed to gang up on.

What if something happens to him? What then?

I think Ike has gained the composure to keep calm and judge whether or not he can match an opponent.



We just have to accept that. But I believe in Ike. I trust him. His life is not his alone any longer. I don't believe he's so irresponsible as to leave his companions behind by choosing to engage in a contest he cannot win. Please, Soren, you must feel the same way. Don't you?

...I don't like it. Sometimes, bravery and good judgment aren't enough.



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To Be Continued!