Part 12: (Chapter 6, Continued)

Who said you can come back in my squad? Get out.



This is quite a battle we have here. There are a lot of units, and we have a few very important jobs to be doing while all these guys are bearing down on us.

That said, our strategy is very simple. Sothe and Tauroneo are going to stand on the bridge and Micaiah is going to singlehandedly beat the ever-loving shit of each of those cavaliers, one by one. Everyone else is going to go northeast. It isn't quite apparent yet, but we're going to need all hands on deck up there pretty soon.

We don't get to access the Shop, Forge, Supports, Skills or Bonus Exp menus here, but we do get a chance to reequip everyone. Edward grabs a new Steel Sword because his is almost broken, and Nolan takes up the Hammer, for all the good it will do him.



Eight turns. I want this damnable battle over in eight turns.

First thing's first:



This guy has to die. He's sitting on a Ballista, a long range point defense system that will kill Laura or Micaiah if given even half a chance. Fortunately, it can only be used by archers, and there aren't any other archers here. If we had Leonardo, we could use it for ourselves, but we don't have Leonardo because Fuck Leonardo™.



That's better.

Micaiah, Edward, Nolan, Aran and Zihark murder the remaining enemies in the south.



Volug bolts north as fast as he can move. I don't care who's up there, we just need people who can murder, and he's certainly that.

At the start of the enemy turn…



I have no choice. You! Bring out the prisoners!



Lord Laverton, exactly what are you planning to do?!

This so-called "Liberation Army" is forcing me to sacrifice this boy!

Help!

No!

Micaiah!

Fight, and these people will be executed right now! Surrender, and they will be spared.

...Everyone, throw down your weapons.

You have a feeling, don't you? Got it. We'll follow your instinct.

Ha ha ha ha ha... A wise choice, girl! Well, no more need for these prisoners, is there? Kill them all!

No!



I'll have nothing to do with you and your monstrous tactics!

So, you betray us after all. Marado has never been known for holding its faith. You'll die like the rest!

A troop of Daein cavalry just mutinied. Is this what you sensed?

Yes. Now we must reinforce them and help save the hostages!

…

And so begins the saga of the Most Terrible Soldiers Ever.

There are eight cavaliers total, including Fiona. Five of them are carrying prisoners. All of them are dumb as shit. They have a general tendency towards doing the only reasonable thing and running the hell south as fast as their horses' little hooves will go, but sometimes they just… chill out and do nothing. They do heal (sometimes) but they do so halfway towards running away and then they stop running away. The enemy soldiers then kill them because the soldiers' stats aren't all that and they're at half speed so they get doubled really easily.

We get a fairly large lump of Bonus EXP for each soldier and each prisoner we save.



The prisoners even have their own stats. Here's that boy's…



Hey, it's that lady from Nevassa! It's like a big Daein reunion out here.

Wow, y'know, once she gets some levels she'd be quite handy to have around.

Anyway. Enemy turn.



The cavaliers start putting Sothe and Tauroneo to the test.

Funfact™: Every single one of the enemies attacking from the west will be a cavalier. That means they'll hit and run a lot, though they'll usually congregate somewhere such that we can just move the defensive line up a little and still be able to attack from range. Speaking of which, it also means that every single one of them will die in one hit to Thani.



This guy doesn't know any better than to attack Volug. Jill takes a hit too, but nothing major.



It's the Other Phase, and the Flight of the Useless begins. Fortunately, they run as far as they can towards the bridge. If we can just get that soldier out of the way, most of them will (probably) get to safety.



On which note; Volug.

Nolan attacks a nearby cavalier and somehow misses the first hit, but lands the second, along with a level.



A pretty damn fine level.



Jill can't reach any of the enemies, so in a desperate attempt to give them something other than the Dumbshit Division to target she stands around here without a weapon.



Sothe stands a little bit behind Tauroneo to give himself less of a profile (so to speak), and equips a Bronze Dagger to encourage the cavaliers to attack Tauroneo. Sothe is still good at dodging, but enemy offense is starting to catch up and if every one of these cavaliers attacked him all in one turn they could kill him outright.

In happier news, Micaiah is now in range.



Let the games begin.



In the Enemy Phase, a Marado "Knight" is almost killed, but not quite.



There is also generally much advancing. We have to get all the knights to relative safety, because if those guys catch up to them they're fucked.



A second idiot is also maimed. Looks like our Jill-bait isn't working; the prospect of half-speed low-defense free-kills is just too tempting for the AI.

Other Phase. Alright, Marado Suicide Squad, run!



God. Damnit. At least one of them managed to kill the lone footsoldier that was sitting there.

Well, back to our turn.



Another turn, another Thani. More importantly…



…Volug has managed to get behind the Marado Fail Faction and can start killing soldiers in earnest. Don't think we're out of danger yet, though.



Jill tries this trick again, though it's probably not going to work.

Down south, we heal, and advance.



Marado continues to take damage, but not casualties. Yet.



Alright guys. It's your turn. All you have to do is get all of your guys onto or beyond the bridge and you're safe. We can totally hold this area for you if you just get out of the w-





If he'd just gone somewhat to the south, we might have been able to at least save this idiot. As it is, he's probably going to die.

Well, we might as well at least deal with the two mages. Despite Volug's weakness to fire, Jill is in greater danger from them, since Volug has high HP but Jill's resistance is terrible.



…yeah, Jill will continue to be merely OK, I think, if this continues.

We also continue marching our guys up there so we can properly murder the soldiers up here.

And of course there is another Thani.



Well, there goes our hopes of saving everyone. Fortunately, the prisoner he was carrying doesn't also die - he just gets dropped to the ground, and if either of those two mages were still alive, he'd die in one hit too.





Grandfather himself doesn't bother to run away from the people trying to kill him, and now some of the Stupid Squad are actually coming back up, maybe to help him, maybe because they're stupid. Who knows. All we can do is keep murdering. Edward and Nolan duly mop up the remaining cavaliers up north. The Thani continues.



Volug and Jill set to drawing some more soldiers, and hopefully the boss, over. I want this mission done with.



The enemy responds… slightly.

In the Other Phase, one of the Retarded Riders manages to grab Grandfather and bolt southward. Thank christ.



This Thani is a crit. 123 damage, ladies and gentlemen.



Deja vu?



Some reinforcements appear from the northeast. Edward and Nolan deal with them, Edward finally breaking his Wind Edge in the process.



The enemy army finally begins its advance eastward in earnest. The end is in sight.



This guy is so slow that Micaiah is able to double him.

Up north, we start cleaning up. Edward sets about killing the cavalier that got lost in our group, Aran attacks the front of the enemy formation and prepares to tank, and Jill prepares to annoy the enemy. Forward moving, healing, etc.



To spice things up, we send Zihark into the crowd with his Killing Edge out, to see who's stupid enough to attack him.



Volug comes too. We want maximum murder and we're not fussy about fair divvying of experience.



A rapid succession of enemies come after Volug and Zihark, including the second ballista to the west, which I had kinda forgotten about. Most miss, but enough hit to take Zihark down to half health. I have a vague feeling that's significant somehow.



Ah, right! Resolve!

Resolve affects everything that happens to you so long as you're on low enough health, but it doesn't seem to be reflected in any of the stats that are actually shown during battle. However, you can get a pretty good idea of its effects from knowing the game mechanics. The +50% boost to skill gives you a great boost to your hit% (which is based on skill*2, so the boost is equal to your skill again), and a small boost to your crit (which is based on skill/2, and thus boosted by skill/4). The speed boost gives you an equally large boost to your avoid, which is based on AS*2 (and AS should be equal to speed), so again, the boost is equal to your speed. This is to say nothing of the boost to attack speed, which will easily allow you to double… well, anything.

In summary,



Resolve is pretty good.

Jill, Aran, Zihark and Volug all murder a guy each, Edward and Laura just hang back. End turn.



Jill takes rather a lot of hits, but survives.



Zihark… continues to resolve to not be hit by things.



Laverton finally decides to come over. Of course, of all people…



He attacks Zihark. Probably because he thinks the Weapon Triangle will help somehow. Fool.

Well, it's turn 8, and I am sick of this mission.



Tauroneo has been holding this back for aaaages. As if to reward him for his patience, the guy he kills drops a Red Gem, a trinket whose sole purpose is to be sold for 2500 Gold.

And, up north…









Jill finally catches a break.

If we had attacked Laverton with Micaiah, we would've gotten him to show that he's not only a terrible person but also a complete coward;

Making hostages of the helpless. Is that how knights of the great Begnion Empire operate?

Shut up, shut up, shut up!



Laverton drops a Paragon scroll, a surely goddess-sent skill that, for 15 skill points, will double all EXP gained by a unit, no questions asked.



?



Apparently we have to actually end Jill's turn before the "Defeat Boss" objective is complete.



(this boy is the only scripted survivor of this mission; he's being carried by Fiona, and it's Game Over if Fiona dies)

I wasn't scared! I knew the Dawn Brigade would save us. Thank you!





Yes. I am Lanvega's daughter, Fiona. After my father died, I assumed the governance of Marado.

General Lanvega? From the song? "Bryce, Tauroneo, Gawain, and Lanvega... Four Riders of Daein, one country, one king, While they bear our banner, A free Daein shall sing." You're THAT General Lanvega's daughter?

Y'know, they could've pretty easily fixed both the rhyming and the meter of this "song" by swapping Lanvega and Gawain, dropping the "and" and insisting that "Gawain" is pronounced "Ga-way-in".

Indeed... Lanvega, of the Four Riders. He was a good friend, and a mighty swordsman as well. And stubborn as a mule. Your father was a powerful warrior of unquestionable integrity. A great man.

Yes. And that's why he renounced his rank and title as Rider and withdrew from court life, rather than serve King Ashnard. You've heard the rumors, no doubt, that Ashnard murdered his own father? My father could not serve such a man... And so, to protect Marado from a madman, we did not send men to fight for Daein in the war. I doubt you could ever forgive us...

No, quite the opposite. You are these people's steward, and you chose the course that would protect them. But now, Begnion is willing to sacrifice innocent children to maintain their grip over our country. We cannot allow that. That is why we are asking you to lend your strength to the Liberation Army. Together, we can reclaim our country.

And now, you ask us to bear part of the burden of restoring our motherland? If you would have my lance, then... I, Fiona, Steward of Marado, do gladly swear allegiance to your Liberation Army. I and my men bind ourselves to your fate. Use my army as best you see fit.

---





Another guy who can't possibly be evil.

You are aware that riots broke out in three other regions yesterday, are you not? All quelled immediately, of course, but the unrest grows.

Who cares what the commoners do or think? Does the shepherd fuss when his sheep butt their heads against the fence post?

Nevertheless, as the insurgence grows, news of it will inevitably reach Begnion.

Yes... I see what you mean. That would be... less than desirable.



If he finds out what has been going on in Daein under our rule...

That would not be good. Sephiran's persistent as a mosquito and quick to judge. Though you and I know I have been nothing but fair and just in my rule here... it's best to avoid an inquiry.

Which leaves us but one recourse... Crush the rebel faction before it grows larger. Exterminate them. Then the commoners, bereft of all hope, will turn their sheep eyes back to us and beg to rejoin the flock.

I see. Well, I leave the matter in your hands. What funding you need is yours.

I'm glad we agree on this. Well then, pardon me, sir, while I tend to our little lambs on the loose.



Windfall GET! I'm sure we can find some use for this…

Well, that's one of the game's more annoying missions out of the way. We ain't seen nothing yet, though…

Coming up next time: Yet more prison!