Part 18: Bonus Chapter #1: By The Sword

Bonus Chapter # 1: By The Sword

: I do have a question, Sir Jagen.

: Yes?

: ...What’s Navarre’s problem? He seems…

: Like an asshole?

: Pretty much.

: Hmm...well, I do have another story that might help explain Nabarl’s...disposition. It was a long time ago...but not as long ago as we were just talking about. Not as recent as your escapades. It was a middling time ago...



I’ve missed this.

So this is New Mystery of the Emblem (or Heroes of Light and Shadow). It is NOT Shadow Dragon. This is the sequel that was only released in Japan. However, I’m playing the English patched version, and today we’ll be taking a look at one of the three DLC maps released for the game. The English translation was done by a group called "Heroes of Shadow", and they did a fantastic job, this game reads great. But I spent an entire thread gushing about this game already, so I'll try and curb it here.



These maps (You can see them on the left) were free to download, and helped fill in some gaps in the story between Shadow Dragon and New Mystery. I didn’t do them in my New Mystery LP, because I was kind of worn out. So we’ll be seeing them here, as they add some much needed flavor to the Archanea setting.

Sadly, this content is no longer available, due to the Nintendo WiFi Network being removed for the DS, so you’ll need a save file with it already downloaded to play it.




Today we’re tackling “By the Sword”. This kicked my ass many, many times, by the way.




: and all of Talys cheered for them. However, as if seizing this opportunity... the nearby clans suddenly revolted against Talys.

I don’t know what the “clans” are, but it’s probably safe to bet that given that this is Talys, they’re pirates.

: Princess Caeda, who had only brought a few bodyguards into town, was dragged into battle, her whereabouts unknown... Ogma, captain of Talys's hired swords, took his subordinates with him and set out immediately to rescue Caeda.





: We'll just have to stomach the pain. If we can hold them until Captain Ogma comes, everything'll be dandy.

: Yeah, but where is Captain? Wasn't he supposed to be here already?

: I ain’t got a clue! I don’t think there’s anyone strong enough to stop the captain, except maybe…

The camera pans on Cord’s ellipsis. He’s a man of many talents.




: …

: Your impression is spot on, Sir Jagen.

: So you're back to your old self, working for cutthroats... I'm disappointed. I thought you had changed after working under Prince Marth, but it seems I expected too much from you. Swinging your sword without purpose... You're worse than an animal.




In case you wondered, yes, all of Navarre’s dialogue in this map sounds like this.

: Say that again?

: I haven't crossed swords with you since the previous war. Our score... isn't settled yet.

: Our score? And for that reason alone… You’re happy to assist these monsters? Come on, give me a break!
: ...

: What’s so funny?

: Stop pretending you're a decent human being. Stop denying yourself... You're just like me... And that won't ever change.

: ... Sorry, but... I'm different from you. I fight for the princess: that's my purpose.

: ...Enough talk. Draw your sword. If you’re different from me… Then you shall die here.




Let’s get things started. Unfortunately, there’s no prep screen, so I’ll have to go with the old standby tactic of just panning around the map to show you what’s going on. We have Ogma in the northwest corner, and he’s pretty powerful, though the enemies here can still easily overwhelm him. There are some staggeringly high hitters in this stage.




To the southeast, already surrounded, Bord and Cord. Bord’s main strength is, as in Shadow Dragon, his instant access to the Hammer.




Cord honestly just kinda sucks in this map. It’s a bit of a chore to keep him alive, but note the Vulnerary. You’ll need that.




The southwest has a Dark Mage, a Mercenary, and this myrmidon, Maris. She’s pretty much better than Ogma in every way. Too bad she’s a Red Unit.




The southeast corner is also full of enemies, the only really notable one being Dice here. That Devil Axe can easily kill you. Or...or him. He’s Maris’ dad, by the way. These two characters don’t appear in Shadow Dragon, but they’re in New Mystery.




The northeast of course houses Navarre, who will try to rush down Ogma immediately. Also some lackeys.

Let’s see if we can’t outlast them. I apologize in advance, by the way, if the screencaps are kinda frantic in this update. This map took me a lot of attempts, a lot of deleting screens, etc.




First off, Ogma needs to RUN. We don’t want to kill Nabarl, as you could probably guess. I’m also unequipping his weapon, because he’s now in Maris’ range, and I don’t want to hurt her either. Thankfully, being Ogma, he can take a hit.




Meanwhile, Bord attacks the Barbarian.




He missed. This means I have to reset the map, as I can’t kill that Barbarian with just Cord.

Yeah, this one is really a huge pain to do and keep everyone alive, because there’s sort of a very specific strategy they want you to follow, and even if you do, RNG can fuck you over. Of course, it can also rescue you, but the sheer amount of luck involved in a map you can’t adjust or prepare your team for really sorta turned me off to this stage.




So, one reset later, he hits and I finish the Barb off. End of turn.




The other HP missing from Ogma is because the Dark Mage zapped him. He’s hidden below the HP bar. I, uh, I did warn you about this.




Anyway, even though she’s stabbed him once, Ogma’s still up for a chat with Maris here!




: What?

: That scar on your face… You’re the mercenary Ogma!

: Do you know me?

: That ain't all either... You saved me and Pops before, don't you remember? Y'know, we were collapsed and dying on the road, until you gave us food... That brat was me.

Ogma’s a really good guy. There’s another character in New Mystery who personally credits him for saving his life.

: ...Did I do that? So, what are you going to do? Duel with me?

: Nah, I give in. Count me on your side. I wanna repay the favor. I'll go tell my Pops too, so I'm counting on ya.

So, now we have Maris, and by Maris, the means to recruit Dice on the other side of the map. That’s easier said than done.




Also Ogma has to immediately chug a Vulnerary, or he’ll die to Navarre’s next attack. Thankfully, talking to a character counts as sort of a free action, though you can’t move afterwards.




Maris has a rad eyepatch and purple hair.




What I’m saying is that she’s great.




Cord takes out the Thief who rushed him last turn. The only other enemy poised to attack this turn is the Knight.




Also, a surprisingly good levelup.




I’m doing a DOUBLE TACTICAL MOVE with Bord here. I’ve moved him within range of the Knight and given him the Hammer so he can one shot him...but I also traded over Cord’s vulnerary and took a drink. This is the high level play you can expect for roughly one to two more turns.




It works pretty well!




Unfortunately, we’ve still got this joker to deal with.

: You’ve grown weak… Is it because the war ended…? Or is it because of that woman? If I killed her… Would you go back to being yourself?



YES IT’S FINALLY HERE

“Dastard” is my favorite Fire Emblem word, holy shit. I know it’s a real word, but I always associate it with being a weirdly out of place half-curse in a lot of the later games in this series.

: Fight me. Otherwise… die.

He does 10 damage and moves on.




This poor Mercenary must be the even younger brother of shitty little brother Mercenary from Chapter 7. Maris doubles him and clears the path for Ogma. Something special happens at the start of the player phase, though.






Thanks, blinking sprite, for relieving me of having to make jokes again.




: Is that...Ogma? Ogma came to save me! I have to go to him!

: Oh, please wait! Princess!




But Norne and Caeda are going to have to wait, Ogma’s gotta keep running and drinking Vulneraries so he doesn’t get killed by the encroaching sword idiot.




Norne can’t really do anything this turn, so I pass her Vulnerary onto Cord. This is pretty important in this map, you have no healing aside from them, unless you count the forts.




So, I’ll try to lure out one of the barbarians on the eastern side, while Caeda moves towards Ogma. You can probably guess why.




It might seem a little reckless to pull this guy over, but all of these enemies will start encroaching on you soon, and the thinner they are, the better.




And so, Nabavab just continues slapping Ogma with his sword.




Oh, and Bord missed.

Fun fact, on one run I got here and Bord, Cord, and Norne all missed. Reset.




Thankfully that didn’t happen again. Begone, horrible flashbacks.




So, now that we’ve stalled until Caeda got here, we can finally talk to Nabarvol.




: ... You again? Begone from my sight.

: No! I won't let you kill Ogma! No matter how you might try to stop me!

: ...Then stop me with your blade.

: No! Navarre... I won't kill you, either... I don't want to see you die. Both you and Ogma... are my comrades! And I won't allow my comrades to die! If you must fight Ogma... Then turn your blade on me first!


This is pretty much Caeda’s only tactic.

: ……

: Navarre…?

: ...Nay. My blade isn't rotten enough to inflict harm upon a woman. Do as you wish.

: Oh, thank you…Navarre!

: Crazy woman… It seems neither he nor I can best you...



Ogma’s going to drink a Vulnerary and camp out on this fort for something that’s coming in soon. We’re approaching the hard part of this map.




At the start of Turn 5, this Berserker spawns in, as well as a Knight up north near Navarre’s starting point. And every enemy starts to rush you.

Since I don’t think we’ve met Berserkers yet in the main LP, I should explain them. They’re promoted Pirates. That’s...that’s about it.




Thankfully, the reinforcements don’t get to move on their first turns, and the others kindly wait for them, so I can set up a little.




I moved Bord with a Hammer up to the bridge to intercept that Knight.




Everyone else sorta hovers out of range, except Norne, who can counterattack the Hand Axe that’s coming her way. Ogma on the fort can withstand the Berserker, but he’s seriously bad news, with an attack of 25. He will one round kill Cord or Bord if they even get near him.




The knights also have Steel Lances, and thus hit pretty damn hard. Caeda’s Wing Spear is an alternate way to down them, but her low durability means you really can’t rely too much on it.




(she missed)




Thankfully, so did the Berserker! Still, now he’s too close to our other units, and needs to go down, fast.




Oh, also more reinforcements. Including a second, identical Berserker from the east. Don’t forget, they can walk on water!




Bord immediately retreats to heal up, because the Knight chunked him hard. Again, the UI makes it kinda hard to see, but he’s behind the word “Hit”, under Maris.




Another whiff from the Berserker. I think this is the moment some sort of angel of good fortune, but only while playing video games for the internet, decided to bless me with an extremely specific boon.




There was soon nothing left of this guy. Him having 3 HP helps with that.




Maris is particularly useful here since she can one round kill the Barbarians and Dark Mages, and she’s got a great dodge rate.




Norne drinks a Vulnerary, and I really just have to weather this storm for now.





In this exciting combat encounter, neither combatant hits eachother.




Also Dice just threw a Hand Axe at his own daughter. What the fuck, dad?




Holy shit, Cord, please.




This might look close. That’s because it shouldn’t have worked. Both the Hunter and Barbarian to the north missed, and that’s why Cord’s still alive. I’m unashamed of this because it was like Take 8 of this map.




And now I have to clean out this disgusting blob of Red Units. Ogma gets the ball rolling well.




Thankfully, one of these opponents is a bit easier to deal with than the others. It’s the guy in the Viking Helmet, yes.

: So, that’s about the gist of it, Pops.



They keep calling him “The mercenary Ogma”. Is there another Ogma who does something much less interesting in this universe?


: Yeah, though we’ll be working for free again. Man, I need to do something to get gold for tomorrow’s food…

: Wahaha! Is that what you’re worried about? If it’s gold ya need, I’ll go gamble and you’ll have it in an instant!

: ...No, THAT’S what I’m worried about.

I’ve missed Viking Gamble Dad. This is the last we’ll see of him, though.




Also, Maris takes out a neighboring goon and gets a nice level. Talking next to enemies can pay off.




Time for Cord to run and hide for the rest of the map.




So, I’m not going to be able to take out all of those enemies, and I don’t want to risk a Devil Axe, so Dice equips a Hand Axe and blocks the bridge.




Bord gets brave for a bit and removes one source of damage, though.




I really wish I was getting these levels in the actual game.




Nababble manages to take this Dark Mage down in a single round, with his signature commentary.




Oh, Dice is also going to eat some damage here from both the Knight and the Berserker, but his massive (compared to everyone else) health pool makes him our best shot at surviving.




I’m cutting it a little close again here. This map!




i am extremely good at fire emblem.



Thankfully, this Berserker has unknowingly placed himself in a really good spot for me.




Here’s some sweet revenge for Bord.




And a pretty sweet level! He’s still worse than Maris, though she does have six levels on him.




And now...a gamble. This, I think, is about the only way to get rid of this guy ASAP. Cross your fingers, no save points on this one.




Majestic.




Now Ogma blocks the bridge, so Dice is safe, even with his tiny HP remaining.




Maris also cleans up the last Hunter.




And then there were two!




One.






Done.






This beat the hell out of me. But hey, it’s done! I’ll take it.




: I see.

: The swordsman Navarre apparently vanished after the battle.

: ...I see. Good job. Our mission is complete. Let’s escort the princess back to Talys.

If Navarre is dead, the soldier says they couldn’t find his body.

And now...some thoughtful interludes.




Someone should take away my access to Paint.net.



: Princess…? Of course. You needn’t worry about my welfare.

: I’m so glad. You looked so intimidating…

: I did?

: Yes. Just like… the first time we met. You were a frightening gladiator… But your eyes were really sad.

: ...Princess. Please let me thank you.

: Thank...me…?

: A long time ago... Before you saved me... I had nothing. I had no purpose or meaning in life, so all I could do was continue to fight, as a gladiator... I hated everything in this world, and had forsaken everything...

: Ogma…

: But, I didn't die. I had to keep fighting... In other words... I fought so I could continue to fight.





: We aren't humans who can just bathe under the sun's light. We're monsters bred for fighting…



: ...Ogma…

“Shut up.”


: However... you saved me, Princess. I received not only my life, but also something far more important from you. And even after you leave for Altea and wed Prince Marth... That won't ever change. So, please let me thank you, Princess...

: Ogma... I must thank you too, Ogma. You've always stood by my side... Even in the previous war. You protected Marth for my sake... Even after I go to Altea... You will... always... always be my…

: Princess… Please don’t cry. Tears don’t suit you. From now on, you’re going to live happily by Marth’s side…

: Ogma… ...Thank you, Ogma...






: That story didn’t explain anything about-

: Still dying, let’s move on.

Next time we go back to the actual game I’m supposed to be LPing.

Bonus Content


Wielder of the Hard Sword, Ogma

And


Wielder of the Certain Kill Sword, Navarre

Keep in mind the titles are unofficial, direct translations. So, uh, I think the second one is supposed to be "Killing Edge". Ogma's got a Levin Sword in that picture, by the way. That's a bad idea for Ogma.

Edit: I'm wrong! Thankfully, someone who can actually read Japanese, Shingouryu gave the translation:

"The first two Kanji are indeed sure kill, followed by sword, which in this context should be "hissatsuken" This is followed by user, which would be pronounced "tsukaite""

And for Ogma:

"Ogma was a bit more difficult, as I didn't recognize the first kanji.

I'm a little confused by the translation. While 剛 can indeed mean "hard," my assumption is the intended meaning is "strong" or "manly.""