Part 23: The True Enemy (feat. Toothache)

Chapter 12: The True Enemy (feat. Toothache)


Roy headed for Djuto, the Isles' largest city. The Etrurian capital was located there.

Lord Arcard, the supervisor of the mining operation on the Isles, resided in Djuto. According to Elphin, Arcard was of high birth, but he held no importance in the Etrurian court. Roy was still worried about Etruria's response to his attacking the capital, but he had no choice if he was going to rescue the people.





Ah, Lord Arcard. Why do you fret so?

It's the Lycia Alliance Army! They are approaching here to take my head!

Oh, them. Yes, they have been somewhat of a nuisance to Bern... We figured that it would be difficult if they became friendly with Etruria, so we had you send them off to these isles... Well, they fight better than I had anticipated.

Why are you so calm!? Have you any idea how much I have lost because of them? All the riches I have earned on these islands... N-No! More important is my life! My life is in danger! If the Alliance Army reaches here, I will be done for! What must I do!?

If you're that worried, you should leave this capital to us and escape back to Etruria.

Are you sure?

Warfare is what we of Bern excel at. We also have one of our...secret weapons at hand. Do not worry, we shall kill off the Lycia Alliance once and for all.

But...

Lord Arcard. If Bern and Etruria join forces, we will have nothing on this continent to fear. Nothing at all. Isn't that so?

Yes... Yes! You're right. Then I shall ask for your assistance. *leaves*

Hmph, such gutless cowards, those Etrurians are. But if we can get rid of the Alliance Army here, these isles shall be ours forever...

This chapter introduces what I call the "Revolving Door Boss." If you check him on the map during the preparation screen, you can actually see his stats:



He's a little out of our league at the moment, but not unbeatable.



...we can go home.

Master Roy, I have heard some strange rumors from the people living around here. They say that a 'human not human' resides in this castle.

What does that mean?

They say that he changes form...into a Dragon.

A human? Turning into a Dragon!?

I don't believe it myself, but that is what the villagers say. We must proceed with caution.



Chapter 12 is a pretty straightforward and easy romp after 11A. Cath will eventually be making her appearance in the northeast corner, so Astol needs to be quick to loot the east side, but otherwise there's no real rush. The gaiden here is a little weird - if you took the B route, Elphin still has to be alive (the A route has no such restriction, even with Lalum), and you have to clear the map in 20 turns.

Well, that seems almost reasonable after last chapter. Probably just the false sense of security gambit again. Wouldn’t put it past IntSys to be doing this deliberately.



Flaer has taken Arcard's place on the throne, and he's much more in line with what we can handle here. Of course, the fact that I'm bothering to show you this should be a pretty clear indicator of what's about to happen...

Other enemies of note:



Sleep Staff. His buddy has a Physic staff and will be the biggest fucking pain in the ass in the entire chapter. Also note the Silver Bow Sniper above him.

It’s basically from this point on that long range magic and staves become a common item on most maps. This isn’t helped by the low average Res score of most units either. Definitely worth raising a staff user just for countering these effects.

There are few things more infuriating than subbing in an untrained staff user to deal with statuses and realizing too late that Restore is a C-Rank staff.



The warrior to the east is a mountain of HP and has a hand axe for maximum annoyance. Then we have this guy.



Hm...not ringing a bell. Don't know anyone like this.

It looks like they’ve dropped the look and are going for more of a look instead.



Don't forget this guy...who also has a hand axe, so he will literally never use it unless it's a one-hit kill.



I heard you called...

I will go report to General Narshen regarding the Lycia Allliacne Army. I want you to defend this castle while I am away.

...Understood.

...? Who's there! ...Just the wind. Well then, I will be off. I shall leave the rest to you.

...Understood.

Hahaha... The Alliance Army won't stand a chance against this Dragon. They won't even be able to scratch it with they puny weapons. Manaketes... They certainly are terrifying beasts. *leaves*



It was true that Bern had resurrected the Dragons. What can I do now... I suppose I'll pretend to be one the soldiers and observe the Dragon's power.



And I totally forgot about this guy. Eclipse is a little different from how it was in FE7. There, it had a 30 hit rate, but cut the victim's HP in half. In FE6, it has an absolutely atrocious 10 hit, but if it lands, the victim is instantly dropped to 1 HP. Fortunately, having only 10 Hit, it will never, ever hit anything. I have literally never seen it with something other than 0 Hit.

Eclipse is best used for busting through walls. 100 HP takes a while to bust through, but thankfully you can save weapon uses and time by dropping Eclipse on one first (since attacks automatically hit).

I suppose you could combo it with Sleep, but then if an enemy is put to Sleep they’re fucked anyway, unless they’ve got absurd defence, in which case they’re a boss, in which case they’re on a God Damned Throne, so... yeah.



Oujay gets us off to a strong start.



Killer Axe man is bad at using his weapons, so Tate picks him off.



She follows up by killing the knight. That's what we like to see, Tate.



And treasure! The upper room has an Elysian Whip, Blue Gem, and a Brave Bow.



I cannot get over how fabulous that portrait is. He even earns it a little this time.



This motherfucker and Gonzales get into a throwing match for most of the chapter. You would think that would be easily solved, but no thanks to the Physic asshole, it literally takes me until something like turn 18 to kill him.



Yes, you. Fuck you. It doesn't help that as far as I can tell, the Sniper won't move from in front of that broken wall unless he can detect a kill. So I have to kill the sniper before I can get to that asshole.

Understanding how the AI works definitely helps in planning ahead.

At least it’ll keep him distracted.



Treasure time the second.



Lugh starts working on these assholes. The trip through this hallway can be be pretty nasty, because there are troops behind all three of the walls, including a bunch of longbowmen and shamans.



Hard to complain about this.

Could it be? Are you finally starting to catch a break?



60% strength growth, folks. 1 out of 7 levels.

RNG? Really Not Growing.

Guess not. Although, he can still get a decent boost before promotion.



You're starting to scare me now, RNG.



This is going straight into Lilina's hands and never leaving them.



In one of my sillier decisions, I decide that fine, if you want to sit there and fling arrows with the help of your Physic buddy, I'll just tear down the wall and come to you. This takes 5 turns in and of itself, and Saul pretty much gets to sit there and get a shitton of free experience.



...people working to death for the nobles in their nest!

She's supposed to be singing, just for the record.

Well, if that's true, this castle must be loaded with treasure. It's not like the nobles rightfully earned it anyway, so I guess I'll have to take it all away from them!

So yeah, she'll be around, but it doesn't really matter now that I've already looted everything.



This guy is an asshole. He's strong enough to one-shot both Lilina and Lugh, and he has a hand axe so he's going to constantly move away from whoever is attacking him close-up.



The other shoe has to drop soon. There's no way.

Gee, if only Fir was here to get in on all this.



...

...Th-That's all, sir.

*Aine leaves*

That guy scares me...



Okay, there we are. Stupid warrior...



Stupid. Fucking. Priest.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Fire Emblem AI.



Reinforcement time! The warrior is our immediate concern, because we need Saul close enough to heal Gonzales with his Physic staff, and we'll basically have Echidna on her own to deal with the axemen.

Echidna can solo groups of enemies just fine, I wouldn’t worry.



Hm? ...You again? Why are you always screwing up my plans? Do you have something against me?

No! I just...wanted to apologize.

...Excuse me?

The last time we met, I said some pretty harsh things. Like calling you a villain when I didn't know the things you had gone through...

Oh, that? It's okay. It's not really bothering me.

But I still think that what you're doing isn't right.

You've really got nerve to say that, haven't you?

So... Would you give me chance?

A chance?

Once this war ends, I'll promise to rebuild the trampled villages. I'll promise to make proper use of the taxes that the villagers pay. So until then, I'd like you to stop stealing.

...And when would that be?

Whenever this war ends. I can't say exactly when...



Yes. Would that be okay?

Why? Why do you tell me this? Why do you try so hard to help someone like me? You should just leave a burglar like me alone.

Without you, we wouldn't have been able to escape from Wagner's castle. Though you probably weren't trying to help us, you ended up saving our lives. I'm not going to just leave our benefactor alone.

Well, at the rate you're going, it looks like you'll be getting in my way no matter where I go.

As long as you appear in our path.

All right, you win. I'll stop coming to battlefields to steal.

Really? Thanks for understanding.

But, you have to let me go along with you.

...?

Actions speak louder than words. I have to see whether you're going to be true to your words or not.

All right!

And with that, we've finally recruited her.

Chapter 12 is only the earliest point you can recruit Cath. If you don’t bother talking to her all three of her first appearances, she still turns up in several future maps to give you a chance at recruiting her. You still have to talk in three separate chapters to get her to join you though.



She's sub-par compared to Chad in literally everything relevant. Yes, all that hassle for this.



Jesus, Clarine. What do you have against getting more magic?

Wheee, it’s female-magical-Guy-On-A-Horse.



And of course, the priest by the boss is also a Sleep asshole.

Ray won't actually move or attack anyone since he's not really an enemy, so Lugh is free to just walk right up to him.



I'm so glad to see you again!

Lugh...! What are you doing here?

I'm glad you look okay. We were worried, you know. You just disappeared that night, leaving a note that said, 'I'm going on a journey to train my magic.'

I wouldn't be able to effectively learn magic sitting in that orphanage. It was a miracle that I could learn what I did.

Ray... The orphanage is gone.

...? What happened?

Bern's forces came and...burned it down.

...What happened to everybody?

Father was killed protecting us... The little kids are under the protection of the Elimine Church.

...I see. Good... They'll be happier living at the church instead of in an old orphanage.

...You don't have to put it that way.

...

Ray! Come with us. Let's defeat Bern and pick up the little kids!



But!

Still... The Lycia Alliance Army might not be a bad place to be. They seem to have some kind of connection with the Dragons... So, if you insist, I suppose I can go with you.

Ray...

I-I hope you understand! I'm not joining to avenge Father or the orphanage or anything!

Yeah! I know, Ray.

So don't look at me like that!

So he was kind of an asshole about it, but Ray eventually gives in to his brother's demands. Our first shaman!



Echidna gets angry when you hit her.



So angry, she procs a 25% growth, and nothing else.



Finally putting that damn shaman to rest.

Chad drops off our Flux tome with Ray, and starts up a conversation.



My thoughts exactly. What are you doing here? What happened to the orphanage?

So you are concerned, even though you just ran off like that.

I was never concerned. You just reminded me of it.

...The orphange is gone.

What do you mean?

Bern's troops burned it to the ground when they invaded Lycia. Father... He was...

...! They killed Father...?

I'm going to avenge Father. I know we're stuck on these islands right now, but I know we'll go back to the mainland and stand up against Bern some day...! ...Well I suppose there's no point in telling you, is there?

...I'll go with you. Bern seems to be tied in with the dragons. I'm curious about them.

...Fine. Just don't get in the way.



Gonzales abandons the sniper to go after the wyverns. Echidna takes her place after a quick patch-up from Saul.





Wow, this really wouldn’t work without that whole floating terrain tile deal. Go Art Direction, I guess?



So let's talk about Manaketes. Like most games they're featured in, Manaketes have atrocious base stats that get a huge amplifier with their Dragonstone of choice, and they hurt like hell when they hit you. However, they're held back by two big things. First, their attack is limited to one range, so they can't counter an attack from afar. Second, their resistance boost is fucking terrible. Put two and two together, and...



...You blast the fuck out of them with mages.

Also, they tend to be slow as molasses, so even Lilina can double some eventually.

Hell, she already can. As long as her speed isn’t terrible, Lilina is basically your anti-dragon unit.



This wasn't funny the first time, Gonzales. It's certainly not funny now.



An acceptable closing level for Saul.





And an excellent one for Lugh.



So this is the power of a Dragon...

A human not human... This is what the villagers were talking about.

How many more of these does Bern have...? How are we supposed to stand a chance against monsters like this!?

Ahem, you got a wyrmslayer for a reason. Also those anti-dragon weapons you’re going out of the way for? Panic less, think more.

Master Roy! Please calm yourself.

Oh...

...I understand your worries. But if you start to panic, so will everyone else in our army. Please understand that.

...I'm sorry.

No, it is perfectly understandable to worry after fighting something like that. ...Now... One thing is clear.

What is that...?

Do you remember the rumor I told you about Arcard being tied in with Bern?

Oh! If there are Bern's Dragons in the Etrurian capital...

Right. Arcard was indeed making contact with Bern.

...That means Lycia might be in danger... We need to return to the mainland. We have to contact General Cecilia and think of a plan...



...to the mainland, there is one more thing we must do.

Are there still more enemies?

No. One of the Divine Weapons is hidden in a cave near here. If we can find it, fighting the Dragons will become a little easier.

Divine Weapons... Exactly! If we can get all eight of them, we have a chance at defeating Bern!

Yes... We must obtain as many as we can.

All right, then let's go to that cave!

-----



Level 5 Thief
Swords - E, Affinity - Anima

HP: 16 (80%)
Strength: 3 (40%)
Skill: 7 (45%)
Speed: 11 (85%)
Luck: 8 (50%)
Defense: 2 (15%)
Resistance: 1 (20%)
Con: 5

Having to hunt her ass down over the course of three chapters, and this is what we have to show for it. A thief with great growths, but she's worse than Chad across the board (except for Luck), to say nothing of Astol. I appreciate that they tried something different with Cath, but she really needs higher stats to be worth considering over Chad and Astol.



Level 12 Shaman
Dark - C, Affinity - Ice

HP: 23 (55%)
Strength: 12 (45%)
Skill: 9 (55%)
Speed: 9 (40%)
Luck: 6 (15%)
Defense: 5 (15%)
Resistance: 10 (35%)
Con: 4

Ray is Lugh's brother and if Lugh got Nino's speed, Ray picked up her magical aptitude. Dark magic, as we've seen from enemy shamans, is obnoxiously powerful if a tad inaccurate, and Ray's growths are pretty much perfectly specced for it. His biggest failing is going to be how squishy he is; his defense growth is about on par with our other mages, and 55% in HP is alright but not much better than the other mages, but given that his affinity is Ice, supports can fix that up pretty nicely. His speed might give him a few fits, but 40% isn't too bad in that category either. At any rate, he's a hell of a lot better than the next shaman we're getting, so he has that going for him even if he does turn out a little sub-par.