Part 5

I wonder if Blazer himself even knows what these chapter titles mean.



Leading the group to Phora, Galager takes his leave of them, stating that he has to lead a rebel effort in Yulia. We don't quite know where that is yet, but Siegfried thanks him for his brave work.



Unfortunately, as night falls, a group of nomads from the Gorn clan lie in wait for our heroes, led by the vain officer Ada.



No really, that's her main character trait. She thinks she's pretty.



Suddenly, Siegfried dodges a ballista bolt, which is surprising, considering where it is on the map. Regardless, this warns him that there are enemies ahead, and the group prepares to fight.



As you may expect, a fight in the fog of war deserves its own combat theme, but only on the enemy side.

Player Phase:



Enemy Phase:



Yes, it's really that quiet. And repetitive. Not one of my favorites, once again.



Notice how you can't even see Siegfried in this shot? No wonder the ballista missed.

So in Blazer's fathomless wisdom, what manner of enemy do you suppose he seeded in the fog?



Nomads. Almost a dozen of them.



For this reason, we are keeping a wall in front of Inanna at all times. She can still fight, but she is going to be decidedly far from the front.



Once again, don't stress over possible reinforcements. Whoever this General Cid is, he's the tardiest man on the planet.



Did we mention that Ada is vain?



Why, Blazer? Why would you have mounted archers be the principal enemy on a fog of war map?



They're not even that challenging to anyone else. They're just there to potentially mess up Tamiko or Inanna.



And they give cruddy levels too.



On the bright side, they're so fragile that they're easy to kill.



Assuming we can hit them.



Fortunately, Shuuda's there to pinch hit for us.



Following this cue, Kevin's going to be going around the river to the east on his stubby knight legs. We'll want to be careful not to run into him, because he's a little...knightly, let's say.

Notice the armory, by the way. We'll get to that.



In the meantime, we've got nomads converging on us from behind, bearing the thing that makes this map extra fun.



Putting the "short" into the name Short Bow, Blazer's turned it into a 1-2 range bow, instead of just another bow with a little more crit. That will be beneficial for us when we get an archer of our own, but in the meantime, it's a headache and a half.

Oh, and it still has the crit bonus. Bear that in mind.



If we want Inanna to get any benefit from these guys, we'll have to wear them down a little first.



I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth it.



This may seem like I made a stupid mistake, but bear in mind that they basically have 8 move, due to their ranged weapons.



Although to be honest, this one's probably my fault.



So many nomads. It's ridiculous.



Look at this mess!



It's all I can do just to keep them down.



But the rewards are pretty nice.



You probably noticed this already, but Shon can just gobble these guys up with his Piercing Sword. It's really handy.



Since Inanna can just join the group on the other side of the river, she's the one going on a shopping run.



While Shon reveals a morose knight.



You can see why we might have some problems with Kevin. He's a Knight with a capital K, and all his stats are geared towards taking no damage and delivering a mighty hit in return. He's also got a present for us, which I'll make good use of once he joins up.



In the meantime, let's go shopping.



Since the game just dumps elixirs in our lap, I see no reason not to sell them. They're good money.



Besides, I needed to free up the space, since we don't have a convoy yet.



Now then, let's give a warm welcome to our new recruit.





Kevin's more than a little fatalistic and pessimistic about humanity, but Siegfried's lack of concern about gaining power amuses him and convinces him to join the cause.



He's a very straightforward fellow when it comes to taking orders, probably because he knows that he can't be moved.



Get used to seeing this a lot. Not necessarily him dodging, but the mere fact that almost no one who isn't wearing a robe is going to do significant damage to him.



He isn't fast by any means, but Kevin is a stable frontliner, capable of just taking on the entire enemy team with very few issues.



And if she gets back on her streak of good levels, Tamiko is going to keep him in tip-top shape if he does get hurt.



Once you get Kevin, the rest of the chapter becomes a lot more trivial. You just march him into the enemy forces and watch them bounce right off.



Like this myrmidon here.



Dead.



Hit chances are fickle things sometimes.



Kevin is even better with a javelin, since the ranged units aren't even safe from him.



Nice try, buddy.



Even the ballista's making a try at him, but to no avail.



And soon, the boss is within view.



Despite being an archer, Ada's loadout of weapons and her position on a fort makes her actually somewhat challenging to face. You could possibly get yourself killed fighting her if you're not careful or Kevin.



But before we get to her, let's clear a space for Inanna to fly up.



Don't YOU start, Corben.



Give it up, guys!



At the conclusion of the enemy phase, two new nomads show up, as if we haven't seen enough of these guys.



If the rest of the game was entirely nomad-free, I would be so content.



While we're at it, let's deal with this problem.



Never mind. He has friends.



No comments about your beauty? How restrained of you.



Still not sure what they're trying to accomplish here.



Well, if an unlucky crit was going to happen, at least it happened when I was expecting it.



Such unity in the ranks.



Surprisingly, Ada can actually scratch Kevin, but that's all she can do.



She may be somewhat challenging, but she's still not what you'd call tough.



It's a sad day when your healer is the only one you can depend on for good levels.



Well, whatever. After a bit of damage from Siegfried, I'm ready to do...



Something completely stupid.



Eh, it worked out okay



After the fight, Ada fumes about how the Gorn tribe nomads didn't meet her expectations, which annoys Siegfried.



Add subtlety to the social qualities that Siegfried is lacking in.



Discussing matters with Kevin, Siegfried learns that Ada is actually a Magnian knight.



Considering that Ada earned her title, you have to wonder how stringent the requirements are.



With a little coaxing, Ada confesses that she was sent to spread dissent in the Atheyan nomads to weaken their ability to fight. Unwilling to kill a defenseless enemy, Siegfried agrees to let her go.



But not before quoting almost exactly from the villain phrasebook. Makes you wonder.



And with some poorly-worded philosophy, we break for the next chapter.

Next Time: We continue to ask, "Who the heck would think to do that?"

Extras:



Kevin
Class: Knight
Weapon Ranks: D in lances
Affinity: Thunder

HP: 22 (105%) Lck: 4 (25%)
Str: 8 (55%) Def: 13 (40%)
Skl: 6 (45%) Res: 3 (15%)
Spd: 4 (35%) Con: 14

Yes, characters other than Siegfried get a 100%+ HP growth. Kevin starts with a wonderful defense base, has a good chance of getting more defense, and is actually quite likely to get some speed on the side. His weak spots are luck and resistance, obviously, so you'll have to be cautious on maps with mages, but otherwise, you can pretty much set Kevin loose on physical attackers and watch them go *tink* off of his armor. It's a fun experience.