Part 17: Chapter 13b

So, supposing we were a typical FE protagonist and we blindly trusted a stranger, we'd get this chapter instead.



This is Zekiel, a man with a specific vocal tic.

: Yes, Commander Zekiel. Our sincerest apologies... It never crossed the tactician's mind that Regalia would be conquered by such a meager force, when just a few days ago they were on the run...

: ...Get rid of the numbskulls quickly and it'll all be fine. But one more mistake and we'll all be rebels' meat--and well-roasted at that! Zehahahaha!

: Yes sir!

Do you zee what it is yet?



Here comes our intrepid team, in the process of being duped.



: Thanks Logan.

: No problem. If you don't mind, a friend of mine is supposed to meet me here. They're just a short while away. I'll find her and rejoin you later, if you don't mind.

: Very well. Good luck.



That's not a she at all! You lied to us, Logan!



: You guys finish them off, and I'll be on my way.



: Er else that girlfriend a yers will be meetin th' angel of death early!

: This wasn't part of the deal! I was supposed to hand you the rebels so you'd free Stephanie!

: Zehahaha, tough luck! Now get out there!

: You'll regret this...

: Zehaha! We'll see!

So that's why the other chapter is so strange for me. As presented, Logan's being coerced into betraying the rebellion, but if he's basically being forced into it, then why are the Magnian soldiers taking orders from him? It's just so inconsistent.



Oh well, let's get this over with.

Player Phase:



Enemy Phase:





This is more like it! If falling into an ambush means that I get a whole bunch of dudes to beat around, then it's fine by me.



Naturally, since they're ready for us, the enemies have a lot better gear in general. Too bad we're about to get a speedy swordsman or three.



Logan here isn't quite as good as his boss form, but he's still got a lot of speed and skill, and that's all he's got going for him. Otherwise, he's kind of weak, and he doesn't even uphold the typical myrmidon tradition of starting with a Killing Edge.



One item conspicuously lacking in Zekiel's loadout is anything ranged or capable of countering our many, MANY sword guys. Kelik and Althares are arriving this map as usual, and they're going to walk right over him.



Before we can get into the meat of the fighting, we'll have to visit this village.



: This is a secret book. I can't tell you why it's secret, or the secret would be ruined! You can have it, but keep it a secret, please.



Wouldn't you know it, but it's a Secret Book. Frankly, it's not as good as having another light tome for Anakin.



Since I did Chapter 11 and 12 all over again, the characters in this run don't have quite the same levels.



Yeah, I think I might just dump this run.



: We've landed in a trap.

: Huh? How can that be?

: Oh, just look around you, Anakin.

: ...It seems that the fog had clouded my vision...

: Oh, that's just silly... But anyway, do you want to retreat?

: No. We're determined. We'll win.

Ah, Anakin. You're the most unusual protagonist.

: ...Hm... Well, I don't want to make any promises, but...



: I know I'll meet up with him at some point, but there's no guarantee when, so I won't mention it for now...

Obvious hint. It's not like it takes a while for him to arrive or anything.



Let's pick up Kelik Lite for now.



: I'm sorry Anakin... They're holding my friend hostage... I had no choice...

: Although I have no reason to believe that, I'll let you walk away from this battle.

That's oddly self-aware on Blazer's part.

: No! I want to fight with you. These men double-crossed me! They still have my friend! I want to see them all dead!

: Fine, but you cross us again and there's no mercy left for you.

: Really, I'm sorry for that... I... Help me, Anakin... Help me save my friend.

: ...

The thing is, while it seems pretty straightforward, I get the feeling that Logan is purposely playing up the sympathy ploy. Even when he's on our side, it seems to me like he's still trying to manipulate people.

Or maybe I'm giving Blazer too much credit.



Regardless, Logan's amount of speed makes him nigh-invincible against axes. If we gave him a Silver Sword, where he wouldn't be weighed down as much, then he could perhaps do some actual damage.



On the side, I learn a valuable lesson about checking enemy equipment, even though it works out for me.



And you may have noticed, but there are Pegasus Knights on this map. That might be troublesome.



Not for Karina, mind you, since she can just tear through these guys easily.



But people like Logan are in some serious trouble with them around.



: As much as I'd like to say numbers don't matter, this is just ridiculous. It feels like five versus fifty!

That's pretty close to the truth of the matter.



Fortunately, reinforcements have arrived.

: Hey! You!



: What's it to ya? You with them?! I wouldn't think about trying anything. We're under protection from Magnus! So go away, or da' boss'll cut ye down!

: Magnus, huh? I have no regrets.





: You could have just incapacitated him...

: Don't chastise me. He's with the Magnians. And I need to warm-up one way or another.

Man, and here I thought that we were past the "Filthy Magnians" stage. Evidently not.



But if you thought we were finished with the recruiting, you'd be mistaken.

: Oh, you again... You're persistent. What's your story? Why do you want to fight Magnus? It's not smart for villagers to just rebel out of the blue.

: Magnus... they killed my sister. I... I wasn't able to do anything about it! Then this rebellion came and... I...

: So you're in it for revenge? Because you're not the only one in that situation. What makes you so special?

: W-Well, I noticed the enemy has armored units posted everywhere, mixed in with the fighters... I can use my magic to... you know...

: Now that I think about it... Keeping him around might not be such a bad idea, Kelik. Only Levy could really slaughter armors effectively. And the kid wants his revenge. You of all people should understand.

: Eh... Fine...



: I'll just tag along behind and help out with my magic!

: Right... Just do me a favor and don't get too into the battle. These bastards can put up a tough fight. If only because they've got so many of them...

: (Watch me, sister...)

We already covered Itsuke's deal in the other half, so lay your treasures on me, chum!



You're fired.



Starting right in the thick of things is not ideal for Itsuke, who's almost immediately at risk.



Hello, worthless crit.



Meanwhile, understanding the nature of the weapon triangle gives our two sidekicks...



Bleh.



Since Logan's in a bad way, Kevin does what he does best, scooping him right up.



While I can understand this hit, even though I don't like it...



These are completely stupid.



Hardly a consolation.



Really, aside from their ability to hit hard with steel lances, these Pegs go down easy. They're already all dealt with.



I love the coloring on Eduardo's sword. It's all red and stuff.



But now that we're done with the initial surge, it's time to deal with the guys who only attack when we're in range.



Well, what could the harm be in having Karina park up here?



Oh.



Fortunately, the archer is weak, so almost no harm done.



Would you look at that. Four new dudes to whack around.



Let the level party begin!



What?



Really not regretting my decision to stick with Chainsaw man.



Ugh.



I will regret losing this level, but I'll manage.



Good to see that the weapon triangle doesn't care in both directions. That means that we should have them cleared out soon.



Assuming that more of them don't come exploding out of the fort. Let the level party continue!



Remember when Ace was on a strength binge?



Your growths are too good for that to be acceptable, Kelik.



Minimalistic, but under the circumstances, I'll take it..



Maximum thief achieved! Again.



Figures that he'd gain defense in the non-canon run.



Now that we're through with that, let'z have a go at the bozz.



I've got enough iron in my diet, thanks.



Nice try, Itsuke, but you already got that in the other version.



As I said, Zekiel is easy prey. Even Eduardo has no problems with him.



Zo long! And with that, we seize.



Pleased to meet you too.

: Ah, you're that swordsman.

: My name is Kelik.

: Well, I am... sorry for being weak. I don't really fight myself. (Hey, you're not so tough yourself...)

: (...Seems like you're nothing but a walking mouth to me, but whatever...)

What are they doing there, precisely? Are they beaming insults at one another using thought rays?

: So... why are you here?

: Because Siegfried, the piece of crap that he is, got captured and left the rebellion to rot, so I have to help him out. I was passing right by Alexia looking for you, and I had quick success... Only one of Siegfried's idiots would challenge a large force like that without thinking beforehand about what kind of consequences it might have...



: You're not keeping up with things if that's news to you.

: A man like him wouldn't fall so easily! Last I heard from Kevin was that he had captured Yulia, not been captured!

: Well, it was Magnus's General Howard that captured him. None of the rebellions are up to challenge someone of Howard's caliber just yet... That aside, I'm here to help you, so try and cooperate. The plan is to regroup in Atheya. Get it?

: ...As great as that sounds, I'm gonna have to say no.

: Apparantly you don't get it...

Since we've seen the other path already, this response shouldn't come as a shock.

: We're going to continue through Valencia and rescue Siegfried.

: You're overestimating our strength... I don't even have my entire mercenary group with me.



Again with the puerile insults. How old is Kelik, precisely?

: ...It's not numbers that matter. It's the courage and determination of our troops that is the deciding factor.

: Courage can only take someone so far.

: Far enough for us to win.

: I doubt that, but in any case... This group needs to build-up its forces first before we go invading a place like Yulia Castle.

: Fair enough. Everyone needs some rest. Let's discuss this later.



It's interesting how Anakin manages to get the last word in for this version. Overall, the whole conversation feels a lot less one-sided, and Anakin seems to actually have the upper hand at times. Still, in the long run, the difference is minute, at best. And as I said, everything that happened here is null and void, because by golly, were those levels terrible.

Next Time: Four recruits in one chapter? Sure, bring them on!

Extras:



Logan
Class: Myrmidon
Weapon Ranks: C in swords
Affinity: Wind

HP: 20 (65%) Lck: 5 (20%)
Str: 5 (40%) Def: 4 (30%)
Skl: 16 (75%) Res: 3 (15%)
Spd: 15 (75%) Con: 8

Oh Logan, ye of the absurd speed and skill. If only everything else wasn't so low, he'd actually be good for something. Still, if we'd decided to stick with him, that immense skill, combined with his high speed pool, would have allowed him to carry a lot of high-level swords and still double with them, hopefully offsetting his low strength with the weapon's sheer might. Trouble with that strategy is that we not only have Kelik and Shuuda, who are both speedy and strong, but we'll soon get a myrmidon who doesn't have Logan's strength problems, rendering him a little unnecessary.