Part 19: Chapter 15A: Scorched Sand

You'd think that this would be a direct continuation from the last chapter, but...



: ...

: Princess Eirika!

: ...Oh...Seth?

: Yes, it's me. Please, you must rest. If you continue like this, you'll...

: No... it's all right. We're all suffering... We're still completely surrounded by Grado's armies...We may all die at any moment...I can't lose focus now. Has anything changed?

: Unfortunately, no. On every front, our forces meet with defeat upon defeat. Rausten's knights are scattered and worn, and the enemy is closing in around them. And this accursed sand...Most of the units can't get proper footing and are being slowed down.



I like how they're trying to weave tutorials into the narrative. It's a little clumsy, but a good effort.

: Princess Eirika...I ask that you leave for safety. We'll use flying units and magic users to hold the foe here.

: No. I will not retreat. If I give up now... My brother woudld not forgive me. I'm the princess of Renais. I will fight, either to victory or to death.



: Brother, I...





: If you don't finish off Eirika's forces swiftly...Her brother's left the capital. He should be arriving here shortly. You don't want to be fighting here still when he arrives. Trust me. We are equals in Grado's army. Would you like me to assist?

: All you need to do is vanish, you disgusting old man. Eirika is mine. I won't let you have her. She's so strong, so beautiful...She's the pray I've dreamed of.

: Heh heh heh...Your fangs are still sharp, eh? Good. Very good. Ah, Valter... You're a beast. You're bound to no country. You care nothing for friend or foe. Kill a man, claim a woman... You live for nothing more, you wretched beast. That's your strength. That's what makes you stronger than any man alive. A beast acts without remorse. Man's morality cannot win. It's nature's way... The stage is all yours, Valter. Do not fail to get the girl's bracelet. Our master demands it...



: The time is nigh, Eirika...Come to me!

Valter will wish he'd taken Riev's advice. But first...



: Magic used to seem so hard, but I...I think I've got it. I've turned a corner in my education. I'm a real mage! But I'm not going to stop studying...Not until I've become a great sage, like my teacher.



Yeah, I could have made Ewan a mage, but besides the difference in constitution, Lute does the job well enough.





When you see the alternative dark mage, you'll know I made the right decision.



Welcome to the desert map. It's pretty much a series tradition at this point that at least one chapter will require the party to trudge through movement-impairing sand. As mentioned, knights and mounted units are hurting the most, since they have to use 4 movement points to go through one desert tile, while mages and fliers aren't affected at all.

However, unlike most desert maps, this one throws you a bone by giving you a lot of plains and sand to run across, neither of which cuts your movement speed to cross. Very generous.

Also, as I was saying before, you'd think that we'd have moved on directly from the last map with this starting formation, but it's implied from Eirika and Seth's conversation that they've been fighting for a while, since Eirika's so fatigued-sounding. Considering that we're about to rampage across the battlefield with only some minor speedbumps, the distressed way that they're acting doesn't especially make sense either.





That's correct, we've got to kill everyone this map, including Caellach and Valter here. The Hoplon Guard will prevent Caellach from being hurt by critical hits and the Fili Shield will protect Valter from the effective damage of arrows. Not a bad combo, but there are ways around both.



Got some folks with interesting gear this map too. This berserker, for instance, will give us that Dragon Axe if we get him to switch to his hand axe instead. The Dragon Axe is like the Dragonspear from last chapter, effective against Wyverns. That'd come in handy for fighting a certain gentleman on a flying lizard, I'd wager.



But enough talking. Let's get to killing.



First order of business though: shopping. The store right next to our party's starting destination has the dark magic that Ewan needs, plus some Divine magic for when Moulder trains himself up to that level.



I'll be splitting up the party for the sake of convenience. There's hidden treasure under this sand, and while rogues and thieves can find it instantly, anyone else has to take a (luck + 1)% chance while standing in the right spot. I don't really like those odds.



So here's the berserker I mentioned before. We'll need to coax him into switching to his hand axe, and it looks like Rennac's up again.



But first, Tana starts taking down Caellach's protective guard.



This is a shockingly well-rounded pegasus knight we've got here.



And the plan out east goes off without a hitch.



Cormag and Vanessa (and sometimes Eirika) are watching over Rennac for this portion. Good thing too, since we're going to see a lot of company up here in the northeast.



You know, you could make an argument for the thief class, but that is unmistakably a knife. It's not even a short sword, it's so tiny.



And Rennac is doing just about how I predicted.



Let's talk about fighters and desert. They don't like it. Unlike other unmounted classes, which only take 2 move to get through desert tiles, fighters take 3 move, and it's hilarious.



Means that Tana can just ignore them and do something like this. Don't worry about Caellach. He and Valter are rooted to where they stand for this mission.



Bizarrely, this event occurs at the end of the player's turn 2, right before the enemy phase. I don't get why they timed it that way.



: I expect that's where we'll find Eirika and her companions. Duessel, Knoll. It's time we rescued Eirika. I'll need all your strength.



: I've pledged my service and my axe. You shall have both.

Wait, Duessel? Of Grado?



: I'll do what I can to help you. I feel like this is what Prince Lyon would want.

And who's this mopey guy?

: The enemy's numbers are great, but we do not need to face them alone. We must move quickly to join forces with Eirika and her company. I'm sure Seth and Innes will be there waiting for us. Let's move!



Despite the fact that you'd have to be mental to bring a knight onto this map, they decided to outfit a fighter with a Hammer anyway. The Hammer is the armorslayer of the axe family, despite not actually being an axe. Oh well, it's a short stick with a heavy thing strapped onto the end of it, so I suppose it's close enough.



Another Luna moron. They'd be a lot more threatening if they had more skill.



And we got pegasi. We're going to get four more next turn, two in this area, and two more over to the northwest. Joy.



So now that we actually can control them, let's look at our new guys. At first glance, you might not know what's different about Ephraim, but the answer is that he's been automatically leveled to level 15, with stat gains to match. He would have stayed the same had he been above level 15 before leaving.



It's like Aias all over again, only better. Duessel the Obsidian is every bit the powerhouse he's built up to be. As for why he's fighting on our side, you'd have to see Ephraim's route to know the particulars, but suffice to say that he shared Glen's reservations about Emperor Vigarde. More to the point, short of the bosses, he can easily mow down anything on this map.



Last, and certainly least, is Knoll, the only shaman we'd have if Ewan went the mage route. Note the luck, or lack thereof, and the fact that he's level 10 and blah in everything, including personality. Knoll couldn't suck worse if you...you know what, I think I'll skip the analogy. I'm feeling less motivated just looking at him.



Why don't you go...visit this village or something.

: Jehanna Hall...has fallen. I wonder what's become of Queen Ismaire. You there...Take this, and do some good with it.



Yay. It's a promotion item that can promote any type of character except a Lord. I'm ecstatic.

Moving right along...



I suppose I should mention that Cormag can whack these pegasus knights in a single shot with an iron lance. Could use better levels, but I'll forgive him for it.



Vanessa needs a little bit of help, but she can take care of herself okay.



Since Duessel's going to sink like a stone in the desert, I have him go over in order to soften up the soldiers a bit for Ephraim.

At least, that was the plan.



You can probably guess where this is going.



At least they give refills.



Taking the Hoplon Guard is more to protect my guys from crits than weaken Caellach. He doesn't have a very high crit chance, but with Moulder's luck, I'd rather not risk it.



And it just so happens that the zone where the Warp Staff is located is right around Caellach. The Warp Staff does exactly what it sounds like: warping a nearby ally anywhere within the caster's magic range, divided by 2. There are some applications for this, some very hilarious applications, in fact, but they'll have to wait until L'Arachel is A rank in staves.



By the way, you can trade with characters who are being rescued. I wonder if you knew that.

I don't have Moulder attack right away, since Caellach's strong enough to decimate any member of my party in two hits. He'll attack me when the enemy phase comes around.



Next treasure! The Silver Card reduces all shop costs by half when the character doing the shopping has it equipped. And yes, you can even do this with secret shops.



Why are you attacking him? Ephraim's right there! This is eating up so much experience!

In other news...



: Don't take it personally.



No offense taken.



Number three! The Silence staff prevents spellcasters from fighting for five turns. Sounds like a great idea, but then you consider that any enemy worth silencing either has enough resistance to block it or is sitting on a throne, which will cure his status at the start of his turn.
Did you know that thrones cure status effects? They really do! Probably to prevent you from completely trivializing fights by putting bosses to sleep.



Having to resort to a fancy weapon to defeat a mere pegasus knight gives Eirika...



...Valter's strong girl, ladies and gentlemen.



Vanessa takes a short break from the fight to grab one of my many stored vulneraries. Notice a problem with this picture?



Fortunately for Ephraim, not all of the enemies suicide on Duessel.



This seems a little mismatched, but Joshua has a store of healing items and a dedicated staff user at his back.



: Hey! If it isn't Joshua. It's been a long time. Have you been well?

: I've been all right. Still working as a mercenary. When did you get all proper and join the Grado army?

: Didn't I tell you? I wasn't about to waste my life as a nameless soldier. Still, I think back on those days a lot lately... My axe and your sword... The two of us were a deadly pair, eh?

: ...

: By the way... I know all about you, Joshua. Who you really are I mean. The prince of Jehanna, huh? When did you plan on sharing the wealth, you sneaky dog?

: Listen, you can't reduce a nation to loot waiting to be divided. And more importantly, I made a vow to my mother. I'm going to succeed her as ruler of my homeland.

: Hey Caellach... You're the one who killed my mother, aren't you?

: Yeah... Sorry 'bout that. Things happen, you know? C'mon Joshua, don't hate me. This is war. There's nothing you can do about it. Besides, grudges get in the way of work, right?

: That's true. It's as you say. Listen Caellach... I've got to kill you now. Don't hold it against me.

: You arrogant... You haven't changed a bit! I've always wanted to show you who's better, Joshua. And I'm even stronger that I used to be. I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face for good!

Now imagine two or three turns of the two of them missing one another repeatedly.



Yeah, I think I remember why we don't see Vanessa often.



Blah blah Ephraim Duessel blah.



Oh wait, this is new. Eclipse is the long range dark tome, and it's a little different from the others. Its accuracy is cruddy, but if it hits, it cuts an enemy's HP in half. It's situational at best, really.



L'Arachel is shaping up to be quite the magician.



While Lute has been coasting lately on her first accomplishments.



I think you'll be happy that I cut out all the pegasus knight killing, because are lots of them up there.



Oh, now this is a find. Metis's Tome raises a character's stat growths by 5% across the board. This is better used early than later, obviously, so I'll be having a vote on it right after the level is over.



Figures that Joshua and Caellach would score hits on each other at the same time.



More strength and skill will speed this up.



We're switching from pegasi to shamen now. Not an issue.



This, however, might be.



Moulder has also been taking potshots at Caellach, with limited success. I suppose I should mention that the guy's standing on a fort, which makes hitting him a little difficult.



Though this might raise Moulder's chances a little.



L'Arachel's graduated to being able to use Physic staves. This will make things fun.



More treasure hunting. The Wyrmslayer is the last of the wyvern-killing trio of weapons. There isn't a wyvern killing bow, because that's just redundant.



Another berserker, another unusual weapon.



The Devil Axe has a ridiculous amount of attack power, in exchange for randomly attacking its wielder for however much damage you were going to do. This is a (31-Luck)% chance, so you could say this was tailor-made for Ross, but his luck can only go up to 30. I'm not sure I'd want to risk it.



Through a combination of lucky hits, Joshua and Moulder have almost got Caellach down.



It's only fitting that Joshua has the last hit.



: A crown...would have been...mine...



Joshua can take that crown off your hands, though he will have to sacrifice his sweet chapeau.



Duessel blah Ephraim.



I haven't mentioned it that much, but Ewan's low level makes fighting with him a little risky.



Though it appears that he's taking steps to fix that.



Oh look, Knoll got hit by dark magic. Huh.



I'd waste the nuisance that's spamming it, but he's holding a Guiding Ring. I'll need to get Rennac down there before I can finish him off.



On the plus side, this does give me the ability to show off that tome that Knoll's holding. Nosferatu drains a target's health...



And gives it back to the caster. Dark magic has all the interesting effects. Too bad it's all inaccurate.

Killing that troubadour gave Knoll a Mend staff, which he-



Wait...throw away?

Yeah, you might recall from way up there that I had only 1 or 2 spaces left in my convoy, which I've been jamming random treasures into. I suppose it goes without saying, but this is not a map you want to run out of space in.



The mages that came in that huge chunk of reinforcements take turns to fry Ross's stupid face.



He takes it as a learning experience.



And Ewan climbs another step on the stairway to maturity. If he's going to use dark magic though, he's going to need more skill. If only we had, oh, two or three stat boosters of this kind lying around.



Naturally, it's only after the shaman runs out of Eclipse rounds that Rennac gets around to him.



And then Tana ends his worthless life.



Let's get around to cracking this nut. As you can see, this is going to be a lot faster.



: I let you flee once, but this time, there's no escape.

: Escape? I'm not going anywhere. I came here for you. I came to defeat you.

: What's this? A scurrying little mouse that roars like a lion? Are you saying this time will be different than the last? Will you finally provide me with some entertainment?

: I'll do far more than that. I'll provide you with a messy end to your sorry life.



And boy will he ever. I don't even need to pull one of the Dragon weapons on him now.



: Have you betrayed your oaths and your emperor?

: I have. I can no longer serve Grado. But I must know the truth, Valter, and you will tell me. You're the one who murdered my brother, aren't you?

: ...Hmph. No reason for lies, seeing as you're nothing but a traitor. You're right, Cormag! I was the one who cut your brother down. He was just like you, a weak, pitiful fool.



: Why do you laugh, dolt?

: How can I not? I've dreamt of revenge, chased it for days...and now, it's here before me! Oh, Valter... Your death will be slow and agonizing.



That went a lot more smoothly than Caellach.

: Urggh... Gaaaaah!



Not what I'd like, really. I hope that the next two are a little better.



On the plus side, whichever flier we slap this on is going to take normal damage from arrows now. Tana and Vanessa just got super cool, and Cormag got mildly cooler than he already is.

Nothing left to do now but mop up the dregs, but we've got to make sure to get all the treasures first. For instance...



Guzzling vulneraries like a mad woman to free up space, Eirika happens upon the Swiftsoles, the movement booster (+2, as always). This will be very useful on whoever we put it on, but it might benefit Amelia the most. I'll be bringing it up in the next vote too.



Oh hey, our own wildly inaccurate long range dark magic tome! Just what I wanted!



This would be a bit better if I didn't buy one last chapter.



And another constitution supplement. Guess I can add that to the vote too.



: Eirika!

: Oh, Ephraim...I've missed you so.

: And I've missed you. I can't tell you how happy I am to see you safe. Oh, I almost forgot. I have something to give you.

: What are these?

: These are called Sacred Twins. We took these relics from Grado. The dark tome Gleinpir and the black axe Garm...I doubt either of us can use them, but...Why not see if one of your companions can use them. They might have better luck.

: They're from Grado? Does this mean Grado Keep has fallen?

: Yes. I conquered the capital and defeated Emepror Vigarde. But still...



: We've been able to join forces here, so...How about if we all get together and trade information. There are people on both sides waiting after all.



Oh groovy, more items.



Garm is pretty much right up Duessel or Ross's alley. Both of those guys suffer from speed issues, so the boost will come in pretty handy.



Skill is very important for dark magic users. Gleipnir is obviously only usable by Ewan and that other guy, so it'll be a while until we see it. Still, at least shamen start at D rank, so it's not as bad as it could be.



: I am Ephraim, Eirika's brother and crown prince of Renais.

: I'm Princess L'Arachel of Rausten. The pleasure is mine, of course.

: I'll begin by telling you of how we've fared in our mission. We seized the Grado capital and defeated her emperor, Vigarde. Grado's capital guard have, to a man, surrendered and laid down their arms. Pockets of resistance remain, but the war itself is over.

: Is that so?

: However, something remains that still bothers me. A man named Knoll told me about something called a "Dark Stone." Their mages had uncovered lore that led them to craft a powerful magic stone. This Dark Stone may have been the catalyst of Grado's transformation. It seems to be the source of that black wave of energy Myrrh described. Vigarde died some time ago, but the power of the stone played him like a puppet. The war and everything that passed since was planned by the Dark Stone's master.

: Well? Who is it?

: ...I still can't believe it, but I'll tell you nonetheless.



Pretend to be shocked.

: Figures it's Prince Lyon...

: No, that doesn't make any sense. Ephraim and I know Lyon better than that. We've been friends for years. Lyon's not the sort of person who could start a war like this.

: But, Eirika...

: I saw Lyon recently. Ephraim, you might know this, but after I abandoned the sea route to Rausten, I traveled overland with Prince Innes to Jehanna. We ran into trouble with Grado's forces, and I chanced upon Lyon. He didn't share the details of his situation, but he intimated that, despite all appearances, he was on our side. So Lyon...

: Eirika, I also met Lyon.

: Did you really?

: Yes. But, he was like a completely different person. To be honest, he didn't seem to be completely...human.

: Ephraim...What are you saying?

: I'll tell you what I saw. I found Lyon inside Grado Keep. This is what he told me: He said he was behind this war. He said he'd befriended us solely that, one day, he could invade Renais...He told me he killed our father.

: That... That can't...

: I know. I can't believe it either. I refuse to believe it.



: I simply can't fathom it. I've heard Lyon changed when he acquired the Dark Stone. I've no interest in magic, but...There was something uncanny about him. It seemed almost as though he were being controlled by something himself.

: ...

: The two of you might find this hard to accept, but...The state of Prince Lyon's heart matters little. He has the Dark Stone. That rock is the cause of all that's happened. The prince must be stopped.

: Not yet. There is something that needs doing first.

: L'Arachel?

: Prince Ephrain, I do believe you felt it as well. The Dark Stone held by Prince Lyon...It exudes a malefic miasma...We might be able to handle Prince Lyon alone, but that stone is beyond our ken.

: That what do you suggest?

: The Sacred Stones.

: The Sacred Stones?

: We've all heard the legend of the five Sacred Stones. They alone possessed the power to seal the Demon King away forever. So, of course, to dispel demonic magic, we must use the Sacred Stones!

: You expect us to pin the outcome of this war on some fool legend?

: ...Not just the legend. We also have hope. According to Lyon, he has already seen to the destruction of Grado's, Frelia's, and Jehanna's stones.

: Hm. That explains something...Grado forces attacked me, intent on destroying the Stone of Renais. If that could be the reason they chose to invade Renais...The power of the Sacred Stones may be greater then we'd ever known.

: Yes, exactly! If we acquire a Sacred Stone, we'll be able to oppose the Dark Stone's might!

: But three of the stones have been shattered, and our options are few. Do you suppose that, during the invasion of Renais...

: No, I don't think so. The Stone of Renais is hidden by the power of Eirika's and my bracelets.

: Grado has made many attempts to make our bracelets. Every one has failed, and so the stone may still be safe.

: We have to confirm that, of course. We've defeated Grado, and we must turn our eyes to our homeland. It's time to return to Renais.



: Saleh...

: I'm grateful to see you well. The people of Caer Pelyn will be overjoyed that you're safe.

: I must apologize to you, Saleh. You were there to protect me from the very start of my journey. When we were attacked, I was separated from you, and...I'm so sorry to have worried you.

: Lady Myrrh. As long as you are safe, we have nothing to be worried about. It will be my honor to serve you until your mission is complete.

: Thank you, Saleh.

That really showed some hidden depths in Saleh's personality, all right. Oh well, it's not important.

Next Time: We settle a very old score in Chapter 16: Ruled by Madness

Extras



Duessel
Class: Great Knight
Weapon Ranks: A in swords, lances, and axes
Affinity: Anima

HP: 41 (85%) Lck: 8 (45%)
Str: 17 (55%) Def: 17 (30%)
Skl: 12 (40%) Res: 9 (20%)
Spd: 12 (30%) Con: 15

Duessel's tough, no questions about it, but he's also a prepromote, with the same sorts of problems. He's got enough raw power to do what you need, and enough of everything else to make him a well-rounded unit. He's even got a decent supply of resistance. If you want to skip the cavaliers altogether and just stick with him and Seth, it wouldn't be the worst choice.



Knoll
Class: Shaman
Weapon Ranks: C in dark magic
Affinity: Dark

HP: 22 (70%) Lck: 0 (20%)
Mag: 12 (50%) Def: 2 (10%)
Skl: 9 (40%) Res: 10 (45%)
Spd: 8 (35%) Con: 7

You may think it unfair to dismiss Knoll so offhandedly, and perhaps that's true. He and Ewan are very close in their growths, but not so much in their bases. Bear in mind that this stuff above is based off of a character starting 9 levels above where Ewan started as a shaman. I'm not even going to go into that luck and defense growth either. That luck isn't even Moulder bad. That's just horrible all around.

Then again, we just acquired a talisman that prevents crits, so maybe the luck isn't an issue. Who knows.

Extra Conversations

: Mmm...I've been waiting for you, Eirika!

: Who are you?

: Have you forgotten? We met once at Castle Renais. No? Look closely, Eirika. Do you not remember the face of he who will master you?

: Wha--!?

: Yes, resist. It's much more fun for me that way. Come, Eirika. I should like to tame you.

: I am here on a mission. One that I swore to my brother I would fulfill. I will not be stopped by the likes of you!

Needless to say, I didn't bring Eirika within striking distance of Valter. Even with a Wyrmslayer, he would have murdered her. If you fight him with anyone else:

: I've no use for these bloodless minnows...Give me prey that will sate my bloodlust...I hunger!



So long, you crazy fools. The game doesn't let us know about this unless we poke into one of the info houses, but General Selena Fluorspar is also dead at this point. We'll see how that happened in Ephraim's route.