Part 46: Chapter 18B: Two Faces of Evil

Chapter 18B: Two Faces of Evil



Innes has ordered Frelian troops to aid in the hunt. The troops return with news that Lyon has moved north.

The group's search for Lyon leads them to Mt. Neleras, deep within Darkling Woods. The scorching heat and sulphur stench render the area unfit for human habitation...

Endless numbers of gorgon eggs stud the forbidding landscape.



Last time, this chapter was a case study in exploiting the game's coding. I'll be playing it a little straighter this time, but that's not to say that silliness won't happen.



: If you travel so swiftly, we cannot keep up.

: I'm riding ahead. I can't waste any more time. I must catch the Demon King as quickly as possible.

: And when you find him? Tell me, what then?

: ...L’Arachel. Rausten is the spiritual heart of Magvel. They keep the ancient lore. You're their princess. You must know something about the demons of legend. I do not need consolation or peace of mind. I need facts.



: I'm sorry... To the best of my knowledge, there's nothing to be done.

: ...

: Your friend Lyon's body has already been claimed by the Demon King. Once it's gone that far, there's nothing that can be done. When the Demon King takes over someone, he devours his spirit, his very soul. Even if his hold on Lyon's body could be released, that body would have no soul. There is no power in Rausten...not even the Sacred Stone... that can perform so great a miracle as to restore a shattered soul.

: Is that so... I understand. Let's go, L’Arachel.

: W-wait a moment. Hmph! Were you listening to me at all? I'm sorry, but the prince...

: ...I heard you. There's no hope of saving Lyon. And if I cannot save him... I will bring him peace with my own hands.

: ...But... Can you do it?



: It would be best if you and your sister left this to the rest of us.

: No...I'm going to do it. Lyon is my friend. The Demon King stole him from me. I will be the one to kill him.

: If your mind's made up, there's not much I can do, is there? Let's go then.

: I'm sorry, L’Arachel.

: There's no need for you to apologize. Your words alone have won my forgiveness.

And then eggs happen.



The only thing that varies in these maps between versions is what happens in Hard Mode. It's not immediately evident, but once we go far enough in, you'll see what I'm talking about.



As always, the Gorgons are magical juggernauts. They're on the slower and squishier side though, so if you can get past their attacks, you'll be fine.



In order to prevent new Gorgons, we're going to have to be pretty big on smashing these eggs. That's fine, since they're so valuable for any character, due to their flat 50 experience reward.



But before we go too far, we've got a promotion to take care of.





Now Tana can show Syrene how it's done.



And since Knoll's in, it's time for our disposable minion to make his appearance once more.



This opening section can be a bit of a headache, since that Gorgon there is going to be shelling us with Shadowshot right from the get-go.



That magical damage is no joke, though the hit rate is one.



And remember, don't step on the glowy spaces, or you get burned.



Forde's here on this map because I figured he could use the training.



Of course, it's hard to train someone who refuses to hit.



Not to worry. The Murdercopter's got us covered.



I could have the Phantom assist in the egg hunting, but nobody gets experience from it. I wish that Knoll could get experience from his little buddy, but all he gets is 10 experience per summon.



Besides, as you can see, Seth makes SUCH better use of it.



At least Innes gained speed. That's something.



The Phantom makes such a wonderful distraction, because the AI is quite simple in how it prioritizes targets. In short, if it can kill a nearby target, that target becomes priority one, and there's nothing more easily killed than a 1 HP target with a fixed zero Defense and Resistance.



I love making the AI look like an idiot.



Summoning another assistant gets Knoll to Level 2, and that means that I can show off another thing about the Phantoms, just as soon as I kill this one off.





Oookay then. Hold that thought for another four or five turns while the Phantom recovers from Stone. I could Restore him, but what's the point when he's just going to die anyway?



In the meantime, business as usual.



I send Tana up north this time as well. It's nice that she can use swords now.



She's coming along just fine.



Unfortunately, going north like that triggered an invisible spider trap. The trap is invisible, that is, not the spiders. That would be terrible.



Not to worry, they're very slow.



More spiders, or Baels, if you prefer, are down here in the south too. Reinforcements are the main thing that Hard Mode offers in this map. If you recall, the normal version didn't have reinforcements.



Unfortunately, we've also got eggs hatching down there, so it's a good idea to make ourselves scarce.



A lot of the ones up north are going off too. Time to get a move on.



Oh, come on, fire tiles! I wanted that spider!



Not really what I'd call an ideal L'Arachel level. Ah well, she's coming along.



Having Ephraim so close to the boss is a little risky, since she does have Stone, but Ephraim's one of my dodgiest dudes in this army.



Even so, that's a higher hit chance than I'd like. Having someone get petrified in the middle of all these eggs is a recipe for disaster.



Remember, hatched Gorgons can use their weapons the turn that they appear, much to Forde's chagrin. It's a good thing that whatever coding determines the fire tile's victims didn't go off here. That'd be embarrassing.



I'm also happy that this spider didn't kill him, though he didn't exactly hit it either.



And the Mogalls feed Ephraim a wonderful level.



Given Forde's latest streak of misses, I decide here that it's better to err on the side of caution.



I would have liked to see Gerik cap his strength, but this is more than sufficient.



What is it about promoting that seems to stunt your growth? As I've mentioned, there's nothing in the code about it, but it always seems to occur.



No point in not using Siegmund here, other than the fact that the other weapons would suffice.



There's no such thing as overkill.



No. Such. Thing.

I should note that the strength cap on Falcoknights is 23. We may have set our sights a little too low.



It's nice that the folks up north are benefitting so much from smashing eggs, but unfortunately,



Despite our best efforts, we've still got eggs hatching.



There's no problem with that if they miss, but that's too close for comfort.



Also, the Level 1 Phantom is not petrified anymore, so we can get started on killing him off again.



While Marisa is incapable of critting an immobile, defenseless egg.



Gerik's at Level 20, so we can promote him up too.





Sure, he could have spent his time firing arrows from the back of a horse, but as I said the first time, that constitution is just too good to be wasted on something so light as bows.



Also, Innes did another Sure Shot crit. They're a crowd pleaser.



You know, from a logical perspective, that looks a lot like a pit. I wonder why they decided to make those areas into solid boundaries.



The Phantom that wouldn't die.



Not even when he purposely threw himself at his opponent.



Don't even try to act surprised at this, but Marisa didn't get strength at Level 20 either. 15% growth, huh?



Not the best example to follow, Tana.



...This is just getting ridiculous.



The gargoyle is so bad at killing the Phantom that it dies off of a flame jet.



But that's okay. So does the Phantom. Now, I'm sure you're wondering what that thing was that I wanted to show you.



Spider reinforcements come first though.



And a kind of paltry level too.

And now, it's time for that amazing thing I've been waiting to show you about Phantoms.



Their level changes to match the level of their summoner. Ewan and Knoll's summons have different growth rates and base stats, and I'll be including those at the end of the update.

In addition, much like random monsters that we encounter in the field, Phantoms will gain a random axe based around the appropriate equipment for their level. They're restricted to C Rank axes, so far as I know, but there's a wide variety of axes that you can use at C Rank and below. I'll be sure to point out any unusual ones we get, but these low-level Phantoms tend to only get Iron Axes.



Oh Lute, you make me smile.



The Gorgons down there don't move, but one of them has Shadowshot. So my plan is to send Phantoms at them until it breaks.



In the meantime, we've got this person to promote.





I'm not sure I like the color scheme, but what can you do? Becoming an assassin means that she's also gained the ability to use lockpicks, so that makes Colm officially obsolete. I can't say that I'll miss him.



Lots of one-stat levels this chapter. I could probably beat the game just as my units are right now, but it's still irritating.



So you remember how my plan was to keep sacrificing Phantoms until the Shadowshot was gone?



Well, this guy, I'll call him Void, had a pretty good run on him.



Gave this Gorgon a real beating too. Shadowshot weighs them down pretty badly, so he was able to double, even with his not-so-great speed.



I could have had Void waste this Gorgon, but her sister finally got a hit on him.



Oh well, more where that came from.



And L'Arachel's pretty close to promotion now. It's going to be tough to determine an endgame team.



Well, what do you know, Forde can actually hit something.



I hate you, Forde.



More shenanigans with the Phantoms. Knoll's Phantoms have 10 luck as their base, which is surprising, considering their master.



Darnit, Forde!



Knoll is forced to end this chapter by hugging the last one to death.



Hi, Demon King!

: ...



Bye, Demon King!



: Hmph... You again?

: ...I've one thing to ask before I slay you. Where is Lyon now? When I kill you... will Lyon return?

: Heh heh... How little you understand. Lyon is no longer part of your world. He cannot be restored. I have devoured every last delicious scrap of his small soul.

: You monster!!!

: Why does this upset you? What does it matter what happens to that weakling now? He was a sickly cretin whose trivial dreams were nothing but hopeless--

: SHUT UP! He was my friend. We'll always be friends. I made a promise to him. You stole Lyon's soul and corrupted his dreams! I'll crush the life out of you.



Oh no! You triggered a hitherto-unmentioned trap spell.

: Gwaa...ah... What?! My body--!

: Don't resist. Soon you will be unable to move at all...



: If you'll just give me a moment to destroy it...

: Stop...urgh!



See, Ephraim's way of losing the stone is dumb, sure, but at least he actually got tricked in a way that he wouldn't have been able to predict beforehand, and it falls nicely into his already-established flaw of charging into every conflict without thinking. Bullheadedness is stupidity in another way, but it's a lot more palatable to me than just handing the stone over without thinking.



: Now then, Prince Ephraim. Are you prepared?

: Curse you... Do it!!! Finish me! With my dying breath, I'll cut you to ribbons.

: ...

: What are you waiting for?! Are you frightened?

: ...Tell me, Prince Ephraim of Renais. Why do you fight on? Do you think you accomplish your sad desire? Can you restore your homeland from the grave? Overthrow “evil? Or protect your sister?

: You won't kill me. I'll do all these things, fiend... All these things and more. For my friend Lyon... I will avenge his soul. I won't let his gentle image be defiled...



: Huh? What's-- What did you say?

: ...

: What's going on? You're the Demon King... You're the ancient evil... You told me you'd devoured Lyon's soul, that nothing remained. So why did you... How do you know about me? It's not... Could it be...you...

: ...

: Is that you...Lyon?



I also love how casual Lyon is in both his evil and normal forms. It's one part of his character I enjoy.

: It's me, Lyon, Prince of Grado. I'm not the Demon King. Sorry, Ephraim. That whole thing about the Demon King eating my soul and me dying? That was all a lie.

: Wha-- Why?! Why would you say such a thing?!

: Listen, Ephraim. I've always loved you. I've always hated you. I've always looked up to you. I wanted to be just like you. Then one day I realized... Someone like me could never become someone like you. You and Eirika are...overpowering. You blinded me with your radiance. How could I live in your shadows and not seethe with jealousy?

: Lyon...

: Before I ever touched the Dark Stone... I had a vision. A vision of the future of Magvel. I saw myself standing with two roads stretched out before me. One led to the Demon King, devouring both my body and soul. The other showed me the power to fight the Demon King's dominion. And I, well...Gaa...urgh.

: Lyon!



: The Demon King began to eat my soul and corrupt my flesh. I almost vanished beneath the Demon King's mantle. Then I remembered you... My mind blazed into wakefulness. All at once, my mind shouted out, "I will not be devoured!" Just as I was about to lose myself to the Demon King. I was able to drive him back. The Demon King's desires are simple--foul, but uncomplicated. He wants nothing but the destruction, conquest, and subjugation of man. These shallow desires are nothing to the dreams of the human heart. And of the two roads I had seen, I chose the latter.

: ...

: But I didn't want to appear before you here in the role of Lyon. Lyon, the piteous victim... The Demon King, the fiendish villain... It was all an act--high drama for you all, to suit this grand occasion.



: You lie... It can't be. It's not possible. Lyon was... My friend was kind and caring... He was a good person... But you... You are not that person!

: Ephraim...

: You... You're the Demon King. Lyon is gone, and you are a liar! You're trying to trick me. You're trying to confuse me! I'm right, aren't I?! Tell me I'm right, Lyon! TELL ME!

: I'm sorry, Ephraim. Ephraim, listen to me. Ten days from now... When the moon is swallowed by shadow... In Darkling Woods, I will perform a ceremony... Through this ceremony, I will gain immense power. Power not change not only Grado, but the entire world.

: Change...the world?



: I'll become the Demon King of old and try to destroy all of mankind. Ephraim. If you want to stop this, you must come to Darkling Woods. I want you to come. I need you to stop me. You must promise.

This is a lot more of an interesting exchange than in Eirika's route. With Eirika, it was well established that the Demon King and Lyon were two separate entities inhabiting the same body, but it always seemed like the Demon King was the one in control, and Lyon was just along for the side. Here, Lyon has more control, and seems to be okay with some of the things he's done. Whether that makes him more villainous and less sympathetic, I couldn't say, but it does make him a bit more complex of a character.



: Brother! Are you... You look ill.

: ...Is that you, Eirika? Don't worry. It's nothing.

: B-but...you're so pale. What happened?

: ...Eirika.

: Y-yes?

: Lyon is... Lyon's my friend. Forever and always.

: Brother... Let's get out of here. L’Arachel and the others are worried.

And from there, it continues on as normal. L'Arachel invites the group to Rausten, and we make our way there.

Next Time: I'm not even going to try saving more than six of these idiots in Chapter 19: Last Hope.

Total Resets: 39

Extras:



Phantoms

Weapon Ranks: C in Axes
Affinity: Dark

Phantoms level up from their bases to match the summoner who called them. They do this every time they're summoned, so their stats will vary from summon to summon, but each summoner has a certain base amount that their Phantom starts at.

Ewan's Phantom

HP: 1 (0%) Lck: 0 (40%)
Str: 6 (70%) Def: 0 (0%)
Skl: 4 (40%) Res: 0 (0%)
Spd: 5 (20%) Con: 11

Ewan's Phantom is generally not worth summoning. It has a large potential for strength, but it won't last without any luck to boost its evade or accuracy. In most cases, it's better to have Ewan become a Druid and depend on the power of his own magic.

Knoll's Phantom

HP: 1 (0%) Lck: 10 (55%)
Str: 7 (50%) Def: 0 (0%)
Skl: 3 (50%) Res: 0 (0%)
Spd: 6 (40%) Con: 11

Knoll's Phantom is much better, with a considerably higher luck pool and more balanced growths. Phantoms are constrained to the starter character stats, so nothing goes above 20, but at higher levels, Knoll's little guy is sure to come very close to those caps, and at those higher levels, you're likely to also see more varied axes. This guy can be a real killer if you give Knoll time to develop.