Part 61: Lagdou Ruins 6: All You Need is Lute

Sorry to keep you waiting. I wanted to try redoing the floor in a more satisfactory way, but I decided to just go with my first successful run instead.

Lagdou Ruins 6: All You Need is Lute



Lagdou Floor 6 is simultaneously interesting and painful. You've got three isolated groups facing rather powerful enemies, but you've got a load of pillars to hide behind and a number of natural chokepoints on the side that you can utilize. Team composition is key, since the groups can't really support one another that well, so if you've got a weak group, they're pretty much on their own.

It doesn't help that every one of these Gorgons has Stone, and the Arch Mogall has Shadowshot. Lots of bad magic flying around.







We've got a decent crowd here for this event, plus Franz. He's a little out of his prime, if he ever was in it, but I figure that if he doesn't get any training in, he's just going to be useless. And speaking of training...



I made a statement last chapter that Vanessa could be a better unit than Syrene. But, since I'm not suicidal, I should give her a slight boost.



There you go. Now you're not going to die instantly.



The trouble with having such tiny groups is that tough enemies like these are a real pain to take down.



In retrospect, perhaps I might have been able to avoid a hit if I'd sent in Natasha first, but I wanted her to get the experience.



Valter, for his part, is able to tear through the Wights just fine.



I wonder if Valter was originally a Pegasus Rider, considering those growths.



Over on the other side, Gerik sets up Vanessa for her first level.



See what I mean about Valter?



Healing is about as far as you can go, so far as supporting one another. Physic staves have a nice reach.



In the middle, the spiders' lack of resistance makes them easy marks for Lute.



Especially with her propensity towards crits.



Franz is a bit of a load, but he's capable enough to not be utterly worthless.



And Valter's speedy enough that problems like these can be sidestepped sometimes.



Bad news about the Arch Mogall, by the way: he moves.



And he's powerful enough to blast Vanessa in one shot, even with her boosted stats.



Until this problem is solved, I need to keep her out of range.



Oh, and did I say that there's only three on the right side? I was clearly mistaken.



Hello, Void with a tomahawk.



Lute's not the only powerful spellcaster in the middle. L'Arachel's got her covered too.



It's a shame that her capped stats make her levels look bad.



Lute's standing on a pillar, but the spiders insist on making a try at her.



Bad news for them: they just capped her magic.



And that little Phantom keeps on making me proud.



Oh, that's not good.



The Arch Mogall misses, but that would have been a nasty critical if it hadn't.



Best to just stop this problem while it's tantalizingly within range.



Darn it, Gerik!



On Valter's end, he continues to be a hilarious wrecking ball.



The maximum strength for a Wyvern Knight is 25. I wonder if he'll hit it.



I was intending to soften up this Wight for Natasha, but then the Phantom dodged. That's two kills in one map.



Things are a little intense in the middle, but Lute can handle it.



I am a little worried for Franz though, so I draw him back. How weird is that?



Also, Gerik is shockingly good at avoiding Stone. A real trooper, that one.



I love our little guy.



I should mention that the two staircases up top are spawning enemies. Wights are fine, but it can be worse.



Don't know why I wasted a charge of Gleipnir. Boredom, perhaps?



The important thing is that Natasha has weakened this gorgon enough for Valter to finish off.



Gaining some nice defensive stats in the progress. She's been doing that a lot lately.



It's a good thing that the gorgon only has Stone. That could have been bad.



And Franz zooms back in to scrape up the leavings from Lute's round of counter-killing.



Gonna have to do better than that, kid.



Just look at how Vanessa demonstrates mastery of higher-level lances. She wants this promotion so badly.



But it's Riev, sadly, who claims the kill.



You know, there's always Skill or Defense. You haven't capped those yet.



And that's...just bad.



Nonetheless, we've mostly cleared out the first wave of spiders, and we are free to advance.



Casters getting defense. This I can get behind.



That stone is getting irritating. Time to pull out the big gun.



Latona Staff, go!



Curiously, that doesn't give Valter and Void a turn, which results in Void being stoned again. Still, at least everyone is back to full.



Bad news on the reinforcements end: we've got more Arch Mogalls. Fortunately, they only have Crimson Eye. You'll see what I mean in a second.



And Gerik shuts down a stone user on the left side.



Remembering that he's got a stat besides HP in the process.



However, the last one gets a parting shot in before she can go down.



No time to worry about that, though, since we've got the big battle to fight.



For the love of...



The two Arch Mogalls miss, and a good thing too. If I'd died because of that, I would have been mildly perturbed.



Franz is a carrion bird right now, swooping in on whatever he can get.



Can't object to more luck.



You might think it rash to rush in Eirika like that, but this Wight has a Brave Bow.



Besides, her strength is capped now. She's not going to cap her speed, since it's a max of 30, but that's fine.



15% defense growth, guys. This is just crazy. Sadly, it's also as far as we go with the craziness.



Oh yeah, and don't think I forgot about Vanessa.



Capping speed's not bad, but Tana would also have gotten strength.



More scavenging. I'll make something of this kid if it kills me. Otherwise, it's not worth it.



Lute's at level 20, so it's time for Eirika to shine.



And does she ever. Eirika is so fast, it almost makes up for what I had to go through in normal mode.



Reinforcements are also not that far off, and they're packing Nosferatu tomes.



There's also a battering ram that calls himself a man.



Holy crap, he might actually cap his strength. That's great!



Groovy! More money that I can only spend on iron weapons and basic magic tomes. I suppose I can always get...creative.



Goodness knows, supplies are getting a little thin.



Oh great...You remember how I expressed relief that the Arch Mogalls only spawned with Crimson Eye? Because they can totally spawn with Shadowshot, just like this one did.



Guess it's time to plug the gap. Vanessa's still a sitting duck.



Not the best idea. Kind of wasteful, really, but I think it was worth it.



Gerik and a Cyclops have a disagreement in the upper left, but he has the high ground.



And wouldn't you know it, but Gerik's out of his slump. For now.



Why does this Cyclops have a Door Key? There's nothing but a breakable wall on this end.



Oh, dear, this could have gone very poorly.



Same with this. I took a lot of risks this chapter.



Quite literally, had the Brave Bow even nicked Lute once, she would have gone down. Kind of scary on reflection.



Riev and the Phantom are recovered now, for what it's worth.



Yeah, I'm not going to keep this thing around.



Eirika and Lute, with assistance from L'Arachel, pretty much carried the middle group.



She's just so hard to touch. At least when you're a spider.



Don't count Franz out, though. He's got potential in him still.



I think there's still an opportunity for him to catch up to Seth, even though it's somewhat unlikely.



All murderous rampages must come to an end. This fire tome was almost new when we started this chapter.



Come on, Vanessa. You've still got this.



I feel somewhat sad.



Just one more level, and we'll have another 20/20 on our hands. I look forward to a finale with absolutely no levels whatsoever.



And the teams are reunited...sort of.



All that's left is the boss, and who gets the honors of killing him off?



Do you even need to ask?



That's good, I guess. Could be worse. Could have gotten luck again.



It's almost not worth using this, but I promised a built-up character, so you're getting one, for what it's worth.



Since Tana's a Falcoknight, let's make Vanessa a Wyvern Knight. Pierce will help her with her weaker strength.



And hey, at least she's better than Franz in a lot of areas. Now's as good a time as any to promote Vanessa, because...

Next Time: A new guest character, and a completely different type of level that's perfect for fliers. The Lagdou Ruins are getting fun.