Part 53: Across the River - Part 2

Last time we found ourselves fighting some of the Empire's most elite forces while trying to cross the Thracia River.



(Player Phase)

(Enemy Phase)

Here's the map. It's one of the toughest in the game. We have Cyas and his 10 Leadership stars, Rinehart, who can instantly kill all but 6 units of our units before they attack, and Coen who isn't very good but has Berserk and brings the Leadership star total up to 19, or +57 accuracy and avoid.



I have Lara use a Body Ring we have lying around. I'd normally give this to Pahn, but he hasn't really contributed this playthrough, whereas Lara has been one of our most consistent deployments so we might as well make her slightly better at stealing.

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Love me some Holy Water.

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Coen, Cyas, and this guy will be pelting us with various status effects. We can't do anything to Cyas and Coen, but we can Silence this guy. It's really easy to get overwhelmed here, because two magic users can use Silence and a third Berserk, so you can end up getting overwhelmed and have nobody who can cast restore on Berserked characters.





There we are. Makua and Marty got Berserked, and Olwen silenced.





Status effects are just a nuisance here, not an actual threat. They also turn everyone into experience pinatas for people who can use staves.



Oh fuck run away. These guys have Killer Lances, but even with those weapons they realize their chances and run away instead.



We do the exact same thing next turn. We move forward, and cure status effects.



Empty! The RNG remembers the Seram is its whipping boy this map.





By the powers of Lightning and Dancing combined, we blow up a ballista.





Karin's hatred for ballistas rips a hole in space. Now they're not safe from her righteous fury anywhere.



With that, she tucks into the spot the ballista was before, moving herself out of range of the rest of them.



Tron Bishops attack Karin, one survives, one survives in reverse.



[Linoan: Lv. 4, Hp: 33, Str: 7, Mgc: 20, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 10, Bld: 6]



UGH



How won't you piss me off Cyas.





Karin again fails to make both hits, as well as a critical. In fact, she does this for four turns straight. This makes things way more annoying then they should be. I could have rewarped Linoan in or something, but I don't.



Finally he dies, and Karin can start taking down the rest of the ballistas.

[Karin: Lv. 12, Hp: 42, Str: 16, Mgc: 15, Skl: 18, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 13, Bld: 9]



The reinforcements are equipped with Great weapons, and will come for 10 turns straight.





Karin finally takes down the last ballista, although by then the reinforcements have advanced pretty far forward.



[Havan: Lv. 19, Hp: 40, Str: 14, Mgc: 3, Skl: 12, Spd: 14, Luk: 8, Def: 10, Bld: 17]



These guys aren't that bad, put your strongest units in front backed up by Charisma and heal any damage and you can advance forward near effortlessly. I don't think I ever dropped below half health for any of my characters.















[Othin: Lv. 19, Hp: 43, Str: 12, Mgc: 2, Skl: 10, Spd: 14, Luk: 13, Def: 9, Bld: 19]



[Seram: Lv. 11, Hp: 39, Str: 2, Mgc: 20, Skl: 18, Spd: 20, Luk: 9, Def: 12, Bld: 7, Mov: 8]







This random Mercenary here, who used to be near the ballistas, has an Elite Sword. Lara has the build to steal it now, so we do. Shiva follows up with the kill.

[Shiva: Lv. 18, Hp: 36, Str: 14, Mgc: 4, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 12, Def: 9, Bld: 7]



[Linoan: Lv. 6, Hp: 34, Str: 7, Mgc: 20, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 10, Bld: 6]





Her sword's flying away and she's just here for the ride.



We're far enough now. It's time for our power-play.



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Rinehart, I...
Don't worry, we can talk later. For now, I'm just glad that you're safe. We've been worried about you. Come, Olwen... Let's go home.
No...I can't go back yet. I won't return to Freege until I rescue the kidnapped children from the clutches of the Lopto Church.
Please, Olwen... Listen to me. You're my only sister. I don't want to lose you!
I made my resolve after thinking on my own, as another human being. This is my decision, Rinehart...even you won't be able to change it.
In that case...we'll be enemies. Are you willing to fight against me?
If you insist on standing in our path, then...
Hm... I see you've made your resolve. Bishop Cyas was right, you really have grown up. Very well, then... Suit yourself. And this is my last gift to you. Take it!
This... This is your most prized sword!
Yes... It was give to me by Lady Ishtar, but I have no need for it now. You should take it.
But why? It seemed so...precious to you.
That's enough talk. Now return to your own army, Olwen! If we meet on the battlefield again, I will show no mercy! Understood?

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She had no weapons, so the Holy Sword automatically gets equipped. The Holy Sword is one of the most ridiculous sword in the game, if not the whole series. It has 17mt, making it the strongest sword in the game, has 20 crit, is the same weight as a steel sword (11 wt), boosts her magic by 10, has the Brave Effect, is effective against Horseback units, and gives her the Prayer skill.

Next up on the menu we have...





Sleeping Rinehart.



We end our turn, at which point Olwen warping sets off flags like mad.

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No, I wish to stay with you...
Silence! Are you telling me you can't follow my orders? Now go!
Wait, please! I just...

Cyas leaves, and the bridge we were on goes away. Most of our units are far enough forward end up on the right side, but Lara, Linoan, Othin and Karin end up on the left.

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Not so tough without Cyas, now are you

[Marita: Lv. 15, Hp: 50, Str: 20, Mgc: 14, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 17, Bld: 8]



They may have Horseslayers, but we have a better horseslayer.



[Olwen: Lv. 16, Hp: 37, Str: 20, Mgc: 16, Skl: 19, Spd: 20, Luk: 13, Def: 13, Bld: 7]



[Olwen: Lv. 17, Hp: 38, Str: 20, Mgc: 16, Skl: 19, Spd: 20, Luk: 13, Def: 14, Bld: 7]





None of the Gelpritter can even scratch Olwen with her Holy Sword, so they just shuffle around aimlessly.





You won't advance any further!



Then why am I crushing your elite forces hmmm?

[Olwen: Lv. 18, Hp: 39, Str: 20, Mgc: 17, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 13, Def: 14, Bld: 8]



Just in case.

Now, back to the south.



[Shiva: Lv. 19, Hp: 37, Str: 15, Mgc: 4, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 13, Def: 10. Bld: 7]

[Nanna: Lv. 18, Hp: 40, Str: 20, Mgc: 12, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 15, Bld: 8]











No ballistas meet their marks.



[Marty: Lv. 13, Hp: 63, Str: 20, Mgc: 7, Skl: 17, Spd; 20, Luk: 19, Def: 20, Bld: 20[/b]]





Olwen captures Rinehart, and moves onto the nearby Throne. A unit is considered dead if you capture them, so the enemies don't have anymore Leadership stars.



Back to the rest of our units, we start tying to capture this guy. He has a Great Sword and a Killer Sword, so it's worth it.



[Fergus: Lv. 9, Hp: 41, Str: 20, Mgc: 4, Skl: 19, Spd: 17, Luk: 17, Def: 13, Bld: 12]









And that's that.



The very last group of reinforcements went after Olwen. They fare about as well as you'd expect.



The Gelpritter and the ballistas start attacking Olwen. With her reduced magic (from carrying Olwen), they can damage her ever so slightly, so they actually bother to attack her.

This is why I was kind of frustrated Karin took so long to take down the ballistas. I could have gotten across the bridge earlier, warped her earlier, and not had to have dealt with as many units while the 19 leadership stars were in effect.





[Olwen: Lv. 19, Hp: 40, Str: 20, Mgc: 16, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 14, Def: 15, Bld: 9]





[Seram: Lv. 12, Hp: 40, Str: 3, Mgc: 20, Skl: 18, Spd: 20, Luk: 9, Def: 12, Bld: 7]

'Atta boy Seram.

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Another Rescue staff is our reward.

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We form up in these forests and wait patiently.



And finally, we have it. All the Gelpritter have broken their weapons on Olwen.

[Olwen: Lv. 20, Hp: 41, Str: 20, Mgc: 17, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 15, Def: 15, Bld: 9]



We rescue her back over to us, and take Rinehart's inventory and pass around the scrolls Olwen's holding.

...Farewell...



The unarmed Gelpritter start moving toward us, hoping to escape from the map.



Oh the humanity!

[Havan: Lv. 20, Hp: 42, Str: 15, Mgc: 3, Skl: 12, Spd: 15, Luk: 9, Def: 11, Bld: 18]



They treated us like animals, and animals are what we became.

[Othin: Lv. 20, Hp: 45, Str: 12, Mgc: 2, Skl: 11, Spd: 15, Luk: 14, Def: 9, Bld: 19]



May god have mercy on us all.

[Shiva: Lv. 20, Hp: 38, Str: 16, Mgc: 4, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 14, Def: 11, Bld: 7]



This guy realized that something was wrong, and didn't use up all of his Tron casts. He dies.



[Fergus: Lv. 10, Hp: 42, Str: 20, Mgc: 4, Skl: 19, Spd: 18, Luk: 17, Def: 14, Bld: 13, Mov: 11]

Breaking the Geneva convention gets Fergus 11 move



They try and escape.



There is no escape.





[Nanna: Lv. 19, Hp: 40, Str: 20, Mgc: 12, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 15, Bld: 9]



[Fergus: Lv. 11, Hp: 43, Str: 20, Mgc: 4, Skl: 20, Spd: 19, Luk: 17, Def: 14, Bld: 13]



[Linoan: Lv. 8, Hp: 36, Str: 7, Mgc: 20, Skl: 20, Spd: 20, Luk: 20, Def: 11, Bld: 6] Her 7th level up was lost to the ether, but apparently she got Hp and defense for it.

And there we have it. We killed them all.

Let's clean up any loose ends, shall we? First, a village we missed on the west of the river.

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I love you random guy.

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Next up, the arena for money, and then promotions using said money. Karin was our arena fighter.



I said it when I started the LP, Karin never lets me down. She and Fergus can continue being 11 move buddies.



Seram has no issues with letting me down though.



Shiva's been very neglected this LP. It took him 15 chapters + gaidens to go from level 15 to promotion.



These late promotions are kind of odd, because Othin is pretty much an A-team mainstay most of the time.



Havan's Havan. I dunno, he's just kinda there. Notice that Mercenaries actually start with a D in sword, which is pretty cool.



Here's our redeemed Dashin. I used a speed ring I had lying around on him. I had to hack a broken axe into the game for him to attack the ballista with, because I didn't have one lying around.

I also give a Leg Ring to Makua. Mercenaries and Generals both have 6 move, but I like Makua better.

Next up, more shopping.



I buy two mend staves. I use Shanam to buy them, so I get them for cheaper then shown here.



Killer Axes are cheap as hell with Shanam, so I buy ~5, as well as one or two of the other types.

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Indeed. That was pretty fucked up what you did to the Gelpritter... I'm so proud.

...Blood that has been spilled once will never return. What is important is that we do not put that blood to waste. Now, Manster is just up ahead, Lord Leaf. We must hurry.

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Current Resets: 46

Next Time on Thracia 776: I knew you'd come back for me