Part 92: A Life Not Worth Saving
Music: Creeping Dread 
Then ye know what to do, don't ye!? Hand over all ye've got!
I'll give you anything! Just wait for my husband to return, and-- Are ye daft, ye bloody whore!?
...Bugger me.
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Oh, but it is! That terrible man took my poor Timothy!
Well, shucks...
My poor boy... Whatever am I to do...?
Now which way did he go? H-he said to come to the woods...
Got it. I'll have little Timmy back in no time!
I was a damn fool for trusting you...
Alfyn's good-natured faith in people, while admirable, was going to bite him in the ass sooner or later, and today's that day. For now, all he can do is try his best to make things right.
Music: River of Life 
Steady now, Alfyn. "Steady now"!? I trusted him, that brazen-faced brute...! I say again, steady, my friend. Our first priority is the child. Am I not right? ...You are.
You need not be sorry. In times like this, we must help one another. I have no doubt that one day, it will be my turn to call upon you for wisdom and perspective.
Olberic is great in moments of crises like these. More than anyone, he's most prepared to handle any calamity that happens, and this also means he's able to get others to calm down and focus on the task at hand rather than allow them to get swallowed up in their emotions.
With all banters done, I'm free to choose my own team, and this is what I opt for. As per usual, Cyrus follows his comrade's footsteps and takes on the role of Apothecary. Thief Tressa gives her some much-needed damage, while Primrose goes Scholar to complement her high ElemAtk. Alfyn is to be my main damage dealer and my healer.
Music: The Trees Have Eyes 
Today we've got a winding forest.
Reptalions have high evasion and one sole weakness, so they're pesky to deal with. Mammoth Sheep can inflict Silence and Sleep, so they're annoying. Gargantuan Boars also pop up around here.
There's a couple Purple Chests here. One has an Ice Amulet, which who cares, while the other has the Gaolbreaker, a nice dagger with some good PhysAtk and Crit. One I'll have to head back for later!
It's your usual winding and looping paths, but eventually we find who we're looking for...
Video: Miguel's Depravity Music: Creeping Dread 
...Alfyn. Fancy meetin' you here.
...!
You low-down pile of filth...! Move aside and let me see the boy's wound!
As pleased as I'd be to see you fix up me golden goose... Somethin' tells me yer just going t' up and sneak away with him.
...I thought it was three.
Heh heh heh...
Hah! Yer so soddin' gullible it almost moves me to tears! But I owe ye one, Alfyn. Thanks to ye, I'm able to get back to "honest" work!
Miguel is a solid villain, since he actually gets some build-up and is shown taking complete advantage of Alfyn's generosity with no remorse whatsoever. The guy is willing to use anyone and anything to get by in life, and he forced Alfyn to reevaluate his entire life philosophy.
Music: For Succor 
But that's why I'm gonna set things right...by my own hand!
Sure that's smart, Alfyn? I stretch the truth from time to time, but I wasn't lyin' about bein' a mercenary.
Video: Boss - Miguel Music: Decisive Battle II 
Miguel is going to be quite the challenge for our current team.
First off, he starts off with two turns a round.
As usual, Miguel's offense is purely physical, so we'll need to do all we can to defend against his attacks.
We're in Chapter 3 now, so the boss stats shoot quite a bit up, meaning we're back to being underleveled. This works for me as it makes combat exciting, but it also means boss battles are back over ten minutes.
Miguel's signature move is Cross Spear, which deals two powerful attacks to the entire party. Now keep in mind I have both his PhysAtk debuffed and our PhysDef buffed.
If I didn't prepare for this, I'd really be in trouble.
But we do have Alfyn, and if this concoction ends up not cutting it, I've got a few shots of Purifying Dust that will get the job done.
Hurl Spear triggers the turn after it's activated, hitting random targets a multitude of times.
His weaknesses kinda screw me since only Tressa and Alfyn can take advantage of them, but it's fine since he only has seven shields anyway.
He has a lot of HP, but I've still got some good firepower on my side.
Miguel's gimmick is that he'll completely change his weaknesses every time he recovers from Break, meaning we have to find them out all over again.
Even with the PhysAtk debuff, Miguel will tear you apart with Cross Spear.
Twin Spears is a nasty single-target attack that debuffs both PhysAtk and PhysDef...if the target even survives in the first place.
But good ol' Alf is here to patch us right up!
And also poke a few holes with his own pole-play!
Miguel's boost mode is a bit different, as instead of one powerful attack he simply grows stronger and gets a whopping five turns a round. Very difficult to handle all of that!
That's why him only having seven shields is key, even with all his weaknesses.
When he gets low on health, he unlocks a second boost mode, which is roughly the same as the first.
But at this point, we're able to capitalize and take him down once and for all.
Miguel's Spear is quite powerful, a whopping 200 PhysAtk with a nice Accuracy boost and a chance of inflicting an Evasion debuff.
SILENCE 
The bleedin'... Not this...again...
In the end, Miguel didn't make it, and succumbed to his wounds.
U-unghhh... Thank the gods, he's still breathing. Sit tight, now...
But there ain't no time to waste. Need to get him someplace dry and treat the wound properly!In the end, Alfyn was able to save the day and rescue Tim.
Though at a great cost.
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My dearest Timothy... I promise I'll never let you go. Ever, ever again... Mother...? Yes? What is it, my boy?
Unsurprisingly, Alfyn only stuck around as long as he needed to save the child.
It's time to move on. But before we go...
SILENCE 
Those who were sick are now well. My work here is done. ...Lemme ask you something. Make it quick. Music: Melancholy 
And in the end I gave in. Did what I had to...and bloodied my own hands.
Was I too naive, to do what I did? My mind goes in circles, and I still can't find the answer. .........
Our job's the same. We have to decide what's worth keeping, and what should be thrown away.
.........
Video: A Crisis of Confidence 
I was living with my wife in a tiny village.
He had evaded his captors, but at great cost--his wounds were dire.
I believed--much like you do--that every life was worth saving.
I was filled with pride for my skills, and joy for my patient's recovery. Then one day, I went off into the woods to gather ingredients for a potion...
I had no choice but to accept the truth.
I left my village behind and wandered from town to town. Ever since then, I treat only those I choose to treat. And save only those lives that deserve to be saved. .........
There was another who practiced his craft the way you do...
I still don't have the answer.
If you're out there, can you send me some kind of message? Anything at all...
Alfyn's shaken at his core. To follow Ogen's path would be to go against everything Alfyn stands for, but at the same time Alfyn's beliefs almost cost the life of an innocent boy. Is there even a right answer here...?
Welcome to Chapter Three! It only gets worse from here, so vote which character you want to see bad things happen to next!
Next time, I start cutting into all the Side Stories I need to go through, and maybe even tackle some dungeons!