Part 28

As we leave the town of Ketto, we find quite a commotion to the East...





Looks like there's a standoff between a Paladin and some demons.

You were going to South Parmecia to get help, right?
I... uh...
Paladins of Pacalon are cowards! Quentin, don't you have any pride? Wimp!


I can defend myself.
Come on, you half-breed. Are you afraid of me? I'll turn my back to you. Now, run away you cowards!



The centaur charges, attempting to strike Geshp from behind...



But Geshp vanishes, and the centaur is struck down by a Lizardman.



Geshp reappears behind Quentin and his remaining assistant.



Yeah... Quentin is sick! So that's why he sucks!

Oh, is Quentin ill? In that case, you can try and take me.



No, no!



Ignoring Quentin, the second centaur charges Geshp, only to be blindsided by a demon and killed.



I've always liked Geshp as a villian. He's such a wonderful asshole.

You're not just a normal devil soldier.
You're right, Quentin. I see why you're the leader of the Pacalon Army. I'm Geshp! An adviser for Zeon!
How did you know my name?
Gesshp: I know everything.
Now, tell me the reason why you're keeping me alive.
Ha, ha! You're smart!



Geshp casts a spell...



It seems Geshp summoned a Gizmo to possess Quentin - it flies into his body before he even knows it's there.

I... can't... My body won't...
I came here to borrow your body. Ha, ha! Welcome our new leader!



Who said that? A force from the south? How? Where did you come from?
We're from Granseal!
But, that's on the other... I'd better leave. Devil soldiers! Stop that force from Granseal!

Geshp vanishes, leaving his troops to handle the dirty work.

Battle #26: Promoted Classes and You



We're rescuing Quentin from a force of 4 Dark Soldiers, 4 Lesser Demons, 3 Dark Snipers, 2 Dark Bishops, a Wizard, and a Lizardman.



First blood goes to one of the Dark Snipers, but Shaggy's wound isn't too bad.



First up from our team is Nigel. He's a Hero now.



Now THAT is a fucking sword! Unlike Gillian, Nigel doesn't do any fancy jumping or twirling around anymore. He simply uses both hands to lift his blade behind it back, then strikes with a massive overhead swing. Also, he's grown out his sideburns like a goddamned hippy.



Next up is Wolfy, now a Wolf Baron. I get the feeling that he would very much like some Snausages



Unlike Zylo, his promoted attack makes sense. He simply takes a mighty swipe and claws at the enemy. He earned level 3 right here.



It's Shaggy's turn to bring the pain.



Sorcerer Shaggy is pretty, like the flower.



Dao is the first of the summons he'll get. And it does very respectable damage versus a single target. However, since summons divide their damage by the number of targets, it's a waste to hit more than two with them.



Now Harvey Birdman is on the case. He's a Bird Battler.



He dive bombs enemies, sword first. He's still not exactly a heavy hitter, but he's much, much more useful now that he has a promoted weapon.



Whoops!



He's still a bit lacking defensively, though.



Ron's turn...



Standard Paladin fare, he's more armored than he was, and he throws a spear.



Ashley is now a Master Monk.



She... kicks high. Her damage is fairly decent now, and it gets a lot better.



Knox is now a full-fledged Pheonix.



With a flap of his wings, he sends a whirlwind at his foes.



Cluny is now quite good at totally flipping out and killing people. Observe:



Now that he's a Ninja, Cluny uses swords instead of knives. Look at the damage he did, and know that Nigel did 20 damage to the same enemy, and he's using the Power Ring. Without it, Cluny would be beating him in attack power. If that wasn't enough, Cluny has also started gaining MP.




Wolfy's taking some heavy hits, but he's still standing.





Yay, Ron goes on his first rampage since being promoted. Two attacks, one of them critical.



Knox finishes the Sniper off, earning level 4.



Heal 3 is pretty nice. Ashley earned level 4 for healing Wolfy.



Now Cherry's up to bat. She's become a Bow Knight.



She's got some fancy armor there.



Time for Furlong to take a shot. He's a Sniper.



Thankfully, he got rid of his flower hat.



It'll be a while before he's a heavy hitter, but to his credit... Dark Soldiers have annoyingly high defense, AND the one he shot is getting 30% defense due to terrain.



Frigging demons...



Ron picks off one of the solders, earning level 4.



And Shaggy and Knox take out another. Shaggy earned level 4 and can now summon Apollo.



Vincent finally gets to do something.



As a Wizard, he keeps his old spell list. He should start learning the Bolt line soon enough.




See? Furlong's attack isn't THAT bad. He earned level 3 for finishing the Lesser Demon off.






Wolfy just earned level 4 with style.




Well, so much for him.




Bolt is a fun spell. Nigel just earned level 5.



Cluny cuts down the Bishop. The Bishop dropped a Black Ring. Increases attack when equipped, but it's cursed, so it's stupid to equip it. It can be used to cast Blaze II, though.




Well, that stung a little.



Samwise finally catches up in time to do something. He's a Gladiator.



He takes a jumping swipe at the Wizard, killing him and earning level 3.



Crap, looks like Shaggy won't live to show off Apollo this fight.



Cluny takes out the last soldier, earning level 5.





Nigel and Ron take out an approaching demon, earning Ron level 5.




Fuuuuck.




Samwise takes care of the demon that killed Ashley.




And Cherry gets rid of the Lizardman, ending the battle.



Notice that Knox looks considerably less like a vulture.

We have to save him before he is possessed by an evil...



Sir Astral casts a spell...



Which is powerful enough to drive the spirit from Quentin's body and destroy it.


Ah... I was almost possessed by that devil. Thank you. How can I repay you for your kindness?
Are you OK now? Good. May I ask you, where were you going in such a wounded state?
Pacalon, my country. We are fighting against the devils. But no country in North Parmecia has enough power to resist them. So I was heading south to find some allies.
You don't have to go any further.
Then, you're from South Parmecia?
Yes, Granseal.
Oh, how lucky! Please come with me to Pacalon!
But, we have to go to Tristan.
Oh, please... I can't return to Pacalon without allies. Maybe, when you're done... OK, I'll go with you.
But, you're injured, Mr. Quentin.
No problem. I don't know why, but I'm much better. Let's go to Pacalon.

Quentin joins the force. He's the worst of the Paladins. He's two levels ahead of Ron, and yet he still has worse attack, defense, AND agility.


It's voting time!

We'll need to eliminate one more member. I strongly recommend just kicking Quentin to the curb, but the choice is yours.