Part 7: Chapter 4 – Conquering Gram Forest

Chapter 4 – Conquering Gram Forest



Welcome back! Today we are taking the Wellt Liberation Army into Gram Forest in order to conquer Kodder’s castle.



Let’s do this.









: Yes, that is indeed a Pegasus Knight. But I have never heard of any troops with the skill to mount pegasi in Wellt...

: ...is that.. Mahter?

: Do you recognize her, Enteh?

: Yes...







: Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Mahter, a knight of Saria. I have come to escort Sister Enteh back to the Temple of Mars under Master Eisenbach’s orders.

: We were intending to bring Sister Enteh back to the temple ourselves, but I never would have expected an escort by a Pegasus Knight. Are you going to bring her back on your pegasus?

: Yes, Ivis won’t mind carrying the both of us.

: Hm...

: ..?

: Are you sure? Your mount seems to have enough trouble with you alone.

: Huh?

: ...Mahter, I shall be fine. I can make it back on my own.

: But Sister Enteh...

: We were planning on meeting with Master Eisenbach ourselves. Dame Mahter, let us travel together. Perhaps we can be of assistance to each other.

: Very well... If you insist.

: A wise decision. Now, we must find a way out of Gram Forest. A Pegasus Knight will be a valuable asset. We appreciated your cooperation.

: Eugen, we can’t get her mixed up in...

: My lord we must make use of all the troops we can. I’m sure Dame Mahter doesn’t mind.

: Of course... If I shall suffice, I will be happy to offer my services.

: I’m sorry, Mahter. Eugen can be a bit forceful sometimes...

: No, not at all. My mission is to see Sister Enteh safely back to the Temple of Mars. As long as she stays with you, I will be more than happy to help. Would that be alright, Sister Enteh?

: Yes, Mahter. Please help Lord Runan...

:..Runan? Wait... Then this is…?

: …

Mysterious, mysterious….







: I must follow my masters’ orders and do justice to him...

: Kodder is the one scheming a rebellion! You know that as well as I do!

: ...

: Roger!



With us finally in control, let us take a look at our new unit. Mahter is a pretty good unit. She comes with really good strength score for a Pegasus Knight and neither her skill nor her agility are lacking. She could use some more defense or W.lvl, but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed.



Roger could prove a problem though. Great strength, skill and agility, are more than enough to ruin our day if we let him.



Mel won’t attack us, but will heal Roger, if he is injured.

Anyway, we begin our first turn by having Sasha move next to Mahter and start a conversation.



Thanysupport.jpeg



: Do you want to fly on a pegasus, too?

: Of course. Just imagining what it would be like to fly through the sky is exciting. I’m so envious.

: My mother once told me that Lady Liza used to be on eof the finest Pegasus Knights is Salia when she was young. She took part in the Leda Liberation Wars and fought just as well as the men. That was when she met King Ropharl. She was also friends with Lord Glamdr and Admiral Valce... You have her blood, Sasha, so I’m sure you can be a Pegasus Knight. I’ll ask my mother for the Pegasus Flute when I go back to Salia. We could soar through the skies together some day. Then we could get Verna and Frau, and see who can fly the fastest.

: Yes, Mahter. I’ll be looking forward to it...

After our first turn Sasha turns to Eugen...





: Yes, I heard about her from a soldier named Ruka in Castle Verje. His sister is a famous archer in these parts.

: I have heard of her, but meeting with her is no use. I have sent messengers time and time again to recruit her into our army, but she simply would not budge.

: Why not?

: She dislikes warfare. She says that she cannot stand the idea of hurting another human being.

: I see... I’d still like to talk to her, though...



: ...Smells like prey... I've found you at last...



This fellow enters the map, if Julia is in your team...



The two thieves advance on the house where Raquel lives...



Our team does the same, taking out the archers that are in the way.



Meanwhile, Mahter flies off to visit the house in the southern corner and then dismounts to take on the archer guarding it.





The thieves slowly make their way up, until they meet with Raffin and Narron blocking their path...

On turn 5, Roger starts to move towards our group...







: Mel, I must go and lead the remaining troops. I promise I’ll return, so you should...

: Fine... I won’t try to stop you. But, if you’re going, then so am I. I’ll watch your back!



Narron kills one of the thieves and is rewarded with yet another level and yet another point of defense. This makes it 4 in a row, not bad for a 22% growth.



Vega made it all the way to our army, so Julia goes to him and chats him up...





: People call me the Reaper of Schram...

: The Reaper of Shram... Vega the Swordsman!?

: You must atone for your sins. I shall send you to where you belong...





The fight goes on, till Julia gets dealt enough hits, to be reduced to 1 HP





: A sinner...?

: You murdered the wife of the guardian of Xemtheria.

: No... I.. I didn’t kill her...

: ...If what you say is true, then I must find that man and kill him. I shall spare you for now, woman. Use this fruit to heal your wounds.



Hopefully you knew this was going to happen and Julia is not in range of enemy units, in range of your clerics to heal her, or other combat units are in range to take out the enemies threatening to kill her like Vega in this case.

Anyway, let’s talk about Vega. Vega is pretty damn amazing. He outclasses Julia in almost every stat, while coming in at the same level. He also comes equipped with his personal sword Shramm. It has the same stats as a Killing Edge with two unique features: 1) it deals effective damage to monsters and 2) it halves all damage done to him as long as it’s equipped. Slap a nice shield on him and even if you are really unlucky with his defense growth, he will still be more tanky than other frail units thanks to his sword.



Mahter finally finishes off the Archer she was engaging and moves on to visit the house in the south.



: This land has belonged to Kodder’s family for generations, but we have never had a lord this horrible before. If only King Ropharl were still here, this never would have happened. Roger the Paladin is also a tragic man. Since his father died when he was still a boy, Roger became the head of his family at a very young age. And now, he has no choice but to follow Kodder’s commands. He is a kind and honest youth, so it must be painful... Hm? Sister Mel? She used to be a cleric of the Temple of Mars, but she and Roger fell in love one day. However, romance is forbidden among clerics, so Mel decided to leave the temple and go to Roger’s side. Well, let’s not mince words. In short, they eloped. Oh, oh, that’s right! I’m sorry to have bored you to tears, so here. Take this Far Healing Staff as my thanks. Now it’s called a Far Healing staff because it can, well, heal people from long range... but some insolent folk think that it stands for “Fie, Away Rogue! Honor Evades A Lout. Idiot! Now Get! Staff”... or something like that.



Ignoring the strange rant of the old man, we get our hands on this games version of the Physic staff. Like in the earlier Fire Emblem games, it once again has infinite range.



Vega murders the archer threatening to kill Julia.



Roger finally arrives at our army, initiating the hard phase of the map unless you know his weakness. Roger himself will not engage in combat against any female units, so to contain the danger he poses to the rest of your team, you should try to surround him with female units to stop him from ruining your day.





Julia levels up with a bolt to the face. I won’t say no to a level with strength and speed.





Runan attacks another archer and leves up in the process. More strength





And an empty level to restore cosmic balance



Vega murders another unit…



The Roger taskforce has started its task and Sasha has finally made it through the forest and arrives at Raquels hut.







: I’m Eugen, the tactician of the Liberation Army. We came to visit you today to...

: I will not join your army. As I have said before, I am a simple hunter. I cannot hurt other people. I’m sorry but I must ask you to leave.

: I understand how you feel. I don’t like fighting either. But someone has to fight for justice and to protect the law. I’ve heard that you are a fine warrior known as the child of Bridget. I’ve also heard stories about your prowess against Kodder’s troops from your brother, Ruka.

: Oh? I haven’t heard that one.

: About half a year ago, twenty rogue soldiers attacked this village. They were hopelessly drunk, and tried to take advantage of the village’s women. The men who stood up to stop them were all killed and Ruka was about to die, too. Then Raquel came back from the woods and defeated the soldiers in the blink of an eye.

: I see. Very impressive.

: She didn’t kill them though. She merely shot their leg to incapacitate them. Ruka said that she was just like the goddess Bridget in the legends.

: ... My lady.

: Yes?

: What use is a soldier who cannot kill?

: ...My father said that the soldier’s duty is to defend the law and fight for the weak. Just as you fought against Kodder’s troops, I think that you could contribute to us with your own way of fighting.

: Hm... I thought that you were just a naive little princess, but I guess I was wrong. So that’s why Ruka...

: Excuse me?

: Oh, nothing. Very well, Lady Sasha. If my means are alright with you, then I can help.

: Really!? Thank you, Raquel. Then could you teach me to cook? I heard from Ruka that your cooking is the best around. I’ll be looking forward to it!

: It would be my pleasure.



So Raquel is an interesting case. As she said in her recruitment, she will never kill a human unit, but rather reduce them to 1 HP. Her ability to not kill units is offset by her having Elite and solid base stats so leveling her up is still a possibility. You basically have 3 options with her: 1)Use her as a specialised Anti-Monster unit (which she kills without a problem), 2)Use her as a training partner who weakens units for others to finish off or lastly 3)to use her normally which is quite possibly and gets stronger if you recruited (and later sacrificed) Ruka, which would have gotten rid of her oath to not kill units.



While participating in "Operation Roger", Mahter was left in range of an archer, who almost kills her with his effective damage…



And with Raquels help, we finally complete Roger’s cage. This leaves us with two archers to kill and a castle to lay siege to.



Plum gains a level from healing.



And Raffin levels up as a result of playing the bait for an archer.



Another Plum level.. well it’s not empty at least.





Sasha weakens the last remaining archer and gets a level as well.





Mahter moves in for the kill and receives an utterly amazing level out of it.



Runan captures the castle to finish the chapter..









: The troops defending the castle are knights serving the royal family. Kodder technically has power over them, but they are not his personal soldiers.

: Hm, if Kodder’s greedy motives become known, he would not be able to trust the castle troops to side with him.

: Exactly. The only soldier Kodder can trust are his own. In particular, Roger, Dommes and Berom are his most important lieutnants.

: How are the other nobles acting?

: Kodder has labeled us as rebels and has been asking them to join forces, but they are not paying heed. They know we cannot possibly be rebels with Princess Sasha as our leader.

: That puts us at an advantage.

: Yes. Kodder still has the upper hand in terms of manpower, but his ill judgement is leaving him isolated without any allies. However, our troops are too exhausted to launch an attack against an army which far outnumbers ours. We should allow a few days to recover and reorganize. Lord Runan, may I suggest that we visit the Temple of Mars? I wish to explain the situation to Master Eisenbach and ask for his aid.

: Ask the Master to side with us? But that’s...

: No, I agree with Count Maron. We do not have a capable magician in our army. Master Eisenbach’s power would be a great asset.

: What do you think, Enteh?

: A mage’s power is to be used to battle the evil gods. The Master will have nothing to do with the quarrelings of this secular world.

: Haha, you make it sound hopeless, Sister Enteh. Anyway, let us be off. We must at least try to reason with the Master.







: Sylphize, bring Maharaj here. I must tell him something.

: Yes...



: Maharaj, I have a task for you. I want you to go to Enteh and tell her not to come near the temple.

: What? May I ask why? Just earlier you sent Mahter to bring her back.

: The situation has changed. Danger is approaching Enteh. We have no time to spare...







: …Gwen… I see you have yet to abandon your hopeless cause... You are still trying to find priestresses to sacrifice to obtain the power of the dark god. Do you insist on making the same mistake that countless others have lost their lives to in the past?

: Eisenbach... Enough talk. Give me the girl.

: ... I once feared you as my senior, but I see there is no turning back now. I have no choice but to slay you myself...



Eisenbach will be okay right…






whelp…


Bonus conversations

- Attacking Roger

With a male unit

: You will not take this fort!

With a female unit


: ...I don't wish to harm a lady, but I have no choice if you threaten me first...

With Raffin

: Raffin... It's been a long time.

: Yes, the last time we met was at the tournament at Castle Wellt. Pathetic that a knight of your caliber is still following Codha around.

: ...Are you insulting me?

: Forgive me if I said too much. But, Roger, you're one of the finest knights in the kingdom. On the mainland, the Zoa Empire is expanding, and trying to bring back the Dark Ages. We have a duty as knights of Utona to fight against this evil. We can't be wasting our lives over a ridiculous feud like this. It doesn't matter who wins here, we'll all die in the end unless we stop the Empire.

: I want to fight against the Empire as well. I am a knight, after all. Of course I would want to fight for justice.

*If Mel is alive*

: But, Raffin, I have aided the chancellor's evil deeds. I can't forgive myself... I can't turn back any more...

*If Mel is dead*

: But, Raffin, I lost something very dear to me in this battle. I can't forgive myself... I can't turn back any more...

: I see... I'm sorry you feel that way. Now come, Roger! I'll take you on!



- Recruited Ruka, and him, Sasha and Raquel are alive

: Huh? Raquel!? What are you doing here?"

: I decided to join the army. What? You don't have to be that shocked.

: You were the one always saying that you never wanted to fight. What happened?

: I like Princess Sasha, that's all. I can teach her a lot of things. Like cooking, and...maybe some things about you."

: A-About me...?

: Hahaha...




Character Information

Vega



Character stats

Myrmidon -> Swordmaster

Skills

Heaven Saint (starting), Rising Dragon (lvl 15), Gale (lvl 35)

Vega is an amazing unit. He usually is stronger right of the box than Julia, unless you are really lucky with her growths and comes with his personal Killing Edge which also reduces damage done to him by 50%. In addition he got a better strength growth, at the expenses of a lower Skill and Speed growth. He also learns fewer skills than Julia. However since Swordmaster are some of the strongest units in this game it’s not like you have to choose.

Mahter



Character Stats

Skills

Gale (starting), Re-move (starting), Earth Saint (lvl 15), Continue (lvl 25)


Mahter is your first flying unit of the game. She comes with a good base strength and decent skill and agility. She retains the usual weakness to bows, so be careful around them and dismount if you can’t get her out of their range. Her growths are a bit worse than Sasha’s and she won’t learn Elite. But still, her incredible movement tends to be an quite and asset for a while and with some luck on level ups, she can turn out amazing.

Raquel



Character stats

Skills

Forest Fighter (starting), Elite (starting), Continue (starting), City Fighter (starting), Anti-Evil (lvl 16), Awareness (lvl 31),

Raquel is an interesting character. She is a pre-promoted archer, who vowed that she wouldn’t kill humans. As such her primary use, if she is used, is to soften up targets for training purposes or as a specialized anti-monster unit. Her stats are good and she comes with Elite making leveling her not as much of a problem, despite her vow of non killing. Still, she is at the mercy of RNG since she won’t promote anymore and has the usual problem of being an archer, which means she won’t counter alot.