Part 24: The greatest battle
Part XXIV: The greatest battle![](1-image2496.jpg)
Last time we saw Gaius Brutus, he'd been arrested and sent to Maadoran to answer for the crime of killing Lord Antidas.
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As you'd expect, Gaelius enjoys the theater of the trial.
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Yikes, this isn't going well. Time for the last resort: dialogue skills!
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We fail, of course.
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Gaelius, you magnificent bastard.
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t
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You can also shove the snarky commentary!
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The game neglects to equip the items, so I have to waste AP doing it. Age of Decadence!
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Not that it matters. The fight consists almost entirely of me blocking their blows.
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Uh, thanks?
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We've got nothing but the dinky axe and shield, a neurostimulant, a bronze sword, and a tunic. Carrinas mentioned smuggling our inventory to Maadoran -- maybe the local fort has it.
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This day gets better and better!
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Not the best call, Pavola.
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I feel so honored.
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Is everyone in the Imperial Guards a sarcastic douchebag?
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Vitus is just outside.
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Much better. Off to Strabos.
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I regret this already.
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Well, my stats are weighed in favor of a combat build, so I like to think so.
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Don't flatter yourself.
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Night falls. I spend a few seconds looking for something to click on until I realize I need to talk to Strabos again.
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Has Strabos been sitting here for hours? Did he have us follow him to the shitter?
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It's tempting to let Hamza kill Strabos, but we need his information. Sorry, Hamza.
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Hamza, as you'd expect, is pretty tough. He starts out by entangling you, then inflicting you with Poison and likely Bleed. Healing draughts and antidotes are a must.
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We win in the end.
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Add rank hypocrisy to Strabos's list of flaws.
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Hamza has nothing noteworthy on him, so I left that part out.
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Hooray...
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No wonder the Imperial Guards hate the Ordu -- their presence means the former has to get off its ass and do something.
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I've heard of sea water and oil being used for quenching, but piss and blood? What fucking maniac thought that up?
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Off to Harran's Pass.
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Is "Bass" pronounced like the fish or the musical instrument?
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"Disappointment" is the word of the day when it comes to the Imperial Guards.
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It's raining heads! Hallelujah, it's raining heads!
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Seriously, the Guards are making the Boatmen look well-adjusted.
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A simple "please" would do.
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Okay, off to the Ordu camp.
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Instead of being nice, we're going the opposite route.
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Shit. Nothing we say will work.
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These two can be tricky. Stacked bleed effects are likely. The biggest obstacle is their agility; my THC is only around 60%.
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Luckily, I can block most of their attacks and I die only once.
Death Count: 44
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Sure, why not. Poisoning isn't beneath us.
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Usually we'd have to pass a Sneak check, but since we don't have to be subtle anymore, it's an automatic success.
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Poisoning the well gives us time to make adjustments to our armament.
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Our alchemy isn't high enough to change anything, but we do have a robust Crafting skill.
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That's all we can do.
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Quite a few men on our side, but who know how many Ordu will show up?
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Gulp.
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There are about 15 Ordu warriors. Tough, but not impossible.
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are you fucking kidding
We don't have to actually fight 100 people. Most are static models.
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The fight went easier than I expected. My first playthrough was death after death after death, but this was relatively smooth. Belgutai should be the first target since he poses the most danger.
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Hey, we're winning! Albeit at a snail's pace.
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Hi Thorgul!
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We're pushing the Ordu out of the fort!
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Reinforcements! It's about time.
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If you convince the Ordu to leave, Carbo gets upset and calls you a big sissy.
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Oooh, we're gonna meet the big cheese. Let's talk to Bass first.
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Oh good, another tyrant.
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I want to stress that Gaelius is the best of the bunch when it comes to leaders in this game. Strabos is a greedy and amoral thug, Antidas is a mediocre ruler with delusions of grandeur, and Paullus is a dictator. We don't know much about Levir and we haven't met Meru yet, but their chances of being likable are slim. Fucking Darista inspires more confidence.
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What have I gotten myself into?
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Next Time: First world problems