Part 66: Chapter LVII-A - Never again will I use this blade.
Never again will I use this blade. -OR- BONUS: At Hatred's End
I may have vaguely mentioned it before, but this game has an “alternate ending” to the Melphina series of quests. But to show it off, I have to do all of those quests again. So, here goes:Previously On:
Chapter XXVIII: I hope that next time you wash your hands, at least.
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Hi, I’m Rush Sykes.
From your bearing, I see you must be an accomplished adventurer. With that case, I would make a request of you. To the northwest of this town lies the cursed bog, Crookfen. For long years, its evil has been sealed by a Remnant. Yet of late, the Remnant's seal fails, siring monsters from the flow of dark power. At once, we of the Order have sent scouts to examine the seal. None have yet returned. Would that I could add others to the search, but the town must be defended, and we have no men to spare. So, I ask you—would you come with me to Crookfen and restore the broken seal? Sure, I'll help out!
The Forest Maidens express the highest gratitude. We were able to complete the sealing ritual without incident. Without your assistance, Master Sykes, heaven knows what could have happened... The seal is repaired, yet our wayward comrades have yet to be found. This weighs heavily on my mind... But for now, let us return to Melphina.
While we've worried about the seal, fiends have plotted against us, right under our noses... Ophelia, calm yourself. Do not forget the place of a knight of the Order of Melphina. But, Commander! A group of suspicious characters dressed in black was seen leaving Crookfen! At your leave, I shall depart at once to arrest the blackguards and bring them to justice! Their evil deeds must be brought to light! Ophelia. The Order is meant to be the country's shield, not its blade. If you were to abandon the people at a time like this, who would protect them? Life must always be your top priority. Our duty now is to find our lost men without further delay. This is no time for vengeance. But...! Err… Ah, Master Sykes. Forgive me. This is my subcommander, Ophelia. Please excuse our indiscretions just now.
This time, we’ll be picking the other answer. Don't let them get away! Exactly! Any miscreants who think they can deceive the people of Melphina should be shown no quarter! Hmmm... Certainly, Master Sykes's opinion does have merit... Okay, moving on to the next one. For this one we have to have the meeting at Nagapur, which is simple enough.Previously On:
Chapter XL: Melphina’s oh-so-important knightly order is done for.
What’s up? We have gained a clue as to the whereabouts of the lost knights of the Order. The maid Leticia of the Forest Maidens has seen a vision of where our errant knights may be. Her description led us to believe they must be in the great caverns to the southwest… Siebenbur. I intend to head to Siebenbur to rescue my comrades. I would appreciate it muchly if you would assist me, Master Sykes. May I once again call upon your blade? Let’s bring ‘em home!
Commander… On the way to the broken seal, some men dressed in black assaulted us. When we woke up, we were down here…
Ah –him! That’s one of the men in black who trapped us in here!
(Nordis) Melphina’s oh-so-important knightly order is done for.
[/url] Seriously?
You’d better think again if you think you’re gonna leave here alive! Hypnos… go!
Okay, strategic withdrawal for now. But I’m gonna remember this!
Here’s the door to the next area. The bring th blurry dot on the left is the Staff of Remembrance for Jorgen.
Oh wow. I remembered there being something interesting to see here…
But I didn’t know it would be THIS.
Still, Commander – the curs responsible for kidnapping our men in the first place have yet to be brought to justice. The tarnished honor of the Order of Melphina cries out to be avenged! The acts these miscreants have performed are unforgiveable. Let our punishment be swift and unrelenting. Hmm… Ophelia, I believe these men in black are just the face of a much larger evil – an organization with command over many powerful Remnants. The henchmen we have dealt with are far from the fiends controlling all this. If we do not uncover the masterminds behind this plot against Melphina, they will only send another set of assassins. But…but, the good name of the Order…!
Honor is serious business. Isn’t it, though! If we roll over and let this stand, the Order of Melphina will be a laughing stock across the continent! Ophelia… The most important thing for us to protect is not our reputation.
Now, the way to the last quest requires us to do the Nest of Eagles battle. For this playthrough, I loaded the game right after coming back from Numor Mine with Emma, which means I started these quests at BR 17, and the only BR I’ve gained since is from the Melphina quests. I’m going into the Nest of Eagles at BR 18 – 10 BR lower than what I did in the LP. I’ve recruited no new party members – not even Rhagoh, because that would require me to do quests. However, I did pick up an item “of Remembrance” along the Fourth Path while I was rescuing the knights.
I don’t even have a twelfth party member to slot in after Emma stays behind. But that’s okay, because today I’m going to show you how to exploit the Gae Bolg for fun and profit.
- Video: Exploiting The Gae Bolg
It’s simple. All our unions hold position and build up AP. Enemy reinforcements show up on the first turn.
The Celapaleian guards are still alive after two turns. We now have enough AP built up, so we’ll close in.
And now we’re good.
Wiping out that many enemy unions at once refills David’s Morale gauge back up to the top.
Does it hurt?
Why… 
I believe that if David’s union had just a little more AP, he could do another Gae Bolg right now. So he’s standing by.
Good. Now let’s finish this.
Unfortunately, the Gae Bolg won’t come up without three unions on the field, so we’ll have to finish this fight the hard way. Watch the video if you want to see the end. So that’s how you can use the Gae Bolg to make battlefield fights easier. The downside is that it means less art experience for people, and the Gae Bolg scales with David anyway. Let’s move on.
After the Nest of Eagles, our maximum party size goes up to 15, but we only have 12 people. I decide to recruit three more to fill our ranks. The first is Darien, because his quest is simple and requires no combat.
We’ll need to enter the Aqueducts. Just entering them will unlock Gaou at the Baaluk guild. Also easy enough, but we still need one more.
Obtained Sword of Remembrance! If you trek all the way to the end of the first part of the Aqueducts, you can pick this item up. That’s all we came for, so let’s get out.
One more side trip is needed to the SW Road.
Obtained Bandanna of Remembrance! With Sword, Bandanna and Staff (from the earlier Melphina quest), we have all we need to make Jorgen a Warrior. There are other combinations, but this one was pretty simple to get with stuff I had on hand.
Yeah, here you go!
Looks familiar, huh?
This blade… it’s as if it were made for my hand. What a feeling… surely no other sword would do. I must have been a great warrior with this weapon! Holding this staff… What a strange, warm feeling I get. Yes… I was skilled at mystic arts, wasn’t I? This bandanna… I feel like just tying it on would give me the feeling I could take on the world. Yes… This must have given me courage. 
Yup! This is your chance to back off and re-choose what objects you want to give him. Yes… I remember! I… 
To keep it from absorbing my soul, I had to pay a great price… that of my past. So that’s who I am… So, I guess it’ll be coming back to eat your soul, then? Sucks to be you. Oh, I really should give you something… Ah, yes, take this. It’s not your evil sword, is it? Reward: Obtained Stacked Attack! You’ve learned a new formation! Thanks to your help, I’ve been able to remember how I’ve lived… how I’ve come to where I am today. But the past is not everything… From now on, I must find how to live in my present. Uh-huh… That said, I believe it’s well past time to get started. Thank you, Rush. Someday, we may meet again. Completed quest: Amnesia
Jorgen regained his memory. He says he’s gonna treasure it from now on. And now we will hire Jorgen from the Balterossa guild.
Jorgen the Warrior is really expensive. Too expensive, there are a lot better units for a cheaper price.
Jorgen
An amnesiac desert wanderer. His scarred face hints at a rough past. Is what he remembers real?
Class: Warrior
Initial BR: BR 37
HP: (511)
Str / Int: (44 / 21)
Union Name: Jorgen’s Division
Current Arts
Two-Handed: (Double Strike III), (Thunderclap II), (Cascade Strike)
Dual Wield: (Devil's Due III), (Bladedancer II), (Resonance Edge)
Invocations @ BR 49
Herbs @ BR 62
Comments
You have to enter the Aquaducts, and then leave them after finding the item for this class. It’s only notable for being a rare dual-wielder, and otherwise is uninteresting.
Tags: Combat, Outclassed, Worthless,
Look at this. It’s crap. You can choose between him using a 2H or dual-wielding, woo-hoo. Anyway, we’ve now got a full party.Previously On:
Chapter X: Urg, I gotta do the tie-break again?
Yeah, I heard. They have organized a march on Melphina. Their numbers are too vast to even compare with before. Currently, I prepare to lead the Order to the Malbourge Flatlands to stop the wave of beasts. If we can do nothing else, the beasts must not be allowed to destroy Melphina. Master Sykes… I am shamed to ask this of you so directly, but this is my final request. Please, would you help me protect Melphina? Of course I’ll help!
(Nordis) This power… So this is the true strength of the bond between the Order and the Forest Maidens?
We’re out of options, and Melphina still won’t submit… They’re made of sterner stuff than we thought. They… they’ve got something we just don’t. But, Bro… If we go home with a report like that to the big man, we’re gonna – Right… we won’t be living to say much else. He hates failure more than anything… Yeah… Hey – forget this. How ‘bout we just get outta here? Maybe if we run back home, the association’s assassins won’t catch up! …
It is. However, once Marsha’s prayers sealed the monsters, the fear in their eyes was clear. Those men will not threaten this land again. Commander, you are too soft! Think of the losses the Order has suffered due to those outlaws! Crime cannot go unpunished. For the honor of the Order, the cowards must be found and their evils redressed. Ophelia. To strike down those who flee, accepting their defeat – does that not tarnish the honor of the Order more than aught else?
…still gets the job done. See? Even Rush agrees. I will not allow the men who assaulted my men and my country to escape. They will pay for their crimes against the Order! Master Sykes…
Roberto. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. For now, let us show our gratitude for young Sykes’s assistance in defending Melphina. Oh, yes! Master Sykes, take this as a token of our gratitude. Reward: 7000 G! Obtained Melphina Certificate of Gratitude! If you had agreed with Roberto all three times, you get 20000 G and he and his fellow knights (not Ophelia) become recruitable party members. Disagree with him three times and you only get 7000 G. Completed quest: The Reviving Legend The next time you enter Melphina…
What’s up? By asking around this very pub, I've found what's happened to those dark-clothed misreants from before. One is a qsiti named Nordis. Apparently, he specializes in close combat with blades. The other is a mitra named Azelle. Word is that they've fled Melphina to Nagapur, and are hiding out in the Numor Mines. For shaming the name of the Order of Melphina, and putting all of Melphina in danger, they have run up a high toll I intend to collect. The fiends must be found and brought to justice. You agree that is the correct course, Rush, do you not? Come with me to find them. But we must make haste; given the time, they will scurry off like the rats they are. Rush--let's go! C'mon, just let 'em be. What-- how can you say such a thing? ... Fine. Even if I must do it alone, I will see them punished with my own two hands. Report to me if you change your mind. Time for frontier justice! As I had expected of you, Rush. You well understand the concepts of honor and justice. The blackguards should be lurking within the Numor Mines. Head there as soon as you possibly can. I shall head there as well. Accepted quest: At Hatred’s End
The game doesn’t tell you where to go. The only direction you get is that for this quest, the elevator to the Large Scale Mining Zone is now open.
But that doesn’t help all that much. Where we want to go is the northeastern corner.
The kindly villagers all helped to raise the kids. But as the pair grew, they got bored with their peaceful village, and left to find their fortune. Out in the real world without money or power, they somehow found themselves working for a shady organization. And not just any mob, but a huge organization dedicated to the development of Remnants as weapons. You know the one. 
But the jobs they were being assigned offered lower and lower chances of coming back alive. Tired of an occupation that lowered one's life expectancy, the pair went to hand in their resignations. Their boss replied like so: "For a long, long time, the Organization has wanted to test the purification Remnant, the Blue Elf," he said with a smirk. "If you bring us the Remnant, the two of you are free to go. And those "two" were... Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? Azelle and me. Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm not telling you this in some bid for sympathy. I'm not letting you guys leave here alive. Just wanted you to realize that no matter how low a man's fallen, he'll shoulder any burden to be free. 
Nordis of the Third Committee is going to finish you off, right here! A guest union has joined the party. Mission: Defeat Nordis of the Third Committee!Music: Sliver of Hope
- Video: At Hatred’s End
Even at this low a BR, it’s not too tough a fight. Ophelia joins as a guest union.
Brilliant! 
Not bad!
This turn should finish it. 
You scumbags!
There you are. Now go on out and fight!
Music: Reversal
Okay, THIS turn should finish him off. 
That’s Torgal’s third finishing blow this fight. I’m going to skip the arts/class summary because it’s irrelevant.
Augh! Bro--Nordis!!!
This wasn't supposed to happen!
N-never... Remember how I feel... Someday, you'll feel this sadness for yourselves! You will...I'll make sure you will!
What could that Azelle be planning? We'll have to keep on our toes. Ahh, at least we were able to bring one of them to justice. Halfway done, right? For now, let's report to Commander Roberto. I'm certain he'll be pleased to hear this. The guest union has left the party.
Leticia the Forest Maiden has been snatched away, held captive. The kidnapper's ransom is the Blue Elf for the Maiden's life. Unbelievable... The culprit seemed at his wits' end... Furthermore, he closed his ears to all we said. We can neither talk him down nor negotiate. The Order has already considered rescuing the girl by force, but the kidnapper is in such a state that the wrong move could endanger the girl. The Blue Elf is our country's greatest treasure. However, there is nothing in this world worth more than a life. Protecting the lives of the people of Melphina is my only desire. Likewise, Roberto and the Order, holding the souls of true knights, have fiercely protected this country until today. Verily, it is as you say. Then, it is decided. We shall give him the Blue Elf before he takes the life of the Maiden. Wh-what? This is why you don’t let bleeding-heart hippies run the government.
It's all that man in black's fault... That Azelle, he's the one who took the Forest Maiden, I'm sure of it! I'd meant to punish him for tarnishing the image of the Order and the country, but I never imagined something like this would happen... I've proven myself unfit to be a knight of Melphina... Never again will I use this blade. Rush, if you would, I leave it to you. Obtained Ophelia’s Sword! Completed quest: At Hatred’s End The lord decided to hand over the Blue Elf in exchange for the girls’ lives. Guess this was the big revenge Azelle was going on about, huh… And so, if you side with Ophelia all three times and do her quest, your G reward is lower, you can’t recruit Roberto or the other Knights of Melphina, the Blue Elf winds up in Hermeien’s hands, you’re left feeling like a total dickbag, and the only reward you get is Ophelia’s sword.
It’s a special item – not even usable. All it does is sit in your inventory, forever useless, reminding you of what a terrible decision you have made. Oh, and by the way, Xbox players HAD to do “At Hatred’s End” before all quests were considered complete. Yeah, it’s as dumb as it sounds. PC players do not have to do this quest to get full completion status.
Exploiting The Gae Bolg
At Hatred’s End
Next Time: Show me the young man you’ve become.