Part 74: Chapter LXV - Do you think I’d allow them the chance to hurt you?

Do you think I’d allow them the chance to hurt you?




Music: The Crumbling Fortress








Somethin’ new happening?
I’ve recently received reports of Third Committee cells assembling in Nagapur, Elysion, and even this very castle. Adding to that is a report from the Academy, saying some top-secret Remnant-related research documents have been stolen, and possibly leaked to the black market.
Hmmm… that could be quite problematic.
If that information were to end up in the wrong hands – like those of the Third Committee – who knows what trouble we’d be in for…




I’ve switched Rush and Emmy, so Rush can learn Rejuvenating Water. I also swap Roberto out for Allan.


Now, to Base 4!


- Battlefield Video: Base 4



Music: Clash of Opposites


Mission: Defeat the command squad and assault their base!




Nothing’s going to happen on the first turn while we close in.






How d’ya like that?
Wow!




This isn’t even worth my time.

15,000 damage on that Mighty Quadrille II.


















A strong one, huh?
Aw, what are you doing?!

Glenys learned Evocations after the last fight, and I forgot to disable them, whoops.




May as well move the morale bar some more.






Victory for Athlum!

Emmy and Torgal have to march to reach targets, but our other unions are on the other side of the bridge (but they still have to close in). Battlefields can be odd like that.






You’d better recognize!








How do you like that?




Rush gets the chance to either use Omnistrike, or to summon Cyclops, but only one union is in range for everyone.






Emmy finishes them off first, so no Cyclops.







Blocter was the only one of this entire fight who didn’t miss.











I have nothing better to do this turn than close in.







This finishes them off. Permafrost is one of the only (if not THE only) Invocation which can be cast from long range.







Uggghhh…. Why did I think this LP was a good idea. These fights go on forever. We’re not even to the boss union yet and we’re up to R. And there are still two more bases to go!




Oh hooray, something to talk about. Emmy upgraded an art.






It’s pretty effective.




Although all our unions are packing major heat at this time.






And Violet with the nut shot finishes this clown.








We’re now at 21 unions, but this should be the last wave. This is why many normal people use the Gae Bolg or other Arcanas to finish these battles a lot faster. I order everyone to heal.






Gabriel heals the union for 1300, recovering most of the damage it took from the being raidlocked and poisoned.








Watch this!
Wow!






Be careful!


That stung, but this is the only union left, so I’ll just have Rush’s break deadlock to heal, while everyone else piles on. I may not have mentioned this before, but Jager’s union is configured for speed, so he should be able to intercept.






And it worked just as planned.




Boom!




Finally.

learned Nimble Moulinet II!
learned Orphic Ward IV!
learned Dispirit III!
learned Dragon’s Flight!
learned Nimble Blue Streak III!

You can still make progress towards arts which are disabled, although at a much slower rate than if you use them, as evidenced by Rush and Loki’s new arts. Kate is advancing slowly but surely towards Bewitch and Cachexia.





Music: Slipping Through your Fingers



- BOSS Video: Hannah the Merciless & Hinnah the Griefbringer


What the hell took you so long? Ugh!




I’m going to bust you up extra just for making me wait!
Hinnah, don’t get too cocky.




Hannah, just stand back. I won’t even need your help with these punks.
Don’t be silly.




Do you think I’d allow them the chance to hurt you?
Heh heh. Okay, for you – I can share.




The Griefbringer’s bringin’ lots of pain your way!




As am I, the Merciless!




Music: Press to Victory


Mission: Defeat Hannah and Hinnah!




Two bosses at once! That’s not just for show either, as you’ll find out really soon. Hinnah and Hannah’s adds are all-female, fitting the gimmicks for bosses.

Before the fight, I changed Rush’s Formation to be the one which reduces the union leader’s stats and fixed Emmy’s to not be. I also disabled Loki’s combat arts.






What the?




You won’t get forgiveness from me!



















This is obviously their special move, and it’s a doozy. Look what it did to Rush from full health. It also inflicts the Frozen status, which sets frost defense to 0, reduces your extra hits to 1, and means you can’t defend. Oh, and unlike previous bosses, which only did their special at irregular intervals, Hannah and Hinnah will do this art guaranteed every three turns as long as they’re both alive.




Don’t let a punk like that take you out!

It’s also a free action, so they can also move and attack after using it.






Charge Up means it increases your AP. This is an especially bad time for that, because it measn that the last attacker can now re-assess…




Damnit…






All right! Bring it on!

Needless to say, we’re not doing very well after Turn 1. Since Rush is the one who needs to learn Rejuvenating Water, I can’t leave him dead. Healing for pretty much everyone, Jager will bring Rush back.






Well fought!






Will a momentarily higher-morale make up for a guaranteed-dead union? I’m not sure.




Get up!
Wait, somebody took me out?!

Paris tops off Jager’s union.




Hinnah will also buff Hannah from time-to-time.




Rush isn’t close to having enough AP for Rejuvenating Water, so I’m wondering if I should bring Torgal back now anyway, or wait until Rush does have the AP.






Yeah! What’s my name?!






Even low-level arts have a chance to inflict Blacked Out once they reach Rank IV.






I realize that there will be a Twin Snowpetal in this turn, so everyone should heal.








You won’t take us without a fight!

Rush goes down.




Torgal gets brought back, though, and Darien helps heal Emmy’s union.





Caedmon being in the Mystics group for what seems like ages now has advantages, as he has Vivification Herb enabled, freeing Pagus to use Revitalize.




We continue to fight!

And Torgal sits right back down again. But that does help set the field for Rush to learn Rejuvenating Water.






That’s the last of the minion unions.




Unfortunately, the AI decided that now was not a good time for Rejuvenating Water after all.






The girls spend most of their turns using ordinary attacks and debuffs, which just isn’t going to cut it. Twin Snowpetal is their only really threatening move.








Do you require assistance?

Not particularly, Torgal.




Sub-500 damage isn’t going to cut it. Heck, even 1200 damage would seem inadequate.




Hinnah gets knocked into Critical.




I decline the chance to add Cyclops in favour of healing.






What is SUPPOSED to happen once Hinnah reaches critical health is that Hannah goes over and casts Second Chance on her, healing her a lot (maybe up to full). But I couldn’t get that to trigger, either here or in my test run. (She did do it the first time I played, though.) Maybe she was too far away, because for me the other targets are considered too far to break deadlock.




Damnit… Hannah… it really…




And that’s one down. It was suggested that I use these comments in the long battles to talk about the Seven and what makes them follow the Conqueror. Well, the problem with that is that we really don’t find out enough about them to do that. Hannah and Hinnah are the prime example. They just seem to be mercenaries, but other than that fairly normal. Unlike some of the other of the Seven, their sidequest painted them as potential party members rather than villains.






Thank you.

I wasn’t expecting that to actually work, but I’m not complaining.




Okay, fine, Cyclops clearly wants to come out and play. So why not.






Twin Snowpetal is gone, but Hannah takes her sister’s death personally, and goes into Overdrive.




But five normal attacks, three of which were blocked are still not a threat with her low attack power.




Cyclops!






Oh hey, that one actually hurt a little.




But she can’t hope to keep up with our damage output.




Shouldn’t be much longer now.




Uhh… Hinnah…

With that I reach BR 48.

learned:

• Rejuvenating Water III!
  
• Kiss of Life III!

learned Nimble Double Strike IV!
learned Permafrost III!
learned Dragon Crush!
class changed to Lordly Cleric!







Irina claims Hinnah’s Nightbloom Katana, switching her from the 2H staff to a 1H Katana style. You can deny her the Katana, at which point Emmy claims it, but there’s a really good reason why you want Irina to have it. Which you’ll see in 20-ish or so updates, depending on speed.




Sure, no prob.
So generous! I appreciate it.

Pagus, it’s literally a Pagus-specific Remnant. There’s no one else who could use it even if I denied that request.

Start studying Hexes? Or stick to areas I know? Hmm…
Try something new!
I doubt anyone needs to get any more powerful than I already am, but sure, I’ll give it a shot.

That’s all for this update. Still two more bases to go, but at least things will get more interesting.





New Arts Summary
learned Nimble Moulinet II!
learned:

• Orphic Ward IV!
  
• Rejuvenating Water III!
  
• Kiss of Life III!

learned Dispirit III!
learned Dragon’s Flight!
learned Nimble Blue Streak III!
learned Nimble Double Strike IV!
learned Permafrost III!
learned Dragon Crush!
class changed to Lordly Cleric!



Battlefield: Base 4
BOSS: Hannah the Merciless & Hinnah the Griefbringer



Poll: We are already up to 21 unions defending Base 4. How many unions will we defeat in the battle of Base 6? (Does not count boss battle unions.)

Next Time: Feels like I aged fifty years waitin’ for ya!