Part 25: Winter Whiplash

Update 19 - Story: Winter Whiplash

Welcome back folks, here's another update for a slow LP day.

Let's get to it anyways, today's should be at least an interesting update, even if I won't have too much to say story-wise. We're starting right into the update since my recordings have a small gap in them, so there's no homeroom today.

Music: Spring in Lanseal


Sorry, Anisette, it's actually not your update today. It's actually someone else, someone on the original Team Anime.







: Well, I use a... A metallic object for a pillow.
: It's cool to the touch, and quite relaxing.
: A metal pillow? How curious.
: And you, Coleen? Any suggestions?

Yes, Marion uses her guns as pillows. I believe this event shows regardless if you've seen her story or not, but it won't make any real sense unless you see both Franca, Coleen, and Marion's stories.


: Last time it only took to about 20,000 porcavians to fall asleep.
: That... isn't much of an endorsement.

Porcavians are, uh, winged pigs. I almost entirely forgot they existed in this game world. Last update explains why Coleen struggles to get sleep.



I can't get any sleep anymore, and I hate sleeping in general. Unfortunately I'm plagued by nightmares constantly and I rarely get a night where they leave me the hell alone. It's probably why I get cranky easy.

That being said, let's move on.

~* Hallway - Mischlitt's Third Event *~

|Listen to the voice acting here|

Music: Everyday Life of the Class




: Ugh, a dark hair? Now I gotta go shower to get the stink off me.
: Um...

: It's 'cause of creepy dark-hairs like you the rebels are fighting us.


: Louvere? Are you certain?!

: What, planning to run off and save your kind? Hmph, good luck!

: No sane person is going to risk their necks for some dark-hairs.


: Rgh...!





: P-please, I... I need to ask you all for a large favor.

Music: None


: My family and some of my dearest friends still live there...
: I want to keep them safe.
: But I... I can't do that alone.


: Please... please, I...
: Please... help me. I beg you.

Music: Theme of Class G


: You're our squad mate. Of course we'll help. Right, guys?
: Right! We'll do whatever we can, Mischlitt!
: Yeah! It's, like, all for one and one for the rest or whatever.
: W-we'll all work together!
: Tch... Sounds like a drag to me.


: Yeah, whatever.






Yep, the game's back to being grim again. Still as whiplashy as ever. Well, let's get to the mission then.

--

Update 19 - Combat: Winter Whiplash





This one is going to be a bit of a challenge to do so early, especially given we don't have the heater for the tank yet. Diebal Mountains is a snow area we're normally supposed to see in an in-game month or two and comes with the nasty effect that any downed units only have a short amount of time to be recovered before being hospitalized. Luckily, it's not snowstorm- that's much worse.

Rudolf's going to be putting in a lot of work here, so we'll get with it.

Player Turn Music: Snowfield Battle
Enemy Turn Music: Return Battle



: "I'm rolling out!"

Wasting no time, I'm going to construct this ladder behind me.


They never explain how the heck this works. Either way, I'm not concerned as this will let me get behind the enemy for this round.


There's no use in not taking this shot- Rudolf's going to have to go the slow way around anwyays. There's a pile of ice here that I can't break with my current model of tank that prevents any of my characters from going forward.


Eyeballing it between the flag's movement, I take the shot and somehow it works out.


They force deployed Zeri on this map, and although I'll use him in order to be story appropriate, that won't be right now. I send him back and bring out Coleen instead.


Going up the ladder here gets her behind their tank in a much easier position than Rudolf would have. (This is despite the fact that Rudolf could probably one shot the thing from the front.)


Just up the hill from the ice is more ice blocking a quick way to the flag. Enemies will shoot past this, which defines the main aspect of Diebal Mountains- a lack of cover.



damnit



There we go. You may note that being a model B tank- that's the model I really need for Rudolf. It's relatively broken as it reduces the CP cost of acting back to 1. This means your tank is no longer a CP hog, and it transforms your tank into a ridiculously overpowered and highly mobile unit when combined with the captured AA gatling turret we're using.


Allied Radio: "-sha! That's a relief!"

Coleen's not done just yet, even though her AP is giving out on her.


I send in Avan as backup because he's here.



He doesn't get far.


Coleen just barely makes it to the sandbag outside the flag as I start aiming. The tank was probably a half-second from having its gatling gun trained on her.


But, from here, it's not that hard to get rid of it



Avan takes out the fencer as he moves up.


Everyone is really out of AP now, as it took me another move on Avan just to get here.


No holiday cheer for this guy.


Avan, basically at a crawl now, manages to get the flag.


Well, let's hope one of them survives.


This trooper goes for Coleen but misses most of his shots. Given the defense boost from crouching, she's not taking much anyways.


Oh. Great. Reinforcements.


...Huh. All they did was move a few troopers up into sight but not into shot range.


: "Moving out!"



I run him past a hail of bullets and then point-blank the guy next to him. He triggered Close Combat, and it really came in handy.


: "Nothing to get riled about."

Actually, he's just triggering all sorts of potentials.



I set Mischlitt to try and take out both of these troopers, but her damage is insufficient. Either she needs to start triggering more potentials, or she really needs into the fencer class.


Another CP is used to down them.


Could you trigger Genius, please? You don't even take enough damage to warrant an HP recover.


For no particular reason, I send Coleen to get the flag. When the bullets start hitting her side, that's when they start hurting.



Just a bit of teamwork action.


Hey, look, max morale. And it's only the first map out of 3.

(Yes, we have to clear out all the enemies. Don't you just love hide and seek?)


With 3 CP left for the round, I don't have much more time to push forward. I re-place Rudolf here at area 3 to hold it.


??? Radio: "Enemy attack! All units, prepare to engage!"

Sheesh, calm down. I'm just building a ladder.




Okay, maybe I am shooting your dudes.


Since the tank has that place mostly handled, I send in Avan by himself to take this zone. He's tanky enough with his godawful amount of HP that it should be fine.


Get off my sandbags.


Avan, but you're going to need to stare down this tank and survive. Good luck, we're all counting on you.

(He's probably the only unit that can, really. Also we're not really counting on him that much.)


Do your worst, Rebels.


...Huh. They must have heard me.


This is a neat picture. I didn't think the shell was even modeled, even if it's basically nothing.


Ouch.


They're now starting to move in all their fencers and reinforcements.


When they're done sending half their army to attack one man, they challenge Rudolf to a tank duel.

You will regret this, enemy AI.


I know this guy regrets trying to go down the ladder that has the tank gatling trained on it.


My turn again. First, I have to answer this drop of the dueling glove.



Don't attack Rudolf with your wimpy cannons.


Man, Lavinia's just the best sometimes.


Operative word being "sometimes". Then again, I can't fault you for not hitting that shot- it was nearly impossible.


Zeri and Avan are already on the field, and Marion's not direly needed, so I send in Franca off the reserve list.

Why not Anisette? Well, I already triggered her third event, so her mission will be next update.



There's a bit of manuevering involved, but I get her to clear this dude off the base.


mine


Aha! My plan is now in motion! Avan was but a distraction, you've been exposed, Rebels!

...Wait, that doesn't sound right.


Well, this is a risky shot. Can we make it past the sandbags?


damnit

Lancaar, why can't you fix this accuracy problem?


Goin' for it again.


: "Yeah!"

Yep, that's what I wanted to see.




The damage still isn't enough.




I don't know why I'm repairing this- I'm just going to break it again anyways.



...Or not. Past me was more concerned about getting Avan secure defensively. This is probably going to backfire on me.


...Or not?

What precisely are you trying to do, past self?


The enemy turn starts by failing to attack Coleen, then moving a fencer in her direction. Then this guy walks straight through a sand bag in order to get to Avan.


...And then vaults across it in the opposite direction?




And somehow he still makes it to Avan. I call cheating, as Fencers have 100 less AP than even normal AT's. They don't move that far.


Ow.


...Well, this isn't going to go well.


Miraculously, she survives.


Then suddenly, a tank.


Sorry about that, Mischlitt.


Franca shoots a dude, then it's my turn.



She takes down the trooper.



Then gets revenge on the tank.


Sofia comes in, and distracts the fencer that attacked Avan. She's just close enough to trigger a double attack with Avan, so he unloads his gun into this dude's side.


It manages to work, somehow.



He takes out the fencer that attacked Coleen...


And then they take out the last fencer.



This was the last guy on the map. He'd moved up last round from whatever hiding place he had.

Allied Radio: "Don't let them escape!"


Woo. That took way too long.


This is a significantly better payoff than any other mission we've had, though Marion's is still better for farming.


Still basically just a giant pile of junk.


Credits for everybody!

--



Music: Days With Classmates



This isn't voice acted. Her story is one of the few that's voiced on the third event and not the fourth.


: I had convinced myself of the impossibility of being friends with non-Darcsens.
: That led me to avoid all contact unconsciously.


: Well, good! You see? I told you we're on your side.
: I will not give up on others so easily again.



...Well, we were kind of already doing that.


: Avan, would you... I would like for you to have this.


: Tradition holds that it protects the bearer from harm and misfortune.
: We Darcsens give these to our closest friends.



: Thank you, Avan.
: Hey, no, thank you!


: They're waiting to hear the good news from you!


--


Well that was nice. Avan wasn't a complete jerk this time, so that's something. It takes zero time at all for that to change, unfortunately.




Thaw...Thaw is kind of useless. As mentioned before, status effects are pretty much not worth it, but Mischlitt's Genius still makes up for this being rather meh.


Here's her entry in the yearbook.

....And that's it for this update! This was just as long as some of the older ones, which I find surprising.

Next update will be Anisette's story, the one after that will be Coleen's story, and then after that will be the final mission for this month where we finally see some plot.

See you then, I suppose.


-------------------



Thanks, this game has put a lot of stress on me and I really started feeling it there for a while. For some reason, being exhausted and sleepy acts makes me lose my inhibitions and I get really emotional.

Kind of embarrassing actually, but I'll live with it.