Part 10: Chapter 2 [Hroethe Walk] (4)

Before the next fight, we give Wylfred the Flame Pallasch, and Lockswell the Infinity Rod and Magic Bangle. Check out that MAG!





Earnest... is not coming.

What the captain here means to say is, he's dead. 'Twas a sickening sight, if e're I saw one...

My gods, what happened?

The captain here killed him in cold blood. Ya should've seen the gush of red that came out o' that boy!



We were never with you.

You came to us as allies, bearing provisions to help free us from Artolian oppression! We trusted you!

Your trust was... misplaced.

Then you'll have my wrath! Draw your weapons!



This is what I came for!







No surprises here. Sausage fest, go!





A surprisingly lax Sin quota compared to the last fight. We need only 400 Sin for the best rewards and there are seven enemies on the map, including Natalia herself. Enemies have upgraded stats but it's really not that hard to get maximum Sin, especially with a third Soul Crush available now.



The purple water is actually poisonous - units that end their turn while standing in it get Poisoned. Not really that big of a deal if you have to do it really.

Now, this battle isn't really that difficult. But...





We wouldn't want to have Lockswell grieving after his daughter for too long, do we?



Vidar, the god of vengeance.

In contrast to his daughter's, Lockswell's skill is... situational, at best. It silences most non-leader enemies for five turns (Natalia is one of those that will be affected), preventing them from casting any spells, and in the case of Sorcerors, disabling their offensive repertoire completely. It's not terrible, but you'll be engaging in melee most of the time and it doesn't work on Bosses, so Lockswell is a pretty poor sacrifice, all things considered.




What is this power?




The Sorceror has access to a spell we haven't seen yet - Lightning Bolt. It's stronger than Frigid Damsel, but it knocks enemies back instead of down and has a 10% chance of Paralysis. We can't cure Paralysis with items except for Elxirs yet, so the Sorcerors would actually be pretty dangerous if we hadn't just castrated them.





There's some nice EXP to be gained here, too.





The Lancers have more health as compared to the last map, but they're a bit easier to deal with if you've got the upgrades from the previous map. Unless you failed to meet the Sin quota Wylfred will always have the Falchion at least, which should significantly increase his damage.



One note about Sin gathering is that an attack that kills the enemy can't contribute to the Sin gauge at all. If we gave Lockswell Fire Storm, he'd be pretty poor at gathering Sin since his attack will just kill the enemy despite it being enough damage five times over. Frigid Damsel, though, is a two-hit attack, so one hit kills them, then the second Overkills them for the juicy Sin.



The two other Sorcerors and the other Lancer start to move forward. Natalia and her last lackey are hanging back for now.



Gwendal makes a decent tank, actually. Wylfred's usually the better choice for baiting enemies due to his better Movement and Vali's Awakening, though.





The Lancers have a chance to drop this new Technique. Grave Blessing improves the user's stats in proportion to how many allies are downed. It's almost never worth having allies dead, so this technique is useless.



I can't wait till we can customize Gwendal's equipment. He's going to murder plenty of faces.



Hey, I finally remember Razor's Edge. Kinda useless in this scenario, but...



Lockswell Soul Crush (Frigid Damsel)

Sorcerors' Soul Crushes differ based on their equipped spell, with slightly differing properties. Tidal Wave is actually on the lower end of the Sorceror Soul Crushes, but Frigid Damsel is useful enough that it doesn't matter much.



Crystals really start paying off once enemies start giving out more EXP.




Natalia and the Pickpocket are Rogues. Rogues have a massive movement of 5, however, they can only attack the panels directly above, below or to the left or right of them - they can't attack or counterattack diagonally. This actually makes them very easy to exploit, and if you don't need to fill up the Attack gauge as quickly then it's safer to just strike them diagonally and leave them unable to do anything about it. Rogues have excellent AVD and RST, but poor HP, ATK and only mediocre RDM.

The Pickpocket also has access to the Sap Power spell (one of the many occasions we'll see non-Sorceror enemies with spells), but they don't get a chance to pull it out.



Not that it quite matters here.




Natalia moves in. She has three attacks and a slight resistance to Ice (so Frigid Damsel and Tidal Wave). She does have her own unique Soul Crush, but for some reason she never pulled it off against me.





I won't be gentle.



Natalia doesn't really hit very hard, actually. With Heal and possibly a Guard Reinforce you can reasonably take anything she throws at you.



Hey, she survived a hit! Let's give her a hand, folks.



Enemies will try to run away when they're low on health... not that it does her any good in this case.





Sweet, check out that moolah.



The Treasure Hunter is an accessory that reveals any hidden items on the map as sparkling dots, if there are any. When a unit ends their turn on a hidden item,, they pick it up. Fairly simple. We don't really have many good accessories so this'll just go on a random mook till we get something better.



Two Flare Crystals are the base reward, along with the Martyr's Cry tactic, which acts like a group version of Provoke. More useful than Evanescence but you still usually have better things to do with AP. The Golden Egg is the mid-tier reward, as well as the Prime Elixir, which heals all status effects and restores 50% HP to one unit. Top-tier rewards are, as always, pretty good. The Rune Crown is a good upgrade for Sorcerors, with the best MAG boost in the game for crowns (20), along with 30 RST and RDM. The Crescent Bow would have been fantastic for Cheripha if we still had her - 52 ATK, 3 attacks, 20% Lightning elemental, and Soul Crush enabled. Alas, it is not to be for her... or for Lockswell.


---



I am grateful to die outside of the shadows... I thank you, Sir Wylfred.



I'd have had this one at the normal size if it wasn't for the rain adding unnecessary movement to the gif.

---



...

Aaagh, cheer up, won't ya? Ya could at least be glad it's over.

Yes, over.

It is all.... -over-.





Let me die... let it be done...

I've spilt the blood of the only friend I've ever known.



...

Yer not making any sense. If that's how ya felt, why didn't ya just ignore the orders?

There is no why - orders are absolute. One cannot choose what orders to obey and which to not.

But why the assassination in the first place?

It was to appear the work of Artolia's men, and rattle the legs out from under the Artolian throne amid the ascension dispute.

Such an underhanded end to the serf rebellion will fan flames of outrage in the peasantry, and elicit cries of oppression.

So Villnore fed the rebels with one hand and stabbed 'em with the other. Crowns work evil men could never.

But ya can't argue with success. This'll mean a knighting for you and a king's ransom for us, no doubt.

There is no coin.



You can practically hear the gears screeching to a halt in Gwendal's head here.

My orders were to silence any who witnessed what transpired here, including my own men. You were to be killed, not paid.

You'll pay me with your limbs!

Hold!

What are ya stopping me for? You're out as much as I am!

Let him, Wylfred. It is what I deserve.

But not what we deserve. I won't grant clemency so easily.



Over time you might even make amends, and put this behind you.

And what if he tries to put us behind him?



Aye, indeed. You're a keener one than I pegged you for, boy.

With your consent, Captain.





(...And your sins are not so easily escaped...)