Part 68: Chapter 5A (3)

One last time on the world map to do any shopping.



Langrey is to be taken alive. I warn you - his death will mean your own!



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Heugoe sits this one out as Ushio tags back in.





Similar to its equivalent fight on the B path - the monsters are closer and the leader is a Warrior instead of a Sorcerer, but that's it.



First job on the list is to Suspend the Golem.



The Greater Daemon is the most dangerous enemy on the map, so it gets Suspended as well.



I switch Fauxnel to Lightning Bolt here, since Villnorean units are weak to Lightning. Sacred Javelin would do the job just as well, since the Greater Daemon is also weak to Holy.



I-I fear you overstay your welcome!



The Greater Daemon is actually pretty easy to get max Sin from if you weaken it down first while it's hapless.



The Sorcerers pack Sacred Javelin, so you might want to take them out to avoid Stun. They'll likely spend quite a few turns running around throwing Guard Reinforces though.



A Swordswoman goes down as well.



I actually have most of the party well prepared for the Sorcerers. Wylfred has the Mirror Plate and I've taught him Reduce Magic, which cuts Holy damage down to a quarter. Mireille has the Tiara of the Holy Empress, and Ushio is using the Omnicheck + Defiance, which cuts all damage by half and immunizes him from status effects.





I don't know how weak the Villnoreans are to Lightning. There's no real need to replace Sacred Javelin though since it's not too hard to get max Sin on the humans.



More enemies, more dying.



Defiance is a great way to halve damage, but the consequences (reduced blocking rate, evasion and increased chances of status effects) aren't really welcome. Omnicheck removes the worst aspect of it, giving that character much better survivability.



The leader's coming in, so we Suspend him while we clean up.









The first of three battles, finished.





200% is for those using females; the Empress Coronet and Cloak of Brittania are both nice armour upgrades for them. Ether Greaves are good for Wylfred, Gwendal or Mischka get the Caliburn, and we get another two Expert's Experiences.

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We'll go back to our standard for the next fight.





Like the B route equivalent, lots of enemies coming at you from multiple directions. There are fewer enemies, but tougher ones - there's an Opinicus here as well as two Noble Vampires. You want 200% Sin here, too.



Lizard Lords, while easy to kill, hit very hard, so you'll want to take them out quickly if possible to avoid damage piling up on you. They're the closest the game gets to throwing Samurai at you, as they have the same movement and attack range.





It'll have to do.



If you're using a Sorcerer, you'll want to Suspend Motion both Noble Vampires, if possible. However while they hit hard, they don't really get gems, so if you're worried about getting surrounded the Lizard Lords are a bigger threat.



They both know Suspend Motion, however. There are also quite a few Sorcerers here and the leader is one too, so keep Reduce Magic around if you had it from the last fight.



The Sorcerers love to use all their AP on Reflect Sorcery or Guard Reinforce. It's one reason why Fauxnel isn't in the party, though being able to Suspend Motion would have been really nice.



We whittle the Vampire down a little. It gets a hard hit on Heugoe, but First Aid helps recuperate some of it.





Defiance doesn't make you immortal though, and Ushio gets a death from the Opinicus.





The Sorcerers also like to employ Sap Power and Sap Guard. They still use Sacred Javelin from the last fight.



Heugoe's on low health, but hitting the Vampire from behind fazes it and saves him from a nasty retaliation.



Saving attacks helps in getting a fourth Soul Crush off.



Triple hit count!



A combination of the two Sorcerers, two Noble Vampires and the Opinicus can very quickly whittle your party down, so your objective should be to eliminate or neuter as many of them as possible in a short amount of time.



And we do it again!



I have Wyl pop Vali's here; this is really the most dangerous bit and you don't want to not get enough Sin here and re-do the first fight again. The Opinicus can be quite tough to get max Sin from.







The Opinicus fails to properly hurt a buffed up Wyl.



Then we just clean up, then Dash towards the back where the leader is waiting.



Keep doing that! That'll definitely help.

The leader is a powerful Sorcerer with Dark Savior and Meteor Swarm.



Not that he gets a chance to do any of that.





You get a second Magic Bangle here - useful if you want to use both Sorcerers, or if you missed the one back in Chapter II. The Caduceus is picked up here, which is why you want to get 200% Sin. Also on the 200% Sin list is Ushio's best weapon - the Kanesada has 140 ATK, three attacks, and has a 30% Fire bonus. Excellent way to get Ushio back on track for his great damage, even if it means having to use Steelwing again.

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Curse age all you please, for you are naught but a wanton child. The people will not unite under a reign of terror!

What knows a coward from the crown? Power has ruled since the dawn of time. Now is no different.

You worship the agent of your ruin. I must save you from yourself.





Fauxnel comes back, Mireille takes her break.





Once again, this battle is similar to the B route - long battle and the battlefield is split into four areas, with a slight chance in the enemies here. Sin is relatively easy to meet 200%, so you don't really have to focs on it.



Instead of a Noble Vampire, the first area now has a Mithril Golem, which is unique to this battle. Aside from higher health and stats, it's functionally identical to other Golems.



And instead of having two Souls of Tears, the second area has two Noble Vampires accompanying the Red Dragon. The map is otherwise the same. So let's get rolling.



The first part's easy - Suspend Motion quickly puts the Golem out of commission.



Faunxel switches to Frigid Damsel - the Red Dragon is weak to Ice and Langrey resists both Holy and Dark. The Opinicus in the third area resists Ice, but is less of a danger than the other two.



The first area is cleared.



We move to the second area and the enemies waste no time.



The Noble Vampires hit hard, but unless their first attacks kill you or if other enemies faze you, they can't kill you, due to their draining attack being gravity-based.



I was confused by this screenshot til I went back and checked my recording - apparently there's a Noble Vampire hiding behind the Red Dragon in this screenshot.

Ushio lived, anyway. Defiance is really crazy good sometimes.



The Red Dragon is immune to Suspend Motion, by the way (as I found out myself.) So use your AP to either Suspend the Noble Vampires or buff the party.



One Vampire down.



Second one follows in rapid succession.



Neuter it down, surround, and kill. You don't really have to try to get max Sin from it, there are plenty more enemies to do that from if you've been doing well on the previous three enemies.





We'll just have to make do with this. Second area cleared.



We move everyone into the third area, with an Opinicus and a trio of Suspend Sorcery-happy Sorcerers. One of them tries to Suspend Motion, which is funny, since Ushio's immune to it due to Omnicheck, and he's so low on health the Opinicus finishes him off in the same turn anyway.



But don't mind if we return the favour.



We quickly clear this area and move onto the last one.



At this point I'd only just realized that I'd forgotten to equip the Caduceus onto Fauxnel. Whoops! Fixing that.



The last enemy before Langrey is the Spectal Knight.

Now that Fauxnel has his super MAG stat thanks to the Caduceus, we can start using him for huge damage.



Blockblockblock. At least you guys get to see Guard Break.





We go for Langrey. He's exactly the same as in the B route, so no surprises here.





A Vali's Awakening, Might Reinforced Wylfred has close to 2000 ATK. It's scary.













Goodbye, Langrey.





More Expert's Experiences aside (we have 11 now), some end-game equipment. Cheripha gets her final upgrade with the Blue Gale, while Gwendal and Mischka get the Arectaris. If you're using none of them you don't need 200% Sin, but it's easy to get anyway. We get the Slyph Robe for 150% Sin; we haven't been able to use it in the previous two routes since it's for male Sorcerers only - 350 RDM and a 90% Darkness resistance makes it the best defensive tool for the main game, though. Someone had to throw Lockswell a bone!

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Then I'll have you dead, old fool!



UOUGH!



Stand down. No matter what becomes of me, Langrey is not to be harmed. Take him at once.



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Lord Roienburg, it is hard to believe the wounds alone could steal such color from your flesh...

Aye, the wounds are not alone. I waged this battle knowing victory and defeat aside, it would be my last.

...You have been ill all along.



The fool! Why would he do such a thing!? What of Kristoff, is he safe?

Long has Prince Langrey cloistered himself in his chamber to mourn the war dead. One can only assume it was an act of contrition.

Prince Kristoff is yet unaware. What would Your Lordship have us do?



Your Lordship! I shall summon a healer at once!

Do no such thing. You are dismissed.

Your Lordship, I must-

I tell you, I need no cure! Begone!

As you command...



Perhaps to them, my departure was a sort of betrayal. Had I only remained to raise them, none of this would have come to pass.

That you cannot know. You followed the path you deemed best.

And in the end, Artolia remains a kingdom this day. You need voice no regret.

Perhaps, lad, perhaps. OUGH-HOUGH!

Your Lordship's life is in danger. We must act quickly...



You are certain, Lord Roienburg?

It seems a fitting end. I was wrong to turn my back on the princes... I must now suffer the consequences.

...Wylfred, someday...you...shall...

Thud.