Part 42: BF37 – Mountain Bypass - Floodgate

In order to wash out the impregnable Fortress of Ishnad, the Royal Army began their operation to control the floodgates.

Yggdra's unit would attack the main gates in order to hold the Imperial Army's attention, while Milanor and Elena would go quietly through the mountain road behind the fortress to take the floodgates.

Led by Elena and her knowledge of the area, Milanor quietly advanced through the narrow mountain path.







The floodgate is ahead.

Is that it!?



There are two gates: one in front, one in back. For our purposes, they must be opened together.

Alright... How are we going to do this?

I'll take the far gate. I know these roads. Master Milanor, open the front gate on my signal.

Got it. Let's get into place.

Yes, Master Milanor.

…......... ...Uh, can I ask a favor?

What is it?

Quit with this “Master” stuff. I'm just a thief, y'know.

B-But I...

C'mon, you're one of us! You can call me by name.

...I-I see. Well then... Sir Milanor.

Hah... I guess that's better than “Master,” at least. Alright, let's get to it. Be careful out there!

I will!







Milanor doesn't need the stats from the Hoof Shoes, but the mounted-style movement can come in handy, depending on enemy movements.

This mission is fixed to night, and the Demon Tail will max out two of Elena's important stats. Since she'll never be attacked, the Gen loss won't come into play. The Noon=Sleep won't matter, either.

Man, I would've never dreamt up a bypass like this. The Empire sure is prepared...



Turn one is uneventful – just moving to the next waypoints.

The foliage is so dense here. I can't see anything...

The path is kept well-hidden.



Turn two is similar.

Sir Milanor, are you alright?

How much farther is the floodgate?

We're about a third of the way there.

Ugh.. We need to make better time, or Yggdra's sunk.



Turn three, however...

Huh!?





Whoa! You're that Special Forces chick...! You guys were setting up an attack from both sides!?

Tch... They've found us out... We must contact the main force inside the castle. Retreat!

W-Wait! If the guys inside find out, Yggdra's in trouble!

We must catch them!





Master Zilva must be heading for the secret entrance! It's a hidden pathway that our unit uses.

We need to hurry! We're all in trouble if they make it there!





While this would be the time that Zilva and her Special Forces could cause the most damage, they don't actually attack. They try to run away from the start.



And Zilva is what you'd expect by now. Her Infinite Aggressive starts her at Rage each fight. Good for Elena, since she's immune to it, but it gets her close to Bloody Claw very quickly.



I want Elena to win MVP this map, so she'll take care of the Assassins herself. With 6 Luk, she'll probably Crit a few times, and Bloody Claw will take care of the others, hopefully...



Zilva takes the first crit, but still has 5000 morale.





The first Assassin also takes one, and is eliminated. It will be a race to see who can use Bloody Claw first, next round.



Elena barely manages to use it. Two Assassins down.



The final Assassin has no obstacle, though, and hits Elena with Bloody Claw.



Nevertheless, Elena's troops overpower the remaining Assassin.





Next turn, after Zilva tries to retreat further, Elena advances and Milanor runs past everyone. This will give a better position when the next situation comes up.





Crusade doesn't have quite the power behind it to defeat Zilva, but Elena still comes out with a flawless victory.

On Zilva's turn, she continues her retreat.

Dammit! They're too fast. We'll never catch them!



Kylier, is that you!? Where are you!?

Up here! What're you doing in a place like this!?

Kylier! You gotta help us catch those guys! If they get away, Yggdra's in big trouble!

Yggdra...? Is that Princess still yanking your chain!?

Hey, she's not a princess anymore! She's the Queen!

Oh, for crying out loud! You're hopeless!







This time Zilva won't be so lucky.









Ha... I've been beaten...

Master Zilva...!

Your comrades are strong, Elena... Just remember...



…...! Forgive me for betraying the kindness you've shown me... I'll never forget the lessons you taught me, Master Zilva.... ….........

We did it! They'll never see this coming now!

Huh? See what coming?

We're heading for the floodgate up ahead.



Anyways, we've gotta get going.

What are you doing with the floodgate?

Our mission is to save the main force and clear a path.

Huh. I don't think I get it, but sure, I'll tag along...



Elena rushes up to the secret entrance to find an item.



And Milanor reaches his waypoint. Elena reaches it next turn.

Let's split up here.

Okay. You're taking the far gate, right? Will you be alright alone?

Yes. I'll signal when I reach the other side. When you hear it, open the gate up ahead.

Just leave it to me!

There may be guards. Be careful. See you when we're done.



Alright, this is it. Keep quiet...

Pssh... You don't need to remind me.



You see the guards?

Yeah, Let's thrash 'em and take that gate!





Is someone coming...?

Could be the next shift, but stay alert, just in case.

Milanor rushes forward. Kylier can join his union from her position.

Wh-Who are you!?

No time for formal introductions!



The two Undines fall effortlessly. The Knight hangs on, though, due to his Fort GEO bonus.



Next turn Kylier rushes up to lead the union. If the Knight goes down, Milanor has enough movement left to capture the gate.

Youtube – Easy Fight



Whoops! While rare, it is completely possible to totally defeat the enemy on a single charge with a critical hit. It may well be the best thing ever.







Thanks, Kylier. You really came through for us.

No charge. So what now?

As soon as I get the signal, we open this gate.

Huh? Why would you do that?

That's our plan! We're gonna flood the Empire's fortress.

Sir Milanor, now!

There's the signal! Time to open the gate! Damn, this is heavy... Kylier, get back! This could get dangerous!

H-Huh? Why the concern all of a sudden? Yeesh...



Good. I just hope we made it in time...



Loot


Mountain Grapes: We didn't get many Tec UP items, so this will be nice. It will probably go to Yggdra to speed things up.


Carnage Claw: While it started Zilva in Rage, it does nothing for us but use up our gauge automatically, and put us in Aggressive mode. 1 map.

Let's take a look at the old ------- item, shall we?


It's now - -o-ln- -. It'll be a while still before we see what it turns into.

Notes

This level is pretty straightforward, and thanks to Kylier's timely arrival it's very difficult to lose. We get some nice characterization out of Elena, though, which is nice. It's a good level to force an MVP for her, since she'll likely be able to always take out the Assassins on her own, maybe with some item help.