Writing Athena Plays Fire Emblem: Binding Blade - Next Playthrough Starting Soon!
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Chapter 14x: Disappearing Platforms
Moving quickly, we followed Silver through Arcadia to the location of the Nabata Shrine where the legendary weapon was kept. Hopefully we would be able to reach it before the soldiers from Bern could get their filthy paws all over it.
Meanwhile, with thebandits Bern soldiers.
We finally made it through the temple and down a long, winding set of stairs towards the basement of the shrine. It was a long open area filled with.... water?
We began to make our way down the first path and were immediately assaulted by enemy soldiers, most of them wyvern riders or pirates. It's almost as if Bern foresaw that there would be a giant map full of water down here and they were fully prepared for it. Skyleaf and Brave took to the water to fend them off as best as possible while the rest of us headed south and around.
However, we found ourselves in trouble rather quickly, and not from enemies, from the water itself. While at first the disappearing walkways were only a minor nuisance, it wasn't long before entire platforms disappeared, stranding multiple units at various places in the map, and generally pissing everyone off. Keeper and Green were stuck on one platform in the middle of nowhere and ended up having a short conversation:
Athena and Brave also had a chance to sit down and have a chat while waiting for the water levels to even out.
Eventually the platforms restored enough that we were able to get to the center section with the alter and the boss. Skyleaf, Jabber, and Silver all worked together to take him out, and Silver showed Green where the legendary weapon was stored.
That business concluded, we made our way back out of the temple and up to the surface, only to be confronted by an old dude.
<Green> Wait, Bern soldiers? You mean this is a legendary weapon gaiden where we're not fighting bandits?
<Athena> Shocking, I know.
<Vom> Not that it amounts to anything in the end. They're still trying to beat us to the treasure, and we'll kill them just the same.
<Jabber> But at least it's a bit, you know, more in line with the plot.
<Silver> Guys, stop breaking the 4th wall, we need to hurry!
<Athena> Shocking, I know.
<Vom> Not that it amounts to anything in the end. They're still trying to beat us to the treasure, and we'll kill them just the same.
<Jabber> But at least it's a bit, you know, more in line with the plot.
<Silver> Guys, stop breaking the 4th wall, we need to hurry!
Meanwhile, with the
<SageBoss> Oh, come on, you guys still haven't found the legendary weapon yet? >_<
<Soldier> Nope. We've looked in all the corners, behind all the curtains, and even under the couch.
<SageBoss> What about the closets? Have you check all the closets?
<Soldier> From top to bottom, sir. Twice.
<SageBoss> Do you have any leads at all?
<Soldier> Well, there's the super huge, fancy, ornate altar that it could maybe be inside, but no one can figure out how to open it.
<SageBoss> *sigh* Have you not thought to, I dunno, break it open? You have weapons, don't you?
<Soldier> But it looks so nice and pretty, it would be a shame to--
<SageBoss> JUST DO IT! >_<
<Soldier> Uh, yessir. However, it seems the Lycian Army is upon us and the men are preparing for battle. I'm not sure if we have the manpower to--
<SageBoss> God, do you really need me to tell you everything? Kill the Lycians first, then we can devote our efforts to opening that stupid altar. Go on, shoo, I'll stay here and protect it.
<Soldier> Nope. We've looked in all the corners, behind all the curtains, and even under the couch.
<SageBoss> What about the closets? Have you check all the closets?
<Soldier> From top to bottom, sir. Twice.
<SageBoss> Do you have any leads at all?
<Soldier> Well, there's the super huge, fancy, ornate altar that it could maybe be inside, but no one can figure out how to open it.
<SageBoss> *sigh* Have you not thought to, I dunno, break it open? You have weapons, don't you?
<Soldier> But it looks so nice and pretty, it would be a shame to--
<SageBoss> JUST DO IT! >_<
<Soldier> Uh, yessir. However, it seems the Lycian Army is upon us and the men are preparing for battle. I'm not sure if we have the manpower to--
<SageBoss> God, do you really need me to tell you everything? Kill the Lycians first, then we can devote our efforts to opening that stupid altar. Go on, shoo, I'll stay here and protect it.
We finally made it through the temple and down a long, winding set of stairs towards the basement of the shrine. It was a long open area filled with.... water?
<Green> Why is there a bunch of water underneath the desert? o_o;
<Silver> Yes, there's lots of ground water here, which is how Arcadia has managed to survive over the last thousand years or so.
<Brave> That's pretty cool... but how did you know it was here to build Arcadia in the first place?
<Silver> Archsage Athos was the one who led us here. He was also the one who hid the legendary weapon here.
<Skyleaf> It does make a certain amount of sense to hide a legendary weapon in a hidden village.
<Silver> Oh, and that's not all, this room has some traps, too. Some of the pathways will sink into the water at various intervals, so be careful!
<Silver> Yes, there's lots of ground water here, which is how Arcadia has managed to survive over the last thousand years or so.
<Brave> That's pretty cool... but how did you know it was here to build Arcadia in the first place?
<Silver> Archsage Athos was the one who led us here. He was also the one who hid the legendary weapon here.
<Skyleaf> It does make a certain amount of sense to hide a legendary weapon in a hidden village.
<Silver> Oh, and that's not all, this room has some traps, too. Some of the pathways will sink into the water at various intervals, so be careful!
We began to make our way down the first path and were immediately assaulted by enemy soldiers, most of them wyvern riders or pirates. It's almost as if Bern foresaw that there would be a giant map full of water down here and they were fully prepared for it. Skyleaf and Brave took to the water to fend them off as best as possible while the rest of us headed south and around.
However, we found ourselves in trouble rather quickly, and not from enemies, from the water itself. While at first the disappearing walkways were only a minor nuisance, it wasn't long before entire platforms disappeared, stranding multiple units at various places in the map, and generally pissing everyone off. Keeper and Green were stuck on one platform in the middle of nowhere and ended up having a short conversation:
<Keeper> So, Lord Green, since we're here alone and all... want to see my new dance?
<Green> Kay.
<Keeper> *dances*
<Green> That's a very nice dance!
<Keeper> That's it?
<Green> Huh?
<Keeper> You're not going to tell me how lovely I look or anything?
<Green> Well, I, uh, I think I'm going to go over there...
<Keeper> But there's nothing over there but water!
<Green> ... ... ... >_>
<Green> Kay.
<Keeper> *dances*
<Green> That's a very nice dance!
<Keeper> That's it?
<Green> Huh?
<Keeper> You're not going to tell me how lovely I look or anything?
<Green> Well, I, uh, I think I'm going to go over there...
<Keeper> But there's nothing over there but water!
<Green> ... ... ... >_>
Athena and Brave also had a chance to sit down and have a chat while waiting for the water levels to even out.
<Brave> Hey, Athena, I got a present for you.
<Athena> Oh, that's such a beautiful flower. How sweet of you!
<Brave> I found it growing in a vase on the other side of the temple, I thought you'd like it.
<Athena> Thank you very much!
<Brave> Huh?
<Athena> Huh what? o.o;
<Brave> What does that mean, "thank you"?
<Athena> It means, uh, that I like the gift you gave me and I'm happy you did so. What, has no one ever thanked you before?
<Brave> Well... thank you for saying thank you to me.
<Athena> Oh, that's such a beautiful flower. How sweet of you!
<Brave> I found it growing in a vase on the other side of the temple, I thought you'd like it.
<Athena> Thank you very much!
<Brave> Huh?
<Athena> Huh what? o.o;
<Brave> What does that mean, "thank you"?
<Athena> It means, uh, that I like the gift you gave me and I'm happy you did so. What, has no one ever thanked you before?
<Brave> Well... thank you for saying thank you to me.
Eventually the platforms restored enough that we were able to get to the center section with the alter and the boss. Skyleaf, Jabber, and Silver all worked together to take him out, and Silver showed Green where the legendary weapon was stored.
<Silver> It's right here inside this altar. *knocks on it*
<Green> Great! But, uh... how are you supposed to open it? o_o;
<Silver> Oh, yeah, right, well, only someone from Arcadia can open it. *magics* Here you go.
<Green> Sweet! This is a fire tome of some kind?
<Silver> Yep, Forblaze. It was used by Archsage Athos himself.
<Green> Great! But, uh... how are you supposed to open it? o_o;
<Silver> Oh, yeah, right, well, only someone from Arcadia can open it. *magics* Here you go.
<Green> Sweet! This is a fire tome of some kind?
<Silver> Yep, Forblaze. It was used by Archsage Athos himself.
That business concluded, we made our way back out of the temple and up to the surface, only to be confronted by an old dude.
<Elder> You there! What are you doing? Get off my lawn!
<Green> Ummm... *mutters* There's no lawn here this is just sand. >_>
<Silver> Oh, hello elder. I brought these people here, they're cool.
<Elder> Oh, well, that's fine then. Pleased to meet you fellows. I'm the elder.
<TGK> Are you a dragon? :O
<Celever> TGK, you can't just ask people if they're a dragon... -_-;
<Elder> Well... I guess you could say I used to be a dragon.
<Skyleaf> Used to be?
<Elder> Well, I got better.
<Everyone> o_o;
<Elder> Anyway, the only real dragon we have around these parts anymore is little SM.
<SM> *enters with Igrene* 'Sup?
<DNA> Awww... it's such a cute tiny dragon girl. :3
<Elder> Yeah, she's definitely not matured, but she's a dragon alright.
<Green> I don't suppose you would happen to know anything about the dragons working with Bern, would you?
<Elder> Huh? Dragons working with Bern? Heavens no! There aren't even any more dragons outside of Arcadia at all!
<Athena> I suppose then that the ones that we killed that were sent again us by Bern were just puppets then?
<Igrene> Silver said that she sensed an evil force coming from the Bern forces... that must have been those dragons.
<TGK> You mean Silver can detect dragons? That's so cool!
<Silver> Well, I am half-dragon, you know. So I can sense their auras and stuff. And the auras coming from the Bern forces are... well, really rank and twisted and ugh.
<Igrene> Indeed. I'd like to join you to help investigate the matter, if I may.
<Green> Sure, wynaut.
<SM> Me too!
<Elder> lolno
<SM> Awww.... :< *mumbles* I guess I'll have to be sneaky about it then.
<Igrene> What was that dear?
<SM> Nothing.... :3
<Green> Ummm... *mutters* There's no lawn here this is just sand. >_>
<Silver> Oh, hello elder. I brought these people here, they're cool.
<Elder> Oh, well, that's fine then. Pleased to meet you fellows. I'm the elder.
<TGK> Are you a dragon? :O
<Celever> TGK, you can't just ask people if they're a dragon... -_-;
<Elder> Well... I guess you could say I used to be a dragon.
<Skyleaf> Used to be?
<Elder> Well, I got better.
<Everyone> o_o;
<Elder> Anyway, the only real dragon we have around these parts anymore is little SM.
<SM> *enters with Igrene* 'Sup?
<DNA> Awww... it's such a cute tiny dragon girl. :3
<Elder> Yeah, she's definitely not matured, but she's a dragon alright.
<Green> I don't suppose you would happen to know anything about the dragons working with Bern, would you?
<Elder> Huh? Dragons working with Bern? Heavens no! There aren't even any more dragons outside of Arcadia at all!
<Athena> I suppose then that the ones that we killed that were sent again us by Bern were just puppets then?
<Igrene> Silver said that she sensed an evil force coming from the Bern forces... that must have been those dragons.
<TGK> You mean Silver can detect dragons? That's so cool!
<Silver> Well, I am half-dragon, you know. So I can sense their auras and stuff. And the auras coming from the Bern forces are... well, really rank and twisted and ugh.
<Igrene> Indeed. I'd like to join you to help investigate the matter, if I may.
<Green> Sure, wynaut.
<SM> Me too!
<Elder> lolno
<SM> Awww.... :< *mumbles* I guess I'll have to be sneaky about it then.
<Igrene> What was that dear?
<SM> Nothing.... :3
Current Team!Lord Green - Lv. 20 Lord
DNA - Lv. 5 Paladin
Jabber - Lv. 7 Paladin
TGK - Lv. 20 Mage
Vom - Lv. 4 Swordmaster
Celever - Lv. 8 Bishop
Athena - Lv. 3 Sage
Brave - Lv. 4 Berserker
Skyleaf - Lv. 6 Wyvern Lord
Silver - Lv. 13 Shaman
BB - Lv. 20 Thief
Keeper - Lv. 13 Dancer
Player Notes
Ohgod, was this an annoying chapter. >_< The disappearing walkways really can screw you over, and with only one flyer, it's hard to get around and accomplish things. I'm also still trying to level Silver, which is difficult when she gets one-shot by almost everything and only has a 50~60% chance to hit anything.
I don't even know how many rounds it took, but we did manage to survive, and Silver got quite a few levels out of the bargain, too. She's progressing well, but still super fragile.
We also were finally able to get a couple of support convos in for Brave/Athena and Keeper/Green. The original Keeper/Green convo was... very annoying and awful; I kind of toned it down a bit here. Brave/Athena's convo was also altered a decent amount because in-game text has Brave talking with super broken English which I don't like so I re-write him to sound more normal.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter we'll get back to the main progression of things.
You fools! Everyone knows you're supposed to look behind the waterfall!
You're actually supposed to meditate under the waterfall! That's a must do for training and leveling up! That is why I gained so many levels!
Maybe I spend too much time at sites like 4Chan and 9GAG but these lines look definitely like meme references to me:
Not going to be an update today, I'm afraid. Simply too much stuff going on this morning, and I have Cipher cards to open and photograph and an SM episode review to finish up, too, this afternoon.
Also, thanks to the Easter holiday giving my husband a 4 day weekend, the next chapter probably won't be until Tuesday. I'll see you all then!
Also, thanks to the Easter holiday giving my husband a 4 day weekend, the next chapter probably won't be until Tuesday. I'll see you all then!
Chapter 15: Saving the little dragon girl
Eager to help battle against the revolutionary forces in Etruria, Lord Green and his army quickly progress through the rest of the desert, mostly thanks to Igrene and Silver who know their way around. Unfortunately, they received some bad news before they made it to the Etrurian border...
Meanwhile, with the Bern army stationed at the fort....
Lord Green and his troops began the press around the mountains towards the fort, but it was Keeper who happened to spot some Etrurian troops riding in from behind. She ducked back and made her way forward to talk to General Percival before he could attack.
That done, Keeper rushed to catch up with the rest of the army, which was already making good progress. We'd made it to one village and around the very southern corner of the mountain range to begin our trek north. I managed to recruit another Berserker to our cause, but Green told us all to slow down to help Silver get more exp, so we begun to hand back. Jabber and DNA even had time for a little chat.
Following Silver's lead, we made our way around the northern mountain peak and then progressed south towards the fort. Igrene and Percy hung out on the mini-forts to keep some reinforcements away while Vom and Silver took care of the cavs coming out of the main fortress. Eventually Silver was able to move forward and take out the boss so Green could take control.
<Silver> Lord Green! We've received a messenger from the elder in Arcadia.
<Green> Oh, that's interesting. What did he have to say?
<Silver> SM has gone missing! Apparently he has reason to believe that she may have sneaked off to follow us.
<Athena> Ohgod why do kids have to be so dumb... facepalm.jpg
<Green> That was the dragon girl, right?
<Silver> Yes, she's a manakete.
<Jabber> Mana-what?
<Silver> Manakete. That's the proper term for a dragon, you know. Anyway, if Bern gets a hold of her, that would be big trouble.
<Green> Well, there's some Bern troops around a fort up ahead. I'm sure if we kill them all then something good will happen.
<Skyleaf> I... what kind of army did I sign into?
<TGK> Oh, don't worry, Skyleaf. Green's tactics may be unconventional, but he's a video game protagonist.
<DNA> Lord Green, sir, some of the locals are talking about a strange purple-haired little girl being taken to that fort you mentioned.
<Green> Perfect! Everyone prepare for battle.
<Skyleaf> This truly is the power of a video game protagonist... o_o;;
<Green> Oh, that's interesting. What did he have to say?
<Silver> SM has gone missing! Apparently he has reason to believe that she may have sneaked off to follow us.
<Athena> Ohgod why do kids have to be so dumb... facepalm.jpg
<Green> That was the dragon girl, right?
<Silver> Yes, she's a manakete.
<Jabber> Mana-what?
<Silver> Manakete. That's the proper term for a dragon, you know. Anyway, if Bern gets a hold of her, that would be big trouble.
<Green> Well, there's some Bern troops around a fort up ahead. I'm sure if we kill them all then something good will happen.
<Skyleaf> I... what kind of army did I sign into?
<TGK> Oh, don't worry, Skyleaf. Green's tactics may be unconventional, but he's a video game protagonist.
<DNA> Lord Green, sir, some of the locals are talking about a strange purple-haired little girl being taken to that fort you mentioned.
<Green> Perfect! Everyone prepare for battle.
<Skyleaf> This truly is the power of a video game protagonist... o_o;;
Meanwhile, with the Bern army stationed at the fort....
<Soldier> So, commander, about that girl we captured...
<GenericBoss7.31> Oh, yes, the little kid that you guys brought inside rather than killing for some reason. Remind me why I should care about her again?
<Soldier> Well, you see, she was found carrying a Dragonstone.
<GenericBoss7.31> Oh, and I'm sure you know all about Dragonstones. *rolls eyes*
<Soldier> Well, I did see them being used by some of the other manaketes in the army.
<GenericBoss7.31> Fine, fine, I'll trust your word that the girl actually has a Dragonstone and not just some shiny lucky rock. Send a messenger to King Robin so he knows. And I guess we keep the girl alive for now.
<Soldier> Yessir!
<GenericBoss7.31> Oh, yes, the little kid that you guys brought inside rather than killing for some reason. Remind me why I should care about her again?
<Soldier> Well, you see, she was found carrying a Dragonstone.
<GenericBoss7.31> Oh, and I'm sure you know all about Dragonstones. *rolls eyes*
<Soldier> Well, I did see them being used by some of the other manaketes in the army.
<GenericBoss7.31> Fine, fine, I'll trust your word that the girl actually has a Dragonstone and not just some shiny lucky rock. Send a messenger to King Robin so he knows. And I guess we keep the girl alive for now.
<Soldier> Yessir!
Lord Green and his troops began the press around the mountains towards the fort, but it was Keeper who happened to spot some Etrurian troops riding in from behind. She ducked back and made her way forward to talk to General Percival before he could attack.
<Keeper> Ahoy there, Percy! Hey, wait, put that lance down a moment! Don't you recognize me?
<Percy> You look... vaguely familiar. But I'm certain I've never been personal with anyone who dresses so... garishly.
<Keeper> Yes, well, picture me with my hair down and in a proper lady's dress. Perhaps during a certain festival?
<Percy> Ohhhh, yes, that party Lord Douglas held. Yes, I recall you now, but your name still escapes me, I'm afraid.
<Keeper> Oh, well, you can call me Keeper. But my name doesn't matter anyway. What does matter it that I'm here on the orders of Prince Myrddin!
<Percy> Prince Myrddin! That's the son of King Mordred of Etruria who died and made the king all sad.
<Keeper> Yes... I know. >_>
<Percy> I know you know, I'm just repeating that for the audience in case they forgot since he was only kind of mentioned in passing in like one chapter.
<Keeper> Oh, yeah, good point.
<Percy> Anyway, the point is that Prince Myrddin is dead. So you can't be here under his orders.
<Keeper> Actually... well, why don't you just take a look at this.
<Percy> !! The prince's seal! :O :O :O
<Keeper> Oh, and this letter, too. The prince told me to give it to you.
<Percy> !! The prince's handwriting! :O :O :O
<Keeper> Look, stop exclaiming over the thing and just read it, will you?
<Percy> *scans letter* Welp, looks like I'm coming with you guys then.
<Keeper> Yessss! \o/
<Percy> You look... vaguely familiar. But I'm certain I've never been personal with anyone who dresses so... garishly.
<Keeper> Yes, well, picture me with my hair down and in a proper lady's dress. Perhaps during a certain festival?
<Percy> Ohhhh, yes, that party Lord Douglas held. Yes, I recall you now, but your name still escapes me, I'm afraid.
<Keeper> Oh, well, you can call me Keeper. But my name doesn't matter anyway. What does matter it that I'm here on the orders of Prince Myrddin!
<Percy> Prince Myrddin! That's the son of King Mordred of Etruria who died and made the king all sad.
<Keeper> Yes... I know. >_>
<Percy> I know you know, I'm just repeating that for the audience in case they forgot since he was only kind of mentioned in passing in like one chapter.
<Keeper> Oh, yeah, good point.
<Percy> Anyway, the point is that Prince Myrddin is dead. So you can't be here under his orders.
<Keeper> Actually... well, why don't you just take a look at this.
<Percy> !! The prince's seal! :O :O :O
<Keeper> Oh, and this letter, too. The prince told me to give it to you.
<Percy> !! The prince's handwriting! :O :O :O
<Keeper> Look, stop exclaiming over the thing and just read it, will you?
<Percy> *scans letter* Welp, looks like I'm coming with you guys then.
<Keeper> Yessss! \o/
That done, Keeper rushed to catch up with the rest of the army, which was already making good progress. We'd made it to one village and around the very southern corner of the mountain range to begin our trek north. I managed to recruit another Berserker to our cause, but Green told us all to slow down to help Silver get more exp, so we begun to hand back. Jabber and DNA even had time for a little chat.
<Jabber> So, uh, last time we talked you mentioned that I had some unique experiences that made me extra useful to Lord Green.
<DNA> I did indeed.
<Jabber> Mind sharing what they are?
<DNA> Well, for starters, your stats are much better than mine.
<Jabber> lol, trufax.
<DNA> But most important, you're not native to Pherae, so you bring experiences from other areas and cultures.
<Jabber> Wait, really? That's it?
<DNA> That's it. Well, that and the stats thing.
<Jabber> Oh, well, thanks, I guess.
<DNA> I did indeed.
<Jabber> Mind sharing what they are?
<DNA> Well, for starters, your stats are much better than mine.
<Jabber> lol, trufax.
<DNA> But most important, you're not native to Pherae, so you bring experiences from other areas and cultures.
<Jabber> Wait, really? That's it?
<DNA> That's it. Well, that and the stats thing.
<Jabber> Oh, well, thanks, I guess.
Following Silver's lead, we made our way around the northern mountain peak and then progressed south towards the fort. Igrene and Percy hung out on the mini-forts to keep some reinforcements away while Vom and Silver took care of the cavs coming out of the main fortress. Eventually Silver was able to move forward and take out the boss so Green could take control.
<DNA> We found her, sir, it seems the Bern soldiers locked her up in the dungeon.
<SM> *sniff*
<Green> There, there... *patpat* Why did you follow us?
<SM> I just wanted to see what the outside world was like... Before now, I've always been trapped inside the city, locked in my room, forbidden to leave... :<
<Brave> Well, you were still forbidden to leave this time, you just didn't seem to care. >_>
<Celever> You've caused a lot of trouble, young miss.
<SM> I know... I'm sorry... ._.;
<Green> *sigh* Well, there's nothing to be done about it. You're going to have to come with us.
<SM> Really? :D
<TGK> Do you really think that's smart?
<Green> Well, it's pretty clear that Bern knows about her existence. She'll be safer than us than returning on her own to Arcadia.
<SM> Hurray! \o/
<Green> But you have to promise to behave and do everything that you're told to do, no exceptions. And no running off on your own, ever!
<SM> Yessir! :3
<SM> *sniff*
<Green> There, there... *patpat* Why did you follow us?
<SM> I just wanted to see what the outside world was like... Before now, I've always been trapped inside the city, locked in my room, forbidden to leave... :<
<Brave> Well, you were still forbidden to leave this time, you just didn't seem to care. >_>
<Celever> You've caused a lot of trouble, young miss.
<SM> I know... I'm sorry... ._.;
<Green> *sigh* Well, there's nothing to be done about it. You're going to have to come with us.
<SM> Really? :D
<TGK> Do you really think that's smart?
<Green> Well, it's pretty clear that Bern knows about her existence. She'll be safer than us than returning on her own to Arcadia.
<SM> Hurray! \o/
<Green> But you have to promise to behave and do everything that you're told to do, no exceptions. And no running off on your own, ever!
<SM> Yessir! :3
Current Team!Lord Green - Lv. 20 Lord
DNA - Lv. 5 Paladin
Jabber - Lv. 7 Paladin
TGK - Lv. 20 Mage
Vom - Lv. 4 Swordmaster
Celever - Lv. 9 Bishop
Athena - Lv. 5 Sage
Brave - Lv. 4 Berserker
Skyleaf - Lv. 6 Wyvern Lord
Silver - Lv. 18 Shaman
BB - Lv. 20 Thief
Keeper - Lv. 14 Dancer
SM - Lv. 1 Manakete
Player Notes
Hey everyone, Athena here, with another Fire Emblem 6 playthrough update.
... I think I've been watching too many of those Tf2 gameplay videos my husband likes so much...
Anybutts, welcome back, it's been kind of a long break since the last chapter, but we move right in on things as we progress towards Etruria. We recruited a few new units this chapter, including SM.
SM is kind of an interesting character case. Like most playable manaketes, she has low stats that are augmented by her Dragonstone, in this case a Divinestone (as she is a Divine Dragon). However, unlike other manaketes in other games like Tiki and Nowi, SM only has 1 Divinestone with limited uses; you cannot buy another, and it can't be repaired by Hammerne staff. In the regular game, the Divinestone only has 30 uses, though the patch I'm playing with bumps that up to 50 (which I didn't even know about). As such, we won't be using her a whole lot, but we will be giving her some levels and using her when we have the available slots to do so.
Next chapter will net us a few useful things. We'll get a member card to access secret shops, and the SS available in this very chapter will allow us to buy the 2 Guiding Rings that we need to promote TGK and Silver. We'll also be recruiting our penultimate drafted character, Icarus. Lots of chests and stealables, so BB will be kept busy. I hope you all will look forward to it!
Woo! I am becoming a boss! Yeah, the downfall of the Divinestone is definitely limited uses. The advantage of it though is the huge damage output it can deliver so you can efficiently take out bosses with it at least. If I remember right, you can still get her a Dragonstone though right?
She starts with 1 Divinestone and that's all you get. There's a glitch that can allow you to steal a Firestone from an enemy manakete and let her use that, but it's glitchy and may cause corruption. Needless to say, I won't be doing that; it's more of a curiosity than a viable strategy.
Firestones would be over powered on her too which is sad part due to her scaling.
Chapter 16: Icarus stabs his way to victory
With SM in tow, we continued on our way to Aquleia, the capital of Etruria. It wasn't clear to me how a ragtag band of soldiers led by a 15 year-old could somehow manage to liberate an entire country from a well-equipped and powerful revolutionary force that managed to destroy or force back all of Etruria's loyalists... but, well, that's a video game for you. Green says I shouldn't keep breaking the fourth wall so much, but sometimes it's the only explanation I have.
Meanwhile, inside Aquleia Castle...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle....
Meanwhile, with the approaching Lycian Army...
Meanwhile, in a totally different place in the castle....
We began our assault on the castle, splitting up into two groups. Green took the main entrance with Keeper, BB, Celever, Jabber, TGK, and Skyleaf, while Brave, Vom, DNA, SM, and I sneaked in via a side entrance. We moved as quickly as possible towards our objectives, with SM helping with the chests on the east side of the castle while BB focused on stealing items and the western chests. Green managed to recruit another Mage named Hugh. The biggest trouble was Douglas, who we wished to keep alive. Celever hit him with a Sleep staff and we all tried to move around him without waking him up, despite his apparent desire to kill us for some reason. And speaking of people trying to kill us, Skyleaf happened to spot her brother sitting off by himself in the corner looking pissed off.
With Icarus on our side, DNA was able to squeeze past him into the back left corner where a secret shop was waiting. He picked up a couple Angelic Robes for Keeper and Silver and also 2 Guiding Rings so our unpromoted magic users could finally promote. They were very excited to get their promotions. Silver is now a Druid! TGK is now a Sage!
While Lance ran off to keep Douglas busy, the others swept up the reinforcements and stormed the throne room where Narcian was waiting for them. BB managed to steal a couple of Narcian's items and sneak out unscathed, then Skyleaf, Vom, and TGK whittled down Narcian's health so Icarus could score the kill.
With Narcian down, Green eagerly capped the throne and ended this long, confusing chapter. He was thereby greeted by none other than King Desmond himself, who was released from his hostage situation as soon as the Lycian Army was finishing clearing out the castle.
<Green> It just so happens that this time it's not the only explanation.
<Athena> It isn't?
<Green> Nope. We also have the St. Elimine Church on our side.
<Athena> What does that have to do with anything?
<Green> Well, you see, because of the church's support, the leaders of the revolutionaries are all inside the castle with only a few dozen soldiers for support, and they're just waiting for us to come in and kill them all.
<Athena> ... ... ...
<Green> Okay, you're right, that really doesn't make much sense. But it is pretty handy for us, so just enjoy it and try not to question too much.
<Athena> If you insist, sir.
<Athena> It isn't?
<Green> Nope. We also have the St. Elimine Church on our side.
<Athena> What does that have to do with anything?
<Green> Well, you see, because of the church's support, the leaders of the revolutionaries are all inside the castle with only a few dozen soldiers for support, and they're just waiting for us to come in and kill them all.
<Athena> ... ... ...
<Green> Okay, you're right, that really doesn't make much sense. But it is pretty handy for us, so just enjoy it and try not to question too much.
<Athena> If you insist, sir.
Meanwhile, inside Aquleia Castle...
<Narcian> Maaaan, that stupid Lycian Army still won't get off our backs. >.<
<Murdock> *enters* So I've noticed.
<Narcian> !! General Murdock, sir, I didn't know you were coming. Did you just fly in from Ilia? Please let me offer you some refreshme--
<Murdock> Enough of your pointless blather, Narcian, I didn't come here for drinks. I came here to hear your explanation for what the hell is going on.
<Narcian> So, uh, which parts exactly would you like explanation for? >.>
<Murdock> Shall I count them off for you? 1) Princess Mora escaped, 2) the entire Western Isles plan fell through, and 3) the takeover of Arcadia was a bungled disaster. Oh, and that's not counting all of the supplies and lives you wasted in these failed missions of yours.
<Narcian> Well, um, you see... there, uh, there have been many complications and--
<Murdock> *sigh* Just stop there. It's clear that you don't know what the hell you're doing, and I'm not the only one who has seen through your bluster to the incompetency beneath. By the orders of King Robin, I am withdrawing your title of Wyvern General.
<Narcian> NOOOOOOOO!!!!
<Murdock> Instead, you will be replaced by Gale, who should have gotten the position in the first place.
<Narcian> But, sir, please, just give me one more chance...
<Murdock> The Lycian Army will be here in... *looks at watch* maybe 20 minutes or so. Perhaps if you manage to succeed against them, the King will reconsider his decision. *leaves*
<Narcian> Curses. I'm going to need to finagle some kind of excuse to get out of this plan. Let's see who I can throw under the bridge... Soldier, is Icarus around?
<Soldier> Uh, yes sir, I believe so.
<Narcian> I hate to break it to you, but I suspect that he might be leaking information to the enemy.
<Soldier> I can't believe that Icarus would do such a thing...
<Narcian> Yes, shocking, I know, but his sister did defect and all, and that makes him a perfect scapego-- I mean, it puts him in a position to share information with the Lycian Army and that is the only explanation possible for their victories. Bring Icarus here to me.
<Soldier> Yessir!
<Murdock> *enters* So I've noticed.
<Narcian> !! General Murdock, sir, I didn't know you were coming. Did you just fly in from Ilia? Please let me offer you some refreshme--
<Murdock> Enough of your pointless blather, Narcian, I didn't come here for drinks. I came here to hear your explanation for what the hell is going on.
<Narcian> So, uh, which parts exactly would you like explanation for? >.>
<Murdock> Shall I count them off for you? 1) Princess Mora escaped, 2) the entire Western Isles plan fell through, and 3) the takeover of Arcadia was a bungled disaster. Oh, and that's not counting all of the supplies and lives you wasted in these failed missions of yours.
<Narcian> Well, um, you see... there, uh, there have been many complications and--
<Murdock> *sigh* Just stop there. It's clear that you don't know what the hell you're doing, and I'm not the only one who has seen through your bluster to the incompetency beneath. By the orders of King Robin, I am withdrawing your title of Wyvern General.
<Narcian> NOOOOOOOO!!!!
<Murdock> Instead, you will be replaced by Gale, who should have gotten the position in the first place.
<Narcian> But, sir, please, just give me one more chance...
<Murdock> The Lycian Army will be here in... *looks at watch* maybe 20 minutes or so. Perhaps if you manage to succeed against them, the King will reconsider his decision. *leaves*
<Narcian> Curses. I'm going to need to finagle some kind of excuse to get out of this plan. Let's see who I can throw under the bridge... Soldier, is Icarus around?
<Soldier> Uh, yes sir, I believe so.
<Narcian> I hate to break it to you, but I suspect that he might be leaking information to the enemy.
<Soldier> I can't believe that Icarus would do such a thing...
<Narcian> Yes, shocking, I know, but his sister did defect and all, and that makes him a perfect scapego-- I mean, it puts him in a position to share information with the Lycian Army and that is the only explanation possible for their victories. Bring Icarus here to me.
<Soldier> Yessir!
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle....
<Arcard> Ohnoes, the Lycian army is here! If they beat us, we'll be tried as traitors. D:
<Roartz> This is all your fault, you know, if you have simply taken them out in the Western Isles like you were supposed to, we wouldn't be in this pickle.
<Douglas> ... ... ...
<Arcard> Look, it doesn't matter now, we need to escape before they get here.
<Roartz> And where do you suppose we can escape to, hmm?
<Arcard> Why not Bern? This whole thing was all their plan to begin with.
<Roartz> Ah, yes, yes, nice. We've performed brilliantly for their cause and done so much good for them that they should be happy to take us in.
<Douglas> So, what will you do with King Desmond then?
<Roartz> Er, yes, well, King Robin's mother was Etrurian, so I'm sure he wouldn't harm the king or anything like that. You ought to be more worried about your neck than his anyway. I do hope you will come flee with us.
<Douglas> Look, I don't know what you think, but the only reason I sided with you guys in the first place was to protect the king. I certainly don't plan on following through with any other harebrained schemes you come up with.
<Arcard> Yes, well, you're of course welcome to stay here if you like. But, well, we must be going. Regards! *flees*
<Roartz> Yes, indeed, good luck old chap. *flees*
<Douglas> *sigh* Cowardly traitors... they deserve whatever horrible end comes to then. When the Prince returns, everything will be okay. In the meantime, I guess I'll stay here to continue to protect the King.
<Roartz> This is all your fault, you know, if you have simply taken them out in the Western Isles like you were supposed to, we wouldn't be in this pickle.
<Douglas> ... ... ...
<Arcard> Look, it doesn't matter now, we need to escape before they get here.
<Roartz> And where do you suppose we can escape to, hmm?
<Arcard> Why not Bern? This whole thing was all their plan to begin with.
<Roartz> Ah, yes, yes, nice. We've performed brilliantly for their cause and done so much good for them that they should be happy to take us in.
<Douglas> So, what will you do with King Desmond then?
<Roartz> Er, yes, well, King Robin's mother was Etrurian, so I'm sure he wouldn't harm the king or anything like that. You ought to be more worried about your neck than his anyway. I do hope you will come flee with us.
<Douglas> Look, I don't know what you think, but the only reason I sided with you guys in the first place was to protect the king. I certainly don't plan on following through with any other harebrained schemes you come up with.
<Arcard> Yes, well, you're of course welcome to stay here if you like. But, well, we must be going. Regards! *flees*
<Roartz> Yes, indeed, good luck old chap. *flees*
<Douglas> *sigh* Cowardly traitors... they deserve whatever horrible end comes to then. When the Prince returns, everything will be okay. In the meantime, I guess I'll stay here to continue to protect the King.
Meanwhile, with the approaching Lycian Army...
<Green> Thanks again for your help, Father Yoder. Without the assistance of the St. Elimine Church, I have no idea how we would have been able to tackle saving all of Etruria.
<Yoder> Yes, well, more than happy to help, of course. The revolutionaries hated the Church so, you see...
<Green> Did they not like you guys or something? How come?
<Yoder> Oh, probably because of our investigation into Bern's dragons. After all, it's by the sacred decree of St. Elimine herself that we do everything possible to keep dragons out of the world.
<Green> Did you learn anything useful about the dragons?
<Yoder> Actually, we did! They're related to the Fire Emblem somehow. That's Bern's greatest treasure, don't you know.
<Green> What kind of connection is there?
<Yoder> *shrugs* We don't know for sure, which is why I sent Brother Celever to investigate. Seems he was more interested in chasing skirts than information, though.
<Celever> *cough*
<Green> Well, thanks for the help, we'll keep it in mind.
<Yoder> Yes, well, more than happy to help, of course. The revolutionaries hated the Church so, you see...
<Green> Did they not like you guys or something? How come?
<Yoder> Oh, probably because of our investigation into Bern's dragons. After all, it's by the sacred decree of St. Elimine herself that we do everything possible to keep dragons out of the world.
<Green> Did you learn anything useful about the dragons?
<Yoder> Actually, we did! They're related to the Fire Emblem somehow. That's Bern's greatest treasure, don't you know.
<Green> What kind of connection is there?
<Yoder> *shrugs* We don't know for sure, which is why I sent Brother Celever to investigate. Seems he was more interested in chasing skirts than information, though.
<Celever> *cough*
<Green> Well, thanks for the help, we'll keep it in mind.
Meanwhile, in a totally different place in the castle....
<Gale> Hey, Icarus, hold up a moment.
<Icarus> Something up, Gale?
<Gale> Look, I don't have time to explain, but you need to hide. Narcian has ordered you to be held prisoner.
<Icarus> lolwut? Why would he do that?
<Gale> *sigh* Didn't I just say I don't have time to explain? The tl;dr version is that he's using you as a scapegoat and claiming you fed information to Skyleaf.
<Icarus> My sister? But I haven't seen her in weeks, and I don't even know where she is.
<Gale> It just so happens to turn out that she's joined up with the Lycian Army.
<Icarus> *spits out soda* Skyleaf a traitor? I don't believe it for a second.
<Gale> Well, you'll have to talk to her and learn the details yourself, and don't decide anything until you do. But whatever you do, escape from here before Narcian finds you.
<Icarus> Alright...
<Gale> For now, I need to get going. I'm suppose to observe the battle by orders of General Murdock. Good luck. *flees*
<Icarus> Something up, Gale?
<Gale> Look, I don't have time to explain, but you need to hide. Narcian has ordered you to be held prisoner.
<Icarus> lolwut? Why would he do that?
<Gale> *sigh* Didn't I just say I don't have time to explain? The tl;dr version is that he's using you as a scapegoat and claiming you fed information to Skyleaf.
<Icarus> My sister? But I haven't seen her in weeks, and I don't even know where she is.
<Gale> It just so happens to turn out that she's joined up with the Lycian Army.
<Icarus> *spits out soda* Skyleaf a traitor? I don't believe it for a second.
<Gale> Well, you'll have to talk to her and learn the details yourself, and don't decide anything until you do. But whatever you do, escape from here before Narcian finds you.
<Icarus> Alright...
<Gale> For now, I need to get going. I'm suppose to observe the battle by orders of General Murdock. Good luck. *flees*
We began our assault on the castle, splitting up into two groups. Green took the main entrance with Keeper, BB, Celever, Jabber, TGK, and Skyleaf, while Brave, Vom, DNA, SM, and I sneaked in via a side entrance. We moved as quickly as possible towards our objectives, with SM helping with the chests on the east side of the castle while BB focused on stealing items and the western chests. Green managed to recruit another Mage named Hugh. The biggest trouble was Douglas, who we wished to keep alive. Celever hit him with a Sleep staff and we all tried to move around him without waking him up, despite his apparent desire to kill us for some reason. And speaking of people trying to kill us, Skyleaf happened to spot her brother sitting off by himself in the corner looking pissed off.
<Skyleaf> Hey, Icarus, 'sup?
<Icarus> Don't you "'sup?" me! It's your fault that I'm in this mess. >_<
<Skyleaf> What mess? Why are you here anyway?
<Icarus> Bern believes that I've been slipping information to the Lycian Army through a certain red-haired traitor.
<Skyleaf> Oh... oh dear...
<Icarus> Why did you do it, sis? How could you betray Bern like that?
<Skyleaf> I never betrayed Bern. I have always served Princess Mora, and I continue to do that now.
<Icarus> *rolls eyes* You thread away duty, honour your homeland, your family, and even your beloved Gale all for the sake of that princess. That stupid blonde bimbo who betrayed her brother.
<Skyleaf> Look, insult me all you want, but I will not tolerate you speaking of Princess Mora like that.
<Icarus> ... ... ... >:\
<Skyleaf> It is Mora, not King Robin, that is looking out for the best interests of Bern. I was angry and confused regarding her actions at first, but now I understand her position and stand by her proudly.
<Icarus> *sigh* Gale was right.
<Skyleaf> o.o?
<Icarus> He said I shouldn't act rashly until I heard your side of things. I still don't know exactly what's going on... but I do know that I trust you more than anyone. And it seems like Bern doesn't want me on their side anymore either. So, uh, think the Lycian Army would take me on?
<Skyleaf> We'd be happy to. :3
<Icarus> Don't you "'sup?" me! It's your fault that I'm in this mess. >_<
<Skyleaf> What mess? Why are you here anyway?
<Icarus> Bern believes that I've been slipping information to the Lycian Army through a certain red-haired traitor.
<Skyleaf> Oh... oh dear...
<Icarus> Why did you do it, sis? How could you betray Bern like that?
<Skyleaf> I never betrayed Bern. I have always served Princess Mora, and I continue to do that now.
<Icarus> *rolls eyes* You thread away duty, honour your homeland, your family, and even your beloved Gale all for the sake of that princess. That stupid blonde bimbo who betrayed her brother.
<Skyleaf> Look, insult me all you want, but I will not tolerate you speaking of Princess Mora like that.
<Icarus> ... ... ... >:\
<Skyleaf> It is Mora, not King Robin, that is looking out for the best interests of Bern. I was angry and confused regarding her actions at first, but now I understand her position and stand by her proudly.
<Icarus> *sigh* Gale was right.
<Skyleaf> o.o?
<Icarus> He said I shouldn't act rashly until I heard your side of things. I still don't know exactly what's going on... but I do know that I trust you more than anyone. And it seems like Bern doesn't want me on their side anymore either. So, uh, think the Lycian Army would take me on?
<Skyleaf> We'd be happy to. :3
With Icarus on our side, DNA was able to squeeze past him into the back left corner where a secret shop was waiting. He picked up a couple Angelic Robes for Keeper and Silver and also 2 Guiding Rings so our unpromoted magic users could finally promote. They were very excited to get their promotions. Silver is now a Druid! TGK is now a Sage!
While Lance ran off to keep Douglas busy, the others swept up the reinforcements and stormed the throne room where Narcian was waiting for them. BB managed to steal a couple of Narcian's items and sneak out unscathed, then Skyleaf, Vom, and TGK whittled down Narcian's health so Icarus could score the kill.
<Narcian> Ohhey, Zeiss, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be locked up.
<Icarus> Yeah, Gale told me everything, about how you decided you wanted a scapegoat for your failures and so you turned on me.
<Narcian> *shrugs* Business is business. And once I kill you, no one will learn that I lied anyway.
<Icarus> Yeah, well, jokes on you, because I really did decide to join the Lycian Army, and now I'm going to kill you instead. *stab*
<Narcian> Urk! x_x;
<Icarus> Yeah, Gale told me everything, about how you decided you wanted a scapegoat for your failures and so you turned on me.
<Narcian> *shrugs* Business is business. And once I kill you, no one will learn that I lied anyway.
<Icarus> Yeah, well, jokes on you, because I really did decide to join the Lycian Army, and now I'm going to kill you instead. *stab*
<Narcian> Urk! x_x;
With Narcian down, Green eagerly capped the throne and ended this long, confusing chapter. He was thereby greeted by none other than King Desmond himself, who was released from his hostage situation as soon as the Lycian Army was finishing clearing out the castle.
<Desmond> Well now, I must thank you very much for rescuing me and saving my people.
<Green> Oh, no prob.
<Desmond> However, I'm afraid I have one other task for you, if you don't mind.
<Green> Oh? What is it?
<Desmond> Bern's soldiers have moved into the Saints Tower. In addition to being sacred to followers of the St. Elimine Church, the tower also has some sweet loot inside, including a legendary weapon.
<Green> Sweeeeet! We'll get on it right away. Assuming we're allowed to keep the legendary weapon anyway.
<Desmond> Yeah, sure, why not. You'll get more use out of it than me anyway.
<Green> Oh, no prob.
<Desmond> However, I'm afraid I have one other task for you, if you don't mind.
<Green> Oh? What is it?
<Desmond> Bern's soldiers have moved into the Saints Tower. In addition to being sacred to followers of the St. Elimine Church, the tower also has some sweet loot inside, including a legendary weapon.
<Green> Sweeeeet! We'll get on it right away. Assuming we're allowed to keep the legendary weapon anyway.
<Desmond> Yeah, sure, why not. You'll get more use out of it than me anyway.
Current Team!Lord Green - Lv. 20 Lord
DNA - Lv. 5 Paladin
Jabber - Lv. 8 Paladin
TGK - Lv. 1 Sage
Vom - Lv. 5 Swordmaster
Celever - Lv. 10 Bishop
Athena - Lv. 6 Sage
Brave - Lv. 5 Berserker
Skyleaf - Lv. 7 Wyvern Lord
Silver - Lv. 1 Druid
Icarus - Lv. 9 Wyvern Rider
BB - Lv. 20 Thief
Keeper - Lv. 16 Dancer
SM - Lv. 1 Manakete
Player Notes
Hoooo boy this was kind of a rough chapter. Lots of things going on at once for us to pay attention to.
1) Recruit Icarus. He's an enemy unit trapped in a small 1x5 location in the top left corner of the map. There's no door, but you can access the room via a breakable wall. However, he does come with a Javelin and will attack people in range if possible. Basically I had to swing it so that the wall would get broken down in a turn when Skyleaf was free so that she could move in to the space where the wall was to talk to him and recruit. Not super difficult all said and done; probably the easiest of the side requirements of this level.
2) Recruit Hugh. We didn't draft Hugh, but we still wanted to recruit him anyway, partially because you should always go for full recruiting whenever possible, partially because he comes with the excellent Member Card that enables us to access Secret Shops. He was kind of a pain to recruit because he started walking towards the side entrance instead of the main entrance (or just staying put like a good enemy), so I had to have Jabber rescue Green and carry him back outside to the other entrance in order to recruit him before he'd attack our party over there.
3) 10 (!!) chests and other stealable goodies, including 3 gems and a Delphi Shield, the latter and one of the gems on the boss, Narcian. So, BB was in high demand. I actually had SM with a door and chest key take care of the chests on the right side of the map to speed things up a bit, otherwise BB would have had too much to do. In the end, we were still waiting on BB, even though I missed one of the stealable gems. He pretty much bee-lined from place to place as fast as he could.
4) Secret Shop. Not difficult, but a lot of finagling. I had to get the Member Card from Hugh and get it all the way to the other side of the map and get it to a user who also had the Silver Card so that we could buy our 2 robes and 2 promotion items. Ended up not getting this done until almost the end of the map, partially because it was a pain to get up there and get the item situation worked out, partially because of reinforcements and training to train Zeiss and working with the other objectives.
5) Keep Douglas alive. This was the real pain in the ass part about this level. He starts off by himself almost over by where Zeiss is, but he moves even if no one's in range, and it was hard to predict what he'd do. He ended up moving over to the side entrance like where Hugh went so I had Celever use the Sleep staff to put him to sleep while Athena, DNA, Brave, and Green went past. Hugh and SM ended up staying on the other side to open the chests. When he woke up, he began moving towards the party again, and he was close to the throne room so I ended up Sleeping him again, then unequipping everything from Jabber so that Jabber could kite him away and keep him out of trouble.
Aside from those things, I also had to, you know, kill enemies and stuff. And of course I wanted to try and feed Icarus as much as I could, since he comes very low level (7 base class). Unfortunately, he's also kind of slow, and I didn't recruit him until close to the end, so he only got a couple levels in. 1 of those came from rigging a few hits/misses to make sure that I could feed him the boss kill. There's an arena in C17 where I'll get him up to 20, so he won't be behind for too long.
Before we get that, though, tomorrow will be another gaiden legendary weapon chapter, so probably fairly short. Then we move onto the route split! I hope you all enjoy~ :3
Hooray! Druid power a go!
Yay! Sage power go!
Chapter 16x: Fire Emblem, get!
King Desmond gave us directions towards the Saint's Tower where we would find another legendary weapon. Considering the tower was full of crap that belonged to St. Elimine, it would probably be some super sweet Light Magic tome that maybe someday Celever would be good enough to wield. The Tower was occupied by the revolutionary forces and the boss in charge was some Bishop dude...
The base of the tower started off with two staircases leading up opposite sides of the tower. Not everyone would be able to fit, so I went up the right side with Silver, Skyleaf, Icarus, and Brave, while Green led the left side party with Vom, TGK, Celever, and Keeper. The enemy primarily attacked us from long range via status staves and siege tomes, but we bullied our way forward. Celever kept everyone's status normal, and with so many promoted magic users, there were plenty of Heal staves going around to keep our HP up.
As we journeyed, occasional magic arrows would rain down on us from above, but these were of almost no concern due to their infrequency and minor damage. They caused more trouble to the enemy than to use. Eventually our groups met up in throne room where Skyleaf, Vom, and TGK teamed up to take down the boss and end the level. Green grabbed the Aureola tome and we hightailed it back to Aquleia where Green had some news to break to Princess Mora.
<BishopDude> Ohgod, Roartz ran away? Without even thinking of me?! I betrayed this stupid church and everything just to follow his dumb plans and now he leaves me in the dust. >_<
<Soldier> Apparently he was kind of pissed that you weren't able to prevent the Church from assisting the Lycian Army or something. I dunno, guy always seemed kind of shady to me.
<BishopDude> Well, if we're going to die here, we'll take the Lycian Army down with us! Prepare the light arrows!
<Soldier> But, sir... we could...
<BishopDude> SILENCE! I said prepare the arrows. >:|
<Soldier> Ooookay....
<Soldier> Apparently he was kind of pissed that you weren't able to prevent the Church from assisting the Lycian Army or something. I dunno, guy always seemed kind of shady to me.
<BishopDude> Well, if we're going to die here, we'll take the Lycian Army down with us! Prepare the light arrows!
<Soldier> But, sir... we could...
<BishopDude> SILENCE! I said prepare the arrows. >:|
<Soldier> Ooookay....
The base of the tower started off with two staircases leading up opposite sides of the tower. Not everyone would be able to fit, so I went up the right side with Silver, Skyleaf, Icarus, and Brave, while Green led the left side party with Vom, TGK, Celever, and Keeper. The enemy primarily attacked us from long range via status staves and siege tomes, but we bullied our way forward. Celever kept everyone's status normal, and with so many promoted magic users, there were plenty of Heal staves going around to keep our HP up.
As we journeyed, occasional magic arrows would rain down on us from above, but these were of almost no concern due to their infrequency and minor damage. They caused more trouble to the enemy than to use. Eventually our groups met up in throne room where Skyleaf, Vom, and TGK teamed up to take down the boss and end the level. Green grabbed the Aureola tome and we hightailed it back to Aquleia where Green had some news to break to Princess Mora.
<Green> Hey, Mora, can we chat a bit?
<Mora> You're going to tell me that you plan to attack Bern as soon as Etruria's finished being taken care of, right?
<Green> Oh, er, how did you guess? >_>
<Mora> I'm not dumb, you know, and I don't give a crap that you're invading my homeland. I know it needs to be done, so I'm not going to get all salty about it. Anyway, I have a present for you. It's the Fire Emblem.
<Everyone> Oooooooooohhhhh.... :O
<Green> Thanks, I guess? What am I supposed to do with it? <_<
<Mora> There's a super extra powerful legendary swordhidden in the Shrine of Seals in Bern. You need the Fire Emblem to access it because it was sealed away or something. You're probably going to need it to kill all the dragons my brother has under his control.
<Green> Oooh, another legendary sword, awesome. :D
<Mora> You know, by helping you out with this I'm basically going to be condemned as a traitor to my people for all time. At least you could treat the situation with a bit more gravitas.
<Green> Sorry, I guess I just got excited. >_>
<Mora> Anyway, at least promise me you'll try not to hurt any civilians as you rampage across Bern.
<Green> I'll do my best!
<Mora> You're going to tell me that you plan to attack Bern as soon as Etruria's finished being taken care of, right?
<Green> Oh, er, how did you guess? >_>
<Mora> I'm not dumb, you know, and I don't give a crap that you're invading my homeland. I know it needs to be done, so I'm not going to get all salty about it. Anyway, I have a present for you. It's the Fire Emblem.
<Everyone> Oooooooooohhhhh.... :O
<Green> Thanks, I guess? What am I supposed to do with it? <_<
<Mora> There's a super extra powerful legendary swordhidden in the Shrine of Seals in Bern. You need the Fire Emblem to access it because it was sealed away or something. You're probably going to need it to kill all the dragons my brother has under his control.
<Green> Oooh, another legendary sword, awesome. :D
<Mora> You know, by helping you out with this I'm basically going to be condemned as a traitor to my people for all time. At least you could treat the situation with a bit more gravitas.
<Green> Sorry, I guess I just got excited. >_>
<Mora> Anyway, at least promise me you'll try not to hurt any civilians as you rampage across Bern.
<Green> I'll do my best!
Current Team!Lord Green - Lv. 20 Lord
DNA - Lv. 5 Paladin
Jabber - Lv. 8 Paladin
TGK - Lv. 4 Sage
Vom - Lv. 6 Swordmaster
Celever - Lv. 11 Bishop
Athena - Lv. 6 Sage
Brave - Lv. 5 Berserker
Skyleaf - Lv. 8 Wyvern Lord
Silver - Lv. 2 Druid
Icarus - Lv. 10 Wyvern Rider
BB - Lv. 20 Thief
Keeper - Lv. 18 Dancer
SM - Lv. 1 Manakete
Player Notes
A pretty straightforward and quick chapter. The boss sure made a big deal about the light arrow things, but just like I mentioned in the write-up, they didn't do hardly anything to my units and were probably more of a liability to the enemy than anything else.
The real danger in this level comes from the status staves and siege tomes. We've got plenty of Restore staves but only one Staff user powerful enough to wield them (needs C rank), so that was Celever's job, though thankfully it didn't turn out to be too big of a deal because many of them missed. TGK got silenced twice and Douglas got Berserkered once, but that was all.
Siege tomes were a bit more of an issue. I had a hard time dodging them for some reason, and there were lots, including one coming from an impervious area that no one could attack. Zeiss was the biggest liability there because his stats are still so low. I really shouldn't have brought him at all, but I did manage to feed him one kill, hence the level gain. Otherwise, Athena, TGK, and Silver can all heal now, so that was useful for keeping everyone on track.
Otherwise, just had to power up to the top, kill the boss, and we were good to go.
Next chapter is actually the start of a route split. Unlike the route split in FE8, you cannot choose directly which route to take, but it is instead based on the exp gained by 4 potential characters: Thany/Tate or Sue/Shin. None of these were characters we used at all, however Thany did manage to dodge one attack during one of her forced chapters, which means she gained 1 exp, which means we're going to Ilia for the A route split! (Funnily enough, we would have gone to Ilia anyway even if she hadn't gotten that 1 exp because Ilia route wins the tiebreaker.)
Next chapter contains an Arena, so we'll be abusing that a lot to get Zeiss up to 20 and promoted. I hope you are looking forward to it!
Chapter 17: Off to visit that girl from Twilight Princess
With Aquleia liberated and King Desmond freed, many Etrurians flock to the Loyalist banner and defeat or drive away the remaining Revolutionaries. The revolutionary leaders, Arcardo and Roartz, were reported to be seen fleeing in the direction of Ilia, a country to the far northwest currently under the control of Bern that is primarily full of snow, pegusi, and mercenaries.
Grateful to the Lycian Army for saving their asses, Etruria decides to formally partner up with Green's forces to form the new Etrurian Army with Lord Green as its commander. Their first mission is to head to Ilia to find and destroy the remaining Revolutionies there, including Arcardo and Roartz. This mission will be more difficult than it may seem since Bern has powerful occupying forces in Ilia, and many of the country's own mercenaries have signed up with the Bern army. They begin by heading to a small castle on the Ilian border where a collection of Bern's forces have gathered.
Meanwhile, at Castle Remi...
Outside the castle...
We made our way across Etruria and to the Illian coastline near Castle Remi. Sure enough, a whole platoon of Bern's forces awaited us there, led by one of the men we were after himself: Arcardo. He had nowhere to run this time and we quickly prepared for battle.
Green spotted an arena up in the northwest and wanted to stay and observe Icarus train, so we split our forced. Green would be staying and supervising Icarus training up (and earning money) in the arena for our funds, I would go along to keep him healed, Keeper would come along for company, and DNA would come to do some shopping. Skyleaf also came, too, to help us out with the new enemies up there, but soon she was flying out over the water taking out ballistae.
The rest of us took the southern route east along the coast before turning north and storming the castle. Silver led the way, easily dodging attacks and picking off enemies. It was a fairly straightforward progression to the castle with little to impede our progress. Not even the waves of cavalier and pegasus reinforcements could slow us down. Silver took down Arcardo by herself, and the rest of us chilled out nearby, picking off reinforcements while waiting for Icarus to finish his arena work so Green could come capture the gate and finish the level.
Eventually Icarus maxed out his level and bumped our funds up to 6 digit figures. Green praised him for his work and gifted him with an Elysian Whip that immediately used to promote. Icarus is now a Wyvern Lord! With that business settled, DNA tossed Green on the back of his horse and they ran across a sandbank towards the castle to end the level.
Grateful to the Lycian Army for saving their asses, Etruria decides to formally partner up with Green's forces to form the new Etrurian Army with Lord Green as its commander. Their first mission is to head to Ilia to find and destroy the remaining Revolutionies there, including Arcardo and Roartz. This mission will be more difficult than it may seem since Bern has powerful occupying forces in Ilia, and many of the country's own mercenaries have signed up with the Bern army. They begin by heading to a small castle on the Ilian border where a collection of Bern's forces have gathered.
Meanwhile, at Castle Remi...
<Murdock> So, Narcian has fallen. Thank you for bringing me word, Gale.
<Gale> No prob. I feel kind of crappy not helping him out at all, though.
<Murdock> *shrug* King's orders. You know how he feels about people who can't clean up their own messes.
<Roartz> So.... what's going to happen to us then? >_>
<Murdock> Roartz, I'm leaving you in charge of Castle Edessa. Arcardo will take over here at Castle Remi.
<Arcardo> But Remi is right on the board and the Etrurian Army is on its way!
<Murdock> In that case, you better prepare your own troops quickly, then. This is a very valuable position and we can't let it fall into enemy hands.
<Roartz> What would you like me to do with Edessa?
<Murdock> The same, more or less, prepare and take a defensive stance.
<Arcardo> So you're just going to stay offensive? We're not going to retake Etruria?
<Murdock> Sure we will. Just be patient. Etruria will fall under Bern's control when the time is right.
<Roartz> But but but... that's not what we agreed upon.
<Murdock> Bern would have upheld it's agreements had you done the same. Instead you ran away from that kid Green, abandoning everything, making a mockery of yourselves, and ruining your own choices. We have given you a position and your lives. Anything more than that you will have to work for and earn on your own. No more handouts. *mic drop* Come on Gale, let's split.
<Gale> No prob. I feel kind of crappy not helping him out at all, though.
<Murdock> *shrug* King's orders. You know how he feels about people who can't clean up their own messes.
<Roartz> So.... what's going to happen to us then? >_>
<Murdock> Roartz, I'm leaving you in charge of Castle Edessa. Arcardo will take over here at Castle Remi.
<Arcardo> But Remi is right on the board and the Etrurian Army is on its way!
<Murdock> In that case, you better prepare your own troops quickly, then. This is a very valuable position and we can't let it fall into enemy hands.
<Roartz> What would you like me to do with Edessa?
<Murdock> The same, more or less, prepare and take a defensive stance.
<Arcardo> So you're just going to stay offensive? We're not going to retake Etruria?
<Murdock> Sure we will. Just be patient. Etruria will fall under Bern's control when the time is right.
<Roartz> But but but... that's not what we agreed upon.
<Murdock> Bern would have upheld it's agreements had you done the same. Instead you ran away from that kid Green, abandoning everything, making a mockery of yourselves, and ruining your own choices. We have given you a position and your lives. Anything more than that you will have to work for and earn on your own. No more handouts. *mic drop* Come on Gale, let's split.
Outside the castle...
<Gale> So, we're just going to leave them alone then, too?
<Murdock> Remember what I said about people cleaning up their own messes? If they fail and die...
<Gale> Which they will. >_>
<Murdock> ... it will be their own fault and no one else's. If only they were as competent as that Green kid... *shakes head, flies off*
<Murdock> Remember what I said about people cleaning up their own messes? If they fail and die...
<Gale> Which they will. >_>
<Murdock> ... it will be their own fault and no one else's. If only they were as competent as that Green kid... *shakes head, flies off*
We made our way across Etruria and to the Illian coastline near Castle Remi. Sure enough, a whole platoon of Bern's forces awaited us there, led by one of the men we were after himself: Arcardo. He had nowhere to run this time and we quickly prepared for battle.
Green spotted an arena up in the northwest and wanted to stay and observe Icarus train, so we split our forced. Green would be staying and supervising Icarus training up (and earning money) in the arena for our funds, I would go along to keep him healed, Keeper would come along for company, and DNA would come to do some shopping. Skyleaf also came, too, to help us out with the new enemies up there, but soon she was flying out over the water taking out ballistae.
The rest of us took the southern route east along the coast before turning north and storming the castle. Silver led the way, easily dodging attacks and picking off enemies. It was a fairly straightforward progression to the castle with little to impede our progress. Not even the waves of cavalier and pegasus reinforcements could slow us down. Silver took down Arcardo by herself, and the rest of us chilled out nearby, picking off reinforcements while waiting for Icarus to finish his arena work so Green could come capture the gate and finish the level.
Eventually Icarus maxed out his level and bumped our funds up to 6 digit figures. Green praised him for his work and gifted him with an Elysian Whip that immediately used to promote. Icarus is now a Wyvern Lord! With that business settled, DNA tossed Green on the back of his horse and they ran across a sandbank towards the castle to end the level.
<DNA> Welp, there lies the remains of Lord Arcardo.
<Jabber> Good riddance to bad rubbish.
<Brave> Let's stick his head on a pike as a warning to the others!
<Celever> That sounds... revolting.
<Silver> I bet he didn't see this ending coming back when he decided to turn against the king.
<Green> Well, a year ago I didn't see myself leading an army and traveling across the continent. Sometimes you never know where your destiny will lead you.
<TGK> I hope the same holds true for Bern. I'd love to see the look on that patricide's face when his empire crumbles.
<Green> Patricide?
<Athena> TGK's referring to the rumours that King Robin had his father assassinated so he could take the throne sooner.
<Green> I'd never heard such a thing before... does Mora know about these rumours?
<Skyleaf> Yes, I'm sure she does. She may even know if there's any truth behind them, but if so, she's not spoken to me of it.
<Green> I see. Well, I guess it's time to move on. We've still got one more traitor to kill!
<Jabber> Good riddance to bad rubbish.
<Brave> Let's stick his head on a pike as a warning to the others!
<Celever> That sounds... revolting.
<Silver> I bet he didn't see this ending coming back when he decided to turn against the king.
<Green> Well, a year ago I didn't see myself leading an army and traveling across the continent. Sometimes you never know where your destiny will lead you.
<TGK> I hope the same holds true for Bern. I'd love to see the look on that patricide's face when his empire crumbles.
<Green> Patricide?
<Athena> TGK's referring to the rumours that King Robin had his father assassinated so he could take the throne sooner.
<Green> I'd never heard such a thing before... does Mora know about these rumours?
<Skyleaf> Yes, I'm sure she does. She may even know if there's any truth behind them, but if so, she's not spoken to me of it.
<Green> I see. Well, I guess it's time to move on. We've still got one more traitor to kill!
Current Team!Lord Green - Lv. 20 Lord
DNA - Lv. 5 Paladin
Jabber - Lv. 8 Paladin
TGK - Lv. 4 Sage
Vom - Lv. 6 Swordmaster
Celever - Lv. 11 Bishop
Athena - Lv. 7 Sage
Brave - Lv. 6 Berserker
Skyleaf - Lv. 9 Wyvern Lord
Silver - Lv. 5 Druid
Icarus - Lv. 2 Wyvern Lord
BB - Lv. 20 Thief
Keeper - Lv. 20 Dancer
SM - Lv. 1 Manakete
Player Notes
One of the easiest non-gaiden chapters we've had in a while. Silver took care of most of the work as we followed the eastern bottom path to rid ourselves of the enemies. Brave single-handedly took care of all of the PK reinforcements from the southeast. Skyleaf used her flight to her advantage to pick off the ballistae and generally clean up.
Most of the time and effort spent this chapter was training Icarus up at the arena. We got him to promote and then another level as well as we built our funds up to 111k. Compared to Skyleaf, he's likely going to have higher Str/Def (already leads her in the latter, even, despite their level difference), but she'll probably stay ahead of him in terms of Skl/Spd.
With that, our team is aaaaaalmost complete. We have one last recruit left, Prof. Palutena, and we'll be meeting her next chapter, though we won't actually get to use her until the chapter after. Since we'll finally have our full team then, I'll probably do another Unit Recap on Tuesday.
In fact, we've only got 10 chapters left in total, so I'll probably be finishing up around mid-April.
Hope you all enjoy!