Last time, we refused to slaughter the town of Baramus. Because of this, Vice betrayed us and helped Leonard butcher them, we were attacked by our former friends of the Walsta Liberation Army, and then we were blackmailed for the Baramus massacre. We're hiding in the town of Ashton.
Yep, the story just got a lot darker, and a lot more morally ambiguous. It's a Yasumi Matsuno work, what do you expect?
We begin Chapter 2.
Chapter 2: Just because things don't turn out the way you expected, I won't give up.
We begin in a rainy town, presumably Ashton.
◊ Denim and Kachua are holed up in a dingy building.
◊
"Don't blame yourself," mutters Kachua. "there was nothing you could have done."
"I just... couldn't do it. I couldn't protect them..."
"...Orcus, let's leave the island." She's talking about Valeria.
"Don't say that. You know I can't do that, not until I avenge father's death. I just can't run away now. I can't let the people who died in Baramus die in vain, I have to finish this.
Canopus walks in an asks if we were fighting.
◊ He pulls out a wanted poster and has us take a look.
"They raised the bounty on your heads again! It's up to 30,000 Goth now! Ronway must be desperate!"
"That bastard..." mutters Kachua. "He's making it look like we're the criminals."
"Actually," Canopus says, "in war, there is no good or bad. People can be criminals and victims at the same time. We can also say the winners of the war are the good guys and the winners are the bad guys." Very good lesson to learn, especially in a game this morally gray.
"I see..." sighs Orcus. "I guess that means I'm the criminal and loser, since I couldn't save them."
"Right. Therefore you have no choice but to win. Don't brood over your failures anymore."
Canopus saves us from Wangst once again. I love you, man.
"But to where?" asks Kachua. I guess the translation screwed up and she means "where do we go next?"
"The Liberation Army went over to the Barnam mountains and are gathered somewhere in the Swanzi Forest," explains Canopus.
"Finally, they've mobilized their attack on the Gargastan Army. And now Gargastan doesn't have enough power."
"Yup. Barbatos is down for the count now... the Walstanians have all but won." I guess maybe the massacre did a bit of good after all... no, I can't think like that! Your ideals can't be reached with bloodshed! It's... it's... wrong!
"And we will remain criminals..." Kachua whispers wistfully.
"That is why we have to go," Canopus says, standing up. "We have to deal with our situation first. According to my information, Lans (Hamilton) is on Tanmas Hill, which is located in the back of the Swanzi forest. If most of the Liberation Army is concentrated in the forest, then this is the perfect time to break through..." And Lans Hamilton will be sympathetic to our cause, and help us!
"Then we can talk to Lans!" says Kachua excitedly. "I know that he will help us!"
"You're right..." mutters Orcus. "There's no point in just sitting around here. Let's move!"
The screen fades out, and we're teleported to our position on the world map.
◊ You can shop, train, and do all that in Ashton.
Time for a new feature on the Let's Play!
Warren Report Updates
That's right, I will now be reporting news happening all over Valeria, taken straight from the Warren Report!
If you remember, this is what the Warren Report looks like.
◊ I arrow down to Misc, where we can get news happening all over Valeria!
The Baramus Massacre
There has been a massacre in the town of Baramus in the Gargastan kingdom. Baramus is a self-governing district for Walstanians. There were no survivors. All the people, from the elderly to little children, were completely wiped out. The attack is believed to be the work of the Gargastan Army. It is considered revenge for the attack and occupation of Amorika Castle by the Walsta Liberation Army. Barbatos denies they had any involvement.
Another Massacre
The moderates in Gargastan revolted. The news of the Baramus massacre made the moderates accuse the Gargastan government. The Gargastan government responded to these accusations by using military force to quiet them, which unfortunately led to another bloody massacre. However, even within the military, there were many soldiers who ran away and the people started planning their revolt. The entire command line seems to be falling apart.
Hero Is A Traitor?
The young hero from Griate (us) has a bounty on his head for 30,000 Goth. The Walsta Liberation Army announced that Powell (our last name), who had liberated Amorika Castle, is now the prime suspect in the Baramus Massacre. He is on the run from the Walsta Liberation Army.
A decisive battle?
The Walsta Liberation Army, led by Duke Ronway, is gathering at Swanzi Forest located close to Coritani Castle. Half of the members of the Walsta Liberation Army are Gargastanian. The battle is no longer the simple Walstanian vs. Gargastan ethnic battle. The final battle is expected to come soon.
Back To The Gameplay
Interesting. Oh, and just so you know, from now on, anyone can request a character bio from the Warren Report, and I'll provide it. There are bios for Orcus, Kachua, Vice, Lans Hamilton, Canopus, Warren, Mildain, Guildus, Lans Tartare, Balzepho, Branta (leader of the Bacrumese), cardinal Barbatos, Ronway, the late King Dolgare, Leonard, Nybbas, Presance, Sisteena, Ganb, and our father, the priest Plancy. Request for bios, and I will provide!
As you can guess, we still have the same troops from last chapter.
◊ I'm going to train them all to level 8. Time for a boring explanation of something!
Loyalty And The Chaos Frame
Unlike FFT, each soldier has a "loyalty." You can not see the numbers directly, but phrases can be seen indicating loyalty of each character. You can find these phrases here
(it's that awesome site again!)
Note: The link has some spoilers about characters who will be joining us. If you don't want to be spoiled, scroll down quickly when they show the part describing preset loyalties!
If a squadmate hits a certain low in loyalty, about 10, they will leave your party. The phrases, as you can see, are different for each character depending on their alignment. The link explains factors that change loyalty; notable is the choice we made. We picked the Chaotic route; everyone except Delta is either C or N. The N characters don't really care, and the C ones are happy, and their loyalty will increase. Don't worry about loyalty that much; keep an eye on it, but as long as you take characters into battle (they will feel appreciated when you do this, boosting their loyalty), you should be fine.
Each race; the Walstanians, Bacrumese, and Gargastanians; has a Loyalty meter, called the "Chaos Frame." Weird name, huh? Anyway, don't worry about it. The Chaos Frame only matters is you get the "bad" ending, which I don't want. As long as you follow my instructions throughout the game, you won't need to worry about the Chaos Frame. You can still read about it from the link if you're curious, though.
Back To The Gameplay
Time to train!
Next time: we get into the first battle of Chapter 2!
