Last time, we went through a character creator.
Also, I've been getting the blond man's name wrong, it's Rictor. Sorry.
Our ship has sailed into stormy weather, it seems.
◊
"Rictor! We won't make it to the island like this," we say.
◊ "The ship can be repaired, but it may take a while."
"How about the captain?"
"He said we should wait for the storm to settle first," Belgger informs him.
"Well, I guess there's nothing we can do in a situation like this," Rictor sighs. "I didn't think the stormy season would come so soon. Our ship has been drifting for so long I don't have a clue where we are. We should be thankful that the ship didn't sink."
"Commander!" a solider shouts. "We're being attacked! We have no idea who they are or what they want!"
"No way... a time like this!?" Belgger shouts. The screen blacks out.
They're led by a berzerker.
◊ They're called bandits in this game, and we can't become one.
"Hehehe. That crest, those clothes..." the bandit, Stan, muses. "You must be from Lodis! I'm sorry, but we can't let you land on this island. Die here!!!" The overuse of exclamation points still pisses me off!!!
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Rictor shouts.
"We're hired men," Stan explains. "We were told to give the knights from Lodis a warm welcome!"
Winning Condition: Kill The Leader!
This game's music isn't as good as LUCT's. This is my favorite battle track, though.
"Don't worry about them all. Just defeat the leader!" Rictor shouts. I'll in fact be trying to kill as many mooks as I can so I can get all loot possible, but some asshole usually kills Stan before that can happen. Rictor moves to the side and does nothing, for some reason. Our archer, Orson, moves forward. I'm not controlling any of this, for the record.
"Some of them have bows. An arrow could come form any direction. Be alert!" He attacks Stan, and hits for 13 damage. Our female soldier (note I said female soldier, not amazon; more on that later) moves forward and attacks a mook from the side, doing 31 damage. She is counter-attacked for 24.
Our turn! Here's our stats.
◊
There are a few differences in combat from LUCT. First of all, attacking a character from the back results in no counter-attack. Also, unlike LUCT, in which which unit is selected to move depends on a stat, this game is more like Fire Emblem in that you can select which order to move your units. Enemies move only after you've moved all your units. There are probably a few more differences I can't remember right now.
I advance next to Rictor. Enemy turn!
"Look! There's a kid among these glorious knights!" Stan goads.
"Shut your mouth! I'm a true night of Felis!!!" Belgger screams.
"Clam down, Belgger!" Rictor advises. "Don't let your temper flare!"
"Hahaha!" Stan laughs. "Hey, kid... you scared?" His mooks move forward. One of them attacks one of my female soldier from the side for 24 damage. The counter-attack is blocked. A mook moves sideways and attacks Rictor with a bow. He blocks it. A mook attacks my male soldier, who blocks, and counter-attacks for 27 damage. Stan attacks my female unit for 41 damage, who counter-attacks for 34. Rictor heals her.
Our female unit, Lara, moves behind Stan. "Attack the enemy from behind to avoid a counter-attack. Remember, strategy is the key to victory." She hits Stan for 29. My male soldier, Justin, attacks a mook. "Don't blindly rush the enemy! Work together!" He attacks the enemy, who guards, who counter-attacks. Justin guards. The enemy gains the Book of Initiation emblem.
You get emblems from doing certain feats in battle. There's a full list here.
Emblems give you statistical bonuses, and some classes need certain emblems for you to unlock them. For example, you need the Dragon Slayer emblem to become a Dragoon. Some emblems, like Bogus Hero, are bad. It's a pretty cool idea.
I'm not gonna explain the rest of this battle. I think we all know how turn-based strategy works. I can't even control any characters except Belgger.
I kill Stan from behind. I was only able to kill one mook, but if I didn't do it someone else would.
Stan: Dammit! I failed! Death quotes return, luckily.
We get 0 extra goth and Stan's Francisca. Weren't Franciscas throwing axes?
Music that plays for the following scene.
We discuss these events with Rictor.
◊
"Looks like there's someone who doesn't want us here..." Belgger muses.
"Our presence was requested by the people of Anser," Rictor says. "It must be forces from the North that attacked us."
"Anser is in the south and Rananculus is in the north. Is the conflict between the two really that bad?" We aren't actually in Lodis anymore; we sailed to on an island split between the north and the south.
"It's more than a conflict," Rictor explains. "There's a sizable forest that separates them. Winter snow blocks land and sea routes. They've not associated with each other for hundreds of years."
"And then, unexpectedly," Belgger pipes up, "soldiers from the North crossed the border... what is your father, the Duke of Felis, saying about this?" Felis is a region of Lodis.
Rictor looks out at the water. "To be honest, he doesn't seem very concerned. It's happened several times before, but he ignored the situation. This time, at the people's request, he finally decided to do something."
"I see. When I received these orders, I was surprised by how small our force was and that most of the knights were inexperienced, like me."
"My father didn't want to go to the trouble of sending the main forces, so he sent me to take care of it instead," Rictor says scornfully. "Are you worried?"
"Not really... just curious."
Rictor turns back to us. "Well, if we need more soldiers we can just hire some. It's cheaper than sending reinforcements by ship. Since my father became the duke, he's become very stingy. I don't have much admiration for him."
"Will you eventually go to Galius to become a priest of the Church of Lodis?"
"I don't know anymore," Rictor mutters. "My father wants me to inherit his position as Duke of Felis so that he can hold the reins of power even is retirement."
"By the way," Belgger says, "didn't you say that you've visited Ovis before?" Ovis is the island we're on.
"I was only a child. I can barely remember."
Suddenly, a bandit sneaks up behind us
◊ and readies a bow.
"Watch out!" Belgger shouts. The bandit shoots the bow. Belgger pushes Rictor out of the way, getting shot with the arrow, which sends him flying into the water.
"Damn! That soldier got in the way!" the bandit shouts.
A female soldier comes up behind him and kills him. A male soldier walks up to Rictor.
"Find him!" Rictor shouts (referring to us). He moves over to the cliff. "Belgger!"
The screen turns black.
Our scene opens on a church.
◊ A young woman comes out.
◊ She notices us washed up.
◊
She seems to have taken us in.
◊
Music that plays here. It's another of my favorites. The music isn't as good as LUCT's, but for the platform it's still pretty good.
"Where am I...?" Belgger asks. The woman walks over to him.
"Keep still. How do you feel?" she asks.
◊
We sit up. "Well... not too bad."
"...Good. You've been asleep for a long time... this is a church in Solea. You were washed up on the beach outside."
Belgger looks at her. "Did you save me...? Miss...?"
"My name is Eleanor. I'm not a nun, but I'm helping the priest of this church. A...are you from Lodis?"
"I am a knight of Felis... my name's Belgger, Belgger Loeher. We were headed for this island by ship, but a storm hit and we lost our way. With our ship in shambles, we were attacked by pirates."
"Did you fall overboard?"
"Something like that. I'm not much of a swimmer."
She giggles. "Maybe a mermaid saved you. There aren't many left, but some still live around here."
"Mermaid? A woman with a fish's tail?" No, Belgger, a woman with a beaver's tail.
"It was a long time ago, but once I saw a beautiful mermaid. Her body was shining in gold..."
A "softspoken woman" comes in. "Looks like you have almost fully recovered," she says.
◊
"Who are you?" Belgger asks.
"My name is Ivanna. I was once a soldier of Rananculus, but now I am on my own. Eleanor, may I speak with him a minute?"
"Of course." She goes to the side (not actually leaving the room).
"You said that you were a soldier of Rananculus?" Belgger says. "Was that with the northern White Fang Troops, the cause of this island's troubles?"
"That's right, but that was nearly ten years ago. Eleanor told me about what happened to you. I wanted to speak with you. Felis... The Order of the Sacred Flame... you were sent here by Lodis at the request of Anser?"
Belgger says nothing.
"I've heard that, in Scabellum, there's a group of knights in unfamiliar armor. Are they comrades of yours?"
"Hmmm..."
"There are no organized troops in the South, and their accents and manners are different. Rumors spread quickly."
"We were separated by the storm. If this is true, then I must contact them."
"I have some errands to take care of in Scabellum, so I'll go with you. I'll come with you tomorrow. See you then." Ivanna walks out, nodding to Eleanor as she does so.
"I'm glad you found out where your comrades are," Eleanor says.
"I appreciate your kindness. I will leave here tomorrow afternoon. Thank you."
"...You're welcome."
A voice without a portrait, Boisterous Man, calls: "Eleanor? Where are you? Eleanor!"
"Father Hamen's calling me. I have to go."
"Father Hamen?"
"He's the priest here... and my foster father. Ah... I'm coming!" She walks out. We'll see more of Eleanor later.
World map.
◊ We're in southwest Anser. We can't access any shops or normal functions of a town at Solea. We don't have our starting troops yet; that comes after the next battle. There's no Warren Report, so no character profiles. Sorry.
Next time: We fight another battle, get our starting troops, and hire some more! Also, more infodumping.
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