- Tactics — 4 stars
- Survival — 5 stars
- Funds — 4 stars
- Exp — 1 star
- Combat — 5 stars
Normally I like foggy days, but yesterday was...not fun. It's a relief to be back in the sunshine. There's an odd feel to the air, though. The others must sense it too; we all seem to be a bit on edge, Hector and Lyn in particular. I asked Canas, but he has no idea what it could be.
My unease grows as I survey the terrain. This is a confined space, perfect for an ambush. At last, the final gear clicks into place: a black-garbed mage emerges to threaten us. They must be confident indeed to display their hand, and rightly so: Hector, our most valiant fighter, fears little in the way of physical weapons—but magic? Our best chance is to stay on the offensive, take down the enemy before they can deploy their most powerful spells.
After the intense battle in the forest that nearly ended in defeat, Dart, Florina, Fiora, Oswin, Marcus, and Matthew are all exhausted and sorely wounded; Serra has her hands full. This'll be tough...but our seer tells me there's a factor neither side has anticipated. She can say no more, but, well, 'Dovie'andi se tovya sagain.' — It's time to toss the dice.
Bartre: As reward for his bravery in yesterday's fighting, I give Bartre both the "speedwing" and a curious artifact Erk left with us to enhance his natural abilities. He goes to meet the foe first, buffing himself with pure water to resist magic. While the others head west, he moves south, where I've spotted a person in some old ruins. It's a bishop by the name of Renault, supposedly here on a pilgrimage. Mighty strange place for it...he gives Bartre another religious icon of St. Elimine and a blessing after being saved from an approaching bandit.
Hector: Follows Bartre, also drinking some pure water, and is the first to encounter a knight, but has no trouble with it. When magic stops working, although I'm hesitant to slaughter unarmed foes, Hector argues that we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth—who knows how long this effect will last?—and rushes forward, Lyn at his back. Upon noticing that this strange field does not extend everywhere, I agree.
Lyn: Follows Hector. By usually getting the first strike, and with increased resistance to magic, the three of them blast through the first line of mages taking no damage. I'm still worried about the larger numbers of mages to the west, but then...the air begins to feel...heavier, with an ominous kind of weight...inexplicably, all of their magic fizzles and dies as it leaves their hands. Could this be what the seer spoke of? Along with Hector, we blast through the knights. The enemy commander's entire force is now vulnerable, unless all those Squishy Wizards want to try punching Hector.
Canas/Eliwood: Not a fighter by nature, the scholar still offers, as our only mage, to guard the wounded with Eliwood and Guy. After enchanting the doors of a nearby fortress to remain closed, however, no enemies attack save for three pegasus knights crossing the mountain.
Guy: Waits for the pegasus knights to approach. They wield curious weapons, "axereavers", which are ungainly enough to be outmaneuvered by a good swordsman. Guy deals with all three without breaking a sweat, and sits out the remainder of the battle.
In the end, Lyn with her Mani Katti and Hector with his hand axe finish the commander, Aion, while he curses and rants at us, annoyingly dodging for quite some time. He seems more perturbed that his plan failed than upset at his own death...
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot several...somethings... in the woods vanish, with an eerie twist in the air. I wonder what just happened...
10 turns, would have been 7, but I couldn't hit Aion. GRRR...
MVP: Hector; I wish there was an equivalent of the hand axe for sword users. Sure, Light Brand and Runesword, but they're rare and come late.
