We begin the first chapter with our heroes taking a walk through the town, giving special notice to the town windmills,
noting how beautiful they are. I give the things ten minutes, tops before shit goes down.
After parting ways with Alicia, Welkin and Isara head out to pack up and get out of Bruhl before trouble shows up packing machine guns. Meeting up with their housekeeper, Martha (who is very pregnant), they talk about how "She's due any day now." Remember this one. Then Alicia shows up with a "Sorry I held you up and assumed you were a spy" present of preserved bread for the road. Welkin invites her in for a chat, where Alicia takes notice of a portrait of Welkin's dad and a another man, Isara's father, Theimer.
See, Isara is not Welkin's sister by birth. When she was little, Theimer and his wife died, and General Gunther took in his dear friend's daughter.
Walking about town, Welks and Alicia talk about what they're going to do. Welkin says he plans to be a teacher, helping Gallia in a different way from his father.
And then this all Hell finally breaks loose. The windmill tower is hit and wrecked by a mortar shell. Barely a moment later, Imperial troops show up and shoot at any man, woman, or child still upright. Seeing that they must buy time for the townspeople, Welkin, Alicia, and a member of the Town Watch move out.
BATTLE! DEFENSE OF BRUHL!
Units: 3 (Alicia, Welkin, Some Other Dude of Minimal Importance.)
Enemy Units: 5-6 Scouts, one Scout Leader
Now, if you're lucky, you can run Alicia up to the Commander and take him out with her grenade one the first turn, ending this half of the mission. If you don't feel that confident, then take your time, clearing out the enemy units on the way to the Commander, getting behind sandbags as you go. Use Alicia's grenades for dudes who are in cover as well. Use your grenade on the Leader when you get to him to get rid of him quickly.
(Funny story: On my first time on this mission for this liveblog, I ended up blowing up Alicia as well as the Leader, forcing a restart.)
After taking out the Leader, we see a cutscene showing a motherfucking tank rolling into town and handing everyone their ass. Guess what the next part of the mission is...
DEFENSE OF BRUHL, PART 2!
Units: Same as before
Enemy Units: 4 Scouts, 1 Light Tank
The objective here is to race Welkin into the nearby back-alley so he can escape. This shouldn't be too hard, provided you stay away from the tank's machine gun.
Of special note here is the fact that the enemy takes it's turn first, using the turn to move the tank in front of the street and lob a mortar at the Red Shirt who's been sticking with you. Sadly, he lives.
Rolling into Chapter 2, we join Welkin in his running home. Hearing a gunshot, he stops and takes a good, long look at a fence post.
Meanwhile, in the house, we see Martha and Isara cornered by Imperial soldiers, with Martha fallen on the ground. Don't worry, she wasn't shot. The Imps taunt the girls, especially remarking on Isara's heritage as a Darcsen.
Darcsens: The Darcsens are Europa's oldest indigenous race, said to have lived across the continent since ancient times. They are characterized by their dark blue-black hair and shawls or various accessories bearing the traditional Darcsen pattern.
Essentially, the Darcsens are the world's Jews in this game, and are hated by many of it's people. In the next few chapters, you'll find out where all the hate comes from.
Anyway, seeing that the men are distracted, Isara makes a leap towards a nearby rifle, evening the odds somewhat. After a tense few moments, Welkin comes busting in, bashing one soldier in the face with the fence post, while Isara shoots the other one. Making sure they both are okay, the two check on Martha who, surprise surprise, has gone into labor. Realizing that they now can't go anywhere on foot. Isara, has a solution. Their dad's tank, the Edelweiss.
Edelweiss: Designed and constructed by Isara's late father, Theimer, this tank's 360-degree rotating turret, fully automated loading system and other innovations completely revolutionized tank technology. Built to be operated by two, Welkin mans the guns and issues commands to Isara who is in control of both the wheel and wireless radio.
Despite its age, it was among the first to use angled plating and other emergent concepts, yielding high performance from an early test stage. Its high cost was all that precluded its mass production.
This here is where every decision that you make in combat will center around. The Edelweiss is powerful, and is upgraded through out the game to keep up with the tanks that the enemy fields later on. Not to mention, if it get's taken out, the mission instantly ends, no matter what, and the fact that the radiator, every tank's weakpoint, is just as exposed as the enemy's, means you must keep an eye on whoever is nearby.
Readying the tank, Isara and Welkin roll out to pick up the embattled Alicia, who, with the remnants of the Town Watch, are holding as best they can at the town's entrance.
BATTLE! RETREAT FROM BRUHL!
Units: 3 (Alicia, Some Dork, Another Dork)
Enemy Units: 1 Light Tank, Multiple Scouts, Two Shocktroopers. ACE UNIT!: Segular the Wall
The new enemy unit, the shocktrooper, is armed with a powerful machine gun that will tear you to bits if you're not under cover. Don't worry, we'll get some of those later.
All that you need to do here is hold until Welkin shows up. The main two things that make this go smoother is destroying the sandbags on the other side of the street, so the enemy can't use them, and Placing Alicia in the nearby tower, giving her a huge advantage. Just don't worry too much about taking too many CP and let it build up. the enemy won't destroy the gate too quickly.
After two turns, Welkin shows up in the tank. Batter down the wooden wall and send a mortar at the group of enemy units. Then get as close as you can and send rounds into the light tank's radiator. If you think you have the CP for it, then send Alicia up to the enemy ace and try to take him out. Don't waste too much CP doing this, however. Taking out the ace nets you a ZM Kar 1(g) The Missions end when that tank is dead.
After you blow up the tank, Martha gives birth to her child. I tell ya', that kid better grow up hardcore.
On the outskirts of Bruhl, Welkin and Alicia look on at their destroyed home. Welkin speaks more on his dream: to teach others how to coexist without war, to understand one another without turning to violence. Vowing to come back home soon, the group sets out for Randgriz.
Next time: Mister Welkin goes to Randgriz (And enlists.)
