Welcome back, viewers! Last time, if you don't count the intermission, we recruited another blonde girl that can heal other units and will die if a berserker looks at her funny, and a young mage desperate to prove himself. And now, let's see what's shakin' back at Ylisstol! ...Well, right after I purchase some stuff from a Merchant that just randomly appeared on the map. A Rescue Staff and a Talisman that permanently boosts a character's Resistance by 2, woo!
CHAPTER 6: FORESEER
We've retreated back to the castle in Ylisstol, it's nighttime, we're asking Flavia for more troops tomorrow, and Chrom is moping. Yukari asks what's bugging him, and Chrom tells her that the things Gangrel said about the previous exalt weren't all lies. Chrom's father's war on Plegia lasted years, and the campaign only ended due to his death, leaving Emmeryn to inherit the title of exalt at a mere ten years old. Ylisse also suffered during wartime, with conscription becoming necessary as the army diminished to practically nothing. Those times heavily affected Chrom and Emmeryn as children, and with both an opposing country and their own not exactly in high spirits, the new exalt and her brother dealt with a lot of blame (also, stones thrown in the direction of their faces). But Emm did her best to hide her pain from the public, greeting the hostility of her own people with warmth and patience, healing them while they vilified her. She was able to end the war with her peaceful ideology, and when the public 'forgave' her for the actions of her father, she did not even think of resenting them. Because of this, plus the obvious fact that they're family, Chrom believes that Emm is the most valuable part of the haildom and will do anything to protect an embodiment of peace like her from the Mad King of Plegia. Especially since, to quote Chrom, "The day he understands peace will be the day death gives it to him".
Chrom then considers the likely possibility of having to slay Gangrel himself despite Emm's desire for peaceful solutions. Marth pops out of nowhere and approves of his words, and Chrom asks where he came from. Marth points out a small hole in the castle wall that Chrom was sure only he knew about, since he accidentally made during a training session. It seems that Marth is here to warn us that Emm's life is in danger, and claims to know this because...get this, folks...he has seen the future. As any ordinary man being told about the future from an almost-complete stranger is apt to do, Chrom asks if Marth's lost his wits. But Marth understands Chrom's disbelief, and is prepared to prove that his words are true. On cue, cinematic sequence #7 begins, with Marth drawing his Parallel Falchion and claiming that he's about to save Chrom...from a bush. Also on cue, a cloaked assassin charges out of the bush and charges towards the protagonists, only for Marth to do a backflip and slay him from behind. Marth hopes that knowing about that attack and then instantly saving Chrom from it is enough to earn his trust, and it is, but the moment is rudely interrupted when a second assassin leaps out of a tree. Marth tries to pivot and face the new foe, but trips on the first assassin's discarded blade, and almost gets a scarred face from the new opponent. Thankfully, there's just enough distance that the attacker only succeeds in cleaving Marth's mask in two and disheveling some hidden hair, revealing that...
...Are you guys ready for this? It's a pretty juicy spoiler, and I'm not going to put spoiler tags over it because it keeps popping up in conversation after being revealed...
...Well, if you're sure you can handle it, then I may as well tell you that...
..."Marth" is actually a teenage girl. Which is certainly a more surprising reveal than finding out that one of the khans was female, considering that Yukari only imagined that Flavia was going to be a buff guy, and Flavia had not made any attempt to hide her gender. But I still believe that both of these scenarios are examples of the trope I linked to! Oh, and speaking of the khans of Regna Ferox, I think it's pretty clear now why former West-Khan champion Lon'qu lost that battle...
Back to the cutscene, Chrom charges in and slays the assassin before the foe can get in a fatal blow. He then gets a good look at "Marth" and realizes what is now obvious, and "Marth" claims to be a good actor that's honestly surprised that Chrom didn't figure it out earlier. The screen then shakes from an explosion, and we're brought to the battlefield. In the upcoming skirmish, a bunch of soldiers from unknown origin are going to charge in, attempt to take out Emm, and steal the Fire Emblem while they're in the area. Oh, and the boss seems to have been searching for Yukari, and is extremely fortunate to have finally found her as well. Of course, our mission is to stop them. Emm (who currently lacks even a staff) and "Marth" (who has the Parallel Falchion) are on the map as NPC units, and if Emm dies from an opponent's attack before the boss is slain, it's Game Over. Let's investigate some of the interesting units in today's battle, shall we?
- EMMERYN (who, judging by her skills, used to attack people with tomes): Chrom's elder sister. A pacifist and idealist with a good heart.
- MARTH (whose at least changed her profile picture and field sprite since last time): An enigmatic warrior who bears the name of a legendary king.
- GAIUS (An enemy thief that Chrom can talk to, and who came here to loot instead of kill): A formidable Ylissean thief with a soft spot for sugar.
- PANNE (Who pops up around Turn 2 and instantly joins our side of the skirmish, as her people owe a debt): The last of the taguel race. Sensible and self-reliant.
- VALIDAR (Anyone else experiencing deja-vu?): A dark mage who wishes to architect the world's end.
Now, I mentioned in the Intermission that I might have some trouble describing Taguel, which is what Panne is. And while I could start by talking about the Laguz from Ike's games, Taguel are in many ways more similar to a race from Marth's games. So...do you know what a Manakete is? A Manakete is a dragon that has taken human form, usually because dragons that choose to always be a dragon usually end up going crazy and getting slain. By using special stones, a Manakete can temporarily unleash their dragon form in combat. Well, a Taguel is like a Manakete, except that instead of using a Dragonstone to transform from a human-like shape into a dragon, a Taguel can use a Beaststone to transform from a human-like shape with big ears into a...bunny. A giant, ferocious bunny with decent strength and a phenomenal amount of speed, but a bunny nonetheless. And that's as good of an explanation as you'll get from me, so let's go ahead and start this battle!
- Chrom, Sully, Ricken, & Yukari: They did their best to handle the left side of the field, though Ricken and Yukari cleared out a path for Freddy first. The best way I've found to handle this stage is to avoid pairing up your defensive units in the first turn, instead using them to form blockades in passageways two or three spaces wide. I need to be a tad careful with unit placement on the left, though, as Gaius could pick a fight with us and end up dying instead of getting talked to by Chrom. At Turn 2's start, after Panne's automatic joining (which "Marth" also foresaw), Chrom went up to Gaius and convinced him to switch sides with a sweet deal...literally, as some of Lissa's candies fall out of his pocket, and Gauis is such a sugar addict that he accepted them as payment. The quartet then eliminate all oncoming enemies, though since both of the healers are on the opposite side of the field, Chrom and Sully finish off the Vulnery that was partly used in the last battle. Chrom's rapier once again comes in handy when horsemen attempt to get past, and when Validar starts moving from the stage's bottom at the end of Turn 4, their path is clear and the gang is ready to switch from defense to offence. When Val's in range, their HP is too low to risk attacking directly, but high enough that they could survive if they didn't dodge during Val's turn. Val chooses to attack Yukari/Ricken (who can counter his magic with her own) instead of Sully/Chrom (who could not), and we get a bit of dialogue before the combat scene, with Val definitely recognizing our tactician and promising to tell us the truth if we submit. We don't, of course. Yukari and Ricken are then the first pair to attack Val on the final turn of this battle, followed by Sully and Chrom, who are told by Validar that we will pay for messing up his easy target right before Dual Striking him to death.
- Kellam, Stahl, Lon'qu, Maribelle, & Lissa: They did their best to handle the right side of the field. The group was split such that five units defended either side, which is fine in this situation, since the group on this side took a lot of damage in my original file and could probably use the extra healing. It turns out that the same happens this time, especially since this is Lon'qu's first battle and it will take a few levels before he starts dodging everything. At one point, the only way I can survive a turn is by putting Lissa in danger, so that an opponent with low HP can try and fail to kill her. If I hadn't, he would've done damage to someone else, have gotten killed in the counterattack, and then a new opponent could take his place and finish off one of my units. The fact that Lon'qu starts with a Killing Edge and the aptitude to use it is quite helpful, since he occasionally jumps in for a Dual Strike and finishes off an enemy before they can land a hit and make me consider sending Mari or Lissa to the front lines for non-distraction purposes. Mari does have to actually step close to the front lines at one point to heal Kellam, but the only enemy that could reach her at the end of that turn was a dark mage, who decided to become a stain on Freddy's Hand Axe rather than compare his low Magic to Mari's decent Resistance. Their side is clear about the same time Chrom's side is, and the healers get some experience returning everyone to maximum HP (even if a unit only needed to be healed two or three points) while the men rush to the middle to deal with the guys Freddy hasn't killed yet. On the final turn, the healers patch up Chrom's group, and watch as the struggle comes to a close.
- Frederick: With a Hand Axe dropped by that one enemy in the last battle, and after the death of the one enemy blocking a narrow hall he could easily defend himself in, he did their best to defend the middle. Sure, he could've bolstered one of the other sides and let "Marth" defend the middle, but if she had to deal with more than one foe coming through that small passage, Emm would probably end up dead. Plus, I'd prefer that Freddy gain a little experience and wear out the Hand Axe than an NPC stealing the kills. The enemies pretty much form a line to take him on, and after dealing with one dark mage, Freddy can easily weaken foes that could actually hurt him from afar while thieves rush in and do no damage at close-range (and also block said damaging units).
- Gaius & Panne: As soon as both are on our side, they team up and beeline to an event panel and a chest in Emm's room that Gaius can easily unlock. They get there on Turn 4 and obtain a Secret Book, which is like the Talisman I was fortunate to obtain from a random merchant, but permanently boosts Skill instead of Resistance. They also unlock a door at the south of Emm's room, but are a tad too late to actually fight in this skirmish (save for Gaius helping Chrom slay one enemy immediately after the lord finshed talking to him).
- Turns: 7
- Heroes: Chrom and Sully
Chrom's glad that Emm's safe, and Phila (who was absent during the battle) apologizes for failing to guard the castle from the bad guys. Chrom states that it's not Phila's fault, and only "Marth" could have foretold this event. "Marth", by the way, is about to leave without a trace yet again. Chrom manages to catch up to her before she's gone, however, and asks if he can repay her kindness. "Marth" is just glad that history has been rewritten. We aren't told how she knew what events were going to happen, but she tells us that if she had not come here to warn us, Emm would be dead and the Emblem stolen, leading to war and the end of mankind. Chrom's willing to believe her story despite its absurdity, since "Marth" has earned his trust by saving both Lissa and himself in addition to protecting Emm, and hopes that their paths will cross yet again some day.
Back with Emm, Phila, and Yukari, they are thanking Panne for her bravery. Yukari is also told what a taguel actually is, and that Panne is the last of her kind, since all the others Panne knows of have been killed by human hunters for sport. Panne's bitter at humans in general, but did not want an unexplained debt her friends made with Ylisse in the past to go unpaid. Emm's distraught at how humans could be so cruel, and Panne replies that she shouldn't be shocked, as all humans have a desire to ruin. Emmeryn remarks how all are treated equal in taguel society, and how mankind could have learned much from them. She also apologizes on behalf of the people that have taken away Panne's family despite Emm herself not being a part of it, and while the words mean little to Panne, she can sense that Emm is being sincere and is doing her best to feel the taguel's pain as her own. Panne tells us that she'll never trust mankind, but Emm is not like other humans, and is willing to start a bond of trust with her.
Meanwhile, Validar is stumbling around in a black void with a purple floor, despite having been killed in battle rather than spared like the Longfort guard. He complains how his grand purpose is too significant to be thwarted so soon, and he's soon approached by a mysterious figure. We can only see the figure's lower body, which is completely black and slightly shrouded by black and purple smoke, but addresses Validar with a slightly familiar voice. Oh, and let's not forget that black and purple smoke is also associated with the Risen. Validar asks who this figure is, and is told that Val is not fated to die here and now, as he must author a destiny greater than he knows. Validar's a bit shocked that he's talking directly to the power that has compelled him for so long, which finally introduces itself as the wings of despair, the breath of ruin...the fell dragon, Grima.
Cutting back to the good guys, Phila plans to investigate how the assassins got into the castle. Chrom's sure that Plegia is involved, and insists that Emm be moved elsewhere for protection. Emm doesn't want to leave her people without a leader while war is at their borders, and Freddy suggests that she be moved to a secret eastern palace instead of out of the haildom entirely. Since Chrom won't leave to recruit more allies knowing that Emm is in danger, the exalt agrees to this plan. We then get a save prompt, the Breakneck Pass story battle appears on the map, and we get access to one new support.
- Stahl & Kellam C-rank: Stahl is surprised when Kellam seemingly comes out of nowhere, which is how almost every C-rank support with Kellam begins. But Stahl has a question for Kellam, curious when it comes to the knight's emotions in battle. Kellam states that he usually feels normal, and Stahl tells him that he often feels unsettled in battle and might be letting his friends down. Since Kellam always appears unflappable when Stahl spots him in combat, the cavalier wants some advice on how he keeps his cool, and while Kellam starts by saying that he can be quite nervous on the inside sometimes, he soon focuses on the fact that Stahl can actually see him on the battlefield. Nobody EVER notices Kellam out there, apparently, but if he's not as invisible as everyone else leads him to believe, he needs to be more careful out there. Stahl's glad that he could be of help, but is a tad dismayed that his own question wasn't really answered, before deciding that he just needs to try and calm his nerves more often.
Now, on to the topic of future plans. Instead of talking about supports, which I just did a whole intermission about, how about we talk about Paralogues? Now that Gaius is with us to loot some chests, it might be wise to attempt Paralogue 1 and recruit a new character, Donnel the villager. Alternatively, we could continue the plot, or we could try Paralogue 2 and get some rare items. We could also start the first Champions of Yore mission at the Outrelm Gate, since the strongest enemies there are only Level 8. What shall be the next destination of Chrom, the Shepherds, and...the rest (since I'm not sure if Gaius or Panne officially joined the gang either)? It's your choice, viewers!
...Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The title is a quote from one of Persona 4's late-game dungeons, save that I put "Marth" in the place that a different character's name is said. I'd say more, but...well, this isn't a Persona liveblog, and that would be spoilers.
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