Long update today.
I return to Scabellum to get a heal spell for Flauros and a new spell (Ice Javelin) for Aniole. When we return to Vespa, we get into a battle that's not actually random!
A young fairy is confronted by a group of monsters. "Nooo! Stay away!" she screams.
◊
"Looks like she's in trouble," Belgger says. "I wonder if we should give her a hand...?"
The game doesn't give you a choice, you have to fight the enemies. You don't have to protect the fairy though.
She flees towards us.
Music for this battle.
It kind of reminds me of XCOM.
No map.
This is part of the Glycinia sidequest. I believe it works like this: you can find Glycinia at certain locations during the game; ignoring one opens up another opportunity, and she comes with different stuff each battle (we recruit her after this). There's more to the sidequest, but I'll get to that later.
This battle is pretty easy. You have the terrain advantage, and we're higher leveled than they are (they're all level 4.)
I send everyone down the center, except Belgger and and Allos, who go to the left to protect Glycinia.
The battle is pretty much a slaughter. Even the griffons barely do 20 damage. Just focus on them, then move on to the fairies and the gremlins (the flying purple things).
We get 200 Goth and a Cup of Life. I collected the treasure got from the other enemies during the battle; pretty much all of them were Cups of Life.
Belgger and the fairy discuss the battle.
◊
"Thank you for rescuing me," Glycinia says.
"Because there are so many beasts here, it's dangerous to be on this island."
"I just came from the forest, so I'm not used to the outside world. If possible, may I join you? I'm looking for my sister."
We're presented a choice:
- Alright, you can come.
- We've no time to play.
I pick the first one.
"Alright, you can come. But... don't do anything dangerous."
"Thanks! We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. Oh, my sister's name is Lubina. She ran away from the forest we lived in because she thought it was boring there."
I train everyone to level 7. Notably, Belgger, Allos, and Fersen get the Knight Certificate emblem (get counterattacked 15 times), which you need to become a knight. I change Belgger into a knight; only he has the stats for it. I change Fersen into a beast tamer to help his strength. I'll bring along Glycinia for now. Fairies aren't that good, but hey, she's only there to fill the eight spot until we get another character.
I give Glycinia a Great Bow. I buy Belgger a heal spell.
A knight stands on a fortress.
◊ Another man comes out.
◊
"The knights of Lodis will come to Formido soon," the man on the left, "Imposing Knight, says.
◊
The other, Grimal, says: "The ones sent by Felis at request of the South?"
"I hired pirates to attack them," the imposing knight mutters, "but some arrived and made it ashore. Grimal, use the troops stationed here to protect the fortress."
"Yes, sir... but how about you, Commander Briffaut?"
"That young lass's calling me," Nichart Briffaut says. "She'll be mad if I don't come soon. According to my sources, the leader of Lodis' troops is only 15 years old. They're making fools of us!"
"You must be the White Fang Troops," Belgger calls. "Abandon this fortress and withdraw to Naja immediately. Otherwise..."
"Commander Briffaut, look!" Grimal shouts.
Nichart looks toward us. "They're here already? Much earlier than anticipated! This fortress is critical to movement in the South. It's all up to you, Grimal!!!" Nichart starts to go inside.
"Are you running away? Don't you have any guts?!" Belgger shouts.
Nichart turns toward us. "Shut up, kid. I have no time for you. Remember, I'm Nichart Briffaut, leader of the White Fang Troops." More troops come out as he leaves.
◊
"Ha! Is there a shortage of soldiers in Lodis?" Grimal shouts. "A kid like you is the leader? Luck's been on your side so far, but that ends here!"
This song is really great too. I like when it get really intense around :47.
Map.
◊
This is the first battle which could legitimately give someone trouble. With the formation of the map the enemy could easily flank you, there's a wizard and a cleric, the terrain is against us, and the boss is difficult (and is scaled so he's always two levels above your troops).
I plan to send Bruno and Belgger (Belgger for attack and healing, Bruno for pure strength) to the left (this is Team A), to flank the enemy and stop and flanking attacks, and my main force will clash with the enemy head on, with Ivanna and Flauros providing support (Team B).
Allos bears the brunt of the blows in Team B. The boss actually attacks him, but we don't want to kill Grimal; we want to rake experience from these mooks. Meanwhile, Team A makes it's way around; Bruno gets into a sparring match with a soldier.
Next round, we heal wounded people in Team B. Bruno ignores the soldier and moves to kill the wizard on his side; Glycinia and Fersen from Team B help him finish the wizard off, ignoring the weak barricade of soldiers on the right path. Belgger lags behind, going slow in the water. This music makes the fight a lot more badass then I remembered.
Many of the archers focus their attacks on Belgger. The soldier Bruno ditched attacks Belgger, moving into the water to do so.
The battle continues like this. Belgger duels the soldier below, while the rest beat down on the rest, saving Grimal for last. I want to persuade at least one soldier; they have long swords, which aren't available yet for us. Ivanna duels a soldier on the right. Allos and Grimal dance on the ramparts, swords flashing through the rain, seeking openings, blood spilling over the stones.
Belgger successfully persuades the soldiers he was dueling. Elliot (and more importantly his long sword) are now on our side!
The soldier Ivanna was fighting, Gilliam, joins.
Glycinia and Fersen fight the last mook, an archer. After she's down, only Grimal is left. Ivanna gets the Vixen's Whisper emblem (persuade a male enemy). It opens up the witch class. Ivanna isn't going to become a witch, so yeah.
Soldiers you persuade are controlled by the computer until the end of the fight, so Gilliam stupidly attacks Grimal. Luckily, the counter-attack is blocked.
Glycinia and Fersen finish off the archer. Fersen gets a hidden treasure, the Dragon Gem Sword.
The only one left is Grimal. He is a formidable foe indeed, blocking many attacks, moving with finesse hard to believe for a man in such heavy armor. His sword strikes like thunder. Belgger has been working his way around after recruiting Elliot, and he is, fittingly, the one to kill Grimal.
Grimal: Cure you, kid...
We get 1500 Goth, a Stone of Swiftness, the spell Cleanse, and Chain Mail.
We also get the Numida Chronology. As the game explains, each new text will open up a new area in Quest Mode where you can get treasure or something. I never bothered with it.
"Ivanna, do you know him?" Belgger asks, still outside, surrounded by his troops.
"No, I don't recognize him. Maybe he joined after I left."
"But, what happened to Rictor? Well... we have no choice. We're going in."
Belgger walks into this room, alone.
◊ He walks over to the desk.
"They're all gone..." he mutters. He looks out the window.
A figure appears in the doorway. "...Who's there?" he calls.
◊
She comes in and casts a sleep spell. Belgger collapses.
"I guess I was a little careless..." Gee, you THUINK!? "Where am I?"
"Heheh," Nichart chuckles. "Like the view, kid?"
Belgger struggles in his bonds. "You coward!!! What a dirty trick!!!"
Nichart walks over to him. "Did you think I got scared and hightailed it out of here? It's your fault for letting your guard down after defeating Grimal. I feel sorry for him, but at least he brought me some time." Wow, what a douchebag. "Everything's going as planned."
The mage, "Young Sorceress", says, "Commander Briffaut, we're not here to chat."
"I know, I know. Don't be so uptight." he walks closer. "Well, tell me, knight of Lodis... what are Lodis' true intentions?"
"...Intentions...?" Belgger whispers.
"Right. The true reason why the troops of Felis were sent here. When Lodis takes action, there's always something they're after."
"Reason? It was a request from the South..."
"Don't play dumb," the sorceress pipes up. "You say that the South requested help, but has Felis ever sent troops for such a thing before?"
"I don't understand... let me go! Release me!!!" Belgger struggles.
"You're so hot-tempered, kid. You still snap at us even in chains. Do you realize the situation you're in?" Nichart mocks. He whips Belgger.
Belgger breathes loudly. "This all began by your aggression!"
"Lord Naris has ordered us to find out the real reason for your presence. If you wish to be free, talk." Nichart whips him again. Belgger shouts in pain. "Hmph. Kid, I'll ask you once more. What's your true purpose here?!"
"Ugh... I told you.. I don't know..."
"Commander Briffaut, perhaps he really doesn't know," the sorceress says. "Of course, he may just be strong-willed. In which case, I have no choice." She walks over and presents Nichart with an object.
"What's that?" he asks.
She giggles. "Just a potion. This'll make him talk, but he won't feel so well when he wakes up." She feeds us it as the screen turns black.
Our cell has been flooded.
◊ A popping bubble makes Belgger wake up.
"Huh...? Is the tide rising?" He hears a sound. "...?!"
A mysterious woman says from the shadows, "As you know, this place'll be flooded at high tide. All the soldiers have left. That means you're alone."
As she emerges from the shadows, she says, "I'm in need of a soldier, so here's the deal.
◊ If you cooperate, I'll set you free. What do you think?"
"You're going to save me?"
"That depends on your answer. I don't care if you die here or not."
"Alright. I'll do as you ask. But... I'm concerned about my comrades."
"Don't worry, they are safe. My name is Cybil Alinda. I enjoyed watching you fight today. Don't forget, we have a deal now!"
"Shiven, anything to report?" she asks the soldier.
"All the soldier stationed at the ruins retreated to the north."
"It seems I should have been more careful," Belgger says. "What happened to the troops that were supposed to attack from the south?"
"They entered the Forest of Gryllus, but retreated to Scabellum. I have no idea why."
Belgger bows his head. "I wonder what happened..."
"Shiven, return at once and inform headquarters," Cybil commands.
"Yes, commander." He disappears into thin air. I'm not shitting you.
"And... what should I do?" Belgger asks.
"Rest for a while. We will cross the Meleagris Mountains at dawn."
"The Meleagris Mountains? But why?"
"I'll tell you later." She starts to walk out. "Forget about your comrades. Your fate is in my hands now." She walks out.
Our men are back with us. I give Allos a long sword, and Belgger the Dragon Gem Sword, which increases his attack to 111 (Long Sword would increase it to 103). I give Belgger the Chain Mail.
I train everyone to level 8. Allos gets the Miracle emblem, and becomes a knight. I make Fersen back into a ninja.
Next time: I forget what happens next. Go me.
