- Tactics — 4 stars
- Survival — 5 stars
- Funds — 4 stars
- Exp — 1 star
- Combat — 5 stars
zZz...whuh? fight? nothankyew, very tired right...zZz...
AAH!
You know, Bartre, picking up the bed wasn't really necessary...
...
Right, so apparently it's fine to dump me out in the cold, but Oswin and Marcus get their beauty sleep? I mean, sure, they're still recovering from the Dread Isle, but...you don't want to disturb Eli and Ninian? Alright, I guess they've had some rough experiences lately...
Okay, I'm awake now. So there's a price on Eliwood's head, is there? Man, these Black Fang blokes just don't know when to quit...Legault, can you talk some sense into them?
He says he doesn't know many members of the Black Fang since it...changed...I ask if he's willing to fight; he'd prefer not to unless absolutely necessary, but he can at least light our path.
I see dim, huge shapes in the distance...well, the Black Fang is based out of Bern. Looks like we'll be testing our mettle against their famed wyvern riders.
Lyn: The first to enter the fight, she deals with a peg knight and brigand without taking damage, but who knows how long that'll last with all the lances about...Not long, apparently. She's struck by a poisoned lance...Poison? They really want us dead...Lyn walks south to heal up at a local villager's home, and is given a wyrmslayer by a resident who wants us to rid his town of the invaders from Bern.
Eliwood/Ninian: Despite our efforts not to disturb them, they notice the sounds of battle and emerge from the inn. They want to help, but even moreso than Matthew earlier, I don't think they're in any fit emotional state for it. I send them to warn villagers near the inn of the fighting, getting a staff of restoration, light rune, and some advice & information in return. It seems a beautiful knight of Pherae is here in the village...
Bartre: Cleans up on a peg knight to the north of the group, and teams up with Legault to deal with a wyvern. Investigates a house for an Elysian whip.
Hector: Annihilates a peg knight, wyvern and monk with handaxe counterstrikes, then gets up close and personal with an archer. After handaxing a bandit, he does the same to Oleg, causing him to stumble in his duel with Guy.
Guy: Deals with a monk for starters, then criticals a brigand with his iron blade, followed by another monk. He's a good mage-killer; he seems the most resistant to magic of our posse. After wounding a brigand, he's forced to switch targets when a musclebound warrior aims a heavy bow at him. With some assistance from Hector, he finishes the towering commander, at which sight the remaining assassins withdraw from the battlefield.
Matthew: Runs south to light a torch, staying out of danger, unlike Legault, although there's a close call when Bartre fails to kill a wyvern. Legault, despite his stated preference earlier to avoid fighting, saves his life. As he approaches Oleg, a monk casts magic at him, but misses. He steals an ornate crest from the mighty warrior while Guy criticals; a trophy of some hero Oleg had slain, no doubt.
Legault: Runs north to light a torch on that side of town...unfortunately there's a wyvern just out of sight, but he dodges. When Bartre fails to slay the beast, he springs into action, dashing across its path to strike a vulnerable spot, his steel knives just strong enough to penetrate its thick skin. He nods at the nearby Matthew, who glares back. Why has one of the group that killed Leila saved him? As the wyvern's companion, a monk, backs into the bushes, Legault leaps high in the air...
When quiet settles over Badon again, I ask Legault about his change of heart. He tells me, reluctantly, that he was more than a thief...he tells me of the Fang's justice, and how it was his job to dispense it—to police them. He doesn't like to kill his own, but has done so before...and it was the reason he left, after being ordered to murder a friend who had done no wrong. His tone implies she meant something to him. In an odd way he seems a dark mirror of Matthew, and I can see why he might sympathize.
6 turns base, +4 penalty for Legault fighting/Eliwood visiting villages—BTW, did you know villagers sometimes say different things if a lord visits, for example noting that Isadora is from Pherae? Reminds me of that one house in Lyn mode where Hector makes a cameo if Matthew visits...I wonder if there's other special convos out there.
I'm intentionally taking some turncount hits with Legault to get a more durable thief than Matthew for special situations. Such as the desert chapter coming up, where I want treasure hunters and they might as well kill stuff while they're out there—I'll probably still save more turns than I lose. The two kills he got here were enough to level him up, so I shouldn't need to bring him out often.
MVP: Guy, for crit'ing Oleg and being ready to promote. Statistically, he's currently the best of my units, compared to his projected averages.
