Welcome back, folks. I notice that I haven’t received any new comments since picking this project back up…I can only blame myself, and waiting so long until returning to this game. There are still some things coming up in the near future that I’d really like some reader input on, but I guess I can wait until that moment comes to really worry about it. As for today’s installment…well, when last we left the main story, it was time to fight a mad king responsible for many tragedies, including Emmeryn’s sacrifice. I think we’ve dallied about with side quests for too long; it’s time to finish this story arc!
…Oh, and also, a Merchant appeared when I turned the game on for the day, and I bought a new Master Seal from her. But that’s the only other dalliance between that last Xenologue and our next battle!
CHAPTER 11: MAD KING GANGREL
We start with Gangrel and our world’s Aversa. They’re confident that they’ll win despite the Shepherds being in good spirits, and Gangrel claims that he “could break their ranks as easily as (he) break wind”. A soldier charges in with news that their troops are laying down their weapons and deserting, and while the screen fades away before the messenger is punished, I doubt he’ll last long…
Back with our guys, Frederick delivers Khan Flavia’s report about the Plegian army. Apparently, Emmeryn’s sacrifice and final words has caused a lot of troops to question the reason behind this war, leading to infighting and desertion that’s been hard for Gangrel to stamp out. Chrom’s upset with himself, and how it took so long for him to understand that Emmeryn wanted peace for everyone, Ylissian and Plegian alike. Hoping that she’s looking down on them, Chrom vows to put an end to Mad King Gangrel and bring peace.
We’re then taken to the deployment screen. We start out with thirteen troops against Plegia’s 21, and also a single Ruffian thief out to loot two treasure chests on the battlefield. Save for a Level 1 Hero, a Level 1 Sage, and Gangrel, our opponents appear to be first-tier classes with levels between 12 and 14 (so, aside from Grandmaster Yukari, War Monk Libra, and almost-ready-to-promote-with-our-new-Master-Seal Gaius, it’ll be a fair fight). Also, soon after battle begins, we’ve given one more unit: Olivia. After a bit of across-the-battlefield taunting between Gangrel and Chrom, during which Chrom notes that he’s better than the Mad King in that he has friends to rely on instead of just his beastly might on the battlefield, a dancer runs onto the battlefield. Sent by Khan Basilio, she claims that her dances renew the spirit, which is to say that she can give units an extra turn after they act. So, there’s only two important faces to look at in this battlefield, and here’s their descriptions…
OLIVIA (our new recruit, and according to suggestions from commenters in the past, Gregor’s future bride in this run): A demure but gifted dancer who has traveled the world.
GANGREL (a Level 5 Levin Sword-wielding Trickster, the same class as Anna): The self-styled “Mad King of Plegia.”
It’s time for the climax of this Mad King story arc…let’s finish this!
- Before Turn 6
- Maribelle & Olivia: The first pair to really do anything in the battle; as Gaius charged down to the action, Olivia got a ride on Maribelle’s steed, and refreshed the thief to get into the range of foes. The dancer’s next target was Gregor, helping him deal with the mages that the army approached first. Target #3 was Lissa after Sully was healed, but mainly so the healer’s partner could provide some offensive support. It was a bit of a risk to refresh anyone on Turn 4, when Gangrel had already moved, but refreshing Yukari let her get in position to protect the dancer even better. Turn 5 was spent refreshing Yukari again, so that she could get to Gangrel and help end things before the turn ended.
- Gaius & Libra: The first to walk into enemy territory, thanks to Olivia. Charging into a forest, they dodged two out of three mage attacks, including the Sage’s Elfire. Though Gregor tried clearing a path for him, Gaius couldn’t reach the nearest chest before the Ruffian thief, and settled for slaying the Sage and looting his corpse for Magic-increasing Spirit Dust. Gaius then went towards the Goddess Icon-containing chest that the enemy thief had passed up, though I was careful to look at Gangrel’s range and not get within it. They took on a few of the underlings that had started closest to Gangrel, and then headed south to take care of a mage; with Gangrel to worry about, it would be easier to let the other thief take the chest, and then have a closer ally loot its corpse. Gaius reached Level 20 in the process, and the next turn, Libra learned the Rally Luck skill after taking care of one of the last Mercenaries that had originally been on the map.
- Lon’qu & Gregor: When they reached the mages, Lon’qu blocked an attack meant for Gregor, who then killed a mage. They then helped out the pegasus knights when a bunch of melee units ganged up on them. After taking cover in a forest in case Gangrel went after him (which did happen), Lon’qu stabbed the Hero and took his Master Seal when the foe was sufficiently weakened. And then, Lon’qu put an end to the Mad King’s reign with a Silver Sword…not bad for someone I never used in my first play through. Thanks to Vantage, they also took care of a Mercenary that went after them following the Mad King’s death.
- Chrom & Sully: Killed the last mage of the Sage’s initial group with a Pair Up strike, Sully being in the lead for movement, and to use a Javelin against other nearby mages. As Wyvern Knights headed their way, Sully’s javelin was completely ineffective and her body took a beating, but Chrom’s Falchion cut through them like butter with its special dragon-slaying properties. Sully switched to a stronger lance once the long-distance attackers were dealt with, slaying a wyvern on her own. When Gangrel moved up, Chrom swapped in while under the cover of a forest, but couldn’t reach the ‘dastard’ after the Mad King moved further north.
- Kellam & Tharja: Stuck with the main body of forces, but didn’t contribute much at first. But after the Pegasus Knights lured in some wyvern knights, Tharja’s magic was useful in weakening them. Tharja even got the sparkly spot at the middle of the field while assisting, gaining some extra experience. Tharja even defended successfully against some melee units, though mostly because Kellam was a human shield when he was most needed. When I was absolutely certain that the Mad King was about to die, I let Kellam get a little bit of extra experience from a nearly-dead fighter…that also could have reached Sumia and killed her, which I learned the hard way after realizing that the battle didn’t end with Gangrel’s death. Good thing I’m playing on Casual mode, and saving at every turn’s start (though I still always reset any deaths, because I’m prideful).
- Sumia & Cordelia: Headed more towards the south-west than the rest of the army, being the first to strike at the Hero and his group of mercenaries, using a javelin to avoid too much damage from counter-attacks (which, thanks to working together with Pair Up, was enough to kill the first mercenary). Cordelia ended up taking a major beating, from both the fighters and from some Wyvern Knights, meaning that the slightly-weaker Sumia would have to swap in for the next turn and be careful until healing arrived. She did well, even though she accidentally attracted the boss in the process. But with a fort to help her, and a Javelin in her hand, I let Sumia stay there and weaken the Hero still on the field. She did receive quite a beating, but killed some foes with counters. Instead of healing up after, I sensed that the battle would soon end, and just let them kill that pesky thief.
- Yukari & Lissa: Started out on the rightmost edge, picking up some relationship points at a sparkly spot. Lissa healed her future sister-in-law at the start of Turn 3, as Sully had been pounded by so many Wyvern blows that a single hit from anything could kill her. Yukari then popped in to help out by blocking a fort, standing at Chrom’s side as the Lord charged towards Gangrel, and then passed him to attack the Mad King herself with Olivia’s help. After he died from magic and swords, a Fighter foolishly decided to attack Yukari during the enemy’s turn, and was swiftly dealt with
- The Ruffian Thief: Despite starting close to a chest, he elected to seek out a further one first, possibly because our own thief was already charging straight south. He did successfully loot some Bullion (L), but at the start of Turn 5, our fliers stabbed him with javelins and took that gold for themselves.
- Gangrel: Announced that reinforcements would be coming on Turn 2. Said reinforcements came at the end of Turn 3, from the forts in the middle of the field; I’m not ashamed to admit that I lost Olivia from the rightmost ones, reloaded, and made sure Sully & Yukari blocked their entrance the next time around, while Sumia defended the middle one…unfortunately attracting Gangrel’s attention as well. The Levin Sword can use magic to strike from a distance like a tome, but thankfully did less damage to Sumia as her Javelin gave back. More reinforcements came from the forts in the upper-left corner as Plegian forces took their next turn, including a Hero with a Speedwing, though there were more pressing matters than getting an extra stat-boosting item (or an Armorslayer held by another new arrival). Gangrel himself took out the majority of the low-Res Lon’qu’s health in one blow. However, it all had to end eventually; an Ignis-boosted Wind spell from Yukari took the Mad King down to just three health, and Lon’qu got his revenge by landing the killing blow…though the victory condition was ‘rout all enemies’, so there was still a bit to do after Gangrel was finished.
- On Turn 6
- There was only a Mercenary, a Fighter, and a Hero to really worry about. Gaius took a moment to promote to an Assassin on the battlefield; I’d had him as a Trickster in my last, plus I could always rely on Anna if I really needed the other class. Olivia then refreshed him, leveling up in the process. Gregor used a Steel Sword to kill the Merc with an Armorslayer. Cordelia and Sumia took on a Fighter with their Javelin in a joint attack. Yukari moved up to Gregor, and Lissa got some experience by patching him up. Finally, after Tharja took a potshot with a tome, the newly-promoted Gaius killed the Hero, and gained his Speed-increasing reward from the final corpse.
- Turns: 6
- Heroes: Sumia & Cordelia (who took on a whole lot of physical troops, and thanks to some lucky dodging and the defense of a fort, lived through quite an assault)
- There was only a Mercenary, a Fighter, and a Hero to really worry about. Gaius took a moment to promote to an Assassin on the battlefield; I’d had him as a Trickster in my last, plus I could always rely on Anna if I really needed the other class. Olivia then refreshed him, leveling up in the process. Gregor used a Steel Sword to kill the Merc with an Armorslayer. Cordelia and Sumia took on a Fighter with their Javelin in a joint attack. Yukari moved up to Gregor, and Lissa got some experience by patching him up. Finally, after Tharja took a potshot with a tome, the newly-promoted Gaius killed the Hero, and gained his Speed-increasing reward from the final corpse.
The rest of the (off-screen) Plegian forces surrender, and Chrom orders his forces to cease fighting. He then meets with Yukari and the Khans, who confirm that this bloody business is officially finished. Chrom doesn’t feel like celebrating, though, since he’d lost his sister Emmeryn along the way. The Khans tell him that some victories are bittersweet, and that they should be attending to their own fallen soldiers before congratulating the survivors and starting to rebuild. Chrom offers compensation to them, and while Flavia makes a joke about taking his Fire Emblem, she then reassures the lord that their finances will be fine without aid…thanks to Plegia’s coffers, of course.
As the Khans and Yukari leave, Sumia rides her horse into the area, concerned about whether or not Chrom got hurt in that last battle. After calling him an “arse-head” for not realizing that she’d be worried about him, she states that she has a filthy mouth, but not a heart of stone. Chrom realizes how Sully’s always been there for him, fighting side-by-side for years, and rescuing him time and time again.
Sully: You dolt, don’t you know that’s because I…*Ahem* I mean, it’s my duty, sir. But you sell yourself short, Captain. Most men would collapse rather than suffer a fraction of what you’ve been through. But you shoulder it alone, and without complaint. You’re a damn good man! You’re…amazing.
There’s a moment of silence between the two, before Sully apologizes for the arse-head bit, and Chrom realizes that he doesn’t want to go it alone anymore. He wants a partner to be there with him, and like how Emmeryn always followed her own heart, he needs to follow his. He asks Sully to marry him. Sully takes it as a joke at first, but quickly realizes that Chrom’s being serious. Chrom even pulls out a ring bearing the Ylissean crest, which was made to celebrate his birth, and tells Sully how his parents wanted him to give it to the woman he would spend his life with. Sully still can’t friggin’ believe it, and Chrom asks for a bit of patience so that he can help patch up the kingdom after their recent war.
Sully: Oh, I’m not going ANYWHERE! …It’s funny. I’ve known you so long, we’re practically one mind. But I didn’t see this coming at all. I feel…happy. Happy beyond belief. What have you done to me, you damned son of a griffon?!
Crom’s confident that they can both bring joy back to the royal palace, and will make it a happy home for them both, calling Sully ‘my love’. Sully blushes, saying how that phrase is going to take some getting used to. We then see Chrom standing before his people, and we are informed by narration that Chrom and Yukari worked hard to restore Ylisse’s splendor, and how Chrom decided not to take the title of exalt out of respect for his late sister. The royal wedding was a joyous occasion, attended by thousands, and helped heal the last lingering wounds of Ylisse’s history.
But then, two years later…
…Well, a save prompt pops up before we find out what happens after that time skip. So, with a major encounter now behind us, now seems like a good time to take a break. Thanks for reading, folks!
