Toggle Background Color
Chapter 4: Rest Stop
They just keep getting prettier, don't they? We should hold a bandit beauty pageant.
- - -
Well, at least they put him to work doing Hunter-y things.
: ...This old thing? This can't possibly make a suitable sleeping area! Come, Cruz! Surely you jest!
: it isn't my fault that it's like this. Blame the bandits for ruining the place anyway.
: It's better than sleeping in a tent, anyway.
There is just so much pink on the left side of the screen I can't even deal.
: Don't want to be crammed in a tent all the time.
: Well then allow me to have the honour of protecting you throughout the night, ladies.
: That's not an option, Sain.
: Ah, alas...
The group moves into the fort and are accosted by a green unit.
A green unit who seems to know Linoan!
: Huh? Who's there?
Oh. It's...
Yeah, her. Xenosaga's Shion is taking Natalie's place for some unfathomable reason. Her spritework seems to be based off of her appearance in Episode 1.
: What are you doing here? And... what's with the casual outfit?
: I'm on vacation. I heard you all went to Elibe, so I thought I'd come here to relax. I didn't think I'd need anything else, so I brought this outfit to fit in.
: Ah, I see.
: Well, you see, I'm with a bunch of others on a mission.
: Mission?
: We're en route to Caelin, which is south of us. My colleagues and I are trying to stop someone named Lundgren. We believe he's secretly plotting to kill Lord Hausen, the Marquess of Caelin.
: Wow. Sounds sorta fiendish.
: I have a good feeling that it might be... Hmm... Lady Shion, can I ask you something?
: Sure. Go right ahead.
: Well, have you seen either Prince Leaf or Raymond? I'm personally looking for both of them.
: ...No, I haven't seen any of you since we last saw each other.
: Oh... I see...
- - -
On the other side of the map, this shows up:
Bandit: Perfect. We'll wait til it gets dark, and then...
: You're an idiot! There are only a few of them, and some are women! If we attacked them at night, I'd be a laughingstock! Besides, we might hurt the women by mistake! I will not be so wasteful!
The women are the ones who kicked your buddy's ass, just so you know.
: We'll avenge Migal and get some pretty souvenirs to boot. We'll show these guys we mean business when it comes to love! Let's go! Spread out and encircle this place, you rogues! Let's finish this before it gets too dark to see!
The bandits do indeed spread out, and then an... Assassin? ...Runs up and Carjiga talks to them.
Kid?
Oh, that Kid.
: You haven't done much since you joined us. If those skills of yours aren't just for show, girlie, today's the day to let us see what you can do.
: Oi, fine. What do I have to do?
: I want you to attack from the back entrance from the east. There's supposed to be a woman inside. I want you to capture her. I hear she's quite the looker, and it rather smart. Do that, and I'll increase your share of the take. If you want gold, you'll get the job done.
: Can't believe I'm sinkin' so low to go with these flunkies.
- - -
: Outside the fortress! Bandits!
: No! They followed us here?
: Lady Shion has no weapons with her currently. We'll have to let them come to us and fight them here. Aranea, the command is yours. We must hold out until the bandits tire out and leave. Lady Shion, you'll have to remain right here for now.
: Alright.
On to the map, then!
Uh, okay.
Sure can.
: Marcia and I will take the eastern door. Aranea, you and the others guard the main entrance.
Hey, who exactly is the strategist here?
Fighting a Giant Enemy Crab would also be bad.
Okay... tutorial text out of the way, let's have a poke around the map.
The boss is... unimpressive. However, he's harder to get to, because as you may have seen earlier, there's a load of Archers around and a Troubadour keeping them patched up. No Sain and Kent counterkills. It's not exactly going to stop me. Anyway, Carjiga's got +1HP, +1 STR, +3 SPD, +1 LCK, +1 RES.
Kid is a female thief, who uses what looks like the assassin overworld sprite. She's obviously replacing Dorcas, and replacing an axe guy is a theme I can get behind because I rarely ever use them.
Linoan, as with Lyn in the base game, must be moved to this specific square.
Put the two Cavaliers one square back in the doorway to try and limit Archers ganging up on one of them...
And let Cruz get in position to shoot over their shoulders while Marcia goes and stands in front of that crack.
Kent and Sain are attacked by two Archers each (one missed Kent.)
Kid is too slow to steal from Linoan and so attacks, getting a Prism Pillar to the face for her troubles. Kid was actually 1 Attack Speed away from being doubled and killed instantly.
...is too damn slow to steal from a Priestess?
Oh, right.
Remember I said we definitely would need MK's help? This is that time.
Yeah, I don't know either... it's weird. Better to just do as we're told, really. If you don't, Linoan just tells you over and over that she needs to speak to Kid.
There we are.
: Eh? What's it to ya, missy?
: You... you're dressed as a thief. But, I sense something different about you.
: Cut to the chase already! I'm gettin' impatient here!
Linoan, I don't think that word means what you think it does.
: I'm not sure meself. Bloody hell. It all happened so fast... After seperatin' with me mate Serge, I dunno what happened...
: ?! Wait. You mentioned someone named Serge...
Dammit Linoan how many people do you even know, anyway.
: Hold on...! Ya sayin' ya know a Serge too, missy?
: Would this Serge happen to have indigo hair and wear a scarf?
: Well I'll be a Heckran pup! Ya do know him! You a friend of his, missy?
: Yes, I am. I'm Lady Linoan of Tahra. I met Serge and Leena nearly a year ago on a journey.
: Well bugger me! Ya even met his little girlfriend too! Name's Kid. Nice to meet ya.
: I'm honoured, Kid. Serge has told me quite a bit about you and your travels.
: Heh. I see. So where is the guy, anyway? Been a while since I saw him.
This is one of the lengthiest mid-battle conversations ever.
: We had to split up due to a problem we're facing. But right now, we have another situation to deal with.
: Really? That's a bugger... Say, Linoan. Mind if I join up with ya? Ya probably'll run into Serge again, right? And these bandits... just ain't me style, y'know. Heh.
: I'll be glad. Thank you, Kid. A friend of Serge is a friend of mine.
: Beauty, then!
But Kid is on TWO HP. (Thanks, Linoan.)
That's not what the spaces say, but alright.
This does not look good. I hope this plays out the same as the original...
...Well thank god for that.
Must be hard, after a while.
Amusingly, a lone Archer here is female. There's actually a lot more random female units mixed into the enemy ranks in this hack, you'll see as it goes on. Anyway the female one is one point faster than the ones around her, but one point weaker in STR.
That said, time to start clearing them out.
I don't have the luxury of being selective with my killshots here, so the first one goes to Cruz...
...the second to Sain...
Third to Marcia.
And then Kent skewers a defenceless girl through the eyesocket. Chivalrous!
On the enemy phase he takes a whopping ten damage from the bandit as revenge. The mercenary opts to pester Sain instead for some reason, probably weapon triangle advantage. The Troubadour declines to actually heal anyone.
This upsets Carjiga.
: Grrr! Get more men up here now!
He calls in reinforcements. This manifests as a Brigand from the southwest, and a Mercenary from the northeast.
First things first, Linoan apologises for past mistakes.
Kid can then go hide in a forest and annoy this guy. Not fast enough to double... I'm just going to leave her there for the rest of the map to keep the incoming Mercs distracted. She'll pick them off on counters, random crits and things like that.
Marcia's the only one on full health, and so advances to take out the Merc that attacked Sain. Cruz falls one point short of killing the Brigand who mutilated Kent, so Sain clears it up while Kent retreats to heal.
It's a good thing I'm not using you anyway.
On the enemy phase, Kid takes an unfortunate hit, as does Marcia:
But she gives as good as she gets. Which triggers the Troubadour to actually do her job.
Annoyingly. More reinforcements spawn in at the end of the Enemy Phase, and it's starting to get a little crowded.
I have Kid use a vulnerary as well, as she can't afford to attack and risk taking a counter, as well as two attacks next turn.
Linoan's going to go bait the Archer standing next to Carjiga in preparation for blasting him to bits. I have her put the Lightning tome on, so as not to waste Prism Pillar uses again.
Cruz and Marcia team up to kill one Brigand...
...with decent results!
Kent and Sain take down the other guy, and HP totals are starting to look rocky as Kent gets hit in the process.
Kid manages to dodge both attacks on the Enemy Phase, but still doesn't score a kill. Each round of combat is giving 15 EXP though, so that's fine by me.
Linoan also manages to avoid getting shot, and counter-kills the Archer with holy fury.
Kent manages to actually dodge an axe. For the first time this map. The Troubadour, for mysterious reasons that are her own, declines to heal the unfortunate Brigand.
Marcia finds this objectionable. The objection takes the form of a lance through the chest.
Kid is completely boxed in up here, but one of the Mercs is low enough to take out now.
I like where this is going. That being, places that are fast enough to double from now on.
Cruz takes out the last Brigand down in the southwest, excepting the reinforcement who just arrived, for this. It's good, but not good enough to counteract his class. Or portrait.
Kent has to go up here now, because that wall is nearly torn down. I don't think Shion is in any actual danger, but it's the principle of the thing. Best heal him up just in case, and move Sain into a forest to heal too. What are we forgetting...?
Oh, right. 
You know, if killing him actually stopped reinforcements appearing, I might spare Carjiga. For another two turns. But it doesn't, so it's time to one-round another boss who can't respond.
: You! Bring more men here right away!
: Argh... this isn't... not me...
Linoan seems to like one-rounding bosses and resolves to do more of it in future.
Enemy Phase: Kid's levelup lets her kill another Merc on a counter, and take another to within one hit of death, but unfortunately she gets hit both times. The southwest Brigand obviously goes after Cruz who can't counter, and misses spectacularly. Kent dodges and puts a sword through the face of the northwest Brigand coming through the newly-opened wall hole, but it doesn't even do half of his HP in damage.
Kid can afford to take one more hit from the newest reinforcement, and so ends the life of the slightly older Merc.
If you're gonna get 3 stats, those would be the ones.
Kent weakens the Brigand up in the north yet further, and solidifies my decision to bench him.
On a whim I have Marcia lob a Javelin over his shoulder, and she makes good on it, killing the Brigand.
I pull these two back and advance Linoan (with Lightning once more) towards the Brigands so she can hoover up some more experience, lest it go to waste on people I'm not intending to be using.
May as well take the 15 free EXP as well.
Kid and Linoan continue to dodge and counter...
Kent only does one of the two. Last turn!
Advancing Linoan so she can get one last kill in on the enemy phase, as doubtless that last reinforcement will go for her.
Kent gets out of the way so Marcia can use a decent weapon to kill that guy.
Kid takes out one of her playmates, ensuring she'll survive the last enemy phase. By my reckoning there should be just that one enemy left on the map when it's done, and for some reason that annoys me.
Yup, that sole mercenary survived. Blast.
Carjiga got nuked, so ratface here gives the order to run away.
- - -
: Aranea! We've won!
- - -
: Those losers had no chance!
: Well, that takes care of that.
- - -
: Hope ya don't mind me taggin' along with ya blokes.
: Not at all. As I said, you're our friend now. You're more than welcome to stay with us. I'm sure your skills could come in handy eventually.
: It's the obvious choice! I look forward to fightin' alongside ya guys!
- - -
So many scene changes.
: We'll continue taking turns keeping watch. Please rest easily.
: Thank you, Kent.
: Thank you very much for your help today, Lady Linoan.
: Not at all, Lady Shion. I must help if a friend is in danger.
: Well, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to come along.
: Huh? But Lady Shion, you don't have your M.W.S.!
: I know. But still, even if I can't help in battle, I'd like to help you in any other way possible, Linoan.
: Don't mention it.
: Well, I'd say it's about time to sleep now. See you tomorrow, Aranea.
- - -
Characters Encountered
Kid
Class: Thief
Growths;
HP 60%, STR 40%, SPD 50%, SPD 65%, LUK 45%, DEF 25%, RES 30%
Kid reprises her role as a thief in this hack. I imagine the outfit change was to fit in with the thief battle sprite. With 40% STR to her name she'll make a decent attacker in the end as well. You may have noticed I didn't list a promoted class for her, that's because she gets a special one. No female Assassin for us. Rather, something... different. Kid's worth using, purely because of being a thief, and not having to wait as long as thieves in vanilla FE7 to promote.