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Scenario 5
Enemy... Pirates?
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The companions left Castle Kalxath to seek the powerful sorceress, Jessica, rumoured to know the resting place of the Dark Rod. According to legend, for several hundred years she has live in seclusion, deep within the forests beyond the flow of Rall River. As the companions drew near the riverbank, they were confronted by a roving band of pirates. Elsewhere, court magician and head of the Dark Dragon Sorcerers, Egbert, was laying a trap to recover the Dark Rod first.









Once again, I equip everyone up and give Hein that sweet Dragon Scale we got (+4 DF!) and equip everyone else with whatever I have on hand. It goes rather well and yes, Scott's equipment was put into our inventory when he left the team which is nice. I sell the leftover junk as per normal and we move on to the wonderful map.



So, we have Egbert to our top left but he runs away at the start. That Hawk Knight is a concern though - I might send Cherie or Keith (or both) to deal with it pronto. There is a good amount of water, so bring on the Mermaids! I see no cavalry among our foe's battle groups but then again we don't have Scott. Still, we should be okay if we press on in an orderly fashion to the south towards Camilla and take out her ragtag band on Magical Pirates - as everyone has been saying in thread, "There can only be one (Magical Pirate)".



Here are our combined forces - they are actually not too expensive, 1380P - we could get it cheaper but... MERMAIDS and FAERIES. Our army is kinda a weird mix of supernatural, spiritual and banal with the fae, the mer-people, monks and barbarians. We should be able to crush this pathetic piratical band with our Pirate Lord, Fighter. Let us Sortie out!





I believe it should be just beyond this bridge.

She's over seven hundred years old... I wonder, what kind of person could she be?
Everyone, come on! Let's hurry!

Excited, aren't you, Hein?

Of course! To meet such a magic user is a once in a lifetime chance!
If you're all going to drag your feet, then I'll run on ahead!



(CC:26)

Me...?





(CC:27)

Just a minute! We're not the Imperial Army.
We just came to meet with the renowned magician. Let us pass!

I won't allow some party of strangers from nowhere to meet Jessica. Get out of my sight!

Wait a moment! I'm the princess of Kalxath, Cherie. We came a long way to see the great magician. Could you please show us the way?

You expect me to believe you're the princess of Kalxath? Don't bullshit me!
Why would the princess ever come to such a remote region?
Wiggle back wherever you came from, cutie, before my lonely mates start getting ideas.(CC:28)

What was that-!?

If there's anything I can count on never to change, it's your hospitality. Long time no see, Lester.

You're... Oh man, Keith! It's really Keith! So that girl... really is the princess?

Indeed.

Forgive my rudeness, Princess. Keith has told me a lot about you.

A lot...? Like what?

Um, well... Nothing much! You're better off not knowing.

Keith... I'm going to hurt you.

Well, well... settle down, Princess! I'll guide you to Jessica!
Hey mates, stay here and guard the area.





Lady Jessica! These people were looking for you.



What!? This is the woman who has lived for hundreds of years...? She looks so... young!

Pleased to meet you, Jessica, I'm Fighter. We needed some advice, so we came here to see you.
To tell the truth...

It's about the Dark Blade... isn't it? Then I imagine you want to know where you can find the Dark Rod.

Amazing. How does she do that?

A wave of evil is rippling across our world. The Imperial Army has begun invasions everywhere.
All this negative energy is a sign Alhazard is being used for the Kaiser's ambitions.

Amazing! She already knows so much...

Despite this, Alhazard is not at its strongest yet. You must prevent it from awakening to its true form.

That is why we want to get hold of the Dark Rod before the Empire!
We want to prevent more damage from being done!

The Dark Rod is enshrined in the Sanctuary of Reitel.

The Sanctuary of Reitel, eh? Hmmm...



Gotta say Egbert's theme is really cool and ominous. Also he teleports in with his men.



I would have never guessed to look there.

That voice-!? Egbert!

E, Egbert!? The legendary magician who supports the Rayguard Empire from the shadows?
The unknown man who follows the evil ways!

I've heard of him too... He's not only a powerful magician, but also a mighty strategist.
He's convinced many countries to surrender to the Empire.

Oh...? My reputation precedes me.
However, now that I know where the Dark Rod is, your usefulness has come to an end. You shall all perish here.

Egbert! Stop this!

He he he... If you're so intent on helping them, I'm afraid you'll share their fate, Jessica.

Egbert! You asshole... How dare you show your face in front of Jessica again!
Your evil bullshit ends here! (CC:30)

*sigh* Lester, what are you thinking? I've already sent your little "mates" to hell.
Are you planning to end their loneliness?

What the fuck? I'll never forgive you!
You son of a bitch, I'll wring your neck until your head pops off! Prepare to die! (CC:32)

And here's why I like Lester - he's a fellow Pirate and he makes good death threats.

*sigh* Idiot! Did you really think I would come here alone?





What? Something smells like oil...

Watch out! He's planning something!



Let the Neo Holy War begin! Firstly, my bad - this wasn't a magical pirate band enemy, only Lester and his mates were pirates. Also, Lester is a goldmine of curses and really they are all understandable given what Egbert has done. Now, can you guess what the gimmick of this level is?



Here are our arrayed forces and the one secret tile item is in a bit of a dickish spot - since you'd think it'd be down the bottom but no, it's in that grass tile next toe Jessica's soldiers next to the house. It has a great item though but I'll explain that later. We'll use Fighter to get it, since he has Mv up the wazoo, thanks to those Swift Shoes.



We move the bulk of our forces south and get our fliers to engage that Hawk Knight.











It goes well enough, though the enemy will probably kill that 4HP Faerie next turn but oh well. It was better then getting flanking by such an annoying enemy.



Here's our line, hopefully it stays strong and the enemy don't break through. That would be disastrous. Anyway, Turn 1 is over - get ready for that gimmick!

Egbert... You seem intent on breaking the seal of Alhazard at any cost...

Oh! So you finally noticed?
However, Jessica, since you have just been reborn, you and I both know you lack the strength to stop me.

Indeed... With the magic of Rebirth, a magician can abandon her old body and be reborn anew...
Yet it's at the cost of her magic power, which is reduced to that of a novice.
Still... while I may be weak, I can't overlook your attempts to revive Alhazard!

Is that right...? Then I won't hold back, teacher. You'll share their fate!

No way! As long as I'm here, you'll never touch her!

Then the easiest solution seems to be making you "not here".



He he he... Say goodbye, fools. Burn to death in this inferno!





So that's what it was! That must be what all the oil was for!

We're downwind of the flames!
If we don't move, we're going to be engulfed in no time!

The flames won't reach across the river. We have to hurry and get to the other side.

You can't let them escape.

Yes, Sir! Understood.



Have you lost your mind!? You'll be burned alive if you try something so reckless.

You think so!? I don't care if I burn. Since the day I enlisted, I've been willing to lay down my life for the Kaiser's dream!
Let's go! It's time for you to die!



Holy shit, the Empire's propaganda must be great if it makes fanatics out of normal enlistees. As death by forest fire sounds like an absolutely horrible way to die. Also, the other enemy forces just move up our line - we'll smash them next turn.

The oil's causing the fire to spread rapidly. If we keep fighting here, we'll all be torched alive!

Lady Jessica, please follow me! I'll take out all the enemies blocking our escape!

Very well!

Fighter, take care of her.



Here's Egbert's info, since I forgot to do it at the start. He isn't much of a combatant compared to Leon but his bonuses are huge and his spells make up for it. Steer clear of him - focus on the kamikazing Hawk Knight, instead.







Level up!





Aaah... I'm dying...

And that settles the battle in the west - now to focus on our lines and taking out all who would see us perish in the fire. With a little fire our own.





And a monk charge! Let Lushiris guide your quarterstaves!









Watch the arrows and their funny trajectories! Also, monks are for Hein. Rohga comes in to finish off Hein's work.





Level up! Class Change!

I'm turning him into an Assassin as the stat gains are better and he doesn't need MP. Rohga is here is to be our strike force leader not a supporter.





I pocket the remaining Sorcerer and bring out the big guns - it's time for Liana to fight.

Everyone has given so much to keep protecting me... It's my turn to fight, too!









So yeah, Liana does alright against mages since their units are weaker usually on the whole. Our line offence has done reasonable well, eliminating the majority of enemy resistance. This has been Turn 2.

Miss Jessica! I'll cover your back. Please, stay near Fighter.

Thank you, Lester. I will try to stay near him.





We've come to give you backup.

You're just in time. Engage them at once.

Yes, Sir! You can depend on us.

Pathetic... These maggots will die even without my intervention. Well the, I'll be off to Reitel.
Camilla, come along when you've finished with them.

Understood!

Egbert teleports away.

Wait!

He used the Teleport spell. We'll need to get moving or he'll escape.
We can't let Egbert get hold of the Dark Rod.

If we fail today... we'll never be able to face General Imelda.
In the name of the Water Dragon Navy, we must not be defeated!

Imelda...? Who is she? Someone fearful, no doubt.

General Imelda commands the largest division of the Water Dragon Navy.
Rumours say she's an especially cruel, cold and unforgiving woman.

Wrong, my dear Keith - General Imelda commands the entirety of the Water Dragon Navy - just because she's a woman doesn't mean she can't command the whole thing without a man around... damn it Keith, you're meant to be one of the good ones.

The Water Dragon Navy? We'll deal with them later.
First, we have to break through this line and get to Reitel!

The pirates move up and we get fireball'd for our trouble but no-one dies, so it's time for some breaking! And lines!



By the way, Lady Jessica. Would you be my lover mentor?
To tell the truth, I'm a student and would appreciate the chance to be such a famous magician's pupil!

Hein, I'm curious, could you possibly have picked a worse time to ask her about this?
We should be worrying about the fire right now.

But if we're all going to die anyway, this may be my only chance to ask her! Cherie, you don't understand...
My future depends on me finding a proper mentor.

Sorry... I no longer accept students.

What!? Why...

Hey, cheer up! Don't be so disappointed...

Hein isn't wrong, like so many crafts - magery works on a master-apprentice system, with the quality of master affecting the outcomes the student can reach. Just like how you want the best teachers in schools, you want the best master for when you're apprenticing. Not that this happens... but in an ideal world... *sigh* Time to push south, I guess. But first, we heal up with Hein & Liana tossing out Heal1s. Next we remove the annoying sorcerers and their ilk. Hein's monks start us off:

















Level up! AT+1, MP+1

So Rohga does a great attack and Liana mops up - you may be wondering why Liana's troops aren't taking much damage, it is due to Liana's high D stat - +8. This is because of her natural +6 and the Cross item giving another +2 bonus. It's pretty nuts at this stage of the game. More mopping up and then it's time for the tactical nuclear mermaid strike by position Lord Fighter in the middle of the two Sorcerers.









Level up! DF+1







And that is Turn 3, we've dealt a great blow to Camilla's initial forces and the pirates shan't reach us but we can attack them with impunity next turn. Will probably have to double Heal1 again though, we took quite a beating. Still, we're ahead of the flames and we're killing consistently and efficiently. Nothing of interest on the enemy turn, so Hein heals up and get a level. Liana does the same but no level for her ;-;

Level up! MP+1

Fighter goes to kill his former brethren who have turned from the Light of Piracy, to... Lushiris forbid, privateering! Or worse, joining a formalized military! They shall pay, the Lord of Pirates demands them and their misbegotten minions (Lizardmen) be cleansed from the field.







We can't leave the Dark Dragon Sorcerers in such a mess. Zorum, let us help them.

Yes!

General Vargas, you needn't protect our humble group. I'm the unit commander.
They won't escape, even if we have to fight to the last man.

You need to learn to accept favours. There's no use for pride in this kind of situation.

Damn... Now, of all times!

Fighter, don't let yourself lose hope! Swear by your circlet that you'll have courage.

What...? What does my circlet have to do with anything?

Yeah, seriously - I've completely forgotten about this. Is the circlet an heirloom or something else of importance? Enough that Jessica wants Fighter to swear by it...

We'll talk about it later. First, we have to get out of here.



Damn straight woman - the reinforcements mean nothing to plan, it's still to push south and take out everything in our way. By the way, the turn isn't over - I believe Vargas and co. spawned in because of my attacking one of the pirates. Or else I crossed an invisible line. Oh well. In any case, we continue to beat up on the false lizard pirates. They ain't no Ridley, that's for sure.















So we got one pirate down, though we'll probably lose some men in exchange. Here's where the fire tiles have gotten to and yes, the fire tiles have their own terrain icon and give a terrain bonus of +0%, as you might expect. Turn 4 was quite eventful but it's over now.



Please listen to me, General Vargas! I can't let you get in trouble on my behalf.
Besides, as the strongest group of magicians in the Empire, we have our pride.
It would affect Master Egbert's reputation if we relied on your help.

But... but Egbert was chuffed when those pirates from the Water Dragon Navy showed up! I don't think he gives a toss one way or the other, as long as you produce results. And this is what Vargas was talking about before! Che.

What should we do, General? We don't have the forces we need to win this fight.
All we can do is rely on our tactics...

It's already been decided. We can't let these valiant warriors die now, can we?

I understand... Then I, Colonel Zorum, will show you all of my power!







Half my Mermaids... gone like that. DAMN YOU LIZARDMEN! YOUR WHOLE RACE IS ON THE SHITLIST NOW!

Ha ha ha! This place will be your grave!

Zorum! Your opponents are strong! Don't be careless!

What are you saying, General?
There's no way that I, Zorum, can be weaker than mere kids.

Here I come, kids. It's time to revisit the defeat at Kalxath on you ten fold.



That was a harsh lesson in not leaving my forces open to a domino effect - as I had one weak link in my wall, which they broke through and flooded the wounded Mermaids behind. A tragedy - we shall gather the bodies and return them to the ocean from whence they came. Rest in peace, Flipper, Floppy and Siren. At least Datat, Sushi & Manilo are okay for now.







Liana gives us a heal and gains an empty level, but she's now one away from class changing.





Gahh-!

Level up! AT+1, MP+1



I may regret pushing this hard but I worry about the Lancers steamrolling us again, so if I block them off it could save lives. Anyway, Turn 5 has been thoroughly plundered.













I want to cry... Manilo was just killed. I tried to block them off... but apparently fording small rivers doesn't slow them down as much as I had hoped. This sucks since they also got some of Rohga's men - Locke, Garrett and Matthew. I want this scenario over with ASAP. It's becoming a Few Good Men up in here and I'm unable to handle the truth.







Hein gives her the ol' Holy Beam and double whammies her for good measure (I think that's a animation glitch but woo!)











Level up! Class Change!

Here are Keith's choices - I chose to go with Hawk Lord since it sets him up well for Dragon Lord which the thread seems to have a bit of a predilection for. Otherwise, his unit wipes out the majority of the Lancers - thank you unit affinities and so I can focus on dealing with Camilla before Vargas becomes an annoyance.













Level up! AT+1, DF+1

Woah... that dead Knight has a damn cool mugshot - I wish they used his one more often. Look at that majestic beard. Anyway, all that's left is Camilla now - shouldn't be too much trouble. And here's where the forest fire is at:



Cherie comes from the Western lake to lead a flanking maneuver taking Camilla by surprise! It should be soon at this rate.



You will go no further!







Level up! Class Change!

I opt to go Silver Knight - as a. we can still get to Dragon Knight, b. it has better bonuses (A+4,D+2 vs A+2, D+4) and c. I wanna show off Unicorn Knight even if we end up dragon-riding.



We've done some good damage to Camilla and should be able to finish her off next turn. Let us rout them from the field and secure escape from this hellish nightmare of a battle. Turn 6 is dead. Long live Turn 7! Enemy just moves up and Camilla does her fireball magic trick. It's getting old.



Hein & Liana heal us up and whilst we won't kill Vargas or Zorum since it's uneccesary slaughter, we will kill their men because that's wonderful EXP they are gushing out, not blood and certainly not their insides! CHARGE!



You think I will be easy prey?













Keith just chunks up Zorum's forces but then again so do most of my team given his choice of Pikes and my mostly infantry & airborne based army. It's combined forces - I got land, sea and air covered. Though... sea hasn't been going well. But still land and air











Welp... I was hoping that Fighter would OHKO Camilla, so that I could farm without worry on Zorum. Fortunately, I forgot about Cherie herself, so she goes in to finish off Camilla.



Obtained Cloak.



Egbert must have gotten it by now... The Dark Rod... Gahh-!



Seriously, Vargas? She wanted us to burn up in a forest fire... like I get environmental strategy and all but that's a bit harsh to call us out on trying to survive.

But, General Vargas! We can still fight easily. And the enemy has lost most of their main force. Victory can still be ours!

Stop it! The flames are rising. Staying here is dangerous.
A soldier shouldn't throw his life away just to beat one lowly enemy.
There's no glory in burning to death. Besides, we've got a job to do. Fall back!

The moral of today's scenario brought to you by Vargas - don't be an idiot and go die in a fire. It's not a soldier's death.

Yes, Sir! I'll follow your command.

Farewell, kids... You better hurry!





Level up! DF+1

Level up! MP+1, Resist was learned!

Level up! Class Change!





I go for Cleric, as Hein is already a Paladin and Cleric gives us our first summon, Valkyrie! Plus some nice things to boot.

Is everyone okay?

Somehow, we're still alive.

However, now that the enemy knows where the Dark Rod is, we can't stay here. I'll aid you with my magic.

Thank you.

Which means I've got a chance to show my strength too.



By the way, we were talking about your circlet before...

This circlet is a memento of my deceased father.
I guess it's been passed down through my family for generations. What's so important about it?

Let me answer you. Once, long ago, I served a certain royal family. Their prince had a circlet just like yours.

Wa-hey, no bullshitting around with "It's not yet time" or "You're not ready", she just tells us straight. Yay for Jessica!

My swordplay instructor, Doren, once told me a story like that. I didn't think it was true.
Then am I really a descendant of the Baldean royal family?

Yes, and you are one who is guided by Light.
Those guided by Light are chosen soldiers, destined to defeat enemies in a war over Alhazard, the cursed sword.
It is fated for Descendants of Light to wage war on whoever wields Alhazard.

I see... I'll stop the revival of Alhazard not just because it's my fate, but for the peace of the land.
If the Empire gains the power of Alhazard, war will erupt across the continent.
That's why I have to stop the Empire.

By the way, Liana, what will you do now? If you follow us further, only danger lies ahead...

Liana. Remember...? You promised to return to Kalxath.

...

Fighter, that's foolish. The Imperial Army is after Liana. It's far too dangerous to send her back to Kalxath alone.
We don't have the time or manpower to escort her to Kalxath.

He's right. We can't just let Egbert... or the Empire obtain the Dark Rod.
We have no time to waste. We should hurry to Reitel.

Please, Fighter! I want to fight alongside you...
I know I might be a burden on you, but I don't want to be alone ever again...

Liana... Well, I understand. Please be careful on the battlefield.

Thank you, Fighter! I won't let you down!

Then let's go to Reitel!





That's all for Scenario 5. Next time - it's Monster Hunting time! We invade the holy grounds of Reitel for fun and profit.

Question for the thread - what did you think of the fact that Jessica basically told Fighter - this is who you are (Baldean royalty) and this is your life plan (opposing the wielder of Alhazard) as if he had no say in the matter?