Screenshot TheMoniker plays: Fire Emblem Requiem

[TheMoniker]

Nella's bases look more like they belong on a level 1 Peg, not a level 9 one! That 35% strength growth wouldn't be so bad if she were level 1, since Falcon Knights have a low strength cap anyway. She still seems okay though, and that Strength problem can be fixed by giving her a lance with high might and/or crit. Her con is actually rather high for a Peg, and that high skill should help with proccing crits.

I've gotta agree on the con thing. I'm not a fan of how the GBA games handled weight in general. I prefer the way FE9-11 did it, by making strength the stat that prevents AS loss.

Really? I think her bases look fine, for defense and HP at least. We'll see how she turns out long-term.

Requiem: Episode 6: Chapter 5: Part 2: The Gnasher's Death

This is where we left off last time, with a boss screaming our way!

To start, Katarina continues to get ridiculously good levels.

The Gnasher and his escort split up. This'll be harder to handle if they approach from 2 directions.

The strength is good.

\

Now, the area is clear, and we need to wait one more turn...

Or not. Linda can't reach the boss, and I'd be putting my units in range of the armor knights, so I need to pull everyone back again.

Now the boss is right in our fingers!

Gnasher is incredibly vulnerable to magic and arrows, but he seems designed to counter our new units (Isaac and Kane).

Well... I do regret trying to fight Gnasher with Andrei...

REALLY regret it.

Val: Andrei?! Andrei!

Andrei: Sorry, I should have listened… more…

I think that's the first time Andrei has died. My fault again, due to my bad formation.

This should be a better one!

Yikes, that's plenty of damage! Glad it's not FE8 effectiveness, or I'd be risking a one-shot!

Okay, it's our turn to attack! Die, Gnasher!

A boss quote with Kane? I guess it makes sense.

Gnasher: Have I seen you before?

Kane: Perhaps so.

Gnasher: …Yeah, I remember now.

Hmm?

Gnasher: But you never showed up. Were you just scouting us out then, is that it?!

Hah.

Kane: Just know that your time has come to an end.

Kane gets a great chip level, and finally...

FINISHER!

Gnasher: G-Gah! M-Maw… Get me… outta here!

Not sure whether or not he actually escaped or died.

Skill and luck as opposed to defense and resistance. Kane is winning right now.

But the chapter isn't over yet. We still need to cut our way through to the end of the chapter.

But, moving through it all would be really boring! So, here's what I'll do: I'll just give you the levels, and skip through the combat, which is mostly just bait-and-switch anyways. Here we go!

Amazing.

Egh.

Bad-ish.

We got a longbow and hammer!

Okay, I guess. Is Katarina stealing all my good luck?

Pretty good.

Finally, a less-amazing level!

Then, we kill the knight on the gate, and the chapter is done! Except for those houses...

Old guy: Part of a resistance force? In that case, we’re all behind you in this fight.

You literally live right next to the fort these guys control. If they somehow haven't kidnapped you already, you really should just move out!

Well, that certainly sounds nice! I have 10,000 gold to burn!

And the other house:

Old lady: They have a bunch of people locked up in there, and who knows what they’re doing with them. They have my son in there! I can’t leave here without him.

Again, why haven't they kidnapped you already?

One last amazing heal level. When will we get a promotion item for her?

Seize! Let's do the dialogue too, since it's pretty short.

Val: All that remains is to clear out the remaining men inside.

Val: Yes… I am. Thank you for easing my mind, Andrei. I know that this doesn’t really change anything… but knowing that we can

Andrei: That’s what I wanted to hear. Now, shall we?

Did these people have a conversation we didn't hear?

Val: …Well, I can’t be sure. But it won’t hurt to check, right? Hopefully she’s alright.

Nella: Yes… you’re right.

Val: I admire how much you seem to care for your children.

Valentine's almost talking about her mother like she's already dead. At this point, she might as well be, unless there's a magic cure in this fortress.

Nella: That’s very nice, but we should hurry, shouldn’t we?

I still didn't hear your first conversation, assuming you had one!

NEXT TIME: We fight through our first "real" fortress level.

[Katie]

Really? I think her bases look fine, for defense and HP at least. We'll see how she turns out long-term.

HP, Skl, and Spd all look fine, but 5 and 6s are stats you'd expect to see on like a level 1-5 unit. I'll admit the 5s and 6s are actually a bit higher than what a level 1 Peg would likely have, so I did exaggerate a bit, but they're still lower than what I'd expect of a level 9 one. Looking at her averages, she does look pretty decent regardless, so I'd at least use her throughout Val's mode.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Matthewtheman

[BluBlaDe]

next time : Valentine's mom almost dies for the seventh time or something.

[TheMoniker]

Well, I'm back from vacation! Still hammering away at Chapter 12 from a certain other hack, and I'm going to need another hiatus soon... man, I can't wait until my stupidly hectic summer finally ends. But until then, might as well update Requiem.

HP, Skl, and Spd all look fine, but 5 and 6s are stats you'd expect to see on like a level 1-5 unit. I'll admit the 5s and 6s are actually a bit higher than what a level 1 Peg would likely have, so I did exaggerate a bit, but they're still lower than what I'd expect of a level 9 one. Looking at her averages, she does look pretty decent regardless, so I'd at least use her throughout Val's mode.

At the end of the day, for most normal units, all you can really say is "we'll see". And we will.

The CHAPTER 6 PRELUDE!

We get a very nice title that explains everything about this chapter. Definitely.

A few important characters show up at the entrance. Are those shops I see?

I misplaced about 4 screenshots here. The gist is that they were talking about how easily they were able to break past the fort's outer defenses...

So, I initially assumed that I misplaced screenshots, but it turns out that for some reason, they got uploaded out of order. Thankfully I number them all so they can be put back right, but it's still weird.

I blame Imgur Beta, which apparently is a new permanent thing.

Val: I’d expected them to be much more durable.

Isaac: this place…

Isaac: It’s castle-like.

Val: I suppose the man in charge is quite full of himself, or perhaps just really confident in his soldiers. Why else would you waste so much resources to convert a fort like this?

I'll talk more about this when we see the chapter map.

Kane: I hear he deserted Egardia because he was struggling to gain a position that he believed he deserved by right. His father was apparently a man of high standing under the Emperor during the Great War, which is how I assume he brought all of these men to his side.

So, is this backstory for an otherwise-random boss or something more important?

Huge jerk or no, Andrei, you do occasionally have a good line.

Andrei: Even us noble children had to work our way up the ranks. We trained and studied hard, remember, Val?

Val: Of course.

Isaac: More to the point, Kane… You seem to know a lot about this place. How exactly is that?

Kane: Surveying the land has always been one of my duties, my lord. Although I do not care to admit it, I took

Kane: as a supplier to uncover its secrets. Even had Lady Valentine not come to us, I would have suggested that we come to liberate the people here, in fact.

Andrei: Heh, not bad, Kane. I would have thought trickery and deception were beneath you. Not so honourable, is it?

It's not THAT dishonorable... Andrei, this hardly makes us grey-morality protagonists...

Kane: I feared that the people taken here could be in grave danger.

Andrei: Relax…

Val: Andrei, leave him alone.

Val: could still be in danger.

Isaac: My thoughts exactly, Valentine. So, let’s make this quick so we can get back to the base in one piece.

This does have gameplay signifiance. We can't just chill at the starting position. Well, we can, but it won't be happy fun times.

END DIALOGUE

Right. This is our first "real" fort chapter (Chapter 1 doesn't count!), so we'll need to be ready.

We're going in crutch-less again (THIS CAN ONLY GO WELL), but we do get to take all of our more permanent team fixtures.

Nothing particularly interesting about placement this chapter.

If the talking we just had wasn't good enough for you, we get more on starting the chapter!

Reddier: gates and made it through to the main hall. What are your orders?

Nelson: What do I even have those people outside for, hm? And what of my scouts? Why didn’t they report in these invaders earlier on?! And where are they now!?

Nelson seems like the kind of guy who only needs one participant to have a good conversation.

Nelson: Do you even have to ask?

"Do you even have to ask"? That's a lampshade of how standard a boss this guy is, isn't it? Well, any other order would be odd.

Insolent reddier: These guys defeated the Gnasher… they’ll be strong.

Bran? BLOODLINES Bran? Does he make a cameo?

No. Or at least, I don't think so.

Val: But we should also be wary of any soldiers lying in wait.

So, prisoners to rescue, and beware reinforcements. Gotcha.

Ally civilian: however you want, m’lady!

Hey, this is an employee from the guy last chapter! Sadly, no free stuff today.

Spoiler-map:

Hey... HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! These maps aren't the same!

Okay, feel free to open the spoiler, since it has outdated information. Looks like at some point the hack was updated, and the map received a total overhaul. The old one doesn't look bad, while the new one seems really... mirror-y. What was the reason for the change? I'm comparing the two and trying to see it, but the only difference is that the new one is bigger. Does anyone have any answers???

As you can see, many of the enemies have, in Chapter 6, upgraded to the "Perfect" (Silver) weapons. I'm having so many negative flashbacks to Dream of Five... but, it's somewhat excusable since they'll actually DROP some of those great weapons in this hack.

And I didn't screenshot every one, but we do have enough keys for all the doors and chests, don't worry.

Our boss isn't too notable, but he hits hard and has a throne for defense. By the time we get to him, we'll probably be fine.

These prisoners are so lame and unimportant, they don't even have portraits. Wow.

These guys, meanwhile, will be our new recruits! First off we have Almer, a convoy for the last few chapters of "Val Mode"(??? Maybe?). He looks "die-in-2-hits-y". Very par for the course.

Then we have Layla, a cool-looking female mage, who's a fair bit low-leveled but looks like an excellent combat unit. We've been needing some magical people who aren't Rayden.

Also, this civilian is so unimportant they just assimilate the appearance of whoever I looked at last. This raises some serious questions. First off, isn't he supposed to be a girl? What does hiers family look like? Do they go their entire lives, appearing to every person as the person they last looked at, like some weird sort of polymorph enchantment? And if you haven't looked at anyone recently, could they appear as nothing? What are they doing locked up in a bandit's fortress and not on secret spy missions? There are two of them in the cell; what is their relation? Are they brothers/sisters in weird polymorphglamourness? Is there some romance novel someone could get from this insanity?

Maybe I'm reading too deep into it. I guess we'll find out when we talk to them in the next update!

GROWTHS:

Layla:

HP: 55%

Magic: 50%

Skill: 55%

Speed: 65%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 20%

Resistance: 40%

Total: 325%(Do I even need to include the total every time?)

She has very balanced growths, leaning towards a "glass cannon" type character, something that plays to a mage's strengths. She looks like as long as she can hit that speed and magic enough, she'll turn out great. Just so long as we don't let anyone come up and slap her with a sword.

We are NOT going to be recruiting Almer right away, it seems, so no growths for him yet.

[TheNiddo]

Huh. Never seen that issue with the civilian before.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

i believe the reason for the map change was that the old map was straight forward and only had one way to clear it(sure you could argue about opening the door to the right, but you don't have a door key by that point or a thief), while the new map is more flexible along with better enemy position

i can say on the old map there were also alot more turns of "just moving along, no enemies to see here" due to the positioning.

if you compare the two you can also see that its trickier to escort the civilians too because they have to walk a longer way that will have enemies in it if you ignore the right side, granted they don't NEED to leave, just be alive when you clear the chapter.

[TheMoniker]

Huh. Never seen that issue with the civilian before.

I was "flipping through" the stat pages for the green people when I noticed it, so it must trigger only when you're using up and down to move through stat pages.

i believe the reason for the map change was that the old map was straight forward and only had one way to clear it(sure you could argue about opening the door to the right, but you don't have a door key by that point or a thief), while the new map is more flexible along with better enemy position

i can say on the old map there were also alot more turns of "just moving along, no enemies to see here" due to the positioning.

if you compare the two you can also see that its trickier to escort the civilians too because they have to walk a longer way that will have enemies in it if you ignore the right side, granted they don't NEED to leave, just be alive when you clear the chapter.

Now that I've played the map, I can see what you mean. It isn't as mirrored as it first looks, and I can see how it's a better chapter than the original.

Requiem: Episode 7: Chapter 6: Chokepoint left, escort right

NOTE: Under construction, will be finished upon return from vacation

The shops have a pretty standard selection. Including a tome type we don't have anyone to use yet. I grab it.

After the first turn, our new characters start talking.

Mage guy: a long time now. I think I heard something about people trying to take this place.

Mage guy: I don’t know… but anything’ll be better than staying captive in here.

Mage guy: Yeah… I just can’t believe I was stupid enough to get locked up in here. I got lost on the road.

Convoy guy: Well… it happens.

Medieval travel tip 101: Don't deal with large groups when traveling roads. But this brings another question, why did she want to get to Egardia?

Convoy guy: Some people just can’t be trusted. They didn’t hurt you, did they?

Mage guy: No, I’m fine. But now that you mention it, you look bruised up. Are you okay?

Convoy guy: Hehehehe… I’ve had worse, trust me. I know now that I’m a little too old to take on soldiers like these though.

Mage guy: Ummm… okay.

Convoy guy: It’s Almer.

Wait, you mean they were alone in this cell, presumably for days on end, and they don't even know each other's NAMES? What? I get that it might be an awkward situation, but surely you'd talk with your cellmate a little!

Layla: W-Well, maybe we can talk later, Mister Almer.

The first turn was just moving, now the fun really starts. However, one problem: since Imgur Beta has once again put everything out of order, it costs me effort to sort it out properly, and I might make mistakes. So, if any images look a bit out-of-order, you know why!

...And... I ran out of time while typing this... so I'll finish it when I get back from vacation! As I said, Stupidly Hectic Summer.

I'm back! And so is the finished update! And I figured out a way to keep the images sorted properly! Let's go!

On the first enemy phase, the cavaliers are charging our way, overeager to throwselves into our waiting pointy objects.

Right at the start, I'm already making mistakes like these. Hey, at least it turned out for the better!

Things didn't take long to get started! My plan is to split up and take both sides of the fort/castle at once.

Let's not move through this slowly. Since Val mode is approaching its end, I figure Andrei and Val will get new personal weapons in the next mode, so it's okay to burn through their current ones now! Let's do it!

Less than three stats, but if I could choose which two stats to gain these would be at the top of my list.

The army's split into two teams; one is dedicated to to the left side, and the other the right. Multiple reinforcements, including a very large group, appear up top to make me regret that I don't have a second healer.

That cleric happens to have an Elix-oh, sorry, "Secret" Salve. What's the secret? Who knows? Maybe the secret is why the makers put Secret in the name??

Linda gets a standard level, and Kieran gets a worse but non-standard one. Why not get some resistance while you're at it, Kieran?

These armors are carrying a few keys. I know what I said in the Prelude, but there actually aren't enough to go around for all the chests. Are there more to get somewhere?

Excellent start to your leveling, Nella! I'm happy to see that you've gotten both strength and HP!

Katarina is fast approaching level 20. Any chance I'll get a promotion item sometime soon?

And now the "main unit" we heard about earlier arrives. It's just a handful of cavaliers, I don't know what everyone was all worried about.

Also, look at the top of that screenshot. See Katarina, hanging out with Right Group? Well, that's actually a problem.

When I was splitting the teams up, I failed to consider that Left Group would actually be the one in a worse position. Due to the way this map is designed, reinforcements would be much more abundant on the left side, while the right side would get surprisingly little. It's too late to switch Katarina over, what with the cavaliers about to control the castle entrance and the reinforcement wave making Group Left retreat. This means that Katarina is only going to be easing the Group Right's bait-and-switch, and Group Left is going to have to handle vulnerary-chugging on top of everything else.

Dangit! Oh we-

Oh, huh. Marco is a surprisingly fast fighter, capable of doubling knights and clerics despite being weighed down a bit.

Thank you for that, game.

My strategy for dealing with the enemies bearing down on Group Left is to shove them into the treasure room and flagrantly abuse chokepoints.

Since the last thing we need is MORE enemies, I'm luring the cavaliers towards the group that has consistent healing.

And then the game dumps another bunch of enemies on Group Left. At this point, I should have just made Group Right wait and made them all rush to help Group Left while they were already handling cavaliers. Hindsight is 20/20.

These statboosters only difference from their FE7 counterparts are the name. I was hoping for some cool weapons, but I guess these work too.

This was a bad formation. What was I doing?

Well, here's our situation. Right with an awkwardly small amount of enemies to fight, Left backed into a corner.

Also, I said I was going to talk about the whole "hastily constructed castle" thing, but then I forgot, so I'll do it now. As we've gone through the chapter, have you noticed that this castle looks really nice? I think the map design here is really nice. But it contrasts with the dialogue we heard at the start about the fort being very haphazardly turned into a castle due to the pride of the boss, since the castle appears to be very well-constructed. It would be interesting if there were cracked walls scattered around to give the place the appearance of looking nice on the outside but having serious design flaws.

Okay, I'm finished.

Play to your strengths?

Another major group of reinforcements. Group Right will actually deal with these ones, though.

Pretty good, Kane! Keep it up!

Marco, kill the unarmed lady who may or may not be being forced into assisting these guys! We need that Secret Salve!

We got a Door Key! That means that we can...

Oh, hey! They do have normal portraits after all. There goes my novel idea.

Civilian who suddenly has a portrait: Oh, thank you!

CWSHAP: They took everything we had… then they forced our families to work for them and supply them.

CWSHAP: …Speaking of which, I was able to hold onto these, somehow. I guess they’ll be of much more use to you than me.

Two things:

1: We have enough keys to open the chests! Great!

2: The civilians are now going to advance to the exit of the castle, which wouldn't be a problem, if not for...

Reddier: …

Oh, cool! Does that mean the red people AREN'T going to spawn a bunch of losers and try to kill us for no reason?

*BUZZER NOISE*

We get 5 new people coming out to attack us, in what is really a bad time. Also, the door leading to Group Right might have opened on its own, I'm not sure. Either way, this just got more complicated.

Nice dodge, Val!

And then you got hit by a 20. I take it back.

The reinforcements from freeing the civilians have mixed with other reinforcements that were already coming towards us. Together, they create this massive train of enemies. Suddenly, I'm happy their group has the healer.

Katarina, hit your cap with a bang! Please?

So, if you did nothing, the civilians would presumably first get killed by the mage, then again by these enemies as they tried to run towards the exit. If more cavaliers show up, I'm going to be quite angry.

Also, group Left finally finished dealing with the last group of enemies... only for the new group to immediately show up.

Excellent!

Also good!

*cringes* nothing to do but throw Kieran in the way and hope for the best.

The best! Yes! THANK YOU!

Now they're out of danger! I'm not, but I can take care of myself. Go, civilians! Go be free!

Is it... is it over?

Yes! It is! We've taken care of everything!

Thank you to the mapmaker for this Secret Salve, I've completely consumed it and I don't think I would have survived without it.

Of course, in what surprises even me, we've managed to clear this chapter with no deaths! Maybe, just maybe, I'm not as terrible at this game as-

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Forget it. Forget it! Next time, we'll do a wrap-up update with the chests, boss and dialogue! See you all then! Where there hopefully won't be any more killer weapons!

The update's all done!

Edited July 26, 2016 by TheMoniker

[Katie]

Layla looks pretty good. Even that Def growth is not too shabby for a Mage.

[TheMoniker]

Well, I'm back from my trip, for a little bit at least! And the update is finished!

[TheMoniker]

Well, I'm back from my trip, for a little bit at least! And the update is finished!

[Katie]

Welcome back, Moniker!

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

good job handling that killer lance.

and yes you do get new weapons in the next part of the game, i got to reunite mostly everyone recently so i can vouch.

although there was a glitch and Kane came back with 40 skill and Andre with 33 resistance.

Edited July 26, 2016 by HF Makalov Fanboy Kai

[Darrman]

You nearly finished the chapter, but then you got critted. I'll just clean up the hair lying around here. Might buy you a wig while you're at it.

[TheMoniker]

good job handling that killer lance.

and yes you do get new weapons in the next part of the game, i got to reunite mostly everyone recently so i can vouch.

although there was a glitch and Kane came back with 40 skill and Andre with 33 resistance.

Yeah, I maybe could've thrown someone else at it... and thanks for letting me know about the glitch, I'll keep an eye out for it.

Things happen very abruptly in...

The CHAPTER 6 WRAP-UP!

To start, we crack this open to rescue our buds...

And this knight pops out, all alone. It's kind of pointless, since Layla and Almer aren't going to try and escape. You'd have to be an idiot to let this one knight kill them.

Speaking of which, the civilians made it to the exit without incident. Good for them!

Katarina levels up to level 20, and hoo boy, she is godly! I can't wait to get the promotion item! I always get the best healers...

Can you guess what the theme of the last 3 chests is?

Ow!

REVENGE! SWEET REVENGE!

...Sorry. That knight got me in quite a huff a minute ago.

Recruit time!

Val: Yes we are. Please, don’t be alarmed. I mean you no harm. Are you Sir Almer, the merchant?

Almer: Yes, that’s correct. And judging by your age, and the color of your hair, you must be…

Wow, Almer was sure quick to assume based just on physical appearances. Also, despite allegedly being holed up in this fortress for a few weeks, he is not at all surprised to see someone who was supposed to be in Olva around here.

Val: We’re here to take control of this fort, and also to acquire your services. Is that alright with you?

Almer: Straight to the point, aren’t you now? Well, I’ll hear you out. I owe you that much.

Val: I’m glad to hear it. Just stay here, and we’ll sort everything out.

"Staying here" sounds like an appropriate strategy for Almer.

Val: Hm?

Layla: Let me help you out!

Val: Oh… well I-

Layla: Don’t worry, I can handle myself! I know some magic.

Val: Magic?

Layla: H-huh? How did you know that?

Val: Your mother is with us. She’s been looking for you all over the place. She’s going to be so glad that you’re here.

Oh, almost forgot! That was why the pegasus lady joined us!

Layla: W-Wha… My mother’s here? You’re… joking, right?

Val: Listen, if you just stay close to me, I’ll keep you safe until you can see her, understood?

Almer: Be careful, Layla.

Layla: I don’t want to see her!

What? Why not? I'd best investigate this further.

Well, they're on our team now! Also, I was wrong when I said Almer wasn't recruitable. I'll see if I can find his growths next chapter.

*party streamer emoticon*

Oh, and he's a working convoy too! I was expecting to have to throw that away! Very nice.

Did you guess it right earlier? The answer is "reaver weapons!" Now, we have a full new set for next chapter!

Anyways, time to fight the boss!

YES!

Nelson: Then let me show you just how pathetic you are!

Oh, wow Nelson. You're really showing Kane.

Good enough.

Nelson: You would dare to step foot within my castle?

Andrei: It’s a fort, you imbecile. Stop pretending to be things you clearly aren’t. You aren’t worthy of this place.

Nelson: Silence, boy! A low-life like you couldn’t possibly understand.

Andrei: Low-life? Me? You’re such an idiot that I’m starting to get angry. Just die already.

Andrei does have some good lines, even if he isn't very likeable.

Nelson's begging for a fuller backstory. As it is, though, I appreciate that he isn't just "generic bossman #42".

Wow, this chapter's levels are really ending on a low note, huh?

Since we made him switch to the Javelin, we get this beauty! Two silver weapons! The only problem is, I think this hack has a fourth weapon tier. So we haven't exactly reached maximum power.

Time to see what this is all about. Also, Layla can't start the conversation. Nella HAS to do it. I think it's intentional. Just look:

Layla: Mum, why are you here?

Nella: I’ve been looking for you ever since you left! But it’s okay now, dear. I’m here for you.

Layla: Why!?

Nella: “Gotten away”… What do you mean by that?

Layla: I had planned it out to the finest details. …I just wanted to get away from you. Don’t you understand how annoying you are? Why do you think Gemma and Clara both left?

Nella: …They both write a while back saying that they’d left to find mercenary work, don’t you remember? They’ll return when they’ve made enough money.

Layla: Are you so naïve you’d really believe that?

Nella: Naïve? Layla, what is all this?

Layla: Look… the point is…

Layla: So leave me be.

Nella: I… don’t know what to say. Is that really how you feel?

Layla: Yes.

Ow. Layla is being very mean! Was it really so bad that she'd be annoyed to see her mother after being locked in a cell, in a fortress full of Egardian deserters, for weeks with only a random stranger for company? I'd like a bit more info here!

Anyways, moving on. The chapter is complete. Time to move on!

"how are things" is what I would ask after a major battle too.

Kane: (lost a screenshot here)being fully prepared, but we’ve done everything according to plan. You were very impressive, my lady. Even moreso than when we fought as enemies.

Val: Heheh… Thank you. But what of the resources that this place held?

Kane: They have quite a store of food, gold, weaponry, and armour within the castle.

Val: Most of the food and gold was probably stolen from the people imprisoned within the castle. Make sure we give the people back what they’ve lost.

Kane: Of course.

Val: How are the prisoners, by the way?

Kane: Thanks to us, they were able to escape to safety. They offered

Reward time! ...Once the talking is done, that is.

Kane: Oh, and of course…

Right, Almer is the merchant everyone was talking about, and the main reason why we came here.

Almer: I have to say, I’m quite shocked that you’re so brave. After what I’ve heard so far, taking down Bran’s army sounds like it’s getting more difficult by the day.

Val: That’s exactly why I have to try now. If I leave it too long, and everyone starts believing that Olva was completely defeated by the Egardian army, then those who are left might not try to resist when they come to attack them.

Almer: That makes sense. So, what exactly do you want my help for?

Val: Well, we’re in a bit of a bind, you see. We’re not nearly strong enough to be fighting them on equal ground. But we need everyone to know that there are people like us who are willing to fight back. We don’t want everyone to give up hope. So, we were wondering if you had any contacts who might be able to get the word out.

Almer: Valentine.

Val: You knew my father?

Almer: Well, no, not personally. But I know he was one of the people that started what brought the Empire down. So even if your goal sounds daunting… that gives me some faith in your cause. For that reason, I’m willing to help you as best I can.

Does Almer know that Val's father is dead? If so, how big is his information network, and could it reach him in the prison?

Val: Really? Oh, thank you, Sir Almer! I promise you, I won’t put your efforts to waste.

Almer: I believe you.

Val: Layla… I can’t possibly do that. We’re going to war and you’re just a child. It’s not safe out there.

(foregone conclusion impending)

Layla: …I know. But it’s no safer traveling alone, right?

Val: You have your mother to take care of you, no?

Layla: … …

Val: Layla?

Layla: Yeah… I guess so.

Val: …You sound disappointed. I’m sorry, but I think that is what is best for you.

Val: Oh, Nella, I was just saying to Layla that she should go with you.

Nella: …I think so too. But things have changed.

I'd be quite angry is she didn't, what with the effort I've been putting into training her.

Layla: What?

Val: Y-You are? But what about your other daughters? You still haven’t found them, right?

Nella: No, I haven’t. …But there’s every chance that they might try to join this resistance. So… If I do that, may I have special permission for Layla to come along as well? I’ll make sure to watch over her.

Nella, beneath the informed annoying-ness, apparently does know how Fire Emblem works. I'm sure we'll see Clara and Gemma later.

Layla: … …

Val: … Well, alright. But please, keep both of yourselves safe.

Nella: I’ll make sure of it.

Layla: …Understood.

Val: Yeah, I think so.

Isaac: Kane.

They both exit the picture.

Andrei: makes things worse.

Val: Mmm… But truth be told, I’m not really worried about her. …But Ash has been there all alone, probably just watching her worsen. It must be devastating. I feel a little guilty for not being there.

Andrei: Hey, it’s Ash we’re talking about. He’ll understand.

Val: I hope you’re right, Andrei. But either way, I want to go back quickly and see him.

Reward time! We get an elixir and some statboosters. Not a bad haul.

Alright, let's head back to Mother and see her almost die again...

Huh? Why is Ash outside?

Ash: There you go, Mother.

Wouldn't? Past-tense?

Ash: house.

Past-tense?!?

Ash: So I thought this’d be my final gift to you. A gravestone here, in your home.

She... she really did die...

But, I'm emotionally immune to it... I knew this was coming... it's not sad at all...

...

*sniff*

Ash: Oh, one more thing. I’m sorry to tell you now, but I haven’t slept for these past few days again. I can’t explain why. I just feel like I’m losing myself somehere, somehow.

What?

Ash: W-Who’s there?

Ash: Mother?

???: Don’t be shy now…

Ash: What’s going on? There’s no way. This must be a trick.

???: Please, Ash… Help me.

Ash: This voice! I remember it now!

Ash: You’re… not supposed to be here anymore!

And then it just ends. What was all that about? Now I'm curious... if also a bit sad

NEXT TIME: The story kicks into superfast mode.

[Katie]

I was wondering if the mom would finally kick it in this chapter. A bit surprised it happened offscreen though.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

time for defense map!

[TheNiddo]

I was wondering if the mom would finally kick it in this chapter. A bit surprised it happened offscreen though.

I think its better that it happened off screen. We've already had our fill of the onscreen related drama. Also gives reason as to why Ash wasn't around during the fight.

And yes. The next chapter is one of the most difficult in the game imo. Also one of the most enjoyable to me. A nice and intense defence map without going too far. I'll have a small note I can add after you show off the map. Just a minor edit that had to happen to the map from earlier versions.

[Katie]

I think its better that it happened off screen. We've already had our fill of the onscreen related drama. Also gives reason as to why Ash wasn't around during the fight.

I can definitely here.

[TheMoniker]

I think its better that it happened off screen. We've already had our fill of the onscreen related drama. Also gives reason as to why Ash wasn't around during the fight.

I'll support your decision on this one. My emotions were already stretched to their limit. I don't want to cry at my computer screen

The CHAPTER 7 PRELUDE!

Warning: Update of Significant Size Ahead!

But the mom is already dead, right? Or, wait... does it mean US?

Anyways, we'll be getting an update on what our enemies are doing today.

Also, I'll just warn you going in: This is one of the weirdest conversations I've heard between characters, particularly our evil-enemy-people. Take a look:

Legato: It relates to the Olvan children.

Bran: Tell me.

Legato: Do you remember that fool, Nelson?

Bran: The boy who thought he could ride his father’s fame to his own glory? Too well.

Bran: seeks to turn against me now?

Hah, I think that's a burn.

Legato: One of his subordinates was found in quite a state nearby, a few weeks back. After interrogating him a bit, he revealed that he did battle with a red-haired woman and many others at a place called Fort Anara.

Bran: Anara? That’s not far from the Empire’s capital city.

Legato: Yes, I gathered as much as well.

Bran: But more importantly…

Bran: her face once more.

Legato: Yes. Unfortunately, the girl is no fool, clearly, as after sending some scouts around the area, there’s been no sign of any army nearby.

Bran: The Old Empire’s lands are quite large, so they could be anywhere.

Legato: We do not have the resources to spare for a large scouting party right now, what with

Again, a world map would be helpful here, but I can assume that they don't plan to stop conquering anytime soon.

Something about this line sounds odd. Can't quite figure out what it is.

Bran: That is troubling, indeed. Remind me again, Legato.

Bran: why did you call off your men?

He called off himself, not his men. Granted, he's worth more than all of them combined.

Legato: … …

Legato: But I remember that I was not the only one who failed to capture them, was I?

Remember this line for a minute.

Bran: You are the Grand Commander. I do not expect failure from you because of “blunders”. But anyway, what became of the messenger.

Bran: Good. You are dismissed, for now.

???: You too, Commander.

Legato: Oh, how wonderful.

Who's barging in on the top-secret meeting with the big evil dude we're fighting and his top commander? They're probably super important, maybe even the "man behind the man" in this entire equation! Whoever's entering now, they couldn't be-

...Alicia!? WHAT?

Alicia: And forgive me for eavesdropping, buy I may have a solution to this new problem too.

Bran: Very good.

Wait, hold on... the "rookie commander" just charges into the top-secret meeting with bigevildude and the Grand Commander of his entire military, AFTER eavesdropping, to yell about HER take on this whole issue, and the bigevildude and Grand Commander just... let her do it?!

That's... that's... a SERIOUS open-door policy.

Legato: Done what, exactly?

Alicia: You remember how I saw Lord Ash use that magic before? I thought that he might have left something behind that could allow me to do something similar.

Alicia: I finally found something. A couple of pages from sort of magic tome were hidden away in his room.

Legato: …! You don’t… say.

Alicia: I think I’ve figured out this warping technique that he’s used to consistently be a thorn in our side.

Bran: Do you think you can make use of it?

Alicia: Hmhm… I think so, my Lord. I’ve been studying for weeks. I have to make up for failing before, right?

Legato: So you can use this magic… How exactly does that help with finding them?

Okay.

You're crazy.

Well, not really, since this is fiction, but still. You'd really think the main villain of the story would ask a FEW more questions.

Alicia: This magic seems to be quite *text skip*

Legato: What?

Bran: I will not wait. I will not let Olva be our downfall again.

Bran: how long will you need?

This is a lot of trust to put into a commander who hasn't accomplished much so far!

Alicia: Enough, my lord. As many as you should will. I’m ready whenever you are, of course.

Bran: Bring people fit to do the job, this time.

Maybe Bran's just REALLY enthusiastic about crushing Valentine.

Legato: That girl is becoming trouble. She cannot be allowed to claim further knowledge.

And now we rejoin our heroes.

Ash: It was just the wind.

???: Or an omen of terrible things to come, perhaps?

It's time for MFV this black-speech person we know nothing about again. I want to know more about it!

Ash: Or perhaps it was just you. What do you want from me?

???: You know what I want, Ash. And you will do it, whether you like it or not.

Ash: I am not a slave to your demands anymore. You should be gone!

???: Hahaha… You think that simply not listening to me is enough? We are connected.

???: Then you will lose yourself. Is that what you want, Ash?

Ash: No, of course not.

???: Then why don’t you let me help you?

Ash: I don’t want your help!

Deal with the devil type thing? Is that what this is?

???: Then the darkness shall take you, soon enough. I’ll be sad to see you go.

Ash: Don’t get comfortable. I won’t let that happen. Not while my family still needs me here.

???: Yes… your family.

???: Isn’t everything so much easier and more comfortable for you when we speak, even now?

Ash: …No.

???: You can’t keep running from the truth forever. But I enjoy seeing you try.

Ash: … … I can’t hide my problems for much longer. Maybe it’s time I told Valentine and Andrei…

Yes, Ash, please do. If there's one thing all the fiction I've read has taught me, it's that the truth is best.

Speaking of Valentine and Andrei...

Valentine: Were you just talking to someone?

Ash: Um… no. What’s up?

Valentine: I’m just checking on you. I haven’t seen you properly for a while. Not since we moved our base to this castle. I know that we’re all still a little bit upset about Mother’s passing, but is there anything else that’s bothering you?

He's not going to tell them, is he.

Ash: I’ve just recognized that you’ve got everything under control now. I’m glad to see it. And with all the new faces about, I don’t want to take up your time.

Valentine: Ash, I always have time for you. That just sounds like a lame excuse. And I wouldn’t have asked you that if I didn’t already have my suspicions.

Ash: …So what is it? What are you worried about?

Valentine: I may not have seen you, but I have heard unsettling news.

Ash: … …

Valentine: to eat for whole days straight.

Ash: …And so, what are you saying?

Ash, you just said that maybe it's time to tell them, and now you're obviously playing dumb?

Valentine: Do I really need to spell it out for you? You’re my brother, and I don’t want to impose sanctions on you, or force you to do anything for that matter, but you’re worrying others. So please, give me a reason to believe that there’s nothing going on with you.

Ash: …Alright.

Valentine: Go ahead.

Ash: It’s about this magic I’ve been using. I’ll need to explain from the begin-Huh?

Andrei: What is it now?

Ash: It can’t be!

Scroll down to reveal our MAIN VILLIANS: MAIN VILLAIN MAN! GRAND COMMANDER OF MAIN VILLAIN MAN! AND RANDOM ROOKIE WHOSE OPINIONS ARE ODDLY VALUABLE TO MAIN VILLAINS!

I wonder who we'll kill this chapter?

Bran: Good work, Alicia.

Alicia: It looks like the warping is more precise with less people to take along.

Don't worry Valentine, this is my reaction too.

Valentine: They appeared from thin air!

Andrei: Just like Ash…

Ash: Is this… what I felt back then? But how is this possible?

Alicia: You need to hide your secrets a bit better.

Ash: She’s that woman from before who almost captured Mother…

Valentine: That’s not important right now. If they’re here like this… You’ve come to fight us, haven’t you, Bran?

Bran: losing your country, Lady Valentine. But you should have known better than to even think that you could face my army in battle. If you had just run away and never shown your face again, you could have avoided all this.

Valentine: You didn’t really think I was going to let you get away with this, did you?

Bran: I suppose not.

Bran: hopes and dreams, along with their lives, straight into the dust. Your continued existence only stands to be a disturbance on my path to conquest.

Valentine: Don’t you dare think that catching us by surprise guarantees a victory for you. I won’t be broken so easily, Bran, and neither will those that stand with me. Even if it costs me my life, and even if I can only create a small dent, I will stand in your way!

Bran: Haha! Very well then. I hope you’ve said your prayers, child.

Does Val have some kind of plan? This entire scenario feels really off!

Ash: We don’t stand a chance like this. If they warped in here, then they’re behind our front lines.

Valentine: I have to, Ash. …Besides, is there any other choice right now? Not even you can get us all away from here, can you?

Ash: I could at least get a few of yo-

Valentine: No. I will not abandon the people that fight for us. That’s not what our father would have done here. And surrendering won’t save anyone, will it? If I am to die here, it won’t be in fear or cowardice.

Ash: … …

Valentine: … There’ll likely be people who want to escape. Perhaps you can help them on their way. But I’m staying here.

Ash: Val, I can’t…

Valentine: You’ve protected us up until now, Ash. But this time, I’m going to protect you. Now, get yourself out of here.

Ash: … This is crazy.

Valentine: If there’s any doubt in your mind, leave now.

Andrei: You didn’t even need to say it. I’m fighting with you. I don’t care what happens.

Alright, let me explain why this feels weird. This entire setup breaks the pacing of the story so far. Let me summarize the plot thus far:

1: Egardia launches an attack on Olva. Olva's defenses are defeated

2: Main heroes escape the castle, and later all of Olva, successfully totally separating themselves from the Egardia forces

3: Heroes decide to spend time hiding out, while still sending a clear message to the world that they're there. To this end, a few small battles are fought.

4: Heroes are taking time to re-wait what's Alicia doin-WHAM BIG BAD GUY APPEARS HUGE HOPELESS BATTLE TIME

It feels like we're being forced into a hopeless scenario of a struggle for survival without the proper buildup for it. The villains were brought to the heroes instantly through what feels like a contrivance rather than a logical buildup of events, and it's hard to take it seriously that this is really a hopeless fight-Egardia can presumably only bring a small army of elites rather than their full force, and though they certainly have the advantage of surprise, this isn't a completely one-sided fight, particularly if you contrast it with gameplay.

Alright, I think I've summed up how I feel about this whole thing. The story so far has been really good, which is what makes this feel so forced and awkward. Let's get to the GOOD part of this whole thing; the gameplay!

END DIALOGUE

Well... time to start this thing! Despite the odd setup, this is definitely one of the more intense and fun chapters in the game. Our goal is to Survive, it seems.

We can, and will, take the whole team, including our crutch characters.

Also, since this is a big major fight we've been building up to for a while, let's break out the statboosters!

First, give Nella some actual HP.

Make Linda 100x better.

Give Layla some modest survivability, since she's underleveled and will need some training this chapter.

Kieran's doing really well already, so I give him some secondary statboosters to make him do even BETTER.

And for this... I honestly didn't know who else to give it to.

Our formation.

The whole map.

SPOILER-MAP:

From what we can say, the enemy's main strategy is going to be to charge our position, while we work with our knights to prevent totally losing control of the situation. The bosses, though... we'll take a look in a second:

We will now officially be deploying him! I don't think he gained a level, though.

A bit more dialogue first. I won't comment on it too much.

Valentine: It’s not that I’m scared.

Valentine: I’m just thinking about whether this was inevitable.

Andrei: … …

Valentine: I know it’s your choice… But I wish you had gone with Ash. I don’t want to see anything happen to you.

Andrei: I can’t do that, Sis. I’d never forgive myself if I did. Besides, it would be a dull life without you. So let’s fight together, one more time.

Valentine: Stand with me if you will, but save yourselves, otherwise. Run and don’t look back! Capturing me is their priority, so use that opportunity to escape.

That wasn't a very good motivational speech. Don't worry, all the green knights aren't going to sprinting for the edge of the map. In fact, nobody will.

Ash: I can’t just let it end like this! Do you hear me!?

???: Well… shouting at me won’t change things. But realise that if you do what I think you will, there’ll be no going back, this time.

Ash: I’m well aware of that. But I’m not going to sit here and do nothing. Besides… I think that you knew this would happen.

???: Whatever do you mean?

Ash: Just shut up if you’re going to play dumb.

And then the scene ends. Did Ash accept their help or not??

Time to get to the actual chapter!

Even the game doesn't know for sure that surviving will get us out of this. I plan to play it like a defense mission anyways and hope for the best.

The enemies we'll be fighting are labeled "Elite Egardia", but they don't seem to be very much tougher than the mooks we've been slaughtering up to this point. Maybe... maybe this is the best Egardia has? I'm guessing future chapters will walk all over that assumption, though.

As usual, we have some nice drops.

Alicia's still Alicia, and isn't much more of a threat than the generics.

These guys actually deserve the title of E. Egardia, but even without our crutch characters, bringing one down probably wouldn't be an impossible feat. Just quite difficult.

Bran's still Bran from the Prologue

And Legato's still Legato.

...Wait, why are his stats so much higher? Is this going to like Gangrel and Aversa in Awakening?

On our team, we have a few knights and archers. They're not amazing but they'll definitely help us with the swarms of enemies we'll be facing, or at least serve as a wall I can have my more vulnerable people hide behind.

NEXT TIME: The battle begins

Edited August 9, 2016 by TheMoniker

[TheNiddo]

I'll support your decision on this one. My emotions were already stretched to their limit. I don't want to cry at my computer screen

>My decision

Uhhhhhh I had no part in designing this hack outside of a few of my balance suggestions making it through. Which happened after several of the initial releases. With other people agreeing to at least the general idea for them.

I mean I have zero problems stealing somebody else's credit if you wanna do that

[TheMoniker]

>My decision

Uhhhhhh I had no part in designing this hack outside of a few of my balance suggestions making it through. Which happened after several of the initial releases. With other people agreeing to at least the general idea for them.

I mean I have zero problems stealing somebody else's credit if you wanna do that

Well, great. Not I look stupid. I amend my statement to "I will respect their decision on this one."

Anyways, update's all finished!

[TheNiddo]

Hmmm...

Some of your points will be made much clearer later on in the game. Consider this more of a build up scene to explain the future stuff, rather than something that needed to be built up to.

First time I've seen somebody finding this particular scene odd however. Interesting to see.

But yes this is a very fun map to play to be sure. I'm still not 100% sure what the victory condition is myself, but its fun!

[Katie]

I love how, other than having a point more in Luck and 2 point more in Resistance, Alicia is completely outclassed by that generic Warrior statwise.

[TheNiddo]

I love how, other than having a point more in Luck and 2 point more in Resistance, Alicia is completely outclassed by that generic Warrior statwise.

To be fair, our units are muuuuch better against defence than magic for the most part. So she's on average hitting harder.

[Katie]

To be fair, our units are muuuuch better against defence than magic for the most part. So she's on average hitting harder.

True. She's also level 5 unpromoted, whereas the Warrior is level 5 promoted.