Screenshot TheMoniker plays: Fire Emblem Requiem

[Wayward Winds]

Yeah, these big bads rarely seem willing to get own their hands dirty until the ragtag band of rebels have gained enough levels to actually put up some meaningful resistance. Ashnard lazed around in Daein/Crimea until Ike came calling with Ragnell (granted, Ashnard didn't have the most logical of minds), Medeus decided that conquering the world once was enough and effectively rooted himself to that throne of his, Nergal was so obsessed with draining quintessence from dragons that even when he'd recovered from Elbert's parting gift, he only left Valor to capture Ninian and utterly failed to invest in those few minutes needed to crush Eliwood and co.

About the only important villain to repeatedly actually try wiping the upstart FE heroes out personally was Zelgius, and he wasn't even the main villain! (...And possibly Anankos too, if you count that whole possession thing.)

Really, such laziness means these villains are just asking to get their faces smashed in when the Endgame rolls around. At least they're generally more proactive in FE hacks.

...Ho boy, I believe the next chapter brings back that most hated of GBA FE game mechanics; movement reductions from rain.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Wayward Winds

[TheMoniker]

Classic Fire Emblem. A handful of new good guys show up and the superpowerful baddy goes running. COWARD!

Two cavaliers and two lord units? THE HORROR! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Yeah, these big bads rarely seem willing to get own their hands dirty until the ragtag band of rebels have gained enough levels to actually put up some meaningful resistance. Ashnard lazed around in Daein/Crimea until Ike came calling with Ragnell (granted, Ashnard didn't have the most logical of minds), Medeus decided that conquering the world once was enough and effectively rooted himself to that throne of his, Nergal was so obsessed with draining quintessence from dragons that even when he'd recovered from Elbert's parting gift, he only left Valor to capture Ninian and utterly failed to invest in those few minutes needed to crush Eliwood and co.

About the only important villain to repeatedly actually try wiping the upstart FE heroes out personally was Zelgius, and he wasn't even the main villain! (...And possibly Anankos too, if you count that whole possession thing.)

Really, such laziness means these villains are just asking to get their faces smashed in when the Endgame rolls around. At least they're generally more proactive in FE hacks.

...Ho boy, I believe the next chapter brings back that most hated of GBA FE game mechanics; movement reductions from rain.

It's a pretty standard FE trope. If anything, trying to actually destroy us and only retreating because reinforcements arrive is still a better explanation than deciding to send your mooks in order of weakest to strongest. Which the enemy in this hack doesn't seem to be doing; the enemy levels of E. Egardians, Tiomares, and the like seem to be controlled by something entirely different.

Rain is pain.

The CHAPTER 15 PRELUDE!

I wonder what this means? Is everyone going to turn evil?

Alicia: …How is he? Have you heard anything?

Drake: He’s conscious again. His brother and sister have been talking to him.

Alicia: Good… Alright, that’s good.

Drake: …What will we do now?

Alicia: “We?” Nobody here needs to feign loyalty to me anymore.

Wait, Alicia! Don't go! You're a fairly useful combat unit!

Alicia: And I’m sure as hell not going to stay here with everyone looking at me like I’m some kind of criminal or something.

Drake: Isn’t that dangerous? What about the person that attacked you two?

Alicia: Hmph… like Ash said, he’s really only after him. If I stay out of the way, I’ll be fine, won’t I?

Drake: … …

Alicia: If you ever do see him again, give him my regards. Oh, and tell him to be careful.

Hurry up, Valentine! Don't let us lose manpower!

Okay, good. Hopefully they'll reconcile.

Valentine: *Huff* It… is Alicia, right?

Alicia: …Lady Valentine. I hope you’re not planning on holding me here any longer.

Valentine: N-No… I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done.

Alicia: Don’t force yourself to be grateful to me if you don’t want to. It’s not liked I helped Ash for your sake, or even his.

Valentine: But, Alicia, I am grateful. I truly am!

Alicia: E-Eh?

Valentine: Ash told us everything that’s happened since he left us. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I ever would have seen him again.

Alicia: Y-Yeah… well… you’re welcome for that. No need to bow your head to me though. I… really have to get going now, you know?

Valentine: Oh… Don’t you want to say anything to Ash? After what you said, I thought you would.

Alicia: I don’t know about that.

Valentine: Alicia.

Alicia: … …

Valentine: I know you have your reasons to be reluctant. But I can tell you care about my brother. You want to keep helping him, don’t you? Don’t let me, or anyone else stand in the way of that.

Alicia: …That’s what I’d hoped to hear.

Valentine: Alright. Shall we go, then?

Alicia: I’d be glad to.

Excellent! Alicia is sticking with us after all.

Valentine: I’ve heard about what you’ve done for Ash as well. After how we left you for dead before, I can hardly believe it. But my mother was right to trust you, and I’m glad for it.

Drake: Thank you for saying that. But I deserve no such praise.

Valentine: Come on now, there’s no need to be modest. …But anyway, I should get going now. You should try and clear the bad blood between you and my brother, as soon as you can.

That isn't going to be an easy talk to have. Do they have a support together?

Alicia: Hey there, Ash. You actually are looking a lot better, this time.

Ash: And I actually am. Some of my magic power has come back to me, so I don’t feel so weak anymore.

Alicia: Glad to hear.

Ash: …Listen, Alicia.

Ash: what I said to you.

Alicia: Let’s not worry about that.

Put the pessimism behind us!

Ash: …Alright then. So, are you staying then?

Alicia: I think that’s best, yeah. With that guy wandering around, I don’t think we can afford to split up.

But... you just said the opposite of that! I guess it was all part of your plan to make Valentine apologize.

Valentine: You mean… you were hoping that I’d come and talk to you?

Alicia: That’s right. I don’t like being where I’m not wanted, you know? Anyway, would someone mind explaining something to me?

Valentine: You’re wondering about us, aren’t you?

Alicia: I was sure you’d given up all hope back there.

Valentine: Well, I had, honestly…

Valentine: He didn’t tell me about it, but it was all in order to get Egardia off our backs.

Alicia: Huh… That’s an interesting move, I’ve got to say.

Valentine: I wish we had done things differently, but that’s in the past. Now… what is our next move?

Well, I'm happy to see that Alicia got over the whole emotional crushing thing pretty easily. But what could they have done differently in the past? After their father died, I'm not sure what other actions they could have taken.

Alicia: I had some people looking around the castle and academy for anything on Legato, Matthias, or this dark magic, but there’s been nothing, as of yet.

Ash: Honestly, I’d really like it if we could deal with the man after us as soon as possible. I’m not sure exactly what he plans to do next, but it won’t be good for anyone.

Yeah, his stats are WAY too much to handle right now.

Valentine: Don’t get me wrong- I don’t think someone like him should be let on the loose, but if he can warp like you can, it’s going to be difficult to find him. And, if he’s as powerful as you say he is, then we’re only going to get ourselves killed.

Ash: Hmm… Yeah, you’re right.

Andrei: Then we back it up a bit. Legato. Let’s start with him.

Andrei: about everything going on.

Legato is ALSO too tough for us to take. His stats are higher than Bran's! Maybe that Matthias guy?

Valentine: …But we’re not supposed to head back to Olva until we hear from Uncle Rayden or Aunt Josie. We don’t have enough manpower, even if we join up with the militia, at this stage.

Alicia: And hold on a second… I’m not saying Legato’s a good guy, but you’re not suggesting that he’s in league with the guy that attacked us, are you?

Andrei: Aunt Josie always says it.

Well, Andrei, based on your track record I'm not entirely inclined to trust you here.

Alicia: …I’m not doubting Lady Josephine’s words, exactly, but he’s served Lord Bran for over a decade now. He’s been known to speak against him, but unleashing this catastrophe on Egardia is complete treachery.

Ash: …Look, none of us know anything for certain. But we decided that we’d find out what we can from him, so I think it’s an idea. And there’s a possibility that Legato has been using Bran since the very beginning.

Alicia: What? How?

Ash: Think about it. We know that Legato and Matthias are associating with each other. They had a shared interesting in trying to kill you to try and get to me.

Alicia: …Right. If he’s on good terms with Matthias, he could use his influence with his father to get pretty much whatever he wanted. Dammit!

Valentine: It sounds like we have a plan, then. We’ll have to figure out some other things on the way there, but is that alright with everyone?

Alicia: …Yeah, sure.

And fighting against Bran, which Alicia said she wouldn't do.

Valentine: … …

Alicia: … Alright, I’m in. No use getting all upset about it.

Woah, hey? Why are you suddenly willing to go back up against Bran's army all of a sudden? Things have changed, but acknowledge it at least!

Valentine: We’ll make preparations, then. Once Ash has rested some more, we’ll head out.

Valentine: Who’s there?

Hey! You aren't a main character! You aren't allowed to be relevant!

(jokes aside, I do appreciate that this hack lets some of the non-main characters get some dialogue in.)

Layla: It’s good to see you again, Lady Valentine.

Valentine: Same to you. I’m glad that you’ve stayed safe.

Alicia: Yeah… and speaking of safe… why are you still here? You’d do best to get as far away from us as possible.

Layla: True though that may be, I want to stay. I told Lady Valentine that I’d help her after reaching Egardia. Not only that, but I have family and good friends here.

Valentine: I think it’s a good idea. These lands are getting a bit too dangerous to travel alone.

Alicia: Well, I wasn’t complaining.

Layla: But anyways, that’s not why I came here. Here, Miss Alicia, look at these!

Alicia: Hm?

Layla: I don’t know how they work, exactly, but I think they might have some use in the future.

Alicia: You think?

Layla: That person chasing after you used powerful magic, right? If there were a way to seal his power, perhaps he could be beaten, or something, right?

Alicia: Mmm… I guess I’ll hold onto this, then. But for future reference,

Layla: Y-Yes, ma’am. …I just saw everyone else looking around, so I thought I’d join in.

Alicia: I’m only joking, kid. This could actually be really useful, you know?

Layla: That’s great!

Well, after what DEFINITELY wasn't a setup for something important in the future, we move over to...

Foresty place! I guess we're on our way to Olva now?

Alicia: Something wrong?

Valentine: Oh, not at all. I’m just admiring the land. Egardia has become a much nicer place since I last came here.

Alicia: The lands of Olva were quite nice as well.

Ash: but should you really be?

Sheesh, Ash, I think you need to calm down a little more.

Valentine: Don’t worry, Ash. Trust me, I’m completely focused on the task at hand. And I’m a much more capable leader when I’m not under constant pressure, like we were for all those months.

Ash: Well then, I look forward to seeing you in action again.

What timing!

Val: What’s going on?

Andrei: out there.

Cool! Do we get to side with the huge unknown force for a really easy chapter of crushing the small group?

Oh, Tiomare... guess we'll have to save them... *sigh*

Ash: Tiomare? Why are they marching this way?

Valentine: We can figure that out afterwards. If they’re in danger, we’ll do what we can to help. Leave it to us, Ash.

Ash: …What are you talking about?

Valentine: There’s no need to push yourself any longer and use that mag-

Ash: I’ll be fine.

Val: But-Alicia?

Alicia: Don’t look at me.

Andrei: We’re wasting time. Come on, follow me.

Val and Ash finally get to fight together, hurrah.

Don't worry, we will see them later in the chapter.

Andrei: No, I didn’t.

Val: …I hope that means she wasn’t with them in the first place.

Alicia: The best we can do is try and draw these guys attention our way so that anyone left isn’t overwhelmed.

Val: Yeah, that’s our best option.

Val: be quick about it.

Rain foreshadowing! That'll be a pain.

END DIALOGUE

Okay everyone, are you ready? Let's look at all our rejoining party members!

They're about even with our current group's levels, thankfully. They also come bearing gifts, either of personal weapons or free promotion items! The promotion items will be stashed away for later use.

Also, with these four coming back, we have every unit from Part 1 save the crutch characters Josie and Rayden. I appreciate having these guys back in short order, rather than getting three or four of them back in hilariously underleveled form as we enter the lategame levels (see: The Last Promise).

We get 11 units, but I have to leave a lot of people out still.

I'm suddenly realizing that I'm using WAY too many units. But all of them seem so necessary... I don't want to give any up... Is there anyone I can afford to drop?

Well, we'll continue as normal for now. We would get even more money if we had gotten those chests last chapter, but this should be plenty for now.

Fun fact: You can view shop inventories from the prep screen! Now, I can show off their utterly standard inventories before the chapter starts!

Our wonderful formation. I'll give updates on Almer every now and again as we go through the game. This hack doesn't have as many chapters as FE7, though, so he probably won't be that tough by the end.

SPOILER-MAP:

Seems like a fairly straightforward advance. We'll push downwards and figure out where to go from there, and when the rain starts.

Only one droppable. So much stingier than usual!

Up here is... Rydell? I was kind of expecting the assassin guy that was chased off in the town escape chapter.

And AGAIN we don't have a formal boss to fight! I mean... it's been FOREVER since we fought a boss! When we attacked that one place with the purple soldiers, no boss was present. The boss was chased off in the town escape chapter, the first fight against the hollows didn't have one, the magic academy chapter had us running from one, as did the survival chapter arguably, and THIS guy is probably gonna leave too! What is it with this hack and not giving us normal bosses to fight?

Whatever, the actual level is always harder than the bosses in FE games.

NEXT TIME: We recruit a new old character!

[TheNiddo]

Lets see if

If a green NPC is going to be stupidly lucky at dodging like one normally is for me here. By NPC I mean "not a green unit you recruit.

[TheMoniker]

Requiem: Episode 16: Chapter 15: Part 1: Saving the Fools

The first turn is getting everyone into position. The enemies at the start are mostly out of reach, so our cavaliers will go out front to lure some.

Luckily, the enemies decide to approach us! Kieran flies around the cliff, while I subvert this fighter's surprise.

Excellent, Clare! You're almost to level 20; finish strong!

With some intelligent luring, the area in front of us is immediately clear. Most of this chapter doesn't look too bad, but look at all those enemies clustered across the river. They could be a problem if they start moving.

Drake good, Edward bad. Edward especially bad since Edward cap speed, meaning less good levels from now on.

Oh no! A longbow!

HAH! Bet you weren't expecting that, idiot!

Oh no... white flash... that can only mean...

Rain! And... Ordanze?

Ordanze: How pathetic. …Most of our men are injured, so we can’t break through quickly.

Ordanze is here, leading the small Tiomare group to help us! Or, rather, we're going to have to help them. All those enemies immediately above them are going to go on the assault, and they're going to try to charge ahead rather than standing their ground like smart people.

Ordanze... has he changed at all since he was a boss? I'm too lazy to check. I want to use him, but... I already have SO MANY units! I think I'll hold off...

His mooks are a little higher level than the enemies, I think, but against these numbers they still won't last.

The rain's slowing everyone down, meaning that the greens and reds will take longer to meet each other... but it will also take longer for us to get there.

eh- SERIOUSLY, SKYE? After you countered her sniper arc... you had the perfect opportunity! And you RUINED IT!

Come on, Hawke. Soon you'll cap strength and then where will you be? Getting empty levels is where.

Bandits and other enemies start to close in on the greenies. I have to hurry, but it's tough with this accursed rain. I can't go ANYWHERE quickly moving at 2-3 spaces a turn.

Oh, yeah, and they're totally going to advance. I know you guys want to BRAVELY CLEAR A PATH THROUGH ENEMY LINES, but come ON!

Clare. No. This is not finishing strong.

The pegs start advancing. Let's move into position to counter!

Good job!

...After the knight kill, this will pretty much be the theme of green combat.

Still in formation, but they clearly won't last long like this.

On a happier note... my units are all growing really strong! Overall, I think everybody's levels are turning out okay, even with some hiccups. I hope.

I mean, just LOOK at this nonsense!

Sadly, his luck doesn't hold out and a bandit picks him off.

Ordanze takes revenge, and now the group is in even more trouble. If I don't get there soon, it will just be Ordanze and the horde.

Why do I keep taking Layla places? I thought I told myself that I would drop her for Alicia...

Gemma was supposed to finish off the knight, then we'd have control of this middle island and could attack the enemy from above. But it looks like that will have to wait.

Gah! Ordanze should be alright, but he won't last forever without his allies to distract hits.

Gah! Myrms are supposed to dodge axe-users! I'm happy I chose not to use this guy! But now-

...

WHAT. THE. HECK.

...

Ordanze: This is a… just reward.

...

No, TheNiddo.

No, my NPCs did NOT get stupidly lucky at dodging.

We'll pick this garbage up again next time.

[TheNiddo]

Yeeeep that's the other side of the coin.

[Blaze The Great]

Not a chapter I enjoyed very much, gotta admit. Not because of bad design, but no one who plays FE likes weather effects.

[Wayward Winds]

Axe magnetism strikes again! Almost as annoying as constantly getting murdered by 3% crit. chances in FEF Conquest 22.

Yeah, that rain made this one of my least favourite chapters in Requiem as well. At least I had a stupidly dodgy fighter amongst the Tiomare ranks to distract the enemy.

...If I ever get my own hack off the ground, I'm going to troll the player by having it start raining in Ch. 2. And... oh hey, looks like careful use of Nightmare can remove those movement restrictions, just copy the pointers from the regular movement cost field into the rain and snow movement cost fields. Sure you'd have to do it for every class, but I think the payoff would be worth it!

You've just been presented with 3 new/old swordies to use, and there's another one joining up in the next chapter. Overkill?

[Moblin Major General]

I'm a GREEN unit!

[Sacred Blaze]

Seeing that actually makes me feel bad on the inside.

What kind of horrible person would make this map?

Seriously though, that's actually just horrible luck.

It definitely won't happen again... maybe... I think... probably.

In my (weak) defense, I honestly don't rate this chapter all that highly myself. I wanted a rain chapter like any insane person would and this was it.

In earlier patches- and I think one I posted on Serenes, the rain used to last longer and start earlier, so it could be worse if that makes you feel any better about it.

[TheMoniker]

I've been relaxing on thanksgiving for the past few days. And now I have an update for you!

Not a chapter I enjoyed very much, gotta admit. Not because of bad design, but no one who plays FE likes weather effects.

To be fair, the rain is used in a "better" way. There were still enemies to fight and action going on, rather than just slogging through nothing. And it increased the tension, since we had to get to greenies through it all.

Of course, I just proved that Ordanze can totally die before you can really get to him if you're unlucky, so it goes right back around to bad again.

Axe magnetism strikes again! Almost as annoying as constantly getting murdered by 3% crit. chances in FEF Conquest 22.

Yeah, that rain made this one of my least favourite chapters in Requiem as well. At least I had a stupidly dodgy fighter amongst the Tiomare ranks to distract the enemy.

...If I ever get my own hack off the ground, I'm going to troll the player by having it start raining in Ch. 2. And... oh hey, looks like careful use of Nightmare can remove those movement restrictions, just copy the pointers from the regular movement cost field into the rain and snow movement cost fields. Sure you'd have to do it for every class, but I think the payoff would be worth it!

You've just been presented with 3 new/old swordies to use, and there's another one joining up in the next chapter. Overkill?

I believe some other hacks beat you to that intelligent idea. Still, I like the graphical effect of rain, it's just that there were other things they could have done to make weather interesting rather than just slowing things down.

Seeing that actually makes me feel bad on the inside.

What kind of horrible person would make this map?

Seriously though, that's actually just horrible luck.

It definitely won't happen again... maybe... I think... probably.

In my (weak) defense, I honestly don't rate this chapter all that highly myself. I wanted a rain chapter like any insane person would and this was it.

In earlier patches- and I think one I posted on Serenes, the rain used to last longer and start earlier, so it could be worse if that makes you feel any better about it.

Don't worry, I've seen WAY worse uses of rain. WAY worse. If you want examples, just go look at one of the hacks I played early in the rolling request thread, a specific ragefest hack... something something legend of zelda character cameos everywhere something. I forget the name. NOTHING could be worse than that use of weather.

Requiem: Episode 16: Chapter 15: Part 2: Fight through the water in your eyes

Just a quick reminder, we're picking up after Ordanze DEFINITELY SURVIVED enemy attacks.

The other fighter is trying to prevent himself from dying. We've almost reached him, he just needs to go a bit longer...

Oh, hello. Are you retreating now?

Boss: They have reinforcements.

Boss: …As you wish.

He runs out. I'm thankful, but I still want to fight a boss sometime!

Ash: …Who was that just now? And what was that voice?

The same one as before? We've been fighting these hollows for, what, 4 chapters now? When do we fight humans again?

In exchange for leaving, the boss throws a flier squad at us. Well, at least they'll be slow thanks to the rain, right?

Good, good!

So, we're a few turns away from the greens, and hopefully Ordanze can hold off the mooks for those turns. We've cleared the center island and can use it however we like, as well.

Yikes. Well, they are taking stuff out.

Bwah! Light? Huh?

Oh, it... stopped raining...

Just in time for Ordanze to be beset by all the enemies, and the flier squad to swoop in from above...

Gee, thanks...

Ordanze gets hurt, but it's okay since it makes him decide to pull back to heal. Which means:

RECRUIT!

Ash: W-Wait! I’m not with Bran anymore! My sister and I are here to help you out.

Ordanze: I see.

Ash: You have to understand, I would never have just stood

Ordanze: … …

Even so, I predict this will be a bit of an obstacle to friendship in the future.

Aww. That's nice!

Ordanze: …Now, come. We must hurry.

And he's on our team! Go us! As I said, though, we have enough sword users.

TOTALLY GOOD RISK

WORTH

And Clare is MAXED! She looks like she's going to be just as good as Katarina. Can't wait to get her promoted.

Just... one problem...

Amidst everything else... I haven't really gotten prepared for the fliers...

Oh, sure. It looks like I'm just throwing everything I have at the fliers and hoping for the best. But it's SUPER THOUGHT OUT POSITIONING. I swear!

See!? Look, it worked perfectly!

Everyone works together, and we kill them all, and get exp from it!

And they are DEAD.

Okay, I have a plan. First, we grab the NPCs, then

NO! THAT WASN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO!

Okay, let me explain. What I WANTED to do was have this shaman you see here left at the end of the level. Then, I could support grind to my heart's content!

BUT NO. The shaman decided to ADVANCE, and take poor Kieran by surprise. What a loser! He could've slightly prolonged his life if he'd waited! BUT NO!

Anyways. We kill him offscreen. This has been a pretty short update, so let's have the conclusion too!

Ordanze: …We’ve wasted too much time.

Val: Don’t say that… we’re talking about Lady Laraya and the soldiers of Tiomare. Your soldiers aren’t weak and neither is she, from what I’ve heard.

Ordanze: … …

Val: It’s true, isn’t it?

Ordanze: Perhaps. But these soldiers caught us completely off guard. …And they’re not all weak. So if your aunt is no longer in the skies, then I fear for the worst.

Aunt Josie! I want my crutch character back!

Ordanze: If they could take her down…

Andrei: …I think he’s right, Val. Let’s not waste anymore time with questions. It’s starting to get dark.

Val: Okay. Let’s get moving.

There's totally fog next chapter.

Oh, Alicia.

Alicia: Wait a second.

Ash: What is it?

Alicia: You saw it too, right?

Ash: Yeah, I did.

Alicia: Well, listen to this.

Hey Edward. What are you doing here, being relevant to the plot? Exposition?

Edward: They called him “The Reaper”.

Ash: “The Reaper”!?

Alicia: You know him too?

Ash: Not personally… but his reputation as an assassin more than accounts for how dangerous he is.

Edward: You’ve got that right.

Alicia: Seriously?

Ash: Yes. Megelar might have been feared for its mighty warriors, but that man… he was the one even trying to bring down the noble family members no more than a fool’s errand.

Edward: I’ve heard of way too many people that have just up and disappeared off the face of the earth because of that guy.

With those stats, he could just cut through any of the soldiers we've seen.

Edward: …He’s a menace.

Alicia: Things are just getting worse.

Ash: No, Alicia, I don’t think he was using the magic himself. That’s the thing that was different.

Alicia: How do you explain it, then?

Ash: I heard a voice.

Ash: But I think that he is under the control of someone else.

Alicia: Is that… really possible?

Ash: I’m not counting anything out.

That's scary. This assassin is apparently a major player in this world's underbelly, but someone else is pulling his strings, probably against his will... can we turn him against his master?

Alicia: But why? The other “hollows” have just been mindless, and just try to destroy everything in sight.

Ash: Perhaps that man after us is finally starting to recognize us as a threat. Or maybe he’s just trying to send us a message.

Alicia: A message, hmm… I wonder what that could be.

Ash: If those afflicted by the dark magic can be manipulated, then we should also be careful. We have to maintain a good state of mind. Anyway, let’s get going.

Alicia: Lord Bran… could you also be… no, don’t think like that.

Lord Bran? Hmm...

*offscreen*: Alicia!

NEXT TIME: Darkness and pain

GROWTHS:

Ordanze:
HP: 70%
Strength: 45%

Skill: 65%

Speed: 60%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 35%

Resistance: 10%

Total: 325%

He's basically Nala, but without having QUITE as much of a crippling speed specialization. Of course, since I'm already using Nala, I don't need him.

[TheNiddo]

I would absolutely use Ordanze over Nala at this point. Your Nala is just not getting strength or defence. Ordanze is pretty good out of the box.

[Blaze The Great]

I would absolutely use Ordanze over Nala at this point. Your Nala is just not getting strength or defence. Ordanze is pretty good out of the box.

I second this notion. Granted, my argument is purely anecdotal, but anecdotes are pretty strong evidence in Fire Emblem. Ordanze is a very solid unit.

[TheMoniker]

I would absolutely use Ordanze over Nala at this point. Your Nala is just not getting strength or defence. Ordanze is pretty good out of the box.

I'll do a comparison of the two next chapter and decide then. I can definitely see what you're saying, though. Ordanze might be better, and more story-relevant, too.

The CHAPTER 17 PRELUDE!

Hope you're ready to reunite with more people!

Sure enough, we have EVEN MORE weather to deal with. Just great. I'm pretty sure I don't have a torch for Edward either.

Andrei: They went down around about here?

Ordanze: I’m sure of it.

Andrei: Then let’s go an-

Val: There’s no sense in running out blindly into the fog. If there are enemies about, then they could be anywhere.

Ordanze: Lady Laraya… Please, be safe.

WOAH WOAH WHAT!? W-Why are we suddenly fighting??

It's Josie! Trying to survive an elite ballistician! She somehow dodges a 95 but not the following hit...

Oh, good, Josie and Laraya are together, hanging out at the top of the map. We'll have to fight out way to them!

Josie: Nnn…

Laraya: Are you alright?

Josie: I’ll be fine. The archer’s got a good eye, even in this fog. No matter how high or low I fly, they keep targeting me.

Laraya: …We were lucky enough to drive off that first ambush party when we did. But this second one might be too much.

Josie: Laraya, fall back further into the caves with your soldiers. I’ll hold them off here and see what I can do.

Laraya: Josephine, please… I can’t let you do that. You’re injured. And your dragon is looking even worse.

Josie: T-Trust me, I’m fine. I’ve dealt with worse.

Laraya: I believe you when you say that, but I won’t have you die here for me. How could I explain that to Lady Valentine and the others.

Josie: …Alright, I understand. But what are you going to do?

Laraya: I’ll distract these foes. Go and find Ordanze.

Josie: You’re going to fight?

Crutch character time!

Laraya: Please, Josephine, leave it to me.

Josie: Hmph, if I do find him, he’s not going to be to happy about this… But I’ll do as you wish. Be careful, Laraya. I’ll try to return as quickly as possible.

Laraya: Sword, guide me…

Josie swoops down, but is of course attacked on her way there.

Josie: If you want to fight, then I’m right here.

She wins, but she's nearly dead! Is she going to need the chapter off to recover?

Josie: I’m sorry, Karan… I know that you’re hurt, but I just need you for a little while longer.

*offscreen*: Come on, Val, we have to do something! Stop shouting. You’re going to give us away!

That's us! Are we going to be reunited?

Josie: Those voices…

Andrei: Master?

Val: What’s happened?

Josie: Karan and I have been taking a beating everytime we try to get up in the air.

No time for re-introductions, I suppose.

Josie: Ordanze? Good, you’re still alive.

Ordanze: I asked you a question!

Josie: We managed to fight our way on the ground to some caves on the other side of the lake. She said that she’d hold them off while I came to find you, Ordanze. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t do anymore to help up there.

Ordanze: She’s fighting?

Josie: We can trust in her, right?

Ordanze: Yes… we can. But we should still hurry.

Definitely. I'll explain when the chapter starts.

Andrei: It’s not just us. Ash is here too.

Josie: Really? He’s back with us? …What a relief.

Val: You don’t look so good. Are you going to be alright, Aunt Josie?

Josie: Mm…

Josie: but I’ll do what I can to help.

Val: Please don’t push yourself too hard.

Don't worry, we'll get to use her in the chapter, and she'll be fully healed! Phew.

END DIALOGUE

This is a fun chapter, probably more than the last one. It has fog though, and that's definitely annoying.

We get 12 units, and here they are! I've decided to drop Layla and Isaac in favor of Alicia and Kane, we need to get rid of some units or nobody will get enough training!

Time to start...

Timarian(Tiomaran?): There are people inside who are willing to fight.

Laraya: Then I have confidence that they’ll be able to protect the injured if they get by me.

Timarian: M-My lady…

Laraya: I don’t want any of you to move from this position. It’s far too dangerous. Am I clear.

Timarian: Y-Yes, milady!

Don't worry, we won't need to protect any greenies. I can't imagine them lasting long in this chapter, anyways.

Laraya: Over the lake as well. This will be difficult.

Josie: number of these soldiers. But even her senses aren’t good enough to see through all this fog. And I doubt I drew all our enemies this way. …Maybe I should go back.

I'll talk about Laraya in a moment.

But for now, I've moved Edward up so we can take a look. I believe I forgot take a screenshot of the start-map, but we still have the spoiler map! Let's show this not-spoily one with the FoW intact:

And the one with no fog:

The generics are getting tougher. Not too much, thankfully.

Laraya's hiding out up here, across that big central island. Just how dependable is she?

I'd say she looks pretty good! She has the Scimitar (basically a Wo Dao) and even a 2-range weapon for those pesky archers and mages!

That said, her defenses are poor. VERY poor, for a promoted unit. If her speed fails her and she starts taking hits, we're in trouble. Because of that, I can't just have her charge down and reunite with us right away. Hopefully, there won't be too many enemies and she'll survive until I make it.

That's all for right now, since I can't see most of the enemies!

NEXT TIME: Return of the Fog Wyverns

GROWTHS:

Laraya:

HP: 65%

Strength: 40%

Skill: 65%

Speed: 70%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 25%

Resistance: 20%

Total: 325%

Despite being a crutch character, she still gets 325% so she's hardly terrible. Arguably better than how my Nala's turning out. Still, she has low bases for being as high level as she is, so eventually, Ordanze will probably surpass her. I hope so, at least.

[TheNiddo]

My strategy for this level:

Laraya moves two spaces down, one to the left, keep non-ranged weapon equipped until attacked by mages, then switch. Don't move out of bush until chapter is nearly over, then use to help find that last annoying enemy. Ranged weapon will be almost dead by the end though.

Also, that right path? Much more difficult than the middle one. And then a few fliers come in from over the left water.

btw this is roughly the point where I'd say Ash/Alicia Rank B Support makes the most sense. Either this map or the map right after.

[Blaze The Great]

Probably the most difficult map in the game, at least from my experience. Fortunately, Laraya is fairly well-equipped to survive the onslaught, so you don't have to worry too much about rushing across to save her. Methodically making your way through the center of the level is probably your best bet.

[Wayward Winds]

Seconded on the Laraya survival rate; put her on a forest and she'll be your typical swordmaster dodge tank. Heading straight for her does make the most sense, but I do remember the clean up for this level being rather long, given the annoyingly large number of enemies that don't leave the top right area by themselves, and even when Danielle leaves there's still two ballistae chucking stuff your way. Sending a small party that way early on and just nibbling could help shorten the endgame a bit, if you don't mind the added risk (which is less than I had to deal with; no fancy maps and their initial enemy placements to look at when I rolled through here!).

[TheMoniker]

Hey guys. I've been super busy, and haven't been able to update much recently. But there's something I've been thinking about for a while, and I need to get it off my chest.

Due to both IRL needs and a lack of motivation to push more updates out, I've been slowing down a lot in the past few months. I want to finish Requiem, and I have fun playing it, but getting these updates typed out feels more and more like a chore. Some of you viewers with really good memories might remember that you voted for midnight sun back when the Rolling Request Thread was a thing, but... I'm sorry to say it, but I don't think I'll be able to play Midnight Sun after this. This what I'm trying to say: Soon, I'll be done with Fire Emblem Let's Plays on here permanently. After that, I'll be done playing FE romhacks forever. It's been many years now, and I honestly didn't see myself doing it for this long when I've started!

But if there's one thing I hate, it's leaving something undone with no closure. There have been 2 cancellations of LPs throughout my whole "career", and there were very good reasons for both which I explained on their threads. So, I'd also like to announce that I will quit only once Requiem is finished. It would soil my legacy to not even finish my very last LP!

Well. With that said, let's get to today's update.

My strategy for this level:

Laraya moves two spaces down, one to the left, keep non-ranged weapon equipped until attacked by mages, then switch. Don't move out of bush until chapter is nearly over, then use to help find that last annoying enemy. Ranged weapon will be almost dead by the end though.

Also, that right path? Much more difficult than the middle one. And then a few fliers come in from over the left water.

btw this is roughly the point where I'd say Ash/Alicia Rank B Support makes the most sense. Either this map or the map right after.

Thank you for the help!

Seconded on the Laraya survival rate; put her on a forest and she'll be your typical swordmaster dodge tank. Heading straight for her does make the most sense, but I do remember the clean up for this level being rather long, given the annoyingly large number of enemies that don't leave the top right area by themselves, and even when Danielle leaves there's still two ballistae chucking stuff your way. Sending a small party that way early on and just nibbling could help shorten the endgame a bit, if you don't mind the added risk (which is less than I had to deal with; no fancy maps and their initial enemy placements to look at when I rolled through here!).

I followed your advice, by having some people lure enemies from the top part, and ended up finishing before I even knew what was happening. A lot of the enemies come at you in this chapter, rather than waiting for you to fall into their trap.

Requiem: Episode 18: Chapter 17: Part 1: Laraya Defends the Lair and her Hair

The first turn is very restricted movement, caused by all the stupid thickets forming a wall. It isn't corrupt-theocracy level of thickets bad, but there are so many of them, it's like walking through hallways sometimes.

Laraya has high defense and is very good at dodging. But she has a lot of enemies coming at her, and only one salve for healing. If we leave her alone for too long, things might go south.

Even though it's one of the first phases, the camera still scrolls up to these forts, making me think (rightly) that enemies came out of them.

We're already surrounded! And these forests mean we have a hard time striking back!

Well, we can't let this deter us. Onwards, men, towards Laraya!

Edward moves forward and does not reveal happy things.

Also, I left Alicia too exposed to the cavaliers coming downwards. You should have dodged, lady!

Okay, second try. I know we have an ally to save, but we're in more danger than she is. Let's go a bit slower.

More probably-not-totally-sure-but-its-statistically-likely reinforcements.

I remember that Laraya has a 2-ranged sword to fight these enemies with, and decide to start using it!

This level is so thief.

We're kind of, sort of, splitting into two groups. One is a small scouting force sent to crush anyone from the top area, to make sure we don't get bitten in the back as we move forward and to reduce cleanup time as Wayward Winds advised.

Laraya takes a few hits, and destroys everything that attacked her. Still, she's in big trouble now!

I should've been trying to get Josie up from the start! I... also probably should've kept her on the forests! Dang it!

We also have 2 ballista on the right area to contend with. I doubt the scout team is going to be able to deal with them or seize the ballistae, but at least they'll lower their ammo.

Okay Josie, I'm sending you around to grab Laraya. Hurry!

Some of the enemies Laraya injured pull back. I don't like healing enemies, but it might be for the better right now.

Gah! Not again!

On the other hand, she's murdered so much she actually gains a level.

This hit. Seriously. It's bad enough that we only have one healer, Edward, don't make her do more work!

Laraya hides on a forest, and sees a very concerning two cavaliers. She's maybe in more danger than we originally suspected!

I'm worried about how safe it is to advance, but I don't need to be. This mage can't get to us because thickets! Hah!

Okay, we're going to VERY TENTATIVELY venture onto the island. Hopefully we don't have too many enemies chilling out near the forts. I feel like we're going forward both too fast and not fast enough...

Wow! Amazing!

Good, Laraya's alright...

Skye gets hit by a ballistae, even though he was on a forest! Stop it, Skye!

Come to think of it. We had an animation earlier during the fight with the boss ballistician and Josie. But none for these normal ballisticians. How does that work?

A wyvern assaults Josie on her way to Laraya! She'll win in a fight with it, but she needs to get to Laraya, not indulge in distractions!

Here's how it's looking. We're managing to advance, albeit slowly.

Things are looking good over here. Drake can take mercenaries any day.

Not good, Gemma. Not good.

It looks clear! Let's assume there's nothing hiding in the darkness and start running towards Laraya!

Of course, when I said Drake can take mercenaries, I didn't consider how much this hack LOVES giving them parrier edges.

What? Oh, the boss!

Boss: Is that not enough?

Boss: … …

Voice: Oh well… Yes, return for now.

And then she teleports out. Again. Not giving us a proper boss for I think the seventh chapter in a row. Are we EVER going to get to fight a boss? Are the bosses just going to eternally retreat, every single chapter, forever?

Suddenly, with her leaving, I see the camera scroll down around here. Something's come up from behind me.

I don't know what it is, and I won't be able to see it even if I pull Edward back, so let's advance and wait for it to catch up to us...

Kane moves up to scout ahead, and I see a few of the units Laraya injured found their way down here. Hilarious.

Val and Andrie,the "dream team"...

I pull Edward back like a doofus, and still don't see anything...

But then it becomes crystal clear! Wyverns!

EVERYONE PANIC!

AAAAAHHHH

Okay, okay, here's what happened. I was getting overconfident and advancing really fast, but I didn't see a few enemies still on the island and they dogpiled poor Nala, who I left exposed.

All the more reason to use Ordanze over her.

Skye's level helps me cheer up, though!

Is it just me, or is he getting a LOT of strength? I thought nomads were supposed to be more speed-oriented?

We made it to Laraya! Now, we'll talk to her and pick her up...

...NEXT TIME! See you all then!

[Maritisa]

Soon, I'll be done with Fire Emblem Let's Plays on here permanently. After that, I'll be done playing FE romhacks forever.

Oh nooooooo ;;

You're like, the one screenshot LPer I actually really enjoy, too... And I wanted you to play my thing whenever the day came that I finished it. Oh well.

And thus the terrors of real life claim yet another good soul.

For the record I know I don't comment in your threads much, but I've constantly stalked followed your content for over a year or perhaps two now and I've enjoyed all of it, even the painfully cringey hacks. It makes me sad to see you go, but so it must be, huh? Well, here's hoping whatever came up won't strangle you too badly. I'd been meaning to voice my praises for your stuff since a while ago, so I suppose this is about the best place to do it, huh?

I mean on the bright side at least you'll never have to risk doing another GhebFE ever so hooray!

Farewell Moniker, let us never forget how he suffered for us so we would not have to.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Ritisa

[RandomSwordmaster]

Ritisa basically summarized all I wanted to say, and it'll be a shame to see you go. You were a boon to the LPer community here and your legacy will not be forgotten (perhaps I should've finished up that one hack I wanted to make a long time ago so I could make you lp it)

[TheMoniker]

Oh nooooooo ;;

You're like, the one screenshot LPer I actually really enjoy, too... And I wanted you to play my thing whenever the day came that I finished it. Oh well.

And thus the terrors of real life claim yet another good soul.

For the record I know I don't comment in your threads much, but I've constantly stalked followed your content for over a year or perhaps two now and I've enjoyed all of it, even the painfully cringey hacks. It makes me sad to see you go, but so it must be, huh? Well, here's hoping whatever came up won't strangle you too badly. I'd been meaning to voice my praises for your stuff since a while ago, so I suppose this is about the best place to do it, huh?

I mean on the bright side at least you'll never have to risk doing another GhebFE ever so hooray!

Farewell Moniker, let us never forget how he suffered for us so we would not have to.

Thank you! I really appreciate it! I'm sad to leave it behind, but I think it is for the better.

Ritisa basically summarized all I wanted to say, and it'll be a shame to see you go. You were a boon to the LPer community here and your legacy will not be forgotten (perhaps I should've finished up that one hack I wanted to make a long time ago so I could make you lp it)

Thank you too!

Time to keep playing in...

Requiem: Episode 18: Chapter 17: Part 2: Conquering the Darkness

To recap, we're fighting our way through the level, and Josie and Laraya have met up! Let's have them talk.

Laraya: Josephine? I thought you were-

Josie: They were closer than we thought.

Laraya: Thank goodness. But you didn’t need to come back for me.

Josie: What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?

Laraya: I guess you’re right. Now, let’s fight together.

Josie: Of course.

It's neat to see these two interacting. You can tell they're friends. One of the things I like about this hack is that it does its human-human relationships down in the dialogue really well.

Alright, that's the last straw! Normally, I don't do this, but Nala, you are DROPPED, Lyn Lord or otherwise! You're more a liability than a help!

This is me, desperately making a wall to protect Gemma, who had to rescue someone, from the wyvern. Can you spot the mistake?

No, you couldn't, because the fog hid it! WYVERNS DOGIPILE DRAKE!

I would once again like to voice my displeasure for Super Effective weapons hidden in fog.

The second time around, we see more wyverns approached than we initially thought. Why are there so many? And I can't reach some of them, which makes it EXTRA frustrating.

Right now, the situation doesn't look great, but if we can kill the wyverns without letting ourselves get killed, we should make it through okay.

Josie finally saves Laraya. I need to bring them back around so they can help out with all these enemies!

Katarina proves herself highly capable of killing, due to being an overleveled cleric. She also gains the super ultimate javelin.

Good! Miles better than Nala, at least. Though Andrei is surprisingly slow.

Can you spot my mistake?

Well, again, you probably couldn't because I didn't show his HP, but I left Hawke too exposed while he was injured. His dodges didn't meet my expectations.

Why are there so many of them? I'm happy I even HAVE a team up here to beat them all back, this would be a nightmare coming at me from the side if I had decided to put everyone in the center.

For those of you keeping track of the screenshots, I'm pretty sure my resets have meant this is the third time she's gotten her thirteenth level. And not ONE iteration has been actually good. Definitely switching to Ordanze.

Hawke is doing much better. At least he has HP to cover for weaker defenses.

The ballisticians ran out finally. I'm not sure how many enemies are left in the top, but I think we'll be able to start really advancing once we clear out this wave.

Excellent! I'm happy I've chosen Kane over Isaac now.

Is there anyone over in this part of the island? We should've lured them out by now, but we can take control of the forts, at least.

Josie and Laraya are heading back around...

Maybe this would be a good place for her? Not safe, but she should lure out any unseen enemies fine.

GAH! UNSEEN ENEMY!

Beautiful! Just beautiful! Val is doing wonderfully. If you go back up and compare them and Nala, Val is barely behind in speed and skill but better in EVERYTHING else.

The Shining Bow actually... well, casts Shine. Skye's fast enough to double with it, making him very powerful.

Ow! Hey! You're supposed to dodge!

Drake gets another level and... is this our third nosferatu? The only one who can use them is Ash! Why so many?

Great. Katarina continues to snowball.

Defense is nice.

Almost clear up here? Are any enemies left hiding up top?

Nala got 2 attacks on this archer. Either one would have killed it.

She missed both.

MORE EVIDENCE FOR ORDANZE

Hah! I love doing this.

Okay, this is it! Despite many problems caused by having so few men to work with, the top group is just about ready to clear the top. We're almost done!

Amazing! Maybe Nala's bad luck is transferring it to everyone else?

Hmmm...

Hmmmmm...

Is there nobody up there?

Well, we'll kill the archer and investigate more.

...Or not, because we won??? Looke like the top was less crowded than we expected! Maybe I shouldn't have been so hasty. It doesn't look like we'll get any more support grinding until next chapter (maybe).

Since I want to keep things moving quickly, let's do the conclusion today too.

Laraya: Of course.

Ordanze: …I’m sorry, Lady Laraya. I should have been more wary of our surroundings.

Laraya: It’s fine. This is no one’s fault.

Ordanze: But… you were forced to fight again, and I know that you don’t-

Laraya: Ordanze! Listen, all that matters is that we’ve pulled through, even if there has been some damage.

Ordanze: … …

Laraya: I’m fine, I promise.

Ordanze seems like the type to torture himself for every little thing that goes wrong.

Laraya: Just go and rest for a while, and I’ll sort out everything here, alright?

Ordanze: …Yes, m’lady.

Laraya: No, but that’s why I’m glad to have him. Anyway, are you doing alright now, Josephine?

Josephine: I’m doing a lot better, knowing that I didn’t leave you to die. And we’re in good company now, so I can get patched up in no time.

Laraya: Same to you, Lady Valentine, Lord Andrei.

Valentine: I’m grateful that you came to help us, but what exactly prompted you to do that now?

Laraya: Well, a couple weeks passed, Tiomare was assaulted by soldiers – not unlike the ones we’ve encountered today. If it weren’t for your Aunt’s timely arrival, we may not have made it away safely as we did. We heard that you and your force were on the move towards Egardia, so we were coming to join up with you.

Valentine: And now you’ve come so far, only to be attacked again… Will you still be able to help us out?

Laraya: Of course.

Laraya: If you hadn’t come to help us, I don’t think we would have been able to fight them off.

Valentine: I’m glad we made it on time, then.

Josie: So, red, what are we up to, exactly?

Val: We’re heading back to Olva.

Val: contact us, but we need to get some answers for Ash.

Plus, he's really slacking on that. What's he up to? There's clearly a lot more going on here than just Bran's army.

Josie: What do you mean?

Val: It’s… complicated.

Andrei: Ash could probably explain it a lot better, but he thinks he might be able to learn something about his magic if we find Legato.

Val: Exactly.

Val: we’re fighting aren’t quite right. It’s like they’re not even really alive anymore, or something.

Laraya: Yes… I could see that much within them. A truly sad fate. Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go check up on my people’s condition.

Val: Sure.

Josie: Hm? Yeah, I guess so. I don’t really know what to make of the whole situation during the past few weeks, anyways. To be at honest, I had expected Rayden to at least have made contact by now or something.

Val: I hope he’s alright.

Josie: Yeah…

Andrei: That’s right.

Josie: Hmph… Should’ve known he was involved, as usual. Hey, where is Ash, anyway?

Val: He’s probably… Oh, Aunt Josie, before you go, there’s something else you should know…

And cut away!

So this is what the totally unused beach part of the map is for.

Ash: This feeling… I understand it now.

Oh no...

I just realized...

This game...

IT'S A PREQUEL TO DARK SOULS.

IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.

Ash: That’s what’s been happening to me, ever so slowly.

Okay, I shouldn't joke. That's kind of scary.

Ash: …I wonder how much time I have left.

Ash: Alicia?

Alicia: Oh, Ash… I didn’t think anyone was watching me. How is everything?

Ash: Everything looks alright. Val should be able to sort things out with Lady Laraya. …What are you doing here?

Alicia: I just needed to calm myself. I’ve been feeling a little bit off since we set off from Egardia. I think it’s because

Ash: …Is that really the problem?

Serious discussion time.

Ash: Are you worried about facing Bran once again?

Alicia: …When we come face to face with him, I’m sure he’ll fight us until his last breaths. It’s likely that I won’t even get a chance to say anything to him. I’ll just be a traitor in his eyes.

Ash: Mm…

Alicia: Even despite that, I don’t know if I’m ready to see him die before me.

Ash: You don’t have to do that to yourself, Alicia.

Alicia: Hm?

Alicia: No, Ash, I do. I need to see and hear the truth from him. If Legato and Matthias have been using him, and

Hey, that's right! Bran surely wouldn't just NOT KNOW if Egardia's capital city and much of the surrounding area had been seized by a "hollow army".

Alicia: And if that’s the man we come across, then I’ll get rid of him, myself.

Ash: I see.

Alicia: system, Ash. But I’d like to be alone for a bit longer.

Good to hear Alicia's motivations finally resolved. Hopefully there won't be any more risk of her leaving the party.

Ash: Alright. But just one last thing.

Alicia: Yeah?

Ash: in your mind?

Alicia: …Hmm. Well, ever since we encountered that guy, it’s been a little bit more difficult to concentrate on my magic. But that’s been about it. I guess I’m just a little shaken.

Ash: Right…

And he's still keeping secrets. You've gotta stop doing this, Ash!

Josie: Goodness… I haven’t seen you for months now and you don’t even think to come and say a word to me?

Josie: Well… I’m glad you’re alright either way. I underestimated your capabilities, it would seem. More to the point, Laraya and I would like to hear from you.

Ash: Alright. *leaves*

That has to be an awkward conversation. Ash has some apologizing to do for enabling Bran's slaughter.

Josie: Alicia, is it?

Alicia: Yes, Lady Josephine?

Josie: I originally thought you to be cut from the same cloth as Legato and Bran’s other subordinates. I guess I was wrong. So I’m sorry for the way I’ve spoken to you in the past.

Alicia: It’s alright, I understand. And if you ever deem your original judgement to be correct, then you may cut me down, if you wish.

Josie: Hmph…

Wow, brutal.

And with that, we are done! We'll finally be returning to Olva next time!

[TheMoniker]

Time to save the resistance in...

The CHAPTER 17 PRELUDE!

For the People!

We get not one, but two bubbles telling us EXACTLY where we are. Not like "Fort Kastre" has much significance to us.

Ash: Sure. What’s up.

Valentine: We’ve sent a messenger ahead to make contact with the people of the militia. If Egardia still has the numbers they had before, we’ll need all the help we can get if we hope to fight them on equal footing.

Ash: The militia, hm? That’s not a bad idea.

Valentine: Right…

Ash: …What?

Valentine: I’m a little worried.

Ash: About what?

Valentine: It’s just…

Valentine: The Egardians have been quite sparing on our people, at the time. But when word of our approach gets out, there’s no telling what they might do.

Is this a Genghis Khan type thing?

Ash: …You’re right. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about that. We can’t just march into Verona and expect to take them on.

Ash: and go for a more tactical approach.

Do we get to avoid fighting the main Egardian army?

Valentine: Exactly…

Ash: You know, Val, you were right.

Val: About what?

Ash: You’ve become a much more capable leader. Your faith in yourself might need a little work, though.

Val: …Thank you, Ash.

Ash: I’m glad that you don’t need me that much anymore.

Val: Of course I need you.

Ash: …Of course. But… I fear that the people of Olva may not be able to forgive me for what I’ve done so easily. Especially not those of the militia.

Ash, I think you have other reasons, too.

Val: I see… Well, look, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I know that the people of Olva wouldn’t just give up on you like that.

Ash: Right.

Val: Ah!

Ash: What does it say?

Spit it out, don't leave us hanging!

Val: figured out where the militia is operating from.

Alicia: The militia was a pretty big thorn in our side when they were about. Lord Bran was determined to find them. If they get caught, there’s not going to be any mercy shown for anyone who they think has the slightest involvement.

Val: They’re going to try and evacuate the villagers as far away as they can before anything else. But there’s no way they’ll be able to stand up to an Egardian attack on their own. … …

Ash: What shall we do, then?

Val: …The militia have been working so hard to help the people of Olva all this time. I can’t just let them die like this. But if we move to help them, Bran will know that we’re trying to make a move on him.

Val: Alright. If things go according to the plan detailed here, the militia will split into two groups and take up position in the hills to defend.

Are we going to choose groups and be a split party for a while? Man, I hope not. Hopefully it'll just be an excuse for why we don't get to deploy all our guys at once.

Val: To reinforce one of them.

Laraya: Of course not. I will do my best to make sure your people make it out of this safely.

Josie: Sure thing.

Okay, good. It just means some generics and our two crutch characters are gone. We don't need them!

Val: Alright then… The rest of us will head to the other group’s location. Let’s try and be quick about this, everyone.

Cut to Emilia! Remember? Ash's cousin from the very first Ash mode chapter?

Emilia: Am I so useless in his eyes that all I can do is help the people evacuate? …No, I shouldn’t value the lives of the people so little. Just please, everyone, stay safe for as long as you can. I know that Val will come to aid us as soon as she can.

Don't worry Emilia! You'll probably run into trouble and prove yourself by killing everyone!

See? Told you!

Emilia: What is it?

Militia man: An Egardian unit is closing in on our position! They must have slipped by our defense line.

Emilia: What? That can’t be…

Militia man: What should we do? With the villagers in tow, we don’t stand a chance at making a run for it.

Emilia: I’m aware of that.

Is that the setup for our battle?

Emilia: We’ll lock up as tight as we can and hope that someone comes to our rescue. If possible, try to send someone to report this to our defence line.

MM: Yes, milady.

Emilia: *Sigh*

Emilia: I guess I shouldn’t have been entrusted with this.

Val: There before things get too out of hand.

Ash: That sounds like fighting.

Is it going to be an epic battle between the resistance and Egardia?

Val: That’s not right… There shouldn’t be any fighting this far back. But if something’s wrong the militia forces might not be able to send help. Let’s go and check it out.

MORE hollows?

Oh, good. Maybe we'll get to fight an actual boss this time.

Ash: …They must have been sent to kill off the villagers.

Alicia: Most likely, yeah. Matthias never let his enemies get away with even the slightest victory.

Ash: These mercenaries are quite tough, Val. We should hurry if we’re going to send help. The evacuation help is probably undermanned for holding out against this.

No kidding, as we'll see.

END DIALOGUE

Okay. This is one of my favorite chapters so far. It feels kind of like that Road to Ruin one where your party is racing around a lake to rescue some people at a fort.

We get 9 people, with a third of them being forced slots. I guess it's because we split in two!

We have a very... square deployment options.

Alright. Here's how this level works. The green units are going to hole up and survive as best they can (which isn't very well) in the main central area, while we try to push through the very linear hallway to make it through before they're completely wiped.

If I had to point out a problem with this chapter, it would be the start. Forcing through a simple, easy hallway where you can't go much faster or slower, most of the combat is hoping the greenies win their engagements.

SPOILER-MAP:

The Mercs vary a little in level, but seem to be pretty tough nonetheless.

We also have ONE E.Egardia thief among the mercs, with a lockpick. He'll presumably open the door so the other enemies can advance at some point.

Treasure!

So, this is what the rebels looks like. They're level 15! That means they're strong, right? Well...

...Well, no, actually. Compare the archers and the knights. They're roughly equal with, if not weaker than, the enemies, even though they have more levels! They're barely keeping up! Since there aren't many of them and they'll have a ton of enemies charging them at once-long before we can get to them- they won't be able to hold off forever. We'll have to hurry up!

NEXT TIME: Save Emilia!

[Wayward Winds]

You might want to lay a few offerings at Anna's shrine before attempting this chapter, because in my experience (although apparently I was just exceptionally unlucky), the RNG doesn't particularly like showing mercy here. My first two or three runs (before I managed to win) had poor Emilia being wiped before I got past the large room in the top right, so there was literally nothing I could do to help her - and I wasn't moving slow. My horses and fliers were just trying to shove their way through and leave the mopping up to anyone without a mount, and they still couldn't make it in time.

But then that's what the FE RNG likes doing, being sadistically unfair at times.

I can't remember for certain, but I believe you can talk to Emilia to change her AI package to "hold ground". If you can get to her, that'll make the rest of the chapter much simpler.

[Xylon7373]

Yes that's correct, if you have Val talk to her the npcs will stop advancing and hold back

[Xylon7373]

Yes that's correct, if you have Val talk to her the npcs will stop advancing and hold back

[CrystalPoke]

Placing a lot of axe users near Emilia is a dick move, considering she doesn't start with a Double Spear. Even moreso if you make the only path leading to her extremely long. I had to RNG abuse so she didn't get killed. Yikes.

What I also don't like about this chapter is that the (generic portrait) boss starts moving after some turns. I had to unequip four of my guys and box the boss in so he doesn't suicide into someone in order to end the chapter. All in order to get a Member Card and a Body Ring xd