Screenshot The ROLLING REQUEST THREAD(Currently doing: A Hiatus)

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

best hector inpersonator

[momogeek2141]

If you picked Fiora, does she reject Kent for Sain eventually? You can spoiler it if others don't want it ruined, since I probably won't play this hack.

[TheMoniker]

If you picked Fiora, does she reject Kent for Sain eventually? You can spoiler it if others don't want it ruined, since I probably won't play this hack.

No, but Kent does get a bit... suspicious/jealous.

Maiden Quest: Episode 5: Chapter 4: Part 5: Finally Wrapping Things Up!

Last time, we were wondering if everyone would survive despite Harken's catastrophic failure!

The answer is NO! Harken does NOT survive!

Hold on, I need to do a comparison...

These are the swordsmasters that come out when I press the switches...

And these are the normal swordsmasters. Okay. There's a clear difference, good to know.

DIE, NON-BUFF SWORDSMASTER!

We did it! The map is clear of enemies!

EXCEPT NOT FOR LONG, APPARENTLY.

Fortify has been used WAY more than the three times I've shown it. Pent is an absolute lifesaver in this chapter.

Okay, time to get that door open!

Oh snap, Jaffar stopped his ellipse-ing!

And there they are!

Everyone (except Ebner) notices this not-so-shocking development!

You could release her, Ebner.

Ebner: Please understand, I only brought you here because… Well, otherwise someone as drab as me would never be graced with your presence…

Lyn: Ha, the door!

VERY worthless!

Ebner: Seems like I’ll just have to deal with these goons… myself!

For someone who was able to raise an army of hundreds of promoted units, you'd think he'd be a bit smarter...

And he's gone. Is this good?

Looks like it's talking time!

Great. It looks like I gathered the full might of the Moniker Rescue Army for three soldiers. Perfect.

Lyn herself isn't gonna die anytime soon.

Outta the way!

It might seem unnecessary, but I HAD to use Warp at some point!

Sain: Lady Lyndis! Oh! What a marvelous sight to see you unscathed! I’m so delighted, I feel I could be put through General Wallace’s training a thousand times over and not tire!

Hah, hah, hah.

Lyn: The others… are they unharmed?

Sain: Of course!

I guess I have to go make Lyn talk to everybody?

Sain: Why, they’ll all be so happy to see you well, milady!

Sain: If my lovely liege got hurt now, I’d never forgive myself!

Lyn: Thank you, Sain.

And Sain pulls ANOTHER weapon out of his butt! Of course!

Hector/Eliwood! I mean, as long as we're taking a break to do these talks here...

(Past me, you should have accidentally forgotten to do this, it's a really long conversation)

Hector: I’m Dardanos, wanderer o’ the seas! You must be mistakin’ me for someun—

Eliwood: Hector, quit fooling around! I know it’s you. What in the blazes are you doing here, dressed up like THAT nonetheless?

Hector: Bah! What do you think I’m doing? I’m rescuing my fiancé!

Eliwood: …I see. Then what’s the purpose of that pirate getup?

Hector: Eliwood, I’m not you! The Ostian people… The Lycian council… They all still think I’m some reckless lout. If they knew I ran off to save my fiancé, that would make it even harder for me to take my brother’s place as marquess!

It's kind of sad...

Eliwood: But if you’re here… Who’s covering for you back at Castle Ostia?

Hector: Well…

Wait, a "meanwhile" in a random talk conversation? What?

Administration guy: He’s been gone without notice for four days now!

Oswin: Sir. As I said before, he went to Etruria to discuss diplomatic relations with the Etrurian King. He should be returning shortly…

AG: Is that so?

He KNOWS.

Oswin: Of course. The meeting is to be kept confidential. Perhaps the Etrurian King did not see fit to let you know of its occurrance.

AG: Hmphm! I don’t know about you, but something about this is very suspicious…

Oswin: …..

AG: Are you sure the wandering lord is not wandering about, getting into secret brawls with ruffians and commoners?

I don't think he would go so far as to beat up his own people!

Oswin: Sir, please understand… As the successor of the late Marquess Ostia, Lord Hector knows better than to attempt any action that would threaten his position. Especially now when the eyes of all Lycia are fixed upon him…

AG: Hmphm! He better not. Or royal bloodline be damned! We’ll see to it that a more competent leader is placed on the throne.

Oswin: Of course.

AG: Good day, knight. I’ll return in five days…

What the heck, administration guy? You're just a random generic ambassador! You can't just walk up to the (temporary) leader of one of the strongest nations in the league and start posturing and threatening like this!

Oh yes, let's start talking to yourself while the other guy slowly walks away!

Oswin: The Lycian council is growing suspicious.

Oswin: Or they’ll all know you’re a reckless idiot.

"I WAS TOTALLY LYING EARLIER! BOY! I SURE HOPE NO ONE CAN HEAR ME SAY THIS!"

And we're back to normal.

Hector: Hey, it’s Oswin. I’m sure he’s managing the wolves just fine… But if I’m spotted here, it’s all over. Got it? I can’t afford to be recognized!

Eliwood: Well, I suppose that explains things.

Hector: For the record, the pirate getup was Matthew’s idea. I had nothing to do with this!

Eliwood: Hahahahaha. Whatever you say. Captain Dardanos, was it?

It seems someone knows where to get his kicks.

Matthew: too good…

Okay, let's warp a Lyn-carrying Eliwood down there so we can talk with the other greenies! That's what we're supposed to do, right?

She can talk to Eliwood and... just Eliwood. Apparently I was wrong!

Lyn: Eliwood!? How—Why are you here?

Eliwood: …It’s because Ninian… and several ladies from Pharae for that matter… are being held somewhere in this fortress.

Lyn: Ah!

Eliwood: It seems a mysterious group of men have been kidnapping women from all over Lycia. I don’t know what their reasons are for this… However, we’re to free the ladies from Pherae, as well as any other captives being held here.

Lyn: I see… I… wasn’t aware there were other kidnappings outside Caelin…

Eliwood: Your knights also came to rescue you.

Yeah game, I get it. Speak to the knights, who I just warped onto the area at the opposite end of the map from!

Lyn: Yes…Of course. Thank you, Eliwood.

Well, that was pretty much entirely summary, but it was at least shorter.

I waste some time bringing Lyn back around, let's keep talking!

Saul: To behold such a gorgeous woman as this… Surely, I am blessed!

Lyn: What? Who—

Saul: You are Sacaen, are you not? Yes, there is no doubt… You have the exotic beauty of a wild flower… How striking—

Lyn: Who are you?

This guy doesn't have quite the Woo-ing prowess Sain does, Lyn, but I can see why you would think that.

The FUTURREEE!!!

Saul: May I ask your name, milady?

Lyn: It’s Lyn.

Saul: Ah! So you are the Lady Lyndis everyone was speaking of! I fought with those knights to secure your release!

Lyn: I see… But there are still others who need your help. I’m going to free them!

Saul: Of course! Let’s do it together!

Now Kent!

Lyn: Kent! I’m fine. Thank you… Are the others safe?

Kent: Yes, milady. We rescued Fiora and Rebecca,

"no Caelin knights were harmed in the making of this hack."

Lyn: That’s so good to hear…

Kent: Lyn… I am so relieved to see you well, milady.

Lyn: … I was worried too, Kent.

Cedar does manage some genuinely cute interactions, here.

Kent: We’ll escape this, together.

Lyn is pro now.

...Wait, WHAT!?

Okay, my memories from before are hazy, remember. I don't know if this will actually amount to anything ever, or how to get ALL the pairings. It probably would involve spending 10 updates viewing JUST. DIALOGUE.

And I'm not sure I can go through that.

Okay, okay, just one more!

Hector: Eh? Who you be calling Hector, lassie? Me name’s Captain Dardanos, wanderer of the seas!

Lyn: Oh. My apologies…

Did Lyn really fall for it?

Hector: Harr harr! Is that so? Ya know, they say there are at least three people on the continent with the same face.

"Just happen"

Hector: Lucky me, eh?

Lyn: Not really. I know Hector personally.

Oh snap!

Hector: H-Hey now! He can’t be that bad!

Lyn: And what does that matter to a pirate like you? A broken Lycia would be good business for you, would it not? You should be happy.

Hector: Uh…well…

"Acting is for other people!"

Lyn: Maybe you should touch up on your acting skills. I’m sure they’ll be useful to have when you’re Marquess.

Hah, hah.

Wait, Rath and Lyn can't talk? Okay then.

AND THEN EBNER RETURNS!

NEXT TIME: The lack of a boss to conclude this chapter with!

[momogeek2141]

Jesus this chapter is long.

[TheMoniker]

Jesus this chapter is long.

I know, it's been DAYS.

The CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION!

Where we left off...

Sain rides over to face him!

Ebner: Eh? A knight?

Sain: So you’re the lout behind all this trouble! How dare you steal innocent women from their homes! I’ll—

Ebner: Ah. It seems your love for the ladies is very strong…

I don't know Ebner, I think Sain has more lady-love. He at least would never kidnap them.

Sain: I am not the same as you! To treat women this way is unspeakable!

Ebner: Now, now. Settle down, will you? You seem like a reasonable fellow, so please, hear me out. I’d like to offer you a deal…

No Sain! It's a trick!

Actually, that does sound tempting...

Ebner: You won’t be scorned for it, either. All the ladies will be helplessly inamoured by your graces… This is my dream, after all. I desire to create a new world…

Because you felt neglected? And you decided this was the best way to go about things?

You know the right choice, Sain!

Come on...

Ebner: Well?

Correct choice, as we all know!

Sain isn't gonna wait, he jumps STRAIGHT to the scripted battle!

Wait, huh?

CHEATER! THAT'S NOT HOW FE WORKS!

Apparently, it was so powerful Sain murdered himself!

Sain disappears...

Oh no...

Is he...

Is he really dead?

...Oh.

Annnnd physical fortitude problems again! Get him, guest stars!

Ebner: Iskar, save…me…!

Great, Iskar actually came! Hurry, blues! Capture him now before he causes another long chapter!

Iskar: Darn you…

The dude who's going to prolong the plot?

Iskar runs onto some stairs...

Lyn: Someone stop that man!

And destroys the stairs behind him!?

...Oh, it's a trapdoor.

Kent: They escaped…

Ah, the days before modern drilling tools.

Kent: We must stop that man!

Wil: Right!

The IMPORTANT question!

Lyn: Yes, he’s breathing. He’ll come to eventually.

Good. We can't have our protagonist dying early, can we?

I'd like to think he went through a Chapter 2 repeat in his head secretly.

Lyn: Welcome back, Sain. How are you feeling?

Sain: L-Lady Lyndis?

Lyn: You lost consciousness for a bit. While you were out, we went ahead and freed everyone taken captive by Ebner and his men.

Sain: Ah, that’s splendid news!

It doesn't matter if you're unconscious, Sain!

Sain: My heart is aflutter, milady!

Lyn: Well, looks like you’re back to normal. I guess we can head back to Caelin now.

Lyn: He escaped…

Sain: WHAT!? Blast!

Sain, unlike the others, you actually tried to stop him rather than sitting there while the plot continued. Bravo to you.

Lyn: Sain, take it easy!

Sain: But—

Lyn: Don’t worry about Ebner. We’ve sent scouts to look for the man. They’re scouring the mountains as we speak.

Sain: Woahh… Dizzy…

Lyn: Sain? Are you—

Sain: I’m perfectly fine, milady! Don’t fret! I’ll overcome this dizziness in no time! Please, tell everyone to ride ahead to Caelin.

Lyn: But—

Sain: Lyn, I insist! The last thing I want is to delay your triumphant return. It would put the Caelin people at ease to see their fair lady’s radiant face once more!

Is this going to lead to bad things?

Lyn: Thanks, Sain. We’ll see you soon.

Sain: You can count on it, milady!

They leave, but there's still other characters who have stuff to say.

Sain: Yes, of course!

Pent: This stone.

Sain: Ah!

Whooops!

Pent: It’s interesting, Sain… This stone… bears an uncanny resemblance to a famous treasure I once read about… The old Etrurian texts described it as “an enormous purple gem, shaped like the East Star”… It was called the Stone of Zagaren.

He knows, doesn't he.

Sain: Ah…

Pent: Have you heard of it before?

Pent: Then allow me to explain.

Plot time? I guess Pent would know more, since he's like the uberscholar.

Uh huh... Nothing we don't already-

WAIT WHAT

Whoa. The plot suddenly gets SERIOUS! I KNEW Darec was holding SOMETHING back!

...But, I guess we haven't heard all the information yet. Let's continue.

Sain: Him!?

Pent: It’s also rumored that Zagaren had mastered the ability to manipulate feelings. Happiness, pain, anger, pleasure, desire… He was said to be experimenting with all these things. But after his fiancé was killed in an attack by bandits, something drove Zagaren to burn all his research. Only a fragment of his work remains in the Etrurian archives, but those notes are so esoteric, not even the best scholars of today can fully decipher them… As for the Stone of Zagaren, it was lost many centuries ago.

Hmm, yep. Definitely a replica.

Anyways, turns out Sain's stone quite possibly is a magical artifact of hypnosis, or a love-potion that works better than that weird mine thing. WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

Sain: ……

I think Sain's on the same train of thought as me.

Sain: N-No… No! I’m fine. See? I can stand again.

Pent: That’s good to hear. We’ll all be heading back to Etruria then.

Pent: I’m sure Klein will be happy to see you!

And there they go. That leaves two...

Romance interest is up first!

Sain: Yes?

Emily: As much as I hate to say this…

Emily, you're a tsundere. I JUST realized this.

Emily: So if I can return the favor somehow… let me know, all right?

Sain: Repay? Oh, but darling! It’s the sworn duty of a knight to rescue maidens from harm! I could never ask for anything in retur—

Those are some deeply ingrained values for someone who abandoned her family.

Sain: Ah, is that so?

Typical reasoning, and it seems kind of obvious what Sain's gonna ask for.

Yup!

An inSAIN request!

Sain: My dear, it would be my absolute pleasure to spend some time with you! If you accompany me, that would be the greatest gift!

Emily: Tch. Look, knight. I can pay for your dinner, but don’t expect me to eat with you!

Hey, HEY! You made a deal here, you can't just GO BACK on it!

Sain: But Emily!

Emily: Forget it. Once I get back home, I plan on joining the Caelin knights. I’m sure you get into all sorts of trouble, so I’ll just bail you out once and call it even. How’s that sound?

Sain; But I-

And that's the story of how Sain couldn't get a date with the girl whose life he saved because the girl refused to follow up on her word.

You might want to seriously consider if a relationship could work long-term, Sain.

One last Sain conversation...

Sain: Where are you from? Lycia? Etruria?

HOW did this guy know even a general ballpark timeframe? How did he GET here?

Hey, here's our chance to find out!

Saul: I’ve never met you in the future, but…

And he is INTERRUPTED.

Saul: Oh, if it isn’t Dorothy.

He came willingly? What is this, FE13?

Dorothy: We’re going back to our time now, before we completely change the course of events!

Roy: different Elibe. That’s a scary thought.

An Elibe WHERE SAIN IS MARRIED. Saul did quite a bit here, honestly.

Sain is getting less oblivious. Better pack up, FE6 people! Go pound Narshen a second time for me!

Sophia: … We’ve been here too long.

But I guess he won't tell us what he knows about us in the future... Oh well, thanks for providing a solution to the locked door conundrum!

Sain: The same to you! Farewell.

And away they go. Are we all done here?

Nope! Enough is never enough!

Ebner: And by some mangy knights, nonetheless!

Iskar: Filthy rich too.

Ebner: Eh? What gives you that idea?

Iskar: That knight you knocked out…

Ebner: WHAT!?

Iskar: Heck, by the looks of it, the thing must have been worth a million times its weight in gold.

Ebner: A giant purple stone!? Good man, Iskar! Speak up!

...Uh oh.

Iskar: I guess you could say that… It did have a really odd shape to it—

He friggin KNOWS!

Iskar: What?

Ebner: To think that some idiot would acquire Zagaren’s ultimate stone of power! But no matter. I must retrieve that stone at all costs!

MORE PLOT POINT!

Iskar: Uh, sure… Whatever you say, boss.

In the final fade to black...

Game: Rebecca x Wil pairing unlocked!(Went too fast for me to screenshot it)

This was a text skip and went WAY too fast to screenshot. Sorry guys... still don't know what the pairings are about.

NEXT TIME: A very very VERY short chapter(by comparison) and a new not-pro unit!

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

i have no idea where this is going

[Blaze The Great]

i have no idea where this is going

Isn't it beautiful?

[SilverHairedFreak25]

And suddenly, serious plot! At least the whole "fourth wall breaking" stuff didn't carry through to the end. And when they did use it in this last segment (FE6 CHARACTERS ABOUND) they did it right.

[MrNight48]

And suddenly, serious plot! At least the whole "fourth wall breaking" stuff didn't carry through to the end. And when they did use it in this last segment (FE6 CHARACTERS ABOUND) they did it right.

agreed, didn't even explain how, just made the player roll with it which allowed the story to flow.

[TheMoniker]

Isn't it beautiful?

It all makes sense now!

...Well, not really.

And suddenly, serious plot! At least the whole "fourth wall breaking" stuff didn't carry through to the end. And when they did use it in this last segment (FE6 CHARACTERS ABOUND) they did it right.

Yeah, you can't be lampshading every weird thing. Just make the player go with it!

Time to get a maiden in...

Maiden Quest: Episode 6: Chapter 5: Emily the Est

And today, we get a "real" map screen!

Aww, they did care!

N: The very next day, she prepares to leave for Castle Caelin.

Sheesh! She's leaving fast!

Shana: B-But you just came back!

Emily: Oh, you two… Just ‘cause I got dragged off to Bern doesn’t mean my plans have changed—

Shana: But we missed you!

Nellie: We were so worried when all of those bandits took you!

Shana: The entire town was in an uproar, you know.

Nellie: Your father told everyone to go out and search!

Hey, the father wanted to keep his daughter safe too!

Emily, you're probably misinterpreting things with these words and it's gonna bite you in the butt later.

Nellie: It’s a rough, dog-eat-dog world out there! Can’t you see we’re all still worried about you?

Shana: We don’t want you to get hurt!

Emily: Nellie, Shana… I’ll be fine, really. It touches my heart to see you so concerned, but I’m not like you two.

We still don't have her entire backstory...

Nellie: E-Emmy…

Emily: Don’t take me wrong. I’ll miss you two, and everyone in the club… It’s just… I can’t stay here. I’m sorry. I can’t.

Shana: ….

Emily: Speaking of the club, I’m leaving you two in charge. I know you’ll manage it well.

Maybe they'll be more reluctant to order mass military assaults on random dudes?

Shana: Of course.

Nellie: You can count on us!

Shana: Stay safe, Emmy. I still don’t like this. But I hope you find what you’re looking for…

Emily: Aww… C’mon. It’s not like I’m gonna leave and forget you guys. What kind of friend would I be if I did that?

She better not return as a knight! That would mean the broken-ness of second seals has invaded this hack!

Shana: You better! Or we’ll just have to go out there and

As I said before, Cedar makes some really cute interactions.

Shana: And stay safe. If you die out there, we’ll never forgive you.

Emily: I know.

Emily starts to leave when... A third civilian?

Woodson: You’re leaving to join the Caelin knights, aren’t you? Here… Take this with you.

What? Why would this random lady have a lance?

Woodson: Before you were born, your mother used to carry this lance everywhere she went.

Emily: My mother’s… how did you get this?

Woodson: When your mother put mercenary work behind her, she insisted I keep this lance. I’m not sure why she entrusted it to me, but… I know she’d want you to have it now.

Oooh! It's a super-lance! I wonder if it's infinite use?

Wait, that was some more backstory, wasn't it?

Emily: Mrs. Woodson… Thank you.

Woodson: I only wish I could do more to help you, dear…

Healing and a weapon? Without you, lady, we'd probably be doomed!

Emily: Mrs. Woodson…

Woodson: Please, do be careful! For your mother’s sake…

Emily: I promise. I’ll be fine.

Oh nice! It's a custom weapon and everything!

And we get this too, of course.

She leaves, and her friends see her off as it fades to black...

Emily: But now… why is it so hard….

This reminiscing is almost bringing tears to my eyes...

And then this happens. Because WHAT ELSE WOULD HAPPEN.

Bandude #5: Well, well. What’s a little girl like you doing out here all alone? You wanna—

Emily doesn't even wait. She just up and crits the guy! Wow!

...I honestly wish more FE protagonists would take this approach!

Vicious and serious indeed! She REALLY HATES bandits!

Bandude #6: Hey now, little lady!

Oh, so they have a name. I feel so threatened.

Honestly, I've seen so many bandit scenes at this point they all give me deja vu...

Okay, now I REALLY want to know about her mother.

END DIALOGUE

We get 0 Emily backstory, just enemies...

(Perfect... except that bandit's animation...)

Okay, this is a very tiny map. The Cireneg apparently don't have many guys to their name.

You've seen her stats before. Emily is a weak peg going up against axe-wielding bandits. Some of them have bows instead of axes. WHAT WILL SAVE HER?

Why, her special weapon, of course. It's a light, powerful, axereaver! And let's not forget the accuracy!

(It's 255, not infinite. The game can't display exactly 255, as we learned in Corrupt Theocracy so long ago. Still, it's literally never missing.)

The bandits are tough enough to be a threat.

Emily absolutely WRECKS the bandits with her weapon. The only problem is, 30 uses and I might need it for a future chapter. I'd best save it.

She gets her first level:

Holy CRAP! A perfect level right off the bat!? Is this luck or something else?

The second level tells me she might just have amazing growths. Wow. At this rate, she's gonna grow into an army-wrecker.

She started with a D. Now it's a C. That Surestrike gives some weapon XP!

I have to do a LOT of baiting and enemy separating this chapter. Emily can't take everyone at once, you have to try to get the enemies separate.

The best way to do that is the terrain! She's actually going to be out of everyone's range here, because of the cliff and forest! Abuse those flier abilities!

And... they didn't move? But they were charging at me earlier!

And now they DO move?

These enemies actually have very INTERESTING AI. They move every other turn.

Emily barely survives, but guess what? The archer is separated from the rest of the group now!

Boop!

You thought you could trick me? YOU WERE WRONG.

Another nearly-perfect level!? You're better than Nino!

And that's the last one! We're done!

Emily: Shameless, mindless, sadistic…

Wow, is that really it? It's like the entire chapter's only purpose was to train/introduce us to Emily...

But I mean, considering the length of all the other chapters, I can live with it.

NEXT TIME: Guess what Sain almost gets?

I think this chapter is entirely different if you choose a different lady. The other chapters of each route are more similar in gameplay, but the story is still altered somewhat.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

damn she's pretty gud

[momogeek2141]

Reminds me of Sety, who goes and crits the boss of a major castle with his legendary weapon because the boss thought he was too good. Then he guards the gate!

[TheMoniker]

Time to get a maiden in...

The CHAPTER 6 PRELUDE: Part 1 of 2!

This title is just perfect.

Okay. With growths like that, training could really help her!

Of course she excels.

*GASP*

(It's actually not that unthinkable)

N: Inside Castle Caelin, one month after Emily’s arrival…

Wil: You mean Emily?

Greendier 1#: Yeah, her.

Wil: Uh… Well…

Greendier 1#: I know, right? When she first came in, I thought she’d be your typical sweet lil’ village girl… Boy was I wrong!

At what point would she actually receive reprimands? Punching fellow soldiers in the face doesn't seem like army-like behavior...

Greendier 2#: What normal girl does that? I still have the bruises, Elimine…

Wil: Yeah, I know what you mean! I accidently bumped into her in the hall the other day… She shoved me into a pillar and stormed off before I could even say sorry!

This makes a lot of sense, honestly.

Greendier 1#: I swear, a whole army of grown men couldn’t stand their ground against those two dames! No sane man could stand it—

And busted.

Sheesh, they really ARE scared of her!

I wonder who that is.

Emily: I better find the captain and warn her…

I love how the two are conspiring to keep each other "safe".

Sain: Where are yoooou?

Lily: Ugh. It’s him… Really… is a little peace and quiet too much to ask?

Emily(?): Captain!

Emily: Ma’am?

Lily: Listen, I’m kind of in a bind here… Would you do me a favor?

Emily: Anything, ma’am.

And now, for the most unthinkable act:

IT'S HORRIFIC!

Emily: P-Pardon?

Lily: I said I’d spar with him this afternoon… but I have a terrible headache. If I face him now, I swear I’ll… ugh…

Emily: …Ugh. …Of course, Captain. I’ll do what I can.

I bet Sain's wondering if this is a chapter 2 repeat, what with those ellipses.

Sain: Ah! Emily! What a pleasure to see you here! Do you know where Captain Lily is?

Emily: The captain is… busy at the moment.

"Busy"

Sain: Oh… How unfortunate. I was looking forward to spending some one-on-one training time-

Emily: Spar with me.

Sain: What?

Emily: I’d like to put my skills to the test. Perhaps as my subcommander, you could help me with that. I might even learn something.

Sain: Say, if you win, I’ll buy lunch!

Emily: Uh… no…

Sain: Oh, but I insist! Come, Emily! The delightful weather beckons us outside! Let us spar under the sun’s warm embrace and savor this beautiful day, together!

It's just a sparring match! Is Sain really THAT abhorrent?

And here they are, apparently having finished the match.

Sain: The way you wield the lance so gracefully… Why, anyone would say you are a true knight! You’ve improved vastly since our last meeting!

Of course Sain would do that. Considering their stats, no other explanation makes sense.

Sain: Uh… Well, I…

Oh, wait, is she ACTUALLY GONNA GO OUT WITH SAIN?

Sain: Come with me, darling! Let us go—

Emily: No, not us. Me.

Sain: P-Pardon?

And her high cunning stat strikes again!

Sain: B-But—

Emily: Now where to go… Hm, the White Stallion?

Sain: !!!!

Emily: Yeah, it’s been a while since I had lunch there.

Emily: Hehehehe.

*me, while getting brutalized by the RNG*

Sain: To choose the very tavern I wanted to take her… only to fly freely from my grasp! No, I cannot let this stand!

And then he chases Emily, straight to the Chapter 2 tavern!

Are they having a slow business day? Or is this THE NEXT PLOT POINT?

Emily: …!

Emily: Mr. Jay? That frown… What’s wrong?

Jay: Oh…It’s horrible. Ben and Page…

And there we have it! The next thing we're doing!

Jay: They went missing last night… I…got this letter on my doorstep… Says the Zidar bandits are holding them for ransom… and…if I don’t pay them by tonight…

Hmm...

1 MILLION!? Who could EVER have that much money?

Oh. OH. I take it this is a "serious" part of the story?

Note: P.S: If you report us to the Caelin Knights, we’ll kill you!

Uh huh...

Emily: I can’t—I won’t let her get hurt! Her brother too. I…

Jay: Emily…

Emily: I’m leaving.

She actually came back?

Wait, he actually HAS a million gold?

Jay: If you go alone, they’ll rip you apart!

Emily: I’d rather die trying than stay here!

Jay: You know better, Emily. Storming a bandit base alone is beyond reckless! It’s suicide!

Especially when you're a low-level pegasus knight!

She came back a SECOND time?

Sain has the appropriate reaction for any FE protagonist!

...Come to think of it, this is a bit late for an earlygame bandit arc...

Emily: What? S-Sain! How long have you been eevesdropping?!

Sain: I’ll rescue your kids, Jay! You can count on me!

Emily: What! You know him?

Sain: Of course! Jay’s the greatest bartender I have ever met! And a good friend!

Jay: Sain… I trust you know what you’re doing…

Sain: Hahah!

Yeah, if Sain wasn't the most competent cavalier ever, this hack would be a good bit harder!

Sain: With skills like mine, trouncing bandits is but a mere warmup!

Jay: Very well… Please return my children to me safely.

Sain: Yes sir! Emily, dear, wait here for me! I’ll rescue your—

Emily: Ugh, stop acting like such a hero! I’m going to Mare’s peak, and that’s settled!

Hmm... So... her mother is dead... she has a bad history with bandits...

Hmm...

Sain: R-Really?

Jay: Yeah… Considering how many people were massacred that night, it’s amazing Delwin rebounded as quickly as it did…

Since it apparently has a lady population of at least 50.

Sain: …..

Jay: …You should go. I trust you’ll keep Emily safe.

Jay: her father would never forgive me.

And so off they go into the great blue yonder!

Another paladin? Is it Kent?

Lily: The poor girl… That idiot must have dragged her off to lunch. Better head over to the White Stallion.

And so she heads off... is she going to end up following us?

These weapons go to Sain. Emily gets nothing for free.

NEXT TIME: Hey! This fort isn't abandoned at all!

[momogeek2141]

Inflation really rose after Hector took the throne *cough*

[TheMoniker]

Inflation really rose after Hector took the throne *cough*

What with the 50,000 blue wines, you might actually be right... Maybe, the old Elixirs have risen to prices of ~10,000 and Red Wine is just the new popular elixir substitute.

The CHAPTER 6 PRELUDE: Part 2 of 2!

Where we left off last time...

We have the bandits all gathered in their fort!

Zidar leader: Bah! I thought he’d come running to us at daybreak…

If he can pay a 1,000,000 ransom in a game where a player would need Arena grinding to get to 100k, I might be inclined to agree with this guy.

Zidar leader: C’mon! He should be more than happy to share his gold with us poor unfortunate men! Am I right, boys?

I don't know about that!

Bandude #7: Yeah, yeah! Totally right, boss.

Zidar leader: Heh. At least we aren’t as hopeless as before! We’ve been gaining turf ever since those darn Onoskis started

floundering… Either way, I’m getting bored.

Oh, hey! Don't be like that!

Zidar leader: We’ll send the bartender an early gift. Keheheh.

Zidar leader: Eh? Now what did you do?

It appears no brutal gore will be shown today, luckily.

Bandude #7: I… I don’t know, boss! I always keep the key in my right pocket, but it… It isn’t there now!

Zidar leader: WHAT!?

If this is his most reliable subordinate... Then I like our chances!

I'm wondering about the Onoskis now...

We'll get an answer.

Johny: B-b-b-but Boss! Surely, there’s another way to open doors without keys?

Nope. Totally impossible. This door isn't unlocked.

Zidar leader: Like what? Angry looks? Excellent idea, Johny. Be my guest. Sir in front of that door and glare the lock into submission! Guuh…

Hmm?

Zidar leader: What, you mean Shady?

Johny: Yeah, yeah! He’s a thief right? He could just use his lockpick to open the door!

Zidar leader: Well, now that’s an idea! You, get Shady this instant!

Johny: Right, boss!

He's talking to that thief, hiding in the corner.

Shady: …What for?

Johny: Come on. You’ll see.

Shady: ….

Zidar leader: Shady, we have a problem.

Shady: It’s Shay—

Zidar leader: My subordinate lost the key to the prison room. I want you to get that door opened. Now!

Let's hope this guy has some morals.

Zidar leader: What do you mean why!? I’m your boss. Do as I say!

Shady: … This lock…is complicated.

Zidar leader: Of course! Would you expect any less from the door to my triple-lock prison room?

Shady: Triple-lock, huh?

Yeah, not even cells made by ruling powers have that kind of security!

Zidar leader: What does that matter! The Onoskis never had one a triple-locked prison door, so I had one installed! All right?

...I think the reason they lost to the Onoskis might not be just because of minions.

Zidar leader: What should you care? I’m paying you to do this, so get to it!

Shady: You know, Boss…

And it seems he DOES have morals! Assuming he's lying, that is. If not, then we might have a problem.

Zidar leader: WHAT!?

Shady: .. That’s the bad news. The good news is I know this secret trick to cracking ‘em.

Zidar leader: What price?

Mr. Leader Guy here might need an IOU.

I've heard of price gouging, but Shady here takes it to a whole 'nother level.

But you need him! This is why you get more loyal mooks!

Annnd that would be US!

Zidar leader: WHAT!?

Bandude #8: Two knights are approaching the base! They’re armed and look like serious business.

Is this a running gag now?

Zidar leader: Darnit! If the door weren’t locked, I coulda used the kids as hostages… Well, what are you waiting for maggots! Prepare yourselves for battle!

Bandude #8: You got it, boss!

Leader guy heads to the front...

Go, Sain and Emily! To this highly populated abandoned fort!

Emily: Bandit scum, don’t you dare feign ignorance!

Zidar leader: Woooah! Hey now, missie! Don’t be jumping to conclusions!

With an ugly face like that? No way!

Zidar leader: Gathered to—

Sain: Villagers? Hah! You rogues certainly don’t strike me as the honest sort! Why would any respectable citizens choose to gather in such a shoddy place as this?

--being really poor after the economic fallout that Hector caused?

(Oh who am I kidding, he's not that smart)

And of course, Shady doesn't even let him try.

Sain: Ha! I knew it!

Emily: Where are the hostages?!

Shady: Oh, don’t worry. The kids are locked behind barred doors. We can’t hurt them, even if we tried…

Emily: Release them!

Shady: We’re bandits, dear. Think we’ll cooperate?

Sain: If you won’t release them, we will not hesitate! We’re taking those kids back home, no matter what!

Zidar leader: D-darn you, Shady! What do you think you’re doing!?

Not sure what this guy's deal is, but I don't think there's any way this would NOT end in a fight!

Zidar leader: You fool! Back in your place!

Shady: …

Zidar leader: As for those knights… Kill ‘em, boys!

Getting deja vu again.

The bandit leader and thief go back in! Luckily, there aren't that many bandits around, this shouldn't be too tough-

Oh, there were tons hiding in the stairs. Because OF COURSE THERE WERE.

Sain: Are you ready, Emily?

Emily: Bout time.

Sain: Stay close, and cover my back! Leave all the dangerous stunts to me!

Emily. Still a low-level pegasus knight. Be quiet.

Sain: I’m not as reckless as you think! After all, I’ve got Caelin’s most promising new knight backing me up, so I can afford to take some risks! Don’t you agree?

Emily: ….

Sain: I’m counting on you, Emily! Let’s show them the power of the Caelin knights!

Emily: …Yes, sir!

Okay, things are looking really good! They probably won't turn terrible for no reason, right?

Hey, how did that band-

Oh. Of COURSE he needs to be involved!

Ebner: Hehehe! Excellent! We couldn’t have asked for a better place… Iskar, now’s our perfect opportunity to corner him!

Iskar: …Zidar.

Ebner: What’s that, Iskar?

Iskar: The Zidar Bandits…

Oh snap! Now we know!

Ebner: What?

Ebner: ISKAR!

Ebner: I have no choice.

He's gone now... here's to hoping he stays gone!

One more thing before we start...

Shady: I might just steal her heart.

Recruitment hint, right?

END DIALOGUE

As you can see, we have a pretty large-sized map, with plenty of enemies. Promoted enemies. Which we have to fight while carting around a low-level peg knight. The good news is, Iskar is green, and we might be able to do something with Shady... hmm...

These are what the enemies look like. Remember, Emily's stats aren't this good. She sucks. Her only advantage is the limited-use surestrike. And yet, I WILL TRAIN HER! By the end of this, she will be UBER! Even if I might regret it!

I do the exact opposite of regretting it.

This is the boss. He's actually not that great.

Here's Shay! Pathetic defenses, but as long as his 10-use speed demon is intact, nobody can even hit him! We need Emily to talk to him...

Iskar here is a green unit. We can probably talk to him, and even if he's not that much better than the enemies, he can still be helpful!

NEXT TIME: Tactics required to proceed

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

heyyyy i like how this works, excellent

[Blaze The Great]

Not gonna lie, that thief design is pretty incredible.

[TheMoniker]

Not gonna lie, that thief design is pretty incredible.

It is!

Phew! I resisted spoilering literally all of FE14 for an entire day!

...

...Only 8 or so months to go...

*SOBS LOUDLY*

Maiden Quest: Episode 7: Chapter 6: Part 1: Banditry and more Banditry

As you can see, training Emily is sort of BS! She dies in one hit to almost everything, and until we actually get her a few levels that's how it's going to stay!

For now, let's hope-

WOW. WOW. We're ALREADY doing this, huh?

I guess I could weaken him first with other units, but that would be WORK!

Oh well. This is going to be difficult, isn't it...

Even my not-Emilys are struggling! AGAINST GENERIC BANDITS! WHY!?

Oh hey, we can talk! Maybe this will help?

Iskar: Shut it! We’re fighting the same scum here. Guard my back, and I’ll—

Emily: Forget it! I’ll never cooperate with you scum!

And... he turns blue anyway? You know what, okay! This is good! Now we have three units to help out!

Sain GETS REVENGE!

!!!

Lily: Engaging a bandit group without permission, and dragging a new recruit along, nonetheless! What kind of subcommander is he? Ugh… He’s gonna pay for this!

And now we have another unit, to attack the fort from another side!

Lily is quite competent. Not as good as Sain, but she has enough stats and weapons to help!

With Lily here, there's just one more piece to fall into place...

Emily: What? Who the heck are—

Shayd: The name’s Shayd, but let’s cut to the chase, shall we? The kids are locked up in the back room. If you want to free ‘em fast, you’ll listen to me.

Emily: …And why are you telling me this?

Shayd: Well, simply put…

Of course we will.

Shayd: for a price, of course.

Please, please don't be 500,000 gold...

Emily: …What do you want?

Shayd: Just two things.

I guess I can deal with that... it's not like we've ever particularly needed money...

Come on, Emily! We need him!

And now, Shayd is STILL a red unit! And I have no idea how to stop him hitting us with the Speed Demon, or stealing all my stuff!

He's blocking the corridor, we have to find an alternate solution!

Lily's been using her Hand axe to help (fail to) chip some of the enemies on her side.

Shayd... didn't do anything?

So, from here on out, Shayd's just going to sit himself right next to Emily, but without stealing anything or attacking anyone. This is actually really good, he'll be where we need him when we get... well, Lily to him, I guess. She's the only other lady around...

Block the gap, Iskar!

Meanwhile, Emily's EPIC BATTLE with this random Swordreaver bandit has been going well!

VERY well! Now she's slightly better equipped to handle them!

Lily's cleared out everyone she can, now it's time for her to meet up with us!

I snag Emily another kill!

She's in!

Emily now stands SLIGHTLY more of a chance against the ordinary bandits.

Not the berserkers, though...

This nomad doesn't move, apparently. This is not a bad thing.

Before Lily actually enters, let's make her kill the nomad!

Aww... Not AGAIN!

Hmm... I could still try to actually strategize...

Nah!

Much better, much!

You can do it Emily! YOU CAN SURVIVE!

She didn't survive. Her wits couldn't save her.

REVENGE!

Okay, so far we've advanced a little. There's still a lot to go!

No! I call BS here! Stupid swordsmaster!

Lily is made to eat the bad hit instead.

Still going... she'll be good at this rate, once we get her some more defenses! I wish we had an Angelic robe...

Lily can survive better NOW, but her growths aren't as good!

And this is where things get really bad. Reinforcements begin pouring in. They don't give XP.

They're slightly weaker, but also INFINITE!

NEXT TIME: Can Moniker make it as more and more problems arise?

[MoonlitSonata]

Good luck avoiding Fates spoilers! I already gave up on not spoiling the game for myself

So Emily is an Est, then? Because holy cow her stats are going crazy. Two perfect level ups?! Along with 4+ stat level ups? Hope she can become a falcoknight to put those growths to use!

[SilverHairedFreak25]

Dammit, Emily! Moniker needs another unit! Stop being so tsundere!

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

makes me wonder what shadi's recruit convo with emily is

[RandomSwordmaster]

GAH, I FEEL YOUR PAIN MONIKER T_T I have to boycott the rest of the forums for the next 8 months while those tantalizing spoilers haunt me....

[MrNight48]

did someone say spoilers?

hahahahahahahahaha

like I can read Japanese

hahahahahahahaha a cookie for the brave who actually looked

Edited June 24, 2015 by MrNight48

[MoonlitSonata]

did someone say spoilers?

hahahahahahahahaha

like I can read Japanese

hahahahahahahaha a cookie for the brave who actually looked

WELL

Some things can be inferred even if you don't speak japanese

Like Garon's laugh omg

The best part is that not even non-Fates forums are safe because of spoilery reasons.

Edited June 24, 2015 by MoonlitSonata

[TheMoniker]

Good luck avoiding Fates spoilers! I already gave up on not spoiling the game for myself

So Emily is an Est, then? Because holy cow her stats are going crazy. Two perfect level ups?! Along with 4+ stat level ups? Hope she can become a falcoknight to put those growths to use!

Yup, there's a reason everyone says she's so promising...

GAH, I FEEL YOUR PAIN MONIKER T_T I have to boycott the rest of the forums for the next 8 months while those tantalizing spoilers haunt me....

CAN I DO IT? Probably not... it's a good thing I can't read Japanese. I ended up viewing the Hoshido stream for 2 minutes this morning, which happened to be two hot-tub minutes...

makes me wonder what shadi's recruit convo with emily is

We already saw it, right?

did someone say spoilers?

hahahahahahahahaha

like I can read Japanese

hahahahahahahaha a cookie for the brave who actually looked

I'm so glad you didn't put anything there, when I see a spoiler I can't NOT open it...

Maiden Quest: Episode 7: Chapter 6: Part 2: Escort and Attrition

Okay... maybe Lily can recruit Shayd here?

Lily: What the—

Shayd: The kid hostages, if you’re looking for them, are locked up in the back room. If you want to free ‘em, you have to listen to me.

Lily: …I don’t understand. Why tell me this?

Shayd: Suspicious, are we? Well, let’s just say… If you want to rescue the kids, you’ll require my assistance. For a price, of course.

Lily: Your terms?

Shayd: All business. I like that. I just want two things. First off, I want all the bandit’s treasure.

Shayd: from you, my dear.

WILL LILY DO IT?

This isn't exactly bringing my hopes up.

Her sprite actually darts forward for a minute...

Lily: You idiot!

I don't get it... was that a slap? What?

The good news is that Shayd is now, uh... green!?

So, what we have to do now is escort him while he opens all the chests. He's pretty much invincible as long as he has the Speed Demon, but remember, it only has 10 uses, and he's extremely vulnerable if they run out. We have to get him to all 4 chests without letting his weapon run dry! Just another bit of stress on top of it all!

Maybe I should have waited to recruit him... oh well, too late now!

And we're already starting. This guy is NOT suited for combat, and this Swordsmaster will have 79 hit when the Speed Demon goes away, if my calculations are correct.

Shayd, of all the ways you could possibly go...

...Yeah, this is gonna be problematic.

Sain and Lily!

Sain: Ah! L-L-Lily—

Lily: What in the blazes are you doing here?! Don’t tell me you thought storming a bandit hideout by yourself was a good idea!

Okay, I think she more of dragged US along...

Lily: How irresponsible can a person be?!

Sain: B-But I didn’t drag her! She—

Lily: Pffft! Like she’d go anywhere with you, dotard!

Sain: N-No Lily, really! This is no jest! Two of her friends were kidnapped by these bandits!

Lily: Her friends…

Sain: We must rescue them, quickly!

She REALLY doesn't like Sain!

Lily: But once her friends are safe, we’re reporting directly to Commander Kent about your recklessness! Got that? Don’t you dare try to wriggle yourself out of this one, Sain!

Sain: Y-Yes, of course.

Emily is helping with the swordsmaster for her part. Why yes, there were no possible ways this engagement could have gone wrong, why do you ask?

At least he's getting attacked from 2 range...

PFFFFFFF--

Of COURSE Cedar would do this when there's absolutely no way we're getting that treasure!

Maybe he'll stop being stupid when he gets more chests?

More bandits! As I said before, these guys give precisely 0 XP. They're kind of frustrating to fight, honestly.

So close to perfect! Still, skill is probably one of the better ones to miss...

Lily and Emily:

Emily: Thank you, Captain.

Oh sure, be super nice to Emily!

Ow, ow, ow!

And the reinforcements aren't stopping...

Annnd I screwed up, Whoops.

TRYING AGAIN!

Shayd, can you please try to stay away from the enemies?

OH. OH YES. THE CORNER. SURE. THAT'S A GREAT PLACE TO GO.

At least Emily is better now...

We've cleared the way to another chest, so hopefully Shayd will come towards us!

Good, but now every enemy that moves is gonna pursue him!

I'm running out of Red Wine here, and this chapter makes you take a lot of hits...

WHAT WITH THE INFINITE REINFORCEMENTS AND ALL!

And we've lost 2 more uses. No, Shayd didn't get him on his own, he had help.

Another 30k down the drain! Where does Shayd even keep it all?

We're clearing out more enemies, but these reinforcements are making it hard to move forward! I know, it's only one at a time, but when we have this few reliable units...

Sain FAILS dodging school!

F minus minus!

Emily, on the other hand, gets a B+ for her usage of maxed speed!

Shayd, PLEASE just stay back? I don't have any units I can risk disabling by rescuing you...

Lily, you get a D+. In tense situations, you MUST learn to conserve HP!

Great. Shayd's running into trouble.

Okay guys, I would like to say something about this chapter. Throughout it, we're given two Red Wines, and any leftover vulneraries Emily has from last chapter. This means we have VERY LITTLE healing, in a chapter where we only have a few units, all of which are on the receiving end of plenty of attacks! I know my units haven't been the best at dodging, but they haven't been the worst either, and I honestly can't say whether or not for sure that ANY way of playing this chapter is "RNG-proof", so to speak!

You've capped speed, Emily, but you SERIOUSLY need to work on that HP!

I hate to do this, but we have to grab Lily! She's in trouble!

I've been using Emily's Surestrike a LOT, though I haven't shown it. Emily puts it to good use here.

Thief AI tactics:

"Oh, there's an enemy standing on a chest, I'll just walk up and politely ask him to step away!"

"I can't get into a chest room... I'll go to the spot that's the least amount of tiles away, even if doing so means being pelted with enemy attacks!"

They JUST. DON'T. STOP.

Iskar's been helping too, just hasn't gotten much screen time for being so unremarkable!

Good, we're almost finished dealing with Shayd!

Speaking of which, more brilliant thief AI:

"Oh, I have a superweapon that's the only thing keeping it alive, but it'll break the next time I get in combat? LET'S HEAD THROUGH THE SUPER DANGEROUS ROOM WITH A BOSS IN IT"

They JUST. DON'T. STOP.

Shayd, who was kicked out of dodging school for cheating after acing all his classes, has passed through! We have to handle the boss NOW, or the few units I have left with semi-decent HP won't have semi-decent HP anymore!

This guy is so standard it's not even funny.

Get him, Emily! Come on! YOU CAN DO IT!

She can win! She can win against these guys, as long as she has-

-WELP.

Without her superweapon(which I couldn't really NOT use), she is reduced to a standard mostly-helpless pegasus knight. Maybe things would be different if she wasn't fighting warriors, but nope.

Wha-Hey, no! Out of all the treasures, I actually WANT that one!

...Can I renegotiate our terms?

No, wait, NO! YOU CAN'T HELP SHADY! YOU SUCK!

YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A WEAPON NOW!

Okay, now the time limit is even tighter, Shady's about to kill himself!

Die! Die! DIE!

Grawf: No, it can’t be! Y-Y-You’re…

Iskar: Onoski. G’night.

That quote would have been even better with a crit... oh well!

Iskar gets an A- in dodging school, for keeping his HP intact the whole time.

And DEAD.

Hardly!

Sain, why do your levels have to suck?

Well, this is an odd way to begin a chapter ending...

NEXT TIME: The conclusion(?)!