Update 66

Update 66: Ohayo, Lemming-san!

♪ Woven by Fate ♪

I accidentally skipped over the menu, so...

This is Hilda/Balthus B.

Stand back, Hilda! I've got this!

What, this? It's noth— Argh!

Ouch. You didn't have to do that, you know. I didn't ask you to get yourself beaten up.

If I thought I might have to break a sweat, I'd have gotten out of there myself.

I know, I know. But I can't help but worry when I see you in a tight spot.

Holst told me to keep an eye on you and all. It's the least I can do.

Huh. I didn't realize you were still in touch with my brother.

Nah, this was ages ago. Told me if anything happened to him, it was up to me to look after you.

What could possibly happen to Holst? He's indestructible.

True. But what would he think if I let you get hurt when I could've saved you? Not on my watch, pal.

Ha, good point. He'd kill you.

It's a real concern. I may be the Renowned King of Grappling, but I still wouldn't want to take on Holst.

Haha! He'd tear you to pieces... But if you did get killed trying to protect me, Holst would be crushed.

Not as crushed as if something happened to me. But still, he'd be broken up about it.

Maybe so. But in that case, at least he wouldn't think I'd messed up.

As much as I believe in Holst, he also believes in me. Because of that, I won't ever let him down. And on that note...

Even if you think I'm in over my head, don't worry about it. I'd like for you to believe in me too.

I can't stop worrying about you on command. That's not how worrying works.

Heh, fair. But I do what I do because I want to. If it lands me beneath the dirt sooner than later, well, save your tears for my funeral.

I hate when people talk about death like it's no big deal. Try to keep your stupid heart beating, all right?

♪ A Guide for the Future ♪

Yuri/Balthus B.

♪ A Gentle Breeze ♪

Next thing I know, snow will be dumping out of the sky here in Abyss, hahaha!

Shut your trap! I'm driving myself crazy over here. Got a lot on my mind, OK?

Like?

Gah, fine. You know how I never got any stories out of you the other day?

How could I forget? I won every last round. It was clear that both Lady Luck and the goddess herself had given up on you. Your powers of deliberation weren't any help either.

You caught me off my stride, got it? But it was clear I'd never win a story from you, so I went digging.

Uh-huh.

I was especially curious about that Crest of yours, so I went rifling around for a lead and got to thinkin'.

You must have time on your hands if you're spending it thinking. Well? Let's hear it.

There's a story they tell where my mom grew up. Long ago, the village got in a squabble with some folks looking to conquer the place.

After she did that, some of them made a complete recovery, against all odds. The rest of them were changed, but not for the better. They up and vanished before long.

And then?

Crests suddenly manifested for the ones who survived. They weren't inherited, or gifted by the goddess. It's a real thinker, yeah? A reaaal thinker...

Near death but survived, despite all odds. Wait! The elder who my mom saved... Could he have used something similar? No, it can't be. Yet...something here is unsettling in its familiarity.

Hit the mark, did I?

I don't know whether you hit the mark or missed it entirely. But your story was a cute one, regardless. The truth is, I've been trying to sort out who I am. And, well... I haven't been successful in it. I don't even know whether my mother is truly my birth mother...or why it is I have this Crest.

At this point, I have nothing but speculations. Maybe I'll sink into my grave without ever knowing the truth.

Lots of things in life don't have an answer. Just pick the story you like best and run with it.

That's better than finding out a truth you can't live with. You can really mess your head up like that.

...

Dammit, you're right. To think that something so trivial could bother someone like me.

Look who's a quick learner! Thinking too much'll sap your energy, pal. I avoid it whenever possible.

In fact, it's been ages since I last thought so deeply. My head is really hurting now, heh.

But if that old legend is true...what was that holy red stuff? What happened to the vanished soldiers?! Once I start thinking about all that, I keep going round and round in my head... And then it's dawn... and then it's nightfall and then it's dawn again, and...

Ah— Hey! Balthus?!

Let me at 'em! Oh? Ah. Not a fight, then. Heh, that's what I get for overusing the old noggin.

You damn fool!

♪ A Guide for the Future ♪

♪ Dark Clouds Gather ♪

Now, let's head into Remire in media res.

This is unbelievable... There's no way to tell who's lost their mind from who's mad with fear...

If we don't act quickly, things are just going to keep getting worse!

It's horrifying.

I really don't want to get involved here...but we can't leave these people on their own, right?

How about we hit them hard enough to knock them out, but not hard enough to kill them?

That's too reckless! But... I'll admit, I can't think of a better option.

If some must die, just know it was by the will of the goddess...

Stop that, Marianne! We have to save all of them. There's no way this madness is by the will of the goddess!

Nobles are responsible for the safety of the commoners. By the honor of House Gloucester, I swear that I will save them all.

Claude. There are some strange-looking people here.

So you noticed too. Look. There's a suspicious group hiding amongst the villagers.

Could they be the culprits? If so...

They will not be forgiven.

There you have it. Our objective is clear. Take down that suspicious group and rescue the villagers.

♪ Tearing Through Heaven ♪

Ashe is turning out not half-bad, I think.

That works.

Oh, Raph...

Well, that's sort of like getting Spd.

That's about what I expect from Linhardt levels, sadly.

No, Adan. No.

Obligated to post this.

More power.

Good, good.

There you go, Claude, that's good!

This is just disrespectful. Not even giving Solon a chance to hit me back.

Fate turns against you...

Well, that just adds to the disrespect.

♪ Spiderweb ♪

I suppose pretending to be unaffected doesn't do anyone any good. That was terrible to behold. It's always hard to see innocents die.

It is.

Hey, all you can do is keep smiling. Keep marching. That's part of a leader's job. You can't give in to despair.

Not just for me or for you, but for all of us in the Golden Deer House. We have to keep smiling so the others can move forward too.

As long as we don't show that we're disheartened, they'll know they can make it too. That's what matters.

Sorry for getting ahead of myself, Teach. That's how I feel, but how you handle it is really up to you. By the way... I hear that guy who calls himself the Flame Emperor showed up in Remire Village. I couldn't believe it when Hilda told me the news. What could he be after?

World domination.

Ha! I know I just laughed, but that really isn't funny, Teach. World domination... Hm.

OK, actually... I wonder. They called this incident "an experiment." And they said they got what they came for. That means they might take this success and attempt something even bigger next time. I hate to even consider it, but if they can replicate the incident at Remire Village on an even larger scale...

If we're not careful, we'll have a full-scale war on our hands. Then world domination wouldn't be a joke anymore.

Wha—? Why?! Oh my!

In any case, I doubt she knows the full story. It seems more like she has something on her mind that she can't divulge.

You're pushing too hard.

Seems like it would be better to push Seteth for an explanation. Or, best of all, to go above his head and ask Rhea... Now that we know Tomas was an enemy, we can't be sure that exposing the church's secrets would be to our benefit.

Where are the answers I seek? Where are they...

♪ Life at Garreg Mach Monastery ♪

Petra/Claude C.

♪ Respite and Sunlight ♪

Claude?

Huh?!

Why are you taking a sleep on the ground, Claude?

It is safe to take sleep in the tree's top. Why would you choose the dangerous ground instead?

Your logic is sound, I'll give you that. But how is one supposed to get up there without losing the sleepies from the effort?

I do not know what is meant by the sleepies, but getting in the tree's top is easy. And you will be using all of your energy, so that good sleep will find you up in the tree.

I see. That makes a certain kind of sense. But it's not as relaxing as a good ground sleep.

Give it some trying. And do not think with too much hardness when you return to the ground. Feel it. If you stop for thinking, your arms will get heavy.

That is way more thought than I had hoped to give this nap of mine.

But I'm not one to give up before even trying. Here goes nothing!

I have not known a noble here who can climb trees. Is this a weakness of Fódlan nobles?

Nope, not a weakness... I just... How do I... ARGH!

I think that's enough for today. This might sound like an excuse, but we don't have a lot of tall trees where I grew up. This is all new to me.

You should take your sleep on the ground. I will take mine in the tree.

You won that round, tree.

♪ Life at Garreg Mach Monastery ♪

Petra/Cyril C.

♪ A Gentle Breeze ♪

Aw, just doing my job.

There is no need for showing humility. You work with hardness... I mean, you work hard. It makes me have curiosity. Can you tell me what plans you hold for the future?

The future? I don't know anything about the future, but I'm kinda busy, so can we talk later?

I have had the learning that you are from Almyra. Everyone has the saying that it may have...may be hard to move up in the church for you. But even with that, you always have passion and work with hardness! What fills you with determination?

I work because I work. It's what I do here. And, ya know, I really wanna make myself useful to Lady Rhea, so I can repay the big debt I owe her. Lady Rhea gave me a home when I didn't have one.

I understand the feeling of need for repaying debts. But does it give you difficulty, being a great distance from your home for so much time?

Almyra's just where I was born. It's not like I've got family there. If ya love your homeland and wanna go back, then that's nice, but...it's not a thing I wanna do. I like where I am. The best future I can think of... is if things stayed like this forever.

Yes. I have understanding. You and I...have similarities. But, at the similar time, we have differences.

Maybe. Hey, I still got a lot of work. Better get to it.

♪ Life at Garreg Mach Monastery ♪

Anyway! Let's try this out. Valkyrie doesn't have any innate Faire skills, but it does have 6 Mv plus Canto, as well as innate Black/Dark Magic Range +1.

They do a good thing every once in a while, I guess. I just hope none of those kids get locked away for stepping out of line.

Ladies used to line up around the block for a chance to dance with the Debonair King of Grappling.

I don't doubt you, Balthus, but... Was your manner perhaps a bit softer back then?

I think it would be best if I stayed put in Abyss, far from view of anyone.

I get that they're probably seeking a distraction, but it still feels pretty damn selfish if you ask me.

We must move ahead, despite the pain.

Ha, gotta keep things upbeat, I suppose. Sorry for grousing. It just got me down is all.

Things have quieted down, but nothing has been resolved. Better stay alert.

I chose Annette to be this run's dancer. She's just not turning out well statistically, so let's give her a role that's independent of stats.

After some food...

Ferdinand/Manuela C.

♪ A Gentle Breeze ♪

Cicadas? Those noisy little bugs that swarm about? Endlessly mingling with one another?

Oh! Good point. I will revise...

My princess is lovely, my princess is fair, She sings like a swallow in midsummer's air—

Migrating birds... Never sticking around for long. Always off to find love somewhere else...

No! Wh-what I meant was, ah, hm...

Oh, Ferdinand. You're just not yourself today.

You don't seem focused. Your poetry...lacks poetry. Perhaps a break is in order.

I would not dream of stopping now. This is my golden opportunity!

Pardon me?

We are finally alone. Just the two of us.

Why...yes. We are, aren't we?

You see, Manuela, I have long admired you.

Is that a fact?

I saw you perform countless times while you were with the opera company.

I see. So, what did you think?

The figure you cut, that heartbreaking voice... I was mesmerized.

That is why I am tongue-tied. I am nervous about speaking to you alone, after idolizing you for so long.

There's no need to be nervous, Ferdinand. That songstress you recall...is long gone.

I get nervous too, you know. But I want you to feel relaxed around me. Understood?

Yes! Uh, ahem... Yes, I promise to try.

You're really full of surprises, you know that?

I assumed you'd be more interested in combat than the arts.

Come and chat sometime? I'd love to hear more about how my performances mesmerized you.

♪ Life at Garreg Mach Monastery ♪

Aww, Ferdinand, that's adorable.

We've also got Adan/Manuela C.

♪ Respite and Sunlight ♪

You were sleeping.

Oh dear... Professor? Is that you? I... Just a moment.

What should I do? I can't open the door in this state...

Manuela, you simply must quit...oversleeping.

Hold on. Where are my clothes? I can't even find my— Where in blazes is my underwear?!

Oh, I— What is my dressing robe belt caught on?

I can't tie this properly! It's not even covering— Oh, Manuela... This will have to do...

Are you OK?

I-I'm fine. Just... Just hold on a moment.

Ugh...

I would hope, Professor, that you have the decorum to pretend you've heard nothing.

Anyway, I'll be just another moment. Patience, please.

So... What do you want?

That took a while.

Excuse me? You had a reason for coming here, I assume.

I've put a lot of time and effort into making it possible to talk with you, you know...

Sorry.

No, you've done nothing wrong. Let's just say I'm not having a good day. Actually, I didn't have a good night...

Never mind! What did you want, anyway?

About last night...

You heard from him? The fella from last night?! Huh. What did he have to say?

He said, "We will never go out together again."

Yeah... Figures. Kind of saw it coming, actually. That's why I came back to my room and went to bed. To get over it. Thank you...for checking in on me. Was that all you wanted? Well then, good night.

Sleep well.

♪ Life at Garreg Mach Monastery ♪

Yeowch.

Balthus/Hapi B.

♪ Respite and Sunlight ♪

Some poor sap just left it here for me to find. Heh, I'll be taking this, then.

Ah... Um, sorry about that. Look, I feel awful. Please don't twist up your face like you're suppressing a disappointed sigh.

How about I use this gold to buy you something nice? A sweet treat, perhaps? Yeah?

I don't eat contraband sweets. Are you trying to get me locked up again?

Give back the money or don't. It's none of my business. Either way, keep me out of it.

As you wish, milady. Straight to the fun fund it goes. Drinks don't buy themselves, unfortunately.

That might make for a fun night or two. But what about all the money you owe? If you're going to keep this, you should apply it to your debts before a bounty hunter gets ahold of you.

This gold wouldn't even make a dent. It's chump change. Better to drink it than waste it. In any case, when I'm dead, I'm dead. When that happens, none of this will matter anymore. I'm not going to worry about what I can't control. I've got better uses for this gold in the meantime.

I don't understand how you can be so reckless. It's as though you want to get killed. Meanwhile, if I lose control for even a moment, monsters will eat me for dinner.

Hearing you say that so casually feels like a bad omen. It's unsettling, that's for sure.

Sorry, is that too morbid for you? You just told me, "When I'm dead, I'm dead."

And it's true. For me. Not for you.

And why is that?

Because all of this mess I'm drowning in is my own fault. Every bit of it. You can't say the same.

I'm in trouble because I borrowed, drank, and fought too much. All my own choices. That means it's on me to take responsibility and accept the inevitable outcome.

So...since it's in my control to keep the sighs at bay, I don't get to relax ever?

Err, not quite. I'm sayin' that it isn't your fault, so you shouldn't have to bear that burden alone.

That's a nice sentiment. But people are hardly lining up to share this burden with me.

Talk is cheap. Everyone knows it's all over the instant I sigh.

Huh. I have a habit of not saying the right thing to her. Not much I can do abo—

Hey, it's more gold! Go ahead and join your buddies in my pocket, pal.

♪ Life at Garreg Mach Monastery ♪

Balthus. Fuck's sake, dude.

To no-one's surprise, we won the ball.

Anyway! We're at the end of the month now, let's do some paralogues.

First up, a new one! Ashe and Catherine's paralogue.

♪ Tactics ♪

A request?

It has to do with that plot to assassinate Lady Rhea. The bishop leading the Western Church was somehow involved. And speaking of the Western Church, there was also that incident in which one of the more extreme factions tried to occupy sacred land. Enough is enough, so now the Knights of Seiros have been tasked with putting the bishop down. I thought you and your students could come with us.

Why would you want us to help?

Because you wield the Sword of the Creator. Lady Rhea is going to personally execute the bishop. I have been appointed as her guard. I want your help protecting her. So, what do you say? Will you come?

Ashe! You were listening in? It's not up to you whether you can "come along."

Please, this is important to me.

Your adoptive father, Lord Lonato, had connections to the Western Church.

I understand that you want answers.

But our objective is to punish, not to investigate. We can't let you jeopardize the mission.

I won't get in the way. I promise!

Hm... What do you say, Professor? Keep in mind we would be bringing the whole class, not just Ashe.

We'll go.

Thank you so much.

OK. I guess it's fine. Get ready, then.

♪ As Swift as Wind ♪

Okay, well, a bit out of nowhere, but it makes sense that Ashe would want to come for this.

Oh yes, we're finally doing this. The Fetters of Dromi are going on Annette and will basically never come off. 9 Mv Dancer, with Canto.

Here's our group for this deployment.

You might be wondering, "Rea, where's the map?" And my answer to that is: The map is useless! We've got fog of war, baby!

♪ No music ♪

That's the extent of the prep I can do, really, so let's go!

♪ Dark Clouds Gather ♪

They're using the fog as cover to ambush us. What a cheap ploy.

It won't do any good to get annoyed, Catherine. That voice... We're up against a faction of bishops.

They've shown themselves, at least, so we won't have to go to the trouble of finding them.

All right. You got a death wish? Come at me! You really want to fight against Thunder Catherine?

♪ Tempest of Seasons ♪

My first move is to move Adan as far to the right as he can go, and using a torch, which reveals something deadly: a pegasus knight. In fact, pegasus knights will continue to spawn over there, until you kill that bishop!

This is fuckin' absurd, and I love it.

Now, there's still pegasus knights in the fog, staying around in the east area is dangerous. So, I have Annette dance for Lysithea to give her a turn to kill the bishop and get out...

And thanks to the power of the Fetters of Dromi, Annette herself can not only retreat to safety, but pre-position herself for refreshing someone doing combat on the south part of the map.

No more pegasus knights.

Ferdinand heads west and uses his own torch. There's a lot of magic users here, so the forest tiles aren't of much use.

I can do this!

Perfect.

Ashe, Balthus, and Cyril will handle the south.

There's no penalty if Catherine dies, so you're safe to use her as bait for enemies.

Excellent, exactly what I'd want from Ferdinand!

That, not so much.

lol 1 damage

I don't know how the AI thought that was a good trade.

For the difficult task of taking 3 damage and getting a counterkill, Yuri gets what would've been a perfect level, but for Dex.

Reasonable, I guess. Dex is a bit of a surprise.

hapi what

Phew, heck of an enemy phase! Let's exact our revenge.

And that stops priest reinforcements.

Yay, Ignatz! Keep that up!

Well, he did need Str. Badly.

Now that's good.

I got down to the dark bishop at the very southern part of the map, but sadly didn't reveal him before my turn ended.

Nice gambit, guy.

Hey, look, another pegasus knight. Thanks, Catherine.

Manuela gets an abysmal level from silencing a priest.

See ya!

Yep. That'll do, Balthus.

You are the apostates! The goddess is with me!

The voice acting for this line has serious "no you" energy. Sensitive, perhaps, Rhea?

Also, Ashe has battle dialogue with this boss.

Lonato's blood is on your hands...
Bishop: Were you Lord Lonato's page or something? Indeed, he was a devout believer. All we did was provide Lord Lonato salvation from his misery!

Salvation?! You used him and threw him away!

Adan continues to act as a mobile source of vision.

Ferdinand reveals the other dark bishop boss.

...Sure, I'll take that 1% crit.

Oof. These assassins are no joke, especially when they're in forest tiles. Even Catherine, noted very fast unit, can't double them!

Really regretting giving Cyril all that EXP now.

Magic doesn't care about forest tiles.

A risky gamble pays off, and locks the assassin in place.

I'll defeat you!

Works for me.

And now Lysithea has 7 Mv and 1-6 range. Ridiculous.

♪ No music ♪

It would've been better if we'd captured the bishop. But they didn't make it easy for us. What now, Lady Rhea?

We must go to the headquarters of the Western Church. Perhaps there is still someone there who knows what has transpired.

Let us help too. It may not be much, but we'll do whatever we can!

I am sure you will be a great help. I am glad to have you by my side.

Fuck yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. The Shoes of the Wind permanently increase one unit's Mv by 1, and in the base game (no DLC), they're the only permanent Mv booster you get. I always toss them on my dancer—in general, I just always toss Mv boosters on my dancers in every Fire Emblem game. The utility of dancers being able to always keep up with your fighting force cannot be overstated.

(Thanks to Melth, whose FE7 LP opened my eyes to the utility of boosting dancers' Mv.)

The Gaspard Knights kind of suck, especially for a B level battalion. +5 Phys Atk, -5 Avo, +5 Prt. The main draw of them is that they have Assault Troop for a gambit, which I'd argue that's the best offensive gambit that isn't tied to a lord's special battalion.

♪ A Gentle Breeze ♪

That's it for today. Head back to Garreg Mach. The church will have to choose a new bishop, and do whatever else is necessary to rebuild the Western Church.

Lady Rhea is grateful to all of you. She said she would send along a reward. You should feel very proud. Receiving a gift directly from Lady Rhea is exceedingly rare.

Still. That was a real mess, huh? For them to come out and charge us so boldly...

I'm glad we made it out.

As am I. We kept Lady Rhea safe, thanks to you. Hey, where did Ashe go? I haven't seen him for a while.

He couldn't still be back there, could he?

That may be it. I hope he's not getting in the way...

There you are, Ashe. We were just talking about...

...

Why the brooding expression?

♪ Calm Winds Over Gentle Waters ♪

This was given to me. It has to do with my family.

Is this about Lord Lonato?

I haven't finished reading it all yet. But I think it might offer some clues about something I need to know.

Professor. Catherine. Thank you for letting me come with you on this mission.

I'd better get ready to go.

It's a little painful to watch...

I do hope that those papers, whatever they are, will help him get over his past. I suppose it's time for us to start heading back to the monastery.

Oh, Ashe... We never get to learn if those papers give him any closure, sadly.

♪ Tempest of Seasons ♪

And then I started Felix's paralogue. We've seen this before, so let's speed this up.

Good, good, every bit of Str is good when Yuri's Spd is already this high.