Bethany Plays: SS Chapter 10 Ephraim Battle: Loyalty Means Nothing

The first charge begins simply: Everyone files forward as far as they can, and the characters who present themselves to the enemy are the the people who need the EXP most. Tana's job this mission is to find as much EXP as she can, because she's not going to become her Eirika route self on her own.

When the enemy's first turn begins, Valter arrives on the scene and bemoans the fact Duessel and Selena aren't already killing each other. A wonderful thing for a general to have.

He's come to deliver an order to Selena. Doesn't he have actual work he should be doing, like stalking Eirika?

So yeah, notice how quickly Vigarde turned on Duessel when he expressed doubts? Selena's doubts were enough for the same treatment.

This part, though, is that really her fault? Did Selena take any longer to kill Duessel than a general who wouldn't care about asking for his side first?

Valter: "I hate the fact I have to clean your mess up after you. Here is the stooge who will be doing my work for me. I see no contradiction here."

I was kidding about stalking Eirika, by the way. Valter does do something significant in Eirika route's story next chapter, so this is presumably the game putting Valter in place to do it here on Ephraim route. It's almost comical, how the game justifies people travelling from one end of the continent to the other to participate in both stories.

Beran is not a significant military figure of any note, and regardless of whether we get around to killing him, he will disappear from the plot when we win.

Selena is still not entirely sure how this happened.

Ultimately, one interesting thing is that we didn't hear Vigarde tell Valter this. Can we believe he did? Yes. But it's also implied that this is also a lie on Valter's part, and the ambiguity is played for what it's worth.

Valter is also a sadistic bastard and he'll take any chance he can get to crow about how he can kill people whenever he pleases. Usually women, when he's not planning on other activities.

Selena, of course, doubts the message, but not so much because it's Valter delivering it but more because it's so counter to her worldviews.

This is the natural conclusion to draw from this situation: The ambiguity must be resolved.

And Valter knows that.

Anyone get the feeling Selena just failed a test of some kind?

Selena does indeed wander off, although how she did so considering we're kinda bottle-necking this peninsula as far as the map is concerned is another matter. For now, Valter is talking to the new boss.

And Valter trying to get Selena to abandon the mission Vigarde gave her worked.

And Valter mentions his goal is to keep the war going. A very Valter goal.

Valter will bump into Glen in Eirika route. And from the sounds of it, it won't be a pleasant encounter.

Valter's goals only seem to work if Beran fails here. I wonder which of the two is aware of this.

Tana can handle soldiers just fine.

...Her dodge game could use some work, though.

Oh, hey, some of the guys down there are coming our way.

...Wait a second I missed that guy up there-

That's what Tana was saving her dodge energy for.

Right. That needs to be healed immediately.

I refuse to believe this was my smartest plan. I guess it's probably debatable if Josh can do this.

Oh yeah, haven't introduced Beran yet, have I? He's not much of a slouch, having a similar statline to Selena and somehow much bulkier too. Those weapon choices make him an intimidating opponent, especially for Ephraim's Reginleif, but he is crippled by his utter terror at the thought of moving from his square.

Ross decides he's not going to try swinging at the sword user after all. Looking at Beran gave me better ideas, that's a new one.

Thanks for the boost, Ephraim.

Tana'll want to attack from this square so she can be shielded.

Strength, Speed, essential.

Thanks, Josh.

Cormag will be staying where he is, pondering what he should do. He'll make up his mind in a few turns and begin advancing, but he will announce this ahead of time. This is just to remind the player that he's there, and he will be thinking about this complicated issue.

There's Joshua in his element. Although that guy is still alive.

All this "getting hit" business is really irritating.

I do kinda wish Ross could oneshot, but the Ross is powerful enough.

...Oh hey, this guy has a Lancereaver. Good thing Tana's not headed his way. Although Ross would have loved to take out this guy.

Yoink.

Colm gets the weakened guy. I need people dead more than I need to feed, sad as it is.

Besides, Colm is getting good levels. Ish.

Dangit, Josh.

Now Tana can't get the kill...

Garcia leapfrogs Ross to the action.

Once again, Tana is hit.

And the cavaliers have seen their own action, too. Those pirates are advancing on them.

If I want that Secret Book on that boat, I'm going to have to take a risk.

And on top of that, Cormag is now mobilised.

...Persuasion's starting to sound a mite less doable.

...Come on, Tana, please-

...Never mind.

She's doing just fine. To an extent. I think Eirika route's Tana was better point for point.

Into the pile!

Ephraim needs to move at speed to reach Duessel, and more Javelins it is.

Colm's got the village covered.

Not only does this place have earthquakes, but it has frequent foggy oceans, too? Man, Grado has it rough.

He's going to give us a useful tool in Fog of War.

Torch Staff. Some staff user is going to love it.

Fortunately, even if everyone who could use staves was already dead, we're going to get a new one next mission anyway.

Don't worry, this will be used for excellent purposes.

Ephraim's steady competence as a unit helps to sell the idea that this man can walk up to a castle with two cavaliers as backup and seize it on his own. Grado needs better guards.

And the stakes only get higher.

I don't think Ephraim has moved. The different background is disconcerting.

So much for that guy.

And Cormag is on the move. One more turn and I'll need to deal with him one way or another.

On his turn, the soldier goes to the village and heals.

And these guys poke at people too.

Natasha takes a turn healing. I need Artur doing stuff.

Right, important note, this one is Cormag. Any square he can reach is a no go.

We'll start by recruiting Duessel. We're going to need his help.

I love that they have their rapport.

Ephraim wonders what's going on, but manages to convince himself that he should focus on the fight first. Unusual for Ephraim to not focus on the fight first as his first instinct.

...Duessel, there will be no Knightly Shenanigans under my watch!

Never mind. Duessel lets the knight's business loose.

Ephraim orders him to snap out of it. I don't believe there's any indicator, but it would not be out of character if Ephraim actually gave him the slap to match.

Ephraim's main argument is about the need to act.

These are things that must be done for the people of Grado, and it is more important that they be done than Duessel's honour in whether or not he deserves to do them.

Duessel is slow to turn his axe on everything he believed in.

But Ephraim knows where Duessel belongs.

Doing the right thing.

Now was that so hard, old man?

Ephraim is the only character that can turn Duessel blue mid-mission, but he will join your team regardless. Honestly, most characters in this game join you even if you didn't talk to them.

Right, shenanigans time.

Duessel really focusing on making sure that those pirates don't feast on his soldiers. The cavalry can't come soon enough.

Even Artur has to take hits. Although that's more undesirable because Artur doesn't crave their EXP.

Ross being a boss. Look at those stats. I would not be questioned for promoting him now. He's still got a few more levels in him, though.

Joshua and his two identical brothers explain to this guy why he shouldn't have bothered.

And Ephraim didn't want to miss out on all the critty fun.

Boat took a shot at Ross.

These two guys share a Vulnerary. They should be fine, but I need to get to that village.

...That might be an issue.

Garcia takes the horse off Duessel's hands. He might be needed to swing his axe, though, so he puts him down, too.

Duessel is one of two characters who can recruit Cormag, the other being Tana. Both options have their ups and downs, but Duessel turned out to be the more convenient option here.

As the younger brother of Duessel's most trusted colleague, of course Duessel and Cormag are on speaking terms.

...Well, were.

Oh great, why did we send the suicidal old goat against the guy who still hasn't chosen his path?

Then again, maybe getting challenged on this is just what Cormag needs.

He's certainly in no rush to kill his old friend.

Cormag isn't even questioning guilt or innocence here- he's gone for something more fundamental. If Duessel was a traitor, is it the correct call to kill him? This is surprisingly forward thinking for his time: traitors were usually high up on the list of "victims of the death penalty". It also helps that Duessel's form of betrayal is less "revealing national secrets" and more "politely engaging in grassroots political action the nation doesn't like."

Cormag has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about how Glen is better than him, but that's less "I hate my perfect older brother" and more "I still have a long way to go before I deserve the same respect as him".

Cormag considers Duessel's bearing. He may have left Grado's employ with great difficulty, but he still believes strongly in his fundamentals.

Duessel is a man of integrity, and that shines brightly no matter which side he is on.

Cormag knows that while the letter of the law says to follow Vigarde, the heart of Grado shines most brightly in Duessel.

Cormag will take our side, although he doesn't frame it as such. He's not joining "Ephraim's cause" until he hears what that is.

Sorry about the background shifting: I had a weird crash occur on me, and while the nature of the RNG seed let me continue up to this point from an earlier save state, I clearly messed up on getting the camera in the proper alignment.

It was a short ending to the conversation anyway. Although I expect Duessel won't be doing much demanding forgiveness from Cormag...

Tana: Wait. Please stop fighting. I’m sure we can reach an agreement if we just talk.
Cormag: You are…?
Tana: My name is Tana. You’re from Grado, aren’t you? Why are you fighting against General Duessel?
Cormag: That’s none of your–
Tana: Do you hate him?
Cormag: …Do I hate him? This isn’t some petty schoolyard squabble, girl. I’m a soldier of the empire, and I have my orders. I’ve been sent to punish a traitor, and that’s what I aim to do.
Tana: Are you telling me that General Duessel’s a traitor? Don’t you know him? Do you think that’s really true?
Cormag: What I think isn’t at question. Faith does not dictate my actions. I have my orders.
Tana: Ephraim trusts your General Duessel. He’s given him the benefit of the doubt. Have you chosen not to believe the reasons for his actions?
Cormag: Get out of my way! I’ll waste no more time with this duel of words!
Tana: Wait! Please… Protect General Duessel. It would be tragic if he died before his motives became clear.
Cormag: … Move, please. If you won’t get out of the way, I’ll have to move you by force.
Tana: Very well. If you must. But in exchange, I’m asking you to believe General Duessel.
Cormag: …… …You’re an odd bird. To think I’d lose a fight not to a man’s sword but to a woman’s words…
Tana: What?
Cormag: You win. I will protect General Duessel. But I plan on sorting this whole mess out with the general himself.
Tana: Do you mean that?
Cormag: I don’t know if this is the right thing to do or not. But I think this is what my brother would have done.

Tana is such a pollyanna, she does a good job defrosting Cormag and Marisa in their respective Supports with one another. This conversation also gives me Caeda vibes- Tana, as a pegasus knight princess with long flowing blue hair and a crush on the Lord, certainly bears quite the resemblance- but Caeda has a level of active manipulation that Tana doesn't really have the heart to match. Tana prefers to let the situation speak for itself.

Cormag is strong but slow and somewhat shaky on hit, but when it comes to this boat, only Cormag's advantages over Tana matter. Lots of people speak highly of Cormag, but I always wind up with one less effective than Tana in the end. No matter, there are worse things to be than an inferior Tana.

Incidentally, Cormag will be joining Ephraim's party as one of the essential members.

Wyverns are Knights with wings, and while they usually do have the inferior defences, the first couple you meet will usually take a bit of doing to whack with a physical weapon. You also don't want them flying around unchecked, while you can at least block a Knight.

Tana is going to respond to those cavaliers, and she is going to have a lot of fun in the process. It'd help if she could dodge things today.

Colm is still up here visiting houses for loose lore. Apparently Myrrh's caretaker came through Grado. I wonder how he missed finding her while Ephraim managed it on the run.

More like father/daughter, or possibly mother/son.

Natasha's such a curious case. It's not really safe down here, but it's not safe up there, either, and both sides could use the extra wand.

It'd also help if Jsohua could take out this guy in a single round.

Vulneraries it is.

Why is the lance user challenging the pirates to a duel?

Joshua has perfected the skill of spinning like a top superfluously, but he did not kill the merc.

Ephraim's doing just fine, though.

...Against the guys who took a swing at him.

Tana's working on her cavaliers, too.

...When they're not being bailed out by Physic.

Please get out of there, I need to visit that village for treasure.

That helps.

Garcia takes out the pirate because I figured someone had to do it who wasn't a lance user.

Ephraim is free to go check out the actual battle.

Ephraim looks at the shop he's standing on and nods at all the usual goodies.

Hm, those are not great numbers. I think Tana's bit off more than she can chew.

Ross heads up to help.

Joshua's... mostly good here.

Besides, now we have Cormag.

You know who really needs to die here? The Physic bot.

Oh yeah, Colm is still over here.

Aw, Selena's giving the little girls ambitions. Now might not be the best time, but you know, baby steps.

You're telling me.

Not sure where Duessel's going, but technically, it's our job to not endanger him.

Which, you know, we're at least doing better than how we treat the fliers.

Ross thanks you for coming over here instead.

These guys are the real problem. Don't know how they hit twice, but I've gotta do something about that now instead of getting Tana to continue reaping EXP.

Must you continue to gather in this doorway?

Garcia and Duessel force them to move.

An Iron Axe was just fine here, the Halberd was for show.

Tana heals up here and hopes the movement will scatter and/or blunt the incoming force.

Cormag is in desperate need of Speed and Luck. 5 Luck? What happened to this poor guy?

This archer I casually put Cormag three squares away from? He doesn't move, which is good, because that's a Killer Bow he's holding. Look at that damage.

Let's have Artur fight someone he can kill.

Leave the archer to a melee unit.

This is the textbook Myrmidon level. More Skill and Speed is nice, but they're usually not in any real need of either.

Armoury sells its own assorted usuals.

...What's going on here?

Joshua's taking a beating. Thank whatever happened to give him such a gigantic health bar.

Let's all point and laugh at the poor sap with the Luna tome.

Ow. Should've given her a Javelin.

...How are you getting hit by a cavalier?

Oh, right, there's some down here. Horseslayer! ...Now if only Tana could get her hands on it.

Ross got the other two Javelin cavs!

Shame about all the damage Tana is taking to capitalise.

Ross is angry.

And Colm is safe!

Duessel enters the village, and we find a character cameo we can actually recognise. Marisa has turned up in Grado for Ephraim route, but she's not joining yet.

She's talking about something she's picked up, but because of her terse, dialogue-light delivery, it takes a bit for the visitor to catch on.

Even when she explicitly says it, she only uses 10 words and doesn't actually name it.

It's difficult to talk to Marisa without understanding that's just who she is.

Free Hero Crest. We haven't got one yet, and it's just as well we found this one- I have lots of people in this army that would like to use a Hero Crest to promote. One other benefit of promoting Ross to Pirate is that he uses the Ocean Seal rather than coveting the Hero Crest too.

I'll take that, if you please.

Natasha heals up Joshua, for the sake of this being more normal for her.

I wouldn't mind that level on the main Natasha if it wasn't for the lack of Magic.

And the last two guys get eliminated. Artur is also standing in a somewhat unusual place here...

Imagine your lowest Hit/Dmg/Crt number being your hit.

Tana please.

...Very funny.

Tana will survive if it kills me.

Ross, too.

Artur chose to attack that Luna Druid in range of Beran, encouraging him to switch to his Longbow. This will be important in a bit.

It does kinda scare Artur, but he can handle it.

Phew. Made it.

No more of these guys!

And that's why I wanted Beran using a Longbow. ...Ephraim's kinda not doing his end of the bargain, though.

Come off it, Joshua...

Last turn, too, so I have to manage this...

Right. Artur weaken it is.

Artur needs Luck, but this level isn't as great as it appears.

Ephraim finishes.

You too? So much for valuable EXP out of Beran.

Killing Beran finishes the map on the spot, so we sit down to say hello to Duessel.

Implying Ephraim is no longer stubborn. Or young.

...You know, since Duessel taught Ephraim everything he knows, does that mean Duessel can do all the insane "charge into a fortress and seize it single-handedly!" idiocy, or does Ephraim have an extra level of chutzpah Duessel doesn't?

"...They were Selena's troops, boy."

This feels like one of those things we need to hear this time.

It takes Duessel his time and much of his fortitude to get this far. Perhaps "more than one" Grado General to our side is a bit ambitious.

We still don't really know how that happened.

There was a very good effort to suppress the nature of this event, which is good for keeping the secret from getting out and bad for soldier morale.

Duessel does have at least a ballpark guess of what to look for, which explains what Myrrh is doing here.

An object of which I am assured has absolutely no evil uses whatsoever.

No one challenged him on this. At least come up with a better name, like the "Doom Gem" or the "End of the World Bauble."

(I am informed that the Crest Stones used by monsters in 3H shared a name with this plot item, or at least were originally planned to.)

...

Well, the Dark Stone just got promoted from "should probably destroy that at some point" to "shatter it to a thousand pieces and scatter the ashes all over the ocean floor."

It makes one wonder.

Myrrh joins the conversation with something relevant.

...Ish. So a sudden surge of dark magic comes from the capital coinciding with the development of a Dark Stone. Sounds like a match to me.

Well, at least now we have a general picture of what the problem with Vigarde is. No closer to a solution, although "smashing the thing" sounds plenty tempting.

...Prince Lyon?

And this strikes no one as concerning for Lyon's sake? It changed Vigarde overnight- although I suppose no one really cares too much about that happening at all...

Ephraim has a bit of a tunnel vision here- of course Lyon will help! Never mind the fact he developed the gem that's causing the problem and is in no hurry to dispose of it.

And Duessel decides to formally lend his axe to the cause.

Even if it means turning on his countrymen.

Unfortunately for him, he already is a traitor to his countrymen. They'll just try and kill him anyway.

And with that, we've got someone who'll be able to step in once all of Grado goes up in smoke because all the people in power seem to be in on something.

Since we saved Duessel's soldiers, he has a goodbye for them prepared.

I mean, if they felt that way, they had ample opportunity to stab you in the back by now.

The people who bear Duessel's standard also bear his morals.

Unfortunately for them, they do not have faces, and have no place in our army.

Duessel gets tears of joy at the loyalty on display here. Glad to know at least some of Grado's soldiers have had the opportunity to jump ship. Shame we cannot extend the opportunity to all.

At least I don't feel too bad about these guys not getting to join us- they're the ones who volunteered. Is Ephraim's army really so big that these guys don't fit? We didn't exactly get a ton of off-screen faceless soldiers from Frelia- we have some, but there's a reason we're supplementing our forces with Duessel.

These guys will be joining the main effort on the Frelia border. I wish that they survive to see Grado again after the fact.

Knight Crest acquired. I don't actually think this army is using a Knight Crest. I guess this was the equivalent of Innes's White Gem?

Eirika set out to ride on a boat, but it turns out Ephraim's going to be the only one who manages.

...Huh. Neat we mention that, at least. I'd totally buy Ephraim just blustering his way through the whole campaign in one sitting.

And with the mention of a boat scene, time for us to have a visit from Lady L'Arachel!

As a reminder, Ephraim has not yet met L'Arachel.

At least, for now, the only weird thing L'Arachel has done is intrude on this conversation without an introduction.

...We're sailing with the Frelian army. The local's fears have no water, pun intended, for us.

Remember this from Eirika route? Turns out there's one on the other side of the continent. At least, I assume it is a different one.

L'Arachel apparently found her own method of getting into the water, which means she's putting her money where her mouth is and actually going to kill some monsters.

Rennac wishes he thought of ditching her sooner than this.

Now Ephraim has been thoroughly introduced to L'Arachel's complete and utter divorce from that pesky little thing known as "reality", L'Arachel wanders off to go do her own thing.