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"Wil... Wilhelm. Where have I— oh, i-it doesn't matter! I don't care if you came from a sow's stomach or of pile of gold bricks! You won't best me!" Despite his posturing, though, his voice has gotten notably higher and shriller, and the loss of his composure ( or whatever composure he has ) is evident as his elthunder blasts seem to be just landing at random. Cheat Sheet:

Dulcibella rides up and fires an arrow at Milich. The surprise of actually being hit startles him enough that his spell goes awry and misfires. Cheat Sheet:

Rhian aims a bolt at him, but Milich manages to lean out of the way somehow. In retaliation, he punishes her with a bolt of elthunder, knocking her out. "What was that? Dying like a moron? Oh, yes indeed, I'm so glad we've come to an agreement about you." Naomi also tries her luck, but he sees her attack coming too. His counterattack doesn't knock her out, but it leaves her severely injured. Cheat Sheet:

[ ENEMY PHASE ] "What's that, honey? You think you sound fierce when you scowl like that? The great, beautiful, ingenious Milich Oppenheimer isn't cowed by anyone!" Soldier 4 to E6 and attack Dulcibella. The soldier engages Dulcibella on horseback, his pike spearing through and dealing sizable damage. Turn 25 Milich recovers 3 HP. The focusing drug's effects wane further. Anthropomancy wanes completely. Dulcibella takes 4 damage from poison. Cheat Sheet:

As the party enters the throne room past the corpses of the scattered remaining soldiers, they find Milich waiting for them on the throne. One leg crossed over the other, chin resting against his hand, he would look bored if not for the savage light in his eyes. On the floor near the side of the room lies a pile of clothing that looks like it had previously belonged to one of the Calissian soldiers. "Hmph, what a sniveling brat. Tell me why I should spare a single moment of attention for your whiny blathering. Wah wah wah. Are all the guardsmen like you? So sad." "That's more like it. Why don't you stay right there, like the trash you are." Milich props his feet up on Argos' unconscious body, regarding the others with a smile. Cheat Sheet:

(...) (...) Cheat Sheet:

Dulcibella fires off two rounds at the tactician, effortlessly avoiding his magic in the process and riding ahead. Cheat Sheet:

Verden to H10, Heal Johanna. "Hah... you've all fought long and hard. One last push! Victory is in sight." Johanna to H8, Iron Axe Scholar. Rejuvenated by the Heal stave, Johanna rides the momentum forward, seamlessly swapping the hatchet in her hand for the heavier axe at her waist in a fluid motion. As she draws it forward, she follows through with its weight with a battle cry, spinning in a fierce circle that drives the keen edge of the weapon into the scholar's chest before he has a chance to react. The crunch of splintering bone and a wet, choking sound are the last that are heard from him before he topples backwards in a heap. Cheat Sheet:

Naomi to G9 Rhian to J10 Michi to L9, vuln Fallon Verden to K10, heal Fallon Argos to I9 Dulcibella to I10 Ceridwen to J9 Johanna to H9, equip Hatchet Kerr to L10 Kris to P12 [ ENEMY PHASE ] Scholar 6 to H7 and attack Johanna. Rushing forward, the scholar launches a wave of dark magic at Johanna, who's knocked off balance enough that her hatchet spins just a hair shy of its mark. Tactician 6 to I7 and attacks Argos. Joining his comrade at the steps, the tactician fires at Argos, leaving him suitably electrocuted. Spy 7 to I6 and attack Argos. Trying to follow up, the spy takes aim, but this time there's so many people clustered at the steps that his arrows flies wide. Soldier 4 uses Venom Vial. [ ALLY PHASE ] M10 Turn 24 Argos recovers 5 HP. The effects of the Focusing Drug wane slightly. Anthropomancy wanes further. Cheat Sheet:

BASE LEVEL 6

[ ENEMY PHASE ] Spy 7 to M6 and attacks Fallon. Taking aim, the spy plugs an arrow in Fallon, crippling him. [ ALLY PHASE ] P10. Turn 23 Fallon takes 5 damage from poison. (Fallon is downed by poison!) Verden recovers 2 HP. Argos recovers 1 HP. Cheat Sheet:

He briefly considers telling Kane that he doesn't have any place he's trying to go to, but it drifts out of his mind like trying to hold the breeze in his hand. It doesn't seem important, at the moment. In fact, little seems important at the moment, except a horrible truth that returned to him with ferocity, and is growing inside him like a disease. His expression contorts briefly with pain, and he hastens his step until he's reached a door that leads outdoors to the castle's west wall, near the stables and the barracks. The expanse of grass just beyond the walls just before the castle town comes into view seems endless... "You should inform Her Majesty," he says absently, looking out beyond the open doorway and into the sunlight. "I... I would... like to be alone."

He keeps moving without a destination in mind; his feet just keep taking him somewhere, down the hallway, somewhere away, his eyes fixed on an indeterminate point in the distance, still seeing King Tobias' body, seeing Queen Victoria, four tired-looking strangers, a glimpse of a malicious grin and red hair. Kane's hand on his pauldron goes unnoticed, his concerned voice a faraway echo. Everything, Kane. Everything — he wants to say, but it doesn't get out. In fact, nothing gets out. How does someone explain the magnitude of the forces pushing down on him, of which there are so many? "I... I... can't, Kane, I...'m... I need to— be alone." He weakly tries to shove Kane off and continue moving, as though if he stopped, he might lose himself altogether.

On one hand, she felt kind of bad for not saying anything the whole way back. Nicolos had looked so disheartened... not that she blamed him. But on the other hand, she hadn't known what to say, or even if he wanted anything to be said. Words were cheap, anyway. It was no surprise when he dismissed them the moment they arrived back in Candlelight, and it was no surprise when they were all suddenly called again the next morning. She decided to bring Iba to the gathering, partially because it was way less effort to just fly over the treetops to the meeting spot than having to slog through the underbrush, and partially because he needed the excursion after being cooped in the stables the whole previous day. After the Lancelot thing, he was back to his usual self, and she tied him loosely to a thick branch a little way away from the group. "..." Carefully, she listens to what Nicolos has to say. "Yeah, I was thinking that too," she ventures after a moment. "It's almost..." She trails off, though, and looks at all the others to hear what they might have to offer instead, conscious of the fact that she's not quite as knowledgeable about this whole thing as they are.

Even the intuition that had taken root in his gut did not fully prepare him for it. As he stepped into the room, gaze falling to the prone figure of the king lying in his bed, looking little different from the last time he had seen him, he feels a strange disorientation. The man may well be sleeping, were it not for the arrow shaft protruding at an angle from his throat. There was hardly even any blood. Ferdiad feels cold, as though the stuttering heartbeat is a distant sound, the shallow breath and dizziness belonging to another man — sensations he can simultaneously experience and observe. Through the hard edges where his mask rests against his face, he simply looks on King Tobias. Those assassins... this man... again. After some time, perhaps five minutes or just a couple, his legs move, turning him around and taking him back out the door he had come. It doesn't feel so much like walking as it does drifting, and he moves unsteadily past Kane — when had he gotten there...? — with a mutter of something unintelligible.

He knows these corridors like the back of his hand, though it has been a year since he's walked them. He knows all the places those voices could have gone, but in spite of that, he still can't hear any trace of them anywhere. How strange. His attention is diverted a moment later by the sound of a voice, though not the ones he is looking for. And hearing the note of panic, hearing the stammered despair, Ferdiad hastens his step in Albert's direction. He knows what he will find, though, even before he arrives. He knows. "What's happened?"

Is that... the sound of the Gulan troops scattering? Ferdiad looks on as the ones who had thought to flank them from the stairs see that they were ready to answer them, and instead lose their spine, turning tail and running. And then, a moment later, the familiar sound of the Cedans rallying with the rhythmic thunder of hoofbeats on polished stone, chasing after the fleeing Gulans with righteous cries that make Ferdiad's heart twist in his chest. He lowers his arm, letting the lance in his hand swing low, tip slanted towards the ground, his gaze following. "..." As Stella awakens and thanks all of them, the adrenaline begins to drain from him, leaving behind an aching hollow sensation. Here he was again, defending the Cedan crown, defending his homeland, just as he used to. And the fire that had filled him... "There is, er... something I wish to see. I'll return shortly," he murmurs absently to Lysander beside him as he dismounts, more as a note so someone would know where he had gone if Kane should ask. He doesn't wait for a response before heading into the chamber adjacent to the throne room, glancing left and right to make sure there were no remaining enemies, and then going down the stairs where the voices from earlier had come from.

A single bolt from Rhian decisively finishes what Naomi started. Cheat Sheet:

"Sweet, new digs. I'm on board." Juliett promotes to Pegasus Knight! Her preferred stats become SPD, RES. Weapon Proficiency is upgraded to Pierce (C), Lance (D). New Personal Skill: Flow State [ if used more than half her MOV before Canto, +10 Hit / Avoid until next turn ] New Class Skill: Anti-Magic [ when the Pegasus Rider is in combat with units with Levitation, they gain a +3 DMG and +3 RES bonus against them ] Her Promotion Bonuses are: +2 HP, +1 LCK, +2 RES, +3 SPD, +2 CON/AID, 5 MOV, and an additional 5% to SKL.

The rays of judgment from Naomi's tome thunder down on the swordsman, severely wounding him. Cheat Sheet:

Fallon takes the lead, trading blows with the armored soldier. The man makes a valiant attempt to fight for his life, but Fallon's magic proves too powerful. Ceridwen... M9, attack Scholar. With a single, decisive blow, she beheads the scholar who had previously manned Antoinette, exhaling softly. Verden to N10, Heal Ceridwen. Cheat Sheet:

Rhian to O9 Verden to P11, heal Ceridwen Johanna to P10 Ceridwen to N9 Argos to P9 Fallon to M10 Michi to P12 Kerr to P13 Dulci to P14 Kris to P24 Naomi to O10 [ ENEMY PHASE ] Scholar 5 to L9 and attack Ceridwen. Dashing forward, the scholar slings two blasts of arcane magic at Ceridwen, who manages to counterattack with her javelin, but takes heavy damage in the process. Myrmidon 6 to J9. Knight 3 to I9. Spy 7 to N6 and attack Ceridwen. Seeing his opportunity to snipe a poison-weakened enemy, the spy on the ledge above takes aim, his arrow piercing Ceridwen through. [ ALLY PHASE ] P15. Turn 22 Argos recovers 5 HP. Verden recovers 2 HP. Cheat Sheet:

"Ari!" She moves to dismount the moment she sees the amorphous black hand take the fae by the neck, but it's too late, and she watches with horror as he's plucked up into the air. What the hell is this guy's problem?? A mixture of fear and shock keeps her rooted in place — this 'Lancelot the Black' might be intimidating, and clearly powerful, but this was the kind of Knight that everyone so looked up to? She only finally slides out of the saddle when Ari is flung aside like junk, taking the moment to elbow past Galen and over to Nicolos as he sets the fae down. Concerned, she puts a hand on his shoulder to make sure he's okay, looking back up at Lancelot as he continues. It's like he thinks he's hot shit or something, just because he's powerful. Maybe he's used to being in charge, but if that's the case... she feels sorry for the ones who followed him before. His third edict catches her off guard, though. The first two make sense if he's trying to keep the civil war from causing too much collateral damage, but ordering both sides not to kill anyone on the other side? That came out of nowhere. She almost wants to say 'how are you going to make sure? Following us around the country and poofing in with dramatic magic every time someone's hand slips?', but has more self-preservation instead. It's not her place to say anything anyway, so she'll leave Nicolos to respond to that. Instead, she looks back at Arissell with a frown. "Hey, you okay?"

She was still tucking away the shimmering cloth, just about to turn and guide Iba back into the fray, when a sudden, intense atmospheric weight jars her to a stop. "—!" With a gasp, she leans over in the saddle a bit, sucking in a deep breath as best as she can. What the hell is—? And then it becomes clear a moment later, as a shadowed figure who hadn't been there a second ago suddenly appears between Nicolos and Rosanne, both of them wounded. Juliett's eyes widen. Who...? Could this be... Lancelot? The one they've all been looking for? Hearing the rumors and the stories, who else would have such an oppressive presence? Suddenly, it became all too clear why Nicolos wanted to find him and ask for his help; who would want to fight against someone like that? As some of the others begin to recover from the sudden surprise and she sees the blue-haired queen-to-be get to her feet, Juliett cautiously makes her way back over to the group. Iba is unnaturally quiet too, she realizes, when normally any inkling of a worthy and strong opponent would have him excited beyond control. She lands on the pale stone beside Galen, looking nervous and keeping quiet for now.

Dulcibella to P17. [ ENEMY PHASE ] "They— They destroyed Antoinette...! We're being attacked!" Scholar 5 to I9, use Venom Vial. Knight 3 uses Venom Vial. Myrm 6 to H10. [ ALLY PHASE ] P19. Turn 21 Argos recovers 5 HP. Cheat Sheet: