['Gavhie (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Venna (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. Her stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
48 minutes passed. 16 in the mission.
The scouting had definitely been progressing better than our previous attempt.
I believed Sigyn had a hand in this as well.
Using the Tactical Post, they probably were able to anticipate every danger in the mission and warn the scouts in time.
What could the vanguard party be tasked to do?
Whenever Sigyn would show the strategies for the stationary group, they would always implement defensive tactics.
The enemy personnel were positioned sporadically without any proper formation.
But they would generally surround the stationary group from three sides, the front and the flanks.
This was when Sigyn played the Monsters' faction and was showing me the enemy's strategies.
However, when I used the enemy's strategy against Sigyn when they were acting as the Heroes, they would never try to penetrate the enemy formations.
They would simply force their pawns to endure the onslaught.
Perhaps the vanguard party was tasked to guard something in the twentieth floor?
A defend mission where the party was constantly assaulted by endless enemies.
But if that was the case…
['Gavhie (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Venna (★★)' is on the brink of death. Her life is in danger!]
['Reanne (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. Her stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Dolom (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Haul (★★)' has fallen into the state of fear. All stats decreased by 30%!]
One hour passed. 20 minutes gone in the mission.
Just like with Party 21 at this exact time, something suddenly happened to the vanguard which heavily damaged the party.
What could had happened?
The vanguard managed to withstand the enemies fairly well so far.
But something happened that was simply too much to be anticipated by the scouts.
Something changed with the enemies, perhaps?
They became stronger so suddenly? Or maybe a new type of enemy emerged?
Perhaps something happened to the environment? Toxic gas spreading, an earthquake, or flooding.
[Field formation is complete!]
[Master, the rearguard can now be deployed.]
[Extend a helping hand to the heroes in distress!]
[Choose the rearguard.]
[Designated Parties - Party 16 (on the field), Party 17, Party 18, Party 19, Party 20]
[You have selected 'Party 17'.]
[Party Composition - 'Margen (★★)', 'Freda (★★)', 'Samiel (★★)', 'Ollav (★★)', 'Kano (★★)']
[Would you like to deploy them?]
[Yes (selected)/ No]
One rearguard party was finally deployed to the Quintal Trial.
Considering the previous rearguard party was also deployed after the one-hour mark, I assumed the rearguard deployment was controlled by time factor.
Would the vanguard needed to wait another 20 minutes until the rest of the rearguard were deployed?
What if only one other rearguard got deployed after another twenty minutes passed?
Would the vanguard manage to endure till the entire reinforcement was dispatched?
Time would tell.
Fortunately, Party 16 only lost one member and had one other incapacitated so far.
Party 21 already lost two people and got one member incapacitated at this point in the mission.
We should see better progress this time around. Hopefully.
['Venna (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Dolom (★★)' has fallen into the state of fear. All stats decreased by 30%!]
['Samiel (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Freda (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. Her stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
23 minutes passed in the mission.
The vanguard was left only with three members left.
The rearguard had started to take some wounds as well.
In our mock battles, the supposed-rearguard group was mobilized by Sigyn to traverse the terrain. Even when there was no tactical object to be claimed on the mock battle field.
Sigyn would often use triangle or arrow formations for this group, which was utilized for breaking through the enemy ranks.
I would guess the rearguard party was tasked to pursue something or reach somewhere in the mission.
How their objective tied into the Quintal Trial, I did not know.
But there should be some purpose as to why the rearguard was acting separately from the vanguard.
['Dolom (★★)' is no longer in a state of fear.]
['Haul (★★)' is no longer in a state of fear.]
27 minutes had passed in the mission.
The vanguard party still had three members left. The rearguard remained complete too.
During the previous attempt, the vanguard had already been wiped out at this point in the trial.
Party 16 did well to hold out this long.
But something else must had happened that calmed their two terrified members.
Perhaps the rearguard was successful in their objective and it aided the vanguard in some way, which in turn boosting the vanguard's morale?
Would this turn the tide for the scouts?
Could we expect a different outcome in this scouting attempt?
['Haul (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Dolom (★★)' has fallen into the state of panic. All stats decreased by 50%!]
['Reanne (★★)' has fallen into the state of fear. All stats decreased by 30%!]
30 minutes passed in the mission.
Once more, situation had turned for the worse with the vanguard.
Party 16 was left with only two members now.
Would they be able to hold on?
[Field formation is complete!]
[Master, the rearguard can now be deployed.]
[Extend a helping hand to the heroes in distress!]
[Choose the rearguard.]
[Designated Parties - Party 16 (on the field), Party 17 (on the field), Party 18, Party 19, Party 20]
More rearguard deployment.
It had only been ten minutes since the previous one was deployed. Apparently the vanguard did not need to wait that long.
Would the remaining three parties get deployed all at once? Or would it be only one of them?
[You have selected 'Party 18'.]
[Party Composition - 'Faddorl (★★)', 'Mirand (★★)', 'Leizz (★★)', 'Shalar (★★)', 'Pocks (★★)']
[Would you like to deploy them?]
[Yes (selected)/ No]
One party. Damn.
Even if the rest of the rearguard would get deployed in the same ten-minute interval, I doubted the vanguard could last that long.
['Dolom (★★)' is on the brink of death. His life is in danger!]
['Kano (★★)' is on the brink of death. His life is in danger!]
['Samiel (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Ollav (★★)' has fallen into the state of fear. All stats decreased by 30%!]
['Freda (★★)' has fallen into the state of fear. All stats decreased by 30%!]
33 minutes passed in the mission.
One of the two remaining members in the vanguard party had been incapacitated.
Party 17, the first deployed rearguard, also had one member incapacitated and another killed. Three active members left in their group.
Both parties would not last very long.
['Pocks (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. His stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Mirand (★★)' has been inflicted with bleeding. Her stamina will be reduced for a period of time.]
['Dolom (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Kano (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Ollav (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Margen (★★)' has fallen into the state of fear. All stats decreased by 30%!]
['Freda (★★)' has fallen into the state of panic. All stats decreased by 50%!]
['Reanne (★★)' has fallen into the state of panic. All stats decreased by 50%!]
35 minutes passed.
As expected, more casualty notifications.
One member left in the vanguard party and two in the first rearguard party. Party 18 had also started to take some injuries.
Unfortunately, the result had already been set at this point.
There was only one outcome to this scouting attempt.
['Reanne (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Party 16 has been annihilated.]
[The vanguard has been eliminated.]
[Mission Failed!]
[Massacre!]
['Margen (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Freda (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Party 17 has been annihilated.]
['Faddorl (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Mirand (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Leizz (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Shalar (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Pocks (★★)' has returned to the Goddesses' embrace! His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Party 18 has been annihilated.]
[You Lose!]
Another failed attempt.
We did manage to send three parties into the mission, instead of just two.
So Master and the Second Advanced Scouts somehow performed better this time.
But the mission still ended in failure.
Three parties lost.
15 heroes lost.
15 pawns lost.
The question now, what would Master do next?
Would they reform the scout squad and immediately retry the Quintal Trial?
Or would they be wise once more and let us recuperate and prepare again?
['Second Advanced Scouts' has been disbanded.]
[Master is proposing a mock battle to 'Serafina (★★★★)'.]
Very well, Sigyn.
You might only saw us as pawns.
But at least you were determined to bring us victories.
That was the kind of master we needed to save Dunia.
['Serafina (★★★★)' has accepted the mock battle!]