Suikoden II/Matilda's knights

Path to Matilda
The next morning Nanami will wake you up and tell you that there is a meeting in the great hall. When you're ready, enter the great hall. Shu will explain the situation and say that it would be a good idea to form an alliance with the Knightdom of Matilda, one of the powers of the city-state. Reply with the first option to agree. Nanami will join you. Choose your group and go. Apple will tell you that to reach Matilda you will need to cross the Forest Path, north of Greenhill. Then go to the place.

At the entrance to the forest path, Nanami will ask you something, answer her as you like. Then talk to the guards, they will let you pass. The forest path isn't very long, but still beware of random encounters with enemies. The DoReMi Elfs can cause massive damage to the entire party if they attack you in large numbers, so try to eliminate them quickly. Papa Hollys have a lot of HP. Of course, having with you characters who can perform Unite attacks will help. Go north. In the next screen you will meet a silent character named Badeaux. You can't recruit him right now, so ignore him. Instead, take the path to his right to find a Guard Ring. Continue and go north to reach the next screen. Follow the path and go north. On the third screen, look for a passage through the trees to the left to reach the chest. Inside you will find some Mega Medicines. At the next fork, head north first to reach a chest containing Dragon Armor. Go back and take the other path. At some point, Viki will teleport in front of you and ask you if she can go to your house for a little. Respond with the first or second option to recruit her. Viki is extremely useful, she will allow you to teleport to any place you've already been, so don't miss this opportunity!


 * Viki recruited

Viki will ask if she should follow you immediately or go to your castle, answer as you like. Continue and on the next screen you will meet Miklotov who will escort you directly to Rockaxe, home of the knights of Matilda.

Rockaxe
Lord Gorudo in waiting for you, so go straight to the great hall. But Gorudo will treat you very badly, saying that you are just a boy and he will show himself completely uninterested in the problems of the city-state. Answer him as you like. Eventually Gorudo will declare the meeting over and tell you to leave the next day. Camus will take you to your room. That night Leknaat will appear again and tell you about your destiny. The next morning you will see Miklotov enter Lord Gorudo's room: follow him. Miklotov will say that the Highland army has appeared at the border with Muse and is pursuing refugees from Muse trying to reach Rockaxe. Gorudo will finally decide to mobilize the army. Camus will ask you what you intend to do, choose to participate too.

Major Battle #5
You can do nothing in this battle. Gorudo will order his knights not to abandon their position and limit themselves to defending the border. You will see the refugees trying to reach Matilda, but they will inevitably be slaughtered by the Highland army, commanded by Luca Blight. Even if you try to rescue them with your troops, you are too far away and will arrive too late. When the refugees have all been killed the battle will end.

After the battle, Miklotov strongly objected to Lord Gorudo's behavior and decided to go to Muse alone. Camus will ask you to follow and protect him. Then exit the castle. You will be free to explore the city before leaving. Definitely, you'll want to stop by the shops to stock up on supplies and upgrade your gear. However, you will notice that the trading post is closed. If you want, you can also go out on the world map and engage in battles to earn more money. When you're ready, exit the city and head to Highway Village, southeast.

Highway Village
You are free to explore the village and talk to the inhabitants. There are also a trading post and an item shop. If you want to recruit two more characters, you will now have to undertake a side mission. You'll have to do it now, they won't be available later. Go to the inn. Here you will meet a boy named Futch, who will rush out. The innkeeper will then talk to Humphrey, a lonely fellow. Talk to him too, then go out to meet Futch again, who is talking to his friend Kent about dragons. He will show him a dragon scale and say he is a dragon knight. Go back to talking to Humphrey. Ask him what you want, in any case he will not answer you. The second time you'll have the option to ask him where he's going, do it and he'll tell you that he's headed to Harmonia. Ask him why and Humphrey will tell you that he is looking for dragons. The innkeeper will then arrive and tell you that Humphrey has already paid for you. Go to sleep.

The next morning, outside the inn, you will see Kent tell another boy that he has heard of a dragon on Mount Rakutei, north of the village and he will set off to reach the mountain. Go back to the inn and talk to Humphrey. Answer him with the second option. Futch will also come. The next morning, the villagers will talk to Humphrey and Futch about the missing boy. Tell them you know where he's gone. Humphery and Futch will then decide to save the boy. Tell them you will go with them. Humphrey and Futch will then join your party. Exit the village and head to Mount Rakutei, directly to the north.

Mt. Rakutei
Upon entering, you will find that the path is blocked by a magical barrier of mist. Thanks to the hero's Bright Shield rune, however, the barrier will disappear and you can proceed. The enemies in this area shouldn't cause you particular problems, they usually use simple physical attacks. However, beware of Spikers, who can cause decent damage, especially if they attack you in large numbers and HawkMen who can take a character away from battle. Go north and at the first fork go left to find a Fur Cape. Head back, taking the other path and at the next fork go right to find a Thunder Runner. Back up a few steps and go north. Go right at the fork, at the bottom you will find a Thunder Amulet. Go back to the fork and go left. Go north and at the next fork go left, to reach a chest with a Stone of Power. Go back and go right. On the next screen, go right at the first fork and keep going southeast all the time. At the bottom is a chest with Unicorn Plans #2. Return to the first fork in the screen, head north and then right to find a chest with 2.000 potch. Go back a few steps, go north and then left. You will find Dragon Plans #2. Now go straight right to find a Medicine rune. From here, go as far south as you can, ignoring the first path to the right and take the second one. At the bottom is a chest with a Skill Ring. Go back and take the right path you skipped earlier. At the only fork you come across, go northeast, the other path is a dead end. Follow the path until you reach a save point. Save if you like. A little further on you will finally find Kent, but you will be attacked by a boss.

Boss Fight – Harpy
HP:7400 This Harpy is a fearsome opponent. It has a high HP value and attacks twice per turn. Its physical attacks are not particularly strong: it will sometimes attack a single character with its claws and sometimes it will knock them through the air, causing unbalance status and moderate damage. Often though, the boss will summon tornadoes that cause massive damage to the whole party. More rarely, the Harpy will launch a blue wave that will hit the whole group, heavily damaging you. So constantly keep the party healed with the hero's Bright Shield rune. If the party doesn't need urgent healing, you can use the hero and Nanami’s Family Attack. To ensure that the battle is not too long, you should save all your most powerful magical attacks for this fight. However, keep in mind that fire doesn't work very well against this boss: lightning is better. Also use any items or spells available to enhance your physical attacks.

Once the boss is defeated, Kent will tell you that the dragon is just ahead. Answer him with the first option. Follow Kent and you will find a dragon egg. Futch however will say that he doesn't want it, because he has no intention of riding another dragon after Black, his previous dragon. Humphrey will then draw his sword, to destroy the egg. Respond with the first option, to stop him. Humphrey will explain the reason for his gesture and the egg will hatch, releasing a small white dragon. Futch will then agree to keep the dragon. After these events you will find yourself at the entrance of Mount Rakutei. Humphrey will ask if he can do anything for you. Ask him to fight with you.


 * Humphrey recruited
 * Futch recruited

Then return to the Highway Village to rest and say goodbye to Kent. Talk to her mother and she will give you a recipe. Then head to the Muse-Matilda border, southeast.

Muse
At the border you will meet Miklotov, who will ask you to go with you to Muse. Accept and he will join you. Then go to the guards. Answer them as you like, in any case they will let you pass. Proceed south towards Muse.

Before arriving in the city, however, you will witness a scene in which Luca Blight, flanked by Jowy, will sacrifice the souls of all the citizens of Muse to a horrible beast. Enter the city and you will find that it is deserted. Head to Jowston Hill. You will have to fight against a group of highland soldiers. You will later learn from a survivor that all of Muse's inhabitants have been eaten alive by a silver monster. Miklotov will then say to go back to Rockaxe. Exit the city, return to the Muse-Matilda border and from here return to Rockaxe.

Back to Rockaxe
At Rockaxe Castle, Camus will meet you, happy that you are safe. Then go and report to Lord Gorudo. Despite what you have seen and Miklotov's insistence, Gorudo will still refuse to mobilize the army and invade Muse, Miklotov will then mutiny, throwing away his knight badge. Gorudo will order Camus to arrest you and Miklotov, but he too will refuse, throwing away his badge. All other knights in the room will follow suit. You will then find yourself in the woods bordering Greenhill. Shu will meet you, to escort you to the castle. Camus will also arrive and tell you that half of the red knights and half of the blue knights have decided to join you. Then return to the castle.


 * Miklotov recruited
 * Camus recruited

The 3rd Company
At the castle, enter the great hall, where Shu will tell you that the Highland army is approaching. Then go to your room to rest, where you will meet Pilika. Meanwhile, Jowy and Luca Blight are talking about Army loyalty. Luca will say that he doesn't really appreciate Kiba and Klaus, who have always been more loyal to the king of Highland Agares than to him. Jowy instead informs him that he has found a new strategist, Leon Silverburg, of the former Scarlet Moon empire.

The next morning go to the great hall, where Shu will tell you that the Highland army has appeared in Radat. This is the third company, led by Kiba and his son Klaus. Viktor will say go to Radat and check. Then choose your party and go to Radat. Here you will find that the village is full of Highland soldiers. Choose to enter anyway. Klaus will call you, answer him with the second option. He will inform you that Jowy and Jillia Blight are getting married, then he will return to prepare for battle. Return to the castle and arrange your units by talking to Apple, if you want. Then enter the great hall. By talking to Shu, you can deploy your army and start the battle.

Major Battle #6
Don't worry too much in this battle, you can't win in any case. In fact, already at the beginning, Ridley will complain that the kobold troops have been positioned on the front line. After a few turns, Ridley will reiterate that he doesn't trust the men and withdraw his troops. You will thus find yourself clearly outnumbered. Shu will understand that you will have no way of winning and will order a retreat.

Shu will suggest you rest. Then go to your room. You will meet Eilie, who will try to console you, then you will go to sleep. You will then witness a scene in which, during the wedding between Jowy and Jillia, Jowy and Luca Blight will kill Agares, king of Highland, with a nasty ruse devised by your former friend. In the morning, you will be woken up by Richmond. Go to the great hall. Apple will explain the situation to you and Shu will show you his strategy to surround the enemy. He will then ask if you are ready. Answer with the second option to start the battle.

Major Battle #7
In this battle you can completely ignore Rowd's troops in the upper right, they won't move from their position. Initially, stand still to draw the enemy towards you. Klaus will suspect an ambush, but he and his father will still decide to come straight at you. After a few turns, your troops will appear, surrounding the enemy army and the real battle will begin. Don't worry too much about attacking Kiba's unit, which has very high defense; rather try to destroy all other units in his army. It will not be so easy, because you will be numerically inferior, try to make the most of the potential of each of your individual units, attacking the enemy units that are weaker to them. After a few turns, Ridley will also appear with his troops to help you. Evidently, he's had second thoughts. When you have wiped out most of Kiba's company or have surrounded his unit with your troops, Leon Silverburg will arrive and order Rowd to retreat. Rowd of course will immediately withdraw his troops. Left alone, Kiba will be forced to surrender and you will have won the battle.

Kiba and Klaus will be taken captive to the castle. You can choose whether to have their heads cut off or ask them to join you. The first time you ask him to join you, Kiba will refuse, if you keep insisting, refusing to execute him, eventually a messenger will arrive, reporting that King Agares has been murdered and that Luca Blight is the new king of Highland. Kiba will then agree to join you.


 * Kiba recruited
 * Klaus recruited