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Part XI: The Fighter We Battled
"Safe passage is only granted to those who offer a Chosen One in sacrifice." We begin today, again, in the Expedition menu, where my crew uncovered the Exsphere Sea. Again, veterans of Symphonia should get these references, so all I'll say for now is that if you've played that game, you'll know what "Exspheres" are and the significance of a "Chosen One".
More relevant to this game is the fact that we finally have a full party. Eleanor is the sixth and last, as you...might have guessed from the fact she was wearing completely inappropriate Japanese shrine maiden clothes when we first saw her in Beardsley. In a nice touch, characters in reserve will have different lines for when you swap them into the starting party. Tales games *usually* have a maximum of a 6-person party, though there are a number of them that have more (sometimes significantly more, depending on how loosely you define the game's "party"), and very rarely less. Eternia is the only one I can think of where you could finish the game with only a four-person party. There were six playable characters but two of them were entirely optional and, even if you recruited them, could be dismissed from active duty.
Of course, we're switching in Eleanor because we haven't seen her in-battle as a playable character yet, have we? Although I haven't used Blast Switches much on-camera, it is important to keep in mind you technically have access to the whole party in every fight with that mechanic, as long as the user has at least 1 BG. She's also getting a new outfit.
Namely, Natalia's outfit, complete with her quiver, from Tales of the Abyss as her Legacy costume. To be exact, Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. Why yes, she is a royal, why do you ask? The Crown Princess, actually, but things didn't go exactly the way she anticipated in that game. Natalia and Eleanor are both kinda stuffed-shirt types, so I'm sure Eleanor will be happy honoring her legacy. She will also be receiving a sassy mini-hat.
So welcome to Brigid Ravine, a rather large dungeon we need to cross through. There's a lot happening here, mostly plot-wise, but we also have a Code Red Hunt to accomplish.
Oh, by the way, "Brigid" is a goddess of pre-Christian Ireland. The goddess of "wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, blacksmithing and domesticated animals". Seems pretty worthy of worship, if true.
So did you notice that green music note next to the Eleanor's main costume slot? That icon indicates that the costume that character has will change the normal battle music. There are some normal costumes (as in, the character's default one) that will change the music, but the cool thing is that you can disable the option if you want the normal music and want that particular costume at the same time. It's a good touch. If multiple characters have music-altering costumes equipped, the leftmost character in the party ledger will take precedence. In the case of the Natalia costume, the song changes to Abyss' Never Surrender, the generic battle theme for the third act of the game. I do hope this link doesn't die after this LP is over...
So Eleanor's Break Soul is an arte we saw when she was our enemy. Aerial Strike is the name, and if it hits a certain weight class of enemies, namely enemies you'd think are small enough to toss around, it'll launch them high into the air before planting squarely on the ground. As you'd expect, it pairs nicely with Eizen, since he can immediately jump to them with HIS Break Soul.
Of course, you can also use it more or less defensively, either smacking away an enemy in your face or giving you some breathing room against an aggressive enemy. It's otherwise not too special, but hey, it's there.
Oh, and speaking of this battle, in either this game or Zestiria, groups of spellcasting enemies are incredibly annoying (and that's when they don't wipe you in two seconds if you're playing the latter), and the Witches here are no exception. They are pretty cute, though. Pink bunnies riding on brooms. What's not to like?
This bunch is trouble...
Her swap-in attack is Break Roll, a flying somersault with her spear. Pretty cool. Another neat trick with Aerial Strike?
It can not only knock down enemies, but it can knock them up, back into the fight, ripe for comboing. These Scaled Birds, by the way? Pretty sure they're the first [Dragon] enemies in the game.
"Basically perfect, but...you know, playing it cool", according to Magilou. Sure... Eizen suggests she not invent new words, but I don't think she heard him.
Laphicet finds a curiosity across the second bridge in a skit. A Brightsteel rock, apparently. Rokurou explains the appeal, but maybe we could get some mileage out of a rare find like this. According to Eizen, finding this here means we're in Endgand or Islegand. Well, at least we know where we are. At least the characters do.
In a skit about Laphicet asking whether men are simple, we learn a surprising fact about Velvet: she likes at least one romantic story. Well, at least she's not ALL business.
Sure, the party comes with a plausible explanation for why Zaveid uses such an odd weapon, but I just prefer the explanation where he's a weird guy who likes to have fun with a weird weapon.
So in this fight against tree stumps, Eleanor opened it by saying "We will need to be extremely wary". Usually in Tales games, if you're way below part for a random enemy, the party members who says something to open the fight to make a special comment about it being strong or whatever. It makes me think I'm slightly underleveled for where I should be, but honestly, I don't think grinding is at all necessary in this game. Sure a few random battles to raise EXP aren't a bad idea, and just to make sure you don't get rusty, but most of a character's effectiveness will come through mastering equipment and getting those skill bonuses. It's more about fighting *well*, you see.
Eleanor's Spiral Hail is pretty cool, too. She's definitely no amateur.
Huh...is that...a guy standing there? Let's see what he's up to. The man in the ravine
...
...
Ghaaaahh! Are you guys with the Swordbreaker?!
The what?
G-Get away from me!
Yeah, really. There's really not much to say about this fight, as you'd expect. He's very annoying with a short kick he does that has a high chance of inflicting Slow. Which would be a lot more dangerous against a more powerful adversary but against this guy...he just has a bit too much health for this fight's own good. Velvet's Discord can open up this guy's weak point, as demonstrated in the Eleanor duel, but yeah... Let's just skip ahead.
Wha?! My sword...! *kneels* Please, mighty daemon, I beg you, I'll do anything! Just spare me!
I only wanted to ask you something.
You don't have to worry. This woman here is an exorcist.
Huh?! R-Right, I'm Eleanor, a praetor exorcist. Please, remain calm and hear our questions.
You do look like an exorcist, but...what are you doing with ruffians like these?
Hey, you started it.
Top-secret Abbey business, that's all I can say. Now, can you tell us where we are? And are there any ports nearby?
...You don't know? You're on Cadnix Island in Islegand. The port is at the other end of that ravine.
I'll send a sylphjay to the Van Eltia.
Thanks.
One more question. Who's this "Swordbreaker"?
Ah, he's a daemon. Causes lots of trouble around these aprts. He only attacks swordfighters, and he breaks their blades. He's even taken down a number of praetors.
Hence the name Swordbreaker.
He wields a fine sword clearly forged in a foreign land. I tried to find his lair to steal the weapon for myself...but that's when I was attacked.
A foreign sword...
Sounds like a real nasty fellow.
Well, he tries to pull anything on THIS daemon, and he's in for one munchie-crunchie surprise.
You folks are all crazy...
Says the guy who tried to steal from a daemon when you didn't even know where his hideout was. This guy...
Either way, I'd say this is a blessing in disguise for you. You're lucky to be alive. Take this chance to abandon your life of crime.
In a skit, Bienfu's reading habits illustrate why I called him a goblin when we first saw him.
Well Eleanor...this is the company you keep now. Raw deal if you ask me.
Nice bird. Here we go. Horus
Definitely the most annoying thing about Horus (Ancient Egyptian god of kingship and the sky) are its little friends joining it for the first bit of the battle. My advice would be to let your allies handle them while you keep Horus busy.
That said, that is easier said than done because bird enemies tend to be quite mobile in this game. Horus' most dangerous attack is this, Mantra, where it'll stop and start flapping its wings and throwing up an orb of damage. As you can guess, just stay the hell away from it when it does that, but the AI never got the memo and will happily run right into it.
So this, Binding Order, is Laphicet's Mystic Arte. You know why he hasn't used it until now? Because he didn't have it because the story hadn't progressed far enough. He actually got it right at the very end of the last update after Eleanor joined. It seemed much more effective in the OP, gonna be real.
Oh, and watch out when it starts flapping at a distance like this, because it's shooting off sharpened feathers or...something. that do a lot of damage.
Although Horus' HP pool might seem dangerous, having Laphicet and Magilou pelt it with magic while melee fighters exploit its Fire and Water weaknesses can melt it relatively quickly. Its Monster Book entry notes "Very weak to martial arte" which constitutes most attacks your melee fighters will be using. So once you can start focusing it down, you can clip its wings in short order as long as you don't sacrifice yourself upon the altar of Mantra.
So you know what the Clairvoyant's Ventite we got from Horus does? There's something added to the overworld HUD thanks to it. I'll just leave it to you to figure out what was added. This treasure chest ahead of her contains an adorable Chocolate Idol for Magilou. Finally, some decent firepower for her.
You would hope so.
That blue dot on the map indicates a warp point you can activate by just running over it. But otherwise, with Horus gone, it's all--Swordbreaker
Hm?
What's wrong?
Well...I can see how this guy snuck up on us.
An enemy.
That sword... Is that Stormquell? A daemon wielding a foreign-made sword... You must be the Swordbreaker.
Uh, what she said.
So Swordbreaker is a pretty fun boss, mostly because it's relatively easy to dodge his swings and he's a nice big punching bug, mostly. The dodges are a bit weird on him because you kinda have to dodge *into* his swing to count as sidestepping it. The timing isn't too bad but it might take some getting used to.
Eventually he'll add Lightning Thrust to his admittedly small repertoire. Careful about sidestepping this one. It's not impossible but you will take some pretty nasty damage if you're a bit late. If you're not confident, it comes out slowly enough and it's telegraphed with that Break Soul cutaway animation to give you plenty of time to get clear.
As I mentioned, numerous bosses have Soul Bursts if they feel you're getting too far up in their grill. He was nice about this usage, though. He knocked me and Eizen away far enough that the next thing he did, Slow Break, missed everyone. Yep, same big AOE Slowing attack Spider Queen had.
Other than that, as I mentioned, the fight's pretty fun if you're even somewhat good at quickstepping his attacks. After whittling him down...
He's still moving!
*steps up* I'll take this one. *draws blades* Come and get me!
*charges*
*charges*
*gets up*
*charges*
Look out! *fires magic energy at Swordbreaker*
*knocked away*
Don't interfere, brat! *begins charging at Laphicet*
What do you think you're doing!?
Touch him and I'll kill you.
...Sorry, I just got a little riled up. *looks back at where Swordbreaker was*
Do you know that daemon?
No, but I know his sword. A blade called Stormquell.
Stormquell?
Whatever, it doesn't have anything to do with us. Let's just get to the port already.
It is 10,000 years too soon for you to challenge me, Swordbreaker.
Oh hey, another Symphonia reference in the Exsphere Sea. The main character's adopted father, Dirk, was a dwarf. There was another character in the plot who was a dwarf, as well.
We'll uh...keep that in mind, I hope. Seems like when Rokurou gets riled up he can scarcely control himself.
That's the bridge that previous skit triggered on. For the record, Katz Boxes don't count on the treasure chest counter in the top left there, but you can't open all the chests in the Brigid Ravine on your first visit, because...
Of this. You can't cross over there until you get something capable of traversing long horizontal distances, like we've seen at a few places in the past. We can't be too far from the Space Jump.
Once you get close to the next dungeon's entrance, we get another little skit. In spite of the way Magilou tells it, making it sound like one of her goofy, made-up stories, judging by Rokurou's reaction, she seems completely on the money. The way she tell it goes a little bit like this.
A swordsmith in a foreign land created a very legendary sword that people came to call the God Blade. One of those people was Kurogane, who was amazed by the God Blade and wanted to craft an even finer blade that he would call the Stormquell. However, he was unsuccessful after many an attempt, and one way or another, he ended up dying. According to Rokurou's addendum, the God Blade has been passed down through the Rangetsu family, where it acquired the name "Stormhowl". I doubt that's the last we'll be hearing about either Kurogane or these famous swords.
So, as you might guess from going into a cave, time to splash around another tunnel. The Vester Tunnels, to be exact. Unless this is the first RPG that references a town in Slovenia or Denmark, think it's just another fantasy name. This is actually a pretty huge dungeon, but as you might anticipate from this screenshot, there's not a whole lot to the scenery. That's certainly not to say things don't happen here, just not around here particularly.
So in spite of zombies being very typical enemies in a JRPG and generally pretty harmless, these zombies, while not particularly dangerous on their own, can throw out Slowing Break that we've seen before. Enemies that love to spam this kind of move can be very annoying, so zombies are just generally a pain to fight and not worth it.
To alleviate this to some extent, if you do decide to hunt zombies, there's a Slow Ward in a chest in that cave over yonder. When you get to the exit of this first area, we have a skit.
Velvet getting jealous. That's a new one.
Well, at least she eventually realized how she sounded here.
Further along, we have this ward over a door, which, as you might guess, prevents us from opening it. Quite a pickle, but a skit when you examine a nearby unlit torch explains that these kinds of wards were used to guard the tombs of ancient kings. Fortunately for us, all that's required is finding one of these torches, lighting it, and we're on our ways. Let's just hope these tombs had better security on top of that...
Another advantage to fighting enemies is them dropping new equipment to master skills with. As you might be able to surmise, you actually gain very little EXP from normal fights. Boss fights and something we have yet to encounter will provide most EXP in this game.
Speaking of bosses, this little passageway connects to a back room where there's a chest with 1200 Gald in it, and circles around back to where that Code Red Daemon is. Don't worry, not too much long until we can resupply.
Said daemon is the Oroboros, the snake that eats its own tail.
At the start of the fight, you'll want to repeat your strategy from Horus, using the player-controlled character to draw the boss away from its minions. As far as fighting Oroboros, the only attack you really have to watch out for is its Break Soul, Burly Spin, where it crouches down, then spins in the direction it's facing to the other side of the field.
Luckily once I switched in Rokurou, I was able to get a pretty sweet combo in that ends with a crushing Power Combo with a Mystic Arte that did about 7k damage to secure the win. Piece of cake. The Scout's Ventite the Uroboros gives us "doubles the effect rate" for enemies / allies on their first strike. I *think* that's the chance of inflicting status effects? Something like that.
Phew. Three Code Red Daemons have pretty well drained my Life Bottle count, so glad to see this guy for once. Should also point out the Turtlez sell equipment, so, as always, getting new equipment is always worth the time, especially since I have 45k Gald kicking around.
Once you go past the Turtlez, deeper into the mines... His duel
Well, if you aren't the craziest daemon! Your body's harder than your own sword!
Who's this?
That's Lord Shigure--one of the only two legate exorcists in the entire Abbey!
A legate...same as Melchior.
That is true, according to that one book in the villa, but it also named Artorius as a legate. I guess that's just in reference to his abilities, not his actual rank within the organization. But there's definitely no doubt Shigure is very high up in the Abbey's ranks.
Eleanor! Fancy meetin' you here! What the hell happened to you? You get captured by a daemon? Or are you a turncoat?
Uh--I... I'm...
Eh, don't matter. I do my own thing. I got no standin' to tell you how to live. Still, today's my lucky day! Never thought I'd encounter the one and only Stormquell!
Shigure. I think someone over there wants your attention. He looks lonely.
Ahahah, you're right. I'm bein' a jerk. Just can't pass up the chance to tease my little brother.
Your brother?!
You haven't changed a bit, Shigure.
You go blind, dumbass? I'm bucketloads stronger now! You're the one who hasn't changed, I bet. You still hung up on tryin' to take me down?
The one you want to beat in a fight... That's him?!
*draws swords* I'm not who I was that day either... Brother.
Oh? Wait, you're a DAEMON? Haw, now it's gettin' good! *Shigure's malak jumps into him* But I wonder...has that really changed anything?
When my real Stormhowl breaks your sad reject again, you gonna piss yourself like last time?
*gets into fighting stance* I'll handle him. Laphicet, no matter what, I need you to stay out of it.
A-All right.
So Shigure is a pretty fun fight. He doesn't have many attacks, he's not too aggressive, and it's pretty easy to quickstep his attacks, but he is pretty powerful, so you definitely can't take this easy. Rokurou isn't the strongest party member so you will need Soul Cubes to keep Rokurou's Break Soul as a counterattacking option if he's chipping away at your HP. But, since the fight ends when he hits 50% HP, it doesn't last too long. Definitely a good duel, but I can feel it. He's just not taking this seriously.
You're feisty as a daemon! I like it!
*yells, charges at Shigure*
*points sword right in Rokurou's face* But alas, I think our fight's over.
Rokurou!
*begins charging*
*throws dagger at Eleanor, she blocks* I said stay out of this!
Wow, he finally drew that sword on his back. It's a bit less impressive than you'd expect from the size of the scabbard.
Oh? No backing down for you this time, eh? *malak pops out* But we're done for today.
*charges* Shigureee!
Oh, calm down, Rokurou. We could have a real fight sometime, if you actually brought a decent sword. Go ask that old bastard to make you one. I'll be waitin'.
Huh? Who?
That daemon in the armor, Kurogane.
The blacksmith! From the story!
I'll be waitin' for you at Port Cadnix. Unless you can beat me, you ain't gettin' off this island.
Who are you to decide that!?
You got a problem with it, lady? *fires out another air wave* Aaah-hah-hah-hah, best of luck, you daemons! You'll need it!
Lord Shigure, sir! I'm on a high-level mission...
Eleanor, babe, I get it. You've gone rogue. Have fun with that. I see you again, I'll kill ya. *saunters off*
*gasp*
Ehh, I wouldn't take it too personally, Eleanor. Given what Artorius said back at the throne, Shigure is really not one for proper protocol.
He wasn't even trying yet. You can tell.
But if we all fight him together...
That won't work. But there is another way.
What are you talking about? What way?
Follow me.
*both leave*
Rokurou...
After this I got the results screen, and only got two Grade from that performance. Only because that fight wasn't a real boss fight, honestly. I fought that pitch-perfectly. Another interesting note is that Eleanor mastered her Mana Lance from that fight, a fight she notably was not in. I'm guessing it's just because she's in the overall party right now, but it's still a bit unusual for a character who wasn't in the fight at all to receive benefits from it.
So although Rokurou putzed off and his whole thing with Shigure is of no interest to her, the party talks her into going after him, because we'll need all the help we can get against that guy, and that means Rokurou. And potentially Kurogane if his plan works out.
Also afterwards, you get a skit about that cat malak Shigure had with him. In addition to fun facts about Molgrim, the name of his malak, Eleanor reveals that Shigure can fight daemons without the help of a malak. Definitely not a man to take lightly.
Well...didn't see that coming. Shigure's got a pretty sweet deal.
Agreed, Eizen. Let's see what the dialogue for this one is...
I see... I'd like to meet this goddess someday.
Well, well, Laphicet, I didn't know you were into older girls.
Huh? Older girls?
Heh! There's no need to be ashamed. It's a phase most boys go through at one time or another.
A-All right?
Don't waste the effort, Eizen. He's not ready for this talk.
So when Kurogane told us to follow him, he was hauling some serious ass for all that armor. Despite this being directly connected to the rest of the Vester Tunnels, the overall map you can pull up considers this an entirely different area. It's not a big area, but there are some curiosities.
Lying already about why she started to attack Shigure. She's covering for Laphicet, for the record.
In addition to swapping them into the starting party, characters will have different lines for if you make them the on-field avatar. Here, I wanted to see if the rest of the party had animations for destroying boulders.
Dang, exploding boulders with a little chop like that. That is some arm strength. By the way, this boulder conceals a passageway to a small area that will eventually lead you to Succubus Horn Earrings in a chest. Magilou sure gets some interesting equipment.
So after that, go back to the area with the cross and the loop and proceed to the only other exit. That'll lead you to the deepest area of the depths and Kurogane's workshop. Keep in mind that it says there's a single treasure chest on the chest ticker. After this coming cutscene you'll get booted out of here, but y'know. Just remember it exists.
Some reference as to where Islegand is. The daemon blacksmith
That's what happens when the legendary blacksmith Kurogane toils so hard he forgets to die.
I gave up everything, thinking of nothing else but forging a sword that surpass Stormhowl. And before I knew it...
You had traded your humanity for daemonhood.
I see I'm not the only one. So great was your grudge against your brother...the inheritor of Stormhowl.
Well, guess we're not so different. You don't suppose you could hammer me up a new sword, do you?
I've forged countless blades over these long years...yet not one has proven a match for Stormhowl. And yet you still seek a Kurogane sword?
I'll put it like this: No matter how much you've failed across the centuries, you've never broken. I'm the same way. If anything can break Shigure and his God Blade, it's the bitterness I carry.
...Strangely enough, seeing you and your brother has given me an idea that might work. I will forge you a new blade.
Should we get some brightstone?
Nope. No need for that. *walks toward Kurogane*
Huh?
Should I "take it from the top"?
If you would. My arms are all I'll be needing.
Uhhh...
What are you doing?!
Don't be alarmed. I'm just cutting free some raw materials for the sword.
Well, uh...as long as he's okay with it, I guess it's fine.
You see something new every day.
You need his head to make the sword?!
That's right. With this fine clump of pure resentment, I shall forge your imitation Stormhowl anew!
No. I only keep this imitation as a reminder of how weak-willed I was in the past. To defeat Shigure, I've perfected the art of dual-wielding, a secret Rangetsu technique.
...All right. If that's what you prefer, a pair of short swords it is. *goes over to his forge*
*begins hammering*
Wh-Whoaaa...
We'll wait outside.
*everyone but Rokurou leaves*
So now that we have a little downtime, let's check in with our co-conspirators. Since it's just going around talking to them, these conversations will all be in the Conversations video, for the record. Eizen suggests that Velvet and everyone else interfere in Rokurou's duel when they get the chance, because we need to take out a top legate in the Abbey. Magilou talks about sacrifices, Eleanor gets a little heaping helping of reality when Velvet reveals what Artorius did to gain his powers, and Laphicet reveals he's a little jealous of the resolve daemons like Kurogane and Rokurou have.
Unfortunately, after talking to the fourth party member we get a skit where Bienfu, recently returned from the docks, says a group of exorcists were headed this way because of Eleanor. Unfortunate, but it's definitely better than having to fight them and Shigure at the same time. Let us go. Rokurou's still more interested in his new swords than helping us so it's just us 5. After getting to the star... Hesitation
Praetor Eleanor! You should be ashamed of yourself, cowering to daemons. The collusion could spell disaster to the Abbey if left unchecked. The only possible atonement is your death!
Not much for negotiations here. The only real thing to note here is that the sword one, the one who spoke in the cutscene, has Soul Burst. Other than she likes to run around quickly, but is basically harmless.
*gets up* You've betrayed the people and sullied Artorius' ideals!
No, that's not--
*looks at Eleanor*
(Velvet... She's testing me. I know I have to fight. My mission calls for it... But any more of this will kill them!)
Time for you to die and be purged!
Eleanor!
*stops Laphicet*
(I can't do it! I can't kill them!) *shoves exorcist away*
I'm not done yet!
There, now we're even, Eleanor.
Sinister! I like it.
I take it you're ready.
Yeah. All that's left is to kill Shigure.
With me as a witness.
I... I...
Keep on fighting like that, and you'll be killed. And if you get killed, Laphicet will lose his vessel.
I know that!
Velvet, wait.
*sheathes arm*
You're... You're not going to kill them?
I'm just not that hungry right now. I've got new orders for you. Fight the exorcists, but make sure they don't die.
*nods* Understood.
Well...at least that's more realistic than expecting Eleanor to slaughter her former (?) comrades.
Agreed. Can't be easy for her.
Poor kid. He's just surrounded by bad influences, so it's no wonder he'd be interested.
So even though all the plot business for Vester Tunnels has run out, there's still a bit of gameplay to go. First up, not forgetting about the chest, in Kurogane's forge. It contains a Worn Spear for Eleanor, which is a downgrade from her starting weapon but it has a good weapon skill on it, Slowing Capability +1.12x. Well, I assume it's good.
Please note, I said "gameplay", not "interesting gameplay". The last bit of Vester is not too worthy of note, but at least we have a couple points of interest.
Like Eizen punching a boulder to make it explode (Rokurou just shin kicks boulders). At least this is a bit more believable than Eleanor. This chest requires a whopping 100 Spirits to open and has a Water Normin Hat and Suit for Laphicet. You can tell the more memorable Katz Boxes because they cost noticeably more to open.
Anyway, a bit further after this, we have another skit about Stormhowl, particularly, why Rokurou's Stormhowl was called a "reject". The reason is because there were many Stormhowls that were made, initially, and Shigure ended up with the best one while the inferior copies were given out to other family members, including Rokurou.
And Magilou brings up a pretty sensitive subject, speaking of "copies". On another subject, our expedition came back and revealed the Asras Sea, but I never go on until I've fully charted a location, so back to the Exsphere Sea it is.
This is the last torch needed to get clear of the tunnels. A bit further along, another skit pops up about the Rangetsu style, and why Shigure and Rokurou fight so differently. The reason, according to one half of the equation, is everyone in the family learns to fight with both styles. The reason Rokurou uses two blades is because he was Shigure's sparring partner for a decade and it's just what the man knows best.
Seriously, this place is massive, and this is not even including the Tunnel Depths.
Uh...this place seems a lot more desolate than I expected. But the actual reason is Shigure chased everyone into their homes just so we could have fun. How considerate. There's a chest next to that merchant with a ribbon for Eleanor in it. But of course, the main event awaits... Battle at the docks
There they are.
Which must mean they took out every one of the exorcists who went after them.
Hey, I told 'em not to bother. Now, how did that sword of yours turn out?
...
*begins unsheathing sword* Fine. I'll find out for myself!
*pops into Shigure*
Rokurou, we can handle the exorcists. Go and find your victory.
...Thanks.
*looks at Eizen*
*nods*
All right, let's get down to business!
I totally didn't forget to equip the Kurogane Daggers as an actual weapon. It was to draw Shigure into a false sense of security. Totally. The reason I told everyone not to use their BG was because one of the things that consistently annoys me in this game is your buddies using Mystic Artes right at the start of a fight, which cuts any unique dialogue for that fight. Gotta make sure they don't kill the mood.
So if you were expecting to Shigure to take it as easy as last time, you're not in luck. He's much more aggressive and powerful than he was when it was just a 1-1 duel, not to mention the fact he's back up by two flunkies.
The hardest of his new attacks to dodge is Storm, because that tornado has a pretty wide area of effect. You will absolutely want to drag Shigure as far away from his buddies as soon as possible. His Break Soul is Cleave, which is a simple jump into the air before slamming down with his sword. Fairly easy to get out of the way of. Another of his new artes is Split, which can fire a ground-based projectile. Another one is
Yeah...that. Shigure is the first enemy who can use Mystic Artes against you (Artorius' scripted one notwithstanding). There's actually a trophy / achievement tied to seeing every Mystic Arte in the game, including all enemy Mystic Artes. Shigure's Mystic Arte here is definitely one of the easiest to miss. I'll say more about that at the end of this fight.
Once the exorcists have been defeated, the weak ones, that is, as long as you're good at dodging Shigure's attacks, you can slowly chip away at him with the usual and Laphicet / Magilou annoying him from a distance.
So this scripted use of Rangetsu Eagle at the end of the fight does NOT count toward seeing all the Mystic Artes in the game. So, if you beat Shigure quickly enough, or he just decides not to use it, you could definitely be forgiven for thinking you did see the required Mystic Arte in this fight. I'm pretty sure that happened to me...
You put up a good fight, I'll give you that. But you're a frickin' daemon. Shouldn't ya bring more to the table than "pretty damn good Rangetsu style"? You don't have what it takes to win against the rightful heir.
...Don't count me out just yet. *throws away his left-arm dagger* I've got something to show you!
*smacks Rokurou away*
Huh!?
Take this!
It's hard to see him do it if you're not looking super close, but what happened is that when Rokurou wound up to swing at Shigure with his right hand dagger, Shigure grabbed Rokurou's imitation Stormhowl out of its scabbard with his free left hand and blocked it with that. Pro move.
Haw haw! Now THAT was clever, giving up one of your own hands to go for my neck! If I was just a second slower, I'd be dead now! I like it! This is what I've been looking for! *tosses the fake back* All right, let's call it good here. Listen up! If you all want any hope of beating me, come find me once you're more skilled and better armed!
Grr... I'll cut you down... No matter how many times I lose, no matter how many years it takes...
...
There we go, that's the face I'm lookin' for. So vicious. It's perfect! *laughs, saunters off*
What is wrong with him?
Shouldn't you be worrying more about your own skin? The entire Abbey knows by now that you're a traitor. *scampers off*
That guy... He was really strong.
Yeah, he was. They all are.
But we will beat him if we must. No matter what it takes.
...
Let's get going.
...Please. Take me with you. I'll make a sword that surpasses Stormhowl yet. I know I will. But for another blade to beat Stormhowl... Its wielder must be a swordsman of unmatched skill.
... Hey, Eizen. Got any room on this pile of wood-scrap for a suit of armor?
If not, make someone wear it.
Hahah, works for me! You heard him, Kurogane.
Many thanks!
Okay, we're off to find Grimoirh and decipher the book! You know where we're going, right, kiddo?
Yeah! We're headed for the Yseult archipelago in Southgand!
That we are. But now that Shigure's imposing aura has dissipated, there's a bit to do around town.
In the first skit, we learn Eleanor truly is a fine young woman.
Even Velvet has a soft spot for her...depending on the circumstances.
That is a matter of opinion, no? The three Hunts we've accomplished between this update and last netted us a cool 6850 gald. No new ones on the radar, though. Speaking of gald, there's 1450 gald to steal from a chest in the warehouse, but that's about it as far notable treasures around here. More importantly...
In a skit at the inn, Rokurou says he swings a sword 10,000 times a day, but is considering bumping it up to 100,000 swings a day. Velvet is correct here, you know. 60 x 60 x 24 is only 86,400 swings. Some things not even Rokurou can do...or can he?
Lotta swordssmiths around these parts.
Oh hey, it's that guy from the start of this update. Luckily Eleanor set his life on the right track and he's planning on opening up a bandit-themed restaurant in Loegres. Maybe Eleanor can stop by sometime...
Well...it wasn't for lack of trying, that's for sure. But phew...that was a big update, wasn't it? Next time we finally hit the high seas again. It's been a while.