Part 31: Part XXIV: Hear the Ambition of a Witch

Part XXIV: Hear the Ambition of a Witch - A

Wilbell's events, obviously. The only challenge with her is getting her up to 80 friendship level, and then if you're in the post-game, you'll start her final events. No, instead we'll be taking a quick look at crafting ultimate equipment. Trust me, you're going to need it soon.



So, in addition to intermediate syntheses being important, intermediate equipment is important in making ultimate equipment. As you can see, I have a lot of armor there, and tons of possible traits I could have on the final product. Ayesha follows Rorona's rules, strangely enough, when it comes to attaching traits for the most part. An offensive trait, like Red Power (adds Fire, Ice, and Lightning damage to attacks, and absorbs 3% damage from each), can be attached to armor. I'll talk about Red Power as an example.

Red Power comes from the Aurora Stone from Steinfeder, but since it's an ore, you can't directly attach it to Reflection Dye, the highest tier of item that attaches traits to armor. Instead, what you want to do first is make Training Dye, which requires Polish Powder. Make a Polish Powder with Red Power on it, then make a Training Dye which has Red Power on it, then use the Training Dye to attach Red Power to a dummy piece of armor, then use that armor in the final Reflection Dye synthesis. It's pretty elementary, but very important.

As for traits to look out for, you'll want Skill Enhance Lv3, Moon Power, Red Power, Diamond Power, Spirit Power, and Soul Words, which not only increases all of the character's stats, but debuffs the enemy with every strike. If you have all of the above on a character, every attack they do is going to have a rainbow of notices and pop-ups every time you hit an enemy, and god forbid if you attack a group of targets, like with Linca's Valkyrie Dive. Good all-around equipment is a Soul Trap Chain with the best effects, and a Dragon Scale Icon. Those will increase all stats, add even more Fire, Ice, and Lightning damage, and even more absorption damage. Be advised you need to add Soul Words to an accessory. Can't go on weapons directly. One more note is that properties won't stack. God knows I'd have Red Power on everything I have were that the case.

However, even if you create awesome equipment, you may very well end up fighting enemy groups beyond your ability. I know that feeling. While I was able to blaze through the first bonus dungeon more or less okay (Marion and Nio was an odd choice, but hey, what works works), generic enemy groups kicked my ass in the second. Group with like six very powerful enemies, who all get two turns each, wasted me over and over again, even with ultimate equipment. Next time, we'll talk about the most powerful items and what to do with those. Now, let's get on to Wilbell's final events.



(...I feel like Bell's been acting weird lately.) Hey Bell, do you have a second? I wanted to ask you something...

Huh? What is it?

You haven't said anything about your training tasks recently...

Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess not.

I'm happy that we get to play together like this, but shouldn't you practice your magic?

Yeah. I guess...so.

If you don't do a little at a time every day, I think it'll get harder to catch up on it later.

Yeah, I know that, but... It's okay, I don't need to train anymore.

You don't need to train...? If you loaf around, won't your great-great-grandmother get mad?

It's fine. Cuz...I got...expelled...

E-Expelled...? Whaaat!? Bell, what did you do this time!?

D-Don't just assume I did something mischevious... So, the other day was the deadline for my next task. I had nooothing ready, and was in a bit of a bind, but I had a great idea.

A great idea...?

Yup. It was actually my great-great-grandmother's birthday, so I baked a cake and sent it to her. "Dear Great-great-grandmother, happy birthday! I have nothing for my task this time!" was what I wrote.

Oh no...

Then, she got reeeally mad at me. I thought she'd be at least a little happy... And I never thought I'd get expelled.

Oh no. Did you apologize to her?

Nope. I haven't talked to her since. I've never been scolded that much before...

(Bell looks really depressed... I guess it's only natural, with everything that happened... I've gotten gifts from her great-great-grandmother, so I've gotta do something!)

But, it's fine. I'm just gonna give up on becoming a witch. I know, maybe I'll switch to being an alchemist. After a witch, it seems like a fun job. If so, can I become your pupil?

I guess being an alchemist is kinda fun, but Bell is a witch! She's been training her whole life to become one. She shouldn't give up on her dreams.

No, you can't give up. That's not like you. I think there's a lot of other things you can do besides alchemy.

Egh... Ayesha, you seem to have an annoyed look on your face about me becoming your pupil...

Th-That's not it, but I think becoming a witch really is what you should do. You can't just give up like this!

I...know that. I don't...wanna quit magic, either. But Great-great-grandmother was really mad. I've never been scolded like that before...ever. Waaah! It's impossible for me!

Let's apologize and get her to forgive you. If you quit now, you'll regret it.



Bell, you really like magic to the point that you'll cry this much about it, right?

*sniff* *sniff* ...Yeah.

Then you can't give up now. You have to continue, no matter what.

*sniff* *sniff* But...

Maybe your great-great-grandmother is waiting for you to come back?

But even if I apologize, I don't think she'll forgive me...

Then you should work hard on something, and then go talk to her after you have some results to show her.

*sniff* Word hard on...what?

Th-That's something that the two of us are gonna have to think about...

*sniff* *sniff* ...You'll help me think?

Of course. Because, Bell, you're an important friend.

Really? Like, really, really?

Yup, really. I think you really are meant to be a witch. Let's do whatever we still can for now, and take it from there.

Okay... Yeah, you're right! When you say it like that, I'm really starting to believe you. Nothing's gonna happen if I just stand here. Alright, let's do this together!

(H-Huh? Bell recovered already?)



I don't have the slightest clue, but if we think together, I'm sure we'll come up with a good idea! So let's do this together! Yeeeeaaah!

(She looks totally fine now. I'm glad she got her energy back.)

Me and Bell took a short walk through town to talk about what she could do next. I don't understand a lot about magic, so I couldn't propose much. Everything I think of has more to do with alchemy than magic. Maybe they're really not so different after all... But, I'm sure Bell can do special incantations to perform her magic. She did have an idea when we got the main bridge leading into Vierzeberg, though.



To make Great-great-grandmother happy quickly, I need to do something big... Even if I can't do it alone, it'll be possible with two people! Hehe, let's work hard, and aim for something challenging!

Ehhh, let's not do something too challenging. We should do something we know we can do, and do it well...

No, no, we'll be fine! I think it'll turn out fine somehow.

Y-You think...? So what's this challenging thing?

Hmhm, I'm glad you asked. I actually have something in mind. Since ancient times, witches have had three ultimate goals. One is to catch the wind, one is to eat a shadow... And one is to shatter the stars. I think Great-great-grandmother is the only person who can do all three. Let's start with the one that sounds easiest, catching the wind.

Wind... Do you mean, like the ones that go whoosh, blowing all around?

Yup. We just need to catch the being that controls it.

Catch the wind... I know this gonna sound weird, but that's like grasping at smoke. The being that controls wind... Is that like a wind spirit?

I think so, but even among spirits, we need to catch a super big one. There's no point in catching one that's nearby... So we need to subjugate a noble, top-class spirit! Whattaya think? Doesn't that sound like something witchy?

It does, but do you think it'll be that easy? Besides, where are wind spirits anyways?



I've seen one before over there.

Oh, now that you mention it, that does sound like a good place to start. But, isn't that a super wide area to look?

Well, that can't be helped. C'mon, let's go!



W-Waaait! Bell, you sure are as energetic as ever today.

Hey, who is this child?

Oh, Bell is...

Heeey! What you just said is inexcusable! Don't call the great witch, Miss Wilbell, a "child"!

The great witch? That's you?

That's right. Who else would it be?

I guess your appearance looks somewhat like one, but...we are not going out to play. Go home.

Jeez! Fine, then I'll prove it to you! You just watch my great magic!

Whaaa... Bell, calm down. Mr. Keith doesn't mean any harm.

That's not the problem! It's about how I feel! Ugh! I'm gonna show you proof that I'm a great witch! Burn this into your mind. Tyah!

Ooh...

Bell started flying all over! She can float on her broom really easily, but I guess I've hardly ever seen her fly. Mr. Keith didn't seem very impressed, though.

*huff* *huff* *huff* So?

What do you mean, "So?" You just flew around in the sky. I can see that you're a witch, but not to the extent that you can put "great" in front of it...

Well, Bell is still in training, and-

Ayesha, don't say unnecessary things!

However, it's true that it is interesting. I want to know more about the principles of that broom.

Jeez! It's not the broom that's amazing, it's me!



Huh? Oh, that's, how can I explain it? You grip the broom tightly, and fly swiftly. You can't really fly well if you go, "Hiyaaah!" But if you go "Tryaaah", it works better.

I have no idea what you're saying... Explain it to me more concretely.

So more like tryaaah, and not hiyaaah! It's easy!

...Fine. I'll ask you about your magic along the way.

(Hmm, I wasn't sure for a moment if this would turn out okay, but it kinda seems like we'll be...okay...)



Welcome to the first of the post-game bosses, Tank. Despite the innocuous name, he's a right bastard. He's going to be getting a metric ton of turns, launching attacks constantly, and just generally being a pain in the ass. In spite of all that, though, he didn't give me *that* much trouble, but only because I'm using some pretty great equipment. But, you can see just how much trouble he gave me here. Versus Tank

Hmm, on second thought, I haven't gone out with Regina for a while. She and Bell were my first traveling partners, but I haven't brought them out together in a while. Me and Bell searched all over the skies near Hornheim for the spirit that controls the wind, and we found it near Salt Desert. I hope we can just talk with it. Wind Ruler



Yay, we found her! Look, look, that's the Wind Ruler.

Wow, she's really pretty... She's shining.

All right, let's tie her up! Ayesha, are you ready!?

Let's just tell her our situation and see if she'll cooperate. She doesn't look like a bad spirit.

What are you saying? There's only one way to deal with a spirit! You give them a hard punch, and make them listen to you! That's how it goes.

Ehh...are you sure it's okay to do something like that to a pretty spirit like her?

Don't let your guard down. They may look lilke that, but spirits are pretty vicious. Their values are completely different from ours. If you're not careful, they'll slice you with blades of wind...

Hrgh, I...wouldn't want to that to happen.

Hey, don't chicken out. We're finally here, so we've gotta go all-out!



So, you didn't hesitate to come this far, Wind Ruler!

Bell, if anything, we're the ones that came this far...

Hrgh... A-Anyways, we came here to capture you! Come quietly! Turn yourself in!

Are you saying you are going to capture me?

Yup. It saves time, the quicker you catch on. You can resist, but it'll be useless! I'm gonna catch you and prove that I'm a full-fledged witch!

How foolish. See if you can stand my blades...!

Whoaaa...h-here she comes!



Music: Close to the Edge

Last unique boss music in the game. There's nothing Wind Ruler does that's too mean, but she seems to get a lot of turns. Compared to Tank, though, she's absolutely pissant, little more than blades of grass before a lawnmower or something. One thing I should talk about is Regina's Smoke Bomb move that she uses early in the fight. If you remember Totori's skill compilation videos, one of Marc's moves was a smoke bomb, which instantly took you out of a fight, or if it was a fight you can't run away from, increased evasion rate. It does the same thing here. Since I can't run from the Wind Ruler, it just ups Regina's evasion rate.

Aside from that, I forgot I wanted to get Regina's killing blow super move, but I messed up and needed to just move people around and get the Wind Ruler to charge up Regina's. My bad, but it's not a long fight anyway.



Music: FJ: Lady End



Wind Ruler does give you a pretty great ingredient, the Spirit Magnet. It's one of those materials that has Usage Null on it, as well as the Spirit Power ingredient, which I've mentioned above.



Just give up already and become mine!

Hgh...! Getting carried away, not knowing that I was only playing with you...! It appears you need to be punished.

Wh-Whaaa!? She was only playing with us!? Oh no...Bell...

Huh, punished...? Bell, aren't we...in trouble now?

Don't worry. That just means she's feeling the pressure! ...Is what I would like to say, but this does seem a tad troublesome.

Huh!? Wh-Wh-Whaaat!?



Children of the wind, hear my voice! Slash and cut those who would bring me harm!

Ooh...! The spirit seems hard...

Ayesha! Watch out!



Kyaaah! Ugh...

Bell! Bell!!!



I'm fine. But you're- Why did you protect me...!?

I was the one who brought you here. Besides...I didn't want you to get hurt because I really like you...

That's...that's...! That's the same way I feel about you. I was here with you, but...what am I supposed to say to your great-great-grandmother?

Hmhm...guess...it's time. Sorry things turned out this way. I thought...it was gonna go well...

No! Don't apologize! That's not like you!

Haha... I apologize, too, sometimes. At least in the end, I wanna be honest...

Bell, Bell...Bell!

Human, your selfless actions... I am deeply impressed. Do not worry. The flow of life has not ceased.

...Huh?



She's...right. I guess me and Bell got really caught up in the moment, hehe... But...I know what she felt was genuine.

Huh? Now that you mention it, I'm not hurt anywhere!

...Huuuh!?

Hahaha... I thought I was done for when I got attacked. But I guess it was just my imagination. I'm totally fine.

Waaah! Bell, I'm so happy!

Oof. Hey Ayesha, don't cry!

Waaah, but, but...

Your actions concealed no falsehoods. It now hinges on you. However... I'll allow you to borrow my powers.

Huh? Are you serious!? You're giving me the powers of the wind?

I did not say I would give them to you. Only lend you them.

What!? Don't be so stingy. You might as well fork 'em over!

Hmm... Do you need more punishment?



...Well, it is true that you were able to inconvenience me. So you have earned the righ to use a portion of my powers.

Really!? Hoooraaay! I got the powers of the wind! Hehehe! Great-great-grandmother has to acknowledge me now!

(Goodness, Bell... You scared me. But I'm so glad you're safe...)

That was scary. Maybe that's the path of magic itself, and what Great-great-grandmother wanted to teach Bell, that's it's not enough to just want to pursue magic. You have to be determined to face danger and do incredible things... I think can think about that later. Right now we should go back to Vierzeberg to report to her!



Huh, already...? Well, that's... Hahaha, why don't we do it tomorrow? I'm not mentally prepared yet...

Nope. These things go much better when you do them immediately. I'll be by your side, okay?

...Okay, I'll report to her.



U-Umm, well...

Surely, you did not call me for no particular reason, right?

Well, that's, I mean...

(Bell, you can do it...!)

...I have something that I really want to tell you.

Something you want to tell me...?

Yes. I won't quit being a witch! I've always been a witch, and that'll stay the same forever!

Wilbell, you do realize that what you did was not permissible, correct?

Yes. Great-great-grandmother. My last task submission was frivolous. I'm sorry. I thought you would be happy, but... I'm sorry, I was wrong. And when you got mad at me, I thought really hard... About my tasks, about you, Great-great-grandmother, and...and about magic... I thought lots and lots about whether I had the qualifications to be a witch.

...And, did you get your answer?

No. I don't know. I didn't reach my answer.



I reflected back on myself, and thought a lot, and that was the answer I came to.

Being expelled isn't something that can be annulled, just because you're determined to become a witch.

Yes, I know. That's why I went out and tried my best. Well, it's not something I can physically show you...but I made an agreement with the Wind Ruler.

With the Wind Ruler...? Does that you mean you captured the wind?

I couldn't fully catch the wind...but she did promise me... That she'll let me borrow her power of the wind.

An agreement with a spirit is very hard and challenging to make. And for you to have achieved that...

Great-great-grandmother! What Bell is saying is true! I was there, too!

I thought I beat the Wind Ruler with Ayesha, but she wasn't using her full power... But the Wind Ruler did acknowledge us!

I see, Wilbell. I understand your point. It's not a story one can accept without proof of the contract, however...

*ba dump* *ba dump*

I'll trust Ayesha's story for now.

Huh? That means...



You must have worked hard, Wilbell. And... You have a good friend.

Great-great-grandmother...

Ayesha, as you can see, she's still an inexperienced girl, but... Thank you so much for all your help. And please... Keep watching over her with a warm heart from now on, as well.

Y-Yes, of course.

Don't forget your original intentions, and keep working hard on your training, Wilbell.

Yes, thank you, Great-great-grandmother...! Yaaay! I get to continue being a witch!

Congratulations, Bell...!



When I was your age, I made a contract with her, as well. Give my regards to the Wind Ruler when you see her again.

Yes, I will!

And one more thing...the cake I received was delicious. Thank you, Wilbell. The next time you come back, I'll bake cookies in return. So...come by. I want to see your face again.

...Yes. Me, too. Thank you, Great-great-grandmother...!

(At one point, I wasn't sure what was gonna happen, but I'm so happy for you, Bell...! After all, being a witch suits you best!)

Although there's still a long way to go for Bell, I know she'll be a great witch one day! Even without me, I'm sure she'd always want to pursue her ambition to learn great magic! Bell, I'll always be around to support you!