Part 51: The Nordopolica Coliseum

After sleeping, we can go back to Natz to find a familiar face.





Watch the cutscene!



Please come back later.



Hey, we keep bumping into each other. Must be fate.
...There is no such thing.
Maybe not. What brings you to a place like this?
I have come with tidings for the age-old master of this city.
Belius? Are you here on business with a guild or something...? ...Probably not, right?
It is nothing so vulgar as that...
Vulgar...? All right, so what kind of noble errand are you on?
I need not answer that.



...

Duke leaves.

Man, what's with that guy?


Still no idea what's up with him.





If we go out into the town proper, we can find some guys fighting.






B-both of you, s-stop this nonsense! M-making a scene like this out in f-front of everyone...
Man (right): Mind your own business!




You'd better put that away before you hurt yourself.





Man (left): Hey!
If I'm wrong for doing this, you'll have my apology later. But I think it's you two who are in the wrong, here.
Man (right): Damn it...



Both men leave.



Oh, th-thank you so m-much! You were w-with M-madam President K-Kaufman...
We're the guild, Brave Vesperia!
Come on, you're like a walking billboard!
Heh heh, let him have his fun.
You're Regaey of Ruins' Gate, right? You might want to work out a little before you go trying to stop any more fights.
Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Th-thanks...



Far be it for us to ignore a request from Ruins' Gate!
Well, it depends on what it is. What did you want to ask us?
P-perhaps we could discuss this s-somewhere else... Could you come to the coliseum? W-we could talk about it there.



Regaey runs off towards the coliseum.

Whatever he has to say, he doesn't want anyone else to overhear... Sounds pretty suspicious to me.
If Ruins' Gate recognizes us, it'll help improve our reputation as a guild...
Get too greedy with jobs and you'll end up neglecting all of them. Our job for the moment...
...is to look for Phaeroh and to escort Estelle.
Yeah, you're right... I'll try to be more careful.
But couldn't we at least hear what he has to say first, and then decide whether or not to accept?
Yeah, maybe you're right...
If he asks too much, we'll just say no. We don't have the time to be getting wrapped up in more craziness.




But before we do that, we can talk with some of the residents here to overhear something.





Man: You'd think people would know better, with that guild's reputation for loan-sharking. But I guess the tourists don't have any idea what they're getting into.
Woman: Isn't the guild in cahoots with the tipsters? Nordopolica regulars wouldn't fall for a scam like that...
Man: Where do they take the people who go missing?
Woman: Who can say? But no one ever comes back, that's for sure. I hope no one disappears tonight...


Sounds interesting enough to investigate, so let's rest at the inn...







???: but then you kidnap people who couldn't pay their debts and do away with them! You dirty piece of slime...this is what you deserve!



Whoa...




Who was that guy...? And what was that...?

Yuri learned the "Shining Eagle" Arcane Arte!

Yuri's apparently cool enough now that he can learn artes by just seeing them. Which is completely fine with me. I'll show it off once we get into a battle.


With that done, our next step is talking with Regaey, who's over in the coliseum registration area.




Skit: What Are We Here For?
A town with a coliseum sure attracts a lot of different kinds of people, doesn't it?
Yes, people are here for all sorts of reasons. Some come to fight, some come to watch.
Then there's people like us, too.
I wonder what other people think when they see us on the streets?
Well, I'd say they think we're here for the fights...
Maybe for you and Yuri, but I couldn't imagine Estelle as a gladiator if my life depended on it.
What about me?
Hmm...a lost child?
Hey!
Well then, what about ol'...
Nevermind. I know where this is goin'.





Watch the cutscene!



That can wait till you tell us what this is all about.



Take over...?! This city?!
Hm, the plot thickens.
Why are you so interested in stopping them, though? It's not your guild, so why not just let it be?
Y-you see, we have been commissioned by Palestralle to investigate the r-ruins at the coliseum.
Huh. Yeah, come to think of it, this city's supposed to be super old.



Entele...what?
Ah, oh yes. M-my apologies. ...D-do you not know of them? I have heard that th-they are the ancient race who built this town, and a-allow the guilds to b-be here.
An ancient race, huh?
Like the Kritya?
Okay, so then who's this guy who's tryin' ta rock the boat here?



Huh? What are you talking about?
H-he is a man who has entered the tournaments to t-take on Palestralle directly. His c-consecutive victories have brought him closer to B-Belius. This m-man is terribly dangerous. If he is not s-soon eliminated, I fear that B-Belius may be...
So as long as he's winnin', Palestralle couldn't get rid of 'im even if they wanted to.



Y-yes. P-please f-forgive my asking.
Jeez, why didn't you just say so? Are you sure this guy is really trying to take over the coliseum?
Of c-c-c-course, and he is being b-b-b-backed by L-Leviathan's Claw! L-L-L-Leviathan's Claw plans to use the c-coliseum for income to d-dominate the other guilds...!
That sounds like a plan someone like Cumore might come up with...
No way...
We already know Cumore and Leviathan's Claw are working together. Hmm, wonder what'll fall out of this tree if we shake it a little...
Whatever happens, we have to stop Leviathan's Claw! Relations between the empire and the guilds will only worsen if we don't.
What about Phaeroh? There's no telling when you'll be able to meet him if we get into this.
U-um, but...
Estelle, what is it that you really want to do?
What I really want to do...
I-I beg your pardon, is this a d-difficult decision for you all?
There isn't anything difficult about it.
What do you mean?
We're going to do it, aren't we? We've listened to the story now, at any rate.



So then, who'll be entering the tournament?
Well, we can't ask Estelle, Rita, or Raven to participate. After all, this is a job Brave Vesperia will be doing for Ruins' Gate.
Okay, so...
No hard feelings, but I'd rather not have to go up against Judy.
Hm? And I was just getting ready to enter. Oh well, I suppose I can sit this one out.
The boss here shouldn't have to trouble himself with this. So it's up to me then, right?
Um, r-right.
So...d-do you mean you'll take the j-job?
Sure. Beating the champion will be good for our guild's reputation. It's not a bad deal for us at all.
Yeah, you're right...
I see, w-well please proceed to the r-registration area wh-when you're ready.


Obligatory jRPG coliseum sequence!



To be honest though, this is probably one of my favorite sections in the game, and you'll probably see why.


Watch the coliseum sequence!







First off, let's go over the rules of the tournament. This is a single-elimination tournament! No second chances here! If a fighter makes it through three thrilling rounds, he or she will then challenge the champion! Fighters, if you best our champion in the ring, not only will you receive a fantastic prize... ...But you'll also take the position of champion! And now, on to the first fight!



You'll do great, Yuri!
Try not to hurt yourself!
*Sigh* I wanted to fight...
You're still going on about that?



In today's first fight, a new face in the coliseum! Hailing from the new guild, Brave Vesperia, please welcome Yuuuuri Loooweeeellll! His opponent, a former knight turned political activist--with a prison record, to boot--Gigantus Erungar!



One, a battle-hardened fighter. One, a fledgling youth. The outcome looks set! But is it?! Welcome to the crossroad between Heaven and Hell! Our first fight is ON! Fight!




The enemies here, though, are pretty easy fodder, and are not why I like the section.








Versus Brave Vesperia's Yuri Loooowell!! Don't let your guard down, young warrior, the battle has only just begun! Knock your opponent down to the gates of Hades! Second round... Fight!




Slightly harder, but not much. I get to show off Shining Eagle here though:






I like it, it's pretty great for getting blue Fatal Strikes. It's also an Arcane Arte, so you can chain it after, say, Shining Fang.







Versus Brave Vesperia's Yuri Loooowell!! Is it blind luck? Is it pure skill? Everything will be decided in this one battle! Which of these warriors will extinguish the flames of their opponent's burning soul... Fight!




Again, slightly harder than last fight, but not a lot.




If you skipped the video before, start watching now!



Looks like he's got the goods all right.



Allow me to introduce... The current and undefeated champion of the coliseum!



What...?!
Wh-what do you mean?






Huh, so you're the evil villain who's trying to take over the coliseum.



Heh, so we're being used.
It seems that way.
















Like you're having any trouble blocking me.






This is a gimmick fight, you can't actually beat Flynn. Every few hits you trade with him, you get into another short cutscene.



Despite that, it's a pretty fun fight.








Since when is becoming the champion of the Coliseum a duty? Especially for a captain of the Knights...
I'm not at liberty to say.
















And don't you think it's about time you returned Her Highness?
You'll have to take that up with the lady herself.
Her Highness tends not to listen to the things I tell her.
Yeah, well, Her Highness isn't particularly fond of taking my advice either.

















Aaand Zagi crashes the party. Let's see what he's doing here next time, though, as this update's getting kinda long.

One thing before I end though: For some reason, there's extra in-battle dialogue voice clips for the Flynn fight in the game files that don't actually play. You can listen to them here!

I never thought I'd be fighting you here.
Haha, who's fighting? Let's just have a little fun.
Oh, you think you're not gonna really have to fight?
Hahaha, with you? Oh I know I'm gonna have to fight.
So lose! Throw the fight. I'll give you the prize after.
You're trying to bargain with me? Here? Now who's playing?
Trust me, I can't play when I fight you either.
Alright, so let's get this fight on!
That's just what I was gonna say!