Part 9: Cuteness is justice! And justice is poweeer!...Or something.

-Steel Floor Blocking The Way-





Man, these sewers are HUGE. What do they keep down here?
Well, they're technically smaller than the sewers beneath Grancel, but they're still quite sizable.
As for what is kept down here...try confidential documents. Your practice mission today is to retrieve them.
Wait. 'Confidential' stuff? Seriously?
Haha! Well, it's more to get you 'in the mood' than anything else. Regardless. The documents are in the deepest section of the sewers. Recover them, and today's practice will be complete.
Well, you make it sound easy, buuuuuuut...
This is a training mission, so you've made sure it isn't gonna be that easy, right?
I shall leave that to your doubtlessly fertile imaginations.
I will warn you, however: the monsters in the channel are not to be underestimated. You may find it necessary to fully master Chain Crafts to defeat them.
Chain Crafts, right. Those are the, uh...
You mean the team-based attacks we got special training for, right?
Indeed. Fundamentally, it is a type of craft which allows several people to attack a target simultaneously. You've put a great deal of effort into learning them, so now you should put theory into practice.
Sounds like a plan!
Ah, also, since you'll be fighting once again, let me provide you with this.

Oh, hey, this...
That's one of those Monster Guide thingies, right?
Correct. It's a notebook for recording information about any foes you might come to face.
I would advise noting down any particulars about your enemies as you find them.
Well, keeping tabs on the enemy IS how you win fights, I guess.
Yeah! They say knowing your enemy is the first key to victory! Or is it, uh, know yourself first...?
Uh, either way! Thanks, Kurt. We really owe you.
Really, there's no need to thank me. I wish you two the best of luck. As one last note, if I may...Don't force yourself to go on if you are injured. I've prepared an orbment charging station here, just in case. Use it as you see fit.
Yep, that's our Kurt, all right. Always planning for everything.
Well, no excuses now! Time to blow the lid off the pot of expectations!
All right, let's get to it!



I'll say! These'll be perfect for a warm-up, though! Oh, yeah, this is our first real fight in a while, isn't it? Might be worth it to go over the basics of fighting again...Well, how about it, Estelle? Want to go over everything again, or skip straight to the, ah, 'practical stuff'?



Hmm...Maybe we ought to go over the basics again. Like you said, it's been a while since we've fought real monsters.
Estelle and Anelace are already well-used to fighting warriors of equal skill, but that tiny sewer slug looks kind of grumpy. Better take no chances.
Fair enough! From the top, then! C'mon, Estelle! Follow me!
Right!



-Strepitoso Fight-



The left edge of the battle screen shows the turn order. Bonuses are assigned randomly to certain turns, and whoever happens to land on them. Turn bonuses advance steadily, one turn at a time, but the actual order of battle is not fixed and will constantly shuffle around depending on combatants' SPD stats and the actions they take. It's crucial to jump on turn bonuses and take them from the enemy whenever possible.



DORITOS^TM GAMER TIP: Use Attack to attack the enemy.







Yeah, great work, Estelle! Oh, but, one thing. We oughtta put those things in the Monster Guide!
Oh, right. No problem, give me a sec...
*confident penciling*
Okay, got it all down!
The Monster Guide is kind of pointless for actual fighting. You can always see enemies' HP and elemental resistances, and quartz with the Information ability will tell you anything else important. It's mostly useful when you've already been through an area and you're trying to farm up a specific cooking ingredient, or color of sepith.



Euuuugh, these things are all sludgy and soft. My sword's a toothpick against them, and so is your staff.
This is a perfect chance to whip out some arts!
So just blow these monsters up with arts, right? Okay then, here we go!



Arts have unlimited range, but take time to cast. If you're casting and you get hit with an Impede effect or anything that prevents actions, the art is canceled.







Well, this is a pretty good chance to practice crafts, Estelle. Remember, crafts aren't just attacks--They have all kinds of effects, depending on what you do! And if you can get 100 CP, you can break out a super-strong S-Craft!
Okay, I see...Crafts are pretty important for giving yourself tactical options, huh?
Yep! And remember, using S-Breaks to get an S-Craft in quick is important in real combat! We'll go over S-Breaks in the actual fight, okay?
Okay! Let's do this, Anelace!
Arts are universal, but crafts are (mostly) unique to each character. Most of the SC party members won't learn any new crafts. They'll start with every craft they got in FC, and gain improved versions at certain levels.



Estelle's crafts:

Morale: STR increase for her and nearby allies.
Comet: Ranged attack against every enemy in a straight line.
Hard Break: Melee attack with Impede.
Hurricane: Attacks every enemy around her.
Taunt: Enrages enemies in a small area, making them focus on Estelle.



Anelace's crafts:

Eight-Leaf Blitz: Melee attack.
Swordwind Slash: Melee attack against enemies in a small area.
Fallen Leaves: Melee attack with AT-Delay, which knocks the target back in the turn order.
Petal Dance: Increases Anelace's STR, reduces her DEF.



Any character who has at least 100 CP can choose to blow it all on a super move. You can do it on their turn from the Craft menu, or hit the shiny red oh-shit button just above their vitals at any time. They'll jump into the next turn and use an S-Craft immediately.





That was...probably not necessary.



Yeah, looks like. Althoooough...Hey, Estelle. Think we can finally give it a shot?
Uh...'It'?
Oh, you mean a Chain Craft, right?
Heehee! Well, we did put a lot of sweat into learning these new chain attacks, y'know. I say we try 'em out in a real fight and get a feel for how they work in practice!
Works for me! C'mon!
Right! Just say when!



Chain Craft: a revolutionary new fighting technique in which several people attack at the same time.



Attacking all-out, if you will.



Every ally in the chain has to be within attack range of each other, as well as the target.



Chain Craft will delay everybody's next turn a bit, but can do S-Craft level damage as long as nobody misses. Generally it's the best use of any Critical or Strength Up bonuses that land on one of your turns.

And that's it for the fighting tutorial.

-Steel Floor Blocking The Way-



The actual dungeon starts with this lever. Flip it left for the left bridge, right for the right bridge. Left is the way out, so let's go right first.



Monsters are barely visible at a distance. They'll chase after you if they notice you. Let them turn their backs, and then jump them for free turns at the start of the fight.



The Balstar Channel has two things: frogs, and slugs. The frogs are resistant to weapons and can call in other frogs, who will sometimes call in other frogs, and it gets a little silly. The slugs are slugs.



There are stairs down into the water channel, but for some reason it's all full of water.



These levers will lower it enough to wade in.



Most empty chests will say this, in lieu of FC's unique lines. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN RUINED FOREVER.



Some of the fancier chests have nasty surprises.





Loot gets a little better on the left side of the channel.



If you're starting at 35 and actually want to grind here a bit, you may want to head left instead of right first, and look for this chest. Frogs and slugs are weak to fire, so it's useful to have two people with Fire Bolt.







In addition to Sit-Down and To-Go cooking, SC now has combat cooking. Surprise Cookies are a disposable weapon.


Estelle and Anelace's normal attacks are around STR 300 right now, so the cookie is pretty fierce. Party members' STR and enemies' DEF will continue to rise, of course, so it does have an expiration date.

The rest is just a little of this...



...few of those...



...them too, yeah...



...some of this...



...WHOLE lots of these...



...aaand a couple of this. And we're just about done.





Hang on a second...You were at the entrance! How'd you get here before us?
To tell you the truth...there are a few secret passages through the channel. While you worked your way down the 'main' path, I simply came here directly.
'By the way, you've both flunked out of the Bracer Guild for failing to notice a simple secret door. Go pack your bags and get out.'
Aww, man...
Now all the hard work we put into beating those monsters and stuff feels like a waste. Thanks, Kurt.
Aaanyway, busy work aside...Isn't this as deep as the sewers go? This is the end of the line, right?
Quite so. Your point?
So, uh, the 'confidential documents' are...um...
We've got the cookie recipe, what more could there be?



Wh-What's with the...?
Ohhhhh man. I knew it, I knew it...
I am afraid my role in this exercise is that of an armed foreign infiltrator, here to steal the documents. As we have the same goal, my only option is to remove you...by force.
Wait, WHAT?!
The documents were just an excuse to get us here...The REAL point of the test is to have an unexpected battle during a mission, isn't it?!
Indeed. Well spotted, Anelace.
That being said...Prepare yourselves!

-The Fate of the Fairies-





Don't use weapon attacks if Kurt has this up. It's just enough to push his DEF from 'tough but manageable' to 'lol that tickles.'





AT-Delay would be excellent against Kurt, but he is annoyingly good at knocking Anelace just out of Fallen Leaves range.



Seriously, don't even bother. You should still have something that can work, though...



eat my cookie Kurt

eat it



-Steel Floor Blocking The Way-



Well done. That was a clean victory.
*pant pant* We...We won?
Y-Yeah...My arms say otherwise, but we did...Just what you'd expect from the Artful Tactician. Two on one and we barely won...
All right. With the infiltrator neutralized, the documents have been recovered. This mission is complete.
Okay, so training for today is...
Is...over...rrrrright?
Oh, hardly. After a brief lunch at the inn, we'll be heading to the Saint-Croix Forest to the south. We will engage in a bit of 'bonus training' there. Think of it as a chance to make up for any mistakes you made here.
Oh, boy...
Kuuuuurt...come on, cut us some slack here!

-Under the Moonlight-





You did well, you two. You must be tired, I imagine.
Yeeeah, just a BIT...
I'll say...Feels like my legs are gonna fall off. That was the hardest thing we've done here!
Hm-hm. We still need to work on your endurance a bit, perhaps.
Well, be sure to get some rest this evening. We have quite a day tomorrow.
Yes, sir...
See you in a bit, Kurt.



It sounds like that's almost it for our training here at Le Locle, though. Sure feels like it.
Yeah. I mean, I'm happy to be almost done, but...it makes me feel a little sad at the same time, you know?
Earlier was amazing, too. Kurt really is strong, isn't he? He took us both on at once, and I got the feeling he could've kept going.
Well, yeah! He could probably throw us around like spears!
I mean, he got that 'Artful Tactician' title because he's the second-best bracer in all Liberl, y'know! The very best is your dad, of course.
Oh, I see.
Oh, yeah, speaking of. I think Schera mentioned this to you once, but there's seven ranks for senior bracers--G to A. I'm ranked F currently since I've only been senior for half a year...But Kurt's a B. Pretty much an A, even! He's getting promoted real soon.
Wow, rank A? That'd put him on the same level as Zane!
(Although...there's a certain someone out there who can not only take down Kurt, but steal his memory...Do I really have a chance against someone like that?)
Kurt stole an important artifact from Ouroboros in FC, but got caught after sending the thing to Cassius and had some of his memories erased.
Uh...Estelle? What's wrong? You look so...serious all of a sudden.
Oh!
S-Sorry, I was just spacing out for a second, I guess.
Spacing out, huh? Spacing out about Joshua, right?
W-Well...
You could say that, I guess.
I kinda figured as much...I, uh...haven't wanted to pry or anything, but Schera did tell me a little bit about what happened. You must be worried sick. I really do hope he's okay.
Yeah...
But, hey! I'm not too worried. Joshua's just a lost boy who ran away from home because of a misunderstanding.
I'll bring him back even if I have to tie a leash to his neck and walk him home!
THAT'S the spirit! (I'd pay good mira to see that, too...)
Estelle, keep that up and you WILL find Joshua! I give it my super-shiny senior bracer guarantee!
Haha! Thanks, Anelace.
But, ah...didn't we just finish talking about how you aren't really that old or senior yet?
Whaaat? Estelle, you meanieface! You're saying I'm like a kid, aren't you?
(Urk!) Er, no, nooooo! That's not what I meant at all!
Maaaan, and I'm like two years older than you, too...
Well, to be honest, I'd much rather be your friend than be your superior.
So we're friends forever, right?
Ah...yeah. You bet!
Ooooookay, then! Time to scoot off to bed and rest for tomorrow! You seem kinda bushed, Estelle. You want to skip tomorrow's morning practice?
No, that's okay. No matter how tired I get, a good night's sleep here always seems to charge me right back up. As long as you're up for it, I'm good.
Sweet! We'll do some more stuffing-beating tomorrow morning then, 'kay?
For now, though, good night!
Good night, Anelace!



Though, hang on, we DID get a lot of sepith during the training mission today.
Building a new set of quartz sounds like a good idea right about now. I should go bug Robert before going to bed.



Phyllis: From the look on your face, Kurt worked you raw, didn't he?
Yeah, I'm exhausted.
But, hey, it's part of our training, so I just gotta buckle down and do it!
Phyllis: That's the spirit! ♥ Well, then, you'd best get supplies ready for tomorrow. Who knows what else Kurt has planned? Better get ready now!
Yeah, good idea. I'll be back to look over stuff, then.
Phyllis: You should get everything you need ready now. You're probably going to be very busy come tomorrow!



You get a special quartz for beating Kurt.

Robert: Well, I'll be damned. That's some pretty high-grade quartz. You'll need to upgrade an orbment slot in order to set one of those. It requires a fair bit of sepith, but it'll also increase your orbment's EP charge capacity, so you should give it a try. If you select 'Slots' from 'Upgrade/Exchange,' you can upgrade your slots. You can't set a high-grade quartz without an upgraded slot. You'd damage the orbment if you tried!



Instead of opening quartz slots like in FC, SC starts you with the full seven slots and makes you upgrade them. The sepith cost varies depending on how far down the line a slot is, and whether its elements are restricted. Unfortunately I don't have enough fire sepith for more than one upgrade right now.



On top of an enhanced fire attack, Heaven's Eye lets you see monsters clearly at any distance, and provides more info about them in combat. I'll probably keep this one in play for the whole game.



The combination of Heaven's Eye and Luck is enough for one of the schmancy new Space arts.



Still getting ready for tomorrow?
Well, yeah, that too, but...What are YOU up to, Anelace?
I was just talking with Mr. Bear.
Mr...Bear?
Isn't he cuuuute?
That soft, plushy fur...Oooh, just touching it makes me tingly!
Ah...hahaha...Sooooo this is where you get your energy from, huh, Anelace?
Heck yeah, it is!
Mmmmm...Just touching stuffed animals makes me feel like a million mira.
Yeah! Like I said! Cuteness is justice! And justice is poweeer!...Or something.



Hi, Kurt. Are you reading something?
Yes, I'm looking over some military treatises from the Far East. The subject is ancient warfare, but you would be surprised how much of it applies to conflicts of any era. You should give them a read yourself. You may find them enlightening.
Uhhh, I think I'll pass. I kinda suspect they'd go over my head.
Far East military books, though...Kurt, I've been sort of curious--are you from the Far East yourself?
In a sense, I suppose. I was born in Liberl, but my family does indeed hail from the lands beyond Calvard. We emigrated during the time of my grandfather, from what I understand.
The special arts I use are something that my grandfather passed down to me, in fact.
Oh, I see! I've always thought that what you do is pretty incredible and handy, but I've never seen anyone else do stuff like it.
A fair observation. I know of no other practicioners of the art aside from myself...
If you're that interested, however, I would be honored to teach it to you, Estelle.
Whoa, really?!
Haha, really. It would be my pleasure. However, you would need to study a number of military treatises first...
Erk...I think I'm gonna have to pass...
We can learn much from the writings of past ages. I do think you should try reading them at some point, rather than avoiding them so. Being a bracer is more than just having combat skills--they must strive to train their minds as well. Remember that.



Time to hit the hay and get ready for tomorrow...