Part 62: A new dawn fast approaches for this kingdom.

Welcome back. Last time, after returning to our hotel, we found a letter from an unknown trespasser asking us to meet up at the Cathedral by 10. One stealth mission and several strings of obscenities later, we found ourselves face to face with the nun we saved earlier in the chapter, who was actually Julia in hiding. She asked us to contact the Queen, giving us a potential in via the head maid. Afterwards, Estelle and Joshua had a brief chat on a bench in the East Block, with Joshua promising to tell Estelle about his past once everything is settled. Now it's time for the finals! Who'll win!?

(Always us)





I returned to the embassy, overfull of spirit, when those tiresome guards saw fit to stop and cast flaming, stinking disparagements at me.
They've tightened security at night, supposedly for anti-terrorist purposes. Were you two okay?
Yes... We went to bed rather early, so we didn't have any problems.
And Elnan lent us something that might really give us an edge!

Estelle explained that Elnan had loaned them the spare key to the Grancel Sewers.

Now THAT should come in handy... He's a young one, but he's got a real spark to him. He always seems to know what you need, and when you need it!
So, what do you say we check out the sewers this morning?
The gate is just north of the arena.
Well, if it's for the banquet, we could muster up one more huzzah.

Before we go, there's one task awaiting us. The finale of Carnelia is ours for the taking, and fittingly enough for the finale, getting it is quite the unique ordeal.



First step, talk to this guy.

Anton: There's this beautiful girl who walks by here all the time. Some days, counting how many times I see her is the only way I can keep myself sane... IF YOU CAN CALL THAT SANE. Ha...haha...ha...
Anton: All right! If that girl walks by here three times today, I'm going to go up to her and say hi. Now I just need that book, so I can pretend to be reading it while I wait for her...because girls like smart, bookish men, right? RIGHT? RIIIGHT?!

Girls also like men who aren't liable to kill them, so uh... give this one up, Anton.



Then we wait... until she passes by again.



Anton: Heh heh, that girl just walked by here again. Two more times... If that girl walks by here two more times, it means she's the one. ...But, what if she doesn't walk by again? Oh, man...will she? Won't she? Will she? Won't she?

For her own sake, I hope not. Run random girl, run. Don't stop running until Estelle has sufficiently beat up Anton.



And then she walks by again. The "TALK" bubble blocks it, but a heart appears above his head whenever she passes.



Anton: If I see that girl one more time, I'll say hello to her. She's like a goddess to me... celestial and untenable, but captivating in her beauty!



She doesn't, thank god. We find her staring at him awkwardly from a distance.



Marsha: It's just so creepy... I don't want to get anywhere near him!



Marsha: Oh, are you bracers? What a relief! I feel a lot safer with bracers around.



With some muscle behind her, she'll finally walk past Anton again.



Anton: I feel like I need to thank someone upstairs. Thank you! Thank you Goddess! Thank you too, you guys! Here, take this! As a token of my appreciation!

Received Carnelia - Finale.

Anton: All right! Time to man up and say something to her!

That was... something. Stay safe, Marsha!

Alright, back to the sewers!





The eastern sewers are pretty much the same, just a bit bigger and more complicated. Furthermore, like the western sewers, they have a bounty waiting at the end.

Let's kill some monsters!







Those are some dead monsters, all right.



Evil Eye delays the turn of a group of enemies, targeting a medium sized circular area. It's decent, trading Flicker's ability to do damage for a much more convenient area of effect. If I didn't have the Gladiator Belt it might be worth using, but as it stands Joshua is much better off saving up for Black Fang.



Right behind the dead monsters we find a switch that opens a path between the two halves of the sewer. Neat!





The chests contain a bunch of encounters from the sewer, just mashed together into some sort of super encounter.

They all fight in different ways: Some attack up close, some cast spells, some heal and buff the rest, but...





They all die the same.



You look...familiar...

Just one of those faces, I suppose.

The Cestus is a new weapon for Zane, making his punches even stronger. And he wasn't exactly giving out love taps before.



The chest is so very, very, very empty.



As I'm sure you've noticed by now, monster chests are standardized within a dungeon. We've won one, we can do it again.



Hard Break deals damage and impedes one enemy. It's not especially good, other characters have better Impede crafts, but it does contribute to Estelle's ability to do nearly anything.



There is a note inside. It reads, [Ha-ha! I knew you'd be back.]

So you know about the LP? Anyway, the Hawkeye is a new gun for our favorite sharpshooter. Who flushes this stuff?



And then they disappeared.



Back for more?

Humorously enough, we kind of are, because the Gladiator Headband is a repeat. If you don't remember what it does from when we first got one in chapter 2, it boosts strength by 10, reduces defense by 10, and increases a character's rate of CP restoration by 10%. It's still one of the better accessories, so throw it on someone. Olivier would make a decent gladiator, I think.



Our spoils from the sewers are enough to make another Cast 2 quartz, which immediately replaces Joshua's outdated Cast 1.



Receptionist: Please note that tournament participants are asked to remain within the arena's walls until the end of the day's matches. Have you made all the necessary preparations for a day of hot, hot action?

Yup, and we're also ready for the tourn...

Nope, already made that joke. Twice. Look what happens when you reuse dialogue, Trails

Receptionist: Excellent, excellent. Your waiting room is the 'Blue Team Room,' just inside the hall on the right. Fight well!





Well, it actually IS a pretty big room. Team sports events and circuses alike used to be held here. But that was back in a time when gladiators fighting monsters was a man's only source of entertainment.
Interesting... I guess that would explain the size, if there were circus animals in here.
I must say, it certainly doesn't measure up to an Imperial opera house, but even so... ...it's about the size of an outdoor concert venue. And that's...certainly acceptable!
Excuse us for being less gaudy than you Imperialists.
I think we may have gotten here a little too early, though. We've still got a sizable chunk of time before the match starts.
Really?
Ugh... Waiting around for your match to start really does get kind of boring.
So why don't we walk around the grounds for a little while, then?
Works for me.



Sure. Just make sure you're here in time for the match.



I thought for sure that you'd go with them.
Hmmm... I just get the feeling that something's changed between the two of them. Some type of step forward.
Hello, Mr. Observant.
They've definitely been feeling some pressure from the matches... But today, they seem a lot more relaxed.
Oh, to be that young again, eh?
But...are they ready for the feelings that well up from within them? Even if they are not...the feelings are surely ready for them!
Ha ha... Such delightful awkwardness! I look forward to what comes of it.
I really just don't get you.



Something wrong? Are you feeling all right?
I'm okay... I just got the chills all of a sudden. Like someone is talking about us or plotting something...
I think I can guess who that is...

To move on with the plot, we need to go talk to all of our friends in the stands. All six of them. We live a lonely life.



Is something wrong, Kurt?
Hmm? Oh, it's you guys. Guess it's time for the final match. Give it all you've got, okay?
You bet!
...You don't look so good there, Kurt. Are you okay?
You do seem pale.
Nah, just a little light-headed, that's all.
Though it's kind of odd...I don't feel sick, so why am I light-headed? I think I'm having...a flashback...
Flashback? From what, yesterday?
No, no no. From an accident I had about three months ago. Seems I screwed up on a job and messed myself up pretty bad.
What do you mean, 'seems'?
You don't mean...amnesia, do you?
I do. It's kind of embarrassing, and perhaps even a bit cliched...but, I actually don't remember a thing about it. Or didn't, anyway. I still can't even remember what job I was doing that got me hurt in the first place! The doctor said it wasn't shock or anything, but offered no other explanations as to what it could be.
...
Wow, what a story...
But you were still okay to participate in the match, even in that condition?
I told you, physically there isn't a thing wrong with me. In fact...I'm feeling a lot better just talking it over with you. And in time, these flashbacks will start to take shape, and I'll remember what happened. So don't worry about me, okay?
Uh, okay, I guess...if you say so...
You are starting to look a little better than you did a minute ago. Just be careful, though, okay?
Thanks. You guys too. Good luck out there.

Well now. That's not exactly what I was expecting to hear.



That's a little closer to what I expected.

You're representing the Bracer Guild out there. So be sure to make us proud!



Listen, just relax and do what you've always done. There's no pressure.



Your opponents are tough but you guys should be able to take 'em, no sweat.
Break a leg out there. We'll be cheering for you like you wouldn't believe!

Thanks Anelace



Professor?
You came to watch us...?
But of course! You've always been such a big help to me. I owe you two at least THAT much!
Thanks, Professor!
But...how'd you scrape together the mira for a ticket?
Well, that was a bit of a lucky break on my part, actually. The museum director had some sudden business to attend to, so he couldn't make it today. And I am here in his stead.
Ha! Should have guessed you'd never be able to get in here out of your OWN pocket!
Ha! Not that I wouldn't try, of course. I'm sure I could find a way, if I put my mind to it... At any rate, I am here, and here I am. And I'll be shouting your names for sure. Knock 'em dead, you two!
You bet we will!
Thank you, Professor.



You did it! The fiinaaal fiiiight! It's soooo exciiiiting!
Deep breaths, Dorothy. Come on now, do it with me.
If you don't relax and keep yourself still and focused, you won't be able to get any good shots...
Oh, don't you worry about THAT. I take my best pictures when I'm all hyped up like this! They're more natural, you see!
Oh. I...guess they would be?
Dorothy...I think you're some kind of savant or something.

With that done, let's all go the lobby. _{let's all go the lobby}







Scherazard told me that you'd gone traveling all over the kingdom. You've certainly grown up nicely in the time since we last met.
Ha ha... Thank you very much.
Weeeell, I can't speak for myself, really...
But you certainly seem as chipper as ever, Mr. Mayor. It's kind of refreshing to see.
Ha ha. Well, I won't let you young folk beat me just yet. So...I hear that you two made it all the way to the championship in this big Martial Arts Competition! I may be a little old for such things, but I came to watch.
You came all the way from Rolent for THAT?!
No, no... Actually, I got an invitation out of the blue to a dinner party at Grancel Castle. I only arrived in Grancel this morning. Came by way of an airliner.
No way!
Ahh, I think I get it.
The invitation came from Duke Dunan, right?
Oh, you know of it?
I was originally planning to attend a birth ceremony for this married couple and then journey here... But this lady officer approached me out of nowhere, and told me that I was invited to this dinner party.
(One guess as to who that was...)
(Yeah, it had to be Captain Amalthea...)
Sadly, my wife's just not much of the traveling sort. So, I didn't have much choice but to come here by myself.

Meh, she didn't have a portrait. She's not important.

Aww... She's not here?
Pardon me, Mayor. There is a chance that we may also be attending that dinner party.
Ohh...?

Estelle and Joshua explained that the duke had stated that the winner of the competition would receive a formal invitation to the party.

Ahh, I see. Well, that explains it. It hardly seems appropriate to call for a dinner party when Her Majesty has taken ill... But if you two will be there, I might not feel quite so awkward.
So that just means that you'll have to try that much harder to win.
Ha ha ha... You bet!
We'll try our best to meet your expectations.
I think I'm going to find myself a seat, then. Best of luck to the both of you.





You think Mayor Maybelle will be there, as well?
It seems likely. There will probably be a lot of influential people in attendance.
Hmmm... Ah, well.
We just need to focus on winning our match, and then we'll see everyone there.
Sounds good. Speaking of which, it's almost time. Let's return to the waiting room.
Okay!

Let's!













It looks like the duke and Colonel Richard are showing up together today
Indeed... Maybe he's here to watch his subordinates compete...?
Oh, so that's the Royal Army's darling of the public, eh? He's handsome enough, and well-groomed. He looks like the capable sort.
Yeah... I guess so.
Hmm... He doesn't seem to bear much resemblance to when I saw him in Bose, at least in terms of character.
Heh... But what, indeed, can one do? I suppose that he is worthy of being considered a rival to the great Olivier Lenheim.
I doubt he's worried about that.

He should be. I sure am.

...Looks like it's starting.



Chairman's Voice: We must apologize to everyone for the long wait. We now open the final day of the Martial Arts Competition's full-contact matches.





Chairman's Voice: ...and it all culminates right here, right now. Which team will seize ultimate victory this day? WIthout further ado, I present the fight card for this, the championship match! South side, blue team: From the Calvard republic. Captain is Zane.
Chairman's Voice: North side, red team: From the Royal Army Intelligence Division Special Forces: Captain is 2nd Lieutenant Lorence!





Finally...
Heh... I trust everyone is ready to put everything into this.
For tears or for laughter, this is it...
Game faces, guys!







Special Ops 2: (That, and half THIS team is a pair of rookies. I doubt they'd be able to stand up to us.)

(Ha ha... Don't be so sure. Both of them are part of the Bracer Guild.)

Special Ops: (Indeed...)
Special Ops 2: (We've been reading up on them...)

(Good. Now, stay focused. And don't underestimate them.)

Special Ops: (...Yes, sir!)
Special Ops 2: (...Yes, sir!)

Okay, what are those guys grousing about over there?
Just let them be, Estelle. If they're covering their faces like that, I can't imagine they have much in the way of self-confidence. Since they lack my dazzling good looks, there's probably a lot of sniping and backbiting in their ranks.

Special Ops: Wh-what the hell's THAT supposed to mean?!
Special Ops 2: I'll have you know I'm considered VERY attractive to women!

This guy is my favorite portaitless NPC. After all the other people I've said that about already.

Umm... 2nd Lieutenant Lorence, right?
What is it, boy?
Joshua...?
That sword technique...
...no...never mind.
Best of luck.
Heh... And to you.
???
Hey, don't let their talk get you all depressed. We're about to start.

Referee: We now begin the final match of the Martial Arts Competition. Both teams, go to your starting places.









Alright Lorence, it's time to rumble. I'd say let's see what you've got, but this isn't really the venue for a proper villain fight. So let's see what you're pretending to got before we fight you for real.



The Special Ops soldiers are the same as always, using Shadow Weaving to try and gain the action advantage. Since they've got Lorence on their side too, they're (relatively speaking) not as strong as they've been in the past.



Lorence has a little less than twice as much HP as the rest of the Special Ops soldiers, as well as the senior bracers.



He also fights much, much differently then you probably would have expected. He'll be spending most of the fight casting or supporting the rest of the Special Ops from afar.



Olivier can impede from afar, though, so we can shut down his casting.



For a single turn, anyway. Lorence immediately goes again, and then casts before anyone else moves. Lorence is really fast.

Fortunately, he doesn't cast offensive spells, instead casting Earth Guard on himself, blocking our next attack on him completely.



Lorence will also cast super-fast Tearas, healing his goons. Although we're strong enough to easily outpace the healing, if your offensive is lacking this can get pretty annoying.



Lorence will also use Body Split, the technique he used back when he fought Agate, to create a weaker clone of himself. I like how the game ties together the plot and the gameplay like that, making it a thing he can do during battle makes it seem a little less incongruous when he does it during the story. The clones themselves are actually pretty bad, with 2000HP and a crippling weakness to all elements.

This fight can be pretty easy or somewhat tough depending on a lot of factors: mainly how nice Lorence decides to be. Once all the Special Ops soldiers are dead Lorence can't really pose a threat on his own, so you're only going to lose if they manage to put you on the defensive and take you down early.

This depends on what Lorence does. If he mixes healing in with fairly frequent attacks (especially Smashing Sword, the craft he used to take down Don) from the get go, things can get pretty hairy, especially if he throws in a body split to raise the heat.



Or he can do what he does here, and spend all his time healing and casting earth guard while the Special Ops die a quick and methodical death.



Then, once he's all alone, creating a bunch of clones that we can put down faster then he makes.



If I were weaker, this could potentially become difficult, since if I couldn't put down his clones fast enough they could easily start to overwhelm me while Lorence heals any damage he takes.



I can though, so it's a moot point. Note that Black Fang is only doing 500 damage to Lorence, he's got solid defenses.







It takes a while, between an endless stream of clones, the occasional heal, and the occasional earth guard to smash through, but we eventually manage to put him down. (Note how much damage Barrage did compared to our other attacks. It's the only single target second S-Craft, and so I suspect it's the strongest attack in the game, if you don't factor in the user's stats.)





Special Ops: It... It can't be...
Special Ops 2: We're the best of the best that the Special Ops have to offer... How could we lose...?

Bah... We're beaten...?



We won... We really won...
*huff*...*gasp*... And I'm exhausted...
...



Sure, "blessed". Let's go with that.



Chairman's Voice: Please, come forward.

Yes, sir.



Are all Easterners as huge as you?
No, I'm a little outside the ordinary. I just ate well, slept well and trained diligently, ever since I was very young. I'm the way I am because I tend to think about everything very carefully and deeply.
Ha ha ha... I see, I see.
I like you, Zane. Allow me to present you with the prize of one hundred thousand mira, and the invitation to the dinner party!
Thank you very much, sir.

Received Invitation.

Received 100000 mira.

It's a lot of money, but humorously enough, there's not really much left to buy. We've had access to the best shop in the game since we came to Grancel. I'll probably spend this on ingredients and go on a massive cooking bender.

Aidios shine her light and glory upon you and your friends!

I like how Dunan still doesn't recognize us.

My beloved citizens! Let's hear a big round of applause for the victors!

There is, as you might expect, a thunderous applause. We earned it





Hmph. Lieutenant Lorence, you truly have no shame. His Excellency must surely be ashamed to see his men beaten by such rabble. Was all that posturing just for show?
...I am, indeed, shamed.
Ha ha... Come now, Amalthea. You needn't criticize him so. Truth be told, I myself asked Lorence to hold back.
Wha...!
It would behoove any member of the Intelligence Division not to put ALL of his strengths on display. And in this instance, it works to our benefit that the others win the championship.
I see...
His Excellency, too, seems taken with the Easterner... He'll serve as an ample distraction.
Still... It is a pity. If Lieutenant Schwarz or General Morgan had participated, the show would have been far more dynamic.
Ha ha... Surely you jest, sir. You might as well ask the duke, himself, to compete alongside them. With his skill-- or lack thereof-- even Julia could thoroughly trounce him in mere moments, and the crowd would roar with applause!
Ha ha, I don't plan on pressing my luck quite that hard. If the 2nd Lieutenant here truly fought as hard as he could, I wouldn't stand a chance.
Hardly, sir. I believe you over-estimate me, if only a bit. The hunters are soldiers in name only...nothing more than simple country folk.
You've got a good eye, though. You find an opening, and you take it. In many ways, you remind me of [him.]
...
Speaking of whom... His children will shortly be entering Grancel Castle. Shouldn't we be taking some sort of steps to deal with them?
Leave them be. We'll honor the arrangement with the duke.

I feel like pointing out that Richard doesn't actually know that we know all about him and his coup. As far as he's concerned, we're only noteworthy because we're Bracers and Brights.

And besides, it's far too late for the Bracer Guild to cause us any real trouble.
B-but, sir...
Lorence, how far along would you gauge the plan's progress?
Just over 90%, sir. I believe that the final points will be laid out for His Excellency within the next few days.
Excellent.









Carnelia - Finale