The Bridge (艦橋 Kankyou?) is an area in Tales of Legendia, located in the middle of Raging Bay and north of The Crags.
Geography[]
The Bridge lies beneath the waters of the lake beyond Raging Bay until Shirley Fennes is forced by Vaclav Bolud to raise it above the surface. The Bridge is the only location on the Legacy where the ship can be controlled, leading to Vaclav seizing control of it. It is here where Stella Telmes dies, sacrificing her Teriques and thereby her life, to spare the Gadorian capital from the blast of the Nerifes Cannon. The area in front of the Bridge is called the Bridge Plain (艦橋前平原 Kankyou-mae Heigen?, " Plains in front of the Bridge").
History[]
Battle of the Bridge Plain[]
In the command room, Vaclav receives a report that the Front Line base has fallen and realizes that the Holy Rexalian Empire is behind the attack. He orders his troops to mobilize and meet them in battle. At the Bridge Plain, Jay meets with Senel Coolidge and the rest of the group at the alliance base camp. After Will Raynard and Jay advise the group to prepare for the mission, they begin. Jay advises the group to focus on flanking the enemy lines over reducing the ranks of the enemy. He goes on to say that Stella and Shirley are on the top floor of the Bridge and they must not allow the Nerifes Cannon to fire.
The commanders from both sides begin to give their orders to charge as the mist begins to clear. The battle soon commences, and the 30th platoon begins their mission. Jay advises that straight ahead lies the current battlefield and that going around them would be a safer route, but he tells them that the group can decide for themselves which road to take and returns to the base camp. The group makes their way across the battlefield and manages to get halfway to the Bridge. At the base camp, Maurits Welnes reports that both forces are deadlocked. Isabella Robbins states that though the allied forces outnumber the enemy, Vaclav's soldiers are more experienced in warfare, making the battle more difficult. Meanwhile, Walter Delques is still working on the Automaton forces and getting them ready for the fight.
Jay then receives a report that an unknown force has entered the battle, and after receiving their description, he realizes that it is the Oresoren. Once Senel's group is able to move again, they see Quppo and Poppo being chased by enemy soldiers and decide to follow them. Ed Curtis is impressed by the Oresoren's skills as they fight the enemy, but Jay did not want them involved and decides to rush in after them. Walter then appears and reports that the Automata reinforcements are ready to fight. At the other side, Vaclave orders Melanie to bring in the reserve force. Senel's group meets with one of the allied soldiers and receives an update on the battle's current state. They manage to make it to the Bridge and find Quppo and Poppo safe, but suddenly, they see soldiers running away from something. The group is surprised to find a dragon in Vaclav's forces and are forced to fight it. After a rough fight, they find the two Oresoren surrounded, but thanks to a surprise attack from Jay, they are now safe.
Jay begins to chastise the two for coming out to the battlefield, but the two explain that the Legacy is their home and they will fight to protect it. He still does not like the idea of having them come along with him, so he decides to fight with the group in their place while they provide rear support. Vaclav retreats into the Bridge and orders the Terrors to eliminate anyone who enters. Jay spots a nearby triage tent and advises that they rest before heading into the Bridge. They later find Fenimore, and she tells them that she sent Grune on an errand and she has not come back yet, which makes Senel thinks she has gotten lost. Before they leave, Fenimore offers a prayer for their success. Senel explains that her true name, Xelhes, means "blessing", and every Ferines has a name that explains that person's true nature.
Infiltrating the Bridge[]
At the entrance to the bridge, the group looks up at the tall structure of the Bridge. Before everyone heads inside, Will tells the group that everyone has a reason to fight this battle: Senel wishes to save Shirley and Stella, Chloe Valens wishes to protect her country, Moses Sandor wants vengeance for his fallen comrades, Jay wants to carry out his friends' wishes, Will wants to preserve peace on the Legacy, and Norma Beatty wants to rescue Shirley as well, though it is actually because she wants Shirley's brooch. Everyone heads inside to finally end the war once and for all. There, they find allied soldiers all over the place, as well as Melanie. After pulling a fake-out attack on Melanie, Jay shuts the doors behind them and tells the group they must hurry. After heading toward the elevator to the next level, they find Melanie waiting for them and battle against the Terror. After the fight, Melanie is defeated, and Jay tells one of the allied soldiers to report their achievement, which Jay thinks should boost morale for the allied forces.
At the next level, they find the door to the next level sealed. Cashel appears and explains that the only through is with the card key he has. He tries to make Moses mad by recalling the events in the Forest of No Return, but Moses manages to calm himself, claiming that he is different from back then. As they they begin to fight Cashel, he shows the group why he is known as "The Phantom". Jay manages to break his illusions, and he tells him that he is also confident in his abilities and wants to test whose skills are better. The group chases Cashel all around the level, with Jay dispelling his shadows at every turn. They chase him back to the start, and a very annoyed Cashel decides to confront the group head-on. After a fierce fight, however, he falls. After obtaining the key card from Cashel, Senel hears something in the distance. Jay thinks it is cannon fire from the Gadorian fleet, meaning that they have little time to spare.
After entering the next level, they encounter Stingle, who says that he will wait for them inside. After reaching the top of the stairway, they come to the door to the next room, where Stingle waits for them. He asks the group if they are resolved to meet their deaths, and Chloe responds that he shall know her resolve by her sword. A fierce battle commences, and the group fights Stingle with great ferocity. After the fight, Stingle kneels in defeat. Chloe states that if he has any last words, now is the time to say them. He slowly backs away, and Chloe is stunned that he would pull something like this. He says that this is his resolve and that it is not his time to die just yet. He escapes through a trap door, which enrages Chloe. The group then heads up to the next level. At the top, Will notices a mountain in the distance. Chloe says that it is Mount Zeriques, the tallest mountain in Gadoria, with the capital Baltoga at its foot. As the group arrives in the control room, Vaclav fires the Nerifes Cannon.
Final Events[]
Walter witnesses the scene from the battlefield and immediately flies to the Bridge. The group is shocked by the cannon's overwhelming power, but Shirley and Stella are thankfully still alive. Senel leads the charge against Vaclav, and the final battle begins. They finally defeat him and free Shirley and Stella from the charging pods. However, Vaclav gets up and activates a switch to fire the cannon again. His last words are about the attack on Shirley's village three years ago and how Senel will walk a path he cannot turn back on before finally taking his last breath. Walter appears and explains that the firing sequence cannot be stopped. Shirley tries to control the ship by attaching herself to the pod, but the attempt fails and the cannon fires.
Just then, Stella's Teriques emerges and stops the beam at the cost of her own life. Walter explains that Stella connected her consciousness to the ship and became the Legacy itself. Walter says that Senel and the group have seen the light numerous times and were even saved by it. The light emerging from the Front Line base was the same color as Stella's Teriques. She saved them at the Ruins of Frozen Light, Harriet Campbell mentioned that Senel floated down the cliff in a golden light, and there was a pillar of light that emerged from Raging Bay when Senel and Shirley first came to the Legacy, which was all Stella's doing. Will and Norma try healing her with Crystal Eres, but this fails.
Walter suggests using Shirley's brooch to revive Stella since the stone inside once saved her life. After placing it on Stella, she awakens with enough time to say her final words to Senel and Shirley before drifting off again. Senel begs her to open her eyes, saying that he will not be able to perform the Rite of Feriyen to propose to her. Shirley's brooch then breaks, severing Stella's ties to the world, and the group mourns for her passing. Maurits meets the group and realizes what has happened while Fenimore gives Shirley a hug and a shoulder to cry on. Prisoners of war are taken by the allied forces, and Moses and Giet are reunited with Csaba Rajk and the rest of his crew. It is a momentous day for the Legacy.