Dark Wings

The Dark Wings (漆黒の翼, Shikkoku no Tsubasa^?, "Jet Black Wings") are a frequently recurring group of characters who appear in certain Tales games.

Appearances

Tales of Destiny

Known as the Black Wings in Tales of Destiny, the group appears as a trio of professional, yet often blundering, Lens hunters the party encounters at several different locations. They serve primarily as comic relief, often mistaking the party as a group of dedicated fans who follow them throughout the world. Their group consists of three individuals who style themselves with unique titles: John the Beast, Whirlwind Milly, and their leader, Grid the Omnipotent. The Black Wings also make a few minor appearances in the game's sequel, Tales of Destiny 2.

Tales of Eternia

The Dark Wings of Tales of Eternia are a small group of adventurers who are traveling around to spread their name and become more famous. They appear in several locations on both worlds of Inferia and Celestia, and there is a wanted poster for them on the ship between Mintche and Inferia City, noting that they are stowaways. As an homage to the Black Wings of Tales of Destiny, the Dark Wings refer to themselves by self-styled titles: John the Dark Panther, Millie the Dark Rose, and Grid the Dark Dragon King.

Tales of Rebirth

The Dark Wings of Tales of Rebirth are a trio of knights who work for the King's Shield. They are known as Ginnal, Yucia, and Drumb. They are given the task to detain Veigue Lungberg and his team under direct orders from Saleh and Tohma of the Four Stars. They first appear at the Great Larulen Bridge outside of Sulz to ambush Veigue and his team. They then make several other appearances before meeting the party a final time at the "Garden of Illusion" within the Tower of Nereg. There, they are revealed to be corrupted to insanity by Saleh's influence, and he forces them to fight the party once more. After they are defeated, the enchantment is broken, and they are left without memories of the fight. Upon realizing what they have done, they proclaim that they are reborn, cutting their ties with the King's Shield.

Tales of the Abyss

The Dark Wings are a group of three thieves in Tales of the Abyss. Their group consists of two men named Urushi and York, and their female leader, Noir. They are met fairly early in the game in the city of Chesedonia, shortly after the party defeats Dist on the Katsbert Ferry. They appear to be quite infamous among the people of both Malkuth and Kimlasca, and are encountered by the party several times throughout the story. While they appear to be no more than mere thieves, they serve a somewhat large role in the game. They also have an alias as a harmless circus troupe known as the Black Dream, and they use this disguise when they are out stealing. They actually prove to be quite useful to the protagonists, often giving subtle hints to Luke fon Fabre about where to go next, as well as giving him clues about what Asch is planning. Toward the later parts of the game, they work under Asch to help him search for the Jewel of Lorelei so that he can find it before the God-Generals do.

It is revealed much later in the story that the Dark Wings are far more than mere thieves. If the player takes part in saving the Black Dream in Grand Chokmah from being beaten up, Noir will thank the group and give the player the "Key of Darkness" item, which enables the player to enter a room in Nam Cobanda Isle that is locked otherwise. Once inside, Noir and the other members proceed to tell the group that they were survivors from the Isle of Feres when the tidal wave destroyed it. They managed to get on a passing ship and live their lives as the Black Dream. Upon seeing how people were treated in both Kimlasca and Malkuth, however, they began to consider becoming noble thieves.

They learned that both Kimlasca and Malkuth were so dependent on the Score that they neglected a large portion of their own people, having completely abandoned them for the Score. The Black Dream began to pick up people who were abandoned and welcomed them to their family. However, the people needed a place to stay, so the Dark Wings created Nam Cobanda Isle, surrounding it with whirlpools and other security measures to ensure that neither Kimlasca nor Malkuth could ever reach them and the people they neglected. The Dark Wings then began to pilfer things from both kingdoms to provide for the people of Nam Cobanda Isle while simultaneously recruiting more abandoned people as the Black Dream circus troupe. The people of Nam Cobanda Isle were put to work as performers in the circus, and they helped the Dark Wings to recruit more people.

Tales of Xillia

The Dark Wings were a pair of Robin Hood-esque bandits who used to steal from the rich to give to the poor. They used Jet Black Feathers as accessories because they were said to bring luck. Eventually, one of the pair grew too greedy, stole all of the feathers, and became a regular bandit, taking the name "Dark Wing" with him. To stop him, the other member began to request Jet Black Feathers, trading rare and valuable items for them. Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell's group come across him in Sharilton and begin exchanging feathers. Once they obtain 459, they come across news that the Dark Wing bandit is attacking a peddler on the Culmar Trail, at which point they kill him in defense of the peddler. The feather trader arrives and confesses their past, saying that he hoped to gather enough feathers to overcome those that his former partner had. Though the feathers lose their power, the trader continues to trade for them, though now with the chapter of his banditry past closed.

Tales of Link

The Dark Wings are a trio of bandits who occasionally cross paths with the protagonists. Natey is the de facto leader, with Gitz and Domio as underlings. While raiding ruins, they discovered a Flambard space-time machine that they use to rob distant worlds on their boss's orders. They are drawn noticeably differently from the rest of the cast, almost super-deformed, and as such, they act as comic relief. Their units sell for an abnormally large amount of LP. They also have rarer, metallic forms that sell for even more.