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==History== |
==History== |
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| − | Rokurou is a part of the Rangetsu family from outside of the continent, signified by his unusual appearance and attire. He is the sixth child, thus the name "Rokurou". |
+ | Rokurou is a part of the Rangetsu family from outside of the continent, signified by his unusual appearance and attire. He is the sixth child, thus the name "Rokurou". He became a daemon during the events of the [[Scarlet Night]] but managed to retain himself. Taking his changed appearance in stride, Rokurou moves ever forward, advancing his family's sword style. Rokurou is on the hunt to kill his brother [[Shigure Rangetsu|Shigure]], just to because he is strong. Later on in the story it is revealed that he spread rumors about Shigure, that Shigure plotted to assassinate the clan leader, plus he wanted everything his brother had which was status money and his family, in order to have a just cause for killing him. With his newly forged sword Stormquell he successfully kills his brother. At the end of the story he chooses not to be purified, and with his brother's sword [[Stormhowl]], he continues to search for worthy opponents to battle. |
| − | Ashamed at his own weakness, Rokurou became a daemon during the events of the [[Scarlet Night]] but managed to retain himself. |
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| − | ===Escape from Titania=== |
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| − | His chance of escape come when the door to his cell swings open. He kills plenty of exorcists before crossing paths with fellow escapees [[Velvet Crowe]] and [[Seres]] After hearing from Velvet where he can find his blade, Stormhowl, he thanks Velvet as he rushes off to retrieve it. |
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| − | Rokurou returns to Velvet with a witch named [[Magilou]]. Together, the three steal a ship and leave Titania. |
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| − | ===Halted Plans in Hellawes=== |
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| − | With the storm surrounding the Titania, the group crash-lands at the Figahl Icecaps, where Velvet is healed with artes by a [[Laphicet|mysterious malak boy]] who reminds her of her dead brother. A daemon suddenly attacks them and Velvet strikes back, and in the confusion, the boy loses the map of the empire while running away with a compass. Intending to repair the ship to reach Loegres, the group follows the malak boy, who returns the stolen compass, into a secret tunnel that leads into the city of [[Hellawes]]. They discover that, due to smuggling, the shipping guild's activities have been suspended and will not be lifted until [[Dyle]] is sentenced and killed. Despite hearing that Dyle is a daemon lizard now, Velvet and Rokurou go in search for him while Magilou searches for her "traitor". |
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| − | The two make it to [[Beardsley]], where they happen upon a crying praetor exorcist named [[Eleanor Hume]], who is deeply saddened by the Abbey's inability to have exorcists cover every village and protect humans from the daemon threat. When Eleanor leaves the village, they learn from a girl that a lizard daemon is living in the nearby [[Hadlow Hollow]] and are given two apples to not reveal this secret. While Rokurou enjoys the apple, Velvet is dejected to find that she has lost her sense of taste. They follow the information into the foreboding cave, where they discover an exorcist floating face down in a pool of tar, evidently dead. Dyle appears from behind, growling, and launches an attack. After being defeated, Dyle reveals that the guild was involved in the smuggling and tried to make him their scapegoat, proclaiming his intention to exact his vengeance by attacking Hellawes. Velvet spares Dyle, but cuts off his tail, explaining that by bringing his tail to the authorities, she will lower their guard, allowing him to exact his vengeance, and her to steal a ship amidst the confusion. |
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| − | After returning to the shipping guild, Velvet reveals that she knows the truth about them and blackmails them into helping her to repair the ship. However, after checking its condition, the guild members tell her that the ship's keel is busted and is thus irreparable. Returning to Hellawes in the hopes of finding a new ship, Velvet and Rokurou are informed that a witch is to be executed, and that this is a trap set by the praetor exorcist [[Teresa Linares]] to draw them out. Velvet and Rokurou head back to Dyle, who had stayed behind in Hadlow Hollow, and devise a new plan: Velvet and Rokurou will attack the city head-front, while Dyle will sneak in via a secret tunnel, set the warehouse on fire, and snatch a ship for them. With the attack commencing the next day, the group rests in the cave. Velvet dreams that she is woken up by her deceased brother, Laphicet, believing everything that has happened to merely be a nightmare and momentarily losing herself to this delusion. Her dream soon becomes a nightmare as Laphicet states that he has to go to the shrine of tranquility, where he was killed. Velvet attempts to stop him, but is restrained by Arthur's artes, reenacting the events during the red moon. |
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| − | Velvet awakens dismayed at the dream. During the day, the group sets out for Hellawes and initiates their plan. Velvet and Rokurou enter through the front gate, defeating the exorcist guards before being surrounded by another group of exorcists led by Praetor Teresa with a bound Magilou by her side. A battle ensues with Velvet and Rokurou struggling to hold on against the superior number of exorcists. The situation becomes dire and Teresa orders "[[Number Two]]" to attack, who casts an arte on Velvet. An explosion goes off elsewhere due to Dyle setting fire to the flamestone warehouse, distracting Teresa and allowing Velvet to strike a decisive blow, knocking her to the ground. Velvet and Rokurou run toward the port, comically abandoning Magilou, who exclaims in protest while running to catch up to them. Teresa recovers and orders her exorcists to pursue the group, but is eventually dissuaded as their help is needed to put out the fire at the warehouse. Thus, at the city's port, Teresa intercepts the group with only the help of her two malakhim. Another fight ensues, but Velvet and Rokurou quickly gain the upper hand. |
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| − | At her wits end, Teresa orders Number Two to rush launch a kamikaze attack on the group. This is swiftly countered by Velvet, who launches a high kick to his head to interrupt the casting and another kick to the side of his head, which incapacitates the malak. Velvet attempts to finish off Praetor Teresa, but is blocked by Praetor Eleanor, who abruptly enters the fray. Faced with two exorcist praetors, Velvet grabs Number Two with her daemon arm, threatening to eat him unless he knocks the praetors back. Number Two registers this as an order and casts an arte that explodes, knocking back the praetors, who are shocked that the malak obeyed a daemon. Velvet and crew seize the opportunity, boarding the ship that Dyle had stolen for them and escape, leaving Hellawes to be destroyed by the fire. |
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| − | ===Encounter with Pirates=== |
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| − | On the ship, Velvet instructs Dyle, who is steering the ship and acting as navigator, to set a course for the capital and current location of Artorius: Loegres. Rokurou comments about Velvet bringing Number Two along with them, prompting Magilou to add that he would be a useful tool, leaving Velvet irritated that Laphicet's lookalike was being treated as disposable. Rokurou yells from the deck for Velvet to check the ship's heading with the compass, which she proceeds to do incorrectly by constantly moving the compass. Number Two interjects, informing her that the compass is built to function even while the ship is rolling. Velvet asks for Number Two's name and is surprised to find he is only known as a number. She offers the compass to him to use, but is disappointed when the malak asks if that is an order, and eventually remarks that he should keep his mouth shut. |
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| − | Suddenly, a cannonball blasts the ship, causing it to rock violently such that the compass rolls overboard and into the sea. Dyle identifies the attackers as [[Aifread]]'s pirates, and Velvet orders him to steer the ship toward land as their ship has no cannons to counterattack with. On land, the pirates surround the group, and a [[Eizen|pirate malak]] identifying himself as "The Reaper" challenges Velvet's group to a fight. After he is defeated, the pirate malak reveals that their fight was a test and that the pirates have done Velvet's group a favor. He explains that their previous course would have doomed them, as the group would have smashed right against the gates of [[Vortigern]], an enormous sea gate accompanied by a fortress, built to block the narrow sea route to Loegres. The pirate malak suggests an alliance between the two groups, but Velvet is skeptical about his integrity, causing the malak to enter the [[West Laban Tunnel]], heading toward Vortigern alone. |
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| − | Ultimately, Velvet decides that there is no other option and pursues the malak into the tunnel along with Rokurou and Number Two, agreeing to his proposal of an alliance. The malak, however, warns the group that he suffers from the "Curse of the Reaper", which plagues both him and those around him with misfortune, claiming that he could flip a coin a thousand times and still land only on tails. He tosses a coin to Velvet, who catches it and returns his toss, claiming that it does not matter to her which side the coin lands on, as she would flip it to whatever she wanted anyway. The malak opens his hand to see the returned coin and reveals that Velvet had tossed a heads on the very first try. The pirate malak then introduces himself as [[Eizen]], first mate of the Aifread pirates. |
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| − | ===Opening the Gate of Vortigern=== |
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| − | With the addition of Eizen, the group continues toward Vortigern through the West Laban Tunnel. After some time, Number Two starts trailing behind and is attacked by a giant scorpion. Initially wanting to cry for help, Number Two remembers that Velvet told him to keep his mouth shut, leading to the group being unaware of the danger he is in. Thankfully, Eizen notices the approaching monster and kills it with an arte, saving Number Two. Velvet scolds Number Two for keeping quiet, to which he replies that it was an order given by her. Realizing that her remark almost led to disaster, Velvet grabs Number Two and tells him that was not what she meant, expressing exasperation at his robotic behavior. Eizen deduces that Number Two was bound to an exorcist and reveals that malakhim have free will just like humans, but their wills are sealed upon binding with an exorcist. |
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| − | Deeper within the tunnel, Velvet meets one of the [[Turtlez]], a group of traveling merchants with turtle shells on their backs, and forces him to sell his goods at market prices with no concern for his protests about profit margins. Exiting the tunnel, the group sees an unguarded entrance to the fortress, but discovers that it is guarded by a barrier that vaporizes anything that comes into contact with it. They proceed down the cliff and find another entrance guarded by exorcists. The group swiftly dispatches of the guards, who suddenly change into daemons, and heads into the fortress. They find another guard, who is quickly defeated and loses his helmet. Eizen pins the helmetless guard into a wall and breaks his finger, threatening to continue breaking more unless he reveals the way to both the control room and the battleship. Left with no other choice, the guard gives the group directions before being knocked out by Eizen. The group proceeds to the control room to find a key to unlock the room, where the two levers that open the gates are. |
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| − | While searching the room, Velvet finds the key while Number Two finds a compass on a tall shelf. His attempt to take the compass drops it onto his head, causing a large bump and him keeling over in pain. Velvet walks over and taps him on the head, telling him that pain is not a bad thing, as it is proof that one is alive. The group heads toward the battleship, where they encounter a praetor who claims to be using the Rangetsu sword style, agitating Rokurou, who steps forward to fight him, giving the others time to handle the ship. Taking his changed appearance in stride, Rokurou moves ever forward, advancing his family's sword style. Rokurou is on the hunt to kill his brother [[Shigure Rangetsu|Shigure]], to become stronger. Later on in the story it is revealed that he spread rumors about Shigure, that Shigure plotted to assassinate the clan leader, plus he wanted everything his brother had which was status money and his family, in order to have a just cause for killing him. With his newly forged sword Stormquell he successfully kills his brother. At the end of the story he chooses not to be purified, and with his brother's sword [[Stormhowl]], he continues to search for worthy opponents to battle. |
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| − | During the fight, the praetor reveals that he studied under Legate [[Shigure Rangetsu]] of the Abbey, but Rokurou calls him out for lying, claiming that Shigure would not have taken anyone as a disciple, theorizing that Shigure used the exorcist to kill his boredom. Meanwhile, Velvet, Number Two, and Eizen, having defeated the exorcists on the battleship, return to Rokurou to find that he has easily killed the praetor. The group proceeds to unlock the sealed door, make their way to the levers and pulling them, finally opening the gates of Vortigern. The group returns to the roof, where the helmetless guard reappears and changes into a daemon known as "Guardian". Guardian charges at Number Two, causing him to drop the compass when he is pulled to safety by Velvet. |
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| − | After defeating the Guardian, the group stands atop the edge of the roof, preparing to jump down onto their pirate ship passing through the opened gates, with the exception of Number Two, who is looking for his dropped compass and spots it under the body of the defeated Guardian. When the ship is in position, the group jumps down onto the pirate ship, using its sail to break their fall. As the crew sail toward Loegres, Number Two asks Velvet what a "Laphicet" is, to which she responds that it will be his new name. |
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| − | ===Tracking Artorius=== |
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| − | Arriving at [[Port Zekson]], Velvet and her companions head to Loegres. The city is inspecting arrivals, as the empire is holding a ceremony. Velvet is alerted, but Eizen tells her to act naturally. They pass the gate, but a guard stops her and asks for documentation. Thinking that their cover is blown, Velvet cannot answer. Magilou steps in and tricks the guard into thinking they are an entertainment troupe called Magilou's Menagerie, and that Velvet is her fool apprentice. Velvet plays along, but is irritated, especially after Magilou tells her to coo like a dove, which she reluctantly does. Magilou sends out doves, and the guard allows them to pass. |
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| − | They head toward the imperial palace, but the ceremony is starting, and they cannot slip in. As they hear [[Percival Yil Mid Asgard]] making an announcement, that he is giving Artorius the title of [[Shepherd]] due to his heroics, Velvet snaps and runs toward a tower. Using her daemon hand, she climbs the wall onto the tower, just in time to witness Artorius's speech. Feeling nothing but hate, Velvet struggles to control herself, until Rokurou snaps her out of it. Velvet, seething with rage, calls Artorius a murderer and killer of Laphicet, which causes the young malak to wonder. |
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| − | After the ceremony, Magilou leaves once again to look for her traitor, while the others decide to go to a tavern to get information from a shadow guild operating in Loegres, and satisfy Laphicet's hunger, which he has not felt before. In the tavern, as Velvet and Laphicet eat, an [[Tabatha Baskerville|old woman]] at the counter notices how well Velvet and Laphicet gets along, and asks if he is her brother. Velvet answers he is not, and the woman says he would not be, as her brother was murdered before her eyes. Velvet is shocked that the woman knows this, but she calms her down. She is willing to give information about Artorius, if Velvet completes three tasks for the guild. Velvet accepts and the group gains documentation to travel freely in the city. |
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| − | The first task is to destroy red crates inside a warehouse at Port Zekson. While Rokurou is suspicious about the jobs, Velvet says it is not their job to ask questions, and they head out. At the warehouse, they notice that the crates bear the seal of Midgand church, but Velvet just orders Laphicet to burn them. As they leave, Eleanor arrives at the port, and runs into Velvet again. Unwilling to let Velvet escape a second time, Eleanor calls out her malakhim and engages the group. Velvet and the group defeat her and her malakhim and Velvet gives her a chance to surrender, but she calls out one more malak to fight Velvet, [[Bienfu]], but everyone then hears Magilou calling out to Bienfu as her traitor, which causes Bienfu to retreat. This distraction allows Velvet to knock out Eleanor, and the group flees, with an unwilling Magilou. |
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| − | Next, they complete the other two tasks, and after reporting their success to the woman in the tavern, she tells them that Artorius has gone to a [[Empyrean's Throne|new temple site]] under construction, to honor the Empyrean [[Innominat]], but getting to the temple requires a certain key, and in order to get that information, the woman gives Velvet one more task: to assassinate High Priest Gideon. As Velvet is eager to go, the woman stops her and probes her, asking her why she is to assassinate the high priest. Velvet then says that it is because he runs the Nectar operation, which the group effectively stopped by burning the stockpile in the port, stopping the ambush at Danann Highway, and rescuing a scholar from Galles Lake. By using illegal Nectar, he can get nice profits selling it. Having passed this true test, the woman then reveals herself as Tabatha Baskerville, the wife of the late Baskerville, who led the Bloodwing Butterflies before her. Tabatha suggests that the group rest up before heading out to assassinate the high priest, as he is to perform a traditional prayer that night. |
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| − | While resting, Velvet has a dream, in which she is devouring daemons and other beings, but when she is about to devour her brother, she is frightened, but claims that she is so hungry. Artorius appears behind her and encourages her to eat him, as he will die anyway, and it is not beyond reason to eat him to sustain herself. Screaming about this, she suddenly wakes up, thinking she is strangling Artorius, but in reality, she is strangling Laphicet. She snaps out from her dream. She strictly tells Laphicet to be more careful around her, because she is a daemon. Scared and sobbing, Laphicet runs away, and Velvet instantly regrets her words. Magilou, who saw everything, tells her that smashing feelings together is life. Velvet does not understand, but Magilou tells her it is time to go. |
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| − | As Velvet comes out, Laphicet hides behind Rokurou, still scared of Velvet. Velvet is not enthusiastic to have Magilou along, but she claims as long as she sticks alongside her, there is a good chance they will run into Eleanor again, and she can then get her hands on Bienfu. The group enters a waterway that leads to the Abbey villa headquarters, where Gideon is. As Laphicet trips, Velvet helps her back up, as a way to amend from before. |
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| − | After going through the waterway, they end up inside the villa's library. Laphicet is exited, and when Magilou accidentally reveals a hidden bookshelf, he gets more exited, as the books in it are written in an ancient tongue. Knowing that Laphicet would remain in the library, Velvet takes one of the books from the shelf and gives it to Laphicet, and tells him not to pretend to be noble, as he is consorting with daemons. They go through the villa and locate Gideon. However, Eleanor is already there, waiting in ambush with other exorcists. A fight breaks out, and as Abbey reinforcements arrive, things look bleak. Eizen tells Velvet to crush Eleanor's head, and she obliges. This causes Bienfu to appear, but Velvet easily punches him out of the way, right into Laphicet's arms. Magilou finally gets her hands on Bienfu and restores her pact with him, regaining her magic, and with her help, Velvet and the group defeat Eleanor and the other exorcists. With Eleanor standing alone against Velvet, without her malakhim, Velvet walks up to her with her daemon arm, but instead of devouring her, she punches her in the stomach, knocking her out. She then walks toward Gideon, and as he tries to reason with her, he believes that Artorius is the one who wants him dead and transforms into a demon and charges at Velvet. Laphicet puts himself in the way, and Velvet has to shield him. Gideon runs off, and Velvet scolds Laphicet, telling him that he cannot die, as he cannot read books if he is dead. The group follows Gideon into the villa underground, only to discover that he has been killed by a large bird-like demon, being held inside by a barrier, which Velvet knows well, since her cell in Titania had a similar barrier. As the bird eats Gideon, he transforms back into his human form, which Eleanor notices. Shocked at what she has just witnessed, she demands answers from Velvet, but Velvet does not know nor cares, and calls Eleanor a mockery, as she cannot do anything to Velvet without her malakhim. The group leaves, leaving crying Eleanor behind. |
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| − | Returning to the tavern to report their success, Tabatha reveals that the Empyrean's Throne is protected by a barrier, which can only bypassed by exorcists who are in control of four greater malakhim. Bienfu informs that he is a greater malakhim himself, as are Laphicet and Eizen. Velvet intends to steal a fourth malakhim, but it has to wait until the next day, when Laphicet falls asleep. |
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| − | ===Facing the Shepherd=== |
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| − | The next morning, Velvet watches over Laphicet as he awakes. The group heads out to Port Zekson in order for the Van Eltia's crew to scout the area for an exorcist with a greater malakhim. As the group waits, Velvet finds Laphicet sitting on a dock eating an apple. He offers another apple to Velvet, but she refuses, as she cannot taste it anymore. Velvet sits with him, and sees how Laphicet is in many ways similar to her late brother: he is fascinated by the sea and with the compass in hand, he wishes to go on adventure. The scouts return, and Velvet overhears [[Benwick]] telling Eizen that they spotted a malak fighting the Abbey, wielding a pendulum. As pendulum was the only clue Eizen had on the missing captain, Aifread, he runs after the malak. Velvet and the group follow him, and just before the barrier, the two malaks fight. Velvet tries to get the two work together, but they refuse, forcing Velvet to fight them both. She wins and with a fourth greater malakhim, they can now pass the barrier. Ironically, it only takes Laphicet to break through it. The malak leaves, but Eizen demands his name, and he says [[Zaveid]]. |
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| − | The group enters the temple grounds and breaks through Abbey's defenses. As they are about to enter the temple, Rokurou asks Velvet about Artorius's way of fighting. Velvet reveals he fights with a longsword in his left hand, and is likely to be enhanced with Innominat as well. Velvet intends to use the party as her advantage, especially Laphicet's healing artes, as it is clear to her that Artorius will cut her before she can actually hit him, but she will not stop until either Artorius or she is dead. |
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| − | The group enters the temple and find Artorius alone. Velvet attacks him, but she is soon overpowered. Laphicet heals her, and she keeps attacking, managing to cause some damage. Due to Velvet's tenacity, Artorius calls out to Innominat, and his wounds are instantly healed. When Artorius strikes Velvet down, [[Melchior Mayvin]], Oscar, Teresa, and Eleanor arrive. Velvet, in a fit of rage, tries to attack Artorius again, but Teresa steps in, and with her [[Silva|other malak]], strikes Velvet down. Laphicet asks Velvet why she insists on fighting under so much pain pain. She answers because Laphi felt more pain than she ever would, and feels regret for not being able to do anything for him, before falling unconcious. Laphicet is stricken by it, and Teresa orders him to kill Velvet, then commit suicide. Rejecting his pact with Teresa, he refuses and screams that he does not want Velvet to die. As he screams, his power reacts with Innominat and he blasts Teresa away and falls unconscious. A tear in reality opens, which serves as an escape for the group. Rokurou picks up Velvet and Eizen picks up Laphicet, and the group jumps into the tear. Eleanor runs after them, and gets sucked in as well. |
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| − | ===Lost=== |
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| − | Velvet awakens in an unknown location, with her wounds miraculously healed. She finds Laphicet lying next to her, severely weakened. She touches his head and discovers that he has a fever. He mutters to Velvet not to die. Velvet hugs him and thanks him for saving her life, and swears to save him this time. She picks him up and attempts to find an exit, but her efforts prove in vain. She runs into Eizen, who tells her that they are stuck inside an [[earthpulse]], a river of the world's life energy. Eizen theorizes that when Laphicet and Innominat's powers collided, a tear into the earthpulse was opened, and now it seems that Laphicet has the means to get them out, but in his current weakened state, he is unable to do so, and if he cannot heal, he will turn into a daemon. In order to heal, a malak needs a pure vessel, where they can recuperate, but neither Velvet or Eizen can act as a proper vessel, since Velvet is a daemon, and Eizen cannot act as one. Suddenly, Eleanor appears and offers herself as Laphicet's vessel, because as an exorcist, she is pure. Velvet is unwilling to trust an exorcist, and is willing to cut off her limbs, so she will not try anything, but Eleanor tells her she will kill herself before Velvet can act. Eleanor claims that once she gets her exorcist powers back, she will challenge her: if Velvet wins her, she will do what she asks. Seeing no other choice, Velvet reluctantly agrees. Eleanor asks for Laphicet's name and Velvet tells it, but warns her that he is not someone to be owned. As Eleanor forms a pact with Laphicet, she is stunned by the power. All three are then engulfed in a bright light. |
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| − | Velvet and Eizen appear in a new location, landing right on top of Rokurou. Eleanor is nowhere to be seen, but she cannot have gotten far. Now aware that she needs Laphicet's power to kill Artorius, Velvet sets out to find her. Velvet and the others find her outside the ruins, waiting for Velvet. Velvet is surprised, but being an honorable young woman, Eleanor apologizes her disappearance and intends to defeat Velvet right there. Velvet accepts the challenge, and the girls fight one on one. Velvet eventually gains the upper hand and strikes her down. She claims the duel is over, but Eleanor recites Artorius's teachings and attacks when Velvet's guard is down, but Eleanor stops right before she is about impale her, knowing that Velvet cannot kill her as long as Eleanor is Laphicet's vessel. However, Eleanor left her guard down, allowing Velvet to disarm her and strike her to the ground, and she also reiterates Artorius's teachings. Having been defeated by a daemon no less, Eleanor breaks down into tears and sees herself a failure. Velvet tells her she will obey her commands until the day she dies. Eleanor surprises Velvet by attempting to kill herself, but she is stopped by Laphicet, who is able to control Eleanor's body. He comes out from Eleanor and tells Velvet that he is feeling better. Due to the new pact, Eleanor falls asleep and develops a fever. The group takes shelter inside the ruins in order to wait until she recovers. |
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| − | Velvet goes outside to find Laphicet. He apologizes to Velvet for disobeying her, but Velvet also apologizes to him for having treated him like an object. Laphicet then shows Velvet the book they took from the villa, and seeing that it has Innominat's symbol on the cover, Velvet believes it holds knowledge about him. Unfortunately, the book is written in an ancient tongue and nobody in the group can read it. Magilou appears and claims that her friend [[Grimoirh]] might be able to transcribe it. Velvet decides to seek her out, and Magilou says the last letter she got from her was from [[Yseult]] in Southgand. Magilou then challenges Velvet into a bet: 100 [[gald]] that Velvet breaks before getting her revenge. Velvet accepts, but does not really see the point. They return to the ruins to rest. |
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| − | As the group sleeps, Eleanor wakes up. Disgusted with Velvet, she stands and contemplates whether to kill her in her sleep. Daemon or not, Eleanor cannot bring herself to kill Velvet. Then, a bright moving light appears and Eleanor goes after it, not noticing that Velvet and Eizen were watching her the entire time. The two follow Eleanor outside and witness her communicating with Artorius through Melchior's communication arte. Eleanor receives a special mission to bring Laphicet to Loegres, and to do everything in her power to accomplish it. Eleanor accepts the mission, not knowing Velvet and Eizen saw and heard everything. However, they do not rat her out. Instead, they decide to test her to see how deep her loyalty to the Abbey truly is. |
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| − | The next morning, the group heads out in order to find out where they are. On the way, they run into a brigand, who attacks them out of fear, thinking they are with the "Swordbreaker". He is defeated, but the matter is cleared and he tells them that they are in Islegand, and if they go through the mines, they can get to [[Port Cadnix]]. As they continue, they encounter [[Kurogane]], a heavily armored daemon that carries a large sword, Stormquell. Rokurou challenges him directly, causing Laphicet to step in. This causes Rokurou to get enraged and attack Laphicet, forcing Velvet and Eleanor to stop him. He cools off and they continue. As they enter the mines, Magilou remembers the story about a smith, Kurogane, who devoted his life into creating a sword that could overcome the most powerful sword ever, Stormhowl. |
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| − | Inside the mine, they encounter the Swordbreaker again, having just been defeated by the one who carries Stormhowl, legate Shigure Rangetsu, Rokurou's brother, whom Rokurou has sworn to kill. The two brothers fight, and Rokurou puts a decent fight, but is defeated. Shigure walks away, but is thrilled for a chance to face Rokurou again, maybe with a decent sword. Shigure's malak, [[Morgrim]], says that the Swordbreaker is actually Kurogane himself. He offers to help the group, and by taking materials from his head, he begins forging new short blades for Rokurou. As Bienfu returns from scouting, he informs them that the Abbey is sending a group of exorcists to purge the traitor Eleanor. Velvet orders Eleanor to fight with them. She intends to test her in order to see how far she is willing to go. Eizen warns Velvet not to push Eleanor too far, because if she breaks, it is dangerous for Laphicet as long as she is his vessel. As they engage the exorcists and defeat them. Velvet goes with the test, but Eleanor cannot kill them. Velvet beats them down herself without killing them, and orders Eleanor to fight the exorcists, but without killing them from now on. The group, along with Kurogane, heads to Port Cadnix and engages Shigure. The fight ends in a stalemate and Shigure leaves, vowing to fight them again. The Van Eltia arrives, and the group set sail toward Southgand. |
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| − | ===A Disease and a Daemon=== |
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| − | While sailing to Southgand, Eizen orders a course change to [[Port Reneed]] in Westgand. Some of the ship's crew have begun to show symptoms of the Corsair's Scourge, a deadly disease that can only be contracted on the seas. The only cure is sale'tomah, a plant that grows near Reneed. However, the town does not have any stores for it, so the group has to pick it up themselves from [[Warg Forest]]. They learn that a large daemon has been spotted in there, and the Abbey has not defeated it yet. In the forest, the group encounters some exorcists and Velvet determines that since the exorcists are not daemon-hunting, this is not any ordinary daemon they are dealing with. Further ahead, they find a sale'tomah field. Among the flowers, Laphicet finds a peculiar looking beetle. Suddenly, it transforms into a menacing looking daemon, but it then crashes into same kind of barrier they saw in Loegres. The group defeats it and it transforms back into a beetle. Laphicet wants to keep it, but Velvet intends to devour it for the group's safety, until Rokurou says that the Abbey must have a reason for keeping it captive. Velvet breaks the barrier and tells Laphicet to take care of it. |
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| − | ===Showdown in Lothringen=== |
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| − | As the group leaves the forest, they overhear another pair of exorcists talking about a wanted malak, and the group thinks they are talking about Zaveid. They are soon proven correct, as they run to Zaveid a moment later, and Eizen runs after him, thinking he can find Aifread through him. Velvet and the others take the sale'tomah back to the ship and inform Benwick and the crew. Benwick thinks Eizen is walking into a trap and intends to go help him on his own, but Velvet says they will handle it. Zaveid was heading toward [[Lothringen]] Tower, where the exorcists train. As the group heads out, they encounter Eizen in an exorcist camp, where all the exorcists are defeated, but not dead. Zaveid shows up, and leaves for the tower. The group suspects the Abbey is luring them and Zaveid into a trap by using Aifread as bait. In the tower, they find Aifread, but Eizen realizes that it is an illusion. He then sees a [[Edna|young woman]], who is then shot by Zaveid with a strange weapon, with woman revealed to be another illusion. The illusions are revealed to be the work of Melchior, and he shows up and, without any regret, transforms his three malak, including the one Zaveid had just shot, into wyverns. Zaveid runs after Melchior and the group defeats the wyverns, with Velvet and Eizen killing two of them, before Zaveid shoots the third and it escapes. In the confusion, Melchior manages to copy the formula of Zaveid's weapon and flees. Outside, the group then asks Zaveid how he knows Aifread and why does he have his weapon. Zaveid reveals that he was once a malak under the Abbey's control, but when Aifread shot him with the weapon, the Siegfried, he came back into his senses. Before he got captured, Aifread left Siegfried in his care. Velvet suggests to Zaveid that he ought to team up, since they have a common enemy, but he refuses, as he cannot accept the group's methods of killing. His creed is not to kill anybody. Zaveid leaves and the group returns to Van Eltia and resumes course to Southgand. |
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| − | ===Truth of the world=== |
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| − | The group arrives at Yseult in Southgand, and discover that Teresa and Oscar are also there. They learn that Oscar has been assigned to Palamides Temple. Velvet suspects Eleanor might have informed the Abbey about them, but she has no proof, and Laphicet also thinks she has not done anything. The group learns that Grimoirh is a normin malak, like Bienfu, and finds her surrounded by daemons on Maclir Beach. They defeat the daemons and Velvet asks for her help in translating the book. However, she is unwilling, even when Velvet outright threatens her, but when Laphicet asks politely, she agrees to look at it. The language of the book is ancient Avarost, a long lost language that requires a lot of intuition to translate it correctly. Grimoirh asks the group to take her to Haria Village, where she can study better. They go to Haria Village, and when Laphicet calls Grimoirh teacher, she agrees to teach him the language. Velvet and the others leave the two alone to work. |
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| − | Later, when Velvet and the others return, they learn that the book is about songs referring to Innominat. The first song explains how Innominat feeds on something called "[[malevolence]]" through eight heads, with seven of them each representing a [[therion]]. The group thinks that the Abbey is attempting to awaken Innominat by using therions to feed it malevolence. They also suspect that the large daemon they saw in Loegres was a therion, just like the beetle they found in Warg Forest. They also suspect that another therion might be located in Palamides Temple. Velvet suggests that they check it out the next day. |
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| − | |||
| − | As the group leaves the village, a girl stops them in order to ask help from Eleanor. The daughter of the high priestess of Palamides Temple, [[Kamoana]], has gone missing, and so has the high priestess. Eleanor promises to look for them. When the group reaches the temple, Velvet hears a daemon causing mayhem inside. They head in and encounter the daemon, and identify her as the high priestess, infected with daemonblight, but it flees before they can finish it off. Continuing deeper, they reach the heart of the temple, and find a therion inside, surrounded by the same barrier as the beetle was. The group fights and defeats it. Velvet intends to devour it, but then the high priestess daemon appears. Eleanor, feeling duty-bound, attacks it and sends it flying right to the therion. The therion starts feeding on it, shocking everyone but Velvet, as it is familiar to her. The daemon's last word is "Kamoana!", and from that, the therion transforms into a little girl, and everyone realize that the therion is Kamoana. She has no memory of devouring her mother, and Eleanor is especially shocked that the Abbey would knowingly transform a little girl into a therion. Suddenly, Oscar arrives and Eleanor demands to know what is going on. Oscar only says that it was a necessary sacrifice, until Velvet knocks him down. Velvet seemingly intends to devour Kamoana in order to weaken Innominat and that Kamoana will only slow them down, despite Eleanor's pleading, but to Eleanor's surprise, Velvet instead destroys the barrier, allowing Kamoana to leave with them. Velvet claims she did not eat her because of something that Grimoirh said. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group return with Kamoana to Haria Village. However, the villagers are looking weak, and something is seeping out from their bodies, with Magilou and Grimoirh revealing that it is malevolence, and the people are reaching their limits. Velvet realizes that Eizen too knows what malevolence is, but he says that they will talk about it later. Just then, the villagers transform into daemons, giving the group a chance to flee as the exorcists close in. |
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| − | |||
| − | As the group reaches the Van Eltia, Velvet, Laphicet, and Eleanor demand to know what malevolence is. Grimoirh warns Eizen that telling them will break the malak taboo, and says that this is basically the way how the world works, and that malakhim have sworn not to tell people about it, as that knowledge could be devastating to humans, but Velvet claims that she is not a human and Eleanor says that she cannot keep lying to herself. Eizen then explains the truth: there is no such thing as daemonblight. Any human has the potential to transform into a daemon through malevolence. All it takes for malevolence to form is enough negative emotions. When a person reaches their limit, they transform into daemons. Therions are special, since they feed on malevolence. It is clear that the Abbey knows this, and Velvet decides to take a new approach: instead of killing therions, they will track them down and release them from the earthpulse points, since each of them are located in an earthpulse point. Thus taking Kamoana along was the right thing to do. However, in order to safeguard the therions, they need a suitable hideout. Benwick gives them a message from the Bloodwings, and the group returns to Loegres. On the way, Grimoirh brings the group together to ponder about the passage "therions are forever reborn". Velvet thinks it means that if a therion is killed, a new one is born in it is stead. |
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| − | ===Mysterious Cargo=== |
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| − | The group returns to the Bloodwing hideout. Before heading inside, Velvet orders Eleanor to remain outside with Laphicet, even though the Bloodwings know about Eleanor, but in reality, this is yet another test from Velvet to see if Eleanor's loyalty to the Abbey is still strong. After all, she is to deliver Laphicet to the Abbey in Loegres. In the tavern, Tabatha gives Velvet a new job: escort a mysterious man and his hawk away from the capital, somewhere where authorities cannot find him. Velvet claims that the group is looking for a place like that, and Tabatha reveals a rumor that the prison island Titania, where Velvet, Rokurou, and Magilou were imprisoned, has not had any contact with the Abbey for some time. The group immediately realizes it would make a perfect hideout, as therions can have fair share of malevolence there, and it would take time for the Abbey to realize that prisoners who escaped from there would return. Velvet decides to follow this rumor. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group exits the hideout to find that Eleanor and Laphicet are still waiting. They return to the Van Eltia, where they witness Benwick arguing with the dockmaster. Suddenly, a surge of power emanates from the north. As a result, almost everyone starts acting like they have no control of their minds. Velvet snaps Benwick out of it, and suddenly the effect fades. Eizen says that it is a domain, a malakhim's area of influence. With a domain this strong, the group realizes that it was Artorius and Innominat's doing. They decide to leave quickly. |
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| − | |||
| − | On the ship, Velvet demands their cargo reveal himself. He takes off his hood and reveals himself as crown prince Percival, who has been forced to leave Loegres after an incident. He says that they can do whatever they wish to him. Velvet lets him stay, but warns him that she will kill him if he does anything stupid. Percival does not mind, as he claims that he can never go back. |
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| − | ===Acquiring a Hideout=== |
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| − | The Van Eltia arrives at Titania and the group finds it suspiciously quiet: no exorcists can be seen. It seems the Abbey was unable to contain the prison riot that Velvet caused. As they enter, they encounter a dying exorcist, who mutters something about a headless knight. Eizen thinks that it is [[venomization]], a ritual where daemons fight each other to become even stronger. The group makes a sweep of the complex, eventually finding a headless daemon, right on top of Velvet's cell. They defeat the daemon, and Laphicet senses an earthpulse point right beneath them. |
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| − | |||
| − | Velvet leads the group to her cell and tells them her story. She was held in that dark pit for three years, feeding on daemons, but never realizing she was sending malevolence to Innominat, but then one day, a female malak, Seres, entered the cell and released the monster inside, but the monster devoured her too. Velvet summons her daemon arm and reveals that was when she received the power to avenge her brother, and everyone realizes that Velvet is a therion too. Eleanor is still unwilling to believe that Artorius would murder Velvet's brother. Velvet angrily asks her what is so unbelievable in it. That Artorius would not have murdered his wife's brother, or imprison his wife's younger sister? Eleanor claims that he must have had a reason, but Velvet screams right to her face that that is exactly what Artorius did and does not accept that it was to save the world from pain, as there is no one to save Laphi's pain, leaving Eleanor no room to doubt her claims. Eleanor then hears Kamoana screaming, and the group heads back to the dock. |
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| − | |||
| − | At the docks, they encounter the real headless knight and final product of the venomization. The group defeats it, but a piece of it comes back to life and attacks Kamoana, but it is then attacked and eaten by the therion from the villa. Percival steps in and reveals that the therion is Griffin, his hawk and only friend. He then reveals how he has never enjoyed true freedom, thus seeing Griffin fly gave him happiness, but when the Abbey discovered that he was receptive to Innominat's power, they forcibly turned Griffin into a therion, and locked him up beneath the villa. Percival could not stand his friend being denied his freedom, and attempted to free Griffin. Unfortunately, he was caught, and in the confusion, Griffin killed a guard, and this is why Percival had to flee and cannot go back. Velvet likens his actions to the question Artorius asked her three years ago and asks it to Percival: why does he think the birds fly. Eleanor is also shocked to hear this, as Artorius asked her the same thing. Ironically, Velvet's and Eleanor's answers were the same. Percival thinks that a bird who cannot fly is no bird at all. With two therions scratched from the list, the group starts turning Titania into a hideout. |
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| − | ===Eleanor's Change of Heart=== |
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| − | Later, Kamoana asks Velvet where Eleanor is. Velvet asks, did not she play with Kamoana just a moment ago. She says she did, but then Eleanor left with a sad look on her face. Kamoana asks Velvet to go find her, but she is not enthusiastic. However, Kamoana threatens to cry, and Velvet gives up. She eventually finds Eleanor alone on top of one of the watchtowers, thinking to herself. Eleanor reveals that after traveling with Velvet, she has begun to see the world as it really is, that malakhim are not tools and that even daemons can still possess feelings like any human. Velvet tells her to take care not to get cold, and this surprises Eleanor that Velvet would actually care about her. Velvet claims it is only because Laphicet and Kamoana would worry, but in truth, Velvet is starting to see Eleanor as a friend rather than an enemy, seeing that they are not that different, although she does not admit it. Eleanor stays on the tower for a while and asks Velvet to tell Kamoana not to worry about her. |
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| − | |||
| − | Eleanor then returns to the others, and openly reveals that she was a spy acting on Artorius's orders, which everyone was already aware of, and her orders were to bring Laphicet to the Abbey, but she no longer has any intention of obeying Abbey's orders. Velvet asks if she is going to turn her back on Artorius. Eleanor claims she still believes in Artorius's sincerity, but cannot accept the Abbey's methods anymore. She intends to help the group protect the therions until she finds the truth about Innominat and the Abbey's plans. The group welcomes her with open arms. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Therion Hunting=== |
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| − | Laphicet leads the group to Velvet's cell, since it is an earthpulse point, and using his powers with his compass, he can track down other earthpulse points, even sense their sizes. Since Velvet's cell, Palamides Temple, and Warg Forest were large points, he determines that therions are likely located on large earthpulse points. Velvet asks for the closest one, which lies to the west. The group takes the Van Eltia there. However, there is nothing but water there, but despite this, Eizen intends to see if they can fish a therion. While they do this, Eleanor bonds with Laphicet, which leaves Velvet worried, and she again likens Laphicet to her dead brother, which annoys him. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group only catches useless things, including fake horns, a fake mustache, and funny glasses, which Laphicet tries on. As Velvet says he looks ridiculous, Laphicet angrily tells her that he is not Laphi. Velvet realizes her error, when suddenly, her fishing rod catches something. She pulls up a large pot, which Eizen sees as a unique. Unfortunately, daemons come out from it and even the pot itself turns into one. The group defeats it and it returns to normal. Laphicet feels down, since they did not find a therion here, but Velvet encourages him not to give up, and calls him "Phi", giving him a nickname so that she remembers he is him and not a substitute for Laphi. |
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| − | |||
| − | The next earthpulse point takes Velvet and her companions to Midgand. A large flying daemon has been spotted in Aldina Plains, and it supposedly makes its nest on a large earthpulse point. The group at first cannot find it, and they head to the nearby town of [[Stonebury]]. A Bloodwing member tells them there that it only returns to its nest on rainy days, and just then it starts to rain. The group also finds Zaveid in the tavern, having a drink and seemingly waiting for someone. The group heads back to the earthpulse point, and finds the daemon: a large dragon. However, it is not a therion as it generates huge amounts of malevolence. Velvet intends to retreat, but Eizen intends to take the dragon out. A fight with it breaks out until Zaveid steps in and protects the dragon. The dragon knocks Zaveid out and flies away. The group realizes the dragon was someone Zaveid once knew. Eizen reveals that when a malak is overtaken by malevolence, a dragon is what results. With two missed earthpulses, the group returns to Titania. |
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| − | |||
| − | Back at Titania, Laphicet tracks the next earthpulse point to Northgand, close to Hellawes, the town Velvet, Rokurou, Magilou, and Dyle scorched. As they are leaving, Kamoana comes out crying due to having seen a nightmare where her mother said she looked scary and did not want her. Eleanor cannot reassure her, forcing Velvet to step in and have her let it all out. Eventually, she cries herself to sleep. The group heads to Northgand. |
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| − | As they enter Hellawes, the town is slowly getting back on its feet, but the people there are talking about the Calamity, which wrecked the town last time. The group learns about an incident in which a young girl turned into a daemon, and her mother, [[Medissa]], attacked the Abbey because they killed her, but she was discovered to be receptive to Innominat's power and was taken to [[Faldies Ruins]], where the earthpulse point is located. The group determines that Medissa is a therion, and would likely be willing to work for them. They head to the ruins and fight their way through the Abbey's exorcists and reach Medissa, but she claims she became a therion willingly, so that she can do her part in ridding the world of malevolence and daemons, and sends her snake minions to attack the group. When Medissa sees Velvet's left arm, she recognizes her as the Calamity. The battle ends in Medissa's defeat, and Velvet accepts the title [[Lord of Calamity]], a daemon who brings nothing but destruction. |
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| − | ===Returning Home=== |
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| − | Laphicet tracks the next earthpulse point to the eastern part of Eastgand, shocking Velvet, as that is where her home village, Aball, is located. As the group sails to Port [[Taliesin]], they sail into large, thick fog, which clears as they dock. Velvet explains that the therion is located somewhere in her village. As the group talks with the townspeople, they hear things that should not be true. The people claim that Aball was never destroyed three years ago, and that Velvet's friend, Niko, comes to town every now and then, and is intending to marry a local veterinarian, but not until her lost friend returns. Something is off, and the group head out toward Aball. |
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| − | As they travel through Morgana Woods, they hear Niko screaming as she comes under attack by a daemon. The group defeats it, and Velvet, being wary as this should not be real, asks Niko how she is alive. Niko could ask the same from her and hugs Velvet. Niko then runs to the village and Eizen tells Velvet to stay on guard. |
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| − | Velvet receives a warm welcome in Aball and is speechless, as everyone is alive and the village looks like nothing ever happened to it. The villagers claim that the village was nearly destroyed, but then Arthur saved it. Velvet does not believe it, as she claims that he killed Laphi, but the villagers say that Laphi is alive, in her house. Velvet runs there, but before she enters, she cuts herself to make sure she is not dreaming or seeing illusions, remembering all too well, what happened at Lothringen. She enters and finds Laphi sleeping in his bed. She touches him and he is warm, convincing her that this is real. However, Magilou still has her suspicions. Laphi does not wake up, and Niko tells her he has been sleeping like this for three years now. She suggests that Velvet cook for him in order to wake him up. Rokurou and Eizen go to see if they can find the therion, while Velvet goes with Laphicet, Eleanor, and Magilou to hunt prickleboars. After the hunt, Velvet returns to her house, and Eizen and Rokurou ask if she intends to stay there. They try to convince her to find the therion. Angered by this, she takes out her daemon arm, just as Niko comes and sees it. Eizen walks away with Rokurou, telling Velvet she has one day to decide. Niko is scared to see Velvet's arm, and Velvet tries to explain, but Niko stops her, claiming she does not care and promises it keep it a secret. |
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| − | Velvet cooks a grand meal, which everyone enjoys. Laphicet finds a complete copy of Innominat's book on Laphi's bookshelf, but Velvet shows no interest. She asks Laphicet to borrow his compass for a bit. She explains how Laphi always wanted a compass in order to go on adventure and thinks Laphi and Laphicet would have become really good friends. She then sees a spot of pudding on Laphicet's cheek and eats it. She thinks that she made the pudding a little too sweet. |
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| − | It is at this moment when Velvet snaps. Since becoming a therion, she has not been able to taste anything besides blood and it should not be any different now. Upset, she slams her hands on the kitchen table and asks Magilou if there are any artes that allows its user to manipulate dreams. Magilou confirms that there is, and it requires a certain type of malak. The arte in question takes on its target's deepest regrets, and traps them in a happy dream based on those regrets. Hearing this, Velvet realizes that everything she has seen and heard since coming to Eastgand is nothing but a dream and grows agitated. She intends to head to the cape, where the therion is most likely located. As she tries to leave, she hears Laphi calling out to her, pleading her not to go, but Velvet already knows this is not real, gives Laphicet his compass back, apologizes, and leaves. |
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| − | The village is enveloped in a strange mist and Velvet finds Rokurou and Eizen arguing with the villagers, as the cape has been designated a forbidden area. Niko asks Velvet to talk some sense to her friends, but Velvet declares the truth: Laphi is dead and she will keep on going to sate her vengeance. She threatens the villagers to get out of her way or else she will devour them again. The truth is then revealed: the villagers were really disguised daemons. The group takes them out and Velvet leads the group to the cape, where they find the therion, Orthrus, a large, two-headed dog that Velvet realizes is actually Niko's dogs, Orthie and Russ. Orthrus is defeated and Velvet forces Orthie and Russ to come along and promises them that they can tear her apart after she has her revenge. Laphicet finds the book that he found in Velvet's house has disappeared. The group returns to the village to find it empty, as it should be. They go back to the Velvet's house and discover that the book is gone. As they are leaving, they look upon the graves of Celica and her unborn child. Laphicet suggests that they should put some flowers there, but Velvet claims there is no point. Then, Melchior appears and it is confirmed he was the one who set up the dream arte, and he also came here to collect Innominat's book. Velvet and Eizen charge at him, but they are stopped by a [[Van Aifread|grotesque daemon]], and he flees. As the group leaves, Laphicet notices another copy of Innominat's book on the village shopkeeper's desk. It is the copy Laphicet made in order to buy Velvet her comb and that the copy is complete. The group return to the Van Eltia and realizes the fog they sailed through was part of Melchior's illusion. |
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| − | As the group sails back to Titania, Velvet contemplates how she devoured the villagers of Aball again and is still determined to get her revenge. Laphicet comes to her and as Velvet talks with him, she collapses due to the emotional stress she has just endured. |
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| − | ===Brothers and Sisters=== |
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| − | For the next three days, Velvet dreams about Celica, Laphi, and Seres, each reminding her about her revenge against Artorius. When she finally awakens, they are already back at Titania. With only one therion left, Laphicet reveals that he discovered a large earthpulse in Endgand, a cluster of islands at the edge of the kingdom. Eizen suggests they set course to Lionel Island, the largest island in Endgand. Just as they approach the island, they spot an Abbey ship waving a distress signal. The group boards the ship and discover that the entire Abbey crew has contracted the corsair's scourge, including the commander of the vessel, Lady Teresa. She was en route to Lionel Island, hoping that she would run into Velvet, who would help her save Oscar, who has been attuned with a powerful but dangerous new arte by Artorius and Melchior. The arte grants immense power to the user, but it is still unstable, and thus potentially lethal to the user. As Teresa is powerless without a malak, since Number One was taken from her, she needs Velvet's help. Velvet takes Teresa to the Van Eltia and she is cured from the scourge. |
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| − | The group arrives at Lionel Island, and Teresa informs them that Oscar can be found on the opposite edge of the island, guarding the last therion, Dis. He hopes to use the new arte to destroy the Lord of Calamity, using Dis as a lure. Velvet intends to use Teresa to get Oscar lower his arms so that they can obtain the therion and Teresa can then leave with Oscar. When they reach the site, Velvet and Teresa act like Teresa is Velvet's hostage. Oscar lays down his arms, but strikes at Velvet, allowing Teresa to reach him. Teresa knocks Oscar down. Velvet allows Teresa to leave with him, but Teresa refuses and reveals her ulterior motive: she recently learned that she is receptive to Innominat's power, and allows herself to fuse with Dis and become a therion, so that she can kill Velvet herself. She attacks the group, but she is defeated. Oscar recovers and, after comforting Teresa, uses the new arte, [[armatus]], to fuse with his malak, and kill Velvet himself. Despite the great power that armatus provides Oscar, he is defeated. As a result, he loses control and charges at Velvet uncontrollably. Velvet evades him and uses her daemon arm to eat the malak from him, but this also kills Oscar. Velvet is shocked, as she never intended to kill him. Teresa sees this and develops the very same rage Velvet did three years ago and attacks Velvet. Velvet is forced kill Teresa. Velvet eats both Oscar and Teresa's souls and sees herself as no better than Artorius, and collapses due to the regret for having killed them, albeit unintentionally. |
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| − | |||
| − | Velvet dreams that all she has done was to avenge Laphi and starts to realize that she has nowhere to hide anymore. Having failed to acquire the therion, the group returns to the Van Eltia, intending to find the new therion the Abbey will certainly create to replace Dis. |
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| − | ===Attack on Titania=== |
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| − | When the group return to the Van Eltia, they learn from Benwick that the Abbey has launched a full-scale attack on Titania, most likely to recapture the therions and destroy the Lord of Calamity. As they are closing in on Titania, Magilou discovers that Bienfu was the spy, having been placed under an arte by Melchior that forced him to act as one. Apparently, Melchior hoped that Magilou would track down and reacquire Bienfu so that he would have someone on the inside. Velvet is upset about this, but spares both Magilou and Bienfu. Magilou asks Velvet, what does it feel like to hate. Velvet tells her to fight at her side to get her answer. They see Titania already under attack and the front docks are occupied. Velvet orders Benwick to take them to the back docks. |
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| − | |||
| − | Velvet and the others jump to the back docks, just in time to save Grimoirh, Dyle, and Orthrus from the exorcists. As the group expects, the exorcists have been attuned with armatus, still incomplete, and because of this, in order to prevent any of them from turning into daemons, Melchior has placed a self-destruction arte on them, effectively killing them, sparing Velvet the trouble. Velvet is growing unstable as she is having an inner turmoil about killing the exorcists, due to what happened earlier with Oscar and Teresa, as well as in Aball. The group manages to save the therions and the others, but when Velvet learns form Prince Percival that Artorius is also in Titania, her hate starts to get the best of her. Eizen tells her that if she intends to die, she will have to do it alone, as his priority is to save everyone. Velvet orders Percival to escape on the Van Eltia and leave while they hold off the Abbey. However, this has cut them off from their original escape. Velvet intends to make her way to the front docks to steal an Abbey ship, but with Artorius there, they cannot make it. Percival returns and tells Velvet to use him as a hostage so they can acquire a ship. With no other choice, the group obliges. |
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| − | ===Destined to Despair=== |
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| − | As the group reaches the front docks, they are ambushed by Artorius and Shigure. Velvet and Rokurou take the opportunity to settle their scores, with Rokurou using the blade Kurogane had recently made from orichalcum. The fight ends in a standstill, until Artorius says that the one who will be fighting Velvet is not him, but Innominat himself. Innominat manifests and to Velvet's shock and horror, the Empyrean carries Laphi's face and form. Velvet tries to convince herself this is just an illusion, but the shock has already hit the mark. Eleanor is baffled as to how Innominat can already manifest, as they have already removed the therions, supposedly draining him of power. However, Shigure and Artorius explain that they were already too late by the time they extracted the therions, as what was needed to awaken Innominat was never the amount of malevolence, but the quality of it. In short, they needed eight different types of malevolence: greed, conceit, lust, cowardice, selfishness, obsession. The last two, hatred and despair, are inside Velvet. Artorius then explains that after Innominat has fully awakened, he will cleanse the world of its sins, and create an ideal world free of malevolence, but the group realizes that this means suppressing humanity's free will, just like they did with malakhim. Velvet, already succumbing to despair, strikes at Innominat, but she comes to see that Innominat is the brother she was trying to avenge, and seeing him like this causes her to slowly realize that her quest for revenge was for nothing. Innominat conjures a black hole, intending to drag Velvet into himself to absorb her hatred and despair. However, Laphicet uses a shield to prevent it. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group is separated in another earthpulse, with Eleanor and Laphicet alright, but Velvet is far from it. Consumed with despair, she is unable to discern what to do, as part of her tells her to keep going, but the other part tells her to give it up. The trio then see a vision from three years in the past, where Velvet was still a happy girl living a happy life. She slashes the vision and intends to kill both Artorius and Innominat, but despair clouds her head and she even lashes out at Laphicet. Eleanor smacks her on the face to calm her down. The trio heads on to try and find a way out. |
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| − | |||
| − | As they move, they see another vision, from more than ten years ago, when Celica first met Artorius. Back then, he was willing to die, but through Celica's encouragement, he kept on living, but this reveals that Artorius had lied to Celica from the beginning, starting from his name, which he claimed was Arthur. Velvet slashes the vision. Eizen and Rokurou join them, telling her that they saw it too. Eizen explains that what they are seeing is the Earthen Historia, the world's history recorded by the land itself. All the memories of the world are stored in it. And since the earth acts as Innominat's vessel, he can freely show these visions of the past. Right now, he is selecting certain visions in order to get at Velvet and break her even further into despair. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group continues forward, encountering two more visions. The first is from ten years ago, before the Opening, when Celica told Artorius she is pregnant. Velvet slashes this vision too and laughs maniacally about it, sinking ever further to despair. The second vision is from the night of the Opening, when Artorius tried to save Celica from daemons, but she fell into the pit, along with her unborn child. While consumed by grief over what had happened, he is approached by Melchior, who revealed that Aball's inhabitants offered him and his family to the daemons, explaining that the "reason" upon which they acted was so they could escape and hide. Just then, a bright light emerged from the shrine's depth, surprising Artorius, who noted that it must have been in this place that the Empyrean they were looking for, Innominat, was located. Two pure sacrifices during a Scarlet Night were needed to awaken Innominat, and Celica's unborn child served as the first, and Laphi was the second during the Advent. Aside from Innominat's partial awakening, two malakhim were also born from this: Seres, and Laphicet. This was also the very night when Shepherd Artorius was born. He discarded his emotions and set out to awaken Innominat and rid the world from malevolence. Eizen explains that in a rare occasion, with a right trigger, dead humans may be revived as malakhim. In this case, Celica was reborn as Seres and her unborn child as Laphicet. However, to Velvet, this was no news, as when she devoured Seres, she had already realized Seres was Celica's reincarnation, but disregarded the thought. |
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| − | |||
| − | They continue ahead and find an exit portal, but first, they see one more vision, which breaks Velvet almost completely: the vision shows that Laphi talked in private with Artorius, and willingly offered himself as a sacrifice to Innominat for the Advent. Artorius asked him why does he think that birds fly. Laphi answered that he thinks birds fly because they must, the answer Artorius found correct. Laphi had learned that he had contracted the rare disease called Twelve Year Sickness, in which he will die the day he turns twelve. He did not want to be a burden until he dies, since the next Scarlet Night was coming, and by the time the next from that would come, he would already be dead. Laphi insisted that Artorius never tell Velvet about this, knowing she would not accept it had she known. He intended to make a world where his sister can be happy. This revelation shatters the very foundation of Velvet's revenge, and she declares that both Artorius and Laphi betrayed her. Innominat summons more visions, and, full of hate and despair, slashes each of them, until a large, horrific monster lands right in front of her. The group fights and defeats it. As Velvet devours it, it transforms into her, scarring her to the core, as she figuratively just killed herself. The monster was a physical manifestation of Velvet's hatred. Innominat arrives, and Velvet's spirit is broken completely. Innominat makes Velvet realize that her quest for revenge, all the people she hurt, destruction she caused, all of it was for nothing. Innominat then asks Velvet to give her hatred and despair to him, so that he can undo everything she did. Velvet is sorry for everything and accepts it. Innominat begins to drag Velvet to himself, forcing the group to hold on. Innominat receives Velvet's hatred. |
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| − | |||
| − | However, Laphicet is unwilling to let Velvet go. He grabs onto her left arm, and Eizen uses his earth chains to keep Laphicet and Velvet from being sucked in. He urges Laphicet to tell Velvet what she needs to hear. Velvet tells Laphicet to let her go, but Laphicet screams to her to stop whining. He tells Velvet that despite everything she has done, she was the one who gave him a name when he was just a number and taught him to live. He declares that despite Velvet's scariness and that she threatened to eat him once, he has come to see the kind girl she is in her heart. Laphicet's words start to reach her, and she takes her daemon arm, in order to let Laphicet go or else he loses his own, but Laphicet does not care about that. He just wants Velvet to leave him his another arm, so that he can clobber Innominat for making Velvet cry. He claims that he does not care if Velvet is ugly or malevolent, because he loves Velvet. And to him, a world without Velvet is something he cannot bear. His words finally reach Velvet, and for the first time since becoming a therion, she looks at her situation from her own point of view. Before, she only considered Laphi's view and she was wrong about it from the start. She finally goes through all the pain she herself endured, when she lost her loved ones and why she was spared when they were not. Accepting the pain all that caused her, she manages to rid herself from her despair, and Innominat is shocked. The feedback from this blasts Innominat away, and Seres manifests. She tells Velvet that like her, a fire burns inside her that she cannot quench. Velvet finally understands how Seres felt when she devoured her, and through this encouragement, Velvet charges at the exit portal. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Chased by Innominat=== |
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| − | Velvet and the group blast their way out from the portal, which Magilou and Bienfu had been keeping open by protecting it from Melchior. Melchior realizes that Velvet encountered Innominat and has realized her quest for revenge was for nothing. Velvet admits that her original quest was for nothing, but it is still the reason she cannot forgive Artorius or Innominat, as they took everything from her, and she now intends to keep on going with her revenge, not for Laphi, but for herself. Melchior curses her and attacks along with "[[Number One]]", but they are defeated. Velvet tells him to tell Artorius and Innominat that she is coming for them. Melchior summons the daemon from Aball again, but Zaveid arrives and blasts them into the portal. He tells the group that they are in an Abbey facility on Hexen Isle. The group takes Number One along, who Eizen decides to name Silva, and intends to find him a pure vessel. However, Innominat is coming for them, and at the moment, they cannot fight him, so they start to run. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group exits the facility, but as they run to Zaveid's ship, they are struck by Innominat, who throws a ball of concentrated malevolence directly at Silva, causing him to turn into a dragon, and reveals that this was the reason why he took him away from Teresa. The group is trapped between Innominat and the dragon, and Innominat believes he can get Velvet this way. Zaveid empowers himself with Siegfried and takes on Innominat, while the group fights the dragon, but the dragon heals himself, and Innominat beats Zaveid. Laphicet steps in to take on Innominat himself and orders the group to take out the dragon. Velvet thinks she knows what Laphicet is planning. And she is correct, as Laphicet knew he cannot beat Innominat alone, but he was able to piss him off, causing him to launch a surge of power that hits the dragon, with the dragon attacking Innominat in retaliation. Angered, Innominat launches malevolence a Laphicet, in order to turn him into a dragon, but suddenly, Laphicet unleashes a silver flame from himself, and it burns away the malevolence and blasts Innominat away, but Laphicet collapses. The group uses the opportunity to escape, taking Zaveid along. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Deserved Break=== |
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| − | Using Zaveid's ship, the group sails to Port Cadnix to recuperate after such a long set of battles. Velvet realizes that Laphicet was able to burn away the malevolence because he is part of Innominat. He is still unconscious and Velvet asks Eleanor to look after him. Eleanor claims she should do it, since Laphicet did all of this for her, but Velvet, having taken a path of selfishness, is now seeping malevolence because of it, and thus she cannot touch Laphicet anymore without exposing him to malevolence, which is poison to malakhim. |
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| − | |||
| − | The following night, Velvet dreams about conversing with Seres. Velvet now understands why Seres freed her: even though as a malak she has Celica's form, she is not exactly Velvet's sister. However, after the Advent, she received Celica's memories. Those happy memories she had when Artorius was Arthur to her were basically a lie, since the kind and caring Arthur turned out to be an emotionless and cruel Artorius. Thus, she wanted so badly to kill him herself, but was unable to do it due to the pact she had with him. However, Velvet had the power to kill him. Seres still hopes that Velvet can do it, and Velvet is not going to stop until Artorius has paid for everything he has done. |
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| − | |||
| − | Velvet goes to the docks and sees the malevolence she is generating. Laphicet comes and she warns him to stay back. Velvet admits it was eventually going to come to this, but Laphicet gives her back her comb and says that whether she is a human or the Lord of Calamity, she has beautiful hair. Laphicet declares his intent to go with Velvet and see this to the end. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Threat from Aifread=== |
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| − | The next day, Velvet and others overhear Eizen and Zaveid arguing about the daemon with Melchior, whom Eizen suspects is none other than Van Aifread. Zaveid leaves and takes the ship, leaving the group behind. Eizen learned that Aifread was seen on Lionel Island and that the Van Eltia must be on its way there. It is a trap, and that daemon Aifread is the one who arranged it. Eleanor secures another ship and the group sails to Lionel Island. |
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| − | |||
| − | As they arrive, the crew of Van Eltia have already fallen under attack by daemon Aifread. Velvet asks what happened and Grimoirh says Zaveid arrived just in time and lured the daemon away. The group follows them, and they find Zaveid and the daemon. Zaveid confirms that the daemon is Aifread, controlled by Melchior by some illusion. He beats Zaveid and attacks Laphicet, making Velvet realize Melchior sent Aifread to capture her and kill Laphicet so that she would fall into despair again. The group fights Aifread, and in the middle of the fight, Eizen punches him in his stomach. The hit brings Aifread back into his senses, and Laphicet uses the Silver Flame to burn the malevolence from him, turning him back into a human, but Aifread is too wounded to survive, despite Laphicet's efforts to heal him. Aifread apologizes to Eizen and gives the group a hint on how they might beat Innominat: by awaking the four elemental Empyreans, they can push him out of the earthpulses and nullify his domain. And since Artorius and Innominat are preparing for something called "Ceremony of Suppression", now they have a good opportunity to do so. Aifread dies, and Zaveid leaves angrily, as Eizen killed Aifread. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group returns to the Van Eltia and asks Grimoirh how they can awaken the four Empyreans. Since they are located in earhpulses far away from each other, it would take too much time to track them down like, but Grimoirh claims that if they can offer a suitable sacrifice on a Scarlet Night and give it in a lifespring, they can be reached at the same time. Velvet already carries Oscar and Teresa's souls inside her, which should work. The next Scarlet Night is soon and Eizen says that their best bet at a lifespring is at [[Mount Killaraus]] in Northgand, the strongest lifespring anywhere. The group sets sail to Northgand. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Suppressed World=== |
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| − | On the way, Velvet dreams that she is talking with Oscar and Teresa and does not feel sorry about using their souls to awaken the Empyreans. She wakes up, and then suddenly, Laphicet senses something coming. From the Empyrean's Throne, Innominat's domain surges forth, engulfing nearby towns and areas, even the Van Eltia. The crew falls under the domain's influence, robbing them of their free will. Eizen takes the helm, and sets course to Port Zekson. The Ceremony of Suppression has begun. |
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| − | |||
| − | At Port Zekson, the group witnesses firsthand the world Artorius intends to create with Innominat's power: people cannot do anything of their own free will, they are forced to do what Artorius's reason dictates them. All emotion has been suppressed: the world has no sadness, but also no joy, no hate, but also no love. The group fights alone against this world. Velvet suggests they go to Loegres to check it out. |
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| − | |||
| − | Just like Port Zekson, Loegres too is under Innominat's domain. As they check the streets, they hear a little girl screaming. They find the girl being protected by Prince Percival and Tabatha from Innominat's malakhim that are searching for people who still have control of their minds. The group defeats one of the malakhim, but the other two capture Percival and the girl. Tabatha tells them that they have been taken to the Royal Villa to be purified of their will. The group quickly races through Barona Catacombs to the villa, and finds Percival and the girl being drained. The malakhim are defeated and Velvet destroys the ritual circle. Percival has managed to keep his mind intact, but the girl's mind has been taken. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group, along with Percival, returns to the streets and sends the girl on her way. Prince Percival says that the Midgand Empire consented to Artorius's plan without hesitation, not thinking of anything but protecting the people from daemons, without even considering the cost. Percival, however, refuses to consent, and he asks Velvet to stop Artorius. That is exactly what Velvet intends to do, and Tabatha sees that Velvet has changed: last time she saw a blade controlled Velvet, but now, it is the other way around. The group unanimously agrees to put an end to this ideal world of no meaning, and resumes course toward Mount Killaraus. |
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| − | |||
| − | On the way, Eleanor approaches Velvet and tells her that she must tell Laphicet what killing Innominat most likely will do. Since the therions and Laphicet are part of him, it is likely that they will die if Innominat dies. Velvet agrees that she must tell Laphicet about this. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===En Route to Mount Killaraus=== |
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| − | The group arrives at Hellawes, which has not been fully suppressed yet. Eizen suggests they head to the mining town of [[Meirchio]], as it is on the way to the volcano. Outside the town, a guard is cursing for having to stand there for days. The town is peaceful, and the group wonders if Oscar and Teresa's souls will be enough to awaken all four Empyreans. Velvet thinks she needs four souls, one for each Empyrean. Rokurou suggests using Shigure's soul and Magilou suggests using Melchior's soul, since both are Abbey legates and pure of malevolence. Suddenly, the town comes under attack by the guard, who has turned into daemon. Velvet beats it and the townspeople thank her, but then Velvet gives them a message to be delivered to the legates: on the next Scarlet Night, she will offer a sacrifice at Mount Killaraus to awaken the Empyreans, and dares them to stop her. She then uses her daemon arm and eats the daemon and openly reveals herself to the townspeople as corruption made flesh, the Lord of Calamity! In a panic, the townspeople flee, and Eleanor thanks Velvet for it, as now they will not get caught in the crossfire. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group takes a break in town as they wait for the legates. Laphicet stays with Velvet, and she talks with her friends. She finds Rokurou sitting in front of the town sanctuary and learns that Kurogane is creating a new sword from himself. Velvet finds that Kurogane has certain qualities that are same with her: both went through all the stops in order to fulfill their goals, and now Kurogane is putting his long life into creating the one last blade to defeat Stormhowl. Next, Velvet sees Eizen reading a letter from her sister, the first time she ever did. In the letter, she expresses interest in meeting Eizen's friends. Next, she finds Eleanor playing hide-and-seek with Kamoana, Dyle, and Bienfu. Velvet interrupts the game and Eleanor says that after this is over, she intends to create a new world where humans, malakhim, and daemons can live in harmony, not caring if it would take centuries. Next, she goes to the inn, and clashes with Medissa, since she also believes that the therions will die if Innominat is killed and will not accept if it kills Kamoana, but Laphicet stops them when he sneezes and Medissa suggests he take a bath inside the inn's hot springs. Velvet agrees to it, but Laphicet, embarrassed but unwilling to admit it, claims he will bath himself, not with Velvet. The two go inside the inn. |
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| − | |||
| − | After taking a hot bath, Laphicet is still embarrassed to be around Velvet like this, for obvious reason. Velvet then asks him to help comb her hair. She warns him to be careful due to the malevolence in her. Laphicet compliments Velvet's hair again and contemplates that if he could learn to control the Silver Flame, he could make Velvet a human again. The thought is intriguing to Velvet, and she would love to cook for Laphicet every day, and Laphicet would do his part and pictures a happy life with Velvet, but Velvet denies it. She claims that she has gone too far and admits, what her revenge will most likely entail. Killing Innominat will most likely kill all the therions, herself included, and while she claims she already dug her grave, what about Kamoana or Medissa, and most importantly, Laphicet? They will die too, and even though the thought about Laphicet dying scares her, she still has to do it. Laphicet then admits he does not like to be called "Phi", thinking that nickname is too childish. He says Velvet does not understand boys at all, and Velvet realizes he is right: she did not understand her brother either. Velvet apologizes to Laphicet, and Laphicet forgives her and she calls him by his full name. |
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| − | |||
| − | While Velvet and Laphicet are taking a bath, the Scarlet Night begins and Magilou meets up with Melchior, and she goes to tell Velvet that the legates have arrived. Outside, the group prepares for their greatest battle yet. Velvet gives instructions to all her friends: she asks Rokurou if he ready, and he is, with Kurogane's Stormquell with him; she tells Magilou to go nuts and she obliges, claiming she is always nuts; she tells Eizen that Melchior is hers to eat, and Eizen accepts that as long as Velvet lets him watch; finally she tells Eleanor to look after Laphicet, and she agrees; to Laphicet, she tells him to be careful, and he says they cannot turn back now. Together, the six friends head on toward Mount Killaraus. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Awaking the Empyreans=== |
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| − | The group travels inside Mount Killaraus, and finds Shigure waiting them with Morgrim out in the open and drinking at the same time. Rokurou sits with him and shows him Kurogane's Stormquell. Shigure is impressed by the blade. Giving the blade back to Rokurou, he puts end to civil chatting, and orders Morgrim to release his bindings, so that he can fight with his full strength. He engages the group, but thanks to Stormquell, Rokurou is able to block his attacks. Eventually, the two brothers slice at each other, Shigure using his single blade Stormhowl, and Rokurou using dual short-blades, but when Rokurou manages to disarm Shigure by sacrficing his dual-blades, he slices Shigure with his three-blade technique, by using Stormquell to deliver the finishing blow. Shigure falls defeated, but satisfied, as he was able to witness the blade that defeated his. Shigure's last wish is to that the group lets Morgrim go free, and they agree. Velvet devours Shigure's soul to be used in awaking the Empyreans. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group reaches the peak and finds Melchior alone. He thinks the group is reckless since they have no idea what awaking the Empyreans could mean. They fell into slumber when the people's prayers to them ended and conflicts begins between humanity, but then Innominat steps in and suppresses humanity, and the four Empyreans awaken again to end it. The cycle has happened before, but this time, Melchior intends to make sure the Empyreans will not awaken. He reveals that armatus serves as a means for it, which confirms is the reason he took Aifread. He uses his own armatus to power up. The group tries to attack him, but Magilou, who knows him best, runs the other way and blocks him with her guardian, stopping him from attacking them from behind. The group battles him, and eventually defeats him, but as one last trick, he conjures illusion duplicates of the group, whom they beat easily, but it was just a distraction so that he could set off the volcano to erupt. It is alright for him to die as long as he can take Lord of Calamity with him, but then, Magilou conjures flowers under his feet, and since Melchior loves flowers more than anything else, this serves as the perfect distraction to allow Velvet to charge and devour him. |
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| − | |||
| − | With four souls gathered and the Scarlet Night still going, Velvet, with Magilou's encouragement, plunges the souls into the lifespring. The resulting sacrifice sends the souls through the earthpulses to the four Empyreans, and they awaken. Their domains push Innominat's domain, forcing him to withdraw from the earthpulses. As a result, the suppression field dissipates and humanity regains its free will. In addition, most of the Abbey's malakihim regain their free will as well and they reject the exorcists whom they were bound to, refusing to be their tools. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group returns to Meirchio, and sees that awaking the Empyreans did not have any immediate effects on the earth itself, even though Melchior believed that it would. Laphicet senses Innominat is somewhere above the Empyrean's throne, still attempting to push against the other Empyreans domains. Velvet declares the time has come for the final confrontation. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===The Final Confrontation=== |
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| − | The group return to the Van Eltia, and Benwick gives Velvet a fortune apple as a good luck charm for the final battle. From this, Velvet realizes, that her power to consume malevolence is the same as with Innominat. The group sets sail to Port Zekson. |
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| − | |||
| − | That night, Eleanor approaches Velvet as Velvet wants to talk with her in private. Both girls agree that Laphicet tries too hard to play the tough guy and they laugh about it. Velvet then reveals the realization she just got about herself and Innominat. Velvet gives Eleanor one last order: if something happens to her, she want Eleanor to take care of Laphicet. Eleanor realizes that Velvet intends to use her power to consume Innominat, and Innominat would also consume her. Eleanor promises Velvet and they both look at the world and agree that everything in the world belongs into it and Eleanor also is grateful to Velvet for defeating her back then, as it allowed Eleanor to go on this journey, meet amazing friends, and understand the truth about the world. Velvet laughingly says she too is glad that she kicked her butt. Though they do not say it, the two bitter rivals are now official friends. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group arrives at Port Zekson and travels to the Empyrean's Throne. From there, they see a construct high up in the sky, where Artorius and Innominat are. A teleportation arte has been left for the group to follow, and they use it to travel to the construct, which is actually Innominat's body. |
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| − | |||
| − | Making their way to the top of the construct, they find Artorius and Innominat. Velvet and the others declare their reasons to stop them: Rokurou intends to cut down the next challenge after Shigure; Eizen declares that Artorius and Innominat have declared war on Aifread's pirates, and he will answer in return; Eleanor, having totally rejected Artorius, has now vowed to stop him and fight for the freedom of everyone; Magilou claims she does not care, but she has to see how this ends; Laphicet intends to take out Innominat; Velvet calls Artorius Arthur, and gives him her final answer to his question: why does she think the birds fly. She says birds fly because they want to fly, and that there is no other reason. The answer symbolizes her and the groups belief that life is how everyone chooses to live, not by forcing one's beliefs to others. Artorius is disgusted with the answer, and he and Innominat attack the group. |
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| − | |||
| − | The group's creed, "your wheel is yours to control", proves to be the very thing that allows the group to fight the group. Artorius agrees they are tenacious, and Innominat sees the reason, why Velvet still keeps going: Laphicet. He tries to strike at him in order to eat him, but Velvet jumps in between, and pulls out Laphi's comb. Innominat's charge breaks it, and it causes Innominat to remember it, and he wonders why Velvet has his comb, but Velvet says Laphi was the one, who gave it to her, not Innominat. He then realizes that while he is Laphi in a way, he is now Innominat. Innominat grows hungry, as he still has not consumed despair, and seeing Velvet has overcome her despair, Artorius realizes they can no longer harvest it from Velvet. In order to satisfy Innominat's hunger and complete his plan, Artorius offers his own despair to Innominat, the despair he felt when Celica and his child died. Innominat feeds on the despair, allowing Artorius to armatize with him. The group is surprised that Artorius was filled with this much despair, but Velvet only sees it as means for the group to see what kind of person Artorius really is. Despite Artorius's new power through armatus, the group defeats him. Velvet then uses her daemon arm to rip Innominat from Artorius. Artorius attacks Velvet with his sword, but she flings it into air, knocks him to ground, grabs the sword, and, while iterating Arthur's forgotten maxim: do not despair, no matter what, plunges it into Artorius, mortally wounding him. |
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| − | |||
| − | Hearing Velvet speak the words that he told her many years ago during the Opening, he commends her, stating that she spoke like a true hero. After revealing to her that the Arthur she knew died that day, he tells her that, even after all these years, he always wondered if things would have been different if it had been Velvet and Laphicet who died that day instead of Celica and his unborn child. Velvet then tells him that she had thought the same thing as well, telling him that if it had happened, he would have fought to save the world for both her and Laphicet. Artorius then passes away, stating that all he wanted was to save everyone. With Artorius dead, the group now has to deal with Innominat. Without despair, his power goes out of control. Eizen tries to kill him, but Velvet tells that she will do it. She approaches Innominat and, seeing him as Laphi, hugs him, and Laphi, just like a boy, shouts to Velvet he hates her. Still hugging him, Velvet uses her daemon arm to feed on Innominat, and Innominat also feeds on her. With this, Velvet has successfully trapped herself and Innominat into an endless cycle of feeding, which keeps them both alive. Laphicet is shocked about this, as he does not want to lose Velvet, but she tells him that there is no other way to defeat Innominat without killing the therions and Laphicet as well. When Laphicet tells her that he is not afraid of dying, Velvet throws him the fortune apple and tells him to do after he has lived a full life. She then thanks him for saving her when she was consumed by her hatred and despair and asks him to help protect the world that she ruined. Anguished, Laphicet takes a bite from the apple, and cries as he shouts to Velvet he loves her. Velvet thanks him and says she loves him too. Velvet then seals herself with Innominat. The four Empyreans arrive and are impressed by Velvet for trapping Innominat for eternity, but with Innominat gone, the Empyreans require a fifth Empyrean to maintain balance. Laphicet decides to become Innominat's replacement, granting the world the gift of the Silver Flame to control malevolence, and also because, this way, he can stay close to Velvet. |
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| − | |||
| − | ===Ending=== |
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| − | Rokurou travels the land in search of powerful warriors. He is seen fighting off a group of daemons single-handedly. |
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==Appearance and Personality== |
==Appearance and Personality== |
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Revision as of 19:33, 5 September 2020
| Rokurou Rangetsu | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Appearance | Tales of Berseria |
| Age | 22 |
| Height | 180 cm |
| Race | •Human (former) •Daemon (current) |
| Weapon | Dual Blades |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Daisuke Kishio |
| English Voice Actor | Benjamin Diskin[1][2] |
| Character Designer | Daigo Okumura |
Rokurou Rangetsu (ロクロウ・ランゲツ?) is a protagonist in Tales of Berseria. Despite having become a daemon, he continues to walk his own path. He has an older brother, Shigure Rangetsu.
History
Rokurou is a part of the Rangetsu family from outside of the continent, signified by his unusual appearance and attire. He is the sixth child, thus the name "Rokurou". He became a daemon during the events of the Scarlet Night but managed to retain himself. Taking his changed appearance in stride, Rokurou moves ever forward, advancing his family's sword style. Rokurou is on the hunt to kill his brother Shigure, just to because he is strong. Later on in the story it is revealed that he spread rumors about Shigure, that Shigure plotted to assassinate the clan leader, plus he wanted everything his brother had which was status money and his family, in order to have a just cause for killing him. With his newly forged sword Stormquell he successfully kills his brother. At the end of the story he chooses not to be purified, and with his brother's sword Stormhowl, he continues to search for worthy opponents to battle.
Appearance and Personality
Rokurou takes the appearance of a samurai, with traditional clothing and armor. Despite his human-like appearance, his true nature as a daemon appears on the right side of his face, which is dyed black with red markings surrounding a red eye. Rokurou himself is kind and cheerful, taking care of the people around him. In this, he is a good match for the headstrong and reckless Velvet Crowe, as well as the initially blank and will-less Laphicet. He is jovial, supportive, and protective of the other members of the party, serving as a parental figure to Laphicet and Kamoana and a drinking buddy to Eizen, while passionately fighting alongside Velvet and keeping Eleanor Hume from being sucked into the Earthpulse. He frequently teases Magilou much like a brother would.
Fighting Style
Rokurou fights using two blades, neither of which is the sword across his back. His martial artes consist of slashing twin blades, while his hidden artes are seal-based elemental attacks that follow a numerical system. His Break Soul is Vengeful Stance, which has him enter a counterattack stance that goes off if struck, similar to Chloe Valens from Tales of Legendia. His mystic artes are Form 0: Sunder, Rangetsu Heron, and Form 9: Final Judgment. He also shares a dual mystic arte with Eizen known as Last Laugh.
It is due to his arte setup in gameplay that Rokurou can be a very difficult character to use when faced off against any enemies resistant to non-elemental damage, as well as with large groups of enemies, giving him trouble due to his lack of decent area-of-effects. His hidden artes are also fairly difficult to use, as some of them require proper placement, as well as having a non-standard Break Soul to make use of in the form of a counter or reversal. However, if fully mastered, Rokurou can easily extend combos in various ways on any single target, via either intuitive use of his artes or timing his Break Soul during an incoming armored-counterattack during his assault in order to keep up his own offense.
Gallery
.jpg "Rokurou Status (ToB).jpg (329 KB)")
Status image in Tales of Berseria.
.jpg "Rokurou Cut-in (ToB).jpg (354 KB)")
Cut-in image for Tales of Berseria.
Break Soul render in Tales of Berseria.
Artwork for Tales of Asteria.
.png "Rokurou Rangetsu (ToLink).png (306 KB)")
Artwork for Tales of Link.
Trivia
- In one of the game's skits, Rokurou reveals that he is a Yaksha, which is a war daemon.
- According to a special skit that comes with a pre-ordered copy of Tales of Berseria, Rokurou's favorite past Tales series character is Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia. Being a fellow dual-wielder, Rokurou finds Lloyd's claim of two swords being twice the power of one sword to be an inspiring philosophy.
References
- ↑ @Stelman257 @CristinaVee Yup! :-) Twitter (2016-09-08) Retrieved on 2016-09-08.
- ↑ Rokurou's from another continent in the world of Berseria, so his culture is pretty different... Reddit (2018-08-17) Retrieved on 2019-07-12.