Is this more thematically a Valentine's Day battle? Sure. But Valentine's Day is a shit holiday, so it's here now.
Estelle & Joshua Bright[]
| “ | You want hope? FINE! Here's some hope to the face!
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
Estelle Bright is a high-ranking Bracer operating throughout the continent of Zemuria. She is the biological daughter of Cassius Bright, and when she was eleven became the adoptive sister of Joshua Bright. She was six during the Hundred Days War, when the neighboring state of Erebonia invaded her home nation of Liberl. While her father masterminded the defense of the country, her mother died shielding her from an Erebonian bombardment. Her father then quit the Army and joined the Bracers, adopting Joshua five years later. Sensing her new brother's depression, Estelle relentlessly tried to cheer him up. She succeeded, capturing his heart in the process.
She looks up to her father, and became a Bracer to follow in his footsteps. She and Joshua take the exam to become Junior Bracers together, and pass. They then take on the test to become Senior Bracers: travel around Liberl and get recommendations from each branch of the guild. They meet a variety of allies on their travels, and get sucked into the movements of the army's new Intelligence Division. During their travels, Estelle (finally) realizes that she is in love with Joshua.
They find that the Intelligence Division is planning a coup, and they take steps to foil them. They are ultimately successful, though there are indications that the leader of the Intelligence Division, Colonel Alan Richard, was manipulated into doing so. This gives them enough achievements to be promoted to Senior Bracers. Joshua then shares his past, realizing that it had caught up to him. He then leaves, telling Estelle that he loves her. Estelle is depressed for a few days, before learning about Ouroboros and how the secret society is behind Joshua's actions.
She then heads to Bracer Headquarters in the neutral Leman State for training, coming back stronger and partnering with another Senior Bracer - either Agate Crossner or Scherazard Harvey - to investigate strange happenings in Liberl, hoping that this would lead her to Joshua's trail. It does. It also brings her into contact with Renne, an eleven-year-old girl and Enforcer for Ouroboros. Renne initially hates Estelle, as she looked up to Joshua as an older brother figure and thought Estelle was responsible for him leaving Ouroboros and her. Estelle's relentless kindness, however, changes Renne's mind.
Estelle is captured by the secret society and brought to its airship. There, one of its high-ranking members, Georg Weissmann, attempts to recruit her. Renne tries to recruit her as well, thinking it would bring Joshua back into the fold. She instead tries to escape, though she is cornered by Leonhardt, another Enforcer and Joshua's brother-in-law. Joshua returns and helps her finish her escape, and the two resolve to stay together, as both siblings and lovers.
When Ouroboros puts its plans in motion, Estelle, Joshua, and their friends do their best to stop it. They are ultimately unsuccessful, and a massive flying city known as the Liber Ark manifests above Valleria Lake, a massive body of water in the center of Liberl. The Liber Ark shuts down all Orbal technology in Liberl, effectively grinding the entire country to a halt and making most of its ranged weaponry worthless. Estelle then assists in negotiations to prevent Erebonia from invading again, and heads to the Liber Ark to put a stop to Ouroboros' plans.
She and her friends fight their way through the Liber Ark and the Ouroboros forces within. They face five Enforcers, the society's top combatants, and defeat them in combat. Estelle herself convinces Renne and Leonhardt to abandon Ouroboros, while her friend Scherazard convinces a third to do the same. She defeats Weissmann in combat after the latter fuses himself with the Aureole, an artifact of great power, though she is unable to prevent his escape. Fortunately, another of her friends, the priest Kevin Graham, is able to intercept him and turn him into salt.
After being promoted to a B-Rank Bracer, the third highest rank in the organization, she and Joshua leave the country to travel around Zemuria, seeking Renne to adopt the girl as their younger sister. After several trials and tribulations, they finally track her to the city-state of Crossbell. They would then be pulled into Phantasma when Kevin accidentally activated an ancient artifact, and are temporarily reunited with their friends. They help the crew fight they way out and return to the real world. After assisting the Special Support Section of the local police in arresting a cult leader that took a lot of drugs and turned into a demon, they finally catch Renne and she accepts the adoption.
| “ | I'LL REMIND YOU THAT I HAVE A VERY LARGE STICK.
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
| “ | I know a new orbment won't make me innately stronger, but... If this could give me even the tiniest edge... I'd like to master it.
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
In order to utilize Orbal Arts, Estelle must be in physical possession of a Combat Orbment. Each Orbment has slots for a quartz, a tiny crystal with an attunement to one or more of the seven elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Space, Time, and Mirage. They offer various benefits by themselves, and the configuration they are in allows for the casting of different Orbal Arts.
- Ingenuity 2
- Recover EP gradually while out of battle
- Onyx Gem
- Increases speed (affects AT) by 90%, reduces movement range by 2
- Silver Gem
- Max EP +15%
- Topaz Gem
- Increases physical defense by 15% and reduces physical attack by 9%
- Water Gem
- Increases maximum health by 15%
- Gold Gem
- Reduces EP cost for Artes by 50%
- Wind Gem
- Massively increases agility (affects dodge)
| “ | So just blow these monsters up with arts, right? Okay then, here we go!
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
Note that all Arts take a time to cast and can be interrupted. This time varies, but is generally longer for stronger spells. Arts also cost a resource known as EP. Estelle will start with 604 EP, including the Silver Gem boost above. The EP costs are listed including the Gold Gem reduction. EP does not normally regenerate naturally, and requires a rest; the Ingenuity 2 quartz does allow for a small amount to be recovered naturally. AT is a relative measure of time; I don't have an equivalent to actual seconds, sadly, but it's definitely not 1:1. An average (on-level, not cheesed, non speed stacked) elite mook fight will last a few hundred (but under a thousand) AT, while an average boss fight will take several thousand AT.
- Tear
- Restores a small amount of HP to a single ally. Costs 5 EP.
- Teara
- Restores a medium amount of HP to a single ally. Costs 10 EP.
- Tearal
- Restores a large amount of HP to a single ally. Costs 20 EP.
- Tear-All
- Restores all HP to a single ally. Costs 35 EP.
- La Tear
- Restores a small amount of HP to allies in a small area around a single ally. Costs 10 EP.
- La Teara
- Restores a medium amount of HP to allies in a medium area around a single ally. Costs 28 EP.
- La Tearal
- Restores a large amount of HP to allies in a large area around a single ally. Costs 100 EP.
- Thelas
- Revives an ally with low HP. Costs 15 EP.
- Curia
- Cures any abnormal status of a living ally. Costs 5 EP.
- La Curia
- Cures any abnormal status of all allies in a large area around a single ally. Costs 15 EP.
- Earth Guard
- Forms a shield on one ally that negates a single attack. Cannot stack. Costs 5 EP.
- Earth Wall
- Forms a shield on allies in a small circle around a single ally that negates a single attack. Cannot stack. Costs 38 EP
- Sylphen Guard
- Boosts agility (affects dodge) for one ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
- Sylphen Wing
- Boosts movement speed for one ally by a bit, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
- Sylpharion
- Greatly boosts movement speed for allies in a small area around a single ally, lasting 400 AT. 3 AT to cat, 20 EP.
- Crest
- Boosts physical defense by for one ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 8 EP.
- La Crest
- Boosts physical defense for allies in a medium area around a single ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Forte
- Boosts physical strength for one ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 8 EP.
- La Forte
- Boosts physical strength for all allies in a medium area around a single ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Clock Up
- Boosts the speed (affects AT) of a single ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
- Clock Up EX
- Greatly boosts the speed (affects AT) of a single ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 15 EP.
- Petrosphere
- Uses Earth magic to hobble an enemy. Greatly reduces movements speed for 300 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Chaos Brand
- Inflicts Confuse on an enemy, muddling their cognitive abilities, lasting 250 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Phantom Pain
- Slightly reduces an enemy's physical attack, lasting 300 AT. Costs 25 EP.
- Anti-Sept
- Inflicts Mute on one foe, preventing them from casting magic, lasting 400 AT. Costs 10 EP.
- Anti-Sept All
- Inflicts Mute on all foes in a medium area, preventing them from casting magic, lasting 400 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Clock Down
- Greatly reduces the speed (affects AT) of all enemies in a medium area around a single enemy, lasting 400 AT. Costs 25 EP.
- Stone Hammer
- Drops a rock on one enemy to deal low Earth damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Earth Lance
- Lances pierce through the ground to deal high Earth damage to one enemy. Costs 20 EP.
- Petrify Breath
- Blows petrifying gas to deal medium Earth damage to an enemy. 20% chance to cause Petrify, which only wears off through magical means, prevents the affected party from acting, and turns the next strike that lands into an instant kill. Costs 15 EP.
- Stone Impact
- Drops a large boulder on enemies in a medium area around a single enemy. Costs 20 EP.
- Atlas Hammer
- Drops several large boulders on enemies in a medium area around a single enemy. Costs 40 EP.
- Titanic Roar
- Creates a localized earthquake, hitting all enemies on the field. Costs 35 EP.
- Aqua Bleed
- A stream of water shoots from the ground, dealing low Water damage to one enemy. Costs 5 EP.
- Blue Impact
- A stream of water shoots from the ground, dealing medium Water damage to one enemy. Costs 20 EP.
- Blue Ascension
- A stream of water shoots from the ground, dealing high Water damage to one enemy. Costs 40 EP.
- Diamond Dust
- Produces an ice crystal, which chills a small area enough to deal medium Water damage to enemies within. 20% chance to cause Freeze, which prevents the affected party from acting and deals damage over time, lasting 400AT. Costs 30 EP.
- Fire Bolt
- Shoots a fireball at a single enemy for low Fire damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Flare Arrow
- Shoots a bolt of fire at a single enemy for medium Fire damage. Costs 20 EP.
- Napalm Breath
- A pillar of flames erupt under the target for heavy Fire damage. Costs 40 EP.
- Fire Bolt EX
- Shoots several fireballs at enemies in a medium area around a single enemy for low Fire damage. Costs 10 EP.
- Spiral Flare
- Shoots several bolts of fire at enemies in a medium area around a single enemy for medium Fire damage. Costs 15 EP.
- Volcanic Rave
- Creates a firey explosion that does high Fire damage to enemies in a medium area around a single enemy. Costs 40 EP.
- Air Strike
- Shoots a blast of wind at a single enemy for low Wind damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Aerial
- Creates a tornado covering a medium area for multiple hits of Wind damage. Costs 20 EP.
- Lightning
- Shoots lightning in a narrow line for medium Wind damage. 20% chance to inflict Seal, preventing the use of normal attacks, Crafts, or S-Crafts, lasting 400 AT. Costs 10 EP.
- Plasma Wave
- Shoots lightning in a medium-width line for high Wind damage. 20% chance to inflict Seal, preventing the use of normal attacks, Crafts, or S-Crafts, lasting 400 AT. Costs 25 EP.
- Soul Blur
- Shoots out some energy discs at a single enemy to do low Time damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Shadow Spear
- A spear materializes out of the ground, dealing medium Time damage to one enemy. Has a 20% chance of Deathblow, an instant kill. Costs 20 EP.
- Hell Gate
- Attacks a small circle around a target for low Time damage. Has a 20% chance to cause Faint, preventing all actions, lasting 400 AT. Costs 15 EP.
- White Gehenna
- Attacks a medium circle for medium Time damage. Has a 20% chance to cause Faint, preventing all actions, lasting 400 AT. Costs 30 EP.
- Dark Matter
- Deals high Space damage to a single foe. Costs 40 EP.
- Ascension
- Deals Mirage damage to a single target. 20% chance to inflict Seal, preventing the use of normal attacks, Crafts, or S-Crafts, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
| “ | Time for ul-tra-vi-o-lence. ♪
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
Crafts cost a resource known as CP, which is built by dealing and receiving damage to a maximum of 200, and unlike Arts have no cast time. AT is a relative measure of time; I don't have an equivalent to actual seconds, sadly, but it's definitely not 1:1. An average (on-level, not cheesed) mook fight will last a few hundred (but under a thousand) AT, while an average boss fight will take several thousand AT.
- Chain 3
- Can utilize Chain Crafts to team up on an enemy with up to four allies. Costs 20 CP, increasing by ten for each ally that participates.
- Morale
- A shout encourages allies in a medium circle centered around the user, boosting their physical attack strength by 20% for 300 AT. Costs 20 CP.
- Taunt
- Taunts enemies in a medium circle centered on one enemy. Inflicts Rage for 300 AT, forcing them to attack the user. Costs 20 CP.
- Supreme Hurricane
- User spins in a circle and deals heavy damage to foes in range. Hits a medium circle around the user. Costs 30 CP.
- Supreme Comet
- Launches a wave of force at and through an enemy, hitting them and all other enemies in a narrow line in front of and behind them. Costs 20 CP.
- Supreme Hard Break
- Spins in a circle, striking enemies in range. Hits in a medium circle around the user, interrupting the casting of any physical or magical abilities. Costs 25 CP.
- True Pummel
- Hits a single enemy multiple times with a staff for massive damage, healing the user for 50% of the damage dealt. Costs all CP, and requires at least 100 to use. If used at 200 CP, does even more damage.
- True Barrage
- Hits a single enemy with a staff more times than True Pummel for more damage, also healing the user for 50% of the damage dealt. Costs all CP, and requires at least 100 to use. If used at 200 CP, does even more damage.
- True Wheel of Time
- Runs in a circle around a foe and strikes them repeatedly with a staff, fast enough to create a spiral of some energy shit. Deals a metric fucktonne of damage and heals the user for 50% of the damage dealt. Costs all CP, and requires at least 100 to use. If used at 200 CP, does even more damage.
| “ | Besides, like heck I'm just gonna abandon him and let that creep Weissmann do what he wants with MY Joshua. It's time to take back my man with GIRL POWER!
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
- Sunny
- Estelle is practically defined by her optimism and generally cheery outlook on life. She is quick to see the bright side in any scenario or the useful nugget in potentially useless information, and is similarly quick to see the good in people and recover emotionally. She essentially kickstarts three different characters' redemption arcs after they worked with Ouroboros, as well as formed the moral and directional core of her party, simply by being her relentlessly cheerful self. This doesn't mean she's naive or easy to fool, at least not any more, nor that she's afraid to just brutalize someone if she feels it's necessary.
- Brash
- Despite her character development and generally being a nice person, Estelle is pretty brash and does not shy from a fight. While she has decent problem-solving, leadership, and investigative skills, as demonstrated by being a B-rank bracer at 16, she's also generally more comfortable when she can whack a problem with her very large stickTM. The sun can harm as well as help.
- Training: 75
- Estelle has trained in combat under her father since at least the age of 11, likely earlier. Said father is one of the best fighters on the continent. She has further refined her skills at the Le Locile training grounds for Bracers. While their exact regimen is unknown, it is a several-month long course that includes sparring and mock missions.
- Experience: 75
- Estelle's actual experience is very compressed, if highly varied and fairly grand in scope. She joined the Bracers at age 16, and is 17 by the time I'm taking her from in Sky 3rd. During that yearish, she has fought off a variety of monsters, including a dreagon with divine powers, has fought against the Liberl Army's Intelligence Division to foil their coup, fought against ancient machines, fought against the Ouroboros Society, which has a variety of highly skilled assassins, soldiers, and more giant mecha, and has finally fought against demons and monsters summoned from holy scripture in a world created entirely from magic. For these exploits, she has been given a B rank in the Bracer Guild, whose ranks go from G through A and topping with S. Notably, there are only four active S-rank Bracers, one of which was her father before he retired to rejoin the military. It's worth noting that modern weaponry, such as tanks and guns, are commonplace in Estelle's world.
| “ | And this probably won't come as a surprise, but we're going to beat you up now.
— Estelle Bright
|
” |
a) Apologies that it's in Japanese, I'm unable to find a video of solely this fight in English
b) Note that this takes place at the start of Sky SC, a whole two games prior to when I'm taking her from. This is far lower than her actual skill level.
| “ | A bracer's duty is to protect civilians. You, meanwhile, are a member of an illegal group and a wanted criminal. You can't honestly expect we would feel obliged to protect you.
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
Joshua Bright is a high-ranking Bracer active in the continent of Zemuria. Born in the small town of Hamel in the Erebonian Empire as Joshua Astray, the young boy spend his days playing with his sister, Karin, and her boyfriend/fiancee, Leonhardt. When he was six, the Erebonian nobility hired a group of mercenaries, arming them with Liberlian weapons to massacre the village as a pretext for war. The only survivors were Joshua and Leonhardt, the former being forced to kill a soldier who had murdered his sister.
The two boys would then be taken in and trained by Ouroboros. The secret society would then promote them to the ranks of its its elite combatants known as Enforcers, where Joshua would be known as the Black Fang. One of the leaders of the group, known as an Anguis, sent them to eliminate a lodge of the D∴G cult. Their target, known as Paradise, was a child brothel; they would there find and rescue Renne, a young girl who would also join the ranks of the Enforcers and looked up to the pair as older brothers.
Joshua, now their assassination specialist, was then sent to kill Cassius Bright. He failed, and found himself adopted by his target instead, and his memories of Ouroboros erased. While he was initially resistant to the efforts of Estelle Bright, his adoptive sister, to cheer him up, she eventually won him over. He quickly fell in love with her.
The pair take the Junior Bracer exam, and pass it. They then travel travel around Liberl, aiming to get recommendations from each branch of the guild so they can be promoted to Senior Bracers. They meet a variety of allies on their travels, and get sucked into the movements of the army's new Intelligence Division. They find that the Intelligence Division is planning a coup, and take steps to foil them.
They are ultimately successful, though there are indications that the leader of the Intelligence Division, Colonel Alan Richard, was manipulated into doing so. This gives them enough achievements to be promoted to Senior Bracers. Joshua is then confronted by Georg Weissmann, who restores his memory of his time in Ouroboros. Joshua then shares his past with Estelle, realizing that it had caught up to him. He then leaves, telling Estelle that he loves her.
He works alongside the Caupa Family, a trio of minor sky pirates, while he tracks down Ouroboros from the shadows. He works to stymie their operations until learning that Estelle had been kidnapped by the organization. He then infiltrates the organization's airship, reuniting with Estelle as she was getting cornered by Leonhardt. He helps Estelle escape, and then resolves to be by her side from then on as both siblings and lovers.
In order to make sure he can stay by her side, he asks Kevin Graham to assist him in breaking the hold Weissmann has on his mind. Knowing the sadistic Anguis would try to force him to kill Estelle, Kevin helps him create a hole in the magic that would remove it altogether should that order be given.
When Ouroboros puts its plans in motion, Estelle, Joshua, and their friends do their best to stop it. They are ultimately unsuccessful, and a massive flying city known as the Liber Ark manifests above Valleria Lake, a massive body of water in the center of Liberl. The Liber Ark shuts down all Orbal technology in Liberl, effectively grinding the entire country to a halt and making most of its ranged weaponry worthless.
He and his friends fight their way through the Liber Ark and the Ouroboros forces within. They face five Enforcers, the society's top combatants, and defeat them in combat. Joshua is instrumental in convincing Leonhardt and Renne to abandon Ouroboros, though it leads to the former's death. Joshua's preparations with Kevin also pay off, as Weissmann attempts to force him to kill Estelle.
After being promoted to a B-Rank Bracer, the third highest rank in the organization, Joshua and Estelle leave the country to travel around Zemuria, seeking Renne to adopt the girl as their younger sister. After several trials and tribulations, they finally track her to the city-state of Crossbell. They would then be pulled into Phantasma when Kevin accidentally activated an ancient artifact, and are temporarily reunited with their friends. They help the crew fight they way out and return to the real world. After assisting the Special Support Section of the local police in arresting a cult leader that took a lot of drugs and turned into a demon, they finally catch Renne and she accepts the adoption.
| “ | I can only live up to my namesake, the Black Fang... All I can do is bite at them from the darkness.
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
| “ | So what you're saying is... We can now upgrade our orbments even further?
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
In order to utilize Orbal Arts, Joshua must be in physical possession of a Combat Orbment. Each Orbment has slots for a quartz, a tiny crystal with an attunement to one or more of the seven elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Space, Time, and Mirage. They offer various benefits by themselves, and the configuration they are in allows for the casting of different Orbal Arts.
- Luck
- Onyx Gem
- Increases speed (affects AT) by 90%, reduces movement range by 2
- Gold Gem
- Reduces EP cost for Artes by 50%
- Time Gem
- Reduces casting time for Arts by 90%. Further reduces the strength of offensive Arts and physical attacks by 15%.
- Wind Gem
- Massively increases agility (affects dodge)
- Carnage
- Increases physical attack by 20% and reduces physical defense by 20%
- Septium Vein
- Increases the sepith (small magic crystals) dropped by monsters by 1-2.
| “ | Hmm... Physical attacks might not work on this one. Let's try out some arts attacks before we move on.
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
Note that all Arts take a short time to cast, thanks to the Time Gem in the previous tab, and can be interrupted. This time varies, but is generally longer for stronger spells. Arts also cost a resource known as EP. Joshua will start with 582 EP, including the Silver Gem boost above. The EP costs are listed including the Gold Gem reduction. EP does not regenerate naturally, and requires a rest. AT is a relative measure of time; I don't have an equivalent to actual seconds, sadly, but it's definitely not 1:1. An average (on-level, not cheesed, non speed stacked) elite mook fight will last a few hundred (but under a thousand) AT, while an average boss fight will take several thousand AT.
- Tear
- Restores a small amount of HP to a single ally. Costs 5 EP.
- Earth Guard
- Forms a shield on one ally that negates a single attack. Cannot stack. Costs 5 EP.
- Sylphen Wing
- Boosts movement speed for one ally by a bit, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
- Sylpharion
- Greatly boosts movement speed for allies in a small area around a single ally, lasting 400 AT. 3 AT to cat, 20 EP.
- Clock Up
- Boosts the speed (affects AT) of a single ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
- Clock Up EX
- Greatly boosts the speed (affects AT) of a single ally, lasting 400 AT. Costs 15 EP.
- Chaos Brand
- Inflicts Confuse on an enemy, muddling their cognitive abilities, lasting 250 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Anti-Sept
- Inflicts Mute on one foe, preventing them from casting magic, lasting 400 AT. Costs 10 EP.
- Anti-Sept All
- Inflicts Mute on all foes in a medium area, preventing them from casting magic, lasting 400 AT. Costs 20 EP.
- Orbal Down
- Inflicts Mute on all foes, preventing them from casting magic, lasting 400 AT. Additionally reduces their magic defense, lasting 400 AT. Costs 50 EP.
- Clock Down
- Greatly reduces the speed (affects AT) of all enemies in a medium area around a single enemy, lasting 400 AT. Costs 25 EP.
- Stone Hammer
- Drops a rock on one enemy to deal low Earth damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Earth Lance
- Lances pierce through the ground to deal high Earth damage to one enemy. Costs 20 EP.
- Petrify Breath
- Blows petrifying gas to deal medium Earth damage to an enemy. 20% chance to cause Petrify, which only wears off through magical means, prevents the affected party from acting, and turns the next strike that lands into an instant kill. Costs 15 EP.
- Aqua Bleed
- A stream of water shoots from the ground, dealing low Water damage to one enemy. Costs 5 EP.
- Fire Bolt
- Shoots a fireball at a single enemy for low Fire damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Flare Arrow
- Shoots a bolt of fire at a single enemy for medium Fire damage. Costs 20 EP.
- Napalm Breath
- A pillar of flames erupt under the target for heavy Fire damage. Costs 40 EP.
- Air Strike
- Shoots a blast of wind at a single enemy for low Wind damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Aerial
- Creates a tornado covering a medium area for multiple hits of Wind damage. Costs 20 EP.
- Aero Storm
- Creates a tornado covering a large area for multiple hits of Wind damage. 3 AT to cast35 EP.
- Lightning
- Shoots lightning in a narrow line for medium Wind damage. 20% chance to inflict Seal, preventing the use of normal attacks, Crafts, or S-Crafts, lasting 400 AT. Costs 10 EP.
- Plasma Wave
- Shoots lightning in a medium-width line for high Wind damage. 20% chance to inflict Seal, preventing the use of normal attacks, Crafts, or S-Crafts, lasting 400 AT. Costs 25 EP.
- Soul Blur
- Shoots out some energy discs at a single enemy to do low Time damage. Costs 5 EP.
- Shadow Spear
- A spear materializes out of the ground, dealing medium Time damage to one enemy. Has a 20% chance of Deathblow, an instant kill. Costs 20 EP.
- Hell Gate
- Attacks a small circle around a target for low Time damage. Has a 20% chance to cause Faint, preventing all actions, lasting 400 AT. Costs 15 EP.
- White Gehenna
- Attacks a medium circle for medium Time damage. Has a 20% chance to cause Faint, preventing all actions, lasting 400 AT. Costs 30 EP.
- Abyss Fall
- Summons a demon thing to attack a large circle around a single enemy for high Time damage. Has a 20% chance to cause Faint, preventing all actions, lasting 400 AT. Costs 45 EP.
- Death Scream
- A demon yells, hitting all enemies for medium Time damage. Has a 20% chance of Deathblow, an instant kill. Costs 60 EP.
- Dark Matter
- Deals high Space damage to a single foe. Costs 40 EP.
- Ascension
- Deals Mirage damage to a single target. 20% chance to inflict Seal, preventing the use of normal attacks, Crafts, or S-Crafts, lasting 400 AT. Costs 5 EP.
| “ | Keep your filthy hands off of Estelle... Don't you... harm a single hair on her head... or I'll use every technique I know... to cut your miserable carcass to pieces...
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
Crafts cost a resource known as CP, which is built by dealing and receiving damage to a maximum of 200, and unlike Arts have no cast time. AT is a relative measure of time; I don't have an equivalent to actual seconds, sadly, but it's definitely not 1:1. An average (on-level, not cheesed, non speed stacked) elite mook fight will last a few hundred (but under a thousand) AT, while an average boss fight will take several thousand AT.
- Chain 3
- Can utilize Chain Crafts to team up on an enemy with up to four allies. Costs 20 CP, increasing by ten for each ally that participates.
- Taunt
- Taunts enemies in a medium circle centered on one enemy. Inflicts Rage for 300 AT, forcing them to attack the user. Costs 20 CP.
- Supreme Dual Strike
- Hits twice and inflicts Poison on the enemy for 350 AT. Poison deals damage to an enemy every time it acts. Costs 20 CP.
- Supreme Flicker
- Flash steps to strike enemies in a very narrow line, returning to the start. Inflicts AT Delay, adding 18 AT to the queue before their next action. Costs 30 CP.
- Supreme Cloak & Dagger
- A single attack that has a 35% chance of instantly killing the target. 35 CP.
- Supreme Evil Eye
- Manifests an eye symbol over an enemy. It and other enemies in a medium circle around it are inflicted with confuse for 30 AT as well as AT Delay for 26 AT.
- True Sever
- A series of flash steps deals high damage to a single target over three physical attacks. Costs all CP, and requires at least 100 to use. If used at 200 CP, does even more damage.
- True Black Fang
- A series of flash steps deals a physical attack to each enemy on the field for high damage. Costs all CP, and requires at least 100 to use. If used at 200 CP, does even more damage.
- True Phantom Raid
- A series of speed clones deals a physical attack to each enemy on the field for very high damage. Costs all CP, and requires at least 100 to use. If used at 200 CP, does even more damage.
| “ | Always bright, optimistic, and shining like the sun. That's the girl I fell in love with.
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
- Stealth Expert
- Joshua was trained in covert warfare, and is an expert in stealth, misdirection, poisons, and speed. While he is still a skilled fighter in simple combat, striking from the shadows and with speed is where he is at his best.
- Cool-headed
- Joshua is generally the more level-headed and cerebral between himself and Estelle. He has excellent observational and investigative skills, and during their time as Junior Bracers he was frequently the one steering Estelle back onto the path away from the shinies. Even as Senior Bracers he's generally the calmer one, restraining Estelle from beating the shit out of Wald Wales until the gang leader decided to insult her. Then he was ready to throw down, too.
- Training: 80
- Joshua has had extensive combat training. From the age of six, he was trained in stealth and assassination by Ouroboros. At the age of eleven, he assisted Estelle in her own training under Cassius Bright, one of the strongest fighters on the continent. While he is now a Bracer, he did not attend the same training camp that Estelle did.
- Experience: 85
- Starting at age eight, Joshua entered the service of Ouroboros as Enforcer No. XIII, the Black Fang. As per his speciality, he conducted mostly assassination and recon missions, one of which included the rescue of Renne from Paradise. At the age of eleven, he tried to assassinate Cassius Bright and failed, being adopted into the man's family instead. He then lives with them, joining Estelle in her Bracer work at age sixteen. All the rest of the stuff I mentioned in her tab also applies. It's worth noting that modern weaponry, such as tanks and guns, are commonplace in Joshua's world.
| “ | I need to fight for what's important to me, no matter what.
— Joshua Bright
|
” |
The actual relevant combat stuff ends at 4:10ish. Note that this is at the end of Sky SC, which is a full game before the point I'm taking him from. He grows in that time, but not by as much as Estelle did between her video and when I'm taking them from.
| “ | Actually, it's rare to see a pair so in sync with each other, whether in combat or regular bracer work. I can only imagine how much they've been through together.
— Randy Orlando
|
” |
- Teamwork: 90
- Estelle and Joshua have excellent teamwork, as they were raised and trained together since the age of 11. They know each others' strengths and weaknesses instinctively, and routinely combine their strengths to be more than the sum of their parts. They're pretty much an ideal battle couple.
- Independence: 85
- This is not to say they require the other to function. While they are typically together, they have worked alone for long stretches of time, such as most of Sky SC. Estelle in particular is an all-rounder, able to fill any niche that may be needed at any time, while Joshua is more specialized but still capable of fighting on his own.
Alphen & Shionne[]
| “ | No face, no name... unable to feel pain but all to ready to take on everybody else's.
— Doc
|
” |
Alphen was a man-at-arms for a Dahnan warlord about three hundred years before the start of the game prior to the Renan invasion of his planet. After he lost to them, he was then given to Renan scientists who aimed to utilize him as part of an experiment to summon the will of their planet, the Great Spirit of Rena. He was the only survivor of the experiment, and given the title of "Sovereign" for the ritual. He acts as a conduit of power opposite Naori Imeris, who was given the title of "Maiden." No, Beast, this is not an Elden Ring reference.
Naomi realized that summoning the Great Spirit would lead to all life on both planets being annihilated, and contained the energy within herself. Alphen, being driven mad from the ritual, slaughtered all the scientists present. Naori fitted him with a sedative mask to calm him down, and tossed him in a cryo storage pod and sent him down to Dahna. Three hundred or so years later, he would awaken without his memories and get conscripted into the work camps of Balseph, a Renan Lord controlling the area he lived in. The mask prevented him from feeling any form of physical pain, so he would often step in to take beatings in the place of the young children.
He, now known as "Iron Mask," got swept up into the resistance movement when he came across a young Renan woman fleeing its soldiers. This woman, Shionne Imeris, gave crucial intel to the Dahnan resistance movement against Balseph, leading Alphen to take up arms and fight. He and Shionne rapidly grew close, due to their complimentary skillsets. He felt no pain, and she caused excruciating pain to anyone who touched her. She acts as his healer and support during their campaign to free Dahna from the Renan Lords. Alphen recruits a varied party, and becomes its leader due to his charisma and generally being the only member of the group who doesn't hate at least one other member.
He remains closest with Shionne, despite their hangups becoming a wall to their mutual affection. After Vholran, the only other survivor of the Soverign experiment, kidnaps Shionne, his mask fully shatters and he regains all his memories, at the cost of losing his immunity to pain and thereby one of the main connections he has to Shionne. He leads the party to storm Vholran's castle, freeing Shionne and defeating him in combat. He uses his will to power through the pain from both the Blazing Sword and Shionne's curse, demonstrating to her that he will never leave her alone. The two grow even closer, accepting the unspoken love between them.
After a short timeskip, they head to Lenegis, a space station inhabited by the Renans, after breaking Shionne out of thinking her death would solve everything. There, they learn the full secret of Alphen's past and that Shionne is a descendant of Naori. They then head to Rena, having learned that the planet is hollow, to defeat the Great Spirit of Rena. Doing so removes Shionne's curse and merges the two planets into one. Alphen and Shionne then marry, living happily alongside their friends.
| “ | I entrust this blazing sword to you once more.
— Shionne Imeris
|
” |
Alphen has a pair of longswords, though he typically only uses one at a time. The first one is a normal steel sword, which he uses in a fast, high-pressure style, and he can add elemental effects to his strikes. The second one is the Blazing Sword, a sword made from fire astral energy. It is linked to his proximity with Shionne, and if he is too far from her (like a country far) he will lose access to it. The sword allows him to unleash stronger attacks at the cost of injuring him when it is used.
He enters Overlimit after dealing and taking enough damage, which increases his power and allows the use of Mystic Artes. It only lasts for a few dozen seconds, and he cannot control when this occurs.
See here for a list of his Arts. Note that this is base game only, and not including the SAO collaboration stuff. So if an Arte's Requirements section has the phrase "Swordsman's Memories" or "DLC" in it, he's not able to use it here. Further note that Boost Strikes require a lot of damage to set up and only activate as the final blow, so it's extremely unlikely that one will be used here.
| “ | ” |
- Devoted
- Alphen falls for Shionne hard and fast, and is rather intensely devoted to both showing that and protecting her. She mentioned he'd look good in blue, so all his outfits have some form of blue accent. He fights off excruciating pain that knocks other people out just to give her a hug. He punches someone clear across the room for insulting her. And that primal scream of rage when she falls in battle made me legit drop my controller the first time I heard it. He's not a simp, though; he will tell her to knock it off if she's being a bitch. Which is often, because tsundere.
- Nice Guy
- Alphen is also just a nice person in general; the first thing we see of him is protecting a child by taking a beating in their place. He generally acts as the moral and emotional center of the party, trying to keep them from fighting and focused on their goal. With varying degrees of success.
- Training: 88
- Alphen's exact training is unknown. However, as the elite soldier of a Dahnan warlord he can be presumed to have recieved extensive and rigorous training. Enough that he is able to instinctively fight even with an iron pipe hundreds of years later.
- Experience: 88
- In addition to the several years of experience he has fighting as a Dahnan soldier, he gains additional experience over the course of yearish that takes place within the game. He fights various monsters and creatures, ranging from human-sized wolves to towering monstrosities made from magic. He also gains experience fighting human soldiers with magitech guns and swords.
| “ | I'll burn it all! Haaaaaaaah! Flaming Pillar! Pyre!
— Alphen
|
” |
Note that this is about halfway through the game, and I'm pulling Alphen from the end. It's not a massive gap in ability, though.
| “ | Clearly he risked his life for something he believed in. I wouldn't mock someone for that.
— Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore
|
” |
Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore, frequently shortened simply to Shionne Imeris, was born to a fairly normal Renan family on the space station Lenegis. A curse from the Great Spirit of Rena was passed down to her by her ancestor, Naori, and manifested itself particularly strongly with her. She was unable to touch anyone physically, as the curse would manifest thorns from her body and cause excruciating pain to all who touched her, even through cloth. Further, the thorns made her immortal, allowing the scientists to study her without regard for her life. The Renans on the station then took her into custody, experimenting on her for years. During this time she would receive visions of the thorns destroying everything, and resolved herself to be rid of them.
She would later escape captivity, learning of the Renas Alma that would be created when the five Master Cores combined. She successfully stole the Fire Core from Balseph, but was recaptured after fleeing a significant distance. The train she was transported on was attacked by the Dahnan resistance, and upon trying to escape again encountered Alphen. She rapidly grew close to him, as the young man was unable to feel pain, and was therefore the only non-hostile physical contact she had experienced practically since her birth.
She acts as his healer, making sure he doesn't accidentally kill himself, and fulfills this role in the party he accrues during their quest to topple the Renan Lords. While she does gradually open up to the rest of the party, she is still closest to Alphen, despite their hangups becoming a wall to their mutual affection. When the fifth Lord, Vholran, attacks the party, he fully breaks Alphen's mask and attempts to kidnap Shionne.
He tries to save her, but the mask breaking means he is no longer immune to pain. He's left helpless, while Shionne falls into despair as Vholran kidnaps her. The party breaks her out, with Alphen powering through the newfound pain to reassure her that he wouldn't leave her alone. They defeat Vholran, but the Renas Alma is seized from them before they can break Shionne's curse.
After a short timeskip, Shionne reveals her visions of the world's destruction to the party, and her belief that her death alongside the thorns is the only way to stop it. The party talks her out of this, and they head to Lenegis to find more information. There, they learn about Alphen's past as well as the experiments that were done to him and her ancestor. They then head to Rena, having learned that the planet is hollow, to defeat the Great Spirit of Rena. Doing so removes Shionne's curse and merges the two planets into one. Alphen and Shionne then marry, living happily alongside their friends.
| “ | Think of it this way. If you ever get caught up in the blast of one of my bombs, and you manage not to die, I'll be able to heal you using my artes
— Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore
|
” |
Shionne utilizes a gun in combat, which she typically stores in a subspace pocket thing when not in use. Despite the rounds looking like normal bullets, they are pretty clearly some form of weird magic shit. You can tell this by the fact that she shoots giant fucking lasers instead of little bits of metal. Shionne also has grenades, which she can either throw for their normal effect or throw and then shoot for a different one. She can utilize attacks of all six elements with her gun - earth, air, fire, water, light, and dark - and tends to use fire-based magic. Her Astral Arts all have a cast time.
She enters Overlimit after dealing and taking enough damage, which increases her power and allows the use of Mystic Artes. It only lasts for a few dozen seconds, and she cannot control when this occurs.
See here for a list of her Arts. Note that this is base game only, and not including the SAO collaboration stuff. So if an Arte's Requirements section has the phrase "Swordsman's Memories" or "DLC" in it, she's not able to use it here. Further note that Boost Strikes require a lot of damage to set up and only activate as the final blow, so it's extremely unlikely that one will be used here.
| “ | I just think you would look good with a little blue thrown in somewhere
— Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore
|
” |
- Classic Tsundere
- Feelings for Alphen notwithstanding, Shionne is a pretty textbook example of a classic Tsundere. She's verbally harsh and standoffish, preferring not to get too close to others. She softens considerably over the course of the game, thanks to this nice little thing called character development, but still remains closed to people who aren't members of the party. And Laq may be happy to know that she never once beats someone up for no reason.
- Driven
- She is dedicated to her goals, and once she decides to do something she will stop at nothing to see it through. Unless Alphen asks her, but even then he's going to have to convince her.
- Curse of Thorns
- Due to harboring part of the Great Spirit of Rena inside her, she has a curse which manifests as black thorned vines. They cause excruciating pain to anyone in physical contact with her, including through clothing and armor. But, oddly, not weapons or other tools. The curse also makes her immortal, as any damage to her will be healed by the thorns. This takes a lot out of her, however.
- Training: 45
- Shionne is most likely self-taught, as she would realistically have very little formal training due to her status as a starved test subject.
- Experience: 60
- The only confirmed experience Shionne has prior to the events of the game are somehow stealing Balseph's core and evading pursuit for a decent amount of time. She also acquires experience over the course of yearish that takes place within the game. She fights various monsters and creatures, ranging from human-sized wolves to towering monstrosities made from magic. She also gains experience fighting human soldiers with magitech guns and swords.
| “ | It's time to finish this! Die! Consuming Wildfire!
— Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore
|
” |
Note that this is a high-level challenge run; Shionne is good, but not quite good enough to do this without taking a hit.
| “ | A sword that sears the hand of he who wields it, and a healing arte to mend. A man numb to pain, and a woman who's very touch deals nothing but.
— Zephyr
|
” |
- Teamwork: 80
- After many trials and tribulations, and after finally realizing what they mean to each other, Alphen and Shionne make a pretty good team. They have well-defined roles, as he is a frontline attacker while she acts as his support and
healsluthealer. There's not much else to say here, honestly, as they're neither notably bad nor notable good as far as battle couples go. - Independence: 60
- While they are both pretty good fighters on their own, they each lack something that's brought by the other. Alphen's a formidable fighter, but without Shionne there to back him up he can't deal with multiple enemies as effectively. Shionne's a good long-range fighter and caster, but without Alphen to stand in front she has a hard time getting casts off. And that's not mentioning the Blazing Sword bit, where Alphen and Shionne must be in proximity for the former to use his best abilities.
Notes & Voting[]
The warriors in this match are being taken from the following points and canons:
- Estelle & Joshua Bright: During the events of The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd, just before heading to Castle Phantasmagoria. Games & extended material only. There is no Sky OVA, it does not exist, what are you talking about?
- Alphen & Shionne: During the events of Tales of Arise, just before entering the final dungeon.
- Please have at least couple paragraphs as to who you think will win and why
- Edges will naturally make it this long and are easier to read
- Evaluating the warriors used based on a different canon or different point in their timeline as given will invalidate a vote
- I have the final say on whether or not a vote counts
- Contact me via Discord if you think I made a mistake with vote counts
- Only votes on this blog will count.
- Rebuttals can reduce a vote by a half point or more.
- Counter-arguments can restore the vote to full
- Rebuttals will not be accepted less than 48 hours before the close of voting, save for the following:
- Should a vote be made less than 48 hours before the close of voting, rebuttals will be accepted up to 48 hours after the close of voting, and the voter waives the right to defend their vote to restore it.
- Votes made less than 24 hours before the close of voting (or close enough that I can gauge this to be their intent) will count for half at most.
- )
Battle[]
In the frigid mountains of Cyslodia, a pair huddles around a campfire. Alphen stirs the pot over it, a pungent smell wafting over him and Shionne as they get as close as they can without actually touching. The woman casts a slightly dissatisfied glance first at her companion, and then at the pot of stew. Assuming it could be called that, with the mountain of spices used as a thickener.
The crunching of snow underfoot causes both to start, with Alphen rising and putting a hand on his sword. Another pair melts out of the night, huddling together. The girl carries a long staff, while the slender boy has a pair of short swords sheathed at his waist.
“We’re not enemies,” Joshua says, “Just travelers.”
“Unless you’re bandits or something. Then we’d have to thwack you,” Estelle continues as Alphen relaxes his sword arm, “but you don’t look like those.”
“Not like some tomboy and her pet twink could beat us, anyway,” Shionne says, and the frigid air grows even colder.
“Shionne?” Alphen asks, voice cracking.
“What? It’s true.”
“All right, buster,” Estell says, unlimbering her bo staff, “If you want to throw down, let’s throw the Gehenna down.”
“Wait, please, she doesn’t mean it, she’s just mad because she’s hungry and…”
“Estelle, I appreciate you defending my honor but…”
“Yeah, listen to your boytoy, you skinny, stupid little…” Shionne mutters, only to stop as she realizes both Brights are glaring daggers at her. The rasp of steel echoes as Joshua draws his twin swords, chill forgotten as the anger running through their bodies warms them from within.
She rises, summoning her gun from its extradimensional pocket as Alphen sighs, resigned to having some pre-meal sparring. He draws his own blade, before motioning to a small clearing a bit away from the fire. There, at least, their scuffle wouldn’t knock over the food, which might send Shionne into hysterics. The Brights nod, and the tension continues to build as the four of them silently make their way towards it.
They take their battle positions; Alphen in front with Shionne behind, while Estelle and Joshua stand shoulder-to-shoulder. The branch of a nearby tree bows under the weight of the piled snow, and the stillness snaps with it as the four burst into motion. Estelle and Joshua exchange glances before splitting up, Joshua practically appearing before Alphen, striking with a quick flurry as Estelle twirls her staff, scattering the barrage of lasers from Shionne.
She ducks under another shot as Joshua forces Alphen away, weaving between the beams as her foe struggles to hit her. She leaps in the air, bringing her bo down as Shionne leaps back, firing a laser in an arc before her. Estelle rolls out of the way, hand on her Orbment as she casts Soul Blur. Shionne flinches as the discs of energy find their mark.
She throws out a magic grenade, forcing her foe to dodge again while she casts Freeze Lancer. As she nears completion of the spell, Estelle runs in and spins, lashing out with her staff. It makes contact, causing Shionne to spit blood as she falls to the floor with her magic cut off. She throws another grenade, which Estelle is too close to avoid. The Bracer stands her ground, however, taking the brunt of the blast as she continues to close in on the fleeing
A blow from Joshua skitters off Alphen’s armor, not hurting him but also preventing him from helping Shionne. He strikes back, but Joshua weaves around it and lands another glancing blow on his armor. Alphen tries again, but his foe vanishes entirely from his sight. He flips his sword, stabbing behind him. The sound of steel on steel reaches his ears as Joshua is forced to parry the blow. A spinning slash into a flurry of strikes is similarly evaded.
Alphen leaps into the air, sheathing his normal blade and drawing the red, almost rocklike one beside it. He stabs into the ground as Joshua darts out, only for the Bracer’s eyes to widen and leap farther back as a massive tornado of flame erupts around Alphen. Joshua grimaces as the tornado grazes him, only to start hurriedly casting a spell as he sees the Blazing Sword flare up again.
“Estelle!” he shouts, casting Clock Up.
“Shionne!” Alphen yells, using Incineration Wave.
Estelle receives a magic burst of speed as Alphen raises his sword, sending a massive gout of flame towards her. She steps back, narrowly evading it and spinning her staff to knock aside a grenade from Shionne. The other girl fires her gun, the beam knocking Joshua’s sword away from Alphen’s neck as she tosses another grenade at Estelle. Joshua rides the momentum, spinning and moving faster than the eye can see to slice it in half as Estelle and Shionne ready spells. They both cast healing magic, restoring themselves and their partners as Estelle and Joshua stand back-to-back.
“Can I get a swing in?” Joshua asks.
“Sure,” Estelle says, and the two pivot, now facing different foes. Joshua vanishes, getting close to Shionne as Estelle leaps in to engage Alphen.
“Hey, slowpoke, I hit your girlfriend pretty hard,” she taunts, getting Alphen’s attention with a swing, “I’ll give you matching bruises.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“We’re in a fight. I have a very large stick, which I hit people with. How is that hard to understand?”
“Are you calling me dumb?”
“Yes!”
The taunting worked, as Joshua was free to dart in to fight Shionne unhindered as Alphen defends his honor, though failing to repudiate the questioning of his intelligence. He swings, testing her defenses, and is caught off guard as the spinning staff smoothly redirects the blow while striking him in the knee. He staggers, barely managing to lean back as the weighted end of the staff whistles past his face. He makes a wild swing to get her away, and she spins out of reach. A desperate step back takes him away from her follow-up, which came from a completely unexpected angle.
He narrows his focus, blocking everything out other than his foe, who was glowing slightly. He swerves as a geyser erupts from under him, throwing up his arm to block a swing. He grimaces as the staff hits him in the chest from the other direction, Estelle spinning it as she moves. Shionne would have to fend for herself for a bit; he needed to get a grasp on his foe.
Shionne, for her part, stays in the glowing Healing Circle she repeatedly conjures, occasionally firing blasts at the youth harrying her. He vanishes as she throws a grenade at him, not reappearing as she sends a beam scything to the other side, jumping slightly into the blast radius of her own spell. She jumps back as he reappears above her, falling down and grazing her side. The injuries heal with the next pulse of Healing Circle, while she leaps to the side, sending a barrage of beams her foe’s way.
He vanishes again, leaving behind only footsteps in the snow, causing her to growl in anger as a magic circle appears beneath her. He reappears at a distance, darting in to strike before retreating. Another pulse of magic knits her wounds back together as she forces the magic back on course, some property of his strikes delaying its completion. The circle is replaced by a tornado of fire, which rages around her as she swivels, trying to find the moment her foe would get caught by the blast.
He dashes in, grimacing as the fire burns him and lifts him into the air. Shionne fires, only for him to vanish again, reappearing as three in the air above her. A grenade hits all of them and they fade, Joshua appearing behind her, getting another hit in that’s quickly healed. As Healing Circle fades, the light is swiftly replaced as Shionne casts it again, knowing that it’s what’s keeping her alive.
On the other side of the field, Alphen steps back, finally able to dodge a swipe from Estelle. He swaps to the Blazing Sword, stepping in with a slice. Estelle spins her staff, knocking the blow aside as she spins out of the way of the backswing. This is repeated on the following slice, and the one after that. They return to rest, Alphen still holding his fiery blade, looking at where Joshua and Shionne were fighting. His foe generally started with a clockwise spin, which would only speed up Incineration Wave by knocking the sword up faster.
“Shionne!” He shouts, charging the Blazing Sword with energy and swinging it upwards, only for Estelle to spin in the opposite direction, knocking it down and sending the wave of fire down into the earth. His eyes widen, and her smirk tells him he just got outplayed.
“Try to keep up,” she says, taking a leap back, flourishing her staff. She leaps back in, spinning fast enough to create a gust of wind. She lands in front of him, lashing out with her staff as she runs in a tight circle around him. Moving fast enough to seem a blur and creating a cyclone of energy in her wake, Estelle runs and strikes. Alphen is unable to evade the blows that come seemingly at random from within the maelstrom. The strikes drive him to his knees before the energy collapses inward, making a massive tower as it implodes.
“Alphen!” Shionne yells, as he collapses, the ground below him now bereft of snow. She gathers Astral Energy, intending to cast Resurrection, but Joshua puts his hand on his orbment, glowing briefly. He casts Anti-Sept, causing the magic to fade as Shionne is inflicted with Mute. At the same time, a pulse of orbal energy radiates outward from Estelle, curing her wounds as well as Joshua’s.
Shionne looks between the two Brights in fear as they approach, brandishing their weapons. They dash in, and a few flurries of the staff and blades later and she joins Alphen, out cold in the snow.
Some time later, Alphen and Shionne regain consciousness near the fire, where they see Estelle dumping a bunch of ingredients into the pot.
“Well, now that we’ve got that out of our system, let’s make this soup edible,” she says, shooting the other couple a smile as if the previous sparring session hadn’t happened. Or at least had been less heated. Joshua shrugs, smiling sheepishly at the pair, and Alphen gets up, extending a hand to Shionne. She takes it, pulling herself up while he tries not to react to her Curse of Thorns sending a current through his body.
“You’re pretty tough, to be able to take that,” Joshua says.
“Thank you. Shionne, anything to say?” Alphen says.
Shionne just stares at him, and he raises his eyebrows and gestures at the pair currently cooking their dinner.
“I apologize,” Shionne says, bowing her head, “I was rude earlier.”
“She just gets a little… testy when she gets hungry,” Alphen says, “Which is most of the time,” he mutters, not quite under his breath.
“Well, that and…” Shionee starts, before blushing and breaking off.
“And what?” Alphen asks, genuinely confused.
“Probably ‘and you weren’t cuddling her while making the soup because you were afraid the weird electric shock stuff would make you mess up’” Estelle says, causing Shionne’s blush to deepen.
“Estelle, come on…” Joshua says
“Hey, if he’s not paying enough attention to her she needs to tell him,” she replies, tasting the soup, “Okay, now that we can eat this, we can get started! Maybe make her less grumpy.”
Expert’s Opinion[]
What ultimately won this for Estelle and Joshua was that they were equally skilled working in tandem as they were working alone. This, along with the tactical thinking that comes with being a Bracer – basically a professional JRPG protagonist – allowed them to find Alphen and Shionne’s weakness. Namely that they were overly dependent on their teamwork, leading to a divide-and-conquer strategy.
Skippable DFederal Epilogue[]
Sypha Belnades looks up in the Integration Center, eyes widening as eight people walk in. She waves them over, knowing Merrill would never be able to handle eight people crowding her, and puts on her best customer service smile.
“So. Who are you and how can I help you today?”
“Estelle and Joshua Bright,” the pair in front says.
“Sara Valestein,” the voluptuous redhead says.
“Klaudia von Ausslesse. Though you can just call me Kloe,” the younger lady with a rapier says.
“And we’re the Special Support Section,” the brown-haired man says, gesturing to himself, the silver-haired woman, the blue-haired girl, and the red-haired man.
“I see…” Sypha says, typing their names into her computer, “And what can we do for you?”
“Well, it’s about our ages here,” Estelle says, “We understand that our series is currently ongoing, so we’d like to request that our ages – and that of everyone else from Zemuria – be the furthest along they can be.”
“That is an… unusual request, but one that can be done. Is there anything else?”
“Well, we were wondering about employment,” the brown-haired man says, “I think Estelle, Joshua, and Sara have all talked about opening a Bracer Guild…”
“With me as a receptionist, yes,” Kloe says.
“But we’re unsure of what we want to do. We could simply join them, but it wouldn’t feel right.”
“Hmmm….” Spyha says, reading over the provided biography. She frowns slightly; seeing that it’s one of Leo’s; it would likely be decently lengthy, though he insisted that he still cut out a lot of information. “Well, from a quick scan of your bio you’d probably be a decent fit for the flexible team the DFPD’s detectives are looking to create. It’ll be responding to a variety of crimes, much like what you’re used to.”
“We’ll probably apply to that, then. Thanks!”
“And the four of you, be aware that the Adventurers Guild already offers similar services to what you’d be providing.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Estelle says.
“Will that be all?” Sypha asks, and upon seeing them nod continues, “Then have a nice day, all of you.”