| “ | It's a spriggan's job to take out power-hungry bastards when no one else can!
— Van Arkride
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” |
Van Arkride was originally an orphan in the town of Oración in Calvard. Raised in the local orphanage, he eventually met and befriended René Kincaid and Elaine Auclair, two members of the city's upper crust. Not pleased that his daughter was fraternizing with a member of the less fortunate classes of the city, Elaine's father arranged for Van to be adopted by a family outside the city. This family was a member of the D∴G cult, and Van was shipped off to one of the most heinous criminal enterprises in Zemurian history.
Fortunately for him, he was not taken to their child brothels. Unfortunately for him, the Demon Core he was born with drew the attention of the cult's researchers and in particular one of their high priests, Gerard Dantès. The core was painfully extracted from his body, and claimed by Gerard. Van survived this procedure, and was rescued by Gunther Barkhorn during the combined raids to exterminate the cult. After healing, Van takes the last name Arkride in honor of the orphanage director who raised him. He reunited with his friends at Aramis Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in the country, and even struck up a romance with Elaine. The curse of the Demon Core proved too much for his mind to bear, however, and he dropped out, leaving them behind.
He trains under Barkhorn for a time, honing his martial arts and learning to do what he can. His mind fully healed, he then starts a career as a fixer, being the owner/operator of Arkride Solutions. One of his first jobs was escorting Renne through Calvard to Crossbell, creating a bond of trust with the girl that proved invaluable later. He gained notoriety as someone who can help out where the law can't, and his business was fairly successful.
Renne, now the student council president at Aramis, recommends him to Agnès Claudel. This would set the pair on a quest to recover several devices from the dawn of the Orbal Revolution, created by the girl's grandfather and the man behind it - Claude Epstein. Agnès joined Arkride Solutions as its first part-timer, and the pair traveled around Calvard in search of the Genesis. More part-timers would join Van's crew as they went along, and this quest also afforded him the chance to reconnect with Elaine and René.
Their journey pit them against Almata, a mafia that had suddenly grown in power under its new leader, Gerard Dantès. Arkride Solutions ended up being the focal point of the efforts to combat them, pulling in the police, the Bracer Guild, the Heiyue crime syndicate, the Ouroboros Society, Calvard's intelligence division, and more. While the mafia nuking a small town off the map caught everyone off guard, they were eventually able to rally and defeat them in Oración. And then once again at the capital city of Edith, because magic shenanigans brought the dead back to life.
Van retakes his demon core, intending to seal himself away so that the manifestation of Vagrants Diaspora wouldn't threaten the world. His part-timers call bullshit, and fight Vagrants Diaspora for control of Van's soul. They win, and the office splits up near the end of the year, its members going their separate ways. For all of a month, much to Van's chagrin.
Dragalia Lost Royale (by Leolab)[]
TBW
Expert's Opinion[]
TBW
Combatants:
Jill Warrick, Van Arkride, Jack Krauser, Marla Baldini, Sonoko Nogi, Irvine, Halsin, Wynne, Dickson