LogFAQs > #961241505

I lied. I made pretty good time getting back to where I was and clearing the dungeon. I then get what's about as epic a 1-on-1 duel as Velvet vs. Eleanor was going to be: Velvet wins, Eleanor becomes HER malak, basically; Eleanor wins, Velvet dies. It's a battle of disciples of the fiendish Artorius, and it takes me two tries but I figure out how to dodge her attacks and win handily. Was originally going to finish her off with a Mystic but that didn't happen. The after-scene is, well, them outplaying each other until Eleanor doesn't have a weapon and... she breaks down. Again.

Laphicet wants to go with Velvet, and the book he took from the Villa is about Innominat - but it's written in an ancient language and we need Magilou's friend Grimoir to translate it. We gotta find her, and that should be pretty easy given how Eizen has some sylphjays in his employ. Magilou also bets Velvet 100 gald that she gives up before killing any of the villains. Well, considering Eleanor is now Velvet's oath-bound bodyguard, that's ONE less we'll have to kill any time soon. Artorius will throw a fit. Villain Teresa and Oscar are probably gonna be the first two to die, then Melchior. Shigetsu probably survives. Artorius and Innominat do not, though Artorius probably expires at the end of the second act, with the final push being to kill a god. Welcome to JRPGs.

Artorius gives Henchwoman Eleanor a task via Melchior's communication arte, and it's a top-secret task of getting Laphicet to the Abbey in Loegres. She's so obviously a spy, so we can't trust a word she says. I think since she woke Velvet and Eizen up that she won't get away with any of it - though how much did they hear? Velvet promptly threatens her that if she betrays the party, her arms an legs become daemon food. Eleanor thinks that Innominat is being summoned to wipe out daemons, but that's clearly a cover. Eleanor won't like the truth and will firmly switch sides.

Guy talk about... women's deceptions. I've been there. One girl I was chasing turned out to be succubus. They're clearly talking about Eleanor being a villain... and then Velvet overhears and threatens to eat them. The age-old problem here. Eleanor says that her own tears are real and doesn't like people who fake-cry. Even so, I don't trust her. (P.S. I am not using her until she learns a few skills from lesser equipment, at which point I'll give her a try.) We then get the girl talk about men; men can be taken at face value because they're too simple. Even so, I'm a man and I am NOT simple. This gets sidetracked quickly.

Laphicet activates Binding Order for the first time and takes out FOUR harpies with it. Holy shit! There's also a fun winquote about Velvet's sword, but it's simply "fun" by comparison to the others. Laphicet finds a chunk of brightsteel at the base of a huge boulder with blue things jutting out of it. Magilou makes another MAGIKAZAM joke. I hope this is a running gag. Zaveid talk about him being the wind-user... and Eleanor taking in the information to use against us later. She is so fascinating. She's this "good girl" type who's actually a henchwoman. After Rokurou breaks a guy's sword... he tells us about a guy called Swordbreaker. GEE I WONDER WHO THAT IS. (Gotta be Shigetsu, based on Rokurou's reaction, brothers, broken sword, etc.) Eleanor also tells him off for banditry. Nice.

There's this amazing "Physically Escalating with Cuties" skit where Eleanor is PISSED at Bienfu for... only wanting to tether to her because he finds her attractive. He wants only FEMALE vessels because of his boner. "Above Laphicet's head" is definitely the way to put it, but... not in the way one would think. STILL LAUGHING XD. The mood's then killed by a shirtless Rokurou. I'm too straight to see that. So is Eleanor... though she's also quite xenophobic, like most of these Abbey assholes. "A daemon is always going to be a daemon" well sure, but... that doesn't make them BAD. Perhaps this trip will open her eyes to see that daemons aren't always that bad. Rokurou... decides to make that tough by taking Swordbreaker on 1-on-1 and attacking Laphicet when Laphicet realizes Rokurou is about to die. Eleanor and Velvet quickly tell him he's gonna get it if he touches the boy. I think those two are actually taking a shine to one another. They're both disciples of Artorius and have some personality traits in common; it's just that one is a therion and the other is a xenophobe. This relationship is going to be fascinating, and that's what this game is doing so well. I feel like I can already describe a majority of these seven's relationships with one another. That counts Bienfu.

Rokurou swiftly apologizes and says he'll give a better warning next time. He also gives insight into why he's like he is: He's hellbent on revenge, too, and there's someone he wants to defeat in a 1-on-1 swordfight. That's his brother, the legate praetor, and the reason he's not using his family heirloom sword is because he intends to stick it through his brother's back. He can't let anything happen to it. I must wonder if this Stormquell sword is his brother's... which would mean he's probably on this continent. There's also Stormhowl, which was the blade this Kurogane guy from Magilou's likely-embellished tale (she's such a great storyteller; I'd listen to her tales around the campfire every single night if I could!) wanted so badly to top. Stormquell is the mimic, but it's certainly a master work in and of itself, and... we'll probably have to kill this daemon Swordbreaker. Be warned.

I go into the cave to find a zombie uprising. Great, just great! I find myself getting Slowed a lot but stumble upon a Slow Ward, so that... will help whoever I'm controlling. I get this scene where Velvet tells Laphicet to not trust Eleanor, because her intentions are unknown. I do hope the "I'm #1, Eleanor's #2" didn't give the poor kid flashbacks to being under Villain Teresa.

Then I look at the clock and realize it's time to wrap it up. Where did the last two hours go!?