• he/they

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[Extended About]

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Lucent and Naberius are both dangerous fighters, but even they'd be hard-pressed to win against some of the more dangerous hunt marks out there. To come out on top against those, you'd need to be the Warrior of Light, have sheer force in numbers... or play dirty.

That's where Alaude comes in.


On paper, Alaude is an archer. He attacks from afar, aiming for a monster's squishy bits. He also reads and relays any movements that Naberius or Lucent may miss from being in the fray, keeps an eye out for any other creatures that might join in, and makes sure there's an escape route at all times.

However, he also uses special, custom-enchanted arrows. And these arrows can do many, many things:

  • explode with blinding light / deafening sound / overwhelming stench (while not affecting Naberius or Lucent)
  • wrap around a monster's limbs with magical thread, tripping it or otherwise impeding its movement
  • melt into a tar that seals over a monster's eyes or mouth, or hampers aetherial conductivity on its spellcasting bits, or increases its vulnerability to an element
  • pierce through or weaken tough armor so that Naberius and Lucent can do some real damage
  • shatter into dark smoke (that the others can see through) to provide cover
  • and of course inflict Standard Status Effects (poison, paralysis, and so on)

Alaude does not possess the brute power or sheer durability that the other two have, but he brings a distinct ingenuity to the battlefield that tilts the odds in their favor, allowing the three of them to triumph where larger groups of hunters have failed.

There are drawbacks, though. The big one is the sheer amount of preparation needed. He spends hours upon hours engraving, imbuing, and testing every individual arrow. And while some trick arrows are broadly useful, others are incredibly situational. A flash arrow may be invaluable against a monster with sensitive sight, but completely useless against a blind monster that hunts by sound or scent. Arrows designed to paralyze a limb by shooting concentrated levin into a creature's nerves are of no use against a lightning-aspected monster. Before the arrowcrafting can even begin, research needs to be done - a lot of it - and a plan needs to be made.

He's also the one who struggles most when fighting alone, especially against small, agile, intelligent adversaries. His skill is with the bow. He has tricks for things that get close enough to strike him, but he has little way of defending himself otherwise.

At some point in the trio's journey, Alaude gets the chance to meet Stephanivien, who takes a shine to his inventiveness. While Alaude declines to join the Skysteel Manufactory*, he does pick up some MCH tech and begins carrying an empty MCH soulstone around, in hopes that his techniques, however unorthodox, will still be of use to someone in the future.

*at that point in time, at least! It's possible that sometime further down the road, he takes Stephanivien up on his offer.


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