Carmina

Golden Settlement, Residential

[Festival]

Carmina: A fitting stage for a duel of this caliber!


Ant Kingdom, Underground Tavern

[If you try standing next to her and talking]

Carmina: Have you no etiquette? If you have any business with me, talk to me from across the table!


[Quest: Card Masters of Bugaria]

[First talk across the table]

Carmina: A challenge? Bring out your deck. Let us duel with honor.

Vi: Um, what?

Kabbu: What's a deck?

Carmina: Tch. Have you come to waste my time, then? I live and die by the card.

Carmina: If you're not here to play, leave.

Leif: Sounds interesting. Won't you tell us more? We may surprise you.

Carmina: You expect me to teach a newbie the ropes?

Carmina: ...Well, sure. It's been a slow day.

Carmina: The first thing you'll need is a proper deck of cards.

Vi: We aren't gonna have to buy some, are we?

Carmina: Decks are built from Enemy Spy Data. You should hold a few right now, even.

Kabbu: Oh, yes! I do love spying!

Carmina: You'll need at least one Boss Card, two Miniboss Cards and one Enemy Card.

Carmina: Come talk to me when you're ready. I long for battle.


[insufficient spy types]

Carmina: ...These aren't nearly enough.

Carmina: Come back once you have one Boss Card, two Miniboss Cards and one Enemy Card.

Carmina: There's someone selling spies here, if you're in a rush.

(minibubble) Vi: Noooo!


[have enough spies]

Carmina: ...Hmm. Yes, these will do. Although I can't speak of their quality.

Leif: You'll battle us, then?

Carmina: Already? Thought you'd appreciate the basics.

Textbox: Please teach us.

We studied.

[We studied.]

Leif: No need. We read up on the game while looking at our cards.

Carmina: You're a cheeky one, aren't you? I hope your "studying" proves enough.

Carmina: When you're ready, let us battle!


[Please teach us.]

Carmina: Listen closely, rookie!

Carmina: Listen up. Here's the rules for Spy Cards.

Carmina: You play using a deck containing 15 cards. These cards come in 4 types: Attacker, Effect, Mini-Boss and Boss.

Carmina: Attacker cards are quite basic. They add an amount to your Attack Counter, and are pretty cheap to play.

Carmina: Effect Cards can have many different effects. Here's a few keywords you can find in your cards:

Carmina: Numb: One of your opponent's Attacker cards is numbed. If X: If played alongside X card, gain an effect.

Carmina: If Atk (X): Gain an effect if your total ATK reaches X.

Carmina: Unity: Gains ATK for every member of its tribe. Like a swarm of Midges…

Carmina: You can check many more effects in your Discoveries menu.

Carmina: You can include as many repeated copies of Attacker and Effect cards in your deck as you want.

Carmina: Now, for Mini-Boss cards. They work like Effect cards, but you can only have 2 copies in your deck. And no duplicates!

Carmina: Boss cards also work like Effect cards. Each deck can only include 1 Boss card.

Carmina: Each card has a TP Cost required to play it. You get a set amount of TP each turn.

Carmina: At the end of each turn your TP is restored, so go wild with your plays.

Carmina: To summarize, your deck must contain 15 cards: 1 Boss. 2 unique Mini-Bosses. And 12 Attacker or Effect cards which may be duplicates.

Carmina: Now, try building your deck.

Carmina: During a match, your cards will be shown on the left side. Your opponent's will be on the right side.

Carmina: Mine are turned back, of course. But you can tell their type through their back.

Carmina: I'm holding a Mini-Boss and 2 Attacker or Effect cards.

Carmina: Attacker and Effect cards share the same back. Leaves you wondering, right?

Carmina: Use as many cards as your TP allows you to and try to win the round.

Carmina: Whoever gets the highest ATK wins the round, inflicting damage to the loser's HP.

Carmina: This is a bit obvious, but reduce the opponent's HP to 0 and you'll win the match.

Carmina: What a mouthful... Let's start our duel.

Carmina: I'll be holding back during this practice match, okay? Pick your cards and give it your all!

Carmina: By the way, all cards used in a turn are shuffled back into your deck. Maybe you'll see them again!

Carmina: That should cover everything. Let's continue!


[Win]

Carmina: Hm. Well done.

Carmina: Seems you are ready for the real thing...

Carmina: If you're ready for the real thing, let's get it started.


[Lose]

Carmina: Hmph. Oh well. There's always next time.


[talk again]

Carmina: You're up for our duel?

Textbox: Rematch Time!

Can you explain the rules again?

No thanks.

[No thanks.]

Carmina: A shame you turned out so spineless…


[Rematch Time!]

Carmina: Ready yourself. This will be a duel for the books!


[Lose]

Carmina: That was disappointing. But at least it helped pass the time.

Leif: Tch. We'll get you next time.

(minibubble) Kabbu: Hang in there!


[Win]

Carmina: ...! I've lost!?

Leif: So it seems. Good game.

Carmina: Ahahaha... Ahahahahah!

Carmina: That I did. An excellent duel, Leif.

Vi: We get anything for winning?

Leif: Don't bring your greed into our battleground, Vi.

Carmina: Mhm. This was nothing more than a duel to clash our wits. To think I'd be bested…

Carmina: But if you really want a prize, there's a big competition on Metal Island.

Carmina: Rich bugs board the boat on the pier there, and watch us play for sport.

Carmina: The entry is pricey, but nothing compared to the prize.

Vi: Wait, you can make money playing card games?

Leif: It sounds fun. Can we enter, then?

Carmina: Take this, Leif.

Carmina: If you wish to enter...you'll need to fill up that Blank Card.

Carmina: Search for the four Card Masters across Bugaria. That's all I can say.

Kabbu: Could we have a tip, at least? Bugaria is quite vast…

Carmina: ...Eh, sure. Why not. The first card master...is old. Good luck.

Vi: Heheh. Let's go look for them! You've gotta win that prize!

Leif: You can keep the prize. We play for glory.

(minibubble) Kabbu: Don't forget the mission...

[end of quest-related dialogue]


Metal Lake, Inn

[break into Carmina’s room]

Carmina: What the-

Carmina: What are you doing here?! This is my room!

Carmina: Aaaah! You destroyed the wall! You think I won't mind because I'm rich!?

Carmina: How dare you! I thought you were decent bugs!

Kabbu: W-We're sorry! I saw a gap, and I just felt the urge to dig!

Vi: Yeah. You've really gotta complain to management.

Carmina: And you're blaming ME for the hotel's faults!?

Leif: Err, no...just…

Carmina: I'VE LOST MY TEMPER! WE'RE DUELING!


[post-battle]

Carmina: Ugh. You could've let me win, you know…

Leif: We ARE sorry, but no.

Carmina: ... *Sigh* . I'll go tell management about the gap…

Kabbu: We're...we're truly sorry!

Carmina: Whatever. Get out. I've got to prepare for the tournament.


Carmina: You seriously think I want to talk?

Carmina: *Sigh* ...Why did I teach you how to play…


Metal Lake, Auditorium

[tournament]

Host: Welcome once more, to the Spy Cards Championship! Today, eight competitors will fight and try to reach the top!

Host: Here are today's competitors…

Host: From this side, Leif the moth, from the Ant Kingdom. Let's see who he will be facing this time...

Host: From the other side... The mysterious, the charming, the one and only, Carmina!

Carmina: I brought you into the scene...But I'll crush you nonetheless!

Host: And now... Let's start the fight!


[Lose]

Carmina: Good showing. Let us play again.

Host: What a shame. If you want to try and make a comeback, you know where to come to.


[Win]

Carmina: ...The potential I saw in you was true. Good game.


Ant Kingdom, Main Plaza

[ending celebration]

Carmina: Nothing like a ceremonial duel!

Shay: Heh. Shame Arie couldn't make it...



Npc Spies

[Golden Settlement, Residential]

Vi: Wonder what game they're playing.

Kabbu: I do not know, but it is intense!

Kabbu: She just summoned another monster! What a combination!

(minibubble) Leif: Off we go...


[Underground Tavern]

Kabbu: Those things she's holding…

Leif: They seem like cards. A game to pass the time?

Vi: Didn't know you could play cards by yourself...

Kabbu: Vi, have you never played Solitaire!?

Vi: Nope.

Leif: Neither have we.

Kabbu: Ngh... We truly feel "Solitaire" now...


[Metal Lake, Inn]

Leif: Carmina's a pretty formidable duelist.

Vi: And she can fight well, too!

Kabbu: Team, perhaps we should discuss Carmina...outside of her room?


Enemy Spy

A master of all games, Carmina loves playing for keeps, building wealth and outsmarting her opponents.

Taunts and rule-sharking are all fair game, although she'd never cheat.

On Metal Island, she had a hostile encounter with Team Snakemouth after they barged into her room uninvited.


Vi: L-Look, we didn't know your room was here! We're sorry!

Vi: ...All of her attacks are kinda random, so I don't know what to expect. Hope we get lucky!


Kabbu: Surely there is a better solution to this? We...we could clean your room for a week? ...No?

Kabbu: Hnngh... Everyone, stay alert. We have no idea how fortune will affect her attacks!


Leif: Who DOESN'T get insurance nowadays? Guess being rich doesn't make you smart.

Leif: Ah, crud. She heard us. Let's see where that roulette lands...