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...