Fifth Holy Virtue: Patience

Recommended theme: [link] (Battle 1) (Final Fantasy 4 DS)

She represents “Forbearance and endurance through moderation.” She is a firm believer that violence is never the answer, and she will never attack unless provoked. She always tries to resolve conflicts peacefully without any bloodshed, but I don’t advise going against her wishes. She’s been trained in martial arts, and is excellent at them. Her power is magnified by the Gloves of Patience she wears. Her Song of Tranquility will subdue any thoughts of anger or hate to anyone who hears it. When heard by Wrath, it will impede her movement and attack speed. Her attacks will no longer have a “piercing” effect (breaking through your defenses), but they can still sap your energy if she hits you. Ironically, it will not impede your fighting spirit, so don’t worry about not being able to fight while Patience sings.

Keeping in mind with the “use the same weapon as your opponent” strategy, Patience has gloves as weapons. While hers are just traditional leather gloves, I added the spiked knuckles on them. All of the virtues have a blade on their weapons because they need to pierce the skin of the sirens in order to kill them. Patience’s gloves are of a different style than Wrath’s, where hers are modeled after fingerless gloves worn by fighters

Gloves are a rarely seen weapon in games, usually having claws on the top for cutting down enemies. Gloves are more commonly used as armor, ranging anywhere from plain leather gloves to knights gauntlets. I imagine any of these would be better for punching solid objects instead of your bare hands. In any case, they’re often my least favorite weapons in video games. You’re so close to your enemy that it’s hard to dodge incoming attacks, especially if they have a weapon. It’s also a bad idea to have a shield equipped as well, because your strength will be reduced to almost nothing. Just leave the shield carrying to the warriors. On the other hand, barehanded fighters are often the most powerful, bringing down tough enemies with repeated punches.

When Patience charges up her weapon, it emits a soothing aura as it glows. This aura immobilizes Wrath in her tracks, allowing Patience a clear shot. She will then punch Wrath in the face, finishing her off for good. When Wrath is killed in this way, she will not focus her anger and explode violently. This is the only known method of defeating Wrath without her going out with a bang.

Patience’s test is the most time-consuming. She will make herself nearly invincible to all of your attacks, and repeatedly pound you with her spells and her fists. Your task is to endure all of them while you wait for her to drop her guard. During the battle, she will begin charging up her beam attack. This is when you should attack, which will cause her to drop the energy for the beam. Do this a few times and she'll join you. The beam not fatal if it hits you, but it will leave you dazed when the dust clears.

Patience’s gloves are modeled after generic gloves from throughout the Dragon Quest games. I added spiked knuckles because all the Virtue’s weapons had to have ways to pierce flesh. Giving her claw-type weapons would’ve made her look too powerful.