FFVI – Part 47: Kefka Rising

Summary: Leo fights Kefka, who tricks, torments, and takes out the general. Esper reinforcements attack. Kefka uncloaks his power, slaughters them, collects their magicite, and laughs all the while.

Thamasa

Leo stands alone.

-Before confronting Kefka, let’s explore the town a bit.

-When I try to leave town, a soldier stops me and forces me into combat with the Guardian, that immobile (and as far as I can see invincible) turret. I can at least run away.

-Yeah, not much else. Kefka time.

-Leo’s special attack, “Shock,” looks awesome.

-lol – Kefka STILL sucks in combat. Can’t hurt Leo and Leo whales away on him.

-Then Kefka… disappears? We hear him call out for Gestahl, and the Emperor himself appears.

-He apologizes for keeping Leo in the dark. He acknowledges Leo’s disagreement, but still expects Leo to obey.

Leo’s clearly torn. This is really hard to watch.

-Wait, Gestahl is benching Leo?

-DAMMIT THAT WAS KEFKA IN DISGUISE. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT? JUST TO WATCH SOMEONE IN A MORAL QUANDRY SQUIRM? FUCKING KEFKA.

-AND HE KILLS LEO. HE SURPRISES HIM AND BACKSTABS HIM. THE VERSION THAT LEO WAS ATTACKING WAS JUST AN ILLUSION, AND KEFKA FUCKING BACKSTABS HIM

-WHY DO I HAVE FEELS FOR (ANOTHER) IMPERIAL GENERAL

-AHJAHKLJHJKLDSHFJKLDHSDFKLSHLFKDS

-And of course, he’s laughing.

-The earth starts quaking. Some massive power wave hits.

---

Sealed Gate

-The gates explodes open.

-YES!! A storm of espers breaks free to help.

-We get an esper POV shot as they fly from the Sealed Gate to Thamasa.

---

Thamasa

-Kefka sees this and seems strangely unworried. This makes me incredibly nervous.

-Somehow, he’s able to neutralize the powers of the espers. ALL OF THEM. They fly in to attack, and he just rips them apart, turning them into magicite!

-Jesus.

-I knew from overhearing his little monologue in the Magitek Factory that he was absorbing espers and draining power. Then we came along and showed him how to do it magnitudes more efficiently. And I get the sense that the Empire held many more than just the eight or so espers whose magicite we took.

-KEFKA, to the attacking espers: “Come, and help me build the Magitek Empre of Kefka!”

This is like Christmas for him. This one-man massacre.

-Ok. I underestimated Kefka’s ambition, cunning, and power. Like, by a lot. So much absorbed magic, and this gleeful sadism… I really worry what comes next when he and Gestahl do whatever it is they do with the Warring Triad.

Wait. “The Magitek Empire of Kefka?” Kefka doesn’t feel any of the loyalty to Gestahl that Leo did. We’ve seen that time and time again. Maybe the good guys shouldn’t be the only ones worried about Kefka.

I am now legit freaked about him usurping Gestahl. Emperor Kefka? Christ. He’d be so much more sadistic than even the awful Gestahl. He’s so widely hated by all the Imperial soldiers, but with this amount of magic they may not be able to resist effectively if he takes that role.

The prospect is kind of terrifying.

-And he just took out a swarm of espers in a single blast. The sky starts to rain magicite…

-Kefka’s next stop: beyond the Sealed Gate.

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Later, in Thamasa

-The party mourns Leo at a makeshift grade.

Rest in peace, General.

-Puppy! Alone?

-SHADOW DIED?? Maybe. I’ll believe it when I see his sprite’s corpse blink out.

-At least Relm will take care of Interceptor.

-Oh shit, I forgot! What about the others back in Vector?

-We get a quick shot of the Blackjack flying in as the group joins us.

---

Next time: we try to regroup. What choice do we have?



”Any dolt with half a brain
Can see that human kind has gone *******
To the point where I don’t know if I’ll upset the status quo
If I throw poison in the water main…”

“…But it’s plain to see
Evil inside of me
Is on the rise.”