Summary: Quistis, Squall, and Rinoa infiltrate the Galbadia Garden. They confront Edea and Seifer. They defeat them. Then things happen.
Squall and Rinoa
-The fight cinematic down here is epic af.
-Outside the entrance to the Galbadia Garden, Rinoa stops, thanks Squall. He’s… not terribly good at accepting praise, shocking nobody.
-She brings up the ring, asks about it and the symbol on it.
SQUALL: “It’s a lion. Lions are known for their great strength and pride.”
-She bashfully kind of saunters over to him, saying that reminds her of him.
-HE NAMED THE LION!!!
I’m tempted to rename it from “Griever” to something like “Mr. Fluffykins,” but I’m pretty sure Squall would come alive, burst out of my computer monitor, and murder me.
-I don’t know if Squall likes that Rinoa is coming onto him (and by saying she wants a ring just like his, and laughing that people will think they’re a thing, that’s a fair assessment of what she’s doing).
He seems pretty uncomfortable with it.
Or maybe he likes it and is just being awkward. Dunno.
-Changing topic, they’re ready to move on. Two dialogue options:
1)“You wait here.”
2)“Rinoa, let’s go.”
The game actually gives me the choice to avoid that awful “stay here, I must protect you and keep you out of danger” trope? Hell yes. #2 it is.
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Galbadia Garden
-Everyone meets up in here. The whole gang. Delighted to see Rinoa.
-Squall’s getting pretty good at pre-battle speeches.
-They think the Sorceress is here.
-I’m torn on where I think the game is right now. Everyone’s treating it like this is the final dungeon. And I’m about 35 hours in, so it’s possible.
At the same time, I didn’t get to see so much of the world. I don’t know what’s on that forest continent. I didn’t get to see the lighthouse. And so much more. (Worth noting that a chunk of those 35 hours was tutorial, tests, and Triple Triad. Not 35 hours of hard-charging story yet.) No idea what’s up with the past timeline thing, or Ellone.
So my money’s still on this being the end of a middle act rather than the final act.
-I feel safe doing one party again, so consolidating my GFs and magic onto Squall, Rinoa, and Irvine. Time to explore.
-Drew some Auras from outside the Garden.
-Some doors are locked.
-Fujin and Raijin are here! They don’t want to fight. They want the old Seifer back, and leave it to Squall.
-Found a Galbadian student hiding in one of the rooms. He wants to help us out and provides a key. I wonder whether the Sorceress has really won hearts and minds.
-The student is up for some Triple Triad, and it’s the WORST RULESET EVER. Direct, Plus/Same (which I only sort of understand in terms of the combos), and Random. Plus/Same I like since it means even worse cards can win, but Direct? Random? No no no thank you.
-Quistis learned some new blue magic, including Level?Death and Acid. As soon as Brothers learn Cover, going to try to make a Limit Break!Quistis magic build work.
-Death Claw in this game is WAY cuter than in prior installments.
He looks like a big ol’ raccoon-bear.
-Boss time.
LOOK AT THAT ADORABLE PUPPER! Three pups for the price of one.
-Victory, and got Cerberus as a GF. When I use him in combat, he casts Double and Triple on all party members. Jesus. That’s incredible. It may be what I needed to make magic-using Quistis viable.
-Interesting note that I might have known and forgotten: Quistis said we were okay to take Cerberus because the Galbadia Garden students don’t use GFs.
-I realized that I hadn’t yet tried Pandemona. She is… strange.
She vacuums air, stores it in her tail, and blows it at the enemy. The vacuum GF.
-There should be a long German word to describe the feeling you get when you boost up a GF massively and at the last second hit it when the red X appears, resetting it to 75.
-A student gives me the final key that makes the elevator work and leads to the Sorceress on the top floor. Nerves increasing.
-Tri-Face is the one monster that as soon as I see, I run from. His confuse/poison gas is brutal and I don’t have enough bio magic to junction myself against it.
-Bracing myself. Up the elevator we go. *deep breath*
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The Sorceress and the Knight
-that fucking succession of witches music starts playing.
There’s a chance I may possibly have just stood here for the last two minutes staring at the sorceress and Seifer, listening to the music.
-Seifer tries to engage in villainous banter, but Squall wins my undying affection with a terse “Shut up.”
-This is great. Seifer tries appealing to everyone – “aren’t I your favorite student, Instructor Trepe?” “Remember what we had, Rinoa?” Each of them is having none of his bullshit.
-Squall compares him to a monster, but Seifer really believes he’s a noble knight.
-I LOVE that the Sorceress is so chill throughout this exchange. She’s lounging, maxing and relaxing on her billowy white throne thing.
Seifer’s “Demon Slice.”
-Seifer’s much tougher this time than last time, but we endure and beat him.
-Aw, man! She calls Seifer a worthless child (LOLOL U TEAM EDEA 4EVA) and then teleports down through the floor to the auditorium below. We follow.
-We arrive. There’s this low demon-sounding voice that gives me goosebumps when it says “fiiithos…”
SORCERESS EDEA: “The time has come. So you’re the legendary SeeD destined to face me?”
More of this destiny talk, that Squall is destined, destined from birth, etc.
-Boss fight again. This time, it’s against Edea and a wounded Seifer who joined her. The music is different.
-Defeated Seifer again. As I see him crawling on the ground, unable to live up to his pride, I feel a bit sad for him.
Onto Edea.
-Drew “Alexander” from her, which must be a GF.
-Victory! Tough fight. She cursed us, and kept using Demi drawing large amounts of health, but kept us healed up and kept wailing away.
-After the fight, she let forth a burst of pink and white gas/light.
“(My… body…)”
Uhhhh
Rinoa stumbles slowly over to Seifer. And kisses him.
dafuq?
-Seifer stands up. Walks away. The light departs.
-The music changes and becomes the light, tinkly orphanage music. Sorceress Edea starts saying the names of the children in the orphanage.
-Maybe Sorceress Edea was possessed by whatever took hold of Rinoa and then Seifer. Like a Zemus/Golbez thing.
SORCERESS EDEA: “I’ve waited for this day to come. I’ve also fear that this day would come. Is today a joyous day? Or an odious day?” It’s a confusing day. “Where is Ellone? Have I protected Ellone??”
?AJFHDSLJF???
Rinoa’s passed out. Something’s wrong with her.
AND THE GAME TOOK ME TO A SAVE. Fuck. That’s the end of the CD or whatever, right? I was prepared for that, that this would be the end of the middle section, but still. That was fucking great.
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Next time: something?? My guess currently is that we’ll follow Rinoa into the past.
