The Past!
-We’re back with the trio.
-Some screwball music is playing.
-hahahahah – they’re broke and need to do something for money because Laguna blew too much money staying at that hotel.
-Wait, they’re making a movie?
-omg
-Laguna is playing a knight in shining armor. A costar is playing a sorceress. And Ward/Kiros are playing a dragon. This is bizarre af
-The scene begins, “Death of the Sorceress.” She is the damsel and he’s saving her from the dragon. A knight with a gunblade.
-Pretty amazing dragon costume btw.
-oh shit lol that’s not a costume, is it?
Hahahahahhaa – everyone bails and leaves “Sir Knight” to fight a literal dragon
-Too bad they decided to go with that awful combat system before with the least responsive controls in video game history since Dark Castle for Sega Genesis.
-Anyway, I win the fight after a few attempts and run. Another dragon comes.
-Huh. Guess I didn’t set up my junctions properly. Kiros and Ward have no GFs. This is bad. Especially since I still have Firaga as an elemental junction for Squallguna so regular attacks heal the Ruby Dragon.
-NEVER FEAR THOUGH! Because I just got to witness the mighty glory that is “Desperado,” Laguna’s limit break.
He lashes a whip onto something above and swings as he fires his gun.
-Wow. I was certain I was dead. Laguna went down after three Desperados, and then Ward got a final shot in to kill the Ruby Dragon. Keep in mind that Ward had no GFs, and was just plinking away with his harpoon for like 60 damage.
-More Ruby Dragons on the way. What’s going on? There’s a glowing red orb in the distance that’s similar to the orb that was around NORG.
-Whoa! The screen faded to black and Ellone is now talking to Squall. She is having trouble “disconnecting” and uses the power in her sleep.
---
The Orphanage
-UHHHHHH
-Laguna is now talking to Edea at the orphanage, where we saw Squall crying in the rain about Sis being gone. This is wild.
-Ellone was kidnapped by Esthar soldiers. Laguna is here looking for her.
-Ellone talking again to Squall. She found out that you can’t change the past.
-Laguna tried to rescue the kidnapped Ellone, but when he was travelling he wasn’t by Raine’s side when she died.
RAINE (she was the woman with Laguna, right?) HAD A BABY AND LAGUNA DIDN’T KNOW
-Some rules. Ellone can only send someone into someone she knew. Also, the past won’t change. (I’m less clear on the restrictions and details around this latter rule. We’ll see.)
---
Balamb Garden
-Squall wakes at Rinoa’s side. He’s in a panic – wants to get in touch with Ellone for the sake of hearing Rinoa in the past again, maybe warning her before the Edea fight.
RANDOM DUDE IN THE LIBRARY: “I heard there’s a weird book somewhere in the library. I wonder what kind of book it is?”
Great. Now I’m gonna spend the next 10 minutes clicking on every nook and cranny of this place.
ARGH! Can’t find any “weird book.” Oh well.
-BOOOO!!! They unjunctioned all my guys again. Grrrr. Hate that.
-My focus in building GFs is to give Selphie high magic and high HP. I’m hoping to use her (interchangeably with Quistis) for powerful magic limit breaks, and if they have high HP then being in limit break range won’t make them vulnerable to frequent one-shots.
[Non-rhetorical question for y’all: is there a set percentage of max health when limit breaks can trigger?]
Irvine (GFer): Shiva, Siren, Alexander. Spr +20%, Vit +40%, MovFind.
Squall (fighter): Ifrit, Diabolos, Pandemona. Str +20%, Str +40%, Mug.
Selphie (magic/limit breaks): Quezacotl, Brothers, Cerberus. HP +20%, Mag +20%, Mag +40%.
-Now to find the White Ship. I don’t know where to go, and Xu/Quistis don’t give a hint. Back to the orphanage.
---
Orphanage
-Edea is helpful on this front. Says that they’ll be on the move, but like Centra. She even gives me a letter to prove our identity, that we’re from Edea.
-Aw! Matron Edea!!!
Eliza would be proud. When Edea’s time is up, has she done enough? Will they tell her story?
CID: “Edea taught the children well and they too were referred to as SeeDs.” Though this has a creepy child soldier tinge to it.
-I keep trying to reach the lighthouse. No luck. All the paths are blocked.
-Wandering the overworld a bit. I want to follow-up on that thing Selphie said where she found a GF wandering near the orphanage but can’t remember where.
-and I died lol.
A Ruby Dragon’s breath attack.
-Yeah, never mind. Giving up on wandering the overworld. Lots of boring-af random encounters.
-What is THAT?? Found a hollow diamond on the continent just to the north.
---
Ruins of Centra
-As I entered, a voice: “I am Odin.” And a timer in the top left. 20 minutes. Uh.
Translation: “Algul Siento.”
-oh fuck this place all to hell.
My old enemy.
-He one-shots Squall with Everyone’s Grudge. Makes sense, given how many killing blows Squall has dealt. Have to remember not to attack with Squall.
-Tonberry killed me. Let’s try once more. I only now remember that I can run from the tonberry.
-What happened to turn Centra into such a wasteland I wonder? Maybe a casualty of the Sorceress War.
-I push on to the top of the ruins. Tbh I really just want to see Odin. I don’t expect to actually win the fight.
-Reached the top room of a high tower. Pushed a button and did a thing which set other things spinning.
-Got into more fights, but I’m running all the time. That damn timer.
-A gargoyle at the top had an eye and I took it out. A voice tells me that he’ll grant powers to whoever vanquishes him. I’m guessing that won’t be me.
-Something going on with these two gargoyle statues and eyes…
-Ok, collected eyes and put them in the top gargoyle. 76225.
-A voice: “Come hither knight errant and test thy prowess.” I’M TRYING BUT I ONLY HAVE 9 MINUTES LEFT AND HATE FUCKING TIMERS AND DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE DUDE
-That’s fucking cool.
I put the eyes in the lower gargoyle, entered the code into a fire that lit up, and a door opened. Time to get my ass kicked.
I’m making a mental list of those who are snickering.
-Here we go.
-YESSSSS!!!! He didn’t fight back. I’m guessing that if the timer hit 0 for the dungeon, he’d one-shot my party.
I’m shaking. Escaped the Centra Ruins without running into any battles I couldn’t escape. No way was I messing with a Tonberry after Odin. Saved.
-I got into a random encounter outside of town, not even having equipped the Odin GF, and he just appeared to Zantetsuken the enemies that DARED attack me. He’s not listed as a GF.
Anyone able to translate that by chance?
-In a brief test against 4-5 open world monsters, Jelleyes, he showed up twice at the start of the fight to obliterate them. Must be just a nice get-out-of-every-few-fights-free bonus. Love it.
-Maybe Odin was the GF that Selphie found. But I kind of doubt it – he seems like too big a deal for a chance kid wandering around to gain. But maybe!
---
Next time: hunting for the White Ship.
[p.s. I was collecting the screenshots in a new filed named “Centra Exploration” when I noticed I already wrote a chapter called “Centra Excavation.” And it hit me! Centra was where Esthar was excavating when the Galbadian Trio intervened and only barely escaped by jumping off the cliff. I reiterate: wtf was Sorceress Adel doing in Centra that resulted in it becoming such a huge wasteland?
Just a rhetorical question of course. I’ll find out soon enough I expect.]
