Balfonheim Port
-I remember one of the moogles said they’d come here.
-There’s a hidden trial in the Feywood. Only after passing it can I go to Giruvegan.
-This is the second time I’ve heard Giruvegan called holy. I wonder if its holiness is related to the gods that beat back the espers.
A technick after my own heart.
-The Balfonheim denizens respect Lord Reddas. He brought a piratey order to the place. He sounds a bit to Balfonheim as Marquis Ondore is to Bhujerba.
-Well, many respect him. Some think he’s too close with the Empire, or maybe that by bringing order to the town he stripped it of its rough-and-tumble pirate character.
-Balfonheim is technically Imperial territory, but in practice it’s run loosely.
-An odd fellow apparently used to talk about defeating a wyrm on Cerobi Steppe, “but… all he does is yell at windmills.” Ok, Don Quixote.
-Picked up a new batch of hunts.
-A troubadour here sings what sounds like random poetry, but he then says it’s nothing, which makes me think it’s something.
“Forget not… the necklace, needing form…
What left to tell… foal’s fancy fast faded…
An unhealing scar in wetland abyss…
Pass hence, and return, in darkness…”
Not sure what it refers to.
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Flitting About
The aerodrome has opened up. Going to take some flights, first to Nalbina. I want to work on that quest to save the women from the assholes hitting on them.
-Ooh, found a new monograph on a ship! The Mage’s Monograph. Opens up superior loot from fiends.
-Next, the flight to Archades. Three more to go.
-There’s a chocobo on board this flight. I assume it’s not for a quest and more for flavor. Delicious, chickeny flavor.
-Checking in at the Giza Plains to see if it’s dry season yet. Nope.
-Ktjn, the purpose-seeking viera in Rabanastre, is still here. This time, she asks me if she should become a warrior like her sister. I say yes. She’ll join a clan.
-Two new elite marks are available from Clan Centurio: the Ancient Man of Mystery and Belito.
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Hunt: Ancient Man of Mystery
“Many people reporting stolen swords of late, kupo.” I ALREADY FUCKING KNOW WHO THIS MAN OF MYSTERY IS
The Man of Mystery and his mysterious green companion. Whoever could they be??
-And, surprise surprise, the Ancient Man of Mystery threw out a challenge on a bridge. He’s in Lhusu Mines.
-Hah! Even the hunt itself is titled “Battle on the Big Bridge.”
-I find him. He and his green dog, Enkidu, make the most GILGAMESH entrance ever. Gilgamesh swoops in dramatically from the side of the bridge… and overshoots it, basically flying off the side.
-He recovers nicely. “Now we fight!”
-AND EVEN THE MUSIC!!! It’s pure fan service and I love it.
-I take out Enkidu and chip away at Gil himself.
-His voice acting is so good!
-He keeps breaking out new weapons. “Hm, I’ve fought worse!” Not sure if they increase his damage, but I assume he gets a buff of some kind.
-Yikes! His Last Stand phase makes him immune to both magick and physical damage. Hopefully I can just outlast it.
“This sword I wield… is no counterfeit!”
-Got him to zero, and he fled with Enkidu to a lower bridge! Did… did we do it?
-Not quite. He fled down to the lower bridge and I have to pursue.
-I head down there. No Gilgamesh. He must be in the area beyond, which currently have level 59 enemies. I’m level 49. Not ready yet. I’ll come back.
-I’M JUST SO HAPPY HE’S HERE AND THAT HE HAS THE PERSONALITY I’D EXPECT! I had a hunch he’d be in this game because this is Final Fantasy, after all. My main fear is that they’d try to make him “dark,” like the version of Deadpool that was in the Wolverine movies.
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Hunt: Belito
-Belito sounds like a Garuda-type bird monster in the Quicksand Caves.
-As I pick up the hunt, rumors abound in the Clan Hall of someone hunting the hunters. And it’s a bangaa. One of the bangaa in the clan is acting especially suspicious. Monid.
-The Zertinian Caverns beneath the Sandsea are complicated, but I’ve explored them before and think I know where to go.
-OH SHIT! IT’S THE BANGAA HUNTING BALTHIER WHO WE EVADED BENEATH NALBINA! And evaded in the Mines. These are the guys who have been hunting hunters. Ba’gamnon, Bwagi, and Monid.
-There are a bunch of them. I focus-fire them down leaving Ba’Gamnon for last.
-Wait… Monid is on our side? Huh. That’s unexpected.
-I still love Ba’Gamnan’s weapon. It’s like the Whirligig Saw from Bloodborne’s DLC.
-His last stand takes a while, but eventually he falls. Literally. He falls off the bridge into the Sandsea, into a swarm of waiting sand piranhas.
-What about Belito though?
MONID: “The plan worked! …Ah, Montblanc didn’t tell you, did he.”
Aha! The Belito hunt was a fake. Just a way to lure the hunter stalker out into the open.
-Before I head back, a new part of the Zertinian Caverns opened up. I want to check that out.
-Reached a part where the map is all flooey. This is like the Earth Tyrant.
-IT’S A THUNDER BIRD DEMON THINGY! Adrammelech.
-It summons zombies through the fight that we take out.
-It’s relatively squishy, but does that common XII boss thing where it briefly goes immune to all damage types.
-Got her! She has a phenomenally cool death animation. Vomiting lightning and doing stuff with wind.
-Yaaaaay she’s an esper! Adrammelech, the Wroth.
-The lore calls him the Emperor among the scions, created in opposition to Deudalephon the Benevolent. Created to quell the Otherworld’s fiends, but he ended up drawing those fiends to his side and fighting his creators.
Who benefits most?
VAAN: Souleater
BALTHIER: nothing
FRAN: Battle Lore
BASCH: Battle Lore
ASHE: Hand-bombs 2
PENELO: nothing
Gonna give it to Fran. Vaan gets more options, but I doubt I’d use them much.
-Hm. Still getting that weird map glitch-out.
-oh god I almost died! I accidentally wandered into a much higher level area filled with Archaeoaevises. Seems I’m not done with the Zertinian Caverns just yet.
-Found a second pair of Thief’s Cuffs!
-So I can explore most of the caverns, but not all.
-No reward from Montblanc. But everyone in the clan hall who suspected Monid now gets to relax knowing that the hunter of hunters is done.
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Next time: More hunts. Maybe another crack at Zeromus.
