The Haunted Mine
-Finished my world exploration without finding any new errands.
-Got a cutscene on the way to Fort Besselat, in a bar. A follow-up to the haunted Gollund mine rumor.
-A Holy Dragon is the creature guarding the mine. Gotta find some anti-holy gear.
-A swordsman in the bar named Beowulf wants to join me.
I head to Gollund, and now can access the Gollund Colliery Floor.
-A ton of chemists with guns meet me. This fight doesn’t give me a great sense of Beowulf’s toolkit. He’s a templar, but casts Zombie. I’m 99% sure he’s gonna betray me and reveal himself to be a demon.
-Never mind! Checked his Spellblade toolkit post-fight. Lots of instant status effects, not just Zombie.
-Next phase, Gollund Colliery Slope. Behemoths and thieves. Not sure who these people are. Just random thieves and animals I guess.
-Balthier’s movement speed is fantastic.
-Onto Gollund Colliery Ridge. Still no Holy Dragon. This is a long area!
-Gollund Mine Coal Shaft next. An archdemon, Syneugh, is asking a purple dragon for the “Stone.”
BEOWULF: “Reis! At last I’ve found you! As I live and breathe, I will let no harm befall you.”
OHHHH!! Reis is the holy dragon we have to protect. That’s a really cool twist
(Kind of hilarious that a dragon is friends with Beowulf given the original Beowulf story.)
-The fight itself is not too bad. Balthier is a crowd controlling all-star. His Barrage is also helpful, a huuuge upgrade over Mustadio. It does double a normal attack.
-This is adorable. They’re like a Bartz/Boko pair. Except that instead of a cute li’l chocobo, Reis is a giant fucking dragon.
-Beowulf gives me another stone as thanks. And joins the party.
-WAIT ARE YOU KIDDING ME, REIS THE DRAGON ALSO JOINS???
-AND IT JUST HIT ME WHY THAT NAME IS FAMILIAR TO ME! In FFIX, Freya the dragoon had an ability called Reis’ Wind, group regeneration. That must have been referencing this Reis.
-Reis joins the party. I have a motherfucking dragon on my team.
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Construct B
-The stone Beowulf gave me is the Aquarius. Time for a trip back to Goug.
-We pop the stone into the device. It comes to life. It’s a ROBOT!
-It asks me for an order. Ramza panics and orders it to… dance. Ramza. Buddy. Pal.
-IT DOES LOLOL! (The Gato song from Chrono Trigger is playing in my head.)
-RAMZA WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOUR SECOND ORDER IS TO MAKE IT “DISPOSE OF MUSTADIO??”
No silver points for Mustadio.
-The robot, Construct B, joins my party.
-I head back to Nelveska Isle. I thought with all the talk of the iron construct guarding Nelveska, Construct B might trigger something. No luck.
-Tested combat with Construct B. She’s slow with only limited ranged damage, but has two strengths: no faith, so great against casters, and heavy melee.
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Beddha Sandwaste
-Knight Templar Barich is here with a squad, scattering something to the wind.
-Ah shit, he’s adapting the Kefka-on-Doma move. Poisoning the air with the Northern Sky downwind. Putting into action the Duke Larg side of the plan Delita described.
-I really like the sincerity of so many characters in this game even the “bad” ones. Knight Templar Barich honestly believes that he’s cutting off a limb to heal the body Ivalice. Ramza believes the poison can still be drawn.
-I take him out from range, with Balthier’s barrage.
-Cutscene with Orleandeau and the Knights of the Southern Sky. They accuse him of plotting against Duke Goltanna. Huh?
-Duke Goltanna has proof apparently. From the High Confessor himself, Pope Shitstirrer the First.
-The knights lead Cidolfus away. In walks Delita and Valmafra. Playing double agents and playing them well. Delita now commands the Order of the Southern Sky as a Knight Devout.
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The Battle of Fort Besselat
-I can start at the north or south wall. I’ll start south.
-Asking to meet the Count doesn’t work well. They think I’m one of Cid’s “assassins” here to take out the Duke.
-The walls are lined with archers. I love fighting archers! My summoner’s Golem wrecks them, blocking their aim attacks.
-On the northern side, the Northern Sky Knights are feeling off and woozy. The poison has hit.
-Dycedarg, Zalbaag, and Duke Larg are all here and suffering.
HOLY SHIT DYCEDARG JUST STABBED LARG!
I didn’t expect him to do it right in front of the nobler Zalbaag. Hard to say whether Zalbaag will help cover this up.
-Next up is the sluiceway. We fight through some enemies and open the sluice to flood the battlefield below and stop the fight.
-Scene change beneath the Fort. Orran, Orlandeau’s son, moves to help him break out.
-This Cid reminds me of FFIV Cid in his affability, but he has way more gravitas.
-Orlandeau orders Orran to go to Zeltennia Castle and see to Queen Ovelia’s safety.
YAAAY CIDOLFUS ORLANDEAU IS JOINING ME!
His job title is as badass as they come: Sword Saint.
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Drop a Dukes
-Scene change back to Goltanna. He’s frustrated at the battle’s stoppage due to the sluice opening.
-He calls for Delita. Orders him to take a company of soldiers against the Northern Sky directly.
HAHAHAHA HIOLY SHSIIIIIT DELITA REFUSES THEN RUSHES AND IMPALES GOLTANNA
-Wait wait wait. Wtf is happening. Count Orlandeau walks in with Valmafra, says a prayer, and DELITA STABS HIM TOO.
VALMAFRA: “The real Count Orlandeau has escaped with Ramza.”
Ahhhh. I see. That body double who died was working with Delita, sacrificing himself to make it look like Cid died.
-After the fight, some omniscient narration. High Confessor Marcel tried to broker peace between the two sides. There were no leaders alive. It didn’t work.
“I made for Limberry. For Alma.”
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Sword Saint
-I take a quick glance at Orlandeau’s job abilities. I’m sold. Much as Balthier’s job is a strictly better version of machinist, Orlandeau’s Sword Saint is a strictly better version of Agrias’ Holy Knight.
He has all her abilities, plus Crush X abilities, PLUS mana and health drain abilities that I saw on Gaffgarion. Duskblade and Shadowblade.
I invested a lot in Agrias, and I like her character, but c’est la vie. Agrias goes to the bench.
And I do mean “the bench.” I’m not dismissing her or anything. If I need skills she already has, I can just pop her back to the party.
-oh btw he has Excalibur which does like 70% more damage than Agrias’ Ice Brand and absorbs holy and boosts holy and has huge block ratings and gives Orlandeau MOTHERFUCKING AUTO-HASTE nbd
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Next time: to Limberry Castle.
