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Shopping Spree (main)
-Someone stole a treasure from a Viscount Minymum. lol Vaan and Penelo are becoming legends.
-This is part of a string of thefts. Fafnir’s Tear, the Glimmering Wyrmstone. I’m sure Khamja is stealing these for some kind of mischief.
-All are gems. The Black Cat is the next likely treasure target, so our quest will probably be to stop the thieves from taking it. Or maybe Vaan and Penelo are stealing to fight Illua. Or for fun, who knows.
-Hurdy and Adelle go shopping for a cape, even though Adelle doesn’t wear one… Oh, maybe she’s getting one for Cid since she stole his cape money.
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Pirate Problems (main)
-Another Vaan and Penelo theft in progress. We’re hired to stop it (but hopefully we just help them).
-ok lol wtf, it’s a bad vaan impersonator. And why are they speaking bad Shakespeare?
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/qHfgfmo.png'.
Omg omg I just noticed the impersonators’ party members. “Arshe,” “Baltie…” Also “Pulam” the viera sniper, which may be a reference but if it is I don’t get it.
-His final cry: “B-But I’m the leading man!” Are these FFXII cosplayers?
-The real Vaan and Penelo arrive to stop them from fleeing.
-Sounds like impersonators have been an issue for a while. A side effect of Vaan and Penelo’s success.
-Hee! Vaan and Penelo take the jewel the impersonators were after anyway. Cause they’re pirates.
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You Are Cordially Invited (main)
-Luso’s made a lot of progress on his journal. “Not like I’ve gone out and defeated the Lord of Darkness or anything…” A neat meta-comment on the lower stakes of FFTA2.
-Everyone’s in a pretty good mood, teasing each other, enjoying each other’s company.
-Conversation turns to Cid’s time in Khamja. He left because of the rules and in-fighting… interesting. Those group dynamics turned him away rather than, say, “Illua is evil.”
-He left and Khamja nearly killed him. A judge found him though, saved his life. So he devoted his life to a clan.
-A new quest arrives for us, inviting us to a ceremony. From Illua. I hope Adelle will be okay.
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Frimelda and Ghi (side)
-A sword-master on the brink of death summons us for a challenge. I really, really hope it’s Frimelda.
-Cid says it is sometimes possible to bring the dead back to life. THERE’S HOPE FRIMELDA!
-On the way, we find a curative made by the Witch of the Fens that could make Frimelda human again! Why was it here just lying in the ground? A trick?
-Later in the desert, we see Luc… protecting Frimelda from other zombies? Perhaps trying to atone for being a total shit.
LUC: “Frimelda deserves better than to go on like this, an outcast even among undead!” Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you TURNED HER UNDEAD IN A FIT OF JEALOUSY
-Luc swears he doesn’t know who gave us the witch’s cure or told us to come here. I’m afraid the game is going to try to set him up as some hero for trying to correct what he did.
Ooh, new theory: maybe Ghi had the potion made for her so that he could fight a great swordmaster at full strength! We haven’t really seen Ghi since that first encounter.
-We give her the curative… and it works! Welcome back to the living, Frimelda.
-Luc asks for punishment. Frimelda refuses. Living is enough for her.
LUC: “How do you have this strength? No matter how I struggled, ever do I fall short of the perfection you reach with ease.”
FRIMELDA: “However others see me, pariah or paragon, I am but myself. I walk the road I walk because it is mine to walk.” I love Frimelda so much.
-Luc walks away. I was afraid that Frimelda would be like, “no don’t go!” Thank goodness they don’t go there. At least, not yet.
FRIMELDA JOINS THE PARTY YAY!
Well, my active roster is set and I don’t need another human, but still cool to have her.
-Another quest is “Way of the Sword.” Ghi Yelghi returns.
-I WAS RIGHT! He saved Frimelda.
-She didn’t want to fight him at first… but he really wants it. She agrees, to thank him. Duel time.
-He destroys her. I haven’t really geared Frimelda up, and if winning this requires me to level her up, I’m just gonna pass on this quest.
-I keep improving, adjusting her gear and abilities. An accessory that blocks confuse, etc. Victory on the fourth try!
-HE’S DYING??? Nooooo! Ghi was great!
ADELLE: “It was the price he paid for the witch’s medicine. The dearest price of all.”
He keeps getting better and better. He gave his life just so he could cross swords with Frimelda.
GHI: “One final word. There is something I noticed when we crossed blades. Your eyes shine with the same strong beauty as your sword, my lady.”
DAMMIT WHY COULDN’T FRIMELDA HAVE FOUND GHI EARLIER INSTEAD OF LUC
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The Gifted (side)
-Adelle returns to Lezaford’s manor. She’s accepted her identity as a Gifted One.
ADELLE: “I want to be stronger. Strong enough to look after myself… but not just myself. I want to be strong enough to look after the people around me too.”
She’s growing into this. She can be strong and not alone.
-Lezaford met a Gifted One named Lennart. He “chose a different path” than Adelle, whatever that means.
-It takes a while, but I eventually find him. He offers to train Adelle.
-Adelle wants to know why Lennart chose to live alone.
LENNART: “It is -because- there are people who care for me that I walk alone. I could not bear to lose someone close to me.”
The Gifted Ones live super long. I’ve seen Lennart’s philosophy in some Anne Rice books I loved.
ADELLE: “Not [a choice] I mean to make.” YAY CHARACTER GROWTH!
LENNART: “You are an intriguing woman.”
ADELLE: “Thank you. I am.”
STOP BEING SO PERFECT (jk never stop)
-The training lets Adelle use a new job: Heritor.
-Her only current ability is “Lennart,” doing a blast of damage in one direction. I wonder if that means I’ll meet other Gifted Ones.
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Notices, Rumors, & Side Quests
-The Ultima scion is amazing. Does huge damage to all enemies and huge healing to all allies.
-One quest has me hunt down an escaped malboro pet named Carrot. That was an FFXII hunt, right?
-I should probably use those powerful weapons that don’t teach abilities more, but I always feel like I should be constantly building new abilities, even this close to the end of my journey.
-I never tried Scholar. Its abilities damage everyone, allies and enemies both. Sounded terrible.
HOW DID I ONLY JUST NOW THINK TO USE APPROPRIATE RESIST GEAR?
Like, I could’ve used earth damage to everyone and equipped my party members with earth absorption gear. That would’ve made damaged all enemies and healed all enemies. Ah well.
-I found the “Master of Slaughter” I heard a notice about him a while back. He’s a seeq who warily looks me over and notes happily that I killed 255 enemies. Could’ve sworn I’ve killed more than that, but 255 sounds like a hard cap.
He gave me 20 knots of rust and 5 Dark Matter. Ok.
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Next time: The conclusion of FFTA2.
