I've got a Job for you! - Let's Play Final Fantasy V!

"You know, I could get to like Time magic..."



"Hellfire doesn't seem to be doing much for us here..."



"Take another thousand, Enkidu!" "Oh damn you!"



"Rend tear rip destroy!" "Don't cut me, esse!"



"I was saving this just for you!" "Can I return it?" "Ahahaha no."



"Hey guess what a thousand needles!" "You're a broken record, old man."



"That's for letting Enkidu hit me with Aera!"



I trust you can take care of the rest!

Um, Gilgamesh?



Yeah, that.

Hey! Sidekicks are NOT to ditch the hero!

And he's defeated. Well that was fun.

No thanks, I don't have my water wings on.



♪♪ Danger! ♪♪

I guess this wasn't a multiple-choice option.

*Gilgamesh dances in the water*
Gilgamesh: Hey! Foul! That's playing dirty! I'm not supposed to be the only one in the drink! Don't think I'll forget this! You'll-*glub glub glub...*
*Gilgamesh swims off*



Is this gonna be the end for the Galuf!?

Xezat: I'm coming! Hang in there!
Galuf: That pun is so bad, I'm gonn fall on purpose...



Saved by the dragon! That seems to happen a lot, huh?



♪♪ Castle of Dawn ♪♪

It sure is!

Xezat: Good timing! Now, it's our turn to strike! Quit hanging around and get over here!
Galuf: Again with the puns...oy.
*The wind drake deposits the party on the deck of the main ship*



Right-o, soldier-boy. But first, let's re-vocate as requested.



Much better.



Can do.



Where does this lead, I wonder?



♪♪ Beyond the Deep Blue Sea ♪♪

Whoa, cool!



It's a submarine!



Xezat: The fleet's only a decoy-the real plan is to get to the barrier tower by submarine!
Galuf: Well, huh. That's kind of brilliant, actually.
Xezat: You expected any less? The tunnel that leads to the barrier tower's been completed. Let's go!
*The submarine docks at the tower entrance*
*Xezat walks to the exit of the sub*
Xezat: Come on!

Infiltration mission START!



Is it gonna be explosives?



It is, yay!



♪♪ Exdeath's Castle ♪♪

This place looks like trouble.

Xezat: Indeed. All that's left is to take it out, and the barrier will be destroyed!
Xezat: I'll take care of the generator downstairs. You hit the top floor and find the antenna.
Galuf: Find it and destroy it, I assume?
Xezat: You got it. I'll cut the power, and once that happens, you blow up the antenna!
*Xezat pauses for a moment, then walks up to Galuf*
Xezat: Here, you'll need this.
Received Whisperweed!
Galuf: What's this do?
Xezat: With this, we can keep in contact. All right, let's move!
*Xezat walks towards the stairs*
Xezat: I'm counting on you! Good luck!
*Xezat walks downstairs*

Well, no time like the present. Up we go!



Down is the new up. Didn't you know, Xezat? Fine, we'll go "up".



Thank goodness for save points...



Most of the enemies in this tower are this guy. He uses Flash any time you hit him with physical attacks. I hate Neons so much.



Ah man, a trapped chest. Hopefully it's a pushover.



HOLY JESUS BALLS! Not satisfied with one, they threw TWO goddamn Yellow Dragons at us!


This calls for Golem so much it hurts.



Fortunately, they're vulnerable to Death Claw.



Our reward is a sword. But not just any sword! This is the HP-draining Blood Sword that makes life so much easier! ...If anyone in our party could equip it, that is. Which nobody can.



The party makes a slight detour in their ability allocations to learn a new !Blue spell.



Further up the tower, Xezat remembers he's supposed to be doing stuff too.

*The party spreads out*
Bartz: What was that-the whisperweed?
Galuf: Xezat!
Xezat: ...*hiss* Repeat, Galuf, do you copy? Over!
Galuf: I hear you, loud and clear!
Xezat: ...Good. *hiss* I've made it to the generator, over.



You've made it all of 25 steps, you slow ass.

Whoa! Gotta be careful of those monsters!



A plot device.

Xezat: ...*hiss*...Don't worry about it. *hiss* You just to the roof as fast as you can! Over!
Galuf: Gotcha-er, over!



Oh not another one...



You know the drill by now...



It contains a Gold Hairpin, a delightful hair ornament that halves MP costs... but can only be worn by mages. Another nice item we can't use right now, ho hum.



We run into a second save point near the top, which is of course a good thing.



And another spell joins the !Blue list...



At last.

Xezat: Roger that! Over!



With pleasure!



What, a boss fight NOW?



♪♪ Battle 2 ♪♪

Oh son of a whore! Atomos is what we like to call a "gimmick boss". He hits hard as hell and fast until at least one ally is dead, then stops attacking and slowly sucks whomever he's knocked out towards him. If they reach him, he consumes them and they're gone for the rest of the fight. Repeat until all allies are dead.



White Wind and a lot of luck is necessary to survive this fight with everyone alive.



I hate Atomos so fucking much. I look forward (read: dread) seeing how others will handle his gimmicky bullshit ha-ha-the-developers-hate-you nature.



The antenna blows up!

Painfully slowly, with repeated annoying deaths that shouldn't even happen, to be exact.

Galuf: Xezat! Can you hear me? It's done, we destroyed the antenna!



Looks like there's no escape for Xexat!

Xezat: No way out...
Xezat: Galuf! Things are getting hot down here. You need to hurry and make your escape! The energy feed's gone into a recursive loop... It's only a matter of time before it all blows!



Suddenly a dragon!

Galuf: Xezat! We're coming to get you!
Xezat: No! Don't come down here! Wait for me in the sub, and I'll catch up with you. Just go!
*Galuf makes ready to head down*
Galuf: Idiot! He's gonna die! But I'm not gonna let him-
*Bartz intervenes*
Bartz: Galuf! It's too dangerous!
Galuf: I don't care!
Bartz: ...Lenna, you and Faris go ahead.
*Lenna and Faris nod, and jump off the tower holding hands*
Galuf: Xezat... You knew all along something like this would happen, didn't you!
You knew, and still you sacrificed yourself...
Xezat: Galuf, wait for me in the sub. Promise me you'll go. Over and out!



Aw don't do this, Galuf. I don't want to have to hurt you.



♪♪ Nostalgia ~ Sorrows of Parting ♪♪

But it would've been too dangerous for any of you to go in my stead. For new warriors have been chosen by the crystals... They must be the ones to fight Exdeath. Galuf... and Bartz, Lenna, Faris... The rest is up to you. Don't worry...I'll always be with you when you need me...
*The room explodes some more*



*Bartz shoves Galuf further back*
Bartz: Galuf...I'm sorry.
*Bartz bodychecks Galuf!*
*Bartz drags Galuf onto the wind drake by force*



Bartz: Galuf, Xezat-
Galuf: We made a promise. Please, let me keep it.
*The wind drake descends*

Galuf is about to be very disappointed.



Oh well, the barrier tower is blowing up, so it was all for a good cause.



Sure enough, the barrier retreats with the loss of that tower, and vanishes entirely!



♪♪ Reminiscence ♪♪

Galuf: Let me wait-just a bit longer. Just a minute more...

He's in denial. Let's let him stew this one out, shall we?



I knew he'd get there eventually.



Bartz: Yeah, a lot easier than swimming!
*Bartz nods and Lenna comes up from above*
Bartz: How's he holding up?
Lenna: He'll be all right... He just needs a little rest.
Bartz: All right. We've got to keep moving!

Well, that was another downer moment for this LP.



♪♪ Beyond the Deep Blue Sea ♪♪

And so we'll end this update, in what is quickly becoming a trend, just after acquiring a new means of transportation. Place your grind vote (333 ABP max as usual), and we'll see what happens next time!

Current Stats
Bartz: Level 30
Jobs: Knight L3 (1/100), Thief L6 (1/300), Ninja L4 (MASTERED!), Mystic Knight L6 (4/400), White Mage L2 (0/30), Black Mage L2 (2/30), Blue Mage L2 (9/70), Bard L1 (8/50), Dancer L0 (2/25)
Abilities: !Guard, !Flee, !Steal, !Smoke, !Mug, !Image, !Throw, !Check, !Hide, !Spellblade L5, !White L2, !Black L2, Two-Handed, Dual-Wield, Cover, Learning, Magic Shell, Vigilance, First Strike, Find Passages, Sprint

Lenna: Level 30
Jobs: Monk L6 (76/300), Thief L2 (0/30), Ninja L1 (8/30), Berserker L1 (5/400), Ranger L3 (159/405), White Mage L5 (5/100), Summoner L4 (0/100), Red Mage L1 (3/40), Geomancer L2 (MASTERED!)
Abilities: !Focus, !Chakra, !Flee, !Smoke, !Animals, !Aim, !Check, !Gaia, !White L5, !Summon L4, !Red L1, Equip Bows, HP +10%, HP +20%, Barehanded, Counter, Berserk, Find Passages, Light Step, Find Pits

Galuf: Level 30
Jobs: Knight L3 (2/100), Monk L3 (59/60), Thief L1 (8/20), Samurai L4 (94/540), Berserker L1 (0/400), Ranger L2 (78/135), Blue Mage L4 (MASTERED!), Red Mage L3 (3/999), Beastmaster L2 (17/100), Bard L2 (0/100)
Abilities: !Guard, !Focus, !Chakra, !Mineuchi, !Zeninage, !Animals, !Aim, !Check, !Scan, !Calm, !Control, !Hide, !Red L3, !Blue, Equip Katanas, Equip Harps, Barehanded, Two-Handed, Cover, Shirahadori, Learning, Berserk, Find Passages

Faris: Level 30
Jobs: Knight L2 (7/50), Thief L3 (2/50), Dragoon L2 (355/400), Ranger L1 (18/45), Black Mage L3 (3/50), Time Mage L4 (1/70), Summoner L3 (2/60), Blue Mage L2 (2/70), Beastmaster L3 (MASTERED!), Geomancer L2 (2/100)
Abilities: !Guard, !Flee, !Jump, !Animals, !Check, !Calm, !Control, !Catch, !Gaia, !Black L3, !Time L4, !Summon L3, Equip Whips, Cover, Learning, Find Passages, Find Pits, Sprint

Next time: Finally we meet Ghido and get some other things done too!

oops, should've had you switch Galuf up front for that segment for a glitch.

My brain translates Ghido to Guido every single time.

Lenna: Black Mage. Need to qualify for the Mystic Theurge prestige class.

Bartz: Dancer. Those pants made his butt look good.

Galuf: Monk 1 AP, then Bard.

Faris: Changes her major to "Undecided":

Knight 43 AP
Thief 48 AP
Dragoon 20 AP
Ranger 27 AP
Monk 45 AP
Samurai 40 AP

Then she becomes a Chemistry major because she heard they get paid well.

Galuf would have nothing to do pretty quick, since bards master at 175 ABP (and he already has 2 levels in Barding). You may want to suggest some alternate Jobs for Lenna to work on; it only takes 180 ABP to get !Black L5, after all. Also, it only takes 75 ABP to get anything useful out of a Dancer; the next 325 ABP is a stretch and a half. But if that's what you want, that's fine too.

Not much has changed on the Job front, so I'll stick with my picks from before.

I'm okay with leaving room for other people's votes.

I forgot to ask this earlier, but can you give a little info on all these blue magics you are picking up?

Sure! In fact, I'll post a full breakdown of all the Blue Magic we have to date right here.

Aqua Breath (38 MP) - Deals non-elemental (yes, non-elemental) damage to all enemies.
Level 5 Death (22 MP) - Instantly kills any and all targets whose level is a multiple of 5, assuming no death resistance.
Pond's Chorus (5 MP) - Inflicts Toad status on one enemy.
Flash (7 MP) - Inflicts Darkness status on all enemies.
Time Slip (9 MP) - Inflicts Sleep and Old on one enemy.
Moon Flute (3 MP) - Inflicts Berserk status on all allies.
Death Claw (21 MP) - Reduces target's HP to a single digit and causes paralysis.
Aero (4 MP) - Wind-elemental attack; equivalent to Fire/Blizzard/Thunder.
Aera (10 MP) - Wind-elemental attack; equivalent to Fira/Blizzara/Thundara.
Flame Thrower (5 MP) - Fire-elemental attack to one enemy; about equivalent to Fira.
Goblin Punch (0 MP) - Deals non-elemental damage based on a special multiplier; deals extra damage when user and target are at the same level.
Dark Spark (27 MP) - Halves the target's level, rounding down.
Off-Guard (19 MP) - Halves the target's physical defense.
Transfusion (13 MP) - Fully restore target's HP and MP; self-sacrifice causes user to be unavailable for the rest of that battle.
Vampire (2 MP) - Absorbs HP equivalent to Max HP - Current HP; reverse effect on undead.
Magic Hammer (3 MP) - Halves target's MP.
??? (3 MP) - Does Max HP - Current HP in damage to one enemy.
1000 Needles (25 MP) - Does exactly 1000 damage regardless of defense.
White Wind (28 MP) - Heals the user's current HP amount for all allies.
Missile (7 MP) - Quarters the target's HP and sometimes inflicts Confuse.

The parallax effect in the Barrier Tower is pretty great for a visually unassuming game like FFV.


You can also just put it to sleep.

Part XIV - Making Like a Tree

Last time the Bartz Crew (and Galuf, Too!) tried and failed to visit the Sage Ghido, then paid a visit to the last remaining Dawn Warrior's house only to discover he was out, and tracked the dude down to his fleet. There they fought with Exdeath's minions and destroyed the barrier around Exdeath's castle, as well as acquired a rockin' submarine. So now they can visit Ghido at last.



Which they will eventually. First they've got some Job leveling to do! Bartz plans on dancing his way to the top, then diverting his attention to his Ranger duties. Lenna will be supplementing her !White skill with a bit of !Black skill, as well as also trying on her Ranger duds later. Galuf will be Barding it up before he goes Ranger too. And Faris is gonna be all over the place with Dragoon, Knight, Thief, Samurai, Chemist, and (you guessed it) Ranger.

(Today's update is in Pine Green, because we need to exhaust the green color spectrum.)



Here they are mid-way through. Bartz is the !Black Ranger, Lenna is the !Red Ranger, Galuf is the !Blue Ranger, and Faris is the !White Ranger. Each is equipped with a Power Sash and Power Armlet. I think you can see where this is going.



(Artist's rendering is not to scale or even remotely accurate.)



Alas, that was not to be in the long run. Their Job efforts concluded for now, the party dons their costumes of choice for this update. Bartz slipped back into his Thief duds and decided to !Dance his way to success. "And they said I wasn't cut out for this!" he cried out in defiance.

Lenna kept her Ranger suit on and, as ever, pulled out her !White. "One of you three clowns should really learn to do this so I don't have to be our dedicated healer all the time," she said with disdain.

Galuf took out his favorite Samurai outfit and stuck on his !Sing command. He then began singing Princes of the Universe until the rest of the party shoved one of his Genji Gloves in his mouth.

Faris pulled out her old Geomancer costume and stuck on !Mix for a bit of variety. "It may be dorky, but the hat covers my ears better than anything else I own, and you have to keep your priorities straight," she reasoned.



♪♪ Unknown Lands ♪♪

On the way back to the sub, the party happens upon a strange cave! Where could this lead?



♪♪ Fate in Haze ♪♪

Deep within the cave is a door. Hmm, mysterious... Let's open it!



Whoa, there's money on the ground!



And in ever-increasing increments!



What the hell!?



♪♪ Battle 2 ♪♪

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~



♪♪ Requiem ~ Game Over ♪♪

Needless to say, our party of class misfits is no match for this nasty master of disaster as they stand.



Surviving this bad boy requires evasive maneuvers! Blink, !Image, Golem, and 1000 Needles are what win the fight for this party.



And it's all for naught in the end thanks to Earthquake doing about 4000 damage per character. Since we need !White, !Blue, !Time, and !Summon for this fight, and our specialization has resulted in our !Summon users being the only characters with !White and !Time, we can't reasonably expect to defeat this monster any time soon. Unless we Freelance it, but where's the fun in that?



Of course, we can still get the Gil with a bit of quicksave spam. See, the Gil Turtle will never show up on a tile right ahead of you after loading from a quicksave file, so you can take 1 step forward, quicksave, continue, and repeat to get all 81,910 Gil.

In case you were wondering, that cave leads to Big Bridge.



♪♪ Beyond the Deep Blue Sea ♪♪

Deep beneath the sea, we find another mysterious cave...



The enemies in said cave are no pushovers. Ironbacks are practically immune to damage, and Druids can use Encircle (which erases the party member from existence for the duration of the battle).



The cave leads to this delightful little forested lake.



♪♪ Huh? ♪♪

There's a Chocobo forest here! Let's ride!



That... doesn't even begin to make sense. But whatever.



There doesn't seem to be anything else here. What a drag!



♪♪ Battle 2 ♪♪

Or maybe there is! This demon pig may look vaguely familiar to FF6 players, and for good reason.



In the (literal) blink of an eye, he can turn anyone to stone!



Fortunately, all that statue hunting in Bal Castle left me well prepared for such an eventuality.



♪♪ Victory Fanfare ♪♪

A single toss of Gil knocks him for a loop, fortunately.



And we have our newest summon, which will almost never be used! Hooray!



♪♪ Beyond the Deep Blue Sea ♪♪

And now it's finally time to go see Ghido.



Not far into the cave, Bartz finds a rock in a box.

Man up, Bartz, it's only a thousandweight.



The gimmick here is, doors open based on where you stick the rock.



As usual for strange caves, there's switches to be pressed.



This cave has an interesting enemy in the form of Metamorphs. They can take on rather interesting forms. This one took just the form we wanted, too!



Although what we want it for isn't so easily obtained!



He used Aeroga there, which is what we wanted!



New !Blue, woo!

Aeroga (24 MP) - Heavy wind-elemental damage. Equivalent to Firaga/Blizzaga/Thundaga.



Yet more hidden passages, just like the Wind Drake home...



More switches to open the way too. This is getting old.



We just did this in FF6! Jump on the turtle, jump on the turtle!



Doing so takes us to a cave with... a turtle. Shocking, I know.



*Bartz smacks the turtle and it goes into its shell*
*Galuf steps forward and the turtle comes back out*
Galuf: Bartz! Stop that!
*Faris and Lenna walk up too*



Bartz: But it's fun! Poke, poke poke...

Bartz is a dick.



Holy shit talking turtle!

Yeah, I noticed.

*Galuf takes a step up and the others recover from the shock*
Galuf: Sage, I'm so sorry. Please forgive my brainless companion.
Bartz: Wait-this turtle...
Lenna: ...is the sage?
Faris: By the briny beard of Neptune!
Galuf: And you finally catch a clue! Tarnation, I can't take you anywhere!

Wah wah wah wah wah-WAH wah!



*The Otherworld Trio walk up to Ghido*
Bartz: Oh, man, I'm awfully sorry...
Ghido: You should be, boy, picking on defenseless turtles... However, we have more important things to discuss.
Bartz: You mean Exdeath?
Ghido: So, you aren't as slow as you look. What the warlock seeks is within the Great Forest of Moore.
Bartz: The Forest of Moore?
Ghido: Trees, my dear boy, lots of them, sprawling west of Surgate... That sentient forest is Exdeath's birthplace.
Bartz: !?
Ghido: A certain tree in that forest had been used to seal evil spirits for years... Five hundred years ago, the concentration of evil turned it into a dark creature with a life of its own. That creature is Exdeath. I maintained the seal on Exdeath for five hundred years... However, thirty years ago, the seal was broken.
Bartz: Thirty years ago... That was when he fought the Dawn Warriors...
Ghido: Yes. Don't interrupt. Dorgann and the others fought hard... Finally, they were able to seal the warlock with the crystals. However, somehow, he escaped.
Bartz: That was our fault...
Ghido: Aren't we feeling self-important, taking all the blame, hmm? Had I meant it was your fault, I would've said that. Seals are meant to be broken. It only means that this time, Exdeath must be destroyed!
Bartz: Where is he!?
Ghido: As I said, the Forest of Moore...
Something-exactly what I do not know, so don't ask-rests sealed within the forest that he wishes to claim.
Bartz: The Forest of Moore...

Things have gotten deep all of a sudden.



Galuf: And Xezat's revenge!
Faris: We'll defeat Exdeath!
Lenna: Let's do it!

The team pep talk went well, I see.



Bartz: ...
Ghido: Take this with you/

What have we?



♪♪ Fanfare 1 ♪♪

Nifty.

Bartz: What is it?
Ghido: A branch from the Guardian Tree... That tree is what protects the seals. With that branch, you may enter the forest.
*Bartz nods*
Ghido: Now, hurry! Exdeath is already on his way to Moore!
Bartz: Right!

So, new goal! Let's get the hell outta dodge and into Moore!



Got it, Ghido. You wouldn't happen to have a quick exit to this place, would you? No? That's fine, we'll just teleport.



This inconspicuous little bit of underwater is not what it seems!



It leads to an enclosed area! And a new village, too!



♪♪ Tenderness in the Air ♪♪

I'm guessing from the town name that this must be near the Forest of Moore. And I'm guessing from the fact that it's a town that it's talking time!

Wandering Town
Old Man: Where're you from? I can't believe you'd come all the way out here...
Man: Legend has it that five hundred years ago, thhey sealed something beautiful in the forest to the east.
Old Man: From desire ofttimes comes evil...
Old Man: No one can enter the great forest to the east.
Woman: The sentient forest of Moore protects the seals.

In the Pub
Woman: The trees in the forest are alive. They understand human speech and can read minds!
Man: Wood sprites usually are too shy to show themselves. But if you peep into holes in tree trunks, they might talk to you.
Man: Wood Sprites hide along the road leading into the forest.
Man: They say that in the deepest part of the Forest of Moore is the Guardian Tree, which protects the seals.
Old Man: When I got lost in the forest, a strange little critter had helped me out... Kept calling "kopu kopu" or something.



This town has some awesome new spells and equipment, big surprise.



♪♪ Piano Lesson 7 ♪♪

Aww yeah...



And so, into the Forest of Moore we will go! Nice of them to build a bridge to it, even though nobody can enter.



♪♪ I Feel As You Do ♪♪

Suddenly something happens!



Bartz: ...It's letting us in...

Apparently Ghido knew what he was talking about.

Some of the enemies here are quite annoying...



Those ones in particular can't be !Controlled to learn this new !Blue skill. I had to free it from control and then wait for it to cast it on Bartz. Still, new skill.

Lilliputian Lyric (5 MP) - Causes Mini status to one enemy.



The way forward involves peeking in holes in trees. I'm sure there's some innuendo involved in that, but I can't imagine what it is.



Each tree has an eerie root passage like this to the next area.



Along the way, Lenna masters the Ranger Job! "Suddenly I feel awesome and I can't even explain why."



Not long after, Faris also masters a new Job! "Back to being an apothecary for me, I suppose..."



Deep in the forest, the party locates the single most unique save point in FF5. I'm fairly certain it's the only one of its kind, in fact!



♪♪ The Evil Lord Exdeath ♪♪

Suddenly an earthquake!



This could be bad.



Correction: this IS bad.



Yes, you just noticed this?



As with Karnak so long ago, we can't really do much at this point.



Fun Fact: This item becomes a Flame Shield if you wait to get it a bit later!



It's better to get it as an Aegis Shield, however. Even if the evasion isn't as good as a Diamond or Flame Shield, it has Magic Evasion.

Suddenly a Moogle too! He looks around a bit, apparently unaware before that the entire damn forest is on fire.

Moogle: Kupo!

Yes, kupo to you too. And he hops right back into his hidey-hole.



Bartz, being ever so clever, follows.



♪♪ I Feel As You Do ♪♪

And now we have another "wait on your ass" moment.



At least this one comes with a healing spring.



The forest looks quite a bit worse for wear now.



Sure enough, our Aegis Shield nabbing has resulted in an empty chest.



In spite of the burning, battles are still in a lush forest here. Weird.



Thematically appropriate, if tragic.



And again.



Returning to the world map (there's an easy exit nearby, we didn't backtrack), we see that the Forest of Moore is pretty toasted. That little 3x3 cluster is where we just were.



Deeper in the decimated forest, we spot something unusual!



It's the Great Tree of Moore!

Galuf: The Guardian Tree... That's what protects the seal...?

Or what protected the seal, anyway. Ghido kinda gave away that the seal's no more.



Suddenly, the tree wither from before springs to life!



The forest levels itself!



And a way forward is formed!

The inside of the tree looks the same as the root passages...



Welp, no way out now.



Good question!

Galuf: Those must be whatever's sealed in here!



Oh no not a boss fight...



♪♪ Battle 2 ♪♪

Yes a boss fight. And a potentially nasty one, too. You do not want to try to take these out all at once unless you have the means to. Because if you try that, guess what?



Hello game over!



Seriously, though, they're easy enough to take down individually. Just do NOT use magic on them unless you have a death wish. "Magic" includes !Zeninage. Take out the Aqua Breath spammer first if you can, 'cause he loves to spam Aqua Breath over and over and over and apply repeatedly to the forehead.



Golem pretty much mitigates their threat outside of that.



♪♪ Victory Fanfare ♪♪

Or alternatively, just have 2 characters with !Zeninage toss coins at them before they can counter. Problem solved!



Who said that?

Well done; you've destroyed the seals. Mwa-hahaha! I suppose I should thank you for saving me the trouble!

Oh crap, it's...



♪♪ The Evil Lord Exdeath ♪♪

Yeah, him.

Exdeath: How ironic! The seals broken by the power of the four warriors meant to protect them!

Nice job breaking it, heroes.



No way!

Galuf: They were crystals!?
Exdeath: The crystals which bound me for so long... Now, their power is mine!

This is bullshit!

Can we not do that instead?



Guess not. Could this be the end for the Crystal Crew!? Tune in next time!



Which is... right now!



Oh joy, Krile's plot-convenient telepathy will save the day again!

Krile: What? They're in the Forest of Moore?
*The Moogle nods and Krile walks over to the wind drake*
Krile: Come on, let's go!
*The dragon spreads its wings and cries out*



Not if Krile can help it, you murderer!



Krile shoots a bolt of light off-screen and Exdeath's hold is broken!



She's happy to see us alive, at least.



Krile: Don't worry, he shouldn't be doing anything for a while... Oh!

Yeah, I think he kinda has an insane healing factor, right?



♪♪ Danger! ♪♪

He sure does. Well this is not good!



What is Exdeath doing now?



Being evil, clearly.

Krile: H-hey, what are you-
Exdeath: Die!



Oh snap!



That has to hurt.



And yet, for some reason I'm enjoying this.



I could watch this all day.

Yeah, beg grandpappy to save your ass again. That oughta work well.

*Galuf stands up, still woozy*
Galuf: Kr...Krile...!



Exdeath knows better than to let Galuf save Krile. Which is his biggest mistake yet.



Try to dispel this power, and your precious crystal will shatter!

You're way past the negotiating phase here, Exdeath.

*Galuf looks at Krile, who passes out*
Galuf: Krile!



Crystal SHATTERED!



That has to hurt.



And it closes around Galuf!



He's so badass he doesn't even care!



♪♪ Decisive Battle ♪♪

It's Galuf vs. Exdeath! Place your bets now!



Eat Aeroga, Exdeath!



This battle might not go so well, actually.



Thank goodness for White Wind!



And for Shirahadori!



I coin'd ya!



Ow that hurt!

So we'll toss an Aeroga at you! Oh wait, should've healed, huh?



Prepare yourself for the afterlife!

That might be painful. Just a bit.



Yep. No way Galuf could survive that even at full HP. This fight's over.



Exdeath's just driving home how over the fight is, I guess.



How... what... huh?



He's still fighting... Impossible!



My question exactly.

Galuf: Takes a lot more than that... ...for me to kick the bucket!
Galuf: I'll destroy you, Exdeath... even if it means I have to take you into the afterlife myself!

Now THAT is a badass boast.



would never be enough to defeat me!

Shows what you know, because...



...it's...



It's love, of course! The old video game standby deus ex machina!

Well, it looks like that's it for the Exdeath.



Wait, what? He's taking the crystals? Oh COME ON! What does it take to KILL this guy!?



Lenna: Galuf!
*The others get up*
Krile: Grandpa!!!

Oh yeah, that's it for the Galuf, too, huh?



He's looking... not so good.

Lenna: Galuf!!!
Faris: Hold on, we can-
♪♪ Nostalgia ~ Sorrows of Parting ♪♪
Galuf: No good... 'S too late...f'r me...
Bartz: Galuf! Don't talk like that!
Lenna: Galuf!
Faris: Get up, you old bat! Quit playing around, this isn't funny!
Krile: Wake up...wake up, please!
Galuf: Bartz... Lenna, Faris... My dear Krile... Exdeath... Exdeath... Destroy...him...
Krile: Grandpa-! No! You can't die, you can't!!!



Really, I don't need to say anything.



This scene speaks for itself.

Um, how?



Oh, he's a spirit of the dead, I guess.

Krile: ...? Grandpa!?
*Krile walks around, looking for Galuf*



♪♪ Lenna's Theme ♪♪

What have we here?

Galuf: The Guardian Tree, which has protected the crystals for a thousand years, is letting me borrow its power to speak to you. I don't have long. I want to give you my strength... C'mon, Krile...don't cry... Stand with Bartz and the others, be strong, and fight!



Poor Krile, in denial.

Galuf: You know I can't do that. But you're not alone, Krile. You understand that, don't you.



Ally lost, ally gained, I guess.

Krile: Grandpa... ...it's warm... Grandpa-I feel you with me... Galuf: I'll be in your heart, always.
*Krile looks down for a moment, then nods*
Krile: Grandpa... ... ...I understand. Huh? Exdeath is...?



Oh yeah, the otherworld crew. Nearly forgot they were here.

*Krile walks up to the others*
Krile: Bartz, Lenna, Faris... I'll fight alongside you!
Bartz: Krile...
Krile: Grandpa told me that right now, Exdeath is trying to destroy the crystals. We've got to hurry to Exdeath's castle!
*Everyone nods*
*Krile raises her arm*
Krile: The wind drake!
*The wind drake descends with a cry and everyone boards*



And we're off!



♪♪ The Dragon Spreads Its Wings ♪♪

Once again, we've managed to reach a stopping point in a vehicle (albeit not a new one). We've got a serious vendetta to fulfill next time! Don't miss it, and don't forget to place your grind vote too!

Current Stats
Bartz: Level 33
Jobs: Knight L3 (1/100), Thief L6 (147/300), Ninja L4 (MASTERED!), Ranger L3 (61/405), Mystic Knight L6 (9/400), White Mage L2 (0/30), Black Mage L2 (2/30), Blue Mage L2 (9/70), Bard L1 (8/50), Dancer L2 (3/325)
Abilities: !Guard, !Flee, !Steal, !Mug, !Smoke, !Image, !Throw, !Animals, !Aim, !Check, !Hide, !Flirt, !Dance, !Spellblade L5, !White L2, !Black L2, Equip Bows, Two-Handed, Dual-Wield, Cover, Learning, Magic Shell, Vigilance, First Strike, Find Passages, Sprint

Lenna: Level 33
Jobs: Monk L6 (132/300), Thief L2 (0/30), Ninja L1 (8/30), Berserker L1 (5/400), Ranger L4 (MASTERED!), White Mage L5 (5/100), Black Mage L5 (0/100), Summoner L4 (0/100), Red Mage L1 (3/40), Geomancer L2 (MASTERED!)
Abilities: !Focus, !Chakra, !Flee, !Smoke, !Animals, !Aim, !Rapid Fire, !Check, !Gaia, !White L5, !Black L5, !Summon L4, !Red L1, Equip Bows, HP +10%, HP +20%, Barehanded, Counter, Berserk, Find Passages, Light Step, Find Pits

GalufKrile: Level 33
Jobs: Knight L3 (2/100), Monk L4 (4/100), Thief L1 (8/20), Samurai L4 (240/540), Berserker L1 (0/400), Ranger L3 (175/405), Blue Mage L4 (MASTERED!), Red Mage L3 (3/999), Beastmaster L2 (17/100), Bard L3 (MASTERED!)
Abilities: !Guard, !Focus, !Chakra, !Mineuchi, !Zeninage, !Animals, !Aim, !Check, !Scan, !Calm, !Control, !Hide, !Sing, !Red L3, !Blue, Equip Katanas, Equip Bows, Equip Harps, Barehanded, Two-Handed, Cover, Shirahadori, Learning, Berserk, Find Passages

Faris: Level 33
Jobs: Knight L3 (1/100), Thief L4 (0/75), Dragoon L3 (MASTERED!), Samurai L2 (0/60), Ranger L2 (1/135), Black Mage L3 (3/50), Time Mage L4 (1/70), Summoner L3 (2/60), Blue Mage L2 (2/70), Beastmaster L3 (MASTERED!), Chemist L3 (87/135), Geomancer L3 (MASTERED!)
Abilities: !Guard, !Flee, !Jump, !Lance, !Mineuchi, !Zeninage, !Animals, !Aim, !Check, !Calm, !Control, !Catch, !Mix, !Drink, !Gaia, !Black L3, !Time L4, !Summon L3, Equip Lances, Equip Whips, Two-Handed, Pharmacology, Cover, Learning, Find Passages, Light Step, Find Pits, Sprint

Next time: Sockin' it to Exdeath!

How is this at all consistent? If the crystals are giving him power now, don't we WANT to destroy them?

I think they're trying to imply that these crystals act as the same sort of force as the crystals in the other world: they keep the balance of the elements for Galuf's world. Thus destroying a crystal means that one of the elements in Galuf's world goes haywire.

Bartz: Dancer
Lenna: Dancer
Faris: Dancer
Krile: White Mage (kitty ears FTW!)

Now there's a twist!

Fun fact: the crystals are vulnerable to !Iainuki. I usually master Samurai on somebody immediately before that fight, and sometimes when I am lucky I can take them all out in one hit on the first turn.

time?

No. I don't think magic seals are supposed to work that way. But yeah, they do always seem to wind up breaking - sooner or later. Actually, I guess that's not surprising since the sealer couldn't handle the original problem in the first place.