With the Tower of Babel behind us and ground above us, let's talk to King Giott!
We tell him we suck. Like a disappointed father, he says how bummed he is we lost to a basic trap. Maybe a good thief would have noticed it? He informs us that Golbez has found the last crystal and is trying to break the seal. The key, though, is something Golbez will never have. He asks his daughter, Luca, to step forward. He takes a necklace and hands it to us. That is the key to the Sealed Save in the southwest. Giott asks us to get the crystal before Golbez does and keep it safe. Luca tells us to bring back the necklace as it's a family heirloom her mother once had. Before we leave, some guards tell us they found an old man and took him to the infirmary. We also see the first few dwarven women and their majestic beards as nurses.
In the infirmary, we spot the unmissable Cid! He's seen better days, but he's mostly functional. After Edge insults him, which causes Rydia to rebuke him, making Cid laugh, we tell him the Falcom sucks and can't fly over lava. The thought of this energizes Cid, so he hops out of bed. The nurses try to get him back in, but he convinces them to help in his scheme. We cut to the Falcon and see Cid hammering away at stuff while the Nurses run around. In time, we return to his bed. Cid has done something to the airship to make it fly over lava. The game gives us a minor heart attack when it pretends Cid died for real this time, but we quickly hear him snoring. We find a note about his last wishes under his pillow, and it's a heartfelt apology to his friends and family about the worry he's caused. But we have a mission!
But I'm not gonna do it. This is the point in the game where sidequests start to open up. South of Giott's Castle is the town of Tomra. There's not much here, but we can find new armor for Cecil and Kain. The weapons aren't great, but you can buy Shuriken if you want Edge to throw stuff. Fun note about this place, the dwarves don't say "Lali-Ho" here. They say "hi-ho." To the east of Tomra is Kokkol's Forge. Kokkol is the greatest blacksmith in the world, but he's lost all passion. He wants to find Adamantine. So if we find any, bring it here.
In the top left corner of the map is Sylph's Cave. When we enter, our character's menu thoughts warn us of damaging floors. These floors are easier to see in the SNES version, but they're green flowing goop in this version. To pass them unharmed, have Rosa cast Float on the party. It wears off between floors, so you're gonna recast it a lot. This whole place is a massive maze with invisible walls and secret passages across three floors. The enemies aren't too tough, but they are overly abundant, and I hate it. Don't be afraid to run from a Marlboro, though. Even with Cecil drawing all attacks, he can still go down if you're not careful. And Rosa's going to run low on MP casting all these Floats. I suggest looking up a map since this place is hell to navigate. A lot of the treasures are high quality, so it's worth venturing down here now. Although the best item, Avenger, kinda sucks. Eventually, though, you find a cabin in the cave. Inside are several Sylphs and a man they're protecting. It's Yang! He's still knocked out, so we can't talk to him. The Sylphs are upset their love hasn't healed him, but there's nothing we can do yet, except get yelled at. We'll return here later...
Our next destination is the lone island in the southeast lavocean. As we enter, Rydia tells us this was the path she traveled to reach our world. At the bottom is the Feymarch, home to the eidolons she summons. Like the Sylph's Cave, this has painful floors. This time it's lava, though, so it makes sense. Use the same strategy, and use a map. It's far less annoying to navigate, but you've already cheated once tonight, so go for broke. DO find the Defender sword for Cecil while you're here, though. At the bottom is a warp spot to another world! Inside the Feymarch are various personages that look likes hooded figures, bombs, and chocobos. In between telling us how cool Rydia is, they give us background on this place. But what we're looking for is royalty. In the basement of the library is an old man and the Queen of the Summons, Ashura. Rydia asks her foster mother for power, but Ashura tells us that power can only be obtained through battle.
I remember this being a lot harder as a kid. First of all, only Rydia is allowed to attack. Anyone else doing so will result in too many counterblows. Have Cecil cast Protect and Shell on the party. Haste Rydia and use Blink on Cecil while he Defends. Using Reflect on Ashura will save you a lot of time. From here, spam Dragon. Ashura absorbs everything else and counters physical blows, so it's all you got. I had no problems here. The next battle, though...
The old man sitting on the throne ends up being the King of the Eidolons, Leviathan! Who saw that coming? He, too, challenges us to combat. He's weak to Lightning and absorbs Water and Ice. Once again, Haste Rydia and spam Thunderaga. It did a little more damage than Ramah. Even if it didn't, its cast time is far shorter. Edge can use Blitz as supplemental damage. I also had Kain jump just because. Leviathan's attacks aren't terrible, but he a move called Deluge. That soaks the battlefield in a devastating water attack. Edge died a few times, but Rydia usually survived. Hope he doesn't spam it and keep Rosa using Curaga. Don't be afraid to have Cecil Cura as well. Time your phoenix downs with the Cures, and you'll be fine. His regular stuff isn't too bad, but Deluge has no counter.
We have now gained the ability to summon Ashura and Leviathan. We now have water damage, so I wonder if we'll see anyone with a weakness for it. I generally wonder that since my mental bestiary doesn't exist. We'll find out if anyone in the Sealed Caved has one...
...tomorrow!
While we're down in the Feymarch, don't forget to pick up the Rat Tail. Veterans of the franchise know what it is, but it's for something vital down the line. Also, I should have gotten Odin before beating up Rubicante...
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