Aerith?

Nearly there!

The Phoenix Tower is a thirty floor structure, but the nob variety doesn't reflect it. The floors are short, and the gimmick is obvious. Whenever you reach a floor with a dead end, examine the south wall of the middle pillar. That'll open the way forward. Sometimes the doors are guarded by one of several bosses we've fought. Their stats remain the same, so there's no threat. The fun part about this area is the monsters we find in the urns. There are four of five floors with a hookah pot instead of a treasure chest. Half the time, it'll be money, but the other half is a magic pot enemy. These guys ask for elixirs, which are dropped by the sandworms in the desert. They can ask for multiple, but they reward 100 ABP if you satiate them. The second asked for six, so good luck. I ran out for the last two, which is a bummer. There're no save points, but there's also no boss.

At the top is Reina's dragon, Dragon. Krille interprets his thoughts and informs us he knows he's about the die. That fight against the possessed Reina took it out of him. But our old friend wanted to keep helping us. A flashback scene happens when we learn how the Queen died. She was ill, and the only cure was a dragon's tongue. Reina runs towards the dragon with a knife, but Jalenca catches up. She asks the princess if she truly wants to kill the last dragon, and we have an option. Knowing Reina, I say no. We return to the present, and Dragon jumps off the top. As he falls, he starts to glow red. He ends up becoming the summon Phoenix.

Bahamut is nearby, so let's see if I can get revenge. I got Bartz the important time magic spells, giveing us a huge edge. So Haste2 and Carbuncle make Bahamut a lot easier. Healing can be tricky, so think about giving your blue mage the Aegis Shield to prevent Maelstrom from ruining you. With everyone at level 35 and maxed out jobs, Bahamut's death came faster than expected.

I go around the world to say farewell to my friends. Cid is bugged, so don't talk to Mid. But there's something at the Pirate's Cove. Faris steps to the side and hears Hydra. Bartz and Reina think she's crazy, but Krille hears it too. Hydra says the same things Dragon did and becomes the wind summon to help us. That's all my friends!

I'm done grinding, and I'm ready to end this. Faris and Krille almost maxed monk, and I'll probably finish that up in the final dungeon...

... tomorrow!

Why do the mobs in the tower look like a prototype Aerith? If The Rift isn't too long, I'll be done tomorrow. FFV isn't as great as I remember, but it's been worth the play.