Farewell...

Back to Gill, but for real this time.

Firstly, we need to get through a dungeon to reach him. It involves putting a rock in its proper place and hitting a switch. Then move the block and find your way through the dark. A thief's Secret skill doesn't help. Eventually, we'll find our way to a pool with a turtle in it. The turtle will disappear, but we can jump in after it. Continuing down the path brings us to the turtle. Bartz beats up on it because he sucks, while Galuf tells him to stop. He does not. The turtle speaks to us, scaring everyone, and Galuf informs us this is Sage Gill.

Ol' Gill tells us the backstory on X-Death, so this is an important scene that was undercut by Bartz being a dick. The gist is X-D was born in Moore Forest because the locals sealed all manner of evil to a tree. That tree grew into the BBG that's trying to kill us now. Gill continues to tell us that XD is in Moore for reasons even he doesn't know. But if we go there, we might be able to stop him. As we leave, Gill hands us the Elder Branch. With this, we can get into the forest. Otherwise, we won't be allowed in.

So it's back to where I bought the diamond gear and Cure 3. As Gill said, we'd be blocked out without the Branch. With it, we come to a terrible dungeon. I like the idea of it, but it's hard to navigate. The screen is covered by a thick layer of tree leaves, which is probably more of a technological masterpiece than a fun experience. It would probably be better if the encounter rate were lower, but instead, it's jacked to the max. We can't even get the music to restart! Be on the lookout for trees with holes in them and a save point to the side of the third area.

Just after that is when XD attacks. A forest fire has started, and it's about to overtake us. We can explore for a moment, so make sure to find the hidden chest. It had a (probably) fake Aegis Shield in it. Suddenly, a moogle shoots out of the ground, and we can follow them. We'll find a small pool to restore HP while the two moogles protect us. When the fire dies, we can explore the burnt remains. West is where we can find the Elder Tree.

Inside are four sealed monsters that attack us. Each unnamed crystal is an elemental avatar. They're weak to one but absorbs another. It's wise to attack one at a time because their AI changes when they get low on HP. Rather than a single attack, they'll use a team wide magic attack that really hurts. Summoning Golem negates the basic attacks, and Shell can help you not get wiped out. Faris attacked with her duel twin lances, while Galuf spammed Blow Hard. Bartz was there. I managed to learn Aero 3 here!

After we win, we'll hear an evil laugh. XD shows up to reveal those sealed monsters were crystals. ...okay. Apparently, they sealed him 1000 years ago. Does this mean he's stronger now? Whatever it means, XD uses those crystals as laser beams against us! The party is pushed against the walk as we cut to Krille. She knows we're in trouble and comes to save us again. With another Bolt spell, she stops the BBG and gives us a moment to restock. She says he'll be out for a while, but XD instantly gets up. He throws Krille around the tree with telepathy before resuming the laser beaming. Seeing his granddaughter harmed enrages Galuf, who musters up the strength to march towards XD. Apparently, this damages the already useless crystals, but whatever. Galuf absorbs the magic around Krille and lunges for XD!

We enter a one-on-one fight where we can't lose. XD instantly brings Galuf to 0 HP, but the battle rages on. We're out of MP, so "rage" might be a misnomer. After forever and a day, the two start talking. Galuf tanks Flare and Meteor before finally killing XD. The crystals are absorbed by XD, and he disappears. Everyone gets up and runs to Galuf. He's not doing well and has accepted his fate. Galuf urges everyone to finish this war against XD while everyone tries to save him. Sadly, Cure, Raise, elixirs, nor phoenix downs work.

 "Galuf's flame flickered out."

The newly orphaned Krille gives in to despair as the teenagers look on. After a moment, Krille hears the voice of her grandfather and runs outside. A diadem falls from the sky as Galuf tells her his power merged with the Elder Tree. With this, Krille is granted all the abilities Galuf had and joins the team as the new Warrior of Light/earth. Galuf asks his granddaughter to be strong, and she promises she will. Everyone vows revenge, and we go to X-Death's tower. But that'll be...

...tomorrow.

Kelga remarks that he's the last Dawn Warrior if we return to give him the bad news, but that's the extent of this. I've always wondered why no one speaks of Galuf's sacrifice in the same vein as Aerith. I want to get into why, but I'll save it for when I'm not on a phone.