Part 10: Atonement

Cecil wakes up on a peninsula in the middle of nowhere.



Well, maybe not nowhere, but we don't want to go into town just yet.



Cecil is able to destroy all of the monsters in this area. Watch out for those Cockatrices though, as you don't want your lone party member getting petrified. Cecil's Deathbringer one-shots Zus, and his Dark attack can take care of pretty much anything else. It's worth taking the time to get him a few extra levels here and murder some Zus.



A whole



lot



of Zus. It's nice to be able to do some actual combat again.



Well crap. This is probably the last place Cecil wanted to be right now.




No, they haven't forgotten about him. Talking to people here is not the best idea.



Ugh! *choke*



Yes, you really do end up poisoned.



Well, at least one person doesn't hate us completely...




...alright, maybe not. The pig is Cecil in case you are confused.

Once Cecil's done getting beaten up by the townspeople, he goes to beg forgiveness at the temple his Red Wings raided back at the very beginning.



Well, at least the elder is willing to talk.



My name is Cecil. I am the former commander of the Red Wings. Before, I did not have the courage to defy my lord's orders...

Apologizing won't bring back those who have already died.

...

However... I can see that you have changed. Perhaps it would not be a waste of my time to hear what you have to say.

My friends and I are fighting against a man named Golbez, who presently holds power in Baron. We were attacked by Leviathan on our way to rescue someone who Golbez kidnapped...

...Perhaps this is a test. You must prove yourself worthy. However, you have come to rely too much on your Dark Sword. This will only lead to the corruption of your soul. If you wish to renounce this corruption, you must head to Mount Ordeals to the east. There, you may find, is where your fate lies.

But my friends are in danger! There's no time to waste!

I know your friends are important to you. But you must not be impatient. You are destined to a great fate. You must go to Mount Ordeals and transform that Dark Sword you wield into one of Light. Those who accept the Light will become Paladins. However, many have journeyed to Mount Ordeals, but none have returned... Do you want to try?

Yes. But I have little confidence I can do this on my own.

I thought as much. I shall call upon some mages to help you. Palom! Porom!



Where is Palom?

Palom! Come out this minute!




I can't believe I'm going to help this monster. Be grateful that Mysidia's prodigy, Palom, will assist you!

Are... they the mages...?

Yes. This is Palom and Porom. They are still apprentices, but they should be of great help.

I'm the greatest mage in all of Mysidia! You should be grateful I'm helping you out!

Palom! You will behave yourself on this journey!



Palom! Greet him properly!

Hey, nice to meetcha.

Now, go to Mount Ordeals. You two, do everything in your power to assist Cecil.

Palom and Porom then join our party. I love the way the elder tells you no one's ever come back from there, then sends two children with you. Sheesh.



Palom is a Black Mage through and through. Although Rydia could use what she knew well, Palom has higher Intellect to use it with and learns it faster. Porom is purely a White Mage- just like Palom, she has a higher Spirit than Rosa and learns spells faster.



Palom has Bluff, which is the magic equivalent of Yang's Focus and stacks. It's very nice. Porom gets the less useful Cry. It lowers the level of enemies, increasing the chances they'll run away. Both mages have the Twin Command. This lets them both try to cast a few unique and powerful Twin spells like Mini-Flare and Comet. However it takes a long time to cast, uses MP from both twins, and does not always work.



Palom learns all the Level 2 Elemental Magic spells by Level 13, and Porom learns Cura. These will be getting a lot of use.



Next time, we ascend Mount Ordeals.