Part 18

Chapter 16

Remind me never to announce when I'm going to update next again. It makes putting things off so much harder!




So today we're starting Yang's Tale. It doesn't even start with an intro.





Instead, we're skipping right to a fight.





Suffice to say, it's a rather one-sided fight.





I bow to your greatness, Master Yang!
Even as king, your prowess has not changed one bit!
True strength lies within the heart, not in the body. Have the heart to trust in your companions, and strength will follow each one of you.




Meet Ursula, daughter of Yang. Like Ceodore, she's the child of a king eager to prove herself. Unlike Ceodore, she prefers to get things done rather than question every single thing somebody says.



My answer is firm, my daughter.



I may be princess of this kingdom, but even more than that, I am a proud citizen of Fabul! Is it so wrong for me to become a stronger and better person?

It sounds like a reasonable argument. Training for the monks of Fabul is as much a spiritual process as it is to gain strength. Proving your physical and mental strength is a huge part of their culture.



Not that this sways Yang, of course. Because it'd be too easy for him to just say, "Good enough. Now stand still while I punch you in the face until you become a good monk."

But, Father!




What is it?
I will explain in the throne room.




Wait, what? Is he telling his fellow monks to take their training for becoming princesses seriously? Is he telling his pupils to not even think about touching his daughter? I think they could've done a better job with context here.

Yes, Master!



Ursula's understandably pissed that her dad keeps cockblocking her from sweet, sweet power.



Yang still has Kick and Focus, but ditched the useless Gird for the awesome Cover Counter. That's right, Yang can take his huge HP reserves and cover one person, at which point he'll take a physical hit for them and counter attack. He doesn't auto-cover critical members like Cecil, but that doesn't really matter here since Cover Counter is just so much better than Cover.

Suck it, Cecil.



Mount Hobs is where all the cool kids go to train. Yang was training monks there when the party ran into him in FF4.



Namingway's lazing around here, which means we'll be hanging around Fabul once we finish this chapter.



I forget whether there were two beds in this room in the original game. Either Yang and his wife share one bed, or Ursula actually has her own room.

Remember, Ceodore sleeps with his parents. Maybe this game is someone pushing their view points on different methods of child rearing.



There's a couple of NPCs that are talking about a shooting star that crashed to the west of Mount Hobs. Keep this in mind, as it makes a certain scene seem ridiculous.

Anyway, a New Moon means we run into super monsters or something in this location.




Some things never change.



Oh, right, urgent business in the throne room. Guess it's a good idea to take care of that.



Or we can hear Yang and his wife lament on their daughter.

Yes, Ursula, again. I cannot help but wonder where that stubborn streak of hers came from.
That would be you, without a doubt. I might be a little obstinate at times, but never as much as you can be.
I know, I know. We don't have to go through this again...

I love the dynamic between Yang and his wife. She may not be a fighter, but that doesn't mean she's not a strong person. She and Yang certainly have some great back-and-forths, and they have a strong bond, especially considering one of them is a NPC.

Shiela's easily the best NPC in either game.



Urgent business, blah blah blah.

Ah. My apologies. So then, you had something to tell me?
I am not sure how to put this, my liege, but dark shadows seem to be looming over Baron.
You must be mistaken. Cecil would never lead his nation awry.
Some reports state that several Crystals are now in Baron's possession.



Understandably, Yang's distressed.



"Yang" is good enough, my duke.
There is no denying the praiseworthy acts you and Cecil performed to save our land. However...
However?



The Duke makes an excellent point. Just because Cecil is God's gift to man doesn't mean that he can't be brainwashed/lured to evil. After all, the old king was also a great man, one Cecil admired, which is why it took Cecil as long as he did to turn his back on the (fake) king. There is a good possibility that it may not even be Cecil in charge, but a doppleganger, just like with the original king.



Yang carries a huge boner for Cecil though and won't let anyone diss his boyfriend.

But if that were not the case, how would one explain why Baron is suddenly gathering Crystals again?
Baron is home to Queen Rosa, and to Cid. What you are proposing is simply too outrageous.

Listen, Duke. Baron can never be evil. Cid lives there. Everyone knows that as long as Rosa and Cid are there, no evil will ever come to Baron. You know, besides that one time seventeen years ago, back when Rosa and Cid lived in Baron.

Yeah, I wonder where Ursula gets her stubborness.




Oh shit. This could be dangerous. We should probably send out search squads and scour the area to make sure we get her back safely.



Or maybe this happens every other day.



Let me handle this.
But something must be done about Baron, Your Highness.
My trust in Cecil remains firm!



Well then, time to depart!
Yes, sir!



We get these two mooks following us. They're identical twins with a birth defect that caused both of them to be born without eyes. Their parents hated them and decided to name them "Ass" and "Butt."

These guys gain levels and have Kick, but otherwise just exist solely to take hits instead of Yang. I'm pretty sure Yang could handle the rest of the game without these twits.



Next time, we go to Mount Hobs, where our greatest challenge awaits: getting home before dinner.