Part 38

Chapter 32

Whew. First proper update in two weeks!



Today, we're going to start off with Porom's Tale. Unfortunately, it's probably the dullest of all the Tales, but it's also pretty short.






So Porom goes off to find Palom, who's at...





Troia. Yes, this is the same scene from FF4's ending. Also remember that Palom is talking to Leonora here. Not that it actually matters or anything.





When are you going to stop that!? The elder's furious with you!




You've a deal of growing up to do if you ever plan to be the sort of mage Tellah was. Two more hours of spell transcription for you!
Aw, not again...
You've only yourself to blame, you know.



Now we're going to dive a bit further into this scene.



What a troublesome one...
I'll bring him back here right away, Elder!





And now we get control of Porom. In the old-school graphics. This and the next part are the only time in the game where you get to actually play the game using the old SNES graphics, which is kind of a neat touch.



This is during the ending, remember. So Porom drops down to L10 after the final battle, skyrockets up to L35 or so during Interlude, and then drops back down to L10 in the coming section. Yeah, I don't know.




He's five years old. I think he is acting his age. And you can't even use the jRPG excuse, as most of the old crew are in their forties in this game. Hell, Cid's in his seventies.

Basically, everyone in Mysidia is an idiot, and it's suddenly not surprising that the two greatest mages in Mysidia are five-year-olds.



We're technically still in the ending celebrating the defeat of the final boss, saving the world from a force of pure hatred. Stop being such a downer.





Palom acts his age by playing hide and seek and sulking. Seriously, the mages here are such strict assholes.



The dialogue repeats, and Palom runs somewhere else.



You mean some kids hate school? What the fuck kind of sick world do we live in?



Hey, something insightful! Still, you're kind of looking into things too much.

I have my own theory of why Palom's acting like a brat.

HE'S FIVE YEARS OLD. HE'S BEING PUNISHED FOR BREAKING A RULE AND IS NOW POUTING AND THROWING A TANTRUM BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT FIVE YEAR OLDS DO.

I'm starting to wish Cecil burned this place to the ground. Everyone here besides the twins and the Elder is a fucking idiot.

Oh, right, we're playing hide and seek.



Ugh! Okay, okay... You're right, you win.

Palom's complete hero-worship when it comes to Tellah convinces him to relent.




Of course, Palom then proceeds to be an ass and brag about how awesome he is right in front of the Elder.



Is that so? There's nothing else here for you to learn. Is that what you are trying to say?
Come on, Elder. You know just as well as I do how powerful we really are.
Hold your tongue, Palom!
You think so, too, right Porom? Were it not for us, Cecil would've never made it anywhere near Mount Ordeals!



Hmm... I suppose you have a point.





Tellah, you say? Then you have a long way to go, Palom. Growth is not something gained on your own. It is the product of all the people along the way... from Cecil, to Tellah, to everyone else around you.
I...I already know that, Elder! I don't need you to tell me.
It is a simple thing to say, but I forbid you from leaving Mysidia. It is still too soon for you.
Too soon? Well, when's it not gonna be too soon?
When you have truly understood the words I have spoken.
Can I go out and travel the world once I do?
Once you do...yes.




So by acting like an arrogant brat, Palom gets to walk away from his punishment. Kid's more clever than you'd expect.



Of course. The meetings and partings one experiences in life help to strengthen the self.
Yes, Elder.
And I'm sure you would like to hit the road yourself someday, Porom.



It is written on your face, plain as day.
Oh...

This Tale does a good job introducing themes, and an even better job at completely disregarding said themes by the end of the Tale. I mean, they bring up some good stuff like the twins' desire to go out and explore the world, or the bond they share, or their straining relationship, and then proceed to shelve almost all of it. Some pretty wasted potential here.





Anyway, let's skip ahead a bit.



(Might be worth listening to for this next part)

We're still using the SNES graphics for this section.

Ha haaah! Finally! I'm off on my quest to become a sage!
What made you want to visit Kaipo first?
'Cause it's Tellah's homeland, of course. What did you think?
That's all?
What do you mean, that's all?



Huh?
The title of sage isn't something to be obtained. It's something that's granted to you.
Y-yeah, that's right. I knew that already.
Then, who do you think grants something like that to you?
The elder, right?



What...!?



You have to overcome your earthly desires and make the magic something that benefits people around the world.
Pfft. That goes without saying, Porom.




For someone enamored with the idea of being a sage, Palom clearly has no idea just what it entails. It also shows just how knowledgeable and wise Porom is. And she's probably around eight-ten years old at this point.

Well, that's the way Tellah was, wasn't it?
You're right. Tellah traveled around the world with the elder himself, long ago. Just like we're doing right now.
Wow! Really? I knew it!

Also, for someone who worships Tellah, Palom sure knows little about him other than "HE CAN CAST BLACK AND WHITE MAGIC" and "HE IS CONSTANTLY PISSED OFF ABOUT SOMETHING."

Eventually, the elder returned to Mysidia and devoted his life to protecting the world's magic.



How long did he do that for?
Oh, at least decades.
(Oof. That long?)



Huh. I didn't know that.
Of course, it'll probably take longer for you than it did for him.




I really like this scene. I'm always a sucker for world-building, and it pretty much gives Porom the most personality she ever gets in either game. Seriously, Porom only goes downhill from here.



Anyway, it didn't take long for Kaipo to build a port.





What are you complaining about? You slept practically the entire way.



How nicely put.



Palom has a similar arsenal to how he begins his Tale. He doesn't know Pig yet, but he'll learn it during this Tale.





Anyway, it's an uneventful trek to Kaipo.

Wow! It's Kaipo! We're here!
What should we do first?
Let's take it easy for now.
But you've spent days resting on that ship!
Oh, quit complaining. What's the big deal?

Man, I've forgotten just how dialogue-heavy this Tale is. So much fun transcribing this update.



Hey, guess what we'll be meeting soon?



Maybe something to do with the place being in the middle of nowhere?



nah it's cool

Oh yeah, let's stare at those tombstones.



The old man's grave!
Well, don't just stand there! Offer your respects to him!



(Tellah...may you be happy together with Anna for all eternity. And may you guide us with your infinite wisdom. Especially Palom, he needs it.)

Burn.

(Hey, old man! Guess it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'm finally here. I came to visit your homeland and everything. I hope you're watching over me, Tellah... Because someday, I'm gonna be a sage, just like you!)



Heh heh! Just thought I'd check up on the old man first, you know.

That's not the only grave where Palom can subtlely insult the dead.



I didn't realize Anna was here as well.



(Anna, the woman Edward loved with all his heart. She must've been a nice lady. Maybe kind of like our mom.)
(Anna...I witnessed in person the grace and profound love you possessed within. May you rest in peace alongside Tellah for all time.)

Wait. Witnessed in person? Anna died before we even met the twins. Unless Tellah took Anna to Mysidia once or twice, which by Porom's story I don't think he did.

Oh wait, there's more.

(Sometimes I wonder...if I too have a chance. A chance to become a woman like you, a woman who knew how to love more deeply than anyone else.)

I find it interesting that Porom is looking up to a person whose sole memorable role was sacrificing herself to save her beloved. It's interesting because it never actually goes anywhere, again much like all the other themes of this Tale.



Nothing.



Hey, some actual gameplay!






The Underground Waterway is the same as it was in the original.

Get used to seeing this place. A lot.



Most random encounters will go down to a L1 spell, so don't bother spamming -ra spells unless fighting Ghouls or something.



The other chest has a bow, giving Porom an offensive option. While you could stick with the Healing Staff, it's not like you're going to run out of MP for Cure spells.



What's wrong?
Nah. It just struck me... I'm really walking down this path, aren't I? I'm gonna be a sage if I keep this up.
Stop thinking about useless stuff like that in the middle of training.

I guess the point of this whole Tale is that true strength comes from relying on others. It kind of comes up later on, but by that point the game's story just kind of falls apart.

This Tale had a lot of potential story-wise, but I don't feel it really succeeds in what it sets out to do.



It's also pretty boring gameplay-wise.




Toadgres are a pain if you don't kill them with one hit, as they'll counter all attacks with Toad. If you mess up, good luck having the Toadgre 1. Target the Toaded character and 2. Having Toad hit, as it misses a good part of the time.

But hey, they drop Maiden's Kisses, so it's not that huge a pain.



Some good armor upgrades, as well as a useful rod for this dungeon.



Not just yet.
What?
Can't you feel it? The presence of a monster nearby. A big one.
Oh. Yes, now that you mention it.

Palom may be an ass, he may be lazy, and he may be arrogant, but everybody's not lying when they say the kid's a natural.

Things are about to get serious.
We had better get some rest once we're back above ground.
You got that right.

Before we do so, let's show off their Band.



That's right, their band is none other than their attack from the original, Twincast, which casts a random spell.





In this case, Comet.




Attack Down, Black Magic Up. This will be both a blessing and a curse.



That monster's at the bottom of this waterfall!
Isn't there any other path?
Doesn't look like it. You scared?
N-no! Of course not!
So, let's go!



And down we go.

Gotta love how they keep pushing each other to go farther. They really do make a great team, even if they drive each other nuts.



Guess what time it is?




Yep, ten legs. They're not fucking around.







Meet the Cooler Mammoth. This guy may just be one of the most challenging bosses you'll fight if you're unprepared. First off, he has four additional sets of tentacles that will attack



These can hurt, especially since Cooler Mammoth and his tentacles are rather fast.



The top left one's different, as it doesn't use physical attacks.




Instead, it uses Blizzara, which can really hurt. I really don't recommend fucking around here.



Obviously, your first move should be spamming Slow. Hell, use a Hermes' Sandals on Porom if you want to be safe. Protect doesn't hurt, either.



As a water enemy, you'd expect Thunder attacks to work great.



And they do. For the Leeches, that is. The Mammoth itself absorbs lightning.





And if you destroy all the tentacles, they'll regenerate. Wonderful.



At the very least, kill off the top-left set so you don't have to deal with Blizzara. You should be able to manage the other three. The bottom right will occasionally cast Drain at this point, but it's not that much worse than its physical attacks.




As for the Mammoth itself, while it's not weak to Thunder, it is weak to Fire, so exploit the hell out of that.



This battle is trickier than you'd think. I know I got a few Game Overs the first time I played. Just play smart and you'll be fine.





Time to celebrate!




Celebrate by beating the shit out of each other.

What was that for!?
You have your eyes on that monster from the start, didn't you?
...
You knew Tellah had problems with it, and you wander to test your mettle on it for yourself.
Yeah, something like that.
...
What now?



Of course!
Maybe you should think a little more about how to use your magic.
...

Gotta agree with Palom here. I don't think spamming White Magic over and over would've won that fight. Then again, you're dead if you go pure offense.

That fight is actually a good demonstration on why the twins make an awesome team. Obviously Porom couldn't deal enough damage to destroy that thing on her own, while Palom would easily lose in a damage race. Combining their powers, and they were able to fortify their defenses while damaging the enemy. Together, they make one fucking awesome sage, which is pretty much the whole point of the twin storyline.

There's so much to this, and yet none of it is in the latter part of the Tale.

Well?
...Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So next time, we get another flashback, though this time with more pink hair. And maybe I'll eventually get back to finishing Edge's Damn Challenge Dungeon.