Part 70

Before we jump to the final sequence of Disc 3, a few minor things to finish up.



Stellazzio #11. Won't be getting #12 until Disc 4 sadly.



Another frog run, ending at 76. Something happens once you hit 99, so that's my goal.





False. That's Gargan Roo. Fossil Roo is the Outer Continent path.



True. Especially now since Alexandria Castle is rubble.



False. They symbolize good fortune but don't actually bring it. This is actually kind of a dick question but eh.




True. Apparently. Sure, why not.



This is kind of a point of no return. Sort of. We won't be back to Gaia until Disc 4, and once that happens some stuff will no longer be accessible (particularly weapons since some shops will change inventory or whatever). So be sure you do whatever you need to do before heading off!



It feels like the ship is getting sucked in!
Zidane! It might be dangerous to keep going!
Are we gonna bust in on the airship!?
All we know is that this is the entrance...
I heard the people of Esto Gaza call it the 'Spirit Road'...
The path that leads souls to Terra...
Maybe it's a teleportation gate, like the one in Kuja's hideout...



What now, Zidane? We may not be able to turn back!



Our last chance to back out.

Let's go!



What do you mean?
If Dagger is right, we can jump into the teleporter!
From this height!?



Yeah, it's not like you're all going to die horrible deaths if Dagger's guess is wrong or anything!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QNZUfG6H5w





And so the Hilda Garde enters the portal...





Well, this should be easier than we hoped.





And so everyone jumps down into the portal (assume Freya, Amarant, and Quina follow since the FMV doesn't bother showing them (Amarant and Quina haven't appeared in a single FMV yet by the way)).





And with that...







...we've arrived at Terra.

What's this light? Could it be...





The time has come at last... The one who folds time is here.



Ask my name, will you? Then let us ask... What is your name?



Hey, what's your problem!? I'm trying to tell you my name.
So you believe a given name has meaning...



What do you know? You must be from Terra.
You know nothing, and that is all.







Yep, that was Garland just now. We'll see what he's talking about soon enough.





Yes. Everyone's fine.





We don't have a chance to switch party members after this for a little bit, so choose wisely. Eiko needs levels, and the other two could use some time grinding AP as well.



As you've probably noticed, Terra is a weird-looking place.





And there's certainly life out here.



And crystal-clear lakes.



And fresh loot. This halves Shadow damage and teaches Jelly and Lancer.



There's enemies as well, of course. Ring Leaders like to inflict various status effects (including Virus), spam Osmose, and use Reflect on itself. Luckily, Steiner and Amarant can wreck shit like no one's business.







So yeah, we're gonna play "Chase that girl!" (which happens to be a favorite of Zidane's) for a bit.



Enjoy the weird architecture!









This screen has weird glowing spider webs to climb down.



Movers are another famous FF enemy, usually hanging out in end-game dungeons and being kinda gimmicky.





It still has its signature Delta Attack, which instantly kills a character. As you attack it, the dots slowly disappear. Two dots and it switches to Virus Combo. One dot and it's pretty much almost dead. It'll spam Firaga, but overall it's not too bad.



The final enemy around here are the Hecteyes, yet another FF staple enemy. It can inflict Sleep, absorb HP, and can use Roulette. It's also undead, with the usual baggage associated with that.







Follow me, and you will understand us.







Nothing left to do but move forward.



Women only. High Tide, Restore HP.

WEIRD BEEPING SOUNDS



It looks really artificial. So different than before.
Yeah... But it doesn't seem very lively.



!?
This is where you belong. The place to which you shall offer yourself...





More on this location in just a second.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hXYRzWLEAk







This grand-looking airship isn't any ordinary ship.





You may recognize that eye being from the Invincible.





And Dagger suddenly remembers where else she saw that eye, and immediately faints.



Dagger!







Just like a newborn child. You don't know why you were given life, or for what purpose you exist... You simply shout to emphasize your life...your own existence.







Yeah, you're right. There's gotta be some place around here...





Steiner and Dagger are out of commission, but it doesn't matter since we're not doing any combat for awhile anyway.





This is Bran Bal, a village of sorts.



Everyone has a tail...and their hair is just like mine!

In particular, it's a village of Zidanes.





...

These Zidanes are...a tad weirder...





'Why?' Don't you guys go to sleep at night? Not that I'm sleepy right now, but...
By night, do you mean the condition in which light recedes?
Look, I don't have time for an interview! Where can I find an inn!?



Right there, huh? Gotcha.





These guys are creepy. Let's talk to more of them.



But first I find a Flash Hat. It boosts Lightning and Holy attacks, and teaches Beast Killer and Eye 4 Eye. The latter, as I've mentioned before, is pretty useless but it's also the final passive Zidane needs to learn every ability in the game, so there we go.



We develop into vessels...



Okay, whatever... But hey, you have both men and women, right?
Asexual beings would lack the genetic diversity to adapt to new environments...



Let's ignore the inn and talk to more of these weird Zidanes.



I'll just list them all to save you a bunch of screenshots. For the record, the orange clothing represents women, the deep red men, and the purple children.

A planet's shimmer is its breath, a sign of life-activity caused by the cycling of souls.

When the souls of Terra and Gaia mix, Terra will be integrated into the larger Gaia.

As the planets turn...
Souls flow...

A planet's color indicates its shape... Gaia is blue, Terra red.

The flow of souls means that a planet has life... The stoppage of souls means that a planet is dead...

Fleeting knowledge is useless to vessels... But information is given to prevent mental atrophy.

I'm going to go into all this stuff next update when the story addresses it proper, but you're probably already able to piece together what's going on here.



Downstairs is...uh...



Oh OK.





Pretty much measuring each other, that sounds fun.





There's a shop to the right...



Pain resistance is also a part of adaptation to the environment.







Oh thank god, something normal to talk to.



In return for saving me, kupo, I opened a shop for you here!



A lot of new stuff that's for sale, though most of it we've seen already. The Defender's new though, the strongest "regular" sword (not a Knight Sword like the Ragnarok) that halves Lightning and Ice damage, gives a hefty +3 Spirit, and teaches the useless Thunder Slash. There's also the Adaman Hat, which nullifies Lightning damage and teaches Gamble Defense and HP +20%, and the Platina Armor that nullifies Ice damage and teaches Beast Killer.



Do you want to try Mognet? I need you to deliver mail!



And we're expanding Mognet to new regions!



Also, if we leave and come back, Stiltzkin appears.



The Diamond's very rare, and a cheap Elixir's never a bad buy (though I still haven't used any of the 50 or so I own yet).



Yeah, tell me about it.







We've explored what passes for a town here, let's advance the plot.



But...what's up with everyone here? They're all so...stiff.





-----





...



...
Hello!? I'm asking if you have any medicine!



Everyone has a tail like Zidane...



But is this my lucky day? No!



Found ya! You're that girl, right? It's your fault Dagger collapsed, you know... Oh, never mind. Say! Don't you have any medicine at all?
She will soon awaken.
How do you know?





Are you talking about Zidane!? Even I never called him that!



You don't have a chance with him.



Oh, the nerve! What makes you think I'd tell him that!?





Eiko's great.





Princess... Why must you suffer more...?



What is the matter, Zidane? You haven't been yourself at all.
What the heck do you mean, I haven't been myself...?
...
I'm sorry... I don't even know what's wrong with me.






Princess! You have awoken!
What made you lose consciousness so suddenly?
I remembered.
Remembered what?
It wasn't a storm that destroyed Madain Sari.



You remember, don't you? The eye was also there when Alexandria was leveled.
Yes, there was a large eye in the sky above from which light emanated.
Now that you mention it... It was there when Bahamut went wild at the Iifa Tree.
Yes... It was there in the sky. It must be the same airship.



Rusty!
Oh... I-I'm sorry, Princess!
Don't worry about it. I've already come to terms with that. That ship took everything from me...



How terrible...

We already knew all this, but the party's finally starting to piece things together for themselves.



Yes, I'm fine...
No, you're not! You're still pale! You gotta rest!



No need to be concerned. A strange place such as this is cause enough for exhaustion.
Oh...



That weird girl! The girl that led us here said something strange again!





Next time, the mother of all plot dumps.