Part 7: Little Big Men (Part 1)
Sylph! What the heck happened?!
I was going over her schedule with her, and...quote:
Meh, it'll be fine. I'll just have chicken noodle soup or something. Ah... AH... CHOO
*plink*
*thud*
She sneezed magi? That can't be good.
Ashura said he sent men into her body. Some junk about micronization. Of course! It makes sense now!
The giants perfected the technology so they could visit normal-sized people, but they abandoned their world a long time ago.
Why? They couldn't find pants that fit. But that's not important right now! If we don't do something, Ki will die and Ashura will take her magi! More like he won't, since we already killed him. Wow. Really? Yup. Stone dead.
Which makes this even more tragic. Ki's going to end up as collateral damage in a war that's already over. We can't let that happen! Wow, where did that come from? I mean, it's totally cool, but... Ki freed me from a lifetime of brainwashing. I owe her. And I'm going to save her. We all are!
Yarr. Ye'll be wantin' the lay of the land, then. Ki be sick on account of the invaders. Her immune system's moving like it had the wind o' the gods in its sails. It be rejectin' the magi what lay in her body as a consequence, and the magi be tryin' to get out. How do you even know that? I not be spendin' eight years in Pirate Medical School to be called "Mister," lass. What should we do? You'll be needin' to remove both the invaders and the magi. That's me professional recommendation. Thanks, Dr. Captain! Find the giants, and you'll find the micronizer. And, take this. I'm sure Ki would want you to have it.
Gross. Seriously, it's still wet. Can we get some hand sanitizer or something?
If we're going to a new world, we'll probably need new gear. Whatever Ashura's got left over will be a big help. Kind of ironic when you think about it. We're saving Ki with the very weapons Ashura created. Oh, great. She finally stops being a creepazoid, and it turns out she's a nerd. Hey! Hmm. We only have enough money for one weapon. I think Roy should have it. I dunno, Zero... No, he's right. You've got great defense, but you need, like, an offense too. Once you have both, you'll be unstoppable! Alright, you talked me into it. Let's see what they have!
Hiya! We need to travel to Giant World. Do you have anything big that goes boom?
Do I?!
Woah. So how's this thing work? Point it at a bad guy and hold down the trigger. You'll figure out the rest on your own. 'Kay. Hey, don't you think it's weird it just plugs right into my arm? One thousand... two thousand... wha? Nope, that thing you said is totally normal. Three thousand...I won't say much about this... yet... except that we can afford third tier gear now. The 2400 gold tier (Colt, Axe, Psi Knife, etc.) is now available to us as common gear, and we can splurge on the occasional 6800 gold item (Battle Sword, Katana, spellbooks, etc.) for when we need extra punch. Here, I've purchased something near and dear to my heart. We won't see it in action yet, but don't you worry. We're going to. Repeatedly.
Magi power at acceptable levels. Welcome to Giant World. Thanks, talking door! You're welcome. 
Neat little place! I see what you did there.
Maybe those guys know where we can find some giants.
Welp, guess we're done here. Zero! Okay, okay. Let's try someone else. Hey you! Where the giants at?
Wow, you guys are behind the times. The giants left ages ago. They wanted to be like us humans—carefree, living in the hidden spaces, buying pants wherever they wanted. So...
...no one's living there anymore. Just up and abandoned it when they all decided to micronize. Let's hope they were in a hurry and left some micronizers behind.
Holy crap! This store is huge! No duh. I mean, look at the sign.
Seems kind of suspicious, though. Maybe that guy over there knows something. Which guy?
Tee hee! Hello! Eee! It's a giant flower!
...the giant goods? Seriously you are adorable. I'm going to save my princess from the evil Ghulibas! Awwwwwww 
Then we'll throw off these false forms and sing the song of unmaking in perfect harmony! Wait what? Puppies and butterflies! Awwwwwwwwwwww
Greetings! Welcome to G-Mart! Nice place you got here! What do you have for sale? Oh, lots of things! Clearly you're here for quality gear, so take a look.
Funky butt-loving Did he just say "funky butt-loving?!"Shock of shocks: giant gear is top-notch but super duper expensive. It is way beyond our means right now, and we'd have to grind like the dickens just to afford a single piece. We do note the location and will come back later. That's one neat thing about FFL2: It encourages you to backtrack and/or keep notes on who has what available. Not every shop is going to have the goods you need, and since the Nexus doesn't have any monsters, there's (mostly) no hassle in revisiting old worlds. This is made even easier by certain items and/or powers later on—but by then, you're already subsisting on special gear, so ehn.
However, there is one item of interest here...
I guess we can't afford anything. Sorry to bother y— Oh. My. God. Look at those platform heels! They're perfect! Heather, we don't have enough gold. I'm afraid she's right, young lady. Bummer. Hey, why don't we trade? Do you have anyone you need killed? I'll totally handle that for you! You know what? They're 90% off for the floor model only. Please take them and don't come back. Works for me!
Besides being a cute strappy number that matches Heather's outfit perfectly, the Geta shoes also increase strength. All giant gear increases strength, actually. Toss it all on one character with power magi equipped, and they will become a juggernaut of heavy bladed weapons. (Just gotta keep that Agility stat up so they can still connect!) In addition, shoes count as an entirely separate piece of armor. A fully armored character can have a helmet, armor, gauntlets, and shoes. Oh, and a shield, I guess. I have to admit, I'm really warming up to shields in FFL2. They have a near 100% block rate against some fairly powerful abilities like Dissolve and Horn. That alone makes them way less crappy than FFL1. Of course, this invalidates my guarantee from the first chapter, which means I'm now obligated to refund your money.
It's worth nothing that a fully powered mutant can't wear a full set of armor without relying solely on his/her abilities in combat. This is problematic, as you usually want your mutant to have a weapon, spell, and some decent armor to protect them. You can probably get away with not having a spellbook if their abilities are set up right, but you'll eventually want spells that do something other than blow stuff up. Maybe not a lot of them, but there are a handful that make life way easier.
Well crud. Now what? Coffee? Always!
What's the special today? Our current dark roast is a blend of harvests from Giant Town! Wow. Isn't that hard to keep in stock? I'll be honest with you, it's just one big bean we chisel pieces off of. Let's do a grande of that with light half-and-half and a dollop of sunscreen. Soy or regular? Hey, who's that guy in the corner? That's Johnny. Word around town is, if you're looking for giants, he's the one to talk to. O rly!
Hi! We were wondering if— I'M NOT A GIANT We didn't say you were! We just wanted to know if— I AM A PERFECTLY NORMAL SIZED HUMAN BEING AND NOT GIGANTIC IN ANY WAY Okay, well. I can tell this conversation is going places.
We need to get the guy from G-Mart to spill the beans on his supplier. Let me sharpen my axe. You guys should start working on your alibis. Let's try doing this without murder, Heather. Psh. Whatever. Hey, why don't we just sneak in through the back door? We can poke around while he's busy and see if there's any clues. Was that an actual good idea? Did you just have one of those? Dunno! It's hard to recognize them sometimes.
Ugh, again with the hats. Man, everybody on the planet must have that exact same fedora. We've seen two people wearing it so far, and neither of them was dad. One person who wasn't your dad. One. ?! Oh, never mind. 
Anyway, we might as well be polite this time. Excuse me, sir! Can we pass through here?
Oh, sure thing! I didn't hear you coming, or I would've moved. !
(Listen to this right now!)
What? Roy? Yeah, it's me! We came to find you! Son, it's been ages! It's so good to see you again. And look how much you've grown! *hug* How's your mother? She's fine! You can see for yourself we when go home together, dad! ... Mr. Butte?
What? Why? The magi? I'm afraid so. We have to make sure they're safe. But we beat Ashura! They are safe! You did?! Argh. Can we please stop pretending you weren't there? Er. I wasn't. Wow. Really? We're really doing this? I promise you, I've been trying to track down the magi in this world for a few weeks now. I haven't had time to leave. You can ask anyone, they've seen me around! But if you're not Mask... then who...quote:
Welcome back, Number 13. They don't suspect anything, do they?
Not a thing. One of them mistook me for Roy's father, but I think it'll help us in the long run.
No need for thanks, Number Two...
It's all in a day's work.
I... but you... but... 
At any rate, there are others out there like Ashura, willing to abuse magi and become false gods. We have to keep it out of their hands. No kidding. We only have two or three, and it's already like we have superpowers. I can't imagine what somebody stuffed full of them could do. You're collecting magi, too?! Then take this!
Wow! Thanks, Mr. Butte! It's no problem at all, Zero. I know it'll be safe with all of you. Wow, look at you four... Ten years ago, I wouldn't have guessed you kids could've made it this far.
No, you're right, son. But still... you'll always be my boy. 
Keep doin' what you're doin', kiddos. We need heroes like you to keep these things safe. Thanks, Mr. Butte! Dad... you'll come home one day. Promise? Once everyone's safe, I'll run back to you and your mother as fast as I can. I miss you guys so much. We miss you too, dad. Just stay safe out there. You too, son. I love you.
*sniffle* You okay, Roy? Y-yeah. I'm fine. Do you need a moment or something? No, I'm fine. Honest. Let's find that micronizer and save Ki!
Employees Only Didn't stop us before, won't stop us now.
Okay, let's toss the place. Also, try to clean up after you're done. Oh, right! Leave no evidence. I was thinking more along the lines of, "Sorry we broke in and ruined your bedroom." Doesn't look like there's anything on the shelves. Nothing around the bed, either. We'll have to check the storeroom, then.
Oh crap He didn't see us, did he? No, I think we're still good. We need to find out where he's getting the giant gear! I have a plan, you guys. It's a long shot, but it just might work. Go for it. We'll cover you.
Hi! Where are you getting your giant gear?
Great plan, Zero. Just... just strong stuff all around. I'm not mad at him for doing it so much as us for letting him. You could've just asked me the first time you were in here! I get my stuff from Giant Town. Well, yeah, but...
...me how. The guy at the coffee shop? The one who isn't a giant? That'd be him. Look, don't tell anybody where my supplier is. Johnny wants to keep it on the down-low, and besides, I'd be put out of business. Oh, sure. We can keep your secrets safe. Thanks! For the right price. Heather!
A 20% off coupon for Pants Shack?! This must be my lucky day! Hey, Johnny Not-a-Giant! We have some questions for you! Do they involve my possible giant-ness? Nah. Well, maybe, in a roundabout way. I hear you're G-Mart's chief supplier.
*sigh* Alright, alright. I know the way into Giant Town. Uh, you take the stairs? You could all stand on each other's shoulders and wouldn't be able to climb a single one of them. No, go to the north stairs and look for a section of rock darker than the others. It's a fake wall. You can push it aside and go through the old micronization tunnels. Great! Thanks! Hey...
(Note that you can answer yes or no here. That fact alone is kind of hilarious.)
Nope! What, seriously? He's been really nice to us, Heather. Just humor him. Hey, great! Just for that, I'll give you another clue.
...old pharmacy. There might still be something useful in there. Not that I'd know either way, what with being a normal-sized guy and all. Look, I may have been wrong about Mask, but you're totally an ex-giant.
Seems legit!
Alright, let's get that micronizer. Ki's counting on us!Next Time: The Thrilling Finale of Little Big Men!*
* may or may not be thrilling