Part 15: Save the World

Mt. Goht is the lead in to the final battle, although there's not all that much to say about the mountain. It's very much got the same terrain as the mountain Maitreya was on, without even treasure to liven it up. Near the top we'll be able to see a lake surrounding our goal.



The first stop is this pool, which is a bit confusing if you're used to using these as healing springs. You might well miss it if you're doing fairly well. Once we step on it, a sequence starts...



Wait!



Watch out! Come this way!



The Talon bombs the holy hell out of the spot we were just standing in. What the hell ship?



Yeah, it's a new ship. I didn't want to tell you this, but your...



Well, that certainly beats "Luke, I am your father."



I don't know how Chrono pronounces an exclamation point, but if any situation ever called for it I think finding out that your father's disembodied brain is the control system for your time traveling space fighter is a pretty good reason.

We're all risking our lives for the Future, let's go!



After Borgin abruptly shuts down the conversation we find our way around to the entrance to Xagor's castle. It's certainly not a very welcoming place, but I kind of miss the giant scale of some of the buildings in Final Fantasy Legend II.



The inside is more than a bit disturbing. It's got a kind of oozing vibe to it that's disquieting. The first floor is pretty much a walkway around a circular pit with a number of stairways leading up.



This switch is the key to the falling through holes puzzle that Borgin mentioned earlier.



The place we need to go is down the upper right corner of the 2x2 hole in front of us, but first, we loot.



A pair of ribbons are located in the same room as the exit, providing some additional resistances to a few of our characters. There's another one yet to come, meaning that the game is kind enough to give us a ribbon for every permanent party member.



This treasure chest looks like a fine "screw you" to the player, but by pressing the switch and coming up one of the other stairs allows us to get a light crystal. We've used up most of our dark crystals, however, and to hell with leaving this place to use it.



There's an elixir off to the side if you're really hurting for it, but it's barely worth it to get into fights in here.



The game will let you climb all the way to the top floor without finding the solution to the hole puzzle, but it's just there to taunt you.



The actual path up to the final confrontation is through this whirl gate.



I'm not sure what the black electricity is supposed to be there for, as it doesn't seem to do much. I walked through it multiple times and barely noticed any decrease in HP.



The Removed cyborg type, which Frog and Marle are going to be in for the last couple battles, can be encountered in here.



The final ribbon is located on this floor. Accessories for everyone!



The dungeon is nice enough to have an exit provided, which you'd probably kick yourself for walking through at this point.



I'll be honest, I actually ran into this guy completely by accident. He's actually pretty well camouflaged and if you're in a hurry it's easy to sneak up to him.

Xagor? You fools, Xagor is the very ocean you see everyday! Only a part of him is here.

That's right, Xagor is kind of

What?!


Sol at the top floor by now.

Xagor will have Sol's powers! You fools are finished!



Boss Fight: Ballor

This is definitely one of the hardest boss fights in the game. Ballor gets a free turn, and he likes to use it casting Nuke for about 500-600 damage. He's almost certain to kill someone the next round before you can be completely healed, and bad luck could mean a wipe at that point. He's got single target attacks that can do about the same amount of damage, and can use the Magma spell as well. The best weapons are, as usual, the Mystic Swords for this fight. However, you'll need to keep a couple of people as dedicated healers and might have to do some scrambling after the initial onslaught. He's strong against everything, and has about 34,000 HP for you to run through. Needless to say, the extra HP and MP that the beast and cyborg forms provide are very handy.


you're already too late....



Evidently the bit about it being too late went right over their heads. Either that, or they're too to care.




Since I ran into Ballor by accident I didn't get a chance to do a status check. Chrono's maxed out on nearly everything except defense at this point. Frog has become a Removed for variety's sake, especially since most magic is fairly useless in the upcoming battle. He's also using Durend, although I have other plans. Lucca is still our lowest level party member and has the worst stats, but that's okay as she's mostly going to be a heal battery for this fight. Marle is far and away the strongest of our party members, with max scores in every stat and the highest HP total we've got.



No, I'm the other white-bearded god analogue who lives in a palace on top of Mt. Goht. Yes, I'm Sol.


Do it now!

But you...

You must hurry. I won't be able to hold him for long.

... Okay. Now!

It's nice to see a deity in one of these games who's actually trying to do something for people rather than being a sneaky evil bastard. Chrono sure didn't put up much of an argument about the whole thing, though.



The fight with Sol is at first fairly non-threatening. He doesn't attack, so you're free to buff yourself up all you like. I've seen figures for his HP, but I kind of suspect that he'll change no matter what you do.



While you're fighting him he gives you encouragement to stab him harder.



There's actually a rather neat merging animation after a few rounds when the fight moves over to Xagor.


is gone I will rule this world!

Xagor is where things really start to get tough. He's got Flare to do about 600-700 damage to everyone, LitX, and Magma. In addition to all of this, he's got a single target attack called Dark Force that only Borgin, Marle, and Chrono have a chance of surviving. It's pretty brutal, and you're going to be using a life spell every turn or two.



For the early part of this fight, using Nukes against Xagor is a viable strategy for our weaker members. Frog does almost 2,000 damage with each Nuke he throws, compared to about 1000 for using Durend. Within a round or two, however, Xagor puts up a barrier that reduces damage from everything except the mystic swords to the point that Nukes are less effective than just hitting him.



Shortly after Xagor takes over the Talon joins the fight and attacks at the end of every round with E-Ray. It's not much, but I'll take the extra 500 or so damage.



Once you've pounded him enough these mouth-like wounds open on his body. At this point Xagor loses the resistance from his barrier meaning that we can go back to Nuking the hell out of him.



Xagor has about 50,000 HP, which means you're going to need to outlast him. Eventually with one final volley from the Talon he bites it. Unfortunately he used DkForce to one-shot Lucca before he went out.



Strangely enough, Xagor actually gives XP. That's very unusual for a final boss, but it just wouldn't be the same if Lucca wasn't ending up dead and behind a level after a tough boss.



Chrono...

Who?!


I will soon fade, but I shall stop the Entity with my last breath. Hurry back to your own world through the hole in the ocean.


needed. Thanks to you people, I can go soundly to sleep. Go!


... OK, let's go!



At this point we go on autopilot and shoot through the hole. I think if you were to try and fly into this before time you'd end up spinning in a circle and going back out.



Yeah. Hey, look up!



We get a nice shot at this point of the Water Entity disappearing, taking the Talon with it.



That was close.

Monsters can't appear now.


what a cost!



With no Talon, we're reduced to using Float for movement.



Well....

Doctor! You can restore them with just a tissue cell, can't you?

Of course.


from Dion and Jupiah.

Wait, when in the hell did you get that?

Well, I scraped Dion off the walls in Agron's cave. I've had Jupiah for a while, since I kind of expected that this might happen.


pleasurable?


er with the bomb this time. I said stop it!

OK, stay put.



Back to Present.

Really....

We'll meet again.



Sure, he's in the back room.

Thanks!


knowing who saved our world?

I'm Chrono.


name my son that.

Please do!

How will you get back?

I'll need to ask you for a favor.

What is it?


can do it.

Maybe I can!

Going back?



Thanks. Even if he is a flake who never manages to actually finish anything he starts.

See you!


time-machine is done?


soon! I'll stay with Myron instead.

Ok. I'm proud of what you've become.


we must be going now.

Before we continue a few ruminations... first off, we haven't met Chrono's mother or anything. Who is she, and where is she hiding? Secondly, something strikes me about the time travel in this one. Removing the Water Entity hasn't fixed the world, it's simply cut off the flow of water and monsters. The future is still a flooded wasteland, so things could still go badly. That said, it's possible that Borgin still has to bring the three children back in this time line, in order to create a stable time loop. Chrono and his friends will be returning to the present but since time does pass while you're in other eras, there's no actual chance of them meeting themselves or any confusion like that. It's certainly kind of weird to think about things like that, since this suggests that Chrono and pals are going to be sitting on their hands for the next 15 years or so knowing that they've already got matters taken care of.



Sure, I knew you would come. I want to show you something. Come.


It's harder than No. 1, want to try?



Roll credits!



The staff section begins with a parade of monsters that changes every few names.



Near the end is a special thanks to a few people with Western Names, and I'm willing to bet that the Ted being thanked is the translator.