Part 10: Shellfish, Ninjas and Airships

Update 10: Shellfish, Ninjas and Airships

Things Broken in this Update:
- Oyster shells
- Fundamental magicks
- Airships
- Any semblance of balance

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A quick recap: Cid is still recovering from the ambush in Graszton. Samuel wasnts to make some medicine for him, and Adelle suggested she make some for him using Pearl Moss.

It's now time for us to undertake the mission for the Pearl Moss.

---

But first, I want Lian (our new bangaa) to finish his last White Monk ability and become a full Bishop.


I mentioned earlier that we'll start seeing our competitors from the auctions on the map. (I did another auction to pick up some useful items for Lian and Tsing.)



: You were making such a racket during the auction, we couldn't concentrate! Well, auctions are for boys... and it's high time you fought like men! Quiet men!


We're presented with a choice. Taking the first option avoids combat and nets us 2 Water Stones, 30 AP and 58 CP. The Graszton Seaways representative thanks us and asks us to be mindful during the next auction.

But forget that, we're fighting.



: W-Women!? So you were talking to your women back then!?

: I know what that look means! You're wondering why we don't have any women with us! Grrr... You think you're quite a catch, don't you, fancy lad! Well my fist disagrees!

Normally I wouldn't transcribe minor dialogue like this, but I couldn't stop laughing.


Anyway, this is a simple 6v6 skirmish. The law is annoying, but we have plenty of ranged options in our clan.


Talf shows off his new Illusion, Star Cross.


Tsing climbs on a roof.


And nothing else of interest happened.


The fight was worth it for the extra rewards! ---


Let's unlock the mid-tier hume physical class, too.


Actually I'm showing it off because it's one of the first missions to feature traps.


Anyway, these are Fighters, if we show them how strong we are they'll teach us the job.


Awareness is one of the two reasons to take a Ranger. It reveals all traps on the map, permanently.


Those the blue Xs on some tiles are traps. Different colors represent different traps; blue means a spike trap that halves the victim's HP. Traps only activate when a unit ends their movement on one.


Like so. It also ends the unit's turn.

Awareness counts as "targeting all units," and some laws forbid that. Just something to keep in mind.


We use the traps to our advantage and clean up handily. I like using Fighters, and Samuel might be one once his Speed is acceptable.


Another nice, quick mission.

---


The "Wanted!" quest line is pretty fun. Each one is a bounty hunting mission, and they do a lot to build up the world of Ivalice.

Quick summary:






That's Red Spring, a Tinker ability that gives everyone Haste. If luck is in your favor, it's a very helpful job.





A pretty fun quest, overall. 6v4 is heavily in our favor though, and Haste sealed the deal.


Adelle is now a Ninja. She's dual-wielding the katana that teaches Dual Wield.


The Lizard Pope called and elevated Lian to the rank of Bishop.
He has a lot of good options for spells, like Holy and Break (which petrifies enemies), but he's going to start by learning Aero.

And now we're ready for the next story mission!

---


Diving for pearls actually rewards us with pearls. Cool! As Adelle warned us, poachers will be punished.



: Ack! Look at the size of that thing!


The Lord of the Flowsand, the meanest mollusk you'll ever meet.

: Pearls come from shellfish, you know. Hmm... I wonder how he'd taste baked?

: If you've gone completely crazy, let me know now while there's still time to run.

: In any case, the pearls... and the moss we need are down inside. Let's clean these out and get spelunking!


This law. Cripes. You've probably been using nu mou as a magickal powerhouse and/or healer, making this law very punishing. There's variants of this law for other races, but nu mou live and die by their magick. Without it, they're useless.

This law was the major reason I wanted to do recruiting last update. The more options we have, the better.


The plan: Samuel and Lenolia have healing spells for backup. Samuel, Adelle and Henri are going to charge in, while Lenolia and Lian support them with magick from afar. Tsing is going to grab a nice treasure chest in the far back corner of the room, and maybe use his bow.




The Lord of the Flowsand is accompanied by two Antlions. They're reinforcements, so defeating these two will just summon more. Ignore them.


The Lord himself is an ugly bucket of HP with some nasty abilities.


Gravity Flux targets every enemy and hits for pretty major damage.


Lenolia's Doublecasted Cure will help a lot, though she can't do it every turn.


We do some not-insignificant damage of our own. I recommend waiting to take this mission until you're around level 15. That gives you a nice cushion of HP, letting you tank a few hits while you whittle the boss down.


Dual Wield means Adelle does two swings for each basic attack. There's a reason it's the #1 hume P-Ability.


The Lord of the Flowsand is weak to wind damage, making Aero an excellent choice.


This is my favorite approach to this battle: Counter. Three or more melee units surround the boss, attacking him every turn.


When it uses Gravity Flux, every adjacent unit will counter attack! That's an extra 100+ damage if it dares attack us. (The camera makes it a little hard to see.)


Off in the corner, Tsing found this piece of treasure in the fancy chest. The Angel Ring grants Reraise to the wearer, giving them one chance to come back from death. It's an essential tool for Blue Mages that want to learn instant death abilities.


We've almost finished the boss, but it has another trick: Draw In, which drags a unit to the bottom of the pit and steals a chunk of HP.


But that's not enough to stop Adelle's double KO.


That wasn't too bad! Dispatching some side quests before attempting this mission is highly recommended. Low-level clans will find themselves pressured by the reinforcement Antlions and crushed by Gravity Flux.

---



: See those glowing bulbs deep inside? That's what we're going to make our tonic from. Go a little farther in, and there's a small pool. That's where the oysters are with our pearls! Good luck!

: Wait, you're not coming!?

: Of course not! It's dark and damp in there.

: You'd think I know better by now.

Samuel heads into the cavern.

: Yeeargh! My feet are sticking to the - Oh, wow... that stench!

: Let's see... glowing moss... glowing moss... Okay... That should be enough. Moss, check. Now for the oysters. Here, oysters...

: Yeeeeaaaargh! I just t-t-touched something! Eurgh, it was slimy! My hand's all gunked up!

: Do you have to squeal like that?

Samuel stumbles out.

: I'll fight monsters over that any day.



: Ooh! Thanks! You even took the shell off for me... so sweet!

: So this is a Zingu pearl. It's gorgeous. I've wanted one of these for a long time. Thanks... really.

: Um, yeah, sure.

: Oh, and Samuel? You reek. Try not to get too close, hmm? Let's get back to Cid's and make him that tonic!



: You know, I wasn't going to tell you this... but I found another pearl. It's twice as big.

: Really!?

: Ewwww! That's a b-ball of mud! What's the big - Hey! It's on my hand! Eeeeew! Stinky!

I like this scene. They're both still kids, you know? They just defeated the largest lobster in the world, but they can still goof off.

---


Back in Graszton.

: Urk... Bitter.

: Heh. The best medicine's like that.

: Aye, it certainly -tastes- good for me. Adelle made this, did she? I can see why she was able to go solo for so long.

: ... You think she has a family and stuff?

: Why do you want to know?

: It's just, she was all on her own as a headhunter for so long. Kinda makes you wonder why.

: Well, if yer wondering, you could always ask her.

: I'm not -that- interested. Just... I know I wouldn't be able to go it alone like that.

: Some stick together, others walk alone. Besides... Everyone has a history.

: What do you mean?

: Just that everyone has their own life to lead, their own way to lead it. Speaking of which, where does yours lead next?

: Hmm... Well, I was thinking of going someplace I haven't been yet. Maybe some famous spot... A landmark or something... Got any suggestions?

: The Rupie Mountains are close by, and the view's said to be spectacular.

: Pretty sunsets, that sort of thing?

: Something like that.

: Well, I'm there, then! I grew up in the city, so I'll take whatever scenery I can find. Maybe there's a quest I could dust off along the way. If the mountains are anything like the one's I've seen, they'll have their share of monsters.

: Oh, and if I see any good medicinal herbs up there, I'll be sure to pick some for you.

: Aye... no bitter ones, now.

: Heh. Will do!

---




Samuel is one ability away from Ninja! It's going to take a bit yet though.


Talf mastered his second Illusionist ability, and I switch him to Alchemist.


Our next story mission is a nice, peaceful one: be a tour guide. Sounds like a great way to see the mountains, if you ask me!


On our way over to the Rupie Mountains, we handle another Wayfarer Log mission.


Easy enough.

---


There's no music, just the rustle of the wind and the occasional hoot of an owl.



: ...Who's there?



: You. You travel with a judge?

: What's it to you?

: I want your judge. Give him to me. I'll pay you... one million gil.

: No way.

: You think the price unfair? Fine, two million.

: I don't care how much you're offering. I'm not giving you our judge! I mean, you can't just give someone your judge anyway! ... Can you?

: Hmm. You're not like the others... cowards clinging to a magister's boot.

: Huh?

I agree with Samuel on this one.

: Very well. I had hoped to resolve this peacefully, but since negotiation is clearly out of the question...




So much for our peaceful evening.


This is just a Headhunter mission. Should be pretty straightforward.



: I'll give you one last chance. Will you see reason?

: You can ask as many times as you like. My answer'll never change. Never!

: Then you are a fool.

Watch this in motion!


Hey wait that's our judge!



: What was that!? What did you just do?

: Your judge has been temporarily barred from battle. If you want to leave this mountain alive, surrender him to me.

: Gimme a break! You expect me to just leave?

: No, I expect you to die.

Oh, it's on now, buddy.


The enemy party is a little scary. The ringleader is a special Ninja variant called "Nightfall", plus he has a Ninja, Assassin, Sniper and Time Mage of his own.


However, this is still a Headhunt mission. He also made the mistake of moving closer to our starting position.


We'll punish him for that.


The enemy Ninja, who goes by the improbable name of Loshgoobi, has Dual Wield, making him especially dangerous.




Samuel and the Nightfall trade blows, but the battle is already over. Doublecast does over half his HP with two simple Thunders.


And Adelle finishes the job.


Of course, we don't get satisfaction just yet. Coward.


No Law Reward, obviously, but this technically didn't count as breaking the law.

---



: Huh? Looks like whoever that was dropped something. I wonder what it is? Some kind of jewel? Guess I'll bring it back and show it to Cid. What was that guy going on about anyway... wanting our judge?

: Judge... *gasp* The judge! I can't believe I forgot! I hope he's okay! Y-Your honor? You out there? Er...

: What am I doing? You need a law card to summon a judge. Okay, take a deep breath. Now, where'd I put that one Cid gave me...?


He busily searches his many, many pockets.


The Judge appears before Samuel finds his card.

: You're there! Boy is it good to see you! So... you're back in action.

The Judge nods.

: ... Well, no good sitting here worrying about it. Time to go back.



---

We immediately head back to Graszton.

: So what do you think it is?

: It's been worked too finely to be common ore... Yet it's no gemstone either. It could be magicite... but I don't know. You need to take this and have it appraised. Considering the suspicious character who dropped it... it could be something stolen, or something dangerous.

: Yeah, you're right.

: Moorabella. That's where you'll want to have it looked at. You've yet to ride an airship, yes? This might be the perfect opportunity. There's an aerodrome just outside Moorabella, see.

: An airship! Flying high... Looking down at the world going by... Could be cool!

: Aye, it's sometimes a bit chilly, but the view is... exhilarating!

: Er... right. So, I'll go get this rock looked at, then go for a ride!

: Oh, and it's good to see you're feeling better... I was worried.

---


On the way to Moorabella, we do another delivery.


You'll remember the Bangaa Brotherhood as the group that Madreth of the Nu Mou Nobles warned us about.


Their leader, Mocedad, is a cannoneer, one of the new bangaa jobs. He warns us about the Nu Mou Nobles.

What are those two seeq doing?


Apparently he likes Samuel, so he teaches us the Cannoneer job.


One more for the road.


Some side quests are just little bits of world-building and humor.


Well, it got a chuckle out of me, anyway.

---


We venture on to Moorabella.



: You're sorry!? I'm sorry I had to drink two glasses of limonberry tea on your tab while I waited. Furthermore, I'm sorry I didn't go ahead and order that honepia pie and blackmele tart I was eyeing.

: Glad I wasn't any later.

: So, what did the appraiser have to say?

: "I've never seen its like," or something like that. It'll take some time. I asked him to leave word at the pub when he knows.

: Hmm... Something to look forward to, then.

: Hey, don't go selling it on me! I don't care how much it's worth!

: Who? Me? I'd never do such a thing! ... Do you think it's worth something then? Er, I mean, what are your plans now?

: I'm going for an airship ride! Never been on one before. The aerodrome place is outside town, right? Let's go!


Oh hey, these three again.

: I've never heard of such a thing!

: They're saying they had some trouble with the engine, or maybe it was the propeller. The aerodrome's closed while they inspect the craft.

: I heard it was a prank! No one knows who did it, though.

: A prankster? Well, at least no sky pirates were involved. You've all heard the rumors, I'm guessing.

: Ah, yes, the ones come drifting in from the east. They're quite the professionals, I hear.

: Well, maybe they'll come here and get our airship working again!

: Out of order? That's a shame.

: And no one's caught the prankster who did it! Maybe there's a bill up in the pub already?

: I'm more curious about these drifting sky pirates...

: To the pub!

---


Let's find us a prankster! Or saboteur.


And there he is.

: Nyuh huh huh. Time to make some engine modifications... If I just link that over there to this, I can up propulsion by a factor of 13.7! Nya ha ha! Genius! Unexpurgated genius!

Except your modifications aren't working, genius.



: Eh? Who're you, kid? Get in my way and I promise you'll regret it.

: Oh, I'm scared now! I'm taking you in before you do another thing to this airship!



: Don't even think you're getting the treasure hidden on this ship!

: Treasure?


I screencapped this because of the sprite work. They managed to capture the interloper's nonchalance and Samuel's frustration with two small sprites.

: Huh!? Whatever! Look, this guy's my mark. Back off!

: And when I take him from you, he'll be mine.

: You can't just steal him!

: Oh? That is what we sky pirates do, you know.

: Sky pirates!?

: In the flesh. So, ready to surrender?

: Not a chance!



: What's more, you look like you're enjoying it! I can't stand it when people ignore me and enjoy it! Oooh, I'm mad. Mad, I say! I'll smash you both to bits, you brigands!

: Technically speaking, I'm the only brigand. He's a law-abiding clanner who's about to go home.

: That's my line! Uh, except the part about who's going home!


Three nu mou, a moogle and a seeq. Not really the fastest team, though the White Mage can be very disruptive.




The sky pirate is technically a Guest, so we only have room for Samuel and 4 more.


So let's talk about Rangers.

: I suppose it's time to catch our friend here... And find out where that treasure's hidden.

: What's all this about a treasure!? The guy's just some prankster. You do know that, don't you?

: Still playing dumb? Careful, you might get stuck that way.

: Thanks for the advice, genius, but it's -you- who's got this all wrong - not me!

Get a room, you two.


With the Ninja Tabi equipped, Tsing has a disgusting 6 Move. He's also the second fastest unit in the clan, slightly behind Adelle.


As I mentioned earlier, Awareness and traps are only one of the things Rangers are known for. The other is Mirror Items, which causes items to do the opposite of their usual effect.

For example, Eye Drops will inflict Blindness instead of curing it.


Healing items will do damage. This is an X-Potion, it heals 200 HP.


The second half of the Mirror Items combo is Item Lore, the Ranger P-Ability that doubles the effects of items.


And thus the game is broken even more. I think Samuel says it best:





---



: Well, what happens next?

: Next? Next I -



: Vaan, what are you doing out here?

: Isn't it obvious? I'm after the treasure! Where have you been this whole time, Penelo? I was starting to worry.

: I knew it! How could you mess this up!?

: Uh... Huh?

Vaan and Samuel are two peas in a pod.

: I said meet up at Dock One! This is Dock Two!

: Well, yeah, but what about this mechanic!? I bet he knows about the treasure!

: He's not a mechanic! He's just some airship prankster! The news was all over the pub!

: I tried to tell him.

: You came here after the prankster? Wait, Vaan didn't do anything to you, did he?

: Hey! What do I look like? I didn't lay a finger on you, did I?

: No, but you tried to steal my mark!

: Yeah, but I didn't in the end, right? I'm glad we got that all cleared up. Guess it's about time we were moving on...



: Oh hey, Penelo. Remember those rumors about treasure in Tramdine Fens? I've decided not to go for it. Not enough of a challenge, really.

Vaan walks away.

: You could have just told him... *sigh*

: Huh?

: It looks like Vaan was a little more upset about all this than he let on. I think he's trying to make it up to you. He's giving you first crack at that treasure in the fens. Go take a look if you're interested.

: Um, okay. Guess I'm off on a treasure hunt then.

: The fens are just across the sea by airship. Good luck!


Penelo leaves.

: Sky pirates, huh?

: Merph.

: Ack, I totally forgot about this guy. Better turn him in before he wakes up. Hopefully, this will get the aerodrome up and running again. Open skies, here I come!


We've filled the first half of the journal!



---

Thanks for reading! This update was a little long, but this was a better stopping point than between any of the missions would have been.

The mysterious ninja marks the beginning of the meat of the game's plot. We'll be seeing him and his associates soon enough.

And, of course, we'll be seeing more of Vaan and Penelo, who are fresh off their appearance in FFXII. It's another Ivalice Alliance game, and canonically FFTA2 occurs shortly after the end of that game.

I hope you enjoyed the proper debuts of our two new recruits. I'm looking forward to what else the Bishop Lian has to give us. And now you all know just how utterly broken the Ranger is.

See you all next time, when we fly the Ivalice skies!

---

Shop update! The Bazaar granted us a lot of really nice items today.


Two useful items. Henri used the Icebrand for most of this update.


More Gladiator swords! More White Mage spells!!


The last of the mid-tier elemental rods, and the bow that unlocks the Ranger's game-breaking ability! This is why we did the "For My Love" mission, by the way. It's one of the few game-breaking items that isn't available from the auction house, but its components are all available from side quests at this point.