Part 99: Mozart's #7 Dance Tune
Can I get through World 1 before I get hit with more technical issues? Let's find out!Mozart's #7 Dance Tune
So we've tracked the King of Tycoon to a ruined town.
Time to investigate.
: It's probably haunted.
: Yeah, in my experience, everywhere that people USED to live generally is.
: How's that explain the Ship Graveyard, though?: With how long sailors spend on their ships, couldn't you say they live on them?
: I never thought of it that way...
Going to the base of a nearby staircase prompts the King of Tycoon to slip out from behind a pillar.
Okay, THIS time I won't even get on your case for insisting he's alive, all considered.
: We should follow him.: Better be sneaky about it, though, just in case we're right about him being possessed.
: Is he trying to lead us somewhere?: Probably a trap.
: Just missed him!: I think he's mocking us.
: I think we've got him this time...: Depends on what he's got waiting for us up there.
: Wasn't expecting the path to loop...: Behind us!
: Finally caught up with him...
: Wait, what?: 
: 
: CAAAALLLLED IIIIIT!!!: NOT AGAAAAIN!!!
: Owwww...: How are we still alive after a fall like that...?
So it turns out Lenna was right after all. They don't have much in common, though, so it's a little hard to tell.
: That's nice, but can we save the heartwarming family reunion for later? Like, when we're in a town somewhere, instead of a ruin who-knows-how-deep underground with Galuf missing?: Now that you mention it, where is he?
: Not like we'll find out standing around here. Let's go look for him. Or an exit- that'll be nice, too.
: Oh, hello. Wasn't expecting you to pop out of a hole, but that works.: You were about to ditch me, weren't you!: Nah, I'm not that kinda guy. Even if I found an exit I woulda gone back for you before using it.: Well, if nothing else we've got everyone together while we try to figure out how to get outta here.: Progress!
So. More ruins. This is probably gonna hurt.
: The heck is this supposeta be, anyway- some sort of rabbit?: Probably a chocobo or something. The ancients tended to stylize their art.
: The hell?
I didn't manage to catch it, but the screen flashed a couple times before this.
: I hear humming...
: Oh, it's a teleporter.: UWAAAAH!!!: I HATE TELEPORTIIING!!!: 
: Doesn't look any different from where we just were...: 
: This room's about to collapse!
So much for "ancient machinery always works forever, no repairs needed."
: I'm just gonna lie here until I calm down, and there's nothing short of another collapse that'll make me get up...
Meanwhile, above ground, Cid and Mid are riding the Black Chocobo.
: How do you steer this thing?!
: Why'd you have to jump on, Grandpa? Mozart didn't say we could RIDE it!: I just wanted to see what it was like!
: Okay, feeling better... wait, why do I feel like punching Cid?
: One thing's for sure: Wherever we are now, it was made by the same people who made the other place. Also: I still have no idea what these're for.
: Huh. Bedroom.I don't use it, since (for some reason) I haven't seen a single random encounter since I fell into the ruins. ARE there any random encounters down here?
: What's this do?: Please don't tempt fate, Galuf...
: Huh. Opened up a treasure room. How 'bout that.Inside are two Shuriken and the Mini spell- nothing interesting to me.
: Door won't budge... but if that other room's any indication, this should be the opening mechanism...
: ...and another th-AAAAAGH!: WHERE'D THE GROUND GOOOOO?!
: I say, wherever did those two scholarly chaps go? And why is there suddenly a yawning chasm in the floor of my abode? ...Ah, well, suppose it's time for a spot of tea while I wait for an explanation!
Save points in dungeons are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, hey, save point; on the other, something disastrous is probably about to happen.
Yes, you can still go back in to fight stuff, should you be so inclined.
: ...wait, is that another ship over there? What is this, some sort of underground dock?
: Hmm... Odd craftsmanship. Remarkably well-preserved, though.
Cid and Mid choose that moment to fall onto the ship.
: Okay, so how'd you two get down here, and where is here?: We fell down a hole after that Black Chocobo carried us away, and we're underneath Crescent Island. Your turn- how'd you get here?: We fell down a hole in the Town of Ruin and landed in some sort of teleporter. This end broke, though. So what is this ship, anyway?
All throughout this conversation, Cid's wandering around looking the ship over, and by the end disappears below decks.
: Down there, maybe?: Let's go check.
Cid's being remarkably short-tempered down here. He obviously doesn't like distractions.
: What the- we're flying?! What the hell kind of ship is this?!
: The Ancients were weirdos. I mean, why not make your flying machine a bit more secure, like, say, a roof... glass windows so you can see... that sorta thing.: What, like a flying house? 
: Something more aerodynamic than that, but you've got the idea. Basically, design something completely different instead of making something fly when it has no business in the air.
: Guess we'd better repel boarders, or whatever.: That's the right term.
It's Karl's big brother! Fortunately, this time we're better equipped to deal with him... in theory, at least- I forgot to adjust my abilities before the fight. Hopefully Dance cooperates.
There we go. Too bad they kept Mystery Waltzing until Galuf got Tailscrewed. (And no, I have no idea what this guy has MP for.)
That was anticlimactic- it only took a few Sword Dances and one of his own attacks to kill him; these idiots were too busy spamming Mystery Waltz to do anything USEFUL, like Jitterbug to fix that Tailscrew. He drops uselessness.
Boss Deaths: 0
Total Boss Deaths: 5
Other Deaths: 1
After the battle, Cid docks the airship for an inspection.
And to strip our old ship for parts to completely restore it.
And liftoff! The airship is, no surprise, the best method of transport in the game- it can cross ANYTHING, but it can only land on flat, stable terrain. On the downside, it moves REALLY fast- uncontrollably so, so you may overshoot your target point by about 20 spaces just because you don't have time to realize you're there. You can also land it in water, where it will temporarily turn into a normal ship.
Going near the Town of Ruin causes an earthquake and severe turbulence.
The reason being that the town's uprooting itself.
: Once again: The Ancients were weirdos. Cities belong on the GROUND.: Wait, it just passed us!
: CIIIID!
: Yeah, I kinda figured that part out already. Question is, how do we get UP there? Even the airship can't fly that high!
: Uhhh, so is that some sort of theoretical upgrade thingy, or did you make that up yourself?: You wouldn't understand either way, so I won't bother explaining.: ...True...
: How do you even know what raw adamantite looks like?: And is it pure enough for our needs?: It's worth a look anyway.: Might as well- not like we're getting up there any faster just talking here. Now then, you two! Off the airship!
: A lot has happened since the last time we were here, right, Mozart?: Yeah. Pretty much none of it good.: C'mon, you met us, right?: That's pretty much the only good thing that happened.
: What, the doorknob?: Close enough, yeah.
: Huh. Teleporter.: Let's stay away from it- I hate teleporting.: I still don't see the problem, but it's not like there's anywhere worth teleporting to right now anyway.Note: Stepping on it doesn't actually do anything.
: Found a funky-colored rock sticking out of the wall. Is this it?: Yup.
: Right, we got what we came for, now it's time to go before...
: God dammit.Adamantoise is another "un-cheesable" boss: He uses nothing but physical attacks, hits REALLY hard, and sometimes attacks twice per turn. I'll let you know how many of my Elixirs I used after the fight.
I used 7 Elixirs and a Phoenix Down in that. Hooray for gratuitous bosses! (/sarcasm)
Boss Deaths: 0
Total Boss Deaths: 5
Other Deaths: 1
: Blah blah blah adamantite, blah blah blah remodel, blah blah blah...: Mozart, are you listening?!: Nope.
Wait, is THIS how they got the Fire Ship working in one day- by self-replication?!
: I HATE those dreams... Like dreaming of getting up and getting ready for a performance only to wake up and realize you haven't even gotten out of bed yet...
: WHAT THE F-*censored*
: This will never be relevant again, though, since it'll only take you to the floating city, and that sort of thing'll never show up again.: (Grandpa, don't break the fourth wall!): (Too late. Sorry.): Can we go now?
: Typical... There's always a catch.
: ...I can't read this.: Basically, there're really big cannons that'll try to blast you to dust attached to the hull.: Great... Why can't we ever do something without massive complications just in getting there?: I, for one, don't feel ready for this.: Come on, what's the worst that can happen?: You might get lit on fire while getting blown up and shot with massive beams of energy, all the while bleeding to death from losing an arm or something.: How'd you know the turrets were missile launchers, flamethrowers, and a beam cannon?: I didn't. I was giving an example of what might happen. And let's not forget that all that's just getting IN- who KNOWS what's waiting for us INSIDE.: I'm scared now...: You'd better be.
: Okay, turns out those flamethrowers kinda hurt! Who knew?: Me.: Me too.: It actually went better than I expected, but I don't think we're ready for this...: What, were you expecting everything at once?: Kind of...
Since pretty much every account I've seen indicates that the Flame Throwers are the weakest form of turret, I decide to go back to the Ship Graveyard to replace the Elixirs I used fighting Adamantoise... and ended up proving just how ridiculous my drops tend to be here- I mean, what're the chances of THIS happening?
After getting back to 35 Elixirs, I fly back to Karnak to get some money (since Wild Nakks are still the best source of money I have available, relative to the risk involved in fighting them). I want more rings before World 2, though I'm not sure on how many or which ones yet.
Incidentally, if I could actually sell Elixirs for worthwhile amounts I'd probably farm some of them to fund my ring expenditures. It's tempting to do my money grinding in the Ship Graveyard anyway because Elixirs, but I'm trying to restrain myself from trivializing battles through Elixir spam (plus, I want money NOW, not "eventually").
After getting two more Angel Rings I decide to grind up to 26 to counteract the fact that I hit 24 midway (again avoiding the dreaded Multiple Of 5 levels)- 24 is a very bad level for Dancers, due to knives' annoying quirk of their Agility multiplier being binary: They are possibly the only type of weapon in the game where increasing your level can leave you doing LESS damage (Disclaimer: I don't know what weapons use the same algorithm as knives; I'd expect ninja knives to do so, though).
I spend the money I earned while levelling on a couple Coral Rings, then head off back to the floaty place.
Destroying all the minor turrets prompts the deployment of the main gun... but I've got something to do before I go fight it.
: Those missile launchers weren't fun either.: Aren't you glad that we stopped to prepare ourselves before fighting them?: Don't celebrate yet- we still gotta deal with the big one.: Let's see, that was the beam cannon, right?: Don't worry. I have an idea...
For this next battle, I'll be turning Mozart back into a Bard so he can use Sing without sacrificing Hide; everyone else will remain as Dancers for damage output.
: This is a terrible idea, and you should be ashamed of yourself for considering it.
: You never know- it might actually work.
The Soul Cannon looks pretty scary, and, to be fair, it IS scary for most runs. All its attacks are based on the target's HP: The Launchers halve your current HP, while the Soul Cannon itself spends most of its turns charging up Wave Cannon, which deals half your max HP and inflicts Sap.
That said, it'll be significantly less scary for my team due to my ability setup.
Here's why I brought a Bard: The Launchers are vulnerable to Stop... which Romeo's Ballad inflicts. Assuming this works, this will completely take them both out of the fight.
And, of course, Hide completely neutralizes Wave Cannon, so it can't actually finish me off.
: TARGETS LOST. OVERLOAD IMMINENT; DISCHARGING STORED ENERGY.
This is the end of the next cycle.
: ...GOD DAMMIT.Unfortunately, Stop never seems to work (though this may just be the Heavy protections rearing their ugly heads again); however, I quickly kill both Launchers, so whatever. A bit of experimenting reveals that only Faris, due to borrowing Mozart's Ribbon, is fast enough to come out, hit the Soul Cannon ONCE, and hide again without getting Wave Cannoned, and that only when I enter the Reveal command while it says it's firing... This is gonna take a while.
Dead gun. Too bad my plan didn't work as well as I expected. The Launchers drop Hi-Potions, and the Soul Cannon itself drops Chemist stuff.
: YOU GUYS ARE ASSHOLES.: What do you expect us to do around a giant frickin' cannon- charge like a bunch of idiots?Boss Deaths: 0
Total Boss Deaths: 5
Other Deaths: 1
Wave Cannons Eaten Due To Bad Timing: About 6
I honestly did not know about this scene until I read a FAQ, since the time frame it's open is "between getting the Airship and reaching the Earth Crystal." I typically never return to Tycoon after looting it.
We're getting a view of the sisters' past that a casual player probably never sees... or at least I am; I'm not giving it to you straight, and I'll admit it.
: Sarisa...: Don't call me that, please... I'm stil Faris.
: Ummm... I just can't figure these out...
: 'Kay.
: No promises there.
Just a bit more evidence for the "King of Tycoon is a Dragoon" theory.
: Come to think of it, I was never good at remembering magic...
After a quick trip to Karnak to restock my Phoenix Downs, it's time to fly the airship into the hole left by the Soul Cannon!
Y'know, in hindsight maybe I was thinking of this place when I went to the Airship Dock...
Vendor trash. (Incidentally, I hacked Find Paths onto Mozart purely for convenience; this is the only nonstandard passive I have, so my combat ability is the same as a game with no active codes- I can just find my way through dungeons a little easier.)
I find this, a Phoenix Down, and a Golden Shield on the next floor.
And the floor after that has this (which I can't wait until I can buy), 5000 gil, a Shuriken, the Ancient Sword, a Moonring Blade, and a Power Armlet. I put the Armlet on Lenna, in hopes of helping her DPS a bit.
Found a save point. Probably means there's a boss coming up. (Incidentally, Ronka's a bit of an oddity, since it has TWO save points.)
The fifth floor has this, and an Ether right next to it.
One more switch to open the path to the boss.
: Did he always talk like that?: Um, not that I heard...
: Okay, I'm quite sure he never talked like THAT.: No, never. Father would never say that.: Which means Exdeath's controlling him.: Unfortunately, we'll have to deal with the monster anyway.
: I don't take advice from enemies often, but I'll assume that it also casts different magic, too.
Hello, Archie.
Bye, Archie. This probably wasn't that great of an idea, since his first move was Sap on Lenna.
Oh, never mind. Turns out Sap has a limited duration. Hard to tell since my last experience with it was Sandworm, with which it never wore off because it was continuously reapplying it. Well, this gives me time to formulate a strategy...
I bring Lenna and Galuf in for a bit, but after a few turns realize that Archie here doesn't really do THAT much damage, so I bring EVERYONE.
That oughtta do it for Phase 1.
Second phase goes without incident due to a couple Sword Dances, but Phase 3 hits me with Frost. I remember reading something about Maelstrom showing up at some point, so I have Lenna hide to avoid it, just in case.
Mozart hits pretty hard when HE Sword Dances. This, or the follow-up, probably ends Phase 3.
I'm getting a lot of these this fight. Not that that's a problem, exactly...
Okay, Phase 5, also known as the home stretch.
Exdeath!Tycoon marvels at its vitality, and speculates that it's derived from the Earth Crystal, but whatever. All I care about is that it needs to die.
Well, he started spamming Maelstrom near the end, so I went through about a dozen Elixirs and a Phoenix Down, but I win!
(In hindsight, maybe I should've just skipped the Elixirs and charged, since Maelstrom can't kill directly.)Boss Deaths: 0
Total Boss Deaths: 5
Other Deaths: 1
After the battle, Exdeath!Tycoon gloats at us, then shoves us aside to head into the next door.
: We should go wake the King up before he breaks it.
: Yup, they were right about him floating.: Which confirms that he's definitely being controlled.
: C'mon, I'm just gonna punch him a few times- nothing permanent.: Errr...: Actually, I'm trying to protect you from him- Father's pretty strong.: If THAT'S your concern, then you can help hold him down or something.
: Oh, god dammit...
Exdeath!Tycoon's attempt on our lives is interrupted by OH GOD RANDOM METEOR FROM NOWHERE! (Round 3).
Which apparently lands ON the Ronka Ruins, knocking our party off their feet with the shockwave.
The wall explodes, permitting a blonde girl to enter.
: Stop!
She then hits Tycoon with a spell, knocking him out cold.
: Huh. About time we met someone on our side who could use magic.: Actually, that was this.: A broken staff? Dammit.
: She must be talking about you- I'm nowhere near old enough.: Yeah, I'm pretty sure she is...
: As okay as a guy with memory problems can be after getting slapped around by some sort of bird-snake-thing.: Ugh... my head...: ...wait, why're you wearing that?: We've been trying to get him OUT of it and into something more sensible and less traumatizing for weeks, but he's not cooperating.
: ...I've heard of throwing off afflictions, but I've never seen it so literally- where'd that bubble come from?: OW! What hit me?: Galuf's amnesia, I think.: 
: So THIS is who you were muttering about while Cid and Mid were remodelling the Fire Ship...
Krile runs in circles around Galuf in celebration of his restored memory.
: ...Hang on, aren't we forgetting something?
: Not what I was talking about! Where's the switch to turn this frickin' machine off?!
: Less heartwarming reunions, more searching for a way to turn this thing off!: Uh-oh... I think it's too late for that.
Insert expletive here.
0 for 3 (Wind doesn't count, since they got there AFTER it broke). These guys aren't very good at their job.
: I blame you guys for getting distracted.: ...Fair cop.: Er, yeah, that sounds about right.: Sorry...: Oops.
: Uh-oh. That was the last one, wasn't it?: Yup.
A light flies out of the now-empty forest where those boulders used to be.
: I don't think he's quite materialized yet.
: HURF DURF I'M A TREE!: 
: 
: Is he always like this?: Yup.
: Wait, back up a bit, what was that about a tree?
Exdeath's first action after his resurrection, aside from gloating about it, is to use his magic to seize control of the shards of the Earth Crystal.
Which he then uses to fire spells at Mozart for asking him to explain himself.
: Ow.
: We gotta stop him!: Step one: Figure out how to turn these crystal fragments off. Step two: Figure out how to chase him.
: Uh-oh. I know "dying speech" when I hear it.
: You're gonna kill yourself to stop the fragments, aren't you?
: Yup.
The fragments respond by shooting us some more.
: Let's try that again...
It takes him three tries, bot King Tycoon manages to dispel Exdeath's curse on the Earth Crystal.
: Not sure competence is very common in Tycoon...: Mozart! 
: 
: What? You two only started accomplishing stuff after you left, right?: We're trying to have a serious moment here, Mozart. Stop insulting the dying man.: Oh, uh, sorry.: You'd better be.
: ...and for the... love of the Crystals... don't let the... Chancellor box you up...: Idiot's got no idea of the bigger picture- he's only concerned with Tycoon.: Exactly.
: Please tell me you don't mean marrying them.: Where'd you... get that idea...?: Isn't "take care of my daughter" something a father's supposed to say to his daughter's suitor?: 
And so the King of Tycoon perishes, his last thoughts being exasperation at Mozart for completely missing the point and failing to read the mood.
: Err, right. Umm... moment of silence, then grab the shards and run before this place falls?
: Moment over- time to run!
Lenna is too traumatized to move without someone pulling her along, so Faris takes the job.
: I'll take Lenna below deck so she doesn't fall overboard.: The fact that it gets you inside so you don't have to see has nothing to do with that, huh?: Maybe a little.
And the ancient ruins fall to earth, exploding for no apparent reason.
I don't see how he wouldn't be after that. Faris is too tactful to say that, though.
: Step away from the narrow thing of wood over the immense drop and come over to something approaching a stable position, please- you're freaking me out.
: No matter how traumatic it was, there's no need to risk death.
: Yes, you said so before.
: Not the type to give up, is he?: Not at all. We had to use the crystals to seal him away, as I said before.
: That's the thing with seals- they always break someday.: You know, that's exactly what one of my old friends said... I wish we'd listened to him.
: So those two guys who died were-: No, they were just their subordinates. It's been thirty years, after all- I'm the only one left in any shape to fight, and even then I'm past my prime.
: Guess that leaves only one course of action, right? We gotta go chase him down and stop him from doing... whatever to your world.
: So it's our problem to deal with.: No offense, but it's OUR crystals that broke, so I'd say it's our problem, too. Besides, I'd be a pretty lousy friend if I let you run off on your own without at least TRYING to help.
: By which I mean we're not allowed to come with you, of course.: You've changed, Mozart.: What can I say? You guys have grown on me.
: Just enough for two people, one-way.: I really wish you'd at least change out of that outfit first, Grandpa...
: You do realize I'm probably gonna go bug Cid to figure out how to recharge these things, right?
: Wait, what about-: I meant on our end.
: Give Cid enough time, and I'm sure he'll be able to set up a two-way route more convenient than shooting yourself out of a cannon in a giant rock.: Safer, too.
: Yeah, screw that.
: Little too permanent of a word for what's going on, kid.: Yeah, we'll be along before you know it.
Despite appearances, this is not their souls going to the afterlife, this is just them teleporting to Galuf's world.
And then the game drops you next to Krile's meteorite in the airship; landing gives a scene which is pretty much redundant considering how I've been characterizing Mozart.
Anyway, this is a long update, so I'll be leaving off here. Next time: Meteorite bosses!