Part 43: Family Matters

Chapter 43: Family Matters



Three of the people in this party have something in common. Can you guess what that is?

That's right! I haven't used them for a while! Time for them to stretch their legs, I'm thinking.



For this next little segment to trigger, we need to stop into Thamasa with Relm and Strago.



: Grandpa!



: G...Gungho!?

If you don't remember who this guy is, he's the fellow who gave Strago a dressing-down for shirking his responsibilities. I wouldn't blame you for not knowing who this guy is, seeing as the only time you can meet him is right before the Floating Continent.



: Who did this to you?
Gungho: It was... Hidon, the beast you and I used to hunt. I almost had it...
: You took on Hidon...?
Gungho: Oooh... cough, cough....
: G... Gungho!?
Gungho: Strago... Please... you must avenge me...



: Well... I spent my youth chasing that creature. To do it again at this age is more than I bargained for. Gungho... rest easy, I'll do it for you!



: I spent too many years of my life hunting that thing. It is my obsession, not yours.
: But Grandps! This "obsession" of yours could easily slay you! You're my Grandfather. I can't just sit idly by and watch you go.
: Sorry, Relm. I'm so grateful that you care! But as it's name implies, the Hidon is extremely difficult to find. Unless I go alone, it will not show itself.



I don't know where Strago's getting that idea from, as we'll be able to take an entire party, Relm included, to Ebot's Rock without any problems. Kind of a pity, as a dungeon where Strago had to solo it using nothing but his Lore powers would be kind of interesting.



Music: Mystic Forest

As it is, the dungeon's just...dark. This is an interesting gimmick, though it doesn't get used for much.





This talkative chest stands between us and the thing we're after in this dungeon.

Treasure: Feed me! Otherwise, I won't let you by! I like to eat "Coral"! Have any?

Nope, but I know where we can get some.



The theme of this dungeon, aside from being almost entirely in the dark, is these touchplates that will transport Strago and Co. to other random rooms in the dungeon.



The treasure chests in this area contain anything from one to five pieces of Coral. The game doesn't tell us this, but we'll need twenty-two pieces to satisfy the talking treasure box. He'll gladly eat the stuff you have if you've got less than that amount, but he'll just demand more.



Fitting with the teleportation theme, all the monsters in this place drop Warp Stones, similarly to how enemies in Umaro's dungeon drop Green Cherries, even though the playable version of Umaro doesn't get powered up from them.



Treasure: Oh yeah, you wanna pass through here, right?

And then the box hops into the darkness, never to be seen again.



I can see why Strago wasn't exactly eager to hunt this thing down, because...

Music: The Decisive Battle



Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!

Anyway, Hidon's little subordinates, the Hidonites, have a number of status-inflicting attacks and a variety of strengths and weaknesses. The lower left one, for instance, reflects magic, while the upper right one can inflict Zombie on people. It is therefore, a very good idea to take them out early.



Hidon's mostly about poison attacks like Bio and Poison, but has a few other tricks. For instance, if someone dies, it can bring them back to life as Zombies.



And if all the Hidonites are gone...



Hidon will cast its special Lore, GrandTrain!

Lore-GrandTrain: Inflicts heavy non-elemental damage to all opponents. If the effect looks familiar, a character named Magus uses a similar-looking spell in Chrono Trigger, a fairly obscure game released a year after FFVI on the same console.

Though Hidon normally holds just another Warp Stone, it's also possible to steal the Thornlet from it. Though quite good in terms of defense power, that particular hat drains your health as you wear it. Because, you know, you're wearing a crown of thorns. Ouch.



Actually, it comes back right after you leave, but let's give him his little victory.



Gungho: What's all the hullabaloo!?
: Listen to me! I DEFEATED Hidon!
Gungho: You WHAT!? You b...beat Hidon!? You're lying! LYING!



: Ho, ho, ho! If I didn't know better, I'd say that Hidon wasn't my only enemy!
Gungho: I don't believe this! This has to be a joke!
: By the way, how are your wounds healing, Gungho?
Gungho: Eh? Oh, they're fine...





: I stared Hidon straight in the eye, lifted my staff, and let him have it! G'Pow! Thwack! Crash!! I wanted to show my enemy the true meaning of the word "Hero"!

Honestly, I spent more time having Gogo use Bum Rush, but I think I had Strago attack with his staff once or twice, so it's mostly true.

: And then......



Gungho: Huh? Finally! He nodded off. However... Let him be! He's nice and ...quiet... Now, about my "wounds"...
: Wait! First let me thank you. You gave Grandpa a reason to go and defeat something that had tormented him for decades! Even if YOU were faking, that creature meant business!
Gungho: What a granddaughter he's raised! Amazing!
: And what a terrible actor you are! Only Strago could have been taken in by that performance!
Gungho: What the...!

By the way, if you missed GrandTrain, it's no big deal. Like I said, Hidon will show up again in Ebot's Rock no matter how many times you kill it. Seeing as you can't get the Lore anywhere else, it's definitely worthwhile repeating the fight if you want to fill out Strago's list.

Oh, and one more thing...



Since we've got Shadow in the party and all, who's up for another installment of Dream Flashback Theater?



Clyde: You're going to be okay!



Baram: You don't have to pretend. I know. I've lost...too much blood. Get going! I'm only going to slow you down!
Clyde: But...!
Baram: You wanna get caught?



Clyde: WHAT?!
Baram: Think what they'll do to me if I get caught! I don't want to go through that. Just do me this favor!



Baram: Come on, you weakling! Grab a knife and-
Clyde: I CAN'T!
Baram: Clyde!
Clyde: I'm sorry...



Baram: Clyde! How dare you?!



A short distance from the shore, Clyde found the town of Thamasa, where he met a dog and...



Clyde: Where...am I...?
Young Lady: A small village called Thama...Hey! Hang in there!

And the rest, as they say, is history. There was a scene cut from the game where Strago confronted Shadow about their mutual relations and Shadow took off his mask with his back to the camera, but otherwise, the game doesn't explicitly mention that Shadow is Relm's father and Strago's son-in-law. Still, we'll see another mention of Shadow's past before the end.

Next Time: Kefka's Tower