Part 44: Episode 43: Heard a Man Been Gone

And here it is. A whole pile of and the end of Disc 3! Strangely we do not have a boss fight. Only random encounters from here on out.

First lets start with a little post Magrad clean up.


Heavy Armor for Dart/Albert/Kongol. A touch better physical and magical defense than the Saint Armor Dart has on now and stops Stun/Poison/Arm Blocking. I’m not sure I’ve ever been hit with arm blocking this whole play through, but hey a bit of defense is a bit of defense.

Also of note is on the way out Rose picks up her last addition, Demon’s Dance


Here is the stupid path we slid over to get to Magrad and will need to run at least two more times for some good items. We get to go up this path from Magrad three times if we don’t fuck up at all! The other easy to grab box is just another fire attack item.


Yeeeessss. Another +20 speed for any of our females. So now we can either have two quite fast girls that can still get boosts of their other equip or one lightning fast one. Meru can handily be your best healer in the game doubled up on the ring and shoes. 110 speed will outrun just about anything but Faust, and he’s not so much super fast as he attacks multiple times in a row when he does go.

The other item is significantly less exciting. Magic Shield is a reusable item that reduces magic damage taken for three turns;

I guess after all that sledding and playing with the ghosts of the human revolutionaries we should probably work on rescuing Shana. Again.


Dart: "The seven towers.... Is Diaz waiting for us somewhere in there?"

Lloyd: "That is the tower of the seven Dragoons. The throne of the Holy Emperor is underneath there."

Albert: "We are standing at the legendary place where Humans began their liberation. I wonder if it is an abominable place as well?"


Meru: "It's the same as Kadessa, isn't it? When you drag the past around, you cannot walk anywhere."

Hey now, what the hell is Meru doing being the cool headed thinker. You are supposed to be flaky and goofy damn it!

Albert: "It is true, Meru. The Forbidden Land that was the royal capital of the Winglies. And this Vellweb is a mere historic ruin."

Dart: "Yes. We can do nothing but settle for the present."


I’m going to post a lot of random areas with no items or scenes or anything just because I really like Vellweb. I think its one of the better looking areas in the game.


Also there are a god damn lot of encounters here. Probably one of the highest rates in the game. Succubi are fairly weak, but their special attack can Stun or Bewitch you. Usually worth murdering in quick order.


Maximum Volt! Hits much harder than Succubi with their normal attack. Can also use Spark Web or Thunderbolt on your allies. I never actually saw them use it though. Also immune to status effects, but eh, I never rely on status effects any way.


The way more excitingly named than they are Terminators and a Witch! Terminators bounce at you and slice with their double blade rings. Apparently they can use a turn charging up to do a stronger attack. They never lived that long. Witches have high evasion and can cast spells on your whole team.


Rose: "Dart, look at that huge battery. Humans shot huge arrows from there. Aiming at the Tower of Flanvel. And back then, Humans thought this way. 'That the arrow would not only shear the darkness that covers the earth. But also shear their corrupted hearts which were accustomed to being ruled.'"

I think the translation is starting to reach peak awkward and stilted.

Dart: "Why are you suddenly starting to say this?"

Rose: "I don't know. I still cannot tell. But if we meet the guy who claims he is Diaz, I think we can find out the reason. I'm speaking nonsense again. Let's keep going. A hero from history is waiting for us."

After this we can had down and right to a little cubby with two more of the Peddler brothers. Like their family they have healing supplies but no attack items, plus a few nice equipment pieces.


Hell yeah Giganto Ring. +20 to Attack and Defense. I’m not entirely sure I’ll use it but its a nice piece of gear to have around. And the Partisan is a pretty strong upgrade for Albert with no effects on it.


Shirley? What the hell are you doing here. Your not-dead boyfriend will be very disappointed you aren’t hanging out with him.

Shirley: "I have been waiting for you."

Dart: "You are Shirley!?"

Rose: "Why? Why are you here? You ascended to heaven I thought...."

Shirley: "Before that, I had something I had to take care of here in Vellweb. I couldn't leave the trapped souls alone in this world."

Rose: "Are you talking about...?"


Shirley: "Their souls were drawn to Mayfil. The gate of the inferno from which you can never return, is requesting the souls of the Dragoons."

Rose: "The Death City Mayfil!? I thought it was destroyed!?"

Shirley: "I don't know how, but it is true that the gate of the inferno is open. Rose, I made their souls inert and anchored them in this place. But there is a ilmit to my power. After you meet Diaz, please visit this place again. And lead their souls to heaven."

Yeah they really aren’t exaggerating on how the Winglies were huge dicks. Not only did they rule your life with an iron fist, they built an entire city just to vacuum your soul up so you couldn’t go to heaven.

Rose: "The souls of the Dragoons are wandering somewhere in the towers. But, we have to take care of something else now. Let's go find Diaz.”

This is our hook for our second set of optional boss fights. We get to roll back here in disc four and fight the spirits of four of the original Dragoons. You’d have to be a jerk not to do it and they have no other requirements unlike faust. And as a bonus point whenever we cross this screen Shirley will pop up and give you a full heal.


I actually make a quick detour in there for stardust #46. Huzzah. Only four more to go.


Another pointless photo of nice scenery. The path leads to a spiral staircase down that I apparently forgot to screenshot. It must have been boring. It has a spirit potion in a room off of it and more importantly:


A unique head gear item for Rose. It’s actually worse than the Dragon Helm she has on now, but if someone else was wearing it would be good enough. Also protects from instant death. So if you kept both Talisman’s your whole team could be immune. I really hope even the densest people would be suspicious of Rose by this point!


And now let the words and dramatic reveals begin!

Dart: "Shana!!"


Of course as soon as we get there someone off screen starts floating her away from the party.


And our good budy Diaz teleports onto the scene. Kind of an awkward angle for his clothes. It kind of looks like he has a giant mouth on it.

Dart: "!!"

Lloyd: "Diaz. Here are all three Divine Moon Objects. There are no more obstacles to hinder our utopia. Release the girl."


Diaz: "Fine."


Oh hey he actually handed over Shana. Now if only we hadn’t handed over the objects for some mysterious horifying seal to do it...well, at least Dart will get some after this.

Albert: "Diaz!! What are you going to do with the Divine Moon Objects?"

Diaz: "Didn't you hear it from Lloyd? My only desire is the advent of the last species."



Diaz: "Total destruction."

Lloyd: "Wha, what do you...?"

Oh woops. Did Diaz forget to tell you that you were helping to wipe out all life on the planet? I mean, it is an easy detail to forget.

Diaz: "Lloyd. Well done bringing me the Moon Gem, Moon Dagger and Moon Mirror. Now we can let the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction, the last species we desire, the true Virage, arise. I will create the utopia you wanted, after the Virage Embryo purges the world."

Rose: "Everything so far was an overture to that. Lloyd. He showed you a false utopia from the beginning."

Lloyd: "You deceived me. My utopia exists in the future of this world."


Diaz: "I don't need you anymore."



Diaz knows how to end a relationship.

Dart: "Diaz!! What are you thinking!?"

Diaz: "I don't need to hide anymore."


Click to Watch for GLORIOUS 90s Voice Acting


Shana is cradling her arm like it’s broken or something. Dart DID catch her when Diaz floated her over, so who knows?


Diaz: "It's been awhile,”




Diaz: “Rose, Dart.”

Wait, what?


Dart: "Father?"

OOOOOH SNAP.


Rose: "Zieg! Oh, it cannot be!"

The expression on her face does not quite match the scene here. Then she has some sweet flashbacks to a previous flashback, but with a brown filter over it.






The flashback has allowed her to be properly horrified.


The Space Marine look is more popular than one might think in this world.

Dart: "Is that really you Dad!?"

Rose: "You died!! With Melbu Frahma on each other's swords!!"

Dart: "Rose, what are you talking about?"

Are you in a comfy chair? If not maybe you should be. Because Zieg has SO MANY words coming. Maybe get a drink and a snack too.

Zieg: "Now, I can tell you everything. The beginning of the world was an absolute nothingness...darkness.”


Zieg: “This is the plan of Soa, that created all species. The birth of the Divine Tree.... Eventually, the fruit of the Divine Tree ripened and fell to the ground to fill the world with life. Gigantos from the 97th fruit. Minitos from the 99th fruit. Dragons from the 105th fruit. Humans from the 106th fruit.


Zieg: “And at the end, the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction, was to be born from the 108th fruit. Soa desired the destruction and regeneration of the world by the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction. However, 11,000 years ago, Winglies found out the tragedy waiting for them, and sealed the 108th fruit by separating the flesh and soul. The flesh of the god, the flesh of the Virage Embryo was taken away from the Winglies as the Moon That Never Sets that glows in the sky.


Zieg: “Yes, to withdraw unlimited magic power from that, and to conquer the other creatures. However, even with unlimited magic power, the domination was not eternal. Humans arose with Dragoons in front. Nothing was their match because they obtained the power of the dragon. And finally, they drove Melbu Frahma into a corner. I felt certain of human ...my victory. And it was in the next moment, the spell of petrification cast by Melbu captured me. I have waited for 11,000 years.


Zieg: “And I was released from captivity Days spent with Rose became the eternal past. And I lived as the father of Dart in this age. Until the tragic day in Neet."

Ok take a deep breath. We are halfway through maximum plot dump.

TLDR: The Winglies discovered there was one more species that was going to wipe out all life. They ripped its soul from its body . The body turned into the Moon that Never Set and Melbu Frahma turned the soul into a big mojo magic item. Humans still beat them down thanks to dragoons, Zieg turned into a statue.

Rose: "I cannot believe it."

Zieg: "I am here, that is a fact."



Dart is carrying on the proud tradition of dense as fuck protagonists. Ok plot wave two RELEASE.

Zieg: "Yes. But, that's not all. Humans made a mistake. Silly Humans destroyed the Crystal Sphere, which was the container of the soul along with the royal capital Kadessa.


Zieg: “The free soul released from the Crystal Sphere started to wander. In order to go back to the body left in the Moon That Never Sets, to be born as the last god, and to destroy the world. The soul without a body possesses a human body and heads for the Moon That Never Sets, by repeating the transmigration every 108 years. You now know.

Zieg: “The soul of the God of Destruction is the Moon Child. The truth of the Moon Child in the legend. 'Count 108 years and when the Moon That Never Sets glares in red, the Moon Child descends to the earth and shall give a holy blessing to the world.' The 'Holy blessing' is the destruction. The destruction is Soa's will. This is...the fate that rules the future of the world.

TLDR: Breaking the crystal containing the God of Destruction’s soul restarted the path to end times. Every 108 years it takes over a human to try to resurrect itself and blow everything up. A female not dead dragoon killed it about 100 times since the Dragon Campaign.

If it is in fact pretty close to 11,000 years and not awful book keeping this would be somewhere between cycle 101 and 103. I was actually kind of shocked it wasn’t cycle 108 but that would be about 11,600 years.


Zieg: “In order to deter the birth of the God of Destruction, she has had to kill the Moon Children. By stopping her own time. She was even called a demon.”


OH GOD. That thing I’ve known for the last disc and a half. Probably going to be a bit of a strain Dart and Rose's relationship that one of your best friends murdered your mom and everyone you knew though. And that Hashchel had Rose murder his daughter. And the daughter of Miranda’s foster mom. Woops!

Dart: "Rose is...the Black...Monster?"


Yeah not sure there is much you can say to that charge.

Dart: "Tell me it's not true!!"

Rose: "The Moon Child has to be killed. And the people around it too, before they become the servants of the God of Destruction."

Dart: "Neet...too!?"



Dart: "God!!! Why you!! Why do you have to be the Black Monster!?"

Zieg: "That's it."


Add one to the “Our party is a bunch of total failures” count. I think FF4 may have the only party that accomplishes as little as this one does.

Dart: "What are you going to do!?"

Zieg: "Let me tell you one more truth.”Rose, you thought the Princess Louvia you killed 18 years ago was the Moon Child, but it is not true."

Rose: "!?"

Zieg: "Louvia had a twin sister."

Rose: "N, No!!"


Zieg: "Shana is...the soul of the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction!! I'll dissolve the Signet of the Moon That Never Sets, and cross it with the Moon Child. Now, I have everything in my hands."

Lost the moon relics. Lost the moon child. Score one for the good guys!

Dart: "Release Shana!!"

Zieg: "And you are going to kill her? To save the world?"

Rose: "I'll kill her!!"


Yeah no hesitation there. Ice. Cold.

Zieg: "This is the limitation of Humans."

Rose: "Zieg!! Why!?"

Zieg: "All is the will of the creator, Soa.”


Dart: "Dad!! Wait!! Shana!!"





Welp. That was certainly a disc end.

Bonus! Zieg Concept art!



Vellweb Render