Part 35: Lil' Adventures VI

Lil' Update 6 Highlights


Let's kick this off by seeing what Tifa is up to.

I never thought I'd run into my master, let alone get subjected to so much rigorous training.



Where the hell are you, old man!? Stop hiding!

Huh? What's going on?


[Fanatical Man]: The appearance of those mechanical monsters and horrible Mirages-- this is all the wrath of the Crimson Prophecy! And who do we have to blame for it but that heretic. She came here spouting the Azure Prophecy's lies... and now it is we who are being punished for it!


Yeah! That heretic brought the wrath of the Crimson Prophecy on us! If everyone had been devout in their belief of the Prophecy then everything--



Oh, right. That didn't work out so well for those people either, did it?



How can you say that?! You can't possibly blame others for this!

Actually, you can technically blame Reynn and Lann for it.


[Fanatical Woman]: Oh, please! There's no mistaking it. The unbelievers have brought this upon themselves.


Gimme a break. If the Crimson Prophecy did turn the world upside down, there you go. What better reason not to go along with it?


[Fanatical Man]: What did you say?! How dare you ridicule the one true--






Good question, actually. Haven't seen that one yet, although we have seen a variant. Also, that's how it moves? It floats! Why does it need to do the spider/crab walk?


[Fanatical Man]: Wh-wh-where did it come from?! S-s-somebody send for help!


Oh, pull it together! I'll take care of this.



It... didn't work?


[Mirage]: GRRRAAAH!


Aaah!


[Fanatical Man]: Can't you see this is all your fault?! It's here because of you! You see what happens when you side with heretics?! The prophecy is going to see that we all pay!


Oh, for the... Fine. What're you planning to do about it?


[Fanatical Man]: What?


Listen to you. All this talk of prophecies and punishment... Where is that going to get you? You want to blame others for the machines? You want to blame others for this Mirage? That's fine. And then? What next? Go ahead and believe in any prophecy you want, but you better like what it gives you if you're not going to act!


[Fanatical Woman]: So? What's your brilliant plan of action then?!


[Fanatical Man]: Yeah! We saw it. You weren't able to put so much as a scratch on that thing!


She's going to punch it harder, obviously.


[Fanatical Woman]: Only those who believe in the prophecy shall be rewarded!


There will always be times when even your best efforts fail. But the courage to give it another go... that's the steel you forge destinies with.



But I'm not giving up. I'm defending this town... if the power's in my hands!




[Fanatical Man]: Wha--?!


Yes! Let's go!



I'll say. And she never would have pulled it off if she hadn't believed in herself. She never gives up! We could all learn a lot from her.

I'm pretty sure that hit she took just filled her Limit Gauge, but sure, power of believing in yourself or whatever.

Yup! I'm gonna start right now. Lann Punch!

That's what you took away from this, huh?

We can't catch this one, but Elite Entom is just a color swap of the Entom we picked up before. Nothing special. It still has crippling Thunder and Water weakness. 23k HP is a little much, but it won't take long to wear that down if you have elemental advantage.



Here's a closer look at Mecha Chocobo. Some people in the thread suggested this was just a design or decoration, but you can definitely see that the eye slot has been actually cut out of the armor. Definitely not a decal.

This is just a slugging match. Sit there and swing at it until it falls over dead.




[Fanatical Man]: How did you cause that miracle to happen?


Don't diminish all my hard work by writing it off as a "miracle." Honestly.


[Fanatical Woman]: You're still just a heretic...


I don't care what it is you choose to believe in. But look. Don't just go around fanning people's fears. Why not do something meaningful? Make the situation better.

That takes effort though.

The thing about higher powers... They don't help people who don't help themselves. No way.


[Fanatical Woman]: .....


[Fanatical Man]: I suppose... that's fair. So, um... I'm sorry.


Oh no. There's no need for you to apologize. With the world in such dire straits, we need to band together. Right?





Before we move forward, I want to point out that Eyevan (and later Biggs) finally get to a high enough level to unlock Death Searcher. This is important for two major reasons, one of which we'll see right now, and the other in the next update.

PK Still Hates Shantotto


Reason #1.

Now I'm ready for a blast of epic scale-- a real heavy hitter. Ahhh ha ha ha ha!



Yeah, there's no telling what that crackpot is cooking up.

What do you think? Maybe we should check in on them.



Oh! Tidus, perfect timing! Do you know where Dr. Shantotto might be?

You need the doc? She's out taking an extended swim. Drank that concoction of hers and went to the temple.

The Sunken Temple?

She dove right in with this ear-to-ear grin and was all like "Ahhh ha ha ha ha!" And here I thought she hated swimming.



Man, we are just all over the place in this quest.



Marvelous timing.

'Sup!

Qua-chooo?! Wh-who invited the man-thing?

Uh, my bad?

Chowaaa! I feel an unusual giddy sensation. Enough! Man-thing is to keep its distance from me!

Oh-kay...

*And then Lann slinks off out of sight*

Reynn, was it? The Lady Jiant's name? Reynn-person must listen.

Um, sure.


[Miney]: Quacho, quacho!


[Mo]: Kee kee kee!


Well, I have decided I must run away!

But, run away? Why?

Alas, I am not even certain. I heard "Ahhh ha ha ha ha!" and this human person appeared who then made an attempt on my royal life! I mean-- those wretched tonberries-- they were finally behaving-- Everything was fine-- the quachos-- we were getting on with our lives-- And I just thought-- I thought I could have some peace, and quiet--



Um, please try to calm down.


[Miney]: Qua-chooo...


Hey, Lann? "Ahhh ha ha ha ha"... That's gotta be Dr. Shantotto, right?

I'm kind of glad that Quacho Queen is bawling because it drowns out Reynn imitating that fucking irritating laugh.

Oh, there is no doubt about that.

Waaaah! Human bullies!

Don't worry! Because... Lann here, he's gonna teach that mean human-person a lesson. Okay? Please don't cry.

Dude, what?!


[Mo]: Quacho?!


He will?

Ulp! Uh... Sure. No problem!

Don't worry about it Lann. You guys might be afraid of Shantotto, but I am looking forward to putting my boot up her ass.


[Miney]: Qua-chaaa!


Chowaaa! I'm feeling that same sensation again!


[Miney]: Keecho? Chowa!


[Mo]: Qua-choooooo!


Um, what?

Look, a girl's heart is a complicated thing.

It's really not. Quacho Queen has a crush on Lann and doesn't understand the strange feelings because she hasn't experienced them before. She's confused because her fear and loathing of humans (especially men) caused by past trauma is conflicting with her feelings of affection for a human that has treated her with genuine kindness.

A girl's heart is not complicated, it just requires half a brain.



So this is a little different than what we're used to. We need to run through the temple for some reason. No new Mirages or anything, just run all the way through until you reach the Quacho Queen's throne.

D'ah!

Well, I agree you're probably doomed... But, let's go and see what she has to say.

Okay...



What?! But those guys haven't even got any mouths on 'em!

Just who do you think you're talking to, dear? You'll find I'm far more resourceful than I appear. Ahhh ha ha ha ha!

Goddamn it! Shut up with that stupid laugh!

But as I was saying. When I help you out and get this kind of thanking... then you leave me with no choice but to start doling out spankings.

Whoa! Just.. hold up...

Shall we begin?

Oh dude!



Why do I have to do it?!

Here's the deal. You can probably already tell that this battle is not one you're supposed to win. Shantotto has 360,000 HP (in the base game. In Maxima she seems to have 225,000-240,000), which is downright ridiculous (Ultima Weapon at Level 90 only rocks about 80k). Her defence is rock solid, and she rotates through elemental -aga spells which means that she'll probably hit your weaknesses eventually for anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000.





Let's hit the pause button on this scene. The key word I used just now was "supposed". Shantotto no longer has her plot armor from our first meeting with her, which means it is completely possible to beat her now.

Of course, you can also probably already tell that beating her will change jack shit. The game is just going to proceed the same as if you had lost one way or another.

But there's two factors at play here:

1. I fucking despise Shantotto.

2. I am incredibly spiteful and will do the opposite of whatever a game wants me to if possible, no matter how obtuse or worthless or difficult it is.



That means my fist and Shantotto's face have a date.

Shantotto is actually pathetic in the grand scheme of things. First of all, despite the level of damage that her spells dish out, her speed is lacking and it's fairly easy to have someone (in this case Reynn) keep everyone healed.

The only major roadblocks to winning this fight are Shantotto's stupid level of health and her stupid level of defence. Fortunately, World of Final Fantasy is absolutely chock full of ways to bypass defence. Champions, Spellstones, an ability called Armor Piercer, and also a little thing called...





Gravity. Courtesy of Eyevan the Death Searcher. Gravity is a recurring spell in Final Fantasy that deals fractional damage (1/4 of remaining HP, although in this game there's a bit of a range to it).

Shantotto has no counter to this. She doesn't have healing and can't reflect it. That means Lann just has to sit there and sling Gravity at her until her HP gets to a reasonable level. Reynn's job is simply to buff with spells like Shell and Haste, heal, and also keep Lann's AP up with Ethers.



Once her HP gets low enough, pulling out a Champion should finish her off. I only had enough gauge for Tifa here, otherwise I would have Omnislashed her.

If she manages to survive that, then Spellstones and other elemental attack items can finish her off since they do set damage.

Whether she has 360k or 230k doesn't actually make a difference, because Gravity still reduces by 1/4, which means she'll take 90k on the first cast instead of 56k. There doesn't seem to be any change in her offences, so this fight would have gone exactly the same either way.



The fight gives out 100k EXP, which is great. We also get 3 Megalixirs and 3 Mega Phoenix as well as 8,000 gil.



And from there the scene continues completely the same as if we lost. Don't care though. One of us has a boot print on their ass and the other is wearing the boot, we all saw who had what. That's all that matters.

L-Lann and I are both really sorry.

I'm not. I'd do it again purely for grinding purposes. Unfortunately, you can't repeat this Intervention Quest. That's right, you only get one shot at fighting Shantotto. If you lose then save your game afterward, too bad! Gone forever!

Huh? O-oh! Very sorry! Forgive us! We'll do anything you want, so please!

Aaanythiiing? Then fine. I can pardon you this time. Ahhh ha ha ha ha!

So um, doctor... why were you trying to do the Quacho Queen in again?

Say I'm inclined to open the door at the heart of the shrine. But therein lies the hitch. You see, only Miss Birdbrain can access that particular niche. But, if she happens to buy the farm, the door's defenses become, shall we say... easy to disarm.

Yeah, uh... We'll have a chat with her and convince her to open the door voluntarily, so, maybe you can find it in your heart to, I don't know, maybe, not kill her?

If she tries to lay a hand on Quacho Queen, I will twist her head off like a jar lid and give it to Tidus to use as a Blitzball.

Oh! Very well, then. I thought for sure you'd prefer my approach. But ask her, if it's a subject you can broach.

By the way, what's so special about that door, if it's okay to ask?

Do not press your luck. Now find the she-bird and get that door unstuck!

Uh, right!

*Later*

Quacho?



Oh! So you'd rather sleep with the fishes permanently.

Whoooa! Dr. Shantotto, just, hang on!

Are you ready for Lann to get a little weird?

Your... Majesty?

Uh... Yes?



....! Chowaaa! I-If you really want me to, I suppose I could open the door this once.

Where the hell did that come from, Lann? Seriously, watch the scene and listen to his delivery of this line. You even see Quacho Queen's knees get weak for a split second.


[Mo]: Keecho?!


[Miney]: Qua... quacho?


You'll do it? I love you!









Remember this door? It was back when we beat up Tonberry King and got the Key of Tides. Time to check out what's hiding behind it.



Huh?

Good! Go and have a ball!



Why, dude?



At least this should be easier than facing the doc. But I'd hate to think of what she'll do to us if we lose...

So basically we're done for either way... Yay for us!

Cenchos is an enemy from FFIII. It's a Monster-in-a-Box enemy, so it gets the jump on you and has a fairly strong physical attack. It's not especially dangerous though.

World of Final Fantasy Cenchos is kind of the opposite. It's physical attack isn't especially good and that's pretty much all it ever uses. It has Watera, which can hit for 1,500+ if you are weak to Water, but it only bothered to use that once during the entire battle.

Huh? Well that was easy...


[Miney]: Quacho?!


[Mo]: Keecho?!




Wha-what?!

What's going on?

The last queen warned me about this but I refused to believe her! When it expires, that monster will trigger a huuuge explosion with blast-tastrous consequences!

Dude, what? Now you tell us?!

Yeah, that's a big detail to leave out.

When you say "huuuge," do you mean...

Y-yes. The last time that kraken kraka-boomed, the destruction it wrought split the entire continent in two!

Dude, it WHAAAAAAT?!

Be quiet!

Huh?!

Are you ready? Then tremble and quake! See the spell I've taken time to make! Now hold on to your hats...

This should be good.



Aaaaaah!

*When the light fades, Cenchos is gone*



Uh... What just happened?

I might have known you pups would struggle so much to keep up. Once I learned that tentacled terror's life was getting close to ending, I devised a spell to contain the blast the creature's death was portending. I knew, before it breathed its last, I'd have to unleash my new magic! My Dispelageddon-- it pacified this nightmare pelagic.

So your new magic-- it wasn't meant for causing explosions?

Oh, I tend to shun magic that has already been done.

That's a truck load of horseshit. You just used Warp on it. Don't get all fucking high on the smell of your own farts, Shantotto.

Uh... Fair enough.

Moving is for total losers. But I'll be able to stay in Besaid now, thanks to you feebleminded assistant defusers. Ahhh ha ha ha ha!

Can we please, please, be done with Shantotto now? For the love of god get her out of my sight before I'm forced to puncture my eardrums.



Me too.

Uh, tell me... Just what is the meaning of all this?

Uh, I guess... everything worked out!

Qua-cho?

Yeah, you know-- that thing was set to blow whether we opened the door or not.

It's true. She wasn't exactly nice about it, but, it looks like Dr. Shantotto saved us all.

And that's great news for you. The Sunken Temple will be safe for good now.

Ooh! I never realized! Who knew that human-people were such benevolent organisms!

Uh... I wouldn't say totally benevolent.

Up until we stepped in, I'm pretty sure Dr. Shantotto was genuinely trying to kill her.

Oh my. Reynn, Lann. Quachokind owes you dearly.



Uh, yeah?




[Miney]: Kee kee kee!


[Mo]: Quacho!


And that wraps up that. Now we finally have free reign to go through that door and see what's in there (other than Cenchos).



The room past the sealed door has three chests in it containing a Resist Blindness seed, a Curaga mirajewel, and a Water Resistance++ seed. Not bad. Curaga is definitely nice to have in mirajewel form.



We also get a Cenchos memento when we turn in the quest. So now we can turn Squidraken/Mindflayer into one if we wanted.

A bit of a miss on that joke, description people. I see what you were going for, but I think you stretched a bit too far.

Basically FFX


Yuna time. What has she been up to since getting knocked out?

But I don't see any sign of them. What's this?




[Ami]: Yes. I promise to see it through to the end.


Pardon... This young lady here-- Ami isn't planning to go out there and take on the Cogna?


[Man]: Huh? Oh... Well, uh...


[Ami]: It's not like that. Let me explain what's going on. Miss, um...


Oh, uh... Yuna will be fine.



Don't go out there. The League of S has better fighters.


[Ami]: The point isn't for me to fight it. My job is just... to lead it away.


What?


[Ami]: Those Cogna or whatever you call them-- trying to fight them would be foolish, we know that. But if we don't act, it's only a matter of time before they take control of the town. So you see, we came up with a rule here. We take turns, and each household has to send out a decoy.




But that's... Ami, once they spot you--


[Ami]: You don't have to tell me what I already know. Several others have gone out there before me. As you may have guessed, none of them ever made it home.


This whole Cogna thing hasn't been going on for very long. At that rate this place will be a ghost town by the end of the week. Not much of a plan.

No! I won't let you do this! Let's contact the League of S for help! Then we can--


[Ami]: You're welcome to call for all the help that you want. But I've made up my mind. I'm doing my part. While you wait for the League to get here, someone still has to slow those things down.


How can you say that? You're willing to sacrifice your life?


[Ami]: Well, it's only one life, right? If that buys some hope for the rest of the town, then so be it. Even a little hope is preferable to no hope at all. And besides, now that my turn has come up, I can't say, "Oh, never mind."


Okay, that's a fair point. This is still a pretty stupid plan, though.



.....


[Ami]: Hey um, Yuna, right? Do you mind if I ask you one small favor? It's my mother. I was hoping that you could... say good-bye for me.


Have you all figured out what this entire quest is yet?


[Ami]: I'd do it myself, but... I don't want to lose my courage. Tell her I love her.




Ma'am... Are you sure about this? Because, you'll never...


[Ami's Mother]: When was I ever able to make her choices for her? ...It's not like I'll be far behind her.


This Intervention Quest sure is a bummer...

Stop that. I'm sorry, but this isn't right! This... this can't be the solution! Ami thinks she's giving you hope, but her dying will only take more of your hope away! It doesn't make any sense at all!


[Ami's Mother]: Don't think that I don't know that. I've been screaming it in the back of my head from the moment she left. But... she's so stubborn sometimes. And I couldn't... Lady Yuna, please! Please save my daughter! I can't keep pretending this is okay. It's not!


Don't worry. I will bring Ami home!



Wait, what the hell is she doing in here? This is our inter-dimensional space.


[???]: What are you doing?




And who are you?


[???]: Do you respect her resolve so little you would trample all over it?


Oh please, with this shit again. Just because she has the resolve to go through with something doesn't mean we aren't allowed to do something to help stop it. What? Would you rather we wait until she's dead and then destroy the Cogna?

No, it's not that.


[???]: But you know exactly why she made the choice she did-- you accepted it and allowed her to go. You agreed that small sacrifices must be made for the good of the many.


I'll admit... I did try to convince myself of that. And I almost let myself believe it. But no... What's wrong is wrong! A world of loss, of sacrifice... I won't have it!



Get it now? This Intervention Quest is basically Yuna's entire character arc compressed into about 10 minutes. Yuna started out like Ami, believing that sacrificing her life to stop the doom whale was worth it if it gave people some temporary peace. She was determined to go through with it because if she was the one to do it then the other summoners wouldn't have to. Tidus convinces her that there has to be a better way. Then Yuna and the FFX cast decide "Sure, let's try a different way" and proceed to burn the entire doom whale sacrifice system to the ground while praying that there is a "different way" and they didn't just doom the world to eternal unending suffering and fear.


[???]: Then prove to me that you can endure! Do you really think you possess the strength to shield the world from tragedy? I shall be the judge of that!




You don't mind, right? The strength of friends is the greatest strength of all.

Wow! Slap that onto a greeting card ASAP.



We're up against Nirvalefor, who is not impressive. It sticks largely to physical attacks which only hit for about 600.

I changed up the stacks here. Reynn currently has Laguna (who was transfigged into a Lesser Coeurl (we'll see that later), as well as Reynnataur. Lann has OMG! JC! and Danmaku the Astraea. They hold their own fairly well in this battle, but that's going to change pretty soon, as I unfortunately discovered.





And here is where the unfortunate discovery happened. That's the Cogna that you guys have been throwing yourselves at as a distraction? Jesus. Forget what I said about that being a stupid plan. That's your only plan against Ultima Weapon.


[Ami]: Yuna?


No one should have to sacrifice herself for others. It's wrong. I won't allow it! No more!



I'm not even going to bother recounting this battle. My experimental stacks are absolutely not cut out to be battling Ultima Weapon. Unlike Supraltima Weapon, Ultima Weapon has about 70k+ HP that you need to burn through in one battle. No repeatedly attacking this one and wearing it down over time, we need to deal with it in a single go.





It's also kinda strong. The first shot is of Full Power! and the second is of Ultima. Meanwhile, Reynn and Lann's current stacks can only dish out about 800-1,000 damage each. This does not work out in our favor.



Back to what works. Lann goes back to his standard stack, which seems mostly locked in to me. I might need to play around with Blank Spaces to get the right abilities on there, but I'm digging his current set up, barring any new better Mirages showing up.

Reynn's stack is still a work-in-progress. I decided to keep Laguna in, but I swapped Reynnataur out for Foozles.



Eyevan's Gravity comes through a second time. Foozles brings Cura and Haste to the table which allows Reynn to better focus on healing and buffing.

That being said, it was still a fairly close battle. Reynn's stack survived an Ultima at one point with just 48 HP.



I admire your courage and resolve, but... Ami. You need to think of those you're leaving behind. Your mother's waiting for you.


[Ami]: Yuna... I'm so sorry. Thank you!


There's always a better choice out there... So don't give up.

How sweet. Incredibly depressing near the start, but it kinda pulled up there at the end.

Omega Redux


Here's a face we haven't seen in a while.

Well, what have we here. If it isn't the Venus of the Sea.

Belay that nonsense before I dry heave myself to death.

Ahaha, forgive me. I was just so overcome by your beauty...

That is not going to work on Faris, Edgar. Give up now and save your breath.

Enough! Now tell me, what have you dredged up about that Cogna?

Please, please. I find your courage intriguing, but I'd just as soon not have you stick out that beautiful neck of yours.



From what we've seen, it strikes at random by land, sea, and sky-- and worse, it can adapt its shape to each locale. We have to hit it where we can: on solid ground and out on the water. But, now that it's made an enemy of Figaro, I can assure you it won't get anywhere near your ship again. Please, leave the creature's disposal to us.

How heroic. That monstrosity should rightly die by my own hands, but do the deed if you're so willing.

Yes. I only ask that if I return home safely, you reward me--



*Later, in the middle of nowhere*

Where are we?

We call this site the Eye of the Desert. It's where Figaro Castle originally stood. It's in places like this and Big Bridge that you might, if you're especially lucky, see Mirages that no one else has.

You mean like brand-new ones?

Right. They appear in no legend or book-- not even in Tometown's treasure trove of volumes. What's more, some have said that the Eye of the Desert could be connected to other worlds.

What does it mean when worlds are connected? Something happens?





Ah--ah--aaah!

I hate being right!



Not at all! I wonder what's going on in the world these things came from. I think we may have to look into that someday...



So to those of you who recognized Omega and were disappointed by its initial appearance, Omega Bane is here to pick up the slack.



Omega is another super boss that appears throughout the series. First showing up in FFV and then being retroactively added to FFI. It doesn't have a lot of appearances when compared to bosses like Ultima Weapon, but it was added to the Royal edition of FFXV, so it certainly hasn't been forgotten.

It has a devastating weakness to Thunder, but it will immediately cast Reflect to cover for that weakness. I had removed the Dispel mirajewel at this point, so it required a bit of outside the box thinking to get around that little hitch.



Reflect bounces spells back to the opponent. However, in order to avoid players getting caught in an infinite loop, a spell will only be Reflected once. So if the enemy has Reflect on and you cast Reflect on yourself, then you can target your own characters and bounce the spell off of you and into them, bypassing their Reflect.



A problem with this is that it's hard to tell when Reflect has worn off, so you may end up accidentally healing the enemy or hurting yourself when attempting to reflect. You can check if it's still active on the stats screen by pressing Start (or whatever the equivalent is), but I never remember to do it personally.



In terms of Omega's offence, it has Missile (which deals a decent amount of damage, about 1k) and its signature attack, Wave Cannon.







Which is pretty potent.

Stick to Thunder if you have it (you can slap a Mirajewel on if you need to) and bring Dispel if you can. If you can't, then try the Reflect trick. If you can't do either of those things, then you better pray you have a strong physical team.



And yes, there is a stronger form of Omega Bane. This was the piddly story version. The Coliseum version is level 90.

What?! That was the most powerful Mirage I've ever seen! And you're telling me more of 'em will turn up here?!

Who knows, kiddo. But, if it'll win me points with the world's loveliest ladies, then I say go ahead and keep churning these nightmare adversaries out.

Uhh... I say "please don't."



Yeah Vivi, don't you want to be like Edgar? Single, but pretending that you could change that at the drop of a hat?

.....

Whatever that Mirage was, I don't think it came here just to attack without rhyme or reason. It wouldn't bother going out to sea expect to do reconnaissance.



We've got one more quest to look at for this update, but I made another change to Reynn's stack at this point.



Laguna moves up to a Coeurl. Coeurls are a common enemy in the series, first appearing in FFII. Their skill sets tend to vary by appearance, but they commonly enjoy using black magic and status skills. It's main ability is Blaster, which will usually either Paralyze you, hurt like hell, cause instant death, or some combination of those three.



We also have a memento for Omega Bane, which Entom Soldier can transfig into should we desire.



And finally, this is Lesser Coeurl, which Laguna briefly became before getting access to a full-fledged Coeurl. It's also fluffy as hell and I fucking adore it.

To replace Laguna's position on top of Reynn's head, I transfig Biggs into a Death Searcher as well. Both Biggs and Eyevan are able to master their Death Searcher Mirage Boards and I give them both Magic+++ as their mastery bonus (this boosts their Magic stat by a whopping 50).

Aria di Mezzo Carattere


Yeah. With all of these records here, there may be something on the guy I'm after.

Dammit. Stupid Advent Children characterization garbage. More on this in a separate quest. This quest is about something else. Something more... theatrical.

What guy?

Ah! Impeccable timing, Cloud! This book has given me a wonderful idea, but I'll need your help.



Not interested.

No way!

Now now, not so fast. Celes, what did you say to me the other day? Because I can recall you lamenting how gloomy the town has been since that whole vampire ordeal.

I might have said something like that. But how does an opera figure in?

With their little hearts broken like that, they may never enjoy a book again.



Hm? It's not? Take two! With their little hearts broken like that, they'll never find the courage to fend off all the Cogna.

Oh, well, I suppose you're right about that.

DO YOU SEE?! This opera is perfect for un-slumping the town's spirits!

You don't expect us to...

Yes! It features a mysterious hero and a beautiful heroine! Who could be better for the roles? Back in my younger years, I used to be head over heads for this libretto.



Celes says something like this in FFVI. She's forced into a similar situation to this where she has to star in an opera as part of a plan, to which she complains:



Sorry, but you can count me out too.

Cloud also has a small connection to this, as in FFVII he is dragged into taking part in a play at the Gold Saucer during the "date" scene.



Who he goes with is based on the affection mechanic, but the only ones that will take part in the play are Tifa, Yuffie, and Aerith. Barret unfortunately won't play the role of Princess in distress.

Oh, don't say that! In fact you can't say that because you're aleady on the flyers. So as the saying goes, break a leg!

I oughta break your leg for doing that!

Okay, get rehearsing!

What? H-hold it!

*And then Cid moonwalks out of there or something*

So, he knows I'm not doing this?



Is that her? I think Celes is serious. Is she gonna do it?

~O my hero... Hm? What do you want? A Mirage?!

What's going on?!




[Ultros]: Ta-daaa! It's so quiet in here I could hear an octopus drop! You can hardly blame me for wanting to take over the place and save it for my retirement. I just "flopped" in to see who was making all the noise. Nobody arpeggioes in my new cottagio... unless she happens to be a deliciously pretty lady. Geh heh, geh hee heh!


Who sent you? Was it the Federation?!



This library is a sacred place! No one gave you permission to disturb it!


[Ultros]: Well, if you like your sacred library that much, I'd better do you a favor and hide it from anyone unsavory, huh? Here's a bright idea! Maybe I'll just squirt some ink all over these books! Geh heh heh heh!


Keep your tentacles off these books. I need 'em too. If you won't back off, then I know what's for dinner.

I'm up for a little fancy cuisine myself!




[Ultros]: Who, me? Oh, I'm just an innocent passerby. Really.


Oh! Got it. Well, in that case...

No one just passes through here, dummy!

Lann, go sit in the corner for a while.

Huh? Oh! Let's do this!

Ultros' appearance here is another reference to FFVI. He shows up during the opera and tries to ruin the party's plan by dropping a weight onto the stage during Celes' performance. The party knocks him down onto the stage and they battle him under the guise of this being part of the opera.

This is pretty much the exact same battle as the one in Terra's quest during the previous update. Ultros just has about 3k more HP for this one.



Whew... Seems all the books are still intact. Thanks a lot, Cloud.

I had my own reasons to help. Oh, and Celes... Is that the libretto?

Hm? Oh! It's covered in that freak's ink!

I guess that means the opera's canceled then.

No, wait a sec! Maybe the duet at the end is still okay!

Uh, well... it's not like we can put on half an opera. Let's just shelve this idea. I'm sure we can find another way to cheer up the townspeople, right?

Oh! Well... I suppose.



What do you know? So I wasn't the star of either performance. But that's all right.

And that's all for the Intervention Quests for now.