Part 45: Update -XXXVII- Friendship Lessons

Now that the EX Dungeons are finished, we've taken care of the stuff from the base game (with the exception of Coliseum matches anyway, but those are just Mirage catching).

I'm not completely sure how to best divide up the Maxima content. I have no idea what the secret ending involves or if it has any substance to it. It may just be a boss fight followed by some 30 second nonsense scene for all I know.

I decided to tackle everything else first, then fight the three super bosses in one update that includes the secret ending. That one could be a really short update, or it could be super long, who knows.



That means we're going to Crystal Tower to kick off this update. Something new has appeared there.



Not the creepy vortex thing. I mean, that is new as well, but it's not why we're here. We're going back to the top of the tower. Thankfully the crystals are still active, so we just need to use the red one to the right of the gate.





There's a strange purple gate here now, in the place where the Barrier used to be.



We have no idea where we're going or what we're getting into, but when has that ever stopped our heroes before?



Oh, awesome. One of these dungeons.







The Hidden Dungeon is a pain in the ass. It's similar to the EX Dungeons in the sense that it's just a patchwork of previous dungeon areas tied together with high level Mirages scattered about.

You can find some items laying around, but they aren't in chests here. They are just points of light on the ground. The items are just standard battle items like hi-ethers and potions/elixirs.



The area we're in right now is kind of a hub. We need to run through the Watchplains until we track down some crystals.

The mobs here are not worth fighting. This Goblin Mob, for example, took about 2 minutes from battle start to getting back to the field screen. It only forked out 160k experience. You could have racked up over 500k in the same amount of time in EX D, easy. You also get Arma Gems there that you can use for sweet Seeds or to sell for insane cash.



When we reach this little clearing, we can spy a few deactivated crystals up the stairs. There is another one tucked away behind this cliff, but it just leads back to the beginning of the dungeon. It's simply a shortcut if you ever leave this area and want to pick it up again later.



Four crystals to choose from. Might as well just pick one at random (AKA the closest one to me because I'm lazy).



First area for the bottom right crystal is Sunken Temple. That reminds me that I need to pop back here at some point to catch story Quacho Queen. She's hanging around for battles the same way Undead Princess and Princess Goblin are (also I need to go back and get Princess Goblin). There's also an achievement tied to Quacho Queen which I normally wouldn't care about, but if I'm 100 percenting this game (which I apparently am at this point) I may as well go all the way with the achievements as well.

One thing at a time though. Run through the Sunken Temple portion, there's nothing here.



When you get to the room with all the columns, take the crystal on the left to proceed.

Second area is Saronia Docks. You can get Coreuls and Lesser Coreuls here if you didn't catch the one in the Murkrift (or transfig one).



You need some field abilities for this place, but thankfully they leave a Seraphone right next to this cannon for you in case you're an idiot like I was that one time long ago and didn't maintain a constant supply of them.

After getting blasted to the other side, the crystal to proceed is sitting on the back of the nearby ship.



Next area is further ahead in the Watchplains, near where Warrior of Light awakened to protect Princess Sarah from her own stupidity of wandering an active battlefield in full regalia.

See that crystal way off in the distance? Near the top left of the screen? That's where we want to go. We'll also be going there a lot because this area shows up repeatedly during this hidden dungeon (not just on this one route, I mean the entire hidden dungeon). You start all the way down in the canyon and it takes a good 75 seconds or so of pure running just to navigate to it. That doesn't include any potential battles you may encounter.



The last area of these routes will always be the end of the Nether Nebula. This is where you fight the route boss.



For the Water route, that means we are fighting this Kraken looking bastard. Oh, and by the way. No save points on these routes. Make sure you top up everything before you start the battle.



Oh, it is literally a Kraken. Huh.

Kraken is pretty fast, but none of his attacks hit especially hard. Not if you've done your grinding anyway. He'll use Dark magic, Evil Mist (multi-target Dark), and Waterga for anywhere between 1,100-3,000 damage depending on your resistances.

He has a slight vulnerability to Slow, but as with Brandelis I don't think it's really worth it. It wears off far too quickly and it will probably miss a few times.

Kraken also has the ability to inflict Poison, so make sure Esuna or Antidotes are present in your toolkit.



I decided to try out Sharpened Knife Master Tonberry during this fight. By casting Bravery and Focus you can up the damage further, bringing it up to---



devastating damage. Unfortunately Tonbro still needs some accuracy work, since it misses more than it hits. It has definite potential though and also inflicts Defence Down.



Given the damage it did, Kraken likely has about 90k-100k in health.



Beating Kraken clears the Water Route. The game will then inform us that we have 3 routes remaining. Take the crystal in the back to return to the hub area.

We'll take the bottom left crystal this time, which glows red, meaning that it must be the Fire Route.



The first area is Valley Seven. The crystal we want is way in the back, in the place where we chased Rydia to that time she bolted on us out of fear of fire.

Area 2 is Pyreglow Forest. There's only one path and one crystal, so take it.



This leads us back to Watchplains again. Oh boy. Another hike across half the Watchplains later, we get back to the crystal that takes us to Nether Nebula.



Where we're met with... something? That's definitely a new Mirage.



Marilith has about 100k in HP. The only elemental weakness is Water, which is kind of limiting, but at least she doesn't have a ton of resistances. She also has a slight vulnerability to Sleep.

She's basically just the counterpart to Kraken. She's fast and uses Fire element spells instead of water.







However, Marilith does have a special attack called Blade Dance. It hurts a little, but it's nothing I'm particularly worried about.

Honestly, the hardest part of this fight for me was the fact that Reynn's stack had Fire weakness. Marilith's speed allowed her to really punish Reynn's group with her fire spells.



Eventually I just bring Macho Man in to finish it.



Even with 14k health left, his Revenge Blast still hits like a Slim Jim truck.



Marilith first showed up as one of the Four Fiends in the original Final Fantasy. She's had spotty appearances in the rest of the franchise, popping up in III and IV, then disappearing until IX, sort of showing up in XII (it didn't have the swords in that one. It was just a snake monster) and later showing up in Brotherhood FFXV as part of Noctis' backstory.

That takes care of the fire route. Next up is the crystal on the top right, which is the Wind Route.



The first area is the mountains, and it's where we find the new trash mob Mirage.



Slyphine needs to be hit with earth attacks, which is tricky since she can fly. Earth Spellstones will do the job though, so just use one of those.



It's a mid-point between Sylph/Serafie and Siren/Diva Serafie. Not especially noteworthy as far as I'm concerned.

There are two crystals in the Mountain area. One is in a nest up a path. You have to pass by another crystal to reach it. Do not take the nest crystal, as this will lead you to the Desert, which then leads you back to the Hub. Take the first crystal you see, the one on the side path to the right.



The proper path leads to Crystal Tower. There is a crystal straight ahead which transports you to the one you can see way in the back near the staircase (top left of the screenshot).

Head down the staircase, left across the bridge, then down and to the right to the next staircase. Head down that one and then keep running south to find the next crystal. This transports you over to the big central staircase, so hook around north to get on to it and then head down. You'll wind up in the big open area where we battled the Dark Ramuh stack in EX Dungeon B. The crystal out of here is tucked in the back corner.

After that, you know the drill. It's back to Watchplains, then back to Nether Nebula for the boss.



Which is a boring old Tiamat in this case. It also has about 100k HP.



It uses wind attacks, it has Magic Counter, it's very unmemorable. One route remaining after we beat Tiamat.

The top left crystal in the hub is the Earth Route and it's the last one we need to clear.

Area 1 is the Nether Nebula, but it's the mid-point of the Nebula, not the end where the boss is.



Two crystals here. Hop down the ledge and take the one you see in the upper right of the screenshot.

Next area is Train Graveyard.



Head straight ahead, through the open green container, then out the left side of it. This leads you to the ramp where you can get up on top of the containers. Keep going right along the red containers to get to the crystal. The south path along the green containers has nothing and will just waste your time.

After that, you're in the Watchplains again and then on to the Nether Nebula boss area.



Which has... I don't even know. The hell is that?



Oh, it's Lich.

...Oh, it's Lich. This is gonna be a pain the ass, isn't it?





Yep. It sure is.

Lich loves using Death and Doom spells (30 second timer for Doom) for instant kills. He also has Reaper Lore, which means if he takes out your stack, he'll probably regain about 30k HP. He has 100k himself.

If you have high Death resistance, then this fight will be pretty easy. If you don't, then Lich is fortunately susceptible to Oblivion, which will lock down his ability to use skills for a while.

Or you can just huck X-Potions at him because he's undead and therefore takes damage from healing items. 2 X-Potions is enough to end him. Honestly, that's just funny.



I can think of a few more: Twitch, Pitch, Itch, Hitch, Bit--

Hm? Oh, right. We're talking about Lich lore. Right. Lich here is one of the Four Fiends from FFI. He also makes a few more appearances in the rest of the series, mostly in later entries.

With Lich out of the way, we've cleared all four routes. So what happens next? Some of you probably already have a feeling of what's to come.



When we get back to the Hub, a new crystal has appeared behind the gate. Let's check it out. You may want to quickly pop back to Nine Wood to save though. Just a suggestion.

The first area of the new route is Icicle Ridge.



Keep following the path and you'll eventually find yourself back at this sliding puzzle. Up, right, up, left, up, and right gets you to the top path. There's a point of light up there with 2 elixirs if you want them. If not, then go down, left, down, right, and down to get to the crystal forward.

Next area is the Underground Prison.



You need to keep running down staircases until you see the crystal hiding out at the top of one.



The next area is different than what we are used to. Take the left path to get to a save point and prepare for a major boss battle. When you're ready, head back to the start and take the right path to the platform.



The fuck is that thing?



Okay, we'll deal with this massive fuck you in a little bit.



But first, seriously, what the hell is that thing? I need a closer look.



Update 37 Highlights - Four Fiend Fight... Freeview, Freepreview... dammit


It's a chibi Garland! Look at his little doofy toothpick sword!

Focus time. Chibi Garland will be ours, but first we need to deal with the bullshit that is fighting all four bosses plus Garland at once.

You're going to get hammered in this fight. It's five on two and all five of them have just enough difference in speed to break up the grouping, meaning that turns are going to come up at different times (you can't just prep for one big onslaught of attacks).

I suggest cheesing Lich with X-Potions. He doesn't seem as Death/Doom happy as he was during the solo fight, but it's not something you really want him starting halfway through the battle. Reaper Lore will also heal him by 30k if any of your stacks are KO'ed. I didn't cheese him in the fight, but that's only because I try and drag battles out to try and lure special attacks out of enemies to show off.



Multi-target attacks are one way to go, although Kraken does enjoy casting Reflect, which could screw with your plans. Ultima can't be reflected though, so if you have that then go crazy with it. Balthier is a good choice for a champion summon here, as he can target all with water.

Everyone mostly sticks to their single boss fight MO, although they do work together fairly well (such as Kraken casting Reflect on others). Garland mostly hangs out and swipes at you with physical attacks for 5k-7k.

The fight is mostly about staying healed and looking for openings. Toppling is a major concern, so be sure to defend if you notice someone wobbling. A broken stack is a dead stack in this fight.





Every time you take out one of the bosses, Garland will pick up a weakness to the element that the boss represented. You can try exploiting this to get him out of the way quickly if you want. He's probably the least threatening of the bosses here, but that also makes him dangerous in some ways. He sort of hangs out in the back and picks off your stacks when they are weak, or weakens them to set up one of the other bosses. You don't pay him a lot of mind because he's so small in comparison to the others.



Winning the fight gets you Garland.

Garland is voiced by Christopher Sabat in English and Koji Ishii in Japanese.

Garland is the original antagonist of the FF series. He was a former Cornelian Knight that was the one responsible for kidnapping Princess Sarah. He gets beaten immediately, after which the Warriors of Light run around and battle the Four Fiends of Chaos that sucked the power out of the crystals. Said Four Fiends are the ones we just fought: Kraken, Lich, Marilith, and Tiamat. After they are defeated, the Warriors of Light find out that the power the Fiends had sucked out was diverted to the Dark Crystal and opened a portal to 2,000 years ago. Turns out that Garland basically creates a time loop that makes him functionally immortal by sending the Four Fiends of the past to the present. Of course the Warriors of Light proceed to defeat him and break the loop.

Those were simpler times.



And that's all she wrote for the Hidden Dungeon. Kind of boring, but I appreciate the call back to the Four Fiends of Chaos and I definitely like the inclusion of Garland as a Lilikin companion.



To finish the update, we're going to take a look at the Maxima Intervention Quests. You need to do these in order, so we have to start with Bloom in the Moonlight.

Update 37 Highlights - Night Queen Quest


I don't the-see it either...



Cecil is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in English and Shiduma Hodoshima in Japanese.



Cecil is from FFIV, like Rydia. He is childhood friends with Rosa and Kain who unfortunately are only referenced in World of Final Fantasy, not actually seen. Cecil starts out as a Dark Knight and captain of the Red Wings, an airship fleet. At the start of the game, Cecil carries out a raid on Mysidia to try and swipe the Water Crystal. Everyone starts to suspect that something is wrong with the King, and sure enough he immediately orders Cecil and Kain to piss off and go hunt down Eidolons in Mist Valley. This leads to the unfortunate incident with Rydia that I mentioned in her introduction.

Cecil and Kain unintentionally kill Rydia's mom by killing her summon (Mist Dragon), the package they were told to deliver turns out to be a bomb that destroys the village, the two of them offer to "rescue" Rydia and get her to safety but she (rightfully) tells them to fuck off by summoning Titan and causing an earthquake.

The King is obviously messed up in the head by this point, so Cecil ends up fighting off soldiers from Baron and basically turning his back on the country that raised him. However, Kain ends up sticking with Baron and the two eventually battle for control of Fabul's crystal. Kain ends up winning, Rosa gets kidnapped by Golbez, and then the ship attack happens where everyone gets separated (Rydia winds up in the Eidolons realm where the age-up happens). This leads into Cecil going on his journey to become a Paladin.



Then they go on to do Final Fantasy hero things and save the world by beating a giant robot that kind of looks like Alexander while Golbez goes to the moon to fight the actual big bad and then later the party flies to the moon in a giant airship that looks like a mechanical whale and is called the Lunar Whale...

Final Fantasy IV got weird.

Anyway, there's more to it than that (unfortunately), because FFIV had the noble honour of being granted the Extended Universe treatment. Look forward to that.

According to Edgar, it should be somewhere around here...

*Expository flashback time*



If I recall, there's a medicinal flower somewhere in this desert that is said to cure sunstroke. Are you familiar with it?

Mm, you speak of the Night Queen. Of course I am familiar. Unfortunately, it's a rather enigmatic flower that only blooms when it is truly needed. Which means it's rather hard to find.

That sounds like kind of an asshole flower. How does it decide when it's "needed"? If it's so hard to find, then that must mean that it doesn't appear for everyone that goes looking for it.

In order to find the Night Queen... it will have to be Cecil, who needs it most, that searches the desert.

Hwooow... And where exactly in this big the-desert does he even begin to look?

The Night Queen is said to bloom where the moon's power is most prevalent. Sadly, the moon shines differently every night... I'm sorry, but I don't know the exact location.

Where the moon's power is strongest...? In that case, I may be able to find it. Edgar, where can I see the moon at its highest position tonight?

We're in a desert, so... anywhere? Not exactly a lot of stuff that can obstruct the view.

Hm? Oh, I believe it is... that way. Is that truly... all you need to know?

Yes, I am somewhat attuned to the moon's power. Thank you Edgar, I am in your debt!

No no, you owe me nothing. I just hope that you find the Night Queen.



Tama, you go and help Cecil.

Yup, you the-got it!

Hauyn, your help is appreciated.

Don't mention it.

Ahem... uh, so this person who is dear to you, is it fair to say... she is fair?

Hm...?

Ugh... goodness the-gracious...

Oh, Edgar. You and your character trait.

*Flashback over*

Forget flowers, there's not the-even a single weed!

Three days since the fever began... I must find the Night Queen... Bear through the pain just a little longer... Wait for me!

Cecil! There's something the-over there!



The moon's power... I feel it... Yes, the flower that blooms over yonder must be the Night Queen Edgar spoke of.

Huh, well that wasn't so hard. The Desert Caravan is like 20 feet behind us.



That might be a bigger problem, though.

The flower's guardian, I presume? Apologies, but I am in dire need of the Night Queen-- please move aside.



The guardian shakes his head "No" and then does a "pay up" motion with his hand.

Um, um... he just the-said that his name is Yojimbo, or at least I think so. And he the-says he wants all your money... right the-now, or the-else!

Oh, this bastard. I'm looking forward to kicking your ass.

What? My money...?

*Cecil pats himself down, then looks to Tama who has this look on her face that says "I'm a Mirage, man. I don't have cash!"

He's sure as hell not getting my money. I don't care if I now have a functionally limitless supply of it. It's mine!

Apologies again, but I cannot comply. I'm on a quest for someone dear to me.

Yojimbo doesn't seem to appreciate that answer.

I see... then I have no choice! Accept my challenge... for the Night Queen!







We're up against Yojimbo, Gamit, and Daigoro. They are all pathetic and will serve no threat to us whatsoever. That's not because of my super boss grinding either. These stats are pathetic even by Postscript standards. I tried to goad some attacks out of him, but he just kept using Double Cut.





So to hell with him.



Suck it, you money grubbing douche.

He may also have had just cause or reason... But I needed the Night Queen... to save someone dear to me.

We the-did it! Now, let's the-go back to the town!

Yes, we should hurry. ...Though he is a dragoon, after all. It is highly doubtful that a week of fever would be the end of a man such as he.

Psych! It was actually Kain that was sick!

This is a call back to FFIV where Rosa is the one that gets Desert Fever. I mentioned this when we were in Figaro for the first time. Cecil had to go find an Ant-lion and grab a Desert Pearl in order to cure Rosa.

But Cecil! If we don't the-hurry, it might be the end of his caretaker!

His caretaker? Ah, Rosa...! You have a point-- let's make haste!

Hey! Wait the-for me!

And that's the end of that. Cecil's Champion Jewel becomes available for purchase. He doesn't get a flashy special move unfortunately. His Champion Jewel skills are SOS Regen and Guard (if his HP is high he'll sometimes take a hit for an ally that's in danger. It also reduces damage received).

We don't get Yojimbo, Gamit, or Daigoro here, so I'm guessing they are tucked away in the Vortex place in Crystal Tower.

Update 37 Highlights - The Price of Freedom


Moving on to Maxima Intervention 2.



...a dream?



A hero... It must feel... really good...



Zack is voiced by Rick Gomez in English and Kenichi Suzumura in Japanese.



Zack was mentioned previously during Cloud's introduction (and the EU entry). He was what Cloud wanted to be when he first left Nibelheim promising Tifa that he'd be SOLDIER 1st-Class. He reached SOLDIER 2nd-Class and is promoted to 1st-Class partway through Crisis Core.

At one point in the game, Zack falls into the Sector 5 Church, much the same way that Cloud would in VII. He meets Aerith, offers to repay her for her help with a date (a line that Aerith later uses in VII), suggests she sells flowers since they are a luxury in Midgar (which is how Aerith becomes a flower girl in VII), and he also buys her the pink ribbon she wears in her hair during VII.

Shortly after that, Zack meets Cloud and the two become good friends. Cloud looks up to Zack as a role model (Cloud is only an infantryman. He never made it to SOLDIER like he wanted), and after that comes the Nibelheim Incident (well, it comes after a bunch of EU bullshit anyway, but whatever).

The Nibelheim Incident results in Zack and Cloud being taken in by Shinra and used in Hojo's Jenova Reunion project experiments. This is how Cloud winds up infused with Mako and Jenova cells. The two are locked away in the Shinra Mansion for four years, but Zack eventually manages to break out and he escapes with Cloud. Zack was SOLDIER, so he manages to get out of the experimentation fairly okay, but Cloud is left as basically a vegetable from Mako poisoning since he was just a normal infantryman (SOLDIER's were already exposed to Mako during training).

Those wings... I want them too...

We'll pick this up in a second. No, Zack! Bad Zack! Get away from the wing imagery!

It's like...



Where am I...? Who am I...?



Come on, World of Final Fantasy. Don't do this to me...



This is a reference to Zack's Final Stand. It's the ending of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and an optional scene in FFVII (although the VII version is far less grand as we only see the last moment). Zack and Cloud go on the run and slowly make their way towards Midgar. Just outside of the city, the Shinra Army ambushes the pair and Zack hides Cloud behind some rocks while he goes to fight.

The sequence was playable in Crisis Core and it's heart-wrenching. The enemies are limitless and as the battle goes on, Zack's DMW reel (his special gauge that has faces of important people in his life) starts to break down. Zack winds up taking out almost the entire army sent to stop them, but eventually he reaches his limits and is killed. He passes the Buster Sword on to Cloud in his final moments.

Making it somehow even more heart-breaking, Tseng and the Turks tried to rescue Zack and Cloud, but by the time they got there via helicopter, the Shinra Army had already found them. Tseng was keeping several letters that Aerith tried to send to Zack during the four years he spent locked up in Shinra Mansion. Because of Aerith's connection to the planet, she can feel the moment that Zack "returns to the planet".



Anyway, moving on because I'm honestly choking up just recounting it. It's a very powerful scene that, to tell the truth, would make me hesitate if I had the power to erase the Compilation from history.

Zack has some flashbacks to the bird in the sky scene and the Lifestream, then collapses in pain.



I'm a... soldier... I'll protect my honor... as SOLDIER! Come and get it!

*And the scene cuts to black as Zack's darts in to fight the Cogna/machines*



Well now, it seems many strange things are afoot under our feet. Not the least being Bahamut suddenly returning and squatting down there. And with Vivi currently absent... Hmmm... I'm wary of going down there alone.

Chicken-wuss.

...!

*Edgar has some kind of epiphany and does this dramatic smirk to the camera*



Of course he would.

Yeah, the-sticky, the-gooey, the-viscous even! Is Bahamut the-responsible for this?

My guess... is that he finds all of this energy comforting. Tiababylo always has been a big eater...

You have control over the Mirages currently, correct? I'm counting on you!



What happened...?

Astonishing... The machines down here might be wiped out without us lifting a finger!

They the-might not be the only ones to get wiped out!

Ah, indeed... But was this the work of man, and not beast?

It appears so. They were all struck with a blade.

Oh, hey. Cecil is here too.

Ah! I'm glad you came to join us. It would have been gauche of me to only invite the ladies.

I do owe all of you a debt for helping me.

So all is well now? Has the maiden recovered?

The maiden...? No, the Night Queen was for...



*Zack outta nowhere!*

Aaah!

Is this the one...?

Something's the-wrong with him!

Could it be... mako poisoning?

Uraaahhh!

Hraaah!

*Cecil manages to knock him back*

I... I have to... protect him!

Him...?



We're thrown into battle with Zack, and while he is a little tougher than Yojimbo, he still isn't a threat to a post-game party. His basic physical attacks only hit our stacks for about 600.

He'll try to use Focus to boost damage for Double Cut on his next turn, but that still only amounts to about 2,400.



Unbelievable...

The sword, the clothes... is he a Shinra SOLDIER?

Yes, 1st Class I would guess... the very same class as Cloud.

Except SOLDIER 1st Class don't have a standard uniform. They basically wear whatever they want, although typically they are supposed to wear black. Cloud's clothing is also Blue, which is normally for SOLDIER 3rd Class.

C-Cloud...?

Hm?

You know him? You know Cloud? Then maybe we could...

Cloud... ngh! I am... not going to abandon you...! We're friends... right?


[Bahamut]: Rrrraaaah!




And then Bahamut just flies away into the... green ether? We're in an Underground Prison, how does he get in and out of here? Is it just a big pit in the middle of the desert or something?

What?

Wh-what in blazes...?!

So he was the-sleeping, but he woke up because we were being the-loud... And graaahhh! He got the-mad and flew away somewhere?

Thank you for summarizing, Tama.

Classic Tiababylo...

...? Where's our friend?

It the-looks like Bahamut took him along for the ride. What do we the-do?

Well, what can we the-do?

Uh... yes, well... It seemed like he knew Cloud, so... I should go look for him, I guess.

Good stuff. Zack's Champion Jewel is unlocked at this point. His special is Slash Fury.





It's not especially impressive.

Update 37 Highlights - Seriously, this place doesn't exist anymore. What the hell?


Last intervention (other than A Bridge's Woes. I haven't forgotten), here we go.

Okay, here I come!



And we're immediately thrown into battle with Shiva-Ixion. As with the other bosses, this one no longer poses a threat.

She has a special called Icicle Drift, which is the move she does in Snow's Champion animation. She can also cast Slow and Haste. Neither of those will help her.





Whoa whoa whoa. How are we back here? This entire area was just an illusion that Ywain (or whatever the Carbuncle was named) was creating.

You guys seriously couldn't find another part of the world map that had flowers in it? Hell, copy the flower texture over a piece of the Watchplains.

The Icycle is... yeah, looking alright! Now I just have to get back and...



And Zack just comes plummeting out of the sky. We also see Bahamut flying through the sky overhead.

Wha... whaaaaa?! Who's this! He's not dead... is he...? Hellooo...

Hm... ngel...?

What? Oh no, my name is... Serah. Are you a little disoriented?



Serah is voiced by Laura Bailey in English and Minako Kotobuki in Japanese.



Serah is from FFXIII. She's Lightning's sister that got turned to crystal after doing her god chore. The look you're seeing in WoFF is her Time Traveler costume from XIII-2.

I don't have a lot to say about Serah right now. We already talked about the fact that she is Snow's fiancee, Lightning doesn't like that fact, and she is a crystal hood ornament for most of XIII. We also discussed that she becomes a time traveler in XIII-2 for... reasons. I guess because Toriyama couldn't find a way to make it so that Lightning was both a goddess warrior and also Time Cop at the same time.

The people have declared that XIII's sequels are EU, so we'll be hearing plenty about Serah in the upcoming EU entry.

Serah...? No, I'm... oh...! No, I was just having a bad dream. Hut!

*Zack springs up. Seems like he's feeling better, and no longer full of insane bloodlust*

So you saved my life, huh? Thank you! Now, how do I repay you...?

What? Oh no, I didn't do anything.

Hmm... I know! How about one date...

She's taken, man. You won't be getting anywhere with her.

There the-he is! Hweh? He the-looks completely normal now...

Friends of yours?

No, never seen 'em.

Oh that Tiababylo... Does he always have to fly so far?



Hm?

It seems like he absorbed all the bad mako energy out of you.

Huh? What's that now?

We haven't formally met. I'm Hauyn, and this is...

Lovely the-Tama!

Uh... hi.

Hello...

Oh? Wait, aren't you...

...?

So what can I do for you, miss?

Oh yes, well... I followed you here to ask you something, mister...

Oh, my name is Zack.

Zack, you have heard the name Cloud before, haven't you?

Did you say Cloud...? Hold on, is he here?



No Tama, he was unconsciously uttering it just to mess with you.

He is here...

Um, this Cloud person, could he be Snow's friend Cloud?

Uhhh, since when was Cloud, Snow's friend? The two have never been in the same scene together. Lightning spends more time with him and even she is more of a co-worker than a friend.

I've heard his name mentioned.

Yes, hehe... I knew it. You're Snow's fiancee, Serah, aren't you?



Hey! Snow's not a muscle-bound toad! Oh wait... physically he may be mostly muscle... But he has just as much kindness as he does muscle!

He's also kind of an idiot.

So you're the-saying he's equal parts muscle, kindness, and toad?

Nooo! Ugh! Who is Snow to you people anyway?

Hmm, let's just say he's our... he's our comrade-in-arms.

Even that is kind of a stretch.

Comrade?

Comrade-in-arms...

Oh, wonderful! You'll talk to us now? You're in the mood?

No, I'm sorry but if you guys are associated with Cloud... I'm outta here. The burden of Shinra's orders lies on my shoulders... and mine alone. I think Cloud... has been through enough already.

But...



Serah?

Snow told me once... Going on alone and making the people you leave behind cry isn't kindness. If you really care about someone, you should try to get through it together.

Get through it together...

So if this person is really important to you, Zack... Before you just go off on your own, I think you should meet with him and talk things through.

Well the-said, hear the-hear!

Serah... heh, alright then. Hauyn, I've reconsidered. Take me to my friend, 'kay?

Do you guys even know where he is at this point? He kind of had plans to wander around looking for Sephiroth.

Yes, of course! But I have to say...



Huh?

Does the world still need saving? I thought we already saved it.

Hehe... just idle talk. So, now that it's settled, let's get going, shall we?

Yes, we the-shall!

Well Serah, until next time.

HA! "Next time." This game is never getting a sequel, are you kidding me?

Oh yeah! I'll give you a rain check on that date, okay?

What?! I never agreed to a date!

Urgh... you know, you're just too happy-the-go-lucky for Shinra SOLDIER, Zack!

Quiet, you!

What a strange bunch... That girl said something about me saving the world? What was that all about?

*Serah looks to Shiva-Ixion, who just kind of cocks her head*

...Yeah, I don't get it either. I'll have to ask Snow when I get back... oh, no! I'm so behind on preparing for Snow's birthday!



Aaah! The flowers are going to get ruined! Go slower, slower...

They can't get ruined because they don't exist! This whole place is a lie!

Now Serah's Champion Jewel has been unlocked.

Update 37 Highlights - Slash Fury/Ultima Arrow


Her special is Ultima Arrow.



It's kind of just a basic "arrow rain" attack.


And that's all! Those were all the Intervention Quests that Maxima added. With those clear, we just have some cleaning up to do (and by that I mean that I have to go and catch all the remaining Mirages I'm missing) before we finally take down those--

What? Oh, dammit. Right. We still have two Extended Universe segments to get through before that grand finale.