LogFAQs > #947570505

Well I'm sticking with this one for now anyway!

We search unsuccessfully for the summon for ages (even after reading the spoiler bars!), then head back where we're supposed to.

The Great Forest of Moore is intentionally difficult to find a path through, and it may just be me but it feels like the random encounter rate is higher than usual. The enemies aren't too bad and they add a couple with each layer into the forest we go, and there's chests scattered around.

Exdeath decides to take the easier route and just burn the whole thing to the ground. The game cannot handle all the flames on screen and things get a bit slow for a while, nice move Exdeath! A Moogle helps us out and we travel the rest of the now burned forest (they missed a trick not altering the battle background, it's still bright green) into the Guardian Tree. On future attempts (spoilers) I manage to get an Aegis Shield from one of the chests before it burns down, but I can't seem to find a way to the chest that has Ash in it before it burns.

Cue a boss fight with the four seals, some very annoying nameless enemies. This battle takes me several attempts. Each crystal is healed by one element, and it takes me a few tries to properly understand this but when they're low on HP they constantly spam a very powerful elemental attack. What eventually works is casting Hastega on the party, Slowga on the enemies until it takes, and individually casting Shell on each party member. We see they have 7777 HP each and keep everybody topped up until one gets low enough to cast its spell, then attack them with everything we have so it can't cast the spell more than once. Shell is a godsend, I haven't used it before in this game but it cuts the damage down so much. Titan is also incredibly useful here, I take out the ground enemy first then keep summoning him. We also learn Aeroga, which is nice.

Finally something goes our heroes' w- oh. Oh no. Exdeath has bamboozled us (or has he? I don't think he planned this we just kinda did his work for him >_>) and we just broke the seals on the four crystals, letting them fall under his control. Guess that explains why they were affiliated with each element. Exdeath zaps us for a very long period of time until Krile flies all the way over here (oh, now the Wind Drake can fly over mountains) and bonks him herself. Our villain immediately gets back up and bounces her all over the room sealed in a flaming circle, and Galuf is willing to break his own crystal to save her.

Galuf goes Super Saiyan or something and charges Exdeath head on, and we're into a cutscene battle against the big man. Galuf immediately goes down to 0 HP but continues fighting for a long time, and Exdeath shows off a bunch of high tier spell animations and gives us all a preview of what a proper fight with him will probably be like later. Galuf claims it's not hatred or anger that gives him the strength to fight on, but doesn't get to answer Exdeath's question before the battle is over.

Exdeath takes the remaining 3 crystals and peaces out, and Galuf... dies. Properly. The party attempts their spells and items to revive him (IV did this a lot too, I wish the modern ones did this kind of stuff still) but he flickers out of existence (which every character in this game does when dying for good, a nice indication this is for real). Krile collapses in grief.

Galuf's flame has flickered out...

I am legitimately very surprised at this turn. Sure IV had a bunch of 'deaths' and one that stuck (the cutscene battle in particular reminded me of Tellah v Golbez), but this game has had just the 4 playables since the beginning, and despite the secondary characters dropping like flies I didn't even consider one of the mains dying midgame. Galuf had grown on me a lot over the course of this world, he will be missed. At least it's a good exit for him, protecting his granddaughter and tossing Exdeath aside. Nonetheless, night has fallen for the Dawn Warriors.

The Guardian Tree allows Galuf to speak to Krile, where he tries to calm her down and passes on his abilities. Ah, that's how the party will stay full. We are to head to Exdeath Castle next, but first I manage to get Catoblepas finally (he took ages to spawn in that forest), and check in at Bal Castle where everybody is sad. We can understand Krile's Moogle now so I head to Moogle village to see if we can hear what they are all saying, but turns out it was just the one. We do seduce a Moogle into giving us an outdated Elven Mantle, at least.

Tomorrow we'll try to avenge Galuf, and once again I have no idea how the game is going to carry on after the upcoming battles. RIP.

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