A little late for Shark Week

Shark week is over, dude.

I spent quite a bit of time on a boat yesterday, running back and forth between Cornelia, Elfheim, Mt Duergar, and Melmond.

There were a lot of sharks and sahagins and whatever those gross eyeball things that paralyze you are called. Final Fantasy I is a long chain of fetch quests and bosses, but I suppose the same could be said for tons of other RPGs. If it seems simplistic now, I need only remember that it was one of the first of its kind and really got people to open up to the genre. Even now though, I really do find it's simplicity charming - even if I got lost looking for the next point of interest on a regular basis and collectively spent what would probably amount to years at sea searching for a port that I know is 'somewhere around here.'

Now to enumerate my day two achievements. I managed to do quite a bit.

Having obtained the mystic key, it was time to revisit all my previous stops to collect the loot behind locked doors. I also took the opportunity to seek out all the best equipment, and earn enough gil to buy 99 of every available restorative item. It's tradition. Once I achieved that, I sailed around for some time looking for Mt Duergar so I could give some nitro powder to a demolition minded dwarf while Diggy Diggy Hole was playing in my head. He of course proceeded to demolish an entire strait in a matter of moments, because hey, explosions are fun.

With the path cleared, I proceeded to the dried and dusty town of Melmond. As they were having a bit of trouble with a vampire, I set out to take him down. In the cavern of earth I narrowly avoided a party wipe at the hands of a cocatrice ambush. Gold needles FTW. I also stumbled on the hall of encounters. It's a long hallway in which every step you take triggers an encounter with a Hill Gigas - sometimes he brings friends too. It was here that 0000FF bit the dust. Wouldn't you know it. I'd neglected to buy any Phoenix Downs. Rookie mistake, I know.

So the party tromped back to Melmond, and I realized there's no church there. Back to the boat then to deliver his corpse to the one in Cornelia. I also made a stop at the item shop and spent every gil I had on Phoenix Downs. After that little error in judgement, I managed to clear the cave of the vampire boss, and collect the Star Ruby. A quick trip to the Giant's cave, and I immediately parted with the gem to get the stone giant's rocky derriere in gear and out of my way, so I could make it to the sage's cave.

Yes, it was another fetch quest, and I had to take the rod he gave me back to the cavern of earth so I could finish up there. Kill Lich, check. Restore the light to the earth crystal, check. Grab any treasure I missed on the way out, check.

Look at the shiny earth crystal. LOOK AT IT!

Today I'm planning on going to get my airship. Wish me luck!