Day 49

Game - Final Fantasy 7, Day 49
Hours Played/Hours Total - 12 hrs / 34 hrs
Starting Point - Nearby Nibelheim.
Current Goal - Follow after Sephiroth into Mount Nibel.

What Happened - Oh yeah! I'm trucking on through Final Fantasy 7! At my current rate, I'll easily finish it within the month! Which I really hope to do, so that I can complete my goal to beat it before the year is up. Anyways, onward to the rest of the post!
     From Nibelheim, it was simply a short walk out back to reach Mount Nibel. This was one of the first annoying locations to be going through. The enemies here weren't impossible, but they were fairly tougher than previous ones. And if they weren't tough, they were downright annoying. I guess it has to be one or the other in most cases. The mountain didn't offer a whole lot outside of long paths and enemies. I did find a nice item or two along the way though. I did check out the mako reactor (on the mountain...from the flashback), but I couldn't do anything there, so that was a huge waste of time. After that, I did a little farming for extra Gil and stealing some items. One of the big enemies was a dragon. He wasn't super hard, but he did have a lot of HP. More importantly, he had the Gold Armlet. It's not necessarily a rare item, but I could easily steal it off him. It'd save me some Gil in the long run, and I'd gain levels/limits/materia levels in the process. Another of what you call....Win, Win Scenarios! I did this for quite a while, but then I grew bored and was ready to move on. Unfortunately, the path out was covered by a giant scorpion monster of sorts...BOSS BATTLE TIME!
     For this round, I was using Cloud, Aeris, and Barret. This monster was quite a formidable opponent. Nothing out of the ordinary, but he didn't go down easily. He dealt out some decent damage, so I had to start with a Big Guard. After that, I just kept after him with whatever...except Fire. He absorbed Fire to my unfortunate mistake. My attacks weren't doing a superb amount either. However, since he didn't have anything super deadly, I just had to keep after him until death. And then...he died. Time to move on! From here, I entered the mysterious valley of...rocket pad. Yeah, that's right. There in the middle of the next big area of continent was a large tipped-over rocket. Let's journey inside and learn more!
     What I walked into was Shinra-26 (Great name, eh? I'll explain in a bit). It's a small town formed around the launch pad of a rocket ship. Walking about town, I talked with some of the people there. They all referred me to someone they called "Captain." I also learned the reason for the rocket ship. Apparently, it was a failed attempt by Shinra to go into space, but they closed down the project when it failed. Sad times.  While snooping in houses, I found a small plane sitting out. A lady came out and asked what we were doing. Of course, they answer something along the line of "admiring this plane..." She said that if we were interested in using it that we should talk to the Captain. She directed us to the rocket, and off I went! Inside the rocket, I met up with the Captain...also known as Cid!

The 9th and final character in FF7! That's right! Cid is finally showing his face in FF7! He's made his way throughout the series, and now he gets to be a character again! (First time was in FF4 for those who might not remember.) He reveals that he was supposed to be the first pilot up into space, but then an incident happened and the program got shut down. HOWEVER, it seemed like all of that was going to change! The new President of Shinra (Rufus) was paying a visit, and he figures that it is to reopen the space program. I return to the lady (whose name is Shera) who asks about Cid's answer. Not too shortly after, Cid comes in and demands she make us tea. He then proceeds out back to work on his plane...the Tiny Bronco. (Pictured below!) Figured I'd spice up the post with a few more images if I could.

     As Cid steps outside, the group wonders what he's all angry about towards her. She reveals the reason why the rocket launch was a failure. She was to blame. CUE FLASHBACK! The game goes back to the time of the rocket's first official launch. Basically, Cid was extremely excited and ready to be the first man into space. A bit before the launch, he was getting onto Shera about being too cautious in checking the tanks in the bottom. He gets in the cockpit to start the launch, and of course, everything starts to fall apart. The rocket is slowly counting down to take off. The system reveals that someone is down near the engine area. And you probably already guessed, it is Shera. She went back down to recheck the tanks again. The clock was ticking on the launch, and she was almost done...The rocket began to take off, and Cid had to choose between his dream and her life. At the last moment, Cid hit the kill switch, stopped the rocket, and saved Shera. However, this was at a hefty price. The failed launch of the rocket stopped Shinra from doing anymore launches, and the space program was forever dead. With all this in mind, Shera felt indebted and a sort of burden to Cid. She didn't mind his attitude towards her because of the choice he made back then...Around this time, Rufus finally shows up along with a fat guy named Palmer. Cid went to talk with Rufus while Palmer was up to something else. Rufus hadn't come to revive the space program. He was simply here to take Cid's plane, the Tiny Bronco, to chase after Sephiroth. While they were talking, Shera informed us that Palmer was attempting to steal the plane at the moment. So, I went outside and stopped Palmer with a little BOSS BATTLE TIME! I'll be straightforward with this battle though. It was a damn cakewalk. Even if you don't go all out, he's a huge pushover. The battle actually ends with Palmer trying to run off, but then he gets hit by a Shinra truck. As the battle comes to a closer, the Tiny Bronco starts to take off (without a pilot somehow...). The group jumps on it, and it flies about all crazy like. It eventually swoops down, and Cid jumps on it. Some Shinra soldiers start firing at the plane, and it takes a few hits. The Tiny Bronco crash lands in the water, and Cid informs us that it'll never fly again. Cloud asks if it'll work as a boat, but Cid simply says to DO WHATEVER WITH IT because he's just mad now. After talking with the group a bit, he decides to "fuck it all" and join up with the crew. We has a Cid now!
     From here, I decided to take some time and enjoy a few side quests plus some farming. With the Tiny Bronco in hand, I could start going back to past locations with more ease. It was basically just a strange boat that could only go through shallow water. The first thing I did was revisiting a lone empty house from earlier on. By now, someone had finally shown up there. A random guy who claimed to be a weapon maker. He was looking for a piece of Mythril, and lucky for him, I had gotten a piece of Mythril earlier on. There's an old man sleeping in a cave somewhere... I don't want to go into the details, but he gives away Mythril. I traded the weapon maker the mythril. In trade, he offered a large chest and a small chest. The large chest has a Gold Armlet (which is super easy to buy), and the small chest contains the 4th Limit Break item for Aeris...Great Gospel. I picked Great Gospel, and I began the long and annoying task of obtaining her 4th Limit Break.
     This is where the farming began. If I hadn't mentioned before, you get new Limits by using old ones OR killing enemies. This was extremely hard for Aeris because 1. she sucks, 2. her limits aren't great, and 3. her sucking directly leads to her attacks sucking. I ventured all over trying to get her limits. On top of this, I was working on fellow teammates limit breaks. I spent around two to three hours on this job. Thankfully, it had some other good benefits with it...like levels, money, and extra materia levels! Aeris's Limits are all support type and aren't really anything special. She is the only character that can provide the special status "Peerless" though. (It makes your characters invulnerable.) It sounds awesome, but it doesn't last forever. As for her Final Limit "Great Gospel", it fully heals the team and then makes them all Peerless. It's a decent limit, but I can honestly say that none of the main game bosses remotely need that limit. It took some time to get it, but it was worth it...sort of. After that, I made my way over to the westernmost continent for one of the most annoying side quests in a town called...Wutai.
     As I'm walking along towards Wutai, Yuffie appears out of nowhere and starts blathering about something. She's acting super suspicious, and just when it seems really weird, a group of Shinra soldiers show up and attack. Yuffie says something about that not being one of hers and runs off. I'm left to fight the two soldiers alone. This would have been a fairly easy battle (was regardless) if I had my damn materia! After fighting through the soldiers, the group realizes that all their materia is missing. Yuffie stole it all! And thus why nobody likes Yuffie...or at least that reinforces it. I think I'm one of the few people I know that remotely enjoys Yuffie in general. I chased her down to the town of Wutai. It's a different place and stylized in an "old Japan" way. (That's the best I could think of!) Once there, I had to run all up and down trying to find Yuffie. She constantly ran about and hid while evading capture. We weren't alone in this little village either...the Turks were also here! However, they were on vacation and wanted nothing to do with us. I eventually cornered Yuffie in a spot, and she agreed to give us the materia back. This was a trap as well. After escaping from this, I managed to locate Yuffie again, but this time she had been captured by an old acquaintance...Don Corneo!
     He was trying to get himself another wife. He happened upon Yuffie and was kidnapping her. He also got ahold of Elena of the Turks. The two groups decide to not oppose each other during this brief situation. (They were working together, but that's how they worded it really.) Keep in mind, this was all made more fun without any form of materia on my crew. For this portion, I chose Cid and Red XIII to backup Cloud. Apparently, I had been doing something right during this game. I had zero problems during this whole debacle (thanks to the extra levels I'm assuming). I was also prepared with a set of weapons with increased attack power over materia slots. I finally cornered Don Corneo, but he wasn't going down without a BOSS BATTLE TIME! And no, I didn't fight him. He had another "pet" for us to fight. I say another because we killed his first pet (the sewer ape monster thing). He was a tough dragon thing with the super strong Aero 3 magic. That's the only thing he had of any real power though. It wasn't too hard of a battle, but I did lose Red XIII during the process. After his monster was slain, Corneo threatened to kill the two hostages, but Rude and Reno stepped in at the last moment and helped out. In the end, they let Corneo fall to his death. The two ladies were rescued, and the two groups parted ways for now. Yuffie apologized to the group and gave back all the materia. They weren't very eager to apologize of course and kinda just walked away. She chased after though, and I was finally back to a decent spot.
     Around this time, I decided to give the Gold Saucer a try. There's two major things to do here...Chocobo Racing and the Battle Square. I haven't caught any chocobos yet, so I gave the Battle Square a shot. Keep in mind, every battle costs 10 GP, and I had to go and earn a bunch beforehand. So...*insert around an hour of GP earning here* Now, I'm ready to take on the Battle Square! Or so I thought I could. The Battle Square is done with a single character. (Naturally I chose Cloud) It's 8 battles in a row with random, powered-up enemies. The twist? For every battle you win, you spin a slot for a random hindering effect, like 1/2 MP, Level Down, status effects, Broken Equipment. You can quit after you win a battle, but then you wont' get any Battle Points (Battle Square currency). Because it's not fun enough having to worry about GP in the Gold Saucer...Let's throw in ANOTHER currency type! And what is even worse about it is that you LOSE your Battle Points if you leave the Battle Square. Yaaaay. I tried at least 6 times, and I only truly succeeded one time. Every other time was a pile of failure for me. They're fairly hard to pull off with just one person, especially when enemies pile on top of your current surprise weakness.
     At this point, I was just getting annoyed, so I figured it was time to move on with the story. I approached Dio's Battle Museum and spotted the Keystone in there. The Keystone was necessary for getting into the Temple of the Ancients. (Sephiroth's next goal) Dio agreed to give it to us if Cloud would take on the Battle Square. (Damn it) Regardless of how well you do, Dio will hand over the Keystone. With the Keystone, it was time to go after Sephiroth some more. Unfortunately, the Gold Saucer's transport was broken down, and I had to stay at the Gold Saucer. STORYTIME! The group stayed in the Gold Saucer's hotel. They were all gathered at once, and they asked Cloud to recap the events so far. Basically, Sephiroth was trying to find the Promised Land. Aeris confirmed that the Promised Land wasn't actually a place you could find but more or less a state of being you reach. They figure his goal would be to find out more at the Temple of the Ancients, and thus we were heading that way. But for now...sleep time!
     During the night, Aeris came to talk with Cloud and dragged him out for a date on the Gold Saucer. For those who don't know, this part is the date portion of the game. You can actually end up with one of four results during this part. You can get Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret. The game kinda pushes you towards Aeris in the beginning, so you have to really work to get anybody else. In previous playthroughs of FF7, I got Tifa and Yuffie (was so happy when I got this!). Anyway, the game proceeded through several little events where you could interact with Aeris. It's not too bad, but I'd have preferred Yuffie. Anyways, as the date is rounding down, we spotted Cait Sith acting suspicious. He was holding the Keystone! Cloud shouted at Cait, and he took off running. I chased him all across the Gold Saucer, but he managed to avoid us and handed off the Keystone to the Turks. At this point, Cait Sith revealed that he was actually a spy for Shinra. He had spent his time with the group to try and find out information, and in the end, he gave up the Keystone. He simply asked that we move on and act like nothing would happen. Cloud wanted to disagree with this, but his mind was changed when it was revealed that Shinra had hostages. They had Aeris's mom (forgot her name) and Marlene. Cloud and Aeris wondered why he stuck around of course, and all he could say was...he wondered why they did this whole adventure and quest to save the planet. The group went to sleep, woke up the next day, and everything was more or less normal.
     I recomposed my group and was forced to take Aeris. I wasn't sure who else to take but settled with Red XIII. We then made our way across the world to the Temple of the Ancients. Once there, Aeris began to speak with planet of sorts. Earlier on, she revealed being able to hear the planet speaking to her or something. The game suggests that the Ancients are able to speak to her in a way. We entered to temple to find Tseng in a bad condition. He was attacked by Sephiroth. He handed over the Keystone, and we entered the temple. The place looked like a giant confusing maze, but it was actually pretty straightforward. Along the way, I collected up some new treasures and materia. I didn't necessarily find anything I couldn't live without, but it was still a nice grouping. I also got to do a few puzzles and traps as well. We weren't about to make it through without SOME challenge of course. Aeris also spoke once again to the spirits or whatever. They showed her and the group visions of where Sephiroth was. He was somewhere with murals and reading them. Along the way, I had to chase after a little strange ancient guy, and then I had to work out this clock path puzzle. It was a giant clock with all the hands. You used the hands to make bridges to 12 different doors. Half of them contained treasure while the other half simply contained enemies or dead ends. I went all about to gather all the treasure I could, and then it was time to move on.
     I came face-to-face with Sephiroth once again. He explained that he was planning to join with the planet and become one with it. He planned to swim through the Lifestream and absorb all the energy throughout the planet. To do this, he was planning to hurt the planet and create a massive wound to enter into. To do this, he was going to use the magic of Meteor. He then proceeded to mess with Cloud's mind somehow and then take leave. For a bit, Cloud was having some sort of strange breakdown. Things got kinda weird during this whole part. The dungeon was nearly over, but it couldn't be over without BOSS BATTLE TIME! For this round, I got to fight a giant Red Dragon. It was fearsome, it was menacing, and I beat it in like 5 turns. It was a pretty straightforward boss. There's not much more to add...Anyways, with the dragon's defeat, it dropped the Bahamut summon (which I quickly picked up!). From there, I examined a strange object near the end of the room. It was an illusion of the temple and at the same time...the Black Materia. The Black Materia was supposed to house the dark super magic of Meteor. Sephiroth was planning to use Meteor to damage the planet. However, the damage caused by Meteor would most likely kill the planet at the same time. We had to figure out a way to take the Black Materia and keep it from Sephiroth. However, one can't simply take it from the temple...because the temple IS the Black Materia! By using the illusion of the temple, one can shrink it and claim the Black Materia. Of course, the process of doing this shrinks the temple and kills whoever is inside of it. So...we were at a standstill until something surprising happened!
     Cait Sith called the group up and offered to sacrifice himself to help obtain the Black Materia. Cait Sith could easily pull this off because his body was simply a machine. Before this could go down, we had to meet Cait Sith back at the entrance. And just as we were about to exit the temple...BOSS BATTLE TIME! For this round, I got to meet an old friend from a previous Final Fantasy! It was the Demon Wall! I believe this same basic monster existed in FF4. It's a giant wall with a monster as part of it. In the previous version however, it would slowly approach the group and eventually crush them. In this case, it was just a simple boss. I threw everything I had at it, and it went doooown. By everything, I also got to use Bahamut for the first time! Pretty damn powerful summon, and I'm not even off Disc ONE yet! Still can't believe I haven't gotten off Disc 1, but I'm pretty sure that's coming soon. ANYWAYS, I defeated the Demon Wall and opened the door to Cait Sith. It tried to make you feel kinda bad for the guy, but I really didn't. 1. It was a toy body. 2. He was a traitor spy. So...yeah. Cait Sith got the temple to shrink, and we claimed the Black Materia!
     Woo is what I would be exclaiming, but then the game throws a massive twist at me. You see, as Cloud picked up the materia, Sephiroth flew in and basically hijacked Cloud's mind. He forced him to hand over the Black Materia to him. Cloud freaked out and then passed out. During this bit, a little scene took place. It showed Aeris in the Sleeping Forest. She was there to head to the City of the Ancients. She told Cloud that she had to go there and try to stop Sephiroth from destroying the planet. However, Sephiroth knew what she was planning and was going there to chase after her. Cloud awakens and finds himself in Gongaga with Barret and Tifa. The two explain that Aeris is missing, and Cloud quickly answers of where she is. They plan to go after her, but Cloud is starting to wuss out basically. I'm sorry! That's how this part seemed to me. He's afraid of losing himself the moment he comes into contact with Sephiroth. The two assure him that everything wasn't his fault, and that they would be there to help him if Sephiroth tried to take over again. With his confidence renewed, I took off to find the City of the Ancients!
     Of course, I already know where it is. It's behind Bone Village and the Sleeping Forest. I jumped on the Tiny Bronco and made my way there. However, seeing as this post has gotten crazy long, I have decided to cut it off here for now and stop. Damn that's a lot of post. I wanted to cut it off sooner, but then I didn't. So...way to go Daniel! I'm rapidly approaching the end of Disc 1 (I believe), and then I'll be wrapping up Final Fantasy 7 pretty soon. I'm going to try and figure up another Side Post here soon, but I should have another Day put up before the week is up...maybe. Anyways....stay tuned for more posting!

Ending Point - Nearby Bone Village.
Current Party -

• Cloud - Level 44
• Barret - Level 37
• Tifa - Level 37

Goals Accomplished - Made it through Mount Nibel. Recruited Cid in Shinra-26 as well as his airplane the Tiny Bronco. Gained Aeris's 4th Limit Break! Spent a lot of time farming. Completed the Wutai Sidequest with Yuffie. Spent some time in the Gold Saucer. Obtained the Keystone for the Temple of the Ancients. Lost the Keystone for the Temple of the Ancients. Entered the Temple of the Ancients with the Keystone that I got yet again. Made it through the Temple of the Ancients and obtained the Black Materia. Handed over the Black Materia to Sephiroth.
Next Goals - Go after Aeris in the City of the Ancients. Stop Sephiroth from stopping her.

~May the Crystals Guide Me~