Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster - Ch. 7 - Desert of Shifting Sands
2Last time, we finally got to meet Cid's grandson... Mid. Cid was on a bit of a bender after Karnak Castle blew up. He seemed to blame himself, even though he was really the only one trying to fix the situation. Since he wouldn't snap out of it, we had to go get Mid at the Library of the Ancients to talk some sense into him. We got Ifrit! I skipped the part earlier where you get Shiva, but Ifrit seems required in order to advance through the library. The library boss itself, Byblos, wasn't too tough at all. He died mumbling something about a revival, further thickening the plot.
When we found Mid, he quickly left for Karnak because he wanted to show Cid something he discovered. Well, even though he left before us, we ended up getting to Cid first. Also, they never actually showed us what he discovered or how it would make the Fire-Powered Ship move again. Nonetheless, the ship moves again and now we have a means of transport again. Hope it lasts! We haven't had a good track record so far when it comes to keeping a vehicle.
CHAPTER 7 - DESERT OF SHIFTING SANDS
So now that we have a ship again, we have some options as to where to head next. Some guides recommend going to the towns of Jachol and Istory, but it's a bit of a trek. Instead, I first head back to the Library of the Ancients. There, Mid mentions something about a crescent-shaped island. When you pull up the map, you'll see a crescent-shaped island all the way to the southeast. Head into the town, aptly called Crescent and an earthquake cause a whirlpool, which then sinks your ship. D'oh! The ship lasted all of five minutes... Don't worry, there's word around town that there are Black Chocobos in the forest nearby.
When we get there, there is indeed a Black Chocobo, even though they were supposedly extinct. You're treated to a funny little scene where Bartz catches and attempts to fly it, but it's weighed down by something. The missing Crystal Shards from the Fire Crystal! These two shards will grant you the jobs of Bard and Ranger. Neat! Now we can fly in earnest. The Black Chocobo can cross oceans and low mountains, but not the taller ones. Also, it can only land in a forest, so we're a little limited in where we can go from here. The responsible thing to do would be to go back to the library and tell Cid about the ship. But... there's a quick little side-quest we can do. Head north (or south) and hit up the town of Lix, Bartz's hometown.
There's three flashbacks showing Bartz past. They're triggered by: staying at the inn, going to Bartz's old house and by talking to an old friend of Bartz. There's not much else to do in Lix, but grab any upgrades on gear and weapons if you can. One of the last treasures in Karnak Castle contained the White Magic spell 'Esuna', but if you didn't grab it in time, you can buy it here (3,000 Gil, ouch!). Also, the item shop will give Bartz a discount, but he has a limited selection. When you're done, head back to the library again. Cid is largely unaffected by the news that the ship has sunk. Mid pledges to build a new one, but they have bigger news to share: King Tycoon has been spotted!
He was seen recently in the Desert of Shifting Sands and was reported to have been floating in mid-air. Head west on foot to the desert. The shifting sands are like a fast-moving current of water. You attempt to enter, but get pushed back so Cid and Mid use a chime to call the Sandworm. The goal is to kill it and then...walk over it, I guess? The Sandworm is not too tough, but you'll want to keep an eye on your HP. If you attack one of the empty holes, it will counter with Gravity. Sandworm is not weak against Ice, but if you have the Blue Magic spell 'Aqua Breath', it is very effective. If you use magic against the Sandworm, it will counter with physical attacks and then use 'Quicksand', which causes 60 HP damage to everyone.
After the battle, if you take a look at the map, you'll notice there's a large pyramid nearby. Don't bother going there, since there's nothing you can do there at this point anyway. Head for the exit on the bottom right. It may be kinda tricky the first time, but you should be able to figure out what to do. Head south from the exit to reach the town of ruins that Cid mentioned. Be careful in the second smaller desert on the world map, as it has that Desert Chimera monsters that's hella strong. Time to rest and take a break!
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