[Zeromus_X]

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2.1 Fabul
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To reach Fabul, go east from the exit to Mt. Hobs until you go past the mountains and see a castle near the sea. This is Fabul.

When you enter Fabul, you’ll notice that it’s basically an entire town inside a castle. (Item Shop, Inn, etc.) If you have enough Gil, buy all the Demon equipment for Cecil, and maybe two Claws for Yang. After you’re done shopping and stocking up on items, continue up the stairs until you reach the throne room. Yang warns his liege of the upcoming assault from Baron. He introduces the rest of the group to the king. Cecil says there isn’t much time, and they need to fortify their defenses immediately. The king questions whether they should trust them, after all, Cecil and Rosa are citizens of Baron. Yang says that they risked their lives to save him, and they should be trusted. Edward also talks with the king, and convinces him that they are telling the truth. The king is convinced, and commands Yang to mobilize men for the battle. He also asks that Cecil and Edward assist Yang in defending the castle. Rosa and Rydia assist as medics and in guarding the Wind Crystal.

As the men wait at the front gate of Fabul, the Red Wings bomb the castle from above. Ground forces also storm the castle, and the men are there to stand guard. Now you must fight a series of battles with Cecil, Yang, and Edward. None of the fights are particularly difficult, so you should do just fine. The first fight is with a Captain and two Fighters, it’s similar to the fight with the General and Soldiers back in Kaipo.

After that battle, the men move back. There is another attack, and a second battle. This battle is with a Water Hag (the monster Edward already faced alone), an Imp Captain, and a Weeper. Kill off the Water Hag and Imp Captain first, then concentrate on the Weeper. Not too hard. After that, even more monsters storm the castle. The men move back again. You face the third battle, consisting of a Captain and two Fighters again. After that, the men are outnumbered and retreat to the throne room. Yang commands his men to lock the door, only for them to defy him and unlock the door to the throne room. It turns out they were monsters in disguise. The fourth battle is just against a weak Gargoyle. The fifth battle is against another group of Weeper, Imp Captain, and Water Hag.

After all that, Yang decides they must withdraw to the Crystal Room. As they run, Edward trips and another monster decides to attack. You must now fight the sixth, final battle against a Captain and two Fighters.

Finally, they reach the Crystal Room. As the men wait inside it, who should enter but Kain, Cecil’s friend who got separated! Cecil is glad to see his best friend alive, and asks him to fight with them. Kain jokingly asks if he should fight all of them or Cecil alone. Cecil is confused, so Kain decides for him, and Cecil alone is thrust into a battle with his best friend Kain.

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BOSS: Kain Highwind
HP: ?
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You cannot win this battle. Anything less than extreme power leveling or a cheating device will not let you win. Even if you do win, the story will play out like normal. So just let Kain Jump on you a few times and let it be over with, okay?
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After Cecil gets stomped on by Kain, Cecil realizes that his best friend is under the sorcerer Golbez’s control. Kain says he’ll put Cecil ‘out of his misery’, and Yang, Edward, Rosa, and Rydia come to stop him. Rosa is appalled by Kain’s behavior, and Kain becomes embarrassed. (Kain also has feelings for Rosa, if you didn’t catch on to that already.)

Just then, a voice says scolds Kain for being ‘befuddled by a woman’. Cue the organ music, and you are introduced to the villain, Golbez. The group is pretty surprised. Golbez tells Kain to never hesitate to kill, and that he’ll show him how it’s done. Yang and Edward try to stop him, but Golbez just blows them away with a bolt of magical energy. (Pretty good villain behavior, if you ask me.) Golbez then orders Kain to seize the crystal. Rosa tries getting Kain to snap out of it, only for Golbez to kidnap her as a hostage. Golbez then leaves, followed by Kain who says they won’t be lucky next time.

After the villains leave, Rydia casts cure on the other men. Cecil feels guilty for letting the Crystal be stolen away, as well as Rosa. The group tries cheering him up, telling them that they have to rescue Rosa, and get the Crystals.

Now that you have control of Cecil again, go down and exit the Crystal Chamber. Check the pot on the way out in the throne room for a Hermes. Talk to the chancellor to discover that the King of Fabul is resting in his room.

Before we do that, however, we need to get some treasure. See the switch on the right side of the room, as well as an equally noticeable door near a torch? Step on the switch to open the door. Walk through the door to navigate a false wall. Go up from the door, right, down, and right to reach three chests, which from top to bottom contain: Silk Web, Demon (Demon Shield, for Cecil), and Ether 1. Now exit the throne room to the south. Instead of going all the way down to the first floor again, go to the southernmost part of the second floor to see a door. Go down through it to enter the outside of the castle. You’ll see two towers. Go through the left tower first. On the first floor of the left tower, you’ll notice a bunch of pots and three chests. The chests from top to bottom contain: Bomb, Notus, and a Potion. Check the pots near the top of the room. The left pot contains a ThorRage (Thor’s Rage). Continue to the second floor, and then keep going to the third. On this floor is Yang’s wife, who despite obviously living in an Eastern environment has a country accent. Go figure. There’s nothing to do there, but keep it in mind for later.

Now, exit the left tower and enter the right one. Continue to the second floor of the right tower, and check the pots on the right side of the second floor to find a Bacchus (Bacchus’ Wine). Keep going up to the third floor, the King’s chamber. The chest in the corner of the room contains a Tent. Now, go all the way back down to the Inn, and rest. (It’s for free.)

The gang discusses what they’re going to do. Cecil says that the only way they can fight Golbez is if they have an airship. But Baron is the only nation to have them. Yang suggests they sneak into Baron and steal an airship. Since Baron’s navy is weak, they should be able to go there by sea. Yang says he will obtain a ship tomorrow morning. They also inquire Cecil to who Kain is, learning that he was his best friend. In the morning, the gang is in the king’s chamber. The king arranges a ship, and also gives Cecil a sword that belonged to a Dark Knight that visited Fabul many years ago. He states that it has tremendous power, but is still a sword of darkness, and that the power of darkness can never overcome true evil. (You’ll want to remember that!) You then receive Death (Death Sword) for Cecil. It has a chance of slaying an enemy attacked with it instantly. The King remarks that if Golbez actually does collect all the Crystals, the world will suffer an unprecedented crisis...

With everything all taken care of, buy about 10 Lifes from the item shop, and buy the equipment for Cecil and Yang if you haven’t already. Go outside and save.