[Zeromus_X]

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4.3 Eblan Cave
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Right from the entrance, head right through a false wall, into the noticeable enclosure. Open the chest inside for a Shuriken. Right below the chest with a Shuriken, go right through another false wall. Open the chest in this enclosure for a Remedy. Go back left through the false wall, back to the first enclosure. Go down the steps and into the water. Go to the lower right corner of the enclosure and go right through a false wall. Follow the path in the water down until you see a set of stairs going up. Go up them, and follow the ledge along the wall until you reach a bridge going left. Go south from that bridge to a chest with a Vampire. Now go across the bridge. Ignore the steps going up; just go across the bridge at the lower part of this platform. Then keep going left until you reach the stairs going down to the next floor.

The second basement appears to be a shelter for the people of Eblan. There are no random encounters on this level. Talk to some of the guards; apparently with their castle destroyed, this hideaway is all that’s left of the proud people of Eblan.

The rightmost door is an inn and item shop. The door next to that is a weapon and armor store. Buy a Black (Black Robe) for Rydia, and an Ice Shield and Ice Armor for Kain or Cecil (whichever isn’t wearing the ice equipment you’ve already obtained). You may also buy a Power (Power Staff) for Rosa, if you wish. The door on the leftmost side of the room is the infirmary, the Namingway is located here, and you can get more information from the NPCs. It seems the Prince of Eblan has left to try and scout the enemy, and avenge his parents. Check the pots at the left and right sides of the infirmary for two Potions; although those are outdated by now.

When you’re ready to continue, head up the stairs at the upper part of the second level. It seems that this cave is also a passage to the upper part (the overworld’s part) of the Tower of Babil. When you first enter the Pass to Babil, immediately open the chest right near the entrance for an Ether1 (Ether 1). You’ll see more chests that are out of reach because of some boulders, but don’t worry about those right now. Instead follow the path on the left side of the room until you come across a guard laying on the ground, and a chest containing a Tent. You’ll see the stairs to the next area; but don’t go through them just yet. Right to the left and one space below the wounded soldier is a gap in the wall. Go down through it, yet another of these fascinating false walls. Then go right, and collect the previously out-of-reach treasure, a HiPotion (Hi-Potion). Now continue up the stairs to the next area.

In this area, go up from the entrance until you see another fallen guard. Ignore the upper-left area of this room, and go to the upper right area up the steps to a chest with a Kamikaze. Once again, there is another out-of-reach chest that we’ll get to later. Ignore it, and keep going down until you see a fallen guard and stairs below you, and an enclosure to your right (with a torch). Go right through a false wall, across from the torch, and open up the chest with a Shuriken. Now go down the stairs below you, the fallen guard near them says that the prince went after Rubicant.

You’ll now be back at a section of ‘Pass to Babil’ area you couldn’t reach before. Right when you enter there are three chests. The left chest contains a HiPotion (Hi-Potion), and the right chests contain a Cabin and another HiPotion (Hi-Potion). To the right of the space above the rock one space above the two chests on the right is a false wall. Go right through it, then down, right, down, and right again to reach two enclosed chests. Both chests contain Elixirs. Now from the stairs, keep going down until you reach a fallen guard who warns that when the prince gets mad, you can’t stop him (makes you wonder what kind of guy this prince is anyway...). Go to the right, and then down, until you reach a two-way split. To the left is a chest with a Silk Web. The right leads to three more chests, which from left to right contain: HrGlass2 (Hourglass 2), Life, and Life. From those three chests, continue up until you reach another set of stairs. Go up them.

Now you’ll be back in the section of the second ‘Pass to Babil’ area you couldn’t reach before. Whee. Right near the entrance is a door, a Save Point. It’d be a good idea to rest and save here. Also, the wall right of the space above the rocks on the right side of the room is a false wall. Go right through it, down, and right, to reach a monster-in-a-box. Two Stalemen monsters will attack. With Kain and Cecil’s ice weapons, they won’t last long. You’ll get a BloodSwd (Blood Sword) for winning. When you’ve done everything, exit the Save Point.

After you exit, go to the left part of this area. You’ll see the chest near the torch; you’re now on the other side of those boulders. Go up to a chest with a Soft. Now, go up the path to the left of the door to the Save Point. Follow it, and you’ll encounter the Prince of Eblan, Edward ‘Edge’ Geralding, who’s confronting the fiend of fire, Rubicant. Edge announces that he’ll kill Rubicant, but Rubicant acts nonchalant.

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BOSS: Rubicant
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Another story battle! Watch as Edge gets his behind handed to him on a silver platter. Edge attacks Rubicant with a Flame technique, but Rubicant shrugs it off. Calling Edge’s technique poor, he responds with a fire attack of his own, ‘Scorch’, and promptly toasts Edge.
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Edge falls, and Rubicant says he looks forward to when they’ll meet again (what a gentleman...), and then teleports away. Edge yells at him to come back, but is out of strength, and falls over.

Cecil and company rush over towards him. Cecil asks him if he’s alright. Edge curses over losing, and asks who the crew are and what they’re doing here. Rydia explains that they’re after Rubicant too, but Edge tells them to stay out of it, and that Rubicant is his to defeat. Kain remarks that he obviously doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, the most powerful of the four Elemental Fiends. Edge retorts, saying that he’s the Prince of Eblan, famed for it’s Ninjutsu for generations, and says he can take care of himself. Then, Rydia yells at him to stop it. She mentions Tellah, Yang, and Cid are all gone, and doesn’t want to see any more people die, and starts crying. The crew tries comforting her.

Cecil says that Rubicant is the strongest Elemental Fiend. Although the odds are against them, they must recover the Crystals. Edge decides he’ll join up with them, and that he “can’t bear to see a pretty girl cry”. Rosa then casts Cure on Edge, and heals him.

Edge rejoices over having ‘two babes’ in the party, and exclaims that it’s time to bust in and attack. Rydia feels relunctant over having such an...’emotional’ fellow in the party. The Ninja Prince Edward ‘Edge’ Geraldine now joins the party.

Immediately after all that, examine the wall to your left. You’ll notice part of the shadow is missing, the sign of a false wall. Go left through the shadow-less spot of the wall to your left, through a false wall, and open the chest that you couldn’t reach before. It contains an Ether2 (Ether 2). Now go up through the stairs to the north, and enter the Tower of Babil again, this time from outside the walls.