Prepare yourselves everyone, this is the drop off point where the game really drops the ball.

So sorry for the long update by the way, been having some issues.

Chapter 4: Disk 1.5 - Lindblum

[FMV. A gate opens, and the airship enters Lindblum. It's MASSIVE, to say the least. Huge buildings and dozens upon dozens of airships flying everywhere. Another gate opens, in the main castle, and the airship heads towards it. The FMV ends with a main overview of Lindblum]

[The scene resumes inside the castle. The airship is parked, and the four characters walk out of it. The words "Lindblum Grand Castle" appear on the screen]

Vivi "Wow! This castle is huge! It's even bigger than Alexandria Castle!"

Zidane "Yeah. They don't call it Lindblum Grand Castle for nothing."

Steiner "An indoor airship dock! This is truly amazing...!"
"Even her Majesty's Red Rose would easily fit in here."

Zidane "...Dagger, you don't look too impressed. Have you been here before?"

Dagger "Yes, I came here a few times when I was little... I haven't been here since my father passed away."

Keep in mind here that Garnet clearly states here that she HAS been out of the Alexandria Castle before, shutting down any comments that Garnet has "been cooped up in the castle her whole life", which will be even further nullified by the truth of whom she actually is.

Garnet also mentions her "father" which the game will never go into full detail about.

[Three Lindblum guards walk up to them]

Zidane "Here comes the welcoming committee."

Elite Guard "That's a really old airship."

Dagger "Greetings. I am Princess Garnet Til Alexandros."
"I humbly request an audience with Regent Cid."

Elite Guard "You must be kidding! No member of the royal family, let alone a princess, would ever ride in such a shabby airship."
"And look at the company you're keeping."

I guess the guy in a suit of armour isn't convincing enough?

Steiner "How dare you accuse the princess of lying!? The princess was forced to come here under extreme circumstances!"

Elite Guard "Then show me some kind of proof of your royal heritage."

Dagger "Very well..."

[She walks up to the Elite Guard and shows him something]

Elite Guard "This pendant...is it a Falcon Claw!? ...No. The shape is a little different."
"Call Minister Artania!"

[One of the guards walks away. Steiner turns to speak to Zidane]

Steiner "If you weren't such a filthy-looking oaf, they would not be so suspicious of us!"

Oh good, more whining from Steiner, just what we needed.

Skipping ahead.

Minister Artania "Lindblum Castle has three levels, all connected by this lift."
"From the Base Level, which lies below the Mist, you can take a trolley to the harbor and the back gate."
"Ships hardly arrive at the harbor anymore since travel by air has become so popular."

Remember this part because I will be bringing it up in later chapters to address the shoddy world building and the other continents.

"The Mist poses great danger, so we've sealed off everything."
"Just above the Base Level is the Mid Level."
"You can ride the air cab from the Mid Level to go to town."
"The Upper Level contains the royal chamber and conference room."

"Access to that level is restricted, because the regent himself resides there."

Zidane "Hey, Dagger, what's Regent Cid like?"
"I lived in Lindblum for a while but I've never met him."

How come? Isn't your adoptive father, Baku, supposed to be friends with him?

Dagger "Regent Cid is very wise. He always thinks ahead."
"He may seem a bit odd at times, but he is very dependable. He and my father were best friends..."
"...I wonder if he will even listen to what I have to say..."

Zidane "Don't worry. We're not leaving until he does."

The next scene will say otherwise.

Skipping ahead a bit.

Zidane "Dagger, what's wrong? Why aren't you talking to - "
"GEEZ! That's an oglop!"

[Vivi walks in]

Vivi "Wow... Even the oglops are big in Lindblum."

Steiner "What is the meaning of this!?"
"How dare you greet the princess like this!?"
"Get that repulsive bug off the throne immediately, and call the regent!"

Minister Artania "Please, settle down! You ARE before the regent!"

Steiner "What!? Enough of your nonsense!"

You just love to drag out Steiner's repetitive dialogue don't you, writers?

Dagger "Steiner, stand down."
"I remember that moustache. Is that really you, Uncle Cid?"

Regent Cid "Yes. Greetings, all gwok. I am Cid Fabool, Regent of Lindblum."
"I knew it was you - I recognized your pendant's description; it's so much like my 'Falcon Claw.'"
"I'm delighted to see you again, Garnet. You have truly gwok become a fine lady. I, on the other hand..."

Minister Artania "Allow me to explain."
"About six months ago, someone snuck into the castle and attacked the regent in his sleep."
"Unfortunately, we were too late..."
"The regent had been transformed into an oglop, and his wife, Lady Hilda, was abducted."

And Cid couldn't be changed back? Not even with a Esuna spell, or a remedy potion? This is another example of the ridiculous gameplay-story segregation in IX.

Dagger "My goodness..."

Zidane "Whoever pulled this off had to be highly skilled, like me."

Steiner "Hmph! I'll bet it was you!"

Steiner hates Zidane, stop the freaking presses.

Regent Cid "That's not possible."

Zidane "How can you be so sure? Do you know who we are?"

Why are you questioning him? You KNOW it wasn't you, Zidane, why are you wasting time trying to incriminate yourself?

Regent Cid "Of course. I may be a bug gwok, but I am still the ruler of Lindblum."

Dagger "Uncle Cid, I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice. I desperately need to speak to you about my mother."

Regent Cid [Hops off the throne]
"That's what I figured."
[Walks down the steps in front of the throne, to Dagger]
"But I'm sure it can wait 'til tomorrow."
"Why don't you all get some rest for today?"

Dagger "Thank you."

Again, so much for "Zidane won't leave until Cid talks to Garnet about what is going on, Zidane won't even be present for when Cid actually talks.

Minister Artania "It is time for lunch. Please follow me."

[The screen fades to black, and fades back in on Zidane. He's walking on a street in Lindblum, about to enter a bar]

Zidane "I can't stand the food at the castle. It's way too high-class for my tastes."
"How can anyone get full on that stuff?"
"The cheap food here is a lot better."

Yeah, "good food sucks", but seriously, you didn't want to at least stay close to Garnet, the girl you have been acting like you are so devoted to? Especially since the talk with Cid is supposed to explain WHY Garnet wanted to be kidnapped which you have been really curious about and have been (stupidly) kept in the dark about?

Zidane "Today's special is... Soup du Silence. Not bad."

Please give some of that to Steiner. PLEASE.

Skipping a bit.

[The Rat Woman at the Counter stands up and faces Zidane]

Zidane "!"

Woman at the Counter "Long time, Zidane."

Zidane "Hey! What's up!?"
"Wait a minute..."

Woman at the Counter "You forgot my name?"

Zidane "No, I remember."
"You're Helga, right?"

Woman at the Counter "Wrong."

Zidane "...Christine?"

Woman at the Counter "No!"

Zidane "...Oh yeah!"
"You used to live next door to me. How's it going...Ratchel?"
"Man, you've really gotten...big."

Woman at the Counter "You nasty little - "

Zidane "Come on. I'm just kiddin'. You know I never forget a pretty girl's name."

Zidane, Freya isn't even human, she is an anthropomorphic rat, actually speaking of the demi-humans, I heard somewhere that, according to the Ultimania, the failed fusion of Gaia and Terra is what made the demi-humans, and I have to say, how? Why would the fusion of crystals randomly make furries? This has no deep impact or implications, and I feel like it was something that the writers just threw into the supplementary materials (just like the Ultimania's "explanation" for Necron).

[Name the character "Freya"]

Well, here is Freya, whose story arc with Fratley is never fully completed and booted to the side with what could be described as a twist tie of a resolution, but that's for later.

Zidane "So, how've you been, Freya?"

Freya "...Same old Zidane."

[Both of them stand together, in front of the counter]

Zidane "How long has it been?"

Freya "About 3 years."

Zidane "Hey, did you ever find out anything about your boyfriend?"

Freya "No..."

Zidane "So... What brings you to Lindblum?"

Freya "The Festival of the Hunt. What else? It's a good oppurtunity to test my skills."

Zidane "Oh... Well, I'm sure you'll find him someday."

Freya "Aren't you participating?"

Zidane "...Nah. I think I'll pass."

Are you really not going to bring up everything you have been through to Freya, Zidane? Especially Garnet? It would have been better to have actual interaction between Freya and Garnet, with Freya even telling Garnet more about Zidane since Freya has a history with him, and tell Garnet some things about love, considering that Freya also has a love story (that is also much better done than Zidane and Garnet's even if it's dropped to the sidelines later). But no, we never get any actual decent interaction between Freya and Dagger.

Freya "Lazy bum."

Zidane "...Are you ever gonna go back?"

Freya "I have no reason to return to Burmecia."
"There is nothing there for me anymore."

You will.

[The screen fades to black, and Zidane goes to sleep. The screen fades back in as Cid is walking up to his throne, with Dagger following him]

Regent Cid "So, how is the queen? Is she still as vibrant as ever?"

Dagger "Yes, but..."
"Since Father died, Mother has been acting very strangely..."

Imagine that — acting oddly when your spouse dies. But in all seriousness, they expect us to buy that Garnet only ran away from home, putting Alexandria in a panic, risking a dangerous trek across the continent, and other political incidents, just because "her mother was acting strangely", that is a very weak and arbitrary reason to run away from home.

Regent Cid "I'm not surprised gwok-gwok. They loved each other so much..."

Dagger "We haven't spoken much lately. Also, a suspicious man has been prowling the castle."

The "suspicious man" is what's behind all this isn't it? This should be common sense, and Garnet even says this herself, though not until AFTER she gets captured like an idiot back in Alexandria, but that's for later. The point is, this really shouldn't be a mystery. Seriously, Garnet never asked for Kuja's name to anyone in the Alexandria castle before fleeing? This is so contrived it hurts.

"I don't know what's going on anymore... I fear that she might be planning something terrible."
"I've brought this matter to everybody's attention, but no one has taken me seriously."
"They all think I'm distraught over losing Father..."

Everyone memorize the first line, because here, Garnet very clearly says she suspects her mother is going to do something bad, only for her to contradict herself later.

Also nobody has taken her seriously? Not even Beatrix, whom was most likely aware of those barrels containing the Black Mages and maybe was even in on some briefings with Brahne? I also want everyone to remember those lines too, because they will be connecting with my critiques of Beatrix later.

Regent Cid "I understand why you are so eager. I'm happy that you came to me for help."

Dagger "At this point, I think you're the only person Mother will listen to..."

Again, Garnet will contradict what she says here, with what she says later.

Dagger "When I heard that Lindblum's theater ship was coming to Alexandria, I decided to sneak on board and come here no matter what."
"I just never expected the crew to kidnap me..."

Regent Cid "It was me... I was the one who ordered Tantalus to kidnap you."

Dagger "!?"

That still doesn't explain the whole "famous thieves AND famous actors" thing, but whatever.

Regent Cid "I once promised your father gwok, that should anything happen, I would protect you."
"We've known about the disturbances in Alexandria for some time."

How Cid knew about this is never explained, scouts or spies, I guess? But anyways, He knows about this (he even knew that BRAHNE WAS AFTER THE EIDOLONS, Garnet's summons), but doesn't immediately know about the "suspicious man" that Garnet saw and just mentioned, even though Kuja isn't exactly inconspicuous (just look at what he is wearing!) and he rides on a big silver dragon.

Regent Cid "But had we acted directly, it would've started a war."
"So, I asked Baku for help. He and I go way back."

And yet Baku was going to abandon your niece in the Evil Forest, which is never brought up here or again to Cid, real great friendship there.

Regent Cid "The play was the perfect cover to enter Alexandria and get you out. No one would suspect Lindblum was behind it."
"We were gwok forced to take action, because we knew Alexandria would never seek our help."
"I'm relieved we were able to get you here."

Especially since the theatre ship was known to be from Lindblum. You'd have to be a rocket scientist to make that connection. Seriously, how was that a "perfect cover"? Especially since Zorn and Thorn clearly saw the group go through South Gate into Lindblum, and no doubt reported it back to Brahne.

Dagger "At the Village of Dali, we saw numerous black mages. They looked like golems, controlled by some powerful magic."
"On top of that, they were being created under Alexandria's supervision."
"I don't know how they're related to Vivi, but if Mother is planning to use them for war..."

Okay, Dagger right here very clearly says she suspects her mother is starting a war and going crazy, which should shoot down any arguments from any of my complainers about how Garnet "didn't know any of this would happen", or "she only ran away because her mom was "acting weird"" the second of which I already explained above how weak of a reason that was.

Regent Cid "We won't let that happen."
"Even if she were to command an army of black mages, she won't make a move as long as we have our airship fleet."
"Don't worry gwok-gwok. Everything will be fine."

Well that would have been the case if not for the VERY DUMB thing Garnet does at the end of this chapter.

Dagger "I'm so sorry, Uncle."

Regent Cid 'Now, now, come on. Don't be so formal."
"I'm helping you because I am your Uncle Cid, not because I am the regent of Lindblum."

Dagger "Thank you so much."

Zidane wasn't here to hear ANY of this, yeah, he went on and on in the previous chapters about how special Garnet is and his curiosity over why she wanted to be kidnapped, not to mention how at the start of this chapter he says "Don't worry. We're not leaving until he does.", and Zidane doesn't come here by Garnet's side to hear these truths, which just leads to more forced misunderstandings and contrived nonsense later.

[The screen changes to a different location]

Dagger "What is this place...?"

Regent Cid "The heart and soul of Lindblum: our airship dock. This is Dock No. 1, where we conduct our research gwok."

Dagger "But...where are the airships?"

Regent Cid "Lonely, isn't it...?"
"We had a new airship model in here about 6 months ago."
"It was our latest creation: it didn't require Mist to fly."

Dagger "The man who attacked you - was he the one who ran off with it?"

Regent Cid "Good guess, but no... Actually... I met a lovely lady at the pub..."

Dagger "...Um?"

Regent Cid "When Hilda found out about my little affair, she used her magic and turned me into an oglop."
"Then she stormed off in the new airship, which I named Hilda Garde. Pretty ironic, eh?"

Okay but NO ONE could reverse Hilda's spell or use a Remedy? How powerful is Hilda? You could have her just turn Kuja and Brahne into Oglops.

Also Hilda couldn't have just gone to a pub or go on a regular Mist airship to let out some steam? She had to take the ONLY airship that didn't have to run on mist? I understand being pissed at your husband for cheating, but taking away an advanced air vehicle that is able to go anywhere is incredibly irresponsible, especially for someone with a position like hers. As if this contrivance wasn't bad enough, she "naturally" also never gets called out on this when you find her later.

Regent Cid "She hasn't been back since gwok."

That's usually a sign that something has happened to her and you should be sending out search parties.

Regent Cid "I've been working on Hilda Garde 2, but it hasn't been going too well. My mind just isn't the same as an oglop."
"I'm hopeless..."

Um, Cid seems to be talking and thinking just fine, and even so, couldn't he and the other workers just use the blueprints for the first Hilda Garde to make a duplicate? How does Cid being an Oglop affect construction in any way?

Regent Cid "But that doesn't mean I can't help you. I'll do my best for Alexandria."

Dagger "Thank you... But with South Gate badly damaged, I don't know how we can get to Alexandria..."

Regent Cid "Don't worry. South Gate is being repaired as we speak."
"Once the repairs are finished, we'll go to Alexandria."

Dagger "Yes. I'm sure Mother will finally open her eyes to the truth."

Or maybe you should be focusing more on that "suspicion man" that you saw in the castle (which was the same time that your mother started going nuts) whom is so obviously the cause of all this.

Regent Cid "..."

Dagger "Uncle, is something wrong?"

Regent Cid "Huh? No, I was just thinking... about how the theater ship crashed."
"Baku sure has good men working under him..."

Again, apparently nobody has told Cid that Baku was going to leave behind his niece if not for Zidane.

[The scene changes to an inn, where Zidane wakes up, stretches, and stands in front of a window, looking outside. Vivi walks into the room]

Vivi "Good morning."

Zidane "You're up early."

Vivi "Lindblum is really a busy place. I've never seen this many people before."
"I wonder where people go if they wanna be alone..."

Zidane "Lindblum has always been like this. People come here from all over the world."
"Some of them come here to become airship engineers, sculptors, actors..."

Vivi "Wow..."

Zidane "I don't even remember why I came here my first time."
"Before I knew it, I was living here with my Tantalus brothers."

Uh, you didn't COME here, you were left here as a child and had no memory of where you were from. Either this was a mistranslation or the writers flubbed.

Vivi "Do they still live here?"

Zidane "Yeah. Our hideout is in the Theater District."
"I'm gonna go there right now. Do you wanna come along?"

Vivi "Um, that's okay. I'm gonna go look around town."

Zidane "Okay. Then I'll give you a little tour."

Vivi "...No, that's okay. I can go by myself."

Zidane "Ohhh...okay... Go find yourself a cute girl, alright?"

Again, Zidane, Vivi is too young for that.

[Vivi walks out of the room]

Skipping the Teach me, Mogster! ATE

-Small-Town Knight in a Big City

Also skipping this one, all it is is just a setup for Garnet's dumb subplot later with sneaking through the South Gate with Gysahl Pickles. Also skipping "Vivi's Shopping".

- Steam Engine

Skipping the first half of this, just more unfunny Steiner slapstick.

[The screen moves upwards, showing all of the gigantic building]

Steiner "Wh-What is that large airship!?"

Grandpa "Amazing, isn't it?"
"It's the Hilda Garde 2."
"Since it is equipped with a steam engine, developed by the regent himself, it can fly without Mist."

[Screen shifts back down to Steiner and Grandpa]

Steiner "Impossible. How can it fly without being powered by Mist?"

Grandpa "What cave did you just crawl out of!? This is the age of steam power!"
"The source of steam power is water. It's much safer than Mist."
"Heh-heh-heh! A bright future awaits us all!"

[The old man walks away, as Steiner looks up at the Hilda Garde 2]

Okay we already know about all of this stuff on the non-Mist powered airship from Cid earlier, we don't need a repeat to Steiner just because he (for no good reason) wasn't there, along with Zidane, in the room when Cid gave all that info, I'd rant that this was the most pointless cutscene in the history of man, but the whole darned review going to be full of them, so why bother?

[Zidane, now in the Theater District, returns to the Tantalus building. He walks in and looks around]

Zidane "I figured there wouldn't be anybody here..."
"It looks like no one's been here for a while."
[Walks over to the site and leans against a wall]
"What to do, what to do...?"
[Large gears on the back wall begin to turn]
"Geez. It's that late already... I wonder what Dagger's doing."
[A bell on the back wall, probably being powered by the gears, begins to move and ring]

Then why don't you be at her side already? Seriously, a lot of time in Lindblum could and should have been devoted to Zidane and Garnet's love story, maybe Zidane sneaking her out of the Grand Castle and showing her around Lindblum, showing her Tantalus' hideout and interactions between Freya and Garnet, instead of all these empty ATE cutscenes and filler which just all lead to one of the stupidest moments in the FF series.

- What can I do?

[Dagger is in the guest bedroom of Lindblum Castle]

"...A bell's ringing... A performance in the Theater District must've just ended."

[Dagger walks towards the stairs, but a guard runs up it to block her way]

Elite Guard "Is there anything you need, Your Highness?"

Dagger "No, thank you. I'm thinking of going outside and having a look around."

Elite Guard "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we cannot grant this request."
"Right now, there are many people coming to Lindblum for the Festival of the Hunt."
"Therefore, things are quite chaotic in the town, making security rather difficult."
"Also, very few people know of your presence here."
"It's for your own safety. Please understand."

Dagger "Okay, I understand..."
[Dagger walks to a bed and sits on it]
"...I can't stand sitting around like this."
"I didn't come here to be protected."
"I just want to help Mother..."

Ah yes, such "selfless, noble words" from our heroine. In all seriousness, I understand being concerned about your mother, but your behaviour is obnoxious, and this goes back to what I said before about Garnet's constant whining about her mother overwhelming the game and her stupidity. What about Zidane, who risked a lot to rescue you and get you here and be by your side? Or all those Black Mages that died from the Black Waltz no. 3? But screw Zidane and my friends, I'm just going to keep focusing on my insane mother that I ran away from home from because I KNEW she was going crazy and something bad was going to happen, to get help, only to pull a one-eighty and throw it all away for absolutely no reason later as we will see at the end of this chapter.

[Scene returns to Zidane, still learning against the wall. Two small kids, a boy and a girl, run in]

Bunce "There he is!"

Lucilla "I told you he'd be here."

[Zidane stops learning against the wall]

Bunce "Why didn't you tell us that you were back? We're in Tantalus, too, you know."

Zidane "What?"

Lucilla "Yeah."
"Uncle Baku said if we find some treasure, we can be in Tantalus, too."

Bunce "Yeah. Check this out."

[Bunce and Zidane walk to each others. Zidane looks at something in his hand]

Zidane "Wow, those are trick sparrow's wings! That sure is some treasure you've found, alright!"

Lucilla "Yay!"

Brucie "Yipee!"
"So, did the plan work?"

Zidane "...Yeah. Princess Garnet is at the castle."

Lucilla "Really!? Wow..."
"So, what's she like? Is she cute?"

Bunce "Did you ask her out yet?"

Zidane "No... I think she's pretty busy. Plus, she's a princess and I'm a... you know, so...I don't know."

Lucilla "I bet she misses you."

Bunce "Yeah. You should go see her."

These two kids would be excellent at critiquing Zidane's and Garnet's love story, even they are giving more attention to it than the actual game does. Too bad though kids, your hopes are going to be ruined in a few moments thanks to dumb writing.

Lucilla "Good luck!"

Bunce "See ya!"

[Both of the kids run out]

Zidane "I wonder if she got to talk to Cid... Maybe I should go see her..."

And why weren't you there to hear what Cid had to say and find out why Garnet wanted to be kidnapped, again?

[Zidane leaves the Tantalus building]

- Baku and His Crew

[Baku and company are walking towards some sort of stone structure. (It's actually the lower part of South Gate on the Lindblum side) Underneath a bridge connecting outside of a forest-area, where they are, and the stone structure is a running river]

Baku "A-CHOO!"

[Cinna kneels down near some plants, and a "ding!"-type sound is heard]

Cinna "Phew, that tasted good!"
"I can't believe we found a way out of Evil Forest before it got petrified!"

Marcus "...it's all thanks to our bro, who pointed out the river before he took the map to Zidane."
"What do we do now, Boss? We gotta save our brother..."

How the heck did the rest of Tantalus get out at the same time as Zidane, Garnet and the others? But better yet, how did they find out about Black's petrification? They would have either:

a) Still been in the Evil Forest to see his petrified form. Which makes zero sense because they would have been petrified too.

or b) Had been near Zidane's group when they escaped the Evil Forest and saw Blank get caught by the spider creature and get petrified. Which also makes no sense because they would have rejoined with Zidane if they were nearby.

The writers were clearly being lazy with this nonsensical scenario, what should have happened was: Baku and the others get out of the Evil Forest before it petrifies but they are unaware of what has happened to Blank, Baku and the others head back to Lindblum (actually now that you mention it, why didn't they meet up back with Zidane and the others? Considering that the only place to go was the Ice Cavern they should have bumped in eventually), they meet Zidane in their hideout in Lindblum, Zidane fills them in on everything that has happened and THAT is when they find out what has happened to Blank.

Baku "Yer right."
"But first, we'll let the guys outside drink some water from the lake."
"Cinna, bring them over."
[Cinna runs off the screen]
"Hey, about Blank..."
"I think it's better that Evil Forest stays petrified..."

Marcus "Are you serious!?"

Baku "Don't get me wrong."
"I ain't sayin' this out of concern for our safety."

Marcus "Then...why?"

Baku "I'm sure he wouldn't wanna be saved if it meant Evil Forest was gonna be restored, too..."

Uh, I'm pretty sure when Marcus said "save Blank" he didn't mean un-petrifying the entire Evil Forest, how would they anyway? Wasn't the whole reason the forest was petrified was because the plant brain was slain, or whatever the convoluted reasons surrounding that forest, the writers are just writing pointless and dumb dialogue here and wasting script pages.

Marcus "...You're right."

Baku "We gotta start lookin'."
"There's gotta be another way to cure his petrification somehow. We ain't too late."
"We gotta do what we can."

Marcus "I gotcha, Boss!"

[Marcus runs to the stone structure, which seems to be blocked off from entering. Meanwhile, Cinna has long since returned and taken his spot on the right side of the screen, near the water]

Baku "..."
"Hey, Cinna... What are you doing over there?"

Cinna "This springwater might make some good coffee! I'll get the fixin's!"

Baku "Do I gotta remind you what happens to members who don't listen to their boss?"

Cinna "N-NO! Please, not that!"
"I'll bring everyone over right now!"

[Cinna runs off]

Welp, here's some more filler lines, seriously that is what most of these ATEs are, wastes of script pages. Also why is Tantalus on the Lindblum side of the lower part of the South Gate? Shouldn't they be on the lower part of the Alexandrian side? How does that make sense?

[Zidane leaves the Theater District and returns via the aircab to the castle. Once there, he heads to the guest bedroom area. Steiner is there, and appears to be deep in thought]

Zidane "What are you doing here?"

Steiner "You! What have you done with the princess!? Where is she!?"

Okay Steiner, if Zidane really did do something with Garnet, he wouldn't be in here looking at your rusty mug, now would he?

Skipping to the Singing FMV.

[FMV. We hear Garnet singing, as Zidane walks up the last few steps. She's standing near the edge, birds surrounding her, flying around. She looks at Zidane, then looks up at the sky, as the birds all fly away]

Okay, this is a nice FMV and all (and again, as I said before, Garnet singing and Song of Memories is an exception to IX's weak soundtrack), but this whole "romantic" scene is ultimately pointless. Why? Well, that's because while this scene is about Zidane's and Garnet's love and "coming closer together", a few moments afterwards, the exact OPPOSITE occurs where she ABANDONS him, making this whole scene and fancy FMV meaningless.

Zidane "Nice song."

Dagger "How did you get up here? This is a restricted area."

Garnet takes the compliment without so much as a thank you.

Zidane "Come on, I do this for a living."

Dagger "...oh yeah. You're a member of Tantalus. It must've been easy for you."
"..."

Zidane "...?"
"Whew... What a view..."
"Hey! There's a telescope! Let's go check it out."
"Come on."

[Zidane and Dagger walk up to the telescope]

Zidane "Hmmm..."

[Looking through the telescope, you see various places, along with a message]

Skipping this part.

Dagger "Let me see."

Zidane "How's the view?"

Dagger (...I've made so much trouble for everyone...)
(Uncle Cid knew everything...)
(That's why he asked Tantalus to get me out of Alexandria.)
(No matter how hard I try, I'm always a step behind in everything...)
(I'm so helpless...)

Here we go again with Garnet's obnoxious, whiny inner monologues of suck, and people say Tidus from FFX is whiny, seriously, this is most of her behaviour throughout most of the game, and if you think this is the end of it, you are dead wrong and it's only going to get worse from here. (Can we have the Garnet that jumped off of the castle roof and swung on a flag rope at the beginning of the game in chapter 1 back, please?)

Dagger, you made a smart move by running away from home, Cid also being aware doesn't change that, but you are going to render that all completely worthless soon because of your dumb, non-sensical inferiority complex and arrogance.

Zidane "...What's wrong?"

Dagger "Zidane..."
"Why did you help me come here - to Lindblum?"
"...Is it because your boss ordered you to?"

Zidane "I just wanted to help you. That's all."
"The boss didn't agree with me..."
"...so I ended up leaving the band."

Dagger "Really!? I'm sorry."

Dude Baku was going to leave you to the plant monster with seeds in you.

Zidane "Don't worry about it. It isn't the first time I've left."

Dagger "Zidane..."

Zidane "Yeah?"

Dagger "Oh...um... How were you planning to abduct me?"

Zidane "We were gonna put you to sleep with sleeping weed, then kidnap you."
"It's mostly used for kids, but a big dose can knock out an adult just as easily."

Dagger "I guess you didn't need it, since I came along on my own."
"Hey... Would you mind giving me some?"
"I've had a hard time sleeping lately."

Ah so the whole purpose of this scene was just to be a set up for the later drugging stupidity. It's pretty ironic how a scene that supposed to be about Zidane and Dagger coming closer together in love is just a set up for the exact opposite happening later.

Zidane "Um, I don't think that's a good idea. You might get addicted. Maybe all you need is some company, eh?"

PICKUP MASTER

Dagger "Oh, please. Do you think I'm that naive?"

Actually. ACTUALLY, Yes. Yes you freaking are. In fact, the entire game up to this point has been all about you being an implausibly naive fool. And after that too! "My mother is not involved and dindu nothin', she will listen to me."

I want everyone to remember this line, because at the end of this chapter it's going to come back and really explode and bite this game in the ass.

Zidane "Heh, heh. Can't blame me for trying."

Dagger "..."

Zidane "U-Um... Th-That song... Were you singing it in the Village of Dali?"

Speaking of which, why didn't you ask about that back in Dali when you had the chance?

Dagger "...Yes. So, you were up that night..."

Zidane "What is that song, anyway?"

Dagger "...I don't know. I can't even remember where I learned it."
"I sing it whenever I feel sad or lonely..."
"For some reason, it comforts me and reminds me that I'm not alone."

Just going to point out here that Garnet subconsciously knows about Melodies of Life from Madain Sari, yet in a flashback, she thinks the Alexandria Castle is the whole world, just a grievance for later.

Zidane "I guess it's a mystical song... Let me hear it again."

[Dagger begins singing it again. The screen fades to black, and focuses in on Steiner in a Weapons shop, starting at an armor setup]

Steiner "Hmm..."
"I never expected to find such fine armor in a place like this."

Customer "Yes, I'll buy that one, too."
"Who knows when that Brahne will start another war..."

Even this random Lindblum NPC knows something is up with the Queen. But we will still get ridiculous obliviousness from Garnet.

Steiner "WHAT!? The queen would never start a war!"
"You dare speak ill of the queen!?"

Seriously? Steiner hasn't gotten the memo from Cid or Garnet yet? All this bickering and ranting could have been avoided or at least reduced if Garnet had simply been upfront on why she wanted to be kidnapped the moment she woke up after escaping from the Evil Forest, or in Dali, but no, she was just continually vague, leading to repetitive obnoxious behaviour and denial from Steiner as we see here.

Customer "Who the hell are you?"

Steiner "I'm a...an armor collector!"

Customer "Oh. Well, in that case, can you recommend some good armor?"

Steiner "I...I must go!"

[Steiner walks out of the store. The screen changes to an area outside, where two kids are playing with small dolls]

Phillipo "GO, Knights of Pluto! Yeah!"

Poncho "What are those things?"
"They look so stupid."
"I'm gonna take Cid's airships and destroy them."

Phillipo "HEY, cut it out! YOU BROKE MY KNIGHT!"
"I'm gonna go tell your mom!"

Poncho "No, come on!"

[Phillipo runs off, Poncho following him. Vivi walks up and looks at the figures]

Vivi "'Royal Action Figures'...?"
"Those black mages were like toys... being controlled by someone..."

Thank you for making obvious statements Vivi, that the doll like beings were like dolls, was that the only point of this scene?

[Screen changes to Freya, hopping from a building to the top of the Tantalus building]

Freya "The sky looks ominous..."
"Something's about to happen."
[She jumps down, to in front of the building]
"Sir Fratley, where are you...?"
"I need you..."

Apparently Freya is clairvoyant, but in all honesty I guess I'm just annoyed she has more of a connection and commitment with Fratley than what we are seeing between Zidane and Garnet right now. The fact that she takes Garnet's place in the party doesn't help, not that this is Freya's fault.

[She jumps down. Screen changes to Cid at the airship dock]

Regent Cid "Okay!"
"It should work now."

Engineer Zebolt [Walks into the room]
"Sire, it's no good."

Regent Cid "What!?"

Engineer Zebolt "We can't stabilize the engine system. It can't run for more than 10 minutes."

Regent Cid "Darn it..."
"My mind hasn't been the same since I became an oglop..."

Again, becoming an oglop should not be able to affect construction in any way as I already pointed out above.

[Screen returns to Zidane and Dagger, on top of the building near the telescope]

Zidane "Hey, Dagger."
"So when do you wanna go on that airship cruise?"

Dagger "What are you talking about?"

Zidane "...!?"
"(What am I thinking!? I asked the girl at the...) Never mind."

Dagger "Well...it sounds like you've asked the wrong girl."

Zidane "Wait, I-I can explain."

Dagger "Why bother?"
"Go have a wonderful time."

Ah yes, all that romantic built up, with Zidane following Garnet's singing, and especially with the FMV, and all we get is bickering and the annoying "will they, won't they" bullshit that I was referring to before in chapter 1. People can whine all they want about FFVIII's "Squall and Rinoa" before this, but that was still a better and real developed love story, same with the others.

Zidane "Oh, man..."
"Okay, how about this? If I get first place in tomorrow's hunting festival, you and me'll go out on a date!"

Dagger "How does that have anything to do with me?"

Zidane "Come on. Pleaaase."

Dagger "...Fine."

Zidane "Okay, it's a date!"

[Zidane runs off the screen]

Dagger "..."

Garnet being super serious and bland all the time doesn't help. Not to mention building up a date that will never happen. That should have been what Zidane should have been doing for the Lindblum segment as I stated about, showing Garnet around Lindblum.

[Screen changes to two guards standing in front of a large closed carriage]

Officer "It may be tradition, but this is a dreadful festival."
"So many lives lost every year, especially because of him..."

Captain "Hardly. The festival is a test of manhood. I tingle with excitement every year."

I'm sorry, did you just say that this "Festival of the Hunt" causes a bunch of death and yet you are STILL doing things the same way? Why hasn't this been banned or at least have been given much better safety regulations? The world building in this game sucks, seriously compare this with FFVII's world-building and the Remake's improvements to it.

Skipping the rest of this scene.

Elite Guard "And you, Mr. Vivi?"

Vivi "WHAT!? I never signed up!"

Zidane "I thought you would do pretty well, so I signed you up."
"Don't worry. With your black magic, it'll be a piece of cake."

Vivi "I...I don't know..."

Freya "That was very inconsiderate of you, Zidane."

Zidane "Oh!"
"(How about this? If you win, I'll fix you up for a date with Dagger.)"

Are you serious? First off, again, Vivi is just a kid, secondly and more importantly, you are squandering your devotion to Garnet which has been a huge part of your motivation for the entire game so far.

Skipping ahead.

[Scene changes to Steiner and Dagger, walking up to, then standing, on the walkway above the gate where Zaghnol was freed]

Steiner "Such rudeness! Princess, they are treating you like a commoner!"

Dagger "Oh, hush. We get a great view from here."

Steiner "Hmm, you're right. I can see the entire town."
"Princess, look! Master Vivi is also participating!"

Dagger "I can't believe it. He seemed reluctant earlier."

Steiner "MASTER VIVI! THE PRINCESS AND I ARE ROOTING FOR YOU!"

Dagger "COME ON, VIVI!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!"

What, no cheering for Zidane?

[Zidane gets off the aircab, as the 12 minutes begin. Depending on how you play, there can be a variety of possible winners, Freya, Vivi, or Zidane, to unknowns like Lani, Belna, or Zenero. Usually, it's either Freya, Vivi, or Zidane usually win, though. In either case, the script is virtually exactly the same, except the winner's prize varies. In this example, Freya is the winner]

Unfortunately even if you do have Zidane win, the game blue-balls you with some BS.

Skipping ahead.

[A Burmecia soldier, a rat like Freya, limps into Cid's throneroom]

Burmecian Soldier "Please forgive my intrusion..."
"I bring urgent news... from our king."

Regent Cid "The king of Burmecia?"

Minister Artania "(Sire, you must not let him see you like this!)"

Regent Cid "(Take a good look at him. An injury has blinded him.)"
"Continue."

That's awfully convenient, and pointless, does it really matter if he sees you like an oglop? Don't make pointless lines like these.

Burmecian Soldier "Our kingdom is being attacked by some unknown force! We are severely outmatched! Please send reinforcements immediately!"

"Unknown force"? Why doesn't he just say Alexandria? there clearly should have been Alexandrian knights amongst the ranks there. Not to mention the whole devastated North Gate we saw earlier, this reeks of plot contrivance.

Regent Cid "!"

Burmecian Soldier "The enemy looks like an army of mages wearing...steeple-crowned hats."

Regent Cid "The king and I are old friends. We will send reinforcements to Burmecia immediately."

We never see those reinforcements.

Burmecian Soldier "Thank you, Regent! The king...and all of Burmecia will be most grateful!"
"I must...return now..."
"...Ugh."
[He collapses on the ground]

Regent Cid "Take him to the infirmary!"

Freya "It's too late. He's gone..."
"It's a miracle he even made it this far."
"I can't believe this is happening..."

Really? He seemed mostly fine a few moments ago, him dying makes no sense, you couldn't more sensibly write him as falling unconscious?

[The scene changes. Cid is sitting on his throne with Minister Artania on his right side. The five characters are standing in front of him]

Minister Artania "This is a problem..."
"Because of the festival, there are hardly any men left in the castle. It will take time to mobilize."

How does that make sense?

Regent Cid "We have no choice... Call back the 4th aerial division patrolling the border."

Minister Artania "But if we recall the 4th, we will lose our eyes over Alexandira."

Regent Cid "Gwok-gwok Burmecia is our ally. We must help them."

Yet again, we will never see this aerial division helping Burmecia.

Freya "Steeple-crowned hats... They might be black mages, like Vivi."

Vivi "It can't be..."

Dagger "Could it be Mother...!?"

Well yeah, you saw all those Black Mages in Dali being shipped to Alexandria.

Freya "I must go now. I cannot sit and wait for the reinforcements."

Zidane "I'm coming with you."

Freya "No. This doesn't concern you."

Zidane "What's this, I'm a stranger all of a sudden!?"
"I'm not gonna sit back and watch your home get destroyed, alright?"

Freya "...Thank you, Zidane."

Vivi "Um, c-can I come, too? I wanna find out who they really are."

Zidane "Sure."

Dagger "Alright then. Let's go to Burmecia."

Steiner "Princess! This is a foreign matter! It has nothing to do with us!"

Yes it does you idiot, stop denying what you saw in Dali. "It's none of her royal business if Queen Brahne wants to destroy all the neighboring cities and towns, killing a multitude of cute little talking rats in the process. Alexandria will rein supreme, dammit!"

Regent Cid "Steiner is right. We don't know if Alexandria is involved."

Are you serious Cid? Are you really that dense with your buggy brain? Did you miss the part where you were very clearly told about those Black Mages being shipped to Alexandria? It's so obviously them! Even that random NPC Steiner talked to earlier knew something was up with the Queen.

Here's a bright idea, why don't you send someone to destroy that factory in Dali that Garnet clearly told you about? That would make the attackers lose their weapon supply and weaken them.

Dagger "But if black mages are involved... Zidane, you know what I'm talking about."

Zidane "..."

Dagger "If Mother is behind this, I'll make her stop! I promise!"

You just said a while ago that Cid was the only one who could stop your mother, and now you are pulling a complete flip and saying the opposite?

Zidane "...I think you should stay here."

And so it begins…

Dagger "What!?"

Zidane "We don't know what to expect there."

Dagger "I've already faced great danger coming here! What's the difference!?"

Zidane "Dagger, this is war. A lot of people are gonna die."

Okay since when is Zidane the knowledgeable one about war here? He spent mostly a decade just being a thief and being in theatrical plays, this makes no sense, it would make more sense if Steiner or Freya (the experienced knights) were the ones saying this, not Zidane.

Dagger "I know that!"

Zidane "...How did you feel when you saw that Burmecian soldier die, just now?"

Dagger "...I felt sad, of course."

Zidane "Just sad? Weren't you scared, too?"
"Obviously, you haven't realized how dangerous it's gonna be... You could get killed."
"This is no time to be talking about convincing your mother of anything."

Okay first off, this is really hypocritical considering you have no problem taking Vivi, a SIX MONTH OLD kid with you (yeah, they don't know his actual age but he is clearly a child just by looking at him) or Eiko, another child, who is only six, later on. You also had no problem letting Garnet steer an airship through a closing gate while being chased by a rampaging Black Waltz despite her having no flying experience. Heck, you aren't an experienced knight yourself, Zidane, you are just a thief. (Yes, Zidane is actually a powerful "Angel of Death" super warrior, but he doesn't know that, and it certainly didn't help him against Beatrix, but that's another grievance)

Secondly, did you forget the part where you and Dagger clearly witnessed the deaths of the Black Mages on the cargo ship?

Thirdly and most importantly, This was really out of character for Zidane and forced drama, I don't buy him being inconsiderate for Garnet's feelings (though a lot that is due to the lousy and contrived writing of Garnet being needlessly secretive instead of simply telling Zidane why she wanted to run away from home) and just leaving her in Lindblum to Leeroy Jenkins it into Burmecia, especially after leaving his own Tantalus family to risk his life for her and talking to himself about not wanting to go their separate ways when they got to Lindblum. So much for devotion and "wanting to stay by her side". And before anyone gets the wrong idea, I'm not saying they shouldn't give a crap about what's going on in Bermecia, I'm just criticizing the unfocused love story, the lousy planning and contrivances, and how there was a much better written way the story should have gone here but I can't explain it well here yet, I will explain fully when we get back to Lindblum on Disk 2 after we go through all the nonsense that is about to start here.

Dagger "But..."

Regent Cid "Now's not the time to argue."

Freya "He's right. We must head to Burmecia at once."
"Will you open the Dragon's Gate?"

Regent Cid "Of course. If you're going by foot, leaving from that gate is the best way."
"Let us eat while we gwok wait for the gate to open."

Why would you need to wait for said gate to open? From what we see of that gate, it's just a pair of regular giant doors with a smaller door for single people, also couldn't you just pack all the food in a bag so you can leave quicker and eat while traveling? Actually, why not use an AIRSHIP to get there instead of walking?

[The scene changes to an incredible table full of food. Steiner and Dagger are standing on one side, Vivi and Freya on the other, and Zidane and Regent Cid are standing at opposite ends of the table]

Here we go, brace yourselves everybody…

Vivi "Yay! I'm so hungry!"

Regent Cid "The Festival of the Hunt feast is one of our oldest traditions. It began well over five centuries ago."
"It is customary to eat everything with your hands, so go on, before it gets cold."

Yeah I don't think anyone cares right now, why are you wasting time here?

Dagger "Thank you, Uncle."

[Steiner, Cid, and Vivi dig in]

Vivi "Mmmm! It's so good!"

Freya "..."

Zidane "Let's just eat. We can't do anything until the gate opens."

Freya "...You're right."

Again, what is with this "waiting for the gate to open" bullshit? There is literally a smaller door within the gate to go through, Freya doesn't need to wait.

[Zidane and Freya start eating]

Zidane "Hey, not bad!"

Steiner "This is wonderful! Princess, how is everything?"
"Why aren't you eating?"

Dagger "Oh... I'm sorry."
"You're right. Everything is so delicious."
[She starts eating]

Steiner "Indeed, it is. Especially this beef. It is superb!"

[Everyone eats for a few seconds]

Vivi "Oh, I'm so full. I'm getting sleepy now..."

[Vivi, Freya, and Cid fall asleep]

Steiner "What the - THE FOOD IS POISONED!"

Zidane "Dagger...?"

[Zidane falls asleep]

Steiner "How could I be so careless!? Ugh... I'm starting to feel sick..."
"F-Forgive me, Princess. I should have tastied it for poison..."

Dagger "That's impossible. There shouldn't be any in your dish."

Steiner "What...? Now that you mention it, I feel just fine."
"! How did you know!?"
"Princess! You didn't!"

Dagger "It's not poison. It's just a medicinal herb Zidane gave me. Believe me, this was not what I had planned."

And here it is, THIS, this is the drop off point, this is the moment that I have been building up to, this is where the whole game goes downhill into a messy wreck, here we go with one of the worst moments in the game, if not the series, where Garnet DRUGS AND ABANDONS Zidane and her friends, and makes the whole beginning of the game with the kidnapping and the first few hours of gameplay getting her to Lindblum, COMPLETELY POINTLESS, and then dragging us on a long, stupid, boring and pointless sub-quest with a painfully obvious conclusion that can be seen from miles away, and causing tons of destruction as the result (giving more power to the bad guy causing other countries to get blown up from her Eidolons) and to make things worse, she NEVER gets called out on any of this, especially by Zidane who should very rightfully be pissed with her, she just gets treated as a "victim" and then we get even more whining and wangst from her, the little sub plot of her going mute later from "shock" doesn't help things. To reply to what Garnet said above earlier: YES, yes you are that freaking naïve and it's going to get worse from here.

Most of all, it ruins the love story a lot. This game that acts like Zidane/Garnet is a big deal, as stated above, has all that romantic build up in the past, especially with the FMV a while ago with Garnet singing and Zidane watching and the emotional music, and it's all been rendered pointless by this dumb scene, and again the fact that Zidane isn't rightfully upset with her and has a heated emotional discussion with her afterwards just makes it much worse. And yet people rip on Rinoa more instead, refusing to accept that one is inept is immature. Refusing to even hear the argument because one's skills and/or status will ensure success is arrogance. And arrogance should annoy a lot more than immaturity.

I can makes pages on all the contrivances, inconsistencies, and bad writing surrounding this stupidity, but if I did all that here this chapter and rant would be too long, so I'm going to give it in pieces as this stupid subplot goes along and will explain a MUCH better way this part of the game should have gone.

Also how the heck did she slip the weed in without anyone noticing?

Dagger "Steiner, I have to make my own decisions..."
"I had no choice. Uncle Cid would never let me leave the castle."

I guess you forgot Zidane letting you steer the airship, being a healer and that whole plan to escape the Alexandrian castle and improvising in the play.

Steiner "That is because he is concerned about you!"

Dagger "I understand, but - "

Steiner "No, you don't understand...! War is a terrible thing! You must never experience it as I have."
"I'm sorry, Princess. I cannot follow any orders that might put your life in danger."

Dagger "...What if Alexandria is behind this attack on Burmecia?"
"It could lead to war between the three great nations."
"Many innocent people will die..."
"As the princess of Alexandria, there must be something I can do."

It's time yet again for another Garnet brand whine about why it's so, like, hard to be a royal princess!

Dagger "I have to help Mother... I don't want to see anything happen to her..."

"Muh independence and muh mummy"

Good lord is this woman is selfish, nobody is truly independent Garnet, and yeah because your own decision right now will work out "just fine", also you already made your own decisions before like getting out of Alexandria, yet you're butthurt because your uncle Cid already had the same idea of getting you out of Alexandria, and also Zidane and the others thinking just "talking to your mom" wasn't a good idea (especially since you didn't try to do this when you had the chance before fleeing from home, something you'd assume a woman who had an otherwise perfect relationship with her mother would do FIRST) even though you yourself claimed that Cid was the only one who could possibly talk to the queen earlier, and just spent the whole beginning of the game fleeing from said queen. Not to mention how, earlier up above, she clearly said she suspected her Mother was going to start a war, her strange reaction here makes no sense when everything she suspected turned out to be true, she should be LESS likely to just "go home and try to talk to mommy", especially with how she is going back WITHOUT ANYONE TO BACK HER UP, which was the whole point of running away from home and trying to get to Lindblum in the first place.

If her mother was so darn pleasant that Garnet could have just talked her out of it, why run away from home in the first place?

Really you should have been focusing on that "suspicious person" (Kuja) in the castle, that was clearly the source of the problem and responsible for your mother's crazy behaviour and tried to find out about him by running away from home and go after him from the start instead of trying to solve this bs mystery that's so obvious.

Zidane and Garnet's relationship is pretty unhealthy here.

Steiner "..."
"...Very well."
"Princess, I will follow you where you choose."

Dagger "Thank you."
"Let's go before everyone wakes up."
[Dagger walks over to Zidane]
"I'm sorry, Zidane."
"Come on."

Oh piss off, this is how you are treating and repaying the guy who risked his life for you, left his Tantalus brothers for you, and LOVED you. This was the point when I really started disliking Garnet. Best FF love story my ass.

[Steiner and Dagger leave]

Zidane "Dagger... Where are you going...?"

Uh, I think it should be pretty clear, what with the talks about her mother and all.

[Everyone wakes up except Vivi]

Freya "It must've been some sort of sleeping medicine."

Zidane "It was sleeping weed."

Regent Cid "We've been had..."

Zidane "I gave her some because she said she was having problems sleeping."

Freya "I'm impressed. There's more to her than meets the eye."

"I'm totally just going to compliment this girl who just screwed us over and made me loose time to get back to my home that's under attack."

The shilling that Garnet gets is atrocious, Freya has the wrong reaction here.

Zidane "Damn, what the heck is she thinking!? Maybe she's heading to Burmecia."

What our boy Zidane conveniently forgot during his little nap was Garnet's "determination" (read: stupidity) to go back home and have it out with Queenie Dearest. He thinks she took off for Burmecia. Cid and the others must also be deaf as posts, since they think Zidane's on to something. "Let's go in the completely wrong direction!".

Regent Cid "Then you might still be able to catch up with her."

Zidane "Vivi, wake up! We're going to Burmecia!"

Freya "Let's head for the Gizamaluke's Grotto. Once we pass through the grotto, we will be in Burmecia."

Regent Cid "You can leave from the Dragon's Gate, located on the Base Level gwok."

Finally, how the heck did Garnet and Steiner get out of Lindblum? There should a bunch of guards outside the dining hall, not to mention all around the castle and in the elevator, there is no way they would let them get away, especially when the guards and Minister Artania would have taken a peek into the dining hall and see Cid and the others unconscious and put it all together. More contrived bullshit.

[Zidane and company use the lift to descend to the Base Level, then travel to the Dragon's Gate, exiting it, leaving Lindblum, and returning to the World Map]

End of Chapter 4

Well we've past that point, this is where the real critiquing begins, and the next few chapters are going to be painful, so I apologize if I come off as being really ranty.