The next mission involves Marche going to the forest of Koringwood, which is being targeted by loggers. This time, they have the advantage of numbers, with seven against five, most likely because of the Arbitrary Headcount Limit of 12 characters and the judge. I found this mission somewhat difficult when I first played though, especially since I used up Montblanc's JP on Ultima. If you can get a Moogle with 10 JP in, it would work well; otherwise, focus your attacks on the unit at the edge of the cliff.
As the loggers are arrested, and one of the Hunters thanks Marche for his help, Marche wonders if the enchanted forest is tied to the crystals.
The next mission involves Marche going to take up a search for an Emerald Keep in Salikawood (which I vaguely suspect is adjacent to, or at least very close to, Koringwood) that was abandoned by the royal mage academy. Babus is there, and he's annoyed that the clans swoop in when the palace pulls out. I suppose he's unfamiliar with the trope of a group of amateurs succeeding where the "professionals" have failed.
Babus has another reason for being there, though. Mewt has informed him of someone who means him harm, and asks Marche if he knows anything. Marche says no, because he didn't know that Mewt wanted the world to exist. Babus asks him to repeat that last part, and Marche complies. Babus realizes that Marche is the person in question and orders him captured.
If you've played the mission, you may notice that Babus has made a fatal mistake. He, the boss you must defeat to win the battle, and a spellcaster with little in the way of armor or defensive abilities is standing at the head of the group, and will charge Marche on his first turn.
Of course, even if it's easy enough to defeat Babus quickly, and even if he's determined to deal with Marche, he does decide to indulge Marche for a moment, and ask about Ivalice, asking him what he means when he says he wants to return the world to normal. Marche then says that Ivalice isn't a desert, but rather, a snowy country town, and that Mewt essentially turned the world into that of Final Fantasy. Babus finds it completely laughable, saying that the world has always existed and that Mewt, whom he's served for years, has always been a part of it. The idea of Mewt being a mere commoner (I have to wonder what rank Babus has, since he seems to imagine himself of a higher station than most people, even if he generally acts like a servant compared to the prince, queen and judgemaster) infuriates Babus, and he continues the fight.
For the most part, while doing this mission, I chose to focus on Babus, and didn't have to contend with the rest of his followers..
After defeating Babus, he teleports out, swearing that he will find Marche again.
Next up comes the next totema battle. Not unlike with the last two, Marche finds a ghost in a cave, but both are sucked into a temple, and the ghost gets absorbed by Adammelech, who's more like Famfrit than Ultima. You may remember Adrammelech from Final Fantasy Tactics, as the fourth Zodiac Brave you fight, but here, he looks more like a dragon than a goat, and is accompanied by three other dragons, one for each element. This time, Marche knows what he has to do, and sets out to defeat Adrammelech and destroy the crystal.
Adrammelech is notably harder than the other Totemas so far, as he and his dragons hit hard, even if they're not all that fast. The arena, which is notably long and narrow for the most part, save for some side paths, doesn't help matters, as it makes it easy to get hit by one of his attacks, which strikes everything in front of him, at unlimited range.
Marche defeats Adrammelech, and returns to the real world after pondering the Totemas' roles in creating the races, only to see Babus, who is quite angry that Marche destroyed another crystal. Babus then is shaken by hearing a vision of Mewt calling out for his mother and Babus.
Babus decides to, at least for the moment, assume that Marche is telling the truth, and that the world he and Mewt left does, in fact exist. He asks what Marche has there that is worth going back for, and whether that could justify putting Mewt through this.
Marche, put on the spot, doesn't answer. I heard on TV Tropes that many players apparently didn't like this part of Marche, preferring to agree with his friends or find them more justifiable. I disagree with this sentiment; in the end, facing reality is most important, and it's somewhat telling that Marche realizes that his life isn't perfect in the real world, and some parts will never get better, but chooses to face it anyway.
Babus is even more upset with Marche, and tells him that while he has to see to Mewt, Marche can't expect any mercy next time. As Babus leaves, Marche is apologetic, but believes he has to destroy the rest of the crystals.
Next Installment: Marche tries to find the crystal before the people who want to keep the world the way it was, or merely want a reward, find him.
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