The Depths of the Cavern of Earth
Using the rod on the slab causes it to crumble, revealing a staircase spiralling deeper into the cavern - another maze that I use the map feature to try and optimise. I spot a store room in the north that's our first port of call. Five chests inside! I start from the top left and go clockwise:
- Monsters!
Typical - we meet a couple of Sphinxes, who are guarding 5450 gil. At least we'll be rich after all of this.
- 1520 gil (very rich)
- Monsters! (a mix of new enemies, including Hyenadons and an Ogre Mage, guarding a Staff)
- Monsters! (the same formation again, guarding 3400 gil, we're getting paid here)
- Monsters! (Two more sphinxes guarding 1455 gil)
All bar Kaili also make their way to Level 23 in this room, though they're just 132EXP off, so I think it's just a matter of time. There's another room in the south west, and I notice that by being inside one store room, I can see that the other one down there has 3 chests in from the map view. Off we go.
On the way we're ambushed by six Cockatrices, and Rukus is petrified. He seems to be a lightning rod for status effects. We have 1 Gold Needle, and given the status persists outside of battle, I think I'm going to have to use it on him. I just hope that doesn't happen again...
It literally happens again in the next fight - only four of them and not even an ambush...
I decide a trip for supplies is in order - I've got nearly 85,000 gil now, after all, so this sort of thing shouldn't be happening...
We start dragging a statue of our friend back through B3, and it turns out that the Cockatrices can also drop Gold Needles. We de-petrify Rukus, and now I'm in two minds what to do - but I think we go for it. Worst case we try and beat more Cockatrices for the Gold Needles we need.
We make it back to the store room, and there are the three chests we were promised. Top to bottom:
- Monsters! (Same formation with the Hyenadons before protecting 1250 gil)
- Monsters! (Same formation again - the Ogre Mage is a bit naughty with some Blizzaras, but we get a Mythril Shield)
- Monsters! (Same again - this time protecting a Tent)
We also start to arrive at Level 24, so we're definitely starting to grow stronger.
With those in hand, we head to the north west, and hopefully the end of our dungeon crawl.
In B5, it looks like there only one door in the south west, but there's a path to seemingly nowhere in the north. I guess we'll start with the door.