Mission Impossible...Well, Improbable Anyway

Last post I talked about quests, the delivery boy's path to fame and fortune. In addition to quests, FFXI also allows you to undertake "Missions" for your chosen country. No, this doesn't involve spreading word of your religion to the masses. Actually, missions are just like quests, except that they advance the local military or political efforts, they comprise the "plot" of FFXI, and they rarely involve groceries. Most of them actually center on the struggles of the allied races against the Beastmen (aka, the BAD GUYS).

This is all established before the game even starts with a fancy FMV (yay Square!) in which Beastmen sack a human settlement and kill a lot of innocent people. You know, just in case you're not bright enough to figure out which side you're supposed to be rooting for in all this. Hint: not the rabid, horned creatures that carry axes the size of an outboard motor.

The highlight for me so far was the second mission for my country (Bastok), in which I got to meet this guy:















If you've never played a Final Fantasy game before, there's almost always a guy named "Cid", he'll be some kind of engineer, and he'll be at least a little odd, if not batshit insane.

Cid wanted me to go test the pH of some water at a nearby series of springs. Seriously. He gave me a little pH testing apparatus (now with patented color changing technology!) and everything. I guess he's trying to figure out why the Beastmen are so crazy right now...maybe he suspects acid rain?

Whatever, Cid is awesome...