Final Fantasy IV: The After Years/Ceodore's Tale: The Last of the Red Wings

Japanese: セオドア編: 最後の赤き翼 (Seodoa Hen: Saigo no Akaki Tsubasa)

Released: June 1, 2009 

'Against the wishes of his mother Queen Rosa, Ceodore, prince of the kingdom of Baron enlists in the elite Red Wings air force in order to earn his knighthood. The Red Wings are attacked by a swarm of monsters and Ceodore finds himself the sole survivor, only to be rescued from his ordeal by a wandering swordsman...'

The Invasion - Baron Castle
It seems that the Red Moon has returned and is the source of these countless monsters. Once you regain control of Cecil, head north to the door of the west tower and Cid will greet you. Realizing you could use his help, Cid joins the party. There's really no need to enter the west tower as you'll find nothing of interest in there. Instead, head for the door on your right and be sure to make use of the save point and heal up in preparation for the upcoming battles. You may want to remove Cid and Rosa's armor, they won't really need it and it could be put to better use later on. Once you're ready, take the stairs to the outside.

Once you're outside, you'll be met with a series of three battles. The first is against a pair of Belphegor. These guys are fairly simple to defeat, just keep attacking with Cid and Cecil, healing with Rosa as needed. Your next fight is with a trio of Spirits and a lone Ahriman. The Spirits are relative small fries, but the Ahriman can prove troublesome. It will cast Doom on a party member and then follow up with Haste, a tactic that can quickly defeat the whole team if you're not careful. Just use a Phoenix Down or Rosa's Raise spell when someone dies. If you can take out the Ahriman quickly, you shouldn't need to revive anyone more than two characters. Your last fight is against a Strato Avis and its three Cockatrice. The Avis is the only tough one here—its Tornado spell can reduce a party member's HP to single-digits. If you stay fairly aggressive with your healing, however, it should prove a relatively easy fight.

Knowing Baron can't hold out much longer, Cecil will send Cid and Rosa away to retreat to safety. Alone, Cecil sees Bahamut approaching with a mysterious girl who looks much like Rydia. Before he can figure out what's going on, Bahamut attacks. There's really nothing much you can do in this fight, it's not winnable. At some point Bahamut will cast Megaflare and take you out. Before he does, remove Cecil's shield (open the item list and press to see equipment; select the shield and press  to get the remove option).

Crash Landing - Meadow
When Ceodore comes to, check on all the soldiers. They've all died save one, Biggs. When he begins to stir, talk to him and he will issue his dying order, return to Baron no matter what. He offers some encouraging words and tells Ceodore the he is now the last living member of the Red Wings. When Biggs finally breathes his last, you'll find yourself in a forest with a save point nearby, use it and equip Ceodore with Cecil's old shield.

Head west to be ambushed by three enemies, the Domovoi/Gatlinghog combo should prove fairly easy. The Flamehound, however, will prove too tough to beat. Just keep beating it with your sword and it will eventually cast Blaze, dropping Ceodore to 1 HP. Right on cue, a mysterious Hooded Man will leap in and kill the monster. After the Hooded Man joins your party, heal up, as Ceodore will still have only 1 HP left.

To Baron! - Overworld/Mysidia
Once on the overworld map, you're presented with a fork in the road to the north. If you're looking to train and gain some levels, head northeast. If you continue eastbound you'll soon find yourself at Mt. Ordeals. The Hooded Man will not let you go very far up the mountain, but if you head just south of Mt. Ordeals, to a small forest surrounded by a circular clearing, you'll find yourself in a Chocobo Forest. The white chocobo here will fully restore the MP of all party members. You can get into random battles nearby for experience, use Ceodore's magic to heal up, and then replenish his MP with the white chocobo. When you're ready to move the story forward backtrack to the crash site. You may want to take a yellow chocobo with you to avoid random battles on the way back.

From the crash site, head northwest and continue to follow the land further northwest. You will soon arrive in Mysidia, where the Hooded Man has a way to get back to Baron. If you haven't yet bought a Longsword for Ceodore, do so at the weapon shop now. You may also wish to buy a Fire or Ice Rod, Healing Staff, some Gaia Gear, Feathered Caps, and Iron Armlets (if you have the cash) for use in the very near future. When you're done making purchases, head to the northernmost building in town. Inside you'll be greeted by Pororm, the white mage of Mysidia. Hearing your plight, she'll send both a white and black mage to accompany you through the Devil's Road. When you're ready to move on, equip your mages, head to the locked door on the east side of town, and go on in to the Devil's Road.

Thinking With Portals - Devil's Road
The Devil's Road is a series of two mazes: one filled with teleporters, each leading to another room in the maze, and the other containing trap switches that block off certain pathways. Worth noting here are the Jelly-type enemies. The only effective way to defeat them is with black magic—should you end up facing some, just use black magic spells on all of them at once.

From the first room of the maze, head through the teleporter to the north. When you exit, walk all the way north, then west through a secret passage to find a chest containing a Bomb Fragment. Return to the previous room and enter the teleporter, avoiding the lava along the way. From here, head to the easternmost teleporter and enter it. There is one closer, but it just sends you back to the beginning. To get to the next teleporter, you must walk through lava, taking damage. Do so anyway and enter the portal. In this long hall, simply enter the teleporter at the far north end. Once again, cross some lava to enter the teleporter to the northeast. Before stepping through this next teleporter, head no the northwest corner and go through the secret passage to find a Phoenix Down. Return to the main room and head through the portal.

You'll arrive in a room with two portals, some lava, and two towering pillars (which you can move behind). Before entering a teleporter, go south to find a Sage's Surplice, then head east through another secret passage to find a Silver Apple, finally head back to the pillar room. Since the teleporter to the south will make you backtrack, take the northern one instead. Head north, around the lava, to another portal. In this next room, you'll find Hi-Potion, Echo Herbs, and Ether. Take the portal to the north to be warped back to the pillar room. Once again, exit with the northern teleporter. This time, head south and travel through that portal. From here the path is exceedingly linear, just follow the contour of the rooms to the exit. After exiting to the save room, heal up, save, then exit to the west.

In this final room, head west to the first intersection, then north to trigger the switch. Wrap around from the east to hit the next switch to the north, then head west, north, and west again, triggering two more switches along the way. Just before running into a block, head south to trip another switch, then northwest to trip a newly uncovered switch. From there, head to the southernmost part of the room, tripping a switch at the bottom. Then, simply travel up the western wall to exit into Baron.

Go Your Own Way - Baron
When you arrive in Baron, check the pots near the Armorer for a Potion and then the pot by the Inn, which has a Hi-Potion. Inside the Inn's bar, examine the swords on the wall to get at a Unicorn Horn, White Fang and Dry Ether. Now, enter the waterway at the north end of town and follow it to it's end to find Arctic Wind and Spider Silk. To finish out this hidden item hunt, head out the hole in the northeastern wall and enter a secret path through the trees to find 500 gil, a Mallet and a Phoenix Down. Now head to the castle only to find...the gate guards refuse to let you in. Head back into town and talk to Cid's daughter, in the house in the northwest corner of town. With this key, unlock the door to the left of the Devil's Road exit and enter. Before going down the stairs, however, head through a secret passage in the east wall to find 2000 gil.

B4
Welcome to the cavernous sewers of Baron; clearly being a hero is not as glamorous as it sounds. Start by heading to the southernmost part of the chamber to find a Unicorn Horn, 600 gil and Phoenix Down. From here, just follow the rocks around to the exit in the northeast corner of the room.

B3
Head south from the first small room, through a secret passage, to find a Hi-Potion. Head through another secret passage to the south to find another chest. Heal up before opening, as it's a monster-in-a-box. The 2400 HP Black Lizard is resistant to some black magic but weak to cold, so your black mage may be more useful casting status altering spells like Stop along with Blizzara. Have the white mage ready to cast Esuna to reverse the petrification this monster will try to inflict on party members. Ceodore and the Hooded Man can simply attack the beast with swords. When it's dead, you'll get a Coral Sword to equip on Ceodore.

Return to the first room and head through the east wall. In the waterfall room, once again head through the east wall. On the island in the middle of this room is a chest containing a Remedy. Exit through the south wall and head east (the west room is a dead-end), then north to the staircase in the northeast corner.

B2
Just head north to the exit. Before leaving, check the west wall by the exit for a secret passage leading to a Soma Drop.

B1
Behind the door to the west is a save point, you may not need to heal here (unless you're in a dire situation), but definitely save. While in this room, head through the east wall to find a chest with a Silver Hourglass. Head back into the main chamber and leave through the north exit.

A Barren Castle - Baron Castle
De-equip both of your mages, they won't be sticking around much longer. Go around the east side of the moat to find 1000 gil hidden near the main entrance. Head back around to the west side of the moat to find an entrance to the castle. Here, Ceodore and the mages will go their separate ways, leaving you in control of the Hooded Man. Enter the door on your left and head down the stairs to find the castle's guards locked up in holding cells. Head back up and into the keep and the throne room. When you try to leave the throne room, you will be confronted by Cecil. After leaving, you meet back up with Ceodore. While you probably can go back through the Ancient Waterway, you may now exit through the main entrance. After a brief scene, you'll learn a new Band—Cross Slash.

Band on the Run - Mist Cave
As fugitives of the Kingdom of Baron, the Hooded Man suggests escaping through the village of Mist. Before you head into the cave, you may want to make use of the chocobo forest to the southwest of Baron Castle for some level building. Getting Ceodore to at least level 20 will allow him to learn Esuna and counteract many of the negative status effects that will be thrown at you in the Mist Cave. Be warned that, should you enter the Mist Cave during a full moon, you will have to face extremely powerful monsters. When you're done leveling, grab a yellow chocobo, head northwest from Baron, and enter the Mist Cave.

B1
Follow the path to the northwest. Before crossing the bridge, continue north to get a Steel Helm. Now head across the bridge and...plummet to the ground a story below.

B2
Head south, then west at the first fork to find a Silent Bell. Head back and take the east fork this time, following the path around south and to the west. At this fork, take the western staircase and follow the path for a Phoenix Down and a Remedy. Now make your way back to the fork in the road and head north across the bridge (making a pit stop along the way by heading east the the bridge intersection to a secret room with a pair of Mythril Gloves) to the northwest corner of the area. Enter the room with the yellow doors to find both a save point and a Hummingway merchant from whom you can stock up on sundries.

B3
Walk down the steps then go to the chest to the northeast to find an Antidote. Now head south and follow the path, keeping an eye out for a chest containing an X-Potion. Make your way north after crossing the first bridge to find Arctic Wind, then backtrack and travel across the east bridge. Now climb up the rocky crag to the east to exit the floor.

B2
Start by following the path around to the northwest to find a Cottage. Continue north through the yellow doors to find a chest with some Chainmail (which would help out Ceodore's defense nicely). Backtrack to the point from which you entered and follow the path to the east. As you head north, look for a save point on the right-hand side and be sure to use it and heal up. When you head further north, the ground will shake and...

When you're all finished and ready to move on, head north back to the first floor.

B1
The chest just north of the entrance contains a Mallet. Exploring to the west will allow you to find a Hi-Potion and a Bomb Crank. Go back to the eastern edge of this floor an make your way to the exit on the north wall. A cutscene will begin with the Hooded Man telling Ceodore that their best bet is to run headlong into what could very well be a dead end...