Grandia 3 Story FAQ and Walkthrough Updated: August 14, 2005 Added skills section to Game Basics --------------------------------------------- FAQ INFO --------------------------------------------- I've decided to make a FAQ covering a basic walkthrough and story explanation. The story, characters, and game world in this game is exceptionally developed and as many importers know little or no Japanese I wanted to get some of the story out there so they can enjoy the game as much as I do. The basic flow of the FAQ will be short spoiler-free walkthrough sections followed by spoiler story explanation sections. Disclaimers/Apologies. I don't mean to suggest (by any means) that my Japanese is great or even decent. If you do understand the game well and find plot errors or gameplay errors in my FAQ please email me at subnaut@hotmail.com and I will correct them. Also, as I'm doing the first bit from memory, it might not be *as* detailed as later sections. Also, if you have better romanizations send 'em my way! (as they are always tricky) --------------------------------------------- OUTLINE --------------------------------------------- 00. Game Basics 01. Anfog 02. Sabatall Coast 03. Landort Island 04. Mendy City 05. Argriff 06. Flying Dragon Valley 07. Baccura (End of Disc 1) 08. Terrarium 09. Surmania Zero 10. Vedgas 11. Melk 12. Rafride 13. Surmania --------------------------------------------- 00. Game Basics --------------------------------------------- Menu --------------------------------------------- Character Use Magic (i.e. heal/cure) Equip Character Status Party Use Item View Items (sorted by categories: (equippable, usable/consumable, important, mana egg, skill book, magic, skill) Gold System Combat Settings (at the bottom of this screem shows your battle statistics: most damage, hits, highest air combo) SAS ON/OFF (combat advice system) AI setting A B char1 * * (set two types of AI for each char, if you don't want to use manual combat) System Sound Mono/Stereo Right Stick Camera Normal/Reverse Scene Skip OFF/On (turn on to skip scenes with the select button) Load/Save Dungeon Map --------------------------------------------- O - activate, open chest X - swing sword (break items, stun enemies) [] - use radar to highlight nearby interactive items ^ - menu Battle Commands --------------------------------------------- O - select X - cancel sub menu, turn off AI [] - switch camera mode ^ - turn on AI, switch AI Flight Commands --------------------------------------------- O - land X - accel [] - decel ^ - map L1 - listen to cb radio (when available) R1 - detailed info (when available) Battle --------------------------------------------- Combo is basic attack, Critical resets enemies initiative. Combine a critical with another character's combo or critical is do an air combo. All characters can participate in the same air combo. Skills are always active. Buy them or release them from books; set them in shops, equip skill books to increase their efficiency. Magic can be selected in combat, it costs MP. Buy, release from eggs; set in shops, equip mana eggs to increase efficiency. Later in the game you can combine eggs to make more powerful eggs for equipping or making magic from. Specials can be selected in combat. Each character has one to start, more can be learned by combos after you've leveled your special skill. You can increase your ability in a given special through usage, each special has 5 levels P-S-P-R-P. Specials cost SP which is gradually gained through combat (increased by some skills) and you can get 10% recovery (for each party member) by receiving an excellent in battle, which is winning without taking damage. Dice/Cards --------------------------------------------- 1. Pick how much you want to bet 2. Arrange the cards in the order you want and substitute in the 3 or the 11 if you wish. 3. Roll the dice 5 times 4. Collect winnings Basic Winnings x2 : 3 in a row x15 : 4 in a row x100: 5 in a row Bonuses x10 : each time snake eyes is rolled x2 : if your row contains 3 or 11 (x4 for both) Coolest part of the game: cards get titles as dice are rolled showing how great it would be to roll that ala Lucky Card, Fever Card, Absolute Lucky Card. Skills (JIS) --------------------------------------------- Spiritual Skills --------------------------------------------- 1 Skill Cost 導師の心得 (doushi no kokoroe) Monk Magic Power and Magic Defense UP Buy: Sabatall, Mendy, Baccura マジックアップ Magic Up MAX MP UP Buy: Terrarium Book: Sorcerer 戦術眼 (senjutsugan) Battle Insight First combat turn comes sooner Book: Guardian マナチャージ Mana Charge Take magical damage and restore MP Buy: Mendy, Rafride 2 Skill Cost 硬気功 (koukikou) Rigid Breath All damage (taken) above a certain amount becomes 0. Buy: Baccura 火の呪法 (hi no juhou) Fire Mastery Lessens MP cost for fire spells. Buy: Rafride Book: Ninja 土の呪法 (chi no juhou) Earth Mastery Lessens MP cost for earth spells. Buy: Rafride Book: Palladin 水の呪法 (mizu no juhou) Water Mastery Lessens MP cost for water spells. Buy: Baccura Book: Priest 風の呪法 (fune no juhou) Wind Mastery Lessens MP cost for wind spells. Buy: Baccura Book: Wizard 3 Skill Cost 奇跡の天秤 (kiseki no tenbin) Wonder of Libra Increase money for defeating enemy if killing blow is delivered by this char Book: Lucky 祈願 (kigan) Prayer Restore HP when you defend Buy: Terrarium Book: Bishop 精神統一 (seishintouitsu) Concentration Restore MP when you defend Buy: Terrarium Book: Shaman 4 Skill Cost おとり (otori) Lure Become enemy target more easily Book: Divine, General 5 Skill Cost 魔法の奥義 (mahou no ougi) All attack magic has added Cancel effect Hect comes with it equipped, when she leaves it remains in your inventory --------------------------------------------- Technique Skills --------------------------------------------- 1 Skill Cost 見切り (mikiri) Dodge Increases chances of dodging Buy: Sabatall, Mendy, Baccura 反撃 (hangeki) Counter Increases chances of attacking after dodging Buy: Sabatall, Mendy, Baccura ジョルトカウンター Jolt Counter Increases counter damage Buy: Rafride Book: Hunter 道具使い (doguzukai) Item User Decreases the time it takes to use items Book: Ranger 2 Skill Cost 神速の心得 (shinsoku no kokore) Godspeed Turn Speed and Move UP Book: Ninja リザードハンター Lizard Hunter Deal additional damage to monsters of type lizard Buy: Sabatall ビーストハンター Beast Hunter Deal additional damage to monsters of type beast Buy: Mendy デーモンハンター Demon Hunter Deal additional damage to monsters of type demon Buy: Baccura バースハンター Verse Hunter Deal additional damage to monsters of type verse Book: Battler 3 Skill Cost アイテムマスター Item Master Increase effect of items Book: Shaman 伝説の盗技 (densetsu no tougi) Legendary Thievery Increase item drop rate if killing blow is delivered by this char Book: Lucky 英雄の資質 (eiyuu no shishitsu) Heroic Nature Increases experience gain Book: Lucky 4 Skill Cost 修羅の魂 (shura no tamashi) Carnal Spirit Increase number of attacks per Combo attack Book: Scout, Divine, Slayer 5 Skill Cost ワイドアタック Wide Attack Critical attack becomes fan-shaped area of effect Book: Expert --------------------------------------------- Body Skills --------------------------------------------- 1 Skill Cost 戦士の心得 (senshi no kokoroe) Warrior Attack and Defense UP Buy: Sabatall, Mendy, Baccura ライフアップ Life Up MAX HP UP Buy: Terrarium Book: Fighter Also, if you return to Anfog right after leaving it the very first time and speak with the old man by the gate, you can get it 渾身の一撃 (konshin no ichigeki) Mighty Blow Cancel (Critical, Special, or mahou no ougi) effect UP Buy: Mendy, Rafride 受け身 (ukemi) Resolve Decreases initiative loss for taking damage Buy: Sabatall, Mendy 2 Skill Cost 金剛力 (kongouriki) Super-strength Increases initiative damage given via Combo attacks Book: Soldier 合気 (gouki) Return 10% of the damage you take to your enemy Buy: Terrarium, Rafride 闘魂 (toukon) Fighting Spirit Receive SP more quickly Buy: Rafride バーサーク Berserk Activated by taking damage. Return damage with special attacks. Book: Warrior リスタートアップ Restart Up Decreases time between combo and critical attacks. Book: Battler 超反射神経 (chou hansha shinkei) Hightened Reflexes Automatically switch to defense verse powerful attacks Book: Guardian 3 Skill Cost 不動の型 (fudou no kata) Unmoving Stance Does not falter from taking damage--ie IP loss or miss action. Book: Paladin マイティガード Mighty Guard Decreases damage taken while defending Book: Bishop 4 Skill Cost オートキャンセル Auto Cancel Automatically cancel specials and magic aimed at this char Book: General 5 Skill Cost フォースアタック Force Attack Increases number of critical attacks Book: Master --------------------------------------------- 01. Anfog --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Retrieve the Flight Unit from Yuuki's house in the SW corner of the village. There's also a healing herb in the house. Return to Rotz to trigger event. Dungeon. When you get back to the village, get the herb from the garage. Save. Talk to Miranda. Gear up. Talk to Miranda. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** Yuuki's lifelong (or 16 years' worth) hero is the great Flight King Schmidt. Despite being a child of Anfog and possibly destined for a life and love of pottery, Yuuki and his friend Rotz dream of exploring the world beyond the island. And, if all the calcuations are correct, tonight that dream will come true. ...All that remains is to grab the Flight Unit without Miranda suspecting anything. Before take off Yuuki asks Rotz to double-check the calculations, but Rotz assures him if anything is wrong it's his piloting. Off he goes! All is well at first, but then the guages seem to be a little faulty. He's losing altitude, not enough lift, the plane's too heavy. A not-so-helpful voice comforts him from inside his head--Oi! Wait a minute! This is why he's losing altitude! Miranda's in the back seat! The plane falls and collides with a wagon. While only getting a brief glance, Yuuki's confident he saw a cute blonde-haired girl on it, being chased. Miranda is suspicious~~~ Ah! But be it Cupid's arrow that pierced Yuuki's heart or merely the common decency to help someone in need, the two head after the girl. (back at Anfog) Yuuki returns to the garage to get the herb and Rotz is gone. Rotz, too, flew after his dream and we can all hope his adventure is exciting as the one in store for Yuuki. If you climb the clubhouse, you can talk to the ingrateful brother who Rotz left the garage to and thinks flying is stupid. You cannot smack him however, a flaw, perhaps. Returning to the house, Alfina lays her feminine wiles on Yuuki (innocenetly tripping, AS IF!) and Miranda flaunts another motherly smirk. Alas, we will have to explore this budding relationship later for there is a great noise outside. The big blue DUNDERHEAD, Kornell, has [been essentially wrongfully accused, but more importantly] done TERRIBLE THINGS for no other reason than his VILENESS and STUPIDITY (for, current reasons aside, we already knows he wants Yuuki's precious Alfina which makes him enemy number ONE au currant). (into the forest, story up to Sabatall) Midway through the forest, the trio sets up camp. Yuuki breifly explains the traps and Alfina asks how she can help, which lands her with dinner detail. Not much of an outdoor-person, she takes Yuuki's suggestion to gather some nearby ingredients (like the TASTY TASTY mushrooms, some of which are posioned and she doesn't know the difference, ToR anyone?) and makes a delicious dinner which causes Yuuki nearly to throw up sick and Miranda to swear ever again to stay Alfina's delicate hands from any kitchen. The morning scene's easy to understand (do not call Kornell a DUNDERHEAD! [even though he is]) and soon the three are on a peaceful beach rescuing a...ahem...honorable and well-repsected ship captain from inside a barrel. Well, being stuffed in a barrel you can't escape on your own is fairly common treatment of the much-revered and seeing as how we are in need of sea passage to get Alfina back to Argriff anyway, we let him in our party to swing his silly lance beside us until we reach Sabatall. --------------------------------------------- 02. Sabatall Coast --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Enter the beautiful and morally upstanding Bianca's tent. Head to the ship's cabain for the night. Return to Bianca's tent. (note: after Alonso gives you a Medal you can sneak out and start gambling) ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** And he was a bloody thief! I knew there had to more to this being-stuck-in-a-barrel business! How could our far from gullible heroes fall for such a ploy. But wait, there's still a chance he won't gamble away Alfina's family heirloom... ... ...DEATH BY BOX CARS! *sweat drop* And what's more, he doesn't even have a ship. His weapons, armor, ship, money, all gambled away. Bianca has even put a huge lock on his boat. But of course there's more to the story, Bianca's been cheating the entire town and now that Alonso has companions, he's got a way to get her back ;) (there are 5 times to talk to people in Sabatall: before tent, after tent, middle of night, before tent, after tent) each person has an interesting story. I highly recommend sneaking out at night. The gambling is useful and if you do it for a bit you can get a nice wand for Alfina and some +5 attack/magic crystals. Furthermore you can listen to tent's old owners daughters talk about how Alonso is such a dreamboat! The guy outside the tent will give you the standard greeting and explain how he's gambled his way into 300 years of servitude welcoming guests to the gambling tent. The guy at the table reveals his MAYBE-NEXT-TIME compulsion which is a nice prelude to another joke. The next day it seems everyone left without Yuuki, but take your time regardless. Alonso's "brother" will tell you how awesome Alonso is, the guy who's been on the cliff watching the sea the entire time will once again decline your invitations to do something other than wait for his boat he lost, and the creepy guy in the 2nd tent won't pester you nearly as much without your female accompaniments (or actually, he's still friggin CREEPY!). Enter the tent again. After the event, which justifies Alonso as the modern-day (not really the best choice of expressions) Robin Hood that he is, he'll redistribute Bianca's spoils among the people who all profess their undying devotion to him. The owner is delighted his daughters no longer have to run around in those bunny costumes working for Bianca, but after a little more discussion decides that it would be a lot of work to return the tent to its original use and decides to keep it as a gambling tent (without the cheating). Our compulsive gambler friend thanks Alonso for his share of the spoils and proceeds straight to the table to gamble again. Yuuki questions this, considering all that's happened and Alonso shares his wise words: such is the way of the world. Outside, everyone's troubles are now solved -- except the CREEPY man is still CREEPY -- and it is with some disbelief that the party convinces the greeter he is once again a free man. So, with spirits emboldened by the goodness and charity of the GREAT MASTER OF THE SKY COMBO ALONSO, the party sets out for...the rest of the world. --------------------------------------------- 03. Landort Island --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** The events are really linear and easy to follow all the way up to Mendy City. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** Here we begin to grasp the more ominous picture. After successfully stopping Alfina from making dinner, and a night's rest, there's a disturbance of monsters on deck. After the monsters Ull appears and talks to Alonso about the Versesphere (I'm going with Verse over Birth unless someone knows for sure) occurences. The appearance of these Versespheres is occompaniend by earthquakes and results in the mysterious dissappearances of people, villages, or even entire portions of geography. It's said they're taken away to the Verseworld which is Hell (a hypothesis with upsets Alfina immensely). Ull comes from a tribe of people, each with their own dragon, and upon discovering Yuuki's obsession with the sky, invites him to ride Shiva. Yuuki asks how and Ull laughs: Ask him of course. First Yuuki tries half-heartedly, sort of under his breath. Next he tries in a very serious manner (like binding a summon). Finally he resolves Shiva is making fun of him and scolds him, culminating in a bombastic avowal that should they ever again cross paths in the sky Shiva would regret it! Shiva seemed less than perturbed by this threat. The third thing Ull brings to the conversation is a second opinion regrading the great FLIGHT KING SCHMIDT (namely that he's just a crazy old man). Yuuki has no room for second opinions regarding his lifetime hero, but does take heart to Ull's knowledge of Schmidt's whereabouts (in Mendy City) and an item which would put in Schmidt's favour: a nut from a tree which only grows on Landort Island. Yuuki's future is much clearer now--and he barely manages even to ask permission to take this extravagant side trip. At Landort Island there is a bit of an unexpected event which you should probably play to before reading this. ... Yuuki and Alfina follow the sound to the girl with cold hands who talks about releasing the bonds. Alfina asks her to come with and doesn't understand why she can't. Back on the ship this event causes a bit of an emotional outburst (yet another wiley ploy as she works her way into Yuuki's heart of course) and Yuuki and Alfina make plans to travel off together after getting a new plane from Schmidt. Miranda overhears and comes face to face with the universal yet far from easy task of letting her child go. A bit heavy she pays a visit to the GREAT MASTER OF THE SKY COMBO ALONSO, who offers her, not wise words, but sympathy, company, and a few drinks (and IS THIS NOT TRUE WISDOM WE MUST ASK?). miscellaneous note: the map in Alonso's cabin is unfinished because it only covers the territory his verified with his own eyes. What a guy! Ya'know, I bet he can probably hold his own in an air combo too. --------------------------------------------- 04. Mendy City --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** First city you can release magic from eggs, and skills from books. You might want to buy a couple poison removal items, but you will get some later too. Visit Schmidt, return to ship, visit Schmidt again. After you first visit Schmidt go to the detective, he's in the upper left corner of the map from Schmidt's garage. There is a terrible mystery to be solved. Someone STOLE the winekeeper's alcohol! His own wife has reported the problem and asked the town's child genius detective to unravel it. This is the first of a series of cases you can solve throughout the game, but this is the only one you can do right now. The answer is: [The winekeeper (2)] -> [Because he wanted to drink (3)] -> [something about his gut (1)]. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** Everyone's hilarious here as usual. There's a guy at the docks who gives you a secret phrase to use on the fruit seller who's a bitter old lady who refuses to sell fruit to anyone for various reasons. She also will only sell fruit that reminds of her of the purchaser and says Yuuki reminds of her of a Watermellon and Alfina an Apple. There's a Butcher who sells meat but refuses to say which kind; he says it's a mix and people shouldn't pay attention to the little things. At the lighthouse by the docks is a sailor who's left behind his love for the song of the whale and the smell of the sea. Alonso also knows the song and they share a few knowing phrases which are cryptic and cause Miranda to stamp her feet (which might have been the only purpose :) If you visit the flower shop before Schmidt's, Alfina will talk about the flower and Yuuki will respond rather insensitively and stumble for an apology. He's of course concerned about Schmidt and promises to visit the flower shop later. If you come back later things will go much better and if you visit a third time (before visiting Schmidt the second time) Alfina will say goodbye to her good friend the flower and look forward to flowers at Argriff. At the bridge of beginnings a couple of 3 years is breaking up, all starting over the guy being late for their date. If you follow the conversation through and come back with Alonso, the fallen beau's complaint of "Bridge of begginings!--What a farce!" will be met with Alonso's wisedom: "one thing's end is another's beginning!" Well, we just don't keep score because Alonso always has the right thing to say =p Inside the item/weapon shop two adventurers each give their valuable opinions regarding poison defense. The bold female suggests EXPLODING THE OFFENDING LIZARD WITH A FLAME ROD BEFORE THE POSION CAN BE USED and the scaredy-cat male tries to convince you of the merits of taking some poison curing items "just-in-case". Schmidt on the whole is somewhere between Yuuki's description and Ull's, which I loved. He lacks some people skills but when it comes to planes and flying, you can see he really does love it deep down and sees a bit of himself in the young Yuuki. He doesn't charge Yuuki anything, and we get the impression this is just how he does business. He chooses his customers, not vice-versa, and if he likes you, it's free! So, Alonso and Miranda bid Yuuki and Alfina adieu for now, and the two set off into the cut scene from the preview movie #2. You see a huge white serpent type thing in the sky, Alfina recognizes her brother she hasn't seen in 3 years, and you crash, yet again. --------------------------------------------- 05. Argriff --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Visit high priest, read Emelious' diary on 2F, return to bedrooms, go to balcony to watch the ceremony. You can buy magic and items here (including rez items for the first time). ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** First off, there's a library here, and reading the books provides some insight into the mythos. Essentially, from the darkness before time came Verseworld, where the Holy Beasts and winged people lived together in happiness and harmony. The happiness they shared rose up like a ball into the sky above them. However, one day the ball went mad, sucking up everything into it (this we know as the Versesphere). In a battle which lasted 7 days and 7 nights, Griff along with 4 other Holy Beasts finally managed to seal the Versesphere, but in the process of the tragedy and war, the people lost their ability to communicate with the Holy Beasts (it also seems they lost their wings in leaving the Verseworld, though the chronology of this is a little shaky). One among them, a woman, became the first Commute and learned that in order to hold the cursed seal of the Versesphere the Holy Beasts needed to spread out across the Verseworld, and appear only when the Commute's called them. It was with this seperation and dawning of the Commute that the people began to accept the Holy Beasts as gods and Argriff was settled as a Holy land and temple. Note: At the beginning of the story Yuuki and Alfina mention how different the Verseworld of the stories is from the one they visited and at the end they remark on how the story doesn't make a lot of sense, but Holy verses are written more importantly to stimulate action and feeling than understanding of history. There are a few other interesting characters here, but the area is much more serious in tone. There's a globe which legend holds was carried up the mountain by ancestors, a never-sent tragic love letter hidden in the book shelves, a guard who puts his foot in his mouth speaking badly of Emelious before Alfina, and a [over-zealous] guard who doesn't recognize her because she hasn't been there since she was 6. The diary scene shows Emelious and his teacher, (who to me looks like Grau, though I'm not 100% certain of this connection). Emelious questions his responsibilities as a Commute and asks why he doesn't have wings. This is an interesting question because we're to believe there's a single tribe the Commutes descend from -- the original Verse people -- and all other tribes were here in this world all along or came later (sort of after Eden sort of thing). Grau explains to Emelious things must be done in life, tradition's followed, religion adhered to, such is the nature of fate. Emelious rejects this and vows to change it all one day. After the scene, the maids upstairs confess they always thought Grau to be a pretty shady guy. Return to your SEPERATE bedrooms, which the wiley Alfina protests to the guard/priests noticable discomfort, and view a scene regarding Alfina's childhood and love for her brother. Afterwards head to watch the ceremony. Here we hear first mention of the strange orb Emelious is using (Zone) and evil which has overcome him. Despite this Griff can tell Alfina still loves him and instructs her to keep doing so, that in the end her love would be the most important thing. Emelious appears as Alfina Commuting and kills Griff. Afterwards he turns around and declares how: [With this hand, I have killed your god] (with the hand of but a man, in meaning). He further repeats his vow to change fate and uses the orb to turn Argriff to glass. The scene switches to Grau with Law Lim. Grau cackles, seemingly aware of something even Emelious doesn't know: the end of the world has begun. Finally, Dunkel watches from a distance. "I'm too late", he murmers to himself. Proceed through the dungeon to the momentary conclusion to the omninous main plot. [This is the world you chose, Alfina] --------------------------------------------- 06. Flying Dragon Valley --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Stop at the Inn to let Alfina rest and wrestle with all that has happened. Exit to meet Ull and head to Landort again. Return to the inn, then go meet Schmidt again. Take the plane to Flying Dragon Valley, and follow the chain of events. Once you meet Ull you can do the second detective case, a highly serious problem of a little girl's stolen doll. After you get free airplane control, you can gamble again at Sabatall with new stock including: level 6 fire egg, nice armor for each character, warp shoes (i.e. no movement time), and a gambler's sword which receives random attack bonuses every turn. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** Much to Yuuki's embarassment, he must once again call upon the FLIGHT KING SCHMIDT for help as he's wrecked the plane he was given for free. Despite Yuuki's concern about the careless impression his news might bring his childhood hero, Ull sees no reason for worry. He suggests they take Shiva who finally capitulates to an earnest apology and plea from his once-sworn ARCH-ENEMY-IN-THE-SKY Yuuki. Note: if you return to Shiva's location once you have the airplane you can get a conversation where Yuuki tries to learn how to talk like Shiva. Most things he says make Shiva angry, but if you choose the last choice twice Shiva will respond. Ull and Yuuki have different interpretations of what Shiva says though...neither exactly complimentary of each other =p Before you leave, the fruit vendor matches Ull's face to a Kiwi, our young genius detective seems to have gained a Watson-hopeful, a middle-aged man trying to become his assistant, and Ull mistakes the lover of our broken-hearted Bridge of Beginning's man for another guy on his new bridge. Furthermore, Yuuki makes an attempt at becoming the first Emo-kid in Mendy, pining in the flower shop that the flowers are meaningless to look at without Alfina. As for the lighthouse couple, if you followed the story through last time, you would have seen Jerry and Nina meet at the docks. Nina declared she'd always wait for him, but he told her not to waste her time he was already given to the song of the whale and the breeze of the sea. Now, Jerry is gone and where he once mourned having to leave her, Nina now stands waiting for him to return. As for the young fisherman who tried to trick us into upsetting the fruit seller (no difficult task as we know), he has become a reknowned teller of fortunes as the day of the Argriff incedent he had predicted misfortune. Talking with him reveals he's clearly an imposter content to make vague fortunes which a little interpretation can also make true. The second detective case is solved: [The detective did it (2)] -> [Because there were no cases (2)] -> [So he wore a wig and stole it (2)] At last, Milly, you can sleep well tonight--your doll is returned to you! After you get back from Landort for the second time, you finally get free reign of an airplane. This is the perfect excuse to visit old friends! Returning to Sabatall reveals a tragedy WITHOUT PAR! Horror of horrors, one of the daughters reveals her father has, overcome with greed, become nearly as nasty as Bianca herself once was, and most the town has already gambled away the money they got from Alonso (our addict friend in less than a day). Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here, as one of them reflects, was Biance the monster or, was it the people's desires and vices which turned her into one? Even Alonso's benevolence could not save the gambling populace from itself. Well, there is indeed a lesson to be learned -- you can get cool stuff by gambling -- so save in a nearby tent and get some new gear. At Anfog, Gladdys' underwear were stolen. Yuuki suggests the wind might have blown them away, but she assures him that they were stolen. Furthermore she suspects it's because she has the fanciest underwear in the village. If she could tone down her taste maybe she could live beneath the radar, but to be the POP STAR she intends to be, she can't live without her fancy panties. Rotz's brother has moved into the garage and seems genuinely impressed that Yuuki actually succeeded. Yuuki offers some encouragement, and it seems the sky might not be out of the young tike's reach just yet. The village hot pot smasher who wisely told us that it's [not a broken pot, but a mountain of pot pieces], tells Ull the similarly zen [i haven't smashed the jar, now I have two half-jars]. (at Flying Dragon Valley) Way earlier in the story, when Ull and Yuuki first met, Yuuki asked to visit and Ull mentioned that it was forbidden. We haven't heard much about it since, and Ull has resolved to himself that it is a stupid rule especially considering the world's at stake and Alfina is a Commute who needs to see the resident Holy Beast. Unfortunately, Ull does not speak for the entire tribe in this regard and they are attacked through his attempts at explaining. When you reach the Holy Beast, he mentions (again in passing only) the "Zone" Emelious is using, that Alfina should believe in the flow of time, and that Ull should lead them to the next Holy Beast. --------------------------------------------- 07. Baccura --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** After Flying Dragon Valley events, the third detective case is available. Do it before going to Baccura if you are doing them. You can combine eggs here. Visit village chief, stay at inn, dungeon. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** When you head to Baccura you can't leave until you do the events there so do the third detective case first. The tragedy this time is the winekeeper's old lady's cat has dissappeared. Our middle-aged Watson is now a full-fledge assistant and with a little investigation you can answer: [It was the Butcher! (3)] --> [In order to make the Winning Sausege (1)] --> [basically, he traced around the cat with a knife like a cookie cutter to make a cat-shaped sausege (3)]. While you're in Mendy, there's a funny event where Ull gets the girl who refuses to talk to strangers to talk by letting her pet his tail. Also, the two kids who were playing husband and wife are now annoying the new tenants of a nearby house. They're just getting settled in right now, but it's a new kid and his VERY-HAPPY-TO-BE-MOVING-TO-MENDY parents. Back at Baccura, we have only a couple laughs before more seriousness. Dinner conversations here reveal Ull will eat almost anything (especially if you eat again after Dahna joins), and talking to camels reveal Ull's fur is not the greatest for dealing with heat. In the center of the village you witness a scene where Dahna's sister encourages an old lady to give up her prayers after 2 years of nothing happening. It seems Baccura has been in a state of rapid decline since an event which took place there and Dahna's sister urges her to wake up before it is too late. When you visit Dahna all seems well until Alfina mentions Griff's advice (how her love would be the key to saving everything) and Dahna closes up, epitomizing: "Love only gives birth to sadness". Watch out Yuuki! Har har. OH...ahem. Anyway, the party returns to the tent and Alfina -- who only recently finished blaming herself over the mass destruction of her childhood home and the beginning of the end of the world -- suggests it was all her fault for bringing up Griff's advice. Night falls and a song is heard outside. The party steps out and follows it to the water where Dahna is signing. It is the song of burying away the memories you force yourself to forget. Dahna explains how she was once in love and for reasons never explained her lover dissappeared. As she sings Dunkel appears, unmasked as Dahna's old love, and urges her to give up on Baccura, that soon the world will end. She asks what he could possibly have seen to turn him this way and he replies (without answering her question): he wants only for her to live. After Dunkel leaves, Dahna's had a change of heart, and agrees to follow Alfina in her quixotic quest in the name of love--but perhaps more deeply and similarly, love of those who appear to have turned away from them. (long dungeon, then at the Holy Beast) after fighting Kornell and Violetta, the evil power begins again, but the Holy Beast manages to stop it. Kornell remarks rhetorically, what is Emelious trying to do, destroy us?!? And Violetta thinks he's an idiot if he thinks somehow he's going to finish destroying the entire world with his life in tact. The Holy Beast gives Alfina his orb and instructs her to heed the advice she's received so far and take the door into the lost world. --------------------------------------------- 08. Terrarium --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Finish re-visiting any areas and gearing up before leaving Baccura. You will be gone a little while. Get book/seal from Dahna's room, leave through web-like gate. (End of Disc 1) You can buy new magic, skills, and weapons here. Talk to Hect, go outside to statue area, talk to Hect again, talk to her butler, stay the night, take the east platform to Surmania. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** If you get back on your plane before leaving for Terrarium, and head back to Anfog, Gladdys will have a few words to say about your new scantily-clad companion, Dahna. Dahna's snappy rebuttal catches Gladdys by surprise to which she says: [I had thought only your chest was large, but it carries through to your attitude: extra-large!] In Terrarium the party is quickly met with more seriousness and plot advancement. In Verseworld people who die turn to glass so you'll see some glass statues as you come in. One is a mother of a girl who won't speak and just mourns watching it, another has an engraver admiring it's beauty, and he ignores the party's reminders that the statues are dead, speaking of it irreverentaly and sometimes longingly. Hect is on the terrace playing her violin. She says the world should dissappear from memory, that's the one wish of the people there, but Alfina refuses to give into the addictive sadness all around. This does not surprise Hect and she chides: [This is always the way with the world-above-people; they carry hope for everyone]. Ull remarks she uses hope as a bad word not a good one. Outside, Hect announces finally the long Holy Beast war is over...and they lost. Only waiting remains. Hect reminds them they were prepared to accept this, and now is the time to do so. After the people slowly disperse, Hect mentions a mythos story they never taught us back in Argriff School. Zone was a Holy Beast who faught against Griff in the war. In the end he was killed, but not completely, and what remains is his curse. Alfina asks about Emelious and Dahna about Dunkel, and Hect is surprised to hear they knew them. She wouldn't say further, but it's clear something sad happened because of it. The butler, who cares dearly for her, echoes this sentiment, admonishing the party not to think badly of Hect, for it was their people who stole her smile. Well, clearly engravers are the morticians of the above world and before leaving you can catch the morbid man himself admiring yet another statue, marveling how he could find the guy so appealing as glass when he couldn't stand him in real life. An old lady is looking for her child but a nearby villager makes clear this is her usual behavior giving you a series of messages to relate to her in order to pass her through stages of shutting up. After Surmania we find out her daughter has been missing for 40 years and even after Ull screams this in her face she still denies it, saying that can't be, she saw her daughter but this morning. Finally there's an old man, his son and son's wife with a sad story (their children died in an accident while the old man was supposed to be watching them). The old man is dying and think the other two torment him with ceaseless rehab, and when Yuuki suggests maybe it's for the best, he growls, suspecting him to be their ally. --------------------------------------------- 09. Surmania Zero --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Very linear. Head to Surmania Zero, return, talk to butler, next day talk to Hect, take west platform, long dungeon. Once you have the airplane again, the final prizes are available for gambling which include ninja shoes and the master (level 10 book). The master book teaches force attack, but be prepared to gamble for a while to get it. It took be about an hour and a half. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** On the way we stop and talk to Faymoot, who lives out there as a researcher of Zone's curse and keeper of history. He explains that in the great war, Zone wanted to destroy the balance of things and make all living things equal--well, equal in the sense of dead and void. Throughout the war he was pursued and he was finally cornered in Surmania where we was defeated. Unfortunately he was not entirely defeated, and what was not destroyed became a terrible curse. The curse spread throughout the land and even into the above-world. In order to stop the spread of the curse the Holy Beasts traveled to the above world and sealed all (or most) the Versespheres. When they returned they sealed the scar Zone left on Surmania with a shrine as memorial to the war. Then it became known as Surmania Zero. Faymoot asures us it has always been thought impossible to resurrect Zone, but with Griff's death and other occurences, even his own faith is shaking. When you get to the shrine, Hect shows up and explains what happened in a flashback. She led Emelious and Dunkel here and a voice, we assume Zone, charmed/possessed Emelious causing him to take Zone's Talon. As soon as he did, he was filled with dark power and transformed the talon into a huge sword and smashed the altar. Dunkel protested: This isn't what we wanted to here! Emelious only cackled, Don't you see what I've done here? With this power, we can return light to the world. After the flashback, Hect tells Alfina there's no way to get her brother back the way it is. Alfina gets misty with angst. The last Holy Beast had told her to come to this world to find the truth--this couldn't possibly be it! ...could it? Return to Terrarium where, though the party feels defeated, the butler offers encouragement. Hect had sworn never again to go to Surmania Zero, so this must mean something. Indeed it does, after a night of vigil at the shrine, Hect has had a change of heart. She puts away the violin, saying, all this time the Verse people hadn't been sealing Zone, they had been sealing their own hearts. She tells the party to seek out the last Holy Beast (notice how in the center only one of the statues still had light around it and also how Zone's was broken). Don't be afraid to check up on the villagers on your way out. The engraver accidentally broke his mom's glass statue and questions why he tragically seeks perfection in the dead (there were a couple more dialogues leading up to this including a funny one where he confesses his feelings to one he never had the guts to talk while she was alive). Also the girl who wouldn't speak, wishes you luck and her father sighs: after 2 years and he's been with her the whole time, the first time she speaks again is to you--why, O injust life, why? (after long, long dungeon) You return to Baccura to find Dahna's sister, Ruiri, has made some changes. Bianca's been here, the tribe chief's tent (Dahna's old tent) is redecorated, there's a new supermarket, and QUELLE HORRIFIC OFFENSE AGAINST THEIR GREAT CULTURE! there's now a crepe vendor. If you stop by the crepe vendor before visiting Ruiri one of the village holy men is preventing people from buying them with judging gazes, claiming they are a violation of sanctity. The vendor admits she herself is considering giving up. After talking with Ruiri return and find the man in tears as he finally tried one, and cried joyously throughout eating it. The vendor commends him for protecting the village by keeping them away until he tried one himself, but Yuuki suggests he was merely succumbing to his own invented temptation throughout. Ruiri gives you the location of the next Holy Beast, in a forest to the south, and invites you to stay for dinner but Ull jumps in and refuses. After many meals of overly healthly tasteless peas in Terrarium, he's not eating anything but Kebaabs at the inn for a good while! A couple other notes here before free airplane control again. Bianca left putting the masked CREEPY guy from Sabatall in charge. Everyone in the village loved her though no one really ever saw her and assume she's the beautiful woman on the sign and as charismatic and great as the rumours (which she herself probably spread) say. Also, it seems Dahna and her sister fought a lot growing up and her sister even moved out to avoid further conflict. When asked if her sister is a Commute as well, Dahna scoffs saying she only hears nearby noises--if Ruiri's a Commute, Dahna might as well be a HOLY BEAST! --------------------------------------------- 10. Vedgas --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** A new detective case is available in Mendy City. There are new prizes at the casino including the only Master Book in the game which teaches Force Attack skill. Also, ninja shoes are highly recommend for Yuuki and Ull though you will find 1 pair in a treasure chest soon. Proceed through forest, then through ruins. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** Someone has stolen the final drawing from the picture show! Our first suspect might as well be the new kid who's already hurt the feelings of the two kids trying to befriend him with his barbaric island nose-pushing custom. However, upon further investigation, it appears he's not mean spirited and just unaware of the Mendy City handshake which is considered more appropriate. The culprit in fact turns out to be the witness, the rather normal guy who's always at the picture show. [The normal guy (1)] --> [Because he likes the stories and didn't want them to end (2)] --> [So he lied (4)] Other new developments include more whining from the bridge of beginnings guy as his old girlfriend is now talking with a new guy, talks of building an airport by the winekeeper, his old lady, and an old man near there, and the quack who was tries to sell the GREATEST KITCHEN KNIFE CALORIE X which could kill anything in one slice is now selling a water purifier. When Dahna professes the water in Baccura is very safe to drink, he assures us all that the common knowledge that our water is safe to drink is a lie of scripture. If you visit Schmidt, he'll try to buy one of Shiva's wings for research which sets Ull off quite nicely. The prophet who used to be a fishmonger can now, the shrimp-selling boy as his witness, CALL DOWN THE WRATH OF HEAVEN as well. At this rate of power increase he could easily be the uber secret boss of the game before too long. And there's more to the Bianca story to be had here too, as the signmaker is Mendy was the one who made her sign for Baccura. He and his wife both refer to her as looking like a frog, and mention how she kept insisting on being called MISS B. and wanted a picture which conveyed the beauty of Venus. Heh. Then briefly, in Anfog Rotz has returned but left again when he saw Yuuki was not back. The villagers talk a little about how after Rotz's parents died he lived in various peoples' houses until finally, 5 years ago, the whole village got together to make him his house and garage. At Sabatall, another rumour of old acquaintances, Alonso and Miranda visited after an encounter with a black whirlpool. The bunny at the newly renamed CASINO ZA MONEY (the owner has assumed the nickname THE MONEY) laments he did not visit her and suspects Miranda had something to do with it. Returning to the main plot, Saiba instructs Alfina that although she is a Commute, she's first a person. And just as a Commute connects the Holy Beasts with the people of the above world, so also she maintains an even more powerful bond between all people. You run outside to see Dunkel holding Emelious at sword point. Saiba appears to say, "Killing a person won't open their eyes". --------------------------------------------- 11. Melk --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Fly the airplane to the castle in the sky. Dungeon. Note: There's a treasure chest on the outside here which finally gives high attack cards for Dahna, instead of high magic. If you've taken the time to get Force Attack, take a moment to respec Dahna. You'll want a 3 body 3 waza book, senshi no kokoroe, force attack, and then evade and counter if you have room. Now you have a multiple thousand point (mine was like 5 hits at 350 when I first got set up) damage CRITICAL attack which never misses. When you combine this with the fact that Yuuki and Ull are running around beating stuff constantly with shura no tamashi, you can basically trigger air combos whenever you want: just look for whichever monster's getting attack when it's Dahna's turn and crit it. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** A short jaunt to Baccura on your way to Melk extracts another confession from the guard at Ruiri's tent. I don't think I mentioned it before, but after first returning to Baccura the guard, dramatically, took all the blame for everything that happened while Dahna was away. Everything Ruiri did he blamed on himself, though Dahna saw through it all knowing her sister. Now, the guard talks about how he helped Bianca escape by attacking her pursuers (unaware they were such, suspecting they were intruders instead). If only he hadn't delayed them, Biance would be caught. Dahna says he was only doing his job as a guard and not to be so hard on himself, but it's a funny conversation. When you reach Melk, he seems relieved you made it before it was too late. He takes Saiba's advice a step further saying Alfina's responsibility as a Commute is now over. Enigmatically he adds, the Holy Beasts have been waiting for the time when the above world people would no longer need them. The scene switches to the Surmania Emelious summoned at Vedgas, where Zone pierces Emelious with his roots sending him images of his dream world made of glass and Emelious murmers reverently about the perfect future. We know where we must go! Fly up up up into the sky... (at Surmania) Throughout the dungeon are scenes you should probably watch before reading. Emelious and Dunkel's quarrels culminate and Dunkel pierces himself with a sliver of Zone's talon. Sweet fights and then Emelious: "Dunkel, you were unable to become a god". Dahna arrives for Dunkel's last words. He laments dirtying his hands with evil as she holds him. Back at Zone, Emelious grows angry and impatient that he won't resurrect, something's incomplete. Violetta steps up to help and Zone shows her just how crucial and valuable she is for his purposes. Then comes a scene which is easy to understand and I won't spoil... --------------------------------------------- 12. Rafride --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** Head to the ad hoc workshop, talk with Rotz, follow the music, events. Take north path to the plane. Stay the night, talk to Schmidt. Note: if you return to the spot with the plane later you can get the Expert Book (the other level 10 book) teaches Wide Attack which allows you to critical attack multiple enemies at the same time. The skill costs a lot to equip and I don't think it's worth giving up the other skills but it can be a nice combo with Force Attack (though that would cost 10 skill points to do). ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** Ok, another town with all the great personages that go along with it. It almost feels like the eye of the storm, because in the midst of our over-arching drama Rafride is a return to quirky conversations. There are four or five times you can talk to everyone here in a short period of plot and a few stories develop. First we have our classic tragey of the pilot who took out a 15 year loan to buy his airplane and was out for his first flight when the disaster struck. His plane fell and is destroyed and he's ready to give up on the world. There's a village girl nearby who's worried about him and brings him tea and food (and later Yuuki suggests having him give her a piggyback ride). When you talk to him with Hect, he asks her (as an angel) to take him to the afterworld, he's nothing left in the world. Hect asks if he's serious and says she will and Yuuki has to jump in and explain the pilot's just confused. As the story concludes, the pilot begins to feel better though through the course of caring for him, the girl has come to call him Pochi and treat him like a dog (in an overly caring way that is). ^__^ Waiting inside the house near this crestfallen pilot is the GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD. When you first visit there you learn the girl was to be married and her fiance was flying here before the disaster. Later when you come back he's there, and is proud to tell the tale. He goes on and on in a very theatrical way: LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, even though I fell from the sky I have arrived as promised, and for what reason, what strength could possess me to carry on against all adversity. LOVE, for there is no reason greater and no lesser reason would have been enough. The father is beyond bewildered. He just sort of stares at Zack (who proclaimed himself Love Sniper to Yuuki in confidence) and tells Yuuki that he'd never let his daughter marry a guy like this, so interested in his own manner of describing events that there's no truth left in them. Zack turns to Yuuki for help, introducing him as a Bellerephon who flew in on Pegasus herself and the father grows more confused: "So, is this my daugheter's suitor?" "No no no", insists Zack, "that's just a way of introducing friends". The daughter confides that Zack isn't usually this way, she doesn't know what's overcome him, but if he doesn't change his manner soon she'll never be able to marry him. Dahna wisely perceives it as a nervous habit. If you return later you learn from the mother, as if to add insult to injury, that the village's tradition regarding marriage proposal was an entire night of silence, stares locked, between the groom and the father. The next day the father would end the vigil, saying but a couple permitting words. Oh Zack's really messed it up this time... But when we return again he's finally begun to speak from his heart and the father, overcoming his own hardness in tradition, agrees to let them marry when the sky clears -- from Zone that is -- a win/win for him, either he keeps his daughter or the world returns to normal. The third interesting side story here is at the other residence, where a hunter who lost his leg to a wolf goes on a Captain Ahab-style rant. He drinks a bit and is always raving about the wolf and how he can't do anything now because of his leg (though really it's his obsession that holds him back not his leg, eh?) He talks a bit about the wolves human-like behavior, how he came into town and taunted him outside his window, only to run away when the villagers tried to kill it, and finally resolves to go out and kill it-- one-legged or not. Finally, back to the main story. Hect tells the party that the symbol on Alfina and Emelious' hand is all that remains keeping Zone from resurrecting and Alfina is fighting (psychologically) to prevent this from happening. While she fights it's not too late (and quite frankly, playing as many games we do, we know that means it's not too late until we arrive =p) Finding the necklace knocks some sense into Schmidt and gathering together the pieces of the story you learn that Schmidt was in love with a girl named Anne who died one night. That night there was a terrible storm so he didn't fly to her and he blames himself for not being there with her (though the old man in the village says there's nothing he could have done anyway). Regardless, as a result Schmidt stopped flying and comes to Rafride once a year to visit her grave (thus explaining why he's here if he doesn't fly, which is how all the other pilots got here...for some reason this detail was really bothering so I was happy to finally get an explanation). (after Zone shell) When you get back, the father allows the marriage true to his word, but asks Yuuki what this pilot Zack could possibly do for a living. Zack himself confides in Yuuki that he's a new person, and somewhere he's lost his old Love Sniper self, he plans to settle down in Rafride. Yuuki can't believe it, won't he miss the sky, but Zack says a vacation here and there is enough. So Yuuki answers the father saying that obviously a pilot is useful for tons of odd jobs (uh huh Yuuki keep telling yourself that) and so the father agress to teach Zack the ways of hunting. Zack takes a frightened gulp at the news: "Hunting is good but...your teaching methods?" / "WHAT ABOUT MY TEACHING METHODS?" / "Uh...nothing. (This isn't going to be fun)" Well, let's hope if all goes well and Yuuki rescues Alfina she doesn't indenture him to some strict master at the cost of his much-loved sky. Pfft...love. The one-legged hunter is still not back and his wife is worried, Yuuki offers to look but she declines, saying if he's going to make it back he's going to do it on his own. As for Schmidt, people from Rafride are looking for him but still haven't found where he crashed. If you return to workshop, one of the people there will tell you that Schmidt has wanted to die a martyr ever since the thing with Anne, and although the engineer knew this and both he and Schmidt knew the plane would probably have an accident (after all calcualtions were made) he let Schmidt go. --------------------------------------------- 13. Surmania --------------------------------------------- ************ EVENT PROGRESSION ************** This is the last dungeon. There's no point-of-no-return, and there are two times when you can leave where events in the world have changed: the first time Ull mentions the possibility of returning, and the second time Hect mentions it. The final detective case is available after Ull's mention. It's a dungeon with cut scenes, so push on until the end. ************ STORY PROGRESSION ************** The last detective case concerns the authenticity of the once-fishmonger prophet. An unknown client has hired Otto to investigate. AFter talking to some people you learn, [the shrimp seller (2)] --> [amused by the fishmonger's merry demeanor (3)] --> [made his prophecies true (4)]. We then learn that the mystery client was the fishmonger himself who was wondering how such a thing could be happening to him. He knew he wasn't a prophet, but after a few times, he began to believe it himself. In the end, because people would no longer believe he wasn't, he decides to continue on and play the part. The grandma nearby Otto finally got a letter from her son, who in a sea accident dissappeared to a place where he couldn't communicate until now. The letter was brought by plane and Yuuki sees this as a sign to laud his noble dream: "See, the sky ties together our important loved ones". (I've heard rumours Kodak is looking to hire Yuuki for some new slogans). The winekeeper resolves to quit drinking, and the tourist ending up buying all the cheap door-to-door trinkets the village quack kept trying to sell you. In Anfog, Gladdys has dissappeared and no one can find her; in Sabatall, an old lady found a diary of disaster which befell a ship written by a sailor named Jerry -- poor Nina :( -- and in Baccura, the kid by the billboard has resolved to marry Bianca when he grows up. The most amusing anectodote at this point is if you go to the pot guy in Anfog, he will reveal that when he was but a young man he dissappeared to Verseworld and when he was there he made a promise to marry one of the girls when she grew up. He claims this was Hect and she doesn't deny it but she doesn't precisely remember it either. She's clearly uncomfortable by the conversation and Yuuki steps in with quite the diatribe: "Old man! I thought you were POTS FOR LIFE. Are you betraying this dream, nay CALLING?" The old man finally concedes and returns to his pots. (after Hect mentions you can leave) This is last time, so get all the skills, magic, rare drops out of the way now. At Anfog, it turns out Gladdys got lost in the forest and fell into a Versesphere. She brought a bird back with her, that she swears was made of diamond (though we know it was glass) and when she got back it turned into a real bird. This whole thing brings up tons of perplexing issues, but the only ones our party thinks to bring up end in trite sentimentality and a burning to desire to trade Alfina back for Hect ^^; If you stop by Yuuki's room, Ull (who Yuuki's shot down now 10 or so times on seeing his bedroom) challenges: if Alfina asks can she see it? This of course is because even the idiot Ull realizes that Alfina has Yuuki's heart leash-and-collared despite all our screaming at the TV for Yuuki to get out while he can. Yuuki dodges the question saying it's all been built up too much, there's nothing worth seeing anyway. Alfina saves him by not asking because we all know if she did he'd cave like the ninny boy he is. POTS-4-LIFE-YO dude has finally made the absolute ultimate pot and you should stop by to check it out. Yuuki's untrained eye deceives him into believing it's the same as any other pot the man has made, but he assures him it's not. It's the greatest, the most ultimate, the...wait...am I dreaming? This could only be a dream. What's this...my body is taking over...SMASH! And he destroys it. If you keep talking he asks Yuuki what the purpose of pots are, and I chose the *to crumble* or *to be destroyed* option, number 3 I think. The he says, correct, I not only make pots but I unmake them and the most beautiful pot has the most beautiful destruction. At Rafrido, Pochi is trying to figure out how to leave without hurting the kind girl's feelings. Yuuki suggests he, like the FLIGHT KING SCHMIDT, just look seriously, say nothing, and fly off (!! IF ONLY YUUKI WOULD TAKE HIS OWN ADVICE !!). Pochi admits this is the coolest thing to do, but he wonders if the girl would understand that and would feel bad doing it. As for the one-legged hunter, he's returned. He wounded the wolf with an arrow and chased it to a cliff where the wolf looked at him, tauntingly, and leapt off this edge. Was this his final laugh? asks the hunter. So that he couldn't kill him himself. What sort of hunter loses his prey to mother nature? If you talk to his son, you learn he found his one-legged father lying, face burried crying in the snow. The wolf had become his nemesis to such a degree that when he was gone it was like half of the hunter died as well. At Baccura, the camel-guy finally earned enough to buy his guitar. (I don't know if I mentioned this story before, but after the Supermarket came he really wanted a guitar and Yuuki confided how hard he'd worked to buy his first unit and encouraged him not to give up). Furthermore, at our crepe stand, the newly converted to the gospel according to Crepe man is trying to marry off his son to the girl there. Finally, our masked man reveals that while the changes in Baccura were started by Bianca for ill intentions, the people were taken in by the dream -- not simply the glamour -- and that the dream didn't require more than their belief to survive. He wants to make that dream come true and if they ever found out about Bianca's true nature they would be crushed, so he asks the party to quit insisting how evil she was to everyone. Yuuki protests, but Alfina jumps in and agrees. Hmm... Lastly Mendy City, where a final visit to the flower shop (if you did the earlier ones) will get a nice little compliment from Alfina to Yuuki. There's another Shiva-speak scene where Alfina asks him if he likes tea, and then a little scene with Nina. Nina's still by the prophet waiting for his prophecy of Jerry's return -- who we know probably didn't survive the ship accident -- and she goes on about waiting for the prophet's words...or even, any words. At which point Ull jumps in: Well if you just want words, I can something. Nina concedes. Ull, as if telling a formal joke: "The first time I came to Mendy City, I mistook the water fountain for a public bath and so I stripped down stark naked and..." Nina considers him, continue, she decides. "Eh...erm...sorry, can't think of a punch line". Poor Nina. Okay, enough fooling around with the fate of the free world resting on your shoulders. Back at Zone prepare for a sweet boss fight and battle song, and then the end. The ending's easy to understand whether it makes complete sense or not. There's little spoken, when you see Emelious Yuuki reassures Alfina that her brother is happy considering he always wanted the quiet world of nothing. Does her brother then become Griff, or does he shatter and then we see Griff? I think it's probably the first but any speculation is just opinion and in some ways we must question whether it matters at all. The credits play with various pictures of what happens afterwards and then there's a short scene where we see who the TRUE VICTOR of this whole story was, the sly, conniving, wiley ALFINA! (The End)