TALES OF THE ABYSS FAQ/WALKTHROUGH by Edward Chang (chang dot 459 at osu dot edu) v2.1 (2-18-06) Revision History v2.1 2-18-06 Minor corrections and revisions. v2.0 (2-3-06) Major revisions based on information from Namco's Tales of the Abyss Official Complete Guide (ISBN 4-902372-09-6). Spellings of many names changed to conform to Complete Guide spellings. v1.6 (1-13-06) More sidequests, finished up map for Abyssal Replica Facility. Realized that there are many 'official' spellings for dungeons/locations and so on in the in-game sound test, so I've changed the spellings present to such. v1.5 (1-11-06) Added more subevents. More corrections. Changed all of the C. Core spellings to match the ones in my AD Skills/C. Cores FAQ. Main walkthrough fully revised; should be free of omissions now. v1.40 (1-8-06) First half of walkthrough edited and revised. v1.30 (12-30-05) Added a new minigames section (moved some from sidequests), revised walkthrough. v1.20 (12-28-05) Expanded sidequests section, revised walkthrough, added more hi-ougi trigger conditions. v1.10 (12-27-05) Walkthrough revised with several treasures that I missed earlier. Added boss drops. Completed Nebilim subevent description. v1.00 (12-26-05) Main walkthrough now complete. v0.90 (12-25-05) More walkthrough, rearranged some sections. v0.85 (12-24-05) More walkthrough, more revisions. Started subquests. Completed techniques list. v0.80 (12-22-05) Walkthrough continued. Added some missed items; thanks to MasterLL for pointing them out. v0.75 (12-21-05) Further walkthrough. Changed the spelling "Krifort" -> "Qliphoth" as Qliphoth is a term from the Kabbalah (just like Sefirot). Some of the other cities are also drawn from the Kabbalah, but since they have the 'squiggly language' spellings (which I can't read...) I will leave them as such until I find out what the 'official' spellings are. v0.70 (12-20-05) Completed up through Meggiora Plateau. v0.65 (12-19-05) Walkthrough up through Daht completed. v0.6 (12-18-05) More walkthrough completed. v0.5 (12-15-05) First version. Basics complete, walkthrough started. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Gameplay Basics Controls Characters Menus Exploration Battles 3. Walkthrough 4. Sidequests/Subevents 5. Minigames 6. Techniques List 7. Frequently Asked Questions/Tips 8. Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a Walkthrough and FAQ for the PS2 RPG, Tales of the Abyss. TotA is the latest game in Namco's popular "Tales of" series. Created by Team Symphonia, the makers of Tales of Symphonia, TotA could perhaps be called the spiritual sequel to ToS (unlike Tales of Rebirth and Tales of Legendia, which were both created by other teams within Tales Studio). TotA has the distinction of being the '10th Anniversary Tales' game, being released ten years to the day (December 15th) after the first Tales of game, Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicon. This Walkthrough also summarizes the plot of the game as it goes along, so that those of you who are playing who do not understand Japanese fluently can get a rough idea of what is going on. With that said, that also means that this Walkthrough WILL contain plot spoilers. Do not read ahead of where you are in the game in this FAQ if you are not willing to risk being spoiled. This FAQ makes use of SJIS encoding in order to display Japanese characters. I included this feature so that if you do not know Japanese, you can easily match up the characters on your TV screen to the characters in this guide. You will need to have support for viewing Japanese characters on your computer, however. Newer versions of Windows should have it built in, though you may have to install some new files from your Windows Install CD; otherwise, you'll either need to get a program like NJStar Communicator, or you'll need to get Japanese character support for Internet Explorer and open this file in IE instead of Notepad/Wordpad. The only website authorized to post this FAQ is www.gamefaqs.com. If you see this document elsewhere, not only are they posting without my permission, but they likely do not have the most current version of this FAQ. Emails to me asking questions already answered in the FAQ, even if the answers are not in the version you are reading, will be deleted without response. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. GAMEPLAY BASICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTROLS T means the triangle button; S means the square button In Menus: O - Accept X - Cancel S - Remove/Unequip, Discard (Items), Turn On/Off (Skills), Contents (Diary) T - Use (Skills), Cook Start - Show status/descriptions Select - Switch control mode (Manual, Semiauto, Auto) L1/R1 - Switch party member/item category L2/R2 - Change Page (Status), Assign Shortcut (Cooking) On the Field/Dungeons: O - Talk/Examine/Open/Enter X - (when combined with direction) Walk (instead of run) S - Mieu Actions T - Open the Camp Menu Start - Toggle map/compass display Select - Play skit L1/R1 - Rotate character/Rotate Camera (Map) R2 - Change Mieu Action R3 - Show World Map During Battle: O - Normal Attack X - Special Attack S - Guard T - Open the Battle Menu L1 - Deny Item Use R1 - Choose Target L2 - Free Run R2 - Engage Overlimit CHARACTERS Luke fone Fabre Age: 17 Height: 171 cm Weight: 68 kg Voice Actor: Suzuki Chihiro The only son of a noble family of the Kimuelasca Kingdom. Because of a kidnapping incident while he was young, he's been shut up in his house and has lived thus since. Because of the shock he's lost his memory of being a child; with his family's wealth he has had all of life's comforts, and is terribly selfish and ignorant of what the real world is like. His only hobby is swordsmanship training, and though rough he is quite skilled. Tear Grants Age: 16 Height: 162 cm Weight: 50 kg Voice Actress: Yukana A soldier of the Lorelei Church, which presides over the Score. She is a user of the Seventh Fonim. She lost her parents while sitll young, and thereafter was raised to be a soldier. She is quiet and controlled and can seem cold, but actually she loves cute things. With a certain event as the reason, she joins Luke on his journey. Jade Curtiss Age: 35 Height: 186 cm Weight: 74 kg Voice Actor: Koyasu Takehito An officer of the Markt Empire, his rank is colonel. He is an accomplished Tone Magic user, and is also good with the spear. He usually is smiling and one finds it hard to tell what he's thinking. Some even call him the right hand man of the Markt Emperor Peony the 9th. On the other hand, he is known as "Necromancer Jade" among the army corps and is feared by them. During a mission aboard the armored ship Tartaros, he encounters Luke and company. Anise Tatlin Age: 13 Height: 152 cm Weight: 42 kg Voice Actress: Momoi Haruko Guardian of the Lorelei Church's highest official, the Doushi Ion. A bright and cheerful little girl. As a doll master, she makes the stuffed animal Tokunaga at her back gigantic and rides on him in battle. She seeks to marry into money, and it seems that she's been conspiring to become Luke's wife ever since meeting him... Guy Cecil Age: 21 Height: 184 cm Weight: 79 kg Voice Actor: Matsumoto Yasunori A servant of the House of Fabre, originally hired to be Luke's babysitter, he is now like a brother and best friend to Luke. He is a swordsman specializing in fast attacks. He's not very good with women, but oftentimes he'll say nice things to them and get in trouble... Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear Age: 18 Height: 168 cm Weight: 53 kg Voice Actress: Neya Michiko Princess of the Kimuelasca Kingdom. She is sublime and proud, but at the same time she thinks of her people often and grieves for them. An archer, in times of trouble or danger she is a warrior with a strong will. She is also Luke's fiancee, and often scolds him for not accepting the responsibilities and positions of the nobility. Mieu Age: ? Height: ? Weight: ? Voice Actress: Maruyama Miki A child of the Cheagle Race. The Cheagle Race is considered holy by the Lorelei Church and usually lives clustered in the forests, but events lead to Mieu's accompanying Luke and company on their journey. With the Sorcery Ring around his waist, he can speak human language as well as manipulate its Fon-power to shoot fire. Van Grants Age: 27 Height: 189 cm Weight: 86 kg Voice Actor: Nakata Jouji Head Commander of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". He is Luke's swordsmanship master and has taught him ever since Luke was young, so he is an object of Luke's admiration. He is a warrior who is always calm and collected on the outside but has a burning passion hidden in his heart. He is also Tear's older brother. Ion Age: 14 Height: 166 cm Weight: 58 kg Voice Actress: Ootani Ikue The 'Doushi', the highest official, of the Lorelei Church. He has the ability to see the future through the Fuseki, but he is distressed over the world being bound to its Score. Outwardly he is a calm, kind young boy, but his heart is strong. To commoners he is a symbol of world peace, and his efforts have calmed the dangerous power struggle between the two large nations. Senketsu no Asch ("Fresh Blood" Asch) Age: 17 Height: 171 cm Weight: 68 kg One of the Rokujinshou, the commanders of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". As leader of the special forces, he accepts a secret mission to observe and interact behind the scenes with Luke and company's journey. He fears noone, and is arrogant and self-righteous, but his skill with a sword is first-class. Madan no Regret ("Magic Bullet" Regret) Age: ? Height: 168 cm Weight: ? One of the Rokujinshou, the commanders of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". She is a cool-headed commander who uses a pair of Tone Guns, and is also Tear's instructor. Youjuu no Arietta ("Mysterious Beasts" Arietta) Age: ? Height: 148 cm Weight: ? One of the Rokujinshou, the commanders of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". She's a timid girl who controls violent monsters and beasts. Formerly she was a Fonmaster Guardian. Shinigami Dist ("Death God" Dist) Age: ? Height: 174 cm Weight: ? One of the Rokujinshou, the commanders of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". He's a scholar of Fonemes who controls Tone Dolls. He calls himself "Dist of the Rose". Reppuu no Sink ("The Gale" Sink) Age: ? Height: 166 cm Weight: ? One of the Rokujinshou, the commanders of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". He's a masked martial artist who specializes in blinding fast movements and attacks. He functions sort of as the planning officer for the Rokujinshou. Kurojishi no Largo ("Black Lion" Largo) Age: ? Height: 211 cm Weight: ? One of the Rokujinshou, the commanders of the Lorelei Church's "Oracle Knights". A huge guy, he swings about a giant scythe with ease, and is the leader of the Oracle Knights' shock troops. MENUS Pressing T brings up the main menu. You can see your current party and their stats here; at the bottom a display tells you your current location, how much Gald you have, how long you've played, how many battles you've fought in, and what your highest number combo is. The menu options are as follows: 術・技 - Skills 装備 - Equip アイテム - Item バトルカスタム - Battle Custom 料理 - Cooking ステータス - Status ライブラリ - Library システム - System You can press right to highlight your characters. By doing so, pressing T allows you to switch characters around. Pressing O once you have obtained the S Flag will allow you to choose which character is displayed on the maps. The circular graph next to each character displays the effects of their equipped Capacity Cores and shows how much their stats have been affected by the C. Cores. (See below for more info on the C. Cores). SKILLS: Choosing this prompts you to select a character. If you select a character currently controlled by a player, you'll be able to assign skills to each of the directions. Pressing these directions combined with the X button allows you to perform that skill in battle. If you scroll down you'll find that you can also assign up to four shortcuts that are activated by pushing the R stick in different directions. Shortcuts can be set to other characters' skills, so you can easily tell your other party members to do something with this function. Press S to remove a skill from a slot; or, if you are looking at a CPU-controlled characters skills, press S to turn the skill on or off (that is, let the AI use the skill or not). Pressing T on a skill will let you use the skill right away, which you'll use for healing magic and so on. Pressing Select while on this screen allows you to change between control modes. At first you have a choice between Semi-Auto (controlled by a player; character will automatically run up to the targeted enemy when told to attack) and Auto (controlled by the AI). Once you receive the Technical Ring early in the game, you will also be able to choose Manual (controlled by a player; all movement is fully controlled by the plater). EQUIP: This choice is pretty straightforward. Characters have four slots for weapon, body armor, arms, and other (accessories). Choose a slot and choose the equipment to put in its place. You'll see how your stats change when you do so. Green numbers indicate improvement, while red numbers indicate a decrease. Press S to remove a piece of equipment; press Start to see that piece of equipment's stats. You can press T to change the order in which the equipment is sorted in the list. ITEM: Here you can arrange your items. At first you'll see tools; by pressing L1/R1, you can switch between the subheadings of items (represented by a row of icons in the upper right); they are tools, weapons, armor, accessories, ingredients, and important items. Press O to use an item (such as a gummy) right away; press S to throw the item away. BATTLE CUSTOM: This choice has several suboptions. AD Skill (AD スキル) allows you to manage a characters Additional Skills (special things the character can do, like backstepping or recovering from a knockdown). You'll see a list of the AD Skills that character knows, and you can read their descriptions. Pressing S, as with special skills, determines whether to turn that skill on or off. Capacity Core (C. コア) will let you equip new Capacity Cores onto your characters. You'll be able to see the effects each Core has before you equip them. Capacity Cores give your characters permanent bonuses to the indicated stats when that character levels up. Off to the left, the display shows the character's base stats+the total number of bonus points earned from the Core so far. For instance, if Luke shows a physical defense score of 23+4, it means his natural physical defense at his current level is 23, while he has gained a total of four bonus points to physical defense with Capacity Cores. Using Cores you can radically alter the stat improvement of your characters, so assign them carefully. Like other menus, use O to equip the Cores and S to unequip them. Fonslot Chamber (ＦＳチャンバー） allows you to assign special FS Chambers to your skills. There are four kinds of Chamber: Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue. Assigning them to your skills will grant special effects that have a chance of activating in battle, such as increased damage, decreased casting time, and so on. Each Chamber has 6 levels; at max level, the Chamber effect always occurs. To increase levels, simply use the skill the Chamber is bound to in battle continually. Chamber Effects only occur when the appropriate Chamber is assigned to that skill; also, if you should remove the Chamber from the skill when the level is between say, level 2 and level 3, the Chamber will return to level 2 when you reequip it, so be warned. Another option under this submenu, Tactics (作戦), will allow you to set the AI's behavior. Select the Tactics name (作戦名) to come up with several predetermined AI settings. You can also press O to rename a tactic (if you edit it to do something else, for instance. Along the bottom you'll be able to adjust each minute detail of the chosen Tactics. The options are Target (攻撃対象), TP Use (ＴＰ消費), Movement (移動),　Item (アイテム), and Overlimit (OVL). The settings under Target are Target Near Enemies, Target Far Enemies, Split Up, Focus On Same Enemy, Target Enemies With Low HP, Target Enemies With High HP, Assist Allies (attack enemies that are attacking allies with low HP), Attack Flying Enemies, and Attack Casters. Under TP Use you can choose between five settings that will basically preserve 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of your TP (in other words, if you choose the last option the AI will not use ANY skills, because it will be conserving all of your TP). Movement determines the characters' general behavior. Luke has simply Fight Normally, Protect Yourself (which will have him stand still and just guard), and Only Use Skills. Tear has these three as well as Use Mostly Skills, Use Mostly Spells, Prioritize Healing, and Prioritize Support. Item Use determines when the AI will try to use items. The first option is not to use items at all; the second is to use at low HP, the third is low TP, the fourth is when inflicted with a status effect, and fifth permits any use necessary. Finally, Overlimit determines when the character will use Overlimit. The options are to Use Aggressively, Use When Near Enemies, Use When Far From Enemies, Use When In Trouble, and Don't Use. COOKING: Allows you to cook food. Cooking will restore your party's HP/ TP and/or do other benefits. Here you'll need to select who actually does the cooking (調理者) and then choose the recipe from the menu (メニュー). You can also press down to assign four recipe shortcuts for on-the-fly cooking (performed at the end of a battle by pressing a direction and S). Press T to actually perform the recipe, if you have the requisite ingredients, of course. Each recipe has required ingredients (必須食材). As you perform recipes with a character, that character's proficiency in that recipe will increase, and eventually they will be able to add additional ingredients (追加食材) to the recipe. Using these additional ingredients enhances the effectiveness of the recipe. STATUS: Here you'll see a rundown of your characters' stats. You'll the character's name and current title; by pressing O you can change the title to any you've obtained for that character. Titles do not grant stat bonuses on level up like they did in previous Tales (this is now handled by Capacity Cores), but some Titles DO have special effects, or can change your character's costume. You'll also see the character's Level, HP, Experience, TP, how many Exp needed til the next level, and how full the Overlimit gauge is. Below that is a listing of the character's physical attack, physical defense, magic attack, magic defense, agility (which affects movement speed and critical chance in battle), and growth points. Press R2 to go to the second page which will show the character's equipment, attack/resisted elements if any, and their current Luck score. LIBRARY: Allows you to read different books you have. The Summary ( らすじ) allows you to read up on what's happened so far in the plot in case you forget. Throughout your journey you'll also receive a world map (ワールドマップ), Collector's Book (コレクターブック), and Character Book (キャラクターブック). SYSTEM: Do various system things. Save (セーブ) only appears if you're on a save spot or the world map. The other options are Load　（ロード）, Config　（コンフィグ）, and　Record　（レコード）. Config lets you adjust a variety of options: Message Speed (the lower the number the faster), Battle Rank (Normal/Hard, and newer difficulties as you fulfill certain conditions), Controller Vibration (On/Off), Key Customize (lets you assign the controls for battle), Sound (lets you adjust Stereo/Mono and individual volumes for BGM, sound effects, and voice), Battle Confirm (when on, this makes it so that the camera momentarily shows the enemies before the battle actually begins), Battle Dynamic Camera (allows auto- panning/zooming of the camera), Battle Voice (On/Off), Place Display (when on, shows the names of inns/weapon shops etc. when you approach them in towns), Event Voice (On/Off), Chat Title (On/Off), Chat Subtitles (On/Off), and finally Screen Adjust. Record allows you to see various things you've done; it shows you your highest playtime, highest Gald value, Gald usage, how many skits you've seen, how many times you've saved, how many times you've beaten the game, the average length of your battles, the number of encounters you've had, the number of times you've ran away, the largest hit combo you've done, the most damage you've done in one combo, the most grade you've earned in one battle, your character usage percentage, your best battle time, the amount of consecutive time you've taken no damage, and total damage performed and received during one playthrough. EXPLORATION Exploration in the game takes place in two kinds of places, the field map, and towns/dungeons. On the field map you'll be able to roam around in 3D; a map and compass will guide your way. Simply use the left stick to move as desired. As you move around enemies may appear near you and try to attack you. If you touch an enemy symbol, you'll enter battle. When you find a town or dungeon area, press O while near it to enter. You can save at any time while you are on the field map. You can also press R3 to bring up a bigger map. You can also press L1/R1 to rotate the map. In towns/dungeons you won't have your compass or map, so don't get lost. You also won't be able to rotate the map, and you won't be able to save except on save points. You can see monsters from far away here; again, touching them leads to a battle. Press O to talk to people or examine something or open something (i.e. doors and treasure chests). Also, some objects can be moved by holding down O and moving around while next to them. In dungeons, S will allow you to use Mieu Actions. At first, Mieu will know how to shoot fire; you can shoot fire to burn down obstacles in your path, and so on. As the story progresses, Mieu will learn additional Mieu actions. Hold down R2 and the Mieu Action indicator will appear on the screen; by pressing left/right, you can change what sort of action Mieu will perform when you press S. Use these wisely to overcome obstacles in your path. In towns and certain locations, you will be able to utilize Inns and Shops. Using Inns is as simple as talking to the Innkeeper and agreeing to pay a certain amount of Gald. To shop, simply press left/right on each item to determine how many of each item you want to buy; then press O to confirm your selections and buy the items you've selected, or press X to cancel. BATTLE Like all Tales of games, battles in Tales of the Abyss are all in real time and ridiculously fun. The basic controls are no different from most other Tales games. Pushing the left stick left and right moves you away and towards your current target. Up jumps (S+up in Semi-Auto). Once you've learned the "Free Run" AD Skill, you can hold down L2 to move your character around the battlefield freely. O is the basic attack button. Using it in combination with the stick gives you different attacks; O alone is a slash, towards+O is an antiair slash, up+O is an upwards thrust, and down+O gives you a circular attack. You can chain up to three basic attacks together at a time. Defense is done simply by holding down square. Defending will significantly decrease the amount of damage you take as well as prevent you from being stunned. As your character learns additional AD skills, you can perform different defensive actions. Back+S allows you to perform a backdash. Forward+S allows you to perform an advancing guard. Down+S allows you to perform a magic guard. Finally, pressing S while being blown into the air allows you to recover and land on your feet. X is the special attacks button. Using it, you can perform each characters' special attacks. This takes TP to perform. In the menu, you'll be able to assign different special attacks to different combinations of a direction+X. You can combo your normal attacks into special attacks; for instance, three normal attacks into a special attack. You can also combo special attacks into ougi, and ougi into elemental attacks (more on these below). As your characters gain levels, they will learn new special attacks and ougis. Spellcasting is a little different. Magic takes a long time to perform, and can be interrupted if your character is hit. However, magic is powerful and cannot be blocked normally. While spellcasting, you can press S to cancel the casting. If you hold down X, you can put the cast spell in reserve such that it will not actually activate until you release X. Press the T button during battle to bring up the main battle menu. Here you can choose between Skills, Tactics, Equip (all of these are the same as the main menu option), Items (you can only see the Usable Items here), and Run. While this menu is up, press L1 to change your party's tactics to any tactics you have custom-made in the Tactics menu. Press Start to change the display order of the characters (this allows you to change which character you are controlling mid-battle). Press Select to change between control modes for that character. When you use an Item or try to escape, a gauge will show up on the screen that slowly empties. For items, you cannot use another item until the gauge is completely empty. For escaping, you will only escape successfully once the gauge is empty. After you have learned the AD Skill Overlimit, you will begin to gain Overlimit Gauge (the green gauge) when you inflict or receive damage. Once this gauge is full, you can activate Overlimit at any time by pressing R2. During Overlimit, for a certain amount of time any damage you take will be automatically decreased, and you will not stagger. Also, by fulfilling certain other conditions, you will be able to perform hi-ougis. In TotA, based on the AI settings you've assigned in Tactics, your AI-controlled characters may request to use an item if their HP/TP get low and so on. You will receive a notice that the party member is requesting to use an item; after awhile, if you do nothing, that character will then use that item. However, if you think the character doesn't need it or doesn't deserve it or whatever, you can press L1 to deny their request. The Field of Fonim system is new to TotA. There are six Fonims ( basically elements) in TotA: wind, fire, earth, water, light, and dark. Enemies can be strong or weak versus certain Fonims and thus take more or less damage from elemental attacks. You can see what the enemy's elemental strengths/weaknesses are by using Spectacles. Also, whenever you perform an elemental attack it creates a Field of Fonim (FOF) temporarily in that area. FOFs start out colorless and have no effect; however, as you continue using skills of the same Fonim, you can create a colored FOF on the battlefield (wind is green, fire is red, earth is yellow, water is blue, light is gold, and dark is purple). If you perform certain special moves atop the appropriately colored FOF, an "FOF Change" will occur and your move will become a special Elemental Attack. For instance, if Luke tries to perform Sougazan inside a green FOF, it will FOF Change into the Shuusou Raizan elemental attack. There are many status effects that can be inflicted on your party members or enemies during battle. Poison (your character turns green) causes the character to slowly lose health. Paralysis (little lightning bolts) freezes your character and prevents most actions. Petrify (character turns gray) causes your character to be able to do absolutely nothing and counts as dead for purposes of game over. Weakness (a green cross appears) causes the character's max HP to be halved. Sickness (a red cross appears) causes it such that your character does not regain health even with healing magic or items. Seal (a red X) means your character is unable to use skills. Weighted (a blue figure) means that your character can only move at half speed. Auto-Revive (a feather) means that your character will revive automatically if killed. Finally, a sword, shield, staff, and parchment indicates that your characters physical attack, physical defense, magic defense, or casting speed are temporarily increased. After you have defeated all of the enemies, you'll see the battle summary screen. Here you'll see a rundown of the experience and gald gained, how long the battle took, and so on. You will receive bonus experience depending on how long your combos were. You will also receive Grade; this Grade can be used when starting a New Game+ to purchase various special options. On this screen you can do two more things. If you have set up shortcuts in cooking, you can press the directional pad to select a recipe and then press S to cook that recipe straight from this screen. If you press triangle, you will be taken to a more complete summary screen which shows you exactly how much experience each character gained, what skills they've learned (if any), and so on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. WALKTHROUGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BACKGROUND STORY (this story is taken from the manual) The planet Ordrant is composed of a material known as Fonim. When mankind discovered a new kind of Fonim, it brought great chaos upon them. The reason was that using the Seventh Fonim, it became possible to know the future. The war that began around the Seventh Fonim scorched the earth and eventually let loose a poison called the "Shouki" that consumed the world. At this point, the Fonimar skilled at seeing the future, Yulia, appeared. Yulia prophesied a method to seal the Shouki as well as several thousand years of the future. With her guidance, mankind was able to seal the Shouki deep into the earth. More than 2000 years later... The world is now under the yoke of the Score (prophecy). Mankind believes in the "Unprecedented Prosperity" promised by Yulia's Score, and in order to not stray from the path to that prosperity they seek to follow the Score as presided over by Yulia's Lorelei Church. Following the Score's guidance became a virtue. There is a young man that Yulia's Score said was important for the "Unprecedented Prosperity". His name is Luke fone Fabre. As a young man who is in line for the throne of the Kimlasca Lanvaldear Kingdom, he was kidnapped by the opposing Markt Empire while young, and has since then been kept locked up in his own house for his safety. He still doesn't realize that a great danger is approaching him... PROLOGUE The game begins with a nice anime movie. A mysterious figure, possibly Yulia, is flying through space as she recites a prophecy; In ND 2000, the one who inherits the power of Lorelei will be one born in Kimlasca, he will be one close to the nobility, with red hair. He will be named the Sacred Flame's Light. He will bring prosperity to Kimlasca Lanvaldear. In ND 2002, one who grasps glory will destroy his own birthplace. He will be named Hodo. Afterwords, the hostility between Kimlasca and Markt will continue for another turning of the seasons. We see a young woman standing in front of a glowing circle of light. She says that it will soon begin; she steps into the circle of light and disappears. VATICLE ~ LUKE'S HOUSE Treasures: 100 Gald, Apple Gummy, Lemon Gummy A caption tells you that you are in the city of 'Bachicul' (the official guide spells it as 'Vaticle', however...) in the Kimlasca Lanvaldear Kingdom, with the date being Rem of Rem Decan, the 23rd day. We get a shot of our hero Luke, staring out of his window, bored. After awhile you'll be free to control Luke as he wanders around his house. As Luke leaves, he suddenly clutches his head and starts hearing something. He wonders if he was just imagining it. Head outside and go over to the right wing of the house. The maid will tell you that there is a guest waiting in the hall. Head down and you'll see your first save point in the next room. Talk to the servant there and he'll tell you that Van Grantz of the Lorelei Church has come to visit. He's also apparently Luke's teacher. Luke seems surprised, as it isn't a normally scheduled visit. The servant tells him that Van will call for him later, so he should just wait in his room. On your way out, the servant will add a warning to Luke not to talk to the gardener Pear, because he's so much lower in rank than he is... Incidentally the guard in this room will remind Luke that he's been forbidden from leaving the house. Upon leaving the room you'll be prompted to press Select to view your first skit, where Luke expresses just how bored he is with his daily life. Head back to Luke's room. When he reenters, he hears a strange voice telling him to carry on his soul and respond to his voice. It seems that this has been happening quite often. Guy shows up, asking if that's the case. Luke says he feels better again. Guy mentions that it's been almost 7 years since the Markt Empire tried to kidnap him, and that seems to be when the headaches/voices started as well. But he tells him not to worry, and asks Luke what he wants to do today. Luke tells him that Master Van is visiting, unexpectedly. Just then a knock comes on the door; it's one of the servants. Guy hurries out the window; seems like he's not supposed to be visiting Luke like this. The maid tells Luke that his father is calling for him in the audience room. You'll be able to go over to the left side of the mansion now. If you head up you'll be in Luke's parents' room. Open the cabinet here to find 100 Gald. If you go back to the right hallway and up, you can find Guy's room off to the left. He has an Apple Gummy in his cabinet. There is also a Lemon Gummy in the room next to his. Now head down to the audience room. Luke's parents are here, along with Van. Luke excitedly asks him if he's here for training today. Van tells him that he'll do so later, but first there is something they need to discuss. Luke's father tells him that tomorrow Van will be sent back to Daht. Van explains that as the Head Commander of the Oracle Knights, his main job is to protect the Doushi, Ion. Luke's mother explains that the Doushi is the highest ranking official in the Lorelei Church. It turns out that because of the Doushi's efforts, Markt and Kimlasca Lanvaldear are currently at peace. Van adds that if the previous Doushi, Evenos, could be called the ender of the Hodo War, the current Doushi is the symbol of the peace of the present day. Luke's father then adds that it seems that Ion has gone missing. Therefore Van has to return to look for him. Luke asks angrily who's going to help him train if Van leaves. Van tells him he'll send a subordinate while he's away. But Luke tells him that he wants Van there. Quite selfish, isn't he... Luke's mother mentions that Luke has lost his childhood memory as a result of the old kidnapping incident, and that they should be nicer to Luke. But Luke's father tells her that she's too easy on him. Van however adds that locking up Luke in the house all day every day is not good for him. Luke grumbles about the arrangement; Luke's mother tells him that her brother (the king, apparently) would feel that he's safer this way, and that he'll be free to go in three years... Van tells him to cheer up, and that they'll train extra hard today to make up. You can go right and into the hall with the save point to save if you wish. Now enter the central garden. Guy and Van are talking; Van talks about leaving everything in Guy's hands, but as Luke approaches they change the subject. Suddenly Luke's hearing goes funny again. Off in the hall, the guards have all suddenly fallen asleep, and somebody enters the mansion... Van asks for Luke's attention; it's time to train. He'll teach you the basics of the battle system. You can review those above. After training Luke and Van hear the singing from before. Van clutches his head; he seems to recognize the voice. Luke too is frozen and can't move. The gardener Pear recognizes it as a Fuka (Tone Song), a song with magical powers. He says that a Seventh Fonimar (a user of the Seventh Fonim)must be in the mansion. Guy too can't do anything, he seems to be falling asleep as well. The woman from before suddenly shows up; she calls Van 'Vandesdelca' and a traitor and tells him to prepare himself, then attacks. Van recognizes her as Tear. Luke asks her what the hell she is, and suddenly starts glowing. Van tells him to stop. Tear blocks his attack, and again Luke hears the voice from before; this time it says that Lorelei's will will be done. Tear asks if it's the Seventh Fonim. A large explosion envelops the two, and they suddenly disappear. Van says that the Seventh Fonim must have reacted between the two... TATAROO VALLEY タタル渓谷 Treasures: Apple Gummy, Orange Gummy, 300 Gald, Life Bottle, Mantle, 400 Gald Luke awakes, being prompted by Tear. The two seem to have been blown off to a faraway place. Luke remembers that Tear attacked Van, and gets angry, but he seems to have been injured in the trip. Luke asks what happened, and who she is. Tear introduces herself, and says that there must have been a 'Choushindou' between the two. She explains that it's a resonance phenomenon, and that Luke must be a Seventh Fonimar as well. She says that it's no wonder the royal family had him hidden away. But Luke says he doesn't understand a word she's saying. Tear says that she'll explain later, and that it would be a waste of time to stand around chatting. She says that she'll escort Luke back to Vaticle. Luke wonders how they'll even get there; Tear says that they can follow the shoreline of the ocean to get where they need to go. If they can find a main road, they can surely find transportation back. She'll join your party here; off you go! As you head out you'll hear a rustling... it's a monster. Time for Luke's first real fight! Poor Luke... Dispatch the boar; it should be quite easy. Tear explains that if you come into contact with the monsters running around, you'll have to fight them. There's a save point close by, so make use of it and press onwards. Head down and then left at the forks to find treasure chests with an Apple and an Orange Gummy. Now follow the riverbank down to the next screen. Head down the ridge to see an event. Seems like there's a lot of monsters around. You'll be attacked by two monsters at once. Tear will teach you how to change targets. You can target by holding down R1 and using the directional stick, or you can autotarget the closest enemy by just tapping R1. After the battle, head right. You'll find two treasure chests with 300 Gald and a Life Bottle. Now go to the left. As the path curves right again, head up a hard-to-see path to find a treasure chest with a Mantle in it. Continue on and Tear will mention that the exit is close. Somebody approaches and asks fearfully if you're the Shikkoku no Tsubasa. As should be familiar to Tales veterans, they're a group of 3 good-for-nothings... The man introduces himself. He's the driver of a stagecoach who's looking for water in the area. Tear asks if his stagecoach will go to the capital. The driver says that it'll be 12,000 Gald per person to go to the capital... Tear says it's quite expensive, but to Luke that sum seems like nothing at all. He says his father will pay when they reach their destination, but the driver says that he needs payment up front. Tear offers him some sort of jewel instead, and he finally agrees. Use the save point and grab the 400 Gald behind it, then talk to the man to leave (first option). After awhile, some explosions disrupt the coach's journey. They see another coach being chased by a large battleship of some kind. The coach driver says that the army is chasing a band of thieves. A voice over a loudspeaker tells the coach to draw outside or else they'll get drawn in. On the battleship, a soldier tells his commander that the enemy has crossed the Rotelrow Bridge and has set up explosives on it. Another soldier confirms the starting of a FonSlot. The enemy activates some sort of magic based on the Fifth Fonim and explodes the bridge. The commander tells the Tartaros (the ship) to stop and to put up Tone Magic Shields. Luke is amazed at the display. The driver exclaims that that is the newest Land Battleship of the Markt Empire, the Tartaros. Luke wonders what the Markt Empire is doing here. The driver says it's obvious; there have been plenty of rumors that Kimlasca has been plotting to start the war again, so the patrols around the area are tight. Tear asks if they're not in Kimlasca, and the driver says of course not; they're in the Rugnika Plains in the western part of the Markt Empire. The coach isn't headed to Vaticle after all; it's headed to the capital of the Markt Empire, Grand Cokuma. The driver asks them if they're from Kimlasca; Tear quickly says that no, they just had some business in Vaticle. The driver says that if that was the case, instead of crossing the bridge they should have gone south along the road there. But the bridge has been destroyed now... the driver adds that he's headed east to Angave, and then going to Grand Cokuma, and asks the pair what they want to do. Tear suggests that the two think of an alternate way to get back once they've reached Angave. Here you'll get a choice; you can choose to have the driver take you to Angave (first choice) or walk there yourself. I chose the second option myself; the driver tells you Angave is to the East, and you'll be dumped to the World Map. Head eastwards and you'll come across a bridge. Right before it, you'll get an event. Luke will say how hungry he is; Tear says she'll cook something. She makes some Onigiri, which Luke finds overly simple... here you'll get an option to learn more about cooking. Or pick the second choice to proceed on. Cross the bridge. Once you come to the fork, the sign tells you to head north in order to reach Angave. Follow the road north and you'll soon reach the town. ANGAVE エンゲーブ Treasures: Life Bottle Upon entering, Tear asks one of the villagers how they can get to Kimlasca from here. The villager tells them that with the bridge down, they'll have to go through the Kaitoor Checkpoint. Without a pass, they won't be able to get through. Luke says it won't be a problem; he can just say that he's the son of Duke Fabre. Time to look around the village. There's a commotion in front of the inn to your immediate left for now, so you can't do anything here yet. Head up towards the market area. Luke grabs an apple and starts eating it without even paying. Back at the mansion everything was on credit... he sure is ignorant about the real world. Tear reluctantly agrees to teach him how to shop, wondering to herself if all the nobles are like this... You can buy ingredients from the people around here. If you go into the house behind the man ringing the bell (from behind), you'll find a treasure chest with a Life Bottle. Head left to cross a bridge into another part of town. In the house over to the far left, talk to the cooking mother. She's making pasta, but she needs some miso. Agree to get it for her (first option). The mother will tell you to visit the house with the waterwheel for it. Go over there and talk to the old lady by the door to get the miso. Luke's pretty rude, so Tear has to do the asking... Return to the cooking mother and she'll teach you how to make Pasta in return. She'll also give you some ingredients. Return to the first screen in front of the Inn again. A man named Kelly will come out and say that the food in storage has all been stolen. The villagers are distressed, but Luke exclaims that they're all being silly; they can just buy more food if the food's been stolen. He really is an idiot, isn't he? Meanwhile the shopkeep that Luke took the apple from shows up and yells at him. The other villagers misunderstand and accuse the pair of stealing all of the food in storage as well. Tear wonders to herself whether it would be better for Luke in the end to get captured like this... Luke gets escorted over to a woman named Rose, who seems to be the village leader of sorts. She tells them that she has a guest from the army. It turns out to be the commander of the Tartaros. The villagers accuse Luke of being the food thief. Rose tells them all to calm down. The commander introduces himself as Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Markt Empire's Third Unit. Luke is about to introduce himself as well, but Tear stops him. She reminds him that they're in enemy territory, and boldly announcing that he's the son of Duke Fabre wouldn't be a good idea... especially because it seems that Luke's father was involved in the war, and there were a lot of people in Markt who were killed because of him. She then tells Jade that they were on their way to Cassadonia, but ended up in Angave by mistake. Jade realizes that they were the ones riding the carriage that the Tartaros passed earlier. He tells Rose and the others that they chased the Shikkoku no Tsubasa to Kimlasca earlier, and that he believes Tear and Luke when they say they aren't them. Another voice adds that they don't seem to be food thieves either. Jade addresses the voice as Ion-sama. Ion says that he had gone to investigate the food storage room, and found something in the corner. Rose exclaims that it's a hair from a Cheagle, a race of creatures considered holy by the Lorelei Church. With that, the thievery incident seems to have been resolved. Outside, Tear wonders why Ion is there in Angave. Luke exclaims that he heard that Ion had gone missing, and that is why Van had been recalled. Tear says she hadn't heard that, and it didn't seem as if he had been kidnapped. Luke says he'll go and ask, but Tear says not to interrupt; they'll ask tomorrow. Go back to the Inn. Inside you'll run into a cheerful (or maybe hyper is a better word) little girl. She's asking if anybody's seen a quiet boy a little taller than her. Seems she's looking for Ion. Tear tells her that Ion was over at Rose's house. Luke asks her what Ion's doing here. The little girl expresses shock that a rumor that Ion had gone missing is going around, and exclaims that she needs to let him know. She runs off without explaining anything. Tear says that the girl seemed like a Fonmaster Guardian, meaning that whatever Ion is doing it seems to be with the Lorelei Church's full backing. She explains that the Fonmaster Guardians are a unit of the Oracle Knights that are Ion's personal guards. You can buy equipment and items from the man with the spear in the inn, though things are probably a little pricey for you right now... Talk to Kelly and he'll let you stay at the Inn for free for the night, in exchange for earlier. Luke's still mad at being called a thief, while Tear tries to plan out their journey. Luke asks her about Cheagles. Tear says that they are creatures that live in the forests of the Eastern Lugnika Plain. She says that they've become symbols of the Lorelei Church, sort of like its founder, Yulia. Luke suddenly says that he's going to the forest, which is just north, in the morning. Seems like he wants to find proof that the Cheagles were the culprits, not him. Tear sighs, but doesn't protest. In the morning the pair prepares to head out to find the Cheagles. Go and talk to the apple-seller. He'll ask a favor (choose the first option to listen to him). He'll say that the Cheagle's also stole a little box of his, and asks them to see if they can find it. With that out of the way, leave town and head north to your next destination. You'll see a big tree marking the entrance. CHEAGLE FOREST　チーグルの森 Treasures: Apple Gummy, Secret Box, Orange Gummy x2, 500 Gald, Spectacles, Life Bottle, Cutlass Upon entering, Luke and Tear find Ion being attacked by monsters. He seems to be in trouble, but he raises his hand, causing a bright light, and when it disappears the monsters are all gone. Ion collapses. Luke asks him if he's okay; Ion says that he is, he just went a little overboard using Daht-type Tone Magic. Luke reminds him that they've already met; Ion mentions that Luke's name in the ancient Espania language means 'Holy Flame of Light'. Tear also fully introduces herself as a member of the Oracle Knights, in Mose's Information Division, First Unit, Tear Grants. Ion recognizes that she must be Van's sister. Luke then asks what all the talk about killing Van earlier was about. Tear gets a title here. She refuses to explain at this point, however. The trio spots a Cheagle walking by. Luke forgets all about what they were talking about and begins running after it. Ion asks Tear if he can't help, but Tear says that involves her hometown, and that she doesn't want to involve Luke or Ion. Go up at the fork; you'll find a treasure chest that contains the small box the apple seller was looking for earlier. Return to the fork; head right and then down, following the path around to find an Apple Gummy. Then go straight up (you can't go right just yet). On the next screen Luke gets angry, saying the Cheagle got away cause the others were too slow. Ion says that it's okay; they'll soon find where the Cheagles are living if they continue on the path. Luke asks him how he knows, and Ion admits that he looked into the matter a bit. Cheagles are quite intelligent and gentle creatures, and the fact that they would steal human food is strange. Thus he wants to investigate. Since he's going to the same place, Luke tells him to tag along. Tear protests, but Luke says they can't just leave him alone; he'll just come back to the forest by himself. Luke also tells him not to use the magic from earlier, since it tires him out; they'll handle the fighting. Ion is very grateful for the help, which somehow embarrasses Luke. Continue on the path to the next screen. The party sees another Cheagle. It says something unintelligible to the party. Tear finds it enormously cute, but it runs off. Poor Tear. Continue on to stand in front of the tree. You'll see some fallen apples on the groud; investigate them with O. Ion mentions that they're marked as coming from Angave. Tear says that she feels a monster's presence coming from within the tree. Ion says that is how the Cheagles live, and walks in ignoring Tear's warning. Inside the party finds a whole mass of Cheagles blocking the path. Ion asks them to step aside; Luke wonders if they even understand human speech. Ion says that legend has it that the founder of the Church, Yulia Jue, was able to make a contract with the Cheagles, so it should theoretically be possible. An older Cheagle tells the Cheagles something, and they part. Then it asks them in human speech if they are related to Yulia Jue. He explains that the ring he holds gives him the power to speak human speech. Ion introduces himself. He asks them why the Cheagles have been stealing the food from Angave. The elder tells him that it's necessary for their preservation. He says that in the north, one of them started a fire. Because of that, the "Ligers" that lived there have moved to the forest. If the Cheagles do not provide food, they will be eaten by the Ligers. Luke doesn't care, all he wants is to prove to the villagers that it was the Cheagles who stole the food; Tear says that if they take the Cheagles to Angave like he wants to, the Liger may just end up attacking Angave. Luke again says he doesn't care what happens to the village. Not a very likable guy Luke is, huh. Ion says that they must negotiate with the Ligers. Luke asks if they can talk with the Ligers too; Ion says that they probably can't, but if they take one of the Cheagles with them to translate. The elder says he will offer the ring for translation purposes. One of the Cheagles steps forth; the elder says that the child was the one who started the fire in the north. The small Cheagle introduces himself as Mieu. Luke immediately says that something about him annoys him, prompting Mieu to apologize profusely. At this point you'll receive the Sorcery Ring. If you talk to the elder, you can rest for free. There's also a save point off to the left. Leave the tree. Mieu demonstrates the ability to shoot fire. Normally a Cheagle his age shouldn't be able to, but with the Sorcery Ring he's able to. Ion mentions that the ring must be a kind of Capacity Core, a device that heightens the power of Tone Magic. Luke finds it interesting, and tells Mieu (calling him 'pig monkey', which Tear finds totally rude, of course) to shoot fire whenever he tells him to. Using the fire you can destroy obstacles and freeze enemies and so on. Go around the tree and back, following the path to the next screen. Here take the fork to the right to find an Orange Gummy and to the left for 500 Gald. Return all the way back to the screen before the tree. To the right Mieu says that the Ligers live across the river. Luke complains that there's no bridge; Ion says they'll just have to walk, but Luke of course selfishly says that he doesn't want to get himself wet. Tear says they'll just leave him there, and that people who care about their shoes and pants getting dirty are just dead weight on the team. Luke grumbles, but then comes up with an idea. He tells Mieu to shoot the tree across the river. Do so and the tree will fall over, making a bridge. But before crossing the bridge, head down again another screen and this time go right. There'll be some brush blocking your way that you can clear out with the Mieu Fire. On the other side is a chest holding a special item, the S Flag. This lets you make somebody other than Luke your onscreen character while running around the map. Woohoo! Back to the log bridge. Cross it and proceed right to the next screen. Luke asks Ion how he learned the powerful magic he used earlier, and if he'd be able to learn something like that. Ion begins to explain, but Luke tells him not to worry about the details; he just wants to know if there's any way he can get stronger fast. Tear's getting tired of Luke's antics already, but Ion says there is a way to do it; he asks Luke what kind of Capacity Core he's using. Luke of course doesn't know about it. Ion gives Luke a Capacity Core. He explains that it works like an accessory, and that it raises ones abilities. Luke asks excitedly if he'll be able to do the strong magic Ion did earlier, but Ion explains that only the Doushi of the Lorelei Church are able to use Daht-type Tone Magic. Luke's disappointed, but Tear says that there are special abilities that can be learned by the use of a Capacity Core. At this point, you can start using the C. Core option in the main menu. Head on and go up. Once again burn the tree down to make a bridge. Go left at the fork for a Spectacles. Going up, you'll see the entrance to the Liger lair. One of them wil attack you as soon as you enter. At the end of the path, burn the vines holding the treasure chest so it drops down. Follow the slope down; on the left you'll find an Orange Gummy. Over to the right, Tear spots a greenish save-point. She explains that it's a save point that also functions as a healing point. Awesome! Pick up the treasure chest you made drop earlier (a Life Bottle). Head into the back. Mieu tries to communicate with the Liger Queen, but she tells them not to draw close. Her eggs are about to hatch, but Ion says that if the eggs hatch, the young will attack the town, since Liger young hunt humans. The party tries to ask the Liger Queen to move away from town, but she doesn't want to. You guessed it; it's time for your first boss fight. BOSS: Liger Queen HP: 3400 Strong Against Earth, Wind Drops: Life Bottle, Sage After you inflict some damage, Luke complains that they aren't doing any damage at all. A voice suddenly tells them that he'll help out - it's Jade! He'll join your party. He's ridiculously powerful right now, so you should have no problem with finishing the Liger Queen off. After the battle, Jade calls Anise over and tells her something. Ion apologizes to Jade. Jade reveals that the doctors had forbidden Ion from using his Daht-type Tone Magic. He then says that they don't have the time to talk too much; apparently a letter he and Ion have been waiting for has arrived. Before leaving though, you need to go back to the Cheagle elder and report. Luke's awfully mean to Mieu here... Jade will join your party for now. Again, he's ridiculously powerful (for now at least), so enjoy having him in your party. Grab the treasure chests in the back (Life Bottle and Cutlass). When you go back to the previous screen, you'll find a Technical Ring just lying around on the ground. How convenient. With this in your possession, you can now set your battle mode to Manual if you so wish. Return to the Elder. He thanks you for helping them out. However, he says that the whole thing was Mieu's fault for starting the fire in the first place, and says that as punishment Mieu should be banished. But not permanently - the Elder wants Mieu to help Luke on his journey for a year. Luke doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea. Leave the forest. At the entrance, you'll run into Anise again. She's brought some troops with her... Jade suddenly tells the troops to arrest Tear and Luke as the source of the Seventh Fonim. Looks like you'll be going on a detour. On the ship Jade interrogates the pair. They had detected the resonance phenomenon between Luke and Tear and tracked it to the Tataroo Valley. He tells the pair that their actions could be considered an invasion of the Markt Empire. He knows that Tear is from the Oracle Knights, and asks Luke his full name. Luke tells him and adds that he's the one they failed to kidnap years ago. Jade demands an explanation for their actions. Tear explains that it was simply an accident. Ion agrees with them. Ion then adds that maybe they should even ask them for help. Jade explains that they are headed to Kimlasca on orders from the Emperor. They've been sent as peace envoys; seems that hostilities had already began between Markt and Kimlasca, a fact that only Luke is ignorant of. Jade releases the two and tells them they're free to roam around; he also says that he may ask for their help later if he feels he can trust them. He can't explain anymore because what they are doing is top-secret. Jade and Ion leave. Anise says she wants to travel to Luke. She seems to have taken a fancy to him, or rather his status as a Duke's son. A soldier tells them to talk to him if they've decided to help Jade; Tear suggests looking around the ship first, which you should do. Talk to Anise and she'll join your party for now. Go up the stairs at the end of the corridor. Come on out to the main deck and talk with Ion and Jade. Neither one is very forthcoming with details. Jade asks Luke about the kidnapping; it's not something he's heard of. There's not much to do in the rest of the ship; when you're done looking around, go back to the first room and talk to the soldier there. Tell him you're ready to talk to Jade (second option) to proceed. Jade says that some small skirmishes have already begun between the two countries, so it is of utmost importance that they go and stop the fighting soon. It hasn't even been fifteen years since the Hodo War, the last fighting between the two countries. Ion explains that there is some internal conflict within the Lorelei Church as well. There is a liberal Doushi faction, which follows Ion, and a more conservative Daieishi faction, which follows the Daieishi Mose. The latter faction appears to want the war. He had kept Ion confined to the Church, so Ion appealed to the Markt army to help him escape. That is why people believe he has gone missing. He must bring the peace offering to Kimlasca. Because of Mose's interference, Jade and Ion need Luke's help, through his connections to the royal family. Head out into the hallway again and talk to Jade. As they're talking, the alarm suddenly sounds. The bridge crew says that a swarm of griffons has suddenly appeared. Griffons normally travel alone, so this is definitely something suspicious. The griffons even drop some Ligers onto the ship to attack. Luke begins to run, but he is stopped by a large man. It is one of the Rokujinshou, the "Black Lion" Largo. Jade begins casting a spell, which Largo deflects. He throws a small cube, which he calls an Anti-Fonslot, at Jade. It weakens his powers considerably. He also calls Jade by an alternate title, "Necromancer" Jade. He attacks Jade, but Mieu causes a distraction by firing at the ceiling; in the confusion, Anise runs off to get Ion; Tear and Jade stab Largo, which disturbs Luke. Jade says it's time to head to the bridge. Thanks to the effect of the Anti-Fonslot, Jade is no longer the Level 45 monster he was, and is now more on par with your level. Booo. LAND BATTLESHIP TARTAROS 陸上装甲艦タルタロス Treasures: Long Sword, Life Bottle, 1200 Gald, Stoile Climb the ladder near you, and then climb the nearest ladder again. Head over the arch towards the bridge. Tear uses her magic song to put the guard to sleep, and she and Jade head inside. Luke gets a little cocky though, and ends up waking the guard... After a little bit of time the fight automatically ends. Luke trips, and on reflex, ends up stabbing the guard, killing him. Jade and Tear come back out, alerted by the noise. Because of the commotion, Tear's song has been nullified; other guards will be waking. Luke is rather traumatized over having killed someone; a voice tells him that if he's afraid to kill, he shouldn't even be wielding a sword in the first place. It's one of the Rokujinshou. He tells the guards to kill them all, but another of the Rokujinshou reminds him that their orders forbid it. The first one tells the guard to lock them up somewhere on the ship. Jade and Tear begin to plan their escape. According to information Jade overheard, the Rokujinshou took Ion somewhere, and soon they'll be coming back to the Tartaros. The party will use that opportunity to rescue him. Luke begins to protest, saying that they might have to kill more people. Tear tells him they have no choice; it's either kill or be killed. The two tell Luke that if he isn't prepared to fight, he should just hide in the back and not get in their way. Jade breaks out of the cell and talks into one of the communicators nearby, saying to initiate "Operation Corpsehunt". The Tartaros suddenly shuts down entirely. Jade says that they need to use this opportunity to reach the port hatch. When the Rokujinshou bring Ion back, they'll try to enter through this hatch; they'll take the chance to ambush them. Time to explore the ship proper. Head into the room right below you to find a treasure chest that has all your weapons and equipment. Go into the room below that one and you'll be introduced to block puzzles. Just use the O button to push and pull the boxes out of the way. In the back Jade finds some gunpowder. Using Mieu's fire, they blow a hole in the wall. Before you go out, grab the treasure chest; it's a Long Sword. Also go into the room across the hallway for another block puzzle. In here you'll find a Life Bottle, 1200 Gald, and the "Stoile" Capacity Core. Now go out the hole you blew in the wall. Head towards the right and you'll see the blond Rokujinshou from before returning with Ion. The party ambushes them; Jade then tells Tear to use her Tone Song again. The blond woman recognizes Tear; Tear too recognizes her as Regret, calling her her teacher. In the interruption a Liger attacks and Regret and the guards take the advantage again. But somebody jumps from the top of the ship and attacks. It's Guy. Jade locks them inside the Tartaros. He asks Ion about Anise; Ion says that Anise fell from the ship trying to keep the letter to the King safe. Jade thinks that Anise should be all right, though. He suggests going to St. Bynah, which is the designated meeting place with Anise. St. Bynah is to the southeast, so off you go. Guy joins your party here. Follow the road a little and you'll get an event. Ion is tired out from using the Daht-type Tone Magic on the ship; the party decides to rest for a little bit. Guy introduces himself to the party proper; he shakes hands with Ion and Jade, but when Tear tries to do the same... It seems that Guy is scared of women, for some reason. Guy says that both he and Van were sent to look for Luke, but as the party is conversing a group of Oracle Knights attacks. Luke again can't fight, because he doesn't want to kill any humans. That doesn't stop you from using him in battle, however. Dispatch the knights. Jade tells Luke to finish the guard off. Luke can't do it, however, and the knight counterattacks. He's about to cut Luke down; Tear rushes in and covers him, while Guy takes out the knight. Luke gets a title here. The party camps out for the night. Tear seems to be all right; talk to everybody, then talk to Mieu again to rest (first option). The party tells Luke he should guard Ion in the back while they fight. But Luke suddenly tells them that he will fight too. Even if it means killing somebody, he needs to be able to protect himself. Before heading to St. Bynah, try going back to Angave (to your north) so you can give the apple-seller the box he was looking for. You'll receive the Collector's Book in exchange. Again, St. Bynah is to the southeast. ST. BYNAH セントビナー The party finds that the Oracle Knights are already in town. Luckily some carriages from Angave have arrived; the party decides to use the carriages to sneak in. Even more luckily, the second carriage is driven by your old friend Rose from Angave, who gladly decides to help you sneak in. Explore the town. There's new stuff to buy. In one of the houses in the eastern part of town, you'll see a book lying on the ground. It has the recipe for Sandwiches. There is a medicine shop at the end of the town as well. When you're satisfied, head into the big building on the western end of the town, which happens to be the Markt Army's base. Jade asks to see the leader here, General Glen McGovern. Jade informs Glen and his father that the Oracle Knights are after them; once they leave, the Knights will probably leave town as well. In the meantime, Anise has left a letter for them. Since the Oracle Knights have come to St. Bynah, she's gone to their second designated meeting place. She also sends a love letter of sorts to Luke... Jade tells them that the second meeting place is Kaitoor. It's to the southwest, so they can get there by crossing the Fubras River. Guy mentions that Kaitoor is also where Van went to look for Luke. You'll also receive the World Map here. Press R3 on the field to bring it up. Head towards the entrance for an event. The Rokujinshou have arrived; seems that Largo is still alive. Regret asks the guard if they've found Ion yet. Arietta mentions that the people with Ion killed her mother... The guard mentions that the Fonmaster Guardian (Anise) had already come and gone. You'll also be introduced to the wackiest of the Rokujinshou here, Dist and his floating chair... Sink decides to pull the troops from St. Bynah. He says it's obvious that the party will try to pass through Kaitoor to cross the border, so they decide to assemble there instead. Tear mentions that the Rokujinshou are Van's direct subordinates, but they are also of the Daieishi faction of the Church. The party wonders whether it's Van giving them orders or Mose. Head into the Inn right next to entrance and rest for the night. The party asks Ion where the Rokujinshou took him. Ion says they took him to a Sefirot, which is strong assembly of Fonslots on the ground. But Ion can't tell them what he was doing there, since it is a Church secret. The next day, it's time to head off to Kaitoor. At the door, a traveler will mention in passing that the bridge to Akzeruth has broken. Because of that, the party won't be able to cross the bridge and will have to cross the river itself instead. Now before you leave, go back to the eastern part of town. Use Mieu Fire on the little posterboard near the person standing in front of the window. You'll get an event where somebody comes out and gets angry at you for trying to burn the picture of "Noir-sama"; eventually events will lead to your agreeing to deliver 200 Gald to Cassadonia for the man as part of a fan club fee. Head in a southwesterly direction. A big mass of rocks marks the entrance to the Fubras River. FUBRAS RIVER フーブラス川 Treasures: Apple Gummy x2, Spectacles, 500 Gald, Iron Mail, 800 Gald, Bracelet, Orange Gummy, Life Bottle, 1600 Gald To the immediate left, you'll find a chest covered in vines. Use the Mieu Fire to burn the vines away and receive your treasure, an Apple Gummy. The other treasures here require the same sort of deal. Head down and Jade will offer to teach you about FOF Changes, if you haven't already performed one successfully. After the tutorial, go right for a Spectacles. Go down and left a little for 500 Gald, then proceed through the gap in the fence to a new screen. Over to the left you'll find another Apple Gummy. Go down and right and you'll see a save point. From here go up and past one screen to get an Iron Mail from the treausre chest. Return to the save point. Go down and right to find 800 Gald. Go back to the save point again and this time go left and down (past a big tortoise) and onto the next screen. Here you'll find a Bracelet. Finally, go to the main screen with the river and go right and down to proceed. After walking a little bit you'll run into a Liger again, which means Arietta is here. Ion tries to get her to leave, but Arietta says she can't ignore them, because they killed her mother. It turns out that Arietta's parents died when she was young, and she had been raised by the Ligers. The Liger Queen the party killed back in the Cheagle Forest was Arietta's foster mother. Arietta is about to attack, but a sudden earthquake stops her. Shouki begins to appear from cracks in the ground. Arietta collapses. Tear uses one of her Tone Songs; Ion recognizes it as one of Yulia's Tone Songs. Tear casts a force field and banishes the Shouki. Conveniently she'll learn the spell "Force Field" here. Jade prepares to finish off Arietta, saying that if they let her alone, she'll just come after them again. But Ion begs forgiveness for her, and Jade relents. Head over to the right and you'll find an Orange Gummy. Going down you'll find a Life Bottle. Continue left and up for 1600 Gald, and follow the path around. This will take you to the exit. Head southwards and you'll soon see Kaitoor. You can't miss it, since it's in the middle of a giant wall. Before you get there, you'll get another event. Jade will ask Tear about her Tone Songs. Apparently normal Tone Songs are much weaker than magic, but Tear's are different. Tear's Tone Songs are the ones used by Yulia, which were just as strong as other magic. Tear's family seems to be descended from Yulia's bloodline. KAITOOR　カイツール The first building you come to is an Inn. Rest here and you'll get an event where Guy and Luke train in the middle of the night. Luke will learn Shunjinken. Head down further and you'll be reunited with Anise. Seems that she's got another personality hidden behind that cheerful little girl demeanor... She still has the letter just fine. The party is wondering how to cross the border without a pass, but Asch suddenly attacks. He goes after Luke, but Van shows up, telling him to leave. He says he doesn't remember giving Van any orders like this. Asch does so reluctantly. Van tells the party he'll be waiting at the Inn for them. Anise joins the party for real here. Go to the Inn and talk to Van. Tear asks him why he's getting in Ion's way. Van says that it was a misunderstanding; he didn't even know Ion was here, and he is not the one giving the Rokujinshou their current orders. It seems that Mose might be the culprit. Van then asks Tear why she is here. Tear says she's looking for something secret; Van guesses that she's looking for the Seventh Tone Tablet. Two thousand years ago, Yulia prophesied the future, which was written on seven large Tone Tablets. These were destroyed, and some of them remained in the air orbiting the planet, while other pieces fell to the ground. The pieces which fell to the ground became the object of the war between Kimlasca and Markt, because if one had the tablets one could tell the future. Also, it is said that Yulia herself hid the seventh of the Tablets for unknown reasons. Van says he will order the Rokujinshou not to interfere, but he doesn't know if it'll be effective. He also has a border pass to give to the party from Luke's father. Now you'll be able to go to the southern part of this border town. From here, you'll have to go to the Kaitoor Port so that you can take a ship back home. The building to the right has a weapon/ armor shop (expensive as usual), so check it out. Otherwise there's nothing of interest here. Leave and head southwest to get to the port. KAITOOR PORT カイツール軍港 When you enter, the port is in ruins. Seems like an attack is going on. The ship has been destroyed. Van is here, confronting Arietta. She apologizes to Van, but says that Asch told her to do it. They've kidnapped the specialists who can repair the ship, and says that if they want them back, Luke and Ion should go to Coral Castle. Coral Castle is a property of the Fabre family that hasn't been used for awhile. It also happens to be the place where Luke was found after he was kidnapped 7 years ago. Van tells them not to worry about it; he will take care of Arietta, and they should wait for another ship. You can look around town, but there's nothing much here. Go to the Inn and check the empty bed to rest. Then leave. On your way out, some crew members stop Ion. They beg him to help their boss, who was kidnapped by Arietta. Ion agrees. The rest of the party also seems interested in going to Coral Castle, except for Luke. But he finally agrees. Coral Castle is to the east, around some mountains. You'll find it overlooking the ocean on the coast. CORAL CASTLE　コーラル城 Treasures: Sage, Life Bottle x2, 1000 Gald, Chainmail, Shakujou, 1600 Gald Before entering the castle proper, head to the right and down a ramp to find a treasure chest with a Sage. Now go inside. Luke will be a little stupid (as usual) and get surprise attacked. When you do so, your party will be randomly chosen for the fight. From here on, if you get attacked from behind (you can tell cause the screen will go red), you will have to fight with a random party. After the battle, you'll see a ghost with a red gem pass by... interesting. If you go into the back, you'll find a door adorned with a purple gem. Also interesting. Head up the stairs to the right. Watch out for the statue trying to sneak attack you. Go outside to the patio and head on over to the other side. In the back you'll see the ghost with the red gem, but he'll run away from you. Hmm. However, if you push the two statues to block the path, you can catch the ghost once you reset the screen. Before you catch him though, head through the door to your left. Go down the stairs for a Life Bottle, then go down and exit the hallway. You'll see a ghost with a yellow gem here. Behind the boxes another Life Bottle is hidden. The ghost will probably chase you and after the battle you'll get a yellow gem. However as you've probably figured out, you'll want to make a purple gem, but you can only carry two at a time. Therefore you should get the yellow gem first so that you'll discard it when you get the red (and eventually blue) gems. Anyway head outside to find an Apple Gummy, then head back into the stairwell. Now you can go and get the ghost with the red gem. Proceed up the stairwell. You'll soon see the blue gem ghost. This one you'll want to freeze with the Mieu Fire. While you're at it, go up the stairwell and through the doors on each side to get more treasures (1000 Gald and a Chainmail). At the top you'll find a room with a Silk Robe. Watch out for the ghost with the green gem, though; if you end up fighting him you'll automatically take the green gem, and you'll have to recatch the red/blue gem. Go back to the main hall and to the purple door. It should open, letting you through. Go down the stairs and you'll see a large, strange device. Jade appears to know what it is, but isn't sure. Guy agrees with him, but Anise suddenly jumps on him from behind. After a moment of pure shock, Guy suddenly becomes unnaturally terrified. The party asks him what's wrong, but he doesn't know. He wasn't like this as a child, but there is one incident that he can't remember. Unlike Luke, he hasn't lost his memory, but he did black out over the incident in which his family was killed, and he doesn't remember what happened there. Go to the right and around the curve and you'll end up in another stairwell. You'll see a Liger running up the stairwell... you'll also find a full heal save point, which is very nice of them. Again, go into the doors on each side of the stairwell for treasures (a Shakujou and 1600 Gald). Near the top you'll find the Liger again. Luke and Anise chase after it but fall into a trap. Arietta blames Anise for taking Ion from her. Ion tries to explain that there was another reason Arietta stopped being a Fonmaster Guardian; meanwhile Dist takes Luke away. Luke ends up inside the strange device they saw earlier. Dist mentions that the Fonim Vibrations even match up, meaning that it's perfect. Sink tells him to hurry up, that they need to erase the data here. Dist takes off; Guy comes in and attacks Sink. He manages to steal a disk Sink was holding, then knocks off his mask. He seems surprised by what he sees, but Sink kicks him away and then takes off, saying Arietta will take care of them. She's on the roof with the hostages. You'll have to recover Luke and then climb the stairwell again. Of course, make sure you heal and save. Arietta's waiting for you on the roof. Boss time! BOSS: Arietta, Liger, Flesburg Arietta HP: 3000 HP Flesburg HP: 3500 HP Weak Against Fire, Strong Against Water Liger HP: 3700 HP Strong Against Wind Drops: Apple Gummy, Savory Each individual boss's HP is low, but there are three of them, so you're in danger of getting pincered and thus getting the crap beaten out of you. Set your tactics to all focus on the same enemy and go after the Liger first, since it does the most damage. Afterwards you can either take out Flesburg or Arietta. Once again Jade wants to finish of Arietta, but Ion stops him again. Van arrives; he's been looking for Ion. Van says he will take Arietta back. You have a choice here of taking a carriage or walking back by yourself. Either way, return to the Kaitoor Port. Van goes on ahead first. Go into the army base on the right and you'll see Van and Duke Almandine. Luke asks him to send a message to his father, saying that he is with Ion and Jade. Afterwards you'll automatically rest, and in the morning you can get on the ship to return to Vaticle (second option at the guard in front of the ship). If you choose not to return by carriage, when you pass through the lobby again you'll find a strange sword that talks to you. This should be familiar to those of you who played Symphonia - it's Sword Dancer. At your current level you'll have a pretty tough time of winning, but it's possible. You can come back later if you want. TRANSPORT FERRY CASVELT 連絡船キャツベルト Treasures: Iron Bracelet Try to leave the your room; Luke will again hear the voice. This time the voice tells him to awaken to his voice. Outside, a soldier will tell Luke that Van is waiting for him on the deck. Talk to Guy in the room next door to you if you want. Go up the stairs at the end of the corridor, then go left to get to the bridge. There's an Iron Bracelet here. Talk to Jade here too if you want. Return and go out onto the deck. Shoot the breeze with your other characters here. Anise will ask you what you think about Tear; you can pick "annoying" or "maybe my type". When you approach Tear you'll start talking to her automatically. She tells him that he isn't a standard Seventh Fonimar. Luke asks what a Seventh Fonimar is in the first place. Tear explains that all things are made of six Fonims. When these Fonims come into contact with a planet's core, they fuse with the Cell Particles there and become a fuel source. By passing Cell Particles through a tone belt in the atmosphere, a semipermanent fuel source was created. This is known as the Planet Storm. The Planet Storm is the result of a change in the six Fonims and the Cell Particles. This gave birth to a new Fonim, the Seventh Fonim. People who use the Seventh Fonim to cast Tone Magic are Seventh Fonimars. Luke isn't a Fonimar, but he somehow made a Choushindou with Tear. This means he must have some of the attributes of someone who can use the Seventh Fonim. Seventh Fonimars are rare; Jade can't use one, for instance. The people who recite the Scores (Scorers) and Healers are also Seventh Fonimars. Tear then apologizes for underestimating the impact of Luke being locked up all the time, and runs off. Go around the other side of the deck. Luke gets another headache and begins glowing, while his body moves on its own. The voice says that everything is prepared and that he should show him the same strength as the voice possesses. Van comes out and sees Luke and tries to stop what is happening. Luke finally calms down. Luke asks what happened to him. Van tells him that a Choushindou occurred. He then tells Luke that he is the only one in the world who can cause a Choushindou by himself. This is the real reason Luke has been locked up all his life; it wasn't for his safety, it was so that Kimlasca could have him under its control. Choushindous normally only occur when two Seventh Fonimars resonate against each other. But Luke is different. If he can control causing the Choushindou, he could even be used as a weapon of war. This is why Luke's father and the king kept him, and why Markt wanted him. Luke says he refuses to live like that. Van tells him to calm down. The first thing he needs to do is prevent the war. This way not only will Luke not be needed as a weapon, but he will be viewed as the hero who prevented the war. As a hero, he will have much more freedom of his own. Finally, the boat arrives in Cassadonia. CASSADONIA　ケセドニア Treasures: Doll of the Young Boy Who Travels Time Time to look around town again. There's a small building near where you start. This boy there wants to sell stuff, but he doesn't have anything... however, he notices you might have trade items. Tell him that you do (first option) and he'll designate you to find trade items for him. These are the items that monsters drop or that you might pick up on the field map from place to place. The trade system is complex; you have to talk to him and give some of your items, as well as some Gald, and depending on the quality of the items you give and how much Gald you give, the craftsmen MAY be able to make something good for you. There's more standard shops around town. While walking around, you'll run into a foxy lady, Noir. She hits on Luke (to Anise's dismay) and then walks away. But Tear stops her, telling her to give back the wallet she just stole. She then tells York to take care of things while she and Urcy run away. Tear takes care of York quite quickly, though. He gives back the wallet and runs off. But he tells the party that they'll regret messing with the Shikkoku no Tsubasa. On the left side of this area near the inn, you'll also find the place where you're supposed to deliver the money for the man in St. Bynah. However, you'll find out that the fee is not 200 Gald as the man claimed, but rather 1000 Gald! Choose to pay it and you'll receive the reward, a poster of Noir. This doesn't do anything, but it is a key item in your Collector's Book. In the south you'll find a marketplace with several weapon/armor sellers, including some with items far too expensive for you to buy. Hiding behind a building near the one merchant to the north is the strange Arijigokunin. This kicks off another timed subevent. He wants an Apple Gummy; give it to him (first choice) and he'll give you the recipe for Karaage in return. If you go left from here you'll find the Kimlasca authority's office. The steward there will tell you that the ship is currently being prepared. Guy says now would be a good time to decode the disk they found earlier. The steward mentions that if you ask the Merchant Guild's leader Aster, he might be able to help you. Aster lives in the giant mansion in the middle of town. Aster will greet you once you get to his house. He's a little creepy, but he does help you out. His servant provides Guy with several books worth of the disk's content. Once this event is over, go back in. In one of the rooms, you'll find the "Doll of the Young Boy Who Travels Time" accessory. This special item for Anise not only raises her critical rate, but it also gives Tokunaga blond hair and a red headband - in other words, it makes Tokunaga look vaguely like Cless from ToP. Head out into the marketplace again. A soldier comes up to tell you that the ship is ready, when Sink suddenly attacks. He steals the disk back from Guy, while leaving some sort of mark on him. The party manages to get to the ship and leave before Sink can catch up. Dist comes to taunt Sink, but Sink says that with the CurseSlot he left on Guy, he'll be able to take care of them at any time. He tells Dist to take care of the books on the Fomicry Plan. On the ship, Guy and Jade discuss the disk's contents. It appears to be research on "Isotopes". Recorded is Lorelei's Fonim signature (which incidentally is pi). Luke has no idea what's going on. Tear tells him that Lorelei is the name given to the Seventh Fonim's consciousness. Anise adds that when enough Fonim gathers, it gains a consciousness of its own, and those who can manipulate those can perform very high-grade spells. Guy adds that the First Fonim's consciousness is known as Shadow, for instance, while the Sixth Fonim's consciousness is Rem (two names that should be familiar to Tales veterans). Jade says that Lorelei's existence is currently theory and hasn't been proven. Tear says that the Fonim Signature is sort of like a fingerprint that is possessed by all things. No two Fonim Signatures are alike. An "Isotope" refers to two things with the same Fonim Signature. These things are artificial because two Fonim Signatures are never naturally the same. Jade says that if an Isotope existed it might cause Choushindous all over the place. Anise asks if the old art of Fomicry can create Isotopes. But Jade says that the copies made by Fomicry are only replicas; their Fonim Signatures end up different from the source. Suddenly a soldier runs in... they're under attack! Take care of the Oracle Knights that come in. Go up the stairs at the end of the hallway. If you didn't get the Iron Bracelet earlier you can pick it up now. Go out onto the deck and you'll see one of the sailors. He'll tell you that an odd robot stole a fragment of the Seventh Tone Tablet that the ship was carrying. The robot, Tarlow X, then runs off with it. You'll get a quick minigame here. Basically you need to chase Tarlow X down; however, if you run while the ship is rocking, you'll get knocked down and attacked by enemies. Thus when the ship begins shaking, you need to hold down X so that you walk instead of run. Once you catch Tarlow, he'll return the tablet and run off. The sailor will thank you by giving you the Nobile C. Core and the special item Winged Boots, which will help you run faster on maps. Very nice item to have. Head out onto the main deck and Dist will confront you. Jade taunts him, calling him Runny Nose Dist. Seems like he and Jade used to be friends. Dist demands the data from the disk. He grabs it from Jade, but Jade just says it's ok - he's already memorized everything in it. Time for a fight. BOSS: Kaiser Dist R HP: 19000 Weak Against Water Drops: Orange Gummy Dist's big robot has a lot of HP and a lot of defense, but he's not that threatening. If Jade has Splash, use it often, and then use Water FOF Changes to follow up with big damage. Use Free Run often to get behind him so that he can't attack everybody at once, and you'll be fine. After the battle, you'll automatically arrive in Vaticle. VATICLE バチカル Upon arriving, you'll be greeted by the First Division's General Goldberg. He has received the message you sent earlier. Ion and the party introduce themselves. General Goldberg's companion introduces herself as Major General Cecil. Guy seems to take to her oddly. As it ends up, you'll be escorting Jade and Ion to the castle. Vaticle is a huge city. Take the trolley from the dock to the city proper. Once you arrive, you'll see the Shikkoku no Tsubasa speaking with an Oracle Knight. How suspicious. The big building in this area is the Arena, but you can't do anything with it yet. You can however by some more new equipment if you wish. I would also suggest buying at least five Rices here for use in the Yuliacity Requests subevent later. Take the elevator on the right side up and you'll see a platform with some of Vaticle's defensive cannons. Not much to do here. Head right and go up the elevator to the nobility's area. Head into the palace; they won't let you into Luke's house just yet. Go into the throne room; you'll be informed that the King is currently talking with the Daieishi, Mose. Ion wants to just wait, but Luke says they have to stop whatever lies Mose is saying, and bursts in. Mose is telling the king that Grand Cokuma is strengthening its defenses and is preparing for war. He is interrupted by the party's entrance. Jade delivers the letter to the king. Luke adds that Mose's info is made up; Markt isn't preparing for war at all. Mose makes a hasty departure. The king tells Luke that he should visit his home, because his sister (Luke's mother) has fallen ill. Go to Luke's house, which is just left of the palace. Luke's father greets you all, having been informed by Cecil. He then asks Luke where Van is. Luke says he was going to come to Vaticle by ship separately. Cecil then says she'll go to the port. Luke's father tells her to take care of Van, then goes to the palace. On his way out he asks Tear if her wanting to kill Van isn't a ruse, and that she and Van must be conspiring. Odd... Go over to Luke's parents' room (on the left side of the house in the back) to talk to Luke's mother. While you're going, talk to the gardener as you pass through the central area. He tells you several interesting things. Keep talking to him until he and Guy have a conversation. He tells Guy that if he's ever in the area of the Zao Ruins to find an old man named Gee there, who can possibly help with his swordsmanship. Luke reassures his mother, while Tear apologizes profusely for causing Luke to be transported so far away. Luke's mother asks her if she's Van's sister and tells her that she doesn't know the reasons, but that she should not fight with Van, because family bonds are strong. After this head down to the audience chamber. Princess Natalia is here. She reveals that Van is actually under suspicion of having orchestrated Luke's disappearance, and that as soon as he arrives he'll be arrested. She also lets it slip in front of Tear and Anise that she and Luke are supposed to get married... Go back to Luke's room and take a rest. The next day, a maid comes and tells Luke that Natalia requests his presence at the castle. Go on over there. Inside, Tear and Mose are talking. Apparently some reports say that the Seventh Tone Tablet is in Akzeruth. Once you get to the throne room, the king says that in the letter from the Markt Empire requesting peace, there was also a request. Currently in a mining town called Akzeruth, the Shouki of Gnome is threatening the inhabitants. The road to Akzeruth is blocked off by Shouki, so the Markt Empire has requested that Kimlasca assists the residents from their side. The reason they've called Luke is that it's been decided to send Luke as the country's representative. Luke doesn't want to, but the king adds on something else. Van has been arrested, but the king has heard Luke's testimony via Natalia. He makes Luke a deal; if Luke goes to Akzeruth, Van will be set free. Luke finally agrees. The king adds that there is another reason they have to send Luke. Luke's father shows them a piece of Yulia Jue's Sixth Tone Tablet. The prophecy on it begins as the intro did, talking about Luke's birth, then goes on to say in ND2018, the young man who inherits Lorelei's power heads to the town of miners. There... and the prophecy is cut off on the tablet. Therefore, to follow Yulia's Score properly, they have to send Luke. Luke remembers Van's words about being a hero. The rest of the party will go with Luke as well. Natalia wants to go too, but the king forbids her from going. Luke asks if he can see Van. Leave the throne room and go over to the left side of the castle. Head all the way downstairs and you'll find Van. Once the guard leaves, Van wants Luke to listen to him carefully. He asks Luke if he won't join the Oracle Knights under his command. He says that if Luke goes to Akzeruth, he will be nothing more than Kimlasca's dog. He won't ever be able to leave Vaticle. Luke protests, reminding him about becoming a hero and thus becoming free. But Van tells him that Yulia Jue's Score has a continuation. "The young man turns power into disaster, and becomes a weapon to Kimlasca." The church elders plan to turn Luke loose on the Rugnika Plains to start a war. Van tells him that Yulia has never been wrong. Luke asks what he should do, if he doesn't go to Akzeruth. Van tells him that Yulia's prophecies say that it's the very act of him taking the people out of Akzeruth that starts the war. Therefore, he needs to not take people out of Akzeruth, and simply remove the Shouki instead. If Luke can control his Choushindou, he can banish the Shouki. Afterwards, he should escape to Daht with Van. Van tells him not to tell anybody about their plans or he'll never be able to escape, but somebody seems to be listening... Luke wonders about why he should go to Daht again, and Van tells him that he doesn't remember it, but he once told Van that he wants to go to Daht with him. As it turns out, Luke had been subjected to experiments because of his Choushindou ability while young, and had wanted to escape. Luke had not been kidnapped by the Markt Empire; it had been Van that took him out of the city 7 years ago. Van tells Luke that he needs him. Luke agrees to go with Van. Leave the palace to be reunited with your party. Jade tells them about the current situation. There seem to be Daieishi ships circling the ocean. Thus going by sea is dangerous. Therefore what they will do is send a ship out as bait, and go to Cassadonia by land. After that, they'll be in Markt waters, so they'll be able to complete the journey by ship. Van agrees with the plan, and says he will go on the decoy ship. He says that that way it will be more believable. Luke protests, but Van just tells him to trust him. Time to head towards the city entrance. Take the elevator back down and you'll run into Anise again. Jade asks why Anise isn't with Ion; she says that it turns out he's missing again, and that some townspeople said they saw Ion and some circus people leaving town. Hmm... so this might be what the Shikkoku no Tsubasa was planning earlier. Guy says they have to chase after him, but Anise says Sink is waiting outside. If they're seen, then the Church will realize that they're travelling by land and not by sea. It seems that Mose is serious about stopping them. Guy realizes there might be another way out of town. There is an old abandoned factory reachable by trolley. They should be able to use that to leave town. Take the elevator down to the main town square. Before you go, Guy takes Luke to the Miyagi Dojo. After some philosophizing, Miyagi will teach you how to use Fonslot (FS) Chambers. You'll receive a Carmine Chamber and a Moon Selector. The Moon Selector is a special item that lets you change which character you control mid-battle. The Carmine Chamber is a red FS Chamber; using it you can assign damage up (or heal up) to one of your skills. Go ahead and use it. While you're here, if you listen to all of Miyagi's explanations you'll get a title for Guy. The trolley to the factory is on the right side of the main square. Before you go, though, take the trolley on the left side back to the port. You'll get an event where somebody tries to kill Jade, saying that he killed their brother. After Jade and Tear take care of him, Luke asks about his spear. Jade explains that by using a Contamination Effect, it's possible to materialize something out of nothing using the power of Fonims. Also take the chance to stay at the Inn in the main square. When you do so, Anise will hear a recipe and copy it for the party. You'll learn how to make Fried Rice. One last thing to do here; go back to your house and talk to your butler. You'll hear how one of the maids accidentally sold a package meant for Luke. Your butler will give you 20000 Gald in order to buy back the package. Go down to the port and buy the package back. It's an ougi book, which will teach Luke Majinken. Now head to the factory. Guy finds it strange that there's no guard there; a townsperson walks by and says the guard got called to the castle, and earlier he saw a young woman entering the factory. Suspicious... VATICLE FACTORY バチクル廃工場 Treasures: Spectacles, Apple Gummy x2, Orange Gummy, Scimitar, Cobalt Chamber, 3000 Gald, Panacea Bottle, Life Bottle As you enter, Guy explains his plan. The factory is built in a crater left by the impact of one of the Tone Tablets. There should be a waterway that will take them outside the city without anyone noticing. A voice congratulates Guy for being so knowledgable. It's Natalia! Seems she's determined to come with you after all. The party doesn't want to let her along, but Natalia threatens to tell everyone what she overheard Luke and Van talking about earlier. Therefore Luke says he'll take her along... Natalia's very helpful here because not only can she hit things from all the way across the screen, but she has Heal, which is the next grade up from First Aid. Climb the ladder right next to you (it's hard to see... as is everything else in this dungeon) and you'll find a Spectacles. There's another ladder near the entrance that leads down to a pipe. Travel on the pipe towards a treasure chest; however the pipe breaks and the treasure chest will fall down. You'll have to get it some other way. Back on the main platform keep going right to find an Apple Gummy. Climb up two ladders so that you're now on some large pipes. Head towards the screen and climb down two more ladders. Follow these pipes around to get the treasure chest you knocked down earlier, which has a Feather Cloak. Now go into the door you passed. After the event in which Natalia irks the rest of the party, climb down the ladder for an Orange Gummy. Go up the ramp and hit the switch to turn on the elevator next to it. After going up the elevator, climb the ladder and follow the pipe for a Scimitar. Return and go down another ladder. When you get to the intersection of the pipes, go down first for a Cobalt Chamber. Then go up at the intersection and up a ladder. You'll have an event where you learn that you can set the barrels of oil on fire to provide light. This is important because most of the switches here cannot be operated without enough light. Light the barrel and hit the switch next to it. Go through the door. Next to the nonfunctional trolley, you'll see a ladder going down. Climb down it and go around the pipe to get an Apple Gummy. On the way, the pipe will break a little and pour some oil downwards. This is actually what you want, since the oil will fill a barrel that you'll have to light later. Return to the room you just came from and now take the elevator down. The pipe will break as you step onto it, allowing you to reach the lower door. Go through. Here you'll see some oil dripping into a barrel. How do you light this one? You'll simply have to time your shot so that the fire hits the drop of oil as it falls into the barrel. Light this barrel so that you can activate the switch that controls the trolley above. Make your way up there and do so. Take the trolley down. Nearby there's a device that controls the flow of oil through the pipes. You'll want to make it first so that the oil flows through the left pipe (the green light should be on the left side). Now take the trolley back up. You should be able to get to another dripping barrel now via a ladder. Light this barrel so that you can see a switch later. Take the trolley down again and change the oil flow back to the right. Go to the right and before the doorway to the next room climb the ladder down. Follow the pipes over to a treasure chest with 3000 Gald. Hit the switch (save at the save point if you wish) and take the elevator down. Go through the door at the end. Climb down onto the pipes. Nearby you'll be able to lower a ladder down. Light the barrel nearby. Climb back up and go up now. You can get a Panacea Bottle here. Go left to lower another ladder. Push the lone barrel here off the platform. You'll want to push it all the way along until you can push it through a hole in the fence so that it lands under an oil drip. You can't light it yet, though. Grab a Life Bottle in the corner while you're at it. Now you'll want to get back to the upper set of pipes and this time go left. The pipe will break and oil will fall out of it, into the barrel you pushed down earlier. Light this barrel and you're done with puzzles for this dungeon. Take the ladder up to the full heal/save point. Obviously this means a boss is coming. Save, hit the switch, and take the trolley onwards... BOSS: Abaddon HP: 22000 Drops: Lavender At first this boss is covered in slime. Attack him with everybody and try to stop his spell casting, because he'll keep casting Negative Gate at you, which really hurts. Make sure Natalia is in for Heal. After you do some damage the slime disappears and you'll see the spider-like monster underneath. Once he gets to this stage he can let forth a bunch of smaller spiders to damage you. Use Free Run to dodge the spiders. Otherwise this boss isn't too tough. Now you're at the exit. After exiting and crossing a small desert (Natalia suggests stopping by an Oasis) you'll be at Cassadonia in no time. As you leave, you'll get to see an anime event. Asch and Ion are there, and Luke suddenly attacks. But in the midst of fighting, Luke realizes something disturbing - he and Asch have the same face. Sink tells Asch that Ion is their priority, and they take off. Now that the Rokujinshou know they're going by land, the party wonders if they shouldn't go back to Vaticle and take a ship after all. But Natalia says the port will be sealed. After some deliberation, Luke decides to continue by land. Jade says the Rokujinshou will probably be headed to the Oasis, so it's time to investigate there. Go east and you should see the Oasis pop up pretty soon. DESERT OASIS 砂漠のオアシス Upon entering Luke hears a voice again, but this time, it's Asch's voice! Asch calls Luke out, telling him they're at the Zao Ruins. Luke then collapses. The party doesn't know where the Zao Ruins are, so it looks like you'll have to ask around. Luckily, pretty much everybody tells you the same thing - the Zao Ruins are closeby to the East. You can buy food and equipment here. Also, if you heard about Gee from Pear back in Vaticle, you'll find him in the tavern here. You'll receive a Hodo Citizen Register; this is the first step to get Guy to learn one of his ougis. The next step would be to go to Kaitoor. You'll be back there soon enough. When you're ready, head east towards the Zao Ruins. ZAO RUINS ザオ遺跡 Treasures: Apple Gummy, 2400 Gald, Breast Guard, Orange Gummy, Panacea Bottle, Forstore, Life Bottle, Carmine Chamber, Cobalt Chamber Make your way down the looong spiral staircase to the bottom. There's a treasure chest with an Apple Gummy here. In the next area, go straight down. Keep going down until you see a little glowing rock. Mieu identifies it as the Second Fonim. It's unusual for there to be so much of just one Fonim that it's visible to the naked eye, but that's what you have here. Mieu charges the Sorcery Ring with the Fonim. Now Mieu has gained a new power, Mieu Attack. You'll be using it to break the rocks in your way in this dungeon. From now on, you can press R2 on the map to select between Mieu powers. Return the way you came and now go left. In the new area, you'll find a chest with 2400 Gald down a little slope. Break the rocks in your way with Mieu and move on. Go to the left and break some more rocks to find a Breast Guard. Cross the bridge. Behind some more rocks is an Orange Gummy. Save at the save point if you wish and head onwards. Keep following the path. The next treasure chest is a Panacea Bottle. Keep on going and some debris will fall down blocking your path. Break it with Mieu and grab the treasure chest with a Forstore C. Core. In the next area you'll see the bridge is crumbling. More debris later. At the end of the path turn left first for a Life Bottle, then go right. Follow the path down. At the bottom of the stairs, behind some debris, is a Carmine Chamber. Cross the path along the bridge. Go up a little bit to break the rocks and find a Cobalt Chamber. Then go down and follow the path to the next screen. There's only one way to go. You'll eventually find a full heal/ save point. Get ready for a boss rumble. Progress forward and you'll have caught up with Ion, along with Largo, Sink, and Asch. Asch and Ion enter some strange building. Largo tells them that Ion is in the middle of a ritual, and that they cannot interfere. BOSS: Sink and Largo Sink HP: 13000 Largo HP: 17000 Drops: Glass Chamber, Bellbane, Garnet You'll want to concentrate on taking out Sink first. His frequent use of his ougi is quite annoying. Since he has less HP, though, you should be able to take him out relatively quickly. Largo is much slower and you can dodge him much more easily with Free Run. Tell your characters to spread out so they don't all get hit by his fire wave attack, and basically just stay out of the area to the front of him. Asch tries to do things himself, and he and Luke exchange some sword blows. Luke recognizes one of Asch's techniques as Van's technique. He angrily asks why Asch can use it; Asch replies that obviously he has the same fighting style, but Sink stops him from saying any more. He then makes a deal with the party; they'll return Ion if they withdraw from here. The party is already behind schedule and has no choice but to accept. On their way out, Guy tells himself that Sink resembles someone he knows... Largo also seems to remember something when he realizes that Princess Natalia is in the party. On your way out, you'll see that the full heal/save point now also has some glittery stuff on it. Guy explains that these save points also serve as exit points, and they can take you straigh to the exit. However you need to use a Wing Bottle for it to work. Head on out the ruins. Jade asks Ion what the Rokujinshou wanted. Again, this area seems to be the location of a Fonslot. The Church has put seals on the Fonslots to protect them. For whatever reason, the Rokujinshou want to remove those seals. It's time to head to Cassadonia. It's generally northwards, then west. CASSADONIA ケセドニア Once again Luke begins suffering his headaches. The party decides to rest here for a bit. Head on for a little bit and Luke gets another headache. Asch taunts him, saying that they are linked. He controls Luke's body and has him threaten Tear with his sword. Then he collapses again. The party discusses what could be wrong with Luke. But Jade says they shouldn't worry about it for now. Luke wakes up and wonders what was going on. Jade says that Dist must have done something to Luke when he was caught at Coral Castle. Talk turns to what to do with. Ion asks the party to take him along. He has business with the Markt Empire as well. Go visit the Arijigokunin while you're here. This time he wants a Scimitar and a Spectacles. He'll give you an Orange Gummy in return... Hmm. Still, its part of a subevent to get some titles later on, so give them to him. Go to the Markt Consulate (the building right next to the northern entrance). Talk to the consul in the back. She has a message from Van. He has gone ahead to Akzeruth. Sink appears to be listening in and does something; the mark Sink put on Guy earlier activates. Like Luke earlier, Guy's body seems to be out of his control. Jade recognizes the Curseslot for what it is. Ion explains that the Curseslot is a kind of Daht-type Fonslot that can be used to control people. It is more powerful the closer the user is, so the party agrees to leave Cassadonia quickly. The consul helps them prepare the ship. Ion ruminates to himself that only Doushi are supposed to be able to use Daht-type Tone Magic... The ship will take you the Kaitoor Port. KAITOOR PORT カイツール軍港 Guy feels a lot better once they leave Cassadonia. Leave Kaitoor Port. Jade tells you that from here you'll need to cross the Deo Mountains to the northeast. However, there are two things you should do first. One is that if you didn't do so earlier, you should go over to Coral Castle and defeat Sword Dancer there. You should now be much closer to a reasonable level for him. The other thing to do is to go to Kaitoor itself. On the Markt (north) side, you'll be able to get the second part of Guy's ougi event; he'll learn Rekkuuzan. The man will tell Guy that the next person awaits where the tablets speak history. When you're all prepared, head northeast to the mountains. BOSS: Sword Dancer HP: 17000 He's still pretty powerful, so make sure you don't all stand in front of him at once. Otherwise, tactics you've used on other bosses until now will work. DEO PASS デオ峠 Treasures: 1600 Gald, Gothic Mace, 1800 Gald, Cobalt Chamber, Apple Gummy x3, Orange Gummy, 1500 Gald, Steel Arrow, Panacea Bottle Luke shows off some more arrogance upon entering by saying that they should have just ditched Ion in the desert, because they'll only need him to stop the war. The rest of the party disagrees, and Jade as usual breaks everything up. Use Mieu Attack to break the rock and proceed. While you're at it, use Mieu Attack on the nearby tree as well. A treasure chest (Apple Gummy) should fall out of it. There will be several other treasure chests hiding in the trees here. However, be careful; some of the trees are also monsters in disguise. Head up the mountain path. At the fork turn right and towards the screen; break the rock to reveal a chest with 1600 Gald. Continue up the mountain slope. In the next area, the tree has a Panacea Bottle. Head left and down the slope to get a Gothic Mace, then return and go up the slope. Continue on for another screen. On the screen with the bridge, first head under the bridge. Hit the tree for 1800 Gald. Now go across the bridge. You'll get an event where Ion seems tired out. The party tries to help him out... except Luke of course. The party ends up taking a rest anyway. After the end of the event, save if you want. Head right, down the slope. Along the way, break a rock for a Cobalt Chamber. Go down at the fork and go down a steep slope. Hit the tree in the middle area for an Apple Gummy. Go down from the middle area and hit the tree here. It'll knock a treasure chest out, but not near you... go back and this time go right down another slope. Save here. You can't get the treasure chest yet; you have to approach the house from the back. Go all the way left up the slope onto the next screen to find a chest with an Orange Gummy. Return to the previous screen. Hit the tree here for another Apple Gummy. Continue left, break the rock, and break another rock for 1500 Gald. Now go up and right along a grassy slope (do NOT go down the path down and right yet) and you'll find a ladder that leads to the chest you couldn't get to before. It holds a Steel Arrow for Natalia. Now return to the save point and save. Trust me on this one. A gunshot stops your progress. It's Regret. She asks Tear why she's still hanging around with Luke. Tear says it's on Mose's orders; Tear tells her to come with her instead. Tear says that she cannot go with her, because she doesn't trust her brother, and the Rokujinshou serve under her brother. She wants to know why Regret is taking Ion around to various Sefirot. Regret says its to restore the free will of the people. She says that people have been ensnared by the Score; some people even decide what to eat for dinner based on the Score. Whatever she and the Rokujinshou are doing, it's to counter the Score. Regret then says that if Tear will not come with her, she will have to stop them by force. BOSS: Regret HP: 31000 Strong Against Light Drops: Sefira Regret's attacks are very linear, but very powerful (obviously, since she has guns). Under no circumstances let more than 2 of your allies get in front of her at once, or she'll simply blow them away with Rage Laser or some such attack. She has resistance to Light, so turn off Limited if Anise is in your party. Eclair Arme and Holy Lance are dodgeable with Free Run if you're quick enough. Just keep on her from all directions and you should be okay. Regret tells Tear not to go with that 'failure' anymore. Jade realizes something, and asks her if the Rokujinshou have been using that forbidden technology. Ion tells him to stop, that there are things in the world that are best left unknown. Jade realizes that Ion knew all along as well. Of course, Luke has no idea what they're talking about. Jade asks Regret who was the person behind it, if it was Dist. Regret asks him why he wants to know who's behind the Fomicry. She shoots at him and disappears. Jade gets unnaturally angry, saying this is no joke. But he soon calms down again. He tells everyone they should hurry to Akzeruth. They walk off while Luke gets angry again. He says that he's supposed to be the hero, and that Van is the only one who understands him... Head on onto the main map. Follow the road, going east at the fork to get to Akzeruth. AKZERUTH アクゼリユス The party mentions that things are even worse than they thought. Natalia instantly goes to help a fallen villager; Luke tells her she shouldn't because it's dirty and she might get contaminated. Some ambassador of friendship he is. Natalia obviously gets angry. A villager asks them if they've come from Kimlasca. Natalia explains why they're here, and the villager says that they've heard about them from Van. He introduces him as Pirope. Since the mayor has also collapsed, he's taken it upon himself to manage things. Jade asks where Van is, and he responds that he's gone into the mine tunnels to help the villagers trapped in there. The party decides to look around and then head into the tunnels. The Inn is free, so make good use of it. One of the villagers in the houses hears that you're going into the tunnels, so he gives you 3 Apple Gummies, 3 Orange Gummies, a Life Bottle, and a Panacea Bottle for free. Sweet! When you're all prepared, take the elevator down and head into Tunnel #14. AKZERUTH TUNNEL #14 アクゼリユス第１４坑道 Treasures: Panacea Bottle, Archery Glove, Steel Circlet, Life Bottle, 5500 Gald, Carmine Chamber, Fornore, Cobalt Chamber, Halberd As you enter, a soldier runs up to Tear. He introduces himself as the soldier bearing news to Mose about the Seventh Tone Tablet. Ion asks if its been discovered here, which it seems that it might have. Ion asks Tear to go confirm that it's here. Tear will leave your party temporarily. Take the fork left and you'll find a treasure (Panacea Bottle). Go right now and double back towards the screen. You'll exit back out into town and be able to get a treasure chest you saw earlier, which has an Archery Glove. Keep following the tracks in. The next fork to the left leads to a Steel Circlet. Continue on the tracks to the next screen. Pick up the chest with a Life Bottle. At the next fork follow the tunnel without the tracks in until you get to two treasure chests with 5500 Gald and a Carmine Chamber. The next trackless tunnel has the Fornore C. Core. Keep on going; the next fork in has a Cobalt Chamber. Go down off the track and follow the path right and back for a Halberd. Now go onto the next screen. The Shouki is very dense here. The party finds several injured miners. Jade finds it odd that the party Van was supposed to lead isn't here. Luke gets another headache; Asch tells him not to go any further. You'll see a save point and a large gateway which is apparently where the Shouki is coming from. Save and head in to investigate... Before you can, though, Jade hears a commotion from above and decides to go investigate. Going in, Luke and Ion spot Van. Once again Luke hears Asch telling him not to go in, that he won't be able to turn back now. Talk to Van. Van asks Ion to open the strange door next to him. Ion recognizes it as a Daht-sealed door, meaning this place is also a Sefirot. He sees no reason to open it, but Van tells him that it's necessary to revive Akzeruth. Ion does so and he and Van head in. Luke tries to head in; Asch tells him that Akzeruth will be destroyed if he goes. The three come across a strange ruin. Follow the long path down to the center of it. Then go into the doorway here. The trio finds a large device. Van tells Luke that he needs to go into the middle of the device, which he calls a Passage Ring, and eliminate the Shouki. Back in the mines, Tear runs up hurriedly to Jade. She tells Jade that the party Van was supposed to have been leading have all been killed. The story abou the Seventh Tone Tablet was fake; the Oracle Knights were trying to kidnap Tear. Her brother was trying to kidnap her so that she would not be caught up in what is going to happen to Akzeruth. Tear then says that her brother is trying to do something terrible. Asch suddenly appears and tells them to hurry and not talk. It was he that saved Tear. Van is instructing Luke, when he suddenly tells Luke to release his power, calling him "Foolish Replica Luke". Luke lets forth a burst of energy, knocking Ion and Mieu away. He can't control what's happening to him any longer. Through Van's command, all of the Fonslots in his body have opened and he is releasing his Choushindou. Tear is telling Jade that Van intends to destroy Akzeruth. The ruins around Luke and Van begin to crumble. Van tells him that he has finally fulfilled his purpose, again calling him Replica. Asch arrives, saying he was too late. Van tells him he told him not to come. Asch says that that's too bad, because he's here, as well as Tear. Van whistles and a hawk carries Asch and Van away. Van tells him he can't afford to lose him here. Tear screams at Van, saying he's betrayed them after all. Because of what he's done, everybody in Akzeruth as well as the Oracle Knights here will all die. Van, calling her Mestearika, tells her that one day she will understand how foolish and ugly this world is. He tells her that she needs to stay alive, reminding her that she has her Tone Songs, and flies away. The tunnels begin to crumble, and Tear begins casting her Force Field. You'll get another anime cutscene as the entire city, as well as the Tartaros, sinks into the ground... QLIPHOTH 魔界 You'll wake up next to a full heal save point, somewhere underground. Talk to everyone. Ion refers to their location as Qliphoth, although the characters for it mean Hell. Lovely. Suddenly Tear hears a survivor talking. A little boy named John has survived the fall. Natalia tries to go help but Tear stops her, saying that the mud around them is bottomless and soaked with Shouki. She tells Natalia that she will try healing the child from there. The platform the child is on begins to sink, and the child is swallowed up. The platform the party is on begins to sink as well. Jade suggests going to the Tartaros; it may be able to keep them above the mud. Luckily the Tartaros seems mostly functional. Tear tells them that there is a city called Yuliacity here in Qliphoth, to the west. Time to go there. Funny that Tear would know the area... Now you'll be put on a field map, with your first vehicle! As the directions tell you, use the stick to turn, O to go forward, and S to reverse. Use X at a harbor to go onto land. As directed, head west until an event triggers. Guy says that there's nothing here and wonders if they're underground. Tear says that that is true, in a fashion. She says that the world they live in is called the "Shell World" here. The Shell World is a midair continent supported on the Sefirot Tree that grows from Qliphoth. She says that a long time ago the Shell World was here in Qliphoth. Two thousand years ago, for an unknown reason the world began to be enveloped in the Shouki. Yulia recited the Seven Scores and found a way to save the land. She used the Scores to raise the land into the air using the Sefirot. Ion says that the only people who knows this are those in the Church of Eishi rank or above, and people from Qliphoth. Tear (and Van) are actually from Qliphoth. Ion says that they fell from the Shell World to Qliphoth. It was Tear's Tone Song that saved them. Jade asks why Akzeruth sank into the ground, and Ion says it is because the pillar supporting Akzeruth was destroyed. Anise asks why, and Tear just looks at Luke. Luke protests that all he was trying to do was eliminate the Shouki. Tear tells him that Van tricked him, and that instead of eliminating the Shouki he destroyed the pillar supporting Akzeruth. Ion confirms it, saying that Passage Rings are where the pillars come from. Luke protests that it's not his fault. Jade says he's returning to the bridge, saying that if he stays out here he'll start to get annoyed at a certain idiot's ramblings. Natalia also tells him that he's a different person from the one she used to know. The rest of the party also express their disappointment in him, and leave him alone on the bridge. Only Mieu stays to comfort him, saying that a lot of the Cheagles died because of him, so he understands his feelings... After the event, the Tartaros will be pointing straight at Yuliacity. Head forward there. YULIACITY ユリアシティ The party sees something as they draw close. Tear explains that the water from the Shell World is creating a huge waterfall here, and that the city is in the middle of it. The party disembarks at the harbor. Tear says that the mayor is inside; they begin to head off, except for Luke. Luke says he doesn't want to go, when Asch's voice appears again and tells him that obviously everybody blames him because he's trash and a failure. Asch says if he had only realized what Van was up to sooner, he could've stopped all of this. He calls Luke a replica as well, and laughs when he realizes that Luke still doesn't know why they're calling him a replica. Tear tries to stop him from explaining, but Asch goes ahead and does it anyway. He says he is the one who is from Vaticle, and that 7 years ago he was kidnapped by Van. Luke is nothing more than a copy of Asch. Luke gets angry and draws his sword. He wants to fight; you'll have a one-on-one with Asch here. Although it's possible to win, nothing special happens if you do save for a minor change in the conversation. You don't get anything for it, so don't waste your items trying to win this battle. Everything goes white. When Luke wakes up, he sees Tear looking at him and calling him Asch. He doesn't know what's going on, when he hears Asch talking. Then he sees himself lying on his bed. Asch tells him that they are replicas even down to their Fonim Signature; because of this and how they opened his Fonslots back at Coral Castle, Asch was able to talk to Luke and control his body. Now Luke can't even move his own body on the bed, and is nothing more than a consciousness inside Asch. You will now be controlling Asch. Check the closet next to the bed for a Deck Brush, a weapon for Jade. Go downstairs. There's a recipe for ramen on Tear's desk. Leave the house and you'll be in the city proper. Your party members are scattered around the city. Asch wants to return to the Shell World, and for whatever reason so does everyone else. A townsperson to the left will ask you for 3 Apple Gummies. This is part of a subevent for a Tear title later on, so give them up if you have them to spare. If not, you can buy them from the shopkeeper here. Go into the large building. There is a shopkeeper just to your left. When you're ready to proceed, go into the big room on the top floor to speak to the mayor. The mayor, Teodoro, explains to Asch that even though Qliphoth is a terrible place to live, they have been charged a duty as Watchers. They cannot leave. He then says that they have equipped the Tartaros with a device similar to that used in the Passage Rings. Using this, it should be possible to raise the Tartaros to the surface as well. He then asks you if you're ready to go. When you are, choose the second option. Ion explains that the Sefirot are places that gather the Fonims of a planet and blow Cell Particles upwards. When humans artificially increase the amount of pressure, they becomes Sefirot Trees, or pillars. You'll get another anime movie as the Tartaros returns to the surface... Afterwards, Asch says that Van is probably headed to Velkende's First Fonim Machine Laboratory, so you should go there as well for information. Velkende is on the same continent as Vaticle, to the southwest. So head there. Your party is now the same before, except you have Asch instead of Luke and Tear will have stayed behind. Asch will be Luke's level and have all of his moves, plus he can cast some magic as well. However, you will not be able to change his equipment. You can equip him with C. Cores, but his bonuses do not transfer to Luke, meaning any levels that he gains are effectively 'wasted' in terms of stat bonuses when you get Luke back. Keep this in mind. If you're really crazy about preserving your C. Core bonuses, just kill Asch off and leave him dead until you get Luke off. (Thought that's quite mean...) VELKENDE PORT ベルケンド港 Aside from some party infighting, there is absolutely nothing to see or do here. Leave and head towards the city proper, which is to the south. VELKENDE ベルケンド Treasures: Orange Gummy, Dark Seal, Battle Maiden Doll Check the machine to your character's right as soon as you come in and operate it; it'll drop a chest with an Orange Gummy. The inn is just past the first bridge; there's also some merchants inside. Keep going left to reach a platform. From here, descend the platform by going down and then turn right, and keep going right until you go under another platform. The camera should change. Check the little hatch at the end of this alley and you'll find a person stuck inside. Choose to help him out (first option) and he'll teach you the recipe for O-soba. Now go over to the left part of town. The large building over here is the Laboratory you're looking for. Head straight into the next room. Go into the room on the right and check one of the drawers for a Dark Seal. Another drawer behind the doctor has