Part Ten: Boat Exploration (Another World)
When you try to approach Mount Pyre you'll run into a dense fog. Decide to enter and you'll discover that it's cover for a pirate ship, the S.S. Invincible, run by Captain Fargo. Fargo is no fan of Lynx, and therefore should be your friend - but he needs some convincing first. First up he'll pit you against a group of Man-Of-Wars, Black Innate knights that shouldn't tax you overly much. Then, after that...
Polly
Where the heck did Fargo get a Red Innate pterodactyl? Well, whatever. Far too barrel-chested to remain in the sky for long, Polly is a pretty standard boss. Aside from normal strikes it uses its Flap attack for a respectable amount of Red Innate damage, and... oh, that's it? Okay. No curveballs here. Polly can smack you around pretty good despite its lack of range.
This fight is by-the-book. Target Polly's weakness with Blue Innate Elements and heal as necessary. If you opted to bring her along Kid does well in this battle, taking less damage than most people. If you can keep him alive Pierre isn't bad here either, for once, since he is Blue Innate in nature and can make better use of Blue Elements than most. Just make sure you keep using Elements to counteract Polly's Red Elements or the Field Effect will turn in the bird's favor rather quickly.
You'll earn a Star Level, 181 g, and a Magma Burst Element for defeating Polly. And, you know, since beating up his bird isn't enough...
Fargo
The Blue Innate captain of the S.S. Invincible, Fargo is a pretty formidable opponent. Using Strengthen and Eagle Eye to bolster his sword swipes, Fargo will use a combination of Elements and slashes to assault your party. Unlike a lot of enemies he's happy to use Elements from across the board, from the quite-expected Ice Blast to the out-of-nowhere Carnivore, which can cause about 40 points of damage to your whole party. Betting on Blue Innate attacks each turn is a relatively safe bet, but not always.
Still, Fargo doesn't have nearly enough strength to OHKO most characters, so this fight isn't too bad. He doesn't have that much health for a boss, so use Red Innate Elements to quickly whittle down his health, as well as prevent him from turning the Field Effect Blue. Try to avoid using Green Elements just in case he decides to pull out Carnivore. He should go down in a few rounds.
You'll receive a Star Level, 551 g, and a Meteorite Element for defeating Fargo. Unfortunately, though, he's a pirate, so... dirty tactics will see you sent to the brig. (This might also be one of the only times in the game where Serge 'says' something when you're controlling him.)
S.S. Invincible
After a scary dream the party will wake up in storage. You don't stay there long, of course, as the ghost ship you heard about - the real ghost ship - pulls up alongside the Invincible, unleashing a swarm of undead nasties onto the pirates. One fight with Crossbones later you'll be freed, and will have to explore the Invincible, killing ghosts. (Is that even possible? Whatever.)
You'll run into the following enemies as you explore the guts of the S.S. Invincible:
- Crossbones - Black Innate. Though these guys go down somewhat quickly, their Sword Dance attack can do some real damage, especially when they're targeting Serge. Try to take them out first. Crossbones are a good source of Iron if you need to upgrade your equipment.
- Wraith - Black Innate. HP sponges, Wraiths can be quite annoying given their ability to use Hell Soul, which can immediately kill a party member if you're unlucky. This doesn't hit that often, though, so you should still prioritize other, higher-damaging enemies most of the time.
- Dead Beat - Black Innate. Creepy, skittering little things, Dead Beats are fast but fairly weak. The problem here is that they, too, can use Hell Soul, and they usually attack in packs. Prioritize them for killing if there are no Crossbones around. Like Crossbones, Dead Beats tend to drop Iron a lot.
- Tzetze Fly - Black Innate. Casts Genius and Hell-Bound. Not a major threat compared to most of the other enemies, and also barely shows up.
Leave the 'prison' - really just looks like they threw you into a closet - and you'll find an injured pirate in the hallway. Check the door to your right and you'll find it locked. A note attached mentions something about 'key duty'. You need to get through this door to proceed, which means finding the pirate with the key.
Head down the hallway and help the pirate skirmishing with the Crossbones, if you like. To the right of him is a door leading to a side room with another pirate and another Crossbones. Get up onto the sleeping pallets to nab yourself an Aqua Ball Element, and help the guy if you wish. He also doesn't have the key.
Head back into the hall. A Wraith will appear and come at you as you walk left. The door near the Wraith is locked, so run past it and down to the west end of the hall, where you'll find a chest guarded by another invisible Wraith. The chest contains a Fire Pillar Element.
Backtrack and go up the ladder. To your left you'll find another Wraith keeping watch over two doors, neither of which you can access right now. Help the pirate fighting the Crossbones near the upper door, then head back to the right. Yet another Wraith is guarding the door beside the burning crates that are blocking the hallway.
Pop into the door. You're in the kitchen, and a pirate writhing on the floor will tell you there's a Wraith inside. It will appear when you approach the chest containing the Panacea Element in the corner. Once the Wraith is gone, use the ventilation grating on the wall in the top-right corner of the room to gain access to the next room over.
You're now in a mess hall. There's a Wraith waiting on your immediate right, in front of a chest containing a Capsule Element. There are two more pirates in here, one fighting a Crossbones, and... neither of them have the key. Go out into the hall, however, and after fighting one more Wraith you'll find a group of three pirate protecting a barricade. The pirate with the yellow bandana will hand over the Key.
Backtrack through the ship to the locked door, watch out for a Wraith on the other side, and go down the stairs ahead. After a hallway containing a Dead Beat and several cannons you'll wind up on the outer hull of the Invincible. The pirate standing out here will offer you some of his 'homemade vitamin drink', which will either restore everyone's HP, remove status ailments, or... poison one of your party members. Drink with caution. (You can just keep drinking until it dispels the status ailments if you'd rather not use any Antidotes.)
Run along the hull to the left, dodging or attacking the Wraiths that appear as you go. The ladder at the end will take you down to the water's edge, below the oars. Keep following this straightforward path and you'll wind up in the Arsenal, along with a bunch of other Dead Beats, and... Pip?
Pip
Yes, if you freed Luccia's little science project back at Viper Manor you'll find him in the Arsenal of the S.S. Invincible. He is understandably spooked, however, and will run off when you speak to him. Follow him through the Arsenal, talking to him each time he stops. Pip remains in plain sight until he retreats behind the stairs, near the cages in the middle of the room. Follow him to the bottom-left corner of the screen and he'll finally talk to you, and, if you want, join the party.
Plunder the two chests in the Arsenal for a Gravitonne Element and a Capsule Element, then head up the stairs. There's a Photon Beam Element at the top - you should probably equip this on someone - and a door leading back outside. Out here is a save point on your right, a sure sign that something nasty is coming. Climb up to the deck and that nasty something will show up pretty quickly, after you fend off some more enemies and help Fargo.
Dead Head
The Black Innate result of five Dead Beats merging, the Dead Head is a nasty customer. It will start the fight by using Diminish, cutting the effectiveness of your Elements in half. It can then use normal attacks, Imbecile to cut one character's magic attack, Death's Odor to potentially inflict Cursed status on everyone in your party, and Dark Breath to damage one character and potentially inflict Darkness.
This fight isn't that bad overall, but it can take a while given Dead Head's high health and choice of status ailments. If you can, try to counteract Diminish with Magnify, then use your best Elements and physical attacks to whittle its health down. If you can't use Magnify you'll probably be relying more on physical attacks, in which case characters like Serge and Glenn will prove the most useful. Cursed and Darkness are annoying status ailments, but they'll keep getting reapplied, so it's not really worth it to try and cure them. Just heal your characters and keep chipping away.
You'll receive a Star Level, 425 g, and a Hell Soul Element for defeating Dead Head. Fargo will appreciate your efforts and will happily set you free, with a bit of advice to boot. Clearing the ghosts away will allow you to access Mount Pyre, putting you one step closer to Fort Dragonia.