Part Fourteen: Fort Dragonia (Another World)
When you awaken from the events of Fort Dragonia you'll still be in control of Lynx, and he's your party leader for a significant chunk of Chrono Cross. Best get used to him, as everyone else has deserted you. You'll also be in a bizarre, painted landscape called the Temporal Vortex, and you need to find your way out.
Climb the path on the left side of the screen. There's a palm frond over here that you can step on. Doing so will trigger a green someone to dash out of their house on the left and grab the berry that falls out of the front. Run into the door of their house while they're grabbing the berry...
... and, rather understandably, they will be annoyed at your intrusion. Nevertheless they'll get over Lynx's presence pretty quickly, and will invite you to stay the night. Use the ladder on the right side of the screen to reach a save point, then climb back up and leave. On your way out the green someone, an old lady named Sprigg, will join your party.
Sprigg
Unlike most characters, who play very similarly to one another, Sprigg deserves a bit of extra attention. You'll notice immediately that Sprigg's Element Grid is very small. This is because of her special Tech, Doppelgang. Doppelgang allows Sprigg to transform into monsters, adopting their stats and Element Grids in the process. Sprigg can become very powerful depending on the situation.
Sprigg starts off with a handful of monsters in her transformation pool, though with one or two exceptions (Lagoonate immediately jumps to mind) the transformations aren't that great. You can expand Sprigg's transformation pool in two ways:
- Allow Sprigg to perform the killing blow on a monster that isn't in her transformation pool
- Allow a character equipped with a Forget-Me-Not Pot to perform the killing blow on a monster that isn't in Sprigg's transformation pool
Assuming the monster can be used via Doppelgang, which isn't true for everything (bosses notably can't be added to the pool), the monster will then be added to the transformation pool. Sprigg is incredibly versatile, and letting her kill monsters will make her a valuable addition to the party if you intend to use her a lot.
Leaving the Temporal Vortex
Now that Sprigg is in the party you can make your way back to El Nido. Leave Sprigg's home and climb up to the berry frond. Enter the cave beside it and you'll find a path up to a tower. On the left side of the tower is a boulder. Push it off the ledge so it's beside the waterfall running through the middle of the area, then go beneath the waterfall and push the boulder down again. It'll knock another boulder further down out of the wall. Go back down to Sprigg's house and go around the left side to find a chest containing a Revive. Don't forget to grab this before you leave!
Climb back up to the tower. Now that Sprigg is in your party you can unlock it and enter. Inside you'll find Harle, Lynx's second-in-command, and she'll ask you several questions. How you answer doesn't ultimately matter. Once you regain control of your character you'll see an NPC walking along the floor of the tower that you're not on, and they'll enter one of several doors. Mirror them on your floor of the tower by entering the same door. Do this several times...
... and you'll pop out into a new area. Though bored by your decision to return to reality, Harle will join the party. She is a very powerful Black Innate character, and will come in handy.
You're now standing atop a mind-bending structure, and need to make your way to the bottom. This area has a new enemy for you to fight:
- Total Chaos - Black Innate. Sticks largely to physical attacks, though if you take too long killing one it can spawn a second, and the second can spawn a third, and so forth. White Innate Elements do wonders.
South of where you started is a lever. Go around the structure to reach and pull it. Go left and follow the thin path here to the southeast, behind a pillar that looks solid. On your right is a chest containing Mythril. Follow the southern railing and walkway southwest from here and you'll find a path under another walkway that leads to a Lesser Pendragon Sigil.
Return to the lever and pull it again. This will change the path leading past the pillar that looks solid, forcing you to the left side of the room. Walk along the northern wall and head west to find a path to another chest containing Mythril. Backtrack and go down the stairs beneath the path you were on. This will lead to the right side of the room, where you'll find a large hole in the floor. Inspect it...
... and you'll appear in the Hydra Marshes of Home World. If you saved Kid from poisoning earlier in the game you'll have come through here already; if not, there are treasures to collect. Check the article on saving Kid for more info on the Hydra Marshes. Either way, you're meant to leave, and the exit is to the south.
Part Sixteen: Arni Village, Termina, and Viper Manor (Home World)