Once you've made your way through the ghost invasion of the S.S. Invincible you can, in theory, make the trek through Mount Pyre. There's nothing stopping you... though the patches of lava throughout the dungeon will swiftly drain your characters of health, leaving them vulnerable to a quick end if you get into a battle.
There's a way around the lava, and it requires you to head to Water Dragon Isle in Home World. If you opted not to save Kid, return to Guldove now and you'll find that a mystery stranger has dropped in and given her an antidote to the Hydra venom. She'll rejoin the party, and bring with her the Astral Amulet that you need to teleport between worlds. You can do this at Opassa Beach, by using the Astral Amulet while standing atop the green temporal distortion.
(Which means, in case you were wondering, that the only way to never have Kid in your party, aside from the one fight when you first meet her, is to go through Mount Pyre without extra help. If that's what you want, then skip this article. Enjoy the lava!)
Make your way to Arni Village in Home World. You don't yet have a boat in this dimension, but the old man down at the dock does. He'll offer to ferry you to Water Dragon Isle for 100 g. Agree and he'll shuttle you over.
Water Dragon Isle (Home World)
Unlike Water Dragon Isle in Another World, which is dusty and barren, this Water Dragon Isle is a lush paradise. You can use the lily pads floating in the water to make your way north. First, though, use the lily pads to float over to the east and west sides of the area. You'll find an Aqua Ball Element to the north if you go west, and going east will bring you to an Ice Blast Element.
There's a save point in the north. Use it, as things are about to get hairy. Be sure to put Razzly in your party if you managed to recruit her...
... because you're all about to discover that her village, Fairyville, is under attack by dwarves. If you saved Kid you'll recognize these guys as the dwarves you drove out of the Hydra Marshes. They're looking for a new home, and they're busy killing the fairies so they can steal Water Dragon Isle. Harsh. (And pretty hypocritical, considering what the dwarves have to say about humans. But anyway.)
Water Dragon Isle isn't huge, as far as dungeons go, but you'll see need to fight a fair number of enemies to make it through:
- Daffy Dwarf - Yellow Innate. Shovel-wielding little jerks. For the most part they just attack you.
- Daggy Dwarf - Yellow Innate. Slightly stronger dwarves that can use Hi-Ho War Cry to do a respectable amount of damage to one character. Still not that difficult.
- Dwarf - Yellow Innate. Can use Hi Ho Chorus to hit everyone in the party. Relatively strong, but also prevents all other dwarves present from attacking.
Wipe out as many dwarves as you like on the first screen. Look along the tree line to the right of the entrance for a Nimble Element, then go north and head into the cave. The dwarf chieftain and a crowd of other dwarves will be waiting and attack you. The Dwarf in this fight uses Hi-Ho Chorus to hit your whole party, though if you kill him first all the other dwarves will suddenly be able to take their turns. Killing all the other dwarves first should result in less damage for your team. You'll receive a Star Level for taking out these dwarves, as well as a slew of items.
The dwarven chief will retreat after the fight. Head north, then west. There are several cave exits leading back outside up here, though only the upper-left exit is useful, as it leads to a Magic Ring. Climb the handholds beside the waterfalls to descend to the bottom of the screen.
There's a save point on your immediate left on the next screen. Use it, then descend on your right. You'll need to pass under a waterfall, and there's a small cave behind it. Inside is a covetous dwarf guarding a Scaley Dress. Grab it, then keep going to the bottom of the cave. The dwarf chieftain is waiting, and he has a new, ridiculous weapon at his disposal.
Hi-Ho Tank
Why do the dwarves live in swamps if they can make things like this...? Accompanied by two Dwarves, the Hi-Ho Tank is a brutal opponent. A Yellow-Innate, the Hi-Ho Tank will start off by using HiRes to increase its defense, then open up with a simple, albeit brutal, attack pattern. Most of the time the Hi-Ho Tank will use normal physical attacks, either smashing into one character or sideswiping all three. These attacks hurt, but they're not that bad. The problem is the Hi-Ho Tank's main weapon, Element Shot, which inflicts a high amount of damage with a random Innate Element. Element Shot can take on all six Elements, and you'll never know which one is coming.
Start by taking out the two Dwarves. Use stat debuffs like Weaken and Imbecile to blunt the impact of the Hi-Ho Tank's attacks, then use your strongest Green Innate Elements and Techs to bring it down. Element Shot is brutal enough that you really don't want to take too many hits of it in one battle. Use healing Elements that restore everyone at once whenever the Hi-Ho Tank performs a sideswipe, as your characters usually won't survive the incoming Element Shot if they aren't at full health. Razzly is a great help in this fight given her Green Innate status, so she makes a prime candidate to Revive if she goes down.
You'll receive a Star Level, 800 g, and a Knee Pad (and possibly some Upheavals) for defeating the Hi-Ho Tank.
What happens in the aftermath of the battle depends on whether or not Razzly came with you, and how long it took to defeat the dwarves. If Razzly fought the Hydra the dwarves will leave the island in peace and return to the Hydra Marshes. Otherwise they'll just die. If you proceed through the caves quickly enough you'll save Rosetta, Razzly's sister, and she'll give you the Wisp Cape as you leave the island. If you don't save Rosetta in time she will die, leading to much better rewards in the far future, including Razzly's Level Seven Tech. (Yes, sadly, it's better to waste a bunch of time and let Rosetta die. The Wisp Cape isn't that good.)
Regardless of the outcome, head into the final section of the cave. The Water Dragon is waiting here for you, and it will give you the Ice Breath key item. You can use this to safely make your way through Mount Pyre. The Water Dragon will also give you the Frog Prince Element, your first Summon. Equip it on one of your Blue Innate characters and it can wreak havoc on the battlefield.