Part Twenty-Two: The Dragon Gods
Your next destination is the Sea of Eden, though you still can't access the sea properly with Lynx in charge of the party. You need to get Serge back, and with the Dragon Gods defeated you've set the stage to do just that.
Head to Guldove in Another World. If you haven't been here since rescuing Riddel you'll need to fight Orlha, the local bar maid, and she'll vow to join your party once Serge is back in the party. She'll give you a Sapphire Brooch as proof of her commitment. Travel to the western-most tower and you'll find Chief Direa. She'll give you a Dragon Emblem.
Travel to Guldove in Home World. The guard out front of the chief's tower won't let you in unless you present the Dragon Emblem to him as a key item. Inside you'll find Chief Steena, who, if you have all six Dragon Relics, will give you the Dragon Tear. She'll also join the party.
Proceed to Fort Dragonia in Home World. Complete the four puzzles to make the elevator pop up at the entrance, then head inside. A familiar face is waiting inside, and you'll need to take them down.
Dark Serge
Yep, you're fighting Serge. Unlike the true Serge this version is Black Innate, and can use the same attacks as Lynx. Expect Glide Hook, Feral Cats, and the almighty Forever Zero to come out, all of which do a ton of damage. Serge can also use Black Hole, Tornado, Iceburg, and Volcano, and will occasionally break out Ultranova as an extra smack in the face. This also ignores Dark Serge's normal melee attacks, which are plentiful in amount and hurt quite a bit.
If you managed to pilfer the Black Plate from the Black Dragon earlier, you can equip it on a White Innate character like Riddel, Steena, or Starky to absorb Dark Serge's deadly Black Innate attacks. Otherwise, it's not recommended to bring White Innate characters into this fight. Dark Serge just hits too hard. Use Elements to deaden Dark Serge's attacks, White Innate Elements to chew up his health, and a litany of healing to stay out of danger. If one of your characters is below 250ish health there is a good chance Dark Serge can wipe them out in one hit, especially if he uses Forever Zero. Use Diminish if you're having too much trouble and you'll severely cut down on Dark Serge's damage output.
You'll earn a Star Level, 1,234 g, and a Perfect Pendragon Sigil for defeating Dark Serge.
Proceed to the top of Fort Dragonia, where Serge originally left the party and Lynx took over. After a lengthy and somewhat epic cut scene Lynx will be booted out of the party for good, and Serge will be back in command. Took long enough. You'll receive the Tear of Love on your way out of Fort Dragonia, and Steena will mention something about a Chrono Cross. We'll grab that in a little bit, once we can use it.
Head to the nearest save point, back on the main floor of Fort Dragonia. Use the Tele-Porter here. You'll notice that your roster is suddenly much healthier looking. Almost every character who took off when Lynx was in charge has now returned to the party, and can plugged in at your convenience. That's still waaaaaay too many party members, but, hey. Enjoy.
Recruiting
Want to bolster your ranks some more? Now that Serge is back in the party, you can get two more teammates.
- First up is Orlha. You fought her while visiting Guldove in Another World earlier, and after the fight she gave you a Sapphire Brooch. Show it to her at her bar as Serge and she'll join the party.
- Your second option is Turnip. Assuming you got the Ice Breath from the Water Dragon to get through Mt. Pyre early in the game, go to Hermit's Hideaway in Another World. The shack is burnt to the ground, and there's a conspicuous hot spot in front of it. You can use the Ice Breath here to cool the spot. Travel to Hermit's Hideaway in Home World and there will be a piece of vegetation growing in this same spot. Put Poshul in your party (hopefully you have her) and check this spot. Poshul will dig up Turnip, who will join the party. Another random plant creature...