The third part of Olberic's story takes him to Wellspring, an oasis town deep within the Sunlands. You can reach it by heading south from the Eastern Sunshade Sands to the Northern Wellspring Sands, then looking for the western path into town.
If you're partaking of the third chapters already then there's a chance you've already visited Wellspring as part of Therion's story. If not, though, there's an entire town to explore before you embark on Olberic's mission to find his friend-turned-enemy:
- The Townsperson who greets you as you enter Wellspring has a Fur Cap to Steal / Purchase.
- Just outside the Tavern is a Townsperson with two Healing Grape Bunches and two Inspiriting Plum Baskets to Steal / Purchase. Scrutinize / Inquire her and you'll learn the Discount at the Inn info.
- East of the Tavern is a building with a Guard out front. He's a powerful fighter if Provoked / Challenged, and unless you're way overleveled may prove to be too much for you. (Olberic's Thousand Spears / Brand's Thunder, and perhaps blinding / poisoning the guy, are your best bets.) If you can beat him you'll find three Merchants inside the building, and each has amazing items to Steal / Purchase: an Augmented Bow of the Falcon, a Memorial Necklace (part of a Side Story), and a Forbidden Axe. You can also learn Thieving Tips & Tricks by Scrutinizing / Inquiring the Merchant with the Forbidden Axe.
- In the northwest is another blocked building. The Townsperson out front has a Heavy Coin Pouch and a Copper-filled Pouch to Steal / Purchase. Challenge / Provoke him and win - he's much, much easier than the Guard - and you'll find two purple chests inside the building he's guarding. One contains 14,000 leaves, the other 9,000 leaves.
- On the west side of town is a Traveling Merchant with a Tightly Sealed Envelope that you can Steal. It's part of a Side Story. Just south of him is an Old Man with a Primeval Robe that you can Steal / Purchase, and if you Scrutinize / Inquire him you'll earn the More Plentiful Provisions info.
- There's a large building on the west side of town with a chest inside containing an Inspiriting Plum (M). The Guard out front near the door has a Heavy Blade to Steal / Purchase, and he has the Challenge with Ease info. The next Guard over has a Jaguar Lance.
- On the south side of town are three NPCs that have Side Stories for you. Assuming you've done Ria's Side Story and she has moved here, she'll have an Inferno Amulet to Steal / Purchase, among other things. Just to the right of the NPCs is a chest containing a Healing Grape (M).
That's all for the people of Wellspring. Time to see what Olberic can find in the town. If you turned down the chance to trigger his chapter earlier, you can do so now by speaking to the Tavern Keeper and choosing Hear a Tale.
Olberic's Chapter
Olberic arrives in Wellspring on the heels of Erhardt, the man who killed Olberic's king. Olberic needs to confront his former brother and fully understand why. Speak to the Townsperson near the Tavern and she'll immediately know Erhardt, though she's never met him. Sounds like the man has made a bit of a hero of himself.
Head to the west side of town and you'll see an Old Man who knows more about Erhardt, though little else. Speak to him, then pop into the building beside him. Two new NPCs will have spawned - Bale and a Guard - and you can Steal / Purchase from Bale for a Light Nut (M), a Sharp Nut (M), and a Tough Nut (M). Scrutinizing / Inquiring Bale will also make a Heavy Coin Pouch appear outside the Tavern. The Guard has an Unerring Bracelet and a Sharp Nut, and will make another Heavy Coin Pouch appear in the southeast of town if Scrutinized / Inquired. We'll get to these guys shortly.
Head north of the Old Man and you'll find the last NPC worth talking to, outside the house with the two purple chests. (Leave town and come back if you beat him up.) Olberic will think things over for a moment - then be approached by several Guards who don't care for Olberic's inquisitive approach to his search.
Olberic will be dragged to the guardsman's post, where Bale will show up and reveal that he's the reason Erhardt stuck around Wellspring. Olberic will resolve to learn where Erhardt is... only for lizardmen to show up in town and disturb the meeting. Olberic offers to help drive them off. Go into town and prepare - Polearms, Ice, and Wind are all great for the fight ahead - then head to the western exit of Wellspring, into the Western Wellspring Sands.
Western Wellspring Sands
Bale is waiting, and he'll ask if you're ready to face the lizardmen hordes. Say you are and you'll open the way into the sands, where you'll need to face two battles in succession:
- The first is against three Sand Lizardking Is. Weak to Polearms, Staves, and Ice, they're powerful enemies that you should promptly stun before they can get off too many attacks. Thousand Spears is a good attack to use, among others.
- The second is against three Sand Lizardking IIs. Also weak to Polearms, Staves, and Ice, they fight pretty similarly to the lesser Sand Lizardking Is, but also boost their critical hits, and therefore can hit harder. Same rules apply.
Once the battles are over Olberic will reminisce a bit, then you'll be free to explore the Western Wellspring Sands. There are monsters aplenty in this area:
- Sand Lizardman I - Weak to Polearm, Ice, and Wind. Basic melee unit that might poison you.
- Sand Lizardman II - Weak to Polearm, Ice, and Wind. Slightly stronger melee unit.
- Sand Lizardman III - Weak to Polearm, Ice, and Wind. Aaaand again. These guys are no big deal compared to the Lizardkings.
- Sand Lizardking I - Weak to Polearm, Staff, and Ice. If you beat 'em before you can beat 'em again.
- Sand Lizardking II - Weak to Polearm, Staff, and Ice. As above.
- Dark Roller - Weak to Dagger and Lightning. Can poison your party. Few vulnerabilities and high defenses make them annoying, but they break easily if you have the right attacks.
- Desert Worm - Weak to Polearm, Axe, Wind, and Light. Hefty beast that can hit hard. Usually worth killing first.
This area is pretty straightforward, and you can get through it by running straight west. Check along the southern rocks to find a chest containing 6,000 leaves, and on the west side of the oasis for a path leading by a rock and a sandfall that will take you to a chest containing an Olive of Life (M). On the west side of the area you'll find a save point, and just past it is the Lizardman's Den.
As the name implies, the Lizardman's Den is home to, well, lots of Lizardmen. You'll primarily be fighting the same enemies as in the Western Wellspring Sands, with two new additions:
- Slayer Bug - Weak to Sword and Axe. Painful little creep with few weaknesses and the ability to blind your party members. A prime target when you first enter battle, since they usually cause more trouble than the Lizardmen.
- Vampire Bat - Weak to Sword, Polearm, Bow, and Ice.
Use the save point at the entrance, then set about exploring. Up the stairs near the save point and on your right is a chest containing 2,000 leaves, and down the semi-hidden stairs on the left is a chest containing 200 leaves. To the north of here you'll see another chest in a lit area; check the wall on your right before reaching said lit area to find a hidden path leading to a purple chest containing a Silver-filled Pouch.
The path to the chest in the northeast is blocked by a fallen pillar, so head west until the path splits. If you go south you'll loop back to the entrance, though it's still worth heading this direction to grab a chest containing 400 leaves. (Noticing a trend yet?) Cross the bridge in the west and you'll find 800 leaves beneath it once you reach the other side.
Head south of the bridge and you'll follow a somewhat lengthy path to a chest containing 4,000 leaves. Go up the stairs to the left of the bridge - they're a little hidden - to find a Copper-filled Pouch. North of the bridge and down some stairs on your right you'll find a chest containing 1,000 leaves. Keep following the northern path and you'll find a save point, as well as a group of Lizardmen to the north. Ignore them for a moment and take a right at the save point. You'll find a path up some stairs to a chest containing 1,400 leaves, and then to the chest you had to ignore before, containing a Copper-filled Pouch.
Use the save point, then head north. Olberic has managed to track down Erhardt, though the Lizardmen are keeping them too busy to talk. Head east once the men split up and you'll find the Lizardman Chieftain, leader of this abominable crew.
Lizardman Chief
Weakness: Sword, Dagger, Axe, Lightning, Light
Weakness (Sand Lizardking): Polearm, Staff, Ice, Wind
Unsurprisingly, this massive lizard is no pushover. The Lizardman Chief likes to use Skills that either debuff your party or inflicts unconsciousness, both on top of doing lots of damage. When the Chief breathes deeply it will use Bestial Roar on its next turn if not stunned, buffing itself and potentially inflicting unconsciousness on the whole party. When alone the Chief can also use Rampage, which smacks random members of your party up to five times. The Lizardman Chief often isn't alone, however, as it will summon two Sand Lizardkings into the battle to help it. Defeat them and the Chief will eventually bring them back for another go (albeit weaker than before). While there are Sand Lizardkings around the Chief's weaknesses to Dagger, Axe, and Light are all blocked.
The Sand Lizardkings are too strong to just ignore, so once they show up you'll have to spend a bit of time whittling them down. Try to get both of them stunned so they can't join the Chief in beating the snot out of you, which, given that they share the same weaknesses as almost every other Lizardman you've fought to get here, shouldn't be too difficult. The Chief only has seven defensive shields, so using a few Boosted attacks can quickly carve up its barriers and give you an opening to do serious damage. Brand's Thunder is especially potent against the Chief, if you can get it set up properly.
You'll earn a Healing Grape Bunch and a Lizardking's Axe for defeating the Lizardman Chief and its subordinates. Head back the way you came and you'll find Erhardt. Save up and heal Olberic before you speak to him, as you're not done fighting just yet - and Olberic needs to win this battle alone.
Erhardt
Weakness: Sword, Axe, Ice, Dark
It had to come to this. Erhardt has a pretty simple attack pattern, either hitting once or multiple times per round. The only slightly unorthodox move he has is Blazing Blade, which can inflict terror on Olberic and lock away his Boosting. Use Stout Wall to beef up Olberic's defenses, then go to work chewing away at Erhardt's health. Use magic or Healing Grapes to keep Olberic's health up, as necessary. The fight can take a little while if you keep getting hit by terror, but so long as Olberic keeps his health above 1,000 HP beating Erhardt is just a matter of time.
You'll earn a Divine Blade for defeating Erhardt, and the two men will reconcile. Olberic demands to know who plotted out the fall of his kingdom, however, and Erhardt will point him to Riverford, in pursuit of a man named Werner. Olberic's tale is almost done.