Ryu and Nina have once again been captured by Balio and Sunder, and the horse brothers have carted the kids off to the desert town of Genmel, home to the Contest of Champions. Left under the drunken eye of the bartender Fahl, the kids quickly escape... though now they're stranded in the desert, surrounded by unfriendly folks. (Including that thoughtful fellow in the corner of the bar. He looks important.)
Also known as Arena on the world map, Genmel will become more important a bit later in the game, when you return here during the Contest of Champions. For now, you might as well have a quick look around the tents before skipping town:
- Southwest of Fahl's bar is a tent containing an item shop and a weapons / armor shop. This is a good place to get Ryu and Nina suited up, if you didn't buy them anything back in Wyndia. Outside the tent and hidden by the wall surrounding the town is a Manillo merchant, and if you speak to him he'll give you a Flier that will earn you a discount if you shop at either store.
- There's an inn on the east side of Genmel. Check the dresser behind the owner to receive 80 zenny, which is almost enough to have a nap.
And... yep, that's all. Genmel opens up a great deal once the Contest is on, but for now all you can do here is shop and sleep. Leave town and head into the desert. There are a few things you can do in the desert:
- Follow the road west of Genmel and you'll arrive at the Maekyss Gorge. The bridge across the gorge is currently blocked by an overturned cart, and you can't cross through. Seems legit.
- The road west out of Genmel also leads to a fishing spot. There are some new, more valuable fish to catch in these parts, but with no Manillo ready to trade you can't use them for much besides restorative items.
- Between the Maekyss Gorge and the fishing spot is a conspicuous mountain. Go around the west side of the mountain and you'll find a ? spot on the map. Check this little area out and you'll find a tent occupied by some obvious criminals. They complain about crows in the tree outside, which will be important later in the game. For now, check their single dresser for a Wisdom Fruit.
The areas around Genmel are good for powering up Nina, as you can enter Exclamation Spots around here to fight random enemies - and they include Tar Men. Nina has the icy magic needed to freeze them and earn you juicy amounts of experience. That aside, though, all you can really do near Genmel is head to your next destination, which is Mt. Boumore.
Mt. Boumore
Monsters
- Gonger - Steal MultiVitamin, Drop Life Shard
- Nut Archer - Steal Berries, Drop Panacea
- NutTroop - Steal Berries, Drop Broad Sword, Learn Double Blow
- Orc - Steal Bronze Shield, Drop Titan Belt, Learn Last Resort
- Tar Man - Steal Clay Vase, Drop MultiVitamin
Most of the enemies on Mt. Boumore will look pretty familiar by now, and a mixture of Fire and Ice magic will do nicely 'round these parts. The exception are the Orcs, which tend to start off by using Last Resort. This maximizes their hitting power at the expense of their defenses. Target Orcs first and foremost, as they can quickly annihilate your party - and they're pretty easy to kill, once their defenses have been stripped away.
Follow the path through Mt. Boumore to the northeast until you reach a slope. Look a little further northeast, past the slope, to find a chest containing a Panacea. Then go up the slope. At the top and to the northwest you'll find a crossroads. If you follow the crossroads west you'll find a point where the path loops back to the east, and you can find 400 zenny hidden down a little side path at the bend.
Climb the ladder to the northwest of the crossroads, then head northeast. You'll come to a small quarry with a few workers. Ignore them for the moment and drop down the cliff to the right of the man smoking the pipe. Drop down another cliff to the southeast and you'll land beside a chest. Inside the chest you'll find a Buckler. You'll need to make your way back up to the quarry after this, but the Buckler is a decent enough piece of equipment to make the trip worth your time.
Speak to the man with the pipe. His name is Mason, and he'll listen to the kids' story and offer them a place to sleep. Before entering the rear room of the shack, check the cabinet on the left for a Bent Sword. Then go through the door on the right to catch some z's. The kids will wake up the next day...
... and, shockingly, the horse brothers have followed them. Again. You can't escape the shack through the front door, so head out through the northern door. You'll find the quarry's lift car, and if you check the control device on the northern platform Nina will determine that her magic (which, coincidentally, is also her Field Action) can power the lift. The kids will make a narrow escape to the other side of Mt. Boumore.
Leave the lift station and head northeast. You'll find a locked gate, forcing you further up the mountain. Take the lower path northeast first and you'll hit a dead end with a Life Shard, then backtrack and climb the mountain. After some trekking you'll hit another dead end, and Sunder will confront the kids...
... only to lose them. Again. Ryu's heroic actions in saving Nina during the slide down the mountain will earn him the Defender Gene, which when coupled with the Flame Gene will make Ryu a much larger, more impressive-looking dragon. You can flee Mt. Boumore to the southeast.
You'll be back on the world map after this, on the east side of Mt. Boumore. Your next destination is to the northeast of the mountain, though before you head that direction check the base of the mountains a little ways to the south. Near a pair of trees you'll find a ? mark on the map, and if you inspect this area you'll find a chunk of chrysm. Nab it to receive the Reverse Gene, another genetic feather in Ryu's cap. The Reverse Gene reverses whichever elemental Genes you've chosen, so if you try to make Ryu into a Flame Dragon he'll become a Frost Dragon instead. Neat.
Head north through Eastern Wyndia. Along the coast you'll find another fishing spot, if you were interested, and the Manillo swimming these waters can trade you some nice pieces of armor. Further north of here you'll find the ominously-named Tower, where, after running into so many villains, Ryu and Nina are about to meet another friend. Finally.