Part 16: The Contest of Champions
Despite losing the Contest of Champions, Ryu and company have finally managed to break free of the clutches of Balio and Sunder, thanks in part to Garr, their gargoyle-esque benefactor. Garr wants to escort Ryu to Angel Tower, far to the east, to learn more about the Brood. First, though, they need to drop off a princess.
At this point you're meant to head to Wyndia and leave Nina at the castle. First, though, you should do some backtracking. The world has opened up again now that the horse brothers are gone, and there are a bunch of Masters you (probably) need to look in on, now that your party has gained a bunch of levels.
Revisiting Old Masters
Assuming you've been busy apprenticing your characters to Masters you've likely been wondering when you can go back and earn new Skills for raising levels. Now is the time, as you can re-explore every area you've previously visited.
- Assuming you apprenticed Ryu to either Mygas or Bunyan (likely Bunyan), you can return to the Yraall Region and speak to both. Mygas makes a good master for Nina or Momo, while Bunyan is a good choice for Peco or Garr.
- If you apprenticed someone to Durandal during your first visit to Wyndia you should drop by now and earn his three Skills, then immediately dump him as a Master. All you need from Durandal is the Backhand Skill. Otherwise, he's a pretty terrible Master.
- Though your last visit wasn't that long ago, you can also return to Eastern Wyndia and speak to Yggdrasil and / or D'Lonzo. Keep in mind that Peco needs to lead the party to speak to Yggdrasil. Recruiting Garr and Peco also increased your available weapons, so if you couldn't use D'Lonzo as a Master before, you likely can now. Yggdrasil is still best used on Nina or Momo, or Ryu if you want to take him along the spellcasting route. D'Lonzo remains a good Master for Momo, and is solid for Ryu if you want to make him a speedier warrior instead.
- You should also consider hopping back to Genmel and apprenticing Garr to Fahl, if you unlocked him as a Master. Fahl accentuates all of Garr's best qualities as a warrior.
Speaking of Yggdrasil and Peco, there's another Yggdrasil tree that you can visit. Head over to Mt. Myrneg. There's a path along its northeastern edge that will bring you to the tree. There are no items to collect here, but speaking to the tree with Peco will reveal an important plot point. (Though you won't understand why it is important for a long, long time.)
Castle Wyndia
Eventually the joyride needs to come to an end. Put Nina at the front of your party and take her back to Wyndia. The entrance to Castle Wyndia is located in the northwest of the city, at the top of the stairs leading through the upper area. With Nina in front the group will immediately gain an audience with the king...
... and, after requesting a passport to the eastern lands, Ryu and company will leave Nina behind. Phooey. Alas, it appears they left someone else behind, as well, and a noise will spark Nina's curiosity. You'll now be playing as her for a bit as you explore Castle Wyndia. There are a bunch of items to collect before you properly begin the investigation:
- The dresser in Nina's room, where you start off, contains 120 zenny.
- Follow the purple pathway to the west of the stairs leading to Nina's bedroom. You'll find more stairs, leading up to the servants' quarters. There are no items up here, but the bookshelves on the second floor contain info about Wyndians that might be of interest to Breath of Fire fans.
- The dining room where the group sat down for a meal is on the west side of the castle. Northeast of the dining table are two cupboards in a wall niche. Check the cupboards for Marbles and Gems.
- Southwest of the dining room you'll find stairs leading up to the king and queen's rooms. The queen is in her bed, if you want some dialogue with Nina. Check the dressers in the queen's room for a Healing Herb, and the sloped container in the corner for a Coin. The dresser in the king's room, one floor up, contains another Healing Herb.
- Also southwest of the dining room, down a side hall, is a small barracks. Check the cupboard in this room for a Panacea.
There's more to explore, but we'll solve a bit of the noise mystery first. In the dining room you'll find a maid who dropped a plate because something bumped her foot. Speak to her and the culprit - none other than Honey, Momo's little mechanical helper - will appear and run off. If you speak to the knight with the axe in the throne room, the attendant near Nina's room, and the guard near the stairs to the east of Nina's room, you'll get the sense that Honey ran down to the basement levels.
Follow Honey down one level. If you go east of here you'll find stairs down to the dungeon, where Ryu and Nina first met. You can't enter the area with the cells, but if you check the cabinet near the guard on duty you'll find a Vitamin. Snag it, then head back upstairs and take the stairs to the west down another level.
You'll now be in Castle Wyndia's kitchen. The head chef, Hachio / Haochi (depending on your version of the game), won't appear to have seen anything, though a froggish chef to the southwest certainly did. Check the cabinets near the frog chef to receive a Panacea, then head down the nearby stairs. (And keep Hachio / Haochi's location in mind, as he'll be a Master some day. Not for a while, though.)
On the next level down you'll find a wine cellar. There's no sign of Honey here, nor is she down the ladder in the southwest of the cellar. You'll only find her if you twist the camera a bit to the east of the ladder, as she's hiding behind the huge wine barrels. Speak to Honey...
... and she'll run off again. Drat.
Head back to Nina's room. There's a door on the west side of the room leading outdoors, and Nina will corner Honey on a fancy balcony. Honey will jump to her doom, Nina will follow, and the two will, thanks to the wonders of high technology, land safely. Nina takes Honey back to Ryu's group for repairs, and when she overhears that things might not end well for her friend in the eastern lands, Nina forces her way back into the party. Fair enough.
You're now pretty much banned from Wyndia, so head northeast along Eygnock Road to the Checkpoint, a spot you may have visited earlier in the game. After some quick - and disturbing - thinking on Garr's part, the group will be allowed to pass. One awkward conversation later you'll find yourself in the Rhapala Region, the next major hurdle in your journey.