Part 7: McNeil Manor - Interior
The kids have successfully raided McNeil Manor, and McNeil's ill-gotten tax money has been distributed to the people of the village. Alas, the game makes it pretty plain that this plan was not a good idea, and Teepo's proposed visit to McNeil is equally ill-advised. Still, you need to see what people are thinking in town, so...
At this point in Breath of Fire III you're sitting at a bit of a crossroads, and without spoilers things are about to change quite a bit. There are a few things you should probably do before you head into McNeil, if you haven't already:
- Put your best equipment on Ryu
- Save any stat-boosting items that might be in your inventory for Ryu, and consider just using them on him now
- Scour the interior of the boys' treehouse home in Cedar Woods for items - there's nothing terribly important inside, but still
- Collect any Skills from Mygas that you might have earned by leveling Rei or Teepo, though do not put them into the Skill Book at camp
- Pilfer a Pointed Stick from the Man Traps that live in the Yraall Region - this will come in handy for satisfying the requirements of a useful Master, a ways further down the road
- Do any side exploration in the Yraall Region that you haven't done up to this point
All done? Head to McNeil. The people will be quite upset with the kids' attempt at chivalry, and it quickly becomes clear that Loki's plan backfired. The shopkeepers will no longer sell you items, and the inn won't let you rent a room. Head to the Farm to speak to Loki, then head into the nearby hut to learn the true story from Bunyan. Better head home and lay low.
Return to the Cedar Woods and go back to the treehouse. Alas, someone has been busy since the kids left...
Balio and Sunder
- Steal: Protein (Balio), Life Shard (Sunder)
- Drop: Nothing
- Skills: Nothing
Inarguably the most debated encounter in Breath of Fire III - and possibly the entire franchise - the battle against Balio and Sunder is ultimately hopeless. The horse brothers are much more powerful than your party at this point in the game, and their health cannot be depleted. Put up as valiant a fight as you like, but Ryu, Rei, and Teepo are going to lose.
(A smarter plan is to have Rei attempt to Pilfer the bosses while Ryu and Teepo try to hang on by defending and healing. The chances that you'll steal anything are spectacularly low, but Pilfering is just about the only constructive activity you can undertake in this fight. Good luck!)
Once the battle is over Ryu will wake up, alone, in Bunyan's house. Head outside and the woodsman will explain that he only found Ryu, badly injured, with no sign of Rei or Teepo. Despite having a good cry Ryu is undaunted, however, and he decides to leave the Yraall Region, heading east to the kingdom of Wyndia. He'll have to do so alone for the time being.
Leave Cedar Woods, then head right back in and revisit Bunyan. The woodsman will be chopping logs, an activity he'll do for the rest of the game, and he'll be available as your second Master. Characters leveling up under Bunyan's tutelage will learn several strong physical Skills, and their HP, Pwr, and Def will go up faster, albeit while taking a hit to Int and AP.
Bunyan makes a good Master for Ryu right away if you're more interested in beefing up his physical stats, though in the long run you'll want to switch Ryu to a different Master so he can build up his AP. Note, however, that you won't get to return to this area for some time, forcing Ryu to remain apprenticed to Bunyan if he wants to collect any Skills from the woodsman. If you switch Masters at any point that character will need to start over from the first level.
Make a trip to McNeil if you need to stock up on items - the vendors will sell to you again - then head down to the Yraall Road. You can now use this intersection on the world map to travel northeast or southwest along the road, though the bridge is out to the southwest. Northeast it is, and onward to Wyndia.