Part 21: Prepping for the Frontier (Forbidden Forest)

Main Walkthrough

The team has arrived at the Frontier by airship, in pursuit of Ghaleon, his three Vile Tribe lackeys, and a certain traitorous someone. There's a protective bubble around Ghaleon's fortress keeping the airship out, however, and Alex's party is forced to look for a different way in. You'll find it in the town of Talon, a short walk east of the airship's landing zone.

Talon

Home of the Vile Tribe's miners, Talon is... not a happy place. There isn't a single miner who enjoys their life, for one reason or another, and understandably so. Speaking to the various NPCs in Talon will shed some light on the motivations of the Vile Tribe, but you won't find anything of tangible use in their cramped apartments.

Talon seems confusing to navigate, but it's fairly simple. Just keep heading north through door after door. Eventually you'll wind up in an open area with three doors. The door on the left leads to a small clinic where you can get injections to heal your party, while the northern door leads to a pub - and the entrance to the mines.

Talon Mine

Enemies

  • Groper - 189 HP - Can Confuse targets
  • Mecha Tank - 225 HP - Can hit grouped targets
  • Rock Biter - 160 HP - Can Poison targets
  • Stalker - 190 HP - Can put targets to Sleep

The mine isn't complicated to explore, per se, but there are a lot of tunnels that connect with one another and loop you back, making it a tad confusing. On the plus side, the enemies shouldn't give your team any trouble, even with Nash gone.

Start by heading east from the entrance, beneath a bridge, until you find stairs. You'll wind up in a back chamber where you'll find a chest containing a Healing Nut. On the west end of the chamber is an exit to the next large area.

Go up the nearest sets of stairs and you'll wind up beside a bridge. Cross the bridge and head northeast to the next exit. You'll be in another open area. Follow the path east, past the first set of stairs then up the second. North of here is the entrance to a small chamber. Inside the chamber is a chest containing a Protection Ring.

Descend to the lowest level of the previous open area and use the southern-most exit. This will take you back to the previous open area. Follow the path south and west to find a path to a narrower, rockier set of tunnels with lots of patrolling enemies. In the first room you'll find a chest containing a Healing Nut.

There are two other doors in this room, on your right. Go through the lower-right door and head south through the next two chambers, fighting enemies. There's a chest on your left containing a Silver Light. The two doors in the south of this chamber just lead back to previous areas, so ignore them and make your way back to the room where you found the Healing Nut. Go through the northern door.

This next area has several miners and no enemies, so you can relax for a bit. Chat with the miners, if you like, then head through the door in the northwest. There will be a rumble, and you'll need to head back to the chamber with the miners to save one of them from a rockslide. Speak to the green miner in the north to get started. This will prompt a bunch of guards to enter the room and attack, though you should have no trouble fighting them off. You can continue through the mine after defeating the guards, though keep this room in mind, as you can get an extra item here before leaving the Frontier for good.

To the north, through a narrow tunnel, you'll reach another open area with a signpost. Head northeast to start, ignoring the steps to the north, and you'll find a thin tunnel leading to a chest containing a Hell Armlet. Backtrack to the signpost. Go up the stairs to the north and head east to find your way to a chest containing a Silver Light. Backtrack the way you came, then check south of the stairs you used to find a side chamber. Inside it is a chest containing a Star Light.

Return to the signpost in the open area and head west to find an exit. Head gradually southeast in the next area and you'll wind up near two doors in the south. Ignore them both for a moment and travel north, beneath a land bridge. You'll find your way to a chest containing a Holy Robe, and if you look east of this chest you'll find a path to another chamber. In here is a chest containing a Devil Pendant.

Return to the previous open area and head back to the two doors in the south. If you take the door on the left you'll find a thin passage filled with enemies, and it leads to an open area with another enemy. All of them collectively are guarding a chest that contains a Refresher Ring. This accessory prevents all status ailments, so it is worth getting.

Return to the open area and take the door on the right. Go down the steps to your right in the next chamber, and cross beneath the bridge to the left. You'll find your way to a small side chamber with a chest. The chest contains an Angel's Tear. Return to the entrance of the previous area and head south across the bridge, then west. Head southwest and you'll find the way to another side chamber, this one with a chest containing a Fire Tiara.

Return to the open area and fight past the enemies guarding the central, northern doorway. Beyond is a chamber full of water. Head east and you'll find a chest containing a Healing Nut. North of here is the entrance to a small graveyard, and in the middle of it is a statue of Althena that you can use to restore the party. How sad. 

Continue north. A familiar (and unwelcome) face will force Alex and Kyle to fight each other, though the duel goes nowhere. Once that's done you'll be up against a boss.

Shadow Spectre

How ominous. The Shadow Spectre is your standard stock Lunar boss, capable of hitting hard but throwing no major curve balls. It can use the following attacks:

  • A normal melee bite (three attacks per round)
  • Black Bile, a ranged attack that can Mute one character
  • Piercing Eyes, a strong attack against the whole party
You should know what to do by now. Buff up Alex and Kyle's attack power, then let them loose. Mia can continue to work on buffing characters or use either of her single-hitting elemental spells. Jessica handles healing for the majority of the battle. You'll only run into trouble if Jessica gets hit with Mute, though the status ailment will go away after a few turns if you can't otherwise heal it. Put a few Healing Nuts on your other characters in case this happens.

Defeat the Shadow Spectre and you'll open the way to the world map. Ruid, the fortress of the Vile Tribe, is a short walk away.

Part 23: Ruid

Main Walkthrough