With the Weird Woods behind them, Alex, Luna, and Ramus are on their way to the port town of Saith. You'll find Saith by following the thin pathway south of the Weird Woods' exit. If you go through the mountains west you'll wind up at another woody dungeon area, though since you can't trigger any storyline content in the forest until you visit Saith you might as well head for civilization first.
Saith is larger than Burg, though there's actually less to see, aside from copious amounts of amusing NPC dialogue. There are two things of note:
- North of the statue of Althena is a General Store that carries equipment and items. You likely made enough money in the Weird Woods to afford everything, so outfit your characters accordingly. At this point Ramus won't get any new melee weapons, and given the diminishing returns of his levels he's becoming more and more vulnerable, so you should stick him in the back rows with Luna if he isn't there already.
- West of the statue of Althena is a green-topped house. Check the home's upper floor and you'll find a locked red chest. Check the chest later when you can unlock it and you'll find a Protection Ring inside.
That's all for exploring Saith. Head to the south end of Saith and visit the Saith Pier, on the water's edge. Inside you'll find the captain of Saith's ship, who can't sail because a man named Brett won the captain's Sea Chart in a bet. Head to the Tavern, east of the state of Althena, and speak to the green-caped man in the back. This is Brett, and you'll need to engage him in a game of chance twice - and temporarily lose 200 silver - to resolve the issue.
Alas, Brett no longer has the Sea Chart, and will point you towards its new owner, who lives in the forest to the north. He'll give you a Fortune Cane and point you to the northwest. Leave Saith and head west through the mountains, then north, to find your destination.
- Killer Fly - 20 HP - Fast but frail
- Killer Wasp - 34 HP - Melee opponent - Weak to Thunder, Water
- Mantle Ripper - 26 HP - Melee opponent that can inflict Poison
- Mutant Ant - 20 HP - Melee opponent that appears in large groups - Weak to Thunder
This short dungeon is full of treasure, but you shouldn't bother getting it on the way in. Instead, take a right, head north through the clearings, then check the paths to the northwest. You'll find an exit to another area...
... and come across another hapless traveler, though one who does his best to play it cool. This is Nash, another party member, and he specializes in Thunder magic. He's a bit of a glass cannon, but Nash can be quite handy with his lightning-based attacks. Keep him in the back row and have him blast groups of enemies with Thunder Bomb. At the moment Nash has the Water Cane equipped, which will demolish the Killer Wasps in the forest. You won't have it for long, so if you want to do any grinding with Nash now is a good time.
(Also, check Nash's inventory. He has Mia's Bromide 1, a viewable item. Mia is another party member who you won't get to recruit for a while yet.)
Head north of the spot where you met Nash. You'll find the home of the Old Hag, and she has the Sea Chart - though she wants the Water Cane by way of trade. Luna can convince Nash to give it away. Unlike most NPCs you should not keep speaking to this woman, as she'll eventually steal the Fortune Cane off of you as well, completely depriving Nash of a weapon. Check the basement of the Old Hag's home and you'll find a locked red chest, and eventually you can open it to retrieve a Silver Light.
That's all for the storyline in the Old Hag's Forest. Care to pick up some treasure chests? There are a bunch in this place, and though none of them contain anything particularly amazing you might as well grab everything while you're here. Having Nash along for the ride will make it easier, as there are plenty of monsters in this place.
- Central chest in clearing - Enemies
- Far east chest - Herb
- Eastern chest in clearing - Enemies
- Southeastern chest in clearing - Enemies
- Southwestern chest clearing - Enemies
- Chest on the edge of southwestern clearing - Herb
- Western chest hidden along the path - Star Light
- Northwestern chest - Herb
- Northern chest in clearing - Enemies
- Far northern chest near clearing - 400 silver
- Regenerative abilities (90ish HP per round)
- A melee attack (two per round)
- Gelatin Breath, a ranged attack that does moderate damage to a single character
- Mucus, which incapacitates a character for several rounds
- Alex is your primary damage-dealer, and will carve a hearty chunk out of the Saline Slimer's goo each turn with Sword Dance. Using Vigor on him before he starts attacking will make this skill even stronger.
- Nash is your backup damage-dealer, and Thunder Bomb will do around 70 HP. He won't quite cover the regen factor, but it is better than nothing.
- Luna is your healer, as always, though she can also use Cascade Song to buff your physical party members.
- Ramus can either supply items to other party members or attack, though he won't contribute much to the battle.