Part 20: Black Dragon Fortress

Main Walkthrough

Alex has finally become the Dragonmaster, but the team is nevertheless at a disadvantage. The Magic Emperor has control of the four dragons, and he still has Luna in his thrall, to boot. The Magic Emperor is based out of the Frontier, which is a long way from the 'settled' lands of Lunar, though Myght's airship-in-progress will be enough to get everybody where they're going. The problem is... you'll miss out on a bunch of stuff if you head there now.

This guide covers all the things you can see and do before traveling to Myght's Tower and getting in his airship. There's a fair amount that you can grab at this point in the game, and some of it is permanently missable if you don't do some traveling right now.

(If you're not interested in any of this stuff, jump to the end of the guide for the next step in the storyline.)

Master Sword

This was mentioned in the previous section of the guide, but it bears repeating. Before you leave Pao, speak to Tempest in his tent. He'll give Alex the Master Sword, a powerful weapon that will keep Alex happy for the next few areas of the game. 

Rememberizer

Head to Ramus's shop in Meribia. As congratulations for becoming the Dragonmaster he'll give Alex the Rememberizer. This fun item will allow you to rewatch any of the animated cut scenes that you've already encountered during the game. Note that you will need to swap discs to watch some cut scenes if you're playing the PlayStation version of the game (though only when you reach the game's second disc, which is coming up soon).

Ghaleon's Tear

Technically this isn't an item you can get now, but you need to perform the setup before leaving for the Frontier. Head to Lann and speak to the mayor, who lives in the larger building in the south. He'll congratulate Alex on becoming the Dragonmaster and invite Alex to become an honorary citizen of Lann. Accept the offer and the mayor will throw a brief party in celebration. Later in the game, once you can return to Lann, you can speak to the mayor again to receive Ghaleon's Tear.

Bromides

There are two Bromides that you can only pick up now, so if you want the whole collection you'd best do some traveling.

  • Visit Althena's Shrine, near Vane. There's a blue-haired girl in the northern room who has been consistently obsessed with Jessica throughout the game. Speak to her now and she'll reveal that she has Jess' Bromide 1. Jessica will, ah, confiscate it.
  • Visit Lann and speak to the boatman who rowed the group to Lann Island during your first visit. Assuming you spoke to him several times earlier in the game and established his crush on Jessica, he'll give you Jess' Bromide 2.

Forbidden Forest

Just east of Meryod, on the road to Lyton, you'll find a forest with a shrine on the other side. This is the Forbidden Forest, and it contains some of the most powerful enemies in the game. It's possible you can fight your way through the Forbidden Forest normally, though you'll have a heck of a time until your team is around level 50.

There are three ways you can get through this area:
  • Battle enemies normally. Good luck with that. Alex's Red Dragon Anger move works well, though it burns through his MP like crazy.
  • Use Black Dragon Grief. This will immediately end the fight with a victory for you, for a paltry 15 MP. You'll gain no experience or silver, but you don't receive much for defeating these enemies anyway. Black Dragon Grief is the optimal solution.
  • Try to avoid enemies, and run from battles if you get caught. This likely won't work out all that well for you.
Regardless of your approach you'll need to take the same path through the forest, and you'll probably want to do so quickly. Head east to the first crossroads, north, southeast to a tiny body of water, south, east at the next small crossroads, and northeast to find the exit. If you go northeast from the tiny body of water you'll find a chest containing 5,000 silver, but it isn't worth the effort to grab if you're trying to evade monsters.


On the other side of the Forbidden Forest you'll find an Althena's Spring, similar to the one on the west side of Meryod. The difference here is that women use this spring, and if you give the attendant a bar of Soap you'll get to view one of two scenes of either Jessica or Mia bathing. Which one you see is random, so if you want to save your Soap you should save, view the scene, and then reload your game and try again. Soap is in short supply unless you bought a lot on the boat from Saith to Meribia.

All of the monsters respawn in the Forbidden Forest if you try to head back that way, so you'll probably want to use the Dragon Wings to leave Althena's Spring.

NPCs

As you're re-exploring the world you should take time to speak to the many NPCs you've met during your travels. An astonishing number of them have new things to say, now that Alex is the Dragonmaster, and while it's a given that plot-important characters will have new dialogue, you'll often find random people on the street commenting on Alex as well. In particular you should speak to Alex's father in Burg, as he reveals a few plot points that you might otherwise miss.

Taking Flight

Quick tip: Remove any important items and accessories from Nash before you embark for the Frontier. You'll see why soon.

There's a good chance you didn't notice it before, but there is an entry for 'Myght' logged on the Dragon Wings. Use it and you'll jump to Myght's lab in his tower. Myght isn't done yet, but he will be by the morning. Speak to your party members and the scene will jump to the roof of the tower, where Myght's invention will be ready to go...

... at least until a last-minute surprise intervention mucks up everything. Nash will leave the party, and the remaining members will be left without a functioning airship. This is easily fixed, fortunately, by traveling to Reza and checking out the Thieves' Bazaar, in the rear of the pub. The bald man standing next to the fallen balloon will give you the Balloon Engine.

(Before you leave for Myght's Tower, travel to Iluk quick. Now that Nash is out of the party you can speak to the weirdo in the northeastern house and receive Mia's Bromide 4. You won't get a second chance to snag this item.)

Take the Balloon Engine to Myght. He'll set to work installing it, and you'll have another chance to speak to everyone in the party - along with Laike, who shows up to see you off - before Myght comes back. Speak to him on the roof to set off to the Frontier. Be warned! You'll be gone for a little while, and the Dragon Wings won't work, so if you have any unfinished business in the settled regions of Lunar you should see to it first. Otherwise, it's off to the Frontier with you.

(If you're playing the PlayStation version, it's time to change the disc. The second disc isn't nearly as long as the first, so you're getting close to the end. Well done!)

Part 22: Talon and Talon Mine

Main Walkthrough