Krosse Cave: Complete. Whether or not you decided to recruit Celine, your next destination after your trip into the underground is the port town of Kurik. Head back towards Krosse City, then take a right and head north. The road up here is quite long, but it will, eventually, bring you to Kurik. The enemies along the way will be a piece of cake, as they're all very weak.
There are some things to see along the way, if you care to make a few detours:
- There's one bridge between Krosse Cave and Kurik, just as the path starts heading west. Look on your right as you approach the bridge and you'll see a beach. Follow the beach south to find a chest containing ten Lavender.
- If you cross the aforementioned bridge and then go east you'll find another beach on your right. There's a chest on the beach containing eight Athelas. If you know the Bunny Call Super Specialty you can climb to the plateaus near this beach and find a chest containing two Faerie Mists.
- The path to Kurik will take you around a huge mountain range, and on the north end of the mountains, not terribly far from Kurik, you'll find a path leading up into the mountains. Follow it and you'll eventually wind up at the Mountain Palace. This is an optional dungeon that's only visited if you recruit some specific characters. For the moment it is inaccessible...
- ... though if you check west of the entrance to the Mountain Palace, you'll find a chest containing Safety Shoes, on the edge of a circular lake.
- Near the bottom of the path leading up to the Mountain Palace is a chest on an inaccessible ledge. You'll need Bunny Call to get at the chest, which contains a Plate Helmet. You can also use Bunny Call to get at a chest on the plateau of the mountain where the Mountain Palace is located. This chest contains a Princess Ring+.
- They're are rocky hills to the southeast of Kurik. Climb them to find the Dawn-Lit Cascades, a Unique Spot. Inspecting them will earn you a Benefaction Card.
- North of Kurik is a thin sandbar extending out into the ocean. At the end of the sand you'll find a cluster of rocks, and among them is a chest containing four Potions of Merlin.
Kurik
A port town, Kurik is a pleasant little settlement with a fair amount to see and do. Before we do anything, however, there's one important thing to address, and you need to get it out of the way right now. You won't get another chance later.
If you trigger a Private Action and enter Kurik's main square you'll find a woman named Philia. She's adamant that a disaster is about to hit Kurik, and keeps begging everyone to leave. There are two important reasons to watch this particular scene:
- First, watching this scene is a prerequisite for unlocking the true potential of the final boss. If you don't catch this scene before finishing your business in Kurik, you'll never fight them at their absolute best.
- Second, Philia is carrying a unique item known as Sprite's Bracelet, which you can steal off of her. When equipped the Sprite's Bracelet will randomly give you a variety of items as you walk around. You'll need the Pickpocketing Specialty (Courage + Poker Face), as well as a Thief's Glove equipped on your lead character, to steal the Mischief. You'll need to travel to the Antique Shop in Harley, on the far east end of the continent, to get the Thief's Glove... and even then, it costs a whopping 40,000 FOL. That sum seems ridiculous so early in the game, but if you complete Guild and Challenge Missions early (which is not that difficult) you'll rack up 40,000 FOL in no time.
It's especially important to note that this PA only triggers once. If you trigger it, leave town, and then come back, Philia will not appear again. You need to be ready to Pickpocket Philia before you set off the Private Action, assuming you want the Mischief.
(Note to returning players: Previously you needed this scene to get into the post-game dungeon, the Maze of Tribulations. This no longer appears to be true.)
Philia aside, your stay in Kurik will be relatively short. We'll start by having a quick look at the town's various services:
- Right next to the entrance is the Inn. Nothing special here.
- Down the street from the entrance is an Antique Shop, which also serves as the Item Shop. There's nothing terribly special inside, though you can grab a Harmonica if you feel like being musical. (Goes well with the Lyre.)
- Just before the main street turns towards the town square you'll find the Guild. There's a large number of Missions for you to undertake. (Might want to grab all of these before you leave town. No... no particular reason.)
- The Weapon / Armor Shop is near the Guild. Snag the Sinclair for Claude, the Hard Knuckles for Rena (if you're still using her for fisticuffs), and equipment for the team in general.
- On the left side of the town square is a Crepe Shop. On the north end of the square is an Ice Cream Shop. In the building next to the Ice Cream Shop is a Bakery. They all sell what you would expect, none of it terribly exciting.
Next, we'll check out the town's treasures:
- Right by the entrance of Kurik is a Mansion on the Hill. Nobody's home, but if you check the storage room on the right side of the mansion you'll find a chest containing a Lyre. You can use this with the Music Specialty, and the Orchestra Super Speciality. Don't miss it.
- Next to the Guild are stairs leading to a lookout spot, the highest point in Kurik. You'll find the Old Lighthouse Unique Spot up here, and checking it will earn you a Lunar Talisman +1.
- There's a restaurant on the north side of the town square. Inside you'll find three chests, two out front and one behind the rear counter. They contain Seafood, Grains, and Vegetables.
That's enough looking around. Head to the north end of Kurik to find the dock, where a ship is waiting. Speak to the captain, the man in the burgundy coat, at the far end of the dock - you'll need the whole team to do this - and he'll be happy to let you aboard... once they're done loading the ship. Best go back to wandering.
Trek to the town square again. As the crew chats they will get pickpocketed by a little vagabond on the run. This triggers a little chain of events that will take up the remainder of your time in Kurik. You can resolve this nonsense as follows:
- Speak to the two kids near the docks in the north. They'll ID the thief as Ketil, a fellow child.
- Head north through Kurik to the bar to trigger a cut scene with Ketil.
- If you feel like it, pop into the clothing store on the north end of town square. Ketil will play dress-up with one of your party members.
- Take Ketil to the two kids by the docks.
That wraps up that. With Ketil happily embraced by some new friends, you can now speak to the ship captain and board. Make sure you finish up with everything you need to do in Kurik before speaking to the captain, becaaaaause...
... yeah. When you reenter town as the captain suggests, Philia's prophecy comes true, and the town is destroyed. Rush to the lookout spot to watch everything sink. Speak to Ketil, on the right side of the lookout, for a quick cut scene, then head back down the stairs from the lookout to find the captain. His ship capsized, so you won't be setting sail with him any time soon.
Fortunately, the captain has a solution: Head to the other port town on the continent, the aforementioned Harley. First, though, you should stock up in the town of Marze, which is along the way. Best get a move on.