Part 13: Lacuer Armory Contest
Linga Region - Enemies
- Cockatrice - 7,200 HP - Weak to Fire
- Killer Rabbit - 12,200 HP - Weak to Wind
- Mandrake - 9,800 HP
- Petri Gerel - 3,900 HP - Weak to Earth
- Sorceress - 2,400 HP - Resists Fire, Wind
Once you've finished up in Lacuer City - don't forget that you can recruit Welch at this point, via Private Action, if you have a minimum of four party members - you'll need to make tracks to Linga. A scholarly town, Linga is located in the south of the continent. Take a left once you leave Lacuer and the road will lead you to Linga.
There are some things to find along the way to Linga, if you didn't pick everything up already:
- If you go offroad and head down to the beach that's south of Lacuer you'll find a fishing spot. It takes a bit of walking along the edge of the cliffs, but it's there.
- Keep an eye on your left as the road turns west. There's a small rise on the side of the path, and on the other side is a chest containing a Fuzzy Handy Stick for Welch.
- If you head north after reaching Linga you'll find a rocky path up to a series of craters. There are two chests up here, containing five Goddess Statuettes and a Star Necklace. There's also the Gift from the Sky Unique Spot, and inspecting it will earn you a Meteor Ring.
- If you use the Bunny Call Super Speciality you can get over the cliffs behind Linga, and travel a bit further west. There's a thin cape extending into the water out here with a chest on the end. The chest contains an Aphrodisiac.
Assuming this is your first visit to Linga - which may not be the case - you'll trigger a cut scene where a rambunctious young woman stumbles face-first into the party. This is Precis, and you can immediately recruit her into the party, if you wish. Trigger a Private Action, then either look for Precis in the north of town (if you're Claude) or visit her home in the west of town (if you're Rena). Pretty easy.
Precis is an in-your-face physical fighter with some solid long-range attacks. She's also pretty good at the mechanical side of Item Creation. You could do far worse than Precis... though keep in mind that if you do recruit Precis, you'll have to forego another character, whom we'll meet shortly either way. They're both fairly solid party members, so it's not a loss regardless, though you'll have to get through a dungeon without the other guy, whereas you can get Precis right now. (You could even have picked her up before the Lacuer Armory Contest.)
Although it's not massive, Linga is nevertheless worth a quick once-over. If you like Item Creation, Linga will come in handy. We'll start with the services on hand:
- The Inn is on your right when you enter Linga. Yep.
- Next door to the Inn is a Pharmacy. If nothing else you may want to stock up on Paralysis and Stone Cures, given the enemies on this continent. You'll be back in this house pretty soon. There's also a slightly less interesting Pharmacy to your left when you enter Linga.
- There's an Academy Coop (a glorified Item Shop) on the other side of the bridge that runs through Linga. They offer an assortment of crafting items, as well as a few pieces of equipment. The Magic Camera is a must-buy, if you have any interest in the Replication IC.
- The Guild is in the northwest of town. Not much to say.
That's enough dawdling. Your ultimate goal in Linga is to meet Keith, a renowned researcher and translator. He lives in the nondescript house between the Academy Co-op and the Guild, in the north of Linga. Alas, his assistant chucks you right out the door. If you recruited Precis she'll suggest talking to Bowman, the owner of the Pharmacy on the east side of town.
Head to the Pharmacy. You'll immediately trigger a cut scene with Bowman, who isn't quite convinced that the group has something deserving of his friend's attention. He issues a challenge: Bring back an undiscovered herb from the Sacred Grounds of Linga, a nearby cave that's buzzing with monsters. Challenge accepted, mister.
Private Actions
- Rena - Claude only. Available after completing Bowman's quest. Look for Rena in the library, then speak to her again after she moves deeper into the building. Claude and Rena's relationship will grow as he helps her study.
- Claude and Rena. Approach the university. Standing out front is a crowd around a Suspicious Merchant, who is trying to sell books. If you decide to buy one (1,980 FOL) you'll receive either Life in Nature, Secrets of Earth, or Walls of the Soul, all of which teach Skill levels to your party members.
- Precis - Rena only. Available after getting the Energy Stone from the Hoffman Ruins, but before leaving for the Lacuer Front Lines. Check Precis's Home. She's looking for her dad, who seems to be out. Head to the entrance of Linga to watch Precis freak out on him when he comes back. This will earn you a Meteorite, and boost Rena's relationship with Precis.
- Bowman - Claude and Rena. Look for Bowman in the library. Assuming you defeated the Visseya bosses in the Sacred Grounds of Linga, your character will ask for more information.