A small defensive outpost in the north of Energy Nede, L'Aqua is the only thing standing between Phynal, home of the Ten Wise Men, and the rest of the world. We'll be visiting L'Aqua as part of the storyline in this section of the guide, but you won't get to explore the outpost at all during the story section, so... we'll have a quick look here first.
There are only three things of note on L'Aqua's little island:
- There's a Raid to the north of L'Aqua. Watch out.
- There are three beaches on the island, all of which have fishing spots.
- If you check the woods to the south of L'Aqua you'll find a chest containing three Resurrection Mists.
- If you check out front you'll find Reel, the fish-collecting young'un from Harley. Somehow Reel made it to Energy Nede. (Play Star Ocean: Till the End of Time to formulate some theories.) Blissfully unaware of the fight for the universe, Reel continues to accept fish and dole out prizes.
- Inside L'Aqua you'll find the aquarium. Near the central tank is the A Relaxing Aquarium Unique Spot, which you can inspect to receive an Aqua Ring+.
- The east wing of the building is an infirmary, and you can sleep here for free.
Once you've completed the four Fields - regardless of the order in which this is accomplished - you'll need to return to the Centropolis. Head to the mayor's office at the top of City Hall to trigger a cut scene. Here the majority of your party - assuming it consists of a bunch of Expelians, anyway - will learn the grim fate of their world... and of the possibility that you might be able to bring it back.
First, though, you need to defeat the Ten Wise Men. This brings the adventure back on course, and you'll be headed to L'Aqua to prepare for the battle. Cut scenes will escort you straight through L'Aqua and onto a Herush, a creature that can get beneath the barrier surrounding Phynal.
When you arrive near Phynal you'll start off on a small, ragged dock. If you check the north end of the dock you'll find a fishing spot. Head to the world map and you'll find a walk through narrow canyons that lead you to Phynal. We'll discuss what you can find in this area in the Phynal section of the guide. (Though if you want, you can use Bunny Call now to get behind Phynal, where you'll find a chest and a Raid.)
Enter Phynal and you'll find a Save Point, just short of a large, circular battle arena. A painful cut scene follows, and once its done you'll need to fight three battles. Two are a bit rough, though nothing you can't handle compared to the Fields. The third, however...
HP: 512,000
Resists: Fire, Earth, Dark
Remember that battle against Metatron, just before you got sent to Energy Nede? Yeah, this one goes about the same - though there's no timer to save you. Try as you might, you can't leave so much as a scratch on Zaphkiel with your weapons. Fight as hard as you like, but you're gonna lose.
The team will retreat back to the Centropolis after the battle, minus Mariana, L'Aqua's commander. Nall, not as disheartened by the loss as you might've expected, seems to have a solution: Unlocking deadly weapons that can actually put a dent in the Ten Wise Men. This means paying a visit to Armlock, the center of weapons production on Energy Nede.