We're chasing the current jeweler, Dross. We have to fight our way through a sewer system that's oddly hard to do. The monsters down here can hit hard and fast and tend to group up a lot. Ramus' lack of stat growth is finally catching up to him as he's gonna spend a lot of time unconscious. But because they group up, they become easy fodder to Firestrike, Alex's AoE skill. If you run low on MP, and you will, keep in mind that floating light bulbs will take a full party a round to kill. The fish are pretty weak, though, and the hermit crabs are tankier than anything. To get through, you're gonna need to find several switches to drop a corresponding bridge. There're several offshoots down here, most of which lead to treasure. The path to reach our prey is the south (east) most one. There are two other treasures that we can't get to yet, one of which is a red chest, but those are accessed from elsewhere in the town.
We come to a dead end and see Dross. He remains unrepentant and even calls for his pet. Rather than a dog or something, it's actually a sea serpent. Not a real dragon, more of a snake, I guess. But this guy is pretty tough. Water Serpent can't walk on land, so he spends all his time in the water. This means that only range and special skills can reach him. I had Ramus using a bow at this point because that knife was not helping, so he could still do damage. As could Luna, but she had to be on healing duty the entire fight. Fortunately, he does get close enough for Alex to strike at. But WS's attacks are all deadly and can wipe out anyone with two hits. His basic blows do 50 damage, and he has an AoE fire move that hits everyone. Hopefully, Luna can stay back, and Ramus and Alex can stay at opposite sides on the y axis. I had to use two Zephyr Blades and the first Goddess' Blessings to win, but we managed to do so. He nearly got us, and it's fights like this that keep me from using Ultimate Attacks until bosses.
But Dross is still alive. However, he's not feeling as cocky as he was. He tries to bribe his way out by giving us 500 Silver, which Ramus takes. Ramus keeps the heat on him by letting him know he's taking over his business. But, to prove he's not a terrible boss, Ramus offers to keep him on the staff if he turns his life around. Oddly, Dross accepts. Ramus lets us know he'll probably fire him after he's learned everything Dross knows...
We return to Ramus' new shop to see Nash is waiting for us. He tells us he's gotten us an in at the Mage Guild and a way to speak to Ghaleon or Lemia. But the game gives us another fake option to turn him down and continue on with our dragon seeking quest. No matter how long we tell him no, we're gonna have to accept. Lame... And with that, Ramus informs us that his journey is over. He has a business to run and turn around now, and he doesn't think he has much more stamina in him for this. Nall is sorry to see him go, and I am too a bit. He wasn't good, but he's served as an admirable tank. Monsters really seemed to hate him. Nash joins the team, and we can finally leave Meriba.
We can go to the mountain path, but we can't get far. We can also go to Althena's Shrine but don't do that just yet. Head to the Spring. When we get there, a man will inform us that this teleporter is how we reach the floating city of Vane. But to get there, we need permission. There's someone calling themselves the Magic Emperor, and Lemia has declared that all new recruits must seek an application from the Head Priestess of the Shrine to enter. See why I said to skip that?
The woman in charge is named Phacia. She has long, grey hair and speaks in a rather monotone way. She gives us the app, and then we learn a little more about Althena. She's really into singing, so Luna is pretty excited. Both she and Phacia want to hear each other sing, so plans are made for that. Return to the Spring, and we're allowed to pass. But first, we need to go through an initiation. The Cave of Trials lies before us, and it comes with a gimmick. We can't use items. And guess who forgot to heal up!? The good news is there are two wizards throughout the trail who can heal us. We also get a full heal when we level up, so that's rad of you, Lunar. The monsters can be a bit tough, but mostly the palette swapped monkey. There's a secret passage near a man in green for the treasure, by the way. Near to it is a Mightehenna Pokemon. I point it out because you can get over 1000 Silver from those fights. After you finish the cave, you can come back here to grind on them if you need money. At the end is a boss.
Trouble Truffler (in the PS1 version) is a giant mushroom. Its only attack is Mad Spark, an attack with a large AoE. In hindsight, I should have had Alex rush up to keep him away from Luna, but oh well. Buf Alex a few times and go all out with Sword Dance. I do about 300 damage, which is better than his Firestrike. Because Mad Spark his everyone, Luna had to use her heal all spell the whole. It's a similar battle to the Water Serpent, but a lot easier. After you win, make sure to get the Healing Ring from the left path before heading to Vain!
As we enter the college, Nash will be waiting for us. There was also a woman who rushed by us, but nothing came from it tonight. Nash offers to give us a tour until Ghaleon can see us. Luna is feeling tired, so she goes to rest in the courtyard. While there, she hears a lute being played with the same melody as Alex usually plays on his ocarina. Playing it is a handsome elf with silver hair. He knows this song was thirteen by Dyna long ago, and Luna starts to feel weak. Oh no...
Meanwhile, Alex walks around on his own. While doing so, we discover that Lamis has a daughter, Mia, and all the boys have a crush on her. She's to be the next headmaster and is beautiful. Also, Lamis might have gone insane... We can meet up with our fortune teller, Royce, here, so I'm slightly less suspicious, even if she really wants to tell us our fortune. On the left side of the first room are two guards who suck at their job. They're guarding Mia, and they let us right through. While there, we see her crying, but she quickly recomposes herself. She and Alex have a friendly chat until Nash rushes in and simps over her. He apologizes and drags us away. Our meeting with Ghaleon is ready.
We enter his room, and he's the same guy who serenaded Luna earlier. We talk about becoming a Dragonmaster, and he tells us he has a favor to ask of us. There's a man who claims to be a Dragonmaster in the region of Lann. He wants us to check it out and report if he's the real deal or a fake. He also suggests we stay here to study magic, but I want to find dragons. It turns out myself and a seventeen-year-old boy have a lot in common.
The mountain path is now crossable. There are two chests that are trapped, and they're very deadly. Gas will come from it, and it'll summon six dragonflies. The gas makes us confused, and our characters act irrationally, even for an RPG. They kept wanting to run away for me, which is a blessing a curse. Nothing good comes from them, so do what you will. After the climb, we'll come to a "bandit" hideout of Nanza. We couldn't pass before because it's off limits, but we have official permission. But we can't leave because we need the bandits' bosses' approval. We now have to go on a hunt for him that's kinda dumb. We can find him twice before we're supposed to, but it doesn't do anything. We have to talk to various people and follow the clues. The "north" tower, "east" tower, kitchen, his bedroom, and the jail. He's tossed as all get out, but the jail guard tells us we can pass. The whole time, Kyla is yelling at "Jessica," who we suspect is the daughter of Mel. Kyle is on the PSP start screen, so we'll see him later. But, we'll do that...
...tomorrow!
Maybe, I dunno. Typing is hard without a pinky finger, so I'll end this now.
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