Weirdly proportioned female

Drake Castle isn't a true dungeon as much as it's a transitional area. There are monsters to be found, including the fire seru that attacked Rim Elm. Make sure to kill one so Vahn can learn its fire magic. The castle does have a gimmick. We'll need to find several keys throughout the area to unlock the exit to the back. Along the way, we'll see the citizens of the castle trapped in mass prisons. Various books and notes inform us this was a choice they made. The King saw this tragedy coming, so everyone kept themselves out of harm's way in the hope a savior would come along. The north exit takes us to a mountain with a name I can't remember, and a Genesis Tree is atop it. As we approach the foot of the mountain, Meta tells us our friends are at the top. As Vahn picks up the pace, we (the player) see the game from a new perspective.

We're now Noa, and she's flanked by a friend and teacher, Terra the wolf. It also looks like a rat, but whatever. Terra is a kind and wonderful wolf, as she guides and encourages Noa through her "tutorial" dungeon. It's mostly just to get Noa a few levels and to learn the Lizard Tail art. She also randomly learned Blizzard Bash, which is fun. Noa is quick and gets four attacks a turn, but she feels fragile. Fortunately, Terra can heal her between battles against the mole people.

After Noa is done training, Terra wants to tell her something. Before she can, an earthquake affects the cave the two are trapped in. For the first time in a long time, the two can exit the cave. Unfortunately, it's now filled with mist and monsters. Getting out is surprisingly hard, so I hope you got all the healing shrooms. After enough struggle, Terra points out the exit, and the two girls can finally leave the Snowdrift Cave.

The same mountain Vahn is starting to climb is just south of Noa and Terra. Terra wants Noa to go there and reach the top to interact with the Genesis Tree there. The path there is straight, and the only thing to worry about are the cutscene falling rocks. This cave is crumbling. The monsters aren't a concern because Terra has joined the group for this section, and she is willing to use heal when Noa falls low. Terra seems immortal, so there are no worries. Focus the pump bats because their wind magic hurts. After the entrance collapses, Terra tells Noa the real reason they're here. Terra is a ra-seru that has inhabited this wolf for twelve years. But that wolf is getting old and is about to die. The two need to visit the Genesis Tree to facilitate the transfer of Terra from the wolf to Noa. Noa is worried at first, but she knows she can trust Terra. There's another cave ahead that's guarded by a golem. It's big, but Terra's still a healer. Beyond the golem is the Genesis Tree.

Terra tells Noa that she once resided in this tree but was awoken by a crying baby. Noa was that baby. They get ready to revive the tree, but Zeta shows up. He demeans the ra-seru and (presumably) the survivors of Rim Elm before realizing another ra-seru is right here. He calls forth a winged lion named Caruban. This looks like the thing that broke Rim Elm's wall, but I don't think it was. Zeta orders it to attack Terra, and a simple headbutt takes out the aging wolf. Zeta then tells it to do whatever it wants with Noa, and he leaves. We then cut back to Vahn.

Vahn has to make his way up the mountain. Go right at the fork because there's a weapon for him at the end of the path. The gimmick for the side of the mountain involves Vahn having to jump across cliffs and ledges to reach the summit. Along the way is a new seru that can used to heal. Vahn will travel through a tunnel and see Noa being chased by Caruban. Save first before Meta tells us to help her and Terra.

Caruban is a strong boss. He can nearly oneshot Noa, so I had her on healing duty the whole battle. Good thing I had so many shrooms and whatever Vahn collected! Be prepared for a team wide fire breath! Neither character did any damage against the lion, which is another reason to keep Noa on healing duty. My plan ended up casting gimard until Vahn ran out of MP. But I never got that far! Caruban died after a few casts.

Terra asked us to help her to the Genesis Tree and revive it. The green jewel that is Terra left the wolf and attached herself to Noa, and the wolf walked away from the party. Noa wanted to give chase, but Terra asked her to stay here and let the beast die with honor. I tried to chase after it later but didn't find it. Terra equipped herself to Noa and told her to go with Vahn to save the world. And she might find her real parents in the process. Vahn can, in theory, turn down Noa's request, but I skipped the charade and let her join. Noa finally spoke and thanked me!

Meta reminded us we found the King of Drake behind bars, wearing the dam key we need to use. We (the player) saw the castle return to normal when the tree was revived, so that's our next destination. Legend of Legaia has a quick exit item, which can be found on the mountain, and I used it. We'll speak to royalty...

...tomorrow!

In her world sprite, Noa looks to be eight. Her battle model makes her look to be a well developed woman in her early twenties. But she's actually twelve, so I have questions, Prokion/Contrail!