Star Ocean Walkthrough part 3 v 1.0 CONTENTS NOTES CHAPTER 13: The Secret of the Shinku no Tate CHAPTER 14: Asmodeus, Lord of the Makai CHAPTER 15: Interim: Back to the Future CHAPTER 16: The Plot of Jie Revorse CHAPTER 17: The End of it all CHAPTER 18: The Shichisei Ruins NOTES This is the third part of my Star Ocean Walkthrough. It's a continuation off of the second part, and I used the same parties to play through it. For any extra information you might need about this walkthrough in general, please refer to the first part of this walkthrough. CHAPTER 13: The Secret of the Shinku no Tate When you reach the center of the deserted island, someone in your party will mention that there doesn't appear to be anything there at first glance (or something else, depending on who speaks). Rati asks Ronixis to open the gate, and he does. Depending on your party's composition, there will be an interchange among your party with Milly getting afraid to enter, etc. Then the party enters the gate. In the Makai: At the entrance to the Makai there is a praying statue. If you talk to this statue, you can return to the real world. Items in the Makai accessable at this point: ?HERB (Mandrake) Just after entering the Makai, the Shinku no Tate appears. Marvel and/or Ashlay will recognize him immediately. The Shinku no Tate says in a mechanical voice that you cannot proceed further. If Ashlay is in your party, he comes forward and adresses the Shinku no Tate as Argaswy's shadow, and says he's been waiting for this moment. The Shinku no Tate then asks who he is. Then he thinks "Ashlay!!" Ashlay swears at him for defiling the name of his comrade-in-arms and says he will kill him. The Shinku no Tate chuckles and tells Ashlay not to make him laugh. The Shinku no Tate says that anyone who tries to pass will die. Then you hear him thinking "Please kill me!" Then he attacks. If Marvel (but not Ashlay) is in your party, she comes forward and says that she will avenge her parents and will kill him for taking everything away from her, saying that she has been waiting forever for this moment. Rati will tell her to let you help her this time, and she thanks you. The Shinku no Tate laughs, says that all who come here will die, and attacks. Boss: Del Argaswy: HP 15600 Argaswy can dish out some fairly substantial damage, but is so slow that as long as you are powerful enough to do any damage to him, he is a pushover. All you have to do is hit A really quickly and he won't get a chance to get a slash in edgewise. I've never had any problem on him at all whatsoever. After Argaswy falls, Rati asks if he's dead. If Ronixis is in your party, he will congratulate Marvel (if she's in your party) for avenging her parents. Argaswy gets up slightly, and Rati warns the party that it's not over yet. Argaswy calls out and tells you to wait. If Ashlay is in your party, he is very surprised and says "That voice...could it really be!?" Argaswy tells Ashlay "Long time no see," and Rati asks what's going on. Ashlay is stunned to realize that he has been attacking a friend. Everyone is surprised, and Iria asks if he wasn't just an evil reflection like he had said. Argaswy tells Ashlay not to worry about attacking him, and that as soon as he was entrapped by the mirror it was destined to happen. Ashlay is not pleased, but Argaswy tells him that more importantly, Astral is in danger! He tells Ashlay to hurry to Astral, because his shadow was sent after Ryas to get "the bladeless sword." He then falls over, dead. Rati wonders what the "bladeless sword" is and Ashlay wonders why he would be sent after something that was just thought to be an ancient ornament. Iria says that you shouldn't let such a warning go to waste and you should return to Astral. Ronixis wonders if you can make it in time. Rati suggests that you use the Eye of Truth since it can distort time and space and possibly take you there directly. If Ashlay is not in your party, Argaswy thanks you for releasing him from his curse. Rati is confused, but Argaswy tells you that more importantly, Astral is in danger. Cius and/or Fear will be shocked to hear this, and He tells you to hurry to Astral, because the "shadow" was sent there to get "the bladeless sword." He then falls over, dead. Rati wonders what the "bladeless sword" is and Cius/Fear wonders why he would be sent after something that was just thought to be an ancient ornament. Rati suggests that you use the Eye of Truth since it can distort time and space and possibly take you there directly. Ronixis worries about Argaswy's warning since he was your enemy though. When you arrive at Astral, if Fear is not in your party you will see her holding the shadow of the Shinku no Tate at bay with dead soldiers all about; if she is in your party then it will be a soldier holding him off instead. He orders whoever is holding him off to hand over the sword. At this point, the portal opens and you all enter. The Shinku no Tate is shocked and Rati says that you will stop him. The Shinku no Tate laughs and says that he is the real Shinku no Tate, then attacks. If Ashlay is in your party though, he will curse the Shinku no tate as a mirror-spawned corruption of the original Shinku no Tate, and says he will avenge his friend and all the others that he had killed. The Shinku no Tate laughs and says that he is the real Shinku no Tate, then attacks. Boss: Del Argaswy: HP 15600 This Argaswy may CLAIM to be the real one, but he's really no different from the other one, except that he's slightly faster. Still, he should be no problem at all four against one. After beating the Shadow Argaswy, you talk to Ryas, who shows you what he was after, but he says he doesn't know what kind of value it could have. Rati says that it really just is a handle with no blade. Iria asks to see the sword more closely. She uses the pommel in a way that creates a blade of energy. Ronixis is shocked and identifies it as a Beam Sword. Iria says that it's a really powerful one too, one nowhere near as good as any that the Federation has seen before. Ronixis says that it will be a good weapon to use against Asmodeus. Iria says that they must have been afraid of it and that's why they were after it. You then get the two Force Swords. The Force Swords can be used by Rati, Cius, Ashlay and Fear, and do Nothingness type damage. And unless you have been doing some extensive weapon forging, it will be much more powerful than anything you have so far. At this point, you will return to the uninhabited island. If Ashlay is in your party though, return to Sylvalant, go outside and do a Private Action. Ashlay will tell you that he will be waiting in the castle and asks you to come see him. SPECIAL PRIVATE ACTION: SYLVALANT In a storage room in Sylvalant castle, Ashlay is waiting for you: Ashlay: "So you've come." Rati: "...So what is it that you've called me here for?" Ashlay: "I've been on this journey with you all this time, and I've been watching you learn to fight all this while." Rati: "I see...." Ashlay: "...." Ashlay: "Will you hear my final selfish wish?" Rati: "....What is it?" Ashlay: "I lost the use of my arm by a monster that took the form of my friend.....Since then, I have been searching for a suitable person to teach my knowledge to." Rati: "...." Ashlay: "Will you please take it? The secret of my greatest Ougi!" Rati: "M, Me!? Is it really OK?!" Ashlay: "It ONLY can be you." RatI: "I'd be delighted then." (You are given the Kouryuu Ougi) Ashlay: "I pray that you will use that Ougi to its fullest in my stead." This is the only way that you can the Kouryuu Ougi. The Kouryuu Ougi can teach you some of the most powerful techniques in the game. However, the techniques you learn them from are OTHER Ougi techniques learned from the Shisei Ougi, (specifically, Suzakushougekiha and Souryuueraizan) except for the Kokuryuu-tenrai-ha, which you can learn from Kouryuuha. SPECIAL PRIVATE ACTION END The Makai: Items in the Makai: ?JEM, (Ishikoro) Emerald Ring, Orihalcon, Misty Symbol, ?HERB, (Lavender) ?WEAPON, (Slayer Sword) ?WEAPON, (Berserk Sword) Some of the monsters in the Makai are really tough. Beware the Puchi Devils especially. Not only do they do tons of damage, but they can also paralyze you. Having Milly in your party to cast Antidote is really helpful, if you can. The Alraunes are also a pain in the ass; like the Shadow Flowers, they can send out devastatingly damaging spores; kill them as quickly as you can. Once you get to Asmodeus' main base, Rati will ask confused what it is, and Iria will note that it seems awfully modern. Ronixis wonders if Asmodeus is there, and notes that the Makai is an awfully strange place. CHAPTER 14: Asmodeus, Lord of the Makai Upon entry into Asmodeus' base, you will note that it's really modern and technological. You'll note all the monsters in testtubes, and Ronixis notes that Asmodeus must have some pretty sick hobbies. Rati notes that there are lots of monsters he's seen before here. Milly realizes that the monsters in the testtubes are actually alive. Items in Asmodeus' base: Reverse Doll, Duel Suit x 2, Blackberry, Protect Ring, Star Crest, Blueberry x 4, Duel Helm, Cure Paralyze, ?HERB (Artemis Leaf) Sweet Syrup x 2, ?GUARD, (Sylvan Helm) Piyohan, ?GUARD, (Sylvan Mail) Cinderella Glass, Cure Stone, Star Ruby, ?JEWELRY (Fairy Ring) ?JEM, (Mithril) ?JEWELRY, (Star Ring) Gremlin Lair, Rainbow Diamond, Orihalcon, Mithril Items in here that you can't get until after beating the game: Cure stone, Duel Suit, Mithril. Note that for some weird reason, if you get the Mithril in the room with Gremlin Lair, you won't be able to get the Mithril beyond where Asmodeus was, and vice versa. The monsters here are TOUGH. These are the tougher monsters and their Abilities: Death Terrors: These girls are like the Succubus you fought in Moore, only mouch tougher. Kill these monsters first if you can, if they can get a chance to fire their spears off it basically means instant death for anyone whose defense level is below 250. Otifs: These monsters are a real pain because they can petrify you and do decent damage too. Angel Knights: These monsters are like the Star Seraph in the arena, only weaker. Don't worry too much about them, just don't get caught in their energy fields. They can cast Fairy Light though which is annoying. The Doras are weak. Forget about them, they won't pose much of a problem. At one point, you will reach a computer, and Iria will note that it looks like the main research computer. She thinks it might be an idea to try and access their databanks, and then you get the computer's logon sequence. Iria is surprised to see as advanced a facility as a time-space laboratory, and Rati says that it seems that there is more going on here than just an attempt to take over the world by creating monsters. Then there's more logon sequence, and Ronixis suggests you enter Asmodeus as the username, and the computer prompts you to enter Asmodeus' password. Iria enters something, but can't crack the code, and sets off the alarm and the security system activates. Three people come out of the door by the computer, and the man with long hair asks what you want. Rati says "We're here to defeat you and Asmodeus!" The man laughs at you for coming in here without even knowing what your target looks like, and says tha he is Asmodeus! This surprises you, and Asmodeus asks you sarcastically if you expected him to be waiting for you in the innermost chamber of the lab or something. He then tells his henchman to kill you. Boss: 2 Death Charonas: HP 800 1 DARKEYE? HP 25800 This isn't that hard of a fight. You can ignore the Death Charonas completely, since by this point you will probably be able to kill both of them in one hit. I've found that usually by this point in the game, the Darkeye can kill most characters pretty easily if he catches them in their spin, but can't touch Rati. So as long as you keep Rati on the Darkeye you should have no problem with this fight. Once you take care of the Darkeye and the Charonas, Asmodeus has already left. Follow him into the center of the complex. In the room right after the Darkeye fight, there is an easily-missed exit to a room with a bunch of treasure chests at the very bottom-left corner of the room. In this room you can get a bunch of good gems and the spell Gremlin Lair for Ronixis After a few rooms (remember to pick up the items) you will come across two people who have trapped Asmodeus in a forcefield! The first person tells the second to kill Asmodeus, and you run in. Upon seeing you, the first man says that "Our mission is just to get the blood sample. If we get killed here it will all be for nothing. Let's get out of here!" Then the both disappear. Iria tells Rati that them getting the virus seems to be predecided in history and that changing it would be difficult. Asmodeus' barrier breaks, and he is really pissed off. Asmodeus attacks you. Since you now know the 3rd party killed Asmodeus in the normal time line, it is safe to kill him without distorting the path of time and creating a paradox, so do so! Boss Asmodeus: HP 28,000 In Asmodeus' first form, he will shoot bolts of lightning at you to do substantial damage, even to Rati. When you reduce him to around 21,000 HP, the top weapon mount of his machine will blow up, and he will start firing annoyingly powerful continuous bomb spreads at you. At around 15,000 HP, the top of his machine will blow up, and will start to cast spells to heal himself, and occasionally cast Explode on your party. Once you reduce him to about 8000 HP, his outer carapace will break, revealing a large laser which he will shoot at you and damage everything in its path. The main problem with Asmodeus is that his defense rating is unbelievably high. With an attack power of 1200, you will only do 90-100 points of damage a strike. Your techniques will also not do much damage. The only thing I've found that does a decent amount of damage to Asmodeus are Ougi techniques. Using your Ougi techniques will really sway the battle in your favor. If you get up close and personal and use Rati's Shichiseisenkouken, or use Shichiseisouhazan in rapid succession, it will do tons of damage. If you don't have any Ougi techniques, your best bet is to have three fighters rush him all at the same time using the best techniques they've got, and hope that they can do enough damage collectively to keep him at bay. I've found that in his second and final forms, Asmodeus is at his most dangerous. In his second stage, his bombs fire out at such a rapid speed that it's tough to even get close to him. So as soon as his weapon mount starts exploding, keep close to him and don't stop attacking; you want to make it so he doesn't get a chance to get any shots off. If you're all a distance away from Asmodeus and he starts firing his bombs, it'll be a slaughter. His final laser is not quite as dangerous but can fry weaker characters that you're shielding, so your best bet is to keep on him and try to keep him from getting off a shot. I've found it easier to keep him from attacking in his final form than in his second form. Overall, I'd reccomend you bring in three fighters and one healing mage (ie not Ronixis) to take care of him. Now, before beating Asmodeus, be forewarned; once you kill him, you will be brought to the last dungeon with no way to get out until after you win the game. There are NO stores in the last dungeon, so make sure you're absolutely ready before you go. Are all your characters around level 40 or higher, with Rati at least at level 50? Does Milly have Raise Dead yet, or at least Dispel? Do you have 20 Resurrect Bottles? Do you have 20 Recure bottles and Cure Stones? Do you have any Stone Checks? Do you have as many herbs as you can hold to mix items? Do you have a competent Musician? Do you have special weapons (ie weapons more powerful than +2 weapons) for all your fighter characters? Have you learned Shichiseisouhazan or any other good Ougi techs for Rati? Have you learned all the abilities somewhere in your party? If your answer to all the above is "yes," you are set, and you should be fine on your own after this. Even if the answer to all of the above is not yes, you can still be OK; these just list optimal conditions. CHAPTER 15: Interim: Back to the Future Here are some translations of what happens after you beat Asmodeus. Milly: ....Did we beat him? Iria: Yes....Let's get a sample of his blood and go. King Van: You really did it. You all will go down in history as heroes. Ronixis: Thank you. King Van: It will take some time before we attain true peace, but in any case, we should be happy that one as threatening as the king of the Makai is dead. Heroes, I represent all the people when I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Rati: ....A lot sure has happened. Milly: Yeah.... Ronixis: I've been getting real out of shape lately, so this has been good exercise. Iria: But it sure was amazing that there was that degree of technology here. Ronixis: Well, we figured out why it was here, so it's no big deal, right? Iria: But... Ronixis: I'd tell you not to be like that, but your worrying got my ship through a lot of crisises in the past, so I'll shut up. Rati: ....We're going to have to leave everyone tomorrow, I guess.... Iria: It'll be kind of lonely, won't it. Ronixis: Let's leave early tomorrow. Ronixis: Rati, what's the matter? Rati: Eh? Oh, it's nothing....I just was feeling bad about leaving everyone without saying anything.... Iria: ....There's nothing else we can do. We can't just sort of explain everything and say goodbye now, can we? Iria: If we told them "We've come from 300 years in the future" they wouldn't even understand... Iria: But it is a shame.... Ronixis: We should just disappear in a way to make them think we only appeared in their dreams.... Rati: But we can't just erase their memory. *I* can't forget them! Iria: We all understand that. Even the Captain. Iria: Come on, let's go. After Ronixis and the others returned to the present time, they synthesized a serum on the ship. They succeeded and safely brought a large quantity of cultured serum to planet Roak. Milly: Dorn! Dorn: ...I...I...? Rati: You're all right. Dorn: I see, you did it! Rati: Yeah, now we can save everybody. Dorn: OK then, give me my music box back. Milly: What's with that!? You gave it to me! Dorn: Haha...OK then, keep it. Dorn: Hey, spring's already over... Rati: Yeah.... Milly: So this is it, huh? Iria: Yeah. Ronixis: Don't worry about the Interplanetary Protection Treaty. You wouldn't be that much of a problem any more, and... Milly: And? Ronixis: Nobody would believe you anyway. Rati: That's true. Ronixis: Well then, we'll get going. We probably won't ever see you again... Iria: Bye Milly, Rati.... Ronixis: What is this, Admiral? Admiral Beize: That's the scope of it, Colonel. Ronixis: Good god.... Admiral: A ship claiming to be a spy ship from Planet Fargett all of a sudden appeared in Federation space and surrendered themselves. Ronixis: They were from the third party influence? Admiral: Yeah. Admiral: We've decided to carry out Operation Stardust. Colonel Ronixis, I would like you to be in charge of it. Ronixis: Us....? Admiral: When our scientists examined the area where they appeared, we confirmed the existance of a wormhole there. You should be able to use it to get to Planet Fargett. Ronixis:.... Admiral: On Fargett, there is a superhuman named Jie Revorse, who was created by a special kind of genetic engineering, that was forbidden to practice even there. He has taken position as dictator, and the only reason that the third party is invading is because he's forcing them to do so. Ronixis: I see. Admiral: There is very little support for Jie Revorse; there is a large faction opposing him. Ronixis: How did you get this much information on Fargett, Admiral? Admiral: We have secretly received a request from the opposing faction to assassinate Jie Revorse. Ronixis: What? Admiral: The only ones that support aggression towards the Federation are Jie Revorse himself, his closes aides, and the Fargett Army. Ronixis: So that's it.....I understand. Admiral: You can use the Time Gate if you want. Ronixis: But we can't bring weapons into the Time Gate, and the gate probably wouldn't let us in if we had assassination in mind. Admiral: No, I want you to use it for a different purpose. Iria: What's wrong? Ronixis: It looks like we're going to have to ask for their help again. Milly: Ronixis-san! Ronixis: Heya, I know I said we'd never see you again, but.... Iria: We need your help. Rati: What do you mean? Ronixis: ......and that's about the size of it. Rati: Let's go! ....But, I don't think we alone could.... Iria: Don't worry about that. Rati: Eh? (Depending on who was in your party) Cius: Yo! Ashlay: It's been a while. I hope you haven't been neglecting your diligence? Joshua: Rati-san, and Milly too. You seem quite well. Marvel: I'm very happy to see you again. Have you been well? Fear: ..... Tinek:..... (I believe they can say different things here, but these are what I got through the two games I played for this walkthrough) Rati: Everyone.....! Milly: But is it OK? Iria: This time we have authorization from the Admiral. It's THAT big a crisis. Cius (if he's with you): This time it's our turn to help you. Let's go, I want to cause some more trouble! CHAPTER 16: The Plot of Jie Revorse Now you travel to Planet Fargett. Move north on the plain that you are on, and soon you will reach a cutscene. Here are some more translations: (On Fargett) Iria: The enemy!! Ronixis: What is this!? How did the enemy know where we beamed in!? [Fight] Rati: What should we do? [Fight] Fargett Soldier: We've sealed off the entire area. You're all trapped. Resistance is futile. Iria: Who are you? ???: I'm Ivina. I'm the leader of the resistance movement against Revorse. Ronixis: You are....I'm Ronixis J. Kenny of the Federation. Ivina: I know. But why did you bring Roakians? Ronixis: Through circumstances in the past, we came to work with them. Since that time we've come to value their power greatly, and it's been deemed necessary to have them helping us with this job. Ivina: I understand. Then let's all go to town... Ronixis: No, if it's possible, we'd like to press on to where Jie Revorse is. Ivina: What? Ronixis: Now is our only chance. Ivina:....I understand. I'll guide you to the first floor. Rati: Excuse me, please hold on a second. Could you tell us who this Jie is? We've heard he's making trouble for everyone, but we haven't even heard why. Ivina: ....you know, maybe I should be apologizing to you. Rati: Eh? Ivina: I myself am not completely unconnected to all this.... Ivina: Fargett is a desolate planet with little water or other natural resources. In order to keep everyone alive, in order to find a new planet on which to live... Ivina: ...for a long time we have been studying time-space theory and genetic engineering. I myself worked in that research. I was told that I was researching in order to help everyone. But in reality the true motive behind the research was to develop a biological weapon to fire at Earth. Ivina: After learning that, I decided to enter the resistance. Ivina: Jie is the only successful product of that genetic engineering, a combination of a powerful body and mind to make what you could call a superhuman. All: .... Ivina: But what is really dangerous is his destructive instinct towards Earth, which was also written into his genes... Ronixis: Destructive instinct? Ivina: Yes. Jie started a rebellion and instilled a dictatorship, and then he massacred the researchers. But Jie's instinct has been created by those researchers' madness. Of course, Jie probably doesn't realize this himself. Ivina: In order to stop the mistake that we started, he must be defeated. But we lack the power to do so, and it's a sad fact that we have to rely on the power of you, the victims. Rati: ...I understand. Let's go! Ivina: Then we'll guide you to the entrance. Ivina: I pray for your good luck! You are taken to the first floor of the Revorse tower. This is the last dungeon in the game...hope you have enough items, and good luck! Items in Revorse Tower: Star Cloak x2, ?GUARD, (Magical Bikini) ?GUARD, (Star Guard) Sour Syrup, Hermit Helm, Marvel Sword, Doom Blade, Reflex x 3, Meteo Storm, Elven Cap x 2, Sylvan Bow x 2 (why are there 2?), ?GUARD, (Neko Band) Duel Suit There is a revival statue by the entrance to the tower, use it as much as you can to revive any dead characters, because you can't buy any more Resurrect Potions here. The monsters here can be pretty tough, especially for any characters under level 40. The monsters here have a whole lot of HP so they will take a lot of punishment before dying. The only way to kill them really quickly is to use Ougi techniques or powerful spells. Ronixis' Gremlin Lair works well here, and so will Meteo Storm once you pick it up here. The ones to look out for the most are the Medusa Eyes. You will soon learn to hate the Medusa Eyes. They don't do much damage, and don't have a whole lot of HP, but they can petrify you, which is a serious pain, since being petrified for all intensive purposes is the same as being dead. The only protection against petrification is a Stone Check, an accessory, but it only has a 70% chance of stopping petrification and there is a 10% chance it will be destroyed every time you get hit with a petrification attack. So bring a lot of them. It is also a very good idea to bring Milly into fights here, since she can cast Dispel to reverse the petrification. Otherwise, you'll be forced to use Recure Bottles and Cure Stones, and you want to save your items as much as possible here. Besides the Medusa Eyes, the Lady Evils are the most irritating enemy; they are just like the Succubus and the Death Terrors, only more deadly. Archemenes are a pain, especially with their high HP and damaging attacks. Try and kill them first if possible because they have an annoying tendency to aim for your weaker spellcasters. The Spen Devils and Dark Rows are not too tough but shouldn't be overlooked because they can cast nasty spells. The Gladiators have those annoying boomerang swords, which can do heavy damage to spellcasters, so don't let them near the spellcasters. The big gate on the first floor is unopenable. Yet another one of those annoying places you can't get into. The door up to the third level is locked, but if you take the circular long path north of the locked door you can reach a switch which will open it. On the fourth floor, you will come upon a locked door and five switches in a series of roomes like below. Switch 1 Door Switch 2 Switch 3 Switch 4 Switch 5 The idea is to get all five switches lit to open the door. To do so, you have to hit the switches in a particular order. If you hit a switch out of order, all the other switches will turn off. It's not that hard a combination to figure out, but in case you're really stuck, here's the way to open the door: Start at Switch 1, and move counterclockwise around to Switch 2 to open the door. After you go through this door, you will climb up several sets of stairs, go past a save point, and reach the room where Jie Revorse is. Here's some translations: Jie: You. It would seem that you intend to stand in the way of what I'm doing all by yourselves. Rati: Damn straight! What you're doing is hurting others! Jie: What!? The real one hurting people is the Federation! Ronixis: What did you say!? How is the Federation hurting anybody? Jie: Forcing people beyond their will to join the "Federation social club," stealing resources, and making the people their slaves, how is that not hurting anybody!? Iria: It's not beyond their will. There's mutual consent, and it's not like we're stealing resources, and we're certainly not making anybody into slaves. Jie: Mutual consent? You take that kind of huge military power with you and go to other planets, put your weapons at people's throats, and you're saying that condition is a fair, equal one in which to communicate? Ronixis: We're not sticking our weapons at anyone. That's just your warped interpretation. Jie: Hmph, you hounds of the authorities wouldn't understand. Nor would you understand the pain that you're giving us!!! Ronixis: That's just your victimized delusion. And it's not an excuse for an invasion. Jie: I suppose that's the logic of the ones who are already powerful. It seems that trying to talk with you is useless. Die. Boss Jie Revorse: HP 31000 If you let him take the initiative, Jie can do some serious damage. Here's a quick rundown of his patterns. You can tell what Jie is going to do by what he says. "Shine!" (Die!): Jie will create a field around him that does about 2000-3000 damage to everyone within range. "Kono waza o Kurae!" (Taste this technique!): Jie throws a fireball that does about 1000 damage. "Meido no Miyage ni, Kono waza o Kurae!" (Taste this technique as a souvenir on your way to Hell!): I forget what this was. I think it was a more powerful fireball but I don't remember. "Omae-ra wa minagoroshi da!" (I'm going to slaughter you all!): At this point, Jie shoots out an electrical field similar to the other field, but it does lightning-type damage, and does 3000-4000 damage to all within range. "Todome da!" (This is the coup de grace!): You don't want to be hearing this. When Jie says this, he is about to fire a critical strike that does somewhere between 5000-6000 points of damage. Basically it will kill you in one hit, and if it doesn't, then you're so powerful already that you won't really need my help. ;) If you see any other techniques Jie uses, please let me know. The best technique for taking on Jie is to use Ougi techniques. Rati's Shichiseisouhazan in succesion will wipe up the floor with him, so if you have it, this is the way to go. (Actually, this technique in succession will kill just about anything) Otherwise use the best Ougi techniques you've got. If you don't have any, planning a hit-and-run succession is the best way to kill Jie. Have one fighting character execute a series of techniques, and while s/he is in the middle of the combo, have a second character start a combo. When the first person recovers from the end of the combo, the second person will be keeping Jie busy. Use this technique to keep him from attacking as much as possible. After you beat Jie: Jie: D...damn...!! Damned descendants of Moore, all standing in my way!! Iria: Descendants of Moore?! Jie: (scoff) Ha ha ha ha!! You really came all this way knowing nothing. Jie: ....I don't know about the Federate monkeys. But if you look at their roots, both the Roakians and the Fargettians have the blood of the Moorians in their veins! Jie: ....From a disaster on Earth, some of the Moorians blown away by a spacial distortion miraculously survived and were transported to Roak and this desolate Fargett! Iria: So it's just as we thought.....the hologram in Parji Temple really did have that meaning.... Jie: Well, it doesn't really matter what happened to that race. Roakians or Fargettians, or even constructed monsters...!! Jie: Is it any surprise that I would hate the Earthlings that know nothing of this and go on living easily in grand splendor!? (If Marvel is in your party) Jie: Ho.....You, woman. Jie: Looking from those clothes, you're a Roaking. But the Moorians on Roak were all wiped out, weren't they? Jie: I'm really interested in your existance. Heheheh. Well, no matter. As soon as I slaughter these guys I'll take my time and examine you later. (End Marvel speech) Jie: This time I'm not going to hold back! I'll show you just how weak you are!! Boss: Neo Revorse: HP 32,000 In his special armor, Jie is much tougher than without it. Again, you can tell what he's going to do by what he says. "Omaera wa minagoroshi da." Jie uses his machineguns to fire at you. Most people agree that this is Jie's nastiest technique. A single hit of the machineguns can do 500-1000 damage, and if you get caught by one bullet, you'll be hit by all of them, so this can often kill you outright, or at least hurt you very badly. "Akiramero." (Give up) Jie goes into his guard stance and heals himself. "Sugu ni nakama no tokoro ni okutte yaru." (I'll soon send you to where your friend is.) Jie fires a powerful laser much like that of the Ruin Guarder; it strikes all characters for 3000+ damage. I'm pretty sure Jie has other techniques here, but I haven't seen them. Let me know! In this form, Jie is a pain in the ass. Usually by this point in the game 4-on-1 fights are a breeze no matter who you fight, but this one can be an exception. Jie has a bunch of annoying attacks. Aside from the ones listed above, he can fire homing missiles, fire his robo-fists to do damage, and guard himself. When Jie is guarding himself, he is completely immune to all damage. Don't waste your time trying to attack him when he's doing this, since you will only waste your MP. (If you are trying to kill him with normal attacks alone, you're going to be in trouble) The main thing to watch out for with Jie's suit is his machinegun. If it catches a group of people together then it can kill them all. For this reason, keep your characters as spread out as possible so Jie can't attack them all at once. If one dies, have another use a Resurrect Potion, Resurrect Mist, or cast Raise Dead. Do NOT leave a dead character lying there unconscious. Jie only fires his lasers when one of your party members has been defeated, and will continue to do so until you bring them back to life. So do so as soon as you can. Also, BRING MILLY INTO THIS FIGHT! Having her Fairy Light spell will be a huge advantage for you, since it will most likely heal you all to max or close to there. Plus her power-up spells to your party will be invaluable. Be sure to cast Protection! Use your Ougi techniques too. It will be very tough to beat him without any. Mainly, try and keep Neo Revorse busy, try and stun him and keep him from attacking. If he kills you no matter what you try, you probably just need to build more levels. Good luck! CHAPTER 17: The End of it all After Jie is defeated, this time it's for good. Here are translations of the ending. Rati: Did we do it? Jie: ....Ugh, this doesn't mean it's over. Heheh, someone else like me will surely one day appear. L..look f...forward to th...that time.... (Jie dies) Ronixis: Ivina said that what was propelling Jie was his genetically written destructive instict.... Ronixis: But what I saw within this man was a pure hatred of the men who created him and of himself... Iria: And maybe, sadness too....? Ronixis: Yeah. When you look at it, this man was just another victim.... Rati: Everyone, thanks for everything. Perisie: We're friends forever, right? Cius: Don't put on such a disturbed mask like that. This doesn't mean for sure we'll never see each other again, right? Cius: I really enjoyed going on a journey with you all. It's me who should thank you in return. Ashlay: Don't make such a pathetic face. This doesn't mean that we'll never meet again for sure, right? Fear: Rati, Cheer up. ....But I realize the place where we live... Fear: ...is just a tiny place; I can't believe there was a world like this... Joshua: To say that you gave me a good experience seems kind of pompous, Joshua: but I have a sense that meeting you all really has had a real impact on my life. Milly: Goodbye....Everyone... NOTE: OK now, here's the real clincher. The content of the ending from here on depends entirely on your characters' AR levels towards one another. I learned this for the first time writing this walkthrough when the ending for my party #1 was totally different than the last time I played it before. So I'm just going to give the sketches in the ending that I've seen. I'm sure there are many more. If you see any, please email what they said in them to ikelley@mail.sas.upenn.edu. If you can't read Japanese, email me a screenshot and I'll translate it. Thanks! Fear & Cius together: Fear: Do you really have to go? Lord Ryas won't try to restrain you, so why?! Cius: ....I can't yet. Fear: What? Cius: I have to become a swordsman worthy of him, living 300 years in the future... Cius: I'm not up to par with my dad, with the Shinku no Tate, and of course, him... Fear: ....I understand. But you have to come back. I'll be waiting for you. Cius: Yeah. Cius: Just you watch, Rati! Cius alone: (Even if Fear is in your party you can get this ending) Cius: I'm going to become a swordsman worthy of you, living 300 years in the future... Cius: I'm not up to par with my dad, with the Shinku no Tate, and of course, you too, right Rati? Fear alone: (Ditto above, you can still get this if Cius is in your party) Fear: Rati, what should I do about these feelings about you? Fear: ....300 years in the future? Do you think I can believe that? Fear: I even feel now like if I turn around, you're going to be there... Marvel & Joshua: Marvel: (I guess it really is fate that we never be together again....) Marvel: (I'll only be a bother if I try and follow you....Farewell...big brother...) Just Marvel: Marvel: Big brother.... Tinek: Announcer: Oh!! The challenger has appeared! Tinek: They sure all were strong guys... Tinek: I'll also train more and more and become strong! Tinek: All right, let's go!! Perisie: Perisie: How are you all doing? Perisie: Milly, how are you? Perisie: Rati, I miss you... (Where the hell is Ashlay's ending? I KNOW there has to be some way to get one, if you find one let me know) CREDITS Rati: This time it's goodbye for real, isn't it. Ronixis: Yeah, but we might need to come back for you again. Iria: Heheh, but I pray that we won't have to. Milly: Although you probably couldn't make it all the time, come back and see us again. Ronixis: Sure. But it might be a better idea that Roak not develop its technology. Iria: That's true. If you develop, the air will become smoggy, the water will become dirty, and all the trees will die... Iria: It could be that there's nothing good about it at all. Rati: That's not true at all. It's because of that developed technology that we were able to meet and go on such an exciting adventure. Rati: It's all right. We'll make Roak a better place. Ronixis: Good point. We'll come visit you when that happens. Rati: See you around. Milly: Although we may never see you again. Iria: I'm glad I was able to travel with you. Rati: Our real adventure starts now. And that's the end. Kinda short, I know, but it would seem that there are a lot of different ways that this ending can end. If you see a part of the ending that's *not* listed here, please email it to me (in Japanese or screenshots if you can, romanized or the best you can do if not) at ikelley@mail.sas.upenn.edu. Anyhow, congratulations on finishing the game! Now you can try your hand at the bonus dungeon. Read on to the next chapter to find out how to get there! CHAPTER 18: The Shichisei Ruins Now that you've finished the game, you may have noticed a little star next to your save file. This star means that you can access the secret dungeon, the Shichisei Ruins. The entrance to the Shichisei Ruins is back on Roak 300 years in the past, in Tatoroy. How to get back there is kind of tricky. You may have noticed at this point if you have it that the skill "Oracle" has served no practical usage whatsoever. This skill only becomes active once you have finished the game and have a star by your save file. So use the Oracle skill from the Abilities submenu on a character who has it in such a save file, and you will be transported to the Oracle Room. The Oracle Room: There are 7 exits here: 5 doors and two cave exits. The cave exit on the right will return you to the top floor of Revorse Tower. The cave exit on the left will return you to Tatoroy in Roak, 300 years in the past. The 5 doors can only be entered if you have an Oracle skill level of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 respectively, and inside them you can speak to people who will give you hints, and in the later rooms you can speak to various Tri-Ace and Enix programmers who worked on the game. Here are translations of what the people say in the 5 Oracle Rooms: Oracle Room Level 2: Girl by door: This is Oracle Room Level 2. If you've gotten here, then you must already know how to get into the main room outside. Walking man: Outside this room, you can go to Roak in the past by taking the left exit. The one on the right leads to Revorse Tower. Tri-Ace worker (old man walking): We've made a new dungeon for you in Roak from the past. Enjoy it! Boy in corner: I'm reflecting.... Man: Am I a Roakian? Don't worry about little details like that. Girl: In the Oracle Room, you can talk to the Tria creator gods. Little boy: I wonder if there's a meaning to going into the next room.... Oracle Room Level 4: (The Assistant design team) Kawakami: I ate some Ramen but I also ate a Bentou. (Japanese box-lunch) Sasatchi: I want to go on a journey by bicycle! Miyamoto: Take good care of Joshua! Jun: In Hokkaido, Hakata Ramen really is the best! Oracle Room Level 6: (The graphics team) Marichi: Have you gotten the kitten to join your party? Kenichi: I drew all those hard-to-see maps that come up in the game. Hahaha...sorry they were so hard to read. Hayaman: Hallo! I'm Hayama from the Graphics team! Nishitani: Thanks for buying this game. For those who are borrowing it, please buy it soon! Yo*ua: From drawing all these pictures, my "Guitar" skills have really gotten bad! Oracle Room Level 8: (The programming team) Hasshi: I made the sound driver. Yama-chan: I'm worn out. My chest hurts. Toku: Food.... Oracle Room Level 10: (Game Design room) Masakingu: Well....to start with....I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm MasaKing, in charge of apologizing. This is our last SFC production. It's kind of a shame. But making 2 RPGs for the SFC really has taught me a lot, and I think that it will help us a lot in making our next game. .......I'm being really formal here. I'm going to stop talking like this. Anyway, to tell the truth making this game was really tough. Almost impossible. Seriously. If there's anything that really made you mad while playing, do you think you wait until the next game? Our next game is gonna be really amazing. It'll be the combination of our two RPG creations + Alpha! Sutoreto's body double #1: The sound processing is done by the program alone. Sutoreto: Excuse me...was this game fun? 1) Yes (Sutoreto: Whew....) 2) It was OK (Sutoreto: I'm sorry.) 3) No (Sutoreto: I'm sorry, I'll try better next time.) Sutoreto's body double #2: This game doesn't use a chip to reduce storage, you know. Scenario Sutoreto: I'm sorry. (This is all he says) But I've got some really great (?) ideas now. Without even thinking about it I'm expecting things to be really good. Ah, I want to start working soon... OK, enough with these translations; there's nothing of any real importance in the Oracle Room except for the chance to talk to the programmers. You want to go back to Roak and search for the entrance to the Shichisei Ruins. One thing that you can do now that you're back is go back to where Asmodeus was and get the items that were behind him. But that's nowhere near where the entrance to the Ruins are. In actuality, the entrance to the Ruins is the exact spot that you get dropped off in once you exit the Oracle Room. Before you enter the Shichisei Ruins though, a word of warning; this dungeon is really tough. It's 30 levels deep, with NO save points. The monsters start out as the same monsters in Revorse Tower, but the lower down you get, the tougher they get. Items in the Shichisei Ruins: (not counting final treasure hoarde) Pikopiyo Bomb, Elven Powder, Killer Poison, Megaflare Bomb, Damascus x 6, Reflect Ring x 2, Star Ruby x 4, Luna Tablet x 2, Misty Symbol x 2, Gold Ring, Stone Check, Fairy Glass, Spectacles, Artemis Leaf x 2, Magic Card, Mithril, Assassin Dagger, Flare Spread, Reverse Doll x 2, ?JEM x 3, (Mithril) Rainbow Diamond, ?GUARD, (Neko Armor) Elven Boots, GUARD?, (Star Guard) Cinderella Glass x 2, Crown, Purple Mist, Heal Ring, ?WEAPON, (Meteo Crash) Magic Color, Witch Powder, Green Beryl, Sebori, Protect Ring, ?JEWELRY, (Fairy Ring) Mind Potion, Cinderella Glass, Talisman, Paralyze Check, ?WEAPON, (Growthal Sword) Mirage Robe x 2, Dragon Edge. Strategies for survival in the bonus dungeon: Levels 1-10: If you can survive the Revorse Tower, you'll probably be all right here, since the monsters are all the same. However, be on the watch for Medusa Eyes. Levels 10-20: Here a lot of new monsters appear. Reccomended Minimum levels: Everyone early 50s. Some of the monsters in this block only appear on certain levels, but the types of enemies here generally stay constant. For more detailed info: Arakorra: These guys mainly they fire plasma bolts at you, but they can also cure their allies. Pile Beast: These monsters aren't too tough, but don't let them power-up their attacks, or else you could be in trouble. Doom Axe: These monsters can't do anything but attack, but they have very high HP and attack power, so they can breach just about anyone's defenses. In addition, their AI is programmed to try and sandwich you between two of them, and it can get messy if they do that. Gremlin Flora: Aside from back attacking you often, can these guys do anything? They seem pretty weak to me. Perhaps they can cast spells, but they've never lasted long enough when I've fought them. :) Cannibal: High HP, can bat stones at you for a good deal of damage too. Cloud Ogre: These guys are irritating, in much the same way as the Doom Axes are. When they get tired, hit them with a combo fast! Kalra Eagle: While this monster's HP are comparitively lower than the rest of the enemies here, their feather missiles do tons of damage, and when they rise up in the air they can let out a shockwave that damages everyone. Punkponk: The boss of the Mt. Metox Ruins shows up here as a normal monster. By now he's easy meat. Darkstalker: It's a good thing these monsters are so rare, because they're really tough. In the lower levels of the dungeon they appear more frequently, and in numbers, so be careful. They're a Succubus-type monster with lots of power. Their spears can do more than 2000 damage each, and they can petrify you as well! But they provide a lot of experience if you beat them. Levels 21-30 Here the monsters get really tough. Reccomended level minimums: at least 60 for everyone. Unless you are really tough, you're going to want Milly in every fight here. And although it's kind of cheating to use them, without musical instruments, you're going to be at a severe disadvantage here. Evil Terato: The toughest Spiderwoman monsters in the game. They can do a lot of damage. Hit them fast, and with combos. Fat Fudd: Don't be fooled by the fact that they're slimes....the Fat Fudds are one of the toughest monsters in the game! They do ridiculous amounts of damage and have VERY high HP, and can also divide to create more! But if you beat them, they can give you tons of experience--even more than the Gabriel fight! Gargantua: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. The only real problem with Gargantua is that he's got an unbelievably high defense rate. Unless your attack power is over 1500 you are not likely to penetrate his defenses with a normal attack. His power is high, but he is slow to attack. When he yells and pushes you back, characters equipping Star Guards will create havoc with all the damaging stars they'll create! Demonic Eyes: I HATE THESE MONSTERS!!! They have high attack, high HP, continuous attack ability, can cast spells, and worst of all, petrify you with near-certainty. Get rid of these monsters before anything else! Cocatrice: These guys are VERY difficult. The toughest Roc-type monster in the game, their feather missiles do thousands of damage a hit, their sonic booms do almost as much, and if that wasn't enough, they can also petrify you! Even still, they hit you with both-sides attacks all the time too. By now you are probably REALLY hating petrification, so get rid of these guys before anything else. Grave Bit: These bugs fly around and don't attack all that much, and it's hard for them to hit you. If they do manage to hit you though, they do about an average of 5,400 HP damage to a character with a 400 defense level, so you don't want to let them get that chance. Take the initiative and you'll probably have no problem. Killer Whispers: These monsters tend to keep back and away from the fight for some reason, even though their attack level is high--and they rarely take good chances to attack too. Unlike most other monsters down here they have a weakness: fire. Use flame weapons on them and they're history. There are a bunch of puzzles in the bonus dungeon. In order to proceed to the next level, you have to do certain actions; if you have not done the right thing you will be blocked from entering the next level, and be given a hint as to what to do. Also, if you perform the wrong actions, you'll get a "fail" message. Here are translations of the hints and "fail" messages. For the solutions, check the end of this chapter. Level 4 [Open in reverse, then the way shall open] Level 7 [Leave your greed behind, and the way shall open] Level 10 [Ladies First] Level 12 [I desire a beautiful Statue] (fail) [Not Beautiful] (far left) Level 17 [Free Everything. Then the way will open] Level 22 [The adventurer dreams of chasing treasure] (fail) [There is no dream] Level 25 [Being seen is embarrasing] On Level 19, you will find the Adventurer Kuma on the ground, wounded. He will tell you to be careful. On that floor, there is also a room with a nasty trap...as soon as you enter the room, the trap enages, reducing your entire party's HP to 1! What's more, you are then put into a fight with 2 Demonic Eyes (HP 25800 each) How to beat the Demonic Eyes While this is not a boss fight, it's a real bitch. The Demonic Eyes have a much higher petrify rate than any of the other Eye monsters, and do lots of damage too. I've died in this battle more times than I can count. The main thing to remember in this fight is: KEEP YOUR DISTANCE! It doesn't matter how high your HP are, if you get petrified it won't do you any good. If you have the Kouryuu Ougi techniques they work really well. Otherwise, you're stuck with duking it out with Shichiseisouhazan and other close-range techniques. Iria's Oukahakkeshou/Uraoukasakkou is a good choice, and Cius' Genbushourai is too. Fear and Marvel also have good ranged attacks. Be SURE to have everyone equipping a Stone Check when you come in here! On Level 20, you will find K, also on the ground, wounded. He is mumbling about how Yuu should go on ahead without him. In another room on the level, you will find Yuu and Piron, both of who are complaining about being lost and not being able to go back. On Level 21, you will get a warning to "Beware the Trap of Death" On Level 29, there are two deathtraps...the first one isn't quite as dangerous though, it's with 2 Evil Terats. However, the second one is VERY dangerous, where you're fighting 2 Dark Stalkers (This is a possible battle from Clarinet 2) and if Milly's not in your party when you start the fight you are as good as dead. On Level 30, you will meet the thief Looter, who will laugh at you and say that the treasure here is his. He attacks! Fight: 2 Looters: HP 32000 1 Resfina: HP 25700 So you think you're tough? It's time to prove it! The Looters do from 3000- 4000 points of damage a hit, even to characters with defense levels over 500! Characters level 65 and under will be lucky to survive more than a few seconds. Make SURE Milly is in this battle, and protect her well, because it's likely you're going to need a lot of healing. By now she should have level 10 of Hayakuchi, so casting time should be less of a problem. In terms of levels, I would recommend that Rati be at least level 85-90, and the rest of the party either at level 70 or close thereof. Even at those levels, you still will be pretty much at a disadvantage. I've found that at about level 105, Rati becomes an even match for these guys. Here are some reccomendations for strategies to use for each of the characters. Rati: Shichiseisouhazan in succession is always a good strategy. Also, the Tenraihas in sucession is a good idea too. Milly: Milly is critical in this fight. Although her healing powers are very useful, they're actually secondary to her assist magics. Cast Protection, Delay, Acid Rain, Growth, and other spells to give you an advantage. I don't think Fixed Cloud works but I've never tried it. If it did it would be sweet. :) And of course, Milly's healing spells are always essential. Iria: Oukahakkeshou or Uraoukasakkou in succession is her best bet. Other techniques will probably get her too close to the enemies and and in a very vulnerable position. Cius: Genbushourai in succession is probably the best way to go. Otherwise, use Byakkoshourai or Shichiseisouhazan in succession. Ashlay: Ah, poor Ashlay. By this point in the game, he'll probably be outclassed by all of your other fighters without any decent Ougi techniques. But if you use him in this fight, use Shichiseisouhazan. Joshua: If you want attack magic, bring in Joshua. Spells that affect everyone like Meteo Storm are a great idea. Plus he can back up Milly with some additional curing spells. Marvel: A rapid Hail Orb is a good idea. Either that, or any of her Ougi techniques in succession. She's nice, because you don't have to get close to the enemies to hurt them. Ronixis: If I were you, I wouldn't bring Ronixis in because his magic isn't usually as powerful as Joshua's, and even if Joshua's not in your party he will be weak. Use Meteo Storm and Gremlin Lair if you do though. Fear: Fear is a very nice character to have here because she can attack powerfully from a distance. I find that Sylvan shot in succession, or Unholy/Victory Terror in succession works best. But even normal attacks can be OK. If you want extra insurance of her not dying, equip some Bloody Swords. Tinek: Tinek's speed really comes in handy here, and the range of that staff is really useful. Keep away from Senpuukon/Gurensenpuukon, because if you do you are likely to get hit. Shippuhariken in succession is probably your best bet. If you're daring, Shichiseiranbu also can be really helpful. Perisie: Actually, I find that in this fight, Perisie's Prismic Dance and Magical Dance are excellent ways of support in terms of HP/MP healing. In terms of attack, she's not as useful, I've found. Use Dream Combo and Jump-Punch- Somersault, I find the latter is more useful. Whatever party and strategy you use, good luck! This fight is not easy! Treasure that the Looters were hoarding: ?JEM x 2, (Orihalcon) ?WEAPON, (Soul Eater) Magical Drop, Extension, Kenja no Ishi, (Sage Stone) Lightning Bow Congratulations on beating the bonus dungeon! Now you can fight with some of the most powerful weapons and spells in the game. See how strong you can make your characters! Do you have the patience to build your characters up to level 255? :) Level 4: Starting from the room to the far east, open the four chests, going one room to the west each time, until all four chests are opened. Level 7: Make sure that all three chests are closed before descending. Level 10: Rearrange your party's marching order so that all female characters come before all the male characters. Since Rati can't be removed from the active party, put him in slot 4. If any female characters are left over, then put them in slots 5 and 6. Level 12: Push/pull the statue the furthest to the left until it is in front of the staircase. Level 17: Open all four chests. To do this the fastest, close the second chest, and then open the third chest, or close the third chest, then open the second chest. Level 22: Push and/or pull the statue until it is facing the chest on the far right. Make sure that the chest is closed. Level 25: Push and/or the statue until it is not visible from the staircase down. Well, that about does it for this walkthrough....if there is anything I've missed (and I know there's a lot) please let me know! Do not remove the following from this FAQ! ============================================================= For any additions, corrections, or questions, please email me (Ian Kelley at ikelley@mail.sas.upenn.edu. Thanks. If you want to put any or all of this FAQ on your page, please let me know first. I don't mind at all if you use this FAQ on your page, in fact I encourage you to do so if you wish, but if you let me know first I can keep a running tab on who's got it so I know who to email when I update it. Plus I can look at your page too. :) ============================================================= Do not use this FAQ for ANY kind of profit, be it selling it, using it as incentive to buy games, or anything else AT ALL! While it may be common sense that doing this is illegal, there are many people who will do it anyway. This is a warning to those people! I *WILL* sue you if you do and I find out! ============================================================= Thanks to: Enix and Tri-Ace! Hats off to them for making what is quite possibly the best console RPG ever! Celica, (tanke@teada.tec.u-ryukyu.ac.jp) for telling me how to get Ashlay and Perisie to join my party, among other useful tips. Jason Murata (bludgeon_16@hotmail.com) for filling me in on many items I missed. ============================================================= This FAQ originated at http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~ikelley/