The Walkthrough (yes, there are spoilers!)

Beginning the Game: Sword Practice

Okay. First sit back, and watch the intro. When you can control Aleth, just keep walking north, through the grass. Lagnus will eventually run up and say he's found something cool, forgetting all about the hunting.

So you go east, and there's a clearing with some airplane-ish stuff sticking up from below. Lagnus decides to build a secret base there, and after the cutscene, it's several years later, and he's there to practice sword-play with you. Never mind that he uses a spear...

Open the chests in the tree-fort, and equip what you can. Leave the fort, and you start your sparring session with Lagnus.
I don't know if you can win the fight with Lagnus; I didn't bother to find out. ^^;
It's probably better to lose, since that way you can save your herb for later.

Anyway, you lose, and Lagnus says you need to try harder. Yeah.

Uh Oh, Bandits! Cassius Appears!

Anyway, leave this area to the south-east, and walk south. Oh no, bandits! Check out the animation for the bandits laughing - it's so cool! Well, I think so. Anyway, it looks grim for our level one party, when suddenly! flute music begins to play. Yep, you're getting rescued. By a bard, no less. For the fight with the bandits, just keep hitting them. Neither Aleth or Lagnus have any spells right now, so you don't have much of an option. Anyway, now Cassius has joined the party. Yaaaay.

Let's go back to town and the castle. Don't forget to loot the town, there are items in dressers and barrels.
Gee, do you think the villagers are foreshadowing? ^^;

Duties of Priest and Prince: North to Saleth!

So anyway, go to the castle. The king chews out Lagnus for being irresponsible, and sends him upstairs. The High Priest drags you off to tell you to try hard to be a good person, and talks about the medallion thingy.

There's a short cutscene with Cassius, delivering his message, and then the king tells you and Lagnus that you are to travel with Cassius, north, to Saleth. Y'know, to get some experience with the world.

After looting the castle, and maybe buying some stuff, you head north. Really, you can't miss Saleth unless you're a retarded rhesus monkey. North, I say!

The Town of the Goddess: Stay Out Of Trouble? What's That?

So, yeah, Saleth. People here all like to talk about the Goddess. Before going to the temple like you're supposed to, talk to everyone in town, especially the drunk in the bar. Buy many herbs. You'll need 'em. Get new armor here if you wish, or upgrade weapons. It's all good.

Anyway, to the temple! Cassius leaves the party, and Lagnus, after the guard leaves, decides that he wants to explore the part of the temple that's forbidden, since the Goddess is supposed to be under the temple. So you go in, and walk right past the snoozing guard (really, try talking to him from the front. He just doesn't notice you at all).

Oh no, now things get tough. The monsters in this game are HARD, so you might want to hang around by the screen with the convenient healing spring and just level up for a while. I'd recommend about level five or so, but it's up to you. Aleth's Bless spell will make the upcoming boss easier, so think about it. Make sure to snag all the treasure, and don't use Light Heal. Save that MP for the boss! You should have plenty of herbs, though, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Anyway, you eventually come across a glowing green gem. Lagnus will comment on it, and then a boss pops out, saying you must fight it to prove yourself.

Boss: Green Guardian
This guy's got about 1000 HP, so be prepared for a tough fight. Only hit with Aleth if he has nothing better to do. Lagnus should be doing all the fighting here - Aleth just doesn't do that much damage. Just keep healing when appropriate, and don't forget to use Bless almost right off. The guy will heal himself for 500 HP when you've almost got him down.

Green Gem Obtained: The Amnesiac Goddess!

After you defeat this guy, the green crystal will place itself into Aleth's possession, and a tube in back will open up, causing a girl to fall out. I guess this must be the Goddess! She will say her name, something about an Orb, and promptly pass out. Wee.
So now, you have to walk back out of this place again.

When you exit, a whole bunch of annoyed monks/priests will be there to greet you. Oops. Anyway, you get taken upstairs to explain this to the Abbot, and the girl, Serra, wakes up, and is very confused. In the end, they are satisfied with your story, since the gem did choose you. They take Serra off to a quiet place to rest, and show you to a guest room.

When you awaken, explore and talk to the monks/priests. After you've finished, Cassius will be in your room, and rejoins your party. Cassius tells Lagnus that he's heard a disturbing rumor, that an army is about to march on Garade. Understandably, Lagnus freaks out.

Now our goal is to get the hell back to Garade, so go talk to the Abbot. Serra's awake, and she asks to come with you, since all she knows is that gem and her name. The Abbot doesn't really like this, but he lets her go, anyway. Anyway, go back to town and upgrade your weapons a point, and get some supplies. You'll need 'em.

Shadow Over Garade: Don't Tell Me You Didn't See This Coming

Now head on back to Garade. Notice the dark, dark music, and lack of townspeople. I don't think you need me to tell you what happened, right? I think we all saw this coming waaaay back.

When you head up to the castle gates, Cassius points out that going in the front door is dangerous (not to mention stupid), and Lagnus says he knows a secret way in. Follow him, and talk to him to sneak into the castle. You'll see two staircases. The downstairs one doesn't take you anywhere (right now), so head on upstairs.

Gaspity gasp gasp! You're surrounded by soldiers! Next time, LOOK before you head upstairs into a possibly besieged castle, Lagnus! A certain Professor Hardwick is here, too. Remember him from the cutscene earlier? He casts some kind of binding spell on the party, and has you all thrown into prison.

Prison Break: I'll Get My Revenge!

Well, looks like you're stuck. But this an RPG! There has to be someway out of this two-bit prison, right? Fortunately, the party doesn't have to think up a plan, because the High Priest uses his magic to release you from your cell. Unfortunately, he dies in the process. But grieving aside, it's time to escape!

As you head to the stairs, Lagnus hears his father being tortured, and, well, has to do something about it. It's a fight! While this isn't a boss, really, it can be tough. The guards go first, and if they both hit one person, they can end up killing that person. So, prayer works ^^;

But despite defeating the guards, the king's on his way out. The light from the green gem eases his pain so he can talk to you. He tells you to head to the Black Dragon Ruins, via the tapestry in the main hall of the castle. And then, he dies. After a short scene with Lagnus vowing revenge, and Cassius telling him they should get the hell out first, the body vanishes. God, it's creepy how that always happens in RPGs.

The Black Dragon Ruins: I've Got A Bad Feeling About This

And upstairs you go. Talk to the tapestry, and some guards rush up, and, yeah, it's another fight. It's the same annoying guys as before, so you've probably got a better feel as to what works. Now, head into the tunnel.

When you arrive at the ruins, Serra will suddenly say that you can't go in, but can't really explain why. But the party has to go in, premonitions or no premonitions. The inside is fairly straight-forward. There are a few false ends, but nothing so bad that you will swear. Most of them have treasure. When you reach an area that looks much like the place where you found the green gem, unequip Lagnus' armor. Don't worry about his weapon. You'll see why in a moment.

You'll come to a room with armor on a pedestal. Before you can do anything, though, Hardwick appears! He says that he had Lagnus' father killed deliberately, and Lagnus attacks him in a rage. Then a voice calls out to Lagnus, asking him if he wants power. Lagnus says yes, and claims the armor, despite Serra's protests. Hardwick is positively delighted by this turn of events, and orders the funky thing at his side, Tortath, to capture you. Fight it out!

Boss: Tortath
This is pretty straight forward, actually. Use Lagnus' new magic spells on it, and it should die in a few rounds. Just do whatever with everyone else. You really shouldn't lose against this.

Last Stand of the Music Man: Let's Go to Colodus!

Lagnus collapses after the fight, and Hardwick orders his soldiers to capture Lagnus while he's down. Guess the guy's never heard of the saying 'if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself'? But unfortunately for him, Cassius gets in the way, and tells you to flee out the hole in the back wall while he holds them all back. Go music man.

While Cassius fights it out, the rest of the party apparently falls into an underground stream, and gets washed up in a cave somewhere. A short cutscene ensues, with Lagnus asking what happened to Cassius, Serra being concerned about the armor, and Lagnus talking about his uncle, who apparently has a kingdom nearby. Anyway, head on south from here, until you reach Tassar.

Tassar: City of Thieves

Ah, Tassar. City of thieves. A hive of scum and villainy. Eh, maybe not quite that bad.

Regardless, it looks like you'll need a guide to get though the forest to the kingdom of Lagnus' uncle. But who could you hire?
Let's go to the Black Market! They're always fun places to visit! Now, the stuff here is really expensive, so it's up to you if you want any or not. Me, I pass.

Some guy will be standing in the lower-right. Go past him to the thieves' guild. A cutscene will begin automatically. Basically, most of the thieves don't want to go to Colodus, Lagnus' uncle's kingdom, so it's not so easy to get a guide. However, there is one man who just might be crazy--er, brave enough to take the job. That man is also the guildmaster's (adopted) son, Saladin. He gives you a letter to take to him, and, well...now you can go and try to hire him! It's not to hard to find where he is : )

In any case, Saladin says he'd be glad to do it...for 500 GP. If you don't have this much on you (you should!), you can go fight to earn it or sell some stuff. When you have the funds, just talk to Saladin again. Yay, now Saladin joins the party! He'll be invaluable later in the game, but right now, he's just a fighter with no spells or abilities. With Saladin in your party, you can now navigate south through the forest to Colodus.

Colodus: Besieged by Goblins?

Once you reach Colodus, take the time to look around. Buy new weapons or upgrade if you want, but it's all really expensive. Anyway, after looting, head to the castle.

The Minister will take you to see the King, Seldam, who seems quite glad to see you.
Lagnus asks for Seldam's army to drive the Kardossans out of Garade, but Seldam says it's not possible due to the problem they've been having with goblins. Apparently they used to occupy some ruins, and were driven out, but threaten the city to such a degree that Seldam can't spare any troops. Well, guess what we'll get to do...

Anyway, the Minister takes you to the guest room to rest, after some more talking. The party decides to take a look around for the time being.

Head for the dungeon, it's time to talk to the 'goblins'. You can talk to the others if you want, but the one you need to talk to is the pink one in the lower right cell. She'll ask if you're here to execute her, say no. She'll then ask if you'll do something for her. Say yes. She'll tell you to send a message to her people, the Gurika, that she's already dead, and to not come after her, and gives you her scarf to prove it.

Well, it's off to the caves the Gurika, the alleged goblins, inhabit!

Cave of the Gurika: Hey, It's Like a Maze!

Now, these caves are kinda maze-like. The first room of the cave has three doors you can go through. Head through the middle one. The left one has a cursed sword, and the right is empty.

After the next room, you'll come to a room with two doors. Go left. The right room is empty.

In the next room, the pathway splits. Go left to pick up the treasure, then go right.

The next room has again two doors. Go right. The left room is empty.

After another room, you'll come to a room with three doors. The left room has treasure, the middle room has a save point, and the right room continues on.

After yet another room (having fun yet?), you'll come to a room with a dog-like thing blocking a door. This is the boss. Heal now, before engaging it.

Boss: Najiri
He hits hard, for this point of the game, anyway. I think he's got about 2000 HP, probably a little over that. Use Bless, Protect, Haste, and Shadow Shape. You should have these by now! If Lagnus has Bind, use it! Now you don't have to worry about Najiri smacking you around for a bit. Attack with Saladin or use items. With the proper spells, Najiri should be doing piss poor damage to Lagnus (make sure he's in front - damage soak!). Heal with Aleth, and Serra, as needed. Use Lagnus' spells to hurt this guy - Darkness Arrow seems to work best. The guy's hard to hit physically - if you run out of MP for Lagnus, try Serra's Heart Break. If all else, well, just pray that you lay a hit ^^;

The Gurika Tribe: The Truth Will Out

After the battle, the party realizes Najiri's still alive. They're about to finish it off, when Serra, realizing something, moves to block them from hurting it. Najiri hits her, and she collapses, but it transforms into a Gurika tribesman. Apparently he thought you were here to wipe out his people. Oops. Serra passes out, and Najiri urges you to take her into the village with him, so she can rest.

Well, Serra's out of the party, for now. Anyway, it looks like someone was wrong about there being goblins, since these are NOT goblins. Saladin tells the truth about the pink Gurika, Shiara, since he's the honorable sort, and can't stand what's happening to these people.

Looks like a rescue operation is in order! Najiri joins your party. He can't be controlled in battle, and he won't be around for too long, so don't worry about equipment too much. Just give him any spare armor he can wear. Now, loot the village! There's some nice stuff kicking around, and it's all free for us kleptos!

After you're done looting the poor tribesmen, it's time to level a little! Aleth should have Half Heal (in other words, to level 13) before you go much farther. It'll make the going much easier. Since you can sleep for free in the inn here, it's all good. When you're good and ready, it's time to walk out of the cave.

Battle in the Coliseum: Be Just or Be Dead!

When you get out, there's that weird animal (I forget the name) that the villagers promised you. Neat!

Anyway, when you get to Colodus, no one's there! But NOW how will you heal yourself? Well, I guess it's either a walk to Tassar or manual healing...

Anyway, to the castle! There must be JUSTICE! It looks like all the goblin--er, Gurika prisoners are about to be executed. You can't let that happen, right? We know the truth! When you try to tell Seldam that you know the truth about the goblins, he reveals something far more sinister. He lead the Kardossans to Garade.
Lagnus, of course, cannot forgive this, and it's a fight!

Boss: King Seldam and Two Squad
Take out the squad, first. Seldam's annoying himself, and it's easier without those guys around. Seldam's chief annoying ability is using that wand he's got to confuse party members. Use Aleth's Cure spell to fix it up. Don't forget your Shadow Shape and Bless spells! Just attack with Saladin (not much else you can do), and Najiri, well, you can't control him anyway. Use Lagnus' Poison Arrow - it tends actually work! Barring that, Darkness Arrow is good. Keep everyone's health up with Half Heal, and this battle shouldn't be too hard.

To the Ruins of Flame: Yay for Treasure!

After you win, Shiara tells you to break the staff! When you do, everyone snaps out of it, except for that suspicious black-robed guy, who teleports away.

After all the Gurika prisoners are freed, Shiara tells Najiri to go to the flame ruins, and see what's there, hopefully to prevent bad stuff from happening again. W

ell, now that the town is operational again, let's go get new armor and items. Notice I don't say weapons. It really doesn't pay to upgrade your weapons in this game, at least until you're at the end. It gets obscenely expensive, which is one of this game's downfalls. But aside from that. Get what you need, rest in the inn, and climb aboard that giant hedgehog-porcupine thing you call a transportation device. Let's get this show on the road! Ugh, I can't believe I just said that... -_-;;

Head south-west from Colodus, and go down past the mountains. See that forest ahead? That's our destination. Once you enter, Najiri will open the door, and in we go!

Look at all that lava. Yum. Well, the upside of this place is loads of treasure. The downside is the enemies. Well, no one ever said robbing ancient ruins would be easy, right?

Among the treasure here is a cursed spear. Don't equip it. The dungeon is pretty straight-forward, so I'll let you navigate through on your own. Make sure you find the Shot Gun weapon at least, if you plan on skipping all the treasure.

Eventually, you'll reach the familiar ruins-y type place. Heal up and make sure you're ready before you go to far. When you reach the innermost room, you'll find a big robot-type thing in front of what looks to be... a red gem. Hey... remember all that stuff about gems? Do you think this is important? Naaah, it couldn't be...

The big robot thing introduces itself as the guardian of the red gem, and, well, fight to prove your worthiness!! ^^;

Boss: Red Guardian
This guy is strong. He seems to hit first, usually, and he has a nasty attack that does about 1100 damage. Cast your protection spells first, then work on whittling down his HP. This fella's got about 8000 HP, so this'll take some doing. Have Aleth heal as needed, and use items with Saladin if needed. Lagnus should concentrate on using his spells. Electric Blast does the most damage. Status effect spells don't seem to work on this guy; that said, just keep going, and this guy should go down. Najiri has a nasty habit of dying, but don't worry too much about him. After all, you can't control him anyway.

Red Gem Obtained: Serra Recovers

When you win, the red gem places itself into Aleth's care as well. Use one of the Troll's Gates obtained in here to teleport out. Note you can't do it in the room you got the red gem in.

Anyway, once you're out, hop on the beast of burden and hoof it back to Colodus. Head to the bar, and talk to the Gurika there. Looks like Serra's recovered! To the Gurika-cave! ^^;

On the way out, a strange shadow appears, but nothing comes of it except a comment from Lagnus.

Fortunately, we don't have to walk into the depths of the cave again. They decided to be nice and have everyone come outside to meet you. Hooray, everyone's all happy now. But, suddenly! that strange shadow appears again. Someone came to crash the party, so to speak. It's that black-robed guy from before, and he takes the time to introduce himself as Gilzaith, one of the Four Generals of Kardosa!
Seems he has a bone to pick with you, so it's a fight!

Boss: Gilzaith
Don't bother. This fight's rigged.

The Capture of Serra: Return of an Old Friend

Gilzaith compliments you on doing so well (0_o?), and promises you a quick death. The whole party is encased in magic, and can't move. Luckily, Saladin uses magic he didn't know he had (from here on, he will learn spells), and frees everyone from the spell. Gilzaith claims he knows who Saladin is, and escapes, after taking Serra as a captive.

This scene ends, and it cuts to Lagnus and Aleth back in Colodus Castle. Everyone's been looking for Serra, but no one can find her. Najiri leaves the party for good, and the scene cuts again to Saladin musing over Gilzaith's words. Lagnus asks Saladin what he's gonna do now, and Saladin says he's going with you, since you smell like treasure. ^_^;

Let's follow Saladin's suggestion and head to the bar for a drink! Look! Look! It's Cassius! Looks like he survived back there, after all! After he plays his pretty music, he notices you, and once you fill him in on the latest news, he asks that you take him to see the minister.

When you get there, the minister has thought of a way to find Serra. There's a city that specializes in collecting information, in other words, a city of spies. The problem is, no one knows where it is (apparently it moves around). But what luck! Cassius is actually... a spy of Claydon! The party is surprised, but it looks like we'll be heading to the desert tomorrow!

During the night, Lagnus awakens to find that Cassius has vanished, and wakes Aleth to go look for him. They go to the pub and find Cassius playing some music. Cassius then launches into his story, about why he hates Kardosa, too. Then he tells you to leave him be, and the scene ends.

Elsewhere, Hardwick interrogates Serra, who he does indeed remember now. Serra still remembers nothing.

Claydon: City of Spies

The next morning, climb onto your beastie, and head south-east, to the desert. When you see the oasis, get off and enter the area. Just follow along until the path opens up a bit, and head south through the thin gap and continue north-east-ish from there. You'll eventually reach where the Claydon is parked.

Cassius gets you all inside, and now you can take a look around. Remove Lagnus' weapon if you want to sell it. Buy some more supplies, and upgrade if you feel the desire. Don't forget to loot. There's not too much, but, hey, it's free.

When you're ready, go up to talk to the king. He was expecting you, apparently, and has some new orders for Cassius: Spy for Kardosa. Cassius is, suffice to say, not happy. Then Hardwick and Sindra, whom you might recall from Cassius' flashback, appear, with Serra in tow.

Needless to say, no one in the party is happy to see them. Hardwick makes a deal with Lagnus. If he comes with him, he'll let Serra go. While the rest of the party protests, Lagnus does it anyway. Then, Hardwick turns Lagnus to stone, and reneges on his promise to return Serra. Nasty fucker.

Then he orders Sindra to kill the lot of you. Before things get ugly, though, Serra calls upon the power of the gems, and teleports Aleth, Saladin, and herself far away from all this, to a mountain. But what about Cassius? ^^; Now our task is to get off this mountain.

Equip Serra with the Shot Gun before you do anything else. The Ice Fang you find in the chest on the way is cursed. Pity.

From Mountain to Sea: The Mysterious Woman, Karina

Before too long, you should reach the village of Karole. Rest up, loot, and look around before moving on. Then cross the bridge, and continue down that mountain.

Eventually, you'll come upon an underground port, and Saladin will tell you to hide. A cutscene will ensue, and you will overhear a plot to capture a girl and a kid. Who could they mean? Well, no way you can just walk up and ask them. ^^;

Go up and west from where you are standing, and exit through the large cave opening. Once you're on the world map, head west to the port town Trados.

Talk to people; apparently the pirates are stealing beer. 0_o; Well, I guess that's... different.

Well, when you've had enough of the people, head to the port. Look, those guys are harrassing that girl! Let's do something about it! This fight should be easy, so just have fun!

But despite the efforts, the little boy is carried off by one of the men, and onto a ship, which sails away. The girl then asks you to help her, and introduces herself as Karina. Since a tie is suspected by the party of Kardosa, the pirates, and the girl, the party agrees.

On Board With Captain Bargan: The Barrel Puzzle of Doooooom!

Head back to town, and to the bar. Someone there will tell you to talk to the passed out guy, Marco. Despite obviously having had one too many, he's able to stand and answer your questions. Since he knows exactly where the pirates appear, your party borrows his boat... for a price.

Get thyself over to the docks. Talk to Marco to set sail.

After a short cutscene at the meeting point, pirates show up, but not the ones you're looking for. They're the Cadmus pirates, enemies of the Water Dragon pirates for generations! Arr!

Anyway, Karina explains the problem to Bargan, their leader, and he agrees to help in exchange for a lot of beer. You go aboard his ship, but he informs you that men need to work aboard his craft; but before you go to work, take the time to loot the little treasure on the boat. Talk to Bargan again to receive your job.

And...waiting for you is... A barrel puzzle. Now, I'm gonna give one possible solution here, so if you wanna do this yourself, then ignore the following paragraph. Talk to the pirate to reset the puzzle if you screw up.

Push the bottom-most barrels up. On the middle left barrel, push left, then down, then right, then up, then right, then down. Go back, and do the same to the middle right barrel. Go back, and push both top barrels down. Push the bottom right barrel right, then down. Go back, push the former top right barrel right, then down, then left. Go back, and do the same to the former top right barrel. Go to where you left the bottom right barrel, and push it left. Go back, and push the last barrel right, down, then left. Congratulations. It's done.

When you arrive at Cadmus island, there is a short cutscene
 

meet bargan, to Hilandia, to Gassa.
And Since I'm blanking on what happens, I'll continue this later.
 

Skipping ahead...

Boss: Blue Guardian
Okay, this boss is on crack. He does WAAAAY too much damage. Bad programmers! ^^; Fortunately, there's a way that makes it easier that isn't technically cheating. Use that handy bind spell! While he can't move, up your defense and attack with Aleth and Serra, and just attack with Saladin. His spells do piss poor damage on this boss. For Karina, use her stab technique. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it does a nice amount of damage. Attack with Serra after you've cast the necessary spells, and attack with Aleth if he has nothing better to do. Use items as needed/necessary, even if it means passing on Saladin or Karina's attack. When the Blue Guardian starts moving, cast bind again, and heal with Aleth. Rinse, and repeat.

Blue Gem Obtained: Attack of Kardosa!

When it dies, you are treated to a cutscene that hints very strongly at Aleth's origin, and you then receive the blue gem. Before teleporting out, first equip the talisman on Serra. If you didn't get it before like you should have, GO GET IT NOW.

When you exit the Labyrinth of Time, the Councilor frantically tells you Kardosa's attacking, and kidnapping mages to boot! Oh no! Your only choice is to go upstairs (unless you want to go back into the labyrinth ^^;), so up you go to see our old friend Gilzath attacking Marilyn.

A long cutscene follows, revealing Gilzath as a former Gassan mage, and Saladin's true roots. Gilzath surrounds the party and Marilyn with purple flames, but when it all looks bleak, the gems revive the statue behind you, as it was Elena, the former head mage, in a petrified state. She banishes the flames, and tells you to attack Gilzath.

Your party hardly needs much urging in this regard, and it's a fight!

Boss: Gilzath
Not as hard as it seems. EQUIP THE @%$# TALISMAN! Since Serra's gun easily does about 2000+ damage to him, you really, really should equip the talisman on her. Cast Taboo, to block off his deadly Death and Nova spells. The rest of the party will die from his onslaught of magic. Ah, well. Sacrifices for the greater good. Just keep her HP from dropping too low. Otherwise, just hold down the attack button, and you should take him out without too much difficulty.

To Marilyn's Tower: A Return to Garade!

Now, at last, Gilzath is well and truly dead. So much for immortality. Elena explains what's going on, as if you didn't get it already, and then returns to her stone form, as it was her punishment for using a forbidden spell against Gilzath all those years ago. Marilyn then tells you to come to her tower.

You should be able to find it one your own, so I'm not giving directions here. You're a retro RPG-gamer! You can do it!  ^^;

When you reach the entrance to the tower, Lagnus will appear. He doesn't attack, but just talks, saying some disturbing things,  before disappearing again. Serra still blames the armor.

Anyway, go in, and head on up. Don't forget to loot if you haven't already. Inside, Marilyn tells you what she knows of the Orb, and suggests that Aleth find out the truth of his heritage by going to the place of his birth. It's back to Garade for you!

Garade and Beyond: Aleth's Origin Revealed!

When you arrive, head to the castle. A lone priest in one of the rooms (do it yourself!) will give you the hints you need to know where you go next. It's off to the mountains!

Head north-east from the castle, and you should see the entry to a mountain. Climb on up. Get any chests you see along the way. Not much to say here, except keep climbing.

Eventually you'll reach a strange village filled with people who greet Aleth warmly. Turns out these are the people who handed Aleth to the High Priest all those years ago! In any case, the Elder here tells you head to a tower south-east of here.

Exit the town from the south-east exit. The tower is very obvious. Anyway, you walk up to the door, and the green gem reacts to let you in. Take everything you see here. No battles!

At the top, you discover the truth behind Aleth, and Serra, the Orb, and the villagers, among other things. Suffice to say, I'm not going to synopsize this - go play it yourself! ^^;

After it's all over, leave, and head back to the village. Talk to the Elder, and he'll talk to you and then turn into dirt. You'll notice all the other villagers have had the same fate.

Leave the village, and head to the forest. Alex had mentioned the Orthinopter Lindblum was buried near Garade, and here it is! ...Please don't tell me it was a surprise. ^^; Anyway, now you have an air going vehicle. Yay! I think this one's pretty cool.

After flying with the Lindblum for a while, head back to Hilandia.

Kardosa Attacks: Rescue Karina!

It looks like Karina's father, the king is sick. To make matters worse, it looks like Kardosa's going to attack soon. Go to rest in the guest room.

After a cutscene, you find that Karina has accompanied the troops north to the fort. Your party decides that she's in danger, so it's off north.

In the main room at the fort, you find that Karina has been captured, and you get into a ridiculously easy (for this game anyway) battle. After it's done, the fat guy runs away, and you're free to explore the levels below.
In one of the cells is a familiar figure... it's Bargan! Flip the switch up at the top of the room to open all the cell doors. Geez, the contractors were lazy. One switch opens all the doors. Not exactly the best idea for a prison, eh? In any case, Bargan joins.

Climb up to the top of the fort, and exit onto the balcony. Bargan then calls the Cadmus, and you and he travel up the canal to try and rescue Karina. Make your way to the healing spring inside, not forgetting any chests, and... start leveling.

The boss here is TOUGH. You'll need all the levels you can get, so you might as well do it here where you can heal.

When you're at about level 35 or so, head up and across the short bridge. Oh hell, it's Lagnus, Organa and two metal soldiers! Lagnus will ask you if you'll join him, in exchange for Karina, but regardless of your choice, he tells Organa to kill you.

Boss: Organa and the Eliminators (sounds like a band 0_o)
Okay, this fight is TOUGH. Really, really tough. Organa seems to be able to attack three times (!) in a round, which doesn't make things easy. Then there's those two robot-things. Use Heart Break on those pesky Eliminators. Attack Organa with Bargan, and make sure to use Shadow Shape with Saladin. Heal with Aleth, and as needed as the battle goes on. Bless is also a good idea. She's weak to fire, but water heals her, so use spells accordingly. Dark Arrow also works well. Full Revive is really useful! Hopefully, with the Eliminators hitting her, you won't have to worry too much about attacking. Just make sure to recast Heart Break if one of them gets hit. Once Organa's down, you can concentrate on the Eliminators. They have about 7000 HP apiece; if you've managed to get this far already, they shouldn't be too much trouble.

Shock! Organa's True Identity!

After the battle, Organa is revealed to be Bargan's long lost daughter, Lina. If you've played a lot of RPGs, this isn't too much of a surprise.
Suddenly everything starts shaking, and the place starts to collapse. Saladin frees Katrina, and Aleth gives her the medallion so she can use the Lindblum to send for reinforcements. Bargan leaves the party to stay behind with Organa, while the other three flee out the back of the cave.

Return of the Bard: Liberate Claydon!

Like they said, Claydon is nearby. I guess we'll be meeting a certain bard again soon? ^^;

At last, shops! Use the metric load of gold you should have earned leveling up to power up your weapons, and buy armor.

Anyway, when you head up to the throne room, Cassius is there waiting for you. He and the king bring you up-to-date on what's going on with Kardosa. Looks like their flying fortress is almost complete! But you can't do anything right now, since Claydon's reactor is being guarded by some Kardosan soldiers. Guess what you have to do now...

In any case, Cassius rejoins, and--MY GOD!--look at those levels! That's what happens when a character is inactive for a long time, I guess...

Make sure he's in the back row. You don't have to level right now if you don't want to. Talk to the guy in front of the door, and head on down. Keep going until you see a blue guy standing at the end of a large room. Talk to him to start the boss fight.

Boss: Batalion
He's got only 8000 HP on him, but his attacks do a lot of damage. Use the usual spells (Shadow Shape, Bless, etc), and then either attack or use magic as you feel is appropriate. Heal when needed. Why am I even noting this? It's an easy fight. ^^;

To Kardosa: Stop the Fortress!

When the guy's down, Cassius will activate the reactor. Now it's back upstairs to head for Kardosa!
Whoops. Looks like they finished that fortress....

Despite the way things look, it's now time to go into the belly of the beast itself! March on Kardosa, yeaaaargh!!
Uh, sorry, got caught up there... ^^;

But yeah, now you go into the evil empire! Buy any items you need now.

Head up inside the castle. On the forth floor, there will be a passageway between two bars. Go through and up until you reach a door leading into the familiar-by-now ruins-type area. Eventually, you will run into Sindra inside. Cassius is less than pleased.

Boss: Sindra
He's got a lot of HP, and that attack of his makes this even tougher. Make sure Aleth is in the front row, since he probably has the most HP. I was about level 39 when I beat him, so that might be a good place to be before you try him. Anyway, cast Bless, Shadow Shape, Saga, Protect as soon as you can. Use Magic Coat on Saladin. Heal with Aleth, and use Full Revive with Serra when someone dies. Use Saladin's Stone Spike spell. Cassius is dead weight here - have him use items, or just pray an attack hits him instead of someone else. If you have any techs, use 'em. Make sure to keep Serra's HP up. You can't seem to lay a finger on this guy with weapons (aside from techs), so most of your damage will come from spells. He absorbs electrical damage, and will heal himself for 9999 HP when his HP gets low. This happened twice to me when I fought him - I guess he ran out of MP for that afterwards. All in all, fairly tough (not as bad as Organa, though!) and long, but if you have patience and enough HP, you should do all right.

To the Top of the Tower: Showdown with the Emperor!

After you beat Sindra, he rants about how he's going to blow the place up with you (and him) in it. Cassius gets pissed, and attacks Sindra, and after a tussle, they fall off the walkway, and down. Ladies and Gentlemen, Cassius has left the party. Again.

The party mourns for a moment, but keeps going. Head on up, and don't miss the chests.

Up on the 8th floor, we meet a few old friends. Hardwick, Emperor Odorath and, of course, Lagnus.
Hardwick babbles about how Lagnus' wish for power is about to be granted. Oh, this can't be good...

Then he orders the Emperor to attack you. It's another fight...

Boss: Odorath
You know the drill - Shadow Shape, Protect, Bless, etc. Odorath absorbs earth spells, so avoid those. Freeze and Wind Cutter seem to work best, along with, surprisingly, Dark Arrow. He's got about 45000 HP on him, but his attacks don't seem to do as much damage as some other bosses (which is good, since we've only got three people). Use Magic Coat on Serra and Saladin, and use the appropriate spells as needed. Again, use techs if you got 'em. Heal with Aleth, as always. He's not that hard.

Return of Chandler: Ascension of the Flying Fortress!

Just as you finish fighting Odorath, Lagnus is possessed by Chandler. Jesus Christ, he looks freaky. 0_o

Seems like Chandler's still not happy about what Alex did 1000 years ago. Hell of a grudge. Anyway, he babbles about how he's going to wipe the earth clean and create a new utopia for super-evolved humans, blah blah blah. And then the tower starts to collapse. I guess Odorath was a load-bearing boss? ^^;

Lagnus-Chandler and Hardwick flee into the flying fortress, and the party runs out of the tower lessen they be squished by falling masonry.

The Flying Fortress of Doom (TM) goes into outer space, and begins destroying towns.
Now where will we shop for weapons? ^^;

Time to Save the World: To the Flying Fortress!

The party returns to Claydon, when suddenly it becomes apparent that destroying Hilandia was the next item down on Lagnus-Chandler's to do list. Karina, who, with Elliot, was apparently waiting for you in Claydon, insists on rejoining the party, and your next task is to get the core from Claydon and install it in the Lindblum so you can stop Lagnus-Chandler's mad scheme.

That last sentence was really long. ^^; Anyway, my grammatical monstrosities aside, go get the Forcetite. You know where it is. Elliot's waiting outside in the Lindblum, all ready to soup it up for you.
He warns you that from here on is the final battle. Well, last chance to get items/levels/weapons powered up!
 

Playable Characters (WARNING! SPOILERS!)

Aleth
Class: Priest
Weapon: Sword
Hair Color: Blond, although it's brown in his battle sprite.
Eye Color: Brown, according to his stat picture.

Aleth's the main character, and as such, is in the party the whole time. ^^;
His main ability is magic, specifically healing magic. Mostly, his attack power kinda sucks, despite the fact he uses swords. But since he's such an awesome healer, it doesn't really matter. He's one of those mute heroes, too. I don't think he ever said anything. But he seems to be a nice guy, if a bit irresponsible (not nearly as much as Lagnus) and energetic. He has an interesting past.

My Opinion: Not sure about his personality, since he never says anything. He tends to not do so much damage, but mostly I'm using him to support the party anyway. Besides, he looks kinda cute. Nice job for the company, though, making the hero the healer instead of the female love interest. Aleth can actually take a beating! ^o^

Lagnus
Class: Prince of Garade
Weapon: Spear
Hair Color: Lavender
Eye Color: Lavender, according to his stat picture.

Lagnus is Aleth's best friend, and the prince of Garade. He's in the party up to a point, where he leaves for good. He's a decent fighter, though once he gains the Evolved Armor, he learns lots of nice spells. He's fairly irresponsible, but he does mean well. After his father dies, he desires revenge so much he claims the Evolved Armor, which gives him the power he desires.

My Opinion: He's pretty cute, at first, but that armor makes him look pretty messed up, in my opinion. Looks aside, he's a decent fighter, and actually gives you an edge over all the enemies for the period he's in your party with the Evolved Armor. He's a great damage sink like that. ^^ Personality-wise, he means well, but he gets caught up with his emotions, and desire for power, and that's what tragically dooms him.

Cassius
Class: Bard
Weapon: Flute
Hair Color: Green
Eye Color: ...I don't know. His eyes are closed in his stat picture.

description here

My Opinion: He's a change from the usual bard, and at first, he kicks much ass. The problem with him is that he spends so much time not in the party, he falls far behind in levels and is almost useless. His Saga song is pretty good, though. And his theme kicks much ass.

Serra
Class: Mysterious Girl
Weapon: Gun
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue, according to her stat picture.

description here

Opinion: Serra, though she is the typical mysterious girl, is pretty damned good. Her guns do lots of damage, and she has an array of interesting spells, too. She gets Full Revive. ^o^ Personality-wise, yeah, she's the innocent type who doesn't like fighting, but who cares? She has a gun, and it kicks ass. Besides, she was kinda, well, CREATED. Not to mention being asleep for a thousand years, and being amnesiac, to boot. Besides, she shows more personality than Aleth does, not to slight him or anything.

Saladin
Class: Thief
Weapon: Scimitar/Saber
Hair Color: Brown. I think. Could be black.
Eye Color: Blue, according to his stat picture.

Saladin joins you in the thief city of Tassar, and once you get him, he doesn't leave.

Opinion: Saladin rocks. At first, he's just a middling fighter with no special powers, but after an event, he begins to gain spells, and fills in the void Lagnus' left in the party. Plus, his past is interesting. He's a thief/magic-user, he can drink anyone under the table, has bitches, is a part-time treasure-hunter, and honestly cares about other people as well. Let's face it. He owns you.

Najiri
Class: Gurika Tribesman
Weapon: His own claws
Hair Color: Green
Eye Color: Blue, according to his stat picture.

description here

Opinion: Najiri's... well... Najiri. He's not around for too long, and you can't control him. He's cute, I guess, for a kid-Gurika, but I really think he's pretty useless. He tends to die on me a lot. ^^; Sorry, Najiri.

Karina
Class: Princess of Hilandia
Weapon: Rapier/Bow
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Black, according to her stat picture.

description here

Opinion: Oooh, she's a feisty one. This game needs more women, anyway, so I welcome her with open arms! Not much of a past, but unlike some characters, she doesn't have teh angst0rz. Good for her! She doesn't have spells - purely a fighter, and she's pretty good at that. I prefer to have her on bows, as opposed to rapiers, but that's my taste. Her special is pretty nice, when it works. Overall, not bad.

Bargan
Class: Pirate Captain
Weapon: Cutlass
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Can't tell. His glasses block his eyes in the stat picture.

Opinion: Mm, he's never around too much, but he's an interesting guy. C'mon, he's a pirate! Arr! He's smoking in battle! It's funny! He's also a very strong hitter. Go Bargan! His special's a bit useless to me, since he usually does more damage than the others, but, whatever! He's a fighter, and he's good at what he does. Say it with me: Go Bargan!
 

Assorted Commentary
Yeah, some of this is probably spoiler...