The 7th Saga/The Final Quest

Pharano
After Gorsia sent you back to the Dark Ages ("Darkness" in the English translations), you lie unconscious for one week. When you wake up, there are good news:
 * "It's a terrible time because the two worlds, Light and Dark, are fighting. There is nothing we can do about it."
 * "It's been a while since the two worlds have collided."
 * "I heard that SARO defeated GORSIA. I'm relieved. We are safe."
 * "I heard that SARO defeated GORSIA. So, peace and prosperity will return to us."
 * "The monsters will have to return to the dark world now that GORSIA is gone."

There's some bad news, too: the Magic Map and the Windballs don't work anymore. Apparently, losing the seven Runes was not enough!

Since there is apparently no quest to solve around here, you can go shopping and collect two free items. When you're ready, leave towards the south and look for some trouble in Pasanda.

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If you want to explore around Pharano, the monsters here are weaker than in Barluca and Gorfun. You'll find out soon that the area is surrounded by sea and mountains on three sides, leaving south as the only travel option.

Pasanda
Travel south until you get to the seaside, then continue south-west along the coast. Be prepared: soon, you'll encounter two stronger monsters. Eventually, you'll get to Pasanda.

Some news arrived in Pasanda from the west, and obviously they didn't reach Pharano in the east yet:
 * "I felt a terrible pain three days ago, and I sensed SARO trying to tell me something. I'm afraid something has happened to him."
 * "Returning from Ligena, Belma has a strange story to tell. Go to the tavern and catch the story."
 * "It's really true. People in Ligena were telling me that GORSIA defeated SARO. If you don't believe me, go to Ligena, close to the west river, and find out for yourself."
 * "Can you believe SARO was defeated? I don't want to!"
 * "Don't be ridicolous! SARO can't be defeated."

Well then, what's going on? Let's summarize the battle between Saro (God in the Japanese original) and Gorsia (Satan in the Japanese original):
 * 1) First match: Saro defeated Gorsia, sealed his powers in the seven Runes and sent him to the future.
 * 2) Second match: Gorsia came back from the future and beat Saro. This happened while you were unconscious.
 * 3) Third match: The people of Bugask told you that Saro eventually won against Gorsia, so there must be a third match. Guess who is going to help Saro achieve the final victory? Obviously, that's you!

Also note that the Runes have been created already, and they will be destroyed only in the far future. That means that they are around here somewhere. Good, good news!

Now go shopping and collect a free harp.

Ligena
First thing to do in Ligena is some shopping.

Do not purchase the Chain mail or the Frtn shield: thanks to the Airship (see below), you can fly directly from here to the next town, Melenam, where you can get even better equipment.

After shopping and saving, go to the house of the Elder. He confirms what we already guessed from the news in Pasanda, adding further details:
 * "You are the person who came from the future. As you might already know, you've traveled 5000 years into the past. GORSIA wields mighty powers of magic. He has plans to conquer the world. Once, SARO defeated GORSIA and sealed his power in the Seven Runes. However, GORSIA had some magic left. He fled into the future, where SARO could not reach him. GORSIA knew he could not get the Runes himself, so he sent you after them. When you brought the Runes to him, he succeded in freeing his power. Didn't you notice each Rune had a mysterious power? The power you felt was GORSIA's."

His clerics also explicitly ask you to help Saro defeat Gorsia. Then, they tell you that in the nearby Melenam some people are trying to defeat Gorsia using technology. They suggest to get to Melenam by airship.

Back in town, the western lane is now free for passage. Walk along the city perimeter until you get to Ropesu's house. This guy just purchased an Airship (for seven millions Gold Pieces!). Let's ask him a lift to Melenam:
 * Esuna charms Ropesu, and she gets the lift for free;
 * Lejes and Wilme are rude with Ropesu, and he refuses categorically;
 * Valsu, Kamil, Olvan and Lux are asked to pay 7000 G for the ticket.

If you are refused the lift or if you don't want to pay 7000 G, look for a secret passage to the airship. It can be found in a random room in Ropesu's home, behind cupboards or shelves. If you talk to anyone in the passage or in the airship, you'll be bounced back in the streets. Just get to the command bridge and talk to the pilot.

Chests on the Airship:
 * Sapphire
 * Magic Water
 * Ruby

Melenam
First of all, know that you can get back onboard the Airship and travel back and forth between Melenam and Ligena at leisure. If you paid a 7000 G ticket, you don't need to pay for it anymore. Notice that the inn in Melenam is twice more expensive than the inn in Ligena.

If Lux is the leading character, he can get a big tune-up in a laboratory in the top-left corner of Melenam: HP+30, MP+30, Power+20, Guard+20, Speed+20, Magic+20! If Lux is your second character, leave town, let your leader get knocked out, then go back to the same room and obtain the tune-up. You can also purchase a new weapon and a new armor for Lux in the shops.

In the shop you can also purchase the final armor and shield for Olvan and Kamil.

People of Melenam talk about their underground laboratory. You can access it on the lower level of Melenam, through the last door to the east. Down there, a few people talk about another town on the island-continent of Melenam: the town of Palsu. Since a locked door prevents you from exploring the laboratory to the end, let's go and visit Palsu.


 * ''Trivia: At the beginning of the game, Lux said he wanted to find out the origin and purpose of the tetsujins like him. Maybe he won't be happy to learn that he was supposed to be a street cleaner or an airport worker.

Palsu


Palsu is located slightly northwest of Melenam, along the coast on the opposite side of the mountains west of Melenam. To get there from Melenam, head southwest and then northwest.

Talk to the people in Palsu; eventually, you will meet a woman in the southwestern-most house who asks you to bring a letter to her son Tafuro in Melenam. This young scientist is in the laboratory: let's go back there after shopping and saving.

The shops in Palsu sell the best weapons in the game, plus the best protections for Esuna, Valsu and Lejes.

Melenam laboratory
Before proceeding, make sure that both your characters are at least at Lv.42 and that they are equipped with the best weapons and armors.

Return to Melenam and go to the laboratory (lower level, rightmost door). Bring the letter to Tafuro, on the deepest floor of the laboratory. He will open the last locked door for you, where you can lern about Foma, the super-tetsujin who can defeat Gorsia. Actually, many scientists and engineers, including the project leader Dr. Fail (foretelling name...), have serious doubts about this weapon.

Still, after talking to everyone there is nothing else to do here: leave the laboratory.

BOSS: Foma
In order to trigger the next event, either talk to any human in Melenam then enter any door (tetsujins, shopkeepers and innkeepers don't count), or leave and re-enter the city. If you visit Palsu again, you'll notice that even more people left the town.

As you probably expected, Foma goes out of control. It also drains energy from the Airship, and nobody can fly away. Rush back down to the laboratory and get ready for the fight!

Ancient Barluca
During your battle, Foma drained so much energy that it caused an earthquake of colossal proportions. The whole island-continent of Melenam is affected and its height drops below the sea level. Thus, the mystery of the fall of Melenam is solved. Luckily, Ropesu's Airship has time enough to take off and fly away.

The Airship
Because of a problem with the engines, the Airship lands on the continent of Barluca. Anyway, the refugees get organized quickly: you can find all shops and services on the airship. Talking to the people you can learn that luckily everybody managed to be saved from the earthquakes on Melenam (not everybody came on this aircraft: someone founded Eygus). Still, the Airship is almost empty because many people left already to settle down (founders of Bugask?).

The armory sells the best weapons and armors available in the game, and the item shop sells the most useful items (except for the bottles of protection, unfortunately). The inn is the cheapest in the game: just 4 G for two people. In the engine room you can also find the 44th and last hidden item in the game.
 * Trivia: Will Ropesu ever get his Airship back? The game does not say.

Back to your quest, a woman on the ship can feel the presence of Saro here on the Barluca continent. It's up to you to look for and help him.

Saro's camp
The Airship landed near the future east exit of the Cave of Kapel. Travel east, hug the mountains to the south-east, then continue straight north. Saro's camp is close to the future Guanta.

The servants of Saro tell you that He cannot use the Runes anymore against Gorsia. This means that the seven Runes are near and they are going to come back to you. The servants also tell you that Saro is somewhere to the west, that is close to the future Cave of Silence.

No shops here, just a healer and an inn. Rest and save before you leave.

Cave of weakness
From Saro's camp, travel straight west.

This dungeon has no official name. The name given here comes from what the tetsujin in the cave say: Gorsia's spell is weakening anyone who gets in the cave. Whether you are weaker or the enemies stronger, the result is the same: you need to grind for two or three more levels before you can face the dangers of this cave.

Note that this is the only instance in the game where a sudden strengthening of the enemies is justified by the plot.

The dungeon is on two levels. Near the entrance, try and talk to the first tetsujin, then continue along the passage. The Undeed enemies occasionally drop a Life Recovery. Talk to the second tetsujin, who is at a crossroads. Go south to get the last Magic Seed, then go north, talk to the third tetsujin and get the fifth Power Seed. Now go back to the crossroads, or alternatively use an Exigate, if your characters are significantly weakened. From the crossroads, continue east, talk to the fourth tetsujin and go on. At the end of the passage you meet the first boss, Goron.

BOSS: Goron
This boss is quite a pushover. Buff your characters as usual (spells or bottles of speed, defense and power), then attack. Goron is slow, and your increased speed will allow to dodge many of his attacks.

After winning the battle, continue along the passage and climb down the ladders.

BOSS: Griffan
Since Goron was not a big deal, there is a second boss. Griffan is stronger and faster than Goron, but after buffing your characters she will be anyway less challenging than a triplet of Stone Demons.

Once you beat both bosses, continue to the end of the passage and talk to Saro. Defeated and imprisoned, he has barely enough energy left to remove the curse Gorsia cast on the Runes. Now that you can carry on his quest, he sacrifices his mortal body (he's a god, after all) and entrusts you with his battle.

But where are the Runes? Well, go back to Saro's camp!

Return of the Seven Runes
Return to Saro's Camp, where his servants give you the seven Runes. Beware: their powers are completely different now. Instead of improving your attributes, they will debuff Gorsia's only. After the battle, the powers they absorbed will be used by you in the future, i.e. at the beginning of the game.

From Saro's camp, travel north-east. The Castle of Gorfun is a dungeon on five floors.

Gorfun labyrinth
A maze is a place built to lose orientation. Sometimes a maze is extremely complicated, other times it is so repetitive that it lacks reference points. Gorfun Castle is a maze of the latter type: four floors with the same identical appearance.

On each floor above the ground floor there are eight doors: four in the corners ("castle towers") and four in the middle ("castle keep"). On three floors, one door in the castle keep leads to a room with a chest (Life Recovery, Power Seed, Emerald), the other three rooms are empty. The castle towers, instead, contain labyrinthine stairs that connect different floors: they lead to the upper floor, downstairs, or even back to the same floor. Beware: if you access a stairway leading downstairs, you go downstairs even if you walk back through the door you came in.

For your orientation, there are three tetsujins that got lost in the maze, one per floor. No tetsujin made it to the fourth floor, where Gorsia is.

Enter the doors often to avoid fighting the enemies. It's actually easy to navigate the whole castle fighting just a couple of battles.

Credits
The 7th Saga is the result of the work of a team of 15 people. Let's give them credit.