Mystic Ark/The Ark of Wood

The door to the giant's world
The fireplace hints at a flask and also at a hut with a lamp: this building is outside the temple. Therefore, leave the shrine, walk west and then North. Use the newfound Ark of Fire to light the lamp, therefore unlocking the door. Inside, use the Ark of Wisdom on the bookshelf to reveal secret door. The flask in the hidden room is the door to the next world.

Of all the enemies in this chapter, only one is worth being captured and turned into a figurine.

Town of Nanaka
The Ark is in the chest at the entrance, but the elder will give it to you only if you help the community. Talk to all the people in town to learn about the problem that affects them. Let Remul join your party (he does not fight), and only then the guard allows you to leave.

Dungeon: Cave of the Wind
This dungeon is located to the east of Nanaka. At the beginning of it, you will meet Remul's father; the two will leave at once. There are no monsters in this dungeon, the obstacle is the wind that stops and blows.

The dungeon is subdivided in two areas. The first part is like a winding corridor. Always press the directional button against the wind, otehrwise you might be pushed back by several sections at once.

The second part is a wide dome with "pillars"; these features prevent the wind from pushing you back to the entrance. You have to get to the top of the second area. First, walk to the top of the first pillar you can see, then walk to the pillar you see to the left, then walk up and right to the third pillar and open the first chest, containing a firecracker. Now, walk straight left to the next pillar, and from there up and left to an alcove in the wall, where you can get the second chest (it has a herb). The following part challenges you a bit more. From the chest alcove, walk up and right to the pillar, then up and left to another alcove, then up and right twice to two pillars. Now is the tricky part: if you try to reach the pillar up and right, you will be invariably pushed back; instead, walk straight to the right to an L-shaped pillar: from there you can get to the top pillar. Use the ark of wisdom on the stone tablet and read it.

On your way back, go to the right of the L-shaped pillar and open the third chest, containing a magic bottle.

Dungeon: Mount Silara
Get back to Nanaka and save your game, then tell the Elder what you saw in the cave of the wind. Night falls, but then at sunrise, the giant rises as well from the cave and walks on the village. The inn is destroyed: you can rest at the Elder's, but you cannot save your game anymore in Nanaka. The cave of wind was destroyed, too: it happened when the giant rose from underground. The only place you can go is west, to mount Silara/Shirara.

Mount Silara is a huge sand dune, and sand is flowing down in streams. There are sandfalls where you cannot climb to the top at all. The safe way to navigate this area is: on every solid platform, choose to climb the most faraway sandslide. This way you'll avoid the slippery spots and also collect the one chest. When you get to the top of the mountain, the giant arrives, too, and levels Mount Silara flat.

As a side note, the Air Needle enemies disappear with the mountain, but they were not worth being turned into figurines anyway.

Town of Kumu
Someone complains about the pollution caused by the giant or coming from nearby ruins, but the first concern is to find Syrtis/Curtis, an archaeologist who went to the lakeside tower.

There's little equipment to purchase in town. A large windmill with invisible obstacles inside is part of a quest that will have to be solved way later.

Dungeon: Tower basement
The ground floor of the lakeside tower is free from monsters. There are three moving platforms, very reminiscent of those from Brain Lord; only the one to the left brings you to an open corridor. There, you will meet a man threathened by a monster.

BOSS: Rodem
Rodem has great physical strength, but is weak against magic.

Exploring the basement
Now that you saved Syrtis, is there any need to explore the rest of the dungeon? Yes indeed, just to progress with the plot, you need to find some artifact for the archaeologist.

Floor -1 is roughly shaped like a spiral with some forks. Let your characters walk along the wall on their side, and you should be able to collect all chests in small rooms on the lower floor. Floor -2 has a similar structure, but just one room with a chest. At the end of the corridors there is a hall with two archeological items: the blue book and the black book; bring them to Syrtis in Kumu.

Dungeon: Desert hole
Syrtis translates the blue book at once, and sends you on a mission in the desrt to find the item described in the text. The hole in the desert is more or less south from Kumu. Walk south until you get to the edge of the desert, then turn west.

BOSS: Mimics
The chests at the entrance are the only two mimics in this game, unlike The 7th Saga and Brain Lord. They are just at the beginning oof the dungeon. They have very strong magic powers, so attack them physically. Also, use Deathguard or the Cross to get protection against their instant-defeat spells.

Exploring the caves
The desert hole can be subdivided into two areas. First comes a maze of shifting sands. Make your way to the exit in the north-west corner of the area. The two chests are both on detours that will bring you back to the entrance.

Second comes an area with a series of rooms, each containing three stone dragon statues and a boulder blocking the exit. You have to examine the correct statue to remove each boulder and progress. Unfortunately, examining a statue triggers a fight with a stone dragon. Such enemies are also immune to instant-defeat spells. Here is the list of the rooms:
 * 1) Examine the dragon statue on the right;
 * 2) Examine the dragon statue at the top;
 * 3) Examine the dragon statue on the right;
 * 4) Examine the dragon statue on the left;
 * 5) Examine the dragon statue at the top;
 * 6) Do not examine any dragon statue: push the boulder instead!

After the last room, you can find an ancient mirror: bring it to Syrtis.

Dungeon: Coln ruins
When you come back to Kumu, Syrtis finished the translation of the black book. It explains that the ancient mirror you just found is the item that allows to seal the power of the Ancient One.

There is a strange guy in the Coln ruins who repels any attack, but thanks to the ancient mirror, you can now fight him. He can be affected by status ailments, although he is immune to instant-defeat spells. Actually, he's not the boss, but just a clone.

When you enter the Coln ruins, there are four doors in the entrance courtyard. The door to the right goes to a room with two chests; the one on the left to an empty room and the one under the clone is locked. Fight the clone, who is not a boss: more will come, then enter the main building.

Floor 1 is just a featureless room. On the ground floor is another featureless room; the second room you can see beyond the wall is the exit. Floor -1 is free from enemies; there are hovering platforms you cannot drop from, and four staircases that bring you to four mini sub-dungeons. Actually, a wall of flames prevents you from getting to the fourth staircase. Guess what? Three switches must be operated to open the way, one switch per sub-dungeon.

East sub-dungeon:
 * Floor -2: walk straight to the north, then follow the corridor. There is a chest with just a potion near the chimney pillar; continue east to the staircase.
 * Floor -3: there is a chest with a topaz north-east from the chimney; walk west then north, then climb the stairs down.
 * Floor -4: examine the screen and turn off the flames; now you can go back upstairs.

North sub-dungeon:
 * Floor -2: walk from south-east to north-west; no chests nor forks here.
 * Floor -3: south-east from the chimney you can find a chest with an antidote; after that, the stairs are to the south-west.
 * Floor -4: same as before, deactivate the machine and backtrack.

West sub-dungeon:
 * Floor -2: there are many forks, but no chests; the next stairs are to the south-west of the chimney.
 * Floor -3: walk to the east to get a chest with a magic mirror; then, follow the corridor to the north.
 * Floor -4: move the third switch and you're done here.

Now that three machines have been deactivated, the flame wall is gone. At the end of the corridor there are two stairs: upwards is a shortcut to the surface, but the door is somehow blocked by an invisible force. Your only choice is to go downwards.

Final sub-dungeon:
 * Floor -2: north-west from the chimney is a chest with the Ragnarok saber (for the Ninja); the stairs are at the end of spiral corridor that starts south from the chimney.
 * Floor -3: a chest with a left-hand dagger (for the witch) can be found to the south-east; afterwards, proceed to the west and follow the corridor.
 * Floor -4: walk south to the end of the platform. Use the Ark of Wisdom and let it understand how to turn off the machine.

The game spares you all the way back, and moves you straight to the courtyard on the surface. Syrtis/Curtis comes and explains the contents of the Black Book: the Ancients survive better in an environment that is toxic to humans; this is the reason they were polluting the air with the chimneys in the Coln ruins. Also, the Ancients can control the giant from the lakeside tower.

By the way, it is now time to go back to Kumu and rest.

As a final note, the Stone Demons in the ruins can be turned into figurines and exchanged for HP Seed figurines.

Dungeon: Lakeside tower
When you emerged from the Coln ruins, Syrtis returned the Black Book to you. Thanks to the magic of this item, you can access the upper floors of the lakeside tower (pretty much like the Ancient Mirror was the key to enter the Coln ruins).

This dungeon is way shorter and easier than the previous one; there is not even a boss!


 * Ground floor: ride the central platform across the chasm. Use the Black Book to remove the invisible field and proceed upstairs.
 * Floor 1: another floor free from enemies, and there are no forks as well.
 * Floor 2: no enemies again; there is a chest with a silver helm (for the Hero or the Ninja).
 * Floor 3: the four platforms bring you to four different stairs to the next floor; only the SE stairs is the way to the top, the other three lead to treasure rooms.
 * Floor 4: finally the enemies are back! NE room has a chest with an ancient sword (for the Hero); NW room has a meteor bottle; SW room has a smarts anklet; SE room allows you to get to the next floor.
 * Floors 5-6-7: just short corridors infested with enemies.
 * Floor 8: the top floor holds a strange machine; first, use the Ark of Wisdom to understand what the machine is for, then use the Ark of Power to turn it off.

Now the machine is off, the Giant is free from the Ancients' control. First of all, he rebels and destroy the tower. Luckily, this does not affect the Hero's party, and now the ruined tower is a bridge to the lake island. When you go back to Kumu, you find out that the giant has cleaned the town blowing away all the sand.

Dungeon: Island ruins
So far, you met just a clone of the Ancients. Where can you look for the real one? Incidentally, now there is a bridge to the only place that you could not access yet.


 * Ground floor: as soon as you enter the ruins, you are indoors already; it's a single room infested by enemies.
 * Floors -1, -2, -3: more single rooms infested by enemies; make your way to the deepest level and meet the Ancients.
 * Floor -4: no random encounters; instead, many Ancient Clones come out from their transparent coffins; they have good endurance, especially against disabling spells.
 * Floor -5: similar to the floor above; the first set of stairs is a fork in the path that leads to a room with chests and enemies.
 * Floor -6: This is the room where the last of the Ancients is trying to re-populate this world with his clones.

BOSS: Kuga the Ancient One
Kuga has very strong magic endurance, especially against thunder spells. Attack him with physical skills.

When he is defeated, he admits that he has been awakened by Darkness, the same creature you already heard of in other worlds. Use the Ark of Wisdom on the machine, then deactivate it by choosing the "mess around" option.

Aftermath
After the last of the Ancients has been defeated, you can go back to Kumu and Nanaka and claim the Ark of Wood. Infuse the Ark of Wood in any armor part, and it makes the wearer immune to status ailments (poison, sleep, stone, and probably instant-defeat, too).

Syrtis/Curtis is nowhere to be found, happily working on some archaeological site.

Turn some Stone Demons into figurines and exchange them for HP Seed figurines. You can hunt for stone demons in the tall windmill in Kumu.

Back on the Shrine Island, you can use the Ark of Wood to open a wooden cupboard near to the squash-door to the fruits world. It contains some useful items: a holy blade (for the Hero), a crowbar of light, a cross, an emerald. Furthermore, you can use the Ark of Wood to open the door to the third secret area.