Seiken Densetsu 3/Part 9: Who Ya Gonna Call?

When you come into Palo, you'll notice the merchant cat, Nikita, getting picked on by villagers. Hawk will intervene and save him. You'll get a quick cutscene. Afterwards, rest and save at the Inn. Spend your seeds if you have any. Go and buy everything you need. Don't forget to buy new weaponry &mdash; the Navarre ninjas left a lot of useful stuff. When you're absolutely sure that you have everything, save again at the Inn before getting on the ferry.

The next few scenes are rather amusing. When you have full control again, go out and explore the ship. Everything on the Ghost Ship is weak to Light Magic. If you have Light Coins from Byzel, don't use them, but keep them nearby; you'll need them later. Anyway, head up and explore. Remember where the room you woke up in was &mdash; you can use it to rest for free.

Near the top deck, you'll find a door which you cannot enter. Beside it is a note, which reads: "Blood, Death, Curses, Death." Now, if you take the other route, you'll find a room with three bookshelves, each of which contain a book. Read them right, left, center, left, which is Blood, Death, Curses, Death. The wall will open. Go over and read the book on the nightstand. It will say Die. This is perfectly normal. Now, a ghost will appear. Do not talk to him yet. He is Mataro, the ghost expert from Byzel. He is curséd, and whomever talks to him will take his curse. If you have a character talk to him, then that character will take the curse, and be unable to fight. They will not gain any experience from enemies killed. This is not good. On the other hand, once you sacrifice a character, you'll be able to go upstairs, beyond the locked door. My suggestion is to level up as much as you want with all three characters, and then after you sacrifice one, don't kill any more enemies until you reach the ship's main deck. That way, you won't have one character lagging behind in experience.

Anyway, from the previously locked door, keep heading upwards. There will be small side rooms with three or so enemies inside. When you clear any of these rooms out, a Ghost will appear with stuff to sell you. If you loaded up in Palo, don't waste your time with these guys &mdash; they sell the same stuff as the Palo merchants. Pull out your Light Coins if you have any, and at the main deck, you'll get your boss fight.

Boss: Gorva
Gorva is an easier boss, because he was designed to be beaten with only two characters. He will teleport all around the stage. I remember one guide describing him as a loon, and he really is sort of a crazy boss. Think of this as practice for Lightgazer and Deathjester. He's easy to hit with Magic, but if you don't have Angela or Light Coins, you'll have to just keep running around to track him down. His magic is pretty weak, but he knows a lot of Dark spells. He can and will cast Evil Gate, Ghost Road, Black Rain, Antimagic, and even Black Curse. Antimagic can't really hurt you, but it will reset your Tech gauge. Black Curse will lower every single stat you have for the rest of the battle, or until you use a Stardust Herb. He'll take a bit of time, even with Angela, but if you keep yourself decently healed, it will be a pleasantly quick fight.

Your reward for this boss fight is a spirit, Shade, and he will release your character from the curse. Unfortunately, the Ghost Ship crumbles into the sea, and you wind up stranded on a sandy beach.

Continue to Part 10: Damn Drums.