After the long and arduous Alltrades Abbey, Zoom on over to the Shrine of Mysteries and choose the middle yellow pillar. Place all of the fragments to be transported to a new land. If you head to the town, you will find out that you’re not welcomed there, so head on over to the big temple to find that the outside is overrun by monsters. The western door is locked, so enter the eastern one and use the stairs inside of the temple.

Hmm, it seems this used to be a place inhabited by humans, as evidenced by the shops. Enter the northwestern room and check the cupboard for a Silk Robe , then feel free to check out the rest of the floor, although there’s nothing interesting other than some books you can read in the northeastern room. Go down to the next floor and check the stone tablet to the south, then venture to the central room to initiate a scene.

Exit the temple and head back to the town of Al-Balad, where you will now be able to enter thanks to Hadid’s recommendation. One of the barrels outside of the item shop (which isn’t functioning at this time) houses a Seed of Resilience . The building on the western side of the town has a pot with 7 gold coins . Enter the big building in the north and check the pots in there for an Antidotal Herb , then speak with the old man behind the table. He says that you can stay in the room on the second floor, so speak with the lady blocking the ladder and climb to the second floor.

Don’t worry about the doorway, as it leads to nothing important, so rest on the bed provided to you. After waking up, go back downstairs to speak with the chief again, who warns you to stay away from the region. There’s nothing left to do in town, so return to the Temple Palace and make your way back to the room where you met Hadid, which will lead a boss fight.

BOSS - Skeleton Squire¶

This is a fairly simple battle, as the boss doesn’t really do much. He knows Kasap, which can lower everyone’s defenses, but he only has enough MP to cast it once, so you don’t have to worry about it being cast multiple times. Other than that, he has a normal attack that doesn’t do too much damage, and he will periodically “grin maliciously,” which is nothing. Hadid will join you in the battle and helps by doing physical attacks and something called Diving Falcon, which will hit the boss twice.

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The boss’ Kasap will lower everyone’s defense (left). Hadid’s Diving Falcon hits the boss twice for some nice damage (right).

After the battle, the boss tries to beg for mercy and Hadid finishes him off, then heals your wounds. As you attempt to leave the palace to return to the village, you will encounter a sandstorm, so you need to spend the time being inside of the palace. Your party helps Hadid in laying his fallen people to rest and the next morning, he tells you what happened in this land. Exit the temple and return to the village, to find Hadid waiting for you out front.

In the village, follow Hadid to the chief’s hut and enter it, with a scene playing out inside. Once everything is over, speak with the elder and he’ll give you the Seal of the Sands . This will allow you an option to present it to the villagers, who will talk some extra dialog. Show it to the chief and then the roaming elderly person outside to learn more of the Great Serpent of legend. You can also show it to the man guarding the locked door, who will let you inside.

Investigate the bags to learn that the women of the village are hiding in them. Check one of the breakables to find a Medicinal Herb , then leave as you can’t open the door down here yet. You can now access the item shop (even without showing the Seal), which doesn’t have any new equipment. So, to continue, leave the village and go to the Bank of the Nihil, which is west of the Temple Palace. If you don’t see Hadid by the entrance, then you need to go back to the village and show the villagers the Seal (do all of them).

Should Hadid be at the Bank, enter the area and go straight north to view a scene. He will mention the Serpent’s golden horns as well, which is your next clue as to where to go next. Return to the portal to go back to the present and Zoom to Ballymolloy, then use the ship to sail west to the Dig Site. Speak to the man out front, who says you can go in for free. Enter for a short scene, then talk with the doctor. Keep talking with him until you agree to bring him into the past, with the doctor giving you the skull.

As you exit the Dig Site, you will automatically be brought back to the Shrine of Mysteries and to Al-Balad in the past, then to the Temple Palace. The doctor is fascinated by everything and when you talk to him, he says that you can keep the skull. Return to Al-Balad village and by talking with some of the NPCs there, you learn that the chief has fallen very ill. Enter the chief’s house and speak with everyone there, and as you try to leave, Hadid will return. He will run off to see to his father, so follow him upstairs and to the other room, where a scene will happen.

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The skull with the golden horns (left) will reveal a surprise friend (right) that will allow you to get to the dungeon.

Show the skull to Khalid when he asks to see it and he will tell you his final wishes. Eventually, you will be asked to leave and upon approaching the ladder leading downstairs, Hadid will stop and tell you his father has passed. Follow him downstairs and talk to Hadid to initiate a long cutscene that ends up with you go to the Bank of the Nihil. Talk with Hadid to once more start another cutscene, with the chief being laid to rest and your party putting the skull into the waters. Watch the following cutscene and you’ll be brought near the Likeness of the Great Evil, the next dungeon.