After returning and claiming the 500 Macca mentioned in the previous section, the group more or less disperses, Navarre leaving on a troubling note. Meanwhile, Walter and Jonathan will offer to take you to the rooftop. He’ll wait there for now. You can investigate some of the other areas (although you can’t go to the Castle City).

Head to the Plaza if you want to shop - the details are still mentioned in B’s Apothecary and Q’s Blacksmith. There’s not much worth buying unless you found a bunch of relics; I’d stick to a bunch of restoratives before heading to the Meeting Spot.

Up there, you get to speak with Jonathan and Walter about being a samurai. Your responses…

• Alignment -5 = It comes naturally to me
• Alignment +5 = It’s a worthy duty
• Alignment ±0 = I don’t know
  The group eventually heads off to rest and, later that evening…

Well, whatever. The next morning, you’ll be awakened by Jonathan and Walter, who note that apprentices have been told by Hope to meet in K’s Tavern. Shop first if you need to, then go on. After some mindless talking, you should look at the blackboard. There, there are a bunch of requests - Challenge Quests.

You get rewards from them, although many of them are quite optional - think of the requests in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.

Navarre decides to put up a challenge - whoever can finish three Challenge Quests first wins. There are three total:

• Give Q the blacksmith three Gryphon Talons
• Give B the pharmacist three Deep Green Mosses
• Defeat an Orthrus within Naraku’s second level
  Now, what’s what with these…

“Collect Demon Claws:”

This mission is pretty simple. Go down into Naraku and defeat enemies mindlessly until you have collected three or more Gryphon Talons. It’s mostly based on luck, so be sure to bring along a few Healing Waters.

Also, Gryphons are ever-so-slightly more concentrated on the First Stratum, so start there. Keep in mind that they’re weak to Gun-based attacks.

“Gather Some Naraku Lichen:”

You should already have enough - follow the walkthrough in the Naraku section if you do not. They regenerate anyways, I think, so you can get a bunch the more times you enter.

“The Lion’s Roar Within Naraku:”

Time-wise, it is best to just accept this first. Since the other two require you to find items, you can basically multitask by doing this one (since it must be activated first) and finding items on the side.

When the item-based ones are completed, go to K’s tavern and opt to deliver the items. Go ahead and note that once you deliver the Gryphon Talons, B will also sell a Bone Sword.

Further into Naraku¶

As for the location of the Orthrus? Go to the Naraku entrance. As you arrive, Burroughs will notify you of the Demon Fusion app. It acts sort of like the Polymerization spell in Yu-Gi-Oh! or fish breeding in Dark Cloud - try to mix two demons together to try and get a superior one.

Go ahead and buy the app. Head as usual to the second stratum - the northern path of the fork on the first stratum is optimal. Head into the first eastbound door and you’ll soon find the target, already glowing red…

Boss: Orthrus¶

Once that battle is done with, return to the surface. Report back at K’s Tavern.