ITEMS TO GET: Healing Fruit, Shield Elixir, Power Elixir, Miracle Water, Genesis Sapling

   Sol, like almost every place you visit, is infested with the Mist, so that means more Seru to battle. The new Seru this time is Spoon. Despite its odd name and apperance, it's an important Seru to catch -- it casts Holy Eyes, a more powerful version of the Orb's Holy Orb. They're difficult to assimilate, however -- even with the Ivory Book, it'll take many tries to catch one. Don't pass them up, however -- you won't have many chances to get them right now, and they're almost essential.

   Run right and climb up the many flights of stairs. Don't worry about the doors for now; you'll come back to them later. Just keep scaling the stairs until you encounter Gaza. He'll speak with you briefly, then leave. Continue right and the game will cut to a separate screen with new music. You're now in the upper section of Sol, a town that the Mist hasn't reached yet.

   There's many places to visit in Sol, including a couple of locations housing mini-games. Starting from the bottom, they are:

• Inn. 280 G a night.
• Jazz Club. When you first come here, you'll see a lengthy scene that introduces Grantes (yes, this is the infamous "pimp scene"). You can then talk to people to learn more about Cara and Grantes (for more information, you'll have to keep buy drinks).
• Elevator. The elevators are out of order, but they all have save points in them.
• Muscle Dome. Mini-game time! You can play three different games here -- a slot machine (don't bother), an arcade game called Baka Fighter (fun, and pays well too), and the obligatory fighting tournament (where would an RPG be without one of those?). All three of them pay off in the forms of coins, which can then be redeemed for items at the prize counter.
• Sol Fever Disco. You won't be able to get in here unless you have a Gold Card, which can be purchased in the Muscle Dome shop for 50 coins. Inside, Noa can participate in a Bust-a-Groove-style dancing contest.
• Sol Broadway. Enter the side door and talk to the comedians back stage. They'll recruit Gala to participate in the show, and he'll be a huge success. You don't get anything for doing this, however, so we think it's just for humor.
• Bakery. The item shop is located here, right next to the bakery itself. The bakery sells nothing but Soru Bread (listed 7 times), but you'll need to keep it in mind for later on.
• Arms Shop. The standard weapon shop. It's got new equipment, though you'll need your money for another purpose soon. You may want to pass on its wares for now.
• Warehouse. Tell the kid blocking the gate that you're not poor and he'll let you in. It's hardly worth bothering with, however, as it all it contains is another kid scalping Healing Fruit and Magic Fruit. You'll need a lot of money in the next
• Community Hall. Nothing really important here, but you can find a Healing Fruit in one of the chests.
• Sol Cafe. Just a generic building; there's nothing here you need to deal with it.
• Sol Dayschool. Another minor room, but it's got a chest in it.

   After the dayschool, you'll emerge on the roof, occupied by a troop of Biron monks. Head up the stairs and save your game, then look around for chests. There's three of them, but they can be difficult to find, as some of them are hidden behind obstacles. Also, in the upper-right corner, there's a monk who offers to teach you some arts if you can find the book he lost in the lower levels.

   When you try to enter the temple at the north end of the roof, you'll be stopped by a guard, but Gala's affiliation with the monks gets you in. You're introduced to Deez, who hands over the Genesis Sapling and instructs you to plant in Warrior's Square in the base

   As you head back to the stairs, Gaza will confront you, and a battle ensues. This fight gives a lot of people trouble; it's certainly more difficult than the previous several boss battles. Gaza's main attack is Astral Sword, which does 700-800 damage -- and even if you use Spirit, it'll still do at least 400 damage. Put Noa in charge of healing, since she's the fastest. In many cases, Vera may not restore enough HP (even at least 9) to heal all the damage Gaza does, so you'll have to use Orb or Spoon instead. Use Spirit as much as possible -- never attacked un-Spirited, and use Spirit whenever you're low on HP. Your focus should be on defense; only attack when you've got an opening -- and don't forget about Kemaro! If you've got lots of points on your Point Card, use it as well -- it can deal up to 9999 damage if you've got that many points. This is a tough battle, but hang in there -- he only has 12,500 HP.