ITEMS TO GET: Point Card, Hunter Clothes, Mei's Pendant, Door of Light, Sunrise Key, Healing Leaf, Lightning Key, Star Key, Survival Knife, Mountain Key, Fire Book I

   Now that the Mist is gone from Rim Elm, the store has re-opened. Be sure to purchase a Survival Knife (don't forget to equip it!) there, as well as any other equipment or items you can afford. You won't be able to buy all the equipment there, but don't worry about it -- you shouldn't need it. Don't bother buying a Door of Light; you'll find one at the dungeon. Also, if you search around upstairs in the shop, you can find the infamous Point Card (it's in the box on the left). What does it do? Whenever you buy items, points are added to the card (5% of the purchase price of the item), which can they be used to take off boss' HP.

   As you leave Rim Elm, Mei will run up and give you the Hunter Clothes she made. If you helped her out during the Seru attack, she'll also present you with Mei's Pendant, which boosts your maximum HP by 10%. Equip them both, then set out from Rim Elm onto the world map.

   Walk slooowwwwlly north and west until you see a blue circle. It's the Hunter's Spring; enter. Here, speak with Lezam and he'll send you to Drake Castle to save the people there from the Mist. Before you leave, use the small spring on the right side to restore your HP and MP. You can also examine the four statues near the spring to learn about the game's battle and magic system.

   After leaving the Hunter's Spring, continue northwest until you reach Drake Castle. On the first screen (still outside the castle proper), open the chest for a Door of Light. If you run out of Healing Leaves in the castle, just use the Door of Light to warp out and return to Rim Elm to buy some more. Thanks to the way the castle is set up, you'll already be halfway done when you come back.

   The enemies in the castle include more Gimards (if you didn't assimilate one earlier, you can now), Skeletons, and the toughest of the bunch, Drake Ghosts. When faced with multiple enemies, use Spirit to boost your defense, then attack with the combo Left, Right, Left, Right, Left -- this hits with two Hyper Elbows, doing about 100 damage and killing any enemy but the Drake Ghosts (it takes two uses of that combo to kill a Ghost). You can also summon the Gimard for a fire spell that does about 200 damage, but be warned that your MP is very limited, especially early on.

   Inside the castle proper, head up the stairs until you reach the three doors. Enter the one on the left and search the sparkling area for the Sunrise Key. Use it to open the center door, then ascend the stairs. On the next floor, head to the upper-left corner and grab the chest for a Healing Leaf, then exit south. Pick up the Lightning Key (once again, it's the sparkles), then go back north and open the Lightning Gate. Ascend to the third floor. The door in the southeast leads to the case with the Star Key; the southwest one to a chest with a Survival Knife. You should already have one, but pick up the extra knife just to sell (unlike most games, you need all the money you can get). Then open the Star Gate and ascend the stairs.

   You should now be in a cave area (and if you're not, you must be playing a different game). Open the chest in the upper-left corner for a Healing Leaf, then exit south into a normal hallway. Take the center door here into the throne room. First drop by the room on the left, where you'll find a Seru-possessed King Drake. Open the chest to read his letter, then grab the Mountain Key from the sparkles in the back. Now go in the room on the right. You can use the bed here to rest, and there's also a handy save point. Don't forget to open the chest for the Fire Book I; use it on Vahn right away to learn the Flame Tornado Hyper Arts. Now return to the cave section and use the Mountain Key to open the barred gate. Ascend the stairs and you'll be back on the world map. Save again if you'd like; otherwise, follow the path to Mt. Rikuroa.