ITEMS TO GET: Desert Worm, DeathBlower1

   Now that you have 7 AP, you might want to take some time to build up your Deathblows (don't forget about the Wizardy Ring!). Unfortunately, there isn't any really good place to do so, so you might just have to wait on it for the moment. Now that you have the flying Yggdrasil, you can also go back and take care of some things you might have missed earlier, like getting the M686 Gun, collecting all the badges (and trading them in), and getting the Rocks in Shevat. Actually, I don't really know whether you can do this stuff now because I did it the first time through the respective locations, so let me know if I'm wrong on this.

   To continue with the game (warning: the upcoming sequence is pretty long, so don't start it if you still have stuff to take care of elsewhere), fly to Nisan and enter the town. It's strangely vacated, but for now just look around and kill all the guards (don't worry; they're really easy). You can use the fights as a chance to work on your Deathblows, though.

   After completing this extremely difficult sequence, you'll probably want to rest for a couple hours (I mean, beating up some helpless guards, that's just about impossible), but, no, the game contains on. Your party meets in the town hall, where Bart reveals the secret of the Fatima Jasper. You then have to pick one character to go with Bart and Fei to the Fatima mausoleum. The choice is yours, just don't pick Maria.

   If you need supplies, go to the item shop and search the counter; you can leave the money there and "buy" things (there's no Gear shop, though). There's also a save point in the item shop, but if you save here, be sure to save in a separate slot (you can't leave Nisan; you don't want to end up stuck here with no other save). Then leave the town via one of the side exits and walk around behind the cathedral on the Nisan map. Margie is here, but you can't really see her; just talk to the colored splotch (that's Margie) to enter the Fatima mausoleum.

   Go down the long, long, flight of stairs (FF7 anyone?). At the very bottom, you'll reach a brownish cave room. You can either have Margie open the mausoleum for you (second option, I think), or do it on your own (first option) by jumping around in the northeast corner and pressing X. Go inside the mausoleum and you'll immediately encounter four Shakhan Guards and two Shakhan Monks. The Guards are the same ones you fought in Nisan, and the Monks are basically pumped-up versions of the priest Assassins from the Ethos HQ -- they mainly use Net (no bif deal, Margie will cure you if you get Stopped) and Seal, though they can also now cast healing spells. Take out the soldiers first, then the monks.

   There will be a bit of dialogue, and then you're free to move around. Walk up onto the little platform and examine the control panel to ride the elevator up into the building. There's no monsters in here; it's just a maze. Proceed along the path until you get to the sealed entrance. Bart and Margie will open it up, and you can continue. Take a left fork at the intersection to the control room. You can't do anything here right now; just open the chest for the Desert Worm whip and equip it on Bart. Go out either door and head east to another elevator (what is it with this game and elevators? They're everywhere!). Ride it up. On the next floor, go west to the intersection, then take the fork leading southwest. You'll come to a door; go through.

   You're now in a long circular hallway. Most of the doors just lead to rooms with generators; there's nothing in these -- so skip the first door you come to. Go in the second and get another Deathblower 1 from the chest at the very end of the hallway. Equip it right away (preferably on Weltall or Brigandier). Then continue down the circular hallway to the third door. Go through it and head down the hallway until you get to the first door on the left. Pop in that room and examine the control panel to do another retinal scan. Afterwards, go outside and take the door just to the northeast. This is another generator room, except there's no generator. Look around for some blue lights on the floor and follow those to a separate screen, with the Fatima treasure -- the Andvari.

   Walk straight up to the Andvari and examine the gray panel in front of it to turn on the lights. Now go all the way back to the control room on the previous floor. The tool shop guy will appear and ask you if you want to buy any items. Go ahead and buy anything you think you need (though you don't really need anything for the next part; it's easy). Save your game, then examine the second control panel from the north. There will be a bunch of weird scenes, and then Shakhan shows up to crash the party.

   Leave the control room and head east towards the elevator. On the way, you'll run into two Freelancers. They're pretty weak; they only have two special attacks, Target Arms (attack down, oh no), and Target Legs (causes Stop, but, again, Margie will cure you). Beat them up (and earn 15 Silver Points ^_^), then continue to the elevator and ride it up. On the next floor, you'll have to fight 4 Shakhan Guards and 2 Shakhan Monks, just like the battle back in the mausoleum. Defeat them and take the north fork this time (it just leads to the other end of the circular hallway, but it's closer to the room with Andvari). As soon as you set foot through the door, you'll have to find 3 Freelancers, and to the east a little more is another one of the Guard / Monk assortments. Continue to the second door, and enter (this is the hallway that leads to Andvari; you've been here before). Go north and you'll have to fight another set of Guards and Monk. After beating them, Shakhan himself will show up and surround you, but Sig and Citan come to your rescue.

   After the retinal scan sequence, go through the northeast door into the room with Andvari. There will be a bunch of scenes, and then Bart will take control of the Gear. You have to fight two Neo Etones in a Gear battle; they're not too tough, but their Seal attack is pretty strong (it does about 3000 HP damage).