Upon entering the Prairie, lead Dart and the group along the path away from the pursuing Wardens. Lavitz will be struck in the leg by a stray arrow and Dart and Shana will help him take cover in the brush on the next screen eluding their captors.
Back in control of Dart, return southeast to the previous screen and walk southeast again, under a stone overhang, to find a semi-hidden chest containing 100 Gold. Back the way you came, the northeast exit, later on in the game, will take you back toward the Forest and Seles, but is inaccessible. For now, exit to the west and have Dart examine the rushing flow of water, then return and take the southern exit. Here, the party will find a simple shack and a seemingly abandoned horse. For the moment, don't enter the shack, but take the northwest exit and have Dart examine the tree that is leaning over the river below there.
Inside the shack, Lavitz will take a rest while Shana applies some first aid to his wound. Shana will ask Dart about his activities for the past five years he has been away from Seles. He will tell the story of how an entity known as the Black Monster destroyed his former home of Neet, while killing his family in the process. Now, only holding his Father's Stone as a memento, he has been traveling the world seeking revenge on the Monster. Lavitz will suggest that the group travel with him to Bale and consult with Minister Noish about the Black Monster.
Past the stream, take a nearby treasure to the north containing an Angel's Prayer and speak with the family nearby. Lavitz will invite the displaced Sandorian family to live with him and his mother back in Bale. While there is no tangible reward for this, it makes for a feel good story later in the game. Continue taking the path west and back out to the world map, then north to our next dungeon: the Limestone Cave. Note: I recommend Lavitz getting, at least, near mastering his Harpoon addition to switch to his newer Spinning Cane one as soon as possible.
Move Dart south, not crossing the land-bridge, and look for an action icon to pop up along the edge of the water run-off. Use it to skip across the rocks to a treasure chest containing a Healing Potion. Afterwards, cross the bridge and exit to the southwest.
With Shana and Lavitz following behind, you need to hop around the stepping stones in the following area. The two easily-found chests in the room contain a Total Vanishing and Body Purifier. As you attempt to exit south, Dart will save Lavitz from falling and a small, friendship scene will ensue.
You'll be in the area below where you found the 100G treasure, with a...I dunno what, hopping around. Raid the chest to the left-side for a Spark Net item, then to reveal the other treasure, you'll need to catch the creature. It can be tricky, but you can use the lower stepping stones to gain an advantage while, the creature moves to the left-side on the outside rocks, Dart uses the inside ones to gain ground. Once caught, it will drop another chest where you will find a Poison Guard accessory. Go ahead and equip this on either Dart of Lavitz. Note: The Ugly Balloon enemy in this dungeon has an extremely rare chance to drop additional Poison Guard accessories, but you will be able to purchase them soon, and it's not really worth your time. If you happen to get an extra one, it can't hurt, however. Back outside the stepping stone room, move around the outside rock path to the east; grabbing a Charm Potion on the way.
The Urobolus stands in the way of our heros reaching Bale. The only thing to concern yourself with here is the potential to be inflicted with the poison status. You found two Body Purifiers in the dungeon, and either Dart or Lavitz should have the Poison Guard accessory equipped, so you should be fine. Dart with Volcano and Lavitz using Spinning Cane is plenty of offense, coupled with Shana throwing magic items at it. Once it's taken enough damage, it will take refuge in a hallowed-out area of the wall and only Shana's attack and magic will reach it. At this point, have Lavitz defend, Shana attack, and Dart use magic items until it returns to its previous position. For winning, the party will obtain a Wargod's Amulet accessory, that increases both physical and magical hit percentages and is the first of only two of this accessory. Since Lavitz already has the Sallet helmet equipped, which provides a small hit% boost, go ahead and give this accessory to Dart and saddle Lavitz with the Poison Guard.
Right outside of Bale, on the world map, you can encounter your first "special" monster: the Yellow Bird. These types of enemies are scattered throughout the world and are a great source of either EXP, Gold, rare items, or a combination of the three. The only problem is: not only is their evasion great, but they love to flee, and attacks only deal 1 damage, no matter what. I'll cover these on an individual bases as we can encounter them. The Yellow Bird only has 4 HP, but you'll soon find that hitting it four times before it decides to run is a tremendous pain. Thankfully, Shana already has good accuracy, while Lavitz has the Sallet helmet, and Dart can equip the Wargod's Amulet for increases accuracy. Later, we'll be able to apply different strategies, but for now, you're just going to need luck on your side. Oh, and in case you were wondering, using a Total Vanishing is not an option.
Phew, there's a lot going on in the Capital of Bale, our first major city, so you'll need to follow along closely. Enter the first house on the left and open the crate to pocket 50G, then speak with the little girl. She'll paint a portrait of Lavitz that adds the Lavitz's Picture item to your inventory. This item is only available for a limited time, and is missable, so make sure to pick it up as soon as you can.
Leaving the inn, continue east to find the item shop. Spear Frost is one of my personal favorite attack items, and will be useful for a boss a little later on, so you might consider a couple of them. Meteor Fall can also be extremely useful for a major boss that is upcoming; especially if you'll be using Shana consistently.
This is the first armory of the game and we can upgrade some of our character's equipment. Pick up a Scale Armor and a Sallet helmet for Dart, but don't waste any Gold on the Sparkle Arrow or any of the accessories; we'll find all of these in treasure chests in the next portion of the game. If you've got some extra Gold, you may consider adding a third Sallet to your inventory, which could be useful in dealing with enemies like the Yellow Bird later on. Personally, now that Dart has a Sallet, I moved the Wargod's Amulet accessory over to Lavitz and gave Dart the Poison Guard. There's an alleyway to the right of the armory where you can find a bookstore and a clinic. There's nothing tangible at either place, but the clinic can recover status effects for you and the bookstore has some useful tidbits on the history of Endiness.
In the northeast of the barracks, search the blacksmith's forge to find another piece of Stardust, then climb the stairs near the crates to the east.
In the lower-left, bedroom portion of the second floor, look for a treasure containing 50G, then climb the stairs to the third floor.
The southwestern room of the third floor contains an exit you need to enter from the right that takes you outside onto a terrace and to the lower-right side of the third floor. Descend the ladder and open the chest containing the Active Ring accessory that defends against the dispiriting status.
Dart will then inquire with Minister Noish on what he knows about the Black Monster. Very little is known, beside the fact it seemed to appear after the Dragon Campaign. You'll then be treated to a voiced-over movie where Noish tells the party about the history of the Dragon Campaign. Afterwards, a war meeting will commence with Shana going out to the balcony, leaving Dart by himself. In the throne room, you can exit to the northeast to find a shady-looking, black-robed man in Albert's chambers. There's a neat escape slide you can use descend to the second floor of the Castle, too.
Make your way back to the entrance of Bale, and for an extra scene, attempt to leave town without visiting Lavitz's house. Now, descend the stairs near the entrance to enter the path underneath the fountain. There's a drunkard, Dran, here and he'll move out of the way if Dart gives him the Good Spirits he purchased at the bar. Unfortunately, this item will leave your inventory, and there's no way to keep it without forfeiting all of the treasures that are beyond.
The trio is greeted by Lavitz's widowed mother inside his home. His mom will think that Lavitz has brought Shana back as his bride and Dart will have a choice on how to respond. If you pick the first: Dart will confirm that Shana is his girlfriend, while the second he will feign ignorance and make a joke out of things. Either way, Lavitz's mom and Shana will go to the kitchen to make lunch, leaving Dart to explore.
Talk to Lavitz in the living room to be presented a number of options to pass the time while the ladies cook. Make sure to select them all, with a tour of the house being saved for last, for some humorous conversation. Afterwards, you can visit the various rooms to learn more about Lavitz and his family, but to advance the story, you need to visit the study on the second floor. Lavitz will maneuver a ladder allowing him and Dart access the rooftop overlooking Indels Castle. He'll tell Dart about his childhood and dream of becoming a knight like his father and defending the country. After lunch, talk to Lavitz's mother again and tell her that you are ready to leave to end up staying the night for a free rest.
