Part Three: Cape Howl (Another World)
Previously blocked by the Acacia Dragoons, the local military power of the El Nido Peninsula, Fossil Valley is now open to traversal. It's a small area where you can potentially run into the following enemies:
- Bubba Dingo - Red Innate. Little canines that come in packs, Bubba Dingos will squabble amongst themselves if a Mama Dingo is not present. Pretty easy.
- Mama Dingo - Red Innate. The bigger, meaner version of the Bubba Dingo, the Mama Dingo will direct her children to attack you, rather than each other. If you kill a Bubba Dingo in the presence of a Mama Dingo it will Strength itself and become much more of a threat. Always target the Mama Dingo first. Good source of Leather early in the game if you need to outfit any new recruits.
- Drongo - Green Innate. Wormy creatures that live in stone structures, Drongos are slow, weak enemies that can only inflict substantial damage with PeaShooter, their signature move. Not a big deal.
- Dodo - White Innate. The most dangerous enemy of Fossil Valley, Dodos will use their Peck attack after shrieking for a few rounds to inflict heavy damage on a single target. Otherwise they just use middling normal attacks. Clear out other enemies before you fight the Dodo, then lay into it with your strongest Elements for a quick kill.
You can get through Fossil Valley pretty quickly by wandering north, west, and north again. That said, there's a little side path you can check out as well. Go north off the beaten path about halfway through Fossil Valley and you'll see a Dragoon blocking a ladder. He'll ask if you're an exorcist; say that you are and he'll let you through.
The next screen up explains the 'fossil' part of Fossil Valley. Several more Dragoons are up here, and the captain will tell you to investigate a howling noise. Walk north and a skull will hop over to you. It belongs to Skelly, another potential party member - though you need to collect all of Skelly's body parts before he can join the team. Collect his Heavy Skull for now.
Head to the west side of this bony section of Fossil Valley and go north. At the northernmost tip you'll find a ledge with a Bellflower on it. This will get you some much-needed gold. Head back south and look around the southwest corner of the area. You'll see a fossilized path that serves as a ladder, and a nearby soldier will tell you there's a monster at the bottom. Climb down the fossil (and ignore the soldier, he's a scaredy-cat). It leads to a Dodo and its nest. Defeat the Dodo, then check the nest for a Big Egg. This is another character recruitment item, though you won't get to use it for quite a while.
On your way out of Fossil Valley you'll run into Salt and Peppor again. Without Karsh around they barely qualify as an enemy encounter, let alone a boss. (Though you do get a Star Level and 160 g for defeating them. Nice.) Beat the Shaker Brothers down and keep going.
That's all for Fossil Valley. Return to the main path and head northwest to leave. You'll return to the main map, and though you have a few choices of destination the only one worth exploring right now is the city of Termina, to the north.