Before long, the castle has vanished without a trace. Cefca isn't exactly pleased.

"Get"...?

The soldiers, now riding Sorcerous Armor, attack the party riding away on chocobo. It's another boss battle, and the party is attacked from behind, making things more annoying (hint: reverse rows ahead of time). The mechs use kicks and lasers, but aren't all that tough, especially for how fearsome everyone seems to think they are. They're also susceptible to 'confusion', so if you bought a Blast Voice...

Edgar, true to his technological background, can use machines with various effects against the enemy. He brings an Auto Crossbow with him, a merchant at the castle sells two more machines, and others can be bought, found, or stolen later. Together, they give him a variety of attacks suitable for nearly any situation.

It's Tina who steals the spotlight here, though, when Edgar flips out after she casts a spell in front of him for the first time...

Note that while this scene will most likely appear now, it won't occur until Tina actually uses magic in battle in front of Edgar. Additionally, it won't occur at all if it hasn't done so by the time the party leaves from the southern end of the Cave to South Figaro.

Lock seems somewhat confused, but realizes where Edgar is looking and figures it out.

"Loaded for bear" isn't the most common expression anymore. It basically means having lots of firepower, and dates back to the 1800s when hunters going after large animals like bears would have to use heavier charges.

Lock finally realizes what just happened, and, like Edgar before him, freaks out.

Lock and Edgar huddle.

They break huddle, and Edgar approaches Tina at what he seems to consider a safe distance.

Tina steps back and winks at them before returning to the battle. They get goofy expressions and swoon. A message box appears saying...

Refer to でれでれ (deredere), the "sound" of being lovestruck. See also つんでれ (tsundere), やんでれ (yandere), etc...

Having returned their focus to the battle, the party dispatches the attackers.

The attackers, by the way, just sit there doing nothing while the scene goes on. It's especially amusing if Tina finishes them off the first time she uses magic, since then they just die as soon as the party gets back into formation.

"Locke" resumes after combat ends.

They speed off into the distance, leaving Cefca alone in the middle of the desert.

Scene change back to the main party. No music, no landmarks, just the three adventurers on chocobo, and the sound of the footfalls on sand.

We'll find out later this isn't quite true.

Tina falls back, slowing to a halt. The others circle back slowly. "Awakening" plays.

Tina makes no reply, but Edgar seems to think that's good enough for now and starts ahead.

The cave has no in-game name, so it's generally referred to by its function.

The party rides to the southeastern edge of the desert, dismounts near the cliffs, and walks up to a cave opening. A Figaro guard stands next to a chocobo, blocking the entrance.

On a side note, Tina has probably learned a spell to cure poison by now, and she continues to gradually gain more spells as her experience increases.

The last part of their itinerary went missing in translation. Odd, since that's the whole purpose of the trip.

Between Edgar's various machines, Lock's ability to nab supplies, and, of course, Tina's offensive and recovery magic, the party has little difficulty with the monsters in the cave. 1-15 "The Phantom Forest" (named for a later area) plays in the cave.

Completionists and anyone fond of Gau should make sure to get in battles with all three types of monsters that appear in the cave so they'll appear on the Beast Plain. Different monsters populate this cave later, so collect these formations now while you still can. The treasure chests also change contents if you leave them alone, so don't open them yet. The items available later are markedly better.

Upon reaching the world map on the far end of the cave, 2-1 "Tina", a more upbeat and confident variant of "Awakening", plays. It's the world map music until... well, let's call that the Major Plot Spoiler for now and save the details for when it happens...