a demonic creature who uses an artifact known as the Crystal Skull to summon undead beasts; and Grau, Emellious' right-hand man and conniving strategist. In order to combat their adversaries, the heroes must travel across the world to meet the Sacred Beasts, who consist of Gryph the eagle, Drak the dragon, Yoat the ram, Seiba the unicorn, and Unama the dolphin. Story Grandia III takes place in an unnamed world, consisting of a main continent surrounded by the Belion Sea. Only one person has flown the breadth of the Belion Sea, Sky Captain Schmidt. Yuki hails from the village Anfog, on Titalos Island. Much of the world relies on flying dragons or planes, which use a magical power source. The Guardians are mystical beasts which hail from the Verse Realm. They came to Yuki's world after a war broke out on their own, quieting wars in both worlds, and guiding the remaining people to safety. They then watched over the world, imparting wisdom to the people through a chosen line of "Communicators", who can understand the words of the Guardians. Yuki, an aspiring pilot, has been building an airplane with his friend Rotts in hopes of being the second pilot to fly across the ocean, following in the footsteps of his idol, Schmidt. He keeps these plans a secret from his reckless mother, Miranda. Yuki and Rotts have completed their 19th model. On this flight, his mother stows away on his plane, and he is unable to stay airborne with the extra weight. As they lose altitude, Yuki sees a girl in a carriage being chased by several men and is immediately lovestruck. After crashing in the forest, he and Miranda fight to defend the girl. The girl introduces herself as Alfina, and says her must go to the temple at Arcriff to fulfill her role as a Communicator in the stead of her vanished brother, Emelious. Recognizing that Yuki is smitten, Miranda offers for them to escort her. Needing a boat to reach the mainland, they find a sailor named Alfonso trapped in a barrel at the pier. He offers to return their help in freeing them, claiming to be a ship captain. When they reach the harbor, however, Alfonso steals Alfina's brooch, a cherished memento of Emelious, to use as collateral for gambling. He loses the brooch because the proprietor, Bianca, cheats using loaded dice. Wanting one more