What Now? (The Catacombs)

(Don't worry, I'll get to the other new dungeons! Right now, I want to focus on Avalon.)

(Also, the final Avalon Caliburn teleport arch is here, so you don't have to go through the Lake Shore again. Nice touch!)

Even G.R. was horrified at the mess. "Can you fix it, or at least find a way to replace it?" I asked. We had come so far and yet...

"Nada, this was dark magic," muttered Christina. "Even if I repaired it, some evil has drained the whole shrine of its powerful holy magic. It'd take aeons to restore."

"Look at this," said Ethan, motioning me into the King's Tomb.

"Someone's desecrated this as well!" I gasped, seeing the open and empty sarcophagus. I scowled. "Morganthe was responsible, she must be onto us."

"Come on, let's cheer up!" cried Christina, doing a stupid dance. I made to slap her.

"Ahem," said Grace. "We have no time for foolery, Mma. We must report this to the Lady."

I nodded. Grace was the peacekeeper as always. Time to break the bad news to the Lady.

She was deeply troubled by the bad news. "So we're ruined," muttered Christina. "Game over."

"Wait, I have an idea," said Ethan. "You know the Professor, right?" I nodded. "Well, he took me back in time and I changed history... maybe we can go back in time to before the destruction of the Shrine and we can stop the defilement and the Shrine will be saved!"

"Big problem though," I said. "We don't know when this happened and besides, didn't you go to another parallel universe where we didn't exist?"

The Lady lit up. "Excellent idea, Sierra!"

"What? I'm confused," I said.

"The Other Side... you mean, the afterlife?" gasped Grace. "That is powerful voodoo, Lady!"

"Yes, and even with all my power, I cannot accompany you to the Other Side," said the Lady. "But there may be a suitable guide in the dungeon cells."

"That's ridiculous," Christina said as we searched the cells. "The chances of anyone being able to help us to the hereafter are one in a mill--"

 
"NEVERMIND," she muttered after I found a fox-man trapped in one of the cells.

"Could you help me escape?" moaned the fox knight. "I could try it myself, but I'm so hungry and thirsty, and these wounds..."

"They look severe," muttered Ethan. "I can heal you."

"Where's the key?" asked Grace.

"The Hobgoblin Blood Captain down the way has it," said the knight.

"We'll get it, Sir... uh..." I said.

"Sir Patrick, nice to make your acquaintance," said the knight.

"We'll be right back," I said.

 "Ack! Wizards in my private sanctum!" cried the goblin captain. "I give, I give!"

"Wow, that was..." Christina began to say.

"Nah, just kiddin," laughed the goblin. "Let me bash you girls about then."

Needless to say, Christina was NOT amused by goblin humor. :( (The Hobgoblin Blood Captain is Fire and has two Deep Dark Goblins and, if you have three or four wizards, a Night Goblin as well. However, he only has a pitiful 3600 HP. Christina crit'd a Power Nova and one-shot everyone... and then dragged Sierra into a fight with a lone Deep Dark Goblin who didn't get added into the battle. :p)

"Let's get out of this stinky heckhole," I said. "Hey guys, I'm the leader here, I say we go!"

"Guys?"

"Look," said Grace.

I looked on the rotten table and eyes widened in shock. "This has to be the last piece of that tapestry that Francis Lux told us about... the history of Avalon." I took the other pieces and stitched them together and the tapestry was mended... and it told a grim tale and a shocking revelation. I quickly put it away before anyone could see it. "We'll give it to Francis after we complete our task here."

(I've shown you the locations of the tapestries in Avalon, so you can go to Francis Lux and get your reward now if you want.)

We found the Lady by the cell as we freed Sir Patrick. "Sir Patrick will make an excellent guide to the Other Side," she said.

"Are we really gonna... you know, buy the farm?" gulped Christina. "Our adventures aren't over!"

"Relax," said the Lady. "You will not die. Instead, you will enter a world which is a reflection of the world of Avalon. It is, like you said, a 'parallel world' where the Shrine was not destroyed yet. You will see many astonishing and dreadful things but you will not be dead. You can meditate at the Shrine of Justice there and complete your knightly training."

"I guess it's as good a method as we can think of," said Ethan. "But how can Sir Patrick help us?"

"It was fate we met, Wizards," said Sir Patrick. "I have much knowledge of the Well of Annwn, a cistern filled with magical water that can make one capable of traveling to the Other Side. However, the proper vessel must be drunk from - only a Silver Ladle that the Grim Seraphs nearby hold can be used. Defeat them and get one."

"Uh, more killing," muttered Christina. "This had better be worth it."

(Grim Seraphs are color-swapped Death Seraphs, they have the same class of magic. :( Also, you will have to mix it up with some Deep Dark Goblins as well as they always travel together so the chances of getting the ladle are 20%.)

We found Sir Patrick by a stone well. "That is the Well of Annwn," he said. "It is older than any living being on Avalon, perhaps older than history itself! 'Long is the day and long is the night and deep is the Well of Avalon', or so the minstrels sing."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It is the Well of Death, did I forget to mention that?" he said, smiling. I grabbed my wand. "It will not kill you," he said, steadying my hand. "But it will bring you close to the edge. When the veil of mist has lifted from your eyes, you will be at the Other Side. I will meet you there." He walked into the mist before us.

"I'm not drinking it," said Christina. "I am too young to die!"

"You won't die," I said. "I think. But I have to drink it. It's the only way we can get to the Shrine."

"I will share the drink with you, my lovely Sierra," said Ethan. "If we die, we die together." He hugged me tenderly.

"Uuuugh," moaned Christina. "I guess we have no choice. Kill me now."

"That is the idea," muttered Grace. "We have no choice. If we want to become true knights and be able to wield the Sword, we must do it."

Christina bit her lip.

"Well, bottoms up," she mumbled. "If I die, I'm gonna kill that fox!"


We dipped the ladle into the water and sipped from it and I dropped the ladle into the well as I felt my body grow heavy and tired. "Look," said Ethan groggily.

The mist was gone.

"Hurry," I moaned. "We must get into the cave before we... pass out..."

We forced our bodies into the cave...

[To be continued...]

Under The Lake (Deepwater)

"I will not say it, I will not say it," I murmured softly. "Okay, let me guess we have to defeat some more enemies to get the shrine relics."

"Yes, the Strangler Goblins have Mercy's Sword, and the Stag Chargers have Mercy's Shield," said the Lady. I shook my head sadly. Oh well... at least this wouldn't be too hard to do.

"Are there any more shrines we must restore?" asked Grace.

"There is one more, but it is harder to reach," said the Lady. "Once you have recovered the relics and restored the shrine, I will aid you in reaching the last."

"Okay," said Christina, smiling wickedly. "Guess we have to beat up some more deers and goblins." I was glad she got over her breakdown. We need her power to defeat these foes.

More of the same. (Everyone took two goblin fights to get the Sword and Grace and Sierra got the Shield in one fight - Christina needed to solo a second to get the Shield.)

 Christina did her voodoo and replaced the Sword and Shield into the shrine. We meditated before it...

And something rose up.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It's a cave that leads underwater," said Christina.

We found ourselves in the lake itself and the Lady was waiting for us.

"We will defeat the Pendragon and make him pay," I said.

"He would kill you without the Sword of Kings," scolded the Lady. "You are still not worthy. You must find the final shrine. It is deep below Castle Avalon... but the only way to it from the surface is through the Castle itself, and the Pendragon will most certainly spot you if you try to go through that way. We must sneak you in from below. This teleporter arch will take you safely to the catacombs, but it is broken and the Pendragon's four more foulest servants have spirited away the pieces."

"Looks like we're on a boss hunt," said Christina. "Let's do this."

Ethan Jadeshade smiled. He joined our ranks recently and it was nice to have a dedicated healer. (Took a while but the last of the foursome, my Theurgist, has reached this point! Hooray! ^_^ And it's going to be a ***** to run four games at once with my computer speed.)

(The Drowned Knight is Death and is accompanied by Water Spirits, which are Storm - Christina took a lot of damage)

As we defeated each enemy, I spoke to my friends. "I have a feeling that the Lady of the Lake is hiding information from us," I said. "I was examining those tapestries we got and some of them point to things that might reveal the fate of King Artorius." (You have to defeat a boss, talk to the Lady to open the lair of the next boss, and so forth until all four are defeated. I waited until Ethan joined us before completing this part - his Gnomes spell was vital .)

(Kerr Knucklebones, gracefully, is Ice and not Storm like her fellow Loch Spriggans she fights by.)

"I certainly agree," said Ethan. "But then again, I'm sure she had her reasons."

(The Bog Witch is Storm and has Ice Eels as pets, Grace finished them all off with Mass Storm Prism + buffed Tempest)

 "She did, Mma," said Grace. "First, she had been locked up. Second, she probably feared a great panic if the truth was known. I am sure she will tell us when the time is right."

(Finally, Tarn the Drowned Giant is Myth [duh!] and has more Loch Spriggans, so you'll need a Prism if you Frog.)

"Let's do this," I said as we finished off the final foe and got the last piece of the arch.

 

Christina did her magic and fixed up the arch, and it flared into life. (Not before Sierra got a cry from Valdus, who was being violated by Ketil Blackheart in Sudrilund. ARGH!!!! And he would have soloed it - his Fire Dragon easily had gotten them out! I know it's poor manners for a future WizMerc to put someone on Ignore but for Pete's Sake!) We swam in and walked out into a giant underground labyrinth. Catacombs was indeed the right name for it!

"Watch yer step," said Christina. "Goblins underfoot."

The Lady sighed. "I wish I could have welcomed you to Avalon in better times, but we do as we must." She shook her head sadly.

"It's okay," I said. "We can manage."

"One of them must have the key to the tomb of King Artorious, which is where the final Shrine is," said the Lady. "Beat them down and..."

"We get it," I said. "No disrespect but we're used to this by now." I giggled.

 

(Luckily, the Deep Dark Goblins are Storm so one buff Frog can take them out easily. Sorry for the GUI again but I keep forgetting to hide it when I take shots sometimes. :( Also, Christina needed another battle so Ethan helped her out as Forest Lord takes these guys easily, although Christina didn't need it - she got in a Critical Ra. ^_^)

 "Thank you," I said, bowing to her. "So the final virtue shrine is inside that door, right?"

"Exactly," said the Lady.

You know what, I don't care anymore. As long as they don't force US to say the full name, I'm fine.

"Let's go!" said Christina. "Just one more prayer to make and we'll be..." She ran in and screamed. "NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!"

We hurried after her...

I was greeted with a horrible sight. The Shrine to Justice had not only be destroyed, but utterly defiled. There was no way in the Spiral it could be reconstructed, at least not without years of labor.

Was this...

(I do not own this picture, and no, this isn't Game Over. :p)

Song of Harmony (Kembaalung Village, Finale)

"Really?" asked Ethan. "I thought Shangri-Baa was a myth!"

"Hey, you're talking to the master of Myth, buddy," I giggled.

"Just before the entrance to paradise," said the Lamba. "Lies the Temple of Discord. It is no mere temple, but Hamakala's tomb. By playing to his vanity, a brave band of monks managed to snare Hamakama inside a statue of himself using a potent Harmony Trap. It cost the monks their lives, but their spell has kept Hamakala prisoner for a thousand years."

"We will not forget that sacrifice," I said.

"As a baatishiba, I am not allowed to enter the Hallow Mountain before my time," said the Lamba. "This journey is yours alone."

"We'll be fine," said Christina, smirking.

"A time will come when you see we are all one," said the Lamba. "Harmony flows within you and without you. Just remember all that you have learned." He bowed and left.

"We will," I said. "Let's go, team!"

The temperate dropped very quickly and I was about to cuddle up to Ethan's body when I heard a loud set of roars. "Guys, I don't think that was the wind," I said.

"Definitely wasn't," said Ethan as four giant yetis charged at us.

Frog puke, savior of the world. LOLZ. (These Wooly Bullies are Ice and have 1375 HP and four will join if you have three wizards in the group. They do spam Volcanic Shield but Humongo is not Storm or Fire.)

Christina smashed down some wooden barricades. "Ha, easy!"

The ninjas we found were not impressed. These were the ones watching the cave for Tonkatsu!

"Eat my dust!" laughed Christina as she Power Nova'd them. (The Hoof Ninjas are Death and have 950 HP. They also, sadly, spam Ether Shield so Forest Lord and Humongofrog won't kill them. Power Nova will.)

"You cannot comprehend what Master Tonkatsu conducts, young ones!" hissed the last ninja as he fell dead. "Hamakala will stomp you flat!"

"We have to hurry," said Ethan.

"But this cave is so large!" whined Christina. "Where do we go?"

I looked around. "Look, there's light coming from here," I said. "Let's check it out."

I was blown away - a giant temple was in the cave. This must be the Temple of Discord!

We came down the path and were barred by a elephant spirit. He told us to use the prayer wheels to make the Song of Harmony, or else suffer one last lesson at his hands.

"Game over if we fail," muttered Ethan. "He looks tough."

"Grace, it's all you!" I said. "You are the smartest of us!"

"I am not intelligent, merely perceptive," said Grace, but she tackled the puzzle anyways.

(Hope you wrote down those symbols earlier, because this puzzle is like the one in the Nameless Knight's tomb, you have to rotate the pillars to match the proper symbols for [from left to right] Spirit, Mind and Body. But what about the fourth one?)

"It should be obvious," I murmured, repeating the words the Temple of the Guardian said. "The final chorus should be obvious... But what is it?"

"Wait, what the Dali Lamba said..." Grace turned the last wheel.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I am certain," said Grace. "Three interlocking shapes - the symbol of true harmony."

I bit my lip.

"You have proven to be concordant in Harmony, living ones," said the Guardian. "You may enter the Temple... but be warned, you will not be alone."

I sighed in relief. He was letting us pass. (If you fail this puzzle, you are dragged into battle with the Temple Guardian, who is Balance and has 3390 HP. A very dangerous fight for those just at the minimum level as it has much more HP than the final bosses in Krokotopia or Marleybone, where you would be at this level.)

 

A group of Hoof Ninjas were guarding the path, I wasn't surprised. We took them out quickly...

(And my computer decided to lag and freeze up, so I lost Sierra's file and had to reboot it. Luckily she wasn't booted out the dungeon. Then Christina lagged and froze up so I had to exit her game and reboot THAT, meaning she took a LOT of damage from the Hoofs who ganged up on her. There is another wooden key lock in this room which leads to a special event which I will try to put into an interlude after this update.)

 

 

Then we dealt with the leader of the Hoof and his personal guard with Pukefrog. (Zu Wuneng is just a boss-level Hoof Ninja with more HP. :p)

"Brash wizards!" cried the leader. "Waltz to your doom if you wish!" He dropped dead.

I heard unholy chanting beyond the door. "We've hit the inner sanctum," I said. "Be careful, folks!"

"I'll walk to Death with you, Sierra," said Ethan flirtatiously.

"Get a room," said Christina, rolling her eyes. I blushed.

"After we defeat this Tonkatsu and save Lord Beagle," said Grace. "Let's go."

We found the giant statue of what had to be Hamakala, and there was Lord Beagle chained to the platform by magical chains.

 

We had arrived just in time to stop the ceremony!

"Stop right there!" I shouted. "In the name of all the Spiral, I will punish you for this unholy act!"

"What?" asked Ethan.

"Long story," muttered Christina. "She has superhero fantasies."

"Not gonna happen!" said Christina. "Attack!"

Suddenly, the bowls began rubbing their rims with the spoons and a loud screeching noise pierced the room. I covered my ears in pain. "AH! STOP IT!"

"WISH WE COULD!!!" cried Ethan, trying to cast a spell, but it failed. (The Fire Bowl will spam Smokescreen and use Cleanse Ward if you trap anyone at the end of the turn, but it can only Cleanse once a turn so Mass Prisms will be dispel one at a time. The Ice Bowl will spam shields of all kinds including Spirit Armor and the Storm Bowl will use Windstorm and Balanceblade.)

"Feel the wrath of discord!" boomed Hamakala.

We screamed bloody murder as his eyes blasted sonic energy that tore our bodies apart, or felt like it. (Oh yeah, at the end of your turn, you get the Wrath of Discord gimmick - a powerful area-of-attack blast that does 100 base Balance damage to everyone. This makes universal shields worthless, so watch out. It consumes any Balanceblades placed on Tonkatsu.)

"DESTROY THE BOWLS!!!" screamed Christina, who summoned the Jade Oni to smash a Spirit Armor. "THEN WE CAN BREATHE!!!"

Frog puke, the ultimate solvent. :)

The bowls shattered into clay shards and the noise stopped.

"My bowls!" cried Tonkatsu.

"Silence," said Grace, who hurled a Tempest into his face. The Mass Prism converted it to Myth energy and he was brought down. (The Bowls have 1350 HP and Tonkatsu himself has 2900 HP.)

"Death is but a doorway," moaned Hamakala. "Time is but a window. I will be back!" Then he grew silent as the glow faded around the statue.

"The Song of Discord has been bested by the dreadful wailing of Harmony," groaned Tonkatsu. "But Hamakala - and the Hoof - will not sit quieted for long!" He teleported away.

"Yeah, run away, you coward!" sneered Christina, making a rude gesture. The chains holding Lord Beagle melted away.

"Gladly," said Grace. A portal appeared and Lord Beagle went through.

"We did it! We did it! Wahoo!" said Christina, dancing up a storm. (One of the new dances only members can have, this is the Fresh Dance.)

"Stop acting silly," I said. "Let's get out of here."

I looked up at the statue and shuddered as I remembered Tonkatsu's last words. The thought of that thing being infused into a powerful diplomat was too terrifying to think of. I hurried through.

(You get this badge when you exit the Temple of Discord through the portal.)

"Well, it's not Sherlock Bones!" said Lord Beagle. "Yes, it's me. I'm safe now, all thanks to these young wizards here." We saluted. "Now, we really have to catch a trade ship. I hope it hasn't left."

"Don't worry, I put the Krokotopian Wheat in a barrier that the captain couldn't get to until he agreed to remain until you were safe," I said. "By the way, you can go see Emperor Yoshihito now, if you want. He's no longer asleep."

"Bully that!" said Lord Beagle, smiling. "But we'll stick to our route and head to Krok. We'll return to Mooshu a bit later."

"Good idea, things are going to be hectic," I said, smiling. I pulled Ethan away as Christina and Grace headed back.

"You passed MY test," I said. "You proved yourself to be a worthy ally."

"But I didn't help much," said Ethan.

"You did your part, healing us and buffing us," I said. "If you hadn't cast that Spirit Shield, I might not have done enough with the puking frog to destroy the Singing Bowls." I kissed his lips deeply. "You've passed our tests. Welcome to the team, Ethan Jadeshade."

"Nice," he said. "So, care to cuddle up in the tents together?"

"Uh..."

"I have fish to catch, sorry," I said, lucky that my cheeks were red with frostbite to hide the embarassment I felt about sleeping with Ethan. I wasn't ready for an intimate relationship YET.

He laughed. "I think I will enjoy working with you girls. I'll see you later." (There are new fish you can catch in each new dungeon area which are reagents for teleport tapestries to the new areas - but they also require Motes, a new type of reagent only found in these dungeons. Sierra got a Mote of Wisdom so she will try to craft the Tapestry to Kimbaalung.)

[The end of this part]

 

(Here is some of the stuff we got - Ethan got a Ninja Piggle after the final fight and we got some Level 25 gear which looks different, including blades that look like the Beckett magazine blades. They all give 2% damage to your school.)