The Fall of Malistaire (The Great Spyre)

(Well, this is it, the final dungeon of Dragonspyre and the final part of the first story arc. This is epic so I had to put in a lot of ad lib text. Sorry, KingsIsle, I did make sure to include the proper dialogue for the scenes that are played. Enjoy! ^_^)

[cue the dramatic Professor Layton music]

"I used to have a happy life. A very happy life. Then this thing happened, and I can't say that anymore." - Happy Bapetsi, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith.

"All for one, and one for all!" - The Three Musketeers

==== + =====

The place was sweltering with heat. We had to work quickly as the tremors grew more intense.

Flying down chains, we dodged wraith and drakelings, but a group of fire elementals blocked our way. "Leave them to me!" she shouted, charging into battle. "You keep going!" We skirted around them and they didn't notice us.

"I'll handle these golems," said Grace. "You keep going. We'll meet you later." I was scared to be alone but knew Grace had a good head on her shoulders. I prayed for them and skirted around that battle as well and reached a great elevator. (Ranma Saotome's School of Martial Arts tactic in action, folks. The others fled battle, healed up with the mana wisps in the Basilica, and warped back to help with the Gurtoks. This is probably the last good dungeon you can warp into.)

Up we go! My heart was beating faster as I felt the tremors grow in strength - the Titan was awakening and we had to put him back to sleep before he awoke and summoned his armies of Draconians to destroy the Spiral.

The others joined me as we saw two giant elephant demons similar to the Barrier Demon from Ravenscar. "These guys are too smart," warned Christina. "I've seen them - they can't be tricked. We'll have to defeat them to move on."

I sighed and nodded. "Let's do this then. The sooner they die, the soon we get to Malistaire."

 

 

 

(These two elephants are actually the final Grandmaster loot drops - yes, I said Kraysys was but these two elephants drop the accessories, which give lots of mana, health and a 15% boost chane to power pippage. Gurtok Firebender has a low chance of dropping the Grandmaster Athames and Gurtok Piercer has a  low chance of dropping the Grandmaster Rings. However, since you have to reset the dungeons to get them to respawn since you can't change realms in a dungeon, this is not a great thing to farm - good luck getting them! Sierra got BOTH of the Storm accessories, and Grace got none, she got BOTH of the Balance accessories which sucks because there will never be a Balance wizard on her file. Christina got the Storm athame too as well as the Death ring. Grace used the Second Chance Chest once and got a housing item. PHAIL. Oh well. :( )

"The door is locked," said Grace.

"We have to get to that crystal over the chasm, which is accessed through some tunnels," said Christina. She pointed to the tunnels.

I was glad Christina had scoped the place...

But why did she had to sacrifice herself again? (Yeah, this battle requires a scapegoat since it's impossible to avoid without one.)

"Greetings, young wizard," said the ghost I ran into. "I am Marek Thistlethorn, the former headmaster of this Academy. Sadly, that vile warlock Malistaire threw me out of my office and is now holed up there, chanting some black spell to awaken the Great Titan!"

"We'll stop him before it wakes," I said bravely.

"You are very brave girl, yes?" said Marek. "Be warned, Wizard, this is not the end of your journey. I sense you will gain the power of the Stars, Moon, Sun and even Shadow, and there is a woman more powerful in magic than you who commands the power of..." He sighed. "I grow weaker every minute. Good luck in defeating that vile warlock." He closed his eyes and said no more.

Certainly ominous. (I had to put this scene in here - this ghost is here for no reason and has no dialogue, so I had to make him important in this story. Also, that staff is the Greenwarden's staff which came with the Wyvern Hoard Pack which I opened up. It has no wand attacks, just three Minor Blessing cards, but it gives a little bit of critical and block.)

I activated the crystal and the doors unlocked. It was time to go deeper. (I just teleported to Grace - I wasn't going the long way around!) (If you have friends, just have someone camp by the door and warp to them - you won't have to go through the Dragon's Mouth and try to dodge those other monsters patrolling around!)

My heart raced as I saw him - Malistaire - casting the ritual through a hole in the wall. He was in the final phases of casting, we had to stop him now!

 

But he had two sets of undead Draconians blocking the door, and we had no choice but to destroy them to open the door. (In the beta version of this dungeon, you had to defeat both Gurtoks to get to the Crystal and you have to destroy both sets of Draconians at the same time. They fixed those events, thank Bartleby!)

The doors opened and we charged up the path into the Headmaster's office, a giant room with a pit leading into the volcano. I saw the Great Titan's eye open briefly and shuddered.

He was awakening...

 

We destroyed the undead spirits that were rising from the pit and then Malistaire fell out of his trance. Before he could see us, we snuck around towards him... if we could just grab the Krokonomicon...

"Wait!" came a familiar voice, making Malistaire turn away from us.

It was Professor Cyrus, he was making his move.

"Sylvia... your wife... She is gone. There is no power in the Spiral which can bring her back... certainly not this." Cyrus seemed to look a bit sadder.

"The lords of Dragonspyre lacked the will to command the Dragon Titan... I am far stronger than they were." Malistaire scowled. "I am the Master of Death! The Dragon Titan will do as I command! I will order it to return my wife Sylvia to life so that she might rule by my side!"

I was shocked at the whole idea - he was so delusional he wanted to conquer the Spiral?! Professor Cyrus sighed in disgust and shook his head.

He held out the crystal I had used on Sylvia's remains and her ghost rose up.

"Please... release me... and move on," begged the shade. I saw Malistaire soften a bit when he saw the ghost of his wife begging him to stop... then I heard the vile whispers in my head in a language so archaic and evil I began to moan as I held my head as it pounded.

Malistaire's eyes grew cold and dark.

"You will pay for evoking my beloved Sylvia!"

I watched negotiations crumble as Malistaire cast a spell. I screamed in horor. "PROFESSOR!!!"

"****," said Christina. "Knew this wasn't gonna work."

He saw us and sneered.

The giant eye opened again and I heard the Titan's growl as he began to rouse.

"Rra Malistaire," said Grace. "I knew we couldn't make you see reason, but we cannot allow you to continue at..."

"You will PAY for that, you vile fiend!" screeched Penny, powering up her chant.

Malistaire flung his staff and a ball of death magic slammed into Grace, sending her crashing to the ground. I screamed again as my heart shattered. NOOOOOOO!!!! First my professor and now my best friend! I can't stand it!

"That's it!" snarled Christina, cracking her knuckles. "I've wanted a piece of you since you attacked me in Golem Tower long ago!"

"Ah, I remember you," sneered Malistaire. "Christina Dawnblade, the student who was with Ambrose. If he hadn't given you those spells, you would be dead now. And you..." He turned to me with a cold glare. "I recall you, you tried to attack me in Newgate Prison. You were lucky there, I could have ended your life had I not been busy rescuing Meowiarty to get this book." He held up the Krokonomicon. "His death means nothing..."

Suddenly Christina flung a spell and knocked the book out of his hands. It skittered to her feet and she snapped it up. "GIVE ME THAT BOOK, BRAT!" shouted Malistaire. He cast a spell and three vile specters rose up around her. "GET THAT BOOK BACK!"

"Over my dead body, Mal!" screamed Christina.

I shook in rage. I wasn't losing another person to this fiend. "I'm coming!" I shouted, charging into the thick of things.... the battle had begun!

 

Malistaire and his ghouls launched vile attacks at us and we couldn't scratch him. I was beginning to fear my life when I saw the Titan open its eye wide and shuffle. Was this hopeless?

"You will become late, Rra," said a voice. I turned my head to see Grace entering the ring. "You have lost all sympathy with me by trying to make me late... and for that, you will pay." She took a bamboo whistle out and blew a few high-pitched notes on it as a portal opened up to an arid world. "Come Jabari Longspear, Rra Longspear, fulfill your debt you owe my mother!"

A gorilla warrior trundled out of the portal and raised his spear. "Jambo, Rainsmith! I owe your mother much and will aid you in this battle to repay my debt." He cast a healing spell that summoned the Satyr and healed me. Every little bit helps. (Level 70 Life Henchman, I had Christina buy it to reduce the amount of healing we needed and to add a meat shield. She had more than enough crowns for one high-level hench.)

 

Penny chanted her chant again and summoned the Sirens - they did a lot of damage to Malistaire and took out the specters. Jabari cast an amazing spell that summoned the avatar of Bartleby himself and

I felt the book rise up in my hands and chanted the spells - I felt the blades and traps fall into place. I heard Malistaire's whisper. "That book... !"

I summoned the Pigs. "FOR PROFESSOR CY!" I screeched...

 

And the blades and traps empowered the Pigs and their blades sliced through Malistaire's jaw and wrist. He moaned and his staff fell from his bloodied hand as he fell to the ground in his own blood.

We had won. (GG! That's the damage I want! ^_^)

I didn't see anything as I passed out, but I heard voices.

"My beloved Sylvia... I have failed. I just wanted to cheat Death... I wanted you back..."

"It's okay, my love... I am in a better place now... come with me..." "Thank you, Sierra, you are definitely a paragon of my brother-in-law's magic. Farewelll.."

The vile whispers and cackling began and I shook my head. No! Shut up! Get lost, you...

"Wake up, carrot fairy!" *slap slap slap*

I woke up to my friend's faces. I didn't see the gorilla... or Malistaire's corpse. "How long had I been out of it?"

"Two and a half minutes, Mma," said Grace. "I was worried you were late."

"I'm fine," I muttered, getting up as Cyrus appeared. "You're okay, Professor!"

"My brother just banished me back to the Academy," said Cyrus. "Somehow he didn't have the heart to end my life... perhaps there was a bit of good left in him before he..." He shook his head. "I am sorry I drew you three into such a dangerous battle."

"You warned me," I said, smiling. "It's okay, we got the Krokonomicon and stopped Malistaire.'

"It's okay, Professor," I said. "You did what you could, tried one last desperate plea, but he was just too far gone with madness to listen. He had to be destroyed for the sake of the Spiral."

Cyrus nodded and waved his wand, making a glowing portal appeared. I saw Headmaster Ambrose, trying to sort out a whole slew of students. "I will return to Headmaster Ambrose, I have created a portal to get you there quickly. I suggest you use it." He teleported away.

Just then, the ground shook violently and the Titan's eye opened wide. It was awake.

"No!" I screamed. "The spell was completed before we could stop Malistaire! The Titan...!!!"

"Okay, I am going to do something very risky," said Christina, who opened the Krokonomicom and flipped madly through it. "T-t-t... There! It's still in a stupor, we'll use the Krokonomicon to put it back to sleep!"

"Are you crazy?" I cried. "We're not Bartleby, we can't sing it to sleep!"

"Maybe we can," said Christina. "But I need Penny's help. Can you summon your Sirens again?"

"I will try!" said Penny, chanting the chant. The Sirens appeared.

"Okay, you two, focus with me and read this passage, hurry!" shouted Christina.

We chanted the words and I felt my body grow cold as our bodies glowed - mine was blue, Grace's was violet and Christina's was crimson. The life energy formed wisps around the Titan's body as the Sirens sang and I saw a strange creature like Lady Chloe only bigger rise up and lock gazes with the beast, making it flinch as its eye turned to stone. It closed the eye to stop the petrification but then was hit with our life force... I was passing out again... and then Lady Judgement rose up and clanged her scales and the waves of sounds amplified the singing of the Sirens.

Grace and Christina held my shoulders as we finished the spell. The beast growled softly as the energies faded. The Titan was once again asleep. We fell to our needs as Christina gripped the book as tightly as she could.

"That was tricky, but we saved the Spiral for good," groaned Christina. "I'm taking this dangerous book far away from here and telling Al to lock it up good!"

"Wait," I said. "Before you do..." I told her about the Spiral Crystal and how we locked it up.

She grinned. "Great idea, carrot fairy! I'll swing by the Great Chasm and chat up that guy to give me another orb so I could capture a few Glacial Avengers to guard it and some vile essences to make puzzle crystals. You're amazing! Al will be glad to have this kind of security to prevent any Tuts or warlocks from stealing it again!"

"Not really," I said as I watched her teleport away.

"I must go and file my report," said Grace. "Maybe we will visit you something, Mma. But for now, I must close this case at once. Come by my office and we'll have some red tea and relax."

"Okay, I have to talk to Ambrose," I said. "I'll see you later."

I watched her go, but she waved goodbye before entering the portal.

I sighed as I looked into the crafter. "You okay, Sierra?" asked my pet.

I smiled and nodded. "Nothing a good drink of Grace's tea won't fix. Let's drop by her 'office' after we report to Ambrose." I looked around one last thing, wondering where the body of our foe was. Maybe Cyrus took it away to be buried. (Oh how I wish I had checked further, as I would find out but not for a very long time!)

Ambrose was in his office and the students crowded around me and cheered, trying to lift me in the air. "Enough enough," scolded Ambrose. "You can celebrate in your houses, this is my office."

The students filed out as we were left alone. "I've become something of a celeb," I giggled.

"Well, you did save every world in the Spiral from the Dragon Titan by putting him back to sleep," laughed Ambrose. "Grace told me everything. You sacrificed much."

"I apologize for..." Cyrus began but I raised my hand.

"No, no more of that, Professor," I said. "You are not your brother's keeper. He made the choice to do evil and nearly destroy everyone including himself. No amount of apologies will change things, we can only look to the future."

"You are wise beyond your years," said Cyrus. "I have released Sylvia's spirit to set things right." He turned to Ambrose. "I admit I was wrong about Sierra, Grace and Christina. They are fine students if they could put the Dragon Titan back to sleep, and Sierra... she is my best student."

I was stunned and shocked.

"Every one of my students will no doubt look up to you, Miss Fairyfirend, as a symbol of what a true Conjurer must be," said Cyrus, nodding and smirking a bit. "I hope you don't let this fame go to your head, I will still work you hard!"

"No problem, Professor," I said with a smug smile. I admit I was a little ego-bloated after hearing that the hardest and meanest Professor in Ravenwood, my professor, was giving me honors.

Ambrose's eye twinkled in glee. "I remember when you walked through that portal into Ravenwood and proclaimed you'd be the greatest and most frugal practitioner of Myth in the Spiral. I knew there was something special about you, Sierra!" He patted my back.
 

I looked at Cyrus, who smirked again, and I held my head and grunted.

"Take a break and go home," said Cyrus. "I won't push you again for a while... but I want you in class tomorrow at 8:30 sharp or I will dock you a half grade! Just because you saved the Spiral doesn't mean you can skip class!"

"I will do that, sir," I mumbled. I needed a break from this... time for some R&R!

** Elsewhere in the Spiral... **

"So, this is the little girl who defeated Malistaire, eh? And the one who thwarted your plans to bring about the Everwinter?"

"Yes, kaw! Those girls ruined our plans and made it impossible to tap our Rune! Awk!"

"I see... I'll give you a bit of the power I can muster. Use it to awaken Ymir and destroy those girls... they will no doubt be called to help that idiot bear king when he finds out about your schemes."

"We have waited for moons to destroy those brats! It will be our pleasure to encase their corpses in ice when we bring forth the Everwinter! Ka ha ha!" *poof*

"Foolish crow... I know you will fail, no matter how hard you try... I just need you to distract those fools while I reap Celestia of its secrets... ha ha ha ha!!!"


[The end...?]

 

(Malistaire is the last Grandmaster loot pot - he drops the Grandmaster Robes... and my luck won out as both Grace and Christina got great Malistaire robes they can use! I'll switch them out.)