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| (This sort of makes up for The Sims 3 updater failing miserably... sort of.) |
(Yeah, THIS happened as I was farming Greyhorns for the last quest. I had a feeling that the Lost Pages events would become a yearly event due to the rabid popularity of the quests. I doubt I can get the Trinity to Avalon and help Pike De Lago before the event ends - I know I can't get them to Pacal Redmask and move him to the Zocolo before the time ends - but they can get the first four badges easily. I won't bother telling you whether I do or not - I already detailed how the quests a long time ago with a make-believe story session based on The Sailor Senshi - but if you want to see how the quests work, go visit Blaze Lifehammer's site. The link to his first quest, dealing with the Spellwrit Screamers, can be found on this link. Now back to the story!)
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This result was both a success and a failure. It was a success in that it demonstrated to the client beyond all doubt who the thief was; it was a failure in that it showed that trust did not always work. Perhaps trust had to be accompanied by a measure of common sense, and a hefty dose about the reality of human nature. But that would need a lot of thinking about, and the tea break didn't go on forever. (The Good Husband of Zebra Drive)
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We return to Tse-Tse Snaketail battered and bruised, and he was surprised we returned.
"What, surprised we came back?" sneered Christina.
"Let me confer with Shaka Zebu," he said. He ducked into the hut briefly and came back out moments later. "Shaka Zebu was most impressive by how you beat the Longdreamer Shamans like a drum! He wants you to raise a force of Igoka Defenders and strike the enemy like summer lightning and heavy thunder."
"I bet he does," said Christina icily.
"We will gladly do so, if only to end this war," said Grace.
"Really?" said Christina in a deadpan. "I wouldn't have known you were just wearing a mask."
The jig was up. "Bother!" said Tom-Tom. "KILL THE WIZARDS!!!"
Two Greyhorns painted with stripes burst from the wall. "Oh come on," said Christina, rolling he eyes. "You really think the zebra people are THAT dense?"
"I think we should not mock them and focus on subduing them before they kill us all," said Grace.
"You don't have to be snippy about it!" snapped Christina as she summoned Ra and Grace summoned Tempest to defeat the rhino-men. I shrugged. (These guys have 1740 HP and are Ice.)
"That didn't go too well," said the masked zebra, who leapt out of the hole in the wall.
"Come back here, you jerk!" screamed Christina.
I touched her shoulder. "Let's worry about the Defenders and we can chase him down later."
"Are you okay?" I asked as I helped release the Igoka's shackles.
"We are fine, but you must run to Sizani Sunrunner," said one of them. "We have news..."
"Uh no, I think we got mixed signals," I said. "Let me explain it again - Tse-Tse is a traitor, Tom-Tom is his accomplice who is masked like a Greyhorn, and they were sneaking rhinos into the place."
"This is terrible!" said Sizani. "However, Shaka Zebu won't listen to us if we do not have conclusive proof. Could you look around and find out where those Greyhorns came from? I will search the area to find out any clues to the treachery."
"No problem, it's probably what I think it is," said Christina.
"Yep, called it. Someone broke a hole in the defenses," said Christina.
"And it's near the back gate, behind the medicine hut," said Grace. "They were smart. Nobody would have guessed it was here."
"Well, time to hole it up so they can't get in," I said. "Let's go look for some wood to fix it with."
We found some wood lying about and Christina and I shored up the wall. Christina nodded. "I found that old Snaketail was not where he was earlier - I bet he realized the heat was on and fled while the getting was good."
"I dunno about that," I said. "But I do know he might return to haunt us. In the meantime, let's find Sizani and tell her we fixed the hole in the wall."
Sizani was back outside the gate and thanked us for fixing the wall, but gave dire news.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" I asked.
WHY DID I ASK THAT? (Yep, you have to defeat even MORE Greyhorn mercs. At least it's only two battles of four this time.)
"No," said Grace in horror as she saw the watchtower in flames. "We must extinguish it!"
"I don't think it's possible unless a freak rainstorm..." Christina began to say, but then she spotted something in the distance... "Heeeey, lookee here!"
Sure enough, water elementals. I recognized them from the spell Grace used to cast which summoned one. "We can use their power to extinguish the blaze!" Christina said.
"I think we have to get rid of those shamans controlling them first," I said glumly.
So we beat up some elephants again. I am beginning to LOATHE these jerks.(They managed to fire off a Quake and wipe out my set-up. ARGH!)
But we found some talismans made of stone. "This must be what they were using to control the Water Elementals," said Grace. "Let's hurry and wrest control of them."
Unfortunately, we had to throw a bit of our weight about(magical weight, mind you) to make them obey us. But it worked. (What actually happened was that the girls examined the tower, talked to Sizani Sunrunner, defeated Shamans three times to get ten Stone Talismans, talked to Sizani AGAIN, and then defeated five Water Elementals. I just cut out the talking part. ^_^)
"Great spirits of water," cried Grace. "I beseech you, extinguish this fire!"
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| (I find the evil eyes in the bucket to be funny. ^_^) |
"I am so sorry this had to happen," I said.
"It is fine, Mma," said Grace. "It is the consequences of war. Right now, we must tell Mma Sunrunner that we have stopped the destruction."
"Hey, look at this," I said, as we passed by a hut. "Paint... black and white paint... that only means one things, guys..."
(Zebstrika! Okay, sorry, just HAD to make a Pokemon Black/White reference. Ironically, the zebra Pokemon debut in Black and White.)
"Let show these jars of paint to Sizani," said Christina.
"And he thought he could replace the warriors with them?" laughed Christina. "Either he thought you were so stupid that you couldn't see the difference or he's blind."
"Yes, he was making a bold move," said Sizani. "We can show these to Shaka Zebu... but he is still busy. I know, can you talk to Queen Amahle Autumnrain? She is in the Moon Gardens. I will unlock the doors for you three."
"Thank you," said Grace. "We appreciate your aid."
"What is this?" I asked.
"The Star Obelisk," said Grace. "I recall seeing it in my youth, it is said to hold great juju."
"Wait," I said. "Perhaps this is what Inyanga told me about, the power of Star Magic."
"Mendisa Autumnrain, I presume?" I asked. "Inyanga told me to talk to you about Astral spells."
"Ah, Rra Whitestripes is wise," said Mandisa. "I have been studying the ways of this Obelisk and made a breakthrough on how to harness its powers... but those Longdreamer Shamans invaded and stole my ritual notes! If you can get them back, I can teach you how to activate the Obelisk."
UGH! Be grateful I want the magic, or it would be NO WAY! :( (Yep, have to destroy more shamans, which is getting annoying. I can see why Zenmaster Blue hates side-quests. Worse, to rub it in on how useless Grace is, she only got two ritual pages while the others get all three in one fight, so she had to solo another fight and got dropped to 290 HP before she got the last page. :( )
Mandisa taught us the chant and we activated the Star Obelisk which gave us...
This. I decided it was high time I got my first aura and picked up Berserk. (You get two auras - Mend, which boosts Incoming Healing by 20%, and Berserk, which is like a poor-man's Feint but it lets you use the boost on all your spells, not just one attack. Of course, you TAKE more damage than you give but every bit helps, and Sierra has some decent resistances due to her Waterworks hat and boots, as well as King Hannah the Enchanted Armament. The next Star magic quest will give us an aura that will replace Berserk, but it's not for two worlds.)
(Why did I not give Christina Berserk? Because she sucks as a tank - I blame Slyster Glowworm for being a ****tease and not giving me the Waterworks robe and boots for Balance; I recently tried again and got... pet snacks and treasure cards. Thanks a bundle, you son of a *****. Sorry for the salt but I just had to rant about that. Of all the girls, Christina is the worst armored because she has yet to get any Waterworks gear besides her hat.)
"Queen Amahle," said Grace, bowing low. "I am the daughter of Obed Rainsmith."
"Ah, your father spoke highly of your talents as a child," said the queen, smiling. "You have a strong glow. Tell me, what brings back you home?"
"We are here to find our herd, students who had fled the wrath of the Umbra Queen," said Grace.
The zebra queen inhaled sharply. "She is back?"
"Yes," said Grace. "Her dark armies are back."
"That explains it," said Queen Amahle. "Tse-Tse has broken my husband's spirit!"
"What?" I cried.
"Here, take this key to unlock the palace door and see for yourself," said Queen Amahle.
"I must warn you, we are entering a dark place," said Grace. "Are you ready?"
"Oh you bet I am," I said. I showed off the bow and arrows I had. (Finally got to the level to equip this Longbow I had bought in the Bazaar! It's got better critical and block.)
"Ugh, who let the treants in," said Christina.
"The Shield is safe!" cried Grace.
"Huh?" I asked.
"The Golden Zebra Shield," said Grace. "It is like King Mansa's golden crown. I... I think I need to explain a bit. The Shield and Crown are two of four of the Royal Zafarian treasures. My daddy told me the legends of the Umbra Queen and said that these four golden treasures hold Morganthe's power in check here. If they are destroyed..."
"Then that explains why you were freaking out when we heard that Mansa's crown was stolen by Morgie!" said Christina. "I bet she's already melted that crown to slag! If she gets the others..."
She went around and looked at the glowing shield.
"So far, the Umbra Queen hasn't gotten to it yet," said Grace in relief. "It is protected by powerful juju. Our enemies can't find a way to remove the barrier around it."
"Look, this must be the King," said Christina. "Yo, Shaka Zebu! You okay?"
"I don't think so, Chris," I sighed, looking at the glowing eyes.
"Dark magic has cursed him," said Grace.
"And I bet this evil vine is responsible," I said.
"Well, YOLO!" said Christina, whipping out her blade and slashing at the vine. It regenerated. "What in the name of Bartleby is this thing?"
"I sense powerful dark magic," said Grace. "This is Morganthe's power."
"But how did sheeeeeee---" I gasped. We all looked at each other, thinking the same name.
TSE-TSE SNAKETAIL.
"To the queen," I said.
"Is there any way to destroy that evil vine, your highness?" I asked.
"Not as I know of, but we will find a way," said Queen Amahle. "However, news of the king's condition has spread like a foul wind and now some of the upstarts are fighting over the crown, seeking to take over. We must been calm and united in this crisis, not run wild. Will you defeat a few of the Impi Raiders and teach them humility?"
I sighed. It was always something.
"We must calm the rioting," said Grace. "We will do it."
We did well against some of the rioters...
Not so much in the next fight. X_X (Yep, the Impi Raiders are Ice, so expect to get slammed by Frost Giant a LOT. You better have Stun Block!)
There, done.
We negotiated with the leaders of the riot and, with Grace working with Queen Amahle to give them equal honor, the riots quelled. I am impressed with Grace's skills. Even Queen Amahle offered her the position of court magician once we dealt with that traitor.
"I must decline, my queen," said Grace. "I am a private detective now and always, there are others far better - I just do what I can for my people."
"You are very humble as well," said Queen Amahle. "Well then, 'detective', let me help you in your investigation. My daughter has found the magician. Talk to her."
We did, and she pointed to the hut where we found the paint. I had a feeling that was where Tse-Tse was hiding. Time to kick in his face...
Or not. I had a FEELING he would go crying to Morganthe the instant he got in trouble. (sigh)
"Look, another student!" said Christina. "Let's rescue him!"
X_X X_X X_X
(Remember what I said? Better have Stun Blocks! Goliath Chun'dah'rar[sp?] has a lot of HP and is STORM, and he WILL cast Storm Lord first turn. :( We also had to deal with his annoying groupies, a pair of Shadow-Weaver Haunts, before we could fight him. Sierra sat out for that.)
One power-boosted Ninja Pigs takes out the Goliath and Grace summons DA BEAST to destroy the annoying as heck Haunt before it can get off another Death Ninjas.
"You okay, Stefan?" I said as Christina cut his bonds. I recognized him from classes.
"Yeah, I thought I was a goner!" said Stefan Diresign. "I managed to get here but that wicked zebra caught me and tied me up for his dark queen. Before he left me to those bugs, he said he was going some tomb of the zebra kings."
Grace gasped but nodded. "I will teleport you to Baobab so we can avoid the fighting outside and you can take the Spiral Gate back to Ravenwood. I am sorry this trip was bad for you."
"Are you kidding?" laughed Stefan. "Best trip ever!" Grace took him and teleported away.
She came back a bit later and showed the photo. "One student left."
"And we still have the professor and prince," I said. "Why is Morganthe trying to kill the students?"
"I do not know," said Grace, shaking her head. "But I know why she wants the prince."
"Then tell us," said Christina. "I am not moving from his spot until you spill EVERYTHING."
"Chris," I scolded.
"No, she is right... I have not been honest," sighed Grace. "One of the four treasures, the Golden Elephant Swords, are locked up in the Tomb of the Elephant Kings. The only way to enter is by being of the blood of the Elephant Kings, which Prince Tziri Whitetusk is. Morganthe will use him as a way to get into the tombs."
"Like how they fingerprint you and if the print doesn't match their magical scanners, you're repelled out of the house!" I said. "She's going to fool the gate into letting her past. We have to find the prince and save him, even if we have to beat up Morganthe to rescue him!"
"Can we... take her?" asked Christina, suddenly growing scared.
"Let us not worry about that now," said Grace. "Right now, we must find out where the remaining student and Rra Sunchaser are. If Morganthe is holding Prince Tziri for her purposes, she probably has the treasure anyways. As long as the Golden Zebra Shield is safe, we are fine."
I nodded. I had panicked. We need to calm down and find the last student, heal Shaka Zebu and capture Tse-Tse before he got his hands on the shield.
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| (By the way, this is where the Zamunda monkey for Zeke's quest is - don't forget to pick it up so you don't hae to fight the annoying bugs again. Grace stumbled onto it. :p) |
After telling the queen what had happened, she opened the doors to the Tomb of the Zebra Kings. Grace told me that this was a very special place and that it was connected to the Golden Zebra Shield - a spell inside was what was keeping the Shield from being touched by evil magic.
However, we found the gate guard wrapped up in spider webs. Gross! :( Christina chopped it down.
"What happened?" I asked.
"That foul magician, Tse-Tse, sent spiders after me, I couldn't defend myself!" said Themba. "He's already in the Tomb."
"How did he get inside?" asked Grace. "The gates were sealed with magic."
"He used a magic powder he got from the Longdreamer Shamans," said Themba. "If you put it in the braziers so they burn like a zebra's stripes, the door unseals."
"Ugh... don't tell me..." I begged.
Yep. More shaman murders. Thankfully, a necromancer called Brandon Wonderpetal(snicker) helped us out. (Despite the fact that he fled when he joined in the fight with Water Elementals! Grrrr! Also, you really didn't expect the defeat Shaman quests to end, did you? Don't worry, this is the last one, I promise! And once again, Grace failed to get all the stuff. 50% drop, my @@@. :( )
(Deer Knight is in Christina's future, I swear. Maybe I'll give it to Sierra too so she can deal with those annoying as heck Myth enemies. Expect 90% of the enemies in Avalon to be Myth. X_X)
"Guys, look at this baby I got from a guy who had been to Mooshu!"
"That's..." said Grace.
"How did you..." I began.
The elephant squeaked at me. "Are you my auntie?"
(If any of you readers have ever played the Pico De Gallo dungeon in the Super-Turbo Championship edition of Guacamelee, you get the reference. ^_^)
(Yep, I was looking for a hybrid hatch for the Judgement - which took an Energy Potion to raise to Adult - and some guy whose name I forgot, sorry, offered to hatch an egg with me. I didn't check it out in the hatching screen so imagine my surprise when I saw what Christina got... she hatched with a JADE ONI PET! And after rising one rank, it got PAIN-GIVER! -^_^- The bad news... I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO FARMING COUCH POTATOES. Christina isn't getting a Red Barn Farm and the house she has is bad for gardening. I will have to level up one of my other wizards on that account to get the Red Barn Farm. :( But this is with Flapjacks!)
We took the powder and burned it in the braziers, and white and dark smoke poured out. The doors creaked open. "Come on, guys," I said. "We have to stop Tse-Tse before he undoes the barrier."
[To be continued...]
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