(I had screenshoted this before, but I had to do it again because the outfits were wrong - I did it the first time with Sierra and Grace before Mirror Lake. So I had to redo it and use a character I hadn't use for these events so I could get the Professor's before and after dialogue. Enjoy!)
“Letting it get to you. You know what that’s called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive right now is all that counts.” — The Doctor, Season 6, Episode 4
"You have with me," I said. "The name's Sierra, remember? I am having troubles, my friend... nevermind, just direct me to the BOX and let's get this over with."
"Hey, a Sailor Scout never rejects an offer to help a crisis!" said Monica, smirking.
"Pure mathematics don't lie," said The Professor. "From here, I've been able to watch several competing forces attempting to master Death!"
"What?!" I asked.
"I can't say here," whispered the time traveler. "Meet me in my BOX in the Jade Palace."
I had seen the BOX - it was smack dab in the courtyard of the Palace. We squeezed in...
And were regaled by The Professor. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"My sensors point to a time in Ravenwood just after Sylvia Drake's passing," said The Professor. "Gamma was asked to look for someone to replace Malistaire. I have a feeling the Maestro may have influenced one of the candidates. I'll set a portal to Gamma's home."
I was stunned. Was the Maestro trying to oust Dworgyn? True, he was a pain and creepy and sent me to deal with a vampire rabbit, but...
"We're on it," said Monica, nudging me.
"I'll go speak to Gamma."
Clearly Gamma didn't recognize me from the last time when I brought Falmea before him.
"I'm so sorry," I said. "Sylvia must have been a great wife to him."
"True, who-who!" said Gamma. "But we want to ensure that classes can't abandon one school of magic to let Malistaire mourn, so the Headmaster has asked me to study potential necromancers to take his place should... things get out of hand. I've narrowed down two prospective candidates. Jaxon Lastrites from Pigswick Academy and someone who lives in Dimwood Vale, a dark place in the depths of Avalon. Could you go check on them for me?"
"I'd be glad to interview them for you," I said, wincing. They considered someone from WYSTERIA of all places? I knew what Pigswick was like!
"Could you send me straight to Jaxon?" I asked, sighing. "Might as well get him out of the way."
I cringed over and over after interviewing the piglet. He was definitely not going to be hired - he needed a job coach and fast, he violated all the rules for winning a job interview! He was rude, demanding info on the salary and vacation days and refusing to demonstrate his magic, saying he didn't have the right wand and didn't want to scare me. There was NO way that the Maestro had any hand with this guy! "We'll call you," I muttered, racing out ASAP.
"You can say THAT again," I muttered, resisting the urge to hijack the BOX and set it to the time when the founder of Pigswick was coming to Wysteria and killing him so Pigswick never came to be.
"What about this guy from Dimwood Vale?" asked Monica.
"I've checked the archives," said the Professor. "His name is Dworgyn and... he was a former student of Malistaire's. Interesting, no?"
I was stunned. "No way! We have to meet him."
I was not surprised at the name of the place - there was no sunlight piercing the thick clouds.
"Creepsville," muttered Monica. "No wonder Gamma thought this was the place."
I went around and stopped short when I saw a nasty creature - it looked like a humanoid ant!
"No way! What is an Antleg doing here?" whispered Monica. She pulled me aside. "That's a Razor Leg, Sailor Mercury saw them in Khrysalis..."
I was about to ask where Khyrsalis was but the insect-man saw us and spoke in a butch female voice. "You there, girls! What are you doing skulking about these parts?"
I coughed. "We're from Wizard City, Headmaster Ambrose is looking for Dworgyn. We want to give him a job at Ravenwood."
The creature clattered her mandibles. "Come inside Cornu House and we will discuss this further over tea and biscuits. One he's done with his chores, I'll summon him." She clambered up the ladder.
"It's an obvious trap," muttered Monica. I nodded but went up to the house on the giant shell.
I knew it was a trap, but we had to find out where they were holding Dworgyn. They threatened to put us into slave labor...
I don't do slave labor and neither does Sailor Jupiter. (Aunt Eunice is Life and has 3780 HP, and is usually accompanied by a Crying Spirit and, if you have three or four people, two Rotten Scalawags. One double-bladed Berserk Colossal Medusa was enough to one shot Eunice and Talos was summoned and used the Frog to finish off the Spirit after Monica Centaured it.)
"You won't get away with this, you wretched girls!" hissed the creature. "Even if you find Dworgyn's shack, you won't escape our mandibles."
"Let's find this shack," said Monica.
It wasn't hard to find the rotting shack where Dworgyn was being held.
"You know Malistaire?" I asked.
"Of course I remember Malistaire," said the hunchback. "Brilliant man. A bit intense."
"Well, Gamma wants you to be his assistant," Monica said. "We're here to recruit you."
He gaped. "You want to consider me for a teaching position in Ravenwood?" We nodded. "The problem is, my Aunts won't let me leave. They're not very keen to the idea of running Cornu House on their own. To be honest, my aunts are nasty and cruel. I'd love to get away but... maybe you can tell them? I'll be right behind you. Speaking of..."
He pointed at our backs and we turned around...
Figured the bug would have reinforcements.
"What foul rapscallions you are!" hissed the other bug. "It's as I always said: Wizards, especially those from Wizard City, are blackguards and liars!"
"Ugh, no wonder Morganthe has you bugs wrapped around her little finger!" sneered Monica. "You magophobic bugs need to go away!"
Without warning she summoned her Stormzilla and knocked down one of the bugs. I brought out Medusa to take out the other. I wanted to ask Monica how Morganthe had anything to do with this world she mentioned, but we had to get Dworgyn to safety. We escorted him to the end of the vale.
"Thanks!" said the hunchback. "I'll get my things and meet you in Wizard City!"
The Professor sent us to Wizard City and I told Gamma everything. "While you were busy, a new candidate appeared, Ostrame. He's pretty good, knows his Death materials. I told him to settle in. Why not go to the Death Tower and have them both tested to see who is better?"
"Sounds like a plan," I said. "I'll get my pal and we have them duel each other."
I was surprised Dworgyn asked us to help...
But the instant Ostrame opened his mouth and spoke, I recognized him. "You!"
"You sure know your Death symbols," said Dworgyn. "But I don't mind taking the test with you."
"A test?" sneered the Doberman. "I'll show you a test! Test your luck against my Wraiths!"
"Oh, what's the matter, can't prove your worth, Maestro?" I said.
"No way, that's the guy the Professor told us about!" said Monica. She got into battle position. "In..."
"He's gone," I sighed, showing the wraiths with nobody else.
Monica sweatdropped. "Oh."
She settled for her Centaur punishing the wraiths. (These guys have 890 HP and are Death. Oh, and I forgot to mention Dworgyn's passive buff - +10% universal resistance and +10% incoming heal. But be careful to get downstairs as soon as the dialogue ends or you'll have to fight more Wraiths when they respawn.)
"I wouldn't be so sure," said Dworgyn, smirking. "These wizards are tricky."
More like, I'm going to cover your wraiths in amphibious puke and one-shot kill them. (Yep, Sierra got another Critical hit and the Frog one-shotted the Avenger Wraiths.)
(Here is a shot of one of the event Treasure Cards, all of them based on the Iron Golems - they all do area of effect attacks that are weak but they also give a side effect of placing an -80% shield on the user, making them awesome... if Sierra's critical Frog hadn't taken the wraiths out. 'Ostrame' has 3870 HP and is Fire.)
(This is a Trapped Monstrous Centaur, I was sure to give Monica some of Sierra's TCs.)
"By the Lords of Time, the spaces between the stars and the Machines of Termination!" screamed The Maestro. "How do you always win?"
"Because we're champions of Love and Justice, Maestro!" said Monica, doing her pose.
"In the name of the Spiral," I said, doing the pose. "We'll punish you!"
"Gah!" said the time traveler. "You've driven me out, but we'll meet again, champions of justice! Some hour or another!" He leapt into a nearby coffin which made mechanical whirring sounds and faded into thin air. That must have been his BOX.
"So I got the job?" asked Dworgyn.
"Thank you, Wizards," said Gamma to us. "Hoo! I would have hated to think what damage that Maestro fellow could have done if I had let him be in charge of the Death School."
"He's tricky," I said. "In fact, I want to say something. You know Professor Falmea?"
"I do, she's become a fine Fire Professor," said the owl.
"Well, I had a hand in that," I said. I explained what had happened in the first adventure.
"No way, you're amazing, Sierra," said Monica. "I'll consult with the others and we'll keep a sharp eye out in case the Maestro attacks the present day or tries to ally with Morganthe."
"Thank you so much," I said with a grin.
"Well, this has been quite a day," muttered Gamma. "Dworgyn, why don't you clean up this place a bit while I start sending students down?"
"Thank you so much, Sierra," said Dworgyn, grinning toothily. "I'm so glad I got to work under Malistaire. How can I ever thank you?"
"Don't send me after moles who get ambushed by vampire bunnies," I muttered under my breath. I waved farewell. "Good luck, and don't be surprised if I come back someday and find you under... uh, you'll be fine." I winked and we quickly climbed up the ladder.
It was no hard task finding the BOX and reporting our success to The Professor.
"An ordinary day for us Sailor Wizards!" laughed Monica. "We'll always be there to help."
"No, you worry about watching Morganthe," I said. "Me and my friends will handle The Maestro."
"Yes, he knows we are onto him," said The Professor. "It would be to our disadvantage to have a famous group trailing him. His next plot will be more devious by far! Let Sierra and her friends handle this villain. Farewell, friends!"
We left the box and Monica turned to me. "Thanks for the adventure, Sailor Sierra. We make a great team! Let's do it again sometime." She snapped her salute and flew off on her magic cloud.
I sighed and decided to find Grace.
(You get the badge "Harbringer of Death" for completing this adventure the first time.)
[To be continued...]
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