Part 44: Welcome to the Dungeon, It Gets Worse Here Every Day

Chapter 23: Welcome to the Dungeon, It Gets Worse Here Every Day


You there, try walking through the door now!


*Thump*

No, no, fool. Pass through it! Oh, get out of the way.

*You have no idea how or why you got here, but it is nice to be able to help such a nice man.*

Sure thing, Mr. Avis!
I cannot be mistaken. My translation of the prophecy must be correct. It must be you. Of all the stupid Heroes in the world, I had to be cursed with you!
I’m so lucky.
Shut up!


What is wrong? How does it go? “For one thousand years and a year, Iblis will be bound…” I know that it has been one thousand and one years to this very day, so that MUST be correct.
You have such a great sense of time, Mr. Avis.
Shut up! “Beneath the tombstones of the city that he once did found.” This is the Forbidden City, there is no doubt of that.
And you understand geography so well, too!
I said shut up! “Then comes a Hero from the Northland, led unto despair…” You are the only Hero that I have found recently, it must be you! And I have no doubt you will despair before I am through with you.
I look forward to it!
Blast it, none of the others were so damn talkative! “Passing through the door unopened, that he will find there.” The door! Accursed door. Why can you not pass through it?
Sorry, Mr. Avis, but my nose is cold, and—
That was rhetorical, you idiot! “When the moonlight shines between the Dragon’s jaws…And is caught and held there by the Scorpion’s claws.” The moon! It is not due to rise between the two constellations until tomorrow! How can I be wrong!?
Maybe a year isn’t an exact count of days. Maybe the moon has wandered slightly so that—
I WILL NOT BE DENIED!!!


I cannot be wrong. It did not say a thousand and one years and a day. No! But how can the moon be where it cannot be? You! You’re the Hero. Make yourself useful for once and answer this: how can the moon be between the Dragon and the Scorpion?
Well, what about the Dragon and Scorpion on the door?
What?
Here, let me just whip this out and show you.


See, I can just use my mirror (how did I get this anyway? I forget) to reflect the moon’s image between the two shadows on the door.


*Wum* *Grind*

You’re smarter than you look, though I suppose that wasn’t hard. Now how does the rest of the prophecy go? “And at last the Hero ‘He who Waits Behind’ shall see,/While Iblis rises by the Dark One and the light shall flee./By the name of Suleiman, so shall this be!” Now you know all you need to know. Go in there and bring me the statue of Iblis!


I’ll be just as quick as lightning, Mr. Avis! We’ll have that statue in no time!


*Then the euphoric feeling starts to fade and you stand alone in the darkness. The past few hours are hazy in your memory. You remember only one thing clearly: you are here to find the Statue of Iblis.*

Uhgh…what happened to me? Where am I? And why can’t I see?

*It is difficult to judge where you are going in this darkness. It is also very dangerous. You feel what might be a wall of this cave. It feels cold and damp, despite the desert outside. The sound of wind is mostly above you. As you step forward, you find nothing to step onto. Your hands grab for a stalagmite (or is it a stalactite?), but slip off the slick surface. You find yourself falling…*


You get this for wandering too often while in the dark, even though there really isn’t a dead drop on the screen.

That’s right…I’ve got a lamp, don’t I?


Ah, much better. Now maybe I can head to the left there.


Pretty. I’ve never seen a glowing falls before…right? I guess I can just jump across…


No, no you can’t.

What’s with all the logs floating past? Maybe if I just jumped on one…





…And then jumped off…


There, now I…OH HOLY CRAP.



Damn, that was close. I should really knock those rocks down.


The fighter’s solution is to just break the rocks with his shoulder, while the wizard throws Force Bolts and the thief uses his thief tools to loosen the rocks. When throwing Force Bolts, make sure to aim for the rocks near the base, though, since they’re the ones supporting the set. The reason to do this is because the upper floor of the next room won’t let you pass until after this hole is dealt with.


Take that, you stupid hole.


I wonder why the next room is glowing like that.


Oh.


HOT HOT LAVA HOT OW OW OW.


This took forever to get. The thermal blasts only take off around 5 health each, and even stepping in lava only damages by between 5-10. In addition, you can “POUR WATER” to douse yourself, giving immunity to the fire for a limited amount of time. Just don’t mess around on this screen and anyone should be fine.


What, so the last challenge is a cliff? That’s easy!



All I need is my trusty rope, and I’m fine.

Wizard uses Levitate (of course), while the fighter simply jumps down and rolls with the fall.


*SPEAK NOW THE NAME OF POWER!*

Crap, I know this one. Is it…Sam?

*You hear a roar of rocks collapsing in the distance.*

Howard?

*The crash of boulder upon boulder echoes through the cavern.*

Edsel?



Wait, I remember! Suleiman!



Oh wow, it’s the treasure chamber! …Well, I’m sure no one will mind if I take just a little something for myself.




Nah, it’s probably all trapped anyway.


Whoa.

*A glow illuminates this chamber. It flows from an object high atop the strange structure before you. At the sight of the glowing object, you feel irresistibly drawn forward.*

That thing looks…valuable.


*The crystal’s cool glow is numbing. You feel compelled to pick it up, but as you reach out…*



Fool! Some hero you are! A pawn of the very man you sought to destroy.
_{Oh crap, I remember now! I was escaping from the dungeon, and Ad Avis…Well, the rest is still pretty hazy.}
Thanks to your help, I now have that through which I can summon the greatest destructive power ever known—Iblis himself!
_{That’s right, Aziza told me Iblis tried to take over the world once. But didn’t Suleiman need an army of djinn just to capture the guy?}
Do you know how long I have awaited this moment? Seventy years! Seventy years I have served the Dark Master while watching for the stars to align. Seventy years I have spent learning the magic that controls men’s minds and waiting for a fool to fulfill the prophecy for me. Tonight, as the moon arises between the Scorpion’s Claws and the Dragon’s Teeth, I shall begin the ritual that shall make me the Master! I will control Iblis, and thus control the world. While you, pawn of prophecy, shall remain behind in this tomb. You shall be, “He Who Waits Behind.”




Looks like I’ve screwed up royally this time. Damn it all, I knew I wasn’t ready for this! Now there’s an evil prophecy, and Iblis is going to take over the world, and I’m stuck here in the dark until I die from thirst. I guess I should go look at the door and see if I can even move these rocks.


Wait, what’s that glinting?


Hey, it’s a ring. And there’s something written on it. “He Who Waits Behind.” I guess this was meant for me, then. I think it fits my HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HELL.


I may grant you three wishes, oh Master of the Ring. What is your first wish?
What the hell are you?!
I am the djinni of the ring, silly! I was supposed to make sure Iblis doesn’t get loose, so now I guess I got to help you bring him back, as the prophecy says.
Hang on, you knew Iblis?
Iblis was the most powerful of all djinn. A thousand years and a year ago he created a huge city here and tried to make all men bow before him. Suleiman summoned all the djinn to his side, and with their power turned the city into Iblis’ tomb. Then Iblis himself was caught and bound, and became the statue you saw here. Oh, Suleiman ben Daoud was the wisest of the wise, strongest of the strong, most magicallest of the magicians. He was also very kind and made me “He Who Waits Behind” and put me in the Ring.
You mean that you’re “He Who Waits Behind?” Ad Avis thought that meant me. How does that prophecy go again?
The prophecy may have become a bit garbled over the years, but the original went like this when Suleiman taught it to me:

“One thousand years and a year, so shall Iblis be caught,
In the tombstones of the city where he and I once fought.
Until moonlight has been captured twixt the Scorpion and the Drake;
Then comes a hero from the northland, and ancient powers wake.

Led and followed by a Dark One; guide to deceit and despair.
Passing through the trial by fire, trials of water, earth, and air.
Passing through the door unopened, barrier that yields to none,
By my name of Suleiman, so shall this be done!

Come at last unto betrayal, and to ‘He Who Waits Behind’ (that’s me),
And, and, (now, how did that go?) and Iblis shall rise,”

and something about a “final knight.” I’ll remember it sometime.
Great, just great. Exactly how were you chosen for the HWWB position?
Suleiman asked for someone to stay here and guard to make sure Iblis didn’t escape. I volunteered. All the other djinn laughed at me, ‘cause I’m not very good at magic. But not Suleiman. He said I’d do fine and let me be HWWB. I guess he was wrong, huh? Iblis is gone, and you and I are kinda stuck here, aren’t we, Master?
Why do you keep calling me “Master?”
You are the lord of the Ring, since you put it on and twisted it. Your wish is my command, as long as it helps return Iblis here.
My wish? Didn’t you say something about wishes before?
Oh yes! I can grant you three wishes by the power of the Ring. I can get you anything you want, as long as it is health, prowess, or teleporting you to Iblis.
What do those mean?
If you wish for health, I can restore your strength to full, no matter how much damage you may have received. If you wish for prowess, I can give you the ability of ten men in any skill you want to improve upon. You have but to wish for Strength, or Magic, or Intelligence, or Sneaking, or, well, you get the idea. I can also teleport you to Iblis’ location. I am supposed to make sure Iblis is returned to the Forbidden City. I do have enough magic to take you with me to where Iblis has been taken, I think.
Couldn’t you teleport me anywhere else? Like as far away from Iblis as possible?
Silly Master, why would a hero want to go anywhere else?
Yeah, why indeed.

An additional note: wishing for an ability or skill raises it by 50 points, even if it would go past the cap. However, the game has the problematic habit of “practicing” you back to 200, so if you use the wish to overcharge a skill, make it one you won’t be using in the finale. Also, the integer only goes up to 256 in the .sav file, and the number will wrap around in QfG3, so don’t use it twice on the same maxed ability. Finally, the remake adds in a special bonus: if you are a fighter and you choose Weapon Use, your maximum combo goes from 3 (yes, it turns out it was three the whole time) to 4.

Alright, time to use those wishes. First, give me climbing skill.
By the power of Suleiman ben Daoud, may you have the skill of ten men!
…
…Did it work?
Actually, I think it did.
I’m so glad when my magic actually works! What is your second wish?
Weapon Use!
Done!
Alright! Now give me Agility!
…Are you sure about that?
Sure I’m sure! Hit me!
If you say so…



Wait, that’s the third wish, isn’t it? Alright, teleport me out of here.
By the power of Suleiman and the thousand djinn, take us to where Iblis now rests!



Djinni? Where are you?
I’m still here Master, but I’m too drained to do anything more. I’m sorry, but this is as close as I could get.
It’ll have to do, then.
Hero-friend! What magic you have at your command!


Sharaf! Wait, you’re not a spy, are you? I got nabbed just after we split.
We are beyond the time for spies, friend. The Underground is prepared to attack the palace. If you need to enter there, we will provide some distraction for you. However, we are almost ready, so you must hurry before you are caught in our battle.
Well I’m glad someone is finally helping, at least. Don’t worry about me, though, I can get through that door, no problem.
Good, I shall alert the rest to your presence.

*Sharaf silently stalks off*


So how do I get through?