Part 6: Raising Kasandora

Since we can't do anything further in Bloodpool, we're going to head west again and try again in a place of wind swept dunes and broad expanses of flat ground.



Conveniently, the circle of stones we're heading into is right where the desert meets the plains and somehow didn't end up covered in sand.



"There's… nothing…"

"Just miles and miles of bloody Kasandora."

Playing in the Sandbox



Lovely set pieces in here, although these cactuses are a major pain in the ass to jump around. Somehow they mess with the perception of space due to how they blend into the background.

"I remember these! I made them as a joke, you know, for people to find someday."

"The skeletons? You made them already ancient and sticking out of the ground?"

"Oh no, I made the creatures that died and became the skeletons. I just knew that they weren't really going anywhere as a species."



For extra horror, just add wiggly plant sand worms. These are a pain in the neck because of the way they move back and forth erratically, but once you get them in reach they go down easily enough.



Eventually the desert gives way to upthrust pillars supported by narrow stalks. It's easy to platform from one to the other, but you'll want to keep an eye down in the chasms for treasures. In particular there's a full apple near the last pillar.



The next segment has entire villages of winged scorpion-men living in adobe towers balanced precariously atop the same pillars. It's not exactly a sustainable system.



Once we navigate past the scorpion-men we run into the stage boss, the Ant-Lion. This is a pretty common enemy type to see in games, although rarely is it so detailed as in this instance. This guy attacks by bringing giant pincers down from both sides toward the center and then disappearing under the sand, reappearing to shoot projectiles up in the air that gradually work their way down.



Timing your movements to avoid damage is a fool's errand, so the best thing to do is just stick it out and get as many attacks in as possible. You can do a lot more damage to him than he can to you in a given period, which helps balance out the disparity in your life bars.



"Hard to see why they'd want to… what was I thinking when I made this barren wasteland?"

"Er… I'm pretty sure it didn't used to be like this, Sir GodJesus. It was probably a fertile plain, although I'm surprised we didn't put a river in here."




"We'll see about that."

"Please send rain to wash away the sand, so we may cultivate the fields."



"They have no idea what they're asking for… do you know what this is going to do to the weather system around the world? This is going to have repercussions for global weather patterns for decades to come.

"They're probably thinking that if they don't get some rain, they're going to be trying to find new ways to boil and eat sand in the next few weeks."



"Good point… hey, where did all of these come from?"

"Somewhere under the sand, assuredly… wait, Master is that a corn field?"



"Not anymore it's not. Do we tell them to call this "wheat" just to avoid confusion when they meet up with everybody else?

"I don't know… and I can't help but think that "wheat" might not be a good desert crop. Are we sure about this?"

"Surprisingly, and unfortunately, I'm not the one who makes the rules on these things. Wheat it is!"



"Master, I can see a bat climbing out of the sand right next to those houses! Also, I think the people have something to tell you."



"You know, in these kinds of situation it's traditional to give them some kind of baked good to lead them home. Maybe some kind of churro?"

"Given that they apparently wandered off into the desert without water, I believe that it's likely a bit too late for a baked good to help Sir GodJesus."



"Take that, you flappy bastards!"



"Another bow or statue?"

"Another bow."



"…I found them, my Lord. Guiding the people to them might take quite some time."



"We certainly have time… and while you're at it, guide them toward that weird drawing on the ground. We need someone actually on the ground to poke around at that thing."

"Yes, my Mast…wait, did you hear that?"



"Oh, we'll be having none of that! Angel, to work!"

This is the first time that one of the Red Demons has actually succeeded. Their main thing is that they dry out your fields. It's annoying, slows down your growth, and requires rain to fix it. Luckily we're pretty much doing nothing but making it rain here.




"That's half the Red Demons now, my Lord. At least they don't destroy houses or actually kill anyone. The people have also…"




"Yes, that."

"Sadly life had already left the missing man when we arrived. We plan to bury him near the shrine."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure that although they suffered greatly they were long dead and definitely weren't waiting around in the desert for most of the time before we reached them hoping that somebody would rescue them."



"And that certainly makes me feel better about the entire thing."



"Please tell me they didn't manage to lose somebody else."

Kasandora Music - Sacrifices



"I composed this "Music" for the man who lost his life in the desert."

"…I like it! You've done well."

"Music" has mysterious powers. By listening people can calm their hearts and soothe their pains."

"Oh really… I think I have a use for this…"




"You know, you might be my favorite city so far. Just about every time you bother me, it's because you're trying to give me something. I like that in my worshippers."




"And now I'm disappointed again. Not in the people, necessarily, just in the monster's lairs."



Level 8 is probably the single most important level in the game, because we've now got access to our full suite of miracles. With this level we're up to 160 SP and can thus cause earthquakes as necessary. We'll talk a bit more about those next update, but they're critical to success.

Next level: 1700 total pop.




"Oh really? How did we miss that? You'd think the tip would have been poking out of the sand or something."

"You must have really outdone yourself with that last rainstorm, my Lord."



"That was a quick investigation."




"Hmm… we'll have to do something about this pyramid."

"I expect that some kind of horrible monster will come out of it once we seal the final lair."




"Finally! Now, let's see what kind of monster we get. I'm betting on a sand worm."




"Yes, yes, you've mentioned that."

"When we sealed the final Monsters' Lair, the pyramid revealed its true purpose."

"Aliens?"

"The pyramid is the main Monsters' Lair! Oh Master! Please come down and seal this evil pyramid."

"That's it? No death curse? No demands for human sacrifice? Unless you come up with something more intimidating than that, take a number and I'll be with you in the order in which your complaint was received."

Next update: Going backwards to go forward, Magical Stardust, and smitings all around.