Part 8: The Master Went to Marahna

So, according to your wishes we shall go henceforth to Marahna and subjugate the natives in search of healing herbs. Naturally, we have to first do this by going down and killing the biggest and meanest looking thing we can find.



I can't help but think that's a lot of water. Luckily our aim is too good to wind up in the drink.

Time to go wading



In a first, we end up dropped waist deep in muddy water that may or may not have predatory fish in it. Luckily for us we're a statue.



Right away we stumble into a caricature of a pygmy, complete with a blowgun. It's the little things, you know.



There are also a couple of different types of animated poles, with the purple ones shooting arrows on a regular basis. The jump to get this treasure (another MP) is a tricky one since you actually have to hang against the top ledge and fall into the gap.



At the bottom there's this creepy guy, who decided to skip the whole head thing and just go with eyes in the middle of the chest. The spear has a long reach and is pretty hard to time correctly. You have to jump just before he's going to attack.

I claim absolutely no responsibility for their existence."



This jump is a bit of a trap, since as soon as you try to make the jump the green pole will come after you and knock you down. You really don't want that to happen, since there's an extra life on the other side. It's well worth burning a magic charge to get it.



After a couple more Headless we end up at the boss, Rafflasher. You're pretty much looking at his entire attack pattern right here. The green tentacle swims around in the water, pauses when it gets close, and then comes out to attack you. Every so often it spits out a blue seed (like you see to the left) that will send out tendrils to restrict your movement. The target area is the blue flower in the center of the screen.



You win this fight by taking swipes at the blue flower every chance you can, destroying the blue seeds whenever they pop out, and waiting for the pause before the tentacle attacks and then jumping over it. There's another platform off to the left, so you can use that to trick the tentacle and attack while it's coming around for another attack. Magic isn't that useful against this one.



"Yeah, yeah… now, help me remember what medicinal herbs look like. It's been ages."



"Is it plant related?"

"…maybe?"



"Would you destroy some of the palm trees?"

"You get a pass on that one, Angel."



Being a small island makes the number of monsters really stand out. We've got all three varieties of monsters we've run into thus far. In fact, almost 1/4 of Marahna is covered in monster's lairs.



How in My name did corn end up all the way out here?"

"Seagoing birds, carrying ears of corn?"



"Somehow I don't think so. Oh, are they sealing one already?"



A bow and arrows, and no civilization increase. Sigh.



That they've just discovered the ocean?"



"Is there any way to make the channel and the island into a part of our continent?"

"I'll get right on that. Who do they think I am, anyway?"

"…their patron deity?"

"Oh, yeah."



"Crap, I still haven't got that whole channel thing figured out…"



"People are saying they built it to worship you, but I sense something is wrong."

"WHAT."

"But… we already have a temple. What would we need with a second one?"

"The temple is the only building the monsters have not tried to destroy. That makes me very uneasy."

"Maybe they need someone to show them how."



"Master, while we were obsessing over the temple it looks like the people went ahead and sealed another monster's lair."

" am very slightly mollified."



"Although that doesn't help."

Unfortunately, this means I can't show you a strange bug that happens in this area if the last lair sealed contains an item.



Next level: 2900. Now we're just piling it on.



"Can't you wait for me to make one little rainstorm before you bother me? This dried up field is driving me nuts."



"This is problem we must solve on our own. I just thought you should know."

"Yeah, you're not helping your cause at all here."



"Abandoning me for some crooked temple? Yeah, I know what time it is. Suffer my wrath, mortals!"



"Huh… those four with the bat are the luckiest people on the island. At least until it stops for lunch."



"But…earthquakes don't work like that!"

"It must have opened an undersea lava vent."

"We'll go with that. And I completely meant for that to happen."




"Ahh, finally!"

"I almost feel bad for that Red Demon, as it's now the last of its kind in the region."



The final lair is tucked away back here under a layer of swamp. One funny thing is that you can use the sun to dry out the swamp near the temple but can't build anything in that square.



"Do you smell smoke, Angel?"



"May we present this herb as an offering to you this year."

"Jackpot! Angel, what do they call this herb?"

"I think they called it 'Acapulco Gold,' Master."



"Sure thing. Try not to let everybody get eaten by the Napper Bats while we're gone."



"I wouldn't worry about it Master. They can always use the herbs on the bats."



"Now, brew it into a tea, do you understand me? Tea!"



"They'd better not have contracted yet another plague. I don't think there's anywhere else we can get herbs."



"The tablet says something about an island that has the same shape as the ground drawing."

"A tropical plague and a tablet that points to the tropics… there really are no accidents, are there?"



And with that, we have our third city to reach max population.



The really weird thing about Kasandora is that you can reach max population without having every square filled up. As long as you get a decent score you're pretty well set on this, especially since there aren't any bridges.



Although, of course, we'll need this before we go.

Next time: a charming speaker, exploration by sea, and the pink death.