Part 28: Time to Pay

Entry 26: Time to Pay

Under the cover of darkness, the party returns to Ancheim.



The merchantry at night. Still empty. No matter, we've taken what we needed from here.



Talking casually to the guard in front of the palace reveals no change in the king. We'll have to do this the hard way.



What? YOU made the wind blow again!? Whoaaa!

The town is mostly empty, but that won't stop this fellow from having a party.



The Grand Mill door now has a light blue strip in front, meaning it's a usable entrance. It's also the source of our blue exclamation point.



What do you know? The guard's gone. Now's our chance.




An empty mill. Seems harmless enough.



There's a door in the back.

If Profiteur hasn't been defeated, checking the door prompts this:



And the party won't bother investigating further.

But after stopping Profiteur, we know there's more here than meets the eye.

It's just after midnight. Tiz knocks on the door five times, at two second intervals, as mentioned in Profiteur's notes.



Seems this is the spot mentioned in that memo we found.



Our reward is the final dungeon of Chapter 1.



The secret of Ancheim's corruption is hidden here. We're going to track it down.



Unsurprisingly, the party runs into opposition. Kill these fellows quickly and there's no problem.







Even with Profiteur dead, the Merchantry doesn't skimp on defenses.



The dungeon is split down the middle. Need to go up to the second level and over to get across.



In a change of pace, the Adventurer is near the entrance. The area behind him is, as usual, the end of the dungeon. The trick is figuring out how to get past that gate. There are connecting gears on either side. If both sides are activated via conspicuous switches, the gate will open.



First gate switch is down a short path to the right of the gate.



The dungeon is a small maze. This treasure room is hiding off in a corner.





A pair of knuckles and a stick with a figurine on the end. We'll be meeting this game's take on the alraune/mandrake soon.




Due to RPG building design, the second switch for the left side of the gate can only be accessed by navigating through a maze of corridors and staircases.

The unopened chest is the blue one in the treasure room.




The last place reached in the dungeon is the second switch. Pull it and the gate opens.



Return to Adventurer, save properly, pass through the gate, and use one last lever inside.

The surrounding machinery clunks and jitters. The gate closes the party in.





After a minute the party steps out to their destination.



The rooftops of Ancheim. A pathway leads to the east, with an entrance at the end.



We're in front of the buildings but behind the turning windmills.



Cross a rickety bridge from one building to another...



And reach a door above... the palace?




The king wasn't willing to see us, so we've come to see him.



In a short time, Agnès has gone from beginner's thief to sneaking into palaces. She's got a knack.



A closeup of the clock behind Khamer's throne. The cherubs are a modest touch.



Tiz forgets to use his indoor voice. Luckily all the machines are making a racket.

Shhh! Someone's coming!





Calm down.

How do you expect me to be calm!?



And the merchantry! That incompetent Profiteur's failures threaten to bring everything crashing down!



Time and again, that oil-slicked little rat assured me all was going to plan. And, like a fool, I trusted him! With everything! With claiming the wells, inflating the price of water, that bungled arrangement with the thieves! I gave the merchantry free rein!

The plan was sound. Have the merchantry cut off the water supply, eroding the peoples' resolve. Mandate heavy labor--"for the good of the kingdom," of course--to sow further dissent. Ancheim was a powder keg.

Any spark would do. Some trifling grievance to turn the brunt of all that built-up frustration on the vestal. The Orthodoxy's lingering hold on the people's hearts and minds would be broken, and the age of Anticrystalism would begin.



Khamer sounds sincere here, for once.

Only by dashing to the ground their faith in these stones and the vestals can my vision for Ancheim's advancement be realized! A glorious new era is right before our eyes! It was so nearly within reach, and now my plan is ruined!

Why, Khint? How has this happened!? Now the rabble will listen to none but the vestal! Ooh, it's a complete disaster! I should never have relied on an ignoramus like Profiteur... My plan was perfect!

That reliance on your scheming was the reason it failed. Meanwhile, the vestal speaks without a thought in her head. There's your why.

The question was rhetorical, spell fencer! But very well. If finesse has failed, so be it. I'll kill the girl and lay claim to the crystal. With that done, the winds will be at my fingertips. I can power the turbines or control the miasma as I see fit!

Your Highness is ever the optimist. Are you so confident this new plan will fare better, time mage?

That explains the strange headgear. Somewhat.

It must. The people must be shown that the vestal has no place in my new reign, or in the future of Ancheim!



Here to right wrongs and fight injustice... it's Agnès and her sidekicks!





Regardless, I am here. I heard everything.

Seems this scandal goes all the way up.

I knew you were an unpleasant man, but this is outright evil.

For a king to wish suffering on his own people... This cannot stand!



You're a poor actor, King!

You have some proof, then? Some evidence to show that I made these comments? Hah!

He's like a child caught in a lie...

No! Of course no such proof exists! I know you lot are plotting to tear me from the throne, but it won't work! It won't!

As it happens, we do have proof, but I don't expect we'll have need of it.





Ask yourself this: given your word against the vestal's, which do you think the people will believe?



Have you no shame? No sense of duty to those you rule!

You! YOU! This is all your doing, vestal! If you weren't here, none of this would... Yes... You can't be here any longer. Can't be anywhere, in fact. Your final silence will be the fanfare that heralds my renewed reign!

It seems the man's beyond remorse.

Spell Fencer Ciggma Khint! Name your price. Empty the kingdom's coffers, if you like! Whatever it takes, I want these vermin dead!

I pick my clients for their pocketbooks, not their moral fiber. I'll not grow scruples now.






Next: An ending, a beginning, a fateful meeting, and a strange miss.

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Event Viewer
Sub-Scenario:
The End of the Mill Works
The Mill Works Passage
Shadows over Ancheim
The King Unmasked