Part 33: Rise And Shine

PART 33: RISE AND SHINE


[To the Inner Sanctum!]



I was expecting something more ornate.



You look different on the inside.

Don't we all?



What do we have here? A rebellious minion? An escaped slave? (Laughs) My, my... but you do have some gall.

Call me feisty and I'll rearrange your teeth.

But playtime is over. You all have to go back now.

All?

*poof*



Oh, here I am! And there you are! You just disappeared. Well, no matter!

I am here. And it is time to finish this. I have had enough of cages.

You will not hold us, demon. We found each other in this place and you cannot stand against us.

...My reinforcements have arrived! Just as planned, obviously.

Obviously.

[Fail to rescue your companions, or if they just don't like you, and they won't show up for this fight.[/i]



If you go back quietly, I'll do better this time. I'll make you much happier.

I want to be free.

I made you happy and safe. I gave you peace. I did my best for you and you say you want to leave?

You sound like my mother. Exactly like my mother, actually.

Can't you think about someone other than yourself? I'm hurt, so very, very hurt.

Still like my mother. I'll take my chances. I'll do nothing you say.



You wish to battle me? So be it... you will learn to bow to your betters, mortal!



[Big bad Sloth Demon can change forms, just like you, and every time he shapeshifts his health is restored, annoyingly.

He'll start out as an Ogre. It fights much the same as the other Ogres we fought, albeit with inflated stats.

If you didn't recruit your party members back this fight can be really hard, unless you exploit the “shapeshift healing” trick. Shifting back and forth with the Golem form can regenerate your health, as the Golem recalculates your HP total based on a percentage instead of a flat value like the other forms.

Put simply- you're in Spirit form with 100HP, which is equal to 50% of its max HP. You shift to Golem form, the Golem will still have 50% health, which might be equal to 200HP, as the Golem has much higher max HP. Shift back to Spirit form, and the Spirit will now have 200HP. Voila, free recovery of health.

This trick is only really useful in this fight, as it's the only one that lasts long enough for healing to be necessary.]



[After the Ogre, Sloth turns into a Rage Demon, who we beat down so embarrassingly quickly I didn't get a screenshot. He fights with fire magic, like every other Rage Demon, and is made simple by tanking him as the Burning Man.

Then he becomes an Abomination who flails about ineffectually. This is an intermission form for you to catch your breath.]



[Next is a Shade, who can use drain life to sap your health, and taunts to sap your spirits. Hits like a truck too.

About this point, you'll probably be running low on health. Fortunately there are a few Lyrium veins scattered around the place that instantly restore a ton of health and stamina. Handy! They don't work on Bianca because dwarf, but they're useful for keeping Alistair on his feet while he's tanking.]





[His final form is the Arcane Horror he talked to us as. It can use Crushing Prison, which will instantly kill a character if you get unlucky. It's a bit of a pisser if you've kept everyone alive through the whole fight to this point.

I don't know why Bianca and Sten have fallen over in this screenshot. Probably some sort of demon magic. Or maybe they're just tired.]



[Nothing resists golem punches.]



WAKE UP STEN, WE'VE WON.

Hey! Heyyyyy!



You defeated the demon. I never thought... I never expected you to free yourself, to free us both.

When you return... take the Litany of Adralla from my... body. It will protect you from the worst of the blood magic.

Your body?

I cannot go with you. I have been here far too long.

For you it will have been an afternoon's nap. Your body won't have wasted away in the real world while your spirit lay in the hands of a demon.



You think you're going to die?

Every minute I was here, the sloth demon was feeding off of me, using my life to fuel the nightmares of this realm. There is so little of me left...

I was never meant to save the Circle, or... survive its troubles. I am dying. It is as simple as that.

There must be something I can do.

Thank you, but it is too late for me.

[We saw Niall's corpse in the real world when we first met the Sloth Demon, making this twist fairly obvious in retrospect.]



I do not fear what may come. They say we return to the Maker in death, and that isn't such a terrible thing.

My only regret is that I could not save the Circle. But you... you can.

Take the Litany off my... my body, when you return. It is important!

I will do this.



I'm not... a hero. Perhaps trying to be one was foolish.

That's not true. You did a lot to help the Circle.

Dark times, greater acts of heroism, eh? You may be right.

Before I was taken to the Circle, my mother said I was meant for greatness, that I would be more than my ancestors could have ever dreamed.

I hope I haven't disappointed her.

You didn't, Niall.



It is time for us both to be on our way. Remember the Litany of Adralla. The Circle is all that matters now.

Thank you and goodbye... friend.





Hey, it worked! Everything's back in focus!

Of course, this could be another dream. A dream within a dream.

Can you still turn into a rock monster?

Um.... Nope.

We're probably alright then.



Hello, Niall. I hope you're somewhere better than this now.



And I guess this is the Litany.



Well then, let's get going.

...

Where are we going again?


NEXT TIME: Dragons, demons and decisions

NEW CODEX CONTENT:
Sloth Demon
Litany of Adralla
The History of the Circle