Part 25: Post 23: In which previous stipulations and guesses are proven true.

Post 23: In which previous stipulations and guesses are proven true.


(Hadeed) He left? Where is he going? There's no turning back now. Are you ready? Then let us depart.

Thank God! Are you from Dune?
(Hadeed) Yes. What happened?
I have to go and pray. Oh, but the Queen's going to be killed!
(Hadeed) Pull yourself together! What happened? Tell me!
I serve only the Queen and the great Spirit, but now I'm being forced to pray to the Demon Lord. They're making us pray to that bastard to make him stronger. We'll be killed if we disobey, and so will the Queen. She refused to pray, so she was taken from us. We don't know where they've put her.
(Hadeed) I'm going inside the evil statue. (Hadeed runs into the statue!)
Who are you? Oh, my! That amulet! Could it be? (Pigdemons sweep in!)
Ah ha ha! You thought you could escape me? Fool! You! Get back up there and pray, now! Oh? Who's this? You're just in time to be our sacrifice to the Demon Lord!

have to finish this battle and then go rescue that woman!
Yeah, these things don't look like much. We can take care of this in a flash!
Surprisingly, the Pigmons lasted more than one round. Not surprisingly, they definitely don't last more than two.

Who are you? (The Pigmons die)
Thank you very much! Oh, my, look at those bloody wounds! How grotesque! (She heals the party)
Well, they didn't actually manage to harm us, but thanks!
All right. Unfortunately, healing wounds is all I can do. I'm sorry to impose, but would you rescue the Queen? I simply lack the power to do so. My friends helped me escape the Evil Statue. Now I've got to make sure everyone else gets out.

Well, the first part is easy enough - we need to prove that we're friends, so we'll put the DuneCharm in that indentation. How did that other monument go... 'Those who live must be strong. Those who are strong should also be kind. Live long, kind souls. Those who live long should obtain knowledge. Those who use their knowledge wisely will follow the correct path. Eventually, death shall overcome all who live. Follow the correct path to gracefully rest in peace when the time comes.' Okay - Strength, Life, Knowledge, Death. We have a Phoenix, Lion, Turtle, and Snake statues... well, Lion is Strength because they are so very strong. The Turtle represents Life, because of it's long life. The Phoenix represents death, because it's what you meet when you die. And the Snake represents rebirth, since it can shed it skin.. There's one pedestal available, so let's lead off with that one.

This opens the northeast, so let's bring the Turtle up there.

Now the southeast entrance is open, and we can put the Phoenix statue there.

So now I can put the Snake statue on the NW pedestal, and we can progress.

Let's check out these stairs going down, then head upstairs.

the Queen!
I'm a goner. I'm sorry, Mom.
With the Evil Statue, completed, we're nothing but excess baggage now. If you guys can still move, you better find a way out of here!
Are you kidding? We need to get deeper in here so we can fix this entire problem! UPSTAIRS!

They slash with their claws, and are otherwise unimpressive.

Ah hah hah hah! Our prayers have finally been answered!
Hee hee! This statue is just what the Demon Lord needed!
Now Lord Seto is stronger than ever before! Hee hee!
Praise the Terra Spirit, and praise the Demon Lord!
We've got the Terra Spirit to thank for it all! How deliciously wicked! Hee hee hee hee!

There were spikes here until I hit a button. Then, there were no spikes. It's not much of a deterrent.

(Fedel) Then why? Why did I go through this?
(Hadeed) I know it's difficult to believe, but everyone in the castle is gone. There's no point in staying here for them anymore.
(Fedel) I thought I could at least let my people live to fight another day, but instead, I trusted those damn monsters too much. I cannot take my own life. The Terra Spirit forbids it. Hear me people of Dune, if you truly have pity.
(Hadeed) The gems causing this darkness are here above us, right?
(Fedel) Where are you going? You're hurt!
(Hadeed) People of Dune still remain in the village and this statue. We still believe in our Queen. Don't worry, I won't reveal the truth about you. (Hadeed runs off)
(Fedel) Who are you, that you would know Hadeed? Hm? I see. I'm sorry that you had to witness that. I am Queen Fedel, ruler of the desert. Please, if you are truly Hadeed's friends, then go after him. He went, injured and alone, to try and stop Lord Seto, the ruler of these monsters and the creator of this darkness. His power flows from two mystical rubies on the statue's face. If we remove the rubies, then our light should return. Please, help him, and us. Before I forget, take this key with you. (Link received the BlackKey) That key brought about the monster's downfall before. I'm sure it will help you once again. May the great spirit help you all! (She heals the party)
Also not necessary, but thanks nontheless. ONWARD!

AHHH! Every step is a thousand agonies! But if we don't follow this path, we'll just fall into pits and return to the previous floor! And that chest is a cannibox!

But these chests make everything worth it. Except that one of these contains useless money, and a second one is also a Cannibox.

Slimes! Go up to the statue's face and pray! The other one will return soon. My partner left to bring her back. I cannot guarantee in what form though, hehehe.
Shall we wait until she returns? I'm getting worried.
Yes, yes! Let's wait just a bit longer.
No, no, no! Lord Seto will have our heads! Come on, quickly!
What about the Queen?
I cannot trust what you're saying. I must find out if the Queen is safe first!
You! Why aren't you praying with the others?
Because while we may pray frequently in battle, we don't pray to Dark Lords! One short beatdown later...

Thank you so much for saving us! We're trying to distract the monsters so they don't notice that someone's trying to destroy the statue.
Thank you very much. We of Dune owe you our lives. Soon, this statue will be destroyed!
Onward and upward!

(Seto) Dark Ruby too! Ha ha ha! What a shame. What's wrong? Can't you stand?
(Hadeed) Ugh! Why you!
(Seto) You must be incredibly stupid, to try and fight me while injured.
(Hadeed) Oh!
(Seto) Even if you were at full power, there's no way that you could face me. My magic is unstoppable! Those here who have prayed to the Demon Lord have given him great strength, and I as well. What? These are your friends? Then I'll take them down as well! Now come on! You do want to play, don't you?

we've faced so far. Be careful, Link!
I won't let you get away with beating up on Hadeed like that!
Seto is kind of obnoxious, with actions per round and good support skills, but no match for us. NOTHING IS! MWAHAHAHAHA!

(Seto) No, it can't be! Why?
(Hadeed) You did it. Now get the rubies from the eyes! (Queen Fedel comes out of the mouth).
(Fedel) Hadeed! (The other women follow her out) He's still breathing. Thank God and the Spirits!
(Hadeed) Oh, the Queen! Forget about me, hurry and get the rubies!
(Fedel) We'd best hurry! I have been long awaiting this time. The Dark Rubies are the source of the darkness which enshrouds the desert. Could you help me remove them from the statue?
Waaaay ahead of you!
(Fedel) Okay, I'll get the left one, and you get the right! All right. I'll remove my ruby first. (She grabs the gem) I'm finished here! Quickly, remove the other Ruby and bring light back to the desert!
Let's grab this sucker!
(Fedel) Now that it's power is gone, this statue will crumble to dust. Hurry! We've got to get out of here! Oh, God! Please don't leave us now! (The statue starts to collapse! OH NOSE!)

We all float downriver and meet up where Tyrannos picked us up a while back.
(Fedel) Oh, thank heavens! You were unconscious for so long. I was getting worried!
Look how hurt he is! Such a reckless young man.
You were saved along with the Queen and the other men! God's benevolence shines down upon us!
The desert is back to normal and the Queen is safe. That boy's done us proud! Thank you, travelers!
(Fedel) The villagers asked me to save you first. They said that's what the Chief would have wanted. (Hadeed lies lifeless on the sand.) Oh, Terra Spirit! Listen to my prayer! Please let this person return to life!
Oh, Hadeed! You made it!
(Hadeed) Was it you who rescued me? Why? I don't understand. Why did you rescue me?
(Fedel) As Queen, I care for everyone in Dune. You are no exception, travelers.
(Hadeed) ..... Thank you.
Yes yes, but let's go back to the village first! All of you must be exhausted!

You can sleep in a little if you want, you know! The palace is a total mess. It's a certainly not fit for our Queen! That's why she's staying here for the time being.
(Fedel) Greetings, my friends. Thank you so much for your help. My people hoped and prayed for my return, and I shall repay them by rebuilding Dune and the palace. And I wish to repay you, too, travelers... Once everything has settled down again.
(Hadeed) Oh, you're awake! I have been busy devising a plan for the palace repairs. It was in that palace that we met for the first time. I never thought you'd help us out this much. Allow me to thank you, once again. I feel I am better for having known you. I am truly in your debt. Feel free to take what you need from the village storehouse. Consider it a gift from the people of Dune. May God and the Terra Spirit protect you!
Time to loot the storehouse!

I wonder where this will take us... first let's do one check around town and the palace before going back, though.
The dragon was revived? That's amazing! Our Chief must be smiling down upon us.
The monsters are gone! We're saved! Thank you, kind travelers!
(Scholar) Mumble mumble. What's that? Oh, it's you! I'm sorry to change plans on you, but I've decided to stay here. The science of archaeology has always been inexact at best, and I've learned more here in just a few hours than in all my years as a Scholar! I've never been so happy in my life! Thank you so much! If you ever go back, give this to the man at the dig site. I want to thank him, too, for all the help he's given me. (Link received a Package from the Scholar!) Again, thank you. I am forever indebted to you. Please, be careful.
No prob - bye!

he went?
Do I ever! Here's the money and the letter he sent you from the past!
What? Hmm... So he's not coming back here, huh? Geez, he didn't have to give me any money! Oh well. I guess I don't have to watch this place anymore. Thanks a lot! Say hello to the Scholar if you see him! (The bully steps out of the way)
Time to loot an archaeological dig as I promised previously!

How unexpected! Now, where could Dune be...

That looks like it in the northeast

Please stay and have a rest!
The pot in the center of the village has mysterious powers. Supposedly an ancient Queen gave it to the village. The Queens used to have magical powers, so it's not far-fetched at all.
Where is that stupid son of mine? When I find him, he's going to be in so much trouble!
Aaaaah! I'm sorry, Mom! Huh? Aww, you're not my mom! Don't frighten me! I broke a dish, so I'm hiding from my mom. She's scary! Don't tell anyone, okay?
Honestly, the Chief's sons are a real piece of work. The three older boys are completely useless, and the youngest son of his is a bit slow himself! I'm sure the Chief is concerned.
This is the coolest spot in the entire village, probably on account of this well.
This room is for the Chief's three useless triplets. There's another brother that lives in the house out back.

(Chief) Please, stay as long you like in Dune village! Sigh... Those stupid sons of mine... Oh, sorry, travelers. Don't worry about it.
We didn't get to where we were today by doing what old men told us! Let's go investigate these lazy, worthless sons!

What a joke! Even the thought of me not being the most attravtive makes me snicker! You both look like you kept your heads in the sand too long!
Look, you'll just have to face it. I'm the best-looking. You look like sickly, sand-sucking Slimes!
You charlatans! Let's end this farce! Admittedly, neither of you is visibly deformed, but you might as well be when standing next to me!
You guys are all irrational. Let's see if the youngest son is useful or important in some way.

(Young Man) This isn't an inn, or a shop, or anything... So get out, already!
Oooookay, then. Let's check out that ridge out west.

Okay, another link back to the Ancient Fane. This may will be important at some point in the future. Apparently, everything that isn't immediately useful is. Now, to the castle!

... Oh, my God... Your faces! Your clothes! It's just like the old legends! Oh, how we of the desert have waited for this glorious day! I must inform the Queen immediately! Oh! Hold on just one moment! All right? (He runs off, and a woman walks up)
We have long awaited your arrival, oh Saviors of the Desert. We knew you would return, sometime in the far future. This day will go down as a momentous one in our history. Please, right this way. (She leads us to the throne) I'm sorry to trouble you, but please wait here a moment. I will call the Queen here. (She walks off, and returns with the Queen) Once again, welcome back to the desert.
We have waited long for your arrival, oh Great Saviors. You are the adventurers who saved our desert people and our Queen.
According to tradition, when our Saviors return we are to welcome them with open arms.
This is what King Hadeed decreed many generations ago.
We all owe you more than could ever be expressed in words. Welcome to the desert. Welcome, Saviors. (Everyone starts cheering!) Silence! The Queen has announced that she wishes to greet all of you. (The Queen confers with her interpreters, and the interpreter speaks) Thank you for returning to our humble desert, Saviors! Our debt to you cannot be expressed in mere words. (Everyone starts talking again) Silence! We owe everything to our Saviors, from our peaceful land to our happy populace. Speaking for past generations of kings and queens, Queen Nepthys wishes to extend her warmest thanks. Please allow us to serve you this evening. A kingdom-wide feast! Please, enjoy yourselves tonight! Silence! Please, treat this palace as your own home.

The feast continued until dawn. I am still a little tired myself. We of the desert will never forget what you have done for us. If you are ever in trouble, come to us at any time. Queen Nepthys will do everything in her power to help you. Also, you know of the item Queen Fedel asked you to take, right? Please, do not let it fall into the hands of monsters! This is what our Queen tells us. I hope that you will all come to the desert again. You are always welcome here, Great Saviors!
Wow! This is definitely the best we have ever been treated. Let's check the treasury and loot whatever shards are there. As well as anything else we find there. I wonder what item they were talking about, though...

Not that I know what's inside myself.
And she's not getting out of the way! How can we get at this treasure... wait a minute... FROM THE PAST! Let's go back in time and loot it pre-emptively!!

How are you? I'm fine, as always. I'm busy transporting bricks from the statue for use
in the palace. We'll have the palace back in order in no time! Do you want to go see the ruins of the Sphinx?
Sure, why not?
All right! Ready to go? We're off! This brings back memories. It seems like ages ago when we marched into the Evil Statue. Let's get going!

(Hadeed) fall. All the freed men are busy loading bricks onto the rafts. I need to make sure everything's all right here. I'll catch up to you later.

Aha, a fighting scholar! I have a new respect for him.
(Hadeed) I've been looking for that necklace. Give it back to me!
(Scholar) No! What do you need this necklace for? Do you have any proof this belongs to you?
(Hadeed) I don't have any proof, but I still need it!
(Scholar) So what? Go on, leave me alone!
(Hadeed) Why, you!
(Scholar) Ow! Ow! Stop it! You thief! What do you need this thing for, anyway? You better explain my side of the story, too, travelers!
(Hadeed) I have to return that necklace to the Queen! Do you know this man? Could you explain this to him for me?
Okay, both of you take five. This can be worked out. Scholar, it's a royal item that belongs to the Queen and it's his duty to return it. Hadeed, this is a friendly scholar from the future who supplied Tyran's head to us.
(Scholar) What? So this necklace is property of the Royal Family? This guy's been looking all over for it?
(Hadeed) Right! That's why I'm telling you to give it back to me!
(Scholar) Well, all right. I don't know about this guy, but I trust what you say. Here you go, then. (The Scholar gives the necklace to Hadeed) That could've been my biggest find, mumble mumble... (The scholar walks off)
(Hadeed) I'm sorry to put you through all this. I lost that necklace while I was fighting in the statue. It's the symbol of the Royal House. I had no choice but to get it back. I needed to apologize to the Queen for mistrusting her, and I needed to return it to her.


(Fedel) matter?
(Hadeed) My Queen, I have come to return this to you.
(Fedel) This? This is the necklace I gave to that monster! How did you get it?
(Hadeed) I took it back from the monsters who ransacked the Palace. Unfortunately, I then lost it in the Sphinx! After much searching, though, I have again obtained your necklace merely so that I might return it to you, my Queen.
(Fedel) I see. Thank you for taking the trouble.
(Hadeed) There is no need to thank me. It was my fault for doubting your allegiance to your people. Please, accept this as a token of my apology. May God bless Queen Fedel! (He turns to face the party) I really appreciate everything you have done for us. You will always be welcome among us. (Hadeed moseys off).
(Fedel) The village Chief has not visited me in many a day. He left all his errands to the servants. I was worried. I have a lot of memories with this necklace, both good and bad. Now I have another good memory. Lastly, there is one more favor I wish to ask. Please take one of the Dark Rubies taken from the statue. (Link received the Dark Ruby!) The other ruby will remain here. Please, for all that is good and true, guard that ruby with your life!
Now! To the same treasury hundreds of years previously! Let me see...

Aha! A secret passage! I'm Link! I CAN BE STOPPED BY NO PUSHABLE OBJECT!

Oooh! A non-land shard! Okay, next stop... Wherever this goes!


New Items: DEFSeed, STRSeed, SpeedRing, TinyMedal x 3, GoldenRing


New Skills: K.O. Dance
Mastered Classes: Dancer
Class Titles: ArchMage, Master, Admiral, BigBoss, General, TruTalent

21-22
Class Titles: KingSlime, WyvernNite, HellShell, SheepLord, Novice, Marcolara, Phoenix, Shrapnel


New Skills: X-Ray
Class Titles: Master, TruTalent, HiPriest, Novice (Thief) Martyr, Poet