Part 6: In Which Will Violates a Graveyard and Several Tombs

“Arms, legs… well, nothing broken somehow. Although, this looks like a.. okay, leaving now. Sorry about landing on your graves!”



“Oh no..”

“You’ve come, Will…”



“Are you sure you’re actually alive? I mean, you’re in…”

“I can’t live without the protection of the Flower Spirit. You know, you really look like your father. It seems like only yesterday that he came to this village.”

“My father…”



“Your father fell in love with her and took her from the village. All of the Itory tribe have a strange power, but Shira’s was especially strong.”

“Okay, that explains how Grandma Lola knew that song. So, when you say strange power do you mean moving weird statues and always picking the right card out of a deck?”

“She made a barrier to hide the town, but your father came through it easily.”

“Okay, I guess not. I don’t think I could do that.”

“Come to think of it, he was unusual, too…”



“Either that or a talking flute that thinks it’s my father. It’s… weird.”

“That fulfills Lola’s prophesy. Do you plan to go?”

“It’s not like I really have a choice here.”



“The statues are the key to the Incan riddle - untouched by human hands for hundreds of years. One statue is enshrined in the cave below. Use all your skill to find it.”



“Somehow, I don’t think this is going to require all of my skills. Well, it’s not like it’s going anywhere.”



Leaping across the other direction lands us near the front of the village, where we almost run up the next ramp before sliding back down.



“And it’s evidently got some kind of magical Inca Statue that’s been here for hundreds of years.”

“What? Inca Statue? It’s said that its in a cave on the outskirts of town…seems there’s a wall there that sounds different when struck.”

“Okay, that would have probably slowed me down a bit.”



“A child with a good heart who controls the Dark Power will set out to save the world…at that time, a huge comet will enter Earth’s orbit, and a Dark Power will arise…”

“Between this, the graveyard, and the ghost elder this entire village is pretty damn creepy.”



“When you fought the demon at Edward Castle, did you find a shiny silver stone?”

“No, I found 83 of them. They were pretty much everywhere.”

“There’s a strange power in that stone. Even if defeated by an enemy, if you have 100 of them, you will live again.”

“Let’s not try that one out.”



The sum totality of the cave is this room with four head statues.




To proceed we have to use the Psycho Dash, which I briefly forgot how to use. You flash green a couple of times before it’s ready to go and once it goes off we pretty much ram a hole in the back wall.



“Now, do I need a bag of sand that weighs just as much as the statue, or is this really just as easy as it looks? Well, only one way to find out.”




“Care to explain that one a bit more?”

“The winds in the valley will lead you to the Gold Ship. It’s said that the Moon Tribe has one more.”

“So that’s a no.”

“Have Lilly guide you there. Be careful.”



“Yep. Your crazy ghost elder said I should go there.”

“I know. Not a tribe, more like a strange shadow form. A high mountain peak near here has become their home.”

“Sounds great, let’s go.”



“We’re not getting rid of you, are we?”

“Since I escaped the confinement of the castle, I want to see and hear everything.”

“No! It’s too dangerous for princesses! If you don’t want to bother Will, just wait here quietly.”

“I seem to be the only one left out. So I’ll talk to Grandma Lola. Nyaa nyaa!!!”

“And that’s why I don’t want you to come.”

“She’s sulking…”

“It’s good medicine for a selfish girl. The mountain pass will be difficult, but let’s do the best we can.”




The scale of the map is such that the words are bigger than most of the terrain features.



“Good evening… out for a stroll?”

“Who is it?”

“Up, up. This body is lighter than air.”

“What are you?”



This is another one of those choices where what you input actually doesn’t matter. No matter what you enter:

“Wrong! Actually, we are the Moon Tribe, also known as ‘Shadows.’”



Signs of the Past

Those of you who followed the Soulblazer LP will recognize these as a later game enemy. Here, they’re friendly… at least, relatively.

“We, who were changed by being bathed in the light only once…will spend our future in a world without light.”

“What light are you talking about?”



“Do you know your destination?”

That’s actually why we came to visit you.”

“Maybe someone’s chasing you. Ku ku ku….”



“It’s a remnant of a weapon from a terrible battle long ago.”

“Somebody has some explaining to do. Will the world become unbearable?”

“Yes. You’re bright, but you’re still immature.”



“We saw the destruction of the Incan Empire. The Incan Statue sleeps in the cave below… if you like, we’ll give it to you.”

“I’d actually like that a lot, if it’s just giving it to me.”

“At any rate, go look into the cave… ku ku ku…”



“So… if it came for the first time 800 years after the terrible battle, that means it’s been 3,200 years?”

“The more light that reaches you, the stronger the Dark Power. What will be born of the light this time?”

“How about we not find out and I just grab the statue?”



“So much for helping me out.”



“They are horrible creatures whose hearts are filled with hatred and destruction. If you can destroy them within 20 seconds, I’ll give you the Incan Statue. Ku ku ku…”

“That comet is sounding like worse news each and every time I hear about it.”



So our task is to clear out these weird caterpillar creatures within the time limit. The main problem is that they use a rolling attack that can send them off screen. You have to be careful to keep them corralled, and hit multiple enemies at once when possible. The good news is that you can retry if you fail, which I had to. I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever played this game before…




“Just a BIT more difficult than last time. I’m not sure what’s more difficult, killing a bunch of oversized grubs or smashing through a rock wall.”



“Yeah, I knew that.”

“That’s two. Shall we go to the Incan ruins?”

“Yes. My father summoned me…I don’t want to fight the demons, but if my father’s alive, I’ll risk anything to see him. You don’t really understand until you lose your parents.”



“Fine, let’s go to the ruins.”



And with that, we take off for another cross country trip. This should take weeks, but it’s mercifully compressed.

Next update: Our first proper dungeon.