Part 7: This Game Has a Plot?

Welcome back to King's Quest III. Last time, you may remember, Gwydion finally got free from 17 years of oppressive slavery. Manannan is now permanently a cat and it's glorious.

>talk to cat

: Manannan seems unusually quiet, don't you think!

>kick cat

: You'd better get on with your quest. Manannan is no longer a bother to anyone.



The timer continues, though the main driving force behind it is now gone. Now it mostly serves as a way to gauge how much time has passed. There's one more major "puzzle" coming up that has to deal with the passage of time, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. To be honest, if you fail that puzzle, then you've done something very, very wrong.

Anyway, let's get our shit and get going. There's two more spells we need to cast, and we still need to pick up an ingredient for one of them. So let's >get all and get going.



Now that we can understand animals, groups of them will infrequently talk out loud. Most of the ones in Llewdor will talk about Gwydion. Sadly, I couldn't get any of the conversations to trigger despite hanging around for a bit.

Just as well I guess, the animals will just casually drop story spoilers if you listen to them talk.

>talk to chickens

: The chickens pay no attention to Gwydion.



I love the magic map. Anyway, because we've done all the exploring, welcome to the part of the LP where I just start showing you pertinent screens.

If you think back several updates, you may remember me talking about sequence breaking in finding that lever. This is how you're supposed to find it. First, we need to enter the tavern.



The two bandits are hanging out in here.

: Wench! Come o'er here with more ale!

They seem like nice folks. Let's introduce ourselves...

: Excuse me...
: Beat it, kid!
: I said excuse me!
: The bandits are pointedly ignoring you. Don't press your luck.

Alright, so let's try out the first spell we cast.

>dip fly in essence



True enough, Gwydion turns into that tiny pixel moving around erratically.

: Shortly after turning into a fly, Gwyidon starts overharing bits of the two bandits' conversation.

: ...squirmed just like a pig. An' that rope ya rigged inside o' that big oak tree works great!
: Now nobody'll 'ere find ar' hideout. Why, I'll be even that wizard...



We can even move around while in fly form. So let's go looking for that tree...



: In his insect form, Gwydion fits easily through the hole in the tree.



The game doesn't give me a chance to do anything on this screen, else I'd try to turn back from a fly here. No funny deaths here, sadly. Anyway, that's enough of being a fly.



>fly begone myself return



: The impulse to buzz around has vanished. Gwydion feels himself growing bigger, so he heads for what he hopes is a safe place to land.



So let's start the next timer counting down.

>dip eagle feather in essence

I was going to have a nice big gif of the next sequence. But apparently gooncam doesn't like it when you try to encode a 1200 frame gif. So instead, here's some screenshots.





: Gwydion swoops close to the spider web and finds the huge spider guarding the entrance. Taking her in his beak, he vows to get rid of her once and for all!







: Gwydion's magic spell is wearing off!



We're on a roll, so let's go see what's in this cave that was being guarded by the spider. This, by the way, starts the next deadline. After we finish our business in this cave, a timer starts ticking down. We will have 30 in game minutes to get our shit and get out of Llewdor before the chance to do so is forever lost.

So just to be safe, don't remove the spider until you're absolutely ready for another time crunch.



: Gwydion has entered the cave of the Oracle. He is almost afraid to speak.



: For a long time, the Oracle is silent. Finally, Gwydion hears a hollow voice that seems to come from far away.

: I've been waiting for you a long time, Gwydion. I have sorrowful news for you. Years ago, a terrible three-headed dragon invaded Daventry, and keeps the people in a state of terror. This monster requires, once a year, the sacrifice of a young maiden.



: Sadly, your own sister, Princess Rosella, is the chosen one this year. Time is running out for her, your parents, and Daventry. You, Gwydion, are the only one who can save them. But, you must hurry! I have something to give you... a small stone of amber. Use it wisely, my friend.

: The Oracle grows silent again, and seems to fall into a deep sleep. Gwydion attempts to thank the Oracle, but she does not respond.

: The stone is smooth, round, and an unusual color, somewhat like that of amber.

NEXT TIME: We need to save our sister and our home, apparently. God dammit Graham.

List of Points

+3 - Spied on the bandits
+5 - Found the rope we used already
+4 - Taking the spider for a swim
+3 - Prince Gwydion

Total: 137/210