Part 21: The Fortress, part 3

My ornithopter doesn't want to take off.




I can't see anything wrong with it.

Where's that lever? I want to check the other side.




Uh-oh. Do you see what I'm seeing?




I'm no flyingmachineologist, but I don't think that piece looks like it's in very good shape.

Lucky for me that the craft locked up on the launching platform, as opposed to, say, a few meters beyond it.




I'm going to need to find a replacement for the busted hinge joint. There's no way of knowing where the island's inhabitants might keep their spare parts, but the fortress isn't that big. I'll do a quick search and see what I can find.




Nothing in the statuary room.

(status of fish: still alive)




Nothing in the generator room.




Nothing I can find in the workshop.






Aha, pay dirt! It's not the part itself, but...

> Got Hinge Joint Mold

I had a little pewter smelter for making figurines and whatnot when I was a kid. This can't be much harder than that. Can it?




First, gather the raw materials.

> Got Metal Ingots




"Raw materials" also includes fuel.

> Got Firewood
> Got Coal




Next, put the wood in the forge, then the coal on top, then light the whole thing on fire.




The ingots go into the cauldron, and I hit the lever to send it into the flames.




And now I sit back and wait for the metal to melt. It takes... about twenty seconds.

If the metal in the ornithopter melts faster than butter, I'm not sure I want to ride it.




Twenty seconds might be short, but it feels like a long time when I'm staring at a computer screen with nothing happening. If I took it out too soon, though, it'd cool down immediately and I'd have to start over. If the pot stays red-hot, I know the metal's ready to pour.




The mold goes over here. I'll take care to close it before pouring, lest I dump molten metal all over the table.

(Actually, the button doesn't work at all unless the mold is in position and closed. Lighthouse, why won't you let me get myself killed? And to think you call yourself a Sierra game!)




There we go. It pours astonishingly easy - like thin soup. I'm no moltenmetalologist, but shouldn't it be more viscous than that?




The lever on the left quenches the mold using those little robotic arms. Wouldn't it be easier to just put an insulated handle on the thing, guys?




Ta-da! One hinge joint, made to order in under a minute. Truly this is the McDonalds of metalworking.

> Got Ornithopter Part




Back upstairs I go.

(status of fish: still alive)




Now you see it...




...now you don't. Hurray for modular design!




I hereby dub thee the Icarus.

Now then. Third time's the charm, right?







Isn't that the Temple?






This is the freaking Temple!

Why the hell am I back at the Temple?




There's nothing more to do here! I've taken everything I need, Lyral's got nothing new to say...

What was the point of this side trip? Why did I repair the ornithopter? AAARGH!




If you're waiting for the punchline... there isn't one. The 'thopter connects the Fortress to the Temple. That's all it's for.

Does this mean I could use the ornithopter to skip the batplane? Not if I want the best ending. Remember, I need to return to the Lighthouse at least once to get the crystal bottle. When I use the teleporter, I'm leaving behind whatever vehicle I used to get to the Temple. If that's the ornithopter, that means the submarine is still at the Fortress. I need the submarine to get to the volcano. The only way to reach the Fortress from the Tower, which you may recall is the only part of the parallel world I can reach from the Lighthouse, is to use either the teleporter or the ornithopter, both of which are at the Temple, and the only way to get there from the Tower if I don't have the submarine is the batplane, and oh dear I've gone cross-eyed.

So no, I can't skip the batplane like that. Of course, if all I want is the most basic ending, I wouldn't need to use the teleporter. I could take the ornithopter to the Temple and then return the way I came.

Speaking of which...




Let's go back to the Fortress.




I'm pissed.




I've run all over the fortress, built a bridge, shot a monster with a cannon, repaired a flying machine... and none of it has brought me any closer to beating the Dark Being. This is infuriating.






In fact, I'm so angry, I feel like kicking something!

...Ow, my toe. Okay, so maybe the statue wasn't the best target. I didn't damage it, did I?




oh come on really




Well, now we know what the key in the aerie was for.

> Got Artifact of Renewal (the fourth of six)

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm headed down to the workshop to break some boards with my face.

End of Chapter

...



(yep)