Part 22: Volcano Revisited

Finally, I've found the last piece of the weapon. Six of them are safely tucked away in my Handbag of Holding. The last piece is clamped to a table in the Volcano, so that's where I'm going.




Once I put together the weapon, I should be able to sneak in behind the Dark Being, like I did in the other ending, and blast him. Or zap him. Or... uh... to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what this weapon does. There was a discussion in the thread about the shape of the business end, and... you know what, never mind.

In any case, it's a simple enough plan. So why do I feel like I'm overlooking something?




Wait. Shit. Now I remember.

It's not enough to stop the Dark Being. I need to wreck his portal machine. It'd be a fine thing indeed if I vanquished the Dark Being, only for some other miscreant to replace him.




Is the weapon rated for destroying machinery? The priests couldn't have known about the portal machine, so I can't rely on the weapon for that part of the deal.

On the other hand, I don't think I've got anything on me that can break it. Maybe I could improvise a club, hammer on the thing? Nah, not thorough enough. I want to wreck the thing.

Drilltrain? Any suggestions?




Let's see. Wrench? Nah. Pick? Nope. Spike puller? Bolt cutters? No and no.

...Dynamite?

Okay, that'll work, but I don't want to light it by hand. The fuse is rather short, and I'd prefer not to find out what happens if the portal machine blows up while I'm in transit.

Fortunately, I picked up a circuit board of some kind back in the temple's basement. I'm no bombologist, but I think I can figure this out.




Good enough, I say.

Now for the timer. Dr. Krick's alarm clock should suffice.




Presto! Instant time bomb. You can see at the top of the screen that the timer has started. A full hour is more than enough time.




I'm just going to go take one last look around the submarine before I go.




OH GOD WHY




Jesus Mary and Joseph how much dynamite was Drilltrain carrying? I guess I don't need to worry about positioning the bomb correctly, at least.

Right, so this is one of those things I discovered while doing this LP. I had this neat idea: after I rescued Dr. Krick, instead of following him through the portal as usual, I would go back to the temple and reach the lighthouse by way of the teleporter. That way I could say goodbye to Lyral.

I tested this out when I was preparing for the first ending, and it actually works! But since I don't stop the Dark Being in that ending, I decided to save the Lyral scene for the "true" ending! Only it turns out that once I arm the time bomb I can't leave the Volcano. Climbing into the submarine sets it off immediately.

I'm kind of curious as to what would happen if I set the bomb, used the Dark Being's portal to return to the lighthouse, and then used Krick's portal to reach the Tower. That would entail leaving Dr. Krick in the volcano, though (since if both he and I exit the volcano the game ends), and I imagine blowing up the good doctor also counts as a game over. In any case, it would require starting a new game and playing to the end, since none of my current saves are set up for it. I'm not that curious.

Since we won't be going back to see her, let's say goodbye to Lyral in our hearts, shall we? Maybe she can fix the Birdman, and then Birdman can fix her support machinery. Perhaps the island craftsmen will be able to help. I can't help with that; all I can do is get rid of the Dark Being, so she can work in peace.




Time to move on. Pretend I didn't just blow myself up.

First, I need to retrieve Amanda again, and get back to the Dark Being's back door. I probably should have branched the two endings a little farther ahead, so I wouldn't have to do this stuff again. Oh well, hindsight.


















Okay, all caught up. I'm back at the workbench, in the storage room just off the main lab.

Time to put it all together.




Let's take one last look at the weapon plans. They're numbered 1 through 7 for a reason; that's the order I need to assemble them in.




The assembly procedure itself is simple. I choose the pieces I want, rotate them so they're facing the same way, and then drag them together into the correct "joined" position.

The first two parts are the artifacts of Knowledge and Courage (from the Tower and Volcano, respectively), which form the "barrel" of the gun.




Next up is Hope (from the Shipwreck). It sits behind the first two.




Number four is Renewal, the one we just got from the island Fortress. It fits into place underneath. After it locks into place, I have to click it again to close its "wings."




The fifth part, Friendship, is the largest. This is the one from the Temple basement, and it's a little bit tricky - I have to open the arms before I can attach it anywhere. Easy to forget. And naturally I need to close them again afterwards.




Moving on! I'm almost done. The sixth part is Destiny. Also known as "a piece of wood." It gets glued on the back, as you might expect.




All that's left is the crystal bottle, a.k.a. the Artifact of Resolution, my reward for opening the puzzle box. But where does it go?




According to the plans, it fits inside the Artifact of Hope. If I click on the two "prongs" sticking out of that one, I can flip the top open. Stick in the bottle, close it up, and...




> Got Capture Cannon.

Man, I hope this thing does the job.




But the time for doubts is past.




So. We meet again.




Let me clear the air. I don't hate you. It's not like you reprogrammed Birdman or deployed the island monster specifically to screw with me. Sure, you cracked me over the head with a metal rod, but I was trespassing at the time, and you didn't do anything else except dump me back on the beach.

Looking at it from your perspective, I'm the one being unreasonable here. I'm invading your turf, stomping your minions, stealing your stuff. You must be wondering: What the hell did you ever do to me?




Well, it's not about anything you've done to me personally. It's what you've done to the people I care about.

Some of them, I call friend. Some of them I've come to respect. Some of them I feel responsible for. Some of them I've never met, but I feel sympathy for them anyway.




At your hands, they have suffered harassment, assault, and kidnapping. You have stolen the product of their labor and used it against them. You have driven them from their homes and fouled the air they breath. All this, they were forced to endure because they had no answer for your trickery and your machinations.

That is why I'm here.




I, and this weapon, are here right now because of the actions of the people you've hurt. Krick's invention gave me a way to enter this world, and Amanda's abduction gave me a reason. The priests created the weapon, and Lyral told me its purpose. Martin's inventions carried me here from the beach. Even the island craftmen left their tools for me to use.

You know what? It's corny, but this game is all about the environmental message, so I'm going to say it anyway.




By their powers combined...









Okay then. Is it... is it over?

The weapon has disappeared from my inventory. In its place...






Well then. That's that! Just a few loose ends to tie up and I can go home!




Get the blueprints out of the chest again...




...then wake up The Dumbest Scientist....




...and get him to leave.




Well, it's been a long, rough road. I'd like to stay and talk about what we've learned, but there's a time bomb with this volcano's name on it sitting about fifty feet away from me and I'm not completely sure I knew what I was doing when I wired it, so... it's time for me to get gone!

Enjoy the ending, everyone.








Final Control Panel count: 14

Happy New Year, everyone.