Part 22: Level Two: The Second Voyage, Part 2

The Second Voyage, Part 2

Last we left off, we were facing a herd of irate elephants, needing to get nearer to them in the hopes of attracting a roc's attention. Not one word of that sentence is anything but stupid, yet here we are. Mercifully, that soldier we rescued told us that an elephant's breastbone inexplicably works to calm them. Here's hoping he's right.

You produce the breast bone of an elephant. Immediately, the bulls lose interest. They wander off and resume grazing. Hestitantly, you move forward, and the elephants allow you to wander among them freely. As you move among these giant creatures, touching a flank in wonder, caressing a trunk in amazement, a shadow passes overhead and there is a scream like thunder.


This might also be its mate; we know there are two rocs in the region, after all.

The roc is diving now, toward the elephant herd. Most of the elephants break in panic and thunder toward the horizon. You are hard pressed to stay out of their way. One elephant freezes in fear, staring directly at the roc. The roc stoops toward it.

This is stupid, but fleeing or staying still won't help us here, so our only option is to charge toward the frozen elephant and... you know what, I'll just let the game explain this stupid plan.

You charge toward the elephant and, just as the roc is about to hit, you grab the elephant's leg. The roc snatches the elephant in its talons and, wings laboring, begins to pull it into the sky.

We can still let go while the drop isn't too far, but that won't help us reach the roc's nest, so we're going to just hang on.

With each beat of the roc's wings, a stiff wind threatens to rip you from the elephant. Desperately you hang on. Far below you, on the plain, you see elephants scattering, running for their lives. A lone horse peers upward; you wonder whether you will ever see your mount again. The sky above you is brilliantly blue. You travel leagues in instants as the roc carries you toward its nest...




No, we didn't miss a clue; the option to seek diamonds is a reference to the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, who in one adventure discovers a valley of diamonds preyed upon by rocs, and by trickery manages to get into the roc's nest to steal many precious jewels before escaping and returning to Baghdad a rich man. I feel like we probably shouldn't linger here in the nest though, so let's climb out while the roc's feeding its chicks.

You climb out of the nest. You find yourself on the flank of a mountain. Above you lies the peak. Below is a sheer cliff, diving toward the clouds that hang below you.

We can climb up or down, but we didn't come all the way here to go down when we're looking for a guy who lives on the peak, so up it is.

You come to the very mountain peak, and there atop it sits...



He sits in the lotus position atop the mountain, nearly naked though snow lies all about. You approach, and begin to ask his assistance. He holds up a hand. "I know," he says. "Take off your armor."

Uh, why?

"Because you wish my assistance," he says.

He will say the same every time you ask him why throughout this process, by the by. So um, okay then.

You peel off your armor. It is chilly in the cold, thin air atop Mattu Peak. "Lay aside your sword," says the Guru.

I think we can still probably take this guy without Valterre if he tries anything, so alright.

You lay Valterre carefully in the snow. "Take off your clothes," says the guru.

But it's freezing up here!

The guru spreads his hands. "I am not cold," he says. He is wearing nothing but a loincloth.

Alright then. This better be going somewhere.

There is no doubt about it; you are chilly. "Excellent," says the guru. "I see that you have learned humility. Now come with me." "Leaving my armor and sword?" "Yes," he says.

Alright, but he better not feed us to a roc or something.



Note that if we ask him why:

"Because I say so," he grins.

So everyone: Do we jump?

Alternate Solutions & Deaths

First of all, we certainly don't want to get any closer to the elephants.

You move toward the elephants. With a trumpet, several bulls charge madly toward you. You are trampled to death beneath the massive feet of the charging elephants.

We also don't want to try to take them on in a fight.

You ready Valterre and kick your horse into a gallop. Madly, you charge the elephants. Several bulls trumpet and charge toward you. You are trampled to death beneath the massive feet of the charging elephants.

Predictable outcome, but hey, all the same. Suppose we pray, instead? For the most part, any form of prayer leads to the same result:

While you pray, the bulls lose their patience. Trumpeting their anger, they charge the interloper who threatens their cows -- you.

Fortunately, we can still flee in time. There is one exception: Praying to The Lady, who as mentioned is a nature goddess.

You pray to the Lady, who has dominion over the beasts of the field, and the bulls turn away from you. Hesitantly, you move toward the herd; they permit you to move freely among them.

I guess she actually will help us out from time to time, huh?

Meanwhile, what if we dicked around in the roc's nest instead of escaping immediately?

Examine Egg: There is a single, unhatched egg in the nest. It is the size of a warhorse. The roc notices you prowling around it.

Search For Diamonds: With amazement, you discover that there are innumerable huge diamonds scattered throughout the nest. Obviously, rocs share some of the characteristics of magpies: a liking for shiny objects. You fill your pockets before the roc notices your presence.

Kill A Chick: You draw the Sword Valterre and cut the throat of one of the chicks before the roc notices your presence.

Either way, all three outcomes end the same: