Part 38: Fire, Wind, and Earth? The Band Goes Backwards.
Chapter 17: Fire, Wind, and Earth? The Band Goes Backwards.
QfG2 Manual posted:
COMBAT CAREERS
Career Paths for the Successful Fighter
Warlord
Hero
Paladin
Warlord
This is the perfect job for the aggressive, gung-ho type fighter. If you
have the moxie for mayhem, the obsession for aggression, the resolution for
revolution, and a few friends, then you, too, can have a successful career
in pillaging and looting. Imagine yourself at the head of an entire army,
storming the countryside and leaving only havoc in your wake. If you love
the smell of naphtha in the morning, this is the job for you. Remember -
it's "Loot before pillage, sack before burn".
Hero
To be a Hero is, of course, one of the preferred occupations for Fighters of
all times and climes. Receiving the adulation of a grateful peasantry (and
often as not a few members of the fairer - which is to say, preferred - sex)
can do wonders for your ego. The more substantial rewards from those of
means can also be very useful when it comes time to advance one' s education
and career with our marvelous Famous Adventurers' Correspondence School
supplementary materials.
Paladin
The Paladin is the Goody-Two-Shoes of champions and the Dudley-Do-Right of
defenders. This job is clearly not for everyone. If you are willing to be
bold for no gold, risk your name without acclaim and campaign without gain,
this could be the occupation for your emulation. A Paladin is a hero's hero
(and he can have him). Frankly, Paladins constantly become involved in
extremely dangerous quests like slaying Dragons, and rarely survive long
enough (or earn enough) to purchase our all-important F.A.C.S. pamphlets.
[MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER DIMENSION…]
I’d like to take this time to point out that, in the remake, you can grab a ghoul’s head and have Uhura mount it on the wall. It’s the circled trophy on the left. No points, but nice fluff.
Hey guys. Have you seen the earth elemental around?
Yes. It seems that Shapier again needs your skills. No one else in this city can handle such a magical being. What, not even you?
If his leg had not failed him this morning, the elemental would be gone. Nike, you should have seen how Rakeesh fought it! His sword burned brightly as he fought that monster. Rakeesh be a great warrior still! That’s enough, Uhura. I failed, and that’s all there is to it. Nike, you are going to have to take my place and destroy this thing. How do I do that? I can’t even find the damn thing! The elemental stalks the streets, Hero. I’m surprised you didn’t encounter it walking here. Wait, how do you get around? Well, I’ve got this map, and it’s got a little “you are here” dude, so I’ve been using it to get to places. Ah, that explains it. How? Paper beats rock. Ow. OW. Alright then, let’s say that makes sense for a second. What do I do when I find it? Oh, and what’s the container for it? The earth elemental is the magical essence of stone and rock. It is extremely dangerous and difficult to defeat. If you do seek to defeat the earth elemental which now walks our streets, you must first understand its nature. The nature of the earth elemental is to endure. It draws strength from the very stones that make up this city. It cannot be defeated by a single blow, but must be worn away through your actions and its vulnerability to magical flame, such as a flaming sword. You mean like YOUR flaming sword. Issur makes a good sword, but it doesn’t do much more than hack. You’re right. Permit me to loan you my sword, “Soulforge.”
Rakeesh will explain everything no matter what the player’s class, but only the fighter will be given the sword. The other two classes have alternate methods at their disposal.
Oh, awesome! I was given the sword “Soulforge” when I first became a paladin. Only a paladin has the will to make it flame. It will flame for you because I wish it to. Also, please leave the sword with Uhura when you are done with it. Okay. But I’m still going to enjoy the heck out of this while it lasts. That, I think, is allowed. One final word, though: I believe you will need a bag to contain the elemental. One of the ones used to carry sand will do nicely.
Hey there, buddy. It’s go time.
Hey, where’d you go? You chicken? Huh!?The earth elemental will occasionally flee from combat, requiring you to find and attack him several times.
You’re scared, huh? Well here’s a good reason!
Oof! You think that’s enough?
Now this rock won’t ever roll.
You always have to give Rakeesh’s sword back eventually, at least if you keep going to the Guild. Giving it back without being asked, however, gives paladin points. Also, though I neglected to mention this earlier, you need to give Omar’s purse back to him to get those points. He shows up twice more after day 7, giving you two chances to do so. Not that regular universe Nike would do something that courteous, of course.
All the assorted late night talks are remake-exclusive. Basically, show up after midnight and there’s a chance you will have a nice, long chat with Shameen and Sheema.
…Of course, when I first read it, I didn’t realize just how many people “everyone” really is. I think I’ve gotten the knack of introducing myself to people now, though.
It is difficult for me to imagine you started your adventures in Spielburg with nothing but the knowledge gained from a correspondence course to rely on. Well, it is a very nice course.
What I believe made you a hero in the end were not the books you read about adventuring, but your potential and knowledge about your own abilities. Hey, thanks! I do work out a lot. So what do you think about all this prophesy nonsense? All I know is, when I see something angry in front of me, it’s time to pull out the sword. According to an ancient prophecy, when Rasier fell into darkness, a hero from the north would come to restore light to the city. Katta do not necessarily dismiss prophecies. We believe that one’s fate lies within oneself and is not predestined, regardless of what omens say. If anything, they indicate a possible outcome, but not one that will come to pass on its own. The astrologer was saying something like that. He said that prophesies were like recipes, but then I wasn’t paying attention because I got hungry. It does seem apt. In Spielburg too, a prophecy foretold the coming of a hero, but it was not that which lead you there. It was a poster in your local Guild Hall—the one that called for a hero in Spielburg. Let us have a drink to our homeland, then. May it have many more adventures in store for you and much good fortune in store for all of us. And don’t forget heads to smash in. I love that part.
[MEANWHILE, IN THE FIRST DIMENSION…]
I am glad that you have come to see me once more, Nike. Well, it’s not like there are any other experts on elementals in town. Oh, of course. The elemental you see before you now is the elemental of Earth. The essence of Earth is strength. It must be worn away before it can be captured, and it is only vulnerable to flame.
It might be best contained in the type of cloth sack used to haul sand in the city. Is there an earth specialist in town? Not really. You may wish to speak with Harik, though, as flame is the elemental’s weakness. Fair enough. Before you go, are you absolutely certain you do not wish to hear about the remaining elemental. Nope. Even though the only one left has to be Water, which happens to be my specialty? Don't want to hear it. See you later, Aziza. *Sigh*
Morning.
What? Oh, you’re back. I have heard that it was you that vanquished the elemental of Air as well as of Flame. Perhaps you now need to know something about the element of Earth? Exactly. What have you got? I don’t think the incense is going to cut it this time. Watch this.
See how the earth is consumed by the flames! Pretty amazing, isn’t it? I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned from this, although I don’t quite know what that might be. What is that stuff? Powder of Burning. It is a mixture of potassium nitrate from bat guano, powdered charcoal, sulfur, and ambergris. The ambergris doesn’t really do anything, but it makes the powder smell more interesting.For those of you who don’t know anything about chemistry, Harik just described gunpowder cut with a perfume base.
It is very rare, though, and it makes such pretty flames! I’d hate to have it wasted. It wouldn’t be wasted! It’d be exploding an earth elemental! … … … … … … … So? What? Oh right, sorry, thinking again. Please, take some. All you have to do is throw it at the earth elemental. It makes such a lovely flame when it explodes. Throw it quickly at your target. Try not to miss. It will do a lot of damage when it strikes and ignites. And please, tell me what happens when you use it. I’m sorry I can’t be there, but I have much work to do. Thanks, Harik. You just saved the city again.
Hey, remember back when you told me you had a bag I could use?
Yes. They are fifty centimes each. What if I told you that I’d be using it to capture the earth elemental? You need my bag to save the city? Then it is yours, Hero.That’s right, Harik isn’t the only merchant who puts his own survival above a solid deal. In fact, if I had waited on getting the lamp until after the fire elemental showed up, I could have received that for free, too. You do need a decent Communication in order to talk the merchants into giving you stuff, though (at least 70, I think). Really, Issur is the only merchant who wants something in exchange for his item, and even then it's just a good arm wrestling match.
That thing went down fast. I guess Harik will be happy his powder worked.One final word: the mage’s method is to use Flame Dart, which also makes the earth elemental go down like a ton of bricks. Harik will only give the powder to a thief, no matter what the hero’s Communication is, probably so that the other classes will use their preferred methods. Also, Harik only says “I wish I’d have been there” again if you “TELL ABOUT EARTH ELEMENTAL,” so I left it out.