Part 77: The Hunchback

Chapter 9: The Hunchback


Another day, another pair of weights. In fact, these are the last two, finishing up the strength training for good. And what’s our reward for all this, you may ask?


70 points of Strength. 70 points. As you can see, maxing strength in Quest for Glory 4 is no big deal.


The rest of day 4 passes by pretty uneventfully. Just some more killer bunny slaughter, the usual.


Oh, and since I was grinding for monsters just outside of the Garden, some new scenery for the evening.


You float gently in this ocean of harmony. You remember the happiness of being here before this. Now there is greater joy. You are not alone. You are filled with the warmth of friendship. You share your hopes, your dreams, all the best moments of your life, knowing that here is someone who understands and cares about you. You reach out to touch your friend, but there is no one there.


You are all alone.


From what I can tell, each dream will end with either this message or the one I’ve been getting back at the Staff. Which one it uses isn’t dependant on which dream you’re experiencing, but where you experience it. You get the dream message at the Staff and the nightmare at the Garden for the first half of the dreams, then it switches off for the second half.

Man, I even get blue balled in my dreams. This sucks. Damn, and I’m out of sandwiches, too. Guess I’ll have to head back into town.


What the—? What are you guys doing out here?


It took five days, but something is finally happening in the town of Mordavia. Igor’s missing, the townspeople found a Gypsy, and everyone thinks the two are related (via werewolves).

Dmitri, do you mind if we talk a little more privately?
Come on in.


So what really happened?
Igor the gravedigger went missing last night and hasn’t been heard from since. I went along with the others out there to check the graveyard, but Hans saw the Gypsy just outside the gate, had me capture him, and hasn’t let up about “werewolves” ever since.
Wait, so you haven’t even been to the graveyard yet?
No we have not, which is why I am so skeptical.. I would go and check myself, but someone has to stay here and make sure those fools outside don’t burn a potentially innocent man.
So you don’t think he’s a werewolf? According to my magazine…
I am not so sure myself about werewolves, but there is very little I can do until Igor is found. And Igor won’t be found so long as everyone in town thinks that the Gypsy is a ravening werewolf that ate the gravedigger.
What about the Gypsy himself? Has he said anything about werewolves?
He hasn’t said anything at all. You’re welcome to try to talk to him, but I doubt if he will tell you anything either.


Hey, you’re that guy who said I couldn’t come in the Gypsy camp!
…
Look, I can understand if you don’t like the people around here. I wouldn’t want to get thrown in jail for hanging out in front of town either. But you’re not helping yourself by just standing here quiet, either.
…
So. Are you a werewolf?
*Spit*
Sorry, just asking. Anyway, I’m going to go out there and find Igor, so don’t you worry about anything.
If you are going to find Igor, then why are you wasting time here?
I’m going, I’m going.


There’s another conversation set on the second day, but I’ve already got two videos for this update. Basically, you have two days to find Igor. If you can’t do it in time, this happens:


It’s almost worth losing the game to see this screen. There are far, far more people on screen here than on nearly every other screen in the game.

By my blood and by my death, I curse you all! As I die, so shall you all!



This Gypsy curse is quite a bit more fast-acting than most other such curses. Also, there is a way to buy more time than two days to look for Igor, but it’s only open to thieves/those with Pick Locks.




Say, Dmitri, would you be at all concerned if the Gypsy were to, oh, hypothetically, disappear in the night?
Hmph! Honestly, I would be a little relieved that I wouldn’t have to burn a man I think is innocent. I think I could even forgive him if some of the money in my desk where I keep my jail key were to go missing, too. And I am such a heavy sleeper, I don’t think I would wake up in spite of any racket he made while escaping. However, if I were to somehow discover that someone from inside the town “hypothetically” helped the Gypsy escape, then that person would share his stake. Is this clear enough?
Crystal.

*Later that evening*


<sub>How do I keep picking these targets?


It’s not like I enjoy the risk or anything. But sure enough, everywhere I go someone’s in charge and I’m there breaking into his house.


Plus it feels so weird that I’ve got his permission and everything, especially since I was planning on burgling for revenge anyway. Breaking in to help someone else…I suppose there’s a first for everything.


Let’s see what the old burgomeister has in his desk first.</sub>

Jackpot! You open the drawer and find a large key, 7 crowns, and 15 kopeks. You put the key on your key ring and the money in your coin purse.

<sub>Hey there, friend. Remember how I told you I’d help get you out? Turns out I wasn’t lying.
I find myself amazed. You are from the town, are you not? Why go to this much risk simply to help me?
Well it’s not just to help you. But here, let me pick the lock open before I change my mind.


Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your face?
Yes, why do you keep asking?
Never mind. So do you know what’s happened to Igor?
I know nothing of your gravedigger. I certainly didn’t eat him! Why don’t you look for him yourself? At least you should know where to look.
Just checking. See you around.</sub>


There’s really only two ways you can get yourself killed in the burgomeister’s house, and they both involve opening the door to his bedroom. You can’t even get his attention by walking instead of sneaking or not oiling anything.


You get this by opening the door when the Gypsy’s around,


And this when he isn’t.




Have you heard? Igor the gravedigger is missing! They say a Gypsy did it. We may have a werewolf on a stake soon.
Come on, Ma, no one saw anything. Do you really think Gypsies are werewolves?
Werewolves are Gypsies, no question about it. They change into wolves at night, eating anyone they can get. I’ve told you the old stories, Ilya, don’t you remember them?
I’ve seen a lot in the last few months, Ma, and something I’ve learned is that not everything you expect is true.
Ha! You’re still a little boy, Ilya. The Gypsy was right outside town! The very nerve of some people. No sooner did it eat poor Igor, than it went off looking for someone else to chew on. Everyone knows all Gypsies are werewolves. I don’t know how I’ll sleep with that beast so close. We should burn him as quickly as possible, and I told Dmitri that. Otherwise, who knows what will happen when that Gypsy gets loose. We’ll all be eaten!
Mama, calm down! I’m going to go look for Igor myself and prove that the Gypsy didn’t do anything at all.
You do that if you think you need to, but don’t come crying to me when all you find are his poor, half-eaten bones.
Fine, but I came in today because I need some more sandwiches. Oh yeah, and what’s happening with Papa these days?
Boris came back to visit me yesterday. We had a lot to talk about. He says he’ll come back again after work. It was nice to see him. With you and him back, it seemed like old times again.
I’m glad. But I need to be going now, Ma. Igor won’t rescue himself.
Whatever you say, dear. As your father used to say, “Com back again, sunshine or rain.”


Hey doc, have you seen—
Excellent timing! I have made substantial progress with my Frankie since your last visit. With the M.E.S.S. recalibrated, I was able to focus the initial stimulation and have achieved the first traces of independent muscular coordination.
What?
See for yourself.


You made a green arm flop around?
Correction: I made a formerly dead arm flop around! It is not often that ordinary people such as yourself have the opportunity to witness True Genius! I expect that you are feeling especially honored just now.
Sorry, doc, but I was actually asking around about Igor. No one has seen him since yesterday.
Really? I haven’t needed his help for the past few days, actually. It would be a shame if he died; good assistants are hard to come by.
Nuts. Guess I’ll go search the graveyard next, then.
Are you sure you don’t wish to stay a little while longer? There are very few good conversationalists in this town.
I’m kind of in a hurry, doc.
Nonsense, if Igor is not yet dead from the Mordavian evening then he can wait a few hours more.
Well…alright. So after I saved the world from Iblis and got adopted by the sultan, nothing much happened for a while. But then one day Aziza got a call from Kreesha in Tarna, which was warning us about…

*Hours Pass*

That sounds like a truly awful land. Primitive conditions, almost no science. That apothecary Salim sounds like someone I should meet, though.
You said the same thing about Harik.
I did. Aside from their consistent reliance on “magic” as an explanation for their concoctions, both of your apothecaries seem to have in their own haphazard way stumbled upon several intriguing scientific advances. If they could only learn to take a scientific approach to everything in life we would all be well on our way to understanding ourselves.
Like you and the body here?
Oh yes, I had almost forgotten to tell you about the Frankie. I named it after one of my colleagues who did some preliminary research into tissue reanimation. My success in this experiment will make me one of the premier researchers at this year’s Scientific Ball!
I think I’ve heard of that guy, actually. Didn’t things end up kind of badly for him?
Unfortunately. I considered naming it Herbie after another leading reanimator, but things went even worse for him. But of course, neither one had my M.E.S.S.! With it I am able to reestablish neuron paths through formerly dead tissue. It also can be a good companion on those lonely Friday nights in the lab.
…I’ll just be going.
Until you come again. Remember to use your powers of observation at all times.


You hear a monstrous groaning noise from beneath the fallen tombstone. Perhaps a horrible monster waits below!

Unless, of course, it’s Igor. And no, I have no idea how a fallen tombstone covering half the width of the grave could keep Igor in. Anyway, the answer is obviously to pull the stone back up, and there’s three ways to get it done. And now that he’s got a Climbing skill, the paladin actually has the means to use any method he’d like.


The Open spell works fine,




The rope and grapnel can be used as simple pulley system,


Or he can simply lift the thing with his massive, massive Strength.


Igor saved! Kind Nike saved Igor! Good, kind Nike. Igor happy grave not Igor’s grave.
Me too, Igor. Now get going back to town; they miss you a lot more than you think.
Igor going. Igor not want to see graveyard for a long time.


Maybe now Dmitri can free the Gypsy.


Over here. I just wanted to thank you for saving me. Not many people would try to help a Roma, particularly when everyone thinks that they are werewolves. Roma are not werewolves! You cannot believe the lies of the townsfolk. Visit our camp to the east sometime and we will welcome you as only the Roma can. Roma are not werewolves, but we ARE shapechangers. I hope to see you again sometime. Farewell.



…I have to say, I was not expecting that.

*Later, on the night of day 5*


As you sleep, you dream about voices.

What is it? Where is he?
He’s sleeping. Most people do that at night, remember?
This is ridiculous. Stop playing with him. We can easily bend him to our Will.
You are not to go near him, do you understand? I am not “playing” with him. It is very important for me to establish a good relationship with him. Besides, he will need the help of others to accomplish our mission. The more friends he makes, the better.
Friends, bah. You told me yourself that the townspeople distrust him. How is he supposed to make these friends?
You forget, he grew up in this town, and he is a hero besides. I am certain he will do something to gain their trust.
You are a fool if you still think you can use him without controlling him first. You know what happened to me.
You are the fool, becoming so annoyed with him that you cancelled the spell! I know how to manipulate men. After all, even YOU must now do as I say.

The voices fade off.