Part 78: Gypsies

Chapter 10: Gypsies


‘Morning, Dmitri. I didn’t see you after Igor got back.
The Gypsy is gone. Since you found and rescued Igor, Hans and the others finally went back to their homes and I was able to release the prisoner.
Yeah, I saw him when I was coming back to town yesterday. Is anyone still talking about werewolves?
No, thank goodness. It seems all the peasant fears were for nothing.
What about you? Still think I’m not really a hero?
Hmm. There is a rumor in town that perhaps I was mistaken in trying to drive you away from Mordavia. That perhaps you are the hero you claim to be. But you know how rumors are; you cannot always trust what you hear.
Just you wait. This one will turn out to be true. How about you? How have you been?
I’m getting some much needed relaxation now that I don’t have to worry about little Ilya getting into trouble—you’ve proven quite capable of taking care of yourself. And with the Gypsy gone, I don’t have to worry about him getting harmed or escaping.
I still can’t believe they wanted to burn him at the stake. Even after…after what happened to Al, they were never this…angry.
Just be glad it is over now. The people of the town will settle down again, you’ll see. They cried so loudly for blood because they are tired of living so long in the shadow of fear. Hopefully nothing else exciting will happen for a while.
I promise you, Dmitri, if I have anything to do about it, the only exciting things from here on in will be good news for the town.
Ha! You know, for once, I think you may be telling the truth. Just don’t expect me to hold my breath.
Fine with me. See you later, Dmitri.
Goodbye Ilya, and…take care.


Man, I’ve got to say, I would not be chipping gravestones the day after I got out of a grave.
Hello, Nike! Igor very glad not to still be in grave. You Igor’s friend now.
Thanks, Igor. So what was up with the grave accident?
Grave accident? Ha, ha. Little graveyard humor there! That good one. Igor carve headstone near grave. Igor fall in grave. Gravestone fall on grave. Igor not get out until you get him out of grave. Igor in grave danger. Ha, ha. Little graveyard humor there.
Glad you can still laugh about it.
Oh, Igor go crazy years ago if Igor not have graveyard humor!
You know, the people in this town actually seemed worried about you when you disappeared. Heck, they were ready to burn someone at the stake because they thought he had eaten you.
People miss Igor? You tell Igor rumor? Igor now morgue happy than ever! Morgue happy, get it? Ha, ha. Little graveyard humor there.
I got it, Igor, thanks.

You say goodbye to Igor. Igor nods cryptically. Ha, ha. Little graveyard humor there.


Hey doc, great news—
YES! I have done it! The world shall not soon forget the genius of Dr. Cranium! The experiment is a success! Behold…Frankie!


Is she not something? I am looking forward to an exhilarating series of experiments with her.
Uh, yeah, something. I was just saying that Igor’s back, and—
Yes, yes. I’m sure that his hyperkyphosis is of utmost interest. Ah, she is a very nice Frankie, I am sure you will agree! Just as I planned. I believe she has all the…er…assets necessary to become a premier scientific laboratory assistant!
You’re really excited about this, huh?
I am a genius! I shall be famous everywhere! There have been others who have worked on the reanimation of dead tissue, but no scientist has a Frankie like mine! Whoopee!
Is this really what science is all about?
Science ! You ask me about science? Just look at Frankie there and you will understand the purpose of science! It is to acquire knowledge of the very nature of life itself and to create what those less informed would call miracles with that knowledge. Is she not a wonder? My Frankie—fully functional (in every way)! In fact, I imagine she could even…hmm…
I don’t think I want to go there.
I believe I wouldn’t want you to go there, either. By the way, your elixirs are ready on the table over there.
Oh right, thanks, doc. By the way, can she talk? I feel a little weird standing here talking about her when she’s watching us.
I was not able to find a fully functional larynx, no. But speech is not a requirement for being a laboratory assistant; you simply need to be able to solve a series of puzzles located in rooms spaced evenly throughout a castle, island, brain, or time itself.
What?
Never mind, I’m sure you wouldn’t understand.
Guess I should go, then.
Very well. Do not be concerned if you should be unable to reach me during the next few days. Frankie and I shall be engaged in some very important and engrossing scientific research!


Hey, here’s something I’ve been meaning to mention: spell power. Hold down a short time for a regular-sized spell, or hold it down longer to get the giant thing you see above. For just a few more spell points, you get more damage, it can’t miss (except for the bunny, of course), and it consumes any spells your enemy throws at you without dissipating. A balanced fighting game this ain’t. Plus, unlike with previous installments, fighters can cast spells without having to remove their shield. Magic is severely overpowered in this game, which I guess makes up for these spells being almost worthless in 5.


Gypsy Camp, Fortuneteller, and Gypsy Dance

Greetings, and welcome to our camp. You are a stranger to us no longer. When you saved me from death, our lives became intertwined. Henceforth, you are to be known as a Roma Friend!
Sweet!
Come now. I will take you to the leader of our camp.



So, you are the one my son spoke of. You saved his life.
Your son? Figures.
Yes. This does not surprise you?
Well, it just keeps happening to me. Elsa, Zayishah, Johari…heck, even Manu was “the biggest monkey.” I’d have been more surprised if he wasn’t, honestly.
Indeed. Fate flows in great eddies and currents around you. We Roma owe you for my boy, and I believe we will owe you for more things to come. Welcome. I am the Fortuneteller.
Is that really your name?
No. My name for outsiders is Magda.
“Outsiders?”
You may have saved my boy, but you are still Gorgio.
Huh?
It is our word for anyone who is not a Roma.
Oh.
You seem to understand magic, so I will teach you a spell. It will protect you against the dead that rise again. With it, you need not fear the darkness of this valley any longer.

The Gypsy fortuneteller touches your head briefly. Magic flows through you, and you now know the Aura spell.
The reason we haven’t been going out at night is because the undead we would encounter can rather quickly drain the hero’s health, both in and out of combat. With this spell (or amulet, if we didn’t have magic), the in-combat drain gets turned off, although you still have to watch out for the out-of-combat drain. Just remember to turn the game speed down and rush the dude.

Now, let us learn more of you. Why have you come here, and what do you seek?
You can call me Nike von Slartibartfast. That’s my heroing name.
We are honored to know your name.
It is a good name, a strong name. You bear it well.
Thanks. There’s a few other things I was hoping you guys could answer. Y’see, there’s the matter of how I got back here in the first place. I was in Tarna just last week when I suddenly felt like dancing, then there was all this flying and falling and I woke up in a cave full of bones. It’s the one to the south that all the people in town don’t like to talk about.
The Dark Cave? You escaped from there? You are very powerful and lucky. I would guess that a summoning spell went wrong. That cave interferes with all magic around here. But it is best not to speak of that cave. Someone brought you here for some unknown purpose. Most interesting. What else did you wish to talk about?
I’ve been having a bunch of weird dreams whenever I sleep by Erana’s stuff, dreams about pink bubbles and consuming darkness. I still don’t know what’s going on with them. Oh, and I had this other dream just last night where two people were talking about me. I couldn’t place the woman’s voice, but I swear I’ve heard that dude before.
Dreams are messages. Such a message may be obscure or meaningful depending on the sender and the dreamer. The meaning of these dreams may be clearer when you have had more of them.
That’s…not too helpful.
You haven’t given us much to go by.
I guess. Oh yeah, the ghost of Piotyr told me to ask you about how to free the rusalka down by the lake.
The rusalka? She has been dead for many years. You cannot bring her back to life, but you can free her spirit.
Yeah, I kind of figured.
Our legends tell of the way to free the spirit of one who was murdered. First, she must know who she was and remember how she died. Then you must take the hair of the dead woman and weave it into a broom. Beat the broom three times upon the murderer’s grave and he will come forth! This act can be very dangerous. If the ghost of the murderer rises, it will attack you. You must be ready to destroy it. The last thing you must do is to give the spirit that which she truly desires. Then at last her spirit will be freed, and she will rest.
What if the murderer is still alive? I can’t beat on his grave if he isn’t dead.
I told you she has been dead for many years. Long enough that her killer could not possibly be alive. There are other methods for other situations, but I believe this is all you will need to know.
Alright then. Hey, that’s right, I never did get your name.
My name? It is—
Gaston?
What? No! I am called—
Could I call you Gaston anyway?
Wh…why?
You look a lot like this other Gaston I knew. The chin, mostly.
Very well. It is only my outsider’s name, after all. So what was this other Gaston like?
A real man’s man, although he did try to get the tavern to sing musical numbers all the time. He could whip up a pretty good torch and pitchfork mob, too. Things ended kind of badly for him when he tried to challenge the local Enchanted Prince for the heart of a lovely woman.
I can’t say I have any love for that sort. So what happened? Was he cursed to bear the same enchantment as the prince?
Nah, he slipped and fell off the roof. But hey, I got to carry a torch and practice my angry face, which was fun. What were we talking about?
How we Roma can help you.
Oh, right. So how come you’re in the valley, anyway? I’ve seen Gypsy caravans come and go a few times when I was younger, but I don’t think you guys ever stopped into town for supplies.
We would have left this valley long ago, if the flooding had not washed away the road and filled the mountain pass with swamp.
This valley has always been a nexus of power. Magic is strong here. My people for generations came here to renew and strengthen their ties to the mystical ways. We are not the only ones drawn by this power. The magician Erana created a magical refuge here. Others, more dark, were drawn here as well.
Dark things?
There are some things about which even I dare not speak. Even thinking of them attracts them. Let us hope that you never need know of such matters.
So what can you talk about?
The future, of course. I have been gifted with True Sight and Foreknowledge. These are gifts with knife edges—I have seen my own death, and knew my true love’s death the day I met him. Still, it is useful. I will read your fortune in the cards, if you wish. You have only to cross my palm with silver (so much for the legends about werewolves!) or at least a coin of value. But I warn you—no future is fixed. What the cards show of the future can happen, but only if you take the actions to create this future. And it is not easy to determine what those actions are. Such is life.
What if I don’t like the future?
Then don’t take those actions.
This is confusing.
Heh, heh. Such is the nature of telling the future. Even prophecies will only come true when the right person does the right things.
Alright, let’s get to this card reading bit.


You will initiate this reading of the cards. The shuffling and cutting attunes the cards to those vibrations which surround you. You do not control the cards, nor do I. It is the cards which show what they choose to show. I will reveal to you the meanings of the cards. It is up to you to interpret how they affect you. You may reveal the first card.


To properly show off the cards would take too many screenshots, so this first reading is in video form. From what I’ve read, the card readings in Quest for Glory 4 are actually accurate to the source, barring the constant references to magic and the Void card. Also, unlike certain other series, this one isn’t obsessed with only the Major Arcana. Heck, even the paladin’s card is the knight of swords instead of the Hierophant or some such. The only thing that changes between classes is the hero’s card, which is the knight of swords for the paladin, the page (aka jack) of swords for the thief, the Magician (I think) for the wizard, and something I can’t remember for the fighter. All the other cards remain the same for all the readings (and there are quite a few readings, let me tell you). Even the deck used is an incredibly pixilated Russian version of the Rider-Waite set. I will be showing the other readings, but probably with only a couple screenshots and the text. Go look up a Tarot deck online if you’d like to see good quality images of the cards.

Thanks for the reading, Magda, but I think we should get going.
Ah, you weary of talk? Good. You are a guest with us tonight. Let us join the others for food, drink, and dance.
I hope you will enjoy the hospitality of my people.


You spend the evening in the joyful company of the Gypsies. They seem to have gone all out to make you welcome in their camp. You’ve eaten a rich, spicy stew (with no garlic!) with fresh bread and plenty to drink. Now it’s time to relax and enjoy.

Come, is she not beautiful? Why do you hesitate? Go join in the dance!


I’m feeling a little self-conscious here.


Wait, what are you doing?



*Slurp slurp*

Ack!

After hours of carousing with the Gypsy wolves, you find yourself curling up into a comfortable position near the fire pit and sinking into a deep and dreamless sleep.


No garlic, no dreams…if it weren’t for the wolves, I could really enjoy being a Gypsy.