Part 32: The Watchers

32: The Watchers



As always, we return to Azziz after our latest abject failure of a mission.



We weren't able to stop the Doomsday device...the brain was indestructible.
Alisa returned and took the plans to the device. I fear she plans on beating Doskias at his own game.
But she helped us!
She worked with us only to get her hands on the Doomsday Plans. Time will tell if she's as reckless as Doskias.

No explicit pointers to where we should go next, but there is a new dialogue option - Tori.

Do you know where Tori has gotten to?
He was here looking for you...Perhaps Uncle knows where he is.




Did you stop the treachery on Shell 3?

Wow, he is out of date.

That was only the beginning. A Chosen Warlord known as Doskias has gone against his people, with the belief that he is the savior of Septerra. I fear his warlike nature will be the destruction of us all!
I'm ashamed that Tori had a part in all of this - unwittingly perhaps, but a part nonetheless.
Doskias has meddled with the balance of the Core. It may be disastrous for us all.
Azziz would be better able to help in these matters...

Have you heard from Tori?
He's been up to his old mischief. He sold something to Mayor...some sort of device Mayor used to reprogram the Workbots.
Where did he get it?
In the Factory.
No one's ever been in the Factory!
He said he was going back.

Uncle, tell me about the Factory to the north...
No one has seen those who live inside. They built the Factory and the pipes that pump water across the desert ages ago. Our ancestors settled here because they learned to tap the water from the pipes. In exchange, we ship our excess scrap metal to the factory as sort of a tribute. They have never caused us trouble, so I wouldn't worry about them.



We could actually have gotten here at the start of the game by walking across the pipes, but there's nothing to see but a closed door...until now.



Uh...Hey Maya, I didn't mean to do it!
Do what?
I found a way to sneak into the Factory. I found some neat stuff-
You mean 'stole'.
-Uh...and I uh...brought it back out. Mayor offered me 500 coin for it. I couldn't refuse...
What was it?
Something he used to reprogram Grubb's Workbots. It's terrible!
The Workbots being used to kill IS horrible.
No - no, I mean it's terrible that I didn't ask for more money for the thing...I didn't know it was that valuable!
You never learn, Tori. Well, if the technology came from the Factory, then perhaps whoever lives inside can also help us to stop it.
But no one else has ever been inside...
YOU were inside...how did you get in?
I tried to go through the front gate, I even opened it. But there's this weird light behind it. So I snuck in through a small pipe, too small for you to fit.
Then we'll have to find another way.
I'll, uh, leave you to it then...
Oh no, you stay right where you are!



It's the Factory. This place has been here long before the Junkers. Nobody knows who lives inside. Oasis ships its scrap metal here...I wonder what they use it for?
I would love to get inside the Factory. Can you imagine what kind of awesome technology must be inside?

We can stand here staring at it all day, but what we really need to do is add Corgan to the party.

This is a dimensional gate, a daemon's gate.
Really?
Marduk's Daemon Sword Technique is built upon such principles. I think I can open it.

Corgan doesn't actually know Daemon Sword yet, but that's not about to stop him.


Well, let's go then.



Where are we?
Inside the Factory, I hope. Who knows where the gate leads to.



Um...Maya of Oasis. I come seeking help.
The children seek the help of the old.
Our Mayor has used one of your devices to reprogram our robots, we need your help to-



You know of our troubles?
We wish to help you right the wrong. We who watch are great healers, not destroyers.
Great healers? How great? Can you heal my love, Layla of the Seven Winds!?
Seven Winds? We can but try. We will need a healing plant of the Lens Jungle of shell 4, and an ancient Talisman of the Chosen, which they left behind on their trek to the upper shell so long ago.
But the Lens Jungle hasn't been traversed for ages...since Marduk's people left Babylon.
The people who left Marduk's city became the Chosen.
How do you know so much of the Chosen and their history?
Time brings all answers to those who wait. Here, this device will reverse the programming of your Mayor. Use it on his central computer. He has another device which was stolen from us, a key to the ancient canal system on shell 4. Retrieve it from the Mayor and use it to gain access to the ancient lens jungle of our ancestors. There you will find the healing plant that we require to help save your friend.
And this other Talisman?
You will find it in an ancient Chosen Temple on shell 6.
Thank you...
Return when you have what we require.



The Watchers just hover there...watching. We can in fact talk to them again:

You have the items we require?
The device you gave us will reprogram the Workbots?
Yes, use it on Mayor's main computer. Afterwards, retrieve the Canal Key and use it to gain Access to the Lens Jungle on Shell 4. Bring us the powerful healing plant that grows there.
And this other item, the Ancient Talisman of the Chosen, can be found on shell 6?
Yes, in a long abandoned temple of the Chosen.

What ARE you?
The spirit made whole, absent of flesh and free to see.

You'll save Layla?
We can but try. But be forewarned, no-one touches death and returns unscathed.

Cryptic buggers. But helpful.



When we emerge from the portal, Tori has, of course, buggered off. But we have bigger fish to fry in any case.



Oasis's central computer is located in the Smelting Complex.





It's guarded by Warbots, and the fact that I've forgotten to upgrade Grubb or Runner since last time I used them is really obvious here.



Given how powerful Grubb's spells are, though, it doesn't matter.



And speaking of spells...the Doomsday Brain dropped this. On its own, it's pretty awful - for 25 Core, you can make an enemy Berserk so that it might attack its allies rather than you.



It can, however, combine with the Law card, to form Destroyer.





That looks pretty impressive...



...and it is. 200 damage may not seem like much, but yellow warbots are extremely heavily armoured.



Furthermore, Destroyer is unique in that adding All transforms it into an entirely different spell - Big Bang.







Now that is a spell worth a . Big Bang effectively means - if you weren't cheating already - that most challenge is now gone from the game; all you need is a steady supply of Core Relics.




Adding Mirror instead of All turns it into Black Hole, which is slightly more expensive and slightly more powerful, but not as pretty.



With these spells, the rest of the Smelting Complex goes quickly.



No sooner do we get the disc installed than Mayor shows up.

Attack! Kill them!
Miz Maya! How are you?
No, you idiots, attack them! Kill, rend, destroy!
I can't hurt my friends.



As Mayor fumes, a bunch of junkers show up.

What are you guys doing here?
We're tired of being pushed around.
Yeah, we're here to kick ass and take names!
You'll all pay for this!



Let's get him!
Well, I hope they don't hurt him too bad.

And just like that, Oasis is free again.



Everything's back to normal.



This leaves two items on our checklist - the healing plant from Shell 4 and the Chosen seal from Shell 6.



Put in the key, sewer opens, but just as we're about to step into it...

Who's there?
I bring news from General Campbell of Ankara.
Led's father? He survived?
He awaits your help in Southfarm on Shell 3.
Well, now what do I do?

You go into that sewer, is what. General Campbell can wait until we're done dealing with the Watchers.



The sewers are nothing special - metal catwalks, robots, grubs.



The jungle they lead to looks pretty intimidating, but we can't access most of it yet. We'll be back here much, much later.



This plant may have great healing abilities.

We have the healing plant, but there's two more items we need from here first.



It's a beam of light.
The plant leaves look like they magnify light down towards the plants on the forest floor.

Frobbing the vines on the wall get us an Optic Vine. We need this to get into the temple on Shell 6.

It's a sort of vine, but it transmits light through itself.



And using a Terrarium (available for a low price from the shops on Shell 4) on one of the falling leaves gets us a...Terrarium With Leaf. We won't need this for a long time, but we might as well grab it while we're here and avoid the hike later.



With everything we need in hand, it's time to hit the Chosen Ruins on Shell 6, get the seal, and get Layla back on her feet...but that can wait until next time.

Voting round! We're about to do a bit of archaeology, which is to say, shooting up and then looting ancient ruins. Who gets to come along and maybe pocket a few priceless artifacts?