Part 11: 11 - Five Stages of Being Griefed

11 - Five Stages of Being Griefed



[So here we are, DarkIce Mines proper. Fire, lava, and igneous rock aplenty. Amazingly enough, no minecarts to ride. I guess the Arwing is as much on-rail as they need. ]

Feh, I don't see any ice, so I don't need that useless little shit in here. Let him burn.

First stage: Denial.



[We beat this guy up quickly to get past that Life Force Door in the background, only to find...]





Oh, fuck you.

Second stage: Anger.



_{Help me! Get over here, you dick!}

Dude, he's right over there on your left.

Yeah, like I'll be able to get him out without a key.



[A hop, skip and a jump later, we're up on a ledge.]



Man, this is some serious bull-der-shit.

...



[This is pretty silly, but some of the fucking walls can hurt you here, so try not to touch them.]



[Thankfully, you don't have to run against the boulders this time. Instead, you run with them to find an impassable flame jet, which guards...]



We could just sort of wait a while. I mean, there has to be some wood we can use to make a fire or something...

Third stage: Bargaining.



Why even bother? I mean, what's the point of going through all this crap for Tricky?

Stage four: Depression.



Gah, fuck it. Let's get this shit over with.

Stage five: Acceptance.



Wait, maybe I can just free this mammoth instead. Can I?

You're regressing, Fox; you're back to bargaining.

Sigh.



Hop to it, you little shit.

[The game isn't totally retarded, so you don't have to actually go back through the spinning fire jets (since they're going the wrong way for that) and can instead just jump off of a protruding ledge near Tricky's cell. I, of course, forgot this and ran through the fire. ]



[No, I don't know why we couldn't just use the same key twice. Apparently, one key being silver and the other being gold is reason enough. Fuck off.]



Yo, wake up, conehead.

Who are you?

I'm Fox, and this whiny douche is your former neighbor, crown prince of the EarthWalkers.

Ah, yes, his voice does have the whininess only royalty can achieve.

You know where the SpellStone is?

I am Belina Te. The GateKeeper is my father. Did he send you to resuce me?

Nnnnnot what I asked. And no, he feels you've betrayed the beliefs of the GateKeepers. We were only sent to find the SpellStone.

The old fool! I had to save the tribe. If it wasn't for my father being a GateKeeper none of this would have happened in the first place!

_{Does everyone on this planet have subjective memory? Scales had the damned SpellStone before he came to you guys.}



[Why do people always have such absurd getaway means available, but never use them? This isn't The Great Escape, and the SharpClaws are a far cry from the Nazis in terms of competency.]



You dead? _{Please say yes.}

Listen carefully. Find a way to the bottom of the mine. I'll meet you there.

Brilliant.

What a twat.



Shut up and dig.



[I smell a puzzle room! Let's see; slippery ice, freezing water...what else does this room need?]



[Ah yes, there we go.]



First thing: look up and shoot the out-of-place stalactites. They hit the water and somehow transform into huge, perfectly stable platforms. Jump across them and hit a switch which...]



[Releases ice floes. Ice floes we can jump on. ]



This room really ruins the floe of the mines.

Will you please stop that?



[If dropping stalactites into the water made islands, then surely a block of ice must make a perfectly shaped ledge for us to walk on!]



[Yep.]



[Since I accidentally talked to him, I guess now is a good time to point out that you can talk to Tricky and he'll say a variety of shit related to your current situation and prior events. Nothing useful, though, just flavour text.]



[More conveyor belts and fire jets!]



You made it!

Do you realize how much shit we went through to get here? Where is the damned SpellStone?

Dunno. Dad said it was in here somewhere.

[I'm paraphrasing, but that's basically what she said.]

Look carefully. I'm sure you and your little friend can find it. Time is short. You must find the SpellStone.

I would, but we're going to take a break before we head into this room.



[Seriously, fuck this room.]