Summoner Part #16 - Wolong Time No See

Part 16: Wolong Time No See

The Summoner is back. Let's check out our, now only, summon.

*faaaaart*

He is actually an alright spell caster and has a spell that is unique to him alone.

This is the scale that I forgot to capture last update. Not actually red.

Thankfully, we don't have to backtrack to exit this labyrinth. There is a path right from the pool that leads close to the surface opened by a lever.

Where we find a little upgrade for Rosalind.

Soundtrack - Wolong

Ah, look, our first victim.

"Welcome to you're doom!"

Jade Temple soldier: Then you are the Summoner of the prophecy! On your hand you have the mark of the first emperor. I see you have been healed.

Who are you?

Jade Temple soldier: My name is Yishi. I am a soldier of the Society of the Jade Temple. We are rebels fighting against Murod.

Where is Aoqi?

Jade Temple soldier: I do not know. We attacked at dawn, and I have not seen her since. She must be somewhere in the village. Aoqi leads the main attack, but we have been separated from the others.

Separated from the others?

Jade Temple soldier: We are fighting to retake the village from General Pijian. We fought our way up these platforms, but the imperial soldiers closed in behind us! There are only a few of us, and we are now surrounded.

Surrounded?

Jade Temple soldier: Come, I will take you to Renhe. He has taken command of our detachment. Follow me.

Jade Temple priest: The Summoner? Prepare for the advance!

Jade Temple soldier: Your will be done!

Jade Temple priest: Beware of Pijian! Though you may have destiny on your side, General Pijian is unmatched in battle! He fights with the strength of twenty men.

How can we help?

Jade Temple priest: We must strike before the enemy regroups. Follow Yishi and his men. They will lead the charge down to the village. Go and may the gods fight with you!

Yishi: For Wolong! For the slaves of Eleh!

Soundtrack - Boss Luminar

Now begins the battle for Wolong.

We get three watermelon troopers that race down the platforms battling through the imperial soldiers.

The blue imp is good for casting a ton of spells, like freeze here.

We really go on a rampage down the platforms.

But eventually only Yishi is left running with us. Check out the battle damage in the town square.

Yishi had a very quick turnaround on his Joseph-induced doom. With his hand restored it just blew away the first living NPC it saw.

Look at what your careless hands have wrought. That's an impressive body count.

Place is seriously littered with bodies. I think Wolong can be struck off the list.

Medeva: CIVILIZATION DESTROYED

Iona - Active
Saanavarh - Active

Orenia:
Wolong - Decimated

And here is the culprit. ~~Joseph~~ General Pijian.

Soundtrack - Boss ~ Pijian

It starts as a wordless stare down.

The Jade Temple priest was not joking, Pijian is a tough customer. His hits curse which increase damage taken even more, it effectively nullifies the bless that I cast.

To top it off, he comes with 3 soldiers that do pretty decent damage, especially if more than one of them focuses on a single target.

The best way to go about it is to quickly remove his cohorts from the equation. Solve for Pijian.

The answer is backstabs.

And Pijian falls as wordlessly as the fight began.

Aoqi: So you are the One-Hand of the prophecy?

Aoqi: My name is Aoqi, and I am leader of the Jade Temple.

You are the woman I saw in the palace! You poisoned Tancred!

*Grabs Flece's arm.* Listen! We need her help! Tancred's dead, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Nothing? *Flece shakes off Rosalind's grasp.* Tancred saved my life, and I will avenge him!

Did you kill Tancred?

Aoqi: *Looks Flece in the eye.* I understand your desire for revenge, Flece. I did what I believed was just, but vengeance often blinds us.

Vengeance?

Aoqi: Tancred murdered a friend of mine long ago, a friend who loved you dearly.

Loved me? What are you saying? *Flece lowers the dagger.* Tancred said he killed my mother...

Did you know Flece's mother?

Aoqi: Indeed, for she was the daughter of Gaodi II, Emperor of Orenia, and Flece will be the rightful heir of his throne!

How is that possible? Murod killed the imperial family when he seized power.

Aoqi: *Smiles sadly, shaking her head.* No. A daughter survived. A girl named Qifeng. As Murod butchered her family, Qifeng fled the palace.

What happened to Qifeng?

Aoqi: She vanished into the wilderness of Orenia, where she gave birth to a daughter named Sihua.

Sihua? Am I Sihua? *Flece asks in her astonishment.* How did I get to Lenele? How did Tancred kill Qifeng? Who is my father?

Aoqi: Bellias VI, the late King of Medeva. You are the rightful heir of two crowns, Sihua. The imperial family traveled to Lenele, guests of the King of Medeva. Qifeng fell in love with the young Prince Bellias. Secretly they married, fearing their families' disapproval. They consummated their union and promised to make their marriage known by the new year.

Why did Bellias marry Galienne?

Aoqi: Murod seized power when the imperial family returned from Medeva. Bellias believed Qifeng lay among the Emperor's children, murdered in the palace.

But how did Tancred murder Qifeng?

Aoqi: Because Queen Galienne sent him to Orenia to kill her. The Queen discovered the truth about her husband's marriage. The priest who had performed the ritual confessed to her. Galienne knew that if Qifeng carried the King's child, then her own sons would lose their claim to Medeva's throne.

So she had Qifeng killed?

Aoqi: Tancred killed the woman, and would have done the same to the girl, but he had pity on her. He brought her to Lenele with him.

Then I do remember this place! Those weren't dreams. I have been here before!

Aoqi: Yes. You grew up here, on the Lake of Sorrows.

*Flece gazes around at the hills and forests as if in a deep reverie.* When I saw you in the palace of Lenele, my father recognized you. How did you know him?

Aoqi: Because I am Qifeng, and you are my daughter, Sihua. After Murod dissolved the Jade Temple. I joined the survivors and led their resistance. Our lives were in peril. I wanted my daughter to live and reclaim her grandfather's throne. A friend promised to look after you, Sihua. Her name was Heyin, and I believed you would be safer with her. Tancred murdered Heyin, and for that I sought vengeance.

What did you whisper in the King's ear?

Aoqi: I said, 'Bellias, you have a daughter, the one true heir of your crown.' When Murod and the demons are defeated, the crown of Medeva will be yours, Sihua. We have a long road to travel, and you, Joseph, must finish your quest. There is someone here who can help you. An old friend. You will find him in the village, and he knows what you must do next. He also has a gift for you, Joseph. One that you will find most useful.

If Yago pops up again, he is getting a debasser to the dome.

Jekhar is back!

I wonder if the gift is his axe in Joseph's skull.

Ugh, Flece is quickly becoming insufferable after this special snowflake revelation.

Galienne vanished from the island, and with her vanished the Lore of the Nhuvasarim. She was in league with Prince Sornehan, and together they conspired to murder Bellias.

Lore of the Nhuvasarim?

Laharah's cult of sorcerers, worshipers of death. The Nhuvasarim died out centuries ago, but their writing survives.

How did she steal the lore?

Yago knew where the writings were kept on Iona. Rosalind and I escorted Galienne to the island, but she was never in any danger. Her escape from Lenele was nothing but a ruse.

Why did she steal the lore?

So that she and Sornehan could master the secrets of the Nhuvasarim. Through the death and despair of others, these sorcerers of Laharah grow powerful. Sornehan and Galienne now rule over the wasteland of Medeva. In league with the four demons, they torment the survivors who huddle in the ruins. Through the agony of their people, they grow stronger.

How did you get to Orenia?

I had neither King nor Queen to defend. Tarhimun was dead, and I had nothing left to fight for. Nothing but my desire for revenge.

Revenge?

I knew the monks could fend for themselves, so I sailed to Orenia to find Joseph and kill him. I would have vengeance for Ciran. For Medeva.

What happened next?

I came to Wolong, and here I joined the Jade Temple's fight against Murod. Aoqi helped me understand. The destruction of Ciran was not your fault, Joseph. There are forces at work here greater than you or I.

So you forgive me?

*Jekhar laughs.* No, I don't forgive you, but I promise not to kill you yet.

I love you Jekhar.

Aoqi said you had a gift for me?

More than a gift! I have the Ring of the Four Winds! The priests of the Jade Temple were keeping this ring for you. They knew the Summoner would come to fulfill his prophecy. You now have only two more dragon rings to find. The Ring of Jade and the Ring of the Forest.

The Ring of Jade?

The ring lies in the eye of the dragon found in the Jade Temple, an imperial stronghold near the Tower of Eleh. We'll have to defeat Murod to get the ring, but first, you'll need the Ring of the Forest. This ring lies in the Shrine of Liangshan, a haunted forest east by northeast of Wolong. The guardian of that shrine will give us the ring. That's where we must go.

A haunted forest?

Evil spirits haunt Liangshan. We'll have to fight through the forest to reach the shrine.

Join us.

Let's go now to Liangshan. When we have the Ring of the Forest, we'll be ready to face Murod.