Part 3: Proof Of Courage

With key in hand, Prince Theo made his way to the gateway to Martel's domain and passed through. At first the forest seemed exactly the same as the forest he grew up in, but there were subtle differences.



The trees were quieter, sometimes so quiet that Theo couldn't hear what they were saying, no matter how hard he tried.

Some of the trees actually won't talk to you until after you've completed certain events in the game's storyline. When this is the case they react like this.



A few trees spoke to Theo, but many of them had a superior attitude and seemed to feel that Theo's education had somehow been lacking.



At length Theo came to a house in the woods, where there lived a man with an intense expression constantly on his face. His home was filled with stacks of difficult looking books, but the most startling thing of all was that nestled within the stacks there lived a white pigeon!



The man, who Theo took to be the magician Martel, spoke harshly to Theo and accused him of being an impostor trying to use the name of the true prince. He dismissed the prince, but as Theo prepared to storm out the pigeon spoke to him! Theo was so astonished that he stopped to listen.



The pigeon introduced herself far more politely than his master had, and made what excuses she could for Martel's behavior. Theo was deeply moved by the loyalty the simple creature showed and decided to try and speak to Martel again.



Any improvement in Martel upon further acquaintance would have been difficult to gauge, but the magician at least offered Theo a chance to prove the truth of his claims. Martel directed Theo to the worship site within his domain and bade him pray for inspiration. With his powers he unlocked the door from within his home and sent Theo on his way.



As Theo left, he was set upon by giant bats in the darkness of Martel's domain. The bats were annoying, but Theo found them hardly dangerous compared to the treant he had so recently defeated.

8 hp, 2-5 gold, and 5-10 experience. A big step up from skeletons and moths. They can also use a bite attack to lower your agility.

Church Theme


Just around the corner from Martel's home Theo came to the worship site, a vast space filled with many pews and illuminated by a window made up of many panes of multi-colored glass. The pews were littered with remnants of past visitors, including (oddly enough) an herb left lying in a chair.



Even that holy site was not free of monsters, however, and Theo was set upon by dangerous beasts that he had never seen before.

These might be the most annoying enemies in the game. They can attack by blowing flames at you, but more often than not they just watch. The problem is that when you kill them they explode, so you're never going to escape undamaged. About 7 hp, 2-4 gold and 4-8 experience, so they're not even really worth it.



Theo approached the altar and admired its beauty, then knelt before it. The magic of Grace that he had learned in the forest came to his mind and he called upon it, praying with all his might for guidance. Just at that moment a ball of light appeared before him, and began to speak.



It confirmed the truth of his ancestry and reaffirmed the mission that the old man had given Theo, telling him that it was his destiny to reform King Hennesy. As the light bestowed upon Theo a mystical charm it invited him to return again if he had any difficulties.

From this point on, if you return and cast Grace the game will give you a hint if you get confused and need some guidance. How useful they are... well, that's another story.



Theo continued to explore the church. When he came upon a pipe organ sitting silently near the altar an unknown impulse caused him to raise his charm high in the organ's direction. A red ball of light rose from within the organ and rushed toward Theo, striking his charm in a flash of color. When his eyes cleared, Theo could see that the plain charm he had held was now encrusted with rubies.

Technically this step might be optional, but it'll be helpful later.



Theo attempted to leave to show the ruby charm to Martel, but soon found himself being swarmed by enemies. Unable to fight them all, he rushed from the church clutching the charm.

Yes, you can get adds in this game. Sometimes during a battle new enemies will just show up.



As soon as Martel saw the charm he recognized it, and apologized profusely to Prince Theo for ever doubting his word. His declaration of heartfelt regret moved Prince Theo, and the prince forgave him immediately.



Although Theo had impressed the magician, he did not have the Sword of Hope and could only offer some advice... and to lend his magic to the sword Theo already possessed.



As Martel bestowed his power upon the sword, three stars formed on the weapon. Theo could immediately feel a difference in the sword's power compared to the weapon it had been just moments before.

It's basically a +10 bonus to dexterity. Handy, but there's no real inventory system in place so all upgrades take the form of stat increases.



Convinced of Theo's connection with the source of light and wisdom in the world, Martel had a request for the young prince. While saving pigeons was not what Theo had expected from his adventure, he resolved to make an attempt.



Lost for a course of action, Theo struck the pigeon on top of its head. Proving that violence does indeed solve problems, the blow caused the pigeon to lay an egg and relieved its distress considerably.



The pigeon was much happier and felt a great deal of gratitude towards Prince Theo. This feeling, combined with a complete lack of motherly instinct, prompted the pigeon to release her egg into his keeping. Theo wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do with an egg, but kept it regardless.


the Sword of Hope.

Still somewhat dazed by Theo's unique problem solving techniques, Martel suggested that Theo should ask the magician Shabow about the Sword of Hope. Unfortunately, Martel could not offer any suggestions as to where Shabow's key might be located.



Prince Theo felt lost, and decided to seek after inspiration at the worship site. The response he received puzzled him greatly: the light, with no explanation what-so-ever, told him that there was a slug at the bottom of the well. Just as Theo was beginning to think that the light was not entirely stable, a tree behind the church told him that a particular slug at the bottom of the well had Shabow's key in its possession.

Not pictured: Theo learning the RaiseA spell upon reaching level five. As you might expect, it raises agility.

Graveyard Theme


Theo pressed on, only to find himself entering a graveyard behind the church. The trees warned him that he was in a dangerous place, and Theo began to feel frightened. As he examined the many gravestones he couldn't help but think of those who had passed away, but none of the names looked familiar to him.



The eerie nature of the graveyard sent chills up his spine, and Theo recalled legends of vampires and other creatures from beyond the grave that were said to haunt such places.



The trees bore his fears out, telling him that they had heard of a vampire in the area. It was hard for Theo to understand why the trees were scared; was the vampire some kind of sap-sucking vegetarian?



After hearing of the vampire Theo was considerably relieved to escape from the graveyard, even though the abandoned well at the end of the path was scarcely less disturbing. Why, he wondered, would anyone have placed a well this far out into the forest?

Well Theme


After one of the trees assured Theo that the well was quite dry, he examined it more closely and pried open the lid that some responsible person had placed over it to prevent unfortunate accidents. As he entered the well Theo couldn't help but be struck at how spacious it was and how thoughtful its builders had been to place a ladder along one wall.

The hole to the left here is actually one way from the other side.



As concerned as Theo was about vampires, he should have been far more worried about the goblins that infested the old well. In his current state they were far too strong for him to deal with, and Theo soon found himself forced out of the well.

This game isn't very kind at all sometimes. I suppose I should mention that if you die in this game you get sent back to the old man and revived with 20 hp and 20 mp. It's not too harsh, but at higher levels it ensures that you have to either use recovery items or go and pay the shaman.



Disheartened by being forced out of the well, Theo trained his mind and body relentlessly. If the goblins within the well were so formidable, then the slug at the bottom must be even more dangerous.

The game hits a brick wall about here, as some of you might remember. You've got to be at least level 7 to have a decent chance of proceeding, and it's quite easy to reach this point at level 5. Grinding ahoy! Firebal3 is useless, as are all the level 3 spells because they always hit the caster as well as the enemies. Recmin, on the other hand, is the best spell we've gotten so far since it heals about 20-25 hp. Our endurance just got a huge boost.



Theo's magical abilities expanded at a prodigious rate, and he mastered new and more powerful spells with a speed that would have astonished traditional students of the arts. He soon felt much more prepared to explore the well and set off again.

Lightning is a more powerful spell than the fireball series, with the standard drawback of occasionally backfiring on the caster. It's particularly useful now, since goblins are immune to fire spells. PillagD steals the enemy's dexterity and gives it to Theo, but it's got all the standard issues of occasionally bouncing back on you.



Within the well Theo found a very tempting treasure chest laying in a pool of water, only to discover that when something appears too good to be true it often is. The treasure chest grew a pair of muscular arms and sprouted a single eye as it leapt at Prince Theo, pummeling him mercilessly.

Mimics are brutal. They've got 46 hp and can hit you for around 20 damage even at level 7, but they're worth 9-11 gold and 18-29 experience. I went into this fight with 42 hp and came out with 21.



Theo's studies of magic soon led him to full mastery of the element of fire, and opened him to the idea of using the wind itself as an attack. With these powers in hand, he felt ready to face the slug and wrest the key away from it.

Firebal4 hits all enemies without backfiring on the caster, while Bagefire is a single target wind spell that's even more powerful than lightning. I have no idea what they were aiming for with bagefire, but there you have it.



Not having learned his lesson the first time, Theo approached the chest he found at the bottom of the well without due caution and was shocked beyond words to find that the slug he sought was in fact waiting inside the box.



The slug was somewhat formidable, but Theo's new magics proved more than a match for the slimy creature. Theo summoned lightning and tornadoes mercilessly to destroy the creature and, wiping bits of slug off his armor, took the key to Shabow's domain from the bottom of the chest.

Our second boss type has about 48 hp, and gives 6-9 gold and 13-21 experience. That's less than a mimic, and in some ways it's less threatening. It does have an acid attack, but I didn't see it this time.



While Theo was tempted to head directly for Shabow's domain, he felt a compelling urge to express the oddly spacious well and see what other secrets it held.



Few of them were pleasant...



But some were at least harmless. The message on the bottom of the chest referenced the legend of the swordsman that Theo had heard from the trees, suggesting to him that he was nearing that legendary hero's final resting place.



The inside of the well was confusing and twisted and turned upon itself, but Theo kept a clear head and realized that if he were not careful he would end up back where he had started and be forced to make his way through the well again.

Remember that one way path I mentioned earlier?



After crawling through uncounted amounts of slime and debris, Prince Theo found himself at the end of the well looking up through another opening in the ceiling. He saw no immediate escape, but when he struck at the wall experimentally a strong vine fell down to within his reach. Before climbing he examined the chest with trepidation, only to discover that it contained nothing more threatening than a doll! Relieved, Prince Theo climbed out of the well.

The Doll is a boosting item that increase's Theo's power, although I'm not sure at the moment if it's one time or multiple use.



The trees above the well asked Theo if he had spoken with the swordsman. Although he had not yet found the grave, their questions encouraged him that he was on the right path.

They spell the name of the swordsman about 3 different ways..



Just past the whispering trees Theo found a gravestone that was different from the others, standing alone in a peaceful place.



While the resting place might have been peaceful, the spirit of Poliniyak was not at rest. The swordsman sensed Theo's presence and appeared before him, a wraith that brought a cold chill from the grave.



The ghost had a request for Theo, related to the legendary fall of his tears when he grieved over the kingdom he had loved so much.



The trees had led Theo to believe that the knight was practically a saint, so he was greatly surprised that Poliniyak's tears could have the potential to be used for evil by a creature has vile as the Yeti.



The entire encounter left Theo disquieted, and even after the swordsman had disappeared a lingering sense of unease remained. The trees pointed Theo to a path in the trees, but even such a simple thing struck him as suspicious.

This path is a one way trip back to the graveyard to serve as a shortcut. Don't ask me what menace smells like, either.



Warily passing through the graveyard Theo fought past a myriad of creatures, coming through practice to a greater understanding of the magics he had already learned and coming to understand new spells.

PillagAS takes the enemy's agility and stamina, but sometimes results in a loss of dexterity. Lightning 2 is a much improved version of lightning, and continues the trend of costing as much as its predecessor while being more useful overall.



On the way toward Shabow's domain Theo stopped to visit his foster father, sharing the progress of the quest. While the old man shared his disappointment, he encouraged Theo on his quest and assured him that one of the other two magicians must have the sword. With his heart lightened, Theo set out once again to seek the magician Shabow.