Part 24: Update XXIV - Sounds Like A Great Idea To Me

Update XXIV - Sounds Like A Great Idea To Me



We find ourselves back in the throneroom with Dankwart and our helpers in crime.

The sun! After all these years, finally the sun is shining on my beloved Falkenburg again!

Chief Knurrgahn! You upheld your part of the bargain and helped us drive that fiend Wahnfried out.
Now it's my turn to pay you back... you and your pack may now leave!
Finally! It's about time for us to leave this land behind us and to return to our homeland. MEN! WE'RE OUT OF HERE!

And leave they do.

Alvaro, it's good to know that you're still here.
No problem - my men won't leave until they get their pay, anyway.
Well, that shouldn't be a problem. But tell me...
What happened in the meantime here?
After you followed the bloodsucker, the tides started to turn. Slowly the dark forces begun to gain the upper hand. But suddenly the sun came out!
Then everything went very quickly. The vampires either fled in panic or turned into foul-smelling smoke before our eyes. We could then find some of them in their coffins. Those were then brought outdoors and opened. You can imagine what happened to their owners. The zombies and skeletons had a similar fate.
Only Chief Xelram, the right hand of the dark duke, was nowhere to be found!
Half a dozen of my men are still scouring the castle for him.
Thank you, Alvaro. Clearly, you are a man that can easily make the right decision under pressure.
It was the years of secret resistance that trained my skills, my lord.

I wonder how Grandy, Libra and young Tarius are doing...

Couldn't you have been a bit quicker, Grandy?



And the three come back.

Oh, my friends! I wouldn't have figured you would return so quickly.
And we wouldn't have been if Grandy didn't let Wahnfried escape.
Now that's not fair. I ran until I was panting my lungs out, but Wahnfried's head start was too large.
Dankwart! We have to hurry, please come with us. Maybe we can still catch up!
Sorry, my boy, but this time I won't be able to help you. For me, this is the end...
But why? We have to follow him...
You misinterpreted me... I meant that this adventure ends here for me.
But you can't give up now!
Grandy!
Just let him, my dear. He'll get it once he calmed down.
But we have to stick together if we want to take out this fangjob.
He's already tucked his tail in and ran. Why don't we send him to hell once and for all? This is our chance to finally get payback!

He still hasn't figured out that the "duke" title actually comes with a region to rule over and shit to do.

I WOULD ADVISE AGAINST THAT...



Dun, dun, dunnn.

MALTHUR! You! Aren't you the son of evil incarnate? That's the last thing we needed right now!
So, you really are Malthur. THE Malthur...



No time for long talk, old man! I'm here to see if you can be useful to me.
Forget about it, pal! Before I become your lackey, you'll taste my blade!
A bit more discretion, Grandy. Not everything we see is the way it first appears.
But Dankwart, he's the son of the Dark God. That makes him even more dangerous than Wahnfried!
That might be, but I have the feeling he's not here to harm us.

Mostly because if he was, you'd already be dead. Still, I'm not sure why only Dankwart clued in on this - I can understand Grandy being all RAAR EVIL MUST SMASH, but Libra must have picked up on the whole "oh by the way I'm now dedicating my life to wiping out followers of the Dark God" part during the reception.

You are right, and now hear what I have to say or get out. Time is wasting!
I'm not sure about this, Dankwart.
Maybe we best listen to what he has to say first.
Hmpf, if you say so. But don't you think that we're wasting our time? That scumbag still has our child in his claws!
I know just as well as you do. And that's why you're going to let him speak, so that we can leave soon.

So, child of legends... all eyes are on you.
I'll make it quick. Wahnfried seems to have something big planned, and your child seems to play into this somehow.
How do you know, demon brat?
GRANDY!
Don't act like you're anything special, dirtbag! I read his mind, it's as simple as that!
Mindreading? Fascinating... could you elaborate?
You wouldn't understand the process even if I explained it to you.
Over the years, some followers found a fitting name for it...
The Brainmelter!
Hm, you've actually managed to impress me. Your old figure seems to hold more knowledge than I first suspected.
Yes, that's all very interesting. Could we now please get to what he has planned for... for...
What is it, Grandy?
I... I forgot... the name of our daughter.
...
You don't know it either, do you?
...but how can that be? Our daughter...
Hm, a very interesting phenomenon. I think it's related to the timeflo-
Silence! We don't have time for this!
"We"? Since when do you belong to us?
Son, you want to deal with a foe that dared to attack Malthur, the Unspeakable! You're not capable of taking him.

For being unspeakable, he's sure been spoken a lot so far. Hastur is not impressed.

Well, he told you off pretty well too... or were you just resting in those lightning strikes?
You're right, he managed to catch me off guard. And what do you think is the logical consequence?

Grandy doesn't really do logic.

I think he's right, Grandy.
Right? About what? I'm not really following right now.

Told you.

I think he's suggesting some sort of... alliance.
But that's insane! Are we supposed to unite with one force of darkness to beat the other?
I have nothing in common with my Dark Father anymore... the opposite is the case: I hunt and destroy his followers wherever I find them!

You would know this, had you paid attention during his monologue.

My children, I can only say one thing: Strange times sometimes call for strange alliances.
I'll stay here and help the old Falkenburg come back into existence. I owe that to Doria.
Sir Malthur, please tell me what that monster plans to do to my daughter.
My knowledge is limited. I could only decipher parts of his insane mind.
Never before have I seen into the mind of a creature that was even remotely comparable to that vampire in its malice...
It was so overwhelming that it stole my breath and gave Wahnfried the chance to take me out.
But my yammering isn't going to help either. What do you say?
If it's the only way... then it has to be.
Yes, dear. We don't have a choice.
Then it is decided! But now tell me: What happened to the dark duke? How could he escape?
We followed him to the courtyard, but a darkened carriage must have already been waiting for him.
We could only watch as Wahnfried fled with the help of his hunchbacked servant.
I could see in his thoughts that he had this planned just in case, and I also saw which goal he has.
By the gods! Don't keep us waiting, Sir Malthur!
He's heading for Königsberg!
Königsberg! Of course... why didn't I think of it myself? My dear friends, you must leave immediately!
What's so special about Königsberg?
It's a city with a port! From there Wahnfried could flee to all corners of the known world!
And escape from our reach for all time.
I hope that my old friend Baron Davidoff von Schöppelbrunn is still in office. I'll give you a letter in which I'll ask him to help you however he can.
Excellent! Then let's get going as soon as possible!

Ahem...
What is it, Tarius?
Umm... but what about Malthur? I mean a big guy like that has to draw a lot of attention.
An excellent thought, my boy. Especially since there are quite a few scholars of the occult in Königsberg that would...
What is it, Sir Dankwart? Did you think of something?
Well, twofold, my dear Tarius. I just got an idea how we could get some camouflage for... our new friend here...
What are you thinking of, old man?
Pretty cocky, coming from a creature that has existed for eons.
Touché.
But back to my idea... I think it's time to get my old court mage Gandamel out of the dungeons.
That was that old horndog that kept staring at me the whole time we were down there, right?
Well, he has his problems, that I have to admit. He may be... quite enamoured with the other sex, but his skills are beyond question.
Then I'll get going so we can get going.



Oh, Sir Dankwart, how happy I am to find you unharmed. What is...
No time to talk. Tell him what he has to do.
And who is this rude young man, Sir Dankwart?
That, Gandamel, is Malthur.
Alright... so, what can I do fo- WHAT did you say was his name again, Sir Dankwart?
I said, his name...
Yes, yes, we know, he's the son of that dark god thing. Apparently he's on our side. We want him to look a bit more inconspicuous. And did we mention we're in a HURRY?
That's really thick, Sir Dankwart. And now you want me to...
If you could, my old friend. Give the son of the Dark God a form that's not quite as... imposing.
So I'm supposed to enchant you... well, isn't the body of a real demigod a bit too... well...
Divine? Don't be so scared! I had to lose a lot of my power in... a thunderstorm. I think it'll work.

Read: Why Malthur is going to be about on par with the rest of our party.

So get going!
Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a bunch... I really have to concentrate for this spell. So if you could step aside for a bit...

Now, step in the middle, Sir Malthur, so we can enjoy your looks in all their splendor one more time.



That's alright. Now, let's see...

We get a bit of magic animation, and then...



...
...
...
...heh, a masterpiece. What do you think of that, Dankwart?
Well... that's really... pretty... but... the eyes...
That must be some sort of kink the Dark God built in. I can't change that.

If you ever want to have children, then you best change me into a proper form. And by that I mean a MALE form.
But that way, nobody's going to...
I'm not joking!
Well, alright. Who am I to disagree with a divine creature? So, one more time...
And you best make it to MY liking this time. I have no problem with squashing an incapable mage before I go vampire hunting.

One more time...



Well, that does look a bit more inconspicuous.
A bit tiny perhaps...
But it's also... well... try the hood on your coat to hide your... piercing gaze a bit.



...
I'll... umm... be off then.

And he legs it like hell.

Right, now that we took care of that, we should really get going.
Dankwart, you wanted to tell us of a second thing you thought of...
In Königsberg, there lives an old school friend and a treasured colleague of mine: Wilhelm von Junzt - an expert in the field of the occult. You really should pay him a visit. My name should be enough to allow you to meet him. First you must head to Gumpensund, five miles south of here. There you must get some horses - I'll pay for those.
Good luck, my friends. It pains me to have to see you go, but this thing must be finished.
We'll bring this fiend to justice! Doria... will be avenged.
Watch out for yourselves, and come back to me in one piece.
Don't worry, we'll make it back!

Oh, and one more thing! Malthur, I can understand the pain and bitterness you must feel about that what happened to you on that day...
But you should try to keep your feelings constrained and choose the right tone if you want to stay undetected.
...
I'll remember that...



Then we get a little cutscene of Grandy riding a horse (I guess drawing all four would have made it too crowded?)...



...a little scene of our path (sadly without Indiana Jones music)...



...until we arrive at our destination:



Königsberg.