Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land Part #23

Part 23: Chapter 6-3: Family

Chapter 6-3: Family

Another update?! Miketopus must have gone insane.

This update, believe it or not, will finish up chapter 6. Let's get right to it!

Before we get into details, I found a few new materials in this update.

Yeah, I went absolutely genocidal on chimeras, fire and earth giants in this update. What gave it away? With these materials sold, I only need six more to complete the material shop list.

Oh, and apparently the Incubus Wings are a one-time only material that can be used in virtually every medium to high level magic stone. They also function as a Transfer Potion if used in the menu, but this destroys the item, so why waste it?

If we go back to the zig-zag hallway just before the map-less corridors, we run into an old friend.

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...d-grace-5338988

In the nauseating air, the stench of blood filled your nose.

What appeared out of the mists were two Poison Giants: the strongest of all giants.

- Who predicted the ending of this tragedy...

- It's called a Homunculus, a living being that God himself forbade from being made.

Sir Eugene Guestam. The man who had used monsters to kidnap the Queen.

- I realized it by watching Incubus' response. Though he quite enjoyed it, for me it was just a waste of my oh so precious time. The Queen's heart was like an empty spring, devoid of emotion. We are all fool,s deceived by LeDua's little doll.

Eugene stopped speaking. He seemed to be in deep thought.

- If we are to believe she is a fake, then everything else makes sense. A soulless being can't stir the grieving hearts of the people. So where is the REAL Queen? Did she die in the Flash? Or was she taken somewhere? I must find out the truth... So for that, it matters not how much I must sell my soul. For I will do it until I can endure it no longer.

- So the rumor was true?!

A woman's voice echoed clearly in the Labyrinth.

- Did you really make a contract with the King of Darkness to take over Duhan?

- And what if I did?

- T-that... do you think that God will forgive you?! Open your eyes! It's still not too late! Before you are doomed to Hell for all eternity. Those who love peace will be the ones who receive God's blessing. Your parents were religious, so you knew that too. So why...?

Grace's voice was trembling and helpless. As if it would vanish at any moment.

- If you don't have the courage to stain your hands, there is nothing you can do.

- God will never forgive your evil acts...

- I am no longer fearful of such trivial things as death and destruction. I have but one path. Gain the crown or die trying. Once one starts evil it must be followed through until the end.

- I-if that's the case, then let me come with you! Two people are far stronger than just one.

- Do not concern yourself with me anymore. It is in your best interest to go back to town and find a new life.

- D-do you really mean that?

- I WILL rule Duhan. But until that day comes, there is nothing else meaningful here. Even if I could stop, it makes no difference... My body and soul are no longer my own.

- E-Eugene...

Grace was upset. Her lips tightened and her arms shook.

- Hate... I hate the Flash. It destroyed not just the town, but people's hearts as well. He is not the same gentle, pious man I remember. He will never return until the dark fires of his ambition are extinguished.

- I'm going back to town. I can't stop him anymore.

- ...and he's using adventurers to find her, right? That's why the Labyrinth hasn't been shut down and we are encouraged to explore it. Of course this is only if Sir Eugene's story is true. Other than that, I don't know what he has done.

- I get the chills just thinking of being in her shoes. What could have made him go crazy like that? He wasn't the type to do such things before. If he was such a person then, he would never have been made the Chief of the Queen's Guard. The Queen must be the cause, just as Eugene said.

- The actions of the Queen, ever since the Flash, were quite strange. She doesn't care for the suffering people or to rebuild the country either. On top of that, she is encouraging adventurer to explore the Labyrinth. There must be a reason to keep it open.

- There must be a reason... You know it's not always easy to see the truth. In this case though, the truth seems to be surrounded by darkness. Those who are touched by it are not safe. You know I get a really bad feeling that his Labyrinth is filled with that darkness.

- LeDua's actions are insane. Total despair does not drive a person to insanity. Even LeDua must have the smallest hope. Perhaps he is clinging to that hope. He may hope the Queen still lives, like Sir Eugene said.

I don't know if you all picked up on it, but Grace was kind of all over the place there. First she wants to redeem Eugene, then condemn him, then join him, then give up on him. All in the space of a sentence or two each.

With the Incubus room completed, we're halfway through this floor. The next area is rather hazardous for a number of reasons.

Scattered about the floor are poisonous tiles. Stepping on one will randomly poison members of the group. If you don't have a truckload of Antidotes or a couple of people with Poizkea, you can get in a lot of trouble quickly. Moreover, keeping party members poisoned lowers their trust rating at a steady pace.

There's a couple new enemies too, but generally they're not much worse than their earlier incarnations.

Scattered through the area (Often right in the middle of poison tiles) are a few good treasures worth picking up. Updates on what they do at the end of the update.

Anyway, just south of the Incubus hallway...

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...-part-1-5338783

As you set food inside, you were overcome with the stench of blood and acid.

Limbless bodies were scattered throughout the room. It looks like they were adventurers. Judging from the state of the bodies, they haven't been dead for long.

You noticed the bizarre way the bones were cut. The cuts were smooth, as if done by a sharp blade. Hina went by one of the bodies and crouched down to take a look.

- Only a skilled swordsman can make such a clean slit. I know this cut...

You felt a chill run down your spine as you sensed a presence behind you. You turned your eyes towards the direction of the presence.

- More... I need more blood to lure him...

A man appeared from the darkness. In his hand he held a katana, drenched in blood.

He had long black hair, like that of a samurai... He laughed with a deep voice.

- Brother Dearest! Brother Dearest... please, stop it!!

Hina's scream stopped his movement for an instant but he smiled coldly and drew his sword to stirke.

The wind from his swing was intense; the party shielded their eyes. The next instant the wind stopped. Slowly you lowered your arms and realized that he was gone.

- Nachi... no, Brother Dearest. What are you trying to gain by giving up your spirit as a Samurai? Are you just going to continue killing out of sadness and insanity? But, I believe there is still kindness in your heart. After all, if you wanted to kill me, you could have already. But you didn't, and so there's at least a little bit of hope.

Breaking down a wall to the right of the entryway not only avoids a poison pit, it also leads to...

The escaped Kobold turned around and began to yell.

- Why you...! Now you've really made me angry! I thought you were that black haired lunatic, because you appeared so suddenly. Don't make fun of me! The truth is, he kills everything he sees. Don't matter if it's human or not. He is absolutely crazy. He calls out a Demon's name as he kills people!

The Kobold shivered at the thought of the man.

- Look! The hair on my neck is standing straight up! If he keeps up like this it will come for sure.

Huh... okay.

Past the poison pits are a couple winding corridors. One leads upward, to a series of spider-webbed pit traps, the other leads to a dead end that encapsulates all the pit trap landings. The farthest corridor to the east is actually the exit, but there's a lot of encounters between here and there.

The corridors here began to look almost flesh-like, giving the fortress an appearance of being almost alive. And, further complicating things are these sphincter-like doorways. They don't open for the player; rather, they are timed to open and close automatically. If you miss one, you could be in for a bit of a wait with nowhere to go. Fortunately, there's only two that need to be passed through.

This is fairly obviously a ruse; the bridge is broken and cannot be crossed. However, it is also the way to the stairs.

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...-part-2-5339363

The nauseating stench of beast filled the air. Chained to the wall was a dead body. A pattern was drawn in blood. From across the path you could hear the snarl of a beast.

- O young corpse, devoured by the darkness of eternity... Your mortification shall be washed away with his blood... Your lonely, black nights shall be filled with his screams...

A badly wounded samurai appeared out of the dark.

- Brother Dearest!

But, his eyes seemed to not reflect a soul anymore.

Nachi passed beside you with an uncertain walk towards a deep "darkness". You heard the sound of a sword rending flesh. The agonizing scream of a man echoed throughout the Labyrinth.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-

-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

-CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC-

-K ME IN THE ASS WITH A CHAINSAW!

The Greater Demon makes the Incubus look like an Orc. Since it's supposed to be one of the last random encounters in the regular flow of the game, we're fighting it way ahead of schedule. It has ridiculous defense (I think that's the first time I've ever used the attack-boosting spell, and you can see how many it took to start doing decent damage), a ridiculous four-part attack (The tail can also paralyze sometimes if it hits), and high level magic. Technically you can avoid this fight entirely if Hina isn't in your party here, but I decided to just

my way through it.

- The Labyrinth heard my wish, and gave me revenge on the Demon that I had wanted for so long. I finally avenged my little brother's death at the hands of the Demon. But it's ironic that at the end, you, who hates fighting, would steal the glory from me. Was the Labyrinth just mocking me?! Then I too shall laugh at my fate!

- Brother... Dearest... come home.. We can start anew...

- I am your brother no longer. For the sake of revenge, I let hate destroy my soul. I killed so many... In this darkness, now my soul goes even deeper into it's (sic) own darkness.

Nachi smiled sadly at Hina.

- You're not even real family by blood. You just got involved in two brothers' laughable fates.

Hina was petrified by Nachi's words. She denied all he said vehemently. Nachi's speech began to tremble, and struggling, he spoke his last words to Hina.

- You no longer need to be bound by us. Think not of us, and go live your life freely.

- Ah, finally it's come... I can hear the snarl of the Reaper's scythe. At last, eternal....

Nachi sighed his last breath and slowly collapsed in a pool of blood. His body slowly began to turn to ash.

Hina took out a dagger.

- At least let me send half of my soul to be with you... As proof... That while we were together, we were a family.

Hina took hold of her beautiful hair and cut a lock of it with her dagger. The hair rustled in the wind as she dropped it on the ashes. The wind carried both of them into the depths of the Labyrinth.

Hina wiped the tears from her eyes and bowed her head politely.

- Thank you very much.

Hina's quest has been completed.

Hina was sorrowfully quiet for a period of time. But she soon spoke.

- Let me come with you. I want to see the end fo this Labyrinth which claimed my brothers. Also, I do have a debt to you that I must repay.

Saying that, Hina smiled.

Well, that's the end of Hina's quest. No reward, but at least she got closure.