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TUNIC Narrative Guide - Act 2, Part 7: The Prison Unlocke...
Summary: Join the Ruin Seeker (that's our protagonist fox!) on his journey through a strange and vaguely familiar land. His inner thoughts are laid bare as we explore the unknown. Each step brings new mysteries to solve, new challenges to face. - This story is intended as a companion piece to the video game TUNIC, but can also function as a guide if you are stuck or a teaser to get you interested.
We are now in the second act of the game, which means heavy spoilers! If you plan to experience the game for yourself, use Act 1 as your teaser and come back afterwards, or if you find yourself stuck.
Feeling my prize close at hand, I step forth and try not to fall from the precarious walkway. More and more obelisks stretch out into the distance. If I wanted to, I could jump from here and get a better look. I would return here only a few moments later.
Shaking off the strange thought, I climb the stairway and find the final vault. Before me is a large, heavy-set woman. She stands in front of the blue key, still encased in its prison but the vault itself halfway disassembled. Several barrels are scattered in the area, and walking quietly behind them, I creep up to this obvious foe. Not one scavenger before this has been friendly, so I draw my blade and advance.
She turns in rage from the sudden barrage of strikes. With a dash backwards she raises what I think to be a shield and suddenly it alights with energy. It's a massive sword, and it it swings down towards my head. I dodge and laugh at her attempt, when suddenly it come back from the other side and cuts into me.
Repeating this combo, I stay underfoot and dodge it fully. The Boss of the Scavengers then dashes away once again, and instead of readying her sword, she pulls a gun from her pocket with a shocking resemblance to mine. I move for cover as soon as I recognize the object but my reaction speed is too slow and she rails me with a burst. Her weapon has a longer range than mine with a narrower blast, but it's mostly the same.
She squeezes the trigger again, but this time I've ducked behind one of the scattered barrels. On the other side, I hear a clanking with a loud hiss. Peeking around the corner, I see the characteristic red and white swirl of a Boom Bomb clattering along the ground straight for me. I roll away at the last moment, placing myself behind the next barrel.
She raises her sword arm high into the air and charges up a new attack. With a leap, she slams into the ground and an electric pulse radiates across the roof. It passes straight through the barrels and I barely have time to react. Rolling from behind the barrel, she is ready for me and another barrage from her Gun hits me square on. Back into hiding, I avoid a second shot and drink a potion, but I'm beginning to get annoyed at the frequency of her attacks.
Pulling out my Fire Rod, I sprint out from behind the barrel and let into her. She seems surprised that I have a range weapon of my own, and she decides to return to using melee attacks against me. We collide in the center of the platform, trading blows. Craning her arm back, she readies a large attack and then sweeps across the field, coming to the very edge.
With another sip of life-restoring liquid, I chase after her. She bounds around the roof creating wave after wave of radiating pulses. I hit her with a few fire bolts, but she's constantly behind barrels and at a distance. When I catch up to her, she tries to swipe at me but I duck out of sight behind her and she leaps yet again.
It seems her plan is to tire me out. Between giving chase and dodging the electricity, I'm completely drained. When she sees this, she slashes with her energy weapon and leaves me on the verge of death. As I run to heal, a Boom Bomb drops behind me. With a last-ditch roll, I manage to make it behind a barrel and quickly chug a potion. Before I can consume a second, the scavenger queen leaps across, straight towards me. I haven't even caught my breath yet, and I stumble across to another hiding spot.
Out of desperation, I ignore the next radiating wave and drink, leaving me three potions left. As the energy passes through me, I catch my foe dashing across with a giant cleaving strike. With a roll, I narrowly avoid being hit. In a fierce back and forth, we circle around each other and continue to trade blows. I am once again fully drained, exhaustion leading to recklessness. In no time at all, I'm out of potions and close to defeat. Meanwhile, the scavenger boss seems as healthy as when we began.
Dodging in close, I drain the last of my spirit with a Gun-blast. It does a healthy bit of damage and leaves her staggered. I claim a few more strikes, but she clips me with her blade. One more hit, and I'm done for. She lunges from the far edge, but I'm just out of range. I hide behind a barrel and she throws a Boom Bomb. When I come out, she nails me with her Gun. Defeat.
I can't help but admire her strategy. Each action she took forced me into a position vulnerable to her next strike. Perhaps I should try a more advanced strategy. Before setting out from the altar, I search through my items. In my pockets, I find a bundle of six decoys. I haven't tried one of those yet. With no easy opportunity to restore my spirit, I ready it over the Gun and set off to face the queen again.
After the opening salvo, I dodge her sword strike and activate the decoy. It creates a phantom copy of me by some unknown means, and the copy begins to run around the platform. After making a short circle, it comes back around to my location. It seems to have the same thoughts as I do, and we both stay underfoot of the large scavenger woman.
I take the edge of a strike meant for the mobile puppet, and I begin to question how effective this thing is when it seems to copy my every thought. Her gaze remains focused on it, and as she moves to strike, the puppet suddenly turns and begins to run in a straight line. A straight line that leads it directly off the ledge.
As I question why my copy decided to leap off, I have a sobering moment. Not long ago, I was thinking about the same thing. As it falls out of sight, I proclaim the decoys to be of no use to me, and before her attention returns to me I exchange them with the Gun. The experiment wasn't a total waste, but I won't say I'm not disappointed.
Ducking under a lunge, I return my attention to my fierce foe. She throws a Boom Bomb towards my hiding spot, and rather than move to the side, I move backwards. Moments later, a blast strikes the ground to my sides. Her predictable strategies are becoming easier to counter. We trade several blows and I roll behind another barrel. Before returning to the brawl, I quaff two potions.
A close up strike manages to land a blow on me, and I begin to wonder why I haven't been utilizing my shield. If I'm conservative with it, I can avoid becoming exhausted by repeated dodges. She throws a bomb when I'm not looking, and I barely avoid catching the edge of the blast. I move in again, and after a few strikes I raise my shield to prepare for a blow, she leans back and kicks at me with her foot! That's a new one.
The impact sends me flying, despite having my shield raised. As I struggle to my feet, she leaps across the rooftop to smash where I just was. I roll inward to try to strike at her and she dashes away as soon as I first strike out. She then rushes me with another sword combo, and as I circle around behind her I misjudge the distance and take the back edge of the strike to my face.
I run behind the barrels to recover, and as I drink, the warmother throws a bomb in my direction. As soon as I heal, I take more damage, forcing another two to be consumed. Only two remain and I feel like I've barely managed to wound her. I briefly contemplate joining my decoy at the bottom of this pit, given my poor performance so far.
From across the arena, boss-lady lunges towards me. She misjudges the distance and her blade stops just short of me. Seizing the opportunity, I rally and unleash my fury. She strikes with her sword, but I block the attack and continue to assail her. She backs away, colliding with a barrel. Pinned, I move in and jab. She slashes, I block. In no time at all, I've chipped away at her armor leaving giant gouges everywhere.
With a lunge, she forces me back, doing a slight amount of damage to me in the process. Behind me, the key waits, but even if I take it, she has disabled the bridgeway out. Only by defeating her can I reactivate it and make a clean escape. I hold out my shield and she kicks me. It's only by luck that I don't tumble over the edge.
Another lunge sends her into the area surrounding the key. I strike out and she leaps into the air, stomping the edge of the tiny corner. It's so close that I fail to dodge the electric ripple, and I'm suddenly at risk of imminent death. Retreating, I see her readying yet another lunge. At the last moment, I dodge, narrowly avoiding certain death.
As I run, I drink my second to last potion. This repeats itself once more, with a narrowly avoided lunge and the consumption of my final potion. Do I even have a prayer? Even worse, she lands her next short swipe, bringing the end just that much closer.
Leaning into my shield, I approach with caution. Her sword combo is fully deflected and her retreat is blocked by the ledge at her back and the barrel to her side. As I unleash my fury upon her, she lands a fresh hit and I lean into my shield again. It feels heavy, and I realize I'm facing exhaustion. Blocking the second swing, I retreat across the roof to the next barrel. Her pursuant lunge connects. Fear courses through me.
I've nearly forgotten about fighting at range. She's neglected her Gun this fight, and my own spirit is still overflowing. She leaps across with another electric burst, and I begin to pour my soul into my Fire Rod. Hit after hit land, and I roll and dodge over two rings of power. The third gives me a glancing blow, however, and I'm down to the last of my strength.
After her last leap, she placed herself on the other side of the blue hexagon. She is weakening and attempting to hide from my fiery blasts. The cover proves inadequate, so she tries to lunge at me. The pillar blocks her way, and I'm granted some respite. I feel my spirit reaching the edge of depletion. She throws a Boom Bomb in her rage. We're both wounded, exhausted, desperate.
She charges into my shots, anxious to finish me off. She rears back with her sword, and as she leans into her strike, I pull out my Gun and shoot her point blank with the very last ounce of my inner strength. She staggers back, vision blinded by the blast. Shaking it off, she looks around for where I went. A single hit from either side will end the duel.
Afraid to approach her with my sword and shield, I try to reach into my pockets to find a Boom Bomb. She races towards me and I have to run. I dodge her slice, her follow-up breezes behind me. I dig again in my pockets, but she gives chase immediately, giving me no respite to find them. Her slash comes down over my head, the heat from her energy blade brushing across my ear tips.
Once more I flee, and at last am given just enough time to reach my bombs. I try to light one and throw it at her, and my panic causes me to throw it late. Instead of throwing it forward, I release it behind me and it flies off the ledge. Its explosion reminds her of her own stash, and she pulls one from her pocket, lighting it with the heat of her great weapon. It comes sailing towards me at the same time as I launch my second.
Her bomb bounces shallow, exploding in front of me. At the same time, mine rolls towards her and curves itself behind the barrel. With a loud bang, she falls to her knees. She yields to me, granting me access to the key. However I refuse to yield. She seems like the type to shoot me in the back the second I let my guard down. I walk up to her and, with a defiant look, I plunge my sword upwards into her throat.
Taking the final hexagonal key into my paws, I breathe a sigh of relief. The battle was hard fought, but exhilarating. Despite being on the brink of death, I feel more alive than ever. It's been one epic fight after the next, each one a unique experience. Putting it into my pockets with the rest, I return to the altar, basking in the glow of success. When I feel recovered, I enter the alcove and use the telepad within to return to the goddess.
Walking up to her, she greets me with a kind wave. Around her, the collection of offerings I've sent her way keep her company like an audience of dolls. At the edges of my sight, I see rings spinning around, faint and ethereal. The mechanism by which she remains trapped glows with the three colors of the hexagons. I pull out the three colored keys and show them to her, and she lightly applauds my efforts. Though, she seems a bit sad at the same time.
I pocket them and turn to leave. I have to return them to the Sealed Temple. I enter the center telepad and am brought once again to the room with the goddess's sword. Oh right, the town portal is the one on the side. Correcting my mistake, I return to town and work my way up to the first goddess altar I found in my journey. Soon she'll be free, and I can claim the great treasure.
Up the path and into the temple, I begin to place the keys into their proper places. The red key goes to the left. The rings spin and the outer one unlocks and falls away. In the middle the red prism fades. At the back of the room, the blue key. The inner ring drops away. The last slot is for the green key, and the seal is now fully unlocked.
Around me, silence. Nothing rises from the pit. No grand rumble. Just an empty hall filled with a disappointing quiet. I walk outside, expecting that maybe I'll be greeted by the goddess, or by some great change. Still, nothing. With a bit of frustration, I set off to visit the goddess in person, transporting myself to the ghostly realm.
Revised Goal: Obtain the great treasure?
Climbing the stairs and entering into the chamber reminiscent of the Sealed Temple above, I quickly notice that the goddess is nowhere to be seen. The giant rings have settled into the depths below where I float, no longer dancing around the strange and colorful space. I try to advance further, but there's nothing beyond of any interest.
I return to the chamber with the telepads, and I contemplate where to go. I didn't meet with her outside, and I don't see her here, either. Returning to town, I check a few possible locations. I return to the spot where I first arrived, wondering if maybe she's waiting for me with a boat. I climb the snowy mountain and put my paws against the Mountain Door, still completely sealed.
With a feeling of frustration, I flip through my booklet, looking for ideas. I've yet to find the cemetery, and I'm almost certain the Cathedral is on the other side of that. It could be a likely destination for someone of her stature and importance. Still, I feel that's somehow wrong. Maybe she didn't leave that realm, yet. There's that one place I forgot to check. The room where her sword was being kept.
After the long trek down the frigid peak, I work my way down hooks and ladders into the middle of the empty town. This place still holds so many mysteries, but at this point it's looking unlikely that I'll be able to find any answers. I cut down the Rudelings that rush me, giving a chuckle at how easily they fall.
With a short prayer at the golden square, I enter into the ghostly realm and walk across to the center portal. Once on the other side, I give a sigh of mild frustration. She was here, waiting for me. Walking up to her, I put out my hands, hoping for a reward. A piece of the great treasure to take with me, or anything really.
She leans down and caresses my cheeks. Tears well up in her eyes. She stands tall, and raises one hand high. She calls down her sword from above, and taking it into her paws, she clasps it, straightening its blade. Her motions begin soft, but before I can realize it, her muscles tense and the blade drops, crashing down on my head.
She... she attacked me! After all I did for her, all the foes I killed, all the ruins I traversed, all the times I died for her sake, and she attacks me! With her one strike, I already feel defeated. Her betrayal leaves my mind shattered. Her movements are swift, faster than any foe before.
The Heir. I know that to be her, now. Unable to approach her, I strike out with my Fire Rod. My spirit barely lasts. This realm leaves me weak, helpless. Every bit of power she had been granting me is now gone. I'm as helpless as when I first awoke. With a sudden dash, she lunges towards me, giant sword stretching out before her.
It connects, and I fall to my knees. As my consciousness fades, I see her drop to her knees as well. Tears stream down her cheeks with vocalized regret. Her shoulders heave, and she reaches up to wipe away the wetness in her eyes. Unable to hold myself up any longer, I fall to the floor and my consciousness fades.
My last thought: What did I do wrong?
Current Goals
✔Recover the blue key, sealed at the root of the world.
✔Take the three keys to the sealed temple altars.
✔Break the seal that imprisons the goddess.
★ Obtain the great treasure?
Author's Notes: Our poor Ruin Seeker, felled by the one he sought to save.
The unfortunate truth for me is that my knowledge of gaming design theory spoiled this outcome almost immediately after learning how to teleport. I explored and found what was clearly a boss arena, along with the giant weapon held by the statues. "Well, looks like I'll have to fight her." It still had a strong impact with the presentation put behind the reveal, and she has such cool attacks. Not that you live long enough to see many of them.
I also wanted to add that the fight against the Boss Scavenger was not embellished. I really did end up with a one-HP victory in the playthrough that's guiding this story. When I get low health, I tend to panic some. I'll try to avoid the boss, even if a single quick strike would end it. After burning through my mana, I was afraid of messing up and losing such a fun back-and-forth. I kept running and fumbling through my inventory to try to access my bombs - I wanted a fun finish. I wanted to keep it genuine. I hope it was fun to read.
Before we go into Act 3, I want to ask: What type of Ruin Seeker are you? Do you seek Ruins, or do you seek Ruination?
Thumbnail created using the press kit's wallpaper and logo. The custom text contains a secret.
Search Tags: Zelda Link mystery mysteries explore exploring exploration guide gameguide walkthrough help steam psychology psychological island ruin ruins ruination "the heir" vixen foxy foxes offering offerings secret secrets quest adventure magic magical betrayal revenge
We are now in the second act of the game, which means heavy spoilers! If you plan to experience the game for yourself, use Act 1 as your teaser and come back afterwards, or if you find yourself stuck.
|| >> Start Here << || <<< Previous Part | Next Part >>> ||
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
Act 2: Part 7 - The Prison Unlocked
Feeling my prize close at hand, I step forth and try not to fall from the precarious walkway. More and more obelisks stretch out into the distance. If I wanted to, I could jump from here and get a better look. I would return here only a few moments later.
Shaking off the strange thought, I climb the stairway and find the final vault. Before me is a large, heavy-set woman. She stands in front of the blue key, still encased in its prison but the vault itself halfway disassembled. Several barrels are scattered in the area, and walking quietly behind them, I creep up to this obvious foe. Not one scavenger before this has been friendly, so I draw my blade and advance.
She turns in rage from the sudden barrage of strikes. With a dash backwards she raises what I think to be a shield and suddenly it alights with energy. It's a massive sword, and it it swings down towards my head. I dodge and laugh at her attempt, when suddenly it come back from the other side and cuts into me.
Repeating this combo, I stay underfoot and dodge it fully. The Boss of the Scavengers then dashes away once again, and instead of readying her sword, she pulls a gun from her pocket with a shocking resemblance to mine. I move for cover as soon as I recognize the object but my reaction speed is too slow and she rails me with a burst. Her weapon has a longer range than mine with a narrower blast, but it's mostly the same.
She squeezes the trigger again, but this time I've ducked behind one of the scattered barrels. On the other side, I hear a clanking with a loud hiss. Peeking around the corner, I see the characteristic red and white swirl of a Boom Bomb clattering along the ground straight for me. I roll away at the last moment, placing myself behind the next barrel.
She raises her sword arm high into the air and charges up a new attack. With a leap, she slams into the ground and an electric pulse radiates across the roof. It passes straight through the barrels and I barely have time to react. Rolling from behind the barrel, she is ready for me and another barrage from her Gun hits me square on. Back into hiding, I avoid a second shot and drink a potion, but I'm beginning to get annoyed at the frequency of her attacks.
Pulling out my Fire Rod, I sprint out from behind the barrel and let into her. She seems surprised that I have a range weapon of my own, and she decides to return to using melee attacks against me. We collide in the center of the platform, trading blows. Craning her arm back, she readies a large attack and then sweeps across the field, coming to the very edge.
With another sip of life-restoring liquid, I chase after her. She bounds around the roof creating wave after wave of radiating pulses. I hit her with a few fire bolts, but she's constantly behind barrels and at a distance. When I catch up to her, she tries to swipe at me but I duck out of sight behind her and she leaps yet again.
It seems her plan is to tire me out. Between giving chase and dodging the electricity, I'm completely drained. When she sees this, she slashes with her energy weapon and leaves me on the verge of death. As I run to heal, a Boom Bomb drops behind me. With a last-ditch roll, I manage to make it behind a barrel and quickly chug a potion. Before I can consume a second, the scavenger queen leaps across, straight towards me. I haven't even caught my breath yet, and I stumble across to another hiding spot.
Out of desperation, I ignore the next radiating wave and drink, leaving me three potions left. As the energy passes through me, I catch my foe dashing across with a giant cleaving strike. With a roll, I narrowly avoid being hit. In a fierce back and forth, we circle around each other and continue to trade blows. I am once again fully drained, exhaustion leading to recklessness. In no time at all, I'm out of potions and close to defeat. Meanwhile, the scavenger boss seems as healthy as when we began.
Dodging in close, I drain the last of my spirit with a Gun-blast. It does a healthy bit of damage and leaves her staggered. I claim a few more strikes, but she clips me with her blade. One more hit, and I'm done for. She lunges from the far edge, but I'm just out of range. I hide behind a barrel and she throws a Boom Bomb. When I come out, she nails me with her Gun. Defeat.
I can't help but admire her strategy. Each action she took forced me into a position vulnerable to her next strike. Perhaps I should try a more advanced strategy. Before setting out from the altar, I search through my items. In my pockets, I find a bundle of six decoys. I haven't tried one of those yet. With no easy opportunity to restore my spirit, I ready it over the Gun and set off to face the queen again.
After the opening salvo, I dodge her sword strike and activate the decoy. It creates a phantom copy of me by some unknown means, and the copy begins to run around the platform. After making a short circle, it comes back around to my location. It seems to have the same thoughts as I do, and we both stay underfoot of the large scavenger woman.
I take the edge of a strike meant for the mobile puppet, and I begin to question how effective this thing is when it seems to copy my every thought. Her gaze remains focused on it, and as she moves to strike, the puppet suddenly turns and begins to run in a straight line. A straight line that leads it directly off the ledge.
As I question why my copy decided to leap off, I have a sobering moment. Not long ago, I was thinking about the same thing. As it falls out of sight, I proclaim the decoys to be of no use to me, and before her attention returns to me I exchange them with the Gun. The experiment wasn't a total waste, but I won't say I'm not disappointed.
Ducking under a lunge, I return my attention to my fierce foe. She throws a Boom Bomb towards my hiding spot, and rather than move to the side, I move backwards. Moments later, a blast strikes the ground to my sides. Her predictable strategies are becoming easier to counter. We trade several blows and I roll behind another barrel. Before returning to the brawl, I quaff two potions.
A close up strike manages to land a blow on me, and I begin to wonder why I haven't been utilizing my shield. If I'm conservative with it, I can avoid becoming exhausted by repeated dodges. She throws a bomb when I'm not looking, and I barely avoid catching the edge of the blast. I move in again, and after a few strikes I raise my shield to prepare for a blow, she leans back and kicks at me with her foot! That's a new one.
The impact sends me flying, despite having my shield raised. As I struggle to my feet, she leaps across the rooftop to smash where I just was. I roll inward to try to strike at her and she dashes away as soon as I first strike out. She then rushes me with another sword combo, and as I circle around behind her I misjudge the distance and take the back edge of the strike to my face.
I run behind the barrels to recover, and as I drink, the warmother throws a bomb in my direction. As soon as I heal, I take more damage, forcing another two to be consumed. Only two remain and I feel like I've barely managed to wound her. I briefly contemplate joining my decoy at the bottom of this pit, given my poor performance so far.
From across the arena, boss-lady lunges towards me. She misjudges the distance and her blade stops just short of me. Seizing the opportunity, I rally and unleash my fury. She strikes with her sword, but I block the attack and continue to assail her. She backs away, colliding with a barrel. Pinned, I move in and jab. She slashes, I block. In no time at all, I've chipped away at her armor leaving giant gouges everywhere.
With a lunge, she forces me back, doing a slight amount of damage to me in the process. Behind me, the key waits, but even if I take it, she has disabled the bridgeway out. Only by defeating her can I reactivate it and make a clean escape. I hold out my shield and she kicks me. It's only by luck that I don't tumble over the edge.
Another lunge sends her into the area surrounding the key. I strike out and she leaps into the air, stomping the edge of the tiny corner. It's so close that I fail to dodge the electric ripple, and I'm suddenly at risk of imminent death. Retreating, I see her readying yet another lunge. At the last moment, I dodge, narrowly avoiding certain death.
As I run, I drink my second to last potion. This repeats itself once more, with a narrowly avoided lunge and the consumption of my final potion. Do I even have a prayer? Even worse, she lands her next short swipe, bringing the end just that much closer.
Leaning into my shield, I approach with caution. Her sword combo is fully deflected and her retreat is blocked by the ledge at her back and the barrel to her side. As I unleash my fury upon her, she lands a fresh hit and I lean into my shield again. It feels heavy, and I realize I'm facing exhaustion. Blocking the second swing, I retreat across the roof to the next barrel. Her pursuant lunge connects. Fear courses through me.
I've nearly forgotten about fighting at range. She's neglected her Gun this fight, and my own spirit is still overflowing. She leaps across with another electric burst, and I begin to pour my soul into my Fire Rod. Hit after hit land, and I roll and dodge over two rings of power. The third gives me a glancing blow, however, and I'm down to the last of my strength.
After her last leap, she placed herself on the other side of the blue hexagon. She is weakening and attempting to hide from my fiery blasts. The cover proves inadequate, so she tries to lunge at me. The pillar blocks her way, and I'm granted some respite. I feel my spirit reaching the edge of depletion. She throws a Boom Bomb in her rage. We're both wounded, exhausted, desperate.
She charges into my shots, anxious to finish me off. She rears back with her sword, and as she leans into her strike, I pull out my Gun and shoot her point blank with the very last ounce of my inner strength. She staggers back, vision blinded by the blast. Shaking it off, she looks around for where I went. A single hit from either side will end the duel.
Afraid to approach her with my sword and shield, I try to reach into my pockets to find a Boom Bomb. She races towards me and I have to run. I dodge her slice, her follow-up breezes behind me. I dig again in my pockets, but she gives chase immediately, giving me no respite to find them. Her slash comes down over my head, the heat from her energy blade brushing across my ear tips.
Once more I flee, and at last am given just enough time to reach my bombs. I try to light one and throw it at her, and my panic causes me to throw it late. Instead of throwing it forward, I release it behind me and it flies off the ledge. Its explosion reminds her of her own stash, and she pulls one from her pocket, lighting it with the heat of her great weapon. It comes sailing towards me at the same time as I launch my second.
Her bomb bounces shallow, exploding in front of me. At the same time, mine rolls towards her and curves itself behind the barrel. With a loud bang, she falls to her knees. She yields to me, granting me access to the key. However I refuse to yield. She seems like the type to shoot me in the back the second I let my guard down. I walk up to her and, with a defiant look, I plunge my sword upwards into her throat.
Major Goal Complete: Recover the blue key, sealed at the root of the world.Taking the final hexagonal key into my paws, I breathe a sigh of relief. The battle was hard fought, but exhilarating. Despite being on the brink of death, I feel more alive than ever. It's been one epic fight after the next, each one a unique experience. Putting it into my pockets with the rest, I return to the altar, basking in the glow of success. When I feel recovered, I enter the alcove and use the telepad within to return to the goddess.
Walking up to her, she greets me with a kind wave. Around her, the collection of offerings I've sent her way keep her company like an audience of dolls. At the edges of my sight, I see rings spinning around, faint and ethereal. The mechanism by which she remains trapped glows with the three colors of the hexagons. I pull out the three colored keys and show them to her, and she lightly applauds my efforts. Though, she seems a bit sad at the same time.
I pocket them and turn to leave. I have to return them to the Sealed Temple. I enter the center telepad and am brought once again to the room with the goddess's sword. Oh right, the town portal is the one on the side. Correcting my mistake, I return to town and work my way up to the first goddess altar I found in my journey. Soon she'll be free, and I can claim the great treasure.
Up the path and into the temple, I begin to place the keys into their proper places. The red key goes to the left. The rings spin and the outer one unlocks and falls away. In the middle the red prism fades. At the back of the room, the blue key. The inner ring drops away. The last slot is for the green key, and the seal is now fully unlocked.
Major Goal Complete: Break the seal that imprisons the goddess.Around me, silence. Nothing rises from the pit. No grand rumble. Just an empty hall filled with a disappointing quiet. I walk outside, expecting that maybe I'll be greeted by the goddess, or by some great change. Still, nothing. With a bit of frustration, I set off to visit the goddess in person, transporting myself to the ghostly realm.
Revised Goal: Obtain the great treasure?
Climbing the stairs and entering into the chamber reminiscent of the Sealed Temple above, I quickly notice that the goddess is nowhere to be seen. The giant rings have settled into the depths below where I float, no longer dancing around the strange and colorful space. I try to advance further, but there's nothing beyond of any interest.
I return to the chamber with the telepads, and I contemplate where to go. I didn't meet with her outside, and I don't see her here, either. Returning to town, I check a few possible locations. I return to the spot where I first arrived, wondering if maybe she's waiting for me with a boat. I climb the snowy mountain and put my paws against the Mountain Door, still completely sealed.
With a feeling of frustration, I flip through my booklet, looking for ideas. I've yet to find the cemetery, and I'm almost certain the Cathedral is on the other side of that. It could be a likely destination for someone of her stature and importance. Still, I feel that's somehow wrong. Maybe she didn't leave that realm, yet. There's that one place I forgot to check. The room where her sword was being kept.
After the long trek down the frigid peak, I work my way down hooks and ladders into the middle of the empty town. This place still holds so many mysteries, but at this point it's looking unlikely that I'll be able to find any answers. I cut down the Rudelings that rush me, giving a chuckle at how easily they fall.
With a short prayer at the golden square, I enter into the ghostly realm and walk across to the center portal. Once on the other side, I give a sigh of mild frustration. She was here, waiting for me. Walking up to her, I put out my hands, hoping for a reward. A piece of the great treasure to take with me, or anything really.
She leans down and caresses my cheeks. Tears well up in her eyes. She stands tall, and raises one hand high. She calls down her sword from above, and taking it into her paws, she clasps it, straightening its blade. Her motions begin soft, but before I can realize it, her muscles tense and the blade drops, crashing down on my head.
She... she attacked me! After all I did for her, all the foes I killed, all the ruins I traversed, all the times I died for her sake, and she attacks me! With her one strike, I already feel defeated. Her betrayal leaves my mind shattered. Her movements are swift, faster than any foe before.
The Heir. I know that to be her, now. Unable to approach her, I strike out with my Fire Rod. My spirit barely lasts. This realm leaves me weak, helpless. Every bit of power she had been granting me is now gone. I'm as helpless as when I first awoke. With a sudden dash, she lunges towards me, giant sword stretching out before her.
It connects, and I fall to my knees. As my consciousness fades, I see her drop to her knees as well. Tears stream down her cheeks with vocalized regret. Her shoulders heave, and she reaches up to wipe away the wetness in her eyes. Unable to hold myself up any longer, I fall to the floor and my consciousness fades.
My last thought: What did I do wrong?
Current Goals
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★ Obtain the great treasure?
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Author's Notes: Our poor Ruin Seeker, felled by the one he sought to save.
The unfortunate truth for me is that my knowledge of gaming design theory spoiled this outcome almost immediately after learning how to teleport. I explored and found what was clearly a boss arena, along with the giant weapon held by the statues. "Well, looks like I'll have to fight her." It still had a strong impact with the presentation put behind the reveal, and she has such cool attacks. Not that you live long enough to see many of them.
I also wanted to add that the fight against the Boss Scavenger was not embellished. I really did end up with a one-HP victory in the playthrough that's guiding this story. When I get low health, I tend to panic some. I'll try to avoid the boss, even if a single quick strike would end it. After burning through my mana, I was afraid of messing up and losing such a fun back-and-forth. I kept running and fumbling through my inventory to try to access my bombs - I wanted a fun finish. I wanted to keep it genuine. I hope it was fun to read.
Before we go into Act 3, I want to ask: What type of Ruin Seeker are you? Do you seek Ruins, or do you seek Ruination?
Thumbnail created using the press kit's wallpaper and logo. The custom text contains a secret.
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Category Story / Tutorials
Species Red Fox
Size 1280 x 640px
File Size 278.7 kB
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