prof | Let's Play The Spirit Engine 2

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Chapter 3: Pilgrim's Rest

Part 1: It Could Be Worse

They're dead, my friend. I'm very sorry it had to end like this. I need you to give me the combination code for the handcuff holding that case to your wrist.

Filthy Yaegaran spy. I'd rather die!

Yes, I know. And in a few minutes, you will, given the amount of blood you're losing.
But before you go, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me the handcuff code. I'd hate to have to remove your hand to disentangle it from your corpse.

Well isn't that a s-shame. Sorry to inconvenience you.

Alright then, I'm going to need to borrow your knife. I assure you that this is in the interests of both our countries.
Self preservation is a most importanat instinct, lieutenant, but the reflexes inherent in the system, and in ourselves, that so often serve us so well can be used against us.
Sometimes the struggle serves only to tighten the jaws of the trap. If we truly wish to rise above our savage nature, we must seek to control our instincts. If we do not, it may be the end of us all.

W-What the hell are you talking about? You're insane.

No, my friend, sadly just better informed. It is my business, after all. I have the knowledge of this briefcase's contents and the liberty of time on my side, neither of which you possess. Unless, of course...

...unless I miscounted the number of bodies in the wreckage. Please, my friend, you're making another grave mistake here. One a day is enough for any man.

Denever! Oh bless Karvey, Grandfather was right. You're alive! What's going on?

I don't know. Our stranger in black here was just about to explain everything, weren't you?

Much as I would love to stay and talk with the two of you, such friendly banter would be wholly contrary to my objectives here. Silence is the only acceptable course of...

Not good enough!
You've killed all these people, God damn you. Answers are due. Start talking now or I'll run you though and leave you here to die with them.

I see that you are quite determined in your opposition to my actions. Though threat of pain or death will not loosen my tongue, in a contest of physical prowess I suspect I am outmatched.

And so I must return to match wills with you again, soon, at a time of my choosing. Farewell, my Lereftese friends!

He jumped over the edge! He must be mad!

His fate is the least of our concerns. We need to find out what he brought down this airship for.

There's no time. Listen carefully. You need the handcuff code. 4. 6. 1. 3. 9. 2.
T-This briefcase contains information of the... (cough) the utmost importance to the s-security of our great nation. You must deliver it to Admiralty House in Porto Vale as soon as... as soon as...

Lieutenant? Lieutenant! Come on, speak to me!

Is he...?

Dead. But he was a soldier to the end. We must move quickly to deliver this briefcase and ensure that his sacrifice is not wasted. Are you injured at all, Pyanpau?

I have a gash on my arm, and what feels like a most impressive bruise on the back of my head, but nothing too serious. I shall be fine once everything stops spinning.

Wait - Ionae! Where's Ionae?

Why didn't I fall in? Why am I still here?

Ionae! Can you hear me? Are you alright?

I can't stop shaking. Why can't I stop this infernal shaking?

You're just a little shocked Ionae, that's all. I think we all are. Try and focus on something else. How many fingers am I holding up?

Twelve. And they're all horrible, ugly little things. Now get them out of my face. I'm f-fine. Just a little disoriented, t-that's all.

Perhaps you two blundering idiots are used to near-death experiences, but this is something totally new to me. We should be dead.

We were lucky. Our compartment was the only one to survive the crash relatively intact. I can't see anybody else left alive. It's horrible. What do we do now? It's so bitterly cold out here!

We need to find shelter, and we don't have much time. If we stay out here for more than a few hours, we'll freeze to death. There ought to be an old access to the canalways somewhere nearby.
If we can find that, we should be safe. Follow me.

New area!

Let's hope that it leads to sweet civilization.

It doesn't, of course. It leads to more monsters.

The Flumpus (left) isn't remarkable, but the Southstar(right) is at least noteworthy for being completely immune to magic and ethereal damage.

Also, they shoot the Care Bear Stare at me.

Anyway, my party primarily specializes in smashy damage, so we're good.

The Nordlefly is only really notable for its tendency to attack several times in one charge, for potentially quite a bit of damage.

Hell yeah Denever having over 1000 HP already.

A couple battles later, we're out!

This should give a good idea of what the area is like!

We will be spending a lot of time underground.

'Welcome to Hell, All Those Who Enter Underport.' This isn't quite the welcome I was expecting. What's going on down here?

What a warm welcome!

Demonites are at least conveniently vulnerable to smiting and Swordfaith, due to their evil nature.

Which brings us to a problem! We are underground.

Swordfaith comes from the sky.

I'm going to need to rework some skill chains here.

We're alright, just a little surprised. Our flight was shipwrecked on the mountain and we were hoping to find shelter here. What's happened?

Demons, my friends. Thousands of them, straight out of the pages of the Good Book. A plague of the things has descended upon the Craw and it's all that we can do to keep them out of Underport.
As you can see, we're not always entirely successful. We're lucky you caught those when you did. If they'd crawled into the residential rises again, we'd have had a bloody repeat of last Mornesday.

Where's the army? Shouldn't they be dealing with a situation like this?

They don't know what's going on. We've not been able to get a message out. The North Canalway is blocked and the slops outside are uncrossable at this time of year. I don't know how you got in that way yourselves.
My name is Ariene Taylor. I'm Watch Chief of Underport, or at least what's left of it. It's my responsibility to keep law and order in the town. You're not pilgrims, are you?

Pilgrims? No. Why do you ask?

Never mind. Not even the pilgrims can bear the bitter cold of the Knives crossing now. It's too much, even for them. We've not had any new arrivals for a fortnight, thank God.
We've got no choice now but to wait until someone in the Vale starts to miss the quarry-boats and calls out the army. Even then they can't cross the mountains until Spring with the tunnels blocked.
We've held out well enough so far, but supplies of gunpowder and able men are starting to run low, and the number of these demons just keeps increasing. They're relentless.

I don't say it in public, but I fear it's only a matter of time 'till we're overrun, and then God help us all.
I'm keeping one round of shot left in my pistol for when that happens, and I'd advise you to do the same. I'll not die at their claws.

I knew it! We're going to perish in this dank, horrid pit instead. I'd rather take my chances back out in the snow, if you don't mind. At least I'll meet my end in one piece.

Stay where you are, Ionae. Nobody's going to die here. We'll find a way out. There is always hope, even in the grimmest of predicaments.

Maybe you'd like to give those same reassurances to the inhabitants of the makeshift morgue we've set up in the town hall. We've lost almost a third of the population of Underport in a month.

And we're next! Slain by Demonites, of all creatures. Those filthy little beasts aren't fit to lay a claw upon me. If they only knew who they were dealing with...

We really need to be moving on, Watch-Chief. We have important business in Porto Vale. Do you know of any way out to the northern Vales? Any way at all?

I'm sorry, friends, I think you're stuck here. But you can always try speaking to the Foreman. He'll be at the back of the BowBuffer. Maybe you can catch him whilst he's above table-level.
Oh, and stay away from the pilgrims. You'll not be popular if you're seen talking with them, and for good reason. It's all I can do to keep the townsfolk from turning on them.
I don't know if they're responsible for this plague. Until I see some proof that they are, I will uphold the rule of law in this town if it's the last thing I do.

And with this, Ionae has all her skills!

Some quick skill chain tweaking to take out Swordfaith and High Fire, as neither can be used in an enclosed space.

Next time: Underport!

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