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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 - experience with the game is highly recommended. While this work is primarily an introspection on the world of TUNIC, it can also be used as a game guide to help you with your own discoveries.
I highly recommend playing this game, and if the early portions of this tale can help pull you into the mysterious world, you'll absolutely love experiencing it first-hand. Be warned: Act 2 and beyond have substantial spoilers as the game grows in scope, and discovery is an important part of what makes TUNIC an amazing adventure.
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
I awake feeling refreshed, the relaxing sounds of thunder rumbling around me. My fur feels a cool breeze running through it. Stretching and opening my eyes, I find myself experiencing a sense of déjà vu. The spot I have awoken at holds significance within my first memories of this place.
It's night time now, which is odd because I can't remember it being night, no matter how much I rested. As I look around me, I focus on the tip of my muzzle and realize with shock that I'm ghostly, just like how I existed in that other realm. The power I previously claimed across my journey has left me, my connection to the goddess feels severed.
That betrayal. How could she strike me down? And while crying about it, no less! Was her kindness all a facade? Did she resent me for my lust for treasure? I grab a shell from along the sands and hurl it into the water. Standing, I begin to explore anew. Something feels different, and not just the fact I'm ephemeral.
New Goal: Find out what happened.
I have all of my items, my magical tools, etcetera. The only thing missing is my inflated strength. I step onto the golden square and find that my prayers still serve to stir it into function. On the other side, the site appears angry. Space itself is wounded by huge tears, voidmatter accumulating at the seams. Something catastrophic has happened. Perhaps the goddess was never meant to be freed.
I cannot find the causality here with my limited perspective. I exit the corrupted space and run along the long bridge, reminiscing of my early journey as I run. The first thing I did was enter a house and steal a stick. To my surprise, someone now stands outside that very house. It's a fox of close relation to myself. Right now, we're even both blue and ghostly. He regards me with curious eyes.
I attempt to speak to the soul, but in response I only hear fuzz. I can tell I'm being asked something, and his tone is very friendly but also concerned. I give him a shrug and he frowns and continues to watch me quietly. If there are people here now, perhaps I should go into town. I need information.
Climbing the stairs, I attempt to reach the nearest crossing. The earliest point across is by the edge of one of the staircases, next to a chest. When I reach that point, the wooden bridge across is missing. I can see a fox next to the well on the other side, but I see no way to reach him. Going further up, I try to cross to the roof of the Old House. That bridge is also gone. Around by the Dark Tomb. Gone.
Discovery: In the night world, all the wood crossings are gone.
Inside the passage where I found the shield I'm met with yet another gap, the wooden bridge used to traverse it nowhere to be found. Within the pit here is the telltale glow of the pure energy I saw in the Ziggurat. I kick the nearby skull into the abyss and it plops into the liquid. Something is very wrong.
I rest at the checkpoint and notice for the first time that the back of the structure is very similar to the altars deep underground. It's almost as though the goddess was placed atop them to make them seem less imposing and cold. Did she order that done or was it something done out of reverence?
At the entrance to the Sealed Temple, another fox stands outside with a look of worry. While most of what she says makes my mind buzz, I realize that she's remarking about something bad happening. It seems that, even for these ghosts, what's happening is a new occurrence. I run inside and down the pond-lined corridor.
After passing the statue of three, I come to the prison seal. The three foxes here, are they the ghosts of the three on the statue? The first fox I come to, he is bemoaning the fate of what's become of the land. Among his mutterances, he remarks of a 4th key. Is there a fourth key to be found or is it simply wishful thinking that one existed? I wish I could understand their words, maybe we could help each other.
The one on the steps, sitting next to the red key, makes a complaint about the Siege Engine. On the other side, the lady stares upwards to where the prison seal once danced about. Her disbelief is accompanied by a dichotomous statement about heroes and fools. From what I can gather, these three are unhappy with what took place.
I start to wonder if what I caused, what I did, was something that should have been done. Am I a hero or am I a fool? Regardless, the goddess seems to be at fault just as much as I! The Heir. She must be defeated.
New Goal: Defeat The Heir.
Around the corner, I find a metal ladder that did not randomly disappear. Perhaps I'll be able to reach the village with this path. I wind my way around only to recall that there was once a drawbridge up here that I had lowered. Disappointed, I sprint back down the ladder and out the Sealed Temple. There has to be a place to cross over.
I climb a stone ladder by the altar and spot a pair of metal poles. Lashing across, I find they lead nowhere. To the east are even more dead ends, but the shocking thing is the corruption seeping out of the area of the Eastern Vault. The sky is lit up with the radiating edge of the dark void energy. I try donning my Scavenger's Mask, but it offers me no protection against the blight. Swapping back to my Anklet, I once again continue my search for... anything really. I'm still quite lost!
Further ahead I see the skull cave, a place I never could reach. I see where a bridge once stood that led to East Forest. I also see a chest on a ledge below with a path leading through the rock. Near the wall, I spot a collection of flowers grouped near the wall. Remembering what I learned about in the Quarry, thanks to the antics of the Scavengers, I try tossing a Boom Bomb at the flowers.
The wall crumbles away, and I am quite pleased with myself for noticing it. I walk through the tiny tunnel and claim the contents of the chest. They are uninspired, but they are mine now. I circle around further and spot a fox resting in the forested, grassy path. I approach her and wave hello. Her words ring of awe, and within them a hint stirs a recollection. The swamp. The graveyard. I never did find the place, but now that I am a ghost...
Through the shrubberies, I come to another fox. He's staring at the pathway, decayed ruins patched together with shimmering light and forming a bridge across the gap. All of the wood walkways may have vanished, but it seems that a few things have appeared in their place. I ask him what he's looking at, be he doesn't understand me.
What he does speak buzzes of chastisement, but the words I can understand don't lend me to understand why he's upset. He speaks of the Cathedral and of ghosts. With a shrug, I touch my toes against the moonlit bridge. They find purchase and I dash across to the outstretched obelisk. To one side, I see a page of the booklet on a stray column. There is no moonlight that reaches to it, but the page itself does feel similar, like it comes from the stars themselves.
I kneel at the obelisk, wondering if I can still activate them with my prayers. As with the telepads, the obelisk reacts as expected. It sinks into the ground and out pop some pieces of mana. The conduit comes to life with purple light and I dash off following it.
Passing under a random chest, I come to a fox woman scanning the horizon. Amidst the familiar buzz, I make out the words Cathedral and Moonlight. In the waters nearby, I spot another piece of gold tablet, carved with zigzags. It holds my interest for about two seconds and I turn to the other fox as he sits and stares at a hole in the ground. He seems... dazed, confused. A big fight, but what and where?
The hole now draws my gaze. The Librarian's wires cap the conduit, allowing the energy to continue from one end to the next. It appears this hole is from where he stole away with the telepad. While it is frustrating that he took it away, I'm appreciative that he didn't leave the machinery here inoperable. I find myself able to understand his desires. The ache to learn more, to decipher how things work.
Just past, I see a fallen Garden Knight in the swampy ground ahead. I instantly tense up, recalling how challenging it was to face early in my journeys. I sincerely hope that, in my weakened state, I don't encounter another. To my right, a tall watchtower. I catch a glint in the water at its base, and with a bit of snooping I stumble onto a chest in the center of the ruined column. It holds a modicum of treasure which I greedily pocket.
At the top, a spyglass. Looking through it, I see that Cathedral stretching into the sky in the distance. I should make an effort to reach that place. A bit closer, a glowing bridgeway, and a bit closer than that, the glow of the conduit and an altar along its path. I also see a small building, a mausoleum, it should be worth checking inside. I climb back down and continue to look around for any and all treasure. A new area deserves a thorough plundering.
New Goal: Reach the Cathedral.
In the dingy swamp waters, I meet with my first Fleemer since my visit to Dark Tomb. It rises from underneath a skull, light in its eyes shining out to greet me. Before it can even ready itself, I've already hacked it mostly to pieces. At the edge of the fenced area, I spot a chest and within, a card. This one is called the Dagger Strap and likely makes the Magic Dagger easier to use, or perhaps less costly.
I pass by a well, and I check if I have any coins to toss in. I find one, and it plops into the bottom with a splash of light. That was my seventh, and I need three more to receive another gift. I come to the goddess altar and take a short rest. In the event of trouble, I want to return close by. The gate appears closed, so I continue my search of the area.
On the west side, I find a chest under an archway, on a little mossy island. Mana berries is all it holds. At this point, I have nowhere left to check, so I go inside the mausoleum. It has a giant skull atop the doorway, a fitting decoration.
Inside it's dark. Especially dark. Ah, right, it's a shop. I look up at the giant shopkeeper. His long neck reminds me of the void beasts, and I try to ask him who he is. No response, of course, aside from continuing to gesture towards the items on display. I inspect the potion bottle I was never able to afford, but this time I can pay. I clip the potion to my belt alongside the others.
Once outside, I move to more closely inspect the large gate barring my way. When I approach it, it swings open to grant me passage. I shrug and cross through. On the other side, I immediately turn to my right and spot a ladder, but I pass it by and check for any secret pathways. "Secrets are everywhere" holds true, and I find a long dark corridor leading through the hillside. At the end, some Boom Bombs await their claim.
Above me, I see many Fleemers awaiting destruction. I climb the ladder and claim the important looking chest. Another new card! This one looks like it has plants on it, and it's called "Perfume." With a shrug, I add it to my pile. I'm now only missing the one without a name.
I realize I cannot reach the other nearby chest, so I continue forward and easily dispatch the two Fleemers. My confidence is mildly shaken when a skull with red eyes comes to life wielding a cross shield. He's larger than the other Fleemers, and his sword has impressive reach. With a block to his attack, I move in and break away his joints. His little buddy's, too.
I spot a large grave, partially sunken into the earth near a very large, very dead looking tree. On the other side, I see a pair of chests. Moving to investigate, I hear a groaning noise from the shadows. I reflexively swing out my sword and a dark colored ghost fox, colors inverted from my own, appears from nowhere.
My sword leaves her stunned, and with consecutive blows I prevent any action from this startling foe. The booklet says this is a Lost Echo. I wonder how many of these are lurking in wait for a good little ghost like me to come through. Not that they stand a chance. I collect the remnants of its soul and am disappointed that I can reach neither chest nearby.
The path goes downhill and I hear another groan from the grass. I immediately stab in its direction. He materializes, and I hack away at his ghostly mass until, after pushing him into a hidden pathway, he disintegrates. At the end of that pathway, a chest of treasure. Along another side path, more treasure. The dead apparently took their wealth with them in this land.
A trio of Fleemers now, I work my way through them with the added aid of my shield. I take only a small hit, and find yet-more shinies further down the way. I circle around and spot several red skulls that catch my eye. Someone has painted them, as though they hold a significance. One is even placed atop a grave, which I playfully knock off into a puddle of water. It sinks down out of sight, the hole apparently being deeper than I realized. Oh well.
I spot another chest next to a large skull and a massive grave. I run across to claim the chest's contents as my own when suddenly the skull springs to life. A huge monstrosity pulls itself up from the earth wielding a massive club of woven-together skulls. To make matters worse, another Fleemer rises up from the water nearby. I work quickly to damage my sudden foe, and it slams down upon me with its war hammer.
I block with my shield which takes every ounce of my stamina. As I struggle to my feet, he follows his smash with a wide slash. This slash takes out the smaller Fleemer, but it also nearly shatters my own body. Can I even die like this? How does a ghost die? Maybe I should be being more careful. ... Nah.
Still, I do run, or well, I stumble away. Once out of its range, I sip a potion. It barely heals anything in my depowered state, so I drink a second. The giant lumbers after me, and when my breath returns, I dash in under his feet and continue to hack away at his leg bones.
I block a swing, a slightly less harsh strike than his smash, and return to hacking. He reaches inside of himself and it's at this point I notice his chest cavity is filled with dozens of tiny skulls. He pulls a handful out and throws them to the ground. Phrends. With newfound urgency I set out to crush this great behemoth before I'm overwhelmed.
It manages to sneak in a smash, leaving me once again near defeat, knocking me back against a gravestone. A swipe follows immediately, narrowly missing smashing my head in. On the bright side, it did smash in four other heads. Bye bye Phrends. As I race to vanquish it, its last action is to spawn another round of floating skulls before falling to my blade. Great, now I have to deal with them.
As they begin to surround me, I run back towards the chest, turning to slash at them as they follow me. It works well and I avoid any damage from their antics. Inside the chest, a great prize. A new Golden Coin. I wish I could afford the two that the shopkeep had for sale.
Nothing left for me down here, so I climb back to the top of the mound and work my way towards the glowing conduit. Along the way, I spot another red skull that I had overlooked before. Feeling impish, I kick the skull of the edge and I watch it fall and roll along the grass, straight into the pool the other one sank into. I clap for the skull, happy it found its friend.
Down the ladder, around the corner. I work my way up the left side and hear a growl from by the water. I run over to where I heard the noise and strike out. While I'm vanquishing the Lost Echo, I hear another growl in the distance. There's another one around, but I've lost track of it. I hold out my shield and begin slashing wildly into the air, unsure of from where it will strike.
The moment I turn my back, something collides into me. I feel its claws sink into my fur and scrape through my ethereal essence. I strike, and she materializes. Stab stab, stab stab. Another one stirs on the other side of the conduit. It floats around me, I can hear it, but only vaguely. Then, with a streak of light, it lunges from the side, breezing past me with a screeching pain.
I quickly quaff a potion, and then raise my shield in the direction the vengeful spirit dashed. Now that I have my bearings against this foe, I feel safe again. I block the next lunge and turn around with my sword swinging. He materializes, only to be quickly felled, his essence mine. Perhaps I should be making use of my Fire Rod.
In the middle of the woods, a platform with a half-sunken obelisk. I activate it and return to exploring. I turn in the opposite direction to the conduit path in a hunt for more treasure. Following the water's edge, I come to the wall. Along the wall, another secret path. Under a ledge, I find a chest with a second Golden Coin.
With only one more, I can acquire that new card slot. I doubt I'll find another in this area, but maybe I can get enough treasure to just buy one. Along the wall, a path leads upwards. I decide to stick to the ground level for now and walk along the rest of the cliff's edge. Passing by another Lost Echo, I find myself appreciating the Muffling Bell yet again. It affords me a great advantage against these invisible menaces, as they only react when I'm practically atop them. A quick slice of my sword is all it takes to materialize their presence, making them easy to track and dispatch.
One more harasses me, and I cut her down. I'm under a ruined bridge now, and I spot a chest on a ledge. Inside, potion fragments. I haven't found any in a while. I pocket it, careful to wrap them for my protection.
I trace the conduit, only to see it turn and head upwards to the bridge above. Following underneath, I find more treasure. There's a Hero's Grave just above me, and it radiates with an inviting swirl. Am I a hero or am I a fool? Obviously I'm a hero. If only I can find a way up there. I'm not sure it's important, though.
My way forward is blocked, I'll have to climb up the cliffside. Before I do, I finish checking this lower area. There's just so much treasure here, it's addicting. Each box is a new mystery, a new reward. I spot another chest on the other side of a wall. I can't locate a way through the wall, though. Eventually, I try trudging through the swamp, eww, but that manages to get me there. It's an effigy. Never did figure out what they're good for but there's no enemies around so why bother?
Looping back to the entrance gate, I feel comfortable in concluding my exploration of the ground level. I walk across to the cliffside, stirring one last Lost Echo along the way. At the top I head to the right, away from the ruined bridge. A chest sits near the edge, and within is something I would not have expected. It's a third Golden Coin! Pocketing it, I race back down the cliff with excitement.
I throw the trio of coins, each adorned with my own visage, into the well. Actually, it's likely the Hero's face on them, not mine. Good for him, getting his face on some coins. I wonder how old they are? I am gifted with a new slot and I choose the Bracer to fit into it. I've been remembering to use my shield more since becoming a vulnerable and weak ghost, and the fight with the giant Fleemer showed me how quickly that stamina can vanish.
I avoid resting despite only having two potions left in order to prevent a resurgence of Lost Echoes. They are easy to handle, but still annoying. Up the cliff again, I fight my way through several shield-carrying Fleemers. Two at once proves to be a tough fight, but it wasn't only raw strength I gained since coming here. I've also honed my skill. I'm more capable, more adept.
Of course, I say that, but I still am now without any potions. What's worse is that I see another giant skull. The last thing I want right now is a fight with another massive war hammer carrying Fleemer. I hug the wall and circle around. Some treasure is found by the cliff's edge along the way.
Once past the intimidating skull, I spot yet another chest. As I walk down towards it, I decide to take out one of the two Hushers. These are tainted with void energies, and will likely drain my life in addition to wounding me. I lash the closer of the two with the tentacle of my Magic Orb and score a full combo against it.
To my dismay, this knocks it back towards its friend, and now I have two flying foes wanting to peck my soul-juices, plus I'm trapped on this narrow ledge. I back out of range of their dual dash, score a few hits, and then run up the ramp. I roll one time too many and wind myself. Panting, I back away along the path I came from. To my horror, I catch myself stumbling right past the giant skull.
With a heavy sigh of relief, the skull is just a skull. No large creature bursts forth and smashes me with a war club. I return my attention to the Hushers, eager to not be bested. I pull one in with a snatch, and stab it until it stops moving. The other circles around me and I hold out my shield. It dives at me, and my shield holds. Face to face, I slash, and it gets knocked away just before I finish it off. I hold out my shield again and then mentally slap myself. With a flick of my wrist, I send out a fire bolt and it falls to the ground below. My prize? A mere two health fruits.
Before I continue along the bridge, I give the giant skull a firm kick. I was certain it was going to come alive and now I feel like a fool for being so careful around it. At the midway point of the bridge, a Husher stalks the ground below. I dispatch it easily, and further down, across the glowing moonlight bridge, there's a hefty metal ladder. I suppose it wouldn't be wood, would it?
I knock it down and visit the goddess altar. Now that I have a shortcut, it won't matter if my foes return. With a short rest, I once again have my potions and my energy. I sneak by the Husher and follow the conduit. A staircase leads up to another obelisk, a black-metal door shimmers and fades away. The four fox statues greet me as I walk up to it.
On the side of the entrance, I stumble onto a hidden ladder. One last chest of shinybits to claim. With that, I head inside the Cathedral, excited to discover what's hiding within. "Legend says, wearing this allows you to do something extraordinary." Yes, please.
New Goal: Claim the legendary item.
Current Goals
✔Reach the Cathedral.
★ Find out what happened.
★ Claim the legendary item.
★ Defeat The Heir.
★ Obtain the great treasure?
Greeting me at the front of the Cathedral is a goddess altar. A short rest is all I need, and I walk further into the main hall. What I find leaves me chilled to the tail tip. I see myself. Not just myself but many of me, staring blankly ahead as if in a trance. They hold aloft a dark energy blade and point it up towards a statue of the goddess, one that's completely unbroken.
Across the ruins, almost every statue of her that I've seen has been broken. A few, like those by the Sacred Temple, held large stone swords. The others, however, were missing arms, heads, and otherwise in disarray. I wondered on several occasions what they originally held, and now I wonder if I've found my answer. Or perhaps this one is just extremely special.
Held aloft, floating in the palm of her stone paw, is a crystal of condensed power. The room is cast in a purple glow, overshadowing the candles set on the altar. In goblets resting on the base, the pure energy fluid.
What I find even more unsettling than my vacant-faced other selves is actually the two figures set adjacent to the goddess. They are reminiscent to the Garden Knight, but much less mechanical. Numerous tentacles emerge from the hexagonal face plate. Perhaps these are the true masters, or they are conscripted aids that come from another dimension.
I trip over a skull and it tumbles into the pit in front of me. An inactive conduit lines the back wall, heading into the abyss. A loud thud and clatter echoes from within as the skull lands at the bottom, and the void-me's turn to fight. They stumble slowly across the floor, blade outstretched, movements stiff and unnatural.
After pulling one into the pit, I realize them to be less of a threat than anticipated. I easily fell them, and I find myself taking no issue to putting down foes with my own visage. I try to steal one of their void blades but it burns my paw when I touch it. In no time at all, the room is clear, and I take a closer look at the crystal.
I would guess it to be a refined metal. It spins slowly in the statue's hand and the light encapsulates the hexagonal prism. As I lay eyes on the obelisk on the upper ledge, a certain imagery comes to mind. I open the booklet, turning to an early page. Here, it's the same scene. A group of foxes, prostrating themselves to a grand figure carrying a stone emanating light. Is this that place?
New Goal: Reach the obelisk on the Cathedral balcony.
I begin to look for a way up. I check the left door, only some shinies. On the right, a few more doors and a slow-moving shadow copy. The left is blocked by rubble, the right has a group of three darklings staring at each other. One nicks me with its blade and my stomach churns from the corruption. Their blades are definitely made of the same material I saw in the Quarry.
Through the next doorway, my vision is blinded by an energy pool. I dispatch the first darkling, and then the next slow-moving pair. Across the pool I see another, and I lash him into the roiling fluid, and he sinks to the bottom with nary a scream. Gaining a larger treasure reward than usual, I wonder if he was somehow different to the others.
Before climbing up, I sling my Magic Orb's tentacle at a darkling on the upper pathway, dragging him to his glowing doom. I then ascend the staircase and enter the adjoining room. Here, spike traps are set into the floor. Once again I grab my foe and place him in harm's way. The trap makes quick work of him and I giggle out loud. My decoys are smarter than these guys.
Up a winding staircase, I find an aviary. Cages stand against the wall, Hushers pecking at discarded tomes. Carefully, I engage the first pair of feathery fiends. My attempt to split them fails, and I watch my positioning to keep from getting pinned. Once one is defeated, I stand at the edge of diving range and await the swoop of the remaining one.
I pull the next one to me, and in my haste to slay it I gain the attention of one more. I am struck and begin to feel very weak. I redouble my focus and guard my best against them, letting out a sigh of relief when one falls over dead. One left. Patience.
I collect the mana bits and continue to search the room. One void Husher left. I press my assault and back it into the far corner. We trade places and I hold my shield up to block its dive. I slash and finish it off, and as I wait to lay claim to its spirit, something draws my attention. The wall feels suspicious, drawing my touch.
Putting my paw to the random square beneath the emblem of three hexagons, a secret pathway opens and the wall drops away. Inside a chest, another Golden Coin. While a lucky find, I would need another four in order to get my next reward. If the graveyard had held one less, I may have been excited by this find.
Above the Cathedral entrance, two more passageways to choose from. The lower one holds a heavy metal ladder, which I heave off the side with a loud grunt. Behind it are some Boom Bombs, of which I've accumulated quite a few. Quickly climbing down, I am grateful to recover myself at the goddess altar.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and try the other passage. Some large chairs sit facing each other, possibly as some sort of meeting room. At one time, there could have been a great table here. In my way stand two mirror images of me. They are resting, their eyes closed. I try to sneak by, but they instantly rise to their feet. I hack away at the closest one, and the other rolls away. Wait, rolls away? Since when can they roll?
My shield falters, and a blow is landed on my side. My vision blurs and my head swirls. I put some distance between them and myself. One was almost defeated, but I lose track of which is which. Running behind the chairs, I try to face one alone. I grip him towards me, but the other forces his way alongside and both try to take a swing at me. The weakened one falls, but I'm nearly beaten as well.
I block the high-speed slash and return two strikes of my own. The first misses, as the empowered fox rolls away. The second lands, but he strikes out, knocking me against the wall. I can no longer heal, another strike will be my end. I block a strike, we trade dodges, but this was a battle I was unprepared for. Looming over me with glowing eyes, it stares at my fallen ghostly body and wavers back and forth. It lives on instinct alone.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and enter the other passage. The meeting room is dark and cold. The chess-tiled floor is dinged and uneven. The pair of clones by the exit rest quietly. I run up to them and unleash righteous fury, blade cutting into their fur. They split up and surround me, dodging in random directions.
I retreat back towards the entrance, escaping their pincer attack. When I lunge at them, they both swing their blades. One strikes, I heal and run behind the chairs. I try to rail them with fire bolts, but they weave in and out between the stone seats. They pincer me again, and I roll. I'm winded, drained. I move to heal and the other one strikes. Defeat.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and enter the meeting room. My frustration is growing. I put away the useless Magic Orb and replace it with the Magic Dagger. By the exit, the two annoyances sleep, my echo-of-self right in front of them. I collect my fallen fragment, but it stirs the pair and I'm immediately struck with a lunge. I channel my frost dagger, and unleash a combo at the nearest bright-eyed monstrosity.
It quickly breaks free and I retreat to heal. It rolls towards me and hits me with a strike before I can ready my shield. With some measure of success, I manage to defeat the first before the second rejoins, but not before taking another strike. As the second races towards me, I heal and run behind the chairs. I shield its strike and pull out the Magic Dagger. Before it can finish charging, I'm struck again. Thinking it to be a fluke, I cast once more, and fall to the ground in failure.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and race towards the meeting room. I run straight to the pair of powerhouses and blast them with ice before they can stir. I combo one until he's broken free and then back away. I swing my sword but he stays at range. The other breaks free. I channel my Magic Dagger again and they both roll away, one ending up behind me. I'm struck, and before I can even clear my vision, the other one lands decisive strike.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and sprint through the meeting room. I ignore the two foes and plunge into the darkness of the nearby passageway. I stumble across the red beam of a statue trap. Behind me, the pair give chase, and in moments I am caught and beaten to a pulp.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and pull out my Magic Dagger. As I run past the pair, I freeze them in place. I roll through the first trap and sneak behind the second. I plan to use the traps to my advantage, to let them carve through the duo of destruction. I collect my echo-of-self and immediately regret it. The explosion destroys several of the traps, leaving an almost-clear pathway between myself and them. In the tight corridors, I stand little chance against their antics. I throw myself in front of a remaining trap and let myself fall.
I kick the cold metal ladder in frustration. I'm letting my haste and arrogance be my undoing. Their dodges give them an easy escape from my sword and Fire Rod. Their speed makes the Magic Dagger a challenge to hit with. The Gun is just as slow, should I even bother trying it? Is there anything I have that could help? I dig through my supplies, turning to my collection of cards.
Muffling Bell, Lucky Cup, Anklet, Bracer. Two of these are useless. Looking at the alternatives, I equip the Dagger Strap over the Muffling Bell. This will help my Magic Dagger in some way, I'm sure. As for the Lucky Cup, I settle on swapping in the Tincture. It increases my attack strength while decreasing my defense. Well, if I'm hit, I'm probably dead anyways. May as well become a glass cannon. Or, I guess, ice cannon. Oh! It's a glass. Hah, I get it.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder, hopefully for the last time. I creep slowly through the meeting room, walking between the rows of chairs until I'm just in range with the Magic Dagger. I hope this card doesn't just increase its range. I hold out the magical apparatus and channel my spirit into it. It quickly overflows and freezes the pair of super-darklings to the ground. Casting speed increase, perfect!
I unload a combo on the right one, and as soon as he breaks free I step backwards. When he's grouped up with his friend, I hit them both with another blast of freezing cold. This time, my strikes hit the pair of them. The first one falls, and the other breaks free. I run to the back of the room and await my chance. As the second closes in, the Magic Dagger lets loose another cone of cold, and my sword finishes him off.
With a very heavy sigh of relief, I swap my cards back to their standards. In the passageway, I slowly work to clear away the traps and I make it to the other end. The chest holds some health fruits, which I roll my eyes at. Everything here takes away my strength, so this type of sustenance does my ghostly self no good.
In the next chamber, a hexagonal pool holds an incredible sight. Held aloft above the glow, a long-necked void fox. She - or at least I think it's a she? - is pinned against a grand y-shaped cross. It's adorned with the emblem of the three hexagons, and five of the six corners of the surrounding railing feature the same hexagons. Candles and braziers line the room, and the liquid energy flows outwards in six directions.
At her feet are high quality crystals growing out of the pool. I can't quite tell, but I wonder if she's being bled to produce this substance. Is the fluid their blood? That correlates to how the obelisks seem to work, too, so it's not an outlandish thought. I stand in front of her and offer a prayer, and she suddenly stirs. She cranes her neck forward and stares at me intently. I cannot read any emotion. It's so cool that she looked at me, though. I hope she doesn't hate me too much for juicing her friend in the next room. The power must flow.
I pray and activate the obelisk. A gate slams shut behind me and for a moment I worry myself to be trapped. The energy within the conduit races down into the pit and a deep rumbling can be felt. Moments later, an elevator rises from below, and a mound of skulls spill out as it jerks to a stop. What tragedy befell this place? Still, a new path forward has been revealed.
At the same time the elevator settles into place, the gate behind me also drops away. I return to the previous room and the first thing I notice is that my glowing skeletal fox friend is now missing. I didn't hear a scream or anything, so I guess she just managed to break loose somehow. Maybe my prayer invigorated her enough she could manage an escape.
None of the other corners of this hexagonal room seem to lead anywhere, so I return along the path, through the meeting room, and shuffle down the cold metal ladder. With any luck, I'll never have to touch that thing again. I recover my spirit at the goddess altar and clear out the darklings hypnotized by the glowing crystal.
Pushing my way through the ballpit of skulls, I find a lever at the top of the elevator platform. I give it a flip and a jolt shakes the floor. Slowly, it descends. Several of the skulls along the edge roll off, back onto the elevator. I hold out my shield to prevent one from landing on my head. At the bottom, a putrid stench. Countless numbers of decayed bodies, bones caked in grime, line the edges of the room.
The way forward is dimly lit by a sea of candles. They adorn the goddess altar, as well, which I momentarily rest at. I notice a little side room in the darkness, and inside I find the shopkeeper. As a competent explorer and frugal adventurer, I have no lack of supplies already on hand.
Light shines up from a pit in front of the altar. A ladder on the edge provides me with a way forward. I begin to climb down it, the rungs steadily continuing on beneath me. All at once, my feet slip fail to find purchase. The ladder has come to a sudden end beneath me. My grip fails and I fall to the open room beneath me where I now find myself trapped...
Current Goals
✔Reach the obelisk on the Cathedral balcony.
★ Find out what happened.
★ Claim the legendary item.
★ Defeat The Heir.
★ Obtain the great treasure?
It takes me a few minutes to recover my breath. My tail aches and my shield and sword scattered off to the side. It was a long fall, and I'm lucky that there's nothing down here to attack. Still, how am I to return? Behind me, a short path that leads nowhere, but in front of me there's an array of statues.
With candles scattered around providing some patches of warm light, I walk to the north end and look them over. Three on each side, and one in the middle. I see many foes I've previously fought, and in front of each is an unlit candle. The one in the middle looks unfamiliar. It's a three-hexagon mask, but its limbs seem more like a spider's. With a shrug, I take one of the nearby lit candles and use it to light the small altar.
The stone figure atop the pedestal begins to melt and disintegrate. Behind me, wisps swirl around and form into a dark shape, just like the inverted color of the Lost Echoes in the Swamp. As the shape takes form, I realize with a surge of fear that it's a Garden Knight! It's not quite as big as the one in West Garden, but it's still bound to be a formidable threat.
Approaching it with my shield raised, I await its first blow. I block, and then begin to swing my sword. I regret this immediately, as two more strikes crash into me. I forgot, it attacks in threes. I drink a potion and circle around on his sword side. A few of my blows connect, but the last one of his lands solidly atop my head. As my vision fades, I think to myself that I should have chugged a second potion...
New Goal: Complete the arena challenge.
I'm again in front of the ladder. This time, when I reach the bottom, I drop carefully down and roll as I land. I return to the row of statues and look at each of them. Simple enemies, all of them, except the knight in the middle. If I can get through that one, I should be able to manage just fine. Lighting the candle, I head straight for the swirling wisps.
Before the figure can materialize fully, it's already half dead. It connects with the initial motion of its spinning attack, knocking me back. A potion puts me back in the game and when it begins another spin attack I keep my distance and utilize my Fire Rod. I then approach with my shield raised and it charges up a rifle shot. Moving behind it as it fires, my sword combos bring it to near death.
Just behind it, more wisps swirl and my hackles raise with a surge of adrenaline. A second one is materializing. With another strike, I finish off the first and immediately channel my Magic Dagger to freeze the newcomer. It shatters out of the ice and knocks me back. Moving away, I think myself to be safe when a wide-spread barrage sparks towards me from off-screen.
One hit. A near miss. Another hit. I nearly fall here and now. A potion to mend me, and I outrange its current set of smashes. It begins to whirl and I hold out my shield. Success, and I'm now behind it. I rain blow after blow upon its ghostly form. Another whirl is started, and my shield keeps me safe. It falls.
I pant, and look around to make certain more aren't going to appear. When all is quiet, I claim the Lucky heart and follow it with a third potion. The worst is now behind me, I hope. Looking over the remaining statues, I choose the Rudeling one. Once again, it burns away into swirling ash, and wisps begin to congregate across the arena.
Three small Rudelings fall easily to my blade. A large one appears to the south and with blocks to his simple attacks, he meets his demise. The next one to appear surprises me with a block to my own strike. I circle around him to get behind his defenses, and two more shield carriers spawn as I do so. Thankfully, I knock him to the floor before I get overwhelmed.
I pull back and heal, struggling to find a clean opening to pass through their defenses. At last, I get a pair of strikes in, and I notice that my attack leaves him stunned afterwards. Apparently even common strikes can cause the enemy to stagger. I finish him off and turn to the final Rudeling. Another two strikes, another stagger. This is useful knowledge.
Discovery: There's a white bar that appears below enemy health. When it fills up, the enemy will stagger and their attack will be interrupted.
I finish the final foe and use my fifth potion. Browsing the remaining statues, I choose the Fleemer statue. I'm doing fine so far, and I have three potions left. As my foes spawn, I try to finish them quickly. Each one takes four strikes, and when the second one lands a strike against my shoulder, I quickly start to fall behind. One after another they materialize.
I squeeze in occasional strikes at those on the edge, but before long I'm facing a horde a dozen strong. In the middle, a large Fleemer appears. Thank the goddess it's not a giant one. Actually no, I'm mad at her. Don't thank her. Thank those void foxes instead or something. After the large one appears, nothing else follows.
I run to the far side of the arena and realize the bigger one is much faster than the others. I use my last bit of spirit to freeze it and several others with my Magic Dagger. I attempt to cleave my way through the pile and nearly pay for my bravado with my afterlife. The large one ends up far to the north, and I run straight south while drinking a pair of potions.
Almost immediately, they're on top of me again. This isn't working. I swing my sword to try and push them back and take another small strike. I run again. Around the edge, they all stalk after me with the big guy out in the lead. I fumble through my pockets, trying to find an answer. No mana, too unsafe to use my sword, what do I have?
My paws find the stack of Boom Bombs, a whole two dozen. My attention shifts back to the battle and the last second and a large cutlass rakes across the top of my ears. A fox without ears can hardly be called a fox. With a deep breath I put more distance between myself and my undead followers.
Turning around, I toss a lit bomb into the group. It sails past the bulk of them, but between my earlier actions and now, I've thinned their numbers quite a bit. Five small Fleemers remain. I scoop up the Lucky heart and toss another bomb. One small remains alongside the mostly undamaged large fellow. Two more Lucky hearts. I'm actually feeling healthy again.
Shield up, I focus on the smaller foe. In between sword strikes, I duck in and cut it down. A final duel remains. I stagger it and then advance again. Waiting for its next strike, I hold out my shield. As soon as I block, I barrage my foe and inflict another stagger. With one more strike, it falls and disperses.
Four more candles remain to be lit. I chomp down on a few mana fruits and fully recover my mana, then put my paws on my Magic Dagger again. For my next choice, I pick the Custodians statue. It burns away and I anticipate a wave of candle-wielding zealots.
Instead, the wisps form into a group of five magic casters. Their patterns etch into the floor and I quickly roll to escape. Starting at the edge, I simply target the closest staff-wielding foe. I run across out of harm's way and continue to assail whatever I can reach. Dodge first, attack second.
I get some lucky strikes on a pair of them and they rematerialize further away. I catch my breath while watching my feet and I'm down to three. Then two. I alternate my attacks between the pair. One left. Then none. Much easier than I expected. Speaking of easy...
I light the alter of the Fairies and pull out my Fire Rod. With heightened focus, I begin the skeet shooting event. One, two, three, four, five... ...fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. Whew! Woe be to anyone who didn't bring a Fire Rod.
Two statues. I notice my health potions are all spent, and this last statue looks like a potion bottle. Unless it's a trap, I could probably use this right now. I light it, and the wisps bring me a gift of health. The large potion even provides me the chance to refill my bottles. One statue left.
I light the candle in front of the frog assassin. The first to appear is felled in three strikes. Four more just like it follow. The next to spawn carries a shield, and my attacks are getting easily repelled. Taking a few weak blows, I remember how annoying these are so I channel into my Magic Dagger. It catches a young frog along with it, and both are taken down with ease.
Two more young ones dance around, and I take my chance to quaff a potion. Taking the pair down, another young one and another shield carrier spawn. I freeze them both and in moments it's just me and the shield-frog. Another freeze-plus-sword combo ends him, and the arena grows silent.
A beam of light pierces the ceiling. The wisps merge into it and what's left behind is a chest of moonlight. It shimmers with an ethereal sparkle, not too unlike the booklet pages. Inside is a wreath of crystallized energy. This must be the legendary prize I was seeking, but what is it?
I remember seeing something like this in my booklet. There, on page three, the tall fox is wearing something very similar on its head. I raise the collection of shapes out of the box and it somehow holds its shape. Placing it atop my head, the decorative crown floats in place.
At first, I don't feel any different. I walk to the south and don't see any new bridge of moonlight or anything convenient like that. I start walking towards the empty chest, planning to check over by the empty pedestals. I break into a run and suddenly I'm right next to the chest. I trip and fall over the edge of it and as I try to catch myself, I am suddenly halfway towards the candles.
I pause and steady myself. I let calmness wash over me before taking another step. I look back towards the chest and I think about running over. I flash forward instantaneously. Apparently, I can teleport now. Testing it out, I try to dash all over. I can't dash over the side, into objects, or anything like that. That's good.
Discovery: The Hero's Laurels allow me to teleport-dash instead of roll.
As I poof around the ring, I suddenly feel very tired. It seems it still burns stamina to evade like that. I come to the gap in the south and set out to cross it. My first attempt falls short, and I end up traveling nowhere. On the bright side, I can't drop to my death due to misjudging distance. I move closer and try again.
I'm suddenly on the other side. This new ability is just what I need to travel over the river. Now the missing wooden planks are of little concern. The missing wooden ladders, however, that is still annoying. In moments I make it outside, aided in speed by my new dash ability.
Discovery: The teleport-dash allows me to cross over gaps and dodge very quickly.
I check for treasure and, after finding nothing, I climb the random ladder. A narrow pathway wraps around and leads me to the Hero's Grave. It swirls with light, calling to me. I kneel and pray, finding myself whisked away. This realm is still untouched by the corruption, and I climb the staircase to reach the grand statue in the middle.
I zip across the gap and lay claim to a perfect bundle of feathers. As I touch them, they shatter into wisps which swirl around me. I'm pulled into the air where they enter my soul and restore me. Eased to the ground, I find myself more energetic than before, like I can finally breathe clearly.
I immediately try to reach the other nearby offerings, and am wholeheartedly disappointed when I realize they are just out of reach of my teleportation. Still, I now have a way to fight The Heir. If I can collect these other relics, claim their power, restore my soul... Then, maybe, I can stand a chance against her power.
Discovery: The offerings inside the Hero's Grave will restore my body and soul, returning my true power to me.
New Goal: Recover the other five offerings from within the true Hero's Grave.
I return through the exit beam and immediately feel lost. I look around for how to continue and it takes me an embarrassingly long time to remember my new dash ability. To the south, a small ledge around the bridge's pillar. It winds its way around with gap after gap.
I come to a cliff and find that, while I cannot teleport straight down to the ground beneath me, it seems I can reach places that are slightly above or below. The cliff itself leads nowhere, or so I think. To the south, I spot the flat tops of some pillars. Practicing my aim, I leap from top to top, winding my way around a secret upper tier of the early graveyard.
At the end, a long dash under a crumbling archway, then another broken pillar, before finally bringing me to a rope. With a few more zips, I claim the chest of treasure that teased me as I entered this place. Outside, at the entrance, I can finally reach the isolated page. What I find is something I wish fate had given me sooner. Perhaps then, the betrayal would not have been as painful.
Again the same battle, fought uncountable times... So this is who I was facing in battle. It's the goddess, The Heir, whoever she truly is. On the preceding page, the fox who looks like me, wearing the Hero's Laurels. I contemplate whether that's me, or the hero, or somehow both. If the goddess is The Heir, and there's an Heir-to-the-Heir involved, does that mean I could be related to the goddess? Is she my mom? Now that's a weird thought.
I come to a page that feels like a dream. I can see the words, I can even read half of them, but it makes no sense to me. With an impending feeling of existential crisis, I slowly close and put away the booklet. Perhaps some things are best left unseen.
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
This story is intended as a companion piece to the video game TUNIC - experience with the game is highly recommended. While this work is primarily an introspection on the world of TUNIC, it can also be used as a game guide to help you with your own discoveries.
I highly recommend playing this game, and if the early portions of this tale can help pull you into the mysterious world, you'll absolutely love experiencing it first-hand. Be warned: Act 2 and beyond have substantial spoilers as the game grows in scope, and discovery is an important part of what makes TUNIC an amazing adventure.
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
Act 1: The Awakening (1/2) | (2/2)
Act 2: The Questagons (1/3) | (2/3) | (3/3)
Act 3: The Heir (1/2) | (2/2)
Act 4: The Golden Path (Coming Soon)
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
Act 3, Part 1 - A World Sundered
I awake feeling refreshed, the relaxing sounds of thunder rumbling around me. My fur feels a cool breeze running through it. Stretching and opening my eyes, I find myself experiencing a sense of déjà vu. The spot I have awoken at holds significance within my first memories of this place.
It's night time now, which is odd because I can't remember it being night, no matter how much I rested. As I look around me, I focus on the tip of my muzzle and realize with shock that I'm ghostly, just like how I existed in that other realm. The power I previously claimed across my journey has left me, my connection to the goddess feels severed.
That betrayal. How could she strike me down? And while crying about it, no less! Was her kindness all a facade? Did she resent me for my lust for treasure? I grab a shell from along the sands and hurl it into the water. Standing, I begin to explore anew. Something feels different, and not just the fact I'm ephemeral.
New Goal: Find out what happened.
I have all of my items, my magical tools, etcetera. The only thing missing is my inflated strength. I step onto the golden square and find that my prayers still serve to stir it into function. On the other side, the site appears angry. Space itself is wounded by huge tears, voidmatter accumulating at the seams. Something catastrophic has happened. Perhaps the goddess was never meant to be freed.
I cannot find the causality here with my limited perspective. I exit the corrupted space and run along the long bridge, reminiscing of my early journey as I run. The first thing I did was enter a house and steal a stick. To my surprise, someone now stands outside that very house. It's a fox of close relation to myself. Right now, we're even both blue and ghostly. He regards me with curious eyes.
I attempt to speak to the soul, but in response I only hear fuzz. I can tell I'm being asked something, and his tone is very friendly but also concerned. I give him a shrug and he frowns and continues to watch me quietly. If there are people here now, perhaps I should go into town. I need information.
Climbing the stairs, I attempt to reach the nearest crossing. The earliest point across is by the edge of one of the staircases, next to a chest. When I reach that point, the wooden bridge across is missing. I can see a fox next to the well on the other side, but I see no way to reach him. Going further up, I try to cross to the roof of the Old House. That bridge is also gone. Around by the Dark Tomb. Gone.
Discovery: In the night world, all the wood crossings are gone.
Inside the passage where I found the shield I'm met with yet another gap, the wooden bridge used to traverse it nowhere to be found. Within the pit here is the telltale glow of the pure energy I saw in the Ziggurat. I kick the nearby skull into the abyss and it plops into the liquid. Something is very wrong.
I rest at the checkpoint and notice for the first time that the back of the structure is very similar to the altars deep underground. It's almost as though the goddess was placed atop them to make them seem less imposing and cold. Did she order that done or was it something done out of reverence?
At the entrance to the Sealed Temple, another fox stands outside with a look of worry. While most of what she says makes my mind buzz, I realize that she's remarking about something bad happening. It seems that, even for these ghosts, what's happening is a new occurrence. I run inside and down the pond-lined corridor.
After passing the statue of three, I come to the prison seal. The three foxes here, are they the ghosts of the three on the statue? The first fox I come to, he is bemoaning the fate of what's become of the land. Among his mutterances, he remarks of a 4th key. Is there a fourth key to be found or is it simply wishful thinking that one existed? I wish I could understand their words, maybe we could help each other.
The one on the steps, sitting next to the red key, makes a complaint about the Siege Engine. On the other side, the lady stares upwards to where the prison seal once danced about. Her disbelief is accompanied by a dichotomous statement about heroes and fools. From what I can gather, these three are unhappy with what took place.
I start to wonder if what I caused, what I did, was something that should have been done. Am I a hero or am I a fool? Regardless, the goddess seems to be at fault just as much as I! The Heir. She must be defeated.
New Goal: Defeat The Heir.
Around the corner, I find a metal ladder that did not randomly disappear. Perhaps I'll be able to reach the village with this path. I wind my way around only to recall that there was once a drawbridge up here that I had lowered. Disappointed, I sprint back down the ladder and out the Sealed Temple. There has to be a place to cross over.
I climb a stone ladder by the altar and spot a pair of metal poles. Lashing across, I find they lead nowhere. To the east are even more dead ends, but the shocking thing is the corruption seeping out of the area of the Eastern Vault. The sky is lit up with the radiating edge of the dark void energy. I try donning my Scavenger's Mask, but it offers me no protection against the blight. Swapping back to my Anklet, I once again continue my search for... anything really. I'm still quite lost!
Further ahead I see the skull cave, a place I never could reach. I see where a bridge once stood that led to East Forest. I also see a chest on a ledge below with a path leading through the rock. Near the wall, I spot a collection of flowers grouped near the wall. Remembering what I learned about in the Quarry, thanks to the antics of the Scavengers, I try tossing a Boom Bomb at the flowers.
The wall crumbles away, and I am quite pleased with myself for noticing it. I walk through the tiny tunnel and claim the contents of the chest. They are uninspired, but they are mine now. I circle around further and spot a fox resting in the forested, grassy path. I approach her and wave hello. Her words ring of awe, and within them a hint stirs a recollection. The swamp. The graveyard. I never did find the place, but now that I am a ghost...
Through the shrubberies, I come to another fox. He's staring at the pathway, decayed ruins patched together with shimmering light and forming a bridge across the gap. All of the wood walkways may have vanished, but it seems that a few things have appeared in their place. I ask him what he's looking at, be he doesn't understand me.
What he does speak buzzes of chastisement, but the words I can understand don't lend me to understand why he's upset. He speaks of the Cathedral and of ghosts. With a shrug, I touch my toes against the moonlit bridge. They find purchase and I dash across to the outstretched obelisk. To one side, I see a page of the booklet on a stray column. There is no moonlight that reaches to it, but the page itself does feel similar, like it comes from the stars themselves.
I kneel at the obelisk, wondering if I can still activate them with my prayers. As with the telepads, the obelisk reacts as expected. It sinks into the ground and out pop some pieces of mana. The conduit comes to life with purple light and I dash off following it.
Passing under a random chest, I come to a fox woman scanning the horizon. Amidst the familiar buzz, I make out the words Cathedral and Moonlight. In the waters nearby, I spot another piece of gold tablet, carved with zigzags. It holds my interest for about two seconds and I turn to the other fox as he sits and stares at a hole in the ground. He seems... dazed, confused. A big fight, but what and where?
The hole now draws my gaze. The Librarian's wires cap the conduit, allowing the energy to continue from one end to the next. It appears this hole is from where he stole away with the telepad. While it is frustrating that he took it away, I'm appreciative that he didn't leave the machinery here inoperable. I find myself able to understand his desires. The ache to learn more, to decipher how things work.
Just past, I see a fallen Garden Knight in the swampy ground ahead. I instantly tense up, recalling how challenging it was to face early in my journeys. I sincerely hope that, in my weakened state, I don't encounter another. To my right, a tall watchtower. I catch a glint in the water at its base, and with a bit of snooping I stumble onto a chest in the center of the ruined column. It holds a modicum of treasure which I greedily pocket.
At the top, a spyglass. Looking through it, I see that Cathedral stretching into the sky in the distance. I should make an effort to reach that place. A bit closer, a glowing bridgeway, and a bit closer than that, the glow of the conduit and an altar along its path. I also see a small building, a mausoleum, it should be worth checking inside. I climb back down and continue to look around for any and all treasure. A new area deserves a thorough plundering.
New Goal: Reach the Cathedral.
In the dingy swamp waters, I meet with my first Fleemer since my visit to Dark Tomb. It rises from underneath a skull, light in its eyes shining out to greet me. Before it can even ready itself, I've already hacked it mostly to pieces. At the edge of the fenced area, I spot a chest and within, a card. This one is called the Dagger Strap and likely makes the Magic Dagger easier to use, or perhaps less costly.
New Item: Card #13 - Dagger StrapI pass by a well, and I check if I have any coins to toss in. I find one, and it plops into the bottom with a splash of light. That was my seventh, and I need three more to receive another gift. I come to the goddess altar and take a short rest. In the event of trouble, I want to return close by. The gate appears closed, so I continue my search of the area.
On the west side, I find a chest under an archway, on a little mossy island. Mana berries is all it holds. At this point, I have nowhere left to check, so I go inside the mausoleum. It has a giant skull atop the doorway, a fitting decoration.
Inside it's dark. Especially dark. Ah, right, it's a shop. I look up at the giant shopkeeper. His long neck reminds me of the void beasts, and I try to ask him who he is. No response, of course, aside from continuing to gesture towards the items on display. I inspect the potion bottle I was never able to afford, but this time I can pay. I clip the potion to my belt alongside the others.
New Item: Potion #5Once outside, I move to more closely inspect the large gate barring my way. When I approach it, it swings open to grant me passage. I shrug and cross through. On the other side, I immediately turn to my right and spot a ladder, but I pass it by and check for any secret pathways. "Secrets are everywhere" holds true, and I find a long dark corridor leading through the hillside. At the end, some Boom Bombs await their claim.
Above me, I see many Fleemers awaiting destruction. I climb the ladder and claim the important looking chest. Another new card! This one looks like it has plants on it, and it's called "Perfume." With a shrug, I add it to my pile. I'm now only missing the one without a name.
New Item: Card #14 - PerfumeI realize I cannot reach the other nearby chest, so I continue forward and easily dispatch the two Fleemers. My confidence is mildly shaken when a skull with red eyes comes to life wielding a cross shield. He's larger than the other Fleemers, and his sword has impressive reach. With a block to his attack, I move in and break away his joints. His little buddy's, too.
I spot a large grave, partially sunken into the earth near a very large, very dead looking tree. On the other side, I see a pair of chests. Moving to investigate, I hear a groaning noise from the shadows. I reflexively swing out my sword and a dark colored ghost fox, colors inverted from my own, appears from nowhere.
My sword leaves her stunned, and with consecutive blows I prevent any action from this startling foe. The booklet says this is a Lost Echo. I wonder how many of these are lurking in wait for a good little ghost like me to come through. Not that they stand a chance. I collect the remnants of its soul and am disappointed that I can reach neither chest nearby.
The path goes downhill and I hear another groan from the grass. I immediately stab in its direction. He materializes, and I hack away at his ghostly mass until, after pushing him into a hidden pathway, he disintegrates. At the end of that pathway, a chest of treasure. Along another side path, more treasure. The dead apparently took their wealth with them in this land.
A trio of Fleemers now, I work my way through them with the added aid of my shield. I take only a small hit, and find yet-more shinies further down the way. I circle around and spot several red skulls that catch my eye. Someone has painted them, as though they hold a significance. One is even placed atop a grave, which I playfully knock off into a puddle of water. It sinks down out of sight, the hole apparently being deeper than I realized. Oh well.
I spot another chest next to a large skull and a massive grave. I run across to claim the chest's contents as my own when suddenly the skull springs to life. A huge monstrosity pulls itself up from the earth wielding a massive club of woven-together skulls. To make matters worse, another Fleemer rises up from the water nearby. I work quickly to damage my sudden foe, and it slams down upon me with its war hammer.
I block with my shield which takes every ounce of my stamina. As I struggle to my feet, he follows his smash with a wide slash. This slash takes out the smaller Fleemer, but it also nearly shatters my own body. Can I even die like this? How does a ghost die? Maybe I should be being more careful. ... Nah.
Still, I do run, or well, I stumble away. Once out of its range, I sip a potion. It barely heals anything in my depowered state, so I drink a second. The giant lumbers after me, and when my breath returns, I dash in under his feet and continue to hack away at his leg bones.
I block a swing, a slightly less harsh strike than his smash, and return to hacking. He reaches inside of himself and it's at this point I notice his chest cavity is filled with dozens of tiny skulls. He pulls a handful out and throws them to the ground. Phrends. With newfound urgency I set out to crush this great behemoth before I'm overwhelmed.
It manages to sneak in a smash, leaving me once again near defeat, knocking me back against a gravestone. A swipe follows immediately, narrowly missing smashing my head in. On the bright side, it did smash in four other heads. Bye bye Phrends. As I race to vanquish it, its last action is to spawn another round of floating skulls before falling to my blade. Great, now I have to deal with them.
As they begin to surround me, I run back towards the chest, turning to slash at them as they follow me. It works well and I avoid any damage from their antics. Inside the chest, a great prize. A new Golden Coin. I wish I could afford the two that the shopkeep had for sale.
New Item: Golden Coin #8Nothing left for me down here, so I climb back to the top of the mound and work my way towards the glowing conduit. Along the way, I spot another red skull that I had overlooked before. Feeling impish, I kick the skull of the edge and I watch it fall and roll along the grass, straight into the pool the other one sank into. I clap for the skull, happy it found its friend.
Down the ladder, around the corner. I work my way up the left side and hear a growl from by the water. I run over to where I heard the noise and strike out. While I'm vanquishing the Lost Echo, I hear another growl in the distance. There's another one around, but I've lost track of it. I hold out my shield and begin slashing wildly into the air, unsure of from where it will strike.
The moment I turn my back, something collides into me. I feel its claws sink into my fur and scrape through my ethereal essence. I strike, and she materializes. Stab stab, stab stab. Another one stirs on the other side of the conduit. It floats around me, I can hear it, but only vaguely. Then, with a streak of light, it lunges from the side, breezing past me with a screeching pain.
I quickly quaff a potion, and then raise my shield in the direction the vengeful spirit dashed. Now that I have my bearings against this foe, I feel safe again. I block the next lunge and turn around with my sword swinging. He materializes, only to be quickly felled, his essence mine. Perhaps I should be making use of my Fire Rod.
In the middle of the woods, a platform with a half-sunken obelisk. I activate it and return to exploring. I turn in the opposite direction to the conduit path in a hunt for more treasure. Following the water's edge, I come to the wall. Along the wall, another secret path. Under a ledge, I find a chest with a second Golden Coin.
New Item: Golden Coin #9With only one more, I can acquire that new card slot. I doubt I'll find another in this area, but maybe I can get enough treasure to just buy one. Along the wall, a path leads upwards. I decide to stick to the ground level for now and walk along the rest of the cliff's edge. Passing by another Lost Echo, I find myself appreciating the Muffling Bell yet again. It affords me a great advantage against these invisible menaces, as they only react when I'm practically atop them. A quick slice of my sword is all it takes to materialize their presence, making them easy to track and dispatch.
One more harasses me, and I cut her down. I'm under a ruined bridge now, and I spot a chest on a ledge. Inside, potion fragments. I haven't found any in a while. I pocket it, careful to wrap them for my protection.
New Item: Potion Fragment #10I trace the conduit, only to see it turn and head upwards to the bridge above. Following underneath, I find more treasure. There's a Hero's Grave just above me, and it radiates with an inviting swirl. Am I a hero or am I a fool? Obviously I'm a hero. If only I can find a way up there. I'm not sure it's important, though.
My way forward is blocked, I'll have to climb up the cliffside. Before I do, I finish checking this lower area. There's just so much treasure here, it's addicting. Each box is a new mystery, a new reward. I spot another chest on the other side of a wall. I can't locate a way through the wall, though. Eventually, I try trudging through the swamp, eww, but that manages to get me there. It's an effigy. Never did figure out what they're good for but there's no enemies around so why bother?
Looping back to the entrance gate, I feel comfortable in concluding my exploration of the ground level. I walk across to the cliffside, stirring one last Lost Echo along the way. At the top I head to the right, away from the ruined bridge. A chest sits near the edge, and within is something I would not have expected. It's a third Golden Coin! Pocketing it, I race back down the cliff with excitement.
New Item: Golden Coin #10I throw the trio of coins, each adorned with my own visage, into the well. Actually, it's likely the Hero's face on them, not mine. Good for him, getting his face on some coins. I wonder how old they are? I am gifted with a new slot and I choose the Bracer to fit into it. I've been remembering to use my shield more since becoming a vulnerable and weak ghost, and the fight with the giant Fleemer showed me how quickly that stamina can vanish.
I avoid resting despite only having two potions left in order to prevent a resurgence of Lost Echoes. They are easy to handle, but still annoying. Up the cliff again, I fight my way through several shield-carrying Fleemers. Two at once proves to be a tough fight, but it wasn't only raw strength I gained since coming here. I've also honed my skill. I'm more capable, more adept.
Of course, I say that, but I still am now without any potions. What's worse is that I see another giant skull. The last thing I want right now is a fight with another massive war hammer carrying Fleemer. I hug the wall and circle around. Some treasure is found by the cliff's edge along the way.
Once past the intimidating skull, I spot yet another chest. As I walk down towards it, I decide to take out one of the two Hushers. These are tainted with void energies, and will likely drain my life in addition to wounding me. I lash the closer of the two with the tentacle of my Magic Orb and score a full combo against it.
To my dismay, this knocks it back towards its friend, and now I have two flying foes wanting to peck my soul-juices, plus I'm trapped on this narrow ledge. I back out of range of their dual dash, score a few hits, and then run up the ramp. I roll one time too many and wind myself. Panting, I back away along the path I came from. To my horror, I catch myself stumbling right past the giant skull.
With a heavy sigh of relief, the skull is just a skull. No large creature bursts forth and smashes me with a war club. I return my attention to the Hushers, eager to not be bested. I pull one in with a snatch, and stab it until it stops moving. The other circles around me and I hold out my shield. It dives at me, and my shield holds. Face to face, I slash, and it gets knocked away just before I finish it off. I hold out my shield again and then mentally slap myself. With a flick of my wrist, I send out a fire bolt and it falls to the ground below. My prize? A mere two health fruits.
Before I continue along the bridge, I give the giant skull a firm kick. I was certain it was going to come alive and now I feel like a fool for being so careful around it. At the midway point of the bridge, a Husher stalks the ground below. I dispatch it easily, and further down, across the glowing moonlight bridge, there's a hefty metal ladder. I suppose it wouldn't be wood, would it?
I knock it down and visit the goddess altar. Now that I have a shortcut, it won't matter if my foes return. With a short rest, I once again have my potions and my energy. I sneak by the Husher and follow the conduit. A staircase leads up to another obelisk, a black-metal door shimmers and fades away. The four fox statues greet me as I walk up to it.
On the side of the entrance, I stumble onto a hidden ladder. One last chest of shinybits to claim. With that, I head inside the Cathedral, excited to discover what's hiding within. "Legend says, wearing this allows you to do something extraordinary." Yes, please.
New Goal: Claim the legendary item.
Current Goals
✔
★ Find out what happened.
★ Claim the legendary item.
★ Defeat The Heir.
★ Obtain the great treasure?
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
Act 3, Part 2 - A Cold Metal Ladder
Greeting me at the front of the Cathedral is a goddess altar. A short rest is all I need, and I walk further into the main hall. What I find leaves me chilled to the tail tip. I see myself. Not just myself but many of me, staring blankly ahead as if in a trance. They hold aloft a dark energy blade and point it up towards a statue of the goddess, one that's completely unbroken.
Across the ruins, almost every statue of her that I've seen has been broken. A few, like those by the Sacred Temple, held large stone swords. The others, however, were missing arms, heads, and otherwise in disarray. I wondered on several occasions what they originally held, and now I wonder if I've found my answer. Or perhaps this one is just extremely special.
Held aloft, floating in the palm of her stone paw, is a crystal of condensed power. The room is cast in a purple glow, overshadowing the candles set on the altar. In goblets resting on the base, the pure energy fluid.
What I find even more unsettling than my vacant-faced other selves is actually the two figures set adjacent to the goddess. They are reminiscent to the Garden Knight, but much less mechanical. Numerous tentacles emerge from the hexagonal face plate. Perhaps these are the true masters, or they are conscripted aids that come from another dimension.
I trip over a skull and it tumbles into the pit in front of me. An inactive conduit lines the back wall, heading into the abyss. A loud thud and clatter echoes from within as the skull lands at the bottom, and the void-me's turn to fight. They stumble slowly across the floor, blade outstretched, movements stiff and unnatural.
After pulling one into the pit, I realize them to be less of a threat than anticipated. I easily fell them, and I find myself taking no issue to putting down foes with my own visage. I try to steal one of their void blades but it burns my paw when I touch it. In no time at all, the room is clear, and I take a closer look at the crystal.
I would guess it to be a refined metal. It spins slowly in the statue's hand and the light encapsulates the hexagonal prism. As I lay eyes on the obelisk on the upper ledge, a certain imagery comes to mind. I open the booklet, turning to an early page. Here, it's the same scene. A group of foxes, prostrating themselves to a grand figure carrying a stone emanating light. Is this that place?
New Goal: Reach the obelisk on the Cathedral balcony.
I begin to look for a way up. I check the left door, only some shinies. On the right, a few more doors and a slow-moving shadow copy. The left is blocked by rubble, the right has a group of three darklings staring at each other. One nicks me with its blade and my stomach churns from the corruption. Their blades are definitely made of the same material I saw in the Quarry.
Through the next doorway, my vision is blinded by an energy pool. I dispatch the first darkling, and then the next slow-moving pair. Across the pool I see another, and I lash him into the roiling fluid, and he sinks to the bottom with nary a scream. Gaining a larger treasure reward than usual, I wonder if he was somehow different to the others.
Before climbing up, I sling my Magic Orb's tentacle at a darkling on the upper pathway, dragging him to his glowing doom. I then ascend the staircase and enter the adjoining room. Here, spike traps are set into the floor. Once again I grab my foe and place him in harm's way. The trap makes quick work of him and I giggle out loud. My decoys are smarter than these guys.
Up a winding staircase, I find an aviary. Cages stand against the wall, Hushers pecking at discarded tomes. Carefully, I engage the first pair of feathery fiends. My attempt to split them fails, and I watch my positioning to keep from getting pinned. Once one is defeated, I stand at the edge of diving range and await the swoop of the remaining one.
I pull the next one to me, and in my haste to slay it I gain the attention of one more. I am struck and begin to feel very weak. I redouble my focus and guard my best against them, letting out a sigh of relief when one falls over dead. One left. Patience.
I collect the mana bits and continue to search the room. One void Husher left. I press my assault and back it into the far corner. We trade places and I hold my shield up to block its dive. I slash and finish it off, and as I wait to lay claim to its spirit, something draws my attention. The wall feels suspicious, drawing my touch.
Putting my paw to the random square beneath the emblem of three hexagons, a secret pathway opens and the wall drops away. Inside a chest, another Golden Coin. While a lucky find, I would need another four in order to get my next reward. If the graveyard had held one less, I may have been excited by this find.
New Item: Golden Coin #11Above the Cathedral entrance, two more passageways to choose from. The lower one holds a heavy metal ladder, which I heave off the side with a loud grunt. Behind it are some Boom Bombs, of which I've accumulated quite a few. Quickly climbing down, I am grateful to recover myself at the goddess altar.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and try the other passage. Some large chairs sit facing each other, possibly as some sort of meeting room. At one time, there could have been a great table here. In my way stand two mirror images of me. They are resting, their eyes closed. I try to sneak by, but they instantly rise to their feet. I hack away at the closest one, and the other rolls away. Wait, rolls away? Since when can they roll?
My shield falters, and a blow is landed on my side. My vision blurs and my head swirls. I put some distance between them and myself. One was almost defeated, but I lose track of which is which. Running behind the chairs, I try to face one alone. I grip him towards me, but the other forces his way alongside and both try to take a swing at me. The weakened one falls, but I'm nearly beaten as well.
I block the high-speed slash and return two strikes of my own. The first misses, as the empowered fox rolls away. The second lands, but he strikes out, knocking me against the wall. I can no longer heal, another strike will be my end. I block a strike, we trade dodges, but this was a battle I was unprepared for. Looming over me with glowing eyes, it stares at my fallen ghostly body and wavers back and forth. It lives on instinct alone.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and enter the other passage. The meeting room is dark and cold. The chess-tiled floor is dinged and uneven. The pair of clones by the exit rest quietly. I run up to them and unleash righteous fury, blade cutting into their fur. They split up and surround me, dodging in random directions.
I retreat back towards the entrance, escaping their pincer attack. When I lunge at them, they both swing their blades. One strikes, I heal and run behind the chairs. I try to rail them with fire bolts, but they weave in and out between the stone seats. They pincer me again, and I roll. I'm winded, drained. I move to heal and the other one strikes. Defeat.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and enter the meeting room. My frustration is growing. I put away the useless Magic Orb and replace it with the Magic Dagger. By the exit, the two annoyances sleep, my echo-of-self right in front of them. I collect my fallen fragment, but it stirs the pair and I'm immediately struck with a lunge. I channel my frost dagger, and unleash a combo at the nearest bright-eyed monstrosity.
It quickly breaks free and I retreat to heal. It rolls towards me and hits me with a strike before I can ready my shield. With some measure of success, I manage to defeat the first before the second rejoins, but not before taking another strike. As the second races towards me, I heal and run behind the chairs. I shield its strike and pull out the Magic Dagger. Before it can finish charging, I'm struck again. Thinking it to be a fluke, I cast once more, and fall to the ground in failure.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and race towards the meeting room. I run straight to the pair of powerhouses and blast them with ice before they can stir. I combo one until he's broken free and then back away. I swing my sword but he stays at range. The other breaks free. I channel my Magic Dagger again and they both roll away, one ending up behind me. I'm struck, and before I can even clear my vision, the other one lands decisive strike.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and sprint through the meeting room. I ignore the two foes and plunge into the darkness of the nearby passageway. I stumble across the red beam of a statue trap. Behind me, the pair give chase, and in moments I am caught and beaten to a pulp.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder and pull out my Magic Dagger. As I run past the pair, I freeze them in place. I roll through the first trap and sneak behind the second. I plan to use the traps to my advantage, to let them carve through the duo of destruction. I collect my echo-of-self and immediately regret it. The explosion destroys several of the traps, leaving an almost-clear pathway between myself and them. In the tight corridors, I stand little chance against their antics. I throw myself in front of a remaining trap and let myself fall.
I kick the cold metal ladder in frustration. I'm letting my haste and arrogance be my undoing. Their dodges give them an easy escape from my sword and Fire Rod. Their speed makes the Magic Dagger a challenge to hit with. The Gun is just as slow, should I even bother trying it? Is there anything I have that could help? I dig through my supplies, turning to my collection of cards.
Muffling Bell, Lucky Cup, Anklet, Bracer. Two of these are useless. Looking at the alternatives, I equip the Dagger Strap over the Muffling Bell. This will help my Magic Dagger in some way, I'm sure. As for the Lucky Cup, I settle on swapping in the Tincture. It increases my attack strength while decreasing my defense. Well, if I'm hit, I'm probably dead anyways. May as well become a glass cannon. Or, I guess, ice cannon. Oh! It's a glass. Hah, I get it.
I drag myself up the cold metal ladder, hopefully for the last time. I creep slowly through the meeting room, walking between the rows of chairs until I'm just in range with the Magic Dagger. I hope this card doesn't just increase its range. I hold out the magical apparatus and channel my spirit into it. It quickly overflows and freezes the pair of super-darklings to the ground. Casting speed increase, perfect!
I unload a combo on the right one, and as soon as he breaks free I step backwards. When he's grouped up with his friend, I hit them both with another blast of freezing cold. This time, my strikes hit the pair of them. The first one falls, and the other breaks free. I run to the back of the room and await my chance. As the second closes in, the Magic Dagger lets loose another cone of cold, and my sword finishes him off.
With a very heavy sigh of relief, I swap my cards back to their standards. In the passageway, I slowly work to clear away the traps and I make it to the other end. The chest holds some health fruits, which I roll my eyes at. Everything here takes away my strength, so this type of sustenance does my ghostly self no good.
In the next chamber, a hexagonal pool holds an incredible sight. Held aloft above the glow, a long-necked void fox. She - or at least I think it's a she? - is pinned against a grand y-shaped cross. It's adorned with the emblem of the three hexagons, and five of the six corners of the surrounding railing feature the same hexagons. Candles and braziers line the room, and the liquid energy flows outwards in six directions.
At her feet are high quality crystals growing out of the pool. I can't quite tell, but I wonder if she's being bled to produce this substance. Is the fluid their blood? That correlates to how the obelisks seem to work, too, so it's not an outlandish thought. I stand in front of her and offer a prayer, and she suddenly stirs. She cranes her neck forward and stares at me intently. I cannot read any emotion. It's so cool that she looked at me, though. I hope she doesn't hate me too much for juicing her friend in the next room. The power must flow.
I pray and activate the obelisk. A gate slams shut behind me and for a moment I worry myself to be trapped. The energy within the conduit races down into the pit and a deep rumbling can be felt. Moments later, an elevator rises from below, and a mound of skulls spill out as it jerks to a stop. What tragedy befell this place? Still, a new path forward has been revealed.
At the same time the elevator settles into place, the gate behind me also drops away. I return to the previous room and the first thing I notice is that my glowing skeletal fox friend is now missing. I didn't hear a scream or anything, so I guess she just managed to break loose somehow. Maybe my prayer invigorated her enough she could manage an escape.
None of the other corners of this hexagonal room seem to lead anywhere, so I return along the path, through the meeting room, and shuffle down the cold metal ladder. With any luck, I'll never have to touch that thing again. I recover my spirit at the goddess altar and clear out the darklings hypnotized by the glowing crystal.
Pushing my way through the ballpit of skulls, I find a lever at the top of the elevator platform. I give it a flip and a jolt shakes the floor. Slowly, it descends. Several of the skulls along the edge roll off, back onto the elevator. I hold out my shield to prevent one from landing on my head. At the bottom, a putrid stench. Countless numbers of decayed bodies, bones caked in grime, line the edges of the room.
The way forward is dimly lit by a sea of candles. They adorn the goddess altar, as well, which I momentarily rest at. I notice a little side room in the darkness, and inside I find the shopkeeper. As a competent explorer and frugal adventurer, I have no lack of supplies already on hand.
Light shines up from a pit in front of the altar. A ladder on the edge provides me with a way forward. I begin to climb down it, the rungs steadily continuing on beneath me. All at once, my feet slip fail to find purchase. The ladder has come to a sudden end beneath me. My grip fails and I fall to the open room beneath me where I now find myself trapped...
Current Goals
✔
★ Find out what happened.
★ Claim the legendary item.
★ Defeat The Heir.
★ Obtain the great treasure?
TUNIC: A Narrative Guide
Act 3, Part 3 - The Master Strategist
It takes me a few minutes to recover my breath. My tail aches and my shield and sword scattered off to the side. It was a long fall, and I'm lucky that there's nothing down here to attack. Still, how am I to return? Behind me, a short path that leads nowhere, but in front of me there's an array of statues.
With candles scattered around providing some patches of warm light, I walk to the north end and look them over. Three on each side, and one in the middle. I see many foes I've previously fought, and in front of each is an unlit candle. The one in the middle looks unfamiliar. It's a three-hexagon mask, but its limbs seem more like a spider's. With a shrug, I take one of the nearby lit candles and use it to light the small altar.
The stone figure atop the pedestal begins to melt and disintegrate. Behind me, wisps swirl around and form into a dark shape, just like the inverted color of the Lost Echoes in the Swamp. As the shape takes form, I realize with a surge of fear that it's a Garden Knight! It's not quite as big as the one in West Garden, but it's still bound to be a formidable threat.
Approaching it with my shield raised, I await its first blow. I block, and then begin to swing my sword. I regret this immediately, as two more strikes crash into me. I forgot, it attacks in threes. I drink a potion and circle around on his sword side. A few of my blows connect, but the last one of his lands solidly atop my head. As my vision fades, I think to myself that I should have chugged a second potion...
New Goal: Complete the arena challenge.
I'm again in front of the ladder. This time, when I reach the bottom, I drop carefully down and roll as I land. I return to the row of statues and look at each of them. Simple enemies, all of them, except the knight in the middle. If I can get through that one, I should be able to manage just fine. Lighting the candle, I head straight for the swirling wisps.
Before the figure can materialize fully, it's already half dead. It connects with the initial motion of its spinning attack, knocking me back. A potion puts me back in the game and when it begins another spin attack I keep my distance and utilize my Fire Rod. I then approach with my shield raised and it charges up a rifle shot. Moving behind it as it fires, my sword combos bring it to near death.
Just behind it, more wisps swirl and my hackles raise with a surge of adrenaline. A second one is materializing. With another strike, I finish off the first and immediately channel my Magic Dagger to freeze the newcomer. It shatters out of the ice and knocks me back. Moving away, I think myself to be safe when a wide-spread barrage sparks towards me from off-screen.
One hit. A near miss. Another hit. I nearly fall here and now. A potion to mend me, and I outrange its current set of smashes. It begins to whirl and I hold out my shield. Success, and I'm now behind it. I rain blow after blow upon its ghostly form. Another whirl is started, and my shield keeps me safe. It falls.
I pant, and look around to make certain more aren't going to appear. When all is quiet, I claim the Lucky heart and follow it with a third potion. The worst is now behind me, I hope. Looking over the remaining statues, I choose the Rudeling one. Once again, it burns away into swirling ash, and wisps begin to congregate across the arena.
Three small Rudelings fall easily to my blade. A large one appears to the south and with blocks to his simple attacks, he meets his demise. The next one to appear surprises me with a block to my own strike. I circle around him to get behind his defenses, and two more shield carriers spawn as I do so. Thankfully, I knock him to the floor before I get overwhelmed.
I pull back and heal, struggling to find a clean opening to pass through their defenses. At last, I get a pair of strikes in, and I notice that my attack leaves him stunned afterwards. Apparently even common strikes can cause the enemy to stagger. I finish him off and turn to the final Rudeling. Another two strikes, another stagger. This is useful knowledge.
Discovery: There's a white bar that appears below enemy health. When it fills up, the enemy will stagger and their attack will be interrupted.
I finish the final foe and use my fifth potion. Browsing the remaining statues, I choose the Fleemer statue. I'm doing fine so far, and I have three potions left. As my foes spawn, I try to finish them quickly. Each one takes four strikes, and when the second one lands a strike against my shoulder, I quickly start to fall behind. One after another they materialize.
I squeeze in occasional strikes at those on the edge, but before long I'm facing a horde a dozen strong. In the middle, a large Fleemer appears. Thank the goddess it's not a giant one. Actually no, I'm mad at her. Don't thank her. Thank those void foxes instead or something. After the large one appears, nothing else follows.
I run to the far side of the arena and realize the bigger one is much faster than the others. I use my last bit of spirit to freeze it and several others with my Magic Dagger. I attempt to cleave my way through the pile and nearly pay for my bravado with my afterlife. The large one ends up far to the north, and I run straight south while drinking a pair of potions.
Almost immediately, they're on top of me again. This isn't working. I swing my sword to try and push them back and take another small strike. I run again. Around the edge, they all stalk after me with the big guy out in the lead. I fumble through my pockets, trying to find an answer. No mana, too unsafe to use my sword, what do I have?
My paws find the stack of Boom Bombs, a whole two dozen. My attention shifts back to the battle and the last second and a large cutlass rakes across the top of my ears. A fox without ears can hardly be called a fox. With a deep breath I put more distance between myself and my undead followers.
Turning around, I toss a lit bomb into the group. It sails past the bulk of them, but between my earlier actions and now, I've thinned their numbers quite a bit. Five small Fleemers remain. I scoop up the Lucky heart and toss another bomb. One small remains alongside the mostly undamaged large fellow. Two more Lucky hearts. I'm actually feeling healthy again.
Shield up, I focus on the smaller foe. In between sword strikes, I duck in and cut it down. A final duel remains. I stagger it and then advance again. Waiting for its next strike, I hold out my shield. As soon as I block, I barrage my foe and inflict another stagger. With one more strike, it falls and disperses.
Four more candles remain to be lit. I chomp down on a few mana fruits and fully recover my mana, then put my paws on my Magic Dagger again. For my next choice, I pick the Custodians statue. It burns away and I anticipate a wave of candle-wielding zealots.
Instead, the wisps form into a group of five magic casters. Their patterns etch into the floor and I quickly roll to escape. Starting at the edge, I simply target the closest staff-wielding foe. I run across out of harm's way and continue to assail whatever I can reach. Dodge first, attack second.
I get some lucky strikes on a pair of them and they rematerialize further away. I catch my breath while watching my feet and I'm down to three. Then two. I alternate my attacks between the pair. One left. Then none. Much easier than I expected. Speaking of easy...
I light the alter of the Fairies and pull out my Fire Rod. With heightened focus, I begin the skeet shooting event. One, two, three, four, five... ...fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. Whew! Woe be to anyone who didn't bring a Fire Rod.
Two statues. I notice my health potions are all spent, and this last statue looks like a potion bottle. Unless it's a trap, I could probably use this right now. I light it, and the wisps bring me a gift of health. The large potion even provides me the chance to refill my bottles. One statue left.
I light the candle in front of the frog assassin. The first to appear is felled in three strikes. Four more just like it follow. The next to spawn carries a shield, and my attacks are getting easily repelled. Taking a few weak blows, I remember how annoying these are so I channel into my Magic Dagger. It catches a young frog along with it, and both are taken down with ease.
Two more young ones dance around, and I take my chance to quaff a potion. Taking the pair down, another young one and another shield carrier spawn. I freeze them both and in moments it's just me and the shield-frog. Another freeze-plus-sword combo ends him, and the arena grows silent.
A beam of light pierces the ceiling. The wisps merge into it and what's left behind is a chest of moonlight. It shimmers with an ethereal sparkle, not too unlike the booklet pages. Inside is a wreath of crystallized energy. This must be the legendary prize I was seeking, but what is it?
Major Goal Complete: Claim the legendary item.I remember seeing something like this in my booklet. There, on page three, the tall fox is wearing something very similar on its head. I raise the collection of shapes out of the box and it somehow holds its shape. Placing it atop my head, the decorative crown floats in place.
New Item: Hero's LaurelsAt first, I don't feel any different. I walk to the south and don't see any new bridge of moonlight or anything convenient like that. I start walking towards the empty chest, planning to check over by the empty pedestals. I break into a run and suddenly I'm right next to the chest. I trip and fall over the edge of it and as I try to catch myself, I am suddenly halfway towards the candles.
I pause and steady myself. I let calmness wash over me before taking another step. I look back towards the chest and I think about running over. I flash forward instantaneously. Apparently, I can teleport now. Testing it out, I try to dash all over. I can't dash over the side, into objects, or anything like that. That's good.
Discovery: The Hero's Laurels allow me to teleport-dash instead of roll.
As I poof around the ring, I suddenly feel very tired. It seems it still burns stamina to evade like that. I come to the gap in the south and set out to cross it. My first attempt falls short, and I end up traveling nowhere. On the bright side, I can't drop to my death due to misjudging distance. I move closer and try again.
I'm suddenly on the other side. This new ability is just what I need to travel over the river. Now the missing wooden planks are of little concern. The missing wooden ladders, however, that is still annoying. In moments I make it outside, aided in speed by my new dash ability.
Discovery: The teleport-dash allows me to cross over gaps and dodge very quickly.
I check for treasure and, after finding nothing, I climb the random ladder. A narrow pathway wraps around and leads me to the Hero's Grave. It swirls with light, calling to me. I kneel and pray, finding myself whisked away. This realm is still untouched by the corruption, and I climb the staircase to reach the grand statue in the middle.
I zip across the gap and lay claim to a perfect bundle of feathers. As I touch them, they shatter into wisps which swirl around me. I'm pulled into the air where they enter my soul and restore me. Eased to the ground, I find myself more energetic than before, like I can finally breathe clearly.
I immediately try to reach the other nearby offerings, and am wholeheartedly disappointed when I realize they are just out of reach of my teleportation. Still, I now have a way to fight The Heir. If I can collect these other relics, claim their power, restore my soul... Then, maybe, I can stand a chance against her power.
Discovery: The offerings inside the Hero's Grave will restore my body and soul, returning my true power to me.
New Goal: Recover the other five offerings from within the true Hero's Grave.
I return through the exit beam and immediately feel lost. I look around for how to continue and it takes me an embarrassingly long time to remember my new dash ability. To the south, a small ledge around the bridge's pillar. It winds its way around with gap after gap.
I come to a cliff and find that, while I cannot teleport straight down to the ground beneath me, it seems I can reach places that are slightly above or below. The cliff itself leads nowhere, or so I think. To the south, I spot the flat tops of some pillars. Practicing my aim, I leap from top to top, winding my way around a secret upper tier of the early graveyard.
At the end, a long dash under a crumbling archway, then another broken pillar, before finally bringing me to a rope. With a few more zips, I claim the chest of treasure that teased me as I entered this place. Outside, at the entrance, I can finally reach the isolated page. What I find is something I wish fate had given me sooner. Perhaps then, the betrayal would not have been as painful.
New Item: Page 8/9Page Analysis: #8 - "The Heir"
Again the same battle, fought uncountable times... So this is who I was facing in battle. It's the goddess, The Heir, whoever she truly is. On the preceding page, the fox who looks like me, wearing the Hero's Laurels. I contemplate whether that's me, or the hero, or somehow both. If the goddess is The Heir, and there's an Heir-to-the-Heir involved, does that mean I could be related to the goddess? Is she my mom? Now that's a weird thought.
Page Analysis: #9 - "Data Management"
I come to a page that feels like a dream. I can see the words, I can even read half of them, but it makes no sense to me. With an impending feeling of existential crisis, I slowly close and put away the booklet. Perhaps some things are best left unseen.
Continued on the next page...
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 2560 x 1280px
File Size 1.48 MB
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