PART 19
(Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20)
As the crew fill the room, they realize the potential power, and danger, of the two ancient Panzers, and scatter to prepare for battle!
Suno-Arcadia OST-Creep.mp3
Purket and Dima bolt for the weapon rack at the far end of the room. Dima finds a family heirloom: a Firehawk like the one Kasha once wielded.
Squalor rushes to the Silver Wingal Panzer, hoping to defeat the Gold one with it. But as his flame spirit transfers inside, he struggles with an unknown will for control...
Anticipating her brother Gora's moves, Danya gets in the Gold Wingal to hold it for Dima. As the siblings squabble, the panzer awakes, neither in control!
Griff summons vines and pulls Gora and Danya away from the Panzer, ensnaring Gora against a wall.
The Silver Wingal recognizes Gora as a Mandrake, and potential foe- and stabs him in the shoulder! But Gora can sense a kindred spirit trapped inside the Silver Wingal, and holds a begrudging respect for his attacker. Griff frees Gora from the vines and stops the bleeding.
Tara attempts to destroy the spirit trapped in the Gold Wingal by blasting its mind. This only serves to enrage it though, and it lashes out blindly!
Dima narrowly escapes death, diving under the Gold Wingal's axe just in time!
Wrestling with the spirit trapped in the Silver Wingal, Squalor finally gets the upper hand, and uses it to cut the Gold's head off.
Purket and Griff use sprout and vine magic to ensnare the Gold Wingal, bringing it to its knees...
Gora cuts one of its arms off with a mighty swing, but tearing open his recently healed wound.
Dima delivers the killing blow with her Firehawk, severing the torso of the Gold Wingal.
By destroying the Panzer, the crew finally free the Dracontyr-spirit trapped inside. With blinding flash and echoing thanks, Theia's soul finally escapes into the ether.
Suno-Arcadia OST- On a Lead.mp3
The soul trapped in the Silver Wingal reveals himself as Vander Mandrake, Cassandra's husband! Cassandra had foretold that Vander would never have a male heir. So, Ghaustus Gundrake, in the form of Vander's father, trapped Vander in the Panzer, granting the title of Lord of the Ossuary to another.
Ghaustus uses the Mandrake line as host bodies so his cursed soul can live on to inflict his will on Panjandrum.
Gora realizes his father must be possessed by Ghaustus Gundrake! Gora and Vander bond over shared misfortune, and swear to end Ghaustus... somehow.
As the dust settles, a golden Drakewyrm wanders into the chamber, walks right up to Tara... and bites him on the arm! "Ow, what was that for?" Griff suspects it is the reincarnated form of Theia, unhappy with having her mind assailed earlier.
Then a "Glimmer" arises out of the floor. Its tinny voice cries out- "Oh no, what- the heck- happened?" The miniature mechanism sets to work, cleaning and repairing the destroyed Gold Wingal.
Following the Glimmer's arrival, a mechanical column arises, with two massive keyholes cut into its surface.
The crew wrestle the giant keys from the Panzers, and activate the column, the chamber shuddering to life as spiral stairs shoot up out of the floor.
First to act, Purket impatiently hops from step to step, ascending into... a Mansion that was not there before!
Purket wanders, avoiding the remains of previous would-be robbers. He spies another Cassandra Painting: the Well of Souls under the ice, where he rescued his trapped crewmates by smashing the Amphoricas.
Purket cannot help but open the chest nearby... and moves so deftly, it doesn't even awaken the Mimic inside! A shape-changing ring is his prize.
Meanwhile, the other crew members split up to search this Shadow Mansion that has appeared.
Tara, Dima, and Danya find an eldritch chamber, where Tara deftly avoids living, floating tomes.
Dima, captivated by a mirror in the corner, regards herself, but her image is slightly, eerily mismatched!
Danya insists they move on, but Dima responds distantly... "Hm? Oh, yes. Of course. Where are we again?"
Squalor catches up with Purket in the halls, and spots another painting that could only be his and Cali's panzers during the battle for Howlingate. How?
The crew meet in the east wing, and enter what must have been Cassandra's bedroom. A massive painting entitled What comes after fills one wall, with no date.
Dima finds Cassandra's journal on the bed, but refuses to share. Danya snatches it from her hands, and reads the final entry aloud:
"At last... what took you so long... Hurry, there's precious little time left... Get to the west wing... before it's too late?"
The crew scramble out of the room, but Griff grabs the stuffed bear and a song cylinder on the way out. It plays as they run...
THE GILDED CAGE.mp3
(Song by Suno)
As the crew sprint down the final corridor, they come upon a massive painting, and screech to a halt in wonder.
The Cataclysm - 3737
Danya asks, "Dima, do you remember seeing this?"
Dima responds distantly, "Oh... no, I was already trapped by then."
"Wait, Trapped? Oh, you mean in the Amphorica?"
Dima shrugs, and moves on.
Leading the way, Griff rushes up the western stairs, then cranes back when he recognizes a painting of the Promaxis Panzers they found in the Shadowlands.
From Shadow, Light
"No time for that now, keep moving everyone!"
The crew notice through the windows a strange light from outside, as if the sun was trying to shine through a cloud of shadow, a ring of red fire eclipsed. Could the Comet already be here?
Bursting into the room, the crew discover an Orrery, more complex than the one from the Shadowlands. A comet, clearly tacked onto one side, confirms their fears.
Suno-Arcadia OST-Something's Burning.mp3
Dima seems unimpressed, gazing out the window instead... and spots exactly what she is looking for. A massive, ghostly hulk, armed to the literal teeth, drifts into Coriander Harbor. At the helm, Morgren Mandrake... or more accurately, Ghaustus Gundrake. "At last, he has come. It is time." She mutters.
Turning to the Orrery, Dima presses hard on the Comet, pushing it closer to the planet's surface... the light outside searing through the windows!
"Oh my Grief- what are you doing!?" Purket grabs a piece of debris and hurls it at Dima, willing Arrow Magic to shove her away.
The magic supercharges, blasting a gaping hole in the wall and sending Dima flying out! But instead of falling, her body dissipates into wisps of smoke.
Aghast, the crew cry: "The Impostor! How long? If they swapped through the mirror... Then where is the real Dima?"
As if the Hulk weren't threat enough, the crew see the Comet hurtling closer over Coriander, and must do something!
Griff desperately plants feet against the Orrery, straining to pull the comet back out. Squalor lends a hand, and the mechanism judders to a halt.
The comet stops... for now. How long will it stay?
Comet hanging stalled over Coriander, the crew spot a mob of Grablins, armed with pots, pans, and noisome instruments.
The Grablins march through the streets, screaming with glee, singing at the terrified townsfolk around them...
COME, COMET, HITHER! .mp3
(Music by Suno, Lyrics by Sean Patten)
Whooosh! Fizzle! Sparkle! Drizzle!!
What's that in the sky, so shiny and bright?
Splendorous, magical, lights up the night!
Come comet hither, shrieking your song,
Everyone marvel, it's not here for long.
So... Is it getting bigger? Or are we getting smaller ?
Could you reach up and touch it? You're quite a bit taller!
Whooosh! Fizzle! Sparkle! Drizzle!!
Fire... works… And sometimes plays!
What took you so long? We've been waiting for days!
Come comet hither, you beauty-full thing!
I have gifts for you, like this pair of gold rings.
Banging the pots, and smashing the drums!
Wakey wake people, ‘cause, boy here it comes!
Whooosh! Fizzle! Sparkle! Drizzle!!
Come throw your things into the fires,
Finally, free of your heart's base desires!
Whooosh! Fizzle! Sparkle! Drizzle!!
Come comet hither, you glorious sight,
Some folks here to greet you, and bathe in your light!
Come comet hither, you beacon of light,
Some folks need to meet you, to break up the fight!
ON TO PART 20!
BACK TO ARCADIA MAIN PAGE