Nala begins doubting her abilities, “What if everything goes wrong?  What if Ludwig Milton dies, and everyone turns into shadows because of me?”  As more doubt creeps in, Nala realizes that there’s nothing to lose.  “I can’t make things worse, but they certainly won’t get better if I don’t try.”  Self-confidence changes everything and when Nala is more sure of herself, she can do things she never thought possible.  “Courage comes more easily now, but during my apprenticeship I was rarely sure of myself.  Growth comes when one learns to fix their own mistakes.”

After collecting all the specific items for the ritual, Nala prays for Merlin’s help and goes for the first attempt.  Unfortunately, an unforeseen complication actually sped up Ludwig’s curse instead of slowing it.  Remaining calm, Nala manages to undo her mistake.  Testing her theory as to what went wrong presents a complication...she accidentally turned her cauldron into a kumquat!

Restoring the cauldron and ready for the second attempt, Nala is sure everything will go smoothly.  “It worked!  I almost don’t believe it!  I’ve slowed the curse down.  You should have enough time to find the artifact and restore Shadow’s memory.

Ludwig Milton, feeling drained,  is thankful for Nala’s help but knows it’s only temporary.  He hands over the Wing of Serenity and implores you to find the rest of the artifact “or we’re all doomed!”

A new acquaintance appears at Mountain Foot in Twisted Mountain and introduces himself.  “I am Han, the Sage.  I aid those who seek to find themselves, just as I did once upon a time.”  Han, the Sage knows about the terrible curse and the artifact, but says “it’s hard to recall an object from so long ago.”  A clear mind will help him remember what the artifact part looked like, “One needs calm when attempting to remember the past.”

Han, the Sage admits his words “may sound a bit cryptic” but “listen well and you may learn something about yourself.”  Introspection is the last stage of mental preparation; “never forget the power of meditation if you desire inner peace.”  The words may sound lofty, but like a guiding star, they help recall memories.  “I’m ready to astral project into my mind palace to remember what you need.  My mind and spirit will be far away from this world.”  After projecting billions of miles away, Han, the Sage returns from the realm of memories with good and bad news.

“I nearly lost myself in the infinite world of memories.  The good news is that I remembered what the item looks like.  The bad news is that I also remembered what happened to it.  It was lost and only the harpies can find it now.”  The harpies have a bad reputation, but Han, the Sage directs you to a true friend who may help.

Olympe the Harpy appears at Mountain Ledge, but blocks the way.  “Halt, stranger!  Prove you’re not an enemy or return the way you came!”  Eventually realizing her judgment was hasty, Olympe introduces herself and says “We harpies don’t trust outsiders.  These are dangerous times.  Caution is wisdom.”  She knows Han, the Sage well, someone whose always been very kind to the harpies.  Even though everyone is in mortal peril, Olympe is still unsure your intentions are good.  “I don’t know your mind, and our people have survived by being cautious of outsiders.  Don’t judge our cautious ways too harshly.  Our people are ancient and wise, but many believe that we’re birds of prey that should be exterminated.  We are never safe.”

Olympe says her people are never cruel and value kindness and justice above all else.  “My people are slowly vanishing at our enemies hands, only because of the way we look!  Why won’t they accept us?  We live solitary lives to prevent our extinction, but it has closed our society off.

Because mistrust has become ingrained in the harpies over generations, they’ve developed sharpened instincts.  But they can still trust those that offer help.  “Perhaps one day we won’t have to live in fear, but today is not that day.”  Olympe decides you’ve earned her trust and says the artifact part should be just over the mountain.  She begins to prepare for a long flight.  “Flying can be taxing and this is no small mountain.  The mountain has many dangerous twists and crags, so this could take some time.”

But Olympe has a surprise...”The gift of flight isn’t the only thing that will aid in my search.  I’ll use my eagle eye to spot the item from high above.”  Even though well equipped to search, the item appears to be well-hidden.  Olympe feels the artifact part emitting strong magical energy and feels she’s getting close.  “I’m approaching the sacred cave of the enlightened – the artifact part must lie within.  I’m not allowed to enter the cave, so I’ll have to check whether the item is inside from the outside.”  The part is indeed inside the cave and while Olympe can’t enter the cave, Han can.

Han doesn’t doubt his friend’s generosity and knows visualizing the goal is paramount in any task.  Even though he is confident his gaze will soon fall upon the item, it proves elusive.  Finally, the item is within Han’s grasp and he’s glad he kept his mind sharp all these years.

LEVEL 108

“Our patience was rewarded.  The artifact part is yours.”  You are rewarded with the Wing of Distinction.

Torrum the Weapon Maker in the Valley of Fallen Giants is surprised by your visit.  “Cogs and gears!  You startled me!  Well, at least your sudden appearance is the most exciting thing that’s happened in a while.  I haven’t heard from Lucas since he left to deal with the Shadow Serpent.  Hammer and tongs, sometimes no news is worse than bad news!”

Seems Torrum and Lucas the Minotaur are old friends and Torrum is worried about Lucas.  Torrum is aware of the task to restore Shadow’s memory and views it as a good distraction while waiting for word from Lucas.  “One of my mechanical portals could teleport me to the artifact part you need.”

Readying the portal for action, Torrum knows the results can be unpredictable.  “I might turn up leagues away from my intended destination.  But that’s just how my portals work!”  Torrum’s first step into the unknown was a fiasco.  “I turned up in the dream world.  Not sure what happened.  Only the lucky escape the dream world.  I could search for all eternity and never find the exit.”  It appears when Torrum visited the dream world, the dreams corroded the portal, almost like rust, but Torrum managed to fix it. 

Torrum’s second trip through the portal landed him in the tower of mages.  Feeling like such a failure, Torrum says “The dreams completely corroded one of the parts.  It’s an intricate part, but forging it is nothing for a dwarf!”  Refusing to turn back now and sure he’ll get to the right place this time, Torrum ends up in parallel world.  It’s similar to our world...with some differences.  Torrum found two copies of the artifact part in parallel world, but he needs to figure out which one came from our world.  “It’s a critical choice.  Just as we need the part for our world, they’ll need their part as well.”

And something happened that was a little strange, “You won’t believe this but...I met myself in the other world!  By my beard, it was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen!  The other me told me which artifact part to take.  He was quite helpful...and handsome, I might add!”  You are rewarded with the Pendant of Remembrance.

Lucas the Minotaur, back from his adventure, reappears at Grim Mansion.  Taking a minute to catch his breath, Lucas promises to send Torrum a message.  “Torrum had no reason to worry about me.  Why worry?  I’m strong, resilient and...somewhat educated.  What’s the worst that could’ve happened?”  Lucas managed to locate and subdue the Shadow Serpent; “He told me that his elder brother, the fire elemental, would avenge him!  I didn’t know shadow serpents could have fiery brothers.”

Lucas knows Shadow’s curse is the most immediate threat, but researching the artifact part requires reading lots and lots of books;  “but there are no guarantees.  There are many books, and only one of me.”  The search begins by Lucas sorting the books, manuscripts and scrolls to speed up the search.  What a tedious job.  “I swear it’s easier to swing an axe all day than to rummage through so many generations of wisdom.  I could get a Master’s degree searching through all of this, but why would a minotaur need one?”

The ancient scrolls are old and crumbling and Lucas finds the ancient text difficult to translate.  “I know it looks like gibberish, but I’m sure I can decipher it.”  Finally, “Eureka!  I found a mention of the artifact in the ancient scrolls.  “The text is an ancient prophecy...and not the uplifting kind.  The prophecy mentions the artifact part we seek, as well as a grave threat.  The Shadow Serpent’s fiery elemental brother is guarding the artifact part in the mine at the heart of the mountain!”

The scroll goes on to say “elementals sleep deeply as long as they are not disturbed.  I’d rather not wake the brother of someone I just defeated.”

***END OF UPDATE (Lucas says “I’m always at your service, my friend, but I have much to consider right now.)

***PERSONAL NOTE - As I explained in another thread, I lost my game while playing the October 4, 2021 Update.  Working on getting it back, or some semblance of it, but who knows how long that will take.  Beyond devastating.

In the meantime, an avid MC fan, MaryCricket, has provided me with all the dialog from the game so I could continue this thread.  

Just a reminder...this is the dialog straight from the game, just in more of a story-type format.  AEGram already provides the list of task requirements for each level, so no need to repeat that info.

UPDATE***OCTOBER 4, 2021

Lucas the Minotaur knows there’s only one choice with Shadow’s curse taking effect soon.  A second serpent, “why does it always have to be snakes?” guards the artifact part, but Lucas decides to risk it.  “If the serpent is asleep, it won’t notice if we take the artifact part.”  Lucas feared the awakening fire, but he has the artifact part.  “The serpent never noticed me.  For a moment, it looked like its eyes lit with fire, but it faded quickly, so there’s nothing to worry about...I hope.  The Gem of Total Recall completes the Recollection Crown, which goes to Shadow at Creepy Street.  “The Crown is bound to make Shadow remember who he really is!”

Professor Pinfeathers senses uncertainty looming, a presence tied to a recent visit deep inside the mountains.  The Chilling Belt is the only way to tame a raging fire in someone’s heart and Lucas is the only one who can find out what happened.

Currently very busy, Lucas admits sensing danger.  And he’s sure where it’s coming from.  “The mine I visited recently caved in.  What could’ve happened?”  He reports there’s been a colossal avalanche, “The mine’s currently buried under rubble.  Only something powerful can remove it.”  Lucas worked to clear the entrance to the mine only to find it empty.  That can mean only one thing.  “When I last visited the mine, it was guarded by a sleeping fire serpent, but it’s gone now.  I hope someone just moved it.”

A careful examination of the mine reveals the serpent has awakened.  “It was asleep when I left there, I swear it!  Let me see what the books in my library have to say about this.”  Unfortunately, Lucas’ books and scrolls held no answers, but he believes there’s some information in the parallel world and he knows just who to ask for help.

“By my hammer and anvil, you’re back”, says Torrum the Weapon Maker, whose work never ends.  Torrum concludes things aren’t going well when he notices “you look paler than a toadstool!”  Torrum offers to share the dwarves’ secret way of calming down.  “Cogs and sprockets!  We’re missing ingredients!  You’ll have to help me find them.”  Torrum believes “you’re tougher than you look” and finally admits “Now you look like the mightiest of dwarves – besides me, of course.” 

“Well, snap my screws!  I knew Lucas’s strength would bring him no good.  Lucas is like a brother to me!  We can’t leave him in the lurch.  We must help our minotaur friend save the castle!”

Despite being more brawn than brain, Torrum knows exactly what to do.  “First, we need to send word to the mages’ coven about what happened.  They always seem to have answers.”  The mages’ language is difficult and Torrum can’t magically send a message to them.  Craftsmanship to the rescue since the mages can’t use their magic to sense our need.   “We need to design something to deliver our message to the mages.”

“Bless my gears!  I think we’ve built something great!”

LEVEL 109

“Rusty crowbars, we’re running out of time!  Let’s launch our mail-o-copter!”  Torrum receives a reply from the mages and wishes he could have seen the look on their faces when they saw his invention.  “Well, hammer my thumb, our mail-o-copter is damaged!  I need to find a way to extract the message from it.”

With the mail-o-copter finally in working order again, Torrum recovers the message.  “Copper cogs, they wrote the reply in their language!  I’m no good with the language of mages.”  But ever perseverant, Torrum finds “The mages haven’t let us down.  The serpent was already awake in the parallel world, and they successfully dealt with it there.”

With the serpent taken care of, Torrum plans his trip.  Once his portal is set to the right wavelength, Torrum sets off for the parallel world, leaving behind his mail-o-copter to stay in touch.  “We’re saved!  I learned what can handle the heat of the flaming serpent – it’s the Chilling Belt.  It saved the parallel dimension.”

Lucas the Minotaur needs to reflect on the information about the Chilling Belt, but “It’s just as I thought.  The people in the parallel world already know how to deal with the serpent.”  Deciphering information about the belt is difficult work.  “Unfortunately, the ancient texts are written in an unknown language.  I’ll have to sift through countless documents to translate it.”  Lucas’ extensive knowledge isn’t helpful because the language is more complicated than even he anticipated.  “If memory serves – and minotaurs have excellent memories – there should be a dictionary to help us translate the ancient writing.”  Retrieving the dictionary from the depths of the castle library, Lucas finds “the text mentions the first part of the Chilling Belt that can help subdue the serpent.”