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“Be among the chosen ones…” [That's what the elder said when I was taken away. Since going to bed that day, I wasn’t aware of anything. I was still dreaming.] In my dream, I was flying. Flying through the darkness…
I awoke to find
myself in a strange cave. I noticed with a start that I was not alone. Beside
me lay a great man-eating beast– Trico. I did not know how, why or when it had
happened– but my skin was covered with peculiar markings. I thought that I was
still dreaming… I believed that I would soon wake…
[Filled with curiosity,
I tried to approach the beast, but it wasn’t possible.] The beast was far from
happy. It seemed greatly pained by the spears that pierced its flesh. In its
pain, the poor beast was wary. I felt that my best option would be to withdraw
and reconsider. I decided to help it. To try to pull the spears from its flesh…
[I managed to take one out, but the beast was too agitated and threw me against
a wall. I blacked out and visited the darkness again...]
[After waking up,
the situation wasn't any better.] The beast was highly agitated. It seemed
unwise to approach. I decided it best to withdraw and consider my options. I
wondered if the beast might be hungering for something… [I managed to find a
barrel nearby that could contain some food. I got it close to the beast and he gulped
it down.] I was more than a little surprised. I had not imagined for a moment
that the beast could possibly wolf the barrel down whole. I suspected that the
great beast had not eaten in some time. It was staring longingly at a nearby
barrel… [So I suspected his hunger was not yet satisfied. I got the second
barrel close to his head like I had done before, but...] The beast seemed
reluctant to eat with me so close by… I decided to withdraw to a safe distance
so that it might enjoy its meal in peace. [That way, the beast finally feasted
on the second barrel.]
[However, I was
still unable to approach the creature.] The beast seemed more than a little
wary of me. I decided it best to
withdraw and consider my options. [I wondered if I could take out the second
spear in his body, but...] It was wary and would not allow me to approach the
spear. Thinking it unwise to upset the beast any further, I decided to
withdraw. I wondered if its hunger might not yet have been satisfied. I decided
to go in search for more barrels.
[I managed to find
a third barrel stored in a small room. I quickly gave it to the creature.] My
offerings appeared to have sated the beast’s appetite– but it was still in
pain, and could not stand. The spear in its right shoulder prevented it from
standing. [But now, the beast allowed me to get close, and so...] I did my best
to remove the spear. [Once again, the pain after the release was so big that the
beast launched me against a wall. When I woke up, it was daytime.] The beast
seemed greatly improved. But it was still unable to move freely– the enormous
collar about its neck saw to that. I resolved to free the beast. [I climbed its
neck and opened the collar. The beast was finally free and started to follow me
around.]
[We left that
first area and found our way to a smaller room. There, a strange white smoke
came out from a hole in the wall.] Having thoroughly explored the area– I
clambered onto the beast’s neck– and made my way toward the source of the white
smoke. [I got inside the hole and followed it to a big, mysterious blue room.
There I found a strange mirror lying in what seemed to be a grave. I held it up
and was amazed to see a ray of light coming out of it.] This mirror, with its
mysterious light… It was made from a substance I had never seen before. It
seemed important. I decided to… borrow it for a while. [When I came out the
hole, Trico was still there waiting for me.] The beast at my side, I raised the
mirror. [Amazingly, a ray of lightning came out from the beast and followed the
light.] The lightning that flew from the beast’s tail took me greatly by
surprise. Could it really have been summoned by the mirror? Though assailed by
doubts– I thought that if I could harness the destructive power of the beast’s
lightning– Perhaps we might find a way out. It seemed foolish not to try.
[Aided by the lightning, I managed to destroy a wall of rubble, opening a big
hole for us to pass. Followed by the beast I left the place behind.]
I had heard of
these great man-eating beasts many times from the elders. Yet in spite of the
terrifying tales, I felt no fear. None at all… [Following the cave, we met a
lake. I jumped inside to continue our journey, but...] my friend seemed
reluctant to swim. I wondered if I might tempt the beast with one or two of its
beloved barrels… [Luckily, I found three in a small room near the lake. I
grabbed a couple at the same time.] To say that I grew adept at balancing
barrels would be something of an understatement. [Throwing them onto the lake,
the beast was tempted enough to follow me into it. Having passed that small
delay, we continued through the cave until I found a small hole that led me
outside. I believed that to be the end of my story with the beast. I was ready
to continue my path alone, but suddenly the beast jumped greatly and managed to
come out of the cave. It really wanted to follow me.]
We had escaped the
dank confines of the cave– and emerged into a place the like of which I had
never seen. [All around me were gigantic, tall buildings.] I would not realize
until much later– but I was now in the heart of the beast’s lair. “The Nest”.
[I resolved to get
out of that place and return home. We had come out at a small garden. I
followed a little path of rocks until we met a big building that was really close
to us.] It seemed that the door on the far side might be broken– with the aid
of my companion’s lightning.
[With the door
opened, we went inside the building. Once there, I advanced, getting into small
windows and opening doors with the aid of the beast’s lightning. We were
getting along and working as a team. The problems arose when I arrived to a
room with an antenna.]
The beast was
scared of something… [When it came down to the room, the big antenna started to
emit sounds that disturbed the beast. It seemed to be in some sort of trance.
Suddenly, the beast caught me with its fangs and swallowed me whole. For a
while... I dreamed. Then I woke up again, safe and in the same room with the
antenna. Trico was now in a deep sleep.] The glowing mirror, mine when last I
looked, was nowhere to be found.
[There was no
clear exit on sight. The only door was closed] I decided to thoroughly explore
the area around the unmoving beast. [Its tail was hanging down in the air.
Clambering to it, I found out another room right below ours. I jumped to it and
managed to found a lever that opened the door I had previously seen. I went
back and passed through the open door. However, when I got inside, I was
surprised to find a set of odd-looking armors.] Something in the armors’
ill-omened air told me to keep my distance… [But I had to get close to continue
my journey. When I was close enough, the armors appeared to come alive and
grabbed me in their arms. They were trying to take me to a strange blue door.
Scared, I fought their embrace until I got free and ran towards Trico. In that
moment, as if alarmed by the armors, the beast woke up and started to break
them to pieces. The threat was finally over. However...] Trico seemed greatly
unsettled after the battle with the suits of armor. I had to find a way to calm
my companion’s nerves. [I climbed up the beast and started to pet it
everywhere. That seemed to do the trick.]
[With the beast
calmed down, I went back to the room where the armors had been. Using Trico's
head I managed to get above us, to an open garden. Trico jumped up and followed
me. We were free to continue again. However, we soon faced another problem. In
the garden, there was a strange small room with three holes.] A mysterious
aroma hung in the air… [It was coming from a pot inside the room. Rapidly the
beast forced his head into one of the holes.] It was trying desperately to
squeeze itself through the hole and reach the pot. [I tried to call Trico away
so that we could continue, but it was of no use.] The beast was enchanted by
the scent of the pot, and would not move. There was nothing else for it. I
would have to try and dispel the heady scent. [I climbed over the beast neck
and went into the roof. From there, I found a ladder that led me inside the
room. That way I was able to reach the top of the pot. After closing it, the
beast followed me again.]
[We continued
until we met a big pond of water in the ground. In spite of his previous
suspicious attitude towards the water, the beast began to bathe in the pond. It
was an amusing sight, but it stopped suddenly, as Trico noticed something above
us. Far away, something that resembled another beast was watching us. It looked
at us for a few seconds before going away. It was too far away to be sure, but
I suspected Trico may not be the last of its kind.]
[After that small
delay, we got inside another building. It was the only way to continue our journey.
In there, we continued climbing and travelling until we met a big group of
suits of armour. There were more than ever before. I decided to help Trico in this
fight. I approached a distracted armor and jumped it.] I clung on tightly to
the suit of armour, and saw how long I could stay on its back. [Sadly, it was
of no use. Then, I noticed a small barrel laying near us.] I had become very
accurate with the barrels indeed. [Time and again, I threw it towards the armors,
hoping to break them down. Although my shots were certain, they had almost no
effect on the armours. Then, Trico attacked one of the armors, making it fall
down.] I was desperate to know what lay behind the mask... [I grabbed it with
all my strength, until the mask got separated from the body. Inside, the
armours were empty. Only a black mist emanated from them. Still, the armor was
now defeated, and so, I learned that that was the way I could help my partner.
I waited for Trico to attack an armor and then I helped him taking their heads
off. That way, the battle was soon over.]
[After the battle,
the beast was too unsettled.] Desperate to calm the beast, I stroked and pet
him feverishly. Thinking back, it seems almost that stroking in different places
elicited different responses… [I noticed that petting him in the head was the
most effective way to calm him down.]
[We continued forward.
By trusting one another we managed to surpass two other group of armors.
However, our journey met a sudden stop when we met a broken bridge. I could not
convince the beast to jump across. Without a clue, I decided to search for more
barrels. I entered a small room at the side of the bridge and the beast
followed me. However, the door the beast had passed could only be opened one
way. The beast had no way to return to the bridge. Maybe if he jumped over the
wall… but that wouldn’t be the case either.]
The beast could
not find a way forward. But we had come so far together. And in doing so, we
had developed a bond. A mutual understanding that offered us a chance to
escape… The beast had grown accustomed to my company. So accustomed, in fact,
that it began to mimic my movements. I ran, jumped, capered, and cavorted. And
in so doing, I learned something of what the beast might be encouraged to do.
[Pointing Trico upwards, I managed to make him jump to a ledge. Then, using his
body, I could get to a lever that opened the door for him. Now, with this new
discovery, we could get across the bridge.]
[Following my
commands, I managed to get Trico to places far away from us, places that I
could never have gotten to otherwise. We advanced until we met another door
that could only be opened one way. After me and Trico got inside, we knew that
there was no way back. And the door in front of us was closed too. I could not
see any way out.]
I searched
carefully, convinced that there was something nearby. [I noticed that there was
a chain hanging near the wall. I climbed it and found a lever. Using it set on
some fire upon a column above me. I was intrigued, but still had no idea of
where to go. The only door in sight was closed shut.] I searched carefully,
hoping to find a way into another room. [Then, while I was up Trico, the beast
jumped onto the illuminated column. Now I was able to see it, a path leading to
an adjacent room. I left the beast and followed there. I still could not find
an exit, but I found a pot resembling the barrels I had given the beast.] It
seemed that my companion was very fond indeed of these pots. I wonder if I
might be able to use the pot with which the beast was so enamored… [I threw the
pot to the other room, the room with Trico. He was interested in it and played
around, but could not eat it. Then I noticed...] The hanging chain appeared to
be connected to the door in some way… [I had the idea of clinging the pot to
the chain. It had an amazing effect. While playing with the pot, the beast now
moved the chain, which in turn opened the door for me. I was able to get
through. From the other side, I placed a piece of machinery in the door, preventing
it from closing again. The beast was now able to follow me inside.]
[The next room
presented a new problem. Near each of the walls in the hall lied two mirrors,
painted in a strange way.] It was a striking design, akin to an eye in shape…
The beast seemed transfixed by it. [It would not dare get near it. I had to
smash them to pieces with rocks for the beast to follow me again.]
[However, another,
bigger eye awaited us outside. This one was too big and tall for me to smash
with anything. I had to push it until it fell off to the void. However, when
falling, it caused a strain that caused the ground around me to break down. I
was unable to continue. The eye gone, Trico jumped forward to the path I could
not reach and looked at me. I knew what I had to do. Trusting my partner, I
jumped to certain void. At the last second, Trico grabbed me with his mouth and
saved me from falling into nothingness. I had to repeat this process another
time for us to continue. Another eye laid before us, and again, it broke down
the path around me. However, when I jumped towards Trico, he missed me with his
mouth. I closed my eyes and expected the worst, but I was greeted by Trico’s
tail. I was saved. We went upwards, jumping to a door in a building near us.
Inside, another eye awaited us, in a room with two armors.]
Fearful of the
symbol in the glass, the beast refused to take another step… [I was left with
no choice but to run and try to avoid the armors in my own. I climbed into some
stairs of some sort and finally left the armors behind, but I still had to help
Trico. Near me, there lied a chain.] I examined the chain with great interest.
It seemed… different to the ones I had encountered before. [This one could be
moved. Holding to it, I ran towards where the armors were, using my inertia to
take the chain with me. Then I climbed to it and let it continue forward. This way,
I was able to get to the eye that wouldn't let the beast continue. I jumped
from the chain and got to the eye, which I quickly destroyed. Immediately
after, the beast entered the room and got rid of the armored beings. Having
passed that problem, we continued forward.]
[The path led us
to an outside field again. Another of those eyes was hanging from a far away
chain... I was unable to reach it and, despite its distance, it still unsettled
the beast greatly. I had no clue of where to go. However, Trico jumped onto a
structure that laid near us.] The beast appeared to want to show me the way
ahead. And so I clambered onto its back…
[Once above, I
noticed that I could follow a series of hanging cages and chains that led to
the eye in the sky. Ignoring the risks, I jumped from one point to the other
until I managed to get above the eye, and made it fall to the ground. Trico was
now able to follow me. He jumped to a ledge near me and I jumped to him.
Together, we resumed our travel jumping from a ledge to the other.]
[However, the path
suddenly ended. Trico had nowhere to go. Although I did not want to, I had to
leave the beast. I had found a path near a wall in front of us, but the beast
could not squeeze through it. Inside the wall, I climbed upwards, hoping to get
to a bridge in front of Trico. If I could get it down, the beast would be able
to resume travel… But I had not expected to face suits of armor inside the
place. While some of them chased me, the others threw spears to the beast from
some windows. I rushed, hoping to help my friend as quickly as possible. When I
got up enough, I managed to use a beam to jump to the bridge. With the bridge
down, the beast jumped and followed me inside.]
[We left the
armors inside and crossed the
bridge into a small clearing.] The beast seemed suddenly ill at ease. I was
worried… Until I realized that it was merely hungry. [I found a barrel in a
mine shaft that laid next to us. Revitalized, the beast went up again and
followed me inside the mine shaft. We were able to follow our path. From that
point we continued going forward… Until Trico jumped to a mountain, leaving
some towers behind. There, we were greeted by the other Trico we had seen
before. It was angry and covered by the armor Trico had on when I first met it.
It shouted and attacked us. It was all so sudden and surprising Trico had no
time to react. He lost its grip on the mountain and we fell down, crashing
terribly into somewhere below…]
[I woke up trapped in a tree branch. No matter
how much I fought and moved, I was unable to get down from it. Thankfully, soon
the beast appeared and I managed to get hold of his tail, finally breaking free.
It was then that I started to look around where we were.] I recognized this
place… We had fallen through the ceiling and landed back here. [It was the room
with the hanging pot.] The beast sat down once more. I decided to go in search
for more barrels… [I got into the adjacent room again. However, it was now
filled with rumble and debris. Apparently our fall had caused great
destruction. Among the debris, I was able to find a barrel laying there. Eating
it, the beast was able to get up again. I held onto him and he jumped upwards,
getting into the hole in the roof we had created when we fell. The beast got
into the roof, but then stopped moving.] Having found myself at what seemed to
be a dead end, I searched for a way onward. [Finally, I noticed a column above
us and we jumped there. From our new location, we could get to a building at
our right, but Trico would not dare to jump as for there were two of the glass
eyes blocking the path.] I wondered if there might be somewhere I could jump to
on the beast’s back. [I noticed there was a small path to our right. Too small
for the beast but just right for me. I jumped off the beast and got there.]
[I followed a path
that led me to the building in front of us. The place was full of suits of
armours. Two of them were holding the eyes that would not let Trico approach.
Ignoring the danger, I ran towards one of them and jumped him with all my
strength. He dropped the eye, but I was not fast enough to attack the second
armour. Before I could even get up, another armour grabbed me from behind. In
that moment, getting over his fear of the eyes, Trico jumped to our locations
and saved me. I was in awe. In no more than a couple of minutes, all the armors
were destroyed. I petted and greeted my amazing companion. Losing no time, we
jumped through a window in the back of the building. It was not long before we
had met our next obstacle.]
[In the next room,
a big hole laid before us. I couldn't even see the bottom. Before I had any
chance to call Trico, the beast jumped down, leaving me behind.] The entire
area was alive with the strange aroma that so captivated my companion…
Distracted by the scent of the pot as it was, the beast would not heed my call.
There was nothing else for it. I would have to try and jump onto Trico’s back.
[And so I did.] I fell through the air, convinced for that brief moment that
this was the end of me– and then the comforting softness of the beast’s back
came up to greet me.
[I landed safely
and went to the pot from which the scent originated. It had to push it around,
because the beast would not move otherwise. But after moving it for a while,
the floor below me gave off at the weight and I fell down, to what resembled a
flooded basement.] I would not be able to leave this place unaided. [I called
Trico until his tail showed up from the small crack from which I had fallen...]
I clung on tightly and together we made our escape.
[Finally free of
the scent, the beast was able to move freely. I led it upwards and he jumped us
there. In this new room, we were greeted by two armors. I barely had any time
to assess the situation before Trico started breaking them. He was fast and was
left too agitated. He had to lay down.] There was nothing else for it. I would
have to go in search of more barrels…
[Near the beast I
found a small opening. I got inside and found the barrel I needed. We were
ready to continue our journey. The room in which we were had its gate closed
from inside. I used Trico to get me to an open window we had above and tried to
reach the door from the other side. However, I found out that the hall on the
other side was crowded with armors. And, even worse, it was beginning to break
apart... I managed to get to the door but before I could open it the floor
started to break down. The door crashed apart next to it and the destruction
followed the rest of the passage.] I knew what I had to do… I left the beast
behind and ran. [I ran until there was no floor to run towards. When I had
nowhere to go, I jumped on to the nothingness. But before I could fall to my
death, the beast appeared from behind me and grabbed me with its mouth, saving
me. He then jumped to a nearby ledge. The danger was over.]
[I noticed a
building behind us. It was as good a place to continue to as any other. I
pointed it to Trico and he jumped there. Inside, I found something that resembled
a colosseum. The big arena was crowded with suits of armors, which seemed to
protect a set of closed gates. One of the armors was holding a mirror with one
of those strange eyes on it. Helpless to it, I had to help my friend in the
battle. I jumped towards the armor holding the eye and managed to break his
balance. He dropped the eye and that gave Trico the chance to destroy him.
After a while Trico had dealt with all the armors. I was free to investigate
the area... I found a cogwheel near the closed gate. I pointed it out to the
beast, who started to play around with it.] The cogwheel on the wall seemed to
be connected somehow to the gate… [With its meddling, the beast managed to get
the doors opened. Inside, I found a catapult. I wondered if I could use it to
get to the floor above us, since the roof had openings. I stood on it and Trico
pushed me upwards. However, I could not reach the ceiling.] I landed safely on
the soft broadness of the beast's great back. [Fearless, I decided to try it
again. This time, the impulse was enough to reach the place above. Once there,
a lever opened a way for Trico, who followed me as we went outside again. The
path had ended, but I found a cave above us. Trico kept getting us above and above...]
[This new cave was
filled with water. To continue, we had to enter an enormous lake.] The beast
appeared not to want to enter the water. I resolved to lead by example… [And
Trico did not take long to follow. I found out that if I dived underwater,
Trico would enter too. This way, I managed to get the beast into a underwater
passage that led outside the room. However, the passage was way too long... My
grip weakened. I let go of the creature.] I could hold my breath no longer. My
companion disappeared from sight…
[I woke up alone,
in a strange new cave. On it, I found a strange looking stone circle in the
ground. When I touched it, it started to glow and a cage began to descend from
the ceiling... When I got inside the cage, it got above again. It seemed like I
had found an elevator. In the room above, I was greeted by an enormous
staircase. I went upstairs, and then above a nearby chain...] Higher and Higher
I climbed in hopes of finding my companion.
[Eventually, I
found the beast's tail hanging from above me. I was excited to meet my friend
again. However, when I got near the creature, I realized the truth.] It was the
same beast… The same one that had sent us back to the bottom of the valley…
[The beast started to attack me.] Desperately, I searched for a means of
escape… [I noticed a grass wall at my right. Climbing through it I got into a
cage that laid above us. In the cage there was also the helmet of an armor. The
cage started to lift me up... But the beast jumped and took the cage out of its
chain. I was now trapped inside the cage, and at the beast's mercy. I was
hopeless... but suddenly we began to hear something that resembled the antenna
that had driven Trico crazy a while ago. These sounds put the second Trico
under a trance. He ignored me completely and ran away. I was left alone. I
tried to move the cage around but I was unable to get anywhere, it was just too
hard. There was nothing I could do.]
I waited for what
seemed an eternity…
[I fell asleep.
When I woke up, the situation was not much better. I started to call for Trico
as I had done before, but this time, my efforts bore fruit. Crawling from a
hole in the ceiling, Trico appeared and jumped right next to me. We had finally
reunited. The beast seemed really happy to see me, and started to move the cage
with its head.] By having the beast push the cage, I was able to overcome
obstacles. [With his help, I managed to get the cage to the room with the first
elevator I had met. Once there, when the cage touched the stone circle in the
ground, the cage opened again. Free at once, and reunited with Trico, I was
ready to get out of that place, but Trico couldn’t do it. He sat down in the
floor and refused to move. There was nothing else for it. I would have to go in
search for more barrels…
The helmet… [The
one I had found in the cage.] Perhaps attaching to a suit of armor would reveal
a way onward… [I remembered a headless armor blocking a path in the cave below
us. I used the functional elevator to go down and attached the head to the
armor, which came to life and started to follow me. Behind it, there lied one
of the barrels the beast enjoyed so much. Avoiding the armor, I managed to get
the barrel up with the beast. After he satisfied it’s appetite we were ready to
resume our journey. Clinging to the beast’s back I followed Trico upwards
towards the hole he had made. We went through there and soon left the cave
behind.]
[Finally outside,
we followed the mountain until a new building confronted us. Its door was
closed, but I found a small passage that allowed me to get inside. Once there,
I found a lever that opened the door for Trico. We went inside the building,
not knowing what expected us. It soon became evident: it was another antenna,
like the one that had made the beast eat me before. Once Trico got close to it,
the antenna began vibrating again. Again, Trico tried to gulp me down.] I did
my best to keep out of harm's way for as long as possible. [But eventually, I
was too slow and the beast got the hang of me. Once again, I blacked out.]
[In my dream, I
was flying. Now, I could remember clearly what had happened. I saw us flying
across the land, and upon this strange place.] This was the valley known in the
ancient tales as “the Nest”… And if the tales were to be believed… the only way
in or out was from the air…
[I woke up when I
felt the water in my face. Trico had grabbed me and thrown me into a small pond
in order to revive me. He was more than excited to see me well again. Our bond
was truly becoming strong. After petting him, I went back to the antenna room
to search for a way to continue or path. The antenna didn’t activate this time.
I noticed a small hole above the room. Trico helped me get there, and from the
other side a lever allowed me to open the path for Trico. We moved on.]
[After the antenna
room we entered what resembled an abandoned mine. I entered a small mine shaft.]
Though the way was narrow, Trico seemed able to squeeze through. With its head
in the hole, it appeared as if the beast was once again trapped in a collar. [Although
Trico could advance no further, I used his head to reach a little hole above
me. That path led me to a secondary mine shaft that I could not reach before. I
opened its door for Trico and he began to squeeze through it again. This shaft
was deeper than the other. Trico was now moving its whole body inside the
little space. Suddenly, at a certain point, the mine collapsed.]
[I woke up
surrounded by rubble. Trico was at my side, unmoving. Climbing his body, I
managed to get out of the small hole and see the exit of that place. I started
to walk over there, still worried about my friend, when a group of four armours
surprised me and started to follow me. Scared, I ran back to the pile of rubble
in which Trico was sleeping. I hoped that my friend would come and save me. And
so he did. In a burst of power, the beast jumped from under the rubble and fell
over the armors. The threat was over in no time.]
[And so we
approached the exit. The blue tower was so close I could almost touch it. It
was, quite probably, the tallest tower in the place, and if we were to leave
that Nest, going there was our best possibility. Trico jumped into a wooden
bridge that led to it. However, another two eyes blocked his way… And I had no
way to reach them from our position. The upper bridge ended too soon. I jumped
out of Trico and reached a small under level that the bridge had, that I could
follow into the tower. Soon, I reached it. From up close, I could see it was
full of strange symbols. I went to look for the eyes that blocked Trico’s
path.]
[I approached the
bridge and dragged one of the eyes out of it. I was ready to throw away the
other one. But then, an enormous group of armours, more than I had ever seen
before together, appeared from inside the tower. They were all holding many eye
glasses and casted magic against me that stopped my movements. Scared of the
eyes, Trico kept squeaking at the armors, trying to help me in some way.
Incapable of moving, the armours got to me and grabbed me in their arms. They
were ready to take me away.]
[It was then that
Trico jumped. Overcoming his fear of the eyes, Trico fell stomping over the
group of armours. Shaken, the collision threw me outside of the bridge. Faster
than ever, Trico grabbed me with his mouth, turned around, and jumped from the
bridge into the void. His wings spread… and he flew to a tower that stood near us.]
Trico had flown. Not far, perhaps, but far enough to be certain. Perhaps when
his wings were fully healed… we might be able to fly further…
[Trico crashed against
the tower. He had aimed to a door on it, but it was closed down. I noticed a
lever on the side, so I jumped from the beast and pressed it on. The door
opened, but the tower collapsed, and so Trico fell one level below me. We were
now separated. I had no other choice but to jump towards him. I took the leap,
aiming to fall in Trico’s head. But the wind threw me off, and I missed him
completely. At the last second, I was able to grab his tail.] The beast's tail
was a lifeline. It had saved me time and again. [At this lower level, we were able
to enter the tower.]
[We had to get
back to the blue tower somehow. On the other side of our tower, we could reach a
series of ruins that were near to us. We jumped there and then into the
building across the ruins. Somehow, we had to climb up and get closer to the blue
tower for Trico to be able to reach it. We entered the building and were
received by a group of armours again. After a quick victory, we moved into the
center of the building.]
[I could see now
that it was more like another tower, with many bridges at different levels. I
also noticed that at we had been there before, the first time Trico had ask me
for food to continue moving. I wanted Trico to jump to the highest place, but
there was an eye in the middle of our bridge. I discovered a small lever at the
side, which opened the bridge downwards and made the eye fall down and break
into pieces. The bridge recovered its normal position and I went back to Trico.
But then... The other creature appeared from above.]
[Squealing, he
jumped to our bridge, separating Trico and I. Immediately, they started
fighting, biting each other. I wondered if I could help in any way… I
remembered the lever I had just used. Pressing it again, the bridge opened and
both creatures fell to the bridge below. Trico was now in a worse position,
with the other beast above him. Ignoring the danger, I jumped to them. In that
moment, a body of armour appeared from a small window by our side and started
to throw spears at Trico. Things had never been worse.]
[Clueless, I ran
to the back of the other Trico and noticed its tail was just under a small
opened door.] Throwing caution to the wind… I gave the masked beast’s tail an
almighty tug… [Pressing another lever, the door closed, grabbing the tail and
hurting the beast deeply. Angry, it turned around and focused its attention on
me. I had nowhere to run… Then Trico attacked him and they fell down again.
This time, I noticed a cart that was located right above the two beasts. Using
a hanging chain, I got to the cart and pushed it below, hitting the other beast
in the head. Such was the force of the impact that his mask fell apart, and
injured, the beast flew away.]
[But I was still
worried. Trico had endured more pain that ever before. He wasn’t moving. I got
near him and tried to relieve his pain, but his body rolled over and fell into
the bottom of the place. It was a long way down, but I didn’t really have any
choice.] I had to help my companion. I had to jump.
[Trico’s body
cushioned my fall. He was breathing slowly. I started to pet him, and then… the
mirror that I had grabbed at the beginning of our journey fell out of his
mouth. It seems like he had it inside of him this whole time… I grabbed it and
went to look for barrels, as I thought they might heal him. I managed to found
four barrels for my friend.] Exhausted, I fell into a deep slumber…
[I was woken by my
dear companion, already healthy. After he greeted me, I thought best for us to
continue or path. We jumped above, until we arrived at the bridge from where a
suit of armour attacked Trico. His window was too far for the beast to reach,
but I had the mirror now.] My command of Trico's lightning was such that I
could destroy enemies at will. [I summoned the power of Trico’s tail, and used it
to destroy the armour. This time, instead of a stream of lightning, Trico shoot
powerful bolts. After that we kept climbing until we arrived at the tallest
point. I used the mirror to open a wooden door and we got inside.]
[It didn’t take
long for us to find our next obstacle. We had arrived at another room with an
antenna. As soon as Trico got inside, the antenna began to vibrate and disturb
my companion.] I wondered if there might be a way to destroy the device that
troubled the beast so… My companion struggled valiantly to resist. [But the
device wouldn’t stop working. Then I remembered my mirror. Pointing it towards
the antenna, Trico shot bolts of lightning that destroyed the antenna. Trico
was finally back to normal. I could finally get him out of that room.]
[We got out and
went to the roof of the tower. I could see it now. We were really close to the
blue tower. In front of us, two other towers stood in our way. Jumping over
pillars, we managed to get to them and climb to the top. Once there, a couple
of levers activated a bridge between the towers. Trico had now the room to run
and try to reach the tower flying. I did not know how much it had healed its
wings or if it could make it, but we had to try. Trico stepped back to get some
space and then ran to the end of the tower. It jumped and its wings spread.]
[Flying, Trico
made it to the tower. We crashed into it, immediately surrounded by the large
group of armours that we had seen in our last visit. Using the mirror, I helped
my friend destroy some of them. Always helpful, Trico saved me every time a
suit of armour managed to hold me.] I had lost count of the number of times
Trico had snatched me from the jaws of disaster. [Within minutes, we had
defeated our enemies. Now we had to enter the tower.] At last, having scoured
the outside of the tower, I found a way inside. [It was a big door with a
plinth in front of it.] The plinth seemed almost as if it were made to house
the mirror. [When I got the mirror inside of it, the door opened. It seemed
like the plinth activated a mechanism. I turned around to find Trico and him to
get inside, and, amusingly, I found him doing his needs.] I was somewhat
shocked to witness the greatest... secret of Trico's kind first-hand. [Once
Trico was finished, we got inside the tower.]
[A small corridor
led us to an elevator. It was also activated by putting the mirror inside a plight.
However, the elevator could only go up a little.] The ceiling prevented us from
continuing our ascent. [I had to find a way to open it.] Clambering over
Trico’s tail, I made my way to the level below… [Beneath, I found not one but eight
plights that needed the mirror. I had to activate the eight in order to open
the ceiling above the elevator. Some of them were guarded by suits of armour,
but I could use Trico’s hanging tail to defeat them with lightning shots. Soon,
the ceiling opened and we continued our ascent into the next room.]
[There, I could
activate another elevator. We were approaching the top of the tower, from where
Trico may had a chance of escaping the nest. However, before I could activate
the elevator, we had to fight another enormous group of suits of armours. That
tower was filled with danger. But soon, we were in the last room. This one was
filled with remnants of armors, but none of them alive. It was surrounded with
pillars, so Trico used them to go even higher upwards, looking to get outside
the tower. However, we found that the exit was blocked by spinning blades. We
searched for another way trough.] All that we found was a hole so small that
only I could squeeze through. [I got inside of it.]
[After crawling
for a while, I fell into a big room, similar to what I had seen behind the
special doors of the armours. In the center, there laid a big magical sphere.
Surrounded by darkness, it had a bright blue core.] I know now… that this was
the master of the valley.
[The darkness that
surrounded it would not let me approach. The slightest touch would throw me
away, leaving me defeated. But then I raised the mirror, and something strange
happened.] It seemed that the light of the mirror suppressed the great darkness
somewhat. [With the darkness retracted, I could jump into the master of
the valley and get above him. I climbed a structure above it until I was
outside the room, above the spinning blades that would not let Trico continue.
There I found a plinth, that would probably allow me to stop the blades.] Resolved
to face whatever may come, I brought the spinning blades to a halt. [After a
few seconds, I heard my companion joining me.]
[We were finally
in the top of the tower. Behind us, there was an enormous antenna, similar to
the ones we had encountered before, but much taller. In front of us, we only
had the walls of the nest, now closer than ever. It was time to leave that
place. I ordered Trico to jump. But then, the antenna activated. Numerous
Tricos appeared from all around us, answering the call, getting into the top of
the tower with us. I noticed that the creatures were going towards a weird
bird-shaped sculpture by our side… One of the beasts then dropped a kid from
his mouth an into an opening in the sculpture. I was terrified… Was that what
was supposed to happen to me when Trico grabbed me from my village? Then from
the hole a barrel came out… a reward for the creatures.]
[My companion was
wary of the other beasts, and they were wary of me. We were surrounded.
Suddenly, one of them struck a blow against me. I fell away, and my mirror, my
only defense, fell from my hands, and rolled away from me. When Trico saw me,
the conflict started. He started to attack the beasts. Carefully, I stood up
and headed towards the mirror. I had to help my friend somehow. He was tired and
outnumbered. However, I was still curious.] Heedless of the danger it entailed,
I could not resist touching every beast I encountered. [Eventually, I reached
the mirror, but before I could grab it, a beast struck me and I fell from the
tower.]
[I was falling
towards certain death… but then, another beast flew towards me and I could get
hold of it. It was trying to eat me, but it failed. Thanks to the creature, who
flew into the tower, I could go back to my friend. Trico was now in serious
danger, being bitten by many beasts at the same time. I ran into the mirror,
but I got there too late. One of the beasts ripped off Trico’s tail. I could
not believe it. The beast threw the tail back into the room of the blades. Now
I had no way to help.
Desperate, I ran
towards the tail… I tried to grab it, but it was too heavy. I got clumsy, and
fell down into the room of the master of the valley along with the tail. The
black mass was no more… I realized the black magic was powering the antenna.
Angry, I pointed my mirror to the core of the master…] Unbelievably, the tail
retained its power even when severed. [It sent a powerful blow, and the
master was blown into pieces. An enormous explosion started. Rubble and magic
runes flew all over the place. I tried my best to resist, but the impact was
too much… I blacked out.]
[The next thing I
remember is waking up back in the Village. With the antenna destroyed, the
other Tricos had stopped being hostile, and Trico had taken hold of me inside
of his mouth. He flew past the Nest and towards my village. I was too weakened
to explain anything to the villagers. They kept attacking Trico…] There was
nothing else I could do. I had to send the beast away. Reluctantly, I said the
words… [And the beast flew away.] And that is how it ended. Our extraordinary
story.
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