PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 7: Special Explorers

(A/N: This section covers the storylines of the three Special Explorers - Cannoneer, Dual Blade, and Pathfinder. While Cannoneer and Dual Blade follow the Explorer storyline in addition their own unique storyline, Pathfinder exclusively follows her own unique story, as she’s already established as a seasoned Explorer at the start of her storyline. I decided to cover Cannoneer and Dual Blade’s stories here instead of with the main Explorer storyline for the sake of simplicity, as it’s easier to group them all together into one section.

While regular Explorers have had their class illustrations inconsistently portray their genders over the years, Cannoneer, Dual Blade, and Pathfinder have consistently been portrayed the same way, just like named classes. Because of this, I’m working with the assumption that Cannoneer and Dual Blade are male, while Pathfinder is female.)

On Maple Island, new Explorers trained to become strong enough to travel to Victoria Island. There, they would choose a branch of combat. Dances with Balrog taught warriors in Perion, Grendel the Really Old taught magicians in Ellinia, Athena Pierce taught bowmen in Henesys, and the Dark Lord taught thieves in Kerning City.

One day, the people of Victoria Island saw a giant submarine appear, from which an adult Kyrin emerged. During her voyages, she had amassed her own crew and a ship called the Nautilus. Having learned about the Black Wings and their goal to resurrect the Black Mage, Kyrin realized that she needed to warn the world and sailed back home to Victoria Island. Resolving to help the Explorers’ Guild prepare for the threat of the Black Mage, Kyrin decided to teach Explorers the way of the pirate.

(A/N: In the original lore for Destonen, a young Kyrin overhears Athena and the other leaders talking about how Destonen never returned from his journey to find traces of the Black Mage. Believing that it was her destiny to follow in his footsteps, Kyrin runs away from home and spends many years at sea until she becomes a captain, obtaining her own crew and the Nautilus, after which she hears the rumors about the Black Wings and reunites with her foster mother, Athena Pierce, and then resolves to become a pirate instructor.)  

One Explorer-hopeful was on his way from Maple Island to Victoria Island when his ship was attacked by a Crimson Balrog. The Explorer crashed on Coco Island, where he was saved by a monkey.

(A/N: In the original Cannoneer storyline, you’re actually on your way to Maple Island in order to get started on your journey, but this created a continuity error because Cannoneers share the main Explorer storyline and one of the quests has us recall our time on Maple Island, which obviously never happened because we never reach our destination.

This has been corrected as of the Destiny update, which actually has us follow the same Explorer tutorial as regular Explorers. We start out on Maple Island with the same intro as main Explorers, but the main difference is that the Sangri-La gets filled up, and so instead of boarding with Sugar, Tess, Olive, and Rondo, we have to board a second ship that then crashes on Coco Island. Interestingly, the name of the map while you’re on the ship is incorrectly labeled with its old name of “Towards Maple Island”.)

The Explorer then met a man named Cutter, who introduced himself as the master engineer who had designed the Nautilus. He explained that Kyrin had given him a secret project to create a powerful weapon that would make the pirates stronger. He had built a large cannon weapon out at sea, but his ship had crashed against the rocks and he had been swept away to Coco Island.

With the Explorer’s help, they were able to use the large cannon to blast themselves off the island. They made it aboard the Nautilus, where Kyrin allowed the Explorer to use the superweapon in order to become the Cannoneer. The monkey who had saved the Cannoneer also followed him back to Victoria Island, where it became his companion.

(A/N: From here on out, the Cannoneer’s storyline continues playing out the same way as the Explorer storyline, which I’ll cover in a later section.

The next portion here is for Dual Blades. As of the Destiny update, Dual Blades start out on Maple Island and follow the tutorial all the way up to the point that they land on Victoria Island, whereas their old tutorial began in the Secret Garden, the headquarters of the Dual Blades. After the events on Maple Island, Dual Blades go through their initiation quests.

Following initiation, they complete all of the main Explorer storyline until second job, after which they then do the main Dual Blade storyline, which is covered in the next paragraph. There are several continuity errors that show up in the Dual Blade storyline, which I’ve covered in an earlier section. I hoped that these would have been addressed in Destiny since Cannoneer’s issue was fixed, but it seems like Nexon is never gonna touch this again.)

Another Explorer hoping to become a thief was recruited by a man named Ryden, who instead convinced the Explorer to follow Lady Syl, rather than the Dark Lord. Ryden brought the Explorer before Lady Syl, who told them about her feud with the Dark Lord. She explained that the title of ‘Dark Lord’ was handed down from generation to generation, each serving to guide the thieves through the darkness. As the daughter of the former Dark Lord, she had watched her father lead both the Dual Blades and the other thieves.

She explained that her father, Sung, was a Dual Blade, and that he would have likely picked another Dual Blade as his successor. Because of this, his apprentice, Jin, had murdered him and had stolen his position as Dark Lord, with the rest of the Dual Blades going into hiding after the incident. She told the Explorer that she hoped to get her vengeance by building up the Dual Blades’ strength and driving Jin out of Kerning City.

However, as Jin was quite popular with the citizens of Kerning City, she feared that the people would defend him if the Dual Blades were to attack. As harming innocents was something that she wanted to avoid, Lady Syl told the Explorer that she needed a spy to infiltrate Kerning City and serve under the Dark Lord in order to undermine him. After the Explorer accepted her mission, Syl sent them to train under Ryden.

Ryden first ordered them to hone their observational skills by having them distinguish a toy playhouse that was slightly different from the others. Next, he had them practice their stealth by making it through an obstacle course. Then, he had them defeat a Training Mano in order to sharpen their combat skills. Finally, he had them take a test of loyalty by drinking a poison and seeing Lady Syl for the antidote. However, upon visiting Lady Syl, they were informed that Ryden had merely given them apple juice, though she emphasized that the point was that they should never think of betraying her.

After passing the initiation trials, the Explorer became a Dual Blade under Lady Syl’s tutelage. As they had not yet learned any Dual Blade techniques, Syl believed that they were in the perfect position to serve under the Dark Lord as a new thief. Ryden then tasked the Dual Blade with learning more about the Dark Lord by interrogating his closest associates of Kerning City: Nella, JM from tha Streetz, and Don Giovanni.

The Dual Blade first spoke with Nella, who asked them to defeat the Stirges attacking the Pharmacy. After helping her, they learned that she viewed the Dark Lord as kind and trustworthy. Next, they spoke with JM, who asked them to obtain a Thin Jr. Necki Skin. The Dual Blade obtained one from Taeha, the Dual Blade merchant, and brought it back to JM. They then questioned him and learned that the Dark Lord obtained a delivery package once a week from out of town.

Finally, the Dual Blade visited Don Giovanni at the hair salon. Giovanni asked the Dual Blade to obtain a Toy Plane for his son, Icarus, who dreamed of flying. The Dual Blade obtained the toy from Taeha and brought it to Giovanni, who thanked them for their help. Upon being questioned about the Dark Lord, Giovanni explained that he occasionally ran into the Dark Lord walking by himself in the Swamp Region.

After reporting back to Ryden, the Dual Blade was instructed to wait until he finished investigating the leads. Meanwhile, Lady Syl noted their talent and called them to learn the art of dual-wielding. She first tasked them with obtaining a Mirror of Insight from within one marble amongst many, which indicated that they were worthy of learning the way of the Dual Blade. After they were initiated into the ranks of the Dual Blades, Ryden contacted them and suggested that they train around Victoria Island and grow stronger.

(A/N: This is where the main Explorer questline takes place. After reaching level 30 and undergoing your 2nd job advancement, the rest of the Dual Blade storyline continues.)

Soon after, the Dual Blade was contacted by Yun, Lady Syl’s sister, who asked them to speak to Lady Syl on her behalf. She explained that Syl lately seemed to be in a bad mood quite often, and as Syl seemed to trust them, she hoped that speaking to her would cheer her up, as Yun believed that Syl would feel worse if she knew that her sister was worried for her.

Just as Yun had hoped, Syl was pleased to see the Dual Blade and explained that her father used to tell her stories from the past whenever she felt depressed. She told them that thinking about her father made her feel better, though her memories of him had lately been slipping away. She confessed that she had even lost the memory of the day that he had passed, noting that it was strange, as she couldn’t remember the details, even though she remembered the events. She wondered whether it was because of the trauma of losing him, or of Jin’s betrayal.

She explained that she did remember that the morning of that day, her father, his best friend - Tristan - and Jin had gone to Sleepywood in order to face Balrog. Though she had wanted to accompany them, her father had forbidden it, though she had secretly followed them anyways. As she hadn’t been able to enter the cave, she had chosen to eavesdrop outside, though the very next thing that she remembered was coming out of a haze and seeing Jin holding a blood-stained sword, with her father and Tristan dead.

She told the Dual Blade that she would never forget Jin’s look of shock, adding that he likely must have killed Sung and Tristan while they had been weakened from facing Balrog. She noted that she thought of that moment every single day, and that she even dreamed about it, though she hoped that her flowers would help calm her dreams.

(A/N: She actually says “these flowers”, as though you had given them to her. This dialogue was actually copied from the original Dual Blade storyline from before the Justice/Renegades update, which did have us bring her flowers, although in the new dialogue, Yun never gives us any to bring to Syl.)

She then asked them to leave her in peace, adding that Ryden had a new mission for them. Ryden told the Dual Blade that the Dark Lord had been stealing their information, for which Ryden planned to strike back. He told them that he would lure the Dark Lord out of his headquarters, the Jazz Bar, while they searched the premises for clues. In the Jazz Bar, the Dual Blade found a hidden room and obtained the Dark Lord’s diary, which they brought back to Ryden.

After reading the diary, Ryden told them that the Dark Lord had mentioned the owner of the bookstore, Jeppi, whom the Dark Lord had banished some time ago. Believing that Jeppi had learned the truth about the Dark Lord’s treachery, Ryden hoped to find him. As they had no leads on his location, Ryden asked them to speak with Mr. Pickall, whose store had been next to Jeppi’s.

Mr. Pickall told the Dual Blade that Jeppi had moved to Ellinia, where he lived inside the Giant Tree. The Dual Blade traveled to Ellinia and met with Jeppi, whom they intended to rescue. However, Jeppi explained that it was all a misunderstanding, as the Dark Lord hadn’t banished him, but rather, he had sent him away for protection from an unknown threat.

He revealed that from the shadows, someone had been twisting the history of Maple World, and that Sung had been hunting them down alongside Jin. He explained that he had helped them with his knowledge of history books by telling them about any inconsistencies, adding that Maple World’s history had been deeply distorted.

He told the Dual Blade that with the help of several citizens of Sleepywood, including Tristan, Sung had intended to lure out the threat and destroy it. However, the enemy had been aware of their plan and had tricked them, resulting in the deaths of both Sung and Tristan. Upon seeing how dangerous the situation was, Jin had helped hide Jeppi somewhere safe while he continued the fight alone.

The Dual Blade then reported back what they had learned to Ryden, who was immediately dubious. In order to validate the story, he sent the Dual Blade to meet Tristan’s apprentice in Sleepywood. At the bottom of the Cursed Temple, the Dual Blade encountered the spirit of Tristan, who explained that it hadn’t been Jin’s fault, as all of them had underestimated their enemy, who had the ability to possess others.

He revealed that the enemy had possessed Syl, who had been eavesdropping on them from outside. As they hadn’t warned her about the enemy’s powers, she hadn’t been able to shield her mind, causing her to grow possessed. With a cold smile on her face, she had slaughtered him and Sung, as neither of them had been willing to hurt Syl.

Tristan believed that the enemy had left Jin alive to teach the world a lesson, and that it had left Syl alive as a reminder of their weakness. Following the tragedy, Jin had been forced to continue his pursuit of the enemy in secret, while Syl had been left to believe in a lie. As proof of his claim, he asked them to obtain his keepsake from Mu Young.

Mu Young instructed the Dual Blade to obtain the keepsake in storage, where the Dual Blade encountered several Black Wings henchmen. After defeating them, they returned back to Mu Young, who noted that the storage room had already been looted of its valuables years ago. He then asked them to keep the keepsake – his master’s diary.

The Dual Blade returned back to Ryden and told him what Tristan had explained. They also gave him Tristan’s diary, which confirmed Jeppi’s story. He noted that the truth would devastate Lady Syl, as the thought of vengeance was the only thing that kept her going. He instructed them to say nothing for the moment until he found the best way to share the truth with her. He then asked them to accompany him to visit Jin and speak to him personally.

In the Jazz Bar, Ryden confronted Jin and demanded to know why he had kept the truth from Syl, even while knowing that she was planning to kill him. He asked Jin whether he had intended to tell her the truth at the last possible moment when she would come to fight him, adding that he would make her look like a fool by doing so.

The Dark Lord was hesitant upon hearing Ryden’s words, though he asked whether Syl would have benefited by knowing the truth that her father had only died because she had been taken hostage. He explained that though Syl was now strong, she had once been overwhelmed by the pain of losing her father, adding that he had hoped to avoid making her feel worse by telling her the truth. Ryden retorted that nevertheless, the Dark Lord had no right to keep the truth from her.

The Dark Lord apologized, noting that he should have told her sooner. However, he added that he had only wanted to keep her from feeling any more pain than she already had. Ryden noted that though Syl needed to be told the truth, he feared that it would make her nightmares even worse. He then asked the Dual Blade to deliver his report to her, believing that it would be better coming from them. Just as Ryden had suspected, Lady Syl’s face grew pale as she read the report. Nevertheless, she thanked the Dual Blade for their work and asked them to leave her to collect her thoughts.

 (A/N: The next part here is the Dual Blade’s intermediate 2nd job advancement at level 45.)

Some time later, Lady Syl contacted the Dual Blade and asked them to return to the Secret Garden, where she promoted them to Blade Specialist. She noted that it seemed ironic that they had grown stronger, even when she had initially doubted them, while she had grown strangely smaller. She explained that her father used to tell her that Dual Blades used two weapons so that they were better equipped to protect others, though she quickly realized that she was rambling.

 (A/N: This last part is the final portion of the Dual Blade storyline, which takes place at level 60, right before your job advancement.)

Soon after, Lady Syl told the Dual Blade that she had decide to unite the thieves and the Dual Blades, believing that they would be stronger as one group. However, she admitted to them in private that the decision had been quite difficult, as she had grappled with the revelation that her worst enemy was actually the one who had saved her, which had wounded her pride greatly.

She explained that all her plans, schemes, and emotions had been based on a lie, for which she couldn’t forgive Jin, who had made a fool of her. However, she added that she knew that she couldn’t let her feelings sway her, as she needed to do what was best for her people. Before they could move forward, however, she told them that she couldn’t abide knowing that Jin had kept the truth from her because he had believed her to be weak. She then asked them to defeat the Dark Lord in order to prove the Dual Blades’ strength, which would satisfy her need for revenge.

The Dual Blade confronted the Dark Lord and told them about Lady Syl’s decision. Jin noted in satisfaction that Syl had matured for her to look past her anger and unite together. He then invited them to face him and summoned a weaker clone of himself. After the Dual Blade defeated the clone, the Dark Lord admitted that the Dual Blades and Syl were stronger, after which officially welcomed the Dual Blades back into the fold of thieves.

(A/N: Following this quest, Dual Blades complete their 3rd job advancement, which is the same as the regular Explorer one. There are a couple small things that I didn’t mention about the Dual Blade story which I’ll just dump here. Lady Syl’s father, Sung, was a Dual Blade, and it seems that Dual Blades have always existed alongside thieves in the new storyline, rather than Lady Syl inventing the branch like in the original story.

While the Dual Blades and the thieves merge together in the new storyline, the old storyline actually shows that the Dual Blades remained a separate faction and their organization joined the Alliance separately from the Explorers. In fact, the number of Dual Blades in the old storyline far surpassed the combined number of Explorers on Victoria Island, which gave them greater bargaining power than other factions.

Rather than wanting to merge with the thieves like in the new storyline, the original Dual Blade lore has Lady Syl request that the Dual Blades be given their own town at the end of the war with the Black Mage, which was a demand that she could make because of the sheer number of Dual Blades in her faction. I think that this would’ve been really cool to implement post-Tenebris, with a separate hometown for Dual Blades being made near Kerning City, similar to how Toolen City and Savage Terminal exist close to each other.

This last part is Pathfinder’s storyline. Although Pathfinder doesn’t get her name until level 30, I’ll be referring to her as Pathfinder throughout her 1st job storyline for the sake of consistency, as calling her an Explorer or a bowman seems too generic.)

Yet another Explorer, a bowman, was one of Athena Pierce’s greatest students. With an unquenchable thirst for adventure, she spent her time exploring ancient ruins and finding rare artifacts, likening herself to be a Pathfinder who paved her own way through the unknown. During one such adventure, she found a hidden passageway in the Perion mountains that led to a secret research lab. Upon searching the laboratory, she discovered ancient manuscripts and artifacts that dated back to an era that preceded even what most people would consider antiquity.

The Pathfinder also found a drawing of an ancient ruin, which gave her a thrilling sense of danger that made her want to learn more. Several days later, the Pathfinder traveled to the ruins of Partem, where she searched the last of the three keys that she needed to offer to the Altar of Trial, having found one in the research lab and another during her explorations of the ruins. After exploring the ruins, she found the last key inside a chest, which also contained arrows and potions, which she believed to be useless.

However, she discovered an inscription in ancient writing, which she deciphered as: “A temperamental dancer/best viewed with distant gaze/in crimson does it pirouette/in black its footfall stays.” After translating the rest, she deduced that she needed to obtain an offering from whatever was guarding the ruins and place it in front of the pillar that correctly answered the riddle.

She then defeated the Ruins Guardians and obtained the offerings. Upon finding three pillars inscribed with a cloud, fire, and the moon, respectively, she deduced that the riddle was referring to fire and placed the offerings on the correct pillar, allowing her to obtain the final key. She then proceeded deeper towards the altar, where she used the keys to uncover a compass-like relic. Immediately, however, the relic unleashed dark energies that placed a curse on the Pathfinder.

Severely hurt, the Pathfinder barely made it back to her base camp, where she winced in pain, feeling as though her innards were on fire. She then recalled how Athena Pierce had warned her about rushing into danger merely to satisfy curiosity. After teetering between life and death, the Pathfinder barely managed to pull through, after which she began traveling in order to learn more about the relic and its ancient curse.

She also discovered that a weapon that she had found in the ruins, which was in the shape of a double-bladed dagger, was actually a mystical ancient bow, whose power she was able to draw out from the relic’s influence. On her hand was also a curse mark, and while it had grown smaller, it would not disappear. Instead, it seemed to be slowly eating away at her life force, which further motivated her to find a way to remove it.

Several days after the incident, the Pathfinder returned back to Partem in order to find clues about the relic and its curse. Using the ancient bow, the Pathfinder began investigating the ruins and soon encountered a creature stuck in the ground. Using seed oil obtained from the Pudgy Flowers, the Pathfinder freed the creature, who introduced himself as Mascarpo.

The Pathfinder asked Mascarpo about the ruins, to which he explained that the ruins had once been held in high regard in ages past, and that it had even been treated as a place of worship because of a power inside that could heal the injured. As time passed, however, people had stopped entering the ruins, after which, an ominous energy had begun seeping from it, causing them to stay away.

Regarding the relic, Mascarpo explained that the people of his village occasionally found long-buried parts of the ruins, though most of the Karuppa kept their distance from it, with the exception of one villager who liked to collect things from the ruins. He told the Pathfinder that the Karuppa were faint-hearted, and so they kept to themselves and seldom had contact with the outside world, with the exception of Explorers who passed through from time to time.

Though the Pathfinder believed that it would be a waste to investigate the village when the Karuppa stayed away from the ruins, Mascarpo invited her to visit them, adding that they were in the midst of a festival in honor of the legendary Karuppa Wunderlixir, which was said to purify the body and bless the drinker with abundant health and longevity.

Upon hearing about the tonic, the Pathfinder agreed to accompany him back to his village, as she hoped that it could erase her curse and help her learn more about its origins. In the village, the Karuppa were intimated by the Pathfinder’s arrival until Mascarpo vouched for her. He told the Pathfinder that the Karuppa were particularly timid because of the loud noise that had come from the ruins several days ago, adding that the noises were the main reason why the Karuppa stayed away.

After introducing herself to the chief, Gooda, the Pathfinder was asked to help the Karuppa with preparing the festivities. She met with a girl named Brie, who had been tasked with obtaining the ingredients for the Wunderlixir. Brie was amazed by the Pathfinder’s courage, wishing that she had that same courage herself. Nevertheless, she cheerfully asked the Pathfinder to obtain Pudgy Flower Stems and Toxiblossom Leaves.

The Pathfinder noted to herself that the ingredients didn’t seem miraculous and wondered whether it was really possible to make a legendary medical tonic from them, though she conceded that the power might be in the steps of the recipe itself. She asked Brie how the ingredients were used, to which Brie explained that they used the stone mortar and pestle in the forest outside town, which had been handed to each chief across generations to grind up the ingredients for the tonic.

Hoping that the mortar and pestle were secretly artifacts, the Pathfinder hurried to inspect them. After the Karuppa prepared the Wunderlixir, Chief Gooda offered the first sip to the Pathfinder, whom he regarded as a special guest. As the Pathfinder prepared to drink the Wunderlixir, she felt the ominous energy within her begin to surge, which she realized felt quite similar to the first time that she had come in contact with the relic.

Just then, the terrible rumbling noise from the ruins began coming out of the Pathfinder, which immediately scared the Karuppa. The Pathfinder noted that she still felt the curse’s presence, which seemed to be causing the strange reaction. She realized that the relic likely had a connection to the Karuppa village.

Meanwhile, Gooda ordered the Karuppa to retreat back to the village and take shelter, leaving only himself and Mascarpo. A furious Gooda confronted the Pathfinder and demanded to know why her body was making the same haunting noise that they heard from the ruins. Realizing that the Wunderlixir had triggered the reaction, the Pathfinder noted that she had lost her goodwill with the Karuppa as a result.

Nevertheless, she decided to question them while she could and showed them the relic before asking what it was. Immediately, the Karuppas’ faces turned pale upon seeing it. Mascarpo asked the Pathfinder how she had come to possess such a terrible thing and ordered her to leave immediately, regretting that he had believed her to be a good person.

Gooda added that not only had she defiled their sacred festival with the cursed relic, but she had also brought the foul noise that had long struck fear into the hearts of the Karuppa. Having brought such an evil object into their midst, Gooda withdrew his hospitality and ordered her to leave at once and never return.

After Gooda and Mascarpo left, the Pathfinder found Brie watching her from a tree. She explained that the Karuppa were terrified of the ominous noise coming from the ruins, for which they held their holy festivals, but even as the noises continued growing louder, no one had ever ventured inside the ruins to find its source. She confessed that though she was afraid too, she couldn’t let things go on as they had, as she believed that their situation would soon turn from frightening to dangerous.

As the Pathfinder seemed brave and strong, Brie asked whether she could accompany the Pathfinder during her investigation about the relic. She admitted that she wasn’t much help in combat, though she could bring the Pathfinder anything from in or around the village, as well as introduce her to Gorgonz, a strange Karuppa who observed the ruins and collected strange items.

(A/N: In case you couldn’t tell by now, all the Karuppa NPCs are named after cheese. For instance, Brie is named after brie cheese, while Gorgonz is named after gorgonzola. Mascarpo is named after mascarpone and Gooda is named after gouda.)

The Pathfinder reluctantly agreed to take Brie along, but only until the investigation was over, claiming that she normally worked alone. Happy to hear the Pathfinder’s response, Brie took the Pathfinder to Gorgonz. The Pathfinder showed the relic to Gorgonz, whose face also grew pale upon seeing it. He explained that he himself knew little about the ruins, as he merely observed them from the outside. However, he told her that he had something that could help if the Pathfinder was searching for something inside them.

He explained that he had a compass that could point one in the direction of something that they wished to find, provided that they place an object connected to what they were searching for near it. He led them to the compass, which had been broken into pieces because of the vibrations from the loud noises inside the ruins. Before repairing the compass, he asked the Pathfinder to collect Pottery Shard antiques from the Hoppin’ Sprouts, as he hadn’t been able to find any antiques since the compass had broken.

After the Pathfinder collected the pieces, Gorgonz asked her to obtain Censer Ashes from the Chargin’ Sprouts in order to help him calm his mind with the aroma. The Pathfinder and Brie then went in search of the three missing compass pieces. After the Pathfinder cleared out the Log-a-Rhythmic Bugs and Sparkinstone Bugs, Brie was able to find the first two pieces. The pair then continued searching the forest until reaching Wawa Falls, where the Pathfinder found the last piece at the bottom of the falls.

Brie wondered aloud whether it would be possible to stop the waterfall, inspiring the Pathfinder to trigger an explosion to break the rocks. After collecting Extra Dry Firewood and Smoky Flint from the Log-a-Rhythmic Bugs and Sparkinstone Bugs, Brie created a large explosion that broke the flow of water, allowing them to obtain the final compass piece. The Pathfinder admitted to herself that she wouldn’t have been able to get the last piece alone, and so she begrudgingly told Brie that she had done a good job, which made Brie feel proud of herself.

The Pathfinder and Brie brought the pieces back to Gorgonz, who began working on repairs. He explained that the compass only worked in sunlight, and that he would have it fixed by noon. As the Pathfinder waited, she realized that it had been some time since she had last rested, as it had been difficult for her to rest since getting cursed. She felt the curse sigil slowly draining her life force, causing the curse to grow stronger each day.

She wondered what Athena Pierce would have said to her now, noting that for all her confidence in embarking on adventure, she now felt more lost than ever. Just then, Brie noticed the Pathfinder’s sad expression and came over to check on her. She explained that the Pathfinder’s face had made her remember her own depressing day not too long ago, adding that it had felt as though there was a mountain of weight pressing down on her.

Just then, however, she caught herself and told the Pathfinder that she wasn’t trying to say that the both of them were the same, as the Pathfinder was brave and smart, while she was timid and weak. She explained that she had been trying to say that everyone had times when they felt down, and that she liked to picture pretty flowers, which could withstand all sorts of hardships, in order to motivate herself to make it through as well. She then gave a blue flower to the Pathfinder in order to cheer her up. (A/N: Brie is literally the most wholesome person in this game and she deserves the world.)

Just then, Gorgonz interrupted and told them that he had finished fixing the compass. With the light of noon about to hit the compass, the Pathfinder took out the relic and placed it on the pedestal. The compass then emitted a blue light that pointed towards a forest near the ruins, which the Pathfinder realized she had visited before. Brie realized that investigating the forest might also help them find out the cause of the noises. The Pathfinder warned that she wouldn’t let Brie come if she would slow them down, to which Brie promised that she wouldn’t, as she wanted to save her village.

The pair then proceeded deeper into the forest, where the noises began to grow louder. There, they discovered a passageway into the main complex of the ruins, which was filled with countless paths. The Pathfinder realized that she hadn’t noticed the labyrinthine structure during her first visit because the altar key had directly shown her the way the relic.

As she began wondering whether she should return to the relic chamber or check somewhere else, Brie began hearing a faint vibration noise, which the Pathfinder also heard upon focusing. She realized that finding its source might help them, but as it was too faint for her, the Pathfinder realized that Brie might be able to help with her keen hearing. Though Brie was afraid, she agreed to lead the Pathfinder through the ruins.

Along the way, they encountered stone sentries guarding the ruins. In order to clear out a path, the Pathfinder defeated the Ruins Guardians and Ruins Sentinels, allowing them to reach a mysterious black pool of water. Brie explained that the source of the noise was below the water, though it was too murky to see beneath.

The Pathfinder then noticed an ancient inscription on a pillar: “Whosoever seeks to find the way must first pass through the Deathly Abyss. Only a light bright enough to ward off death shall illuminate the path.” The Pathfinder realized that many ancient cultures believed that light had a symbolic power to subdue or overcome death, though she wondered whether the riddle meant that she literally needed to light up the water.

She then realized that the Ruins Sentinels had luminous plants growing on their heads, which she believed would help them light the way down. After collecting Glowpods and dropping them into the pool, the Pathfinder and Brie dove into the waters and began swimming down. As they made their way deeper however, strange creatures of encroaching darkness began attacking them, which the Pathfinder defeated as they reached the bottom.

Brie then spotted a passageway at the bottom, just as the Glowpods began dimming. Realizing that the light would fade away soon, the Pathfinder shot an arrow through the Glowpods, leaving motes of light in its wake. The pair then quickly followed the dim path of light to the doorway at the bottom of the pool.

Arriving in the Soul Chamber, Brie confirmed that they had reached the source of the noise. The Pathfinder then noticed something shining brightly upon a raised dais in the middle of the chamber. The strange glowing Soul spoke to the Pathfinder, recognizing her as the one who had walked the hidden path and had shown herself to be qualified to be the bearer of the power.

The Soul felt the Pathfinder’s heart drawn by confusion and driven by quiet desperation, explaining that it had the answers that she sought. The Pathfinder asked about the relic, to which the Soul explained that long ago, the ancient Karuppa who had resided in Partem had fashioned a sacred icon from the wood of a divine tree, which they had once worshiped. The Pathfinder recognized the item from the carvings on the wall as her relic.

The Soul explained that the relic had once been an object of benevolence, capable of healing the injured and guiding the lost. However, as time had passed, the order of the world had been established and the power of the relic had gradually begun to wane. Gradually, those who knew of the relic’s existence had passed on, and with fewer and fewer people remembering the ancient ways, the relic had come to be regarded as merely a legend.

(A/N: The order of the world is a reference to the Overseers reorganizing the universe through sealing away the Ancient Gods and creating the Transcendents to maintain the three laws of life, light, and time. The power of the relic belongs to that of an Ancient God, which faded away after the gods were sealed away at the end of the Ancient War.)

Centuries ago, however, a man clad in black robes had come to the ruins and had used cursed magic upon the relic. After his ritual, he had returned the relic back to its resting place and departed. Since then, the relic had been corrupted by impure energies. The Soul explained that the relic retained both its original nature and its corrupted state, and that the Pathfinder had likely felt both powers inside her.

It explained that the corrupted power had already become one with relic, meaning that it could no longer be erased. However, it told the Pathfinder that the curse could be suppressed if she could become the true inheritor of the relic. As some tools recognized worthy owners, the relic would respond to her mastery and allow her to draw out its hidden powers. It instructed her to explore and grow stronger, promising that the relic would guide her when the time was right.

The Soul then sent them back outside the ruins, where Brie noted that it seemed that she and the Pathfinder had heard different things simultaneously from the Soul. She told the Pathfinder that she was glad that they had gotten their answers, as going through the perilous journey once was more than enough for her.

She explained that the Soul had told her that the loud noises scaring the villagers would soon cease, as they had been meant to scare away the Karuppa and protect them from being exposed to the evil energies inside the ruins. As the Pathfinder had removed the corruptive power inside the ruins by taking the relic, there was no longer any need to scare the Karuppa away.

Just then, the relic began glowing brightly and surged with energy, allowing it to regain some of the strength that it had once possessed in ages past. Brie then noted that as they had gotten their answers, it was time for them to part ways, as she had promised not to be clingy. She told the Pathfinder that she prayed for her safety wherever her travels took her. Though she admitted that she wasn’t the bravest, she thanked the Pathfinder for allowing her to come on their adventure, adding that the Pathfinder was more than welcome to return back and visit.

After they said their goodbyes, the Pathfinder decided to set off on a new journey to dampen the curse on her. She also noted to herself that the story about the black-robed man concerned her, with the Soul remaining quiet ever since it had imbued the relic with power. She wondered whether mastering the relic’s power would allow its voice to talk to her again.

Brie then returned back to the village and told the other Karuppa about her journey, though none of them believed her. Just then, the Pathfinder, having had a gut feeling, unexpectedly decided to return back to the village, where she arrived in time to overhear the villagers’ skepticism about Brie’s story. Though she noted that it wasn’t like her to get involved in other people’s business, the Pathfinder told herself that she would feel guilty if she were to simply leave Brie high and dry.

She then gave Brie a small blue flower, just like the one that Brie had given her. As Brie clutched the flower tightly in her hands and dabbed the tears from her eyes, the Pathfinder saw Brie glimmering with renewed determination. The Pathfinder then decided to stop by the Bowman Instructional School and visit Athena Pierce.

Athena was impressed to hear about the Pathfinder’s quick thinking, which had helped her survive her trials. She noted that the Pathfinder’s instincts had been sharp when she had been a student, and that she had matured considerably since then as well. Wishing her well on the path that she was meant to walk, Athena promised to offer guidance whenever she could.  

(A/N: This next part is Pathfinder’s 3rd job advancement.)

After honing her skills through training, the Pathfinder’s relic began glowing, as though it were trying to lead her somewhere. She followed the relic’s light to the southern ridge of Perion, where she discovered a strange glowing fragment of rock that looked just like the one from which the Soul had spoken to her in the ruins.

From the rock fragment, an incredible surge of energy was absorbed into the relic, which surpassed even what she had felt when she had first come in contact with it in the ruins. As the relic filled with power, the Pathfinder experienced a vision of the dark-robed man in the research lab rejoicing upon finding the three keys to the ancient altar, believing that he would be able to reproduce the ancient power. He also added that he now also had proof that the power had existed “here” as well.

The Pathfinder wondered whether the man was the one who had set up the research lab that she had stumbled upon, which had led her to the ruins in the first place. Believing that it might hold other clues, the Pathfinder returned to the lab, though she was unable to find any further clues. However, she was nevertheless satisfied to know that the man had been searching for the “ancient power”, and that his words about it existing “here as well” suggested that he might have even come from another dimension entirely. She then discovered a compiled copy of his research study entitled, “Maple World and the Ancient Power”, with the author’s name listed as Kirston.

(A/N: Kirston has surprisingly been coming back into story focus after over a decade of being ignored. Pathfinder’s storyline was released in the update following Tenebris, which began shifting the story focus to Grandis and the Ancient Gods. Given Kirston’s interest in the power of the gods and the hint about him being from another dimension, it’s possible that the writers are intending to retcon him as a native of Grandis.

Since Grandis has a long history at the forefront of the conflict with the Ancient Gods, it’s possible that Kirston’s surprise that the gods existed “here”, referring to Maple World, might be because the gods had considerably little presence here compared to Grandis. I’m interested in seeing where they go with Kirston in the future, since his last chronological appearance was during the Gate to the Past storyline with Pink Bean.

This next part is Pathfinder’s 4th job advancement.)

Having unlocked more of the relic’s power, the Pathfinder felt the curse on herself weakening. She then continued training until she began feeling the relic glowing and leading her somewhere. She followed its light to the Deep Sea of Aqua Road, where she encountered yet another rock fragment that looked like the ones in Partem and Perion. Immediately, the relic began draining ancient power from the fragment, causing the corrupted power to react strongly to the infusion.

She then had another vision of Kirston, who noted that the power of the relic was blocked, just as he had anticipated. He concluded that the amount of power that he had reproduced was the full extent possible for the time being. Following the vision, the Pathfinder noticed that the curse sigil on her hand had completely disappeared, making her wonder whether it had been the relic’s final trial. However, she was left with more questions, such as what the “ancient power” was, and what he had meant by something being “blocked”.

Believing that the ruins might hold a clue to some answers, the Pathfinder returned back to the Soul Chamber, where the Soul recognized that the relic’s power was now fully unfettered, for which it welcomed her as its rightful owner. To answer her questions, the Soul explained that Kirston had intended to reproduce the relic’s innate power through a dark rite. As the relic had been made before order had laid its foundations in the world, time itself needed to be turned back to return it to its full power.

The Pathfinder pointed out that Kirston had mentioned that something was blocked, to which the Soul explained that Kirston had been unable to fully restore the relic’s power, as the Seal of Time had impeded him. However, it warned the Pathfinder that nothing was impossible forever, for while Kirston may have failed, another could appear and attempt to reproduce the relic’s ancient power, and that it was equally likely that their intentions may be good or evil.

(A/N: The Seal of Time refers to the barrier that Freud created in order to make it impossible for anyone to travel back in time any further than the moment that the Black Mage’s seal was created.)

It added that it hoped that if one did succeed in restoring that power, they would use it to protect the world. Until then, it entrusted the Pathfinder with the relic and its safekeeping before teleporting her back outside the ruins. The Pathfinder noted to herself that Kirston seemed tenacious, and that he likely hadn’t given up on reproducing the ancient power.

She realized that she had always been driven merely by satisfying her curiosity, roaming from place to place, just to see what she could find. She laughed that she had never expected to find herself getting attached, realizing that her world had become bigger than just herself. She then vowed to use the relic’s power to defend everything that she cared about, and to shine a light on the right path in a world filled with darkness.