Quesada's Swan

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

The platforms are already moving thanks to the engine!

I jump onto the nearest one and head for the tunnel north.

Ay, moving spiked balls galore in this chamber! With lots of painful crossings, I head downstairs and push a heavy golem statue to cross through.

One goblin spots us and locks the gate ahead!

I head back to the moving platforms.

With care, I jump from platform to platform until I hit the south ledge where a lever lies. Past the wall on the right lies a chest.

I hit the lever and cross into the north end, where another lever awaits, which puts me at the ledge near the chest, which has herbs.

I jump to the platform before moving up north, and jump east and proceed into a tunnel.

The next room has a stone head that I can't destroy...yet!

I jump down the ledge using the moving platform there and head south.

More goblins await my arrival, and jump me!

Gotta be careful now, I'm low on health!

The blue ones leap, while the red ones do spin attacks.

I read a sign in the south part of the room, which says:

"Left hand: Inoperable
Right hand: Functional."

Is it talking about the security system in the lair?

I grab the chest which has a key and go back in the stone head room.

The goblin activates the stone head, saying "No more Mr. Nice Dwarf." This stone head fires cannons now, or in this case, a mix of spiked balls and fireballs!

I take care of the stone head, using up almost all of the herbs I have, and nearly dying!

I head back to the first tunnel in the spike bed moving platforms chamber, past the moving spiked balls, where the goblin locked the way forward earlier and open the gates.

I read a sign saying: "Begin with the most delicate finger."

The goblin from earlier locks the way back!

How am I supposed to operate this thing?

I push the rightmost stone forward. That did something.

I push all the stones forward until an avalanche hits the room from above, with boulders breaking the gates! It also did something outside and in another room as well!

Goblins greet me again!

I recover, save, and head back outside after getting nothing here!

---

Honestly, this dungeon isn't that bad! I like this dungeon!

Outside, the fingers of the left hand of the big statue uncurl, loosening the boulders blocking the stairs.

I jump past the left hand and make my way to a chest, where I get an Earth Book!!! This means my earth magic has upgraded! Yesss!!!

I check out the rest of the outside of the statue before saving again in the lair. Save early and save often!

I go in the topmost tunnel, where the goblins activate another trap...three stone heads!

Or five stone heads, actually!

I head east, in a mini maze, where a goblin makes more empty threats and jumps into a hole in the middle of the room. I follow suit.

Oh Lord! I fall in to have seven more stone heads drop down!

Oh god, the middle head shot a huge beam instead of fireballs! I am dead meat!

They're also indestructible!

Except for one on the second right!

The top left is next to go! And the second left! Then the leftmost one! And the top right! And the rightmost! And Mr. Laser Beam in the middle!!!

The laser statue took out a third of my health!

Special thanks to the Water magic for healing me!

I get a key from a chest and a platform forward!

I exit out of the lair to recover and get more stuff!

Before leaving, I open two more chests outside the lair which have 30 gilders each.

---

I go back into the lair, save again, and head back to the top.

Now I'm trying to figure out where to go next here...

I notice a locked door on the statue's left shoulder outside and use the key to open the door.

The goblins congratulate us with a consolation prize: a descending spike trap!

I don't get crushed since I head off to the side of the walls where they can't reach me, but I'm stuck.

I reset the area, and I notice I'm supposed to press the press switch at the ledge to open the east iron gate!

Third time works as I move forward.

I'm now at the room where I entered from below the statue's head. Four golem statues are there. After moving the bottom left one, a chest is visible, where I get a Strength Elixyr!

The top right golem hides a press switch on a small crevice.

Stairs heading up come down!

I enter a chamber where three platforms above me form a bridge and two sets of stairs are. I take the left staircase and dash past the platforms!

Three goblins await to scythe me into next week!

After a cleanup, a statue north appears! I activate it, restoring my health, and two chests drop down!

I get a Life Vessel!!! My health is now maxed up to 34!

I jump off the high ledge and open the chest to get an herb!

I reset the chamber and fight the goblins again before proceeding upstairs! Can't this chamber not reset itself? Or it is reflective of the goblins's determination?

I'm now at the top, where Miming awaits! Or not!

Nirude is there, and his Oz-sized head has choice words for us!

Nirude: "You have desecrated the sanctity of my ancient home. You must be an agent of Melzas...It seems that you are not my enemy, however. But, neither have you proven yourself my ally..."

I get warped into another dimension! The boss battle music is now different, more desperate!

I cross the bridge and introduce myself to Nirude personally, who says that he has created this dimension with his magic!

He now tries to come after me, with boulders blocking the way south!

Health is getting low again!

I make it to the end of the bridge with nowhere to run. I turn back to face Nirude, and, holy heck! Most of his stone skin's eroded away, and I could see his bare muscle tissue!

I'm now back in the normal dimension after that survival challenge!

Nirude notices Alundra as the Releaser, and introduces himself as one of the seven guardians of the land, oh my god!!! He is also the last of the Giants too...

So the goblins' prayers keep this guardian alive...

He apologizes for doubting us.

Nirude knows Nava for some reason, and says he now chooses to fight against Melzas!

Nirude has total confidence in Alundra now!

However, someone new enters the picture!