Quesada's Swan | Alundra - Part 7: The Coal Mine

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I read the sign from the locked house outside the village, which says, "Contact Centurius XXI." It took me a while to get that joke.

On the way, I find a lot of blocked paths, vines, a mysterious statue, and empty houses near the mine.

I see Jess along with two other people before the entrance and he tells me not to be a hero if things get tough. I use the bomb to bust open the rubble on the upper part of the mine, and double back to explore around the outside some more.

After exploring, I bomb the rubble covering the entrance to the mine but I don't head in yet.

Instead, I head into a cave near the upper part of the mine. In there, are five blue slimes. However, the platform ahead rises to a higher ledge when one of the slimes is defeated.

I succeed in going further in the cave, but more blue slimes drop from the ceiling, and move forward. But unless I can swim, I'm stuck, so I turn back. I do get 10 gilders (coins) for that detour though.

Now I go to the coal mine, more shaking and falling rubble. I head to the engine room, which is locked.

I go back and head deeper in the mine.

More fire-breathing rock turtles are in the way, but I light a bomb in front of them. Once they blew fire, boom!

I take care of some rubble in that part of the room to reveal a staircase and go down.

The Murgg are now surrounding and trying to kill a miner named Lyman (no West Wing jokes please!). I take care of them, but it's too late...

Lyman hands me a key to the service room where the other miners are and goes to sleep for a very long time...

I use the key to open the engine room and turn on the engine, using the combination I received from Olen's dream. Left, left, right, left.

I jump in the minecart. Whee!

More rubble and an engine explodes, great!

The water I'm walking on slows me down a lot.

I'm now at the next room, a shaking maze with falling rocks. I get hit by the rocks twice and make it to dry land, and on to the scaffolding. The rocks keep falling though.

I switch on the engine. Power is now restored on Access Shaft 1, I'm told.

I found out as I got back that there were two ways to get to the scaffolding, and I took the long way...

(To the tune of Toyland) Minecarts, minecarts, make everything quicker...

The gate door further on is locked. But I see a pulsing, glowing symbol in the middle of the shaft on the other side of the shaft gate. Hmmm...

I check any other rooms to see if I'm missing something.

Pretty detailed animation for Alundra's sprite here...

I realized there was a switch near the rails at the first shaft I went! I pull that switch, and make my way to the cart.

While riding the cart, I ran over five slimes. Ouch!

Oh no, more Murgg! For some reason, they're fixated with killing the miners. Why though? I think they might be controlled, or are under orders, by someone.

Jaylen, the next miner, is gone too, but I get a key probably to the door to the purple sigil room, or the working area.

I use the key to open the door and wander about trying to get the two chests I saw.

The miners were planning to expand the place, huh?

I get an herb from one of the chests, and try to get the second chest from the top of the scaffolding. I managed to clear out any rocks from the minecart path though.

I step on the symbol, and it leads me to a recovery and save point yes!

I now go back and try to find a way further in the mine.

I find a way into the westward tunnel. Oddly enough, without a bomb, it takes eight hits from Alundra's sword to take care of a rock turtle.

I get rid of the rubble blocking the way and jump down into the hole, where the last miner Zane is. Zane is already gone too...

On the left of him I find a chest with a key inside.

I get stuck and jump over the opened chest to get out.

I use the key to open the mine door containing a switch, and pull the switch to the left.

I save and recover before moving on to the western shaft.

This coal mine dungeon is very long!

More falling rocks blocking the way, how helpful!

There's a chest there on the other side of the ledge but the gap is too wide!

I give up and go farther into the western shaft, getting an herb and riding the cart to another part of the shaft. Whew!

I now head up to find an engine, where the sign says to pull lower lever thrice and the upper lever once, and to "shake things up" if it doesn't work. I pull the switches, and...nothing happens.

I try bombing the engine around five times, I think, no good. I go on top of the engine, and to "shake things up" I jumped on it thrice. It worked!

I go on the elevator, further down in the mine. What's beyond the point of no return?

I find sparkling stuff on the water and it restores my health, looks like there's a boss coming up!

Oh my god! Zazan, a super huge Murgg baboon, is tasked with finding seven "Crests" for Melzas, and is furious that his minions only found two in the mine! He's also causing the quakes, too!

Thanks to his spinning around, I'm now trapped!

After getting the four Murgg out of the way, I get another Life Vessel, and head my way out of the mine. The rocks have now caved in the way back.