Author's note: In case you haven't noticed, Mat, I play one of those pranks at the end of EVERY TS story. The pen laser in Brain Drain, the toy soldier in ToTI, the inhaler in Special Delivery, and so on and so forth. She deserves it, and I know. And, ironically, those are the same places I get most of MY ideas. Who'd have thought. Well, here's the epilogue.
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Epilogue
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THE NEXT DAY
Welcome back to RPGames, the game show you're sure to love! Tina D. here, and this time I've got a special guest co-host, Normi! Say hello, Normi.
Hello, Normi.
Uh, right. We grippingly left our heroes in the middle of a battle with a Fire Dragon. Let's have a look.
We were all stationed where we were last time, with our stats exactly as they were before (Sam even got a replacement Magic Vial 1). Having just used a big fire blast, the dragon could not immediately attack again. Alex was on her own, though, since Sam and I were still KO'd. She tried to steal something, and got a Revive Flute.
Now that's rare! A Revive Flute allows the bearer to bring a KO'd teammate back to life. But it looks like the dragon's charging up for another attack. Alex saves the Revive Flute and uses Camouflage once again, preventing herself from taking damage. What will she do next?
After the Fire Dragon's next attack, Alex alternated between attacking the Dragon and Camouflaging herself, even stealing another Revive Flute, until it was finally down. Battle won! All three get experience points, and Alex gets a level-up! Lucky girl!
Once back, Alex restored Sam and me to life with the two Revive Flutes. We got up as if waking from a snooze. "Hey, great battle there, Alex," I told her. "I know I didn't get to see it, but I bet it was great. Come on, let's get moving!"
We continued, avoiding each oasis, and finally reached a village. Ah, yes, the tranquil village of Grape. Tina and I wonder where our little trio will go first. Looks like they're stopping by the inn. After that beating they took, I don't blame them.
Sam spoke to the innkeeper. "Hello. How much is one night's stay?"
"15 G for the three of you," he replied. "You need a rest?"
"Absolutely," I replied, handing over the money. The man led us to a room upstairs, which seemed to be the only room in the inn, and we fell asleep as soon as we hit the beds.
Seconds later, we woke up. "That was a pretty short night," I commented, "but it was just what we needed for an HP/MP replenishment. Let's speak to the townsfolk and see if we can learn something."
As usual, the townsfolk said various things. "Stay away from the oases in the desert. Fire Dragons guard them, and they're really tough." "You hot? I'm hot. I guess we're all hot." "The Fire Temple is east of this town. I hear all kinds of monsters live in there. The entrance is blocked by a big statue, though, so nobody can get in."
After talking to everyone, we headed off to the east. A few more monsters got in the way, but we dispatched them easily. Soon, we reached the statue that last person told us about.
I examined the statue. "There's an inscription on it. It says, 'I will leave when the one true oasis is found.' I guess that means one of those oases wasn't a mirage. Let's go back and check."
As we began to approach another oasis, Sam stopped us. "We'd better not approach; there's probably another Fire Dragon guarding it. Leo, fire an arrow into the water of that oasis." I complied, and it made no ripple as it entered. The oasis was another mirage. We tried other oases, and finally found one that made a ripple. This was the real oasis.
Alex approached the oasis and stepped into its waters. "Ah, that's so refreshing," she said. "Hey, there's a button down here." She pressed the button, and we heard a faint rumbling sound from the Fire Temple. Investigation revealed that the statue had crumbled, and we entered.
You're probably wondering what Sam, Alex, and Leo will find in the Fire Temple. Well, we're all out of time for now, so tune in tomorrow! This is Tina D. … … and this is Normi … … saying goodbye for today!
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Yeah. About that joint project, I think between you and me, Mat, whoever gets an idea for the project first can go ahead and get the ball rolling. We can start anytime, now that this story's complete.