Dialogue and descriptions from The Longest Journey by Funcom - Transcript compiled by Bluejay, slightly modified by me
As she expected, she was back in the lane outside the Journeyman Inn. The lane was completedly devoid of life: no people, no animals. She looked through the door of the inn which was left opened. It was deserted and from the look of the place, they left in a hurry too. It was the same in the city.
Marcuria is completely deserted. It's strange how ghost-like the city feels, how frightening a familiar sight can be when there's nobody around, when all you can hear is the wind and the sea. Where did they all go in such a hurry? The city has not been invaded - everything looks the same as it did before. The Tyren army must be close, though, if nobody dared stay any longer. I'll have to hurry up and get things done before they get here. I don't know a lot about these Tyren creatures, but from what I've been told they're not particularly friendly.
Not unexpectedly, when she went to the temple, the doors were locked and bolted. The Sentinel must have decided to skip town with the rest of the population. However, she figured at least one person might still be in town and made her way to Brian Westhouse's abode where she found him, in his usual drunken state.
April:
I figured you'd still be here, Brian.
Brian Westhouse:
(slurred) April bloody Ryan! Well, what do you know. Good to see you, girl. Now get the hell outta Marcuria before the shit hits the fan.
April:
You're not leaving, are you, Mr Westhouse?
Brian Westhouse:
I guess I'm not. I always was an idiot.
April:
You're not an idiot, Mr Westhouse. Brian. You're just fighting for something you believe in, something you care about.
Brian Westhouse:
I don't care a whittle about this bloody town.
April:
I think you do. I think you care a lot, but you hate to admit it.
Brian Westhouse:
Yeah, well...I built this house with my own two hands, y'know. First thing I ever did that I was proud of. Real proud of. I ain't about to leave it to those damn Tyren trolls, waltzing in here under the pretense of defending their borders. It's the Vanguard holding their leash, be sure of that.
April:
What are you gonna do when they get here?
Brian Westhouse:
I got an old gun locked up in the pantry. Enough bullets to take down at least two dozen of those goblins! I'm going down fighting, that's for sure.
April:
You'll be fine. I'm sure of that. Just -- leave the bottle be until the victory party, okay?
Brian Westhouse:
Don't worry about that, girl. That's my last batch of real whiskey...all I got left now is bloody Marcurian wine, and believe me, you don't want to get drunk on that.
April:
(laughed) I believe you. Just take care of yourself, Brian. Take real good care.
Brian Westhouse:
And you, Miss Ryan. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you, and if you ever come back this way...
April:
I promise to visit you. Of course. Goodbye, Brian.
She hoped Brian would make it through the current crisis but his chances were so slim, she doubted he would. She made her way to Abnaxus' home and knocked on the door. A welcomed and familiar voice called out.
Abnaxus:
Enter, honored guest, and I would have been with you presently.
The Venar descended the stairs as she entered.
April:
I'm glad to see you're okay, Abnaxus.
Abnaxus:
Should I not have been okay, April-Ryan?
April:
I wasn't sure. Everybody else has left town.
Abnaxus:
Yes. Most everyone did. A war is coming.
April:
Shouldn't you be leaving town then?
Abnaxus:
I am. After I see you again.
April:
You shouldn't be putting yourself in danger for my sake, Abnaxus.
Abnaxus:
Then for the sake of the Balance? You will find three stones, yes?
April:
I did, yeah. Just missing one now.
Abnaxus:
Here. This was the stone of the Venar, entrusted to me. I was to take this to Marcuria, and there hold embassy until the Kang-ang-la will come to take it from me.
April:
You had this the whole time? Why didn't you tell me before?
Abnaxus:
To have been carrying this on your journey will be too risky, April-Ryan. You have it now. Four stones make one. Now my task is done. And the veil is upon me. There is only the present? And the past, now. Only those two. Not the...future. The veil is upon us all, April-Ryan. I must leave for my people, to be with them in this time of darkness.
April:
Thank you for your help, Abnaxus. I will miss you.
Abnaxus:
And I you, April-Ryan. May the Balance bless you. May the Balance bless and protect us all.
He bowed and ascended the stairs. She would not see him again, she was certain.
Sunday, early afternoon.
I got the final stone, the last piece of the disc of the Balance! Abnaxus had it...I'm so glad it was him, although I wish he'd told me earlier. At least I didn't have to go find another magical species living in a lake of lava or in some kind of poisonous swamp or something like that. So what now? Well, these four stones are supposed to be combined into one stone, one disc, which will serve as a key into the Guardian's Realm. The question is, how do I make this disc? And where? Tobias told me the disc used to be kept at the Enclave, so that's a good place to start. I guess.
At the Enclave, she found Minstrum Yerin by the pool.
April:
So you're still here?
Minstrum Yerin:
Eh? Oh, it's you. If you have come to use the library, I'm afraid I must disappoint you. We're all very busy today. Very busy indeed.
April:
No, don't worry. I didn't come by to do any reading today.
Minstrum Yerin:
Good. With the Tyren army approaching, we don't have much time.
April:
Is Vestrum Tobias around?
Minstrum Yerin:
: Oh, goodness, you do not know? I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Tobias....he's dead. Murdered.
April:
No! By whom?
Minstrum Yerin:
We don't know. but we suspect Vanguard agents, of course. In the chaos of the evacuation, the soldiers had their hands full making sure no one was trampled, and that looters were promptly apprehended. When we visited the temple after everyone had left -- there were so many books and valuable artifacts we wanted to bring here, for safe keeping -- we found Tobias by the murals he loved so dearly. He's been stabbed in the heart, and from the looks of it, he didn't resist much at all. He probably even knew his assailant.
April:
Why Tobias? He was the kindest, gentlest man I've ever known. Always helpful, always ready to listen. I'll really miss him.
Minstrum Yerin:
So will all of us. He was a great man, and a great vestrum, and we will never see another like him. But unfortunately, there were many who disagreed with his views. And the Vanguard...Well, they would be happy to see the end of him for good.
April:
Another reason for doing everything we can to stop them. Shouldn't you be leaving the city?
Minstrum Yerin:
Leaving? No, I'm staying here with my fellow Minstrum. The Enclave is our life, and our home, and we're not letting the Vanguard and the Tyren army drive us away. But we will defend ourselves.
April:
With what? Books?
Minstrum Yerin:
We may look harmless but don't judge a book by its cover. There are many of us who are skilled at magic. I can throw a pretty mean ball of fire myself. We even have swords and bows, and a few of us are well versed with deadly weaponry. So we won't be easily defeated, trust me.
April:
Good luck.
Minstrum Yerin:
And to you, the same.
At the top of the Enclave, she examined the floor carefully. If her suspicion was right, the four recesses were meant for the four stones she carried. Her theory was right on target when she found a recess that she could slot the Banda stone, she did the same with the other three stones ; putting them in their respective receptacles. There was a hum and the floor shook, she looked up to see the stone dragon opening its mouth. She hurried out of the area to stand in an alcove near the stairs. The hum changed into a whirl that died down. It sounded like a broken-down engine.
April:
I think something's gone wrong....It looks like something's blocking the dragon's mouth from opening up completely.
It was too high up for her to reach and she was not about to waste time to look for a ladder. She pulled out the flute and Crow appeared out of the sky after a while. He landed on the floor and cocked his head at her.
Crow:
Don't tell me... You need help with something you can't get to.
April:
Nice to see you, too. Why so cynical?
Crow:
Because it seems like the only times you call me is when you need me to do something. It's never to say "hello, Crow, what you been up to?", or "hey, just wanted to let you know how much I love you."
April:
Sorry. There's just so much on my mind, I forgot to treat my friends right.
Crow:
Friend? I'm your friend? Whatever you need me to do, babe, I'm there!
April:
Something's preventing that stone dragon's mouth from opening completely. Could you check it out?
Crow:
That's it? Pft. Easy. (With a few flaps of his wings, he was soon atop the stone dragon) Yup. I see what's wrong here. When was the last time they cleaned this thing? There's pigeon sh -- Uhm, pigeon crap all over it, some of it so old it's almost petrified!
April:
Great! Peck it off.
Crow:
Peck it? No. No-no-no. That's so disgusting. No one told me I was gonna be pecking pigeon crap when I joined up for this adventure.
April:
Crow... (fiercely) peck it off!
Crow:
Yikes! (He hurried to do her bidding. The mouth of the stone dragon opened and blue-white flames shot out. He yelped and flew off in time) I'm on fire!
The four stones melted and the resulting liquid flowed to meet in the center to form a stone disk. It then dropped through an opening to fall into the pool at the Enclave.
Sunday, August 6th, mid-afternoon.
I figured out where the four pieces of the disc used to be kept, at the Enclave, and with a little help from Crow I managed to melt the stones with fire into one complete stone disc. Now, all I have to do is retrieve the disc from the pool inside the library, find the second Arcadian Dragon's Eye jewel, and go home. The fact that I have no idea how to go about accomplishing those two last tasks doesn't really bother me. I've been in worse binds before, and all of them during this past week, so I'm betting I'll be able to figure this one out too!
She hurried down to the pool. The water was too deep for her to reach the disc. There was a wheel nearby. It would not budge no matter how much strength she exerted. Minstrum Yerin should know something about it.
April:
Excuse me.
Minstrum Yerin:
Yes?
April:
What's the rusty wheel downstairs for?
Minstrum Yerin:
Wheel? Oh, yes, the wheel. That's used for draining the water out of the pool.
April:
Do you know why the drainage wheel is stuck?
Minstrum Yerin:
Goodness, it is? Why, yes, of course it is. We keep the sluices locked, so that the pool is not drained bya ccident.
April:
Could you unlock it for me?
Minstrum Yerin:
Certainly. But why?
April:
Because I need to drain the pool.
Minstrum Yerin:
Goodness me, you do? Very well, I'll unlock the sluices.
He disappeared ino to one of the side rooms while she made her way back to the wheel. There was the sound of clanking which she assumed the sluices were opened. The wheel turned easily when she tried it. The water drained rapidly, making it easier for her to climb down the steps into the pool and retrieved the stone disc. Slipping the disc into her pack, she exited the Enclave and froze at the sight of a large dark mass moving down the slopes of the mountain to the city gates when she reached the path.
April:
Oh my God, it's an army, heading this way! And they got the road blocked! Where's a Shift when you need one? I'm in real trouble here. Come on....Shift! (She clutched her head) I did it the last time I was scared out of my mind, and I don't feel any safer now. (Frustrated, she started back to the Enclave) It's not working, I'm just gonna have to hide out in the -- Oh! (A flash of bright light, a portal opened up by the side of the cliff, something she was very glad to see. Quickly, she ran into the Shift)