With Durgan's Battery infiltrated, and the White Forge fully operational once more, it is time to take stock of my incredible achievement by celebrating through more and more slaughter. I mean, I've gotten the forge up and running which means that I am the greatest champion ever.
I head out to the East of Stalwart, feeling invincible. Except I'm not - it doesn't end well at all. In fact, in ends with a screen I haven't seen in a while, the load game menu. So, I do just that, and try again, more cautiously this time. It results in a slower, measured exploration of the east, and a successful one.
There are a lot of enemies in this area, that present a good, decent challenge. I make really slow progress, resting in the cold tundra at least twice before facing the double party of monsters that killed me the first time.
It ends well for me, and not so well for them. I employ an extreme level of caution, as I approach the Gleaming Society mob that slaughtered me last time.
There's not much actual quest stuff here, other than a bounty and a 'thermal pearl' that turns into a little tiny pet. There's a sword in the stone, however. Since I'm so strong; I put down my dual sabres and pull the darn thing out the stone like some sort of King Arthur.
It can't be too bad though, can it? I frantically try to unequip the sword, but see that there are some riddles to be solved in order to have it disarmed. I'm sad, and actively considering loading my save file to avoid having the sword. I don't do this, and convince myself that it might be okay.
I decide to head back to the stronghold. I've got stuff to do, afterall. That stuff mainly involves resting, and selling off my loot. I also decide to have another crack at the dungeons below the keep, as I get told about some happenings in Stalwart involving danger and so on. I'm more interested, at the moment, of delving deeper and deeper into the dungeons below my keep.
Remember how I said that it wouldn't be "too bad" to use a two handed weapon on a character built for using two weapons? It turns out to be about as effective as a toothbrush used as a metal saw. I continue to regret my decisions as relating to the sword. I seriously consider the option of amputation.
I press on in the dungeons below my keep, making agonizingly slow progress through the layers of undead. The Fampyr-named creatures are the tankiest I've encountered thus far, probably on the basis of that cursed sword.
Cursed indeed it is, but still, I continue using the foam blade to harmlessly chop away at the enemy's morale while tanking damage as the rest of the party actually do damage. I explore the rest of the 8th level below the keep, and don't find a way to go deeper, so I spend 4 hours (of game-time, not real time) climbing back up to the surface. It appears as though there are more levels, but I don't know how to access them.
During the ascent, I google on my mobile how to get rid of the cursed sword - and it seems simple enough, endure some loading screens to go back to previous game locations, then rest in another by night, then kneel in the courtyard of my own keep. I do this, and it takes far too long. The moment the sword is free from my hands, I sell it. Not interested.
What I am interested in, however; is progression, mainly through the story, so I head West in the Dyrwood, in a bid to chase Thaos down, and kill him. He deserves death for making Defiance Bay burn, but the acrid smell of burning city was a delicious one.
I end up in the woods, fighting some trolls, and an assortment of other monsters. Sagani's delusion (I mean sidequest) has a plot arc here (literally, its the arc in the above screenshot) and its a lot of irrelevant character development. The monsters in this area fall fairly easily, and I clean out the entire map, including another Ogre Matron - she appeared to be part of another bounty quest.
Once she falls to the ground, silent, I rest, outside a cave, which I'll explore when I wake.
