Dragon Warrior Playthrough, Part 6: Snarling Garden Gnomes

Note: For the sake of continuity in the playthrough, I've separated the commentary from the narrative. See the end of the entry for commentary.

I swing the axe, first in a sideways stroke then in a chopping motion. It's surprisingly light, and certainly much sharper and tougher than the Copper Sword I've been sporting up to now. I don't know if it will be enough to save the princess, but it's definitely a step up.

Having braved the wilds of the mysterious dungeon west of Tantegel, I feel more prepared for an attempt at the cave south of Kol. If the hints I've gathered from townsfolk are to be believed, the cave should lead to the southern continent and the town of Rimuldar. In fact, it could hold the princess herself!

All that stands between me and a place in the history books is a swamp...

Of sludge and muck

The swamp spreads out before me like a verdure spoiled by the liquid essence of the souls of dead slimes. Every step feels like it drains a week from my life and every breath tastes like a rotting carcass. I hesitate at blind corners, half expecting to meet a rodent of unusual size.

Halfway to the cave entrance, I encounter a stray Magidrakee. The creature is fortunate enough to have wings that keep it elevated above the sludge, but even this demonic beast seems put off by the air in this foul place. A few swings of my axe end its suffering, but prolong mine.

When I finally reach the cave entrance, I find myself right at water's edge, looking out on a narrow strait. On the other side of the water, I can just make out a cave opening on the other side. Hopefully, this will be a short trip.

The northeast passage

Fortunately, I still have the torch I found in the Mystery Cave. Its faint glow reveals a maze-like series of passages that mostly lead south, though there are branches both east and west of the staircase.

Partway through exploring the east branch, there is a rude surprise. [Note A]

There and back again

The darkness is everywhere. I remember smoke and heat and confusion... I may have run into a wall, but all the images are twisted and distorted.

When the darkness starts to dissipate, I feel my arms being propped up on each side and my knees dragging along the floor. The clank of armor tells me I'm being carried by soldiers, but there's a buzz in the room that betrays the presence of others.

The chain links of my armor scratch against the brick floor as I approach a looming figure. Squinting through charred eyelids, I muster the strength to lift my head. It's the king of Tantegel, and he looks at me with a vacuous smile.

He tells me he will give me another chance and then breaks into a flowery monologue about my personal progress. It takes me several minutes to even process this surreal scene, but the king seems wholly unconcerned with my state of mind. When his monologue is finished, I am just left there in front of him, present but entirely unacknowledged.

Through some unknown magical force, I am quickly able to regain my strength and return to my feet. Whether it's the gods, fate, or the Drakee tail steak I had for breakfast, I don't know. But I must continue my quest, lest I fall out of favor with this mysterious power.

The northeast passage, take two

My return trip to the swamp and cave passage is much less eventful than the last. I make sure to avoid the part of the cave where I had my unfortunate run-in. Everywhere else I find only Ghosts, Druins, Magicians, and Scorpions.

There is a portion of the cave that I can't reach because it's blocked by the dragon - perhaps that is where the princess is being kept. But I fear there is little I can do about it for now.

As I suspected, the stairs on the south end of the cave lead to the other side of the strait.

I made it through the passage, but don't know what awaits me on this new continent. Hopefully it's not more green dragons.

To the last gasp

My first view of the new continent is breathtaking. To my immediate south, a landscape of rolling hills stretches out to the edge of a distant mountain range. There are no towns or landmarks in sight, but the terrain is passable to the west and southeast. Rimuldar was said to be in the south, so I commit to continuing in that direction.

It's not long before I have my first run-in with the locals. Mere steps from the cave exit, I encounter a Warlock. This is not my first rodeo against these robed monstrosities, having previously battled them in the mystery cave west of Tantegel. This time, my axe does its work before the spellcaster can put me to sleep.

I'm barely done picking the fragments of cloth from my axe when I spot another threat clambering over a nearby hill. Covered entirely in fur, a large bipedal creature lumbers toward me with fangs bared. Its face has the appearance of a wolf, but it's sporting clothes more reminiscent of a garden gnome.

Regardless, its immense size tells me I'm in for a fight, so I bring my axe to chest level. Sometimes I wonder if I should try starting these encounters with a handshake instead, but another look at its claws and I quickly dismiss such notions.

Two deep gashes and a puncture wound later, the Wolf lies dead on the side of a hill and I'm leaning on my axe panting heavily. Looking out into the countryside, the grim reality of my situation begins to sink in. While it's true I can handle these monsters in a single fight, it pushes my physical and magical resources to their limit, and with no town in sight, I don't know if I'll be able to fight my way to safety.

Continuing the trek along the side of the mountains, I pass through a desert and then on to a long, dark forest. The encounters continue, first a skeleton and then two more Wolf monsters, but now every time I see them approach, I break into a run. Fortunately, I have the advantage in foot speed and can outrun these lumbering horrors on most occasions.

Finally, I can see the mountain range thin out in the west. At its edge, I look for a tree with low-hanging branches and then climb for a better view of the landscape. Not far in the distance, I see what looks like a land bridge leading to the middle of a lake. I can't make out what's at the end of the bridge, but it definitely looks promising.

It's only a few hours to the edge of the lake. Sure enough, a town sits at its center. This must be Rimuldar.

As I step on the land bridge, I wonder where it came from and why it's covered in sand. Is this a man-made structure and if so, how on earth did they do it? I don't suppose it matters much, but what does matter is the snarling Wolf wandering around at the far end of the bridge.

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Commentary

A. And if your heart stops beating

When you die in Dragon Warrior, you have two choices, you can either be revived by the King and lose half your gold, or you can restart from the last time you saved the game. From the strategic standpoint, you're usually better off choosing the former.

Why? Well, if you're doing as you should and upgrading your equipment regularly, you will never be carrying a large stash of gold on your person. Death does nothing to your equipment, so if you buy that fancy shield you've been craving, no amount of dragonfire is going to take it from you.

Also, letting the King revive you lets you keep all of the experience you earned since your last save. Experience is the most valuable commodity in Dragon Warrior because it's the primary barrier to progress and the thing that takes the most effort to obtain.

All of that being said, there is something... unsettling about being revived by the King. If the internal logic of the game world allows me to die any number of times, then it almost seems to cheapen my victories. After all, the gods were going to let me win eventually anyway. Yes, it's true that I could also restore my saved games any number of times, but that is a decision I make outside of the world. It is me choosing to re-enter the world rather than my character repeatedly pulling a Winchester.

For the sake of continuity in the narrative here, I let myself be revived, but in the future I'll tell the story from the standpoint of my successful restores. I will add a side note if something required multiple attempts to complete without dying.