Quickly, we hustle downstairs to aid Thunderforge. Unfortunately, we arrive too late. We find him crushed against the floor with the giant vampire bat lying on top of him. His legs are completely lost under the bat, but the top half of his body sticks out. He holds his golden spear in his hand even now.

Des Chevaliers kneels at his side, “Maximus my old friend. You fought valiantly until the end. Now rest well.”

Thunderforge’s eyes flash open. “Nah, been having enough of the napping I have.”

When I look at the little old man cracking jokes while crushed under a giant bat, the only question that I can think to ask is: “How the heck are you still alive?”

He answers, “Don’t be surprised lad that I haven’t gone kicking the bucket yet. The bat never touched me ‘til the very end. I used my Heart Thrust and dropped it from the sky, but like I be saying before, the Heart Thrust saps a dragoon’s power and leaves him defenseless. All I could do was watch as the big fella landed right on top of me. Woo wee it be hurtin’ my legs, but your mana potion gave me the strength to stay alive, so I be thanking you for that lad. But if you don’t mind, could you get it off of me now?”

Combining our efforts, Des Chevaliers, Sidney, and I push the Apocalypse off of Thunderforge. Right away, he hops up to his feet like a fresh spring chicken. “What be happening with the main boss?” he asks.

“It’s over. Master Simon is dead,” I say.

He clanks his golden spear against the floor. “Great! Job well done then. Guess I be going home and sitting down to me pipe. Fresh new story to tell to the grandchildren I’ve got. You guys be taking care of yourselves now.”

“Don’t you want your quest reward?” Des Chevaliers ask.

“Nah. Repay the lad his mana potion for me and I’ll be as a merry as a mulberry tree.” He pokes the air with his finger and a blue portal to his homeland appears. He steps through waving behind his head and the portal seals up behind him instantly. I marvel at this small display of magic. Few are the mages who can cast the Portal spell without the assistance of a script. He did it with one finger.

“Just who was that man?” I ask.

“Maximus Thunderforge, a legendary warrior, and leader of the Dragoons,” Des Chevaliers answers. “Back in his prime he was invincible. He’d jump a hundred feet in the air and battle dragons in the sky.”

A hundred feet is a stretch, but I can believe him being the leader. While I try to picture in my mind the sight of an old guy doing aerial battle with a dragon, Des Chevaliers tells me, “Come to my office in Magali Souladonis. I’ll give you the full dossier on Dr. Sterblich, the alchemist who specializes in petrification.”

“Okay, great.”

He then turns his attention to Sidney. “As for you Ms. Butterfly, you’re supposed to be locked up in your cell back at the castle. I’m very disappointed to learn that you’ve been sneaking out. You force me to extend your sentence.”

“Wait!” I interrupt. “She saved our lives and defeated Master Simon. Doesn’t she deserve a quest reward too?”

He places his chin in his fingers. “I suppose. What do you want?’

Sidney joyfully throws her arms around me. “I want to follow Souladonis wherever he goes. I’ll follow him forever.”

“Is that fine by you?”

“I guess.”

“So be it. I shall consider you rehabilitated. You’re free to follow Souladonis.”

Rejoicing, Sidney now throws her arms around Des Chevaliers. “Thank you Rupert. Thank you for everything.”

He reluctantly returns her hug. “You’re welcome Sidney. Just remember what I told you about standing up for yourself. You’re your own person Sidney. Do what YOU feel is right.”

Sidney nods and releases him. Then Des Chevaliers takes out his portal tome and creates a gateway back to Magali. We all pass through together. But while Des Chevaliers heads for the castle, I go to the Sterlington Suites to reunite with Katherine.

I knock on her inn room door and wait for her to answer. As soon as the door swings open, she flies out wrapping her arms around me tightly. “Souladonis, you’re okay!”

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I gladly embrace her. “I’m fine Katherine. Everything is finished now. Oh, and Sidney is going to be traveling with us from now on.”

Katherine glances over my shoulder at Sidney. “Oh. I see. Hello Sidney.”

“Hi Katherine,” she answers cordially.

I pay for the inn room, take the girls out to lunch, and then eagerly speed off to see Des Chevaliers. When I reach his office, he already has the promised file ready for me. I read over it and discover that Dr. Sterblich was an alchemist in the land of Eudaimonia. The true nature of his research was never discovered, but it’s clear that his entire research staff was turned to stone. He was charged for all of their deaths, but since it was deemed an accident, he was only sentenced to twenty years in prison instead of receiving a life’s sentence. Afterwards, he returned to the mountains of Eudaimonia and has never been heard from since.

I thank the Chief Inquisitor for the file and set off at once. I’ve never been to Eudaimonia, so I can’t get there with the Portal spell. I have, however, been to the country Sørensen, which is relatively close. From the coast of Sørensen, it’s just a four-hour boat ride to the coast of Eudaimonia.

At a northern harbor town called, Kirkpatrick, I talk to a number of men at the docks and ultimately commission a fisherman named Tony to boat me over to Eudaimonia. Tony is in his early 30s and has suffered from financial problems. I could have gone with a nicer boat, but since he’s been struggling to put food on the table for his family, I decided that we could both help each other. While he steers the ship across the sea, I relax in the ship’s cabin with Katherine and Sidney.

I shake with nerves sitting on Tony’s bed. Katherine sits beside me on the right and Sidney to my left. “What’s wrong?” Katherine asks.

“This is my last chance Katherine. If not even Dr. Sterblich knows how to cure petrification, then I’m done. I can never save Nadine and I can never go home.”

I lean over and bury my head in my hands. “I’m scared.”

My friends try to comfort me. Katherine gently rests her head on my shoulder while Sidney sings Winter Soul. The mere fact that they want to make me feel better cheers me up. I take a deep breath and uncover my face. “Thanks guys.”

“Master, you know that song of yours?” Katherine says.

“Yeah.”

“It’s kind of depressing. You should write a new song, a happier song.”

“You want me to write a happy song?”

“Yeah I do. For me. Okay?”

“Alright, I’ll try to write a happier song for you.”

“Promise me.”

“Sure, I promise. I’ll write a happy song for you Katherine.”

Spending time chatting with Sidney and Katherine makes the time pass quickly. Before I know it, we’re already at Eudaimonia. We depart from the boat and I pay Tony on the beach. I hand him four ultra-grade red crystals worth 200,000 âmes. Tony receives the money speechless. I pat him on the shoulder and say, “Take care of your family.”

“I will,” he replies with tears in his eyes. “I will. Bless you sir.”

I nod at him, and then we depart for the mountains. Even from the beach, the mountains in the center are clearly visible. The only question is where exactly Dr. Sterblich lives amongst the jagged rock formations. In order to find him, I have Sidney scout from the sky in her dove form while Katherine and I walk on foot. It takes her an hour, but eventually Sidney returns with good news. “I found a shack on a hill. I looked inside the window and saw a man sitting there. It must be Dr. Sterblich.”

“Lead us there,” I tell her.

Once more, Sidney takes to the sky while Katherine and I follow her from below. By evening we reach the shack. Sidney swoops down and becomes human again. Then the three of us move to the shack’s front door. I twist the handle, push the door, and it opens.