“Unc Swordie! Unc Swordie!”

A dozen tiny Volgecko rush into their village’s recreational hall – chanting the name of Swordie repeatedly while running. Their laughs resonate in the small hall as they gather around the center of the room.

This is the recently re-established village of Kailua. Severely damaged during the explosion of Mount Molar at the start of the conflict between Tephra, the Villain, and Lavata, the village was abandoned, and its inhabitants sought refuge in Tokay village and then Secha Town.

Swordie – Councilperson Swordie – is propped on a chair. Its sheathed blade safety locked away under a brown leather scabbard for safety, while its pommel shines in the afternoon sun casting from the sun roof above.

“Ahhh lads and lasses, good to see you all!!! Shush - Shush, settle down, children!”

Some Volgecko children begin to put a finger to their snout and shush their friends down. The excitement has died down a bit when they sit on the floor, crossing their legs.

“…Alright, children, I promised you a story last month, and so here I am! Hear hear, for I am about to tell you a story of a little Volgecko girl who rises above her station, and challenges her FATE!”

Swordie clears its throat with a few huffs and coughs…

“Ahem!…Once upon a time there was the littlest Volgecko girl. She’s not particularly good at being physical, and yet she is destined to wield a magic sword and face a great foe. But, her fate is never simple. For once in her lifetime, there is a twist! For the great foe happens to be The Hero, and she was fated to fight him in an honorable duel. And when that day was supposed to arrive, the Hero instead…vanished.”

There is an audible gasp from the child right up front. The room is now silent. All tiny little Volgecko eyes are focused on the magic talking Sword.

“Thus, the Volgecko girl realises that her life will never be the same….

“There is fear in her heart, as she must now face the wider world beyond her dreams.

“But fear not, lads and lasses. For she has a big heart and she is never alone.

“With her friends, lover, and a trusty magical talking sword, the Volgecko learns to be brave, and fight with her heart…

“This… is the tale of Lady Knight Pika…”

“In the name of my forebears and the might of Myddul, I, the Monarch of Mydreign, command you to rise up, Lady of Hope, a Knight of Myddul.”

Azer, Pika, and other nobles clap as Lady Hope stands up after the Monarch has knighted her.

“And with that - I suppose we can begin the meeting…Yes Pika?”

The Monarch pauses as Pika holds up her hand.

She mouths a voiceless word.

“S-W-O-R-D-I-E”

“…OH! Right, Swordie, step up…yes Lady Pika, you can hold it.”

Pika quickly rushes to the side of the roundtable where Lady Hope was, holding Swordie in his scabbard as high as she can.

“In the name of my forebears and the might of Myddul, I, the Monarch of Mydreign, command you to rise up, Swordie, a Knight of Myddul!” The Monarch puts their ceremonial sword on the left and right hand guard of Swordie, as an almost inaudible sobs can be heard.

*sobs* *sobs*

“Awww Swordie, it’s ok, you deserve it!”

Pika pats Swordie gently as she returns to her seat, putting Knight Swordie in the empty chair next to her. Finally, Swordie regains its composure, and the Monarch sits down to begin the council meeting.

“Thank you, my loyal advisor Azer, for organising this meeting. First, thank you for accepting my invitation to be on the rebuilding council, my nobles and knights.”

The Monarch looks around the table at each and everyone - including Lady Hope, Azer, Pika, and a few other almost-recognisable nobles. Bread is noticeably absent.

“We have much to discuss: the allocation of funds for rebuilding, the grand festival to celebrate the end of this was against the Villain, the restoration of trades with other regions, and the transition into a post-war Myddul.”

The Monarch claps, and a few servants enter the room, laying down a parchment in front of each council person.

“There is no question that our citizens in the outskirts of Myddul are the most affected in this war. The loss of their crops due to the loss of the sun, the property damaged by the ravaging monsters, and even the loss of lives and injuries during their combat in the volunteer guard corps.”

Several ministers nod in agreement.

“Y-yes! I agree, my liege! If we can help restore their farms, we can solve the food price too! People will be able to feed themselves easier when we can grow the food ourselves!” Pika chirps up, and murmurs of agreements follow.

“That’s right, Pika, hence this is why I have the current budgetary proposal ahead of you in the parchment. I would like to divert a significant amount of funds to the rebuilding of farmlands and farming subsidies… but I need your help budgeting. My apology, but financial responsibilities were never my strong suit…”

The crinkle of papers can be heard as each person unfurls the parchment. Lady Hope sneaks a look at Pika and Swordie before turning to focus on her own document.

A few hours passed by.

The funds for rebuilding and the festivities were budgeted. While there will be a slight deficit, the calculated long-term profit will be worth it.

“Right, we'll keep the celebration more modest and focus on people’s cultural performances then…”

The Monarch nods as they sign their name on the decree.

“…now, we have a few minutes left, and I have the last decree I would like to announce.”

The Monarch stands up. They plant their fists on the table, and look at each of the ministers.

“I have consulted Azer on this… and I know that not all of you will be happy, but it is for the continued existence of our society. Not too long ago, I acted irresponsibly and let the Villain walk all over us. If not for our brave knights and the citizens, we might not even have gotten the sun back… This has made me change my belief about the power bestowed upon me… about if there is such a thing as the divine right to power.”

The Monarch clenches their fist.

“No one should be granted absolute power over the populace and the city. I held too much power but, going forwards, we should divide the power among those who can be trusted. Those who care about the greater good of the city and the citizens. Those whom people can trust. I have spent time consulting with Azer, and I think I have a solution to this. I have already drafted a decree to form a new Congress that will begin next year. The members of this congress will be voted in by all citizens of Myddul. Nobles, soldiers, farmers, merchants… any citizens of Myddul will have their voice heard. Everyone will be able to run and vote for the best candidate for such congress. This very council will focus on setting up the congress and the selection process… and it will be dissolved once the Congress is formed”

There is a strong murmur coming from a few noblemen on the table. Meanwhile, Azer, Pika, and Lady Hope are the few that remain calm.

“You are all welcome to run for a seat in the congress, but I will not let the mistake be repeated by putting power only in this council. YOU ARE WELCOME TO LEAVE if you do not support my decision. But, remember this… I will have the support of the people, and YOU will never hold power no more if you turn your back to me now!”

The Monarch smashes their hand on the table, silencing any nay-sayers.

“The Monarch thus guided the citizens through the creation of the Myddul Congress. Great people were elected by the citizens of Myddul, poets, academics, master crafters, savvy nobles, brave soldiers, and even skilled farmers were packed into the Congress. Today, they are helping the Monarch run Myddul…”

“zzzzz”

A loud snore interrupts Swordie from his tale…

“WAIT…. Oh dear…you’re all asleep”

No wonder the whole room has fallen quiet for some time now. Swordie did so well at first when it told the story of combat and adventures that Pika went on. Perhaps it went too deep into the nooks and crannies of Myddul politics for a child to care about Pika’s current stories.

“Ah dang…I guess I can sit for an hour until Congress woman Pika comes to pick me up… fine……Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz”

And thus, the whole room falls into a slumber with the occasional hums of snores.

Loading Post-Game Content …

Loading Post-Game Content …

Loading Post-Game Content …

Playing Cutscene

Hark Hero! A small [VERY PRETTY, BRAVE AND MEGA-AWESOME] Volgecko appears to block your path!!! Her scales the colour of dark obsidian, subtle glimmers of small orange radiating from beneath her scales. She looks up at you with large rounded beady eyes, swimming in different orange and yellow colours, a small hint of orange quartz protruding from her scaled [UNPIERCEABLE AND TOUGH AS IRON!] hide. Held in her claws sits a large blade, clearly too large for her small size, [HEY, THAT'S NOT TRUE WHAT THE HECK WHO WROTE THIS??!] but it would fit perfectly in your hands, Hero [NOPE, ME AND SWORDIE ARE BFF'S FOREVER NOW].

“Hah! I’ve got you now, you so called “Hero” – You’ve thought that you could just wonder about here on the outskirts of Myddul for free? No chance! We’ll see if your legend truly lives up to its name! I challenge you to a mighty duel, Hero! Stand and fight!”

Action: Examine … Examining … Pika – Volgecko KNIGHT … ATK: ∞ … DEF: ∞ … MP: Magic is for Wizards and Losers … TP: Power of Love and Friendship … Tutorial Boss SUPER-DUPER SECRET ENDGAME RAID BOSS …

Well done for making it past [THE FINAL BOSS], Hero! [BUT YOUR PATH IS BLOCKED BY ONE FINAL FOE - ME! HAHAH! YOU THOUGHT THAT BIG OL'SERPENT WAS THE FINAL BOSS OF THE GAME??? REALLY? NOT A CHANCE SILLY! IT IS I! PIKA! KNIGHT OF ANCIENT RENOWN … CHAMPION OF TEPHRA, THE GODDESS OF LAVA … THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!!! … HAHAHA! MUHAHAH …

“UHHHH WHOOOOPS SORRY, SORRY I LOADED THE WRONG ETERNITY SORRY I UHHH DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THAT … I'M SORRY I WROTE THIS WHILE JUST MESSING AROUND A LITTLE BIT OKAY!!! I … I …”

A slight pause

“SWORDE??!? LADY??!? WHERE DID I PUT MY REAL POST-GAME CONTENT THIS IS NOT … THIS IS NOT IT AT ALL I UHHH … QUICK WHERE IS THE SKIP CUTSCENE BUTTON AGAIN?!?!”

Skipping …

Skipping …

Skipping …

Playing Cutscene

The scene cuts to the lush and vibrant woodland of the Heartwood … with the image of Pika hoisted up by one of her feet by a giant Vineling, dangling upside down, being thrown and flailed around like a paper bag while Swordie lies on the ground.

“No no that uhhh that w-wasn’t the brightest moment in my adventuring career … I uhmm no no this is not it”

Skipping …

Playing Cutscene

The scene cuts to a dingy, sleazy tavern in Myddul - an excited and hyperactive Pika is happily discussing something with a certain Shadecrawler wearing a well-worn zig-zaggy poncho in mustard and teal … the little Volgecko seems really excited as she holds her blade up high.

“No no that’s when the Adventurer’s Initiative was created! Okay t-that’s a bit closer! Uhhh okay okay where it it now?”

Skipping …

Playing Cutscene

The scene cuts to a wide panorama of the black ashen wastes of Lizard's Fangs - Pika nervously struggling to drag her blade up the volcanic steps of Mt Molar, following in the steps of an Luminymph lady wearing an eye-patch and an wide brimmed hat. When she notices Pika struggling to keep up, she hoists her up onto her back and gives her a piggy-back the rest of the way up the mountain as Pika sighs in relief with a smile.

“No no, that's when uhmm we freed Tephra and I nearly had my whole bloodline burned by Lavata and all uhhh … GOSH DARN IT WHERE IS IT??!?”

Skipping …

Playing Cutscene

The scene cuts to a different peak of the Lizard's Fang's - active volcanoes raging in the background. Pika is looking up at the same Luminymph lady with the wide brimmed hat – tears freely flow from the little Volgecko's eyes as words such as “training dummy”, “cast aside”, “discarded like some used up toy” and “useless” briefly reverberate. The lady figure picks Pika up and gives her a tight embrace.

“Ohhhh … I r-remember that yeah uhmmm I was still going through my whole character arc back then and all … WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN EVERYONE IN THE GAME CAN SEE ALL OF THIS RIGHT NOW!”

Skipping …

Playing Cutscene

The scene cuts for the last time. There are no longer raging volcanoes, or a lush woodland forest. Just a decently sized, humble cottage – a large sunset in the background painting it in rays of orange and yellow. Inside, where on one end lies a large, sheathed Blade, and on the other a majestic and impressive looking Glaive.

The little Volgecko is arranging some items on a nearby shelf as she hums a happy jaunty little tune to herself, her tail happily wagging behind her – it is cluttered with a variety of paints, brushes, chipped wood and other arts and crafts materials.

Arranged in a neat row sit various little carefully crafted wooden figurines – all differently carved shapes with vibrant splashes of colours behind them. A Shadecrawler wearing a poncho, a Luminymph with a bunch of tiny maps scattered around them, a Capybara poking his head out from the background, a visage of a face made of pure magma, even a figurine of a shiny polished sword can be spotted, among many others.

In the centre of them all, on a special little stand with a heart shaped locket leaning against it, stands the figure of a lady wearing a wide brimmed hat. Pika looks up to it with a little smile as the last rays of the setting sun illuminate a little painted sign above them all.

…

Friends.

– Written by Kamil M.