
[stage0/]

pers=magister

v=I greet you, Annie!

v=I was not surprised to see you in the list of the accepted to the Academy.

v=I used to know your sister, and the story of her disappearance is strikingly mysterious.

h=Oh, you did know my sister, didn't you? Excuse me, but are you...

v=Master Carridan. Your sister was a quick learner, and it's so strange that it was she to whom all this happened.

h=Do you know what happened? 

v=Unfortunately, no. Even our Academic Council itself has failed to unearth the mystery to this very day...

v=But we'll talk about her again later. The lessons are to begin in several minutes, and I...

v=I've lost the new syllabus... It must be just about here, but I am at my wit's end looking for it...

h=Let me help you.

v=The students are coming, and I did not find it yet. I'll be much obliged to you.

task=Bring together all the documents, sheets of paper and scrolls in the auditorium.

v=Here it is! Thank you, Annie. As I can see, you are a quick-witted girl.

v=All the students being present, let us begin our first lesson.

v=So, one of the laws of magic states that when people do anything with an article, they leave a part of their magic aura on it.

v=Having sufficient magic power and talent, one can use the aura left on articles to determine their previous owners.

v=Now we are going to pass from theory to practice. I brought several articles with me, and your task is to find them.

task=Find the articles brought by the Master.

v=I had no doubt, Annie, that you would be among the first to make it. The class is over for today, everybody can go.

h=Master Carridan! 

v=Yes, Annie? Oh, I recall that we wanted to talk about your sister.

h=Please allow me to examine her room. Maybe I'll be able to find something that would shed light on her disappearance.

v=Well, go ahead. And I'll ask Melamori, your sister's friend, to help you. He will answer all your questions.

h=Thank you, Master.

v=I wish you good luck! See you at my next class.

[/stage0]



[stage1/]

h=So, this is her room...

pers2=goodagent

v=Hi, I am Melamori.

h=Nice to meet you, Melamori! I am Annie.

h=Master Carridan told me that you had known my sister.

v=Yes, I knew Irene well, we were friends a great while. And I still want her to come back.

h=Was it the only room she used to live in?

v=Yes, since her first days at the Academy. After Irene's disappearance a spell was cast on this room.

v=That is why everything was left here as it had been before her disappearance.

h=Yes, I see... Could it be so that she just escaped from the Academy?

v=I guess no. Simply there were no reasons for that.

h=Did you happen to know what was she doing lately?

v=As many others here, she diligently studied magical sciences. She never mentioned any of her preferences...

v=Probably it would be possible to reveal a clue by examining her belongings.

h=There is a lot of different things here... Where shall we begin?

v=Some things might have been here long before her arrival. I'll pronounce a spell that will help us to discard all we don't need.

v=But hurry up – this illusion may quickly disperse, and then we'll never find what we are looking for.

h=Okay, let us try.

effect=1

task=Find the differences.

v=It will be a bit easier now. We only need to find your sister's things.

h=It won't be difficult.

task=Find things that belonged to the sister.

v=There are many alchemy books among the things we've managed to find. Maybe this is exactly were the solution is hidden.

v=You have to go and see Professor Merrows.

v=Just to warn you: he is not a very sociable kind of fellow; however the chances are he will agree to help you.

h=Where can I find him?

v=He is in charge of the alchemic laboratory, and hardly ever gets out from behind its walls.

h=Thanks for you help.

v=Just turn to me whenever you need. I also want Irene to be found.

[/stage1]


[stage2/]

pers=morrouz

v=Merrows. Professor Merrows. And you?

h=Annie.

v=What do you want, Annie?

h=My sister Irene used to study at the Academy, and I would like...

v=Oh yes, Master Carridan already told me about you.
v=Unfortunately, I've got no spare time for chatting at the moment; there are too many things to do. Just drop in next week.

h=Can I somehow help you, so that you could find just a little time for me?

v=You? Hem!.. Perhaps you can.

v=I am carrying out a very important experiment, but my assistant recently graduated from the Academy. I am left with no assistants at all.

h=What am I supposed to do?

v=There is much litter, paper and other junk accumulated here. You know, all this draws me away from my work.

v=But I have no cleanup time. I think everything is clear to you, so please do not distract me any more.

task=Clean up the laboratory.

v=It's you again? What, already finished?

v=It's strange because whenever I asked my assistant to give the laboratory a sweep-up, he could not been seen for days...

v=Well, let's get down to brass tacks. The experiment is almost completed, but there is no way I can find a flask with a chemical agent I left here yesterday... or was it the day before yesterday?

v=Never mind, I have left it somewhere here anyway. And I will need it in a couple of minutes.

h=Okay, I'll try to help you as quickly as possible.

v=Exactly, just do your best. I can not be distracted from my work because of such trifles.

task=Bring together all the flasks and test tubes.

pers=void

h=Professor!

pers2=morrouz

v=What's it? Did you fail to find the required flask?

v=I tell you once more that by no means can I be distracted in any way.

v=Oh, here it is, right in your hands! Together with some scroll...

v=So why didn't you let me know?!

h=I was trying to tell you! As to the scroll, I found it during the cleanup...

v=Give me all that. What do we have here?.. Oh, the drawing I've been searching since a good while ago!

v=Well, get it into shape, if you can, then we'll have a talk.

v=Meanwhile don't distract me.

task=Assemble the drawing.

pers=void

h=Professor?..

v=Yes, yes, wait a bit...

effect=1

pers2=morrouz

v=It has happened! Successfully at last! Now, let's see what our Academic Council is going to say this time!

v=Have you assembled the drawing? Good, now you may go. I don't need your help at the moment.

h=But, professor...

v=What else? Oh yes, you wanted to learn more about your sister.

v=I sent her several times to fetch the books required for my work.

v=She used to stay in the library for hours. Evidently she was attracted by our collection of reference books and bestiaries.

v=Librarian Tua is very proud of them because he's been collecting them during many years.

v=Talk to him. The man likes it when somebody gets interested in his collection. Of course, if he has not already forgotten everything for good and all, he, he.

h=Where can I find him?

v=Hum, what a preposterous question!.. In the library of course, where else can he be.

v=That's it; too little time for too much work.

h=Thank you, Professor Merrows.

v=Not at all! And one more thing: sure, you did very well today as my assistant, but do not expect me indulging you in your studies.

v=We'll see what your actual worth is when you start mastering my subject. See you!

[/stage2]




[stage3/]

pers1=tya

v=Welcome, young lady.

h=Are you Librarian Tua?

v=Yes, they call me Tua. And what is your name?

h=Annie.

v=Well, Annie. This year you are the first to show interest in books. So, how can I help you?

h=I need to take a look at the books my sister, Irene, was studying.

v=Irene? Let me see... It seems I begin to recall something... No, I've forgotten it.

h=She studied at the Academy a year ago, and then disappeared.

v=Ah yes, now I remember. A very kind girl, she often stayed long in the library scrutinizing manuscripts and handbooks.

v=But I do not remember which ones exactly. What was she studying, actually?.. No, I won't recall anything in such a way. I must consult the archive where I make records.

v=Oh! Those mice all over again! The Professor must have forgotten to lock the cage in his laboratory once more, so they ran away and invaded the library.

v=And I lost my glasses as usual... I shall be unable to read anything without them... Where on earth are they?..

h=Maybe I can do something for you?

v=Yes, if you please. See that these charming beasties do not make up their minds to taste my reference books on wild nature while I am searching after my glasses.

h=Do not worry, I'll catch every one of them.

v=Very well. I've got a cage for them. The Professor left it during his last visit, just in case.

task=Catch all the escaped mice.

pers1=tya

v=Thank you, young lady. In fact, they are nice creatures, except for their bad habit of gnawing at the most valuable items in my library.

v=So please remind me where were we?

h=You were looking for your glasses to consult the archived records.

v=Yes, of course, thank you. Well, I found the glasses. And were is my bunch of keys?..

v=Aha, here it is. Oh my! It's open! I didn't notice it to happen...

v=Now the keys are scattered all over the room, and the archive is closed...

h=Let me help you to pick them all up.

v=Oh, I'll be vastly obliged. You know, my eyesight is not as good now as it used to be in the past...

task=Pick up the keys scattered about the library.

v=So, I am going to open the archive...

v=Here is the register where I put down what the visitors read. Your sister must be among them. Let's see...

v=Aha! Those were the books on numerology.

v=Got it! Last time your sister was here, she left her diary among these books.

v=Then Oracle Gersinsdorf came over and took away your sister's diary together with some books – probably, by mistake.

v=Apply to him; perhaps he still keeps the diary.

h=Thank you, Mr. Tua.

v=Good luck, young lady. Hope next time you'll be interested in a collection of reference books or atlases of the Northern Kingdom, they are really superb.

[/stage3]




[stage4/]

pers1=oracl

v=That Council, those fools!.. They would never listen to me, and what do we have eventually?

v=Everybody's displeased, but I am alone to blame being the only oracle in this back of beyond!

h=Oracle Gersinsdorf?

v=Oh, excuse me, I've got a sort of carried away.

v=Let me introduce myself: I am Oracle Gersinsdorf, a foreteller and the only Oracle of the Higher Academy of Arwindale.

h=And I am Annie. I have just started my studies here.

v=I know.

h=Where from? Oh! Probably you...

v=Of course no, I did not even have to foretell it. You are wearing the Academy's uniform, but I haven't seen you attending my class yet.

v=Therefore, you are still in the beginning of studying magical sciences in real earnest.

v=But I believe this is not the whole story. You wish to ask me something, don't you?

h=My sister Irene used to study here at the Academy.

v=Humph! I have a vague recollection of something. Go on, please.

h=She vanished a year ago, and nobody ever explained what might have happened to her.

v=Yes, it is a very mysterious story in which a lot is hidden even from me under the shadow of uncertainty.

h=I talked to Librarian Tua. He said that you had taken away by mistake the diary left by her in the library.

v=Hum, the diary! Well... That's true, I took it with me. And I must confess it was not incidentally.

v=Though it is indecent to read other people's secrets... But it was open, and I could not resist the temptation of reading a few lines.

v=A new foretelling method was mentioned there. Though upon further thought it turned out to be a long-forgotten rather than new one...

v=But let us stick to the point. As I understand, you need that diary. Will you help me to find it?

h=Sure I will.

v=It was somewhere here...

task=Find the diary.

v=Here is the diary. Oh, you were so fast to find it. Positively you've got the talent. You should consider the possibility of studying my science in depth.

h=But there are just empty sheets here!

v=Hum! Evidently when I closed it, the protective spell put by your sister was triggered. To break its power, you'll have to apply your best efforts.

v=See this pattern on the cover? It must be properly arranged. Will you try?

h=Yes. Hope I'll cope with it.

task=Arrange the pattern.

v=You've made it! This is exactly the diary we've been looking for. There are many entries inside, but most likely you'll need the latest ones.

h=But how are we to find them? The sheets are all muddled up.

v=I'll help you. The art of foretelling makes it possible to peep not only into the vague future, but also into the relatively cloudless past, without which it would be difficult for us to understand the future at all.

v=But you are to help me as well, and it will take a lot of doing.

v=You knew your sister, so it will be much easier for you to understand the trend of her thoughts.

h=But how to do it?

v=I'll teach you. Just concentrate and try to keep your mind from straggling.

v=You have to be geared up for looking into the past. We shall start with some training.

task=Find the differences in the Oracle's room.

v=Excellent, you did it quite well. Now a trickier task goes. You are to look through the diary and find out the latest entries.

task=Look through the diary entries and find the differences.

v=Annie, you are very gifted indeed!

v=I myself thumbed through the diary, but paid no special attention to these particular entries.

v=Aha! Here it says in the end: "Miss Hagris asked me yesterday to do her a favor, but it has slipped from my mind. I must help her by all means, as soon as I manage to root out the Handbook of Numerology".

v=Well, the diary says little to us. But probably this is exactly where the clue is hidden.

v=Oh, I nearly forgot Mr. Carridan's request to remind everybody that the practical training class is starting in half an hour.

v=He has a strong objection to students being late. So you'd better hurry up.

h=Thank you, Oracle Gersinsdorf, I am much obliged to you.

v=You are a capable student. I'll be glad to see you in my class.

v=Good luck!

[/stage4]



[stage5/]

pers1=magister

v=Is it you, Annie? You are not allowed to be late for my classes.

h=Excuse me, Master.

v=Our practical lesson today will cover the defense against the powers of evil.

v=For a start we shall practice revealing articles that radiate dark energy.

v=It may appear on things as a result of the careless use of spells, or after contacts with raised ghosts.

v=You should cope with it easily. Now get down to work.

task=Find out articles radiating "dark energy".

pers1=magister

v=An excellent result, Annie! You were amazingly fast to get through.

h=I did my best, Master Carridan.

v=Let's go on with the lesson. In addition to radiating dark energy that distorts the space, many articles may have even more hazardous properties.

v=Some articles do not act immediately, they gradually distort the space around them instead.

v=As to the others, they belong to the highly dangerous category not even worth of approaching until you have realized what they actually are.

v=Let us try to recognize them, feel their presence.

task=Find the "dangerous articles".

v=Most of you made it rather quickly. I see you are doing well.

v=The lesson is over for today. Please don't be late next time.

pers1=goodagent

v=Hi, Annie!

h=Hi, Melamori!

v=Have you learned anything about Irene?

h=I kept trying, but without any success so far...

v=There is no point in giving up. Is it possible that you have overlooked something?

h=I went over many different options, but they all seem to bring me to a deadlock.

v=Can I be of any help to you?

h=I found my sister's diary. However, it looks like Miss Hagris is our only hope, and I know nothing about her yet.

v=Miss Hagris is in charge of the greenhouse. She is a very pleasant and friendly person.

v=Irene used to help her. Perhaps she will be able to give you some hints.

v=I am sure you are on the right path. I wish you good luck!

h=Thank you so much, Melamori.

[/stage5]


[stage6/]

pers1=fortuneteller

v=Hello, Annie.

h=Miss Hagris?

v=The name's Angela Hagris, though everybody calls me Miss Hagris which suits me fine.

h=How come you know me?

v=News are quickly spread in the Academy, and you may be sure that I am always in the picture.

v=Besides, I met Oracle Gersinsdorf today. He was rather complimentary about you.

h=How many flowers... It is so beautiful here!

v=There is no another such greenhouse in this part of the world.

v=Here there are flowers from the fields of southern kingdoms and lilies from crystal lakes, a lot of wild flowers and rare plants from twilight woods.

v=Oh! It's the fag-end of the day already, and these flowers must be planted before the sunset... I entirely forgot about them!

h=I'll be glad to help you.

v=Thank you, darling, I would hardly get through it on my own.

h=Where to begin?

v=With the tools we'll need. Meanwhile I'll question Professor Merrows about these flowers. He often provides me with useful advices on important things.

h=Very well, Miss Hagris.

task=Bring the tools together.

pers1=fortuneteller

v=Well done, Annie! You have quickly gathered everything we need.

h=Miss Hagris, I found these shards while gathering the tools. They look very odd. What are they?

v=Ah, these are fragments of my rare crystal lily!

v=Probably one of the Professor's animals strolled here accidentally, and... Oh, it's going to turn into glass dust!..

h=Miss Hagris, I've got an idea. What if we try to assemble it anew with the help of magic?

v=But we are so pressed for time! While we'll be looking for someone to help us...

v=Wait a moment... Maybe you'll try to do it?

h=Who, me? I am not sure...

v=There's almost no time left!

h=Okay, I'll try.

task=Reassemble the crystal lily.

v=Thanks to you, Annie, this rare flower is saved! Just look how beautiful it is!

v=To avoid such excitement in the future, I should ask Merrows to keep an eye on his animals a little better.

v=By the way, to tell you about the professor. When I visited him to consult about the flowers, he said that they were highly sensitive to the environment.

v=I'm afraid I will need your help one more time.

h=What kind of help?

v=Try to find things with bad energy. I am sure you are going to make it.

task=Find the differences.

v=Very good! What would I do without you?

v=Gersinsdorf did not praise you for nothing. Perhaps it runs in the family as soon as your sister also was a capable and diligent girl.

h=Do you remember Irene?

v=Yes, I do. She helped me in the greenhouse not once nor twice.

v=After her disappearance it has become so difficult for me alone to cope with my duties here.

h=Can you guess what might happen to her?

v=The story of her disappearance is quite enigmatic. But it is not the only one. There were other people lost in the Academy, and the rumors about them have not faded away till now.

h=Who were those other people? Please tell me!

v=Alas! I don't remember that. But it is possible that some archived records have survived.

v=Thank you, Annie, you helped me a lot, but it is time for me to go and lock the greenhouse.

h=Thank you, Miss Hagris.

v=Be sure to come for a cup of tea, I'll be pleased to have a chat with you.

[/stage6]


[stage7/]

light=0

pers=void

v=Who is it?

h=Mister Tua? Why is it so dark here?

v=Ah, it's you, young lady... The fairies started playing pranks again and blew out all the candles. I can't find my old lantern to rekindle them.

h=Don't be upset, Mr. Tua, I'll help you.

task=Find the old lantern.

pers=tya

v=Everything's upside-down here! Please help me with picking up the books that have slipped to the floor.

h=Okay, Mr. Tua, we'll pick them all up.

task=Assist in putting the library in order.

pers=tya

v=Now everything's in good order. Thank you, Annie.

v=Oh, I never asked why you have decided to visit old Tua. Need to find some atlas or a handbook?

h=No, Mr. Tua, I would like to make use of your archive again.

v=Indeed? And what are we going to reveal this time?

h=Miss Hagris said that my sister was not the first to be missing in the Academy.

v=Yes, there are such rumors. It is quite possible that some details could be recorded in the archive. We'll try to find them now.

v=They brought another archive here, but I didn't have enough time to sort it out. We have to select the necessary books and papers.

h=Okay, let us begin.

task=Find the differences.

v=There are not too many records, but nevertheless I managed to run into something interesting.

v=It is said here about one luckless magician. He studied at the Academy and suddenly disappeared. It is believed to be a result of his own mistake.

h=What might have happened to him?

v=Perhaps Oracle Gersinsdorf will be able to answer this question after having looked into the past.

v=Ask him to help you; he will be interested in solving this mystery.

h=Thank you, Mr. Tua.

v=Take care and come by again.

[/stage7]


[stage8/]

pers=oracl

v=Hello, Annie. What brings you here?

h=Probably my sister is not the first to be missing in the Academy. It looks like there is some connection here.

v=Go on.

h=These are some records from the archive. Perhaps you will manage to look into the past and learn what happened to that person.

v=It does not seem an easy task to me.

v=Hum, I feel that the person is not lost completely... What has happened to him is extremely strange.

v=Perhaps my sphere of dream ghosts will give us a clue, but you have to do it by yourself.

h=What am I to do?

v=It's not as difficult as it may seem on the surface. 

v=First, you must concentrate, then try to hear the voice of the sphere in your subconsciousness.

task=Find the differences.

h=I just heard an almost indiscernible voice. I believe it said: "The future is more important than the past".

v=Well, even this can be accomplished at the first push only by very few people.

v=Let's try again. I'll pronounce a spell that will intensify your perception.

task=Find the images of things.

h=Now I can hear the voice more clearly!

v=And what did you hear, Annie?

h=The sphere ghost said: "An answer will be given by those whom you are not expecting it from".

v=Is that all?

h=The ghost also said: "He who keeps awake will help you".

h=What does it mean?

v=I've got a feeling that we'll be aware of everything after a time.

h=But how shall I understand this? And who is that who keeps awake?

v=It is a mystery for me as well. The future is not always clear and self-evident.

v=And now excuse me, please. Some things to do, you know.

h=Thank you, Oracle Gersinsdorf.

v=Good luck.

[/stage8]


[stage9/]

pers=void

v=Ou-u-u-u... Ahchoo!..

h=Bless you!

h=Who is here?

v=Oh, can you really hear me?

h=Yes, I can, curiously enough. Am I dreaming?

h=But your voice is hardly audible. Where are you?

h=I guess it's time to try something from what the Oracle has taught me.

h=First, to concentrate...

task=Find the differences.

v=Now I can hear you much better.

h=The same with me.

h=But where are you?

v=What if you make an attempt to look a little beyond the imagery surrounding you?

h=But how can I do that?

v=Try to imagine things around you and take away those distracting your attention.

h=That's a good idea!

task=Find things by their images.

pers=ghost

h=Never before have I seen a sneezing ghost!

v=Incredible! No matter how many times I started talking to someone, nobody could hear me. How did you make it?

h=The Oracle taught me to communicate with the foretelling sphere ghost.

v=You talked with the ghost from the foretelling sphere, didn't you?

h=Yes, I did.

v=Though I have nobody to mix with, yet talking to that sphere is far from being a pleasant thing.

v=I never was fond of its vague advices and evasive directions.

v=As soon as you can hear ghosts, it is quite possible that you possess a gift and was capable of revealing it.

h=But who are you?

v=That's a long story.

h=I've got a lot of spare time, so I am eager to listen to you.

v=Thanks, you are my first alive interlocutor during many years of my knocking about here.

v=Long time ago I was a young and devilishly talented student. At least that was my strong belief.

v=Once I got careless and ventured to perform a rash action.

h=Which one?

v=At that time I was studying books stored in the basement of the library.

v=In one of them I read about secret rituals used by magicians in ancient times...

h=Please continue.

v=My teacher warned me that some books could be very dangerous, but I paid no attention to his warning.

v=I got interested in the deincarnation ritual, during which one can leave his physical body and travel passing by the space.

h=So what did you do?

v=I deincarnated before reading the book to the end. Then I was suddenly struck by the thought that I did not know how to come back.

v=I never assumed that my journey would take me so long...

h=Yes, it is a horrible story indeed...

v=But this is not the worst of all.

h=What then?

v=After a while I resigned myself to the fate of staying outside the living world for ever.

v=But the spell, never having been read to the end, does not let me go into the darkness of eternal peace as well. I already lost track of time...

h=Having been for so long here, is it possible that you may know something about my sister Irene?

v=About you sister? Hum, no, I remember nothing.

h=She disappeared without trace about a year ago.

h=Nobody in the Academy was able to understand what had happened to her.

v=Never heard of her.

h=What a pity...

v=Don't give way to despair.

v=I've got an idea. But you must help me in response.

h=How? What can I do for you?

v=The unread spell irks me more and more every day. It prevents me from falling into eternal sleep.

v=You can help me by finding the book of rituals and reading the spell to the end. Thus you would set me free!

h=I am not sure if I am able to cope with it... Am I to go downstairs into the library basement?

v=Yes, but you need not be afraid, because I'll be with you all the time.

h=Okay, I'll help you.


[/stage9]


[stage10/]

pers=ghost

v=Here we are.

h=It is very dark here.

v=Yes, this part of the library has not been in use for a long time. Some of the books that are stored here can be very dangerous.

v=Try to feel and disclose them before you begin searching for what can help us.

task=Find the differences.

v=You handled this difficult task perfectly. Hum, in my time it was not so simple and easy even for me.

v=Now we have to find the book of secret rituals. It is somewhere here...

task=Find the book of rituals among other things in the library.

h=It seems to be that particular book.

v=Excellent, you've found it. But be alert to danger: when reading out the spell, don't be entrapped in the way I was.

h=I'll be very careful. Well, let's see...

h=What a strange spell it is... As if it must be... 

h=...Put together instead of being read! Or taken apart?.. I'm completely fogged by this...

v=Don't worry, the spell can be of any form and content.

v=And now please be quick, I'll be waiting for you upstairs. This place has been pressing heavily upon me till now.

h=Well, let's get started.

task=Release the ghost.

[/stage10]


[stage11/]

pers=ghost

v=I feel myself free! This is for the first time during the ages I spent here...

v=It's time to keep my promise.

v=There are many ghosts here, and most of them are much more aged than the place itself.

v=They know a lot and, quite possible, could answer the question about your sister.

v=In spite of the fact that they've been asleep for many years already.

h=I remember Master Carridan's words that it is not easy to awaken sleeping ghosts, especially the ancient ones...

v=Yes, that's true. But I am aware of one ritual about which I read in that book. We'll need several things...

h=Okay, I'll find them.

task=Find the items required for starting the ritual.

v=Now, everything's ready. What is left to do is just to read the spell and wake up the ghosts. 

h=Let's do it.

task=Find the sleeping ghosts.

v=You have awakened them! That's incredible! Though they are not greatly pleased by that – I can hear their grumbling.

v=We have to gain their favor, or they won't tell us a word. Wait a minute... Aha!

v=Try to reassemble the smashed mural over there. Evidently, it fell from the wall and split.

v=It is a portrait of one of the eldest ghosts. I think he will be flattered and agree to talk to us.

v=But hurry up, or the ghosts will fall asleep again!

h=All right!

task=Reassemble the portrait.

v=Perfect! I had no doubt about you. While you were busy reassembling the mural, I explained to the ghosts why we had bothered them.

v=Though many ghosts have been here since a long time ago, none of them ever heard anything about your sister.

h=Did they say anything else?

v=Only that this is an intricate place, and there are several portals here veiled from the eyes of common people.  

h=But how all this can help me?

v=An old legend says that one of those portals leads into a forgotten tower once located on the same site where the Academy is now and then lost in time.

v=Though many years have passed, the tower is still a big draw even for talented magicians who are unable to withstand its magic power.

h=Can Irene be there?

v=I think you are on the right track.

v=But it's time to depart. I've been here a long time, so I can't wait until I start enjoying quiet sleep.

h=Thank you.

v=Farewell.

[/stage11]


[stage12/]

pers=oracl

h=Hello, Mr. Gersinsdorf.

v= Hello, Annie.

v=I have to submit my report today, but I cannot find its forms. 

v=So where then shall I fill in the crop yield forecast?

h=Oracle Gersinsdorf! I seem to know what happened to my sister.

v=That's good, Annie... But where is the report?.. The Council meeting will be put off without it, which is inadmissible! 

v=Where did I put those forms?..

h=Is it me whom you are asking?

v=I beg your pardon?.. Ah, no, not you, of course... But it couldn't be so that I lost them...

h=What if we look for them together?

v=I will appreciate it very much. The two of us will find them much faster.

task=Find the report forms in the room.

v=Here they are, to think that I was searching after them all morning.

v=Annie, I believe you were telling me that you had learnt something about your sister?

h=Yes, the ghosts gave me a hint about her possible whereabouts.

v=Which ghosts? Haven't you overworked yourself? I'm afraid you need to take a rest.

h= No, Mr. Gersinsdorf, I am absolutely all right.

h=I talked to that lost magician, that is, the ghost.

v=Excuse me, Annie, I am eager to listen to your whole story from the very beginning to the end. However, I'm afraid that I have no time to spare just now. 

v=Though wait a bit, I've got an idea! Let's use the magic!

v=I'll give you the Board of Recollections. You will mentally concentrate on your story, clearing the Board and passing the dice to me.

v=Please try to do it quickly. I wouldn't like to be late for the Council meeting.

h=Okay, I'll do my best.

task=Clear the Board of Recollections.

v=Your story is really very interesting.

v=Now I understand what happened to that unfortunate.

v=I was reviewing my books recently and found an ancient manuscript. It contained a mighty spell, the purpose of which I could not decipher. 

v=It seems to be exactly what we need. Only...

v=Where can we find it?.. While we were looking for the reports, everything was put into disorder...

h=Maybe we'll be able to find it?

v=Ah, I have little time, if any... But you helped me to find the forms. Well, one good turn deserves another.

h=Shall we start?

task=Find the manuscript.

v=There it is! It is here that the spell I told you about can be found.

h=But everything is incomprehensible here. How shall we read it?

v=Master Carridan can make out what is written here. Take the manuscript to him and tell him about everything.

v=And I have to go to the Council meeting.

h=Thank you, Mr. Gersinsdorf.

v=Good-bye, Annie, and take care.

[/stage12]


[stage13/]

pers=magister

h=Hello, Master Carridan!

v=I greet you, Annie.

v=Oracle Gersinsdorf told me about your conversation. Well, I always knew that you were a talented student.

v=But I didn't expect you to be so fast to find secret strings that raise the curtain over such an intricate undertaking.

v=Let's look through the manuscript.

v=My magnifying glass was just about here...

v=Without it, there's not too much I'll be able to read.

v=Would you please help me to find it?

h= Okay, Master.

task=Find the magnifying glass.

v=Thank you, Annie. Now I can discern what we may need.

v=So... The manuscript is under a specific spell, and I will need your help to read it.

h=Let's begin, shall we?

task=Compare two texts and find the differences.

v=The spell is very tricky, indeed, and it's not going to be an easy task to read it.

v=We'll need several elixirs in order for the spell to produce a desirable effect.

v=Please go to Professor Merrows and show him this list.

h=Okay, Master Carridan.

v=Good luck, Annie!

[/stage13]


[stage14/]

pers=morrouz

h=How are you, Professor Merrows?

v=Are you again going to make inquires and distract me from my important experiments?

v=You may not answer me as I am very busy.

v=I scarcely half-opened the terrarium cage, when the beetles required for my experiments escaped it and scattered about the room.

v=Now I have to look for them all over the place, while I am already so pressed for time!

h=Please do not divert your attention from the work, Professor. I'll help you.

task=Bring together the insects scattered about the laboratory.

h=Professor Merrows...

v=Have you brought together all the beetles?

h=Yes, I have, Professor.

v=Well done, but there's more to come.

v=I left my hourglass somewhere, but I am just about to start blending components and measuring time. Try to find it.

task=Sort out the mess in the laboratory and find the hourglass.

v=You did find it! However, you might show more deftness. I was almost late with it. Now what's this? The wires are jumbled together again!

v=Puzzle it out, as soon as you are here, or my experiment will fail.

task=Untangle the wires.

v= So, what was your question? I can spare you just a couple of minutes.

h=Master Carridan is asking you to prepare several elixirs from this list.

v=Okay, let me see...

v=Well, I declare! Even I wouldn't call it an easy task...

v=I'll give you a list of herbs which you'll ask Miss Hagris about. Perhaps she will find them.

v=I also remember that there was an alchemic treatise in the library basement. I'll need it as well.

v=Meanwhile please don't detain me any more.

v=And no more questions. You are still here?

h=Good-bye, Professor Merrows.


[/stage14]


[stage15/]

pers=fortuneteller

h=Good afternoon, Miss Hagris.

v=Good afternoon, Annie.

h=Professor Merrows said that you could help me.

v=So what do you need?

h=Several rare plants from your greenhouse to prepare an elixir.

v=I would be glad to help you, but several bats flew into the greenhouse last night, and now they don't let me in.

h=But they are absolutely harmless. Are you afraid of them?

v=Between you and me, they make me jump.

light=0

v=There! The lights went off – those bats seem to have damaged something. And I am so afraid of the dark...

v=Only this morning Professor Merrows promised to call on me and take them all with him to the laboratory. But it looks like he is snowed under with work.

h=Miss Hagris, I would help you willingly.

v=Thank you. Meanwhile I'll see the professor and ask him to repair the lighting which is vital for my plants. 

task=Bring together all the bats in the greenhouse.

light=1

v=Professor Merrows was rather fast to cope with the task... Oh, you already brought all the bats together, didn't you?!

v=Here is the cage given to me by the Professor. Let's put the bats into it until he comes to fetch them.

v=Oh, at last I can breathe freely. Thank you, Annie.

h=It wasn't too difficult

v=Let's see what kinds of herbs you'll need.

h=Here's the list.

v=Well, you are lucky – all of them are available here in the greenhouse. It only remains to gather them. 

v=But what is also mentioned here it is pollen from the wings of butterflies. There are many butterflies here; they help me with pollinating the flowers.

v=Carefully collect all the butterflies and pass them to me - I'll ask them to share some pollen with us. Hopefully they won't turn down my request.

task=Collect the butterflies.

v=Well, that's all there is to it. I already gathered the herbs you need, the pollen is also here. Professor Merrows should be satisfied.

h=Thank you, Miss Hagris.

v=Good luck, Annie.

[/stage15]



[stage16/]

pers=tya

v=Hello, Annie. Wish to pick up the treatise?

v=Professor Merrows notified me of your coming. The treatise is just about here, I am in the middle of searching for it.

v=It hasn't been spruced up here for a long time...

h=Mister Tua, let us together tidy up here and find the treatise.

task=Put the room in order.

v=Umph, we got rid of some of the junk, but the treatise is still nowhere to be seen...

h=I think we should carry on the search.

task=Find the alchemic treatise.

v=Oh, here it is under the scroll. What a long time it's been getting dusty! Let's see... Annie, it is sealed up with a spell.

v=So you'd better apply to somebody for help. But it is when most of the teaching staff are giving classes...

h=I am sure to make it myself. I already used to break protective spells.

h=True, it was the case of a spell cast upon my sister's diary... But I don't think that it is going to be much more complicated now.

v=Okay, give it a try.

task=Arrange the pattern.

h=I made it!

v=You are a very capable girl.

h=Thank you, Mister Tua. I've got to see the Professor.

v=Call on me again, Annie.

[/stage16]


[stage17/]

h=Professor Merrows?..

pers2=morrouz

v=I'll be damned if you make me go for whatever mice. Haven't you noticed already that I am pressed with work?

h=Professor, it's not about mice. I've got the necessary herbs and treatise.

v=It makes no difference. Of course, I am ready to help, but the elixir is to be prepared by you.

v=You'll need containers for blending reagents.

task=Find the empty containers.

h=Professor, I found several suitable flasks.

v=Very well. Here's the list of other items I need for our further actions. Try to find them by yourself, without drawing me away from my work.

task=Find all required items from the list.

v=Excellent! Now it is necessary just to blend everything, and...

h=Professor?

v=It slipped from my mind completely! Without spider poison the elixir will hardly preserve its power even within several minutes.

v=Hum! But where are the spiders?..

v=Somebody has left the cage unlocked again! That's what you get when letting everybody in without distinction!..

v=Well, spiders hide out in the light, so you'll have to find them with a flashlight. Do it, and then we'll continue!

task=Bring the scattered spiders together.

v=Here is the spider poison. We just blend everything, and the elixir is ready!

v=Even though the elixir retains its properties for quite a long time, you'd better hurry up.

h=Thank you, Professor.

v=All the best, Annie!

[/stage17]


[stage18/]

pers2=magister

v=Have you got the elixir?

h=Yes, it's with me.

v=Okay. I'll need several things from this room. Some of them is required for the protective spell.

v=Start looking for them, and meanwhile I'll prepare all the things needed.

task=Find the things that are needed by the Master.

v=Drink the elixir, and I'll start saying the magic words.

h=Okay, Master. 

v=You must fall into a trance and cast aside everything around you.

v=Look into the depths of your subconsciousness. This is the only way for you to call forth the portal!

task=Find the differences.

v=The portal is opening; I can see its radiance! Annie! Annie, where are you going?!

h=See you later, Master Carridan!..

[/stage18]



[stage19/]

pers=sister

v=I could expect to see here anybody but you!

h=Irene! I've been so missing you! But I found you at last.

v=The fact that you are here, my little sister, is not at all a reason for rejoicing... 

h=But where are we?

v=Many centuries ago this was the place where all magicians and sorcerers used to gather in order to replenish their magic power from a miraculous spring within an earth fracture.

v= Many dreams were turning from nothingness into reality here. But it did not last long.

v=One of the mightiest sorcerers decided that the spring was very dangerous and thus had to be made unavailable to those who did not possess much understanding of the supreme magic.

h=What did he do then?

v=He decided to confine the spring within a tower erected around it and put under a lot of protective spells.

v=He placed the tower in a time discontinuity and reliably disguised its entrances.

v=But as soon as he entered here, he found himself caught in his own trap. He concealed the spring and obtained the power, but never afterwards could he get out of this dungeon.

v=The tower sank into oblivion, the more so because it was veiled from the eyes of the world.

v=So it has remained out of time and space, attracting by its infinite power the best who resolved to take a step toward here and meet the vagueness. 

h=Does it mean that we have no chances to come back?

v=I had enough time to ponder over it.

v=Either you or me won't make it alone. But there are two of us now, and it can mean salvation.

v=While being entrapped in this dungeon, I studied the local library and found a lot of interesting things there.

v=The notes of those who found themselves here long before myself, and who never were able to abandon the place.

v=Most likely, these notes will help us.

h=What did you manage to find?

v=Everyone trying to get out of here knew that a common portal could not be open in this case.

v=It undergoes multiple distortions caused by extremely powerful energies.

h=What is to be done then?

v=We'll start by creating a magic shield. To accomplish this, we'll need several runes.

task=Put together the runes for creating the protective shield.

v=The shield is rather solid. However, bearing in mind the peculiarities of this place, it must be reinforced. We'll achieve this by installing mirrors that would reflect its shining.

h=Okay, let's continue.

task=Remove the items blocking up the mirrors.

v=All is in readiness; we only need a scroll with the portal opening spell.

v=It was just about here...

v=We are running out of time. The scroll with the spell must be found quickly because the shield wouldn't stand for long.

h=I'm already looking for it!

task=Find the scroll with the portal opening spell.

h=Here it is! Let's see... Such kind of a spell is not unfamiliar to me...

h=Yes, exactly! I used it when setting the ghost free. I know what is to be done!

v=Okay. Then I'll be holding the shield, and you will open the portal as quick as you can. We haven't got much time.

task=Open the portal.

[/stage19]



[stage20/]

pers1=magister

v=Annie? Irene? You are back!

persR=sister

v=Master Carridan!

pers1=magister

v=I'd hardly started being in anguish at letting Annie go alone, when you are already here. Irene, if anything you have little changed during that year!

persR=sister

v=That year?! You mean, I've been absent for the whole year?!

h=Yes. And how long do you make it?

v=I thought it was just about a month...

pers1=magister

v=I was told once that the flow of time is unpredictable in such places.

v=One can spend ten years there, while only one day will elapse here.

v=So Irene can count herself fortunate.

pers2=goodagent

v=Irene, you are back! I am so glad! Annie, that's mighty good that you could find her! I always knew that you would make it!

persR=sister

v=Hi, Melamori!

h=Your friend was helping me a lot during my search of you, Irene. As well as many others in this Academy.

v=Thank you, Melamori. By the way, I found many interesting notes in the tower, so we can study them... 

pers1=magister

v=Young enchantress! May I hope that you've learned the lesson well and won't expose yourself and other people to danger?

persR=sister

v=Of course, I learned my whole lesson, Master Carridan!

v=We'll only take a look of whatever in those notes, and that's all. With half an eye! May we? I pray! 

pers1=magister

v=You say "with half an eye"... No way, girls, give me the notes. Maybe there's the very spell in them I could use for... Hum, it doesn't matter anyway.
     
v=By and large, I'll be the first to look them through – naturally, for the purpose of your security. Then I'll give them back to you, after the lesson.

v=Talking of the lesson: you are welcome to the class in half an hour. And please don't be late for my classes.

v=Don't let me keep you all, except for Annie. Could you please stay here for a short while?

h=I'm listening to you, Master. Do you want to tell me something?

v=Yes, I do, Annie. You are very diligent and have a genius for magic. But you are undeniably capable of much more, judging by what your parents were.

h=Did you met my and Irene's parents? We were brought up in an orphanage, so we never heard anything about them! Tell us, please, who are they?

v=I am sorry, Annie, but I am not entitled to do such things.

v=I can just offer you a thread leading to your parents. But you'll have to untangle the ball completely by yourself.

v=And now it's time to go to class. We'll continue our conversation next time.

h=Does it mean that my parents also were magicians?

v=Annie, Annie... That's a wholly different story which I'll tell you later.

v=And now suffice it to say that you went through many trials with dignity. Congratulations and see you later!

effect=2

[/stage20]

