Bocchi
Legacy Name: Bocchi

When you knock on the door, Ian answers almost immediately and you get the impression that he was waiting around in the front hall for your arrival. You greet him gently, still very aware that he may be feeling fragile today.
He puts an effort into appearing unconcerned, but there is an emptiness behind his smile that is not lost on you. I thought about everything a lot last night, and I am ready to go back. If Jaxon is willing to give up on his voice breaks, mortality, then it’s not our place to decide to stop him.

You nod solemnly, and the two of you leave for the crypt.

The Dungarde seems slightly surprised to see that the two of you have returned so quickly, however it does not have time to greet you before Ian speaks.
His voice has found strength again, and he seems to summon up his most official and courageous energy, We have been granted permission from Lord Jaxon Skelly, last of House Skelly, to release you. Please reveal the location of his remains.

The formal words sound so odd coming from his lips, and you wonder if he received some coaching from Jaxon last night.

The Dungarde can not contain its elation, a wave of excitement hitting you like a train. It tries to reign in the sensation, seeming mindful of how others in the room may be feeling at the moment, however the back of your mind still prickles with second-hand joy.

”The location is yours. Return to the entrance of the forest; he rests forever down the right-hand fork. You must travel the woods until you find a still and silent pond that hides a secret. You will find what remains there. Be cautious,” it purrs. ”Fearsome creatures lurk in dark places and dark thoughts.”

You thank the Dungarde for the information, and leave.

CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN Haunted Forest Adventure!

You stand at the fork in the path, eyeing the path on the right. It doesn't look particularly menacing but the Dungarde's warnings still echo in your mind. Perhaps some caution is in order?

> Nah, it was probably over exaggerating the danger. What do creepy old spirits know anyway? Run and find that pool!
C> Fill your pockets with rocks and creep silently down the path.

You cautiously advance down the trail, searching the gloom for any sign of horrors. You hear a weird whooping howl off in the distance but the forest around you is otherwise still. The path is carpeted in old rotted leaves and fallen branches, with new growth creeping in from the sides. It won't take much longer before the forest engulfs it entirely. Although come to think of it, how has this trail survived for so many years? Looking more closely you see the faint marks of a variety of animal tracks. Some of them are disturbingly large. You hear a loud CRACK and catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of your eye, followed by a THUD as the huge fallen branch smacks into the ground. A step closer brings you to the edge of the trail and you study the branch in the purple light from a small patch of glowing crystals. It looks like the end isn't broken, but cut clean through.

> Step off the path to investigate.
C> Nothing good comes from straying from forest paths. Better ignore it and keep going!

It's a little creepy and you can't help but wonder what is up in the trees dropping killer limbs, but it's hardly going to help your quest to wander off into the woods for every little sign of monsters you run across. Picking up your pace a bit, you continue down the trail. It gets rockier as you go along and begins to twist and turn. Around a particularly narrow curve you nearly walk into a gigantic spider web stretched across the trail. The strands are thick as yarn and stretch away into the trees on each side. How are you going to get past this massively sticky situation?
C> Try using sticks and stones to break through it.
> It has to stop somewhere; leave the path and go around the web.

You pick up a rock and heft it thoughtfully. If you can get enough force behind, maybe...Ian walks up the trail as you're trying to take aim. You try to explain your plan, and he rolls his eyes. "There are easier ways to do this," Ian says, pulling a small vial out of his pocket and inspecting it in the dim light. Apparently satisfied, he carefully drips it across a few crucial points in the web, melting through the thick strands in moments. He gives you a small smile as he steps through the newly made gap. "I'm not entirely useless, you know." You're impressed with Ian's magic melting goo and tell him as much as you walk along. It's clear he's still feeling a bit down and you don't want to intrude, so you volunteer to scout ahead again. The path grows rougher and vines and bushes snatch at you (sometimes literally) as you push through. After a particularly rough patch you realize you can't even see a path anymore and stop to reevaluate. There's no obvious path anywhere you can see, but you can hear running water up ahead.

> Maybe you missed a turnoff? Backtrack to try and pick up the trail again.
C> Follow the sound of water to its source. Maybe you'll be able to kill two bats with one stone and wash off the last bits of spider web stickiness and find Jaxon's remains at the same time! Er, obviously not at the exact same time...

"I hear water ahead!" you call back to Ian, continuing straight on through the brush. It's not easy going, but at least you can be sure you're going the right way because the rush of water grows louder by the minute. You push through the last screen of branches and find a frothing waterfall tumbling into a shockingly blue pool of water. It practically glows after the dim shadows of the forest. You crouch and quickly wash your face and arms in the shockingly cold water. Feeling fully refreshed, you reevaluate your location. As magical as the pool is, it doesn't match the Dungarde's description of Jaxon's resting place.

> Return to Ian and resume searching for the path.
C> This pool may not be the right one, but perhaps there is a "still, silent" pool further up stream? Follow the water back to its source.

You head upstream, scrambling up the steep hillside to the top of the waterfall. The rapids there are anything but still, however the water has lost it's magical blue glow and is getting quieter and darker as you make your way along the bank until it's become a lazy stream. It continues to shrink until it's barely more than a gutter, easily crossed with a quick hop. The forest opens up slightly to allow a path to cut across the stream and you hesitate. Could it be your lost path? Or just another forgotten forest track?

> Better not to chance getting even further lost. You must be getting close to the source now anyway; it'd be such a waste to turn away. Keep following the stream.
> What are the chances that there's yet another trail leading to who knows where in this haunted place? Take the trail!

The path is overgrown with grass and you have to step around a fallen log or two, but it is easy to follow and the trees and ground are studded with glowing shards of purple crystal that light your path. A particularly large chunk stands directly in your way and you stop to peer into the crystal, seeing your own fractured reflection in its glowing surface. Something about it calls to you...

> Touch the crystal.
C> Never trust a weird rock in the woods. Who knows where that thing has been? Go around it and keep walking.

Leaving the crystal behind, you find yourself moving forward a little faster, your heart a little lighter as if you've passed some sort of test. Something about the air here is different and you can't help but feel like it's a sign that you're getting close to your goal at last. You hear a shout behind you and half turn to see Ian hurrying up the trail. "Almost thought I'd lost you," he says, taking a moment to straighten his jacket carefully. He takes longer than is necessary and you suspect that he's using the time to brace himself for what lies ahead. Ian nudges his glasses more firmly into place and then gestures down the trail. "Shall we?"

There is something about this grove of trees that seems right, though you can’t exactly say why. Perhaps it is the slightly greener hue of the plants around this area, or the moisture, heavy in the air, but as you explore the area more thoroughly, you stumble upon the hidden pond. As you draw closer to the edge, you see that the small pond is not a pond at all, but a sinkhole or a cave system that long-ago filled with water.
He pauses beside you, taking in the dramatic view of underwater cliffs and caverns, before echoing your thoughts, This must be the place. Let’s look around.

These crystals are no different than the ones you have seen in the rest of the woods. It seems that they grow wild in these woods, and while there is some special quality to them, there doesn’t appear to be anything inherently magical or powerful about them. You warm your hands against one like a space heater for a moment before you continue your exploration.

After filtering through tree roots and rock, the water is so clean and clear that you can see to the bottom of the cave. You have a difficult time with the sense of scale, but you feel like the water is very deep indeed. There is nothing of interest in the water. No bugs, no fish, nothing.

There is a mossy lump here, and it almost totally escapes your concern or notice until you spot a few scraps of mouldering cloth. Apprehensive, you nudge the lump with your foot and as it shifts slightly, revealing a glimpse of yellowed bone.
Talk to Ian.

You draw Ian’s attention to the area. Wordlessly, you both sink to your knees and with bare hands, uncover the figure below the moss and detritus. Mostly bone remains, however there is some dessicated flesh and fabric, roughly preserved by the peaty soil in this area. The eroded metal of long lost jewelry lays half-buried in the muck, and on the remains of the ring you see the faint indication of a ruby widow. There was little chance that this figure was anyone but Jaxon, but that seals it.
His fingers brush lightly over the dry bones of the figure’s sunken rib cage, seemingly sentimental, however his next words dispel that

There’s no heart, A snort of unhappy laughter escapes him, Of course not. I don’t know what I honestly expected - some kind of magic, or curse? Just him… what? Sleeping in a glass coffin, waiting for a kiss?

You console him, then mention perhaps the heart is there, you just don’t recognize it in this state. You recommend that everything be gathered up and taken back to the Dungarde.
You’re right, he says a little more brightly, It’s not over ‘til it’s over.

He shrugs off his lab coat, lays it out on the ground like a blanket, and begins to gingerly transfer the remains over one piece at a time.

The two of you work together for a long time, transferring the obvious things and sifting through the dirt and moss for the less obvious. When you are both satisfied that nothing has been missed, you gather up the bundle of remains and return to the crypt to present what you have found.
Return to the Crypt.

Even before you set the bundle of remains down, the Dungarde speaks softly, ”There is no heart.”

You and Ian exchange a defeated look, and confirm that you did not see an obvious heart in the remains. You ask the creature how it knows for certain.
”The heart of the Last Skelly is a powerful object, indeed, and this one would have felt it coming,” it says matter-of-factly. The creature’s single eye drifts down to the bundled lab coat carried between you and lingers for a moment, as if inspecting the contents through the fabric, ”It is of no consequence, however; this one will still receive a heart.”

The hairs on the back of your neck stand up, a shiver of unease creeping through your body. You ask the creature for more information.
It disregards your question, and in fact, you yourself for a moment, turning to Ian with intensity, ”You have learned much. With all that you know, do you yet love him? There is deep power within that.”

The question makes you deeply uncomfortable. Trying not to make an obvious scene, you try to catch Ian’s gaze, to urge him in some way not to answer. If you dropped your side of the bundle, the weight would pull it out of his hand. You could grab Ian and pull him toward the entrance before-

You suddenly realize again that the creature can read minds, and as you do, it glances at you and nods softly. A wave of calming energy washes over you, and though you work hard to fight it, you find yourself pacified for a moment.
In the mere seconds it took for all of that to happen, Ian replies, Of course. I mean, the person he is now, not the person he was then. Or maybe the person that he was then? I don’t know, it’s complicated. With his free hand, he rubs his face tiredly, leaving a smudge of dirt and muck.

It seems to fully understand the unclear emotions that Ian is facing, ”Would you yet return him to life? You have stumbled upon the means to bestow the greatest gift possible. Is he worthy of such a gift?” It drifts closer to the pair of you and you work hard to fight the pacifying energy, but your limbs feel heavy and warm, as if you are beneath a thick blanket on a cold morning.

He appears to consider the point sincerely for a long time, then answers a little hesitantly, I don’t know if anyone is worthy, but yes, I would. I made a promise to him.

The Dungarde seems satisfied with the conversation and releases you from it’s comforting hold, though the sensation of deep calm lingers in your body. ”Take these remains and raise the last Skelly. His former life may have no heart to give, but his new life assuredly will; one of greater value, for it will be shared with another.”

You realize that there was never any danger, only your own paranoia, and feel chastened. To it’s credit, the Dungarde doesn’t seem to be holding a grudge. You ask the creature if it is sure - perhaps there is some other way to free it.
You feel the warmth of a smile and the softness of a friend as it answers, ”As when we first spoke, this one is in no rush. This one is a creature beyond time and death, has seen the rise and fall of an empire, and one more lifetime is of no consequence.”

It rests a hand on your shoulder, and you find there is no weight to it, only a deep chill that you would have found unsettling if you had not spent so much time with the creature, ”When that last heart comes to this one, it will be a heart that has loved and been loved, and that is how this one wishes to start a new life.

Go now, and grant the last Skelly freedom. This one can think of no finer gift and treasure.”

You agree, and bid the creature farewell, vowing that this will not be the last time you two see one another.
Adjusting your grip on the bundle that you and Ian carry together, you depart for Skelly Manor.

As you arrive at the manor, Ian whisks you immediately downstairs. Or, he would have, were the bundle you both carried not so awkward and surprisingly heavy. You navigate it carefully down the steps, then through the teetering piles of basement storage with only minor incident. You set it down to rest in the chair, then exchange a questioning look.
So… I haven’t done it on a person before, but it should be just like before. I’ll need you to monitor the dials while I handle the output controls and… that should be it?

He says questioningly, as if you might somehow have more information about the process. You shrug, and move to the dials.

To the dials!
(Warning: The following activity may trigger vertigo. You may click here to skip the activity.)

There is a massive surge and a faint sizzling, the lights flickering for a moment. As the smoke and haze fade from the room, you see the outline of Jaxon sitting in the chair. His eyes are closed, and it would be a peaceful image were he not totally nude. The stained lab coat still rests on the chair beneath him, and Ian quickly moves to flick a free portion of it over Jaxon’s saucier bits. You are thankful.
He shakes Jaxon gently, but the figure does not stir. Apprehensively, Ian lowers his ear first to the lips of the figure, then to the chest and listens for a long time. You can hear your own heart hammering in your chest, but little else. Eventually he straightens back up, He’s breathing, and he has a heartbeat, Ian’s eyes glitter with emotion, clearly overwhelmed, I can only imagine what his body has gone through during this process but… I think we did it.

You agree that Jaxon needs rest, and allow Ian to escort you upstairs.

He closes the basement door quietly behind you as both step into the foyer, then lets out a shriek of delight, startling a sleeping Snowflaik nearby. He throws his arms around you, hugging you tightly, We did it! You reciprocate awkwardly, not expecting such an overwhelming display of emotion.

We’re not going to forget this, He says, releasing you from the hug but still resting his hands on your shoulders as he looks intently into your face, No reward could ever be worth as much as what you have done for us, but whatever you want - name something and I will get it for you.

You assure Ian that no reward is necessary, but if he wanted to send you something as a symbol of his gratitude, you would accept it.
He hugs you again, then officially releases you from his grasp, Expect something soon, he says Go home and rest - you’ve more than earned it. I’m going to spend some time monitoring Jaxon and I will update you as soon as there is anything to report.

You say your goodbyes and leave Skelly Manor.
-End of Plot-