Time Traveler Zindel

You tap Zindel on the shoulder. Zindel jumps slightly.

"Oh, it's you. What's up?"

You start telling Zindel about what you found up north.

"You're saying the Dimensional Crystals created the extreme seasonal polarity we're experiencing?"

"How is that possible? I've never heard of anything powerful enough to split the world apart."

You explain what you found in the northern fortress.

"You found Drifters there?" Where?"

You tell him about the Disciples of Carso and the Carso Church.

Zindel shudders when he hears you say "Carso".

"Carso Church? I don't know anything about that, but it doesn't sound great. It sounds down right scary."

You look at Zindel and wonder if you've made a mistake.

"By the way, can you help me with something?"

"Can you kill a few of the Dimensional Crystal Bears wandering around here?"

"They're really starting to get in the way."

"Oh right! Bring back some of their Life Crystals for me too."

"Oh, you're back."

"Did you get the Monster Life Crystals? What? You want to apologize? Why?"

You tell Zindel what other people are saying about his ties to the Disciples of Carso.

"Ugh. Ilya and the others really think I'm working with the Disciples of Carso? They think I'm a threat?"

"Well, I don't trust them either. I don't care what they think about me."

"You seem different from the rest of them."

"I'll understand if you don't, but can you please help me investigate the Armored Gigapests to the east?"

"If you do go, bring back some limbs from the beasts. Really, just bring back anything that you think will help me."

You tell Zindel what you just experienced and notice that he looks sullen.

"I think you might be trustworthy. Hmmm. I'll tell you about the Drifters' past."

"We all wander through space. None of us really care where we end up. Other Drifters are nowhere to be found."

"So we start to wonder who we are. Why do we carry these strange crystals around?"

"When... If a Drifter can reach this age, our crystals start to grow. Eventually, our bodies become vessels for immense space-time magic."

"It's like the space-time magic you just saw is our ancestral life force."

"I want to know why the lifeblood of my fellow Drifters is here. If I can figure that out, maybe I can reclaim some of our history."

"Maybe these floating stones will trigger something in me."

"Remember that Giga Crystal that teleported you?"

"I swear it felt like there was more than one. You've got to check the Southeast (597,167). There may be another one. Please believe me!"

"Hmph! You're back again!"

"Looks like I was right after all."

Did you interrogate Zindel?

"Haha. Let me break it down for you."

"We Drifters... we contain Dimensional Crystals inside us. We need them to live, but after our death... they grow rapidly and become extremely valuable."

"I sense the remaining power here. I have no doubt these crystals are the corpses of my friends."

"Our bodies grow one crystal each at death. But I'm hearing many crystals with the same voice. "

"Maybe they all grew out of the same Drifter. But how?"

"They must have more information within them..."

"%n%, can you travel northeast and see if the same crystals exist there?"

"While you're up there, can you clear out the creatures and their leaders that control the area?"

"Do be careful. They're nice enough to me, but they won't be to you."

"What's the situation?"

"Oh? So, just those annoying crystal creatures?"

"OK. I'll have to investigate the rest myself."

"You can be on your way now. I'll use my space-time magic to send you back to camp."

"Can you do me a favor and keep an ear open for any news about the Disciples of Carso?"

"I would really appreciate it."

"Are you ready, Sprite Messenger?"

Zindel uses his magic to send you back to the camp. The world in front of you begins to dim. When you regain your senses you're standing at the entrance of a large cave.

The biggest Dimensional Crystal you've ever seen stands before you and seems to be speaking.

"It's strange... Whenever I approach the Giga Crystal, I get a strange sensation. Not only that, but none of the crystalline creatures have been able to harm me. I think it might have something to do with my own crystal."

It's not a bad theory.

"There are a few experiments I'd like to run. But first I'll need the crystals from the Dimensional Crystal Bears. Would you mind collecting some for me?"

"Now to see whether their crystals resonate with mine. Maybe I should drink them...?"

You laugh at the notion, but Zindel remains unfazed.

"Earlier I crushed the Surging Magic Crystal and drank it, but nothing happened. Maybe my method was wrong?" Wait. He was being serious?

Yes, that was wrong! Totally wrong!