Epilogue v2

In lighting the brazier with his own light, light begins to radiate from seemingly everywhere. Crystals of corruption around the cavern light up before shattering. The corruption is being pushed back as the cavern glows with a bright, warm, white light. The corruption was demolished by the light that emanated from the lit brazier. The fingers of corruption disappear, freeing the world from it's grasp. Fireflies that had been trapped were freed as new ones manifest where Poe's body had been.



The fireflies float upwards, weaving their ways through the cracks in the crystal and rock until they escape the cave. They continue upwards until they speckle the sky with their lights.

Level 8 - (Corruption) Sacrifice v2

Without his companions, the world felt so much darker than ever before. Poe almost had to force himself to keep moving forward. Before long, he found himself standing at the entrance of a dark cave. Something about it was foeboding, as if the cave itself were made of the corruption. Swallowing his fear, Poe moved into the mouth of the cave, the memory of his friends and their sacrifices driving him on.

Down and down and down he went, traveling deeper and deeper into the heart of the cave. The gloom of the cave ate at Poe, causing him to go slower and slower on his descent. He could feel the floor of the cave growing steeper and steeper until, finally, it falls away. Poe found himself in a free fall through the narrowing corridor.

Eventually, the cave opened into a massive crystalline cavern. Poe hit the ground with a dull thud. The only way to go was the left. Poe pushed forward, slower than he'd ever felt before. He knew he had to be close now, close to the heart of it all, close to destroying the corruption that had taken his friends. After what felt like forever, Poe finally saw the brazier hidden amongst the finger-like spikes of the corruption.

By now, the darkness was pressing against Poe, slowing him almost to a halt. He was so close. He could touch the brazier if he could just...take...one more...step...

Poe collapsed at the foot of the brazier, the last of his fireflies disappearing and his lantern dimming to darkness.

The corruption had won. A sinister laugh seemed to fill the cavern.

A bright light emanated, beginning to pulse, from Poe's collapsed body. His spirit rose, glowing vibrantly. Poe looked down at his body then up at the brazier before him. This was his chance to prove himself, to save everything his friends had given their lives for.

Moving forward, much faster than before, Poe kept his eyes set on the brazier. Jumping up, Poe walked right into the center of the brazier. Using his own light, he brings the brazier to life.

Level 7 - Alone v2

Poe and Skitzo are all that's left-- all that stand between the corruption and the rest of the world. The two companions move through the dark slowly, the pressure of the darkness making it nearly impossible to do otherwise. The number of fireflies has diminished, feeling as though it is continuing to decrease rapidly, making the dark that much worse.

Before long, the only visible fireflies are avoiding the lantern-- and Poe-- like the plague. Every now and then, a firefly could be seen hiding amongst the branches of the trees-- fireflies Lanky could have collected easily. Rocks that almost certainly have fireflies trapped within litter the path. They are reminders of the friends the companions have lost on their journey.

Skitzo chases the fireflies back and forth, capturing two of them before something that looks almost like a hand grabs for him, squashing him in its fist before dropping him. Falling to the ground, Skitzo practically imitates a dead leaf. As his fireflies scatter, Skitzo lies on the ground, deflated somehow, his light growing dimmer and dimmer until, finally, it goes out.

Alone again, Poe must go on without his companions.

Level 6 - Loss v2

The forest had grown dark and foreboding.  Before, it had been friendly, in a way, and welcoming despite the corruption looming over them. Now, though, it was more than a little dismal.

Poe led his companions -- his friends-- through the trees that seemed to be reaching out, trying desperately to grab them, to restrain them, to keep them from their goal. The way Lanky shook whenever Poe wasn't near appeared to indicate his uneasiness. It was almost certain that he was shaking more and more with each step forward. He was frightened, as he very well should be. The world around them was growing darker, more dangerous and hostile-- they could all see it, plain as day. Even the fireflies seemed to be a little dimmer than before, yet they still managed to keep the darkness at bay as the group of companions collected them. Each one of them knew the fireflies were necessary to drive away the darkness, even if they didn't say it.

As the dark pressed in on the companions, they struggled to proceed through the trees, to the next brazier. With each step they took, they needed more and more fireflies to keep the dark from smothering them all. The lantern on Poe's back was growing dim. The weight of the dark was hindering their progress, slowing them nearly to a stop.

Finally, a group of fireflies came into view. They looked as though they were hiding in the branches of the trees. Only Lanky would be able to reach them. Climbing into the dead tree, Lanky moved closer to the floating lights. Just as he reached them, the tree crumbled beneath him as fingers of the corruption overtook Lanky.

The corruption appeared to be strangling  Lanky as it stole the light from him, killing him with agonizing slowness.

At first, they were shocked, able only to stand and stare. It couldn't have happened-- Lanky couldn't actually be dead. It had to be a trick of the darkness, something to stop them from progressing, from destroying the corruption.

But it wasn't. Their friend was gone.

Poe knew they had to move on. If they sat there, mourning the loss of their friend, the corruption would win. Poe moved forward, Skitzo followed almost as if he didn't know the Lanky had just died. Grumpy, on the other hand, was all too aware of his new-found friend's death. Skitzo scurried off and brought back some fireflies to his friends. They made it to the brazier, but only just.

The companions trudged along, the darkness and the loss of their friend weighing down on all of them. Once again, Poe needed his friends  to help him keep the light alive. There is no other option-- no fireflies are visible, but there is a rock that Grumpy can break to free the trapped ones. Despite the fear of losing another friend to the corruption, Poe sent Grumpy to break the rock and retrieve the trapped fireflies.

Grumpy pushes forward, still upset over losing his friend. He breaks the rock with the trapped fireflies, releasing them into the air. Before he can grab them and return with them to Poe, boulders that had been resting on the now-broken rock collapse, crushing Grumpy into non-existence.

Poe and Skitzo look on in horror as the freed fireflies float off into the darkness. Poe knows he needs to lead the way forward, and the only way to go is over the fallen rocks-- and his fallen companion. There is no choice but to press on, so with a heavy heart and Skitzo trailing behind, Poe continued, determined to annihilate the corruption.