Kinich's Deal (Quest)

Kinich's Deal is the first part of .
==Steps==
* Start the quest by approaching Kinich in 
# Go to Elder Trinidad's home
# Meet with Kinich
# Take a walk with Kinich
==Dialogue==
;(Approach Kinich)
: Kinich: , Paimon.
: Paimon: Kinich! Fancy meeting you here! We've actually been looking for you.
: Hey there. Nice to see you again.
: Kinich: I'll get straight to the point. I hear you accepted a proposal from elder Trinidad?
: Paimon: Oh! The, uh, Turnfire Night, you mean? Uhh... You were still his first choice, it's just... Oh geez... It's not what it looks like, promise!
: Kinich: Chill, it's cool. I only mention it because there's something you should know, and I suspect Elder Trinidad hasn't been completely forthcoming with you. His true intention is to resolve the Mountain King problem once and for all.
: Paimon: Once and for all? You mean, this'll be the last Turnfire Night ever?
: Kinich: That's right. He wants to use you to send the Mountain King to the Night Kingdom.
: Paimon: To the Night Kingdom? You mean—
: Kinich: To his death.
: Paimon: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you serious right now? You shouldn't go around blurting out accusations like that, it can get you in trouble!
: Kinich: Too blunt? Okay. I'll phrase it more gently...
: Kinich: There is potentially a possibility that Elder Trinidad may be hoping that, during the course of the ceremony... you kill the Mountain King dead.
: Paimon: But... That's ridiculous! He told us the Mountain King is a living symbol of your tribe's glory!
: Kinich: And that glory comes at a price.
:
;(A flashback begins)
: Trinidad: That's right. The Mountain King is a living symbol of our glory, but even this glory comes at a price.
: Trinidad: *sigh*... Yes, and Nanna wasn't the first...
;(Flashback ends)
: Is it because of his companion, Nanna?
: Kinich: Mhm. She likely won't be the last to lose her life, either.
: Paimon: Still... Is killing the Mountain King really the only way? It seems so extreme...
: How does he plan to kill him?
: Kinich: The Mountain King is a unique case when it comes to Abyssal contamination. It's eaten away at him for so long that it has consumed him entirely, and the damage is irreversible.
: Kinich: That evil power has both driven him insane and kept him alive over the centuries. So to look at it one way, once it's completely purged from his body, the Mountain King will finally be able to rest in peace.
: Kinich: In past ceremonies, we've only purged around half of the Abyssal power. This was to strike a balance — to keep him alive, but also keep him asleep.
: Paimon: Trinidad didn't say anything about how much power he wanted us to purge... But he did say there were some more details to go over before the ceremony.
: Kinich: Then it sounds like you'll know for sure soon enough.
: Paimon: ...If he really asks us to kill the Mountain King, what should we do?
: I think we're a little out of our depth here.
: Is it too late for us to back out?
: Kinich: I know this must come as quite a shock, so I suggest you act like you didn't hear anything for now. But would you have time to the chief after your meeting with Elder Trinidad?
: Kinich: I'd like to make a deal with you.
: Paimon: What kind of deal?
: Kinich: One that comes at a very reasonable price. I'm sure you have plenty of other questions, but we can talk more later.
: Okay. We'll be there.
: Kinich: Good. See you soon.
;(Talk to Trinidad)
: Trinidad: Ah, mighty outlanders, you have returned. Did you have a good rest?
: Paimon: It was, uh... pretty good, yeah!
: Trinidad: Glad to hear it. Things are progressing very smoothly on my end. Many of the elders have heard of your heroic deeds, including the chief. They all speak very favorably of you.
: Trinidad: There are still those who insist that the ceremony should be performed by the bearer of the name, but they're just stuck in the past. We need to move with the times.
: Paimon: Plus, Kinich doesn't wanna do it anyway...
: Trinidad: Exactly. So now, it's time for us to discuss the finer details of the ceremony.
: Trinidad: We covered the fire-lighting part of the proceedings yesterday. The next part is the purification of the Mountain King.
: How does that work?
: Trinidad: It's quite simple — you just need to use the sacred flame. We've done it plenty of times before and it's always very routine. I'm sure you won't have any problems.
: Trinidad: One point I'd like to stress, though, is that you need to burn away as much of the Abyssal energy as you possibly can. The more we dispel, the longer the Mountain King will remain asleep.
: Paimon: "Asleep," huh...
: Trinidad: Precisely. In previous years, the flame bearer has often been unable to dispel a sufficient amount of Abyssal energy. That's the only reason why we have to perform the ceremony on a regular basis.
: Trinidad: But I understand that you have a lot of experience fighting against the Abyss. And you seemed to wield the sacred flame quite effortlessly yesterday.
: Trinidad: With your help, I'm optimistic that this time we can dispel all the remaining Abyssal energy from the Mountain King's body, freeing us from this ever-looming threat for many years to come.
: Paimon: ...
: Got it. Anything else we need to know?
: Trinidad: So this doesn't faze you at all, huh? You clearly have a lot of confidence in yourself, haha.
: Trinidad: That's all you really need to know. The ceremony is in three days. I'll come and fetch you when we're ready.
: Trinidad: In the meantime, feel free to take a look around our settlement. It would mean a lot to the elders if you got to know some of our people.
: Trinidad: And if you wouldn't mind helping them out with a few errands here and there, that would be even better.
: Paimon: So now we have extra errands to run? Maybe we should add a little extra to the price...
: Trinidad: Haha, just a humble suggestion, that's all. It will help you gain the respect of our people, and as a mighty hero, I truly believe that's what you deserve.
: Trinidad: I'll be sticking around over the next few days, so if you have any questions, you know where to find me.
;(After the cutscene)
: Paimon: Seems like Kinich was right... We should go meet up with him right away.
;(Talk to Kinich or Wayna)
: Kinich: Ah, you're here.
: Paimon: Kinich! Elder Trinidad said that—
: Kinich: I can tell. It's written on your faces.
: Wayna: Is that and Paimon? Forgive me for not being there to welcome you on your arrival. That should have been my duty as chief.
: Paimon: Hello, Chief Wayna.
: Wayna: I only heard the news from Trinidad yesterday, so I asked Kinich to invite you over for a quick chat.
: It's our pleasure.
: Wayna: Hehe... I believe Kinich has already filled you in, so I'll get straight to the point. Firstly, I fully endorse your appointment as flame bearers for the upcoming Turnfire Night.
: Wayna: However, I would like to request that you take steps to ensure the Mountain King's safety.
: Wayna: Every child of our tribe grows up hearing the tales of our heroes, from Yupanqui the Fire-Bringer, to Burkina and the Mountain King who fought against the Abyss...
: Wayna: This is our history and our heritage, the source of our pride and the center of our faith.
: Wayna: To kill the Mountain King would be to destroy our spirit... I would never be able to face our ancestors in the Night Kingdom.
: Wayna: Nanna's death was a great tragedy, and I do not blame Trinidad for the actions he has taken. Nevertheless, I cannot allow any harm to come to the Mountain King. The very roots of our identity are at stake.
: Wayna: My honored guests, please give this matter your serious consideration.
: Is there no solution that would satisfy both sides?
: Wayna: Perhaps there is. But despite all our attempts to contain the situation over the years, we have not found it. Right now, I should like to hear where you stand on this matter.
: I'm inclined to honor your request.
:: Wayna: Though I sense that your mind is not yet made up, I am still comforted by your words. There are three days left before the ceremony. I hope they will bring you clarity.
: I'm inclined to honor my agreement with Trinidad.
:: Wayna: I must say, I find this troubling, though I'm sure you need more time to consider it fully. No matter, there are still three days left before the ceremony. I hope they will bring you clarity.
: I need some time to mull this over.
:: Wayna: I understand. There are still three days left before the ceremony. I hope they will bring you clarity.
: Paimon, let's sneak off to some other tribe tonight...
:: Paimon: Running away won't solve anything... You just need some time to think this through, that's all. Don't worry, we'll come up with something if we put our heads together!
:: Chief: Thank you both. There are still three days left before the ceremony. I hope they will bring you clarity.
: Paimon: So Kinich, earlier, you were saying that—
: Kinich: Let's walk and talk. I'll show you around the tribe.
: Paimon: That works too. Paimon needs to get some air after this...
;(Approach the marker)
: Paimon: Kinich, Paimon finally understands why you turned Trinidad down.
: Paimon: You knew what he was planning, didn't you? That's why you didn't wanna be the flame bearer this time, 'cause it's a double-edged sword. The whole Mora thing was just a sneaky excuse!
: Kinich: Double-edged sword is right. But my response wasn't merely an excuse: To solve this exceptional problem, an exceptional price must be paid.
: Are you saying you have a plan?
: Kinich: I'm working on it.
: Paimon: Really? Well c'mon then, let's hear it!
: Kinich: In a moment. Didn't you have a question you were about to ask me?
: Paimon: Oh, yeah... What was it again? ...Oh! Right! We need to talk about Ajaw, he's completely unhinged!
: That's a point... where is he today?
: Kinich: I agree that he has a problem. He needs disciplining, so I hired him a teacher.
: Paimon: You got him a teacher? Oh, Paimon would love to see him get scolded for bad behavior!
: Paimon: Anyway, moving on — when we ran into Ajaw, he said you two were investigating some Abyss thing together... Is that related to the whole Mountain King situation?
: Kinich: Yes. That's the angle I've been working on.
: Kinich: I'm a Saurian hunter, but I occasionally hunt the Abyss, too. One time, I was pursuing some purple demonic dogs when I accidentally entered a hidden space.
: Kinich: I did some research after the fact. Apparently, they're known as "beastly rifts," and there are many of them of all different sizes. That's where those purple dogs were coming from.
: Paimon: So...?
: Kinich: So, if we can locate one of these beastly rifts, clear the monsters out, and move the Mountain King inside... he'd be able to continue living, but without posing a threat to the tribe.
: Paimon: Whoa! That sounds kind of crazy... Would it really work?
: Kinich: It's not without its risks, of course. There's a lot of unknowns in the equation. For instance, for all we know, a prolonged period inside the rift could make the Mountain King's condition worse.
: Kinich: Still, we desperately need something like this — even just as a temporary measure. You've seen the conflict the issue is causing in our tribe for yourselves, and believe me, it's been a long time coming.
: Kinich: The chief is adamant about keeping the Mountain King alive, whatever happens.
: Paimon: Paimon can understand... It's less about the Mountain King, and more about preserving your culture and heritage.
: Kinich: Yes, but on the flip side, you've got people like Elder Trinidad, who is more concerned about protecting the people he cares about, now and into the future.
: Kinich: And he has every right to take that view. It's one thing to try and preserve the last remnants of a glorious past, but making your kin pay the price for it?
: Kinich: No one can seriously tell them that's a fair trade.
: Paimon: You're right, there's no easy answers here... Let's leave that to one side for a moment and assume we go with your plan. How do you actually intend to find one of these beastly rifts?
: Paimon: Cause at least in our experience, the dogs open the rifts when they wanna attack us, not the other way around.
: Kinich: I think I know a way.
: Are you really gonna do this?
: Kinich: You have any better ideas?
: Paimon: Not at the moment, but... It just feels like using the power of the Abyss for our own ends isn't gonna end well...
: Paimon: After all, the Abyss is what turned the Mountain King into a monster in the first place. People are gonna think you've lost your marbles...
: Kinich: If it doesn't end well, then that's the price we pay. Everything in the world comes at a price... Even when Yupanqui the Fire-Bringer stole the Turnfire, it cost him dearly.
: Kinich: The Mountain King's erratic outbursts have brought tensions within the tribe to a boiling point. Unless this gets resolved quickly, everyone will be stuck in a stalemate.
: Paimon: Alright... So what's this "deal" you wanted to make with us? We're hardly experts on exploiting Abyssal power...
: Kinich: All I need you to do is keep people away from me.
: Kinich: I'm getting harassed on a daily basis by people trying to convince me to be the flame bearer. I can't afford to waste all my energy dealing with them.
: Kinich: If you help me out, there'll be a gift for you in return.
: Paimon: Ooh, what kind of gift?
: Kinich: Something well worth your while, I'd say.
: Okay, but how do we keep people away?
: Kinich: Just keep doing what you've been doing — ingratiate yourself with the tribespeople, so everyone comes to terms with the fact that we have a new flame bearer.
: Kinich: That way, I won't have an endless stream of people coming to beg me to join the ceremony, and I can focus on finding a way to summon the beastly rift.
: Kinich: Then, when the day of the ceremony comes, we'll move the Mountain King into his new home.
: Paimon: Still sounds pretty crazy... Even for a daredevil like you, that's dangerous...
: Paimon: And even if it works — what if neither Chief Wayna nor Elder Trinidad are happy with it? Have you thought about what you'd do then?
: Kinich: At least the two of them would finally be on the same side of the issue, leaving only me on the opposing side.
: Kinich: The tribe needs leaders like them far more than a Saurian hunter for hire like me.
: Either way, sounds like there's no mora in this for you.
: Kinich: Hah. Can I take that to mean that we have a deal?
: We can give it a try.
: Paimon: For sure. And who knows, maybe we'll come up with an even better solution to all of this in the next couple of days.
: Kinich: Great. Well, for the next couple of days, please spend some time among the tribe and lend a hand wherever you can. I'm sure everyone will be swept off their feet when they meet our new flame bearer.
: Kinich: Good luck to us both.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==