Deep within the ruins of the ancients, the air hung heavy with anticipation. As the adventurers prepared to return to the surface, Prodigy was beckoned aside. The shimmering AI spirit, Adeona, appeared, its form mirroring the appearance of each adventurer. With a voice that echoed of ages past, it handed Prodigy a device and presented him with a mysterious blue gel. “Ingest this,” it whispered, its voice resonating with otherworldly power.
Emerging into the daylight, the adventurers felt the sun’s warmth on their skin, a stark contrast to the cold, dark depths from which they had emerged. The solemn act of burning the bodies of their fallen comrades, Zooper and Longshot, was undertaken to prevent them from becoming undead abominations.
As the flames crackled, the sharp-eyed Bucks noticed members of the rival Aerith tribe lurking nearby. Their intent was clear, but they hadn’t accounted for Smokey’s newfound power. With the head and baton of a fallen guardian robot of the ancients in hand, Smokey boldly stepped out. Holding the robot’s head high like a trophy of conquest, he issued a challenge to the Aerith. “Dare you attack one who has bested a guardian of the ancients?” he roared. An Aerith warrior, either brave or foolish, hurled a stone spear at Smokey. It weakly bounced off his armor, an anticlimactic end to what might have been a fierce challenge. The Aerith, recognizing the might before them, retreated in fear.
As the group prepared to depart the ruins, they were joined by Jasper Huckleyberry, a Croachling they had found and freed within the depths. This sentient humanoid roach had his own motives. During a private exchange, he revealed to Prodigy his quest to find a city of the ancients. Seeing the adventurers as a means to gather information about the region, he chose to accompany them back to Loparr.
Loparr welcomed its heroes with jubilant celebrations. The Ceremony of Return allowed the adventurers to recount their harrowing journey below. The village elders, including the wise Red, Pip, and the Shaman Sherman the Shaman, awaited the tales with bated breath.
The time came for Prodigy to introduce Adeona. To everyone’s astonishment, including Prodigy’s, the AI spirit declared itself a god. Whispers of awe and trepidation rippled through the gathered crowd. This revelation changed everything.
With their successful return, the adventurers were awarded titles and mutations, becoming Seekers of Loparr. Those who had faced the dangers of the ruins and survived, like Cloud G, Cloud H, Hydro, Hybrid, Exo, and Elise, chose a life of peace within the village’s protective embrace.
But for Elsewhere, Flattus, Prodigy, Smokey, Bucks, Dust, Paolo, Jefferies, and their new ally Jasper Huckleyberry, the horizon beckoned with further adventures. Their tale was far from over, and the gods, both ancient and newly declared, would be watching.