QUEST SOLUTION: | FIND LUDWIG VAN'S MANUSCRIPT
Optional: This quest is not required to advance in the game.
Summary: Ludwig Van tells you that his manuscript fell down the drain into his "Beet Hoven" (he's a beet seller), and that he's afraid to get it because of the monsters down there. The "Beet Hoven" is the sewer.
How to do: There are several entrances to the Beet Hoven around town - one is in Ludwig Van's house (however you cannot return this way). There is another in the park in front of his house, one behind the church, and a set of stairs going down there at the back of the gymnasium. The town well is clean water and does not connect. Go down into the Beet Hoven and look at the map. You should see an area that has a larger end than the others (like a cul-de-sac). This is where you need to go (don't worry about the water; it's not deep and has no ill effects). On your way you will be attacked by Lobber Pods. They are coming from Pod Lobbers on the ceiling. The only way to stop them from continually reproducing is to kill the Pod Lobbers (on the ceiling) themselves (missile attacks). If you come down through Ludwig's house, you will be closest to your destination and have to fight only two pods on the way in (located just as the cul-de-sac begins, one on each side of the ceiling).
When you've finished with the pods, go ahead and climb down that ladder into the well that you see in the middle of the cul-de-sac (or just jump in - the water's deep enough that you won't take fall damage). Swim to the surface outside the well. There is only one way you can go from here (look at the map). Swim over to the broken ledge and use the "X" key to jump up onto it.
There are a lot of cobwebs but you can just walk right through them (and there aren't any spiders). A couple of skeletoids will attack you in the corridor. After killing them, go straight ahead past a hall that branches off to your right until you come to a door (don't pay attention to the marching footsteps sound). On the map the door should open into a large rectangular room with another rectangle in it. You'll have to go through this room and it's full of several skeletoids, Airborne Ickies, and a Rotter. The Ickies, like everything in the game that flies, are less trouble in turn-based mode, but you may be able to delay using it so you can back up and let the door close on most of the monsters while you only battle a few at a time.
When you've killed everything in the room, cross it to the door on the opposite side. You shouldn't immediately get attacked, not until you've gone a little way down the corridor - then a couple more of the skeletoids will attack you. Kill them and continue on until you come to a "Y" branch. Take the branch to your right - you should see another of those ladders leading down into another well. Don't jump into this one, but climb down carefully or you'll take fall damage.
On this level you should - again - only be attacked by the Lobber Pods and Pod Lobbers. Kill them as you did on the first level (attack the Lobber). They are usually located at intersections. Look at the map. You will be going around the U-shaped bend and then turning where the corridor branches off to the left. There will be a Pod Lobber at this branch (and every branch). Follow this left-hand corridor around a bend until you come to another branch off to the right. Take this, go around the corner and then straight back to the dead end. There you should see the Manuscript, lying against a grate. Pick it up.
Come back out (to the first level) the way you went in. If you killed everything on the way in, you won't meet any monsters on the way back (yes, you'll have to jump into that water and swim under the edge of the first well to climb up the iron ladder).
When you get to the first level, you'll notice you can't go back up through Ludwig's house as there's no ladder to get to the access duct. Instead, follow the corridor around to the nearest dead-end passage, where you'll find a ladder going up. Remember to watch for (and kill) the Pod Lobbers at the intersections.
When you're finally outside, take Ludwig Van his manuscript and he'll give you the reward.
Return to Quest List read the adventurer's guide series email the editor  |
