Arabian Nights

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 Written and illustrated by Dr. Hugh
Website conversion and layout by Bert Jamin

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Episode 4, The City of Akhaba

Back into the City

Find yourself back in the Great City of Akhaba by day.

A map of Akhaba

Note: you may decide to kill all citizens here and take their money. It’s entirely up to you. It doesn’t add much to your amount of Gold Coins, but it helps perfecting your fighting skills. Although somewhat immoral, you still should go for that, because that last Phial of Life that you will need in combat with the next Boss may not be available. And soon you may purchase some of these…

However: they are all very tough adversaries! Turn around and you’ll see a door. Enter. There is a Guard who won’t attack. But you will do. When he’s down, a second one will arrive from the stairs on the right. Wait for him and let him enjoy the eternal fields as well.

He will leave a corpse of a Raven, so take it. This will come in handy later on. Go up to the stairs. Nothing to do there, so return through the door and take a good look at the central Courtyard.

The central courtyard

Talk with the entrance Guard in front of the staircase. He won’t let you in for now,  because you’ll need a Pass. That’s something for later, so don’t bother with him.

You may climb the ledge with the Jar, but it’s an empty one, so don’t unless you like to explore all corners of the City for fun. Up on high you may check the blue Fountain featuring a Princess. Notice the flying Ravens striking down on top of a beam. Now turn back to the other staircase.

Just go for that job!

Read the tablet by the doors: “looking for a suitable assistant to the Sultan’s Gardener”. You will understand that you may apply for that precious job when the time is right! To the right are 3 Jars to smash. Find another 40 Gold Coins in there.

Go down the stairs into a lower Courtyard, and explore the entire place up and down for hidden Jars. Take care of the running guy.

Hunt for the hidden jars

Don't forget to take the money

Open the new door giving access to a small passage to another door. Once in the next Courtyard, save first because a very heavy combat is in sight.

Beggar's Square

Walk further and you will be attacked by 3 legless wheelchair Beggars who are extremely aggressive – as always. Moreover, these guys constantly throw Bombs at you as well.

There are several tactics to eliminate these beggars. Take a look at the map first:

Where to find the beggars

Run forward and when they have noticed you they’ll all start shouting  “Attack! Attack!!”. Then sprint backwards and throw a Bomb or prepare a red Fireball. But this is far from easy. You may then hit 2 guys altogether but one remains to be fought.

Another suggestion is this: just sprint to the far right of the square and jump on the ledge. Be very fast and throw a Bomb from there before they throw one at you. And the most exciting tactics: use your fine acrobatic skills and jump and run around all the time. When one of them throws a Bomb, just jump away and run.

When one approaches, start kicking him with your legs as much as possible and run when he hits you. Do this over and over again to weaken them gradually, all 3 of them. Meantime save after each successful kick, but make sure you’re at a safe distance when you do.

Eventually you’ll get them all down. And then it’s time to explore this square because there are lots of goodies to be found. Go all the way up. Hear these pesky flying Ravens?  Watch them from now on! There are two Merchants in this area where you may purchase useful items for your Inventory, but save at least 50 Gold Coins!

Now go through the door leading to the Fakir’s hideout.

The Fakir

The Fakir will offer you a magic Formula if you will bring him 5 dead Ravens. You have already one Raven, so you’ll have to shoot 4 more. Go out and start observing their flying traject.

  
Get yourself some raven

You will have to explore the whole area in order to find a right spot from where to shoot a bunch of Ravens. The spot under the Fountain in the previous place is very suitable. Use a red Fireball and check the timing on that. Do NOT purchase them from the merchant under the Arcade for they are far too expensive: it’s a rip off!

When you get the 5 Raven corpses return to the Fakir and offer him the 50 Gold Coins he insists on getting. He will throw the Ravens into a boiling concoction and prepare a magic spoken Formula for you that will give access to the subterranean passages of the Mosque.

The Mysteries of the Mosque

Go all the way back to the Mosque following the staircase behind the door. Halfway turn right and push away the Crate once more. Smash the Jar with 40 Gold coins. The Mosque looks pretty nice in daylight, doesn’t it? There is a Guide whom you must not attack, because he is protected by... Allah or the Genie? So save and kick him. See what happens?

When you’ll approach he will request a fee of 20 Gold Coins for some history of the Mosque. Why not, it’s just 20 Coins. Listen carefully.

Now enter the Mosque again and forward to the second room with the Sculpture of the Red Half Moon (should you have neglected to open the niche with the Blue Ring the first time, do it now for it’s your last chance). Run around the columns in the second room and grab 40 Gold Coins. Stand before the Moon, press action and Ali pronounces the magic words from the Fakir. A cinematic sequence will reveal the entrance to a secret passage. Jump into the catacombs!

The Catacombs

This labyrinth is crowded with Priests of the Red Moon Sect. Fight them with your skills. They’re rather easy to defeat. Just keep on kicking until they’re down and out, it will be fun! And of course, they may always leave some goodies behind.

The kicking labyrinth

You will have to look for 3 stone tablets.

The labyrinth of tablets

Discover the whole place carefully and certainly get rid of all these nasty Priests. A drink of the blue Fountain rewards you with a dream of the next Princess. Downstairs where the two pits are the Priest will leave the Parchment of the Sanctuary after he’s beaten. Read its contents: it refers to the use of the 3 tablets. All the way up you will discover a corridor with 6 sealed doors to your left. Save here.

Now enter each of these doors by pressing the right switches. You’ll see a small room with a goodie on the floor. You may grab some of these, but be very quick, or... you’re gone. Each room but one hides a killing device.

A good way is this: grab the item and jump backwards. Or: turn around, jump backwards (you’ll grab the item) and run forwards. Just save after each object you found. There are one or two rooms where you won’t escape at all, that is why you have to save each time.

In the 4^th room you’ll notice 1 Gold Coin lying on the floor. That room hides an escape way. Just go through it and you’ll arrive in an antechamber. You’ll find the 3^rd tablet here. Activate the wooden lever and a tomb will open. Read the Parchment of the Sanctuary again.

Jump into the tomb and place your 3 tablets in the right sequence. They resemble the three monkeys: see nothing, hear nothing, and shut up.

See nothing, hear nothing and shut up...

This will clear a passage to the Treasure Room of the Red Moon Sect.

The Treasure Room

Push three buttons and the gold cage opens up. Take the Lightning Bolt Jewel which will be added to your white Ring. A new magic Spell is yours! A white lightning may strike an enemy now.

The three buttons

In the next room you’ll have to pass through a magical green entrance to the Palace Gardens.

The magic field

The Palace Gardens

Find yourself  back in a very extended garden labyrinth.

The garden labyrinth

You will have to move some plant carriages in order to reach the inner gardens where Princess Spiruline is crying, near the wishing well. There are some goodies hidden there: 2 Apples in the garden (but be careful with the carnivorous Orchid) and a fountain full of Gold coins.

The Princess will be freed and promises to marry Ali if he will compose the Bouquet of the five Senses and offer it to her. She is referring to a set of 5 items each of which is related to one of the five senses: hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting. Each of these objects has to be found in a separate location somewhere further on in the Palace gardens, so go looking for any such things. Should you eventually return with an incomplete bouquet the Princess will sent you back until you will have collected all five necessary constituents

Now proceed till the doors giving access to a first central Courtyard. Open, walk 15 steps forward and save! Listen to the footsteps of 2 Guards and wait until they have passed to the right of the balcony in front of you. They should not have noticed you. Step in front of the railing and look up to the middle of the rooftop to your left. There is a nasty Archer looking for Ali who won’t notice him as long as the 2 Guards don’t either… One well-aimed Knife will turn him into a number of tingling Gold Coins!

you. Two Knives will stop the first one while the second one is sneaking in from the right. Sprint away from him, turn around and let him approach. Make him regret that move ever after.

You’ll get a Bread and an extra Knife instead and especially a whiped out central Courtyard (for the time being).

The singing reed labyrinth

Continue your investigation on the premises in the direction of the lake with the Singing Reed.  Look for a secret passage to the left, hidden by leaves. Push the block and enter.

Those #$%)(@&*^programmers. Hiding that block!

Proceed till the edge of the Scorpion pit. You’ll notice a number of blocks to jump on, but that is pretty difficult.

Scorpion's pit

When you fall in the pit, just take care of all the Scorpions. One kick of a leg is sufficient – with good timing, that is. It’s an excellent exercise in perfecting your skills as you will need them soon enough!

Then grab the opposite ledge, pull up and save here. You’re bound to meet a fierce Lizard Man who is hard to defeat, just be warned. But you have done that before didn’t you? Now this time the battle will be somewhat harder!

  
First mister Nervous and then this swamp!

Approach the entrance backward until he notices Ali, you will hear his growling. Sprint back to the pit entrance, turn around and walk slowly until you glimpse him waiting by the entrance. Save here, and prepare Magic for the 2^nd Jewel of the Yellow Ring which will stun him for a short while, enough to throw a Bomb very fast so the injured Lizard will return to the swamp. Now prepare a red Fireball and wait until you hear him returning to the portal. A well-timed blast will blow him to hell.

Now you must traverse the entire swamp lake in order to collect a Singing Reed. Jump over the rocks and logs, and should you fall in the shallow water prepare to fight some aggressive crocs.

Beautiful lake

In the reed area you’ll have to get in the water anyway, so get rid of the crocs there first. When you approach the Singing Reed you’ll hear its music. To collect, just jump up.

Go all the way back to the central courtyard and meet two vicious Guards that Ali must get rid of first. Enter the open corridor leading to the accommodation rooms of the Guards. Sneak behind the one in the first room to the right, chop his head off (you’ll get a Bread in return) and wait for a second to arrive who’ll forever regret that too. In the next room 4 more Guards are waiting. Run in and leave a Bomb. That should blow at least 2 of them away. Sprint to the central Courtyard and take care of the two possible survivors.

Don't forget the Phial of Life

Behind the corner there’s small house with a bored Lizard Guard making rounds. Wait for him to appear behind the corner and stun him with the Yellow Ring. Immediately throw a Fireball and sprint back into the central Courtyard. He will follow you. Wait for him with two clean Knives and he’ll be forever freed from boredom.

You better be careful here...

Opposite you’ll find a plant carriage which you’d better pull out. Turn around the block and enter the passage. Past the bridge a carnivorous Orchid is guarding a second carriage of plants. Run towards it and chop it off. Push the carriage between the two bushes and run around and push it all the way back into the alley before the bridge. Pull and push the 3^rd carriage behind the 2^nd and the way is all free. Don’t bother with pushing the 4rth carriage, it’s just for decoration.

Proceed till you notice a lovely summer-house with two stationed Guards. Walk nearby and lure one out to take his Bread and his Gold Coins after you dealt with him. Repeat with the second Guard.

Enter the house and take note of a locked wooden chest next to a table.

Enter the gate to a second central Courtyard (see the map) and talk with Hussain the Gardener. He’ll accept you as an apprentice and your first task is to return with some Pear Pips from the Fruit Garden for his experiments. Notice the Water Can he is pushing forward and remember that for later on when you’ll return here.

Lots of fruits

Save before entering the courtyard with Guards. Once inside act fast and eliminate two of them, e.g. by a Fireball or a Lightning.

Better be quick...

After the Guards are finished go smashing all of the Jars.

I always liked smashing pots

You will find the Parchment of Seeds in one of them explaining of how to prepare the Plant of a Thousand Scents! Since you’re done here go to the Cactus Garden and look for a Bucket.

A bucket? In a cactus garden?

Return to the door, put your Bucket down, open the door,  pick up the Bucket and go all the way to the door to the Fruit Room. Give your Password and repeat the sequence with the Bucket.

I bet it never passed your mind to put down the bucket for a moment

Save first and once inside, put the Bucket down and kill the Monkey on top of the tree or he’ll keep throwing coconuts at you. Then notice an Archer on the tower in front. Aim a Knife at him too, one should be sufficient but you may have to approach a bit, though.

You may also take care of the Guard who won’t attack but he will leave certain goodies behind if you send him to Kingdom Come. It’s up to you.

In the fruit garden

Now solve the Riddle of the 4 Pots on the ropes. This is when the Bucket comes in handy. See that water fountain to your right?

Fill up your Bucket there and throw the water in the Pots one by one. Go from left to right (you’ll have to return to the fountain for each Pot).

A piece of cake with those numbers...

The huge fence will open. Enter the inner section of the Fruit Garden and... Episode 5.

         
Click on the image below to go to Episode 5, The Black Moon Sect