SD:Ultima IX Ascension

Ultima IX Ascension

Upon escaping the exile on Morgaelin, the hero of Britannia glimpsed through the Halls of Time. Stepping through for a moment, a vision assails the eyes. A craggy mountain-scape scars the pristine skin of a serene ocean. From the crest of one peak, the hero surveys a lost realm. The eyes stray trying to find a point of familiarity. Then the familiar appears, and it is a horror!

The face of the Guardian hewn into the rock!

Vertigo ... a stumble ... collision with the earth. But not the peak we stood on a moment ago.

Green grass, fragrant and growing. Not since the Serpent Isle have lungs breathed this scent. It is the park, near home on earth. A sense of loss grips the hero's body and mind. Were we not right there in that place where, no doubt, the Guardian awaited justice seemingly secure in his fortress. Certainty gripped the heart, the air, the land the sky of that place, it was Britannia. But the usurper was there, and gaining power. He was operating behind the scenes again. Spreading his power to destroy all good in that land.

Then a serenity washed over and through their body. Words floated into awareness. "Rest and recover. Build your strength and gird yourself. The Evil does not yet hold sway. Soon, you will be ready, and I will call." So the hero waited, training and waiting that call promised them. It seemed familiar but hard to place.

When the call came Hawkwind made his presence clear. The gypsy had pulled her wagon into the nearby park just last night. So this was the final piece. The Avatar made ready for the final press.

And disappearing into the moongate, the hero was never seen again in this world.

The end could have come in a number of ways. Earlier or later, in a different form or package. As it was it was not a bad attempt, though rushed to finality with little care. So reality murdered the golden autumn of the series. But again, I think it a beautiful look, the music fitting. The writing adequate though showing the rewrites. Voice acting was everywhere, wrong to good, lacking to appropriate. Though you could fall out of the world literally to the desktop or through some whole in the ground, finding vistas and little picturesque spots was quite worthwhile. Exploration was one of the things making the smaller feeling world 'bigger' by comparison to the Ultima 7's and the tiled adventures.

E-Mail: Silver Dragon