Temple of the Pinnacles

(We see Xena has arrived in the Temple of the Pinnacles. What she sees here is terrible; Kalabrax, along with two priests, is preparing to sacrifice Gabrielle on an altar. Poor Gabrielle can't move because she is shackled by some black vipers, but is struggling to get free. Kalabrax sees Xena.)

Kalabrax: "You're too late, Xena. My powers are complete. All that remains now is the death of you and your friend." (to the priests:) "Destroy her!"

Kalabrax has now assembled the elements of Ultimate Power. Gabrielle is moments away from sacrifice. It's all up to you... Battle on, Xena!

Sketch: This is what it all comes down to! The final level lets you battle two sacrificial priests, Kalabrax in her human form and in her... ahem... true form. You should use all your fighting skills on the priests and the human Kalabrax, but the only way to get rid of the "real" Kalabrax is luring her into charging at you. You must run away at the last moment so that Kalabrax hits the temple pillars instead, crushing them. After doing this a few times, the temple will start to collapse. You must then quickly run to the altar, to Gabrielle, so that you don't flatten to death (like Kalabrax). After that, you've finished the game!

Important note: Do not forget to get both of the scrolls in this level (one on each corner by the altar), or you will not get to see the hidden final FMV-sequence. And that wouldn't be good. Also, unlike in The Challenge, it is best you set the default mode to "Run" now to make your fight with these toughies easier.

Walkthrough: Take a deep breath and run to the two sacrificial priests Kalabrax has ordered to kill you. They are not that hard to tackle, but you must try to separate them from each other and fight one at a time. This can be done by running around a lot and provoking those dumb priests. Make sure you get scroll#1 in the left corner to the altar and scroll#2 on the right. Do not approach the altar to save Gabrielle, tackle Kalabrax or get the Resurrection Jewel. A circle of fire will burn you if you go there. Just focus on the priests. The groin kick ( + ´ ) is always a good move against male opponents, so make use of it. When both priests are dead, prepare for the human form of Kalabrax, coming toward you now. The circle of fire has disappeared now, so while fighting her, you can get the Resurrection Jewel in front of the altar, two health power-ups beside it, and the Golden Shield behind it. But don't use that Shield yet, it's better to save it for the much deadlier form of Kalabrax, later. Oops, am I scaring you? Sorry. Forget about that much deadlier form, just save that Golden Shield.

Use all of your fighting skills on Kalabrax. Don't forget to use the armour key often to protect yourself. The rolling tumble (run +  ) is also a good idea to avoid her. Apart from that, it just depends on which are your favourite moves, how good you are in brutal fighting etc. Kalabrax' human form will disappear after a while...

(Xena already runs over to Gabrielle.)

Gabrielle: "Xena? Xena!"

(A deadly figure, which looks like a crossing between a minotaur and a devil, appears behind Xena.)

Gabrielle: "Look out!"

Oh, you thought Kalabrax, as a human, was ugly? Then what about this form...?

Now, get ready for some serious strategy and ignore the adrenaline running through your veins. The true form of Kalabrax has appeared now. While you're fighting, use the Golden Shield somewhere. Here's the strategy:

Kalabrax is way faster than you are, so the only way to avoid her is to jump sideways, and even this doesn't always work. Hiding behind the altar may help, but the lightning bolt Kalabrax spits at you while you're here is damaging, and anyway, the best way to finish this level is to be quick and do the following while you can

Look at the greenish line along the pillars. Use this line as your guide to run around the temple. The point is to trick Kalabrax into charging at you (like a bull) and move away at the last moment. This will make her crash into the pillars and they will break (about one or two at a time). When ten pillars are broken, the temple won't be able to hold the weight of the roof and it will collapse. You must quickly run to the altar (preferably behind it) to protect yourself from the crash. Kalabrax, of course, is way too "well built" to fit in there so she will get crushed and die. But it isn't as easy as it seems. Make sure the first halve of pillars you let her break are somewhere in the far corner of the temple (away from the altar). Once Kalabrax has smashed some of them, move toward the centre a little. The last two or three pillars should be somewhere close to the altar so you'll have to run a smaller distance. This will save time and the chance of you getting crushed will be smaller too. When you finally succeed, kick back and congratulate yourself! YOU DID IT! Enjoy the final FMV. (* SPOILER ALERT! * Don't read the following if you want to see for yourself what the ending is like.)

(The temple is collapsed, Kalabrax is dead. Xena appears from the rubble.)

Xena (looks around): "Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle: "Xena!"

(The two run into each other's arms. What a pretty sight...)

Gabrielle: "It's about time you got here!"

Xena: "Are you all right?"

Gabrielle: "Oh, I'm fine! Just fine! If you don't count being held captive in this stinking place, listening to that bimbo rant all day about taking over the world! They gave me nothing to eat, nothing to drink, and the smell of those black vipers would make a barbarian sick!"

Xena: "Speaking of food, I'm hungry! Sacred black vipers...I hear these things taste like chicken!" (She grabs one of the vipers and...Eeuwh! Takes a bite out of it!) "Not bad...if you can get around the smell!"

Gabrielle: "Now that's disgusting!"

Congrats! If you would like to, e-mail me with your final rankings. I want to set up a "final stats hierarchy" to find out what rankings are possible. The lowest is probably Warrior.)

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