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>LAST TIME ON DROWNED QUEST REDUX
You're greeted by a crowd of people, headed up by Madrigal, who shoos away onlookers. She congratulates you on your successful Headspace expedition, and explains that Pat and she rounded up everybody they knew to help with all the Headspace aftermath-- namely, finding and explaining what happened to thousands of confused and mostly innocent employees. Seeing that you're in rough shape, though, she leaves you be with Gil.
Gil also congratulates you on the expedition, and the two of you hash out what happened the last time you saw each other: he was (and is) divinely enlightened, and you had enough red stuff in you to kill a horse, and it all reacted badly. You move past that quickly, and Gil also explains what happened with the brainwashing and his mini-siphons: he was only able to put up 7, less than half of what was planned. Also, he managed to steal a walkie-talkie from Casey, which he's happy about.
Gil helps walk you over to Anthea, who congratulates you so hard she nearly faints. Real Ellery, far less pleased to see you, is also there. You finally learn about the backstory of the two: several years into his exile, Anthea found a near-feral Ellery and nursed him back to sanity, which developed into an ethically questionable relationship. Oneitis-poisoned Ellery eventually broke things off, but they remained friends, and, more crucially, Headspace-sabotaging partners-in-crime.
Anthea and Gil get distracted with talk of Anthea's pocket-dimension generator, and Ellery pries you away for a 1:1. He informs you that he's not happy about being alive, but that he'll follow your orders, since clearly he has no choice in the matter. You attempt to explain that you tricked Management into kowtowing to you, but he doesn't buy it: he thinks you're Management's pet project, and that your power is growing exponentially. He makes you promise that you'll mercy-kill him if you ever do become godlike, and he bitterly asks you to "decree" something of him.
You initially refuse, still uncomfortable with his perception of you, then reluctantly "decree" him to go talk to his old friends with camp. Ellery, dissatisfied with this, goads you into looking at yourself in a mirror... which forces you to commune with, and tap into, what might be your future self. Swelled with unknown power, you order a very smug Ellery to go talk to his stupid friends. He agrees. You fall to your knees, drained.
Gil and Anthea rush to help you. Before Ellery leaves, you ask him about Casey, who last you checked was catatonic. Ellery tells you they pulled a "snake-like thing" out of him, and that he's been vacant since, but that you were welcome to take a look.
(1/3?)
