A Void Dance

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A Void Dance is the sequel to Quiet Before the Swarm. It continues where its prequel left off, revolving around the hunt for the escaped void pest. During the search, a dangerous plot by a seemingly unrelated enemy is discovered.

Prison Break
To begin, travel to the Void Knights' Outpost by speaking to the Squire on the Port Sarim pier. Once there, talk to Commodore Tyr. After finishing an argument with Captain Korasi, he tells you that the Void Knights and Temple Knights have made no progress towards catching the escaped pest from the previous quest.

Tyr proposes to send you, Captain Korasi and Jessika to track down the escaped pest. Talk to Captain Korasi, who asks you to meet her at the Port Sarim dock.

Pest-y Business
Make your way to the Port Sarim dock, and speak with Captain Korasi. With no leads on the pest's whereabouts, she asks you to speak to the locals and find out if anyone has seen anything out of the ordinary.

Speak to Captain Tobias nearby, who mentions that he hasn't noticed anything strange, but the fishmonger, Gerrant, claims that something has been damaging his fish barrels lately.

Head over to Gerrant's Fishy Business, just north of the lodestone, and speak with its owner. Gerrant reiterates what Tobias said, although adding that the creature headed out west a couple of days back.

Exit the shop, and a purple track appears, leading from the dock and continuing onwards to the barrels. Follow the track, searching bushes, plants and stones in the shown order, until you find a mound against the north side of The Rusty Anchor pub. Check the mound, then go and inform Captain Korasi of your findings. She will tell you to go talk to the bartender of the Rusty Anchor pub to gain access to his cellar.

If you ask Captain Korasi about the Void Knights' beliefs, she will hand you a Void knight book.

Muscle-work
The bartender is, unfortunately, too sick and has lost the cellar key somewhere in the pub. He mentions looking in one of the junk piles on the floor. Search them until you find the key and proceed to the cellar, via the trapdoor in the north-west corner of the pub.

In the cellar, you are joined by Jessika and Captain Korasi, who asks you both to look around for anything out of the ordinary. Inspect the suspicious-looking wall on the north side and mine it out. A strange purple goo, similar to the one in the trail you just followed, begins to pour out. Jessika tells you she'd like to gather some up for further inspection although she needs a container to collect the goo.

The nearby storeroom houses an empty barrel which you can use, but you must find a way to obtain it through the beer hatch. Once the barrels are in position, kick the empty barrel along the path directed in the picture.

Tips

 * It is possible that in solving this puzzle you will block your exit. If this happens, reset the puzzle and then leave the room; if you already pushed the empty barrel out it will be there already.
 * You can use your Void Knight whistle to undo your last move or reset the puzzle.

The directions and numbers are based on the image above. In the picture, the compass and camera are facing so that north is to the left. For example, pushing barrel #1 to the south would make it closer to barrel #3, while west would make it closer to #7. You can click on the steps to highlight them and keep track.

Getting Hotter...
After Jessika has collected the samples needed, Captain Korasi instructs you to talk to the bartender and explain their business in the cellar. You can choose to be honest or lie, the result will remain the same. Talk to Captain Korasi at the docks, who says that the pest would probably have stowed away again to Musa Point in search of a warmer habitat.

Travel to Karamja and talk to Zambo in the pub about noticing anything odd. He mentions that Kofi, the manager of the general store, recently became ill after he saw a scorpion or 'something'. Go speak to Kofi and he will promise to help you if you can repair his wall.

In the south-west corner of the store, "Take-from" the supply table to get some logs, a plank, a chisel and a hammer. Use the plank and logs on the chisel to get a jointed plank and jointed log. Use the constructed items together to get a joist, which you must place on the north wall to repair it. Talk to Kofi again and he will point you to the pest's trail, similar to the one you saw in Port Sarim.

Waxwood
Search the logs, shrubs, and succulents to follow the trail. (Note: The Shrub before the logs is currently glitched and may receive a message that states nothing could be found.) At the end of the track, you will come across another hidden burrow in the banana plantation.

You are joined by the women who suggest you search the hole for more clues. Investigate the mound to get some wood shards, which Jessika identifies as waxwood. She tells you to meet up with Rommik at his crafting store in Rimmington while they go see the chemist about the goo.

Before travelling to Rimmington, make sure you have at least 16 free inventory spaces and the waxwood shards still in your inventory.

Head over to Rimmington and speak with Rommik about the waxwood. Apparently, he recently delivered a large order of boxes made of the water-proof waxwood to an unknown buyer in Falador. If for some reason you misclick or logout after giving the sample to Rommik, you will have to return to Musa Point where Jessika will give you more.

Gooey Analysis
After learning about the waxwood, go to the chemist's house to the west and speak with Captain Korasi and then with the chemist. He requires you to help him analyse the purple goo with different reagents in his laboratory.


 * On the top-right of the screen is a chart of five recipes, each combining two substances to obtain a third. They are all of the form "A + B = C." The ways in which they can be combined can vary from player to player.
 * On the top-left of the screen is a chart showing the current state of the machine in three specifications: Heat, Power, and Stability.
 * It also shows a "current" ingredient (either A or B) and a "desired" result (C). After short intervals of time, both of these factors change. Refer to the recipes to see what ingredient must be added to the current one in order to obtain the desired result.
 * To perform the analysis, players must add the required ingredient from their inventory into the hopper. While doing this, the machine may become unbalanced with heat and pressure, as indicated by the top-left table.

If all parts of the machine are continually kept in balance and the correct ingredients are added when needed, the machine eventually reaches 100%. If not, the machine explodes (it can explode with 100% showing) and players need to start the analysis again from the beginning.

Predicament
After completing the puzzle, speak to the chemist. He reveals that the goo drains life energy from its surroundings to feed itself. On this news, Jessika offers to teleport you to Sir Tiffy Cashien in Falador Park to discuss the matters with the Temple Knights.

Speak with Sir Tiffy and he will tell you there is a stall-owner, Ali Tist, who has opened up for business south of the eastern bank and is selling mysterious puzzle boxes. Head over to Ali's shop and buy one box off him and return to Sir Tiffy. After you try to open the box, Sir Tiffy, Captain Korasi and Jessika each take a go at it, but fail.

Jessika then suggests some complex ways to open it. It does not matter what you choose, so go ahead with any of them. Captain Korasi will then crack it open with her sword pommel to find more of the goo. Return to Ali and attempt to find out where he got the boxes, but he flatly refuses. Return to Sir Tiffy, who tells you to speak with Sir Amik Varze, the leader of the White Knights. He can be found on the, of the west tower in White Knights' Castle, and he will give you a warrant to search Tist's stall.

Whodunnit?
With the warrant, question Ali until he gives you a mysterious clue scroll, saying that the clue was what led him to the mysterious boxes in a cave. Return to Sir Tiffy to begin the Treasure Trail, with Captain Korasi and Jessika keeping contact via Commorb. If you do not already have a sextant, chart and watch, Sir Tiffy will direct you to the observatory professor, who gives you instructions for retrieving them.

Clue 1
The first clue is a map, the location of which is south of the wheat field, west of Falador, south of Taverley and north of Nora T. Hagg's house. (If you don't have a spade, you can find one in the Estate Agent's house south of the park.)


 * Digging approximately in the area demonstrated by the scroll will provide you with a new scroll.

Clue 2
The clue you receive will read: "South of a city and east of a guild, there wanders a fellow whose path went astray. Hand him an onion and give him a wave, if on track for treasure you're wishing to stay."


 * Go east of the Crafting Guild and find the man wandering with a walking stick around the area. Give him an onion and then select the wave option. You will receive another clue.
 * If you don't already have an onion, you can pick one just southeast of the crafting guild, north of Rimmington.

Clue 3
The third clue reads: "Check a crate in the farmhouse west of the Falador farming patch."


 * Enter the farmhouse south of Falador, and search the crate just beside the lobby entrance to receive another clue.

Clue 4
The new clue reads "Splash of red in a holy bed; lies north of its fountain, east of Ice Mountain. Its three closest neighbours have petals of blue; just dig where it's planted to find your next clue."


 * The location of the clue is the Edgeville Monastery, so make your way there (The Edgeville lodestone is right near it).
 * The flower is in the north east corner of the central fountain area.
 * After digging on the correct red flower, you will receive a coordinate clue.

Clue 5
''This is the time to prepare all your potions, food and armour. There is a safespot available and the knight is very weak to magic, so it is strongly recommended. It is not necessary to bring the final clue scroll or any treasure hunting equipment, but remember to bring the CommOrb.''

Note: With a recent graphical update to the Black Knights' Fortress, the hatch is now south-west of the tower, just before you cross the bridge leading up to the tower.

The coordinate clue reads: "11 degrees, 9 minutes north 17 degrees, 56 minutes east" which is a hatch entrance south of the Black Knights' Fortress. This is different from the Treasure Trail coordinate clues; these coordinates do not require the usual equipment.

Try to enter the hatchway and you will speak with Captain Korasi and Jessika via the CommOrb. They will teleport to you to help you out, where Jessika also speaks with Korasi about joining the Void Knights.

Quick Thinking
The three of you enter the hatchway and appear in a room full of boxes. Captain Korasi will knock out the knight on guard and kill him. Speak with Captain Korasi and she will try to enter the next room, although The black knight doorkeeper will stop her as she does not know the password.

To get a hold of the passcode, Jessika will summon a Void drone, which you have to plant on the low box near the door. Sneak your way over to the low box near the door avoiding contact with the workers walking in and out of the room. Plant the bug and wait for a worker to go through the door.

Pick the Void Drone up and speak with Jessika, who tells you the password. Jessika approaches the door and tells the guard the password but, without an identification insignia, she is not allowed in. Pick-pocket a worker as he is leaving and you will receive the insignia. Knock on the door and speak with the guard. You will say the password and he will ask for your insignia. After trying to trick you with a "secret handshake," you will enter with Captain Korasi and Jessika.

You can kill or bind and gag the guard, then speak with Captain Korasi. Enter the next room and either right click "Murder" on an indentured servant to receive a workshop key or, if you do not wish to murder one of the innocent slaves, search the north-west bench to receive a tool. Use this with the north-east bench to receive a piece of metal. With a few more tools, do the same with the other two benches in the south-east and south-west. Combine the hook and both pieces of metal into a gaff. To the west of the door you will find a key on a shelf. Use the hooked pole on this shelf to obtain the key.

Void vs. Black
Be sure to drain your prayer points before entering the final room.

Use the key on the next door to be faced by a level 77 Black Knight Guardian with 2750 hp, weak to magic, and another level 110 guardian with 1500 hp, weak to melee. Captain Korasi attacks the one on the east and the west knight is all yours. The guardian can hit hard and accurately and has high Defence stats. Should you die, your gravestone will appear upstairs next to the hatch; you will have to start your fight again.

It is recommended to use magic against the Black Knight Guardian, as he is incredibly weak to it and strong against both melee and ranged. At a decent magic level (50+), one can expect to kill him in seconds with basic abilities. Also, if you have completed Desert Treasure, ice spells can be used to stop the Guardian's movements. As he only has a melee range, this makes it possible to take no damage throughout the fight.

''If the player has any prayer points while fighting the knight, he will shout "En garde!", "Your energy will fuel my life!" or "In Zamorak's name!", drain the player's prayer points and heal himself.''

When you finish killing it, speak with the Void leech, which tells you a little about itself. The void pest was caught by the Kinshra to harvest the goo, which they planned to wreak havoc over Falador using Ali Tist's boxes.

You are given the option to set it free or kill it. Either way, Captain Korasi will teleport you and Jessika back to the Void Knights' Outpost. Speak with Commodore Tyr, and after a cut-scene, the quest is complete!

Rewards

 * 1 quest point
 * A Void knight commendation (can be given to a Void Knight for 50 Void Knight commendation points)

Required for completing

 * The Void Stares Back
 * Desert Tasks:
 * Elite: "Sun Shade" (The boss needs to be killed in a special match in the dominion tower)

Music unlocked

 * All for the Pest
 * Chain Reaction
 * Out of Control

Cultural references

 * When telling the barman a comforting lie, the conversation about a gas leak caused by light from a distant planet reflecting through a weather balloon is a reference to .
 * When the player tries to open the puzzle box given by Ali Tist, the player says "What is this? I don't even..." which is a popular . Also, an option to open the box is "burn with fire", which is another reference to an internet meme.
 * When the player is unimpressed by the puzzle box given by Ali Tist, Tist replies "Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance...", which is a reference to the movie.

Trivia

 * "A Void Dance" is a play on the word "avoidance".
 * On the day of release, the spoilers on the website read: Was writing rewards. Had no energy. Will do later. Check back tomorrow. This is a reference to the illness that the void leech causes.

A Void Dance A Void Dance