The Lost Arkalochori Axe was a virtual representation of one of Kassandra's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description
In Heraklion, Kassandra was begged by a priestess to retrieve a ceremonial axe to appease Poseidon and a mysterious man known only as Swordfish.
Dialogue
Kassandra approached a priestess at the Temple of Poseidon.
- Priestess: Thank the gods! Misthios, I need your help.
- Kassandra: What's the problem?
- Priestess: We've been ravaged by storms and rough seas! Poseidon is angry.
- Kassandra: Have you tried making an offering?
- Priestess: A simple offering isn't enough to appease him! We need to perform a ritual... but we can't do it without our ceremonial axe.
- Kassandra: Sounds like you need to find that axe for Poseidon.
- Priestess: I do, but not for Poseidon—for Swordfish.
- Kassandra: There are hundreds of axes around—just use another.
- Priestess: But the Arkalochori Axe was crafted for this very purpose!
- Kassandra: To appease the gods?
- Priestess: The gods? Swordfish would have me fed to the sharks before Poseidon could punish me.
- Kassandra: Swordfish? Who's that?
- Kassandra: Swordfish... tell me more about him.
- Kassandra: You won't be seeing Swordfish for a while.
- Priestess: It's true, no one has seen him for ages. He lives in the shadows—all around us.
- Kassandra: Whatever you say, priestess.
- Kassandra: This? You call this an axe? It could barely shave a man's beard.
- Priestess: The Arkalochori Axe! Thank the gods. Swordfish will be pleased. Let me look more closely...
- Kassandra: Not so fast.
- Priestess: What do you want, misthios?
- Kassandra: What I'm owed.
- Kassandra: The axe was yours to begin with. Take it.
- Priestess: You had me worried, misthios. Thank you, I owe you my life.
- Kassandra: I'll do what I want with it. It's mine now.
- Priestess: You'd let someone die for your greed? Watch yourself, maláka, your head looks like it would fetch a pretty price.
Regardless, the priestess explained Swordfish's role in the ritual.
- Priestess: He's the one who ordered us to conduct this ritual every month. He runs the fish market—
I can't say any more. No one talks about Swordfish and gets away with it, misthios. - Kassandra: What if I insist?
- Priestess: Then I insist you retrieve the axe for me.
- Kassandra: You insist?
- Priestess: N-no! "Politely request." And of course there'll be plenty of drachmae for your help, misthios.
(Accept – "I'll do it.")
- Kassandra: Do you know where the axe is?
- Priestess: Bandits took it!
There's a cave east of town. If you follow the path along the shoreline, I'm sure you'll find them. - Kassandra: I'll go take a look.
- Priestess: ...And don't swing it around! It's a delicate, ceremonial axe!
Kassandra took her leave and traveled east. She found the Arkalochori Cave with the help of Ikaros.
- Kassandra: Here we are.
She infiltrated the cave, dealt with the bandits, and recovered the axe from the back of the cave.
- Kassandra: This must be the axe... Doesn't look like it could cut anything.
Kassandra left the cave with the axe in hand and returned to the priestess.
- Priestess: Need something else to find that axe, misthios?
- Kassandra: Who is this Swordfish you want to impress?
- Priestess: He'll kill me if I tell you.
- Kassandra: And I'll kill you if you don't.
- Priestess: Swordfish has always run the fish market with an iron fist—charges the fishermen fees. If they don't pay up... the sharks eat well.
- Kassandra: Point me in Swordfish's direction.
- Priestess: I don't know where he is. No one's seen him for years, misthios. Some think he's dead. Just last week, some fishermen boldly said we should no longer pay fees to a dead man... Guess who's dead now?
- Kassandra: I'll take my chances. Where is he?
- Priestess: He used to live at Fisherman's Beacon to the north—you could try your luck there.
- Kassandra: Remind me where Swordfish is.
- Priestess: Try your luck at Fisherman's Beacon to the north—he used to live there.
- Kassandra: Chaire.
- Kassandra: This axe would fetch a good price at the agora.
- Priestess: No! You can't sell it. Give it back—I'll pay you. Take all the drachmae I have.
- Kassandra: The axe was yours to begin with. Take it.
- Priestess: You had me worried, misthios. Thank you, I owe you my life.
- Kassandra: I'll do what I want with it. It's mine now.
- Priestess: You'd let someone die for your greed? Watch yourself, maláka, your head looks like it would fetch a pretty price.
- Kassandra: Why do you fear Swordfish?
- Priestess: Everyone does, misthios. He's not to be trifled with. Once, he took a man's nose off for sneezing in his presence.
- Kassandra: Quite the reputation...
- Kassandra: Chaire.
- Kassandra: This axe would fetch a good price at the agora.
- Priestess: No! You can't sell it. Give it back—I'll pay you. Take all the drachmae I have.
- Kassandra: The axe was yours to begin with. Take it.
- Priestess: You had me worried, misthios. Thank you, I owe you my life.
- Kassandra: I'll do what I want with it. It's mine now.
- Priestess: You'd let someone die for your greed? Watch yourself, maláka, your head looks like it would fetch a pretty price.
Outcome
Kassandra retrieved the ceremonial axe.
Trivia
- Should the player retrieve the axe before talking to the Priestess, there will be no dialogue to find Swordfish.
- Should the player retrieve the axe after talking to the Priestess, there will be dialogue pointing to where Swordfish lives, so long as Blood in the Water is active and the player has not already dove into his sanctuary below the lighthouse.
- Whether or not the player gets the dialogue to find Swordfish, the "investigation" bar for 'Blood in the Water' will automatically fill one-third of the way upon completion of this quest. Completing the investigation is not required to find Swordfish; he is automatically loaded into the world upon completion of Myths and Minotaurs, and 'Blood in the Water' automatically updates upon entering his sanctuary below the lighthouse.
- The memory also serves as a support quest for the Of Minotaurs and Men memory.
- Regardless of whether the axe is kept, the Ceremonial Axe from a chest in the cave can be equipped as a Rare Heavy Bladed weapon.