line, a party allied with the Queen is forced to fight the King, and on the more difficult game settings, his lover Rebecca. As vampires, the two of them may only be damaged by holy stakes of wood and holy water. After his death, the spirit of the King relates his struggle, and then disappears. After the King is dead, either by his own hand or by the party's, the chamber of the Cosmic Forge is finally revealed before them. If the party decides to secure it, a voice says, "I'll take that!" (this is the voice of Aletheides, a cyborg who returns in Wizardry VII and 8). At this point, a screen appears to tell the player to save a savegame for use in the sequel, and is then transported back to the forest outside the prison so the party can continue to train for the sequel, or just adventure. If the party does not take the pen when prompted, they continue on through another door to meet Bela, and the final story branch occurs here. If the party did not believe the Queen and did not kill the King and Rebecca, Bela is elated at having new company. Together, if the player so wishes, the dragon and the party enter the mouth of a spaceship and take off for the stars to chase Aletheides. On the other hand, a party that believed the Queen is forced into combat with a vengeful Bela. After killing him, they may enter the mouth of the spaceship on their own, and blast off into the stars by themselves. A shipbound party that goes with Bela meets the Umpani in the next game, while a shipbound party that goes without him will end up captives, and unwilling servants, of the Dark Savant and the T'Rang. The origins of the spaceship are explained by Bela during the story path where the party befriends him. He apparently made it through instruction gained from an interstellar communication device from the Umpani, a race prominently featured in Wizardry VII and 8. He also says that it is powered by the remains of the dinosaurs in the forest, i.e. oil/gasoline. Also, if the party refuses Bela's offer to travel the stars, he offers them the key to the castle so that the party may return to the entrance where the game began. He then asks them to turn