บท 22: First Quest: Dishonored Rats II
It was before the sun turns orange in the skyline we were heading to the village. After the investigation in the mansion, we set for the forest nearby to gather some ingredients and herb.
"What do you need these for?" Asked the goddess beside me as we each carrying a basket in one hand.
"This flower could turn into a nice healing potion, while the mushroom will be a paralyzing poison," I explained her, although it's only one of the few we've gathered.
"I'm not asking that. What are you planning?"
"Oh? Just wait and see."
I teased her with a half-smirk, although it can't be seen due to my helmet.
"Fine," The goddess only pouted her mouth at my remark.
The village was located in flatland, a river running through the pasture and field to the west, and abundant games and minerals could be found in the forest. It was an ideal place to grow crops or raising an animal. Wheatfield rolling out as far as eyes can see, and a few livestock could be seen pasturing amongst the green field not impended but only with a wooden fence that bars their world.
The village created an amicable atmosphere as pleasant wind gushing forth in a soft breeze. The population could be said as thriving with the village being unanimously decided as a cross-road to the eastern and northern land also one of the Gateway to Orario.
Though from what I heard, the village is pretty much independent without any sort of jurisdiction other than a few sentries and local chiefs of the village.
As we entered the entrance, a voice called out to us.
"Lawrence, how is it?"
I asked him about his business in the village, from what he told me he currently trying to make a deal with the local population to send him a few stocks of meats for the festival he mentioned.
"Ah, it was smoother than I expected." He smiled as indicating his elated mood, "I think we should stay in the village this night, I heard there's a rumor of bandit in the cliff we about to cross tomorrow. How about the quest of yours?"
I shook my head, "It was much worse than we thought, the vermin made a few nests and there are literally hundreds of them converging in the mansion."
The merchant grimaced at my explanation. I chuckled lightheartedly instead.
"No need to worries, M'aiq will solve the infestation tomorrow morning."
He nodded at that.
"Well that's good news indeed, and I've heard few rumors from the villagers, of bandits in the crescent cliff we about to pass once we get off from the woods."
Bandits huh, as expected the journey won't be smooth, though this is within my expectation. It will be a good occasion to settle my gut and aversion to killing a human being if it comes to that. As much as it pains me, I'm not one of them anymore. A rift will be created once they know what kind of being behind this metal.
I only nodded at him, as he went ahead first to the tavern we're staying.
"My goddess, can you go ahead first and place the basket in our room?" I handed her the basket in my hand. Ereshkigal took it with ease, despite the obvious weight in each basket and went off to the tavern.
Now, I craned my head to the entirety of the village, as scanning something.
The Ignis rats are nocturnal or so I concurred. It's greatly worried me if they will attack the village once night comes. I decided to graft a few stones with [Alarm] just outside the village as a warning beacon if intruder or monster entering the perimeter. It will act as a sort of field.
Though obviously, I won't act as fast once the alarm is triggered. If the Ignis rats attacked, they will attack in a swarm. Using destruction magic is a no-no or there will be collateral damage. And to be honest, I want to limit the usage of flashy spell-like [artificial sun] and keep it close unless there's no other choice.
I perused my lips thinking a better design to buy me time if the rat attacks.
Wait.
What if I used illusion-based magic instead?
Hmm, but my illusion repertoire is not exactly expansive other than few invisible and phantom variant spells. Would [Lose hope] be sufficient? Then again, it's only a single target spell, not the kind that affects the whole field.
Maybe I could tweak it a little bit so it can affect opponents within the are once the alarm triggered. This is more difficult than I thought as I tried to infuse and enchant a few stones with [lose hope] then it crumbled splendidly into dust on my hand.
I guess rock won't cut it for a master-level spell.
I discretely open the planar gate in my pocket and pull out a single empty petty soul gem. Don't call me petty, this is just an experiment.
I do the same thing as the stone before, again the gem crumbled to dust. The common variant is also crumbling.
I'm a hoarder by nature, I don't want something as precious as greater or grand soul gem to be wasted for a mere experiment. Not when I don't know how to replenish the number.
Releasing a sigh, I pull out another stone. The shape was jagged but the color almost the exact same as soul gem. It was the quartz I managed to chip from the monster pantry.
It should have a magic storing ability if the energy pantry radiated is any indication.
I do the same as previous crumbling stone and gem. Okay, my heart began to beat faster once I infuse the spell. The quartz started to shine in a yellow luster before the light dissipates again as it was before.
This is a step.
This is a step.
I tried to convince myself.
Okay, that's definitely an improvement but I just need to know how to lock the spell and trigger the spell, not to mention route it to the [Alarm] stone I infused before.
So, it began my 20-minutes struggling to hold a piece of rock in the middle of nowhere, like some lunatic trying to crack the rock with only a glare.
I will spare you the detail, but I managed somehow to make it work by analyzing the infused quartz with [Insight] and a few underlying theories I manage to scrap from my memories.
Then after that, I traveled to a few vital corners of the village placing the [Alarm] stone and [Divine Wind] quartz and camouflage it with nearby foliage. It tickled my mind when I name the tweaked [lost hope].
I walked back to the tavern, eager to create the ideas I had in my mind to exterminate those bastards.
I never realized this, but it seems my figure draws a quiet whisper and murmur amongst the villager. A man clads in heavy armor from head to toe, inscription lining up his waist. Maybe the unfamiliar sight of an adventurer without a flexible and light armor that makes me the subject of their whispering.
I never noticed such trivial things, as it is shamed me to admit, but sometimes my thought only strayed to the death goddess.
Nevertheless, I pay no heed of their murmur. Shaking my head as I pushed the tavern door open.
I saw Lawrence talking to the owner of the place as a tankard he held above the counter table. I set ahead to the stairs in left leading to our room.
By Meridia light-censored tits! Two heavenly mounds were left for me to see when I opened the door. It could perfectly fit in my hand, in a flash, my imagination raked up into everywhere then into a jumbled perverse mess.
I have a fair share of women in my life before, mostly prostitutes and gravure models, but I never saw such a perfect and impeccable shape. Not to mention the bright and healthy cherry color of the small bud in the peak. Like it was asking to be picked on and tasted.
That was the sum of my awry goes mind in three seconds before the awkward atmosphere comes and seeped through my mind.
The face of the goddess literally flushing out like a steam train in maximum speed before crashing, as her mouth following her fist clenched and into a fist.
"Dro'zah!!"
I backed away, laughing sheepishly as I rubbed the back of my helmet but a mass placed its weight into my abdomen before sending me splattered on the wall.
For Ysmir beard, how much power this goddess actually sealing. That's illegal. I winced on pain as I rubbed the abdomen which covered by plate armor.
The goddess shrieked something before slamming the door in front of me.
Whew, there's goes my chance.
After a few minor scuffles with the goddess. Involving me sitting on the floor repenting despite it will be her fault if some stranger barge in instead. Ah, woman wherever the world, be it mortal or divine, is the same.
Though the goddess still somewhat half-mad and half-ashamed as I look at her pink complexion on her cheek.
The clock was ticking to 7 when I was done teaching the goddess using the portable alembics to brew a potion. We're using the ingredients we forage from the forest earlier.
The goddess was a bit repulsed when I told her to eat the ingredients to know the effect it will have once we combined it with other ingredients to make a potion.
In the end, I forced her to eat one of the flowers to be safe. I asked her if she have any differences after consuming it, only to sense a few tingles see never felt before.
I guess that's how real-life work, there will be no notification or magical words and panel showing up how the effect will be other than a lifetime work and dedication. Though I could tell the effect just fine when I consumed it.
In the end, we skipped the tasting parts and brewing the ingredients. As expected of a goddess who always holing up in her realm, she's a fast learner.
She managed to create a few healing potions in varying degrees of quality, it's not enough for me obviously so I decided to sell it to Lawrence or villagers tomorrow.
"Sigh, I'm starting to ask of your sanity when you told me you have eaten a giant toe just to verify the effect."
I shrugged at her, and inwardly cringed despite I did it in the game, I can recall the horrible stench and taste of the meat parts. Sometimes having the old memory is suck, as I also inherit some traumatic parts like the feeling when roasted in dragon's breath or the slice of a blade.
"Beats me, but don't you expect a gourmet taste out of it."
"Ew, I won't even imagine." She expressed in disgust. "Then you wasted these herbs and ingredients to make a potion, I thought you were planning to spread poison instead."
"That's only for your practice. Dro'zah decided to experiment with something else."
Her eyes rolled out at my remark of the experiment, having known me as a research nut that will analyze every single thing, moving or not, that piqued my interest. Sorry that I'm not the kind of person who is interested to hump everything that moves.
"Come here." I motioned to the goddess who sat on the bed, "Draw a pentagram as Dro'zah told you before."
She didn't ask why, as she snatched the chalk off my gauntlet and started to draw a circle.
"It will stain the floors, are you sure?"
I chalk it off with a wave from my hand, "it's fine, at best it can be cleaned using magic."
As she draws the line, I further refined the circle with Daedric inscription and runes and placing a sigil stone in the middle of the circle outline.
"What do you want to do?" Her eyes focused toward the circle.
"Watch."
I placed a common gem on the middle, and summoning a bucket from the planar gate, filling it with water and place it beside the circles. I also place a few ingredients that give fire and explosion resistance beside the gem.
Experimenting with the quartz and connecting it with the infused stone gave me a few insights. I'm sure I won't have the confidence to make it in the first few tries if not for that.
I focused my mind, as my hand hovered above the circle. Then it began to glow in red, as the gem along with the ingredients mixed with the water in a bucket and floating just below my palm.
It creates a few gusts of wind which I thankful for the helmet, but the goddess had none, so she had to shield her face with her hand instead.
The crystal water started to become muddy, then it turned into a bloody red of mixture, as a dim glow of soul gem hidden by the murky water acting in the middle as a core.
Then it plopped back to the wooden floor with the sound of something sticky.
Smush!
"W-what is that!? Dro'zah don't you joking on me."
I chuckled at the results, "Relax it won't harm anyone unless its master tells them otherwise. Right?"
I lowered my body, touching the gloopy mass of water that held together with the soul gem, as it responded by extending a small tendril to my hand.
"What a cute little creature, right?"
I glanced back at the goddess who backed away from her original position. She meekly approached it and extending her hand as I did.
The slob of water that like it was condensed, only stood in motion waiting for the gentle touch of the goddess. Her hand at first only sending a touch of the finger, but soon found the cold surface of the creature to be comfortable as her palm was spreading on the surface.
"Waah, what is this Dro'zah?" She beamed happily as she keeps stroking the little creature, and sometimes stretching the gooey surface.
The creature was never existed or mentioned in the original game, other than a few alchemist ingredients with the same name, "Slime, it's a slime."
One of the most basic monsters in RPG or the most advanced one depending on the works.
I intend to create something that can withstand the explosion of the Ignis rats. Obviously, metal won't do the job as they can't be created so willingly in a single night. That's where the idea of slime comes in.
Using the soul gem as a tether of the glob mass of the water, and the explosion and fire resistance I gave with the alchemy ingredients I gave before, I could manage to create a living creature using the soul inside the gem.
Technically, I just give the soul gem a body to work on, not outrightly creating it like miracles. I also tweaked some of the resistance effects and change it instead of absorption. Instead of repelling the fire and explosion it will absorb it instead. Or so I wanted to do, but it's not tested yet. It also could digest anything inside its belly like any slime in fantasy games.
[Flame] I ushered a small torrent of flame towards the slime, much to Goddess horror as she gawked at the sight.
Splendid, it did absorb the flame but I noticed some of the water started to seep out as times goes on. Maybe the absorption capacity is not that high, I noticed that even my basic magic could cause devastating damage with how high my skill and affinity are.
Nevertheless, it could withstand my [Flame] for 10 seconds longer. I decided to make a few more slimes and storing it to the planar gate.
The goddess protested to me, saying she wanted one to cuddle for her.
"Sigh, He will make you one once we finished this journey."
"Promise?" She said in a childish tone. A side of her I just saw.
"Promise." Though I could choke in my own blood at the adorable sight, my willpower managed to hold it back.
After that, we went to sleep, but I sneaked my way once I saw her lulling in deep sleep. Donning my armor again, I went outside and was greeted with the cold wind of the night.
The road was deserted, no honest folk would act in this kind of hour. I can see some lantern was lighted up as sentries were placed to patrol the road in case of a thief or another rats attack. I also recognized this morning that some of the houses here were destroyed in half, presumably by the rats.
Sigh, this time they don't carry disease but explosive instead.
I don't know why, but I've been restless since this evening. What if I was late to aid the villager if the rats attacking? What would I have done if that's the case? I know I'm just dramatizing, but this is the contract I have taken with the village to exterminate these bastards.
What kind of person if he can't hold the trust and life of the other person? That's how I've been living, after disappointing my parents trust so immensely. Was the price worth it? Someone ever asked me about my experiences but I never told them, I just wish I had done so earlier.
In the end, I swept such thought, as I walk the path from the village leading to the mansion. Just in the side of the wheat field, there's a lone tree surrounded by the grass that swept by the night breeze.
I sat under the roof of the tree, setting my sword to the side, and leaned my body to the trunks.
It was supposed to be pitch black if not for my natural night-vision, and I found the night was calming.
I almost lulled to sleep a moment later if not for the dim light of a lantern from the village that caught my notice.
"Dro'zah is that you?" She asked me, like a child trying to search her mommies in the middle of the night because of bad dreams and monsters under the bed. Her eyes-lid still only opened halfway.
I sighed at her, wondering how did she manage to find me. I pulled her hands and to my embrace as we sat beneath the night sky.
"Warm." She chuckled lightly before her head craned above. She tried to pry open my helmet, "Mou! Open your helmet, it's in the way!"
I relented at her request, and set-off a few straps that held my helmet together and place it to the ground.
"That's better." She smiled, before settling her position in front of me.
We only sat in silence, but the goddess broke it a few moments away.
"Your face, why hide it?"
"You know the consequences." I left the word hanging. It would be a clusterfuck of a problem after problem. If I show my face it would not only endanger my very being, I nuzzled at her hair, but also to those dear to me.
Sure, I, maybe could hold every attempt to kill and decimate any foes if the power-level is the one I saw throughout my life in this world, but it's more pain than its worth.
"I know it," She pouted, "But don't you think it would be better… if we move somewhere far away."
She smiled at the image, "It would be nice, if we have a farmhouse, and spending our time together peacefully."
"Dro'zah have to say sorry. You know he had things to achieve in the dungeon."
It's just parts of me being selfish. This is a world everyone would hope for a second chance, almost everything is still unmapped and unknown. Like a whole new pristine sheet of a map that is waiting to be written.
Instead of my expectation where she pouted, instead, she smiled weakly at me.
"That's so like you. I should have expected that answer." She said in a low voice, but there's no disappointment apparent. "Nevertheless, I'm but your partner, I'll accompany you to the end of the everlasting road we walked on."
I warmed at her lines, what have I done to deserve such a blessing.
As such we lulled to sleep by the lullaby of the swinging grasses that carried on by the wind.
Although, just although. It's not very long after that, my ears picked sounds, a plentitude of sounds rumbling on the ground.
I immediately woke up the goddess, and soon after that, the [Alarm] was blaring in my head, as the whimper of the little critters followed soon.
It's the Ignis rats I noticed, the flaming fur at the back of their shoulder is a sure sign of them. I can saw hundreds of dots of lights swarming en masse to the direction of the village. But a few dozens started to wither one by one as it exploded or die abruptly, causing collateral damage for the swarm of the tiny monsters.
Looks like [Divine Wind] Quartz is working against these vermin.
"Goddess, go tell the villagers of the rat's attack and evacuate to the nearest open field." I opened the planar gate.
"Fou!"
"Fou accompany the goddess and protect everyone, okay?"
"Fou! Fou!" The white critter eagerly nodded as it jumped to her shoulder. The goddess nodded at me before running to the villages.
Shit. I should have warned and advised the villagers early on, that way we can develop some counter-measure together.
Now, I left to deal with this alone. Which surprisingly works in my favor.
[One Ring]
10 shields to deflect every damage.
[Planar Gate]
6 Massive goo of red was encircling me before I told them to charge forward while the other half stood protectively near the village.
[Electro sphere]
One death balls of condensed electricity floating lazily to the open field striking each opponent passing by with ease before it could even react, the death is certain.
The slime was doing its job wonderfully. The rats, expecting for its foe to blow up to pieces like any others only found themselves to be digested inside the slime body.
I continuously spawned [Electro sphere] towards each seamlessly endless wave of rats. Some of the slime in the corner of my peripheral started to burst due to excessive damage it has absorbed.
[Raise wall]
I picked the hole the destroyed slime left by manifesting walls around the perimeter of the village. The wall is near indestructible, by the time the 10 seconds duration left the [Auto-cast] help me to cast [Raise wall] continuously. The rats could only charge in dismay as the wall that was almost crumble started to spawn again.
Then again, I also continuously spawn [Electro sphere] towards every direction the rats targeted to.
It was before 20 minutes later, that the field is gauged by various degrees of craters. It seems the rest of the vermin is not as stupid as their counterpart who is controlled by the dungeon and decided to retreat.
It can't be helped. At least I tried to minimize the collateral damage, half acres of the wheat field is destroyed but it left the village intact and unharmed.
The slimes that survive the onslaught as a literal meat shield can be counted up to 4. 2 perished into a mess of thick glob on the ground, and the soul gem was to be found disintegrated.
Using [Detect Life] to check the remaining or hidden and surviving rats, I managed to gather a few dying specimens and intact bodies that have been singed with my [Electro sphere] and storing them to the [Planar Gate].
Hopefully, it will be much easier to cull them this morning with the majority of their numbers killed.
Cleaning the battlefield, and restoring anything I can fix, I set to the village to tell them that the rats have been repelled.
Looks like they're very grateful despite me mentioning it that some of the fields are destroyed. I also was thanked by an old woman after hearing her story that her daughter was killed by the rats.
To be honest, the feeling when you've done something good is exhilarating. It was nice to be praised once a while of your effort.
Though I tell them to go their house again, as there are no rats will be attacking again this day, and reassure them that I will exterminate them once and for all.
After rendezvousing with the goddess, and Fou, we walked back to the tavern. Having a few hours left before morning, I rest my head for a while.
"Hopefully this will work."
"Don't worry the slime will be doing their job just fine."
I placate the worried goddess as we standing again in front of the mansion.
Opening the door, I open the [Planar Gate] and let the slime roamed the building. Then I throw the flask of gas in my hand. That will arouse the rats to attack.
True to my words, some of the explosion could be heard inside the building. We were waiting anxiously, but after a few minutes, the explosion can't be heard no more.
By absorbing the explosion, it should prevent everything nearby to be caught in the middle of the explosion. But last night, was since I also use other methods than the slimes, therefore I was not fast enough to prevent the dying rats from exploding.
Entering the building we entered with a sight that the slimes have enlarged somewhat from the previous size. Technically, they absorb the energy generated from the explosion and perhaps, it will be tied to their growth.
A few furs laying around on the floor, and we can see dozens of rat bodies were being digested inside the slime stomach. Deciding to let them enjoy their meals, we set to the basement where I saw, using [detect dead], a death aura.
Descending down with the creaking stairs, the room was pitch black before I cast a few [Mage Light] that hovered to the corner I pointed.
All in all, it was an utter mess of animal droppings and a clusterfuck of stench as a skeleton lying beneath a thick pool of rat feces.
I scoop a few samples of the feces and store it to the [Planar Gate]
"What?" Craning my head, I asked the goddess, who was stared at me strangely.
"No, it's nothing." She shook her head.
Whatever that is.
[Detect life]
A few signatures of blue were placed on my peripheral, it was smaller than the rats.
The goddess decided to stay in the safe realm of the wooden stairs, as I brave forward. Avoiding the dropping as best as I can, I approached the haystack at the corner.
When I poke it with a broom placed nearby, it earns a few cries from within the haystack.
This must be the nest, it looks like the Ignis rats were entirely wiped out if there's no single monster that guards the nest.
Sorry, nothing personal.
[Freeze]
A gust of cold wind was quickly earning painful cries behind the haystack. After I have done, I set it aflame with [Flame] before extinguished the remains with [Freeze].
Deciding to check if there's any remaining survivor or nest I concentrated and use [Detect life] but there's no nearby living aura near or inside the mansion.
I guess my job is done.
I take a look at the poor sod who buried away in the chunk of shit, I take pity at his remains and bury it behind the mansion.
I'll let the villagers decide what will become the mansion and the content inside since there's no noteworthy loot when we checked every cranny and nook of the mansion other than a dusted journal of the owner of the mansion.
It seems it was true that he tamed a few monsters such as the kobold back then, and also the rats. And he also experimented on the rats, having a topic of monster breeding, but it soon backfired as the overwhelming numbers of the rat killed him in his own research.
The note of his research is also left in ruined amongst the pile of shit. A pity, really, of how he managed to breed a large number of rats.
But the journal should prove enough evidence to the villager to complete the quest.
And with that, we get back to the village where Lawrence has awaited us, and we cashed in the quest paper.
We also tried to sell the last night potion, before setting off to the forest then to the cliff.
"You seem to be happy about something, Lawrence."
I remarked at the silver-haired merchant, as he reigned the carriage.
"Well what can I say, but I managed a few good deals with the villager before we traveled off."
I chuckled at him, the implication he managed to snag a deal at the cheering people who is happy that they're freed from the vermin. "Sometimes M'aiq forgot that you were actually a merchant."
"I would take that as a compliment. Never still, elated people are the nicest one to bargain too."
And with that our journey begins anew again, soon.
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Abbeysensei
Abbeysensei Sorry for the late updates.
I just noticed that no one seems to guess, or just keep it to themselves, that Lawrence is not OC. I guess the silver-hair, carriages, and merchant words weren't a good enough giveaway.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Further suggestion, comment, and review are welcomed!
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