I have the feeling the next chapter is going to be insanely long... I may also toss some of my rejected ideas into another story on the side to burn through it and come up with something.
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Garnet had successfully provoked King Arnold. As she walked through Antium to the marketplace, she saw several posters asking for the aid of powerful members of the Guild in order to hunt a strong humanoid demon clad in black scales. There was no requirement. The reward, 100 gold coins for the person who brought the head of the demon. In other words, King Arnold wanted to kill Garnet. King Arnold was drifting away from trying to bring order and stability to Antium. He was now just aiming for vengeance.
Quest Update: Disturb the Peace (II)
Help Clark show the truth behind what Baron Gray is doing
Reward: Experience
"Nice job by the way," said Zedd.
"I followed your advice and tried to speak like someone who was threatening," said Garnet.
"You didn't use enough bad one liners," said Zedd. "But that's fine."
"Why does King Arnold want to kill me now?" asked Garnet.
"He showed weakness," said Zedd. "In order to silence his doubters and solidify his position, he is going to try to kill you and show proof in front of everyone as his power."
Garnet headed over to the Chamber of Commerce to try to talk to Clark. However, upon her arrival, the entire place was occupied by numerous soldiers. More than most of the other places. They were occupying it for some reason. The market itself was empty.
"Over here," whispered someone. Garnet turned around and saw that it was Clark, who was in a green cloak that resembled the people that worked for King Arnold.
"How did you recognize me?" asked Garnet.
"You look a little younger, but more or less the same," said Clark.
"What happened?" asked Garnet.
"They took over the entire marketplace to control the supply," said Clark. "Most of the is going to feed and supply King Arnold's army."
"How can they even do that?" asked Garnet.
"Baron Gray has my family and the family members of some of the merchants as prisoners," said Clark. "If we don't do what they say, Baron Gray will kill our families."
"Do you know where they are being kept?" asked Garnet.
"No," said Clark.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Garnet.
"Take this," said Clark. He handed Garnet a box camera. It looked like a box, but you could use it to take pictures through the film in the box and the camera on the outside. "Use it to find proof."
"Proof of what?" asked Garnet.
"Proof that King Arnold is taking innocent people hostage," said Clark. "If you can show that Baron Gray is kidnapping people, then you might be able to help turn the people against the King even more."
New Quest: Bring Proof to Clark
Baron Gray is kidnapping the families of important people in Antium, find out where they are being kept and report to Clark.
Reward: Experience
Another quest, another problem. Quests were coming in larger and larger numbers. King Arnold could not earn cooperation, so he had to force it. "Do you have anything that belongs to one of your family members?' asked Garnet. "I might be able to find them if you do."
"What are you a dog?" asked Clark.
"No, but I have a friend who has one," said Garnet.
"Alright, come with me," said Clark.
Clark brought Garnet to his house. It was very small compared to Zedd's Workshop, but for a family of four or give, it was pretty good. "Wait here," said Clark as he went into the back room.
Garnet looked around and saw that there were lots of boxes. The furniture in the house was pretty good, proof of his wealth. It was almost like he was on the way to becoming wealthy in Antium, which was a hard task. On a shelf was a single gold coin in a small glass box. "Thank you, Garnet," was written on a plaque just under the box.
"Here it is," said Clark. He brought out a grey shirt. "It belonged to my brother."
"Alright," said Garnet as she tucked it along with the camera into one of her rings. "I'm going to see what I can find."
"Thank you," said Clark. "If they're not okay, that's fine too. It's better than not knowing how they are at all."
Garnet headed back to Zedd's Workshop and Teleported out into the woods. "Call: Skeletal Hounds!" Garnet took the clothes that Clark gave to her. "Find this person," she ordered.
The Skeletal Hounds sniffed the clothes for a while before they all ran in a single direction. As Garnet followed them, she recognized the area. It was where she found the undead in the cave. The hounds all slowed down and began to sniff around the entrance of the cave before proceeding inside. Garnet followed them.
The cave was dark, but she could see inside of it. The problem was going to be finding proof of it. If anyone else was in here, they would have to use light to see. As Garnet headed to the back, she could hear voices. "Shh," she hushed the hounds, signaling them to stay quiet. They immediately stopped moving.
Garnet moved closer and looked around the corner. She saw that there were several carriages along with Baron Gray and six soldiers who were tasked with guarding them. However, the soldiers were not in the traditional armor used by the Grays. The only proof was that Baron Gray was there and he was the one ordering the soldiers around.
Garnet took out the camera and she laid it down on the floor to take a picture. She pushed the butotn and waited. It would take some time and as long as there were no significant movements, she would actually be able to take a clear picture.
CLICK. The camera made a noise. "What was that?" shouted someone.
Garnet tapped one of the hounds. "Go!" she whispered.
The hound walked forward and revealed itself to them. "There's still more of them?!?" shouted Baron Gray. "I thought you guys took care of all the undead in here!" he shouted.
Garnet was the one who took care of them a while back. The soldiers most likely found nothing when they arrived and they did not bother to check if there were any in hiding. While they were distracted, Garnet was able to take a few more pictures, including pictures of the prisoners they had. With this, Garnet had what she needed. She immediately stored the camera in her Inventory. After all, she could not risk losing it in any way. "Go!" she ordered the other hounds forward. They were going to distract Baron Gray long enough until she could return to town.
Quest Update: Bring Proof to Clark
Take the camera back to Clark
Garnet quickly made her way out of the cave. If they found out that she was there, they would most likely move the prisoners and make things harder. If it was just undead, then it was expected, after all, the cave had numerous undead in it before.
Level Up: Call: Skeletal Hounds (Level 4)
The hounds had killed one or more of the soldiers. It would be problematic if they moved, but there was too late to change it now. "Teleporation Summoning Circle!" Garnet immediately laid a circle right outside of the cave and returned to Zedd's Workshop.
Garnet immediately headed to Clark's house, but took great care to avoid drawing any attention. After all, everything would be for naught if Clark was caught. Garnet knocked on the door. She waited for a few minutes before a hidden compartment opened. It was Clark checking who was outside.
"You're back already?" asked Clark as he opened the door to let Garnet in.
"Yes," said Garnet. She quickly entered and watched as Clark locked up the door. He was extremely nervous.
"Did you find anything?" asked Clark.
Garnet took out the camera. "Here," said Garnet. "There are pictures of Baron Gray with some prisoners and soldiers."
"Thank you," said Garnet.
Quest Complete: Bring Proof to Clark
Reward: Experience, Fame+10, Gray Family Reputation Down
Quest Complete: Disturb the Peace
Reward: Experience
"I owe you for this," said Clark. "If you need anything, feel free to ask."
"I want information," said Garnet.
"I will answer to my best of my knowledge then," said Clark.
"Why are there so many soldiers at the Chamber of Commerce?" asked Garnet.
"King Arnold is trying to seize control of the economy of Antium and impose strict rationing laws," said Clark.
"Why?" asked Garnet.
"He plans to seize and divert resources for his army," said Clark.
"Can you stop them?" asked Garnet.
"Unfortunately, no," said Clark. "They have all the official paperwork and stamps under their control."
"No signature required?" asked Garnet.
"No," said Clark. "In hindsight, a little more paperwork might not have been a bad idea."
"Can you get me in at night?" asked Garnet.
"What do you plan to do?" asked Clark.
"I want to burn the place down," said Garnet. "My goal is to hinder King Arnold's plans at all costs."
"That's impossible," said Clark. "It's under constant watch and guard."
If it was constantly being watched, then there was a problem. However, there was still something she could do. She could always make someone else do it. That was not too difficult to do with her abilities.
New Quest: Persuade Chamber of Commerce
King Arnold is using the connections of the Chamber of Commerce to seize supplies and issue ration orders, see to it that this is stopped
Reward: Experience
"Is there any other way to hurt King Arnold economically?" asked Garnet.
"He is currently using the newly built tunnel under the city to steal money from the treasury," said Clark.
"How do you know this?" asked Garnet.
"I helped organize the people who built it," said Clark.
New Quest: Block the Tunnels Under Antium
King Arnold is using the new tunnel network under the city to move things in and out of the city, see to it that it is stopped.
Reward: Experience
It would be a lot easier if Garnet had help, but it was too risky. She was unsure who could be trusted with the exception of the people that she met from before she left Antium. After all, most of the city was under the control of the Grays and chances are, they would reward people who gave information to the capture of people who were resisting their control.
"Do you know where these tunnels are?" asked Garnet.
"No," said Clark. "Some of the construction workers might know, but I bet they're being kept as prisoners somewhere so they cannot speak. However, I think there is one that runs under the East Gate."
"Do you know how many tunnels there are?" asked Garnet.
"There is one large one and at least two smaller ones," said Clark.
"Is there anything else I should know about?" asked Garnet.
"A while back, the Grays requested for certain rare materials including a Crystal Catalyst and many pounds of magic ore," said Clark. "Whatever they are up to, it cannot be good."
He was referring to the Magitech Cannon that they she had found under the castle. Garnet had already took care of that problem. "I see," said Garnet. "I'll take a look into this."
Garnet's next objective was to stop the Chamber of Commerce. This was easy enough. She waited outside the brothel for a lonely soldier to walk by. After all, these men sometimes wanted company, but King Arnold had threatened them with death if they assaulted the populace, so they would have to approach one of the brothels. All she had to do was wait for someone to approach her.
"Hey want to go somewhere?" asked a guard.
Garnet turned to look at him.
Name: David
Level: 5
Class: Soldier
Sub-Class: None
Stats: High Vitality
He was weak, but that made him a target. "Sure," said Garnet. "Follow me."
The soldier followed Garnet even as she walked into a dark alley nearby. As she turned around, she pulled David close.
"You work fast," said David.
"Close your eyes," said Garnet. She watched as David closed his eyes and moved his face closer. She grabbed his face with both her hands. "Pleasure Inducement!"
"UGH," moaned David as he collapsed onto the floor.
Garnet could see that David was breathing short rapid breaths. "You will set fire to the Chamber of Commerce and destroy as much of the papers inside as you can before tomorrow morning," said Garnet. "Do you understand?"
"Yes," said David as he breathed deeply. "I will set fire to the Chamber of Commerce."
With that, the easy task was out of the way. "Do you know where the entrance to the tunnels that run under the city are?" asked Garnet.
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"One in castle," said David. Those were the only words he spoke. It was useless to Garnet.
Garnet backed off and waited to see what David would do. After all, this was the first time that Garnet had given someone orders to do something other than forget about her after her ability evolved.
When David woke up shortly after, he proceeded to a garrison set up by King Arnold near the West Gate. Garnet could see the hole through the gate that she made. Because of it, there were more guards now. Garnet waited outside and watched as David came back out with a lit torch. David made his way through the streets and to the Chamber of Commerce. It was here that David finally put out his torch.
"Halt!" said one of the guards. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the papers," said David. "King Arnold has requested copies of the documents to be made."
"I have not heard of such a thing," said the guard.
David handed the guard a piece of paper and the guard immediately opened the door to let him in. It was quite clear that the paper was something important. As David entered, the door behind him immediately closed.
Quest Complete: Persuade Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce has been destroyed. It was a close alternative to hindering them.
Reward: Experience
You have leveled up!
Garnet watched as black smoke began to rise out of the door. "Fire!" shouted David. "Someone forgot to put out the candle!"
The other soldiers immediately opened the door and pulled David out. Garnet left as she saw this. After all, her job was done here. When David awoke, he would not remember a thing, just like her Drain Will. Pleasure Inducement was a much more potent version of that skill and relied solely on touch. No intimate contact was necessary.
A few days passed before Garnet made her next move. After all, drawing too much attention to herself could be a problem. She saw new people who arrived in Antium that were directed to King Arnold's tent. Some of them carried the poster calling for the slaying of the humanoid demon. In other words, people who were going to try to kill her. Luckily for her, she looked nothing like the transformed version of herself. It would be impossible to find her. All King Arnold would be doing is leading people around on a hunt for something that was impossible to find. Even though there was a monster that made an appearance before hundred if not thousands of people, there was little evidence left behind to actually find the monster. After all, Garnet had mislead them.
For example, Garnet's main Teleportation Circle was from the East, yet she flew out from the West. They would be looking for a slightly older woman with extremely long white hair that reached down to their legs. However, Garnet's was not even half that length. If the other features were described to people, it would seem even more impossible. As long as Garnet did not have to transform, King Arnold's efforts would all be wasted.
Garnet approached the guard with her Guild Card. "Can I sign up too?" she asked.
The guard took a look at her card and immediately threw it back at her. "Only three star bronze and higher," said the guard.
The ranks were being used as a measurement of experience and strength. Because Garnet had hardly done anything, she was seen as inexperienced and completely ignored by them. She could demonstrate her power, but that would make her stand out too much.
As Garnet walked around the city, she noticed that it would be impossible to approach the city from the outside without being caught. There were enough sentries posted along the wall that she could be spotted coming a mile away. Swimming under the river was not really an option as she could not breathe underwater. "Why didn't the Siren give me its Mermaid like abilities?" Garnet thought to herself. Without knowing where the tunnels were in the city of Antium, it was impossible to mess up the network.
Garnet headed back to Zedd's Workshop to plan her next move. Zedd was not there, so she was working on her own again. She wanted to know if there was any way to find the hidden tunnels, but nothing came to mind. She started taking a look at the book that were given to her by Rita.
New Recipe: Metal Ingot
New Recipe: Soup
New Recipe: Healing Potion
New Recipe: Antidote
Magicraft could not only make potions, it could also make food. "Magic food?" Garnet thought to herself. The whole time, Garnet thought that it would be for making magic tools, but it was clear that magicraft extended far beyond that. If anything, magicraft was certainly diverse, but actually making things would take a while.
The next day, Garnet walked through town, still looking for a way to enter the tunnels. However, there was nothing that was newly constructed that stood out. The hidden tunnels were either constructed inside of certain buildings or being hidden. Using any of her magic summons to look for them would be highly suspicious as well. It was most likely that this was something that she had to give up on until the actual fighting began.
One day, it finally happened. King Arnold led a large expeditionary force combined with soldiers and people hired from the Guild in order to hunt down that humanoid monster. They departed from the West Gate, the direction in which it was last seen departing towards. There were at least a few dozen people. About 50 in total from Garnet's estimates. Every single one of them was fully armed in high quality gear. Garnet was unsure if even she would be able to fight all of them if they met. This provided an opportunity though. King Arnold himself was gone and if Garnet could create some sort of panic in Antium, it would not only hurt King Arnold, but greatly benefit her overall goal of weakening his rule.
Along the way back to Zedd's Workshop, Garnet saw a new poster, one with a picture of Baron Gray and his guards standing next to a cage full of people. Clark had found a way to secretly publish and reproduce the photos without being caught. As the main representative of the Chamber of Commerce, he probably had the connections to do so. There would be a serious problem if he was caught though, so Garnet had to up the stakes so that there was something bigger for King Arnold to worry about.
Inside Zedd's Workshop, no one was there. Zedd had not returned in a while, but he was most likely keeping watch on the castle to make sure none of King Arnold's men tried something silly. "Call: Nuria!" Garnet summoned her spirit.
"What is it this time?" asked Nuria.
"I want you to burn down the outpost at the West Gate," said Garnet. "But try not to kill anyone."
"Why?" asked Nuria. "If these are enemies, don't you want to kill them?"
"Only survivors can spread fear," said Garnet.
Garnet was continuing to make the people feel unsafe and that King Arnold was unable to protect them. To do so, all she would have to do is continue to obstruct King Arnold's goals. Nuria flew off. Shortly after, Garnet heard it. BOOM. The sound of a large explosion coming from the West Gate.
Garnet quickly ran over to it with many other people who wanted to see it. The small outpost that was built was now a burning pile of wood. "Dismiss!" With that, all evidence pointed that the monster that fought with King Arnold was behind it and managed to attack them while King Arnold was okay, showing just how powerless he was to protect his people.
After a few days, King Arnold finally returned. When he came into sight, the number of people in his group had been reduced to just over ten. It was clear that he had fought with something, but they did know what. "Prepare to defend!" shouted King Arnold. Several messengers spread throughout the city, rallying the troops at the West Gate. After all, it was vulnerable from Garnet's attack.
"The war was finally beginning!" thought Garnet. She was waiting for the other Dukes to finally take down the self proclaimed King Arnold.
New Quest: Defend Antium's West Gate (71:59:52)
King Arnold has provoked an army of undead and led them towards Antium. Protect the volunteers and drafted soldiers so that they can become a symbol of resistance towards King Arnold.
Reward: Experience, Fame
It was not a war. There was a countdown timer. Three days. She would have to help defend Antium in three days. In his search for Garnet, King Arnold had foolishly awoken an army of undead. A few were already on their way, but they were very slow stragglers that had followed King Arnold. The main force would probably attack later. With his return, he also drew the undead army to Antium itself. Zedd would probably step in to fight if the city was in serious danger. However, it was also an opportunity to show others how incompetent King Arnold was if she could make the volunteers outperform the King's own soldiers.
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 16
Class: Dark Mage
Sub-class: Temptress of the Night
Stats:
HP: 1370/1370
MP: 3600/3600
Fame: 30
Strength: 40 (+5)
Dexterity: 38 (+7)
Intelligence: 104 (+22)
Vitality: 47 (+5)
Agility: 48 (+7)
Charisma: 25 (+20)
PROFICIENCY:Weapon:
- One Handed Sword – 6
- Hand to Hand – 3
- Staff - 1
Magic:
- Fire – 6
- Lightning – 8
- Wind – 3
- Summoning – 8
- Blood – 6
- Spatial - 0
SKILLS:Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash (Level 3)
- Double Slash (Level 2)
- Crescent Slash (Level 1)
- Triple Slash (Level 1)
- Delta Attack (Level 1)
- Spiral (Level 1)
Weapon (Hand to Hand):
- Palm Strike (Level 1)
- Wind Palm (Level 1)
- Explosive Palm (Level 3)
- Lightning Palm (Level 1)
- Sweeping Kick (Level 1)
- Horizontal Kick (Level 1)
- Uppercut (Level 1)
- Ki Burst (Level 1)
- Demsey Roll (Level 1)
Weapon (Staff):
- Thrust (Level 2)
- Swinging Smash (Level 1)
- Double Strike (Level 1)
- Triple Strike (Level 1)
- Quadruple Strike (Level 1)
- Vertical Smash (Level 1)
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 5)
- Fire Ball (Level 1)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 8)
- Chain Lightning (Level 2)
- Light (Level 1)
- Air Bullet (Level 4)
- Mana Armor (Level 1)
- Call: Skeletal Hounds (Level 4)
- Call: Skeletons (Level 1)
- Call: Lilith (Level 1)
- Call: Nuria (Level 1)
- Call: Mazu (Level 1)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 2)
- Lightning Fire (Passive)
- Blood Absorption (Level 7)
- Blood Bind (Level 1)
- Teleportation (Level 1)
- Teleportation Summoning Circle (Level 1)
Sub-class (Temptress of the Night):
- Enhanced Body (Level 3)
- Captivation: (Level 3)
- Mind Read: (Level 1)
- Pleasure Inducement (Level 3)
- Sexy Walk (Level 1)
- Stealth (Level 2)
- Shadow Walk (Level 2)
- Sonic Scream (Level 1)
- Illusion (Level 2)
- Alluring Song (Level 1)
- Flight (Level 1)
- Aura of Fear (Level 1)
- Scale Armor (Level 1, Passive)
- Transformation (Level 1)
- Partial Transformation (Level 1)
- Transformation: Temptress of the Night (Level 1)
Tradeskills:
- Hunting (Level 5) - Hunter
- Cooking (Level 7) - Cook
- Inspection (Level 5)
- Sewing (Level 4) – Tailor
- Magicraft (Level 2) - Alchemist
- Inventory Expansion (Level 4)
Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Staff (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 5)
- Haste (Level 1)
- Scale Armor (Level 1)
Unique:
- Hero System (Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)
- Night Vision (Passive)