Five years ago, after the gruesome event in Cosmopolis, the influence of the Dark Goddess spread throughout Solandis. People who had worshipped the Demon Lord converted to the Dark Goddess as they resided in Cosmopolis. Agents of the Dark Goddess spread throughout the world, wreaking pestilence, war, strife, and death in her name.
Three years ago, in a certain town in the Kingdom of Sylvenspire, one of those agents appeared. Disguised as an old man, he set up shop in the town's marketplace. During the day, he sold foreign merchandise, but at night, he went around the town, carving the walls, trees, and even houses with the symbol of the Dark Goddess. One night, when the Agent's ritual was complete, he walked to the center of the town and slit his throat. The blood that oozed from his body tainted the land, summoning a horde of monsters and a thick black miasma that covered the whole town. All who breathed the air that night found themselves turned into stone the next day. Anyone who lived or ventured inside the town was either eaten by monsters or turned into stone.
"You don't have to remind us every time we come here, Ruda," Julia retorted at Ruda's story about the origin of the Blighted Town. "Besides, nobody is scared of a little bit of bad air and puny monsters." Julia confidently proclaimed. She turned to her comrades to see their reaction. Unsurprisingly, she was ignored again as she looked at Dorothy, who remained stoic as ever, wearing her bird-shaped mask, and Iris, who always seemed tired or sleepy. Julia bowed her head in embarrassment as Ruda chuckled at her. "I'd like to see you say that without wearing the mask," Ruda responded to Julia's proclamation.
Before they entered the Blighted Town, they wore masks that helped protect them against the miasma. Unlike Dorothy's mask, they all wore masks with filters that fit their nose and mouth. As long as the miasma didn't enter their nose and mouth, they were safe from turning into stone.
They had ventured here a couple of times before. The scenery remained the same every time - dead trees, residents turned into stone, monsters lurking in the shadows, and the thick black miasma covering the whole town and sky. Occasionally, new statues from newbie adventurers who didn't know any better were added to the scenery, along with carcasses of adventurers and mutilated body parts and organs. But these never fazed Dorothy, as her connection to this town was deeper than it seemed.
"So, apparently a cave has mysteriously sprouted in this town," Julia expresses her thoughts as they trudge through the town. "I believe it was some newbie adventurers who escaped and reported the sighting," Ruda responds to Julia's statement. Their walk draws to a halt when Dorothy stops in front of a worn-down house. Ruda looks at Dorothy and asks, "Do you need me to come with you?" Dorothy doesn't look at Ruda and just stares at the door of the worn-down house. "No, I'll be fine," Dorothy responds as she slowly opens the door. Ruda and the others stay outside as they watch Dorothy close the door. "I've been wondering for a while now, what is the deal with this house? She always comes here and no one says anything!" Julia inquires, her brow furrowing in curiosity and a hint of annoyance. Ruda looks at Julia and sighs. "You just joined this party so you don't know," Ruda responds, resigned to ignore Julia's annoying questions as she is still new. "This is her house," Ruda answers Julia's query, with a hint of sympathy in her voice. Iris, now awake, has unraveled her golden spear from the cloth as she stands firm, almost as if guarding the door.
Inside the worn-down house, Dorothy spots some monsters hiding in the dark. The monsters growl as they lie in wait for Dorothy to step further from the door. As soon as Dorothy is a few steps away, they immediately pounce at her. A wave of wind - a whistle for a moment - washes over the place. Then Dorothy continues to go upstairs, leaving a trail of monster corpses.
As she goes up, a blue-lit room greets her. It was the bedroom part of the house. The room was clean, with blue lanterns placed in all corners - the holy fire, preventing the monsters from entering the room. Dorothy takes a small vial and opens the lanterns, she pours each with the vial and the fire changes its color, turning it to white - Lunaria's Hope, the holy light. The room is illuminated with the light of the sun, making the whole room more visible. But unfortunately, the miasma has not completely dispersed from the room. Dorothy, disappointed, crushes the vial in her hand. She thought she was going to succeed this time. Her learnings from Eredin's notes did not bear fruit. She sighs, looking around the illuminated room. She looks at the old dresser, the wardrobe, the closed windows, and finally, her gaze drifts to the bed. She slowly walks towards it. Her face is not visible due to the mask she wears, but at that moment, it certainly was a face of sadness and despair as she stares at a stone figure of a young elf girl lying on the bed. "I failed again, sweetheart," Dorothy whispers as tears drop from her mask to the floor. "But don't worry, next time for sure." She takes off one of her gloves and strokes the stone figure's head while sitting on the bedside. After a few moments, she stands and starts cleaning the room, sweeping the floor, dusting the furniture, and wiping the stone figure with a clean cloth. As soon as she is done, she sits beside the stone figure, opens her mask, revealing her lips as she kisses the stone figure's forehead. With one last look, she bids the stone figure goodbye and heads back down and out of the worn-down house.
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The others stare at Dorothy as she steps out of the house. They remain silent, including Julia, who has just learned of Dorothy's predicament. "Let's go," Dorothy says as she heads towards the newly discovered cave in the central part of town. The sun is supposed to still be high up, but with the miasma covering the skies, it is difficult to know for sure. After a few moments, they reach their destination. A cave has suddenly appeared at the exact place where the Agent of the Dark Goddess died. "This place reeks of demons, a hundred percent!" Julia exclaims, feeling an ominous presence inside. "Our mission is to survey the cave. No one attacks unless it's absolutely necessary," Dorothy gives her orders to her party, and they all nod in unison. "Okay, so like we planned, I'm going to cast 'Silent Armor', "Cat's Eye" and 'Cat Walk' buffs," Julia states as she casts her cantrips on her party. "It would have been great to have 'Invisibility' in these times, but as you all know, the spell's knowledge has been lost for ages, so forgive me," Julia apologizes with a shrug. "This should be enough," Dorothy assures Julia, preparing potions and vials. "Take these," Dorothy hands them stamina and healing potions. Ruda, with her huge backpack, takes out some tools and equipment. "You guys follow me. I'll check and disarm any traps and pick locked doors," Ruda requests, as it is her duty to safely navigate the cave. Dorothy checks her new weapon on her arm and puts a cartridge in, resonating with a soft clank. "Oh, so that's what you requested pops to make!" Ruda notices the mini crossbow attached to Dorothy's arm. "I told you I could make it for you for half the price!" Ruda exclaims in jest. "Next time," Dorothy looks at her and responds in a friendly tone.
As they finish their preparations, Dorothy proclaims, "So the order will be Ruda, me, Julia, and Iris as our rearguard." She explains the lineup as she looks at Iris, who gives her a soft nod. They all stare at the entrance of the cave. Dorothy reminds her party once again, "Remember, do not engage." Ruda then enters the cave first, followed by Dorothy, Julia, and Iris.
During the first hour inside the cave, they quickly realized that it was much larger than it had appeared from the outside. With each step they took, it felt as though they were descending deeper into the earth. The darkness enveloped them, but thanks to the spell, they were able to maintain a state of calm and controlled breathing. Their hearts beat softly, yet the silence within the cave was eerie and pronounced.
"Look!" Ruda whispered as she pointed towards the end of the cave, where a faint light glowed. But as they got closer, they realized that the terrain had changed. It was no longer cave walls, but instead, brick layered walls with torches hanging on them. They deduced that they were now in some kind of dungeon. Observing their surroundings, Ruda signaled the party to stop as she inspected the area for traps. Strangely enough, there were none to be found. Regardless, Dorothy warned the party to remain vigilant.
They slowly navigated through the dungeon, which seemed to have a linear layout, contrary to the usual maze-like structure. Ruda took a few steps ahead, inspecting for traps and signaling the party to move forward when it was safe. "Why did they say the one who discovered this place escaped? It doesn't seem dangerous here," Julia pondered aloud. The rest of the party shared the same thought, but it was still too early to draw any conclusions. "But I definitely sensed demons in here," Julia whispered to herself, feeling confused by the situation.
"Stop!" The silent beastman, Iris, suddenly hissed, warning her party. They all came to a halt, waiting for Iris to explain. "Did you sense something, Iris?" Dorothy inquired, eager for an answer. "I don't sense anything," Julia whispered, bewildered by Iris' words. Iris closed her eyes, her wolf ears twitching in response to the faint sounds she could hear. "Being a beastman, she has heightened senses compared to other races," Ruda explained. Iris then opened her eyes, but she started shivering for some reason. Her gaze sank, revealing a sense of dread. "What is it, Iris?" Dorothy asked once more. Iris looked at them, still trembling. It was evident that fear had gripped her, which perplexed Dorothy, as she knew Iris to be braver than most. With only one word, Iris uttered, "Run."