Glade sat in the far corner of the grotto, carefully inspecting the intricately woven strands of shadow mana tainting the last cluster of mushrooms. The spidery shades of glowing shadow emanating from the fungi were noticeably fainter compared to earlier. A good sign they had eliminated the source of the contamination.
The majority of the last three days had been spent in removing the invasive shadow mana from the countless mushrooms, much like a doctor draining an infected wound. If he wasn’t casting, he was using his new mana processing technique to clear the disparate energy running rampant throughout his body. When he inevitably got tired of doing that, he tried developing other skills, something that Kedryn called grinding.
Glade rolled his eyes. A gamer term if ever he heard one. This was training, pure and simple. And like any good training, repetition was the key to learning.
Take telepathy. The skill had worked much like he had experienced before. As long as his target was within range, he could connect with it. However, he had not been prepared for the sheer amount of psychic feedback. Dozens, if not hundreds of thoughts lit up like tiny sparks of mental light buzzing at different frequencies, each demanding his immediate attention.
The mental cacophony nearly broke him at first, straining his senses to the point he almost collapsed from the pain. It wasn’t until he connected with his intended target, which happened to be Kedryn, that the rest of the noise faded.
Of course, he had to endure a completely different kind of mental anguish hearing Kedryn’s uncontrolled thoughts. If he heard the word awesome one more time, he would make the Corporal do push ups until his arms fell off!
Not one to quit because of a little discomfort, Glade kept trying his new skill. With some trial and error, he had finally figured out what the feedback was. They were minds. More specifically, they were every mind, no matter how small, that was within the skills radius. That included both Riya and Kedryn as well as every insect, animal, or thinking being within a 10 foot radius.
It wasn’t until he reached the 2nd level in telepathy that he gained enough control to dismiss the weakest of minds, like the various insects that called the grotto their home. The relief was instantaneous, his mind only sensing a little more than a dozen sparks of mental light with his newly expanded range.
Curious as to what other creatures were scampering around their grotto, Glade tried connecting with one, which led to the discovery that their grotto had a Dusk Rat infestation. As soon as he connected with the rat, the creature began squealing in pain, materializing as if from thin air at Kedryn’s feet. Riya had promptly killed it with a well placed kick.
Dusk Rats, as it turned out, were shadow attuned rodents that not only had the ability to hide in plain sight, a skill that both Riya and Kedryn identified as stealth, they spread a shadow mana enhanced sickness to most living organisms. Hence, the tainted mushrooms and poor health of the Fen Turtle Matriarch.
It also explained why each of them had more disparate mana throughout their bodies than the beetle meat could account for. They were being infected with shadow mana.
And the reason why the Dusk Rat had dropped its skill? After some trial and error, where several more rats met a similar fate, they determined that Glade’s mind completely overwhelmed the rodents’ mediocre mental capacities. That was also when they discovered that Dusk Rats were vindictive little buggers. As soon as the rodents had figured out they were being hunted, they attacked.
The fight didn’t last long thanks to Kedryn’s fire magic, which the rats were extremely vulnerable to. Riya also proved her worth with her impeccable aim. She would stun the little monsters with the rocks from the small bag she had begun carrying around. But it was Glade’s new skill that saved the day.
He was able to sense every rat's mind the moment he activated the skill. He didn’t even have to connect telepathically, simply calling out where the rats were attacking from. Interestingly, the skill didn’t drain any additional mana or stamina to use in this way. It only started ticking down when he connected with someone.
Still, it was a pretty nasty fight. The rats’ stealth ability made it almost impossible for them to pinpoint their location without his new skill.
Glade absently scratched his lower legs where the rats had swarmed him. Riya had long since healed them, but the phantom pain still burned. Fortunately for them, the mana sickness the rats spread was easily dealt with by using their newly acquired mana processing technique. Riya had even found 4 more tiny mana shards, which Kedryn wouldn’t shut up about.
Why the Kid believed they would gain the Dusk Rats stealth ability by eating the shard, he couldn’t say. Maybe it was a gamer thing. Or it could have just been Kedryn. It was really hard to tell. Even Riya gave the Kid an odd look when he had suggested it.
Glade couldn’t care less about the tiny crystals. The only reason he agreed to take them was they didn’t weigh that much, unlike the rat pelts Riya refused to leave behind. For some reason, those pelts weighed heavier than they should have. And they smelled. Badly.
It was odd to think how the many skills and abilities they had acquired and tested in the relatively short amount of time since coming to Veil had made it possible to even detect the Dusk Rats, let alone overcome the relatively minor fight.
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A shiver ran down Glade’s spine at the thought of fighting those rats without telepathy. It had given them a decisive advantage. If the Dusk Rats had attacked them in their sleep instead of waiting for their plague ability to slowly kill them off, which apparently was their typical means of taking down prey, Glade wasn’t sure they could have survived.
Bringing his mind back to the present, Glade carefully targeted the shadow mana at the base of the remaining cluster of infected mushrooms. His mind methodically wrapped around the shadowy offshoots. Once he had a firm mental grasp of the mana, he drew the strands out with one smooth motion. The invasive magic slipped free from the entire cluster of mushrooms with ease, like pulling a weed from damp soil.
The area around them immediately brightened as a notification appeared.
Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Protect the Keepers II. You have not only provided the Fen Turtle Matriarch with enough food for the next 90 days, you have also eradicated the source of shadow contamination from the area, restoring a sustainable food source. Because of your actions, not only will the Matriarch be able to lay her eggs, the newborn turtles will have a significantly higher chance of survival!
Reward: 167 XP (500 XP total, shared with two others); +200 relationship points with Keepers.
Bonus: For exterminating the Dusk Rat infestation, you gain an additional 10 XP for every egg the Fen Turtle Matriarch successfully hatches (to be awarded at a later date). +1000 relationship points with the Fen Turtle Matriarch.
Hidden Bonus: Because of your caring nature in bringing the Matriarch back from starvation, healing its wounds, and destroying the nest of predators that have preyed upon her last two clutches of eggs, you have earned more than her trust. You have earned her eternal gratitude. You have been granted A Keepers Tear.
As Glade finished reading, he heard Riya gasp.
He turned just in time to see the Matriarch rest its head on the elf’s lap, its eyes of black and green were brimming with unshed tears.
Riya stroked the rough skin of curly horns, her own tears freely flowing.
“Shhh,” she whispered. “It’s alright. We’re here for you.”
The brown gem stone embedded into its forehead flared to life. When the light died down, a vibrant teal stone in the shape of a tear was nestled in Riya’s palm.
“What’s happening?” Kedryn whispered, walking up to stand next to Glade.
“I’m not sure. The quest said the Fen Turtle is giving us a Keeper’s Tear.”
“Oh, I didn’t get that message. Only that we completed the quest. Do you think we all get one?”
Glade shrugged.
“A Keeper’s Tear is a sacred gift,” Riya said with solemnity. “They are only given when a great service has been performed and when…” Riya choked up, trying to work through the emotions she was feeling.
“They are only given at the end of a Keeper’s life. This was her second to last act. She still has to lay her eggs. But after that, she will pass on.”
Glade said nothing. He wasn’t going to cry over a dying turtle, no matter how many mushrooms he had magicked for the beast. But he knew better than to say anything out loud.
“Does that mean we wait for the turtle to pass before we take its mana shard? I hope so, I would like to work on that reflection skill some more… Ow! What was that for?” Kedryn asked, rubbing his head where a stone had just smacked him.
“We are not butchering a Keeper!” Riya hissed. Even the turtle was looking at Kedryn. If Glade didn’t know any better, he could have sworn the turtle’s eyes were narrowed into a glare.
“Of course not…” Kedryn stammered. “I just assumed… I mean, it would be a waste…”
Glade laid a hand on the Kid’s shoulder. “I’d stop talking if I were you.”
The Kid nodded, slowly backing away from the turtle and Riya.
Glade quietly approached the girl. “We will need to leave soon. We’re already pushing it with the rations we have left.”
“After the eggs have been laid,” Riya said, carefully placing the stone tear into her pouch. “Then, we can leave.”
On a whim, Glade used his Aura Sight on the stone before it left his line of sight.
You have discovered a Keepers Tear from a Fen Turtle Matriarch. A perfectly balanced mana stone of Water and Earth. Other properties may be discovered by increasing the skill Aura Sight.
Size: Unknown
Purity: Unknown
Charges: Unknown
Value: Unknown
He had raised the skill to level 2, but it still didn’t provide much information beyond the basics. Still, if he remembered correctly, a mana stone was infinitely more valuable than a mana shard.
He returned back to his corner of the grotto, sitting next to Kedryn.
“Do you think she’s mad at me?” Kedryn asked. “I mean, we all had to be thinking about it, right? Why leave the large mana shard? Or the meat? We’re pretty much out of food.”
“Yes, I was thinking about it, but I wasn’t going to say it out loud. Have you seen the way she has been caring for that turtle? She’d sooner rip your arm off and beat you with it before letting the keeper come to any harm.”
Kedryn was quiet for a moment, before again opening his mouth to ask a question.
“So, which of the Adjudicators do you think gave us the Keepers quest? Not that it matters to you of course, seeing as you have all eight brands.”
Glade sighed, giving the Kid an uncomfortable shrug. He had been trying to forget that conversation had ever happened. He had enough problems as it was and thinking of the brands put him in an even worse mood.
Glade waited for the Kid to get distracted with a shiny object or start grinding another skill. He didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Kedryn was distracted, Glade pulled up both sleeves, exposing his forearms to the now very bright grotto. Eight brands, four on each arm, were prominently displayed. Each just as unique as the other.
He really hated this place.