Tacha was carefully considering her options. She could either directly go to the ruins to search for Kirio’s mother, or she could try ask Molly about the ruins.
Both of the options had their disvantages. If she went straight to the ruins, with no info available, she risked to encounter a boss like the giant radish and become mashed potato again, wasting precious time. Meanwhile, if she asked Molly about the place, she might lose her friendship and in the worst case, have the whole village turn against her. An angry mob weilding torches and pitchforks didn’t look very appealing.
Moreover she didn’t know if the quest itself had a secret time limit. By how it was worded, it might very well have it.
And what if she fails the quest? For sure at least one NPC was going to die. What’s the worst that could happen? For the whole village to disappear from the map?
Wait. That would actually be bad. If the villagers had an actual reason to hate the place… Then, actually going through with the quest might be more dangerous than what was let on.
Tacha kept musing all of her options, and found herself in front of the inn. She looked blankly at the sign, before smiling.
“Why not test the waters a bit?”
ᴥᴥᴥ ≈ ° ≈ ᴥᴥᴥ
Hans was on cloud nine. Molly had been giving him his medicine without asking for any favors, plus it had been two weeks since he last saw that evil granny. He scoffed at the thought.
With the surrounding areas getting more and more dangerous lately, he could bet that the granny would have already been eaten by a wild wolf.
Hmph, it was better that way. His shiny coins will be safe without her around.
He took out the love of his life, Clarissa the shotgun, to polish it lovingly. She has been his companion from his younger days while he was still hunting monsters. The only one he could trust to have his back.
When she was all sparkly and shiny, he gave her a kiss. “You’re beautiful as always, Clarissa”
He was about to put her away, when the front door swinged open. When he saw who came inside, he paled and Clarissa fell on the ground.
With a thud, she went off and shot a hole in the wall behind the desk. Hans jumped from the shock. If the blow had been just a few millimeters closer to his leg, he would be forced to walk around with a shiny new leg. With a panicked expression he hugged the shotgun before backing away from that old devil. “You witch! What are you going around for, scaring people out of their skin!?”
“What scaring, you old scrooge. I’ve only opened a door. It’s not my fault if you have a weak heart” With eyes big as highlights and a trembling hand, Hans pointed at the unwelcomed visitor “Y-you…” “What are you pointing people for” She rolled her eyes “I haven’t seen you for a while, and that’s how you greet a paying customer?” Tacha came closer, while the innkeeper backed away to the wall “What paying customer, you’re basically staying for free…”
Tacha ignored his murmur. It was fun to mess with him, but now was not the time.
“I’m not going to eat you. I just wanted to ask about a couple of rumors going around” After a few more glances at her, Hans calmed himself down and put Clarisse away safely under the counter. “What, you got some dirt on other folk?” “Do you think I go around blackmailing people?” Hans looked at her with a serious face, then pointed at himself “Don’t you have a perfect example here?” Dismissing his unjustified claims, Tacha continued “I’ve heard some folk mentioning the ruins north west. What’s that about?”
“Hmph, nothing’s about it. It’s a place that the folks born here think it’s cursed. I went there once and it was nothing but dusty old ruins” With a soft piece of cloth, he made a makeshift bedding for Clarissa “You’re not from here?” “Why would a fine gentleman like me be from around here?” “Really? I think this place suits you well” This time it was Hans that rolled his eyes.
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“They’re full of rusted trinkets and faded murals. Interesting maybe if you’re into old civilizations. Some weird scripts here and there, but nothing that would scream ‘cursed’ or ‘treasure’” Gobsmacked, the granny glanced a few times at the infatuated face of the old innkeeper. She had firmly believed that he only loved money! “Then why would people be scared of them?” Hans took the empty pot from near the entrance, and covered the hole Clarissa made with it “No idea. Maybe Molly knows. She’s the one that knows everybody’s weakness”
Tacha fell in thought. Was it safe to ask Molly about the ruins? Talking to Hans didn’t affect her reputation points. But that could be because he wasn’t originally from the village. Maybe if the worst were to happen, he would be the only one on her side?
She glanced at his relationship points, still at a glaring -50.
Yeah, fat chance. It was more probable for pigs to start flying than that to happen.
“I’ll go ask Molly then, thanks” Tacha turned around and went out of the inn. Hans just watched her, flabberstagged. That witch thanked him? Could she have been possessed by a ghost?
ᴥᴥᴥ ≈ ° ≈ ᴥᴥᴥ
If Tacha knew what Hans thought of her, she would have dropped the niceties and just kicked him in the butt.
It was just a bit past midnight in the game. She wasn’t sure if Molly was awake, but she might as well give a try to see if she could get some answers out.
Once she reached Molly’s house, she noticed that the little white flowers surrounding the Star Chaser, the flower that bloomed for one day only, were almost withering. Molly had told her that the little flowers were important for the Star Chaser, the bigger purple flower in their midst, because they would absorb the impurities from the surroundings to let it bloom safely.
With how much she cared about that flower, it was weird how it wasn’t being taken care of.
Granny Tacha knocked softly on the door. Seeing no response, she knocked again. “Molly, are you home?”
But there still was no response. Weird. Wouldn’t one be at home at night?
She waited for one more hour, but there was still no response. Maybe she was an heavy sleeper. She could wait till morning, but she feared that Kirio’s mother would be dead by that time.
If the quest description was anything to go by, waiting for too long might be the way to fail the quest in the worst way possible.
A Cry for Help!
Kirio, the current shopkeeper of ‘Sally’s Trove’ asked you to help find his mother, whom has not been seen for one month.
He told you that she went to the ruins north of the shrine for some personal matter. Bring her back before it’s too late!
Careful! The locals don’t see with a good eye those who wander near the ruins north west of the village , beyond the Shrine of Beginnings. You might lose relationship and reputation points with the locals if you’re discovered.
Quest rewards: ???, Relationship with Layla and Kirio Kang increased.
She shook her head and headed for the ruins. Back when she was still at Kirio’s place, he had given her a new weapon. It was a shortsword with a dark purple hilt and a well kept blade.
Moon Slasher
An iron forged shortsword that had been through its fair share of battles. It has been kept well by its previous owner.
The hilt seems to be missing an ornamental gem.
Attack: 48~52 Durability: 80/100
Sally’s Trove didn’t sell weapons. That sword was one of his mother’s spare ones, so with the promise to bring it back along with his mother, he lent it to Tacha.
When she saw the weapon’s stats, she almost wanted to keep it for herself. She had suddenly received an upgrade over the miserable 3 damage dagger. However for the sake of the quest she had to give it back. That is, if she was going to come out alive. For an NPC to lend such a weapon, it meant that the quest might be very dangerous for her lowly level 2 self.
However, completing quests under the minimum level was going to give a lot more rewards. It was a well payed danger!
It didn’t take long to reach the ruins, it was still night by the time she reached them. Overgrown trees shrouded from the moonlight what remained of an hallway with two broken animal statues. The statues were too ruined to make out the shape, but Tacha could see the few clawed paws that remained intact.
Vines grew all over the pillars, and grass covered the once tiled floor. Very little remained of what was probably an impressive architecture at the time. The ceiling too was no more, with some occasional rubble that Tacha had to climb over.
After some acrobatical stunt, for being a little granny, the hallway opened up on a room with an open ceiling and an empty pool on the center. The two corridors on the side might have led deeper into the ruins, however now thay were completely blocked by rubble. Tacha looked around, but it seemed to be a dead end, with no way to continue.
As for our missing Layla? There was no trace.
Could she have gone through a secret entrance?