The discovery of the hard mode thrilled Hera and Blue. This was the last step, the last thing they had to do before unlocking the room and finally going back home. To help them find what unlocked it, Sevaris explained what his team did inside the dungeon. Every group that went inside the Weeding Disaster had to give a complete report about all that happened inside. That way, when the hard mode was triggered, they could cross-reference the reports to understand what was different among the runs. Luckily, in Sevaris's case, there was only a single thing that no one had ever done.
First, they had to complete all the decorations and ask Lervina for more supplies. This was already known. Then, in the warehouse where some other boxes with tablecloths and other trinkets were, they should ask one of the people in there for help to bring the supplies back to the venue. Other teams already had arrived at that point. What actually changed was the interaction with the worker. Most people tried to ask Lervina to allow that worker to join in the ceremony. He treated everyone with such kindness and respect that even if he wasn't real, everyone wanted to help him. However, after her denial, someone on Sevaris's team tried something else.
They went after Vetek and asked him to allow the worker to join the ceremony. That set the noble off, making him berate the worker and the people who brought him to the point of even splashing the two with milk and any other beverage that was around. He called them every name in the book and kicked both out of the venue. He went as far as ordering the guards to stop either of them from crossing the gates. The worker left, leaving the crafter from Boothudurn alone outside the venue. Sevaris and his team got really worried about that since the way out of the dungeon was in the kitchen, but when the ceremony was about to start, the worker returned with a few other dwarves and they arrived at the ballroom, crossing the gates without any issue.
When they all got close to the entrance, the message about the quest being completed appeared, and all the dwarves from Kul Dorul stopped moving. It was like they had all turned into a painting that couldn't be moved even if someone pushed them around. Along with the message about the quest, a second message appeared, letting the team know that they had discovered the hard mode and completed the hidden quest. The extra reward was just a hydration potion that could increase your resistance to dehydration. It was basically a super shot of water.
That seemed a bit underwhelming since the rewards they got from the Wooly Plains would actively help with triggering the hard mode. Still, it could mean that if they didn't use that potion, and had it on them during the hard mode, they might get an upgrade. This was something she had to worry about on another day. Right now there were more pressing matters, and that was to trigger the hard mode.
"Does that mean we need to do it on the same day?" Blue asked.
"What?" Hera turned to her friend.
"Don't we have to do the hard mode right after doing the normal dungeon? Because of the reset."
"Shit. You're right," Hera sighed.
"What do you mean?" Sevaris asked.
"You know how the dungeon resets every week and we have to do the normal mode and unlock the hard mode before going there again?" Hera turned to the dwarf.
"Yeah, crap. Are you saying that because this one resets every day, we might have to trigger the hard mode every day?" Sevaris gasped.
"Exactly. Either way, this is something we can test. Can you guys try to enter it? Like, just check if the notification appears."
Sevaris nodded and touched the door. A few seconds later, he stepped back with a confused expression.
"What happened?" Blue asked.
"I'm.. not sure. The voice of the mountain said I have no remaining attempts available and that I can't enter the hard mode because I'm a descendant of someone who was a part of the events present in there," Sevaris said.
"Oh, fuck me!" Hera cried, "That crap again?"
Sevaris cleared his throat, "Well, yes. It seems so, unfortunately."
Hera noticed that the dwarf's ears were very red, "Are you ok? Did you get burned or something?"
"It's because of what you said," Silah intervened.
"What?"
"The F me is not an expression we tend to use as a curse. It's more like… an invitation," as Silah explained, Blue started laughing.
"No, no, no. I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that," Hera felt her cheeks getting hot.
"Don't worry. It's just a difference in cultures," Sevaris replied, but quickly moved away from the human and back to his group.
"Oh man, I really hope it's not awkward between us now," Hera sighed.
"It won't be. Don't worry, baby," Sila bumped into Hera with her shoulder.
"It should be babe and not baby. It ends with an E and not a Y," Blue said while rolling her eyes at the two.
Focusing once more in the dungeon. Hera thought about what the hard mode could be. The main problem wouldn't be so much the back-to-back dungeon runs. She was used to that, but if the hard mode took the same amount of time, it could be tricky. Facing a normal dungeon already had some risks, and in the last few hours, they would be very prone to make mistakes.
"We should come back in a few hours then, right?" Blue's voice broke Hera's concentration.
"In a few hours?"
"Yeah, we wait until midnight and check the dungeon after the reset. If the hard mode is still there, great, if not we go inside, do the dungeon, then come out, sleep and go to the hard mode later," Hera just stared at Blue, surprised by the suggestion, "Why are you looking at me weird?"
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"Sorry. I didn't even think about that. You just caught me off guard," Hera explained.
Blue huffed and crossed her arms, "You always underestimate my brain. I'm much smarter than I look."
"You can't actually blame me. You spent half an hour trying to put your gloves on today before realizing you were trying to put the left gauntlet on the right hand," Hera chuckled.
"I don't work well when I just woke up and you know that."
"Fine, fine. But that's a good idea. I'm not sure if anyone else wants to join us, though," Hera said.
"I'm in!" Silah said.
"I can come too. You need someone to check if the hard mode is still there or not, but I won't join the dungeon. I woke up a bit too early today and these old bones are not as spry as they used to," Sevaris said.
"I wouldn't mind going as well, maybe there are some differences in starting at night," Fethy had just come out of the dungeon.
"I don't think there will, but sure," Blue said.
They talked a bit and decided to have a smaller team with just Hera, Blue, Fethy, and Silah, but this would be more than enough to complete the mission. Everyone returned home to get ready for the dungeon and the subsequent hard mode. Hera stopped by Risli to ask for some healing potions and something that might help them during the dungeon.
"Did you waste all the potions I gave you for the fight against the Sky Ruler?" Risli asked.
"They didn't go to waste… I just didn't use them during the battle," Hera replied meekly.
"What did you use them for? And why not in the fight?" Risli squinted at Hera.
"I didn't have a chance. Everything happened so fast during the fight and when I got injured, I was literally inside the Sky Ruler's mouth. I used the ones you gave me in the Weeding Disaster dungeon, trying to get the hard mode to trigger. There were some people who seemed injured, and I just thought that it could be a way to find some secrets," Hera explained.
"Honestly, child. Do you think the materials to make these potions can be mined?"
"No, but they do grow on trees," Hera replied with a smile.
"Your quips can be very annoying at times," Risli sighed as she grabbed a small box with three potions, "Here, the two red ones can recover your injuries, but only to a certain extent. This green one can take care of any poison or other things that might affect you. I haven't tested all the possibilities yet, but it should cover almost everything. Take this too," Risli picked a small leather pouch from a drawer, "If you get close to those flowers again toss the powder that's inside there. It should nullify the pollen."
"Oh, thanks! It's going to be a lot of help."
"Of course it will. I wouldn't make something useless," Risli scoffed and turned around, "Now go home. It seems you have a long night ahead of you."
Hera thanked her and returned home. After eating dinner, she, Blue, and Silah took a quick nap, just to be rested enough to clear the dungeon without an issue. They woke up a little after 11 P.M. and headed to the Weeding Disaster.
After meeting with Fethy, they waited until midnight and Sevaris tried to enter the dungeon. As expected, the reset already happened, and they still had attempts available, but the hard mode wasn't appearing for the dwarf anymore. Thanking the man, Hera and her group went into the dungeon. Everyone was already used to the tasks. After a couple of weeks doing runs every day, the time it took to actually complete everything became much smaller. In just three hours, all the decorations were ready, and the dress had been delivered.
Following that, they asked Lervina about the extra supplies and headed to the warehouse. It didn't take long for them to find the dwarf that would help trigger the hard mode. His name was Telid, a tall man by dwarven standards, towering at 167 centimeters. He was still shorter than Hera and Blue, but anyone could easily confuse him with a short human, and that wasn't just because of his height. Unlike other dwarfs, he was very skinny. Just looking at his body made it seem like the man was malnourished, but it was just a misconception. There was nothing about his behavior that would make it seem like he wasn't in the best health possible.
"When we get there, we can ask lord Rimmok to allow you to help during the ceremony as a thank you. What do you think?" Blue asked Telid.
"Oh, I don't know, miss. I'm just a worker. My blood is not noble enough to be a part of that," Telid replied.
"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure we can make it work," Blue gave a sad smile. She knew what was about to happen, and the man in front of her had such a gentle soul. Every time they went to the warehouse, he always helped with everything he could, and even offered some coffee and biscuits for anyone who seemed a bit tired. Forcing him to do something that would cause him pain seemed way too cruel, but it wasn't like they had any other options.
The group walked up to the venue and talked first with Lervina. Just like Sevaris said, she said Telid couldn't be there, and she didn't have the power to allow him to stay. The only one who could do something like that was Vetek.
After taking a deep breath, Hera and the entire group headed to Lord Rimmok's office. Despite the butler's protests, they knocked on the door and called the noble. After a few moments, the man told the group to enter. He was sitting on a couch while wearing a white onesie and as he got up to grab a glass of milk, they all saw that his outfit had a flap atop his buttocks.
"Why do you dare interrupt my rest?" Vetek asked the group.
"We want to ask you to allow this man, Telid, to take part in the ceremony as a server. He's been very helpful while we prepare the ceremony, and he would be honored to help," Blue replied.
"That is easy enough to do, and I suppose you are helping me," Vetek turned to Telid, "Tell me, what house do you hail from?"
"I have no house, my lord. My family comes from workers in the mines and as storage keepers. I've been studying to become a merchant's assistant and…"
Before Telid could finish his sentence, Vetek walked over to him and splashed the man with what was left of his half glass of milk.
"You… you… lowly houseless dare to speak up in my presence?! And you even dare to ask for a favor? You should be crawling on the floor, kissing the ground I walk, boy. You will pay for this offense, you worthless creature. And I'll make sure your family and your entire lineage pay the price for your attempt to steal a noble merchant's job. Get out of here before you make the entire venue reek with pig's blood," Vetek waved his hand to the door.
Hera, Blue, and all the dwarves were all staring at the noble with horrified expressions. The man went from 0 to 100 absurdly fast, and the barrage of insults was completely out of nowhere. Blue and Silah walked forward with fury in their eyes, ready to attack Vetek. But Hera and Fethy stopped them.
"Hera, let me go," Blue said, without looking back.
"He doesn't have a level. We won't be able to touch him. Besides, he's already dead," Hera did her best to seem calm but Blue wasn't the only one enraged.
After a long pause, Blue replied between her teeth, "Fine. I hope I never have to see this asshole again."
They all headed out of the venue, apologizing again and again to Telid for what happened. The dwarf just smiled and walked off into the city. After having this sour taste in their mouths, the group gave up on looking for anything else to do there and grabbed a couple of bottles of wine before heading to the garden to wait for the ceremony to start.
The hours went by and even Fethy took the time to cool off and relax until night came and the guests started to arrive. After the princess walked in, Telid appeared, followed by dozens of other dwarves wearing large hooded cloaks that covered their heads. They all walked through the gate and reached the entrance, but before anything else could happen, all the dwarves stopped moving.
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You have completed a hidden dungeon quest inside the Weeding Disaster.
Your actions have pushed the leader of a rebellion to strike against their oppressors.
Rewards:
Access to Weeding Disaster hard mode
Potion of hydration
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Hera looked around to see anything that could show what was going on and noticed that several of the dwarves were holding bottles of a clear liquid with a piece of cloth halfway stuck in the bottle. Whatever was going to happen in the hard mode, it wouldn't be good.