Reivyn walked with the sword-priests as they marched towards the church compound. He noticed that his body subconsciously matched the steps of the church members, but he just shrugged and kept doing it. Because he had changed his upper armor, he almost matched the others, and to those who didn't know, it almost looked like he was the commander of the troop. This resulted in hardly anyone taking any notice of him in the procession.
These guys are still being pretty polite, despite the way they just came and ordered me to follow them. Still, no reason to sour the relationship we've formed just from that. Maybe this guy just doesn't have any tact.
Reivyn wasn't too concerned about why someone in authority would be asking for him. He was pretty sure nobody connected his name to the youths that had mouthed off to the organization on the road several weeks ago, and even then he hadn't done anything wrong.
I haven't even practiced my Pickpocket and Stealing Skills on my friends since forever ago, much less caused any problems for others.
Despite how there was still a lot of empty room within the confines of the town because of the planning ahead, it still wasn't that big. The group quickly made their way to a small encampment outside of the palisade. Reivyn took in the military order and orderly lines of tents and felt right at home. He eyed a group of masons laying the foundations for some rather large buildings.
Looks like they're going to be here for the long haul. 10% of Experience Crystals for cleansing them on top of what they can accumulate from their own delves, I can see why. Even if they didn't feel compelled to provide services for keeping the taint - well, Abyssal Mana - in check, they would still most likely set up a permanent presence here.
I would bet that they've already sent missives to the Capital to petition for any uncleansed crystals to be designated contraband outside of the Dungeon Town. This place is probably a better resource for the Church of Light than even for the Count. I bet there will be a lot of political maneuvering for the Count, and the Duke he's under, to get a piece of that pie.
None of that had anything to do with Reivyn, though, so he turned his attention to observing the men, and the few women, going about their business.
There's a higher percentage of women making up the robed priests than the sword-priests, but I do spot a few here and there. It was the same situation with the Lord's Retinue. I guess most of the women around these parts just gravitate towards the less violent professions when given the choice.
Reivyn caught a glimpse through the flap of one of the largest tents, and he saw rows of people lying on cots. They were being tended to by several priests, but the quick look Reivyn saw showed him a scene of desiccated bodies barely hanging on.
"What's going on in there? I thought you guys didn't have your own Healers," Reivyn said with a nod toward the tent. The man in charge followed the direction before turning back and addressing Reivyn.
"Those are the Adventurers that delved the Dungeon for several months before we arrived on the scene. We're not technically "Healing" them. The taint has accumulated so much that it's breaking their bodies down. We have a Healer come out and do what they can to give them a fighting chance, and we're slowly purging the corruption from their bodies," the man shook his head. "Already several of the first Parties have succumbed, but despite how dire it looks for those in the infirmary now, most of them should pull through, as they're not quite as bad off as those that were worst affected."
"Huh, I was with the military that settled the Claim, and we ran the Dungeon several times before we left. Good thing we didn't stick around," Reivyn said.
"Oh yeah, you were part of the local retinue? The way the taint works is that it slowly dissipates unless it reaches a tipping point. You would need to go in like eight or so times without letting it dissipate or receive any cleansing for it to be a problem," the man continued. "The worst ones in there right now had been in there like 10 or so times before getting any cleansing.
"Alright, we've arrived. I'll announce your presence," they continued walking as they conversed, and the camp wasn't that big. The man ducked his head through the tent flap and reported to whoever was inside. Reivyn wasn't actively engaging his Eavesdropping Skill, so he didn't pick up any of the words.
He just smiled and nodded to the two sword-priests standing at attention outside of the tent. They obviously didn't respond, but Reivyn wasn't put out because he understood they were on duty.
"Alright, go on in," the man said after turning back to Reivyn. Reivyn nodded and headed inside the tent, and the men that had escorted him simply left to attend to their duties.
Reivyn walked in and spotted a familiar-looking man sitting behind a desk with paperwork strewn about in an orderly manner. Sure brings back memories, he mused. Reivyn narrowed his eyes as he slowly remembered why this man seemed familiar.
It's that overzealous officer from the road. Surely he didn't connect my name here with what happened on the road. Nobody else should know about it, so it's not like he could have investigated.
The man looked up and nodded to Reivyn before gesturing towards a seat across from him.
"Thank you for coming, have a seat," the man said. Reivyn was slightly confused at the cordial nature. "Thank you for coming?"
"Well, I wouldn't really say I had much of a choice," Reivyn said as he sat down. The man tilted his head with a puzzled expression on his face before understanding washed over his features.
"I must apologize. I told my men to ask you to come. They can sometimes forget that others aren't under our command," the man explained. Reivyn nodded his head at the explanation.
"I was with the Lord's Retinue, so I've seen similar situations before. No big deal." Reivyn shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, introductions are in order. I am Sword-Priest Josn, and I already know that you're the Adventurer Reivyn. I now also know that you have a veteran background, so I can add that to the file. You must be wondering why I requested your presence," it was more a statement than a question.
"Honestly? I figured someone in your outfit was trying to mess with me over the encounter on the road or something," Reivyn casually said. Josn frowned at the statement as he tried to think about what Reivyn could be referring to. Reivyn watched as recognition slowly dawned on his face.
"Oh, you were one of the Adventurers I spoke to on the road several weeks ago. It looks like another apology is in order. I hope you know that was nothing personal. We don't only root out Heretics, but also criminals. When we see something unusual - and you have to admit, three young Adventurers with magical flower crowns on their heads is unusual - then we investigate. Sometimes we use methods to put the people we speak to off-balance, and those with a guilty conscience often crack under just a little pressure and admit to wrongdoing."
"Water under the bridge," Reivyn said. "We didn't suffer any hardship or anything from the encounter, so apologies aren't needed." Reivyn was actually a bit surprised at how polite the man was being. Now I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here.
"The real reason I asked you to come is that it came to my attention that you had a situation where you didn't have any of the taint when you exited the Dungeon. I had some men on standby observing, and once the priest determined that you didn't have any taint for a second time, they stepped forward."
"Oh, I see. So you were waiting for confirmation?"
"Just so," Josn nodded his head.
"Is that a problem or something? Do you suspect I'm using some sort of artifact associated with your church?" Reivyn was still confused.
Josn steepled his fingers and stared at Reivyn for a couple of seconds. It wasn't long enough to make him uncomfortable, but Reivyn was about to fidget under the intense scrutiny when Josn finally opened his mouth.
"Have you ever considered joining the Church?" Reivyn was taken aback. That came out of nowhere.
"Wait. Let me get this straight," Reivyn placed his hand on his forehead as he looked down in thought. "You're trying to recruit me?"
"Exactly," Josn said. "We understand that there are other faiths out there, and there could be any number of reasons for your apparent immunity to the taint, not just faith in Mierna, the Goddess of Light. But none of that matters. Your resistance to the corruption uniquely qualifies you to be a powerful member of the Church.
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"The Church can offer a lot of resources and opportunities, and I can foresee you going far in the future. The Church is Realm-wide, not just in this Kingdom. You can gain easy access to higher Regions with the contributions you could quickly acquire."
Reivyn rubbed his chin as he considered the man before him.
"What do you get out of it?" Reivyn finally asked.
Josn sat back in his chair as he considered the question.
"I won't lie to you. I will get some merit from successfully "finding" and recruiting you, and the further you go, the further I would be able to go as well," Josn gave Reivyn a level look. "That being the case, it is not my motivation. I am a True Believer, and it would be of great benefit in the fight against Heresy and evil if someone with your capabilities joined us."
Join the church? Knight-Captain Reifold was apparently a squire in a church, probably this one now that I think about it, and he got a pretty decent Class out of it, so it wouldn't necessarily hamper my goals. Reivyn shook his head. I don't know enough about the opportunities, but if it's Realm-wide, then there obviously must be some powerful Classes unique to the organization.
But I'm not interested in fettering myself to the church. Not at all.
Reivyn chose his words very carefully as he replied, "I'm not against being associated with the church. I've seen what you guys have been up to out here, and I must say, especially after clearing the air between us, that I have a positive impression," Josn had a hopeful smile on his face as he listened to the words. "But I don't really have any interest in being a full-fledged member. I have other things and other people to consider."
"Well, don't make any decisions, yet," Josn said, undeterred. "There are many ways to contribute to the church without being an official member. It would be best for the church - and me, personally - if you were to be a full member, but you can also choose to be a 'Friend of the Church.' I'm sure we will have many opportunities to convince you of the right path in the future."
"I'm not opposed to establishing a relationship," Reivyn said.
"Excellent," Josn reached into a drawer and drew out a bronze token. "Here, take this. This is the mark of a 'Friend of the Church.' It's not quite like your Adventurer token, as it doesn't record any information or deeds other than simply being attuned to you, but it will identify you as someone who has a good relationship with us.
"With this, you can do missions and assignments for the Church wherever we have a presence, and you can use your contribution points to get many things. A full member has access to a lot more than a simple associate, but you can get some resources, training, and knowledge in return for your efforts."
Reivyn reached out and took the token. It was a simple bronze medal with the symbol for the Church of Light on it, very similar to the medallion he had gotten in the Dungeon.
"Does that mean there are missions I can complete here? You did say, 'anywhere you have a presence.'" Reivyn asked as he attuned the token to himself and put it away.
"Sure, we have missions. The variety isn't so great, at the moment, as most things are covered, and you might not be able to do the main mission: cleansing any taint you find. But there are other things, like information about the Dungeon."
"I do have some information about the Dungeon, actually," Reivyn said. "What do you know about the second floor boss room?"
"It's three Spectres and a weakened Dullahan," Josn replied quickly. "I've never been that far, myself, as I go with some of the lower Level sword-priests in order to oversee their progression, but that's what everyone who has been there has said. Why? Is there something else to it?"
"Mhmm," Reivyn nodded. "The first time my Party made it down there, the boss fight wasn't three Spectres and a Dullahan. It was one Spectre plus a horde of Revenants. They were doing some sort of fell ritualistic sacrifice of goblins, and there was a giant pit filled with bubbling liquid.
"Do you know of the events that happened here during the Claim Campaign?" Reivyn suddenly shifted directions.
"I know about the Revenants and the Demon, yes," Josn replied.
"I came into contact with that liquid, which is what put me in that situation where my Party members rushed me to the surface to see if I was being overcome by the taint, and from the notifications I received after waking up, I'm pretty confident that was the source of the Demon. It would appear that someone had snuck down there, and they were either forced by someone else or willingly chose to turn themself into that Demon."
Josn pulled out a parchment and recorded the information Reivyn supplied. "So what you're saying is, this liquid has the ability to turn someone into a Demon? How did you survive?" Josn paused as he looked at Reivyn.
"Had something to do with my immunity," Reivyn shrugged. He wasn't going to go into more detail than that.
"Fair enough, everyone has secrets. We're not so close-minded as to need to know everything about you, especially if the end result is what it is," Josn replied with a smile. He continued to write on the parchment. "Ok, so there's a chance - we don't know what, yet - that the encounter in the second floor boss room will be a ritual with demonic alchemy. Special note: do not come into contact with the liquid.
"We'll probably inform everyone to see about - very carefully - acquiring a sample if anyone else gets that encounter," Josn said after he finished recording, setting his pen down. "Anything else?"
"Yes, actually," Reivyn said. Josn was slightly surprised as he picked his writing utensil back up and prepared to write again. "There's a hard mode associated with the second floor boss."
"Really?" Josn said with some excitement.
"Yeah, I didn't know you were supposed to kill the three Spectres right away, and I sort of let them combine into one. Then it possessed the Dullahan, and it was much stronger and deadlier to fight as compared to what some of your men described. I guess that there are varying levels of difficulty, with the relevant increase in rewards, with how many Spectres you leave alive to combine and possess the Dullahan. Three would obviously be the hardest version."
Josn wrote all of the words down, clearly excited to be able to share this information with his associates.
"I'll be sure to let the Sword-Bishop know right away. He's a fairly high Level Tier 3, probably close to Knight-Captain Reifold, your previous commander. He is a lot older, though, so it's to be expected.
"I would say that this information is probably enough to be considered pretty valuable. We won't spread it to outsiders, so you can probably get double merit if you take this to the Adventurer's Branch," Josn winked at Reivyn.
Reivyn was slightly surprised at the friendly action. Didn't expect someone like him to wink at me. It appears he's pretty similar to Knight-Lieutenant Brand in some ways: strict on his subordinates and outsiders, but amiable to those he sees as equal, or close to equal, in rank.
"That's not a bad idea. I hadn't really considered it before you mentioned knowledge as being considered Contribution."
"Happy to help," Josn said. "Ok, once again, is there anything else?"
Reivyn looked up and to the side as he thought about his experiences with the Dungeon. "I don't think so. At least not off the top of my head."
"Alright, well, let me escort you out of the camp," Josn stood up and held his hand out, gesturing for Reivyn to precede him in stepping out of the tent.
The two men exited the tent and made their way towards the exit of the camp. They made small talk as they walked. The topic of conversation was mostly about the military-esque style of the camp and Reivyn's experience in the Lord's Retinue. Reivyn paused for a moment as they walked close to the infirmary.
"Do you mind if I peek inside?" Reivyn asked. "There was a group of Adventurers that helped me out during the Claim battle with the other count's forces. They didn't stick around to delve the Dungeon after, but they might have come back later, and I want to see if they're in there."
"Sure, I couldn't deny a show of loyalty in good conscience," Josn replied as he led him to the infirmary.
Reivyn entered with Josn on his heels, but he didn't recognize any of the Adventurers that were laid up near the entrance of the tent. I never saw their faces as they had their visors down or hoods up, but I would definitely recognize their build, especially the big armored guy. They would most likely be together, too. Reivyn made his way to the back, but he never saw anyone familiar.
"It doesn't look like they're here," Reivyn said. The two men turned and made their way out of the temporary infirmary.
Suddenly, as they walked past some groaning Adventurers, Reivyn felt a flash of heat and a small spike in humidity. He instinctively activated his Mana Sight as he turned to face where the sensation came from. He stood in confused silence for a while as he saw what was happening.
He could see motes of dark red mana float off of the bodies of the corrupted Adventurers. They floated up and away, and then they reacted to the ambient mana. The two different forms of mana coalesced together before they fused with a -pop- and that fusion caused a small release of heat as the mana density infinitesimally ticked up.
So it is the mana! The heat is coming from the two forms of mana combining, and the feeling of humidity is coming from the mana density increasing from the interaction.
"Is something the matter?" Josn brought Reivyn out of his contemplations.
"I just noticed something," Reivyn replied. "Have any of your Casters, or those sensitive to mana, complained about the heat and humidity?"
"Yes, a few have. Even the Sword-Bishop has commented on it. We don't know the exact reason for it, though."
"I think I just figured it out," Reivyn said. Josn gave him his full attention. "I noticed a spike in the heat and humidity as we walked by these guys, and I activated Mana Sight. The corruption coming off of them is fusing with the local, ambient mana, and that fusion is causing the heat while also assimilating and increasing the mana density."
"That makes sense," Josn said with a contemplative look. "If the corrupt mana is assimilating, though, it should be fine? I'll pass the word up to the Sword-Bishop," Josn clapped Reivyn on the shoulder. "Look at you, already adding more contribution. Keep it up and the Sword-Bishop might take you more seriously than he does me." Josn chuckled.
"Hmm... I don't know about that," Reivyn said. "If anything out of the ordinary happens, anything that doesn't seem quite right, you must promise me that you will abandon your goals at that Dungeon and return to either Magron or Haluville," the words of his father echoed in his mind. "I think I'm going to get my Party and head back to Magron. We've pretty much accomplished everything we wanted to, anyway."
Reivyn turned to face Josn and gave him a level look. "I would recommend you guys consider moving further away, too. Not just you, but everyone. There have already been a lot of weird, dangerous things happening around this Dungeon, so it wouldn't hurt to be cautious."
Josn nodded his head as he replied, "Well, it's not up to me, but I'll be sure to pass your warning on to the Sword-Bishop and the Militia Captain."
"That's good," Reivyn said. They stepped back out into the waning late afternoon sun, and Reivyn squinted with his Mana Sight in the direction of the Dungeon. With intense concentration, he could just barely make out what looked similar to a plume of smoke rising into the air before dissipating. It was a constant stream of Abyssal Mana fusing and assimilating with the ambient mana.
Yeah, I think it's time to go, Reivyn thought as he headed back to the town proper.