Just as Ryan prepared to strike Dimia, an unsettling sensation washed over him. Sothing was wrong.
He pulled back ever so slightly, choosing silence instead of action, and watched Dimia’s still figure with caution. After Bishop Alaric’s departure, Dimia had stood there without moving for more than ten minutes. Ryan used the lull to sift through every quest prompt in his mind, repeating Malga’s words until they felt carved into his mory.
Neither of them moved. Dimia remained frozen in place, while Ryan, lost in his own ntal calculations, stayed equally still. Truthfully, the thought of rushing to finish the quest had never seriously crossed his mind. The mission carried little promise of reward and too many possible setbacks. Ryan had only accepted it because he wanted to experience the journey, to see how every part of it played out from beginning to end.
Since there was no urgency, he decided to wait. Perhaps there was more to the story than simply killing Dimia.
What nagged at him most was how little the earlier quest hints had revealed. Malga’s words echoed in his mind with stubborn weight. If the real objective was to destroy Malga, the so-called Light-favored, then why had Dimia—who was supposedly allied with the Twilight Cult—helped Malga escape during their first encounter? That act alone ran completely against the cult’s stated goals.
Ti passed slowly. Ryan even silenced the usually noisy chatter of his guild. His companions would know what that ant: their leader was once again caught up in a quest that demanded all of his attention.
At last, nearly half an hour later, the heavy stone doors of the chamber creaked open. Another mber of the Twilight Cult stepped inside.
Ryan’s focus sharpened instantly. Sothing new was about to happen.
"Archbishop, the modifications to Arachne, the Giant Insect King, are nearly complete. Arch-Engineer Machiel requests your presence."
A spark of excitent ran through Ryan. Without hesitation, he shadowed Dimia as she left the chamber, careful to keep out of sight. She stopped at what looked like an ordinary section of the wall. With a sharp click, the stone rotated inward to reveal a hidden passage. Ryan slipped through just as the wall began to close, determined to see where this led.
The passage opened into a vast, brightly lit hall deep underground. At its center hung a monstrous figure: Arachne, the Giant Insect King, suspended in midair by a web of chanical claws. Engineers worked feverishly around it, attaching tallic components to its armored body piece by piece, as if reforging the beast into sothing even more dreadful.
"Archbishop, the modifications are almost finished," announced a gno-like figure whose eyes glead with manic energy. This was Arch-Engineer Machiel, the mastermind behind the project. "Now we require your divine power. With sacred spells, we can bind the creature to our control."
Dimia’s answer ca cold and imdiate. "No. I will not shackle it with control spells. If we bind it, we suppress its nature. Its ferocity is its greatest strength, and without it, its destructive force will never reach its full potential. More importantly, a controlled Giant Insect King would no longer command the other insects of the swamp. That loss would outweigh any gain."
She paused, her gaze steady on the thrashing creature. "Instead, we will fuel it with berserker enchantnts, empowering it again and again, pushing it forward along the path we choose. Let it tear apart everything in its way."
From his hidden vantage point, Ryan watched in silence, every nerve taut with anticipation.
Dimia raised a hand. "You may leave. I will use divine magic to continuously stimulate the Giant Insect King’s mind. If you remain here, the berserker spells might affect you."
The cultists bowed and quickly filed out, their footsteps fading into the distance. Once the hall was empty, Dimia stepped closer to the enormous creature. Arachne let out a guttural, rumbling cry that reverberated through the chamber.
"I know you hate us, the Twilight Cultists," Dimia said quietly. Her voice carried an edge Ryan had never heard before. "I do too."
Ryan froze, stunned. His heartbeat kicked into overdrive. This was it—this was the core of the quest.
"My beloved was murdered by those wretches," Dimia continued, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "The tornt in my heart mirrors the pain you now endure. The only difference is that I can infiltrate the Twilight Cult and destroy it from within—sothing you cannot do."
Her confession shattered everything Ryan thought he understood about this mission. The quest wasn’t what it had seed at all.
Dimia’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "But I can give you a chance. Three days from now, when I indicate the location of the cult’s stronghold, I will point to the wrong place. While they relax, convinced of their safety, you will summon your swarm and strike at their true lair. Tear them apart. Annihilate every last one of them."
A deafening roar shook the hall. Arachne’s entire fra shuddered against its restraints. Ryan didn’t need to understand insect speech to recognize what that sound ant: agreent.
The Giant Insect King stilled, its violent thrashing replaced by a strange calm. Slowly, it lowered its massive head to et Dimia’s gaze before closing its eyes, as if accepting her plan.
Ryan’s chest surged with excitent. So this was the "scam" quest? It wasn’t scam at all. These missions only appeared unrewarding on the surface. In truth, they demanded patience, attention, and the willingness to uncover hidden paths buried beneath the obvious.
He couldn’t help but wonder just how great the final reward for this quest might be.
"Soon," Dimia whispered, her voice breaking. "Soon you damned Twilight Cult will pay. You will taste the second vengeance for the death of my beloved."
Her composure finally cracked. She turned her face upward, tears streaking down her cheeks. Until now, Ryan had only ever seen her cold, unreadable mask. To witness this raw grief carved across her features left him shaken.
A sudden chi echoed in Ryan’s ears, pulling him back.
—
System Notice: Quest objective for The Lost Radiance has been modified. Please review updated requirents.
—
Ryan opened the quest log at once. The original task—to eliminate Dimia—had vanished. In its place, the quest was already marked as completed, and a new directive awaited: return to First Light and speak with Spirit Malga about everything he had witnessed.
He looked up again, but Dimia was gone. Only Arachne remained, motionless and silent beneath the web of steel claws, its eyes closed as though dreaming of the carnage to co.
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