Aeran was not too happy about being knocked out cold by the bloodfiend’s dream magic, but he cald down when Adam handed him one of the two trophies he’d collected.
< < Collectible Relic > >
< Bloodfiend Fang (Rare) — The canine fang of a mature bloodfiend >
The second-generation bloodfiend had carried a pouch with 800 Shillings inside, and he’d worn a jewelled ring on his clawed index finger that Adam pried off, figuring it could be sold. As they left, Adam harvested the vampire’s blood and flesh, hoping the scent of the blood would help him later.
Since the sun wasn’t far from the horizon, they hurried through the Wine district, passing by another tavern called Gilded Gillian’s Guesthouse. Even though they just had a quick peek inside, the proprietor, an old man called Gillian who wore a white suit with gilded trim, buttons, and embroidery, asked them to help him find his missing glass eye. His right eyelid was closed as he spoke with them.
< < Quest Unlocked > >
< An Eye to Behold >
< Find Gilded Gillian's glass eye >
He had apparently lost it sowhere in the Pleasure district after a night out on the town. Although Adam intended to complete as many quests as possible, a lot of them just seed like busywork. Even the church quest was clearly designed to take as long as possible.
If not for Aeran, we may have had a harder ti with the first step, but I wish there was a way to get around having to visit each district…
They left the Wine district and went east to Market, which, as the na suggested, had many different shops. There were several vendors selling ordinary things that were just junk to them, but a few stores set into the fa??ades of buildings and under familiar-looking wooden stalls with colourful overhangs sold Relics and Weapons. Just like with the crossing between the Artisan and Wine districts, the one to Market was another large bridge full of expensive stores and boutiques.
Whether it was because they had killed a high-ranking bloodfiend, the ti of day, or just bad luck, Adam couldn’t detect any fiends besides the lesser ones, and they cleared these out with very little trouble, since they were solitary and weak by comparison to the one they’d ambushed earlier. Adam managed to pick up eight more fangs in the process, which felt like a minor consolation.
I wonder if the Flayed Lady wanted
to kill even the lesser bloodfiends, since that may make her quest incredibly tedious. And from what Elia told , it seems it’s possible for so teammates to end the Stage early if they grab the Godstone right away, so I could end up in a situation where I have to clean up the rest alone, or with a lot less help.
And in a fair fight, just one of these second-generation vampires is sure to be a lot of trouble. I’m starting to understand why weakening the Patriarch before fighting him is a good idea. The fact that he and the Matriarch possess several types of magic and abilities sounds daunting.
Hopefully I can find a way to defeat the Matriarch without having to fight her head-on.
The Relics sold in the Market were only Common today, and besides the Ballroom Mask, all of them were either potions or the buffing roots that increased maximum Health, Mana, or Stamina. Adam sold the ring he’d looted from the bloodfiend and got 400 Shillings in return, putting their total at 1,800. A Common Relic cost 500, which ant that they needed to save up a lot for the Rares and Epics that would be available later, so it wasn’t currently worth buying potions or buff items, but Adam thought it was nice that they had the option.
But it probably also ans that the nights are bound to get really crazy.
The weapons rchants likewise only sold Common types, and as with the Relic vendors’ options, there was only one Stage-specific thing on sale.
< < Weapon Types For Sale > >
< Fisherman (Common)>
< Woodsman (Common)>
< Backstabber (Common)>
Adam thought the Fisherman could potentially have so interesting evolutions, but the weapon itself seed weak. It was a wooden spear with four short hooked prongs at the end, perfect for catching a fish and keeping it from escaping, but he wasn’t sure how useful it would be against humanoids or big monsters.
After they were done with their brief window-shopping, they found a tavern called Oiled Ollie’s Eatery. The building was three stories tall and quite large, housing many people and employing a dozen waiters. After they shared the news of the church’s reopening with one, he brought the proprietor to see them. It was a young man with wispy-thin blonde hair, making him look almost bald. His na was Jasper, and apparently the tavern was nad after his pet, though Adam couldn’t get a clear answer about what kind of animal it was.
He did however have another quest for them, and it was one Adam already knew about. The story went that an aristocrat had to abandon his island after it was overgrown following a wizard’s curse, and his treasure was now up for anyone to grab, so long as they could find their way through the hedge maze.
< < Quest Unlocked > >
< The Hidden Treasure on Garden Isle >
< Navigate the hedge maze to locate the treasure >
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
A benefit from picking up the quest was that it matched Adam’s earlier description and earned him a lot of goodwill and trust with the others.
From the Market district they went north to Garrison. The border between the two districts was separated by a flat bridge that made the transportation of carriages and wagons quite easy, and it led down a large thoroughfare that ended at the Moonport gate, which was a massive thing that was itself connected to a large bridge that spanned a big portion of the lagoon to reach the mainland that would lead to Stage Nine.
Beck had told Adam how there was a weird boundary halfway across the water to the mainland, similar to the boundary in the first few Stages. Apparently, boats were just spun around 180-degrees when they hit it. Similarly, the bridge was also protected with a boundary, but he had said there was soone standing just beyond that invisible wall when he’d gone up there last ti. It was sothing Adam planned to investigate.
Past the city gate and large thoroughfare with transport going back and forth, were grey brick buildings and fortifications housing the Moonport guard. Nestled between them were an inconspicuous courtyard with a few tables and chairs, and steps leading down to a tavern in the cellar, aptly nad the Musty Cellar.
Given its location, it was no surprise that the majority of those seated within were guardsn. But Aeran was apparently confused by the fact that the guard who he had given the bloodfiend’s head was sitting by a table alone, already on his fifth mug of beer or whatever they drank here.
Although they still had two more districts to hit up, Aeran insisted they talk to the guy. His speech was slurred and difficult to understand, but it was clear that he’d been reprimanded for showing his superiors the head and having passed on Aeran’s ssage that there was vampires in the city.
“It is a conspiracy,” Aeran said with a frown as they went up the steps leading out of the cellar.
“Is it really such a shock?” Sofia asked, earning her a glare. “I’m just saying, it would be impossible to miss the signs, especially since there are enough disappearances for everyday people to notice. The only explanation is that the guards and city rulers are complicit.”
“We should hunt down the vampires that have infiltrated the guards,” Aeran said.
“Let’s do it tomorrow,” Adam replied. “We’re running out of daylight and we have two more districts to go.”
Aeran reluctantly agreed to wrap up their annoying quest, and so they went southwest from Garrison and into the Pleasure district. It was a stark contrast to all the other districts, since every building was painted in a different colour from the rest, making it look like a rainbow had fallen from the sky and splattered the bricks and tiles.
Unsurprisingly, the district had a seedy atmosphere and although the sun had yet to set, prostitutes stood outside their colourful establishnts and tried to get them to enter.
Adam frowned. There are a lot of bloodfiends here…
Many of the brothels, massage parlours, and bathhouses had lesser fiends hiding in the private rooms, but even a few of the scantily-clad n and won on the narrow streets, who beckoned them to co inside for so ‘fun’, were third-generation bloodfiends themselves.
We’ll have to co back for them later, but we don’t have ti to clean up this district before the sun sets.
“Don’t enter any of the buildings,” Adam warned them. “We’re going straight for the tavern and then heading north into the Cloth district.”
Although it was clear that Aeran wanted to take his frustrations out on the vampires, he seed to not want to break too much from the group, no doubt because being knocked out cold by a single spell had made him realise he couldn’t solo everything.
< < Tavern Discovered > >
< The Sober Eel >
“Even the tavern’s na sounds sexual…” Sofia remarked disapprovingly, although Adam had noticed through her lody how she’d been attracted to so of the n selling their ‘wares’. As had Luo and even Aeran. Závi was the only one who seed truly disinterested, although it clearly pained her when Aeran’s lascivious gaze fell on another woman.
I wonder if there’s a weak charm in the area, or if these are just their true desires on display.
Once again, Adam wished he could tune out that specific part of his blood sense, but thus far he’d only found a way to limit its range.
The tavern was half brothel and half restaurant, but compared to many of the other establishnts, it was clear of bloodfiends. For now.
The outside was painted in a pinkish-red and there was an abundance of banners and overhangs. A staircase from the third floor led up to a rooftop that had several bathtubs and lounge chairs. Worst of all, it was filled with exactly the kinds of lodies that made Adam wish he could turn off his power completely.
They left the Eel imdiately after passing on the word of the church’s revival and hurried north to the Cloth district.
After a bit of searching, they found the last tavern they needed. It was a two-storey building with an alchemist’s lab on the second floor. It was no doubt thanks to this occupant that the place was called the Nightcap.
The rooms available to rent were actually located in the basent, and they were incredibly cheap, since they were large repurposed wine barrels and casks, making them similar to those found in pod hotels. Granted, it didn’t seem very healthy to be inhaling alcoholic fus while sleeping.
< < Quest Complete > >
< Spread the Good Word >
< Shared the news of the church’s reopening >
“Finally,” Aeran said, annoyed.
They went west from the Cloth district and into Pious, running across the rooftops until they reached the church. Out across the lagoon, past the breakwater, the sun was dipping into the open ocean, with nightfall only minutes away.
We just made it in ti.
The nightly attacks wouldn’t begin as soon as it got dark, but if they’d been out as the sun set, they would’ve been hard-pressed to find a safe haven in ti.
The Floating Sea made nights seem peaceful. That was definitely a trap designed with this Stage in mind, Adam realised.
When they walked into the church, Adam felt heat flush across his face and body. To his Mana-sight, the interior was filled with a golden haze. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable, and so long as he didn’t take actual damage, he could live with it.
“We have spread the word,” Aeran told Father Mathias.
“Excellent,” the priest replied. “I will hold a sermon tomorrow morning. I hope many will attend. In these trying tis, the Lord’s word may do much good.”
Aeran’s lody indicated that he thought such a thing was bullshit, but he kept his mouth shut.
I suppose the First Light is viewed as quite a benevolent God in this Stage, and based on the True Fla’s Icon crown, I get the feeling he may also be related to the secret boss in Stage Nine.
I’ll trust Elia and Nova’s word about not fighting the Forlorn Shadow for now, so I’ll have to make sure I sell the crown once I get back, since Elia said it would follow
into the Stage if I still had it.
“The bloodfiends will attack the people of the city tonight,” Aeran said.
The priest adopted a grim expression. “It is a sha that I could not bless them all today. Creatures of the night and dark are repulsed by my Lord’s light.”
“Can we stay here tonight?” Sofia asked him.
“First we need to cleanse the crypt,” Father Mathias replied.
“Then let’s not waste any ti,” Adam said. “It will get dark soon.”
“Indeed,” the priest replied. “Follow .”
< < Quest Unlocked > >
< Rats in the Crypt >
< Help Father Mathias cleanse the church crypt >
They followed Father Mathias as he walked down from the altar with the reliquary holding the winged statue and went towards stairs in the back left corner of the church, behind the wall with the altar. Adam took a wide berth around the statue, since he felt the heat emanating from it grow more intense the closer he ca. Even the priest was letting off pulses of holy magic that made Adam keep his distance. Aeran watched him out of the corner of his eyes, clearly making a note of his reaction.
The steps were quite shallow and pretty wide, making the stairwell almost like a ramp, which was no doubt useful for when heavy things had to be transported up from and down to the crypt. At the end of the steps, they curved to the right before reaching a large stone and tal door. Groaning and pounding sounds ca from the other side.
“Prepare yourselves,” Father Mathias said as he approached the door and slotted in a large key into the lock.
Every turn produced a tallic thunk that echoed up through the stairwell.
They all drew their weapons and Adam opted for the Spidersilk Needle.
Then the priest spun the key one last ti, and the floor shook as the crypt door slowly opened inward under its own weight.
Here we go.
Reviews
All reviews (0)