Chapter 205: A cure my kingdom for a cure
Tyr and Ori find the villages are highly receptive to all their questions. Do they need to ask a random number of villagers about the plague? How it started, who was the first to get sick etc. They spilt meeting when Ori comes across a small child. Who swears her mother disappeared the day before the plague began.
This triggers the quest to update and they have to track down the mother. Ori and leaper, Tyr and Salome make their way into one of the old underground water facilities that Hoshi uses to pump water around the town.
Tyr is using his classic shield and a spear, usually meant for a spell blade. These common items should last long enough and it should allow him to cast his spells. The underground water facility is light brightly. It seems whatever powers this place is still fully functional.
Growl! It is Leaper that goes off first. A pale hound appearing in front of them. It is bigger than most wolves. Tyr is the first one forward, his body lighting up as fire appears over the spear. He casts two spells. [Scorch] makes his body ignite like an energy wave. [Sun Enchant] coats his weapon in flames that come off it like solar flares.
⚠Demon Dog⚠
level: 40
Hp: 15000
Ori watches as Tyr attacks the Demon Dog. With the spells, Tyr activates he deals five hundred damage per attack. Ori waits, he has no specific range skills, so he is relying on the basic attack for the magic bolter. To his surprise, he deals with more damage than expected. Tyr has a talent that helps members of his party, Ori sees on his h.u.d. ?Warmaster Talent?, which adds ten per cent damage to Ori. Raising his attack to three hundred and thirty on average.
The demon dog tries to retaliate with [Bite], It deals about eighty damage to Tyr and [Scorch] reflect half the damage he receives so the demon dog also suffers eighty damage. Salome and Leaper are on the edge of their feet, waiting for the chance to attack.
Now that Tyr has secured the aggro of the monster, he dashes past it, stabbing it as he does. The monster turns to unleash [Fang]. Ori commands Salome and Leaper to attack his bolter shot, arriving first. Leaper and Salome attack the legs. Tyr goes into a flow, his average attack speed is two seconds.
Ori does his best to match the tempo the monster goes after a few seconds, dropping a pelt and a few coppers. They go deeper into the Facility. Tyr rubs his hands on the wall, his eyes have a fire behind them. The carving on the wall is a map of the facility. They are on the ground level, they have to get to sublevel three.
Tyr is leading this dungeon raid. So they are running through the demon dogs. Ori worries about their pace but also wants to make more contributions. If not for Salome and Leaper Ori would say he is on a bus, but the demon dogs exp is low comparatively.
To Ori, it should be one. Even if the system doesn't call it a dungeon. "I can increase my attack output." At this rate, they collect a batch of materials that they can sell. Ori wonders how much effort it would take to do it alone. Solo dungeon clearing must be extremely profitable. Most low-level guilds offer real money as they can afford that. Reef Company has one the top rating for payments as they pay both in credits and coppers. If you join the company as an affiliate for a nominal fee, one can even earn processed materials and items.
While the quality is common trash, their cheap prices are creating dependence by players on the Reef Company. They funnel this dependence to their own factory floor or directly to SUNken Reef. In Pike, almost every none guilded player is affiliated with SUNken Reef. Coral Reef has even started a division for players who can pay, to join without having to contribute or be trained to join SUNken Reef specifically. This allows solo and small parties to get some guild benefits.
Many parties have a good relationship with Coral Reef for this reason. The amount of effort SUNken Reef in Pike and Red Iron Island is making them even more popular. The guild can afford to open their lands because their members play the game at a higher level, so the chances are minuscule that the average player can ruin anything for a SUNken Reef member.
Ori has been looking into ways to raise funds for his ranch. The role-play from earlier had a kernel of truth in it. His spot on the beach will require a lot of money. The monster in the water facility is all demon spawn. This is unusual Ori remembers the clearing of the western side o the island was because of a demonic invasion.
Tyr is pushing them to go faster. There are two possibilities and he fears it is the one he has put off for over a month. The mobs only require coordination to defeat. Ori and Salome are perfect support. She even throws herself forward if there is over one demon dog. Leaper is also doing his job it is much more important for him to follow orders.
Tyr lets a demon eye threw his defence, Ori reacts better than expected. Ori shoots his bolter at her wings to limit its ability to fly. He commands Leaper to bite it so that he can shoot it. Tyr and Salome are working on the demon dog. They finish up and Ori levels up to thirty-five. Ori and Leaper level up together as his first pet, Leaper has been with him since day one.
"Boss, how did you get a pet?" Ori knows like every other player knows players will get pets at level forty unless your class specifically allows for it.
"Most people confuse vanity pets and combat pets. Level fifty requirement is for vanity pets. Combat pets wouldn't need a level limit. Finding them is hard enough, and if you are unlucky like Ninth Immortal, it requires weeks of additional training." Tyr after looting the demon dog and letting Salome have a small nibble, giving her a demon dog transformation. Tyr then leads them further down, the boss room shouldn't be much further away.
"What's wrong with her pet?" Ori still doesn't know what kind of pet she got, but she has been going to the rank zero dungeons to train.
"The fucker has a nasty temperament." Tyr shakes his hands where the bastard had bitten him.
The third underground floor is a large platform with water running underneath it. At the edge of the platform is a woman. Her dress is tattered, only covering the lower half of her body. Tyr signals for all of them to hide at the entrance.
"What do you see?" Tyr is teaching Ori on the job. Being able to analyse monsters without the use of skills is an important ability.
Ori tries his best to not disappoint. Usually, he will rush in and find out. His monster analysis skill is not as in-depth as a beastmaster or even a trainer who can even see the potential of monsters. Still, he remembers the guide outlines the basics of monster analysis. "It's probably a demonic class boss, because of the demons we fought getting here. She is probably that kid's mom. She doesn't appear to have many physical transformations. I don't think she will have high physical abilities so magic long-range."
"Good, do you smell that?" Tyr lets Salome take a smell she is also learning. Hyperintelligent pets like her require a lot of stimuli. Her tail stands up as she picks up the smell of cadaverine. It is like rotting flesh. The boss is not undead, Ori smells it too. Looking for other signs of undead which he doesn't find. Her skin is pristine and ashy. There are also no other signs of rot or even bloating.
"Something possessing her. Look at her ears and those could be horns, for she turns around." Ori has it right on the money, something, not of this world infects her. Tyr has only seen it once before and only in this lifetime.
"Okay, follow me, don't attack until I tell you too. She is dangerous." Tyr, leaper, Salome and Ori make their way into the room. There is a blue formation that locks them in the room with the boss. She turns around Tyr and Ori staring at her bare chest that has eyes for nipples and her mouth sits across the sternal head muscles and she has no face. Her pointy ears are the only orifices on her head. What looks like horns to them is actually how the monster breathes.
Tyr sighs loudly at the notification he gets.
? Main Quest Update ?
YOU HAVE FOUND ONE OF THE HERALDS OF DAMNATION.
MAIN QUEST TRIGGER(0): Defeat the herald and prevent the world from falling into ruin. Serb has been defeated.
90 days remaining...
Reward: 10 000 reputation with the Supreme Church
YOU HAVE FOUND ONE OF THE HERALDS OF DAMNATION.
MAIN QUEST TRIGGER(1): Defeat the herald and prevent the world from falling into ruin. Serb has been defeated slowing the spread of demonic portals. Yet the agents of evil still live stop them before its too late.
59 days remaining...
Reward: Clue to the location of the final Herald!, Proof of Malefaction.