GH - 235

Murmurs swirled around the tent as the hulking Mardukryons talked in hushed tones. I wondered if I should’ve kept my silence. Did I sound suspicious? A random Mardukryon from a supposedly lost tribe suddenly appeared to say he knew what this evil plague was about. Some of them thought I was part of it—I could hear snippets of their conversations.

It was fortunate that Methuselah was interested in what I had to say. He raised his hand to silence the others and then pointed at me. “Share with us what you know, lad from a village once thought gone. What challenges are we facing?”

I nodded. “The explosion that opened the path I took to get here? I mentioned that a certain Mad Brewer Bawu caused it. She’s an Arcane Brewer, the last of her Lodge.”

I went on to tell them about how Bawu wants to take revenge on the Mountain Guardian for killing the other Arcane Brewers during the Great Quake. Or Immense Heave. She conducted experiments for decades, but her most recent success was due to a lab accident that spawned the Blight. And from that Blight, she made the Arcane Blight. Of course, I didn’t mention that I helped her make the new version of the disease by collecting various ingredients from Blighted monsters cavorting around her laboratories.

“Mad Brewer Bawu has taken many Kurghal Villagers,” I said. “She turned them into monsters, the same as what happened to your fellow Hunter-Warriors. She fled from our village and seems to continue her plan here.”

“And what would that plan be?” asked a Mardukryon with four spears to my left. I just noticed there were a lot of spears inside this tent. I felt a bit left out only having one that was uncool.

“I’m not sure what her plan is,” I replied. “But it’ll be connected to her ultimate goal. I bet she’s raising an army to take on the Mountain Guardian.”

“Mezhu Nue…” Methuselah flicked a finger over the rings of his left tusk. Their tinkling echoed as everyone listened to his next words. “The children of the Mountain Guardian congregate there. A fearsome army it would be if she manages to inflict them with this Arcane Blight you speak of. I fear… she’s already beginning to do so.”

“She’s not going to stop there,” I said. “She’ll go for Sajilis and all the other Mardukryon settlements. Maybe she’ll even go for the musical goats.” I intended to scare these NPCs into taking action, but my theory was most likely correct. Bawu was shaping up to be the big bad guy, spilling over the main quest. Or spoiling it. More world quests to come.

“This crazed Arcane Brewer aims for Mezhu Nue,” said a different Mardukryon behind me. “With her monstrous army ballooning from the creatures residing there, she’ll move to Sajilis and conquer it. She’ll repeat her process, her army ever-growing, and each city after falling faster and faster.”

“She’ll infect the whole mountain to ensure victory over the Mountain Guardian,” chimed in another NPC.

“Preposterous! She won’t go that far,” said Four Spears to my left. “Even if she succeeded, what would she have left? Nothing!”

“Her title as a Mad Brewer indicates logic no longer works with her,” Methuselah said. “I have seen many of our people go insane from the losses they’ve experienced after the Immense Heave.”

“We have to stop her,” I insisted. “We should all go to Mezhu Nue to find out what’s up. Then I can go on to Sajilis with some of your men—I won’t contribute anything fighting the monsters of Mezhu Nue—and we’ll return with reinforcements. Sajilis has to know. And fast.”

“Sajilis has to know…” Methuselah slowly repeated. “Yes, you are right. But we have to strategize our next steps lest we befall the same fate as—”

“We don’t have—” I began to say. But I was also interrupted.

An NPC burst through the tent flaps and exclaimed, “Five Spears! A scout has returned.”

“Only one?” Methuselah asked. “I sent three to investigate the outskirts of Mezhu Nue and find the cause of the evil plague. What of the other two?”

“We know not, Five Spears,” replied the newcomer. “Only the surviving scout does, but we cannot ask him because he is grievously injured. Luvarci and his group found the scout near death by the pass east of our camp. The scout was attacked by malignant monsters, which Luvarci’s party defeated. Luvarci says more enemies are coming to our base.”

“Prepare for battle, everyone.” Methuselah undid the fastenings on the tent wall behind him, revealing a detached flap that could open wide. That answered how he entered the tent given he was so big he couldn’t even stand up here.

“What about me?” I asked, raising my hand. “I want to help.”

“Stay here and wait for our return,” he said. “This dangerous battle is not a place for you.”

“I’m still going out later,” I mumbled.

Then a notification popped up. I read it as the Mardukryons left the tent, carrying their spears with them.   

[ Quest Completed: Gaining Knowledge II-VI]

“Excuse me?” I jolted as Essence filled my experience bar, pushing me to the brink of reaching level thirty. “Did I just complete the entire series of Gaining Knowledge?”  

I had completed Gaining Knowledge I after getting a piece of the [Tattered Map] from the crimson goat, my total pieces reaching five. Gaining Knowledge II tasked me with more exploration, investigation, and finding other map pieces. It appeared that there were six quests in the chain. And I completed them all in one go because I ran into this group of Mardukryons. Despite lacking most of the [Tattered Map], I did accomplish my goal. It was like solving a math equation in the wrong way but still ending up with the correct answer.

Clearly, events weren’t supposed to unfold like this—I had five more quests to complete in sequence. My guess was that encountering Bawu and the world quest that followed opened a shortcut for me.

Where the hell were my rewards though? It couldn’t just be Essence. I’d like to return my shortcut please and get rewards instead.   

[ Secret Quest Unlocked: Delivering Crucial Information ]

You have succeeded where all others failed—you found the other Mardukryon tribes. Unfortunately, you also found out a great threat looming, with Mad Brewer Bawu enacting her evil plans that could spell the doom of the Mardukryons and everyone living on the mountain. Make haste to Sajilis and spread the word of the danger facing them all.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” I pumped my fist in the air. Well, I wasn’t really talking about this. I didn’t even know this would happen.

My reward was a secret quest, a path for me to be the hero! The fate of the Mardukryons, the musical goats, and everything else on this mountain was on my shoulders. Herald Stone would rise to the challenge.

I hurried outside to find out what my destiny was. Armored Mardukryons rushed to the front of the base, casting buffs on each other. I followed them. No one stopped me. The battle had already started in the clearing outside the base, so everyone was focused there.

Dozens of Arcane Blighted monsters in the level fifties—all of them monster types I hadn’t seen before—surrounded Luvarci and several other Mardukryons. Luvarci’s party probably came out of the camp to meet the first wave of monsters, hoping to keep the battle away from the tents, but was overwhelmed by the next waves that suddenly appeared. Methuselah and the most senior of the Hunter-Warriors plowed through the monsters spewing purple clouds and reached Luvarci. Slowly but surely, the two groups reunited.

Methuselah cast a powerful AoE fire skill that obliterated the monsters in a wide radius. “To the camp!” he commanded Luvarci’s party. “Form lines there, not in the open. More enemies are coming!”

Over the trees, the next hill over, swarms of giant insects, trailing purple clouds in their wake, took flight and headed our way. I had scarcely any experience tanking flying monsters. How was this supposed to work? Perhaps just treat them like ranged opponents on a tree? Retribution and poison were my only ‘counter’ to flying opponents.

Stronger Arcane Blighted monsters, some in the level sixties and some in the early seventies emerged out of the forest and stomped toward our camp. Including the flyers, there were a few hundred enemies.

“Five Spears!” I called to Methuselah as he approached.

“Follow me,” he said.

I thought he was going to shoo me away. I followed his massive, chainmail-covered behind as he went up and down the lines of defenses, ordering his subordinates what magic circles or barriers to cast and where. They also summoned spirits and created golems from the ground. This was going to be a massive battle. As much as I wanted to see it unfold, I should put a stop to this.

“We have to escape,” I told Methuselah, raising my voice. “We may win this fight, but the Arcane Blighted will keep coming.”

Methuselah stopped. “That they will, brave lad. Which is why we defeat as many of them as we can now.” He faced me and leaned down, putting a massive hand on my shoulder. I staggered from the weight. “Beholding this horde coming for us, I see the truth in your words and the evil in this Mad Brewer Bawu. Indeed, she is raising an army of the infected, and she will use that army to increase its number.”

“Which is why we shouldn’t add to that number,” I said. “Let’s go now. They can’t chase us. We’ll find another way to Sajilis.”

“You will go to Sajilis.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Luvarci!” Methuselah beckoned for the Three Spears. “Pick four trusted others to accompany you. An important task you must do.”

“Where to, Five Spears?” asked Luvarci.

“To Sajilis,” Methuselah replied. “Including this lad from Kurghal Village, the six of you will head to Sajilis and bring word to our people of the incoming danger.”

“But the monsters…” Luvarci’s voice trailed as more and more enemies appeared. Mardukryons with long-ranged spells started firing.

Methuselah explained. “We will fight this wave and whittle them down. As their numbers dwindle, we will push out, and then we’ll go our separate ways. You and your party will go to Sajilis. While the rest of us will move parallel to Mezhu Nue, heading off monsters going after you.”

“We won’t let you down, Five Spears,” I said. “Let us fight now. Perhaps you can include me in your Contract of Binding so I’ll benefit from your protective spells.” And level up to thirty, I added in my head.