Chapter 75: Solving a Strange Quest (Patreon)

My consciousness returned to the tavern. Everything was just as I’d left it, with the roof still on fire, the chain man behind me immobilizing one of my arms, and the swordsman charging me with his sword raised.

Time to put the plan into motion.

I raised my free hand as if moving to draw my sword, and just like before, the chain man hooked his chain around it. Now he held me in place and waited for the swordsman to finish the job.

As the swordsman drew near, I summoned the orb and activated it.

*Item identified!* [The Zenyx Orb of Terror (Rare/Unique)] – There is only one of these in the tower and you have it. Congratulations, others who clear this floor after you won’t be so fortunate. The holder of this item is immune to its effects and can be wielded to project a paralyzing emotional attack that can incapacitate people and even devastate the psyche.

A sense of unease and fear rippled through the room, causing both men to hesitate while the wielder of the orb remained immune.

I dumped every free stat point I had into strength, and then roundhouse kicked the swordsman in the face. He went flying back and slammed into the wall.

This time, he did not get back up.

*DING!* You have Slain [Jeff Kowle, Swordsman] Level 21 – Experience Points Acquired.

The chain man was next and as I took a step towards him, he took one back to keep the chains tight. We could have done this dance all day, but I had a better idea.

I activated Heart of Darkness and sent a blob of shadow careening for his face. The chain man panicked when it hit and covered his eyes. He was completely blind and retreated further, pulling me along with him until he reached the back wall.

This is the part I’m not looking forward to, but Yakeshi seemed to think it wouldn’t corrupt me if I was fast and careful enough.

I ran at him and pushed his body against the wall. My strength to pin him in place so that he couldn’t move.

I opened my mouth wide, activated Savage Rupture, and then bit into his neck.

A burst of blood shot into my mouth, but I was careful not to swallow any. The chains on my arms fell off as the man rushed to try and stop the torrent of blood that was leaking out of him. As soon as I grabbed Hugo and moved back, he sank to the floor.

After another minute of blood loss, I got the notification.

*DING!* You have Slain [Tom Coates, Binder] Level 20 – Experience Points Acquired.

*Ding!* You have gained the Skill [Feral Hunter] – This passive skill reduces the cost of your active attack skills by 20% when attacking without a weapon.

*DING!* Class: [Blood Reaver] has reached level 26 – Experience Acquired.

I pulled out an empty potion vial and spat his blood inside it before collecting the rest. I must have gotten the feral hunter skill for biting someone to death. It wasn’t something I was looking to repeat, but maybe I could try a Heart Strike punch to take out enemies with a single blow.

“I guess the portable shrine helped,” said Hugo., relieved to be free.

“It did,” I replied as I collected the orb and looted the chains for good measure.

*Item Identified!* [Binding Chains of Zenyx, Rare: E-Grade] – These chains were crafted by the finest metallurgists and enchanters to bind and restrict the power of those at E-grade or lower. Active concentration and energy are required to use the binding effect as well as continued physical contact. (Current state: Perfect).

Wow, these are going to be incredibly useful.

I told Hugo the good news, but he seemed more concerned with the state of the building.

“Can we get out of here now?” he asked.

A section of the fiery roof collapsed, as if to answer his question. It smashed through part of the floor and into the bar below.

Nimbly, I jumped aside and climbed up through the burning hole. My cloak protected me from the worst of the flames, but my hands got burned in the process.

Once up top, I jumped across to the building next door and used some of the stored to blood to heal my hands.

“What now?” Hugo asked, after landing on my shoulder.

“We keep going and finish this.”

“Are you sure? Curfew will be coming up soon.”

“Then it’ll help distract them.”

We’d gone through the tavern and so the only obvious place left to go was the church. I didn’t think we’d find Damian there. Hell, I was pretty sure they hadn’t captured him at all. But taking out one of Martin’s bases and destroying his trap at the tavern will undermine his credibility as a strong leader. If he wants to portray me as some evil monster, then it’ll be an evil monster that he can’t protect them from.

Those outside the tavern had given up trying to control the blaze. We watched from the shadows as they ran in the opposite direction of the church.

Good. It’s already starting.

I ran, hopping from rooftop to rooftop until I could see the church up ahead. Normally, it would be difficult to sneak up on, given the cemetery and the flat land surrounding it. But like with the tavern, the windows had been boarded up.

I used Heightened Awareness to enhance my hearing. There was another group inside the church talking to each other, but it was all conversation about life from before. I couldn’t tell if it was another ambush trap waiting to happen, and I wasn’t sure about burning the church down just yet.

It was the only place to connect with gods easily that didn’t cost money.

Hugo’s god may be a cruel asshole, but his connection to it is the only thing that can restore his injured spirit summons. Not to mention how it would guarantee that everyone in town would hate me for it.

Still, we crept closer to the church. Curfew was very soon, and some, or perhaps all of them might leave to go hunting.

As I approached the side of the church, I spotted a lone figure in the cemetery.

I crouched down, fearful that I’d been discovered, but the figure didn’t move. With enhanced sight, it became clear that his back was to me and he was looking down at one of the grave markers. His outline was unmistakable and so I went over to him.

“Funny that we should meet here again,” I said.

Damian nodded while not taking his eyes off of the grave.

“Martin had been spreading a rumor that he’d captured you and was going to have you executed.”

“Since you’re here, I’m guessing you believed him.”

I moved around to look at his face. He seemed sadder than usual.

“I made him regret it. But anyway, what about you? Have you given any more thought to partying up on a more permanent basis? There’s four of us now and we’ve cleared floor 95.”

He shook his head. “I can’t leave this place for too long. Not until I find what I’m looking for.”

I asked if I could help and he stubbornly shook his head again and told me that I’d be better off leaving. That there was nothing here for me and that I should just continue the climb down.

My eyes went to the grave and as I read the name on it, I suddenly solved an answer to a question that had been following me for a while.

“It’s you. You’re the town founder!” I said.

To be honest, I couldn’t claim it to be brilliant detective work. Just that the name on the grave was Maria and the way that he was looking at it like a lost love made it obvious. Though I’m still not sure what the title of the Rose, the thorn, and the root meant.

Damian looked shocked and his shoulders slumped as if defeated. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

*DING!* Quest Completed – Congratulations! You solved the quest of discovering the identity of the town founder. A Rare loot box has been deposited in your inventory.

[Attention!]

[The town founder for town 14 has been unmasked and, as per the stipulations that came with founding a town this early, this town has now been condemned. All merchant services have ceased and they will be moving on to other parts of the tower. All protections have been removed. Thank you, and I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay.]

Suddenly, a hand burst out of the grave in front of us.