Chapter CXLI Cursed Dwarves, and... (Patreon)

Meanwhile while Misaki was dealing with curse dwarves, Arlie and Ovi’ta landed in the cursed wetlands of Drakis de Val. A region most famed for a monstrous parasite, the Rel’ki Nal. A species both feared and prized. It was well known for its venom which was both a potent aphrodisiac, and a muscle relaxant. As for what made it dangerous, well it was a rare varient of slime that didn’t belong in the same category as other slimes. No, it belongs in a category more akin to soul stealers. The Rel’ki Nal uses its venom to weaken and distract a potential host, and then infiltrates the body. Once inside, it quickly targets the brain and consumes it. Technically killing the host, but leaving the body alive as the slime will take over vital functions. After this the Rel’ki Nal will use its host body to attract victims, that it will then attack and turn into mindless husks to serve it. While not well known, these monsters were also intelligent enough to form communities, and some of the more successful ones even bred hosts and servants. It is also worth noting that their venom is highly prized among certain circles, and sells very well on the market. As such they are hunted extensively by local guilds.

After Ovi’ta’s warm feelings from another achievement wore off. She looked around, and started to note the distinctive foliage. She had never personally seen it before, but she had read about it. Not to mention she had also heard stories of this place. She frowned, “We aren’t where I think we are, are we?”

Arlie nodded, “We very much are. I have some time to kill, so I thought I would take care of something minor here in the Drakis de Val. I planned to drop you off at a dungeon first though” she pointed to their left, “the entrance is that way, in some very old ruins.”

“A dungeon? What kind of dungeon? I wasn’t aware there were any dungeons here.”

“There are three, but one of them is seasonal.”

Ovi’ta frowned and exclaimed. “Seasonal? Dungeons can’t be...”

“You are forgetting about the flying and dimensional dungeons. They tend to move about in set patterns with moving entrances. The one I am talking about is a Cloud Dungeon, a type of sky dungeon that opens every few years during the rainy season. Given your new level, I figured it would be a good place for you to train. In fact, by the time I am done with my minor task, you should be ready to take your trial of ascension, which I plan to personally oversee.”

She was listening along, and was about to ask for a refresher on Cloud Dungeons as she hadn’t been to one, they were rather rare after all. The question died in her throat when her mind caught up to what Arlie said. “Wait! What!!!?”

Back in Voribar, Misaki was once again at the temple. This time she had a gaggle of cursed dwarves in tow. She hoped they could find Kuwi and get this problem sorted quickly. She wasn’t much a fan of this celestial curse either. Something about it just rubbed her the wrong way. Misaki knew it could be as simple as it being celestial in nature. Demons and Celestials were natural rivals, but she didn’t think that was it. It didn’t feel to be the case to her, but what was rubbing her wrong, she wasn’t quite sure. Not yet, anyway.

As they stepped into the temple, one of the dwarves suddenly took the lead. Rushing into the part of the temple where a shrine to Kuwi would be found. Misaki sighed and made to follow. Especially after the others went after the first girl. Personally she had been planning to try Dewari first, but it seems the dwarves had their own ideas.

Kuwi’s shrine wasn’t far from the entrance, and she must have been expecting them since the world distorted almost as soon as they stepped into the shrine. The group was promptly greeted by two goddesses. The one was the familiar and nude form of Dewari. The other was an extremely cute female figure that could only be Kuwi. Misaki noted her clothing which was a very cute and frilly top that left her left nipple peeking out barely, while her other nipple was completely concealed. The frilly top flowed directly into a flared skirt that was split right in the middle, displaying a cute pair of pink panties that did little to really conceal her pussy. Although Misaki strangely felt she should have been wearing even less. Might have had something to do with the book she had just been reading. Then again, that book had not described her attire. At least not in the passages she had read already.

Before she could think much on that Dewari pulled her aside. “It was a good idea to bring them here. Glad you did in fact. It will let us do a little something to nip some problems the curse might have caused in the bud. In fact Kuwi was really happy when she noticed you bringing them to the temple to consult with her.”

Dewari produced a small object. A small red gem that Misaki could tell would be useful with just a mere glance. The gem on its own wasn’t anything special, but it had properties that made it superb for focusing mana. “Is that a...”

Dewari with a cute smile nodded, “Kuwi noticed you don’t have a focus for your avatar, and since you can leave your dungeon now. She felt this would be the best thanks. You will have to have someone make it into a focus for you, naturally.”

She took it with reverence. A stone like this was not easy to find. Nor was it easily made. She could make them, but the ones in her dungeon were a couple ranks lower in quality. This was a great help actually. Now she just had to think about what kind of focus she wanted. There were many forms afterall, staves, wands, and rings all came to mind. Yet there were more options to choose from. Foci could be made into just about anything imaginable. They were also very valuable tools for a mage.

Misaki turned towards Kuwi intending to thank her for the priceless gift, but she seemed to already be busy. As she was talking to the dwarves. It sounded like she was telling them that she could not completely negate their curse, but she could partially negate it.

“What do you mean by that?” asked the girl with the red flowers in her hair.

She sighed, “The curse draws its strength from three gods. Since I am one of them I have some influence, but to break it all three of us need to be present and agree. Unfortunately the other two don’t have shrines here, and therefore can’t help you.”

“Then what are we going to do!?”

Kuwi sighed, “I’ll find them. It might take a little time, but I will find them. In the meantime I suggest you go to Bordertown. With the changes the curse inflicted on you, I believe you would be most comfortable there.”

Misaki nodded and interjected, “Yeah, no one will bother you much over being naked there.”

Dewari said, “Kuwi also has some presence there, so she will be able to reach you if she finds those other two.”

All of the dwarves looked glum at the news. One of them, the Dwarf with the white crown of flowers, exclaimed, “Surely as a goddess you would know where they are!?”

Kuwi giggled, “Contrary to popular belief gods aren’t omniscient. We know much thanks to our abilities, but we are certainly not all-knowing. Even for us the universe is too vast for that. I do know they are still alive though, but they are free spirits. They get around.”

There was a collective sigh, but before the Dwarves could say anything else, the group was back in the shrine. Misaki sighed when she noticed that. She hadn’t gotten to thank Kuwi for the focus gem. So she stood before the shrine, and offered a prayer in thanks instead.

Meanwhile at the guild hall, Phyllis was talking with the local guildmaster. The local guildmaster was an older dwarf that clearly showed his age. His skin was wrinkled and his beard was white, his aura spoke of great power that was waning. Phyllis could tell at a glance that he was in his waning years and would likely soon retire. The younger woman next to him seemed to be his intended successor. Little clues she had picked up in their conversation so far hinted at her being groomed for the position. Not to mention Phyllis could tell that she held a deceptive amount of power in her petite frame, and that was without even using analyze on her.

“I understand.” he sighed, “The quest of the missing adventurer party Marthik’s Swords was at Talmar’s ridge. For a skilled party that would be about three weeks travel into the mountains. There are a few local villages out that way that have reported sightings of a Lizarna Serpent. They were supposed to recon the area, and confirm its presence. They weren’t to engage it at all, but I suspect they ended up fighting it.”

Phyllis frowned, “A recon quest? Mizu told me it was a subjugation quest.”

The man sighed, and cursed, “Of course those bloody idiots wanted to engage it on their own. Explains why we haven’t heard back from them.”

She understood the sentiment and let him vent. After a moment, she said, “Then it might very well still be at large. Since we have to go out that way anyway, we will take care of it if we find it.”

He gave her a look, “You might be alright, but don’t think I didn’t notice that you have children with you. They might not be.”

“I didn’t plan to take them with me into the mountains. They should be fine with the caretakers I brought along for a few days. I was only going to take myself, Misaki, and maybe Mira’s party. We’d be able to move faster without the carriage.”

She also made a mental note to leave as many bottles of her milk behind as she could. Misaki was also rather talented with magic, she made a note to check the local library for any books on warp spells. She knew of a group warp spell that allowed a party to travel long distances more quickly. It had been of great help during that one quest where she had teamed up with a mage that could use it. If Misaki could master that, they could likely complete the quest in a month at most. Instead of the three months it would likely take a normal party.

The guildmaster shook his head, “In that case I won’t stop you. However before you leave there is something I must ask. Is there anything I can do to help you prepare?”

She nodded, “Yeah, could you point me to a library that contains books on spells. In particular books on warp spells?”

He frowned, “I know a place, why?

Phyllis hesitated a moment, not sure how much to reveal. After a moment she replied with a half truth. “One of my party members is very talented with magic. Able to learn spells faster than the norm. I was hoping they could master it, as it would cut travel time greatly.

“Ah!,” he replied, “I understand. In that case, I suggest you visit my old friend Tazi, she has a large collection of old spell books. She might have what you are looking for.”

With a smile she thanked him, and they chatted a bit longer before she left. Phyllis didn’t go straight to meeting up with Misaki though, and instead went to look up this Tazi. Thankfully the old dwarf had thoughtfully given her directions before she left the guild.