Chapter 381 - Dangerous Quest (Patreon)

It was the fourth day since the rampage started. Hera already had racked up almost 1 500 kills in the lake. When people heard about how many monsters were coming out of the water, almost all humans asked to change teams, but the guild refused. Unless there was a good reason, people couldn't just change teams like that when a rampage was going on, and saying that they wanted a chance to get the prize for the top 5 humans wasn't exactly a good reason. Hera almost felt bad for the people taking care of the griffons. In those 4 days, they had killed about 300 monsters in total. Of course, the monsters were harder to kill than the fish, but then again, Hera knew their strength, and she knew that they shouldn't be that much of a problem. 

What ended up being the crux of the matter was not just the armor made by Kahala, but how much money they would get with the number of kills they got. Several surface team members argued that since there were so many more monsters in the lake, the quest should be updated to get the actual value of kills. However, according to the guild setting up another quest wasn't high in their list of priorities, not to mention that it would be unfair with the people who were already in the lake team. If they were going to change the value of the kills, the right thing to do was to lower the value of the fish to 10 gold per kill and reduce the value of the others too. As a matter of fact, the sheep coming from the farmland were the only ones who should be worth 200 gold when going by rampage standards. According to the clerk, the griffon should be around 120 to 150 gold. That argument made all the complaints stop really quickly.

Hera was hearing a team get scolded by the clerk again while she waited for Silah to finish helping with some maintenance that her father was doing for the guild. Rampages were situations where the weapons and armors of every one were constantly being used or attacked. Because of that, there was more work than usual, and Silah felt bad for not helping. Hera peeked inside the workshop and saw Silah and her dad talking about what to do with a particular armor that was all dented because of the Woolly Ram that head-butted a guard. 

Mark appeared while she was waiting, coming out of the bathroom, "Hey, Hera! Waiting for Silah?" 

"Yep. It seems like it will take a while," Hera glanced inside.

"Oh yeah. I saw what that ram did with the armor. Nasty stuff," Mark looked at her friend, his eyes stopping on her ears and the ear guards he made her almost two years ago, "Hey, since you are already here. Can I borrow you for a second?" 

"Sure, what for?" Hera got up.

"Come to my workshop. Well, the one I'm using at least," Mark guided her to where he was working in the past few days, "So, you know the ear guards you are wearing?" 

"Yeah. It's part of my morning routine already. I put them even before I get out of bed," Hera chuckled. She only took them off to take showers or to sleep. Despite trying not to be someone who would constantly be worried about her appearance, having a mangled ear wasn't good for her self-esteem. 

"Soooo. Don't get mad. But I kind of made a business out of it," Mark scratched the back of his head.

"That's great! Why would I be mad?" Hera tilted her head.

"I mean, I made this for you and only because of what happened to you. I felt kind of bad for using that to make money." 

"Mark, you helped me. If that gives you an idea to make some extra cash go for it. That's even better."

"Great, so. Do you want an updated version? Free of charge, of course, that's the least I could do." 

"I'll take the upgrade, but I refuse to take it for free."

"Hera, c'mon. Let me do something nice for you."

"Dude, I appreciate the gesture, but I'm stupid rich now," Hera explained.

"Really? Did you make a deal with the dwarves from here or something?" Mark asked.

"Not really. It is because of the Kobold Road. Essentially, the guild gave Blue and me some shares in that area. We get like, some minor taxes from everything that goes on there."

"Shit, that explains it. How much are you getting each month?" 

"Well…," Hera leaned over and whispered, "Last month, I got about ten million gold."

"Fuck me, woman. That's your monthly pay?" Mark gasped.

"Not really. That was just a slow month," Hera chuckled. She knew how ridiculous was the amount of money she currently had, but it was still funny to think about it.

"OK then. I won't feel bad for asking you to pay for it." 

Mark grabbed a bag and showed a few versions of the ear guards he had made. They were more detailed and could even have different designs. Among the most interesting ones were a dragon, a lion, and one that was like a tree with even some small branches forming what looked like the pointy end of elven ears. He explained that the main attraction wasn't simply the design but that he could now add some enchantments to the ear guards, and because of the size, it was easier to make something complex out of it than if it was just a piercing or an earring. He couldn't make something too complicated by himself, but he offered Hera a small range of utility enchantments. From increasing her senses to protecting her from mental attacks. In the end, she picked an enchantment that would buff her hearing. According to Mark, that enchantment could even affect the map of an area she had yet to discover. It worked almost like a sonar giving her an outline of her surroundings. It would take him some time before he could finish the ear guards, so Mark asked Hera to come back before her next shift. If everything went well, this would be enough to complete the equipment. 

Hera thanked him and paid the 20 thousand gold for the ear guard. Since she had money, Mark offered the best materials he had avaliable, and she accepted the price. Mark then took her measurements, something he had never done before, and let her leave with the promise that the new version would fit even better in her ears. 

After that, Hera went back to look for Silah, but her girlfriend wasn't done with the work. Accepting that it would take a while. Hera just asked Silah to meet her back at her place and left. Back at home, Helena and Alex were eating some food, fish, and chips, to be precise. Since Boothudurn now had a supply of seafood, they would take advantage of it. It was a bit odd since they were all tired of the smell, but at the same time, it was a meal they all enjoyed. Hera wouldn't let this opportunity pass by her and sent a picture of the dish to the group chat. Bonnie wasn't going to be that bothered by it, but it was Blue's favorite dish. The controller replied in less than a minute, asking them to either save some for her or get sick and spend the rest of the day in the bathroom. 

When Alex and Hera were on the couch, digesting their meal and thanking their lucky stars for having won in their small game to decide who should do the dishes, a notification appeared in front of them. 

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Rampage Quest

Wendigo's Lair - Boothudurn

A group of Wendigos has discovered a place in the room where they can hide and grow. Find their lair and eliminate the monsters.

Defeating all the Wendigos will stop the rampage.

Rewards

????????

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"What the fuck?" Hera and Alex spoke at the same time.

"Shit, that isn't good," Helena walked out of the kitchen. 

"Is that something recent? It's the first time I heard about a rampage ending because of a quest. I mean, it happened with us, but it wasn't this direct," Hera turned to the mage.

"It's the first time I ever heard of it, but the problem is the wording. Not only does it not say for how long the wendigos were already there, but it also looks like we have to kill all of them to stop the rampage. If we don't…."

"The rampage will go on forever?" Alex asked.

"That's what it sounds like," Helena nodded.

"Let's go," Hera was already putting on her armor, "We need to gather the people and put them in a safe place."

"Right, there is that too. I'll head to the guild to see what's the plan," Helena grabbed her things and headed out.

Hera tried calling Naka, but to no avail, the captain already had issues toying with technology, but now it seemed like she wasn't even going to answer anyone. Her second option was to call King Rutigan, who quickly answered, "Hera. Is everything OK?"

"Not really. Did you get the quest? Everyone in the room should've gotten it," Hera asked.

"I did. I'm talking to Naka right now about how we should find those creatures."

"That's not the main problem. We have too many people in the room. We need a place where we can protect them all. We can't be sure that the wendigos didn't find their way inside someone's basement. If that happens, they might burst out and start attacking people."

There was a pause before the king's asked in a weak voice, "Do you think that can happen?" 

"I think that's a possibility. That's why I'm asking you to talk with Naka and see if we can keep everyone in the palace or something. It's going to be uncomfortable, but it's better than the alternative." 

Rutigan talked with someone around him, and Hera heard Naka's voice in the background, then the king returned to the call, "We both agree with your suggestion, I just talked to her. Can you stop by everyone's houses? For now, tell them to come to the palace."

 "Have people scouting the castle. We don't know if the wendigos are there or not. Again, it's only a possibility, but I rather waste time being safe than giving the monsters a full plate of food."

"By the mountain, do you have to phrase it like that?" 

"I don't, but it helps to make my point."

"It really does. I'll do what I can. Bring the people with you. Naka suggested that it was better to avoid any potential ambushes since we don't know where the monsters are," Rutigan added with a sigh. 

"I'll do that. Do you have a map of the people in the city? I don't want to waste time knocking on empty houses."

"I'll get Fethy to send you what we have. We might send that to everyone who is going to gather the people. But it might take a few minutes, so bear with me." 

"Don't worry. I'll get people to the palace. Just send me the list when you can. See you soon," Hera replied.

"Thank you, and be careful." 

Hera hung up and started looking for people who were still around. In half an hour, she got a message from Fethy containing the map with all the houses that should still have people inside. She already had a small group of about 30 people following her. Most of them were families that decided to stay in the city. It was a good thing that everyone was in Hera's neighborhood. Since they all knew her, it was easier to make them agree to come along. About 5 minutes after Hera called the king, Rutigan sent a message to everyone in the city asking for the people who were not participating in the rampage to follow the guards going to their houses. 

When Hera reached the palace, there were already some people there. With the help of a few of Ogryn's mages and a couple of people from the guild, Naka had made sure that the castle was completely free of wendigos and it would be the place where the citizens of Boothudurn would stay until the end of the rampage. As Hera was leaving to get another group of people, Helena and Mark appeared.

"Hera. Come with me. You are going to help us find the wendigos," Helena said.

"But the people!" 

"There are more than enough guards to get them. You have your net and your relic that can help us find where they are, and you are the only explorer currently in the room. Mark said he made something that can help too," Helena gestured to Mark.

"Right. Here," Mark gave a small box with a set of gold ear guards. It was a dull color that one could easily confuse with Hera's hair but aside from that there were no details. It looked almost unfinished, like it was just a chunk of metal "I can make the design later. I rushed this when I saw the quest, figured it might help." 

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Sonar Ear Guards

A pair of ear guards made by a crafter who specializes in such items. The items don't have any special defensive properties, but they can possess unique skills.

Item Skill:

Echolocation

By focusing your hearing on a specific sound, you are able to understand the layout of an area around you.

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"OK, this will help. Any ideas about what I should ask?" Hera turned to Helena.

"We need something to narrow down our searches. Anything helps but try to cut off a large area."

Hera nodded and pulled Yarnball from her waist. She used the full 30 thousand mana from her bracelet to fuel the question before asking, "Is the entrance to the wendigo lair here in inside the mountain or in the outer layer of the mountain?" 

The screen went black for a moment before the answer appeared.

'Inside the mountain'

Hera and Helena looked at each other and started to warn everyone before dashing out to see if they could find where the wendigos were.