{-Llewel-}

Zetai tried multiple times to get them to tell her about what had happened; Reynneak stopped after the first time they proved that they weren’t going to say anything. It wasn’t like they were intending to avoid the conversation completely… some of the questions they simply just couldn’t remember the answers to. After the first couple of times, even Myr gave up trying to make sense of it.

“So, what was that stuff about Zuradu?” Zetai eventually decided to ask, changing from focusing on Casrane to the situation itself. They’d situated themselves in a corner of the inn, their conversation nearly drowned out by all the others around them.

“I don’t know,” Llewel responded honestly. “We don’t know any more than you do for that part. But… she wanted us to stop him. Even if we don’t know what he’s going to do, she seemed worried, so we should do what she said.”

“I don’t really want to be the one to ask this, but are you sure that’s who you think it is?” Reynneak prompted cautiously. “I mean, you don’t remember a lot, do you? Who’s to say she’s not just pretending to be someone you used to know to use you?”

“It has to be her,” Myr mumbled. “There’s no way that it’s anyone else.”

“I’m a little nervous to go in and try to stop someone that we don’t even know the intentions of,” Reynneak admitted. “Shouldn’t we try to figure out what Zuradu is really doing first?”

It was hard to tell whether Cahacu had been standing there for a while or only just now showed up. “Zuradu? You’ve seen him?” She casually tilted her head, but her eyes betrayed a sense of knowing.

Llewel nodded slowly. “He’s been following us around for a while. We tried asking Isralla about him, but she didn’t tell us anything. Do you know something?”

“I heard rumors about him running around again,” she remarked. “I figured he’d just come by for some bug testing. No wonder he’s chasing the two of you around…”

“Do you know why?”

“I’m not all that good of a liar—I get tangled up in my own web of lies—so I’m going to be honest with you. I know exactly what he wants from you, what they plan on doing, and what I’ll get if I tell him you’re here right now.”

Zetai seemed to prepare herself for a fight, but Llewel’s calm gesture kept her from starting anything. “Then why don’t you?”

“For one, in simple terms, Fininri and Duuzlo like you. I don’t want to let them down.” Cahacu shrugged. “On a more personal note… you could say the three of you are the reason I’m able to make that decision at all. You’re a big part in the most ‘troublesome’ bug of them all: giving us NPCs free will.”

“Are you on our side, then?” Myr asked. He could tell she didn’t want to sound too hopeful, but she was bad at hiding it.

Cahacu nodded. “As long as I’m able to. We’ve got to stick out for each other, you know? We all have something to thank you for, even if you don’t seem to remember it. I’m returning the favor on behalf of all of us.” She carefully looked around before leaning a bit closer and continuing in a near whisper, “His boss can’t really moderate him here, so Zuradu spends a lot of time doing other stuff so that he gets paid for longer. According to some of the others, he usually hangs around the tavern around this time. If he’s not there… you’re on your own trying to find him.”

“Thank you,” Llewel said with a nod. “We’ll be sure to look there.”

They all got up and began to leave but Reynneak appeared to have some reservations. “No one’s going to question the fact that none of us are legally allowed to enter a tavern? And two of us are minors?”

“It’s a game, Rey,” Zetai dismissed with a hand wave. “Quit overthinking it. We’re not getting anything, we’re going on to get some information. These kinds of things are practically staples of games like these.”

Reynneak didn’t look any more convinced, but continued to follow along anyway. This was yet another thing Llewel didn’t understand; for all the players said about it, the tavern only held a few decorative bottles and housed a couple of people who gave quests. He didn’t think it to be any more different than the town square or any other moderately busy place in the city.

They found out where it was through signs and wandering. Two people were sitting there when they walked up; a younger-looking woman and what he could only imagine being her child.

Zetai first walked past them and tried to enter the tavern. The woman, however, stepped in front of them.

“Well, that’s awfully rude of you, ignoring me like that,” she remarked. “For reasons I’m not allowed to disclose, you’re not supposed to be in there. I’d advise you to find some other place to wander and come back in, oh, a couple of hours, perhaps? I don’t know how long those men are going to take in there…”

“Is there a guy named Zuradu in there?” Zetai prompted. “We’re looking for him.”

“Don’t you know it’s rude to bother someone while they’re in the middle of work? He’s probably talking about something pretty important—something that gives players like you something to waste your time on.”

“I will fight you if you don’t let us in.”

Reynneak quickly put a hand on her shoulder. “Zetai, don’t say that! We’re trying not to get into fights here, remember? There’s kids here.”

“I’ve got no consequences for my actions here, so I don’t see why not,” Zetai responded with a shrug.

The woman smirked. “So you’re that desperate to get in, then? Well… I suppose I can let you in if you’re willing to do me a favor.”

[Quest: A Heart of Metal

A beast has been roaming the plains of Anthalas, terrorizing travelers wherever it goes and ruining the local fauna… not that that’s the reason Xiu Mei wants you to get rid of it. No, she actually wants the heart of the beast and, naturally, needs you to kill it for her. She only has the best of intentions for it. Probably.

Rewards: Access to the Ambrosia Tavern in Anthalas City, 500 coins, and +70 EXP]

“Even the quest menu thinks you’re suspicious,” Zetai pointed out. “Remind me why we should listen to you?”

Xiu Mei’s answer was simple: “You need to get in here and I’m the only one who’s going to be able to let you in.”

“If we assured you that we were going to get it, would you tell us what you’re going to use it for?” Llewel questioned.

“It’s nothing that’s going to hurt you,” she said. “At least, not in the way you are now. It may or may not hold some significance for a later event they plan on creating, but right now it doesn’t do anything. Even then, I doubt you’re going to be around long enough to see it… it’s something they’ve been planning since the beginning, and as you can tell it has yet to happen. So I hope it might ease your mind to know that I’m the one who’s truly going to be losing out on this deal.”

They looked between each other and nodded collectively. It wasn’t like they had any other choice. Zetai was the one to confirm it, saying, “Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal. Where are we going to be able to find this beast?”

“I’ve marked it on the map for you. You shouldn’t have a hard time tracking it down… just follow all of the chaos and destruction and it should lead you right to it. That’s not mentioning the fact that it’s pretty big.” Xiu Mei gave them a smile that only slightly told of malicious intent, while the child beside her waved.

Reynneak, looking at the map, began to lead the way. “I think we should stop by Haksima’s shop first, just to be on the safe side. We don’t know what we’re going to be up against.”

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Llewel agreed.

Myr trailed a bit behind all of them. “Do you think we really need to take the heart out of it..? Can we just give her the whole thing?”

“It’s probably too big to lug it around,” Zetai remarked. “It’ll be easier just to take the heart and be done with it.”

Reynneak, understanding the true meaning of her question a bit more, added, “It’s a game aimed for pretty much everyone over thirteen, so there’s probably not going to be much if any blood. Honestly, it’ll probably just be treated like an item drop and we’re not going to need to touch it at all.”

Llewel finished it all off by assuring her, “You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to. It’ll probably only be a one-person job anyway, there’s no reason to get all of us involved in it.”