“We’re diverting from the topic. Does it mention the sacrifice towards the end? Does it sound realistic?”

“It’s more of a guess that was stated rather early. I don’t think it’s correct. There’s a chance that other diaries of this person could tell us more, but there are none. This library is organized perfectly so they’d have been at the same place.”

“We could ask around? If she had family, what if she told them more about it? Or kept some books at home?”

“That sounds logical. Who might know?”

“This place has a town hall. Probably there?” Little Droplet’s suggestion got everyone’s agreement.

Together, they wandered over to the hall. There was a line in front of it, as groups were only being let in one by one. They settled into their place, waiting peacefully under the stares of many, many players.

“Isn’t that the Ice Emperor?”, someone whispered. “He’s not part of the delegation?”

“He might have a different quest”, someone else whispered back. There was no envy in their gazes - the gap was so large that Ice’s adventures were like watching a TV series.

“Who is that elf at his side? She’s pretty.”

“She wouldn’t be stealing him from Bloody, right?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe they’re siblings? Look, they have the same stony faces.”

Two stony faces twitched, their eyes meeting.

“Do you think they’d tell us what they’re here for if we asked?”

“Would you share a quest you’ve gotten with some strangers?”

“I just want a handshake… Or better yet, a hug.”

“Don’t you dare ask for a hug! Go hug your Ice bodypillow!”

“Shhhh!”

“Did someone say Ice bodypillow?”

“Must be custom made…”

Blackstone tapped Ice’s knee. He bent forward, enough that her whisper wouldn’t be heard... Contrary to other people’s. “Is it always like this around you?”

Ice’s eyebrows moved into a roughly apologetic expression. It was embarrassing to have people like that around.

“It’s already gotten better”, Bloody joined the conversation. “At the start, people actually hunted him. Now it’s rarer, though he still avoids being seen in smaller cities.”

“What changed?”

“Some pestered him so much that he went into hiding. That made his other fans angry. As long as they keep a distance, they can watch him.” Bloody scratched his cheek with a sharp fingernail. “They think it’s like watching some moviestar who feels bothered by constant attention, but it’s more the case of a deer not running away as long as it doesn’t notice you.”

Ice thought that was a stretch. He wasn’t like a deer.

...Maybe?

More whispers reached their ears.

“So cute! Bloody and his husband!”

“Wife.”

“Husband.”

“Wife!”

“...Spouse?”

“Shut up!”

An irritated archer from a row further ahead turned around. “Can you people stop it already! Who gives a fuck!”

“SHHHHH!!!”

“As if they haven’t heard you already!!!” The archer was just about ready to throw a table, if there had been one around.

The group of gossiping players fell silent, guiltily pulling their head between their shoulders. Bloody checked Ice’s reaction, but the elf had not noticed that he was meant to be the other party, so he didn’t react.

After the short episode, the wait continued more quietly. It took about twenty minutes until they were left inside. An older elf greeted them, his white hair shining. They were brought into a sideroom.

“How may I help you, Foreigners?”, he asked, not wasting too much time with pleasantries.

“We are searching for the family of an elf called Thea Machinas¹Thea is an adjustment of the Greek word for Goddess. Machinas was adjusted from, surprise, Machina. If you don’t know what Deus Ex Machina (The God from the Machine) is… Maybe go google it. At least I’m honest!. We have found one of her notebooks in the library and wish to ask if any of the others are left. We understand that this is a rude request, but we lack vital information to complete an important task and we believe her notes might hold the answer to our questions.” To everyone’s surprise, it was Spiderlily who took the lead. Her eyes were sparkling, obviously invested in the matter of the mysterious elven woman.

“Machinas? Oh, I remember her.” The elf nodded. “Hmmm… Where had we put her file? It’s probably in the storage room.”

After he had said so, the man made no movement of getting up. Spiderlily waited for some seconds before clearing her throat. “Could you fetch it?”

“Impossible.” The elf shrugged, completely at ease. “But you are Foreigners, no? You like helping people? The one who carried the set of keys had taken it along on an outing. He was dragged off by a certain beast, which is why the key is lost. If you can retrieve it, we can get the file for you. We can’t destroy a historical door.”

Everyone felt a bit stupefied.

【Main quest - A lost key

The key to the village’s file storage is lost somewhere in the Poisonous Ivy Dungeon. Retrieve it and return it to the town hall.

Warning: Do not give the final blow and kill the beast!

Shareable quest
Duration: 5 days
Reward: The key to the storage
Failure: Nothing】

Bloody pressed out air between his teeth. What the hell? “Of course. Leave it to us. May we ask where the beast’s lair is?”

He didn’t remember such a dungeon! Which didn’t mean it didn’t exist, of course, but meant that either this was a pure story dungeon or it was simply not popular.

“Oh, it’s underground. You will have to convince one of the mermaids to lead you there from the pool.” And there was the explanation as to why none of the elves had bothered retrieving the key.

It was a bit questionable why the door was kept intact, but it seemed the storage room was hardly ever used.

【Side quest - The mermaid’s way (Subquest “A lost key”)

The only way to get to the Poisonous Ivy Dungeon is by convincing a mermaid to show you the way through the path underwater. Find a mermaid and convince them.

Shareable quest
Duration: 5 days
Reward: Entrance to the Poisonous Ivy Dungeon
Failure: Nothing】

“Just remember not to kill that thing. Do you understand? Leave it alive.”

They were more or less thrown out after that. Little Droplet peeked at the pool of water from afar. “Are we even allowed to go there?”

“We are, but it’s our own fault if we agitate a mermaid and get eaten”, Bloody warned. “Just for the record, we aren’t acquainted with any.”

“Nothing better to do then try, in that case.” Little Droplet went ahead, followed by the rest.

The pool was much more gorgeous up close than from far away. The green crystals reflected the water’s movement, while some plants grew at the side. There was a huge warning sign nearby, informing people that this pool was visited by mermaids, and that agitating a mermaid could lead to death.

Little Droplet hopped to the edge, peering down. The pool looked deep, with the crystals glowing in the dark and highlighting several passages that went on underwater.

A couple of mermaids swam from hole to hole, one pausing as it noticed a shadow on the water. It swam up, breaking through the surface.

The teenaged merman was androgynously pretty. He looked childish, in a way, innocent. His upper torso was bare and muscular, leading down into a scaled fish-tail. His seafoam-coloured hair was decorated with corals, pearls and shining scales. It was easy to think of him as something like an angel of the sea.