“Thea Machinas… Here it is. Well… She’s been dead for quite some time now, and I fear you won’t find any of her remains here. She did live here for some time, but she returned to her family as she grew older.”

“Where would that be, if we may ask?”

“That’d be the dwarven city near Southwall. Ant’s Nest, they call it, I believe?”

Dumbfounded, the two elves stared at the NPC holding the register. “A dwarven city?”

“Oh, yes.” The elf chuckled “Machinas is a dwarven last name. You didn’t realize? It should have been obvious.”

Well, no player was going to question an NPC’s name.

“So she was a dwarf?”

“Not quite.” The NPC leafed through the register. “Her family line is a bit of a mess, to be honest. There’s human and dwarven marriages through her family tree, as well as elves and humans, and those marrying… Anyway, a colourful group.”

“...We weren’t aware that elves would marry into dwarven families.”

“We don’t, usually. Lots of reasons. But this family was always a bit odd. Harmless, though, and prone to keeping to themselves. Thea stuck out a bit, but she was a cheerful one. Made friends quickly.”

The NPC handed over what could be described as an ID picture. It was drawn, but well enough that anyone could recognize the person in the image. Thea was small for an elf, with darker skin and more muscles. She looked closer to a human, actually, but something about that lopsided smile held the lightness of the elves.

“Her descendants are living in the Ant’s Nest. You’ll have to ask them if they’re willing to share what she left behind. The name of Machinas holds some status in the area of research and creation, so it’s unlikely they changed it.” The NPC shooed them out of the storage room. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s dinner time and I’d like to lock up.”

Spiderlily and Ice exchanged a glance. They had talked about visiting the dwarves, but now it turned into part of the official plan. After all, Thea Machinas was currently the best clue they had on how to help the sick king.

While the two were away, Blackstone prepared dinner. Having Foreigners camp wasn’t a rare sight, so the forest had its own camping area.

A number of curious players kept on looking over, but Bloodless Sunset ignored them so openly that none came close.

At the moment, he was using the chance to talk to White Light.

“How long do you think it will take?”

The little version of White Light tilted its head, putting a hand on its lips thoughtfully. “The preparation, not long anymore. What I think is more troublesome are the crystal guards. I’m trying to warn everyone, but…”

“But?”

“It’s a mess. I’ve seen Absinth talk to some of these people, who are now insisting that the king is hostile, and there’s your ex who is demanding to be the leader. On the surface, everyone is accepting it, but he keeps on clashing with Knightrider.”

“Is the mission going to be in danger?”

“I can’t say, to be honest. Not only have some members become wary, I’m not even sure if those that should be neutral are going to be polite. What kind of delegation marches around like the king of the world?”

“Eh… Do your best?”

“I will. How is it going on your side?”

“Slow progress. I’ll update you when we find something for certain.”

The exchange ended. Next to Bloody, Little Droplet waved to catch Ice’s and Spiderlily’s attention. The two walked over, settling around the little fire and the pot placed above it. The healer motioned for them to speak.

“Ant’s Nest”, Ice said shortly. “That’s where we should find her descendants and family. She has dwarven blood.”

“Cool. I always wanted to take a trip around Haven. from the capital to the mountains, to an elven city, followed by a dwarven one.” Bloody threw his hands into the air. “What is this, an old-school RPG mainquest?”

“Nothing like an adventure to get to know each other better”, Little Droplet laughed. “A long journey always shows the truest sides of a person, just like with Absinth. Isn’t it nice to travel with a party like this?”

“I guess…” Bloody pouted. “At least it’s close to my guild hall. That makes a lot of things easier.”

It also meant that Dead Rabbit was going to wail about being taken along for sure.

Blackstone turned the meat before taking out a beautiful map. “Near Southwall, right? We can take part of the river down. It will be a comfortable trip! The rest should be manageable with our mounts.”

Ice sighed sadly at the memory of the pretty beast he hadn’t tamed yet.

“Soon”, Bloody promised, placing an arm around his shoulder, somehow managing to guess what his friend was thinking about. “Once this mess is over.”

“I’m sure the end is within our grasp”, Little Droplet said cheerfully. Ever since their talk in the carriage, the healer seemed to have loosened up a bit, not as distant as before. “After all, a game’s quest shouldn’t take months to complete or people will feel like it’s dragging. A journey shouldn’t be too long, or it won’t be fun.”

Ice nodded along.

Surely, they’d find out the truth soon.

...At least the piece they needed right now.

Between the odd curse that the NPCs were said to suffer under, to Tiamat’s true identity, and even the existence of the castle in the mountains…

The Ice Emperor couldn’t help but wonder how everything would wrap up.

As seconds passed, Bloody started draping himself all over Ice like a cooked noodle. “Maaaaaan. They’re really placing an event right into the middle of a world quest, though.”

Everyone needed a moment to remember.

“Right! That crystal collection quest! I completely forgot about that!”

“...I cannot say if time passed quickly or slowly.”

“Will we even have time to participate?”

“Probably not.” Ice sunk under Bloody’s weight but made no complaint. He was getting used to the other’s antics.

“That’s a shame.”

Ice had never been the type to participate a lot in the events, so he did not mind as much. Little Droplet looked a bit disappointed though, as did Bloody.

“I wanted to get some new outfits!”

Blackstone snorted and laughed. “But you never change your clothes!”

“That’s because sleeves are such a hassle for beastmen.”

“Speaking of clothes, give me your armor. It’s all messed up from the fight. I’ll fix it for you.”

Bloody made a sound of assent and took off his equipment. Blackstone eyes it critically, then got to work while Bloody stared at his feet with a complicated expression. “...I feel naked.”

No shoes, no armguard, no leather breastplate. It wasn’t even that much difference. The beastman tugged at his low-cut, snuggly fitting shirt.

Next to them, Spiderlily checked her bow. Little Droplet began eyeing Ice’s staff.

It was a surprisingly peaceful evening.

Owl

I always thought it funny how so many quests in games just casually send you once over the whole continent...