[Soarsie]
[In this mission, the hunters must survive an ambush from quill friends and fight fallen goblins before confronting a convent of demonic nuns to rescue their innocent captives.]
This sounded fun already. I thought.
This would be the first time that I would be dealing with a demon, and I was in a group that made half of noobs while the other half wanted us killed.
At least I wasn't going to be the first one to die. I thought while briefly glancing at Lancelot.
The guy was always quiet, but I didn't know why he chose this time to show his fangs.
Wrong timing if you ask me.
And why from all the groups I was put in this . . . Rodrick's group. They may have the highest badge around the other hunters, but their personality didn't take kindly to newbies.
I think this group wanted us dead. I mused to myself as I read the [Background of this Mission].
[Silvestre Sanctuary used to be a convent of benevolent nuns dedicated to the tenets of the Goddess Zephora. A month ago, a band of murderous bandits came to the convent, threatening to pillage its sacred halls and sell the nuns as slaves. Desperate to protect themselves, the convent's abbess Krista conducted a foul ritual that would grant the nuns powers to stop the evil thieves by forging a pact with a demon known as a Uralig.
Fuelled by her newfound powers and with the demon's strength flowing through her veins, Krista slew the bandits, but her joy was short-lived. The bloodshed had allowed the Uralig to seize control of the abbess' mind and turn her into a dark, corrupted version of herself. Compelled by the dark desire of the demon, the abbess forced the convent's remaining nuns to be transformed alongside her, killing the few who dared resist.
In this vile state, the nuns of Silvestre Sanctuary have turned fully from the light and became creatures of darkness. They now seek to grow their sinister sisterhood by kidnapping innocent women and forcing them to undergo the same transformation.]
Silvestre was just miles from here. If I wasn't mistaken, it wasn't a town but a name of a road.
'Do not worry, child. As long as I am here . . . no one can touch you . . .'
A voice in my head said, and not before long, a shadow of a lady snaked to my shoulder. Her face was defined, and she was beautiful, but her body was made of smog, and her eyes were hollow as her voice.
She was Vexana, and I was her Host.
Centuries ago, she was a powerful Shadow Mage, and now . . . I was the one who inherited her will because of some . . . chance encounter.
Vexana, the shadowy lady who spoke in a haunting voice, was a powerful Shadow Mage who had existed for centuries ago. Though her body was gone, she sealed the pieces of her soul on her equipment to continue living in the mortal world.
But these equipment were lost to time and it was left to me to find all of them if I wanted the fullness of her powers at my grasp.
Vexana's face was strikingly defined, and her beauty was undeniable. Despite this, her eyes were hollow, lacking emotion or life, betraying the darkness that lurked within her.
Vexana's presence was commanding and overwhelming, and her power was palpable. As a Shadow Mage, she was adept at manipulating shadows and darkness, using them to her advantage.
And now I was the recipient of the magic because of an unexpected encounter with her in a random forest.
Maybe the darkness within me had attracted her? Who knows?
Her voice was ominous and intimidating, capable of instilling fear in anyone who heard it. As the Host of Vexana, I was under her protection, shielded from harm by her ancient magic power.
But with that protection came a weighty burden, as I was bound to Vexana's will and must navigate the dangerous world of magic and shadows under her tutelage.
She was not a nice woman . . . No . . . she was far from that. To own her powers, you must be prepared of the consequences.
'As long as you find my other equipment, you shall have all my powers . . . ,' she said, voice enthralling, hissing like snakes.
I didn't comment. For now, I had her ring on my finger where one of her souls was sealed.
I might be talking to Vexana in my mind, but to the others, they would only see me and not the shadowy woman.
Back to the journey, we're given thirty minutes to prepare for the travel. I didn't know what preparation they were talking about since they knew that we noobs rarely have money.
Though we wanted to hoard items, where would we get the gil to do that?
What kind of preparation were they talking about here?
I wanted to laugh.
I was sure that they just wanted to mock us.
"What's the matter, newbies?" Edgar hollered in our direction. "Don't you have money to buy your gear?"
"Aw . . . want me to lend you one?" Lilian asked with a sweet smile. "But, of course, you have to return them to me with interest."
Maverick sighed while shaking his head. "I remembered the time when I was a noob . . . I could buy potions by then."
My money was already gone when I bought those comfy clothes, necessary products for everyday Hygiene, and, of course, good food.
Money here was scarce, sometimes I could only get gil from wild beasts and beasts within pacts, while the cost of living was so expensive that I had to kill at least a hundred beasts per day to match my living expenses – and it wasn't much to begin with.
If I wanted more gil, then I have to do some quest and mission after I became a Hunter – that's it . . . if I was lucky to be able to come out of this ordeal alive. I thought and took a quick glance at Rodrick and his group.
My hands fisted. No matter what . . . I wanted to live . . .
If I die, then . . . I wouldn't be able to face Cross in the afterlife.
I had left him for the dead to save myself. His death would go to waste if I die in here.
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