There is a path out of this village headed towards the forest where they saw signs of the third town a few visits back, so the group makes their careful way towards dry land. Killing the second boss seems to have changed the dungeon even more, the Beastkin aren't avoiding the roads anymore and they're under constant attack again.
As the ground turns from swamp to forest floor the attackers turn from crocodiles, snakes and turtles to spiders and Wolves. Kone seems a bit sad about this, she was very excited about the shield bearing Snapping Turtles that Cain noticed their first visit to the swamp. The Druid is all about Tanks.
Now that she's got Cain's old damage enhancing necklace, the idea of surrounding herself in indestructible Summoned animals has become irresistible. She's got a point too. Four of those snapping turtles would be equal to half of his Wrath Bringers if she got the same modifiers to her summons. Plus the pair of Bears and any sane and reasonable party would grovel at her feet to get her to accompany them. Cain, on the other hand, is thinking about how much fun it would be to make all of his Supporters Kone clones and have her at the head of a giant Turtle and Bear army in the dungeon.
You can't go wrong with a Healer that brings her own pocket tanks right?
The fight is starting to drag, like the dungeon is willing to entirely clear itself to stop them competing this quest. Maybe it was supposed to be done by stealth and not through sheer combined firepower? It's totally worth it though. Every boss has given them a huge bump in experience, and with so many monsters attacking now they're likely going to get another level even before the last one.
Then when the Quest Completion bonus applies, they're in for a treat. High level quests often give a quarter level or more to transfers. This one appears to be a level 100 quest, so they'll get the under level completion bonus, plus the bonus from all the summons out. That might be enough to put them both over level 90, just because of random luck in getting hidden missions.
Perhaps this is part of the luck and drop rate bonus that Iron Man Titles confer? Maybe not, random quests might be random, but giving a bonus to their drop rate seems a little biased even for the nonsensical system they're working with. It's pretty bad at character balance though, so the idea isn't impossible.
It's nearly dark when they finally clear the Forest and see what they hope is their final destination. A bona fide castle. They've both leveled up again, Cain now only a few percent away from reaching level 90 and his Lesser Demon Army.
Cain takes a moment to look over his stats and assign the glut of points he's received over the last week.
[Name] Cain
[Level] 89
[Class] Puppet Master
[Race] Human
[Stats]+30->0
[STR] 125
[DEX] 105->115
[CON] 105->115
[INT] 105->115
[HP] 840->920
[MP] 1050->1150
Balanced points really is the way to go, as Cain learned the hard way, receiving two of his summoning skills much later than he could have due to his unbalanced allocation. So evening them out will be his goal for now, and then he can decide what to do with the remaining few when he reaches level 100. Maybe a skill will need something specific?
"Ready to face the Beastkin King in his castle? Maybe you can gather up a lovely Beastkin Princess for your harem?" Kone jokes and Vala snorts in amusement.
"What am I then? Chopped Liver?" The Felian Nemu pouts.
"You're our Epic Bard and invaluable Companion of course." Cain assures her, petting her head and making her purr. The ease with which he can set her mood never fails to amuse Vala, the Felian is just too easy for him to please.
They're not even going to hide their approach this time. It's a castle, sure to have guards looking in every direction, so instead they're coming straight down the road. To cause confusion, Cain has swapped the Wrath Bringers for the Snapping Turtle tanks, the Plague Mages for Crocolisk Swamp Casters and the Lamia for Lesser Naga that they found in the swamp. They're not very bright, but they're poisonous and good with a sword. This has eliminated almost all of the Demons from their midst, and hopefully that will be enough to make the guards think they're envoys or visitors from the Swamp territory.
Cain and Kone both put hoods on, hiding their faces enough that they could be mistaken for Beastkin nobles, and Nemu changes to a more human form, with just ears and a tail left of her normally furry self. At first they think the deception has worked, the guards let them right through the gate and into the first courtyard. But then the gates all around them slam shut and shouting begins.
"In the name of the Spider Queen, ATTACK THE IMPOSTER!" Comes the call from the leader of the guard, who Cain immediately shoots down with a Lightning Arrow.
Guards swarm the area and the fight is on, the party cutting through mostly spider bodied guards in a hurry. It's a good thing he picked Char to clone today too, as the incoming spider webs make a heavy quilt on top of them before one of the cleansing Totems removes them. Cain really wants some Totems of his own, but books for skills gained innately by a class are hard to come by after the initial levels taught in the academy. At the very least, they haven't seen any totem books yet.
"Did you honestly think to fool me like this? The Crocolisk King would never work with Turtles and Mammals. Tell me, what are you doing here, and this benevolent Spider Queen might give you an easy death." Comes a voice from the Inner Ramparts.
Well, that makes things easier. No need to hunt her down if she's come to them.
"Our apologies but the Crocolisk King is dead and we've got a quest to pacify your territory. Understand, it's nothing personal your Majesty."
"The Insolence! How dare you threaten our Queen?" An overdressed spider Kin shouts before leading his companions on the charge. They don't seem to be much of a combat class though, or maybe they rely on poison and the Totems are just cleansing it fast enough that it doesn't do much?
The courtyard is nearly empty when the queen calls out for retreat. "What will it take to make you go away?" She calls, and both Cain and Kone see a group notification.
[Clear Quest through Diplomatic Route?] Y/N
They look at each other for only a second before agreeing. "What do you have in mind?"
The spider Queen doesn't leave her spot, but begins to write up an agreement. The captured Beastkin will be freed, and no more will be taken into the castle. Furthermore, the Spider Queen agrees to end the spell that is driving the more animalistic Beastkin crazy. With the other two Lords dead, she has full control now. The last bit is about her offering surety to guarantee the agreement is upheld, but they gloss over that bit as it's all in legalese mumbo jumbo.
[Complete Druid Class Quest?] Y/N
[Class Quest Complete]
[Beast Companions Skill Gained]
[Complete Hidden Quest: Free Minded Beastkin]? Y/N
[Hidden Quest Complete]
[Non Combat Guild Supporter Gained: Princess Aramia]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
Princess Aramia? "You just had to say it didn't you?" Cain asks Kone, looking at the notification while the Druid giggles.
"I swear, it's not my fault this time. Honestly." She says raising her hands in surrender.
A small spider Kin in a fancy silk dress comes down the stairs. "Greetings, I am Princess Aramia, your surety for this agreement. My life is in your hands." The small spider says.
"Please, do join us, I swear we won't treat you poorly." Kone smiles, trying to ignore the sad look the Queen is giving them. The Princess makes an odd dipping gesture with her legs that looks like a curtsey and comes to stand next to the Dread Spider Bodyguards, head down like she's afraid of them.
"Our apologies for the inconvenience your Highness. With this agreement sealed, our Quest is complete and we will be leaving your territory. You have our word that the Princess will be fairly treated." Cain says, instructing the summons back towards the gates, still facing the Queen.
"Be good to her, her class gains no combat skills, only a Talent for creating magical silks. Though she's in your care now, she's still precious to me. One of my favorites of the seven hundred Princesses." The Queen says before having her guards open the gates to let the invaders out.
Seven Hundred Princesses? Spiders really do birth them in large batches.
Every Beastkin they pass on the way back looks confused or bewildered, either wandering around or sitting down with a vacant look. The spell must be gone. Cain isn't sure if this is a one time thing or if the Quest changed the dungeon permanently for the two of them, but at least for now they're not under attack.
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