Spiteful Healer

Chapter 162: Seekers

With Iuomok’s guidance, Aegis and his party were led through the dark streets of Belmiure until eventually arriving at an old abandoned graveyard. It was a wide field of loose Soilrock with black obsidian headstones protruding out of the ground intermittently. The field itself was surrounded by a worn down, cracked and crumbling stone wall that could, in its current state, be easily stepped over in multiple locations.

Dark grey moss and other strange tangling weeds grew up through the cracks in a paved stone walkway that ran through the center of the graveyard, in addition to the strange plants growing all over the soilrock. Interestingly though, the wild plants did not grow out of the mounds that sat in front of each of the headstones.

“The Tomb of the Cursed King lies directly ahead. If you destroy the Wraith of the King, the curse of Belmiure will be lifted.” Iuomok explained as he stopped at the warped black iron gate that stood open at the entrance of the graveyard, barely still hanging off of its hinges.

“You’re not coming with us?” Aegis asked.

“No, this is as far as we go. Should you succeed, return to the intersection that we first met, and we will greet you properly. Bring proof of your deed, however.” Iuomok bowed.

“Okay.” Aegis nodded. With that, he turned to leave with his escort of Dark Elf seekers. It didn’t take long for them to disappear from the light of Pyri’s cinderbolts, leaving Aegis and his companions alone once more. They found themselves standing at the gate, staring into the ominously quiet and dark field of gravestones.

“Somewhere in this place is a dungeon with an angry ghost king.” Darkshot commented.

“Yep.” Aegis said as he began tapping everyone and applying his bless buff to them.

Some time later, Aegis and his companions arrived back at the intersection with the dark grey glowing tree. They looked similar to how they had when they were lead away by Iuomok, with two major differences.

Darkshot now wore atop his head a spectral, somewhat transparent grey crown adorned with colorless jewels. Rakkan was carrying an oversized ancient book whose pages looked cracked and ready to crumble at any moment if mishandled.

Upon reaching the base of the tree, they paused and looked around curiously. It wasn’t long before Iuonok stepped out of the shadows to greet them.

“You’ve returned. So quickly… Is that…?” Iuonok motioned to the crown on Darkshot’s head.

“The cursed king’s crown? Yep. 10 minute cooldown, activate to pass through solid walls and objects for 10 seconds. Pretty cool, right?” Darkshot motioned to it proudly.

“I’m going to wait until I try reading this, I’m worried the pages are too damaged, if I’m not careful I’ll lose the knowledge in it.” Rakkan explained to Aegis, Pyri and Lina who gave him nods and watched him add the book he was carrying into his inventory. Iuonok stared at them with his jaw dropped in disbelief.

“How? That malice and hatred that the Cursed King carried with him was immensely powerful…” Iuonok whispered in shock.

“Yeah, but we do holy damage.” Aegis replied nonchalantly. A second later, the group was all hit with quest completed messages and fidgeted around with their interfaces to turn in their quest. “So, you trust us now?”

“There’s no doubt that you are not working with the Warlord. But come, we shouldn’t speak here.” Iuonok motioned them to follow him once more. Aegis glanced at Snowflake who squawked back curiously before moving to follow Iuonok.

As they were led once more through Belmiure, the other Dark Elf seekers joined them as an entourage. They didn’t follow the paved roads for long, eventually being led off onto a crudely marked trail through alleyways and ruined buildings. They climbed over and under piles of obsidian block rubble, with wild grey weeds and cobwebs tangled about the corners.

Though the Dark Elves had no difficulty navigating their way through the dark city, Aegis and his party were completely reliant on the light from Pyri’s cinderbolts which resulted in everything looking a shade dark red.

Eventually, though, they arrived at an old crumbled obsidian tower where the top half had broken off and was laying on its side on the ground nearby in pieces. Iuonok lead them through the doorway of the lower half of the tower so that they stood in a round, roofless room filled with old broken furnishing and loose blocks.

He approached what looked to be a plain pile of rubble and reached his hands through it, revealing the rubble to be an illusion. From underneath, he grabbed the handle of a hidden trap door and pulled it up open, causing the illusionary rubble to shimmer and become momentarily transparent.

The trapdoor revealed a large dark stone staircase that descended below the surface, and Iuonok took point in leading them down the stairs.

Aegis hesitantly looked at his companions to see how they felt about following the strange elite Dark Elf NPC into an ancient hidden cellar of a ruined tower, but saw that they all looked fairly excited to continue.

Aegis was first, then Snowflake and Rakkan, followed by Lina, Pyri, and Darkshot, while the remaining Dark Elf seekers stayed outside.

“This is a refuge for those who manage to escape the City of the White Tree.” Iuonok explained as they reached the bottom of the stairs and began walking forward through a narrow hallway with multiple doors.

As they walked down the hall, Aegis was able to look into the doorless rooms that lined it and saw groups of Dark Elves huddled together in tattered cloths. It was cramped tight with bedrolls, tables and the like, with the occasional dimly glowing fire for heat.

As they passed, the various Dark Elves stared at Aegis and his companions blankly. He could see their sunken cheeks and blank expressions - they looked malnourished and thirsty, and indifferent to their presence despite them not being Dark Elves themselves.

“It is a struggle to find food and water within these ruins for all of these people. But now that you have lifted the curse, we Seekers should have an easier time procuring supplies so that we may survive.”

“Is it really better to live here than in the City of the White Tree?” Aegis asked him, having spotted a couple of other NPCs that were marked as Elite. It was disheartening for Aegis to see that, even though they were AI NPCs, there were children who looked to be starving mixed in with the adults.

“Yes. The Tyrant is cruel and demands absolute servitude. At least here we can be free.” Iuonok explained as they reached the end of the hall where a closed, decrepit wooden door stood, and Iuonok took out a key from his inventory and got to work on unlocking it. “Some who still have their strength, and hope, attempt to make the journey to the surface, in the hopes that they can find a better life under the sun. But we are taught at a young age that those on the surface are our enemies, and hunt us for sport.”

“That’s why you attacked us initially?” Pyri asked.

“Yes. But when I saw your unwillingness to fight back, I had to only assume that those teachings were false, like so many things that we are taught in that city.” Iuonok replied. He’d finished unlocking the door and swung it open, revealing a small chamber with an old sturdy table in the middle.

On the far side of the table stood another elite NPC leaning over it, he was sorting through a small crate set on the table filled with spongy looking gray balls, counting them.

Pyri had switched to using her Lumina spell to light their way so that they could see them, and the elite looked up at Aegis and his party as they entered, wincing from the light for a moment. [Partik(Elite) - Level 120] sat above his head.

“What is the meaning of this?” Partik glanced between Aegis’ companions, and Iuonok.

“These surface dwellers arrived in the lower ruins. We got the jump on them, but they overpowered us and spared our lives. They then, at my request, destroyed the cursed king and released the curse of Belmiure.” Iuonok explained. Hearing this, Partik’s eyes went wide.

“Did they really, now?” He asked as he glanced at the crown on Darkshot’s smirking head. “I imagine you did not do all of that for nothing. But if it is a reward you seek, I’m afraid we have not much to offer.” Partik replied.

“We need to get into the City of the White Tree. We’re looking to take out the Warlord who has enslaved all of the Dark Elves of Kalmoore. But, as peacefully as possible… I guess…” Aegis shrugged hesitantly.

“To what end?” Partik eyed them curiously.

“To free your people, of course.” Aegis replied.

“Free us?” Partik huffed at him. “You wouldn’t be freeing the Dark Elves, you’d be sentencing us to death.” Partik shook his head.

“I don’t understand…” Aegis squinted at him skeptically. “Removing the tyrant would sentence you to death?”

“Kur’aktos is cruel, but not for nothing. The creatures from the abyss, and other abominations that lurk about the underrealm demand him to be so, to keep our people alive. If you march into the City of the White Tree and remove him from power, you will leave the city weak and vulnerable. Thousands of Dark Elves left without a leader. The city would not last a week.” Partik explained to Aegis with a disapproving tone.

“Hm.” Aegis paused as he pondered this, looking to the others. “So that’s why Eirene is against violence here. None of you are inherently bad, you’re just living in bad circumstances.” Aegis mumbled to himself out loud.

“Isn’t there someone else that could take over the city, that is less cruel?” Rakkan suggested.

“Yeah.” Pyri nodded at him. “Someone who could lead your people without causing so much suffering?”

“Maybe one of you two could do it?” Darkshot suggested. Iuonok and Partik briefly exchanged hesitant looks with one another.

“Perhaps he…” Partik mumbled.

“It could change everything…” Iuonok mumbled as well.

“He? Who? You have someone in mind to replace the Tyrant?” Aegis asked them.

“Yes. Kur’aktos has a brother. He is the one who founded the Seekers, to rebel against his older brother's cruelty. He is the reason we were able to find this place and hide out here, and help so many others escape the city.” Partik explained.

“Where is this brother?” Aegis asked.

“Kagil’aktos remains within the city. He lives in the shadows, through an underground network of hideouts, helping out our people while remaining hidden from Kur’aktos and his watchful eyes.” Partik explained.

“If you could find a way to remove Kur’aktos from power and replace him with his kinder younger brother Kagil’aktos, it’s possible our lives down here would improve greatly. The slavery and torture would come to an end.” Iuonok said with wide eyes of excitement.

“It sounds a bit too good to be true. So I must ask. Why would surface dwellers go so far to help us?” Partik asked them.

“Luryala, who resides in my city of Rene on the surface, requested me to save those who remain of her tribe. I promised her I would.”

“I see. She lives on the surface, without discrimination?”

“She does stand out, I won’t lie… but otherworlders don’t discriminate based on race.” Aegis shrugged.

“I see. Kur’aktos forbids any contact to the outside, he believes it opens the Dark Elves up to needless risk, and that the surface dwellers would bring us nothing short of our complete and utter total destruction. But perhaps, if Kagil’aktos takes control, we would be able to establish good terms with your people.”

“Definitely. I’m sure you’d be welcomed into the Kingdom of Kordas, like Pakro’Vielle.” Aegis shrugged. Once again, both Partik and Iuonok went silent and exchanged looks with one another.

“Very well. But this plan will only be possible if Kagil’aktos is willing. You will need to personally convince him.” Partik straightened his back and took a deep breath. “Here.” He pulled out of his inventory a set of tattered dark grey cloaks with patches and tears on them, setting them out on the table in front of him for Aegis and his party to look at.

“We use these cloaks to smuggle out slaves from the city. Primarily Plashrim, but some dwarves and elves that found themselves captured by Kur’aktos as well. They should work for you.” Partik motioned each of Aegis’ members to take a cloak, which they did with hesitance.

Name:Seeker’s Cloak

Slot: Back (Cloak)

Type: Cloth

Armor: 124

Quality:43%

Durability: 72/150

Option 1: Wearing the hood up will conceal your level, name, and guild name from other players and NPCs.

Option 2: While the hood on the Seekers Cloak is up, the wearer will take on the appearance of a Dark Elf which closest resembles their own appearance.

Description: Made from tattered Silk and Elmus wool, and imbued with morphing powder.

After Aegis eyed the item card he watched as Lina put the cloak on, pulled the hood up, and suddenly her skin darkened to a tinted purple, and her ears grew out upwards and pointy. She took a moment to look down at her own arms where the skin was visible, looking somewhat shocked.

“Whoa, neat.” Darkshot commented as he eyed her, quickly following suit and throwing the hood up over his crown. He became a very dark, edgy and brooding looking Dark Elf. “How do I look?”

“Basically the same, but edgier.” Aegis smirked. Shortly after, Rakkan put it on and became a bulky Dark Elf, while Pyri became a slender, long haired Dark Elf. Last was Aegis, who looked rather plain with his hair darkening to black along with his darkening purple skin and pointed ears. He wasn’t too happy about needing to take off his vestments of Eirene, though.

“I was never expecting we would need to use these to smuggle people IN to the city.” Partik shook his head.

“So how do we get to the City of the White Tree?” Aegis turned his attention back to the NPCs.

“We will lead you to the Bridges of Belmiure. Once you cross them, you will find yourself in view of the city, but you will need to find your way through the wastelands yourself. It is patrolled by not only the Tyrant’s soldiers, but occasionally, horrific creatures from beyond your wildest nightmares.” Partik said with a solemn expression.

“Sounds lovely.” Pyri pulled her lips to the side.

“Once you reach the city’s outskirts, on the western edge you will find a jagged pillar of stones jutting out from the landscape. Hidden at the base of that pillar is an entrance into the city that the guards do not know about. It should allow you to enter without drawing their attention. Once inside, seek out the Pale Watch tavern. Tell the bartender you are seeking a place to rest, and that should get them to lead you to Kagil’aktos.” Partik explained.

“Sounds like quite the quest.” Darkshot rubbed his hands together excitedly.

“That is the easy part. It will be up to you to convince Kagil’aktos to go against his brother in this way.” Iuonok finished. Following this, the group was hit by a quest prompt.

Quest[1/5]: Travel through the underrealm and sneak into the City of the White Tree. Meet with Kagil’aktos, leader of the seekers, without being discovered by agents of the Dark Elf Tyrant, Kur’aktos.

Objective: 0/1 Kagil’aktos met.

Quest Giver: Iuomak, Belmiure

Reward:5,000,000 Experience,

Difficulty: Extreme(III)

Aegis was taken aback by not only the quest being 5 steps, but the difficulty rating of it.

“Extreme III?” Darkshot exclaimed as he too spotted it.

“That just means the reward will be really good, right?” Pyri smiled.

“The Hrath’mir quest was only extreme II. This is going to be harder to pull off than that.” Aegis explained. “Makes sense, given what the end reward will potentially be.” He added, as he remembered what he’d learned about Mithral and Kur’aktos from Luryala. One by one, Aegis and his companions all tapped the accept buttons on their interfaces floating in their peripheral vision in front of their faces.

“I will lead you to the edge of Belmiure whenever you are ready.” Iuonok bowed politely. Hearing this, Aegis glanced at the others and got a few shrugs.

“I think we’re ready now.” Aegis replied.

“Wait.” Rakkan stopped them, eying something on the roof of the chamber. Him looking up caused everyone who glanced at Rakkan to follow his eyes and look up as well. Etched into the obsidian roof were strange looking old runes.

“Yes, those have been here since the beginning, as well as scattered all throughout Belmiure.” Partik nodded as he eyed them too.

“Those markings are also on the front of the book I found in the King’s Tomb. The book that his skeleton was clutching.” Rakkan explained as he paced around the room, looking at the engraved runes carefully from different angles.

“Do you know what they say?” Aegis asked him.

“Not exactly. It’s like a dialect of the ancient language, it uses the same characters but its unintelligible.” Rakkan pondered.

“We, too, cannot read it. Nor could the Plashrim that have come through here.” Partik added.

“Let me mark it down. Once I read through the book a bit and compare it to the base dialect of the ancient language, I should be able to figure it out.” Rakkan said while pulling out a parchment and quill. Everyone watched him patiently as he placed the parchment down on the table and alternated between copying the markings on the roof onto the parchment, and looking up at them for reference.

“Ok. good. Got it. Sorry.” Rakkan said apologetically once he’d finished and saw everyone had been waiting, watching him.

“No problem. It could be important, like the stuff you uncovered in Kolz.” Aegis shrugged. “Now I think we’re all ready to go.” Aegis nodded at Iuonok.

“Ok. Stay close, and do not let your cloak hoods fall off of your heads.” Iuonok took lead out of the room.

“Good luck. If you succeed, you will change the lives of countless innocent people.” Partik bowed as he watched them all leave the chamber one by one. On his way through the hallway, Aegis once again found himself staring through the open doorways at the starving and worn out Dark Elves, and felt motivation burning up inside of him.

The group made their way back up the stairs and through the trapdoor so that they stood once more on the ground floor of the ruined tower.

From there, Iuonok and his waiting entourage of 6 Dark Elf seekers lead Aegis and his party back into the ruined streets of Belmiure.

There were plenty of wraiths and banshees floating about in the nearby ruined structures, but Iuonok knew exactly which paths to walk to avoid drawing the attention of any of them.

The city was nevertheless huge, and they walked on through narrow alleyways and along cracked paved streets for hours. Zigzagging, weaving, and winding around buildings assured them a safe path, but it was very indirect and made the journey take much longer.

Eventually, though, as Pyri reignited her cinderbolts and rotated them around the group for lighting, they spotted the wall of the cavern that the city of Belmiure was built into.

Its sudden appearance was intimidating. The group had been walking on for a long time with nothing but open space above and in front of them, so to suddenly see a tall black jagged wall of stone appear within the red glow of the cinderbolts threw them off. They could not see the ceiling of the cavern, but at the base of the wall where the paved roads they were traversing met it, the wall opened up into a large tunnel with two dark elf statues flanking it, and a broken archway in pieces on the ground between them.

“This is it, this tunnel will lead you to the wastelands, and the City of the White Tree.” Iuonok motioned to the tunnel ahead. “I will leave you here. But be wary, the Dark Elves you encounter from henceforth will not be Seekers, but under the Tyrant’s influence. They are not evil - they are doing what they must to survive. But they will not show you any mercy.” Iuonok explained.

“Got it.” Aegis nodded back at him. “We’ll be careful. Keep our hoods up, and not start any trouble.”

“What of your gryphon? That is not something my kind are accustomed to seeing down here.” Iuonok motioned to Snowflake.

“I got him covered.” Pyri smiled as she walked over to Snowflake and tapped him, casting invisibility so that he could no longer be seen.

“I see. You truly are quite capable adventurers. If anyone is able to save the Dark Elf people, I’m sure it will be you. Good luck.” Iuonok bowed. “And, watch your step as you cross the bridges.” He finished before taking his leave with the other seekers.

Aegis and the others remained standing at the entrance of the tunnel leading out of the Belmiure cavern, waiting for Iuonok and his companions to fade from their view.

“We’re finally leaving this cave, huh?” Darkshot smiled and stretched.

“I’m really excited, I’ve never seen a Dark Elf city before. And I think there are some Shadow Dancer quests in it.” Lina smiled excitedly.

“I’m not sure if anyone has ever been in a Dark Elf city that wasn’t a Dark Elf.” Rakkan replied.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re not in the city yet.” Aegis said before taking the first steps forward into the tunnel. “Remember, no killing Dark Elves.” Aegis added, to which Darkshot let out a sigh.