Morning comes, and with it, a frigid cold that seems to filter in from outside. I switch into human form and get dressed. The Huldr still sleeps tightly, so I bundle her up in some more blankets before leaving the house.
As I step outside, I'm struck by the stillness of the town. A thick layer of snow carpets the streets, free of any footprints. I look towards the mine entrance at the top of town; icy air spills like a vaporous waterfall from the mouth of it, just like it had when I first got here. Now it seems even more intense, though.
Something's definitively changed for the worse here...
*Detecting abnormal Magic readings from within the mountain, possibly a budding Dungeon.*
So the mine is about to become a Dungeon? That's bad! Then the whole town will have to move to get away from it. I've got to hurry and see if there's anything I can do. I quickly power my way through the snow towards the mine entrance.
Seems the guards have abandoned their posts near the mine, as I can't see anyone nearby. Or is it just too cold for them? Temperature readings are at negative ten degrees Celsius (~14F~). I guess the Cold and Hypothermia resistance Skills are doing their job.
I cautiously peek inside the mine entrance. It's illuminated faintly by Tommyknockers, but it seems the cold is making them weak. Their normally energetic checking and testing of the roof above them is reduced to the occasional poke. Some are even having issues staying on their crossbeam.
As I enter the mine proper, my map zooms in and displays the entirety of the mine. I am also given this information:
*Frostrimed Mine*
*Difficulty: 5*
*Predicted Inhabitants: Undead, Sprites, Elementals*
So it is a proper Dungeon! And it's difficulty five... But it doesn't have a Boss? Actually, I never got the explanation for monster ranks, did I?
*Monsters are Ranked from 1 to 9 Stars, based on the threat they pose and difficulty slaying one. It was created by the Hero of Life (one of the eight heroes who slew the True Tyrant) as a guide for hunters to more easily pick targets they could actually defeat. Monsters with unknown combat capabilities are ranked as ???.
- 1 Star - Even an untrained adult could kill these monsters. Poses no imminent threat. Usually herbivores without grand predator defenses or small and newborn monsters are Rank 1.
- 2 Stars - A trained humanoid, such as a town guard or soldier could take out one 2 Star monster. Poses a danger to children or a lone, untrained and/or ill equipped adult. Predators low on the food chain or herbivores with offensive capabilities are ranked as 2 Stars.
- 3 Stars - One D-rank hunter, or several soldiers could take out a 3 Stars monster, provided the right equipment is available. Poses a threat to even large groups of ill equipped and/or poorly trained humanoids. Large low-food-chain predators or herbivores whose size or defenses are too great to safely hunt alone are ranked 3 Star.
- 4 Stars - Several D-rank hunters, or one C-rank hunter, could take out one 4 Stars monster, provided the proper equipment is available. Immediate orders of subjugation are sent out when 4 Star monsters are spotted near inhabited land, due to the threat they pose. Small medium-food-chain predators and a select few herbivores are ranked 4 Stars.
- 5 Stars - Several C-rank hunters, or one B-rank hunter, could take out one 5-Stars monster, provided the proper equipment is available. Monsters of this rank are able to create Lairs, though it is rare. Able to raze a small village with little effort, should they so desire. Large medium-food-food chain predators rank as 5 Stars.
- 6 Stars - A large group of C-Rank hunters, or several B-Rank hunters, could take out one 6 Stars monster, provided the proper equipment is available. Rarely spotted, most seclude themselves within Lairs far from inhabited land. If one is spotted near civilization, an immediate call to arms is announced, even outside kingdom borders, to deal with the threat. Apex predators usually rank as 6-Stars.
- 7 Stars - A large group of B-Rank hunters, or several A-Rank hunters, could take out one 7 Stars monster, provided proper equipment is available. Hunters also take into use mobile siege equipment to aid in the fights. From 7 Stars and up, the monsters are of legendary strength, and there can be several generations between a sightings of a 7-Stars monster. Legendary monsters, such as the Hydra or the Manticore, or low tier Dragonoids, rank as 7-Stars.
- 8 Stars - A large group of A-Rank hunters, or several S-Rank heroes, could take out one 8 Stars monster, utilizing the finest equipment and the most powerful weapons known to man. 8 Stars monsters are able to lay waste to entire countries, and as such, any known 8 Stars monsters are kept under close watch. Medium tier Dagonoids and the Kraken are ranked as 8-Stars monsters.
- 9 Stars - A large group of S-Rank Heroes, outfitted with the best armor and weapons, would stand little chance against a 9-Stars monster. Their power is greater than any other, save for the power of the Divine. Only the 12 Elder Dragons are ranked as 9-Stars, being the physical embodiment of the 12 Elements. (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light, Dark, Life, Death, Cold, Heat, Plant, Lightning)
Do note however, that even if a monster is ranked 6, for example, the particulars of the monsters fighting style or Skills might call for more hunters than normal.*
Oh man. Once you get up in the ranks there's less and less humanoids can do to get rid of the problem, huh. Elder Dragons... Even several Heroes would have little chance of success against one of them. And since I'm ranked as ???, I have no way of telling where on the scale I'm at.
So, the average Star rating of the monsters inside is five. And the Morke is a six Stars... Which means there could be a few low Stars, and the Morke. I hope that's the case. I make my way further into the mine. Oh right, I can track the Morke!
A blip shows up near the innermost part of the mine. Ugh, of course you'd hole up all the way in. As I creep along, carefully choosing my footing as to not fall over on the slick, uneven floor, I listen to the sounds of the mine. It's mostly quiet, only the shifting and settling of the mine.
As I get closer to the end of the mine-shaft, strange humanoid shapes loom out of the misty dark. I freeze for a moment. Are they alive? I stalk up to one of them. It's... a corpse. A Beast-folk woman. Her body is encased in a thin layer of ice, posed as if she was shielding herself from something when she was frozen solid.
I guess she's one of the Morke's victims. I look closer at the other shapes. All of them are humanoids of various gender and age, leaning against the mine walls. The bio did mention them using their victims as decor, but damn. I leave the bodies be, and continue further in.
More and more victims line the walls, but not all are humanoids. There's maybe ten or fifteen humanoids, but a lot more are monsters of various species. I make my way past the macabre gallery of death, and enter the final chamber. The mines' layout is more of a straight path downwards with lots of branches. This final room is at the end of that main path.
I get some flashbacks to fighting the Rat King in the Abandoned Keep. The room is almost identical. Is this the Boss Room? But this Dungeon doesn't have a Boss?
*Incorrect. This room is the Heart Chamber. Of course, this is also where the Boss would reside if there was one, but the primary function of this room is to contain the Dungeon Heart.*
I focus my sight to the middle of the room. There, I can see the faint glimmer of Magic. It's much smaller than I remember the Abandoned Keep's Heart to be. Is it because it's only just forming?
*Correct. Dungeons manifest once the Heart begins forming, but it can take weeks or even years for the Heart to fully form.*
Hm...
Leaving the Heart for now, where's the Morke? I look up and down around where the Morke should be on my map, all I see is this icicle hanging from the roof. Wait! Is that the Morke?! Looking closer, I can see the faint outline of the Morke within the ice. I-is it sleeping?
I enter the room to get a better look. A shower of ice bursts from the icicle as the Morke hurls itself towards me the moment it gets a clear line of sight to me. It's membranous body billows behind it as it shrieks towards me.
I dodge backwards, but the momentum makes me skid further than I intended, and I smack my back into the wall. Seems it was awake, just waiting for a good angle. A rose of icy spikes blossom out from where the Morke impacts against the ground. I can barely see its shadow moving about through the semi-transparent ice.
*Spell Learned: Ice Lance (Lesser) - Creates a spike of elemental cold. Higher tiers lets the user create more spikes at once.*
Another shriek of rage, and the ice shatters and flies towards me. I liquefy my arms (~Using Viscous Body~), forming them into a shield whilst coating them in Thick Mucous. The shards of ice hit, but get stuck in the thick slime, dealing no damage. As to not give the Morke anything to freeze, I quickly shed the mucous, which is already hardening, and return my arms to normal.
*Spell Learned: Hail Cannon (Lesser) - Fires a conical blast of ice at the target. Higher tiers increase the density of ice shards being cast.*
Getting a clear look at the Morke, it seems beside itself with anger. Its already large eyes are bulging out of their sockets, the tiny pupils transfixed on me. The wound I inflicted last time is mostly healed, showing only as a slightly darker spot on its body.
I draw my Paired Fell Chelicerae. Although I could revert form and fight it like that, I'd much rather get some practice in fighting as a humanoid. The Morke cries out, and I leap up and out of the way of the Ice Lances forming beneath me. Using Spider Climb, I stick to the wall for a moment, before leaping out of the way of more spikes.
Landing, and sticking to the floor this time thanks to Spider Climb, I fire off a Radiant Beam towards it. The beam shifts and twists as it nears the Morke, before changing directions and hitting the floor instead. Oh right, the Morke makes magic that isn't its own behave weirdly.
Dodging another blast of Hail Cannon, I try to get close to the Morke, but each time, it fires off a round of Hail Cannon before retreating. Shouldn't you be out of MP soon? I check.
MP: 100%
W-what??? HOW? It's been firing off Spell after Spell! Wait. Don't tell me... I take a good look at the Heart. It seems to be... leaking? A thin band of magic energy is flowing from the Heart into the Morke. Its using the Heart as fuel for its Spells?
*Correct. Though it is incredibly detrimental to the user, it is possible to leech Magic directly from the Heart, causing the user's MP to recover at an incredible rate.*
Fuck, so I can't stall it out, huh? I guess I'll have to get creative. I retrieve a rock from the Hidden Space. I throw it with all my might towards the Morke. The Morke, unable to get completely out of the way in time, has its membrane punctured by the rock. The rock continues through the Morke, impacting against the wall, leaving a sizable crater in its wake.
Both the Morke and I pause our fight for a moment. Both equally stunned by the force of my throw. A low whimper issues from the Morke, before it seemingly regains its composure. The band of magic widens. It's drawing more Magic into itself?
The entire room fills with a deathly chill. I've been at a distance where my Cold and Hypothermia Resistances have been able to keep me unaffected by the cold, but now I'm starting to shiver. Icy cold air swirls about the room, leaving mirror-sheen ice in its wake. As the ice spreads about the room, it spikes up into a pincushion of icicles.
I leap onto the wall to get away from the ice. My hands burns from touching the cold walls. I activate Combustion to keep myself warm. From my perch, I throw more stones. Each time, a wall of ice, formed out of countless Ice Lances, block the hit.
*Status Updated: Hypothermia (Lesser)!*
My mind numbs, my limbs turn to jello. F-Fuck, its so cold. Come on, focus! The Morke should only be able to block one rock at a time, but I can't throw more than one at a time without falling down onto the icicles below me...
I hop onto the ceiling and crawl along it, dodging blast after blast of Hail Cannon. Even though I'm slowed from the cold, the Morke seems to have issues leading its shots. A plan starts to form in my head. It's a very stupid plan, with a high capacity to fail miserably, but it's the best I've got at the moment.
I breathe a round of Napalm Breath onto the floor, clearing out enough of the icicles for me to land safely. The heat of the lingering fire prevents more from being formed as well. Quickly, I liquefy my body, returning it to my true size, before dividing it in two.
*Skills activated: Hivemind (Grand), Remote Body Control (Normal)!*
*Skill Obtained: Body Double (Lesser) - Creates a identical body, having equal Stats, Skills and Spells of the original, but only 1/4th of the HP, MP and SP of the original. Higher tiers increase how much of the originals HP, MP and SP the double has. Only one Double can be created at any one time.*
Both of me (us?) shrink back into human form. It is very weird to control two bodies at the same time, and as such, we stumble about whilst I get my bearings. I cast Barrier onto the double, to give it a bit more survivability, before we move to phase two of "this will probably not work but let's try anyway".
Hopping out of the way of more Ice Lances, we take up position at different parts of the room. Each of us with a rock in hand. The Morke seems to be having issues deciding which of me to target, looking from one to the other without actually doing anything. Suits me fine, I'm tired of dodging their attacks.
We both raise our arms to throw. The Morke senses what's up, as it quickly starts making walls around it. Nothing some Napalm Breath can solve. Quickly, before it can cover itself with walls again, we throw our rocks with all our might. It manages to block one of them, but the heat from the Napalm Breath rendered the ice weaker than normal.
Both rocks pierce the Morke, ripping through the floor behind it, sending a blast of rock back up. It cries out in pain. Let's see how we're doing.
HP: 35%
Good! Another hit, and-
As we move to reposition for the next attack, I find myself unable to leave the wall? I look back and see black, oozing tendrils wrapped around my body where it touches the wall. I try to yank free, but the shadowy tentacles hold me fast. In my confusion, my bond with the Double winks out as it has its head pierced by an Ice Lance.
*Spell Learned - Shadow Grasp - Charges a section of a surface with Dark energy, making it latch onto anything that comes into contact with this area. Higher tiers increase the size of the affected area.*
A hail of icy shards pelt my back as the Morke slowly creeps towards me. I twist and turn, dodging spear after spear of ice that shoots out of the wall. Before long I have to elongate my limbs with Viscous Body in order to get away. So this is how a fly feels, trapped in the spiders web.
I'm unable to use Thick Mucous, it solidifies the moment I start secreting it. Only thing keeping me unperforated at the moment is my ability to bend and twist around the icicles. Another part of my body touches the wall, and it too is grasped tightly by the tentacles.
I'm running out of wiggle room, and the Morke is closing in.
*Status Updated: Hypothermia (Normal)!*
My movements slow, and with it comes the inevitable icicle hit. I feel an icy cold spread from where it hit me, and I cease struggling. Is this it? Overcome by a Morke hopped up on Dungeon Heart magic?
The Morke hesitates for a moment, assessing whether it's safe to approach or not. I hang still, I still have some fight left in me, but it's a bit too far away...
It comes closer, hovering from spike to spike. I feel... odd... as if all the color of the world is being drained. Is this the effect of Vitaephagy? Come on, come closer. I prepare mentally. A little more...
THERE!
I retrieve my toxic spear, and with my free arm, plunge it straight into the head of the Morke. We both fall from the wall, the body of the Morke becoming some twisted sort of hammock for me to fall onto as its body is skewered onto its own Ice Lances. Moments after, all the ice in the room creaks and shatters as the magic producing them fades.
With a thud, the Morke and I land on the floor of the Heart Chamber. I roll off it, casting Great Heal several times.
*Combustion Skill deactivated! Fuel depleted!*
I feel hollow from hunger. The heat in my chest tells me the Morke is dead, though.
*Power Osmosis Activated! Displaying Results:*
*+50 STR, +130 CON, +100 INT, 180 WIL, +30 DEX*
*Skills Obtained:
-Â Frigid Presence (Great - Unique(Morke)) - The user emits a field of frigid air, those within it are afflicted with Hypothermia (Great) and take constant Cold damage.
- Elemental Affinity: Water (Lesser) - Converted to Skill Expertise for Elemental Affinity: All (Great)
- Elemental Affinity: Dark (Normal) - Converted into Skill Expertise for Elemental Affinity: All (Great)
- Elemental Affinity: Cold (Great) - Converted into Skill Expertise for Elemental Affinity: All (Great)
- Heat Drain (Normal) - Greatly reduces the efficiency and damage of Heat based Skills and Spells when a Presence type Skill is active.
- Damage Resistance: Cold (Great) - Replaces Damage Resistance: Cold (Normal), replaced Skill is converted into Skill Expertise. Damage Resistance: Cold (Great) becomes Damage Immunity: Cold (Lesser).
- Damage Immunity: Cold (Lesser) -Â Reduces Damage from Cold attacks by 12.5% before Atc VS Arm/M.Atc Vs M.Arm calculation, and by 50% after calculation.
Condition Resistance: Hypothermia (Grand) - Replaces Condition Resistance: Hypothermia (Lesser), replaced Skill converted into Skill Expertise.
- Vitaephagy (Normal) - User is able to directly convert the HP of a target into SP for themselves at a 4-1 rate.
- Condition Resistance: Paralysis (Great) - Converted into Skill Expertise. Condition Resistance: Paralysis (Great) becomes Condition Resistance: Paralysis (Grand)
- Condition Resistance: Poison (Normal) - Converted into Skill Expertise. Condition Resistance: Poison (Normal) becomes Condition Resistance: Poison (Great)
- Magical Flux (Normal) - Causes Spells aimed at the user to fail or miss-fire whenever a Presence type Skill is active.
- Hover (Great) - Enables the user to hover up to 1 meter (~3.2 feet~) above any solid terrain, at the cost of MP.
Spells Obtained:
- Ice Lance (Normal) - Replaces Ice Lance (Lesser), replaced Spell is converted to Spell Expertise.
- Hail Cannon (Normal) - Replaces Hail Cannon (Lesser), replaced Spell is converted to Spell Expertise.
- Slick Ice (Lesser) - Is converted into Spell Expertise.
- Glaciate (Normal) - User coats a target in a layer of ice, hindering movement and inducing Hypothermia (Normal).
-Â Dark Bead (Lesser) - Converted into Spell Expertise.
- Shadow Grasp (Lesser) - Converted into Spell Expertise.*
*Updating Stats... Successful*
I shakily get to my feet. Making sure any unnecessary Skills are deactivated, I make my way over to the amorphous pile of goop that used to be my Body Double. Seems it lost its shape when it "died". Oh well. I'll make good use of it.
Using Phagocytosis, I consume the remains. Is this technically self cannibalizing? I ponder this as I finish eating. Some of my strength is restored, and I turn to the next challenge, the Heart.
I really don't want to try to eat this one. Something tells me it will end poorly for me. It's wavering, quivering. From the looks of it, the Morke didn't just damage itself when it started leeching the magic from it. Maybe it'll go out on its own? Probably not.
I make a staircase of spikes up to where the Heart hovers in the room. Utilizing my new Hover Skill, I ascend to the top. This is the first time I've gotten a good close look at a Dungeon Heart. It looks like a knot of yarn, differently colored and textured bands of magic intertwine and mingle. Some passing through each other, others getting tangled up.
I reach out to it. I feel a low vibration in my chest. It builds into a beat, mimicking the one issuing from the Heart. Grasping a thread of it, I slowly start undoing the wad of magic, freeing strand after strand from the ball, letting them go to rejoin the proper cycle of magic.
I don't know for how long I work, but I think it's a long time. Grabbing the last two threads, I carefully untangle them from each other. Letting them both snake out of my hands to vanish into the air.
*Balance Restored. Starting Divine Restoration.*
The announcement snaps me out of the trance I've been in whilst working on the Heart. Divine what?
A ripple moves through the World. The Heart Chamber vanishes, the icy cold is replaced with a cool dampness, the ice encrusted mine is restored to its former state. I take a deep breath. Some sort of pressure that I hadn't noticed before is now gone.
*You did well. I think this is the fastest any Monarch has figured out their true purpose.*
The voice within my head sounds different. It is much more... alive? than the normal voice World Knowledge has. W-who are you?
*Apologies, your Majesty. My name is Lyf. I am the Envoy of Life. I talk on behalf of the All-Mother. She has given permission for me to contact you directly through the World.*
So wait, my true purpose? What's that? All I've known so far is that I had some alignment choice to make and either foster peace of create war or something?
*The result of humanoids interpreting the actions of the previous Monarchs. In truth, the purpose of the Monarch has always been to restore balance when it is lost. The different... alignments... are just the Monarchs body expressing their method of achieving that balance physically.*
I'm not sure I understand... My evolution options specifically mentioned that the Botched Monarch is the result of it not choosing a side?
*Didn't you know? Those descriptions are written by humanoids. As such, they also reflect the flawed understanding they have of the nature of the Monarch. In truth, the Botched Monarch is a form taken when the Monarch is trying different methods of achieving balance, without settling on any one solution. Your current form is an improvement on that form.*
...
*Moreover, the Tyrant deals with the source of the problem. Humanoids. Their meddling with magic, the All War, the creation of Dungeons. It would be much easier to restore balance if there wasn't anyone creating more disturbance whilst you were working, wouldn't it? Of course, without humanoids there wouldn't be much point in keeping balance, would it? Monsters are ill equipped to drive the World towards progress, being content to stay in the same place, performing the same actions, as long as that kept them fed and alive.*
So that's why you ended up helping out the Eight Heroes. The True Tyrant threatened the balance of the World in its attempt to achieve balance.
*Correct. Once it understood that, it quietly let itself be felled so that a new Monarch could be born.*
The Emperor, then?
*Its peace promoting qualities are a necessity, as the immense amount of Magic roiling within it from it consuming Dungeon Hearts means even a small Spell could cause widespread destruction. It not eating anything is not because it feeds off ambient magic, but because it is starving itself to convert the Magic into Stamina Points.*
How is that done then? I mean, SP converts into MP, not the other way around?
*Simple, Magic Points can convert into Health Points either via the Regeneration: HP Skill, or Healing Spells, which in turn are converted into Stamina Points when the Stamina Points are emptied from hunger.*
So, it is always hungry, but it can't eat since it risks exploding if it doesn't get rid of the extra magic somehow. Makes me glad I never considered that a good solution.
*You are the first Monarch that has taken this route. I suppose the big difference is that you've been free of the meddling of Imera and Nychta, the Envoys of Light and Dark.*
Why is that? I mean, why have I been free of their meddling?
*Simple, your Soul doesn't belong to this World. Divine only hold power over Souls from their World. Since you are an Otherworlder, sent here by your own Divine, and not Summoned by Us, we can do nothing but watch.*
Is that... bad? I mean, can you even try to tell me to stop if I'm about to do something really bad?
*If we could, we would have done so multiple times already. Your encounter with Grim, that was the only time we felt we had to step in and fix things directly, though. By now, you should be able to handle the consequences of your own mistakes without us getting directly involved.*
Wait... when Grim-
*Yes, we stepped in to subjugate the Cataclysm you unknowingly brought into this world. Mostly because it takes a long time to create a new Monarch, and also because we predicted that if you were felled by it, even We would be unable to stop it.*
S-so you're telling me...
*By being a kind and caring soul, you almost brought complete ruin onto this world. Of course, none of this would have been anyone's fault but Ours for not intervening in time.*
I fall to my knees, tears streaming down my face. I knew already that Blue shouldn't have been born, that because I helped him hatch, he became Hateful and went berserk. But to think that... that if he had...
"Hey! Someone's alive down here!" A male voice calls out. Multiple sets of footsteps come running towards me. "What are you doing here? Do you know what happened?" A human man grabs me by the shoulders.
No wait, you shouldn't be here, I wanted to talk more with Lyf...
*Apologies. Divine Envoy Lyf has ceased her broadcasting through the Skill.*
...
"She's in shock, here, help me carry her." Another person helps the first hoist me onto his back. He then carries me through the mine, back out into town. I notice that the bodies that the Morke had put on display were all thawed out, and multiple people were gathered around each of the humanoid victims.
He takes me to the church/temple. Up until now, I'd been quietly letting myself get carried. But the moment we crossed the threshold, a terrible pain surges trough me. My cry of pain makes the man carrying me stop and set me down.
This is the worst pain I've felt in all my time here. As I scramble to get back out of the door, my form slightly shifts towards my true shape. "By the Mother, she's a Doppelganger!" The man cries out. His face fills with fear and disgust as my halfway transformation stops as I manage to get back out of the church.
Stupid! I should have paid attention to where he was bringing me! I take a few deep breaths as the pain subsides. As I calm, my features return to normal. "What in the World are you?!" the mans shouting is gathering onlookers.
"What is going on here?" Brother Crym comes into view. "We found this one in the mine, alive. She seemed to be in shock so I took her here for treatment, but the moment we crossed the threshold, she revealed herself to be a monster in disguise!"
People are coming from the street as well. Some are holding improvised melee weapons. "Please..." I try pleading. Please be a reasonable person and not the "if it's a monster it dies" kind of person.
I look to Brother Crym. He gives a weak shake of his head. Even though he has helped me before, it seems he can't, or doesn't dare to, help me now. Fine, I'll just have to deal with this on my own. Wasn't that what Lyf said, I was strong enough to fix my own mistakes?
"It pleads! Now that its plan has been foiled, it begs for mercy!" The man approaches me. He grabs me by the throat, not hard, but with enough force as to try to make me think twice about trying to get free. Seems my pleas have given him the impression of a weak monster that relies on disguises and trickery.
"Give me one good reason to let you go. Oh wait, you could probably only whimper back the pleas of your last victim at us." His eyes narrow with hate. "Is this really how you treat the savior of your town?" I ask him.
His bravado falters. The hand gripping my neck falls away as he takes a fearful step backwards. "Wh-" He begins. I double check that I have enough space around me. All good. I revert to my true form. Gasps of awe and fear comes from the crowd that has gathered around us.
"I am the Monarch, sent by your King to end the threat of the Morke. I even did you a favor and got rid of the Dungeon that was growing within your mine. And this is how you thank me?" I put on airs and theatrics. Of course, my Telepathy only reaches the closest four people, but they quickly relay the message.
Confusion, fear, maybe even some anger run through the townsfolk. From the murmuring, I gather that most believe me. Besides, I was the only living thing they found in the mine, someone reports. (~Remember that humanoids have a hard time seeing Tommyknockers~) Another chimes in that they found the Morke dead in the innermost part of the mine, its body torn to shreds.
Gradually, the unanimous decision to believe me is reached. A small Beast-folk child fearlessly runs up to me. It's Shasha. Behind them comes their mother. "Shasha, please!" She calls out to them. "It's okay, mama! It's the lady that helped Brother Crym!" They reply before 'ooooh'-ing at me.
I lie down onto my belly to make myself less imposing. "Wow, lady, you're big and strong like this too!" Shasha exclaims as they run their hand through my fur. Seeing this, more children approach, though they are much more hesitant than Shasha was.
Brother Crym approaches me, meekly. "I- I hope you can forgive me..." He whispers to me. "Of course. Only deal we had was that you helped me with slaying the Morke, and kept quiet about my true nature. I have no reason to be upset." I tell him. He utters a sigh of relief.
Before long, most of the town has gathered in front of the church. Those not present are busy dealing with the bodies in the mine. It's actually a bit overwhelming, with this many people here. I quickly decide to switch back into human form for ease of communication, and also to keep the children from hurting themselves on my scales.
"So, what do you plan on doing now?" Brother Crym asks me as he shows me to the Guild Hall, were an impromptu village feast is to be held. "Well, I'd hoped to get some mining tools or some metal ore before heading back home." I reply.
"That sounds... awfully novel." Crym remarks. "Oh, it is why I came here in the first place. I wanted to try some crafting, but found that my projects required metal I didn't have, nor did I have the tools to get it." I explain. Crym looks at me oddly. "So that is why you agreed to slay the Morke? To get access to those things?" I nod. "Unbelievable." He shakes his head, before quickly reassuring me of his gratitude towards me.
The feast was quite the thing. It was mostly composed of everyone bringing their supper to the Hall to share, but it was delightful nonetheless. I caught glimpse of Germund and company, most likely bragging that 'yeah, we went hunting with the Monarch' or something.
It wasn't before dusk I managed to get out of the Hall. Quickly, I head to the mine. I had been given permission to grab one set of mining tools. Having stored those, I then rushed to the clergy house to pick up the Hulrd. Seems she slept through everything. I catch her up on what has transpired, though I'm not too sure how much she understood.
Once she is dressed and ready, we head to the town gate. The entire town has gathered to see me off it seems. With the Huldr on my back, I take off into the dimming night sky, headed for home.