Your ambitions here were higher then petty brigands and sage superstitions. You wanted to quell the rot. For some reason, the mad king seemed to want to spread the corruption, until everyone in the kingdom was as smelly and hedonistic as he was. Thus, it wouldn’t surprise you if this festival he was holding really was just a conspiracy to propagate the vile plague. The only thing causing you any hesitation was the fact that these rumors might be just that; rumors. If there was any chance at all that you might save someone from the dreaded fate of corruption, though, you must take it.
The trip to the festival would take you far from your homelands. You spend around eight hours or so quietly travelling on foot along plains and prairies, doing your best to avoid being spotted by anyone despite being far out of your comfort zone. Eventually, you finally make it to the forest where the festival is being held, just as the sun was about to set in the distance. Now, this was more like it! You were at home in the forests of Armello, especially at night, when the thick canopy completely veils you in darkness and makes you feel practically invisible. Traveling through the forest unseen and unheard was soothing to you, and you made much quier progress.
Eventually, halfway through the night, you finally come across the festival buried deep in the woods. It was difficult to miss; it’s bright lights and gaudy opulence could be seen over the trees for miles around. Growing closer, you can hear the cacophony of laughter and music as the nobles within celebrate. Once you got a good look at it, the festival was indeed an impressive and dazzling spectacle… but that only made you loathe it more. How could these aristocrats be partying and celebrating while peasants are succumbing to the rot as we speak? Out of sight, out of mind, you suppose.
As you step onto the festival grounds and wander around, you realize just how out of place you must look here. All the other guests were wearing stylish suits and beautiful gowns, and you were still donning your ranger uniform. It didn’t take long for one of the security guards to notice you didn’t belong here. “Hey! Wolf!” You hear a voice shout behind you, and you stop. “You look like you’re not supposed to be here. Why don’t you just turn around and-” The words were caught in his throat as you turned around to face him. He was a little weasel man, and from the look of it, he was stunned to see a legendary warrior show up at an event like this.
“... R-River…?” He gasps, recognizing you. Once he realizes just who he was speaking to, he immediately seemed apologetic, almost terrified. “I-I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t mean nothing by it, really! Please, enjoy yourself!” He stuttered, staring into your cold, stoic eyes. Apparently, your reputation precedes you, and you could terrify people into submission with a single, unimpressed glance. This knowledge was useful, for sure. The otter breathes a sigh of relief when you turn away from him, thinking he’s just been spared your wrath.
You wander around, glancing at stages full of exotic belly dancers and amusing jester acts, before finally happening across what you were looking for; the king’s mages. They were mysterious figures of various species all cloaked in robes, hiding their faces as they moved furtively through the crowd. Raising a brow, you decide to tail them from a distance, your senses telling you they were definitely up to something or another. You did not know exactly how the rot was spread, but if they were brewing it here, you had to put a stop to it at all costs.
Eventually, they disappeared into one of the big, strange teepee-like tents, with two guards taking their places at the entrance. Eager to see what was going on within, you climb easily up onto the roof of a nearby hut at the tent’s back. A few people gave you funny looks when you started climbing things, but they figured you were just a particularly drunk guest, and laughed it off. You keep one hand on your dagger as you approach one of the gaps in the top of their tent, remaining completely silent as you peak down on them.
You realize with a start that they were in the process of some kind of ritual! A few were kneeling along a the sides of a glowing, purple ritual circle, while the magus was standing in the center, guiding their almost whispered chant. The circle grows brighter and brighter as they chant, and you can sense it harnessing potent dark magic. It seemed to be slowly infecting everyone at the carnival with the rot!
You only had seconds to act. You could either tear down the tent with your dagger, exposing the ritual being performed and causing the festival to be evacuated. This might take a while, however, and during the evacuation, a few people might still get infected. Meanwhile, it would be a lot faster to just jump down and slay some of the mages, preventing them from completing their ritual. However, this runs the risk of getting you infected yourself...
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