Family Bonding

Silver stood amidst a slew of orc and human corpses. She turned to her daughter, Luna. The two of them had been in the dungeon for quite some time. "So...let me get this correct. Orcs are being pestered by the local village/town, and have begun fighting back? Basically, there's an ongoing war between the two factions." It was less a question and more like a statement.

Luna nodded. "Mhmm. That's about right."

Silver looked thoughtful for a moment. "So it's an event dungeon then? Nothing was said about this when I asked around. Hmm."

Luna seemed confused. "Event dungeon?"

Silver nodded. "Mhmm. Some dungeons are just hack-and-slash your way through. Others have events that occur and work almost like their own world. This seems to be the latter."

Luna took on a face of surprise. "This is one intensely serious game! Any idea who we should side with?"

Silver smirked in response. "I think the orcs would be an entertaining choice. Usually, people would side with the humans."

"The orcs aren't inherently evil either. I don't believe in that kind of stuff." Luna nodded in response.

Silver shook her head, smiling at her daughter. "I don't either. Where do you suppose they are holed up?"

Her intent in asking was to subtly convince her daughter to analyze more, and think critically. She was listed as a player to everyone, but if she died, Silver had no idea what would happen.

Even the mere allusion to her death had caused an intense panic to settle over her. She struggled for a moment, shoving her panic down and repeating: 'She's fine. She's fine. She's fine.' Luna's words broke through her sudden haze.

"I'm not entirely sure. It might just be a simple matter of 'ask until you find out'..." Responded Luna.

Silver jumped off the human corpse she was standing on. "I think we could get answers if we head to the town. They'll definitely point us in the right direction."

Luna nodded and the two of them began making their way toward the small town. It wasn't very large, nor was it hidden at all. They entered peacefully, and a guard ran up to them.

"State your name and business. Who are you, and how did you get here?"

Silver flashed her identification badge. "Relax, I'm Silver, this is Luna. We're adventurers. We've come to aid the town."

The guard's face lit up. "Great, the elder will want to meet you. Let's go. Those detestable orcs have been a nuisance as of late."

The elder's house was quite small. Smaller than most of the other ones. The two of them were led inside, and "presented" to the old guy.

His hair was long and disheveled. Colored gray from age, it hung around his shoulders like dried-up vines. He had no beard, nor any facial hair at all. His voice sounded old and decrepit, almost grating on the pair's ears.

"So the two of you are adventurers? Seeking to aid us?" There was an air of skepticism in his voice.

Silver took the reigns for the conversation. "Yes, that is the case."

"Well, it's a welcome sight I suppose. The orcs are holed up in a cave to the north of here. I'll leave it in your capable hands."

The two of them were quickly dismissed. There were no shops or any place to buy potions, just some inhabitants. Silver and Luna decided to head out immediately.

Once they were quite a ways from town, Luna turned to her mom. "I think there's something strange about that old guy. He seemed like he was barely alive."

Silver nodded, her mind began to churn, analyzing every detail of their encounter. After a few minutes of silent travel, she spoke. "I think I smelled blood in the room."

.....

Silver and Luna traveled for probably an hour. The two of them were happily chatting away when Silver suddenly stopped.

"You're hiding somewhere and have been following us for quite a while. Come out."

There was a small gasp and Luna began looking in every direction. Her eyes were straining to see anything.

Silver sighed at her daughter. "Use heartbeat detection. I try and have it active most of the time. It's my favorite blood magic use."

Luna's eyes widened. "I haven't been using blood magic very much."

She closed her eyes, focusing her hearing and senses on their nearby surroundings. There it was. A slow, faint- wait, no that was her mom's heartbeat.

She refocused and felt something. It was getting further away. The heart rate was fast, really fast. Luna turned to Silver. "They're running away."

Silver nodded. "We don't have a lot of time, let's go catch them."

She sped off, leaving Luna to catch up. She wasn't able to, but she wasn't too far away.

She dashed around a tree and saw Silver standing in front of a...little girl..?

She had long white hair and dark black eyes. Two small horns protruded from her head. Silver seemed surprised, and Luna was even more so.

The girl fell and began backing away. "Ah. No! Don't take me back. Please. I..I. No!"

She was beginning to cry, and Silver kneeled in front of her. An air of warmth and calmness overtook her. "Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you. What's your name?"

She always had a soft spot for children, and this one would be no different.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "I. I'm Hephia." She was wiping her tears away as she spoke.

Silver smiled warmly at the girl. "What're you doing out here? It's dangerous and you could've gotten hurt."

The young girl took on a look of pure determination. "I have to tell Griz! The humans are doing evil magic and hurting people!"

Silver smirked. "Are they? Can you take us to meet him?"

The girl seemed hesitant. "I..I'm not supposed to take humans..."

Luna spoke, her voice was calm and she tried her best to hold the feeling of "older sister".

"We're not human either, see?" She opened her mouth, pointing at her now exposed fangs.

The girl's eyes widened. "Y..You're just like Polia! Come on, we have to see Griz! I'll take you!"

Two dings went off for Silver and one went off for Luna.

Silver and Luna opened their menu

*Ding* Hidden Quest Activated: "Discover the secrets of Tormac Village" (Step(s) 1/4 complete.)

Silver also had a message from Divine, she opened it.

[To Silver:

-Just got the notification for thirst. I would like some help when you get time. Only a small rush. Thanks, XoXo.]