Secrets of The Townsfolk (Part 3)

Silver's hand hit Luna's neck as the red sigil burst, shrouding the entire area in a haze of blood mist. Even Silver was not spared. It began to sizzle and burn. No, it was boiling.

Silver swiftly caught her daughter after the blood fell off her own body. She wasn't unconscious, but she looked at Silver incredulously.

"Mom. What the hell was that for?"

Silver was stunned for a moment. "A..er...I thought you were in danger."

Luna scoffed. "No. It was just the side effects of the spell. I wouldn't have done something that crazy on some low-level guards."

Silver smiled awkwardly. "O..oh."

They were having a conversation amidst the screams of the remaining guards. Pretty much all of the guards that were even remotely nearby were being boiled alive. This mixture of fire and blood magic was exceedingly effective.

Silver held Luna until she could stand and walk again. It took her less than a minute to regain her strength. Silver looked at her daughter who was staring at her status screen.

She had gained quite a few levels on this trip, and she had just unlocked a skill called "hand-to-hand combat". She smiled softly as she placed her stats. Looking toward Silver, she spoke: "Let's go and see what this Goddess can say."

Silver merely nodded in response.

.....

They entered the temple and saw beautiful imagery. A Goddess descending from the sky, with humans worshipping at her feet. They saw images depicting the warning that Griz spoke about. The Goddess had warned them about far more. They were warned of an impending war on the horizon.

The Goddess herself wore a pink and white robe. She had long flowing golden hair. A golden staff, adorned with a beautiful pink gem was located on her back, and a sword hung on her hip. It held various rose motifs, and the blade was a shining golden color.

The descent into the temple was relatively safe. It held a bizarre atmosphere that annoyed Luna and Silver. Regardless, they continued.

The two of them didn't run into any traps, nor did they find anything worth inspecting on their way. At the bottom, however, they saw a massive statue depicting the Goddess in her entirety. She held her hands aloft and was praising something. As they approached, a voice boomed throughout the temple.

"To what do I owe the displeasure of meeting two vampires?"

Luna spoke first. "The humans of this town are consuming the blood of little girls, but the Orcs asked us to speak with you."

Her rage was immediately apparent, and Silver wondered for a moment that maybe something had changed in her.

The Goddess spoke. "I am the Goddess Mizu, and I know of this. Begone, vampires. Vacate my temple."

Luna was furious, but Silver grabbed her daughter by the arm and began pulling her toward the exit. It didn't take long for them to exit, and Silver sighed.

Luna was angry, and she grit her teeth before turning to the orc. "We are returning to Griz."

Silver spoke next. "Luna, I am angry as well, but you must attempt to calm down. It is not the proper place to be this angry. Besides, I have formulated a plan."

Luna nodded as she took a few deep breaths. She was struggling to maintain control of her emotions.

Silver wondered if much more time had passed for her daughter. Perhaps it was time to merge her vampire and human emotions. She would talk about how to do that at a bit of a later date.

.....

The two of them were led back to Griz, and he seemed eager to receive their report. "Tell me what you have learned."

Silver spoke first in a frustrated tone. "The Goddess was uninterested and did not seem to care." She paused for a moment to let that information sink in. "I believe I know someone who may be able to help us, however."

Griz was immediately floored by finding out that the Goddess didn't care. However, he perked up a bit at Silver's last words. "Oh, do tell me who."

Silver smiled. "Her name is Azuna, and she has helped me before. Well, somewhat anyway. She's a fallen goddess of death."

Griz perked up a bit, his eyes narrowing. "I believe there is a temple that the humans previously used to worship this Azuna. I can take you to it."

Silver nodded. "That would be a good idea. I think she'll love to hear from me."

.....

Griz left with the two vampires, leaving a good twenty men to guard the children. He would have stayed, but according to him, he's the only one who knows where this temple is.

The walk was somewhat long, but the journey was nicely paced. They didn't run into any humans, nor did they see any wildlife. In fact, the closer they arrived, the more the trees turned dead. It looked like they had passed into an area of deathly energy, as nothing around here was truly "alive". They did however, find a rather cute skeletal squirrel that pranced about.

This temple was completely different from the other one they saw. This one was a dark purple and had cracks of black energy running through its walls. The three of them approached and entered unimpeded.

The stairs were decrepit, the once-great murals were now decayed; leaving only a fraction of their story on them. The further they descended, the darker it turned. Eventually, they could see almost nothing and Luna held her hand up, summoning a small flame.

With the light from the flame, they continued. Eventually, they entered into a vast antechamber. It held a pristine statue at the back, almost identical in placement to the statue of Mizu. No booming voice was heard, but Silver spoke out regardless.

"Azuna. I can see that this statue belongs to you. I have news for you, assuming you can actually hear me."

It took a moment, but eventually, they all heard a whisper in the air. After a few seconds, it turned into a raspy voice. "Silver Moon? I have not used this communication channel in quite some time. It is somewhat difficult to hear. Tell me, what brings you to such a remote location."

Silver chuckled. "If I'm correct, then the girls with horns are your doing. Well, Mizu's followers have been drinking their blood to gain vitality, killing them in the process."

It went silent for a while and the air immediately chilled. A wind swept through the area. It caused one to shiver, as the cold passed straight through to your bones. Purple flame-like eyes seemed to peer out from the darkness. Azuna's voice was extremely cold. She was exceedingly pissed off. "Are they now? Kill them for me. Every. Last. One."

The presence disappeared, and Silver heard a *Ding* in her mind. Checking it, she smiled:

*Ding* Hidden Quest Updated: "Eradicate the humans in Tormac Village."

(Azuna has been informed of Mizu's followers. Eliminate them in her name, and she will reward you.)

Silver smiled as she looked at Luna. Luna smiled back, and Griz stood there in awe of the presence he just felt.

To him, a Goddess had never shown true humanoid emotions before. They were always cold and unfeeling, and yet Azuna was angry for the sake of the girls. He gulped and kneeled in front of her statue.

Silver spoke after he finished his prayer. "I guess we're going to kill some humans."