I have been running around for the past 30 minutes, watching the other teams, picking up small details about their numbers, and even managed to switch to get the number 19 which is the highest so far. Yet It seems like Aiden, and Jax arn't taking this very seriously. Jax almost killed someone which would disqualify us from this round, and Aiden was seemingly wandering gods knows where. It felt like I was the only one pulling the proverbial sled for this round and it was rather infuriating. So I did what I assumed would be the most sensible thing and went to hunt down where Thalia was frozen.
As such I had found myself wandering the library and made my way to the basement that had stairs hidden behind a suit of armor on display. It had already been partially opened, however the basement had a one person entry limit which must have diswaded the pair that had been in here before.
As I made my way down the stairs, my hand tracing the stonework as a descended. I found my mind drifting to other matters. As it turns out people rarely look up when they are in a room, so I had spent the party flying overhead and drifting around, hearing murmurs and talk here and there. It is in this I learned quite a bit and was reminded of my childhood in Cliefop where I would skulk around and listen to conversations between adults.
Sadly the worst part is you learn ominous things, things that you know will be bad, but don't know how to stop. As I thought about it, my mind drifted back to the party. The smell of alcohol, the sweet aroma of baked goods and cakes. At the time I had been flying by when I had seen a member of Ymer's group approach Selene, I had been ready to jump in to help before they seemed to give Selene something and run away. I had followed them out of curiosity as they were watching Selene until finally they seemed to get really moppy when Selene went over to talk to Aiden and threw the thing away. It was then I saw Ymer walk over to them, and they began to talk.
"Yikes, how heartless. To think she would reject you after all that hard work. Though I think we both know why she did."
The tiger beastkin had small tears down his face as he seemed sad, but trying to somewhat play it off.
"it wasn't all that much hard work, but I don't know maybe it had somethin to do with the attempted murder thing yeah."
Ymer seemed to smile at this as he wrapped an arm around him and said.
"You're selling yourself too short, you are fateless, with practically limitless possibilities before you, yet you say that she could be the one. Any girl in their right mind would be foolish to turn that down, so I have a theory."
The tiger beastkin seemed somewhat uncomfortable with Ymer's arm over his shoulder, but he didn't pull away, maybe because of the party setting, or maybe just because he was curious.
"You see when it comes to people, affection can be gained in many ways, helping one another is one of the most common, but the fastest is supporting someone. See if you do a favor for someone they might think better of you, but that's about it. However when someone feels like they are crumbling, and about to fall apart, and you are the one to step in to help them. That's when they will see you in a whole new light."
I began to slowly drift closer, while keeping myself quiet as the beastkin said
"so boss you already have a plan for this then?"
Ymer seemed to grin a cruel smile as he chuckled.
"Indeed, you see, I believe that Aiden over there is leeching off of Selene, after all, think about it. He has promised her a cure for her condition and yet has done practically nothing aside from finding the recipe to even begin working on it, and from what I have gathered he made her relive a trauma from when she was young using a heard of Oxwings, hell I bet he even was the first one to rush over and comfort her. Think about it, he's using her power, hell I don't blame him. She went toe to toe against you with a 20 level disadvantage."
There was a momentary flash of anger across the beastkins face as he turned to watch Aiden who seemed to be ignoring them or just didn't notice the glance
"fucking humans, every chance they get to use you, and loose you they are gonna fuckin take it you know that, no offense boss. what's the actually plan then"
Ymer pulled his arm back and pat the beastkin on the back as he said.
"Well I have worked with you know who to get a liiiiittle surprise placed inside of the basement area of the first round, if you head down there and collect it we can make something we can give to Selene to show her how Aiden really is."
As I opened the door to the basement area I could see the room where the puzzle was supposed to be as I quickly moved past it and headed to the other door.
"Knowing Ymer, he wouldn't give that guy a mission that required too many puzzles, so this path should be open as a part of the room."
I said aloud, more quiet prayer I was right than anything else. The door opened and as I reached my hand forward I was meet with no resistance as I stepped into the hallway. There was a wooden door to the side and what seemed to be a set of dungeon cells on the sides ending with a large barred door at the end.
As I walked I could see a few people in the side cells as I took a moment to look at them. So far my theory about the designs for the challenge being the same for all teams was correct, however I was still a bit anxious about the thing that Ymer has requested.
On the right side I saw an elven women in a blue robe with the hood up sitting on a small bench, her colors dimmed by the status effect. In the next cell over was the dwarven women who had dropped her glass at the party before, a stern scowl on her face. On the other side I saw Thalia, sitting in her cell, much like the elven women as at the bars like they had been screaming was a human man with ghostly white hair and a black trenchcoat covered with small thin silver chains on spots.
I took a moment to look them over as I remembered the fact that they could in fact see me, as while they couldn't move, they could in fact see and hear things. So I made my way over to the bars and looked to Thalia.
"Hey Thalia, pretty sure the puzzle is in that room back there, but I'm going to check down the hall just to be safe."
She didn't move, not that I expected her to, but I could imagine her nodding to me as I continued down the hall towards the barred door. My hand flicking as a wind blast flew from my fingertips and flew towards the ground slightly before curving up, blasting the plank upwards as it bounced loudly in the cobblestone hallways. Opening the door the first thing that caught my attention was the smell of rot and death that hit my nose.
The room itself was divided by a small wooden privacy divider, to the left a workshop with tools, and more stood, as farther back a bloodstained stone pedestal sat, gore covered tools hung and sat on a nearby table and wall as a small cage was situated towards the back.
I had to take a moment to stumble back, leaning over as I began to puke. I had smelled rotting before at the necromancers dungeon, but this was forgotten dead, the kind nobody cleaned, or took care of.
I took a moment to settle my stomach as I held an arm in front of my face, using my sleeve as a makeshift filter as I walked towards the table with the magical tools. There were several papers on the table as I picked one up and began to read it.
Seed of betrayal
A strange plant that was artificially made, it is only able to grow or cultivate inside the corpses of those who feel extreme amounts of betrayal before their deaths. This seed is said to cause an extreme hallucinogenic effect that searches a targets psyche and makes someone they see as close or precious as dangerous, or evil. This can be done by soaking the leaves in water and injecting or ingesting the concoction.
Test logs
Married couple: target wife
Initial: they were a loving couple who seemed very close and kind.
Method: slipped into wifes drink
Effect: wife began to scream any time her husband was within 25ft of her. She kept mumbling about her husband attacking her.
Bestfriends: Mike and Johanson
Initial: close friendship, laughing and joking with each other
Method: applied to Johanson's bandage for work injury
Effect: Mikes's body was found 2 days later after Johanson suddenly cut off all contact. Cause of death was slow dismemberment with signs of torture. Johanson was arrested and continued screaming about things Mike did that never occurred.
As I read the file I saw a small redwood box with golden outlines with the lid open. Peering inside I saw the item in question. It was shaped like a pumpkin seed, flattened with a deep blue teardrop color in the center and a deep brown color around the outside like moist bark. My thoughts raced back to it as Ymer's plan clicked into place. With everything that would be happening in the next round a small injection from even something like a blowgun would hardly be noticeable, and by the time Aiden would realize it Selene would be trying to rip him apart or run away screaming, either way that would basically be two members down and depending on the team sizes for the future events, it would be an almost guaranteed loss, much less for the future events.
"Screw the events, this could rip our party apart as a whole."
I mumbled as I turned, I know I said I would free Thalia, but I didn't have time, I had to warn the others, but especially Aiden.