Honief: “Tsk… seems like you have bested me. Fine, I shall believe that you are a “simple traveler” as you say Mr. Pond. Ms. Eseli, do you have anything to say about this? How do you know Amulet Pond?”

Eseli: “It is true Lord-Mayor. Amulet Pond, while a capable traveler, is still a mere traveler. No need to be suspicious about him. I have known him for around a year, and we have been often traveling together ever since. I’d describe myself as his assistant for the time being because he is more experienced with the world than I am, so I must rely on his guidance and pathfinding to get what I want.”

Honief: “Oh? And what is it that you want Eseli?”

Eseli: “Simply, experience. I’d like to experience the world. Not such an uncommon desire, correct?”

Honief: “Interesting and correct.”

Why has this turned into some sort of question-and-answer phase?

Honief: “Well then Amulet Pond, thank you for saturating my curiosity about you. So, where were we? AH yes! Your first choice is to join me for a tea party. A simple option, right? A mere 6 hours of tea and partying will go by very quickly. But there is something else that you can do before I’ll accept your request.”

MC: “Why would you just accept like that? Do you even know what our request is?”

Honief: “I’ve heard enough about it to get a general picture. Some village nearby this town would like guards stationed around it to protect it, standard story, and a standard request. IT CAN EASILY BE DONE! But this is the second choice you picked, so of course there are other things I want in exchange. Now let me finish. Simply, either join me for a 6-hour long tea party. I assure you it will be fun and interesting. Or take me to a particular location. A dangerous place but a beautiful place”

MC: “So if we complete this task for you, then you will send guards to that village?”

Honief: “COOOORRRREEEECT! Simple matter, is it not?”

MC: “Tell us more about this second option, this place that you’d like to me taken to.”

Honief: “It sounds like…you aren’t very interested in the tea party? Oh well. Where shall I begin…do you see the many paintings hanging around this room? Well, those are mine!”

Now he mentions it, oddly there are many paintings of landscapes and objects everywhere around this room. Half the space on the walls of this room is covered with paintings besides the ceiling or floor.

MC: “Are you an artist?”

Honief: “Yes…yes yes yes! That word. “ARTIST”, I love it. I am indeed an artist. Oh, how I love to paint while drinking tea. But it is too bad because I am always so very tired and so very busy, oh my goodness. When will the poor pitiful Lord-Mayor ever have some free time to spend on a hobby he loves doing the most? Well, that is where you come in. Simple traveler and Eseli. I’ve had for the longest time, the past several months, dreamt of painting a certain location. At night especially, with the stars out. Guess what?”

MC: “That night is exactly tonight?”

Honief: “CORRECT!”

Isn’t this too convenient? It so happens we arrived at the Lord Mayor’s place at night when the stars are visible. I guess his dialogue would have been different if it were daytime instead. He’d probably want to paint with the sunlight instead.

MC: “Where is this place that you want to paint at? And I assume you want us to take you there tonight. But why us, why not take your guards with you instead?”

Honief: “Oh it is for the THRILL. Trust me, you’ll see soon enough. And yes, I’d like to go NOW!”

Honief Proceeds to walk towards a window of his palace, open it, and then jump out of it.

Eseli is slightly surprised but not as surprised as I am in real life. Like, what the heck?!

Eseli: “What are we waiting here for? The madman said “now” so we should go now Amulet!”

W-what? Okay then! Sure, let’s go now…where? I don’t know but we’ll be following the Lord-Mayor?

MC: “Yes, let’s go.”

Suddenly I am finding myself in a rush. This is like how you’d describe “the thrill of the moment”, but instead me and Eseli are climbing out of the 1st floor window and following an Elf who is sneaking in his own property.

MC: “Why are we sneaking Honief? Are you not allowed to leave the palace?”

Honief: “because it is fun! WHY not! I shall sneak out whenever I will feel like it, which is now. And to answer your other question, I am definitely allowed to leave my palace whenever I’d like. Are you stupid?”

I’ve proceeded to sneak around the town unnecessarily alongside the Lord-Mayor and Eseli for the next 10 minutes. Normally it is the NPCs who follow the Player around while they all sneak around. But this time it’s the other way around. I guess this NPC is following a path and showing me the way to follow without getting caught. But I wonder how we will get outside of the town. Is there a secret exit that the Lord-Mayor knows about which we are going to use?

MC: “How are we going to escape Honief?”

Honief: “Eseli and Amulet, simply follow my lead, do not worry we won’t get caught.”

I mean, that’s easy for you to say. You’re the mayor. Wait, he might be trying to make it seem like we’ve kidnapped the mayor and planning to abduct him outside the town. And then the guards will obviously believe the mayor! Oh no this is so bad. I forgot this game is capable of doing crazy stuff like that. But… it’s too late! Honief is already approaching the guards and me and Eseli are suspiciously walking behind him.

Guards: “Who approaches us in the night? Do you wish to leave the town? Makes yourselves known first.”

Honief is looking back at us, he’s winking? He’s approaching the guards calmly…what is the point of escaping if you’re going to just let your guards know you’re leaving?

Wait

Honief

Is

Sprinting away! He just sprinted past the guards who were unprepared for someone to just run past them! Crap, what do we do? We obviously looked like we were with him…agh whatever. I got to react quickly before the guards turn around to look at us.

MC: “Eseli, let’s go!”

Eseli: “Yes!”

Is this going to work? The guards haven’t turned around yet, they’re still looking at Honief who has already run off towards the distance into the suburban outside the town. Run Amulet Pond! Run as far as your little legs can take you!

Guards: “Wait you two! Hold on a min-“

I’ve run past them fast enough! Did Eseli run past them fast enough as well? Good, she did! But we can’t stop here. Some of them have started to chase after us. I guess we're going to be running for a while before they'll stop chasing us...

I didn’t expect when I logged into the game 30 minutes ago today, that I will not only meet the "eccentric" Lord-Mayor character but also unecessarily running away from his town alongside him. He’s crazy! He must be a damn good politician for people to approve him of his position despite him being a madman who acts arbitrarily whenever he wants to.

Susana, the town, is now far in the distance. Eseli is out of breath and the Honief is also a bit out of breath. At least we’ve finally caught up to him. While I can still see the lights of the town and some noise emitting from it, we’re now behind some trees.

MC: “Honief, why did we suddenly sneak away and run away from the town?”

Honief: “I’ve told you, it’s simply more exciting that way”

MC: “Are you a little girl out to explore”

Honief: “SO WHAT IF I AM?”

MC: “But you aren’t, are you?”

Honief: “No I am not, silly Amulet.”

This conversation isn’t going anywhere, oh but what’s this option?

MC: “Honief, how are you going to paint a painting without any brushes, paint, or canvas?”

Honief: “Do you think me as a foooool? Of course, I forgot them. But worry not because I’ve hidden secret stashes of them near the place where we are heading to.”

Eseli: “Will you finally tell us where we are heading to Honief?”

Honief: “My friends, my friends! Always in such a rush, are we? Oh well, I guess it will not hurt to spoil some of the fun. We are heading to a village called DEADWOOD.”

Eseli: “That name is fitting for what grows in your head Lord-Mayor.”

Honief: “Hahaha! It sounds like an insult! Tell me, what village did you two previously come from? The one in such, a desperate, need, of guards…boo hoo!”

We are going to another village called Deadwood, at night. Yup that sure doesn’t sound suspicious. But besides that, fact, I honestly don’t even know what the village’s name is. I never asked!

Does Eseli know? Oh no that face, that’s the face of “oops I also don’t know”.

Honief: “Well well well, let us see our troublemakers in full display!”

MC and Eseli: “You’re the troublemaker!”

Honief: “At least I know the village I shall be heading to. Isn’t it great for a Lord-Mayor to know which villages lay under his jurisdiction. Oh, but there is more. I also know all the villages in the surrounding, even if they aren’t in my jurisdiction! Aren’t I such a great Lord-Mayor. So, did you know that the village you both are requesting aid for is called “Goldflake” hmm? Such a pretty name. It’s probably very safe, compared to DEADWOOD. HAHA. I’ve caught you two in a pickle! How pathetic my two friends are!

Dammit, he does have a point there. Anyways, this NPC is starting to annoy me. Shut up already!

MC: “Where is Deadwood and why are we heading there?”

Honief: “Huh, sore loser… Deadwood is simply west of Susana. We are heading there of course to fulfill my desire. If it isn’t 6 hours of teatime, then we shall have some fun cemetery time! Let us now go my merry friends, my paint brushes are waiting for me!”

Oh good. We are now following Honief to a village called Deadwood at night.

I do have a special dialogue option to pick… [Look at Eseli with concern in your eyes]

Yup I’m picking that. Perfect comedic timing.

*Amulet Pond turns his head to look at Eseli with concern, Eseli does the same*

MC: “Eseli, while we are going to be following Honief to Deadwood village, please tell me what your original plan was?”

Eseli: “Yes I’m sorry Divine Spirit, I did not expect us to end up on this road…but at least we didn’t have teatime. I heard that having teatime with the Lord-Mayor would mentally scar any sane person. I think this cemetery option was the better choice. Good job”

Honief: “What are you two back there whispering to each other about. Come on, let us get a move on! I’d like to finish the painting before sunrise!”