Chapter 96

It was late into the evening before a tired Wil and Astrid arrived at the Guild Branch to return their completed quests. Primaris was setting on the western horizon, its yellow rim barely visible, while Secundus had just begun its rise to the east.

It was the special time of day where both suns were in the sky at the same time, their yellow and blue lights mixing, dyeing the world in a greenish tinge. In the sky above, the white, fluffy autumn clouds were a beautiful mix of bright yellow, dark blue and turbid green.

Entering the Guild, Wil spotted the young man from earlier, his face tired as he prepared to end his shift. Making a beeline for his counter, Wil led the pair through the still bustling crowd, the adventurers either returning from their own quests, or gathering for an evening of swapping news and gossip.

“Ah, you’re back! How did it go?” The young man asked, perking up as soon as he spotted them.

“Good. All our quests are complete. Here are the notices.” Astrid responded, pulling out the stack of parchment and handing it to the young man. Digging into her bag, she began pulling out the requested items from him to inspect.

Next to her, Wil already started a stack on the counter, separating them into neat little piles.

“Not bad! Although I expected those low ranked quests wouldn’t give you much trouble.” The young man replied, separating the notices, and picking through the gathered items. He quickly grabbed a set of scales from below the counter, weighing the components to determine their reward.

“Alright, let’s see. Mosswillow. You have quite a bit here. That should be…15 Gold coins.” He muttered, weighing the plants, and putting them to the side, all while making notes in a small ledger. With each notice, he repeated the act, weighing the quest item, or inspecting its quality, before noting it in his ledger and separating it for storage.

“Finally, Ringlan Forest Amber. I must admit, you aren’t the first group to pull this quest. Did you run into any problems?” The young man asked, lifting the amber to the light, and inspecting it carefully. Wil gave him a quick rundown of the cave they found it in, describing the dead body, the undead wolves and the wight.

Wincing, the young man lowered the amber, placing it carefully on top of the paper quest notice, and shaking his head.

“I apologize. I’ll inform my superiors, and I assure you that it will be investigated.” The young man said, giving a slight bow to the pair.

“There’s another thing. I found a ring in the cave that I suspect is cursed. Do you have anyone on staff that could see to it?” Wil asked.

“No, unfortunately, curse breaking isn’t something we typically run into, not in here in Ur. The Church of the Twin Suns can assist you. Do you need directions?” He asked, sneaking a glance at Astrid. He already knew her identity but respected her desire to keep it hidden as much as possible.

“No need, we passed it on the way here.” Wil deferred with a wave of his hand.

“Alright, let me just get you your rewards.” The young man said, picking up the quest items and disappearing through a door at the rear of the building. In a few minutes, he was back, a bag jingling with coin in his hand.

“Here you go, 237 gold coins. Will you be needing anything else?” He asked, placing the bag on the counter. Wil placed the money pouch in his bag of holding, before shaking his head ‘no’ at the question and bidding the young man a ‘good evening’.

By the time the pair had left the Guild Branch, Primaris had already set, while Secundus sat fully on the eastern horizon. Leisurely walking down the streets, Astrid led them towards the Church, the roads already busy despite the early morning.

“I like it here.” Wil commented, breathing in the fresh air. There was something about being near the mountains that made it almost, cleaner, than other places.

“You should stay!” Astrid said, smiling at the young man beside her.

“I’m sure your mother would love that. I could just move right into the guest room at the palace.” Wil joked, smiling at the thought of her mother’s ice expression when he announced he’d be living there with them.

“You should definitely do that! Besides, my father likes you, he might enjoy having you living with us.” Astrid said, her eyes shining with laughter.

Shyly, she walked closer to Wil, before wrapping her arm around his. Surprised, Wil looked down at the silver haired woman, her face blushing red. Chuckling, he didn’t comment, he just simply led them down the street, enjoying the beautiful autumn morning.

Soon, they came to the Church of the Twin Suns, its elegant exterior and large windows stood out from the austere buildings around it. Climbing the stairs to the entrance, the door was already open, welcoming everyone to enter.

“Good morning! May the Twins bless you both this day. How may I assist you?” A cleric in yellow robes greeted them at the entrance. Seeing their travel attire and adventuring gear, he rightly assumed they were from the Guild.

“Good morning. I’m looking for a curse breaker.” Wil answered, pulling out the box containing the ring he had found in the cave earlier. The cleric could feel the evil presence from the item within immediately, like a foul smell or an oily feeling covering his skin.

“Ah, right this way. We have a special area for items such as these.” He said, leading them pass rows of parishioners and other clerics. Opening a small door to the rear of the entrance hall, he ushered them inside, before seeking another cleric to assist them.

The room was small and made of bare stone, with a few chairs for those waiting. Dominating the center of the room was a stone plinth, carved with runes and divine symbols. A shaft of light from a window high on the wall shone directly on the stone, and Wil could feel the divine power within it.

Opening the box, Wil dumped the cursed ring onto the stone, before tucking the box back into his bag. He would dispose of the container later, burning it with magic. He wouldn’t risk even a trace of the curse lingering on the wood.

In only a few minutes, another cleric entered the room. An older woman, she was wearing thick blue robes, with the symbol of Secundus embroidered on the front. Immediately spotting the item, she stepped forward, her magic already surrounding her.

“Good morning. This is the item you wish to have destroyed?” She asked, assessing the worn and aged gold ring that lay on the stone in front of her.

“If we must, although, could you remove the curse and leave the item intact? I believe doing so creates a strong artifact?” Wil asked, turning to Astrid for confirmation.

“That’s true, the curse can be used to empower the item. It’s more random than an artificer’s creation, but they can be very strong.” Astrid stated, nodding at Wil’s question.

“I may be able to neutralize the curse, turning it back onto itself. It will be significantly more taxing than simply destroying the item, and I cannot guarantee the effectiveness. It will also be of a much higher cost.” The cleric advised, her hand waving over the item. Wil saw a blackness spread from the ring, although it was contained by the divine wards of the stone plinth.

“That’s fine. I would prefer to try and save the ring. If it fails, you may destroy it. As for the cost?” Wil asked. The cleric turned away from the ring, looking at Wil as she explained.

“One thousand gold coins. As I’ve said, it is significantly taxing to do as you ask. Your donation will go towards feeding and sheltering the poor of Ur.” She explained, waiting for his answer.

“That’s fine.” The cost of the curse breaking was significantly lower than the price to craft an artifact. If it succeeded, it was well worth the investment. If it failed, at least his donation was going towards a good cause.

“You may wait outside, it will take several hours. Payment can be provided to the clerk.” She stated, already weaving her divine magic over the ring. The light shining on the stone plinth grew more intense, driving the darkness the ring was emitting back. Wil could almost hear the cursed item screaming in pain.

Leaving the room, Wil let out a breath of relief at being away from it. Turning, he looked for the Church clerk, ready to pay the donation. They would return later in the day, after they’ve rested, before returning to the Guild branch to select more quests.

A thousand gold coins lighter, nearly all his remaining currency, Wil returned to the palace guest room and the comfortable bed that called to him.