Chapter 69 - The Bandit Camp (2/2)

Though it was a level 10 crossbow and he couldn't equip it anytime soon, he couldn't wait till he could use it. He couldn't wait to level up and use it. Sadly, he was at level 8 and the bandits all around him were level 10. It would be suicide to try and level up by killing them.

The things he found inside were very disappointing with the exception of the crossbow. There were no treasure chests or weapons available inside. These bandits usually kept them close in the cabins.

As he moved towards the lake inside the camp, he saw a couple of warehouses a little distance away from the cabins he searched. These were large warehouses which could house a lot of weapons and other resources and spoils. That suggested why he couldn't find any weapons or loot at the cabins.

There was a fishing deck by the lake and also diving gear and harpoons pointed from the cabin towards the lake. Though the bandits managed to set up a decent camp, it looked like bandits still didn't manage to take control of the lake and something was hindering their plans.

He decided to make a circuit of the entire camp before and check other cabins in the camp. As he was going around the camp, he saw a small prison containing a merman He had a large blue colored body with a yellow dot above him. He was severely injured and leaning on the bars of the prison while looking towards the lake. Luckily for Shadow, there were no bandits patrolling around.

”Finally, I catch a decent break. I bet I can get something from this prisoner,” thought as he approached the merman. There were different kinds of sea races in vita-nova like nagas, murlocks and mermen. Among these races, the mermen were designed by the developers to have a frame most close to humans. If not for their scaly skin, they were exactly like human.

Once, he reached the merman, he got out of stealth and the merman immediately turned towards him. ”You! Help me. I will make it your worth,” said the merman pointing towards him.

”That was awfully trusting of a man in prison to call out for me as soon as he find me,” thought Shadow. All NPCs are supposed to have higher intelligence. So, the merman's behavior felt more like a trap to him than anything else.

”Why do you trust me to help you?” asked Shadow while maintaining his distance from the merman. He could still run and get into stealth to escape if it was a trap. With his enhanced perception bandits at level 10 couldn't hide much from him.

”Because you are the first human that I have seen in days and these bandits are all Quingols. Moreover, you seem to be able to escape the eyes of these bandits. It is a rare skill for someone of your strength,” replied the NPC. ”These bandits have attacked me and my convoy. Although the relationship between mermen and humans isn't the best. I will surely make it worth your effort,” he continued.

The Quingols were a race of humanoids with the head of a rat. They were considered a scourge by both light faction and neutral races alike. Their entire culture is evolved around banditry. They don't have any other occupation than that. Even the head of their race is called bandit king.

”Who are you? Wait let me unlock your cage,” said Shadow as he came toward the merman as he heard about the Quingols. With Quingols as enemy, he was positive that he could get a few valuables from the quest.

”No! it is best I stay here. Can't let them be alerted,” said the merman stopping him. ”I am Erdunol, one of the princes of the Garlisk merman tribe. I need a gem that is in the lake,” continued the merman at a very fast pace.

[Erdunol - Merman prince]

Level 10;

HP: 1320/6000;

Though he was surprised for an instant to see that a prince was captured. But then realized that in races like the mermen being a prince wasn't something that is very popular. There are hundreds of princes beneath a king. ”Ah! If it is royalty, couldn't you at least make it a princess,” thought Shadow cursing at the system. ”But a merman princess would probably be as repulsive as the prince for me,” he continued in his thoughts as he was disrupted from the thoughts by the merman.

”Take this token and it will guide you to a location in the lake. You can take anything available in the lake. Just get me back the blue obsidian gem in the shape of a shark which the token would lead to,” said the merman prince. As he said those words, the scales on his back opened up revealing a small red colored token.

”Why can't you come with me? It would surely easier with two of us”, asked Shadow. He was still not convinced of the merman's words. He doubted that if he could get into the lake so could the merman. With the bandits searching the lake, he doubted he would be any more adept in the lake than the merman.

”Can you protect me while fighting them or at least even fight on par with me and the bandits?” asked the prince. His question immediately shut Shadow up. The prince took Shadows silence to be agreement and continued, ”Make no mistake. I am only asking you of this because you somehow have the skill to get past these bandits. This token will make you able to breathe underwater. With the gem, I will be able to escape from these bandits.”

”You still never explained how you ended up here?” asked Shadow. The prince glared at him. The NPC was a prince and an injured one who has a regal status at his home.

”My convoy was travelling through this place and got ambushed. My head guard who held the gem was killed while he was trying to escape. The gem is an emergency device which could create a portal back to my home. He wove a spell around it and let it sink. He couldn't have the bandits get the portal. It could be a way inside the castle for offensive forces,” answered the prince.

”While he did something that was expected of him as a guard of the merman race. I became their prisoner due to it. I can't get back to my home without it. Only this token blessed with my aura can track the gem. The aura would also stop the natives of the lake from being aggressive towards you,” said the prince handing out the token.

”Aren't you afraid that I might make away with the gem?”

”Unless you are a merman royalty and a druid, you can't use it. It can't be sold that easily either. If you sell it, the merman race would surely notice it and hunt you. And the human officials wouldn't want you to offend merman for this. The Quingol bandits would also know and be offended. So, I guess you wouldn't run away with it unless you are a bit suicidal,” sneered the prince.

This time Shadow didn't doubt it and took the token. ”It looked like this NPC thought a lot about this. The developers really put sum effort into this. Huh, if nothing, the token would allow me to move through the lake unhindered and loot. I can stealth to the lake and disguise myself as a bandit in the water to travel as I wish,” thought Balthazar.

New quest: [Save the merman prince] (Difficulty: Moderate)

Description: Help the merman prince Erdunol to get back to his homeland.

Progress: Find the obsidian gem.

Quest Item Received: Token of merman prince Erdunol.

Failure to complete the quest would make you an enemy to merman and Quingol races.