Chapter 224 - Escort (2/2)

”Would the town head agree?” asked Balthazar.

”I have already talked about the details with him. He was fine with it. The beasts in the forest are much less dangerous and, in the map, where I am sending you, there wouldn't be much danger. He also hired a few personnel to guard him. If things go south, the man will pull him out, escape and treat him. So, do you agree?” asked Bloom.

”Fine,” said Balthazar. ”I might need a bit of time to prepare. If it is to guard him and protect him, we will have a better chance of success if I get a few of my friend. With more adventurers we would have a better team and teamwork.”

”Sure, that is definitely better,” said Bloom. ”I will let you have a couple of hours to prepare. Gather your friends and meet at the main hall after that so that you can take him to the quest. I will make sure he is ready and available in two hours.”

Though he didn't like the nature of the quest. It was from the coastal guard where he wanted a bit of reputation and contribution points. This was a good option. As he agreed a notification popped up.

New quest: Escort Barnabus to search for star blade grass. (Can be shared with 4 more players.)

Description: Escort Barnabus on his quest to gather star blade grass and protect him from dangers. Make sure that Barnabus fights a beast and help him defeat a beast.

Note: The greater number of beasts you fight and more blades of grass you collect, the more rewards you get.

He went back to the main hall and let go of the forging quest. With him taking this new quest, he did have some preparations to do. He first let Agua Canalon and his team know of the new quest and convinced them that it would not be an issue as the quest will take place in the forest.

After that he needed to prepare some antivenom to protect against the venomous beasts of the Greybark marshlands. Though, he currently had no intentions to do any explorations till he levels up a couple of times, he needed them because he intended to help the guild that Agua and he are setting up in the town.

He first went to town to buy any venom and herbs that the players who fought in the marshlands were selling. Though the Raiders had spread their members in the marshland and were buying most of the items that players acquired, they couldn't consume all of it as the players attempting it increased. The players began to come back to the town and sell it.

There were a number of other adventure groups and player groups interested in them too. Venom was always a good option to help kill beasts. Meat of the beasts was a constant consumable. Some players began to stock and store herbs with the assumption that their price might soon raise as it was a common belief in games that almost all items which require effort to acquire in games would be worth more.

He had previously informed Agua to get these materials from such players, but now he had come to buy them personally. He quickly filled made enough purchases and went back to the tamer, Kiran's workplace where he started to inject pets with venom and also started using the other method to produce antidotes quickly.

He needed them to gather the attention of the crowd and not it was much more important as some player would definitely see him with Barnabus who was wearing the coastal guard uniform. Even though his description would identify him as the son of the town head, the Raiders would still be informed and might take action. So, the antidotes were needed urgently to prevent them from taking serious actions and gather influence. Based on the amount they are spending to complete the quest in the marsh, they would consider holding back from killing his team to get hands on the antidotes.

After a couple of hours, he made close to a hundred antidotes of different types and then went back to the coastal guard station to start the quest. As he entered the main hall, he found Barnabus with a pair of guards on his either side.

”You ready?” he asked Barnabus who looked irritated and angry.

”Yes,” said Barnabus in a low tone. ”Anyone else joining us?”

”They will join us at the town. Let us go back,” said Balthazar as he took Barnabus back to the town. As they reached the town, there were quite a number of players who were looking at him oddly and talking about him. He knew that it was because of him interacting with NPCs wearing the uniform of the coastal guards.

As they reached the gate, he got a call form Agua Canalon. ”Hi, are you back to the town. I got a good mission,” said Balthazar as he lifted the call.

”Good mission, are you suicidal?” asked Agua from the other side. He looked a bit aggrieved and tensed. ”Why are you walking around with members of the coastal guard? Do you want the Raiders to kill you?”

”Ah! It is not an issue. I got this from the mission from the town head. I am just helping this NPC to complete a mission. Join me it is no big deal. Let your people start with selling the antidotes that I have in the meantime. It will dissuade the Raiders from taking any action against us,” said Shadow.

”That would have probably worked before, but with us openly defying their warning by going to the coast to take a quest, they would definitely be angered. It would take some time for them to believe that only we have the antidote and that only you have the method for now,” said Agua still unconvinced.

”Let me send you a picture,” said Balthazar as he sent screenshots of different types of antidotes. They were for poisons of different creatures and depending on the type of method used to create them, they had different duration for which they would be effective.

”You can put all different types on sale at once and announce that this is a special product made by an alchemist without a recipe. Looking at the types, they are bound to think so. If one had the recipe, he wouldn't waste on experimenting different types,” said Balthazar.

”Fine, I will come, and my man will put this up for sale in the market,” said Agua. ”About the alchemist, should we tell them your name. It would be quite a deterrent if they learn that the Shadow is the one creating them.”

”No, that would be bad. They would be trying to get the alchemist to join them if they think it is a normal alchemist. Tell them the name is fleet-footed rogue. As they try to negotiate with me, you will get enough time to build influence. If you end up tell that it is Shadow, they will try to kill me as they know that they can get me to join them,” said Shadow.