- Job Description:
- Job Title: Sakuramori: Drunken Spirits
Rank: B
Player Requirements:
• B Rank or 2+ C Rank
Job Requirements:
• Solo: 4,500 words
• Team: 9,000 words
Job Location: Sakuramori
Job Description:
In the Cherryblossom Forest, many spirits have been acting up. A special type of these are the spirits of drunken people. They've been leaving the forest and travelling to far off places to get people drunk before making them do unglodly horrors. In Cedar, a man murdered his family because of one of the spirits and a knight began uncontrollably attacking civillians. The Magic Council requests that mages of high esteem undertake the task of killing off some of these creatures.
Enemies: All creatures are immune to physcial attacks; Steel, Ice, Water, Earth, and Poison magic. The first 5 phase right through them, and you can poison a spirit. Light magic and Demon Slayer magic is highly effective here.
(Note: This mission is obtained directly from the Magic Council. Because of that, mages not belonging to a guild would have no rapport with the council- or not enough for them to request it. The exception would be those Guildless who are also a Rising Star/Wizard Saint.
As a loophole, Guildless or Non-RS/WS mages can accompany an RS/WS/Ace on this mission. Those in Dark Guilds would not be asked since the issue isn't so bad that the council would be that desperate. It's pest control, not armageddon.)
Enemies:
Weak: Drunken Wisp
A very weak spirit that will try to make you drunk, but it'd take a long time (3 posts) to do that. They go down in 1 hit of magic.
Normal: Drunkard's Mist
A white haze that covers the ground. It'll go away in 5 posts, but if you roll another one the timer refreshes and the mist gets thicker.
Strong: Drunken Jelly
A human shaped monster made of gellatinous material. It'll attack you by firing parts of its body in an attempt to force itself down your throat (literally) and take over your body. They're particularly weak to Fire since it'll make them boil away. They seem to have an extremely low freezing point that makes them immune to freezing.
Boss: Drunken Demon
A beast that's as tall as a human, but with demonic horns and black flesh. It has no eyes, but can sense you flawlessly. Killing this monster doesn't mean it's dead, just that it's retiring for a bit while it regains its strength. It's possible that he'll regain his strength long before you leave this place...
Reward:
• 1 Legendary Armor
• 10K for each boss killed that you rolled for (Cap 5)
• Rapport with the Magic Council
-- credit to ○Kaori
Zachariah wasn’t sure what to think of the most recent quest he’d picked up. While he’d never thought spirits could be ‘drunk’ or any equivalent of the feeling, the Magic Council called for the ‘most esteemed mages’ to come and take care of the situation. And so, his journey began in Cedar, where he did his best to gather as much information as he could to prepare himself. Apparently, a man possessed after a visit to Sakuramori had slaughtered his family. Similarly, a knight had recently began assaulting civilians after a trip to the (in)famous Cherry Blossom Forest. Zachariah had fond memories of that place, recalling how many times he nearly died in a single day on multiple occasions. On a job, several manticores wanted to eat him alive while he attempted some population control. Another time, when he decided to try training in Sakuramori, the mage was nearly crushed by a golem-like spirit and a larger-than-life orochi. Needless to say, he was not psyched about returning to the rosy colored jungle.
Cedar reminded him of Hargeon town, which was not the best start to this quest. Port cities tended to be humid and overwhelmingly fishy in certain areas, though Cedar was much quieter. In comparison to Hargeon, Zachariah might not even consider it a true port. The sun reflected off the water, painting the buildings a mosaic of dancing colors that caught his eye. One of the few notable features of Cedar was the church, which Zachariah could see even as he crossed the bridge to enter. He was greeted by knights on patrol, though as soon as he flashed them his guild mark, the signature Sabertooth tattoo, they nodded their heads and lead him to where he needed to be.
Both knights appeared to be of a similar age to him, possibly newly recruited. They had boyish faces and a noticeable stutter in their march. They led him through the paths towards the church, then to a building he presumed to be the knight’s headquarters. It was built with a combination of wood and stone with pillars and iron fixtures inside. The windows were open squares without glass, allowing the breeze and pungent port aromas to waft inside. Two men were locked in cells in the back. As he approached, Zachariah could hear their drunken stuttering and hiccups. “These must be the men,” Zachariah stated, then leaned against the cell bars to get a better look at the husband who had slaughtered his family.
The man, who had been looking sad and sickly since Zachariah entered, not even bothering to make eye contact with the mage nor the knights behind him. “You,” Zach announced, calling the man closer to him. He slowly rose and trotted over to the bars dizzily. Zachariah pulled him closer to the bars by the collar, then pulled out the Dagger of the Hatałii.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Asked the knights and the drunkard in unison. One of the knights approached and seized him by the shoulder, though Zachariah calmly backed away.
“I apologize,” Zachariah said. “But, I’m only performing a healing spell.” The atmosphere calmed, and he touched the tip of the dagger gently to the man’s forehead. He muttered an ancient desert chant and invoked the Yei'bi'chai for healing. The edge of the blade glowed like a rainbow, causing the man’s eyes to flash. The man appeared visibly healthier, clearer headed, but forced out a wispy spirit from his body. Zachariah quickly summoned a Prism Dart and eradicated the spirit. “Do you know where that spirit came from?” He questioned.
“What did you do to me?” the man groveled.
“I just healed you. By curing your physical symptoms, I forced the spirit out of your body,” he explained. “But do you know where that spirit came from?” he demanded this time
“Sakuramori…” the man trembled.
Zach immediately turned to the knights. “You cannot let anyone from this town go to Sakuramori,” he ordered. “Not until I return. Tell your superiors that. Something dangerous is lurking about.” He moved onto the imprisoned knight and healed him as well, slaying the spirit in the same manner as the other. “Make sure you don’t try to engage any of the spirits yourselves. You will fail.”
Zachariah quickly left town and hopped onto his horse, speeding to Sakuramori. The scenery around him rapidly shifted, gradually becoming increasingly pink. He now realized why the magic council had been seeking strong mages, as the issue was more than just topical. Zachariah was sure some demonic force had been roaming, tempting poor victims and possessing them with drunkenness. He had read about such spirits before, and now chided himself for not realizing sooner. His horse strolled up to the outermost edge of the forest, but wouldn’t continue inside. Around the brush and rolling off the stream was a dense mist, pink in color, only confirming Zachariah’s suspicions.
Animals moved about inside, though they seemed to be escaping a worse fate as well. The trees and bushes waned in the breeze, their rustling getting increasingly louder as Zach entered the forest. Light dimmed as he wandered further. Though he knew not where he was heading, he had an idea of what to look for. By the looks of the thickening mist and lack of fauna, he assured himself he was going the right way. He came across a glowing stream and bent over to see deeper into the water. Several fiery pink looking spirits dwelled beneath the surface and rose from beneath, surrounding him on all sides. Though, these spirits were mere lightweights compared to what he expected.
“Scatterbeam!” he shouted, and pointed his finger outwards, casting a beam of light in several directions, dispersing the spirits. He followed the stream, realizing now that this would be one of his longer jobs.
WC: 975/4500