- Mission Details:
- Job Title: The Child Snatcher
Rank: B
Job Location: Phoenix Mountains
Solo Word Count: 3500Group Word Count: 7000
Job Description: For many years now, children have sometimes gone missing from the Phoenix Mountain village, as well as the rural area surrounding it. Though it does not happen often, the fact that it had been happening at all had been rather frightening for the people. Some had come to point fingers at other inhabitants, others pointed fingers at the rural folk while claiming they ate children in order to make it through the winter, while yet others pointed fingers at something else entirely. As the recent two months had shown in increase in missing children, some of the villagers had seen strange floating orbs and claimed to have heard of a woman speaking in a soothing, hushed tone.
The town elder has requested aid with either locating the missing children from their village, or at the very least keep it from ever happening again by finding whoever or whatever is responsible for these things. Due to the fact that the people here are rather superstitious, there will be plenty of wild tales to be encountered around the town.
Enemies:
Superstitious Villagers - Some villagers seem to think that it's a curse, or that strange magical beings have come to steal their young. You must convince them to think otherwise.
The Cause - The actual cause of the missing children (for the player to determine). Discover the cause the relay it to the village elder. Defeat it if necessary.
Reward:
40k Jewels & B-Rank EXP
Was there a reason most of her missions seemed to take her into the mountains? Perhaps it was because mountains were out of the way; most people did not go visiting such highlands unless they had a really good reason, and as a result, many atrocities could be carried out without
the interference of the good. That was, unless one such as herself was involved. These mountains were not as cold and unrelenting as Hakobe, but Belladonna was mostly indifferent either way, as she did not fear the cold. She wondered why people usually lived in such areas, far away from other cities and civilizations, but she realized that her family had done the same when she was little. It could be to escape persecution, or they could have been exiles or their descendants, or maybe it could have been tradition that dated far back and the people still saw it fit to uphold them. Whichever the case, these people had called for help, and she had responded.
It was a mission of missing children. Someone had been stealing children from the village, and the villagers were alarmed. Naturally, they had sought out help, but the mission seemed to be classified as the kind that just about any mage could sink their teeth into. To Belladonna, it had secret implications. The major one was that it could be carried out in any fashion, as the mage involved desired. That meant the person could go all out and do drastic things, as long as the children stopped disappearing. Perhaps somebody wanted something, or someone, to die.
She approached the village, the wind swirling dust and fallen leaves around her feet. The small town was interestingly cradled by a forest that sheltered it from winds and storms. It was a sort of safe haven, a surprising and sudden respite from the harsh elements outside. Some villagers stopped and stared at her, whispering among themselves as she drew nearer. Then one of them walked forward to meet her, a tall, broad shouldered man.
"Good afternoon, lady. Are you looking for someone or something?"
She looked up at him and shrugged, though she did not try to act too dismissive and aloof, and as a result, snobbish. "yeah, you could say I'm looking for someone. The leader or elder of this village, perhaps. I'm here to deal with the problem of the missing children."
"Oh that. Yes, we've been expecting you. It's terrible, really. Mia and I are really worried that... uh, I shouldn't keep you waiting." He pointed to a hut that had some elaborate designs carved into its wooden walls.
"Thanks. I wouldn't mind hearing your take on this matter, if you're okay with it."
The man nodded, allowing himself a small smile. "I would appreciate that." He turned and walked back to his company, and they continued discussing in hushed tones, as they eventually returned to their business. Belladonna went to the hut that had been pointed out to her, and knocked. For a while, there was no answer, then a teenager opened the door and looked at her questioningly, before his eyes began straying to study the rest of her body. She cleared her throat to get his attention.
"Is this the residence of the village elder? I should like to see them."
"Oh yeah, it is. Who's asking?" the boy replied.
"The solution to your kidnapping problem."
Just then, an elderly, wizened woman pushed past the boy and stepped outside to meet Belladonna. "I'm the one you're looking for. My name is Edna. Would you like to come inside?"
Belladonna assented, and followed her into the interior of the hut. The young man trailed behind, seemingly interested in staying in the company of the purple haired mage, if only to ogle at her features.
"Cylan," Edna said in an ordering tone, "make yourself useful."
The teenage boy grumbled something in reply, but obeyed.
"Now, where were we?" Edna asked, sitting in a chair and beckoning on Belladonna to do the same. Belladonna obliged her. "I got a request to solve the problem of the kidnapped children."
Edna sighed. "It's terrible. Some of our kids have gone missing, and we can't say who it is. However, I have my hunch."
"I'm listening."
"Not far from here, a witch lives,"Edna continued. "She has never liked our village, and always seeks to make life difficult for us. If you ask around the village, you will see that I'm right. The witch always conjures shades to haunt our roads, and has resorted to kidnapping our children. We need you to deal with her by any means necessary."
Belladonna nodded. "Evil witch kidnapping children. Deal with her. Noted."
The old woman smiled. "Thank you very much, kind stranger. If you need anything, do let us know. And be careful when handling the witch. She is dangerous and a very sly one."
Belladonna stood. "I'd best be on my way, then. I'll be back when I've solved the problem."
With those words, she went outside. The evening was approaching, and the villagers were rounding up their daily chores. Some were returning from the forests with wood, while others were beginning to light vesper fires. She spotted the man who had spoken with her as she entered the village.
"Okay, sir, I'm all ears. What do you know about the kidnappings?"
He looked over his shoulder, then straightened up and turned to face her. "Yeah, that. Our people are saying lots of stuff, and you may have heard that the witch is involved. But I don't know." He lowered his voice. "My wife and I are convinced that she can't be responsible."
Belladonna crossed her arms. "Okay. You'll have to have a good reason for being opposed to the general opinion."
"Mia and I have met her a couple of times. The witch, I mean. She may be touched, and can act really scary, but she's almost harmless, and I know she has a good heart."
"Okay, this is new..."
The man looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please, whatever you do, try to find who is really responsible. If she's guilty, do what has to be done. But if she's not, then don't let an innocent person suffer."
Just then, a woman, a few years older than Belladonna, ran to meet the man. "Roy, Hugh and the others have gone to look for the witch. I think they want to harm her..." she looked at Belladonna and stopped.
"Guess I'll have them to deal with, too. Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of it, and justice will be done." She turned to go, then paused. "Out of curiosity, why would this Hugh seek out the witch when darkness falls?"
"Her house has a strong enchantment that only allows it to be accessed in the evenings," Roy replied. "If you leave the village, and turn to the left, a trail should get you there. It's hard to miss by this time of day."
Belladonna nodded. As she went back towards the village entrance, she frowned slightly. Whoever Hugh was, he was complicating matters by taking laws into his hands. She didn't want to have to start trying to protect him and his people from the powers of an irate crone.
WC: 1215/3500