While Silent Acacia got familiar with his new bow the others distributed the rest of the loot. Most of it directly wandered into the guild treasury. Finally, it was time to continue the quest.
Since most of the island was covered in void energy by now, the task of destroying the portal went to the ranged fighters who could fire from a secure spot. Silent Acacia happily tested the might of his new weapon.
However, a simple portal was of course no serious enemy. It only took Cyclone, Fortune, and Silent Acacia about two minutes to destroy it. There was no big explosion or surge of void energy. The construct simply lost its power, and the portal closed with a pop. The few void crystals which used to stabilize it turned to powder.
"I guess we're done here. What now?", asked Quickstep as she took a look around.
"Our quest guides us to report back to our quest givers.", responded Radiant Shield.
The others nodded but they couldn't help but feel annoyed. There was no way to reach their boat without going through the lingering void energy. The friends could only grit their teeth and make a run for it.
Half a minute later Quickstep was the first to reach their boat. She threw her body against it, trying to push it off the rocks. Quickly, her friends arrived and assisted her. The boat reached the water, and the group jumped in, leaving the island behind.
With nothing more than a small sail as drive, the friends could only sit back and wait for the boat to reach the shore. They joked around for a while until the boat shook. Getting off they realized that they were at the opposite side of the lake.
"Was this necessary?"
"Now we have to circle the lake again…"
Complaining was of no use. The friends brought out their mounts, riding along the shore. Soon, the three quest givers came into view. The first to spot them was the young, dark-skinned man.
"Adventurers! You are back! Did you discover something?"
Since the centre of the lake was still hidden by an illusion, the NPCs weren't able to observe the fight. Thus, Cyclone took the lead and explained what had happened.
"Someone built a portal and invited a void dweller?! Who would do something like that?"
"This is a betrayal of the entire world of Crunaboul!", shouted the old woman in shock.
"Hmpf. They better pray that they don't end up in my hands!", grunted the orc.
"Tsk. Keep boasting. Someone with such means would kill you in the blink of an eye."
"Do you…"
"Stop it!"
The old woman interrupted the other two, glaring at them angrily.
"At this point you are still quarrelling?! We can thank the gods that the adventurers came at the right moment. If the void dweller would have spread the void energy, thus increasing their strength, the surrounding regions would welcome a calamity. This is an attack on all of us!"
"Well, you got a point…"
"Mhm."
"Good. Since you agree, let's find ways to deal with the void! I will invite a priest."
"Sure. I'll go talk to our mages."
"I'll bring a shaman."
Under the threat of the void the three NPCs finally reconciled. As the situation was urgent, the Aviarner and the orc left first. The old woman belonging to the Rising Basilisk Empire turned towards Liam and his friends:
"Adventurers, you have done a good deed. Thank you."
The woman fell silent for a moment and immediately Cyclone's eye twitched. She instinctively knew that the old woman wanted to skip on the rewards. Instantly the blond mage glared at the NPC angrily.
"Old woman, we are not some charity organisation! A quest needs appropriate rewards!"
The old woman was taken aback, coughing awkwardly.
"Of course. I never intended otherwise. Here, take this gold as a reward."
"Hmpf."
With a snort Cyclone snatched the small bag and finally the quest was finished. Except for some EXP and gold the party didn't receive anything else. After all this quest was not even a story quest. However, with the completion of this task, their initial quest also updated.
[
[Step one: Show the compass of the void to a suitable person.]
[Step two: Test the compass, follow it to three different locations. (1/3)]
After her job here was done the old woman showed a strained smile as she turned around and walked away. She could be heard mumbling until she left:
"You two, just wait. Making me pay the adventurers? Hmpf. Don't think I let you get away with that…"
Fortune couldn't help but chuckle while commenting:
"Dear viewers. It seems those three NPCs are not done arguing yet…"
With the NPCs gone, there was nothing left for the players to do. Riding their mounts, they searched for the nearest town, from where they teleported back to Svebrial. Walking towards a less crowded spot everyone looked at Liam.
"Do we continue the quest?"
"Of course. What else should we do?"
"Well…"
Cyclone grinned at Liam while twirling in place, showing off her robe. The expert naturally understood what she wanted.
"Don't worry, I will upgrade your equipment. But the quest is equally important. I will spend two hours in the smithy this evening. It should be enough to get everyone at least one rank one piece."
"Promise?"
"Sure…"
Liam rolled his eyes noticing how his friends all appeared to be relived. Was there any reason for them to think that he wouldn't take care of their equipment?
"Whatever. Let's continue with the quest."
Cyclone nodded, taking out the void compass. She had placed it at the top of her inventory, saving her from the awkwardness of having to search again. As soon as the compass appeared, it seemed to register that the players had taken care of the void dweller. Its needle started to spin wildly, searching for a new target. Soon it stopped, pointing towards the west.
"West, hm? Well, I'm curious what we will find."
"I hope not another void dweller. That thing was quite ugly."
"Speculating is of no use. Let's begin our search."
Quickly the party got moving. As they were at the eastern side of the city they had to push through the crowd again. They advanced rather slowly, coming closer towards the western gate. But suddenly Cyclone let out a shout:
"Wait! The needle is moving!"
"What? Already?"
Silver Blade was surprised. Leaning against her friend's shoulder she stared at the void compass, realizing that Cyclone was right.
"If the needle is changing so quickly, doesn't that mean we are already close?", asked Balm, getting her friends' agreement. Some glanced at Liam but the expert kept his mouth closed. If the compass pointed where he thought it would point, he was determined not to tell his friends anything. To his own amusement…
After their discovery the friends continue to follow the needle, soon changing directions towards the north. However, they didn't have to walk for long until they found themselves in front of the gates of Svebrial Academy.
"The needle still points ahead."
"So, our target is within the academy?"
"That means it can't be a void dweller, right? It wouldn't survive a second."
"Perhaps it's the corpse of one."
"Well, we will only find out after going in."
Cyclone held the compass in front of her as she passed through the gate. Although the academy was one of the most prestigious buildings in all of Crunaboul, the friends didn't have much contact with it.
The one knowing the academy the best was Silver Blade, who liked to explore around when her schedule allowed it. Next was naturally Cyclone, who was supposed to accept a class from the academy but ended up luckily meeting the Lightning Hawk Alliance, who provided her with her current Apostle of Lightning class.
The rest didn't really know much about the academy. Of course, not counting Liam…
Therefore, the friends were quite curious as they studied their surroundings. The academy consisted of multiple buildings, with the main one being up ahead. It was a castle-like building with tall spires. Mana gathered towards the academy all year round, creating a magical atmosphere.
Past the gate was a large park which was filled with students. Humans, orcs, dwarves, elves, and even beastkin were living harmoniously, studying the profound magic. Some ran around with books in their hands, others gathered in small groups to test their newest spells.
"Wow, what a great atmosphere!", exclaimed Fortune with sparkling eyes. She began walking around, recording some nice shots. As someone playing a mage herself, the mana-rich surroundings made her feel highly comfortable.
Coming to such a harmonious place the friends subconsciously slowed down. They strolled through the park until they reached the main building. Although a grim-looking golem stood in front of the door, it was wide open and accessible to the players.
Entering the building the friends were amazed by the sight. It was everything and more they would expect from a magic academy! With broad hallways, crystals spending light, flying books, and luxurious carpets adorning the walls.