"It's strangely quiet isn't it."
"Looks like there are no people"
We are currently traversing an unexplored area of the Marsh.
"Ew, what did I just stepped-- Oooo~ hate the squishy sounds the ground makes every time we move."
"Look like this village has been abandoned for a long time."
"Get this off me! Damn this vine's too difficult to remove."
A slight recap on what happened and why Michelle was complaining non-stop.
Ten minutes ago…
Everything was of the ordinary when we were hunting Hydrophis for our guild quest. No players or boss that have disrupted our hunt like last time. That was the case until ChickB who was assigned to lure them suddenly screamed out for help. Luckily, no other players were hunting in our designated area or else another conflict might start to occur.
The reason for his call for help was because of a plant type monster is dragging him away from us. Its name was [Bloom Vine] and just like its name, the main characteristic of this monster was its long thorny vine.
Killing it was no problem because it has the same level as Gharials which is around level 26. The only problem was it forced us to chase it back to its habitat while ChickB was being dragged leg first. This monster seems to be fixated on going back to where it came from because my arrows did not stop its action until we reach where it wanted it to be.
It had brought us to a familiar yet unfamiliar location wherein the terrain looks like it was still part of the Clouded Marsh yet different. Compared to the hunting ground we just have been, this place was gloomier due to less light able to penetrate the ground.
The reason for it and the most obvious difference of this place is the gigantic vegetation that can be seen everywhere which causes this place to have a damp and eerie feeling. If the grass in the place we came form was at most twice our height, the turf here was more than that.
This in turn perfectly hides the village from any passer-by.
ChickB getting dragged was a stroke of luck to be able to discover this place. I can see why no one was able to spot this village in the middle of the Marsh despite some players hunting nearby. One thing that strengthens the fact that it is well hidden is due to the absence of any type of monsters besides plants.
Now back to present…
After killing a number of low levelled plants in our way, each one of us was assigned to check the houses one by one to see if there are any clues regarding the mystery of this village. If we are not mistaken, this should be an occupiable territory for guilds-- The question though is how.
Burning Lotus Sect has not shared how they did it, but the guidebook has told that most of the time there should be a quest to be completed.
"Any clues where the quest might be?"
"It's just ruined houses after another. There are no signs of any person living here recently."
"Is this really an occupiable village?"
We were now having doubts whether this mysterious place was really anything or it is just another useless design of this game. But somehow I feel like something is missing as we cut through our way to the centre of this village.
*Drip~ Drip~*
Moving the last debris out of our way, a pink flower was emitting a visible odour that forced some of my teammates to pinch our nose in disgust. There game settings for their olfactory senses should still be in default.
However, it did not need its odour to show that it was a special type of mob. Those tendrils we have been cutting through ever since we entered this village, those came from this boss monster. Another characteristic to take notice of its appearance is the place where the stigma should be located. That part of it has been swapped by multiple razor-sharp teeth.
"That thing doesn't look friendly at all."
"You think this is supposed to be the answer we are looking for. It's the only thing we can find in this abandoned village."
"I hope so. And if it isn't t, it's a free boss to kill anyway."
"Just tell me when to begin the fight."
No one needs to say anything before positioning to engage. This should be a whole lot easier compared to the Rainbow Serpent because it is five levels less.
[Devil's Tooth Lv.30]
As usual, it begins with my Charge Arrow followed by Fifty Silver tanking the first hit.
Nothing was easier than fighting an immobile monster even if it is a boss. This flower-like monster has no chance at all when we threw everything at it. Every single move in its arsenal was so easy to deal with that wounding it until it turns to its rage mode flew like a breeze.
When it comes to its rage mode, the only person who had a troubling time was Fifty Silver. He was stunned the whole time because of the roots holding him in place for basically the duration of its rage mode. Besides that, it was free to hit all the way.
"It dropped a shield and two cloth armour pieces of the same set, but it is still lacking one to activate any kind of effects. I am going to give up on these because my set bonus is too good to pass for the meantime. Cherry, roll with ChickB whoever gets this two while this shield goes to Fifty Silver."
"It's much better than my current shield… I'll make sure to tank more damage as long as I am in this party."
"That's good to hear. So have you decided to roll already?"
"I'm fine, Leader. Big sister wasn't able to get anything from our hunt yesterday, so I feel bad taking it. Besides, cloth type armour is not my forte."
"Oi, I still have the items from the Rainbow Serpent with me. Don't pity me like that."
"Oh yeah~ You have not shared it with us yet, Cherry. What did you get, and will you give it to me?"
Michelle appeared quickly beside me then massaged my arm. This sneaky girl is really unbelievable. I still took the items though after being offered for free.
"Forget it. The level requirement is 30, so there are ways to go. Nothing fits for you anyway."
"Boo~ If you say so."
"Anyway…"
I went closer to the corpse of the Devil's Tooth to see if there are any clues left behind. True to it, a rundown house was hiding among the abundant plants that are starting to wilt after the Devil's Tooth has been removed.