When the pair reached the inn Ezekiel had to pay ten copper for a room per night which was interesting.
Hope was talking non stop about how excited she was to be part of the first team to beat hard mode.
She was also endlessly thanking him for teaching her about mana skills.
Each of them would apparently be meeting at the inn and Hope had been sent to get him.
When they were waiting for the rest they just spent the whole time talking.
"So Belial, have you played a lot of games?"
They sat at a table with dinner and drinks waiting.
"Yeah but I don't have many vr games, this is one I actually saved up for."
"So you aren't in a clan?"
She seemed very excited now.
"I'm actually part of War God's clan, if you want i could invite you?"
'A clan might be interesting actually. Plus if i teach the clan's members then it might be easy to rise in the ranks.'
"A clan could be fun. How would i join?"
After hearing this the beastfolk healer started clapping again, she seemed genuinely happy.
He wanted to enjoy the game with people who he felt were fun to play with but he would have to learn how to actually play with a clan.
He wasnt sure if he was limited to only playing with his guild or if they would let him do things solo.
They continued to talk about things while waiting for Shade and War God but he was tempted to go to the room he paid for to rest.
~
When the two party members finally arrived he was ready to ask them everything that he had been curious about.
War God waved at the two of them before waving them down to follow her.
War God and Shade went to a room with Hope not far behind so Ezekiel went to follow them as well.
In the room War God had sat down to discuss the plan for the dungeon.
"Ok Belial you said that you had gone into the hard mode of the dungeon right? Tell us everything."
He confimed it before giving them a description of the differences between the two difficulties.
He told them about the skeleton ambushes, the denser mana, the more powerful skeletons, he even told them about the life affinity.
When he brought that up Hope actually spoke up.
"As a healer i started with the life affinity and the my race gave me the wind affinity, you said that you can make affinity stronger right?"
He nodded before showing them how to do it with the little element in the room.
"We will have to explore that later, so you said that the boss had a new title right?"
He nodded before telling them about her Vampiric Lich title as well as how she was infused with life mana.
He also explained that life mana was somehow what was controlling the undead.
While they were talking the day was effectively over for everyone.
Others began to return to their homes and their rooms.
~
In the dead of night two groups arrived at the city.
One group arrived via carriage and made their way to a church within the city.
The other group arrived almost as if they appeared from nothing.
In the church a pair priests wearing beautiful white robes with gold trim were in heated debate with a figure that wore more simplistic priests garb.
"We are all worshipers of our respective deities, why can we not come to agreement on something so simple?"
One of the figures in white robes seemed to be getting angry while the other sat calmly with a cup of tea.
"You know that clergy must stick together in these times brother."
The angry priest slapped the table.
"Please, do not get physical my friend."
The priest in simple robes leaned back with a neutral expression that seemed to hide his anger.
"The church of light cannot simply come in to demand room and board from other churches at any time, you will have to aid the church as any other who seeks shelter."
He stood to leave.
"I already know that whatever the church of light sends priests for will be something that i want no part of but as a member of the holy order i will not turn your people away."
When he left the two priests turned to one another.
"We should send word to the council to have this church taken over, the disrespect for the children of Luminous cannot be tolerated."
The calmer priest drinking tea sighed and set his empty cup down.
"I don't really care about the disrespect but if he hinders our investigation then it will make our church look bad in front of this backwater town, Raylock is to small for us to care about anyway."
"Raylock may be small but it's where the shadow magic has been strongest, our investigation must start here."