Chapter 159

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, The Pitt - 11:02 AM

The Pitt was crawling with people running around, trying to figure out where to go. Since the appearance of Rexxel’s Bank, so many guilds had popped up thanks to loans paying guild fees that we almost had to push through the first two tunnels. Some dungeons had people posted in front of them, waiting for their companions to tackle them. Others were wandering around and making maps.

As was natural, the deeper we got, the less people we saw. The ones down here were completely different than the ones higher up. They had more substantial gear, weapons, and party cohesion. We received a few strange looks as we descended with just the two of us, but no one approached us and we kept to ourselves. Thanks to the Guild of Guilds rules, violence between different organizations was penalized and the repercussions were already well known.

Where we were going, there were no other people.

Although it took us literal hours to make it through the Pitt, Jamie and I were both feeling fairly good when we arrived at the entrance of the dungeon we were looking for. Despite that, we sat down outside for a short break. There was nothing worse than rushing into someplace deadly while thinking you were in perfect condition.

“Alright, on the other side of the tunnel is a greenhouse,” I said as we leaned against the rocky walls. “Do you want to do the collecting or the fighting?”

Jamie shot me a confused look. “I was under the impression that we were both fighting.”

I gave her a sheepish grin. “That’s my bad, then,” I told her apologetically. “So here’s the situation. Inside the greenhouse is a lot of plants that have been twisted by the Pitt’s dark energies. Normally, people would think that would make them completely unusable, but it doesn’t. There’s plenty of things they can be used for, including healing potions. Thing is, once we liberate it, then everything will revert back to its original form and we can harvest again.”

“So we’re double dipping.”

“Yes, exactly that,” I said with a clap of my hands. “Whoever is fighting will need to make sure the Hag stays alive long enough for the other party to get a good haul. It should be easy enough at first since she won’t know we’re here immediately, but the moment we’re found the fighter will need to go on the offensive.”

Jamie listened, crossing her arms, but nodded once I was done. “As much as I’d really like to put you on the spot and make you run around like I had to at the DMV, my green thumb is already dead,” she said. “So it would probably be better if I hunt her down.”

Holding up a finger, I snapped open my inventory to pull out an item that helped me through another tough fight earlier in Pittsburgh: Walter’s Rusted Loppers. The Fae’s oversized scissors had done great things for me versus the Pharaoh, clipping through the Dragon’s wings with Shear Through, but that wasn’t what we needed it for this time.

I pulled up its stats and sent the most important one to Jamie.

[[Passive]]

Informed Pruner

When holding Walter’s Rusted Loppers, you always know exactly where to prune a plant to achieve your goal. Sometimes, plants pruned by someone with this passive will give an increased yield.

“It looks like I’m going to get tetanus by just looking at it,” she complained, noting how the whole thing was rusted over. I opened and closed it a few times, letting it squeak while she read the description. Then she sighed. “Give me the stupid hedge clippers.”

“Loppers,” I corrected, earning a glare as I handed them over. She practically snatched them from me. “Like I said, I’ll help until we’re found out. It’s a really big building so it shouldn’t be too quickly.”

“Well, at least you can see the future. You should be able to keep us hidden,” Jamie stated.

I shook my head. “Eh, not really. It’s a little hit or miss in these situations.”

“Then your Patron can warn us.”

“With a quest, please and thank you,” I said, looking up. “Save your messages and whatnot.”

The Weapon Master wrinkled her nose. “Can you really tell one of them what to do?”

“You with the ones scoping you out? No, you could not. Me with her? We’ve got a contract,” I said, which was the truth.

“Are you going to tell me you know who’s watching me?” Jamie asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes, but I’m not going to spoil that surprise,” I answered with a grin before snapping my fingers. “Oh! Before I forget, there’s one more thing. When I’m fighting the Hag, if you see the entire room start to get infested with purple flames then book it out of there as fast as you can. Get to a different part of the dungeon immediately and start harvesting there.”

She watched me carefully before giving me a cautious nod. “If you say so.”

Just as I was about to walk in, a screen popped up in front of me.

[[Patron Quest: Defeat the Thistle Hag!]]

Ant, don't step foot into that dungeon yet!

The Dungeon Boss is an undead Thistle Hag known as a Spellsworn Shambler. You might not know this, but they’re very sensitive when it comes to holy energy. The moment you step inside, she’s going to be able to sense your presence and likely come right for you. I’m sorry, but it looks like Jamie’s the only one who will have enough time to harvest.

Because of that, you’re tasked with keeping her safe and sound. Tell her to go inside and head right, and then left. At the end of the room will be a tunnel that leads to the production greenhouse. That’ll be the best place for her to start.

Good luck, Ant.

Objective: Defeat the Dungeon Boss.

Optional Objectives: Jamie returns to the surface at over 75% hit points.

Reward: +1,200 points, Crusader’s Wrath.

Optional Reward: +800 points.

“Are you going in?” Jamie asked impatiently as I read through the quest screen.

I couldn’t help but smile at seeing Crusader’s Wrath as a reward. Sara had told me that the gauntlet was going to be ready today, but I was still excited about the chance to get never before seen loot. My companion sighed, and I quickly snapped away the quest to face her.

“Not yet. Apparently, the dungeon boss will be able to sense my holiness and will come straight for me. Good looking out, Sara,” I said to the ceiling before turning around to look at Jamie. “You’re going to go in first. Once you hit the fork, head right. Next fork, head left. Find the tunnel and make your way to the production greenhouse to start harvesting.”

Jamie nodded. “Understood. Now, then?”

“Yep. Go have some fun.”

With a solemn nod that told me in no uncertain terms that she was absolutely thrilled to be here, Jamie started running into the dungeon and out of sight.

“I’ll give her a few minutes,” I whispered to myself as I leaned back against the wall.

The Crusader’s Wrath was the purified version of the Gauntlet of the Corrupted Queen, which had been dropped by Amlex. It wasn’t the usual loot for that fight, but thanks to Pustibule turning her into a Demon, it’s what we got. It had given really good boosts to Strength and Constitution while providing a ranged attack skill and a defensive passive.

My fingers flexed when I thought about turning it on Pustibule, but I knew I couldn’t. Whatever it had become, I highly doubted that it would become something that could replace my Gloves of the Warmongering Mystic. That was class specific armor, and no single gauntlet would be able to come close to helping me.

I would have to give it up to someone else, and I was thinking that it would go to Jeff. The only thing he wore on his hands were the Handwraps of Powerful Throws, which wouldn’t hinder the armor of the gauntlet. Not only that, but Jamie had ranged attacks while the Queen’s Knight didn’t. It made more sense to do it this way.

Assuming it still had a ranged attack option, anyway. It might, or it might not; I wouldn’t know until I finished the quest.

Taking a breath, an intrusive thought entered my mind. I think you meant to say naturally manipulative, she had said.

I ignored Jamie’s words then, but they were ones I still felt. Out of all of my companions, she was the one who had the biggest problems with being manipulated.

It was true that she was most comfortable when she had marching orders and she’d work for the highest bidder, but she had high standards for respect despite her mercenary attitude. Everything had to be transactional. Life made more sense to her that way.

Getting her to join up without terms and agreement in the past was no small point of pride for me.

If Jamie felt like she was being manipulated instead of simply being commanded, then there was a chance that she would bolt. I had no doubt that she had chewed Branson up and spat him out for not living up to his part of the deal.

I hadn’t thought about it at the time, being so focused on Pustibule, but I needed to focus on reassuring her. That was a fine line to walk. Because at that point I was actively manipulating her into thinking I wasn’t manipulating her. I had no doubt that she would pick up on it, at least to have a shadow of a doubt.

While I may have been good at it after years of practice, the people I picked up were the cream of the crop. They were capable of great things, and were easily MVPs anywhere I didn’t overshadow them.

I sighed. Perhaps, after those words, it would be better to just come out and talk to her about it. With all the times she had stuck by me in previous iterations, I owed her that much. Maybe not this version of Jamie, but Jamie nonetheless. The fact that the discussion went better when she started it was always true, but this time it might be better to be the one to broach the subject.

“Fuck me, I’m in my own head,” I said to myself. Taking a moment to analyze my thoughts, I realized that I was feeling something that was rather foreign at this point: fear.

After everything that had happened to get me to this point, I was afraid Jamie would leave and disrupt my whole plan. Jeff might have been able to replace her, but I didn’t know his limits. I couldn’t push him like I could push her, and he might break before he had a chance to fill her shoes. Both he and Kayla were already having mental problems since Etson, too. That last battle against the Vespae hive had put a lot on their plate.

I shook my head free as if trying to dislodge those thoughts. “Fear,” I said out loud. “That’s going to make the Trial of the Silver Nightmare… well, interesting, to say the least.”

It surprised me that Sara had nothing to say about that, but I didn’t ask. She often held messages in reserve to get the most bang for her buck, and it wasn’t like I was going to go straight there now. There was plenty of time before I subjected myself to that particular torture.

“Alright, I really feel the need to kill a boss now.”

Everything was quiet for the minutes leading up to my entrance. The Thistle Hag wasn’t a quiet opponent by any means, so I was fairly confident that Jamie had snuck through without issue. Once I thought enough time had passed, I stepped into the dungeon.

It looked out of place in the natural stone, but I began running towards the building. The entrance was flanked by two large staircases that arched around a courtyard. Above it, I could see several glass domes that allowed light to come in for the plants. The stairs led to outside gardens on the roof.

As I approached, the quest screen appeared.

[[Second Scenario Quest: Liberate the Conservatory!]]

The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has been a green oasis in Pittsburgh for over a century, but like everything else, it has been twisted.

Now, a Thistle Hag has made her home here. Assailed by the necromantic energies of the Pitt, she has become just as corrupted as other bosses. At one time a natural Hag, she now patrols and protects her home from all threats that enter.

There are several items of power here, and all it takes is one intrepid enough to find them without drawing the ire of the Hag.

Objective: Defeat the dungeon’s boss.

Reward: +1,500 points, +50 Guild Points, the Conservatory will be liberated.

“Items of power, my ass,” I scoffed. There was one item that was worth grabbing, but that was it.

Before I could complain further, an ungodly screech sounded throughout the dungeon. It had nothing on the Uuska’s painful psychic screams, but it was unpleasant nonetheless. It seemed to have come from the left side of the building, which meant there was no way that Jamie triggered it unless she deliberately went out of her way.

I started sprinting towards the front doors. There was something I had to do before I got caught up in fighting the Thistle Hag. She would be slow to chase at first, but get faster with time. It would be a waste to slow down long enough to open the entrance properly, so I didn’t. Barreling through the glass doors, warping the metal through sheer force, I made it inside.

Even this early on, where there shouldn’t be plants, foliage was everywhere. I could clearly see Jamie’s tracks through the dark flora heading deeper in, and I followed her path.

Dark vines, rotting bark, and plants with teeth big enough to eat Corwin lined the walls. The forest reacted to me, renewing its shaking and speaking in my presence. Vague whispers reached my ears, beckoning me deeper into its embrace. Thankfully, it didn’t addle my mind.

It wouldn’t do anything to Jamie, either. We both agreed that it looked like a so called evil forest from a kid’s animated movie. Nothing to really be scared of.

I stopped after leaving the first room and reaching an intersection. It was clear that Jamie had gone right as instructed, but the path to the left showed signs of something wide and short passing through. Branches were broken, leaves were pushed aside, and large foot prints twice the size of mine were easily found in the dirt.

These prints should have been everywhere, but the dungeon hadn’t begun until Jamie entered it. The Thistle Hag had started in the middle of the intersection and headed down her path. She should have made it fairly far despite her slow speed since I had given her so much time. Something shifted at the end of the hallway.

She was here.