Chapter 52: The First Clue to Orpuk

• <iLuvUnicorns: Huh? Why is it live again?>

• <PicklePirata: @everyone @everyone!!!>

• <PepetheThragg: what time is it bruh. Its 9am i have to go to work>

• <pigeonin: why are we in front of a mansion? shouldn’t the Sword Junkie let his clone sleep now>

Cyrus hadn’t planned on turning the chat back on, but since this might lead to clues about the Orpuk’s location, he wanted to share it with them. After all, even though they were hiding the fact that Julian was on a [Unique] class quest, he still wanted to drop a few hints.

Right now, the Chat was watching Julian as he passed through a large gate leading to a mansion in the luxurious part of Calydion. They’d expected the woman who’d approached them to be wealthy, but they hadn’t anticipated she would be this wealthy.

Initially, they hadn’t intended to follow her, but when she mentioned why she had heard of Orpuk, they quickly changed their minds.

A curse.

The woman’s father had been cursed, and she claimed a follower of Orpuk was responsible. That caught their attention, and since this was really their only lead, then it wasn’t like they had that much choice.

One of them, however, was sort of regretting following the stranger to a creepy mansion right about now.

“Why
 does this place feel so empty?” A chill crept up Juliet’s spine as she noticed the eerie lack of servants or anyone else to greet them, which there should be just from the size of this estate alone. And now, with their absence, the manor seem even larger. 

All the flowers and plants in the extensive garden had dried up, leaving only withered remnants. Not even a single lamp or torch was lit.

“My
 father is a very private man,” the woman explained, her voice weak. “And his business
 if his competitors or investors knew he’d been cursed by some
 some sort of cult, they would take advantage of his vulnerability. So, he dismissed all the servants to keep this misfortune from ever reaching the outside world.”

“...And yet you’re telling us?” Cyrus narrowed his eyes.

“You’re a party of warriors, are you not? Adventurers?” The woman sighed, shaking her head as she led them into the mansion. “I overheard your conversation with the scholar—my apologies for that. But when you mentioned Orpuk, I had to know—and I could only assume you were here to slay it after what I heard.”

“So you just happened to overhear us?” Cyrus glanced at Juliet, who shot him a look that clearly said, I told you so.

“Artemia has a way of bringing together those who need each other. We are forever indebted to her [Guidance].” The woman’s steps slowed as she placed a hand over her heart, her voice softening. “I do hope we can help each other
 and that my father will finally be free of his curse. Please, follow me to his quarters.”

“This place is even worse than the Blacksmith Guild was when we first saw it.” Juliet rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the cold. The air felt even chillier inside, and the sight of cobwebs crowding every corner of the mansion didn’t help.

“I
 truly apologize.” The woman noticed Juliet’s discomfort as they climbed the stairs to the upper floor. “This place hasn’t been the same since the servants left.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Juliet shrugged, “We’re used to musty places.”

“...And forgive my curiosity, but I’ve told you how I know of this
 infernal creature, or whatever Orpuk may be.” The woman glanced back at them, “But how is it that you know of it?”

“We’re monster hunters.” Cyrus quickly fabricated a story. “We’ve traveled far and wide in search of it.”

“I see.” The woman offered a faint smile. “Then perhaps this quest of yours will bring about an improvement in my father’s health. Not far now; his quarters are just ahead.”

“...Just how big is this place?” Cyrus whispered. He had to keep the conversation going, as the star of the stream, Julian, wasn’t exactly chatty. Julian had been silent the entire time, not saying a single word—until now.

“That woman is strange,” he whispered, slowing his steps as he leaned closer to Cyrus and Juliet.

“I know, right?” Juliet whispered back. “Living alone in this massive house? I’d hate to be here if I needed the loo in the middle of the night.”

“...That’s not what I meant,” Julian hummed. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something about her is
 off.”

Before they could delve into Julian’s intuition, the woman halted and turned to face them.

“Here we are.” She sighed, stopping in front of a large door. “I must warn you, my father
 he looks terribly unwell. I can’t even say if he’ll respond to your questions, but perhaps, if he realizes you’re warriors here to help, it may give him the strength to speak. Please.”

With another sigh, she opened the door, and a small breeze stirred, sending dust and cobwebs dancing in the hallway.

“Father. I’ve brought someone who might be able to help you.” The woman’s voice rose with anticipation as she entered her father’s room. “Father, are you awake?”

She glanced back at the group, gesturing for them to follow her as she approached the large bed. Like much of the manor, her father’s chamber was shrouded in darkness, with only the faint light of the moon hinting at the luxury it once held. Even that grandeur, however, was cloaked in the shadows of dust drifting through the moonlight.

As they drew near the bed, they encountered what felt like the final coffin in this dying manor. Her father lay there, barely more than skin and bones.

His eyes were sunken, his cheeks so hollowed that they revealed the faint shape of his teeth, and the few strands of hair remaining on his scalp clung weakly. From his shoulders down, his body was completely covered with a thick blanket, yet it was evident that the rest of his frame was as frail and withered as his face.

“Wh—Hm?” Juliet was about to say something when she noticed Julian tilt his head, his fingers brushing the wrapped hilt of Searadyn’s Veil. 

She paused, then glanced at Cyrus, who had also noticed Julian’s familiar
 little habit.

A habit—because throughout their time together journeying and fighting monsters without pause the last few days, there was really only 1 reason why he was doing that.

He was preparing to use it.

“You said he was cursed by a follower of Orpuk?” Cyrus asked, keeping his tone carefully neutral so that the woman wouldn’t notice his growing suspicion. “How do you know it was a
 follower of Orpuk?”

“They shouted its name,” the woman replied, her voice heavy as she ran her fingers through the thin, brittle strands of hair left on her father’s head. “They shouted, ‘By the will of Orpuk.’ I heard it so clear, and it
 I don’t understand, you know? I don’t understand why my father deserved this
 he’s always been kind to people. He—”

“H
”

“Father!?”

A hoarse, strained gasp slipped into the air as the old man’s mouth twitched, struggling to form words, though none emerged from his parched lips.

“Father, I’ve brought guests!” The woman stepped back, gesturing for the group to come closer, a flicker of excitement in her eyes. “Please
 introduce yourselves!”

“I don’t—” Cyrus and Juliet hesitated, but Julian didn’t. Without a moment’s pause, he leaned in close to the old man’s face.

“Julian
?” Juliet whispered, uncertain. Were they wrong? Was Julian not wary at all?

“H
” The old man wheezed as Julian leaned closer, his face only a foot from the elder’s parched lips. The man struggled for breath, but then a word finally escaped his mouth: “H
 Ha
 Hail Orpuk!”

The old man’s eyes flew open, his hoarse voice scratching through the air, sending a ripple that scattered the dust around the room. His blanket flew off—revealing a dagger in his hand already aimed at Julian’s neck.

Or it would have been. Before he could even lift his arm, Julian seized his wrist, pinning it to the bed.

“Hm. I heard the metal.” Julian whispered, eyeing the dagger as he pressed the old man’s head back down, stopping him from lunging forward to bite him.

“Hail Orpuk!” the daughter suddenly screamed as well, charging at the group while brandishing a large sword.

“What the—!?” Juliet quickly raised her axe, blocking the woman’s sudden strike and deflecting it to the side before ramming her shoulder against her. The woman was pushed back, but she barely flinched, her gaze unblinking and eerily intense.

“Hail Orpuk!” she screamed again, lunging once more at Juliet. Before she could close the distance, however, something crashed into her—his father’s body, hurled from the bed by Julian like it was a bag of trash.

The two tried to rise, but a flash of blue sparked across the room as Julian lunged forward, Searadyn’s Veil: Twin Rapiers, crossed in front of him.

Without hesitation, he struck, stabbing both of the woman’s thighs. And before she could react, he sliced off her legs, then swiftly sliced both of her arms too. 

Julian didn’t stop there; he did the same to the old man, severing limbs with calculated precision.

“Sword Junkie!?” Cyrus couldn’t decide whether to close his eyes or not, shocked by the brutality. He didn’t want the Chat to see this, knowing some of them wouldn’t react well and might even leave, but it was already too late.

“W
why!?” Even Juliet was shocked. “They weren’t that strong, Boss! We could have just tied them up!”

“No.” Julian hummed, raising both his rapiers to show Juliet and Cyrus. “They were already dead.”

“What do you—Oh!” Juliet’s eyes widened as she noticed the absence of blood on Julian’s clear blades. She glanced over at the father and daughter, and sure enough, not a single drop of blood was seeping from their severed limbs.

“I told you earlier something felt off,” Julian said, looking at Cyrus. “I only realized what it was when I leaned closer to the old man—it was their hearts, they weren’t beating at all.”

“Are they
 Undead? Inside the city!?” Juliet’s breath caught as she focused on the two bodies, now lying completely still as if they didn’t just try to attack them earlier.

• <GreenSteve: Zombies!?>

• <DeadMercy: kill them all before it spreads!>

• <TheCouchSurfer: there’s zombies in Artemia?>

“No, they’re not undead,” Cyrus interrupted, approaching the bodies. He crouched down and lifted the old man’s face for a closer look. “If they were, there’d be obvious signs—gray eyes, decaying flesh, the usual. This is
 different, Julian. Someone was controlling them.”

“...Or something,” Juliet added, narrowing her eyes.

“There’s something else off about them,” Julian murmured, shifting Searadyn’s Veil back to its default form and hanging it on his waist. He then approached the bodies, grabbed them by their severed legs, and dragged them into the moonlight.

Cyrus and Juliet were initially confused by his actions, but as soon as he dropped the bodies and stood beside them, they quickly understood what was wrong.

The bodies cast no shadows.

“...You noticed that?” Cyrus muttered, making sure the Chat could see what he was seeing.

• <PicklePirata: lol. update Otherworld>

• <PepetheThrogg: its a feature, not a bug>

• <iLuvUnicorn: the two of you again, it’s not a game>

“They
 don’t have shadows,” Juliet said, finally approaching the corpses. As someone who had witnessed shadows moving around and absorbing Julian’s swords, she was now certain of one thing. “...We’re definitely on the right track, Boss.”

“Hm.” Julian hummed in agreement.

“What if—wait, what’s that?” Juliet rushed to the bodies, crouching down and quickly tearing open the woman’s shirt, revealing her chest.

“Whoa!” Cyrus immediately raised a finger to block the view from the stream, worried about demonetization. People could handle graphic violence, but nudity? A definite no-go. “What is it? What did you find?”

“It’s a tattoo,” Juliet whispered, staring at the emblem inked in the middle of the woman’s chest. “I recognize it
 it’s the symbol of that bar down by the shore. But
 I thought that place was run by a big gang. Why would they—”

“Stop!” Cyrus snapped his fingers, shutting off the stream. “Cliffhanger. Let the chat marinate on this a bit.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?” Juliet scoffed, irritated by the interruption. “What do you think, Boss?”

“Hm.” Julian just shrugged, then lifted the old man’s corpse to carry it. “You said they were being controlled, Cyrus?”

“...Yes,” Cyrus replied with a sigh.

“Then we should bury them. I think they deserve at least that,” Julian said as he began walking away with the body.

“...And after that, we pay the bar a visit.”

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

AUTHOR NOTES

Ei, questing RPG time. I wonder how much Julian leveled after the 1 week timeskip though??