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Guild Wars 2 Explorer: The Stranger Things of Tyria – Part 6

By Guest Writer on June 2, 2016 in Gaming

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This post is by guest writer Erin Burke.

Friends in Deed

26 Season of the Zephyr 1329 AE

It has been three days since we destroyed the Shadow Behemoth, a creature long rumored to haunt Godslost Swamp. I have been searching for it, taking on centaurs, drakes, barracuda, and cave trolls, just to get a glimpse of its immense power. It was only by a motley group of warriors, mages, and hunters that it was defeated. Most of us have gone our separate ways, be it along the path to Kessex Hills or deeper into the swamp.

News travels fast up from Kessex and there are reports of strange creatures resembling the shadowy aatxes found in the swamp, now turning up yet further south. What is worse, there are tales that the Elder Dragons, those slumbering primordial forces of destruction, are awakening throughout the world. The latest of these is the green dragon Mordremoth, somewhere out in the Magus Falls at the center of Maguuma Jungle.

I have forestalled any more journeying on account of a letter I received at the Swamplost Haven outpost. My childhood friend, Quinn, has indeed been trying to contact me and he may be in trouble with a gangster called “Two-Blade” Pete. I can still see us as children running through the grimy walkways of Rook Row in the seedier part of the Salma District in Divinity’s Reach. Kids like us were always targets for recruitment by the city’s gangs, and I was fortunate enough to find a patron for my photography early in my career before I fell in with the wrong crowd. Quinn wasn’t so lucky, having become entangled with this Two-Blade Pete character.

I hurriedly return to the old stomping grounds back in Divinity’s Reach, where I meet up with Quinn in Rook’s Row. Just as we are about to head to the tavern for a drink, Pete comes up threatening Quinn for leaving Riot Alice behind in the hands of the rival Widowmakers gang. I convince Pete to give us a chance at rescuing Riot Alice from the Widowmakers if he will relieve Quinn of his debts to him.

The Widowmakers are holed up just down the block, but they won’t let me in without the password. After some searching, I find a group of the scoundrels under a bridge lurking around like a bunch of skale. They hit harder than skales, but I manage to beat the password out of them with a little help from Quinn.

However, even with the password, this is no cake walk. The Widowmakers are fools, but they still recognize us both as enemies. Quinn is in danger of being cornered as the miscreants pour out of the hideout and the surrounding buildings. They’ve been expecting us! I get them off Quinn and we make our way up the stairs to the attic. Giant glowing blue chains support the slumped over figure of Alice. It’s a simple kind of binding magic that is dispersed by force. She wakes up with the annoyed look of someone who is generally distrustful of strangers. We leave quickly before more of the Widowmakers’ reinforcements can show up.

We safely reunite Alice with the crew, but Pete is two-faced as well as two-bladed and refuses to let Quinn leave the gang. As the three of them walk away, one of the Seraph soldiers arrives to deliver a message that Captain Thackery is looking for me at one of the local taverns. I sure hope Pete didn’t hear that! I grimace and make my way to meet Thackery.

Logan Thackery is known for his handsome features almost as much as for his martial prowess. I can see why so many women swoon over him. I let Thackery know about a job involving an apothecary that Alice mentioned back at the Row.

He sends me out into Shaemoor Village where a local woman is probably the Two-Blade’s target. Sure enough, as soon as I get to the apothecary’s, I spot Riot Alice and a thug taking off with something, possibly an unstable element since Alice looks nervous handling it. Quinn is there as well, having been sent with the others by Pete to kill the apothecary since she is a witness. Quinn refuses to kill her and Pete’s gang turns on him as a traitor. I ready my staff for attack. These bandits are nothing compared to what I’ve fought before!

Afterward, I convince Quinn to lay low and stay out of the Seraphs’ way. He’s no killer, no matter how hardcore he tries to convince me he is.

Thackery is outside, silvered by the moonlight, and introduces me to Countess Anise. The proficient sorceress places an illusion spell over me so that when I get near the bandit encampment, it will activate a disguise and no one will recognize me. As I get near the caves, I see a light flash as the spell activates, and I enter the hideout in the network of caves below the cliffs of Shaemoor. I see myself in the reflection of the lake and barely recognize the face looking back.

The doorman is Crusher Dan, who immediately seems to take a dislike to me. I try not to act suspicious as he sends me out on menial, and often baffling, tasks. For example, he has me kill the drakes living in the caves and a vicious skale known as “Ol’ Scabfin.” These fearsome creatures could be trained or at least mesmerized to attack.

Doc Howler also wastes her talents on this place, sneering at the thought of botany and the idea of passing on her knowledge of plants to any students.

She sends me on an errand to collect a poisonous plant called Wicked Tangle. As I climb up the passageway, I realize I am on the path I followed earlier behind the cemetery just outside Divinity’s Reach.

I think I know what’s going on now. Doc Howler is creating an antidote for a powerful poison she made earlier at Pete’s behest. An antidote, mind you, that is intended only for use by Two-Blade’s gang while the “fine, upstanding citizens of Divinity’s Reach suffer.” Riot Alice had also mentioned that Two-Blade’s gang is gathering around one of the major wells of Divinity’s Reach, itself the “Crown Jewel of Kryta” and the seat of power for the human monarchy. This can only mean that Two-Blade is planning on dumping poison into the well, then using the antidote to render himself and his followers immune while everyone else falls ill. With the Seraph and Shining Blade royal guard incapacitated, Divinity’s Reach would be open for attack and even conquest by one or all of Kryta’s enemies.

27 Season of the Zephyr 1329 AE

Having dug up all I could on the plan to poison the city’s wells, I return to Thackery at Seraph Headquarters. He confirms that Seraph scouts have seen Two-Blade’s group of lackeys making their stealthy advance into the city. But Two-Blade Pete was not among his followers. I instantly know something is up. Two-Blade does not seem like the type of person to let a rat escape, and I feel a pit open up in my stomach as I fear for Quinn’s safety.

The Captain’s chiseled features soften as he acknowledges my worse fears. With the Seraph busy scrambling to prevent the poisoning, no one will have a spare hand to help protect Quinn, who is holed up in a safe house far south of Divinity’s Reach. Thackery seems to understand and rushes to join his soldiers in defending the city, while I make my way to Quinn.

In Claypool, I find my friend cowering under Pete as the villain makes his intentions known. He will not forgive Quinn’s cowardice and treachery, and plans to release the poor man from his duties to the gang via the end of a blade.