485 The rumors surrounding Eldermill

Ren didn't have further questions, and Amilia bid him a good day – and she thanked Ren for his help – and returned to her duties.

When Amilia was gone, Ren read the background of the quest [Save Eldermill].

[Ten years ago, the siblings Aimon and Amilia led an expedition into the Verdant Woods to establish the town of Eldermill. The first few years went well. The settlers grew crops, hunted the abundant wildlife, and exported timber and iron to nearby cities. Occasional confrontations with disgruntled wild dark elves were not enough to ruin the settlers' joyous lives in Eldermill.]

This information would get updated as Ren talked around the NPCs in town. Two hundred thousand gil was a lot. Not to mention that Ren only needed to finish one quest, and the other would clear as well.

Ren went out of Amilia's house and went around town.

Most of the families living in Eldermill were simple, rustic folk who made a living as farmers, hunters, lumberjacks, miners, and various other odd jobs. There were a few notable locations in Eldermill where characters may be able to gather information and provisions before heading into the Verdant Woods and going to Viscendra's Hut.

During the day, half a dozen villagers – short on work because of the rotting crops or fearful of going into the woods – have taken to gathering in The Beak and Crow, a one-story tavern in the town's center. They spent most of the day sharing dark ale and darker rumors.

Ren visited the tavern, and spoke with the assortment of villagers (or simply listened to their conversation), and learned the following rumors.

Karn, the burly Dwarven lumberjack, said, "No doubt in me mind, 'em fool dark elves be behind this trouble. Angry at us fellin' trees – prolly cus they think we hid er' prince!"

"The corruption is coming from the west. It's where Aimon and Tomas went missing and where crops started rotting first!" said Betron, an old human barkeep.

Mortyn, the slender elf hunter, butted in. "Old Ellin claims it's because it's some ancient dark magic we've awakened, though I've no idea how that'd happen."

"It's the Dark Witch who lives by the Red Hills. Hey, it ain't no laughing matter. She's real – my grandmother met her!" exclaimed Elsa, a wily Halfling hunter.

Ren inquired further about the rumors, and his quest was updated with a series of notifications.

[Dark Elves Hideout. The lumberjacks believe that the dark elves hide in treetop huts about ten miles north of Eldermill are to blame, though they can't say for sure where.]

[Corruption's Origin. As far as people can tell, the first reports of rotting crops came from the west of town. The only farmer still out there is Hilde, who stubbornly refuses to leave her lone farmstead.]

[Ellin. Old Ellin is a seamstress who lives in a small house on the outskirts of town. Though most agree that she's halfway mad, she does seem to have an uncanny understanding of the otherworldly.]

[Dark Witch. None of the villagers have seen the Dark Witch, though all have heard the rumors: a dark elf witch who can craft curses and lures people into ruin with her stunning beauty and deceptive charm. Supposedly, she lives in a hut by the Red Hills, which lie a dozen miles south of town.]

The villagers also pointed the direction to Hilde's farmstead, Ellin's home, and the Red Hills.

Come to think of it . . . This was probably the first time that Ren had accepted a regular quest ever since he regressed back into the past.

It felt . . . refreshing and new, and it gave him a break from the usual boss fights and dungeon raids he often did.

Ren then went to Ellin's Home with Pii flying close by. The old seamstress Ellin lives alone in a small house on the outskirts of town. Her child and husband were claimed by disease a few years back, so she lived alone.

Ren knocked on Ellin's door. He heard a scraping sound and shuffling steps before a muffled voice resounded from behind the door.

"Yes, who's there? Does some dark monstrosity come to eat me? I warn ye. I'll be touch to chew!"

Before Ren could answer, the door was unlocked and swung open to reveal a small, gray-haired woman wearing a pair of oversized glasses and oversize eyes.

"Gods, but ain't ye some strange one. What do ye want?"

Ellin was a bit eccentric – grumpy, blunt, and impatient – but perfectly willing to speak with Ren.

"They say that you know about Ancient Magic," Ren started.

Ellin raised her brow. "Ancient Magic? I can't say for sure what's going on here, with the rot and the beasts becoming rabid and people disappearing, but it sure as hell isn't a simple spell cast by angry dark elves. This is dark, ancient magic."

Ren opened his mouth, but Ellin had beat him to it.

"I told that fool mayor that tampering with the dark elves' is begging for disaster. Her brother understood that, but that stubborn girl won't listen.

"Shame that Aimon was no longer around to talk sense to her anymore – although how we know he isn't just lying dead in his bed is beyond me. No one's been in or out of his house since he disappeared – Amilia has forbidden anyone from going there."

"Is that so?"

Ellin folded her hands and nodded her head. "Yes. Yes. Yes. Come to think of it . . . I've walked the woods picking mushrooms and gone to the places that ain't of no interest to farmers or loggers. There are plenty of elven ruins out there. There's a beautiful monument with three statues no more than a handful of miles to the west, out by Timber Gully."

[The Quest, SAVE ELDERMILL has been updated!]

Once Ellin had said her piece, she shoed Ren away, claiming that it was time for her afternoon nap.

The rest of the NPCs and areas that Ren needed to investigate were outside of town. And before he headed out, he stopped by Umarra's General Goods.

At the heart of the town was a two-story building with a sign on the front that reads: Umarra's General Goods."

Inside, shelves with various supplies, equipment, and even weapons lined the walls. A pair of red-skinned Tiefling brothers, Umar and Razael, greeted customers with strained smiles. They knew little of what had been going on in town except what was general knowledge.

Here, Ren could buy almost any adventuring gear, as well as simple weapons and light armor. Though he only replenished his potions and sold some stuff that was expensive in this town but cheap in another.

After which, he then headed to his next destination.