The Legend of the Grim Dawn

Act 1- The Aetherial Threat

Chapter 3- Helping Out (This chapter will be the Helping Out quest)

Devil's Crossing

9-11-14

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The two appeared back in Devil's Crossing a few seconds later. Link took a few steps forwards and then stopped. Off to his right, beyond the wooden wall, he heard something. Someone was berating the Goddesses for making him ill. Link wondered what was wrong with the man but then his Brairthorn doubled up and coughed.

Seconds later, he figured out why. A cold breeze went through the shack and carried with it this nauseating aroma that made the teen stumble backwards and he ended up tripping on the stairs behind him.

He found himself staring up at the ceiling of Kasparov's cabin. The man was somewhere in the room, messing around with an experiment of his. "Jarvis! What did I tell you about coming in here drunk! It's enough that we can't drink the….Lincoln? Is that you? Whatever are you doing down there? Come on, get up. That's it. Now, I take it that you dealt with the Reanimator?" Link nodded in reply towards the elderly scientist.

"I did."

"Good, Good….what seems to be the problem?"

Link moved away from the doorway and sat down on the lone cot in the far left corner. "What's wrong with him?"

"Who?"

Link waved a hand towards the Riftgate. Fortunately, Kasparov knew who he was speaking of. "You mean that poor soul in the outhouse? Truth is, I fear that he is dying. The water supply has been….contaminated. Barnabas has been warning folks to not drink the water, but that poor soul didn't listen….his insides are bleeding."

"...His insides are…..Goddesses….Can we do anything?"

Kasparov shook his head and crossed the room. "I'm afraid not, not for him. But for others...yes. You'll have to get permission from John before you talk to Barnabas. Now, before you go off, I...require something….Do you happen to have any Aether Crystals?"

Link nodded and got up from the cot. "I do. How many would you like?"

"Four should do it."

"Right. Hang on."

The teen dug into his pouch at his side and took out a bunch of the slightly green glowing crystals. He then gave four to the old man and put the rest away.

"Excellent….excellent….now….we'll just put them and here and…" An explosion rocked the cabin.

"...Are you alright? Yes...hmm….all my fingers are still intact...I feel fine-how about you?"

Link quickly checked to see if he was still intact-he was and nodded towards Kasparov. "I feel fine except….I feel...stronger…"

The scientist nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course, I have no doubt that a tad bit more Aether in your system will do you no harm…" He clasped his hands together. "I have another request for you. My apprentice, Delilah, has gone missing. She was gathering supplies for me around Burrwitch Estates-way up North. If you happen to find her, send her back here, will you?"

Link nodded again and began to move towards the open doorway, reaching into his pouch as he did so. "I will.. Right after I do something."

"And that is…?"

To Kasparov's shock, the boy pulled something out that looked like a stick. "What in Hyrule….?"

"It's a wand."

"A….Are you…?"

"A Wizard. The least I can do is try to help that man….now...the first thing is to get rid of that smell…"

The boy pointed the wand in the general direction of the outhouse and moved it sharply to the right. "Tergeo!"

"...I don't believe it-that spell did something."

Link grinned and put away his wand. "Yep. That spell cleans up anything. Pretty useful."

"Indeed….I believe John wants to see you...You'd best go and talk to him."

"I will, thanks for the help."

After staying and talking to Kasparov for a few more minutes, Link walked out of the cabin and headed for the middle of the camp, just before the gate.

Bourbon nodded and grinned as the boy approached him, a beast trotting by his side. "See you found yourself a Briarthorn. They're near impossible to tame. I take it that the Reanimator is dead?"

He received a nod. "Excellent, hopefully the amount of dead will decrease….now, onto more pressing business. The water pump is broken, and we really don't have any drinking water. And Kasparov...you've already seen him? Well, I suggest that you go and speak with Barnabas then. See what you can do. After that, come and talk to me. My office is just inside." The man gestured behind him to the left a bit. "Any questions?" No? Alright. Go on, then."

Barnabas's face lit up when he saw Link approaching him. "Ah, Link! I was waiting for you. See, the water pump's been broke for some time...thing is, I need some Scrap to fix it. If you haven't found any, they can be found around the Old Dump, which is just past Burial Hill."

In answer, Link dug into his pouch and brought out a bundle of wires and metal. "Would this do?"

"Yes, that'd do fine…..That's odd….I haven't smelled a stench like that since…..Damnation." Link looked at Barnabas with question and the older man carried on. "A pack of Slith made their nest in the depths of the prison. They secrete a poison into the water to make it safe for them, as you possibly saw, it's fatal to us." The man peered cautiously at Link. "You didn't drink any, did you?"

"...I...might have? I mean, I took some with me to Burial Hill….?"

Barnabas ran a hand down his face. "...How long ago was this?"

"Three or four days ago. why?"

"The first symptoms should of shown by now."

"I feel fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. ...Want me to go and take care of those...what were they called?"

Barnabas handed Link a rusted key. "Use that in the house next to me to get into the dungeons. The beasts are called Slith. Abominations of lizards and man. Watch yourself."

"I will."

Devil's Crossing (Prison Dungeons)

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Link dropped the last few feet from the ladder and rolled to protect himself, then stood. Bramble, his Brairthorn, appeared by his side. The beast snarled quietly and ran off into the darkness. ...Wait on me, why don't you? Smiling to himself, the teen swiftly drew Bloodletter and began walking into the depths.

Link and Bramble had dispatched most of the monsters in the area, then Bramble snarled in alarm and shoved his friend out of the way. Link landed on his hands and knees and his sword skidded across the dirt floor away from him. Among the chaos, the boy retrieved his sword and turned to find that he was in the presence of five Skutula. Finally, a foe that I know well. The boy waited until the spiders had surrounded him, then swung Bloodletter in a circle. The beasts died instantly. Bramble reappeared by Link's side and the two continued to go deeper in the prison...

Devil's Aquaduct

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He smelled the Slith before he saw them. They smelled horrible, but that didn't deter him from the task at hand. Link and Bramble killed a bunch of spiders, then began dealing with the mass mobs of Slith. The beasts swung their infected claws at the warrior, but he managed to dodge them or his sword connected with them.

He ending up retreating for a bit, then began a hit and run tactic. It seemed to work. At last, all that was left was the leader.

The hill he was standing on was around ten feet tall, but that didn't scare him. The beast in front of him was twelve feet tall, but that didn't scare him. Link tightened his grip on his sword and stepped forwards. "Tonight, you die, beast!" And charged.

With each blow, the beast snarled and hissed in agony. Link almost felt sorry for it. "It's either you or me. I intend to live." Then the beast raised his finned head to gaze at him. Link faltered in his attack and slightly lowered his blade. Then, the beast spoke. "...Why? Why do you hurt me ssssssso?" The boy took a few steps backwards, silently taking comfort in the now snarling bundle of leaves and twigs by his side. "You're contaminating the drinking water. If you were somewhere else, this might not be a problem...how can I understand you?" The beast spat something in Link's direction and he leapt backwards.

"FOOL! You are a ssssskin-changer, are you not? You hear in the thought-ssssspeak!"

"...I do...Is that why?"

"YESSSSSSS!"

The Slith swung his claws towards Link again and he blocked the attack with his Iron Shield, which he had fortunately bought before coming down here for 100 Rupees. Sparks flew as the two began to battle in earnest.

At last, the beast was downed, and Link was the victor of the fight. Another Shrine was nearby, this one required a piece of Salvaged Plating, so he inserted the necessary component into the alcove and the Shrine was restored. Link then called Bramble to his side and the two used a Personal Rift to return to the surface.

Devil's Crossing

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Link was greeted by Kasparov when he reappeared in Devil's Crossing. "How goes it?"

Link swung his sword to rid it of blood and then sheathed it. "The water's safe to drink now."

The old man grinned. "Excellent! You'd better go and tell Barnabas that."

Barnabas, in question, was elated when Link told him what had happened. "That's good. It'll take some time for the poison to completely go away...but at least we have clean drinking water again. John says he wishes to speak with you."

"I've heard. I'll go and speak with him now."

After celebrating his victory over the Slith and filling up his canteen for the road ahead, Link set off towards the inner prison. When he reached the gate, the older man greeted him. "It's thanks to you that I can drink water without having to wonder if I'll bleed to death. We owe you. Welcome to the fort, Mister Forester." Link nodded in answer and the man moved aside as the teen crossed the threshold.

From there, the boy picked his way through the rubble along the left side, and came upon an open doorway. He could hear John speaking to someone inside. Steeling himself, Link stepped into the room and his companion snarled quietly as the two men's gazes turned on him.

John dismissed the other man and Link had to step aside as the man exited the room.

"Link? I assume that you've helped Barnabas? Come. Sit down. From what I've heard, you have a long journey ahead."

Link seated himself in front of John, not really looking at him. The older man leaned forwards and clasped his hands. "Link. I have good reason to believe that your father is still alive."

That got his attention.

John continued. "I've heard reports from up north that a man that looks like you has been rounding up bodies...but I assume that he's being forced to by the Warden. Warden Krieg. Evil man, was sentenced to death, but escaped after the Grim Dawn. If we're to survive, he needs to be killed. I-no, we will fund you with the necessary supplies. Are you up to it?"

Link slowly raised his gaze from the table to John's weathered face. "...When can I leave?"

"As soon as possible."

"Then I'll do as you ask."

The two men shook hands and as they did, a lone raven took off from a nearby tree, cawing as it did so, telling of things to come in the next few days...