Topic: Dragons Dogma 2

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There was one quest that had me searching for a man that possibly got attacked by wolves. I needed to locate him and bring him home to his family. My companions and I scoured the village asking townsfolk if they had any idea where I could find him. Most people didn’t know, but a few uncertain responses gave me a general idea: East and glowing flowers.

Twenty minutes later, I’m at a large hillside with a graveyard. Nearby is a campsite, overlooking uneven rock bluffs. Not far away is a rope bridge, and I hear howls in the distance. And as fate would have it, this cemetery has moonglow flowers. I’m in the right place. We go across the creaky, inadequate bridge and get ambushed by a pack of wolves halfway through. I run for it, get to the other side, fight off the herd, and accidentally cut the rope to the bridge and watch one of my companions fall to his death, drowning in the water below. Oh well, this life isn’t easy.

I continue on and see a stranger in trouble with more wolves, and run to their aide. All of a sudden a humongous werewolf darted towards me, grabbed me with its massive claws and threw me. Flying through the air, I land on top of a cliff, barely clinging to life. I get up and look over the edge. This beast is now attacking the stranger and my remaining party. I drink a healing potion, take a few deep breaths, unsheathe my daggers, coating them with fire, position myself and jump off the cliff, landing directly on the werewolf’s back, using my daggers to keep my balance. After a gruesome battle, I felled the enemy, rescue the stranger and add her to my party, which was needed since I lost a companion moments ago.

Me and my ragtag group slowly make our way back to the campsite spotted earlier, our bones aching with each step. With the graveyard nearby, I pay my respects to my fallen comrade before going to my campsite, grilling some wolf meat and getting some much needed rest. And then it dawns on me. Moonglow flowers.

I rest until nightfall, and when I wake the entire graveyard is lit up to gorgeous blue flowers illuminating the area. As I head to take in the sights, the ground begins to shake underneath me. Decaying arms with mangled flesh start pulling themselves out of the loose terrain. Before I know it, I’m being surrounded by the undead, with a ghost doing all of the summoning. I hack and I slash and though I kill the already walking dead, their bones that are spread across the battlefield continue to meld back together. I swing more and more and discover that crushing the skull sends them to the afterlife for good. With his minions now dead, the leader, despite his magic, is no match for my blades and trusty archer. This ghastly leader crumbles and turns into ash. I rummage through the white coated glowing blue flowers and find his weapon; an archistaff. It just so happens this is a weapon that an armorer asked me to seek out to help him set up his shop and to sell more goods days prior.

It had been a long night. My companions and I go back to the campsite and rest until morning. I never found the man attacked by wolves, but I could make a hard working man content. I gathered up my gear and made my way to a nearby oxcart that was thankfully heading to the main city — just where I was needed to go. I pay the man $200.00 for a ride, breathing easy as I sit on the hard-wooden seats and close my eyes. I don’t know how much time has passed, but we arrive safely back to the city, feeling refreshed. I turn in my newly located equipment, proud that I managed to complete my quest. It’s not the one I intended, but it’s still a victory.

While I’m in the main city, I decide to explore the town square. There are kids roaming around, and adults are setting up stalls, working hard to sell their wares to make an honest living. A man is standing by a water fountain trying to tell stories for a little coin. Life is good. And suddenly a distraught woman, Mildred, approaches me. She has a proposition. She wants me to house sit for her. Why she’s asking a complete stranger, I don’t know, but I agree. She says she’ll be gone for a week. I’m dwelling there, alone with my thoughts. My companions are out enjoying the weather. But something keeps nagging me. I missed something. I was in the right spot, I know I was. I keep tormenting myself.

The week is only halfway through, but I abandoned my post. I gather my companions and head back to where our journey started. There’s no oxcart around, so we have to make the arduous journey on foot. Here we are again. The terrain is shaped differently. It looks familiar, but different. I’ve approached from the west rather than the east. Instead of being on top of the bluffs looking at the vast surroundings, I’m at the bottom, near a creek — the same creek my companion drowned in.

As I scour the area I see a large, dark intimidating hole that is clearly an entrance to something. I take a breath and step forward, making sure my lantern on my side is lit and full of oil, as dusk is beginning to set. I step inside, unknowing what awaits. And then I hear it. It sounds so far away, but so close at the same time. I can hear it in the walls, coming at me like a wave. Howls, echoing throughout the cave. Deep down, I know this is it. There’s no turning back. My blades are fully sharpened, my archer’s arrows are already notched. Our footsteps are echoing just as much as the howls, and the sound of shuffling begins. We can’t make out faces, but we know. Blades and arrows ready, we brace ourselves. An arrow rapidly flies by my head as I lock my knees, and have my feet firmly planted to the rocky ground. Everything becomes hazy, as all I notice is large shadows engulfing the barely lit walls, and soon the sound of howls come to a deafening end.

We are alive, somehow. The cave becomes eerily quiet and we press on, making our way through the twisted labyrinth. And there it is. Bones, and a pile of tattered clothes. I immediately know; I was too late. It was the man I had been searching for all this time. I pack up his remains and traverse to the other end of the cave. In the near distance I make out a faint blue brightness. Moonglow flowers. My pace hastens as I rush out of the cavern, back to the beautiful blue graveyard. I was there the whole time. I was too late, but here I was, quest complete, but not how I intended. I can see the sun slowly creeping over the mountain top. East. I tell myself everything is okay. I say a long prayer, put the lost man to rest at the graveyard for the second time, looking to the horizon. It’s a new day.