Chapter 48 - 48. Hidden Study
Walker was able to avoid cleanup as he reminded the others that they would have a party meeting to go over their quest.
"So I'm pretty sure we've done everything so we should be able to collect the rewards. I've been wondering though, where is the study? I walked the whole house and nothing." Walker had ignored the issue of the study this whole time not being able to find it.
"We talked about this as we bumped in to each other and no one found a study in this whole place. The closest thing was the library I guess." Gil had also made sure to check every room and door.
"It must be hidden then so that's why it's a reward. Systems sure are amazing to find something hidden." Su was high lighting a feeling everyone had every time they used their systems.
"Let's collect this then so we can have an answer!" Walker went to look at his system quests.
'Quest: a home fit for a hero. has been completed
Rewards:
50 exp multiplied to 500exp
Location of the study...
1. Enter the library
2. Move the chair with the wobbly leg
3. Step on the loose floorboard beneath
4. Follow the stairs that appear.'
"Holy heavens that experience is crazy! We're going to be too strong at this rate! We need take a test to bring our adventurer tier up!" Gil was the only one to shout in surprise as the others were stunned.
"Wait guys let's find that stupid study thing before we freak out about levels and experience. I want to know where it is!" Remey had been frustrated by not being able to find a room in a building they now owned. Her curiosity had overpowered her excitement.
Walker was the first to stand "race you all to the library!!!" He'd done it now, he began running leaving everyone in the dust. Gil was the first to realize "oh hell no get your weak ass back here!" He's let himself go full throttle to catch up to walker. Midnight awoke saw this, she excitedly ran behind, she may not have known what the plan was but everyone seemed to be excited.
Remey and Su stood back a bit, "he Remey? Thanks for that tea earlier it was really helpful." Su smiled happy to have a friend who cared for her family as well.
"Pshh it's to be expected, you all will have to deal with me since you're family now!" Remey ran off without another word but she was smiling bigger than she had ever done before. Su started to run behind her a bit, her slow pace as a defensive class allowed her to wipe her tears. Her father had been stressed for years trying to help her mother. Su had always felt too weak to do anything but now? That is all changing, she had more family and a way to get stronger to find the best medicines.
She soon caught up to everyone to see walker moving a chair " I fixed the leg thinking it was broken yesterday but who would have thought it was like that on purpose." Walker was glad he had remembered because if he hadn't they would be stomping the stepping under chairs all night.
"Ha! Found it this board is loose I bet this one moves when I step on it." Walker places his foot down. Click! They all heard the noise then felt the floor vibrate. Fshzzzz a bookcase sank in the the wall and slid back revealing stone steps leading to a basement room.
The party slowly made their way down the steps finding they came out to a very large area with stone supporting pillars. The study took up the entirety of the mansion in space. This was easily called a lab than a study. Along one side were cages with black bars and small runes inscribed in them. "This must be where she kept the monsters for her experiments." Walker mumbled and shook his head. They noticed some had bones of various monsters still there and made note to clean it all out properly later.
Towards one end of the massive room there was separate areas for alchemical brewing along with a large discretion table holding various tools. The bookshelves next to the table held books labels experiment 1 all the way to experiment 607. "I can't believe the previous owner we experimented and logged everything here." Gil had pulled a random book looking through it before her stopped suddenly "guys...one ingredient for this potion was the blood of an infant beast man...this is terrible..." Gils face was twisted in disgust. The thought of abusing a child in such a way to play around with potions what horrifying.
"When I first cleaned the library I found an journal made by the daughter of this mansion, she tested many things to try and save her mother from an illness. Loosing both her parents truly took a toll on her mind..." the news was not what walker wanted to share with his party but it was inevitable.
"I can understand why, but this is too much." Su had also pulled a book looking at some of the drastic measures that had been taken.
Remey had taken a book with a lesser number and didn't see the horrors her friends did. " this one here is testing herbs only to make a stronger health potion, there's theories about combining it with mana potion ingredients to make a new potion." With this they realized that the experiments became worse and worse the more they went on. Once monsters had been used things began to turn ugly.
Moving away from the books walker found a wall holding shelves and shelves of potions all labeled with numbers in reference to books. The bottles held a magical flicker meaning they were still usable.
"Guys there's potions over here, well have to do some reading to find out what all of these are. If they are dangerous we should burn the notes and potions, if they are safe maybe we can use them especially the health potions." Walker knew that some things weren't meant to exist so burning the darker potions was the safest option. Now they could take the time to figure it out.