Liam ignored the ongoing fight and approached the spectators, all fierce-looking original nephilim. He stopped in front Reychnalyn, Guardian of Nephilim and asked with a faint smile:
"Are you Reychnalyn?"
The tall nephilim stared at Liam from top to bottom, scrutinizing him with an arrogant expression. When his eyes fell on the swords hanging by Liam's waist he paused for a moment. After all Liam was currently wielding Reychnalyn's holy and dark swords. However, this didn't seem to leave a favourable expression as Reychnalyn scoffed:
"And who might you be?"
"My name is Bleary Mirage. I am an adventurer here to ask your grace to teach me the Chaotic Tempest class."
"Chaotic Tempest? You? Are you worthy?"
A fierce glint flashed through Liam's eyes. He had known before that Reychnalyn had a detestable personality. If it wasn't for the chaotic tempest class, he wouldn't have come here. To be honest, Liam looked down on the arrogant nephilim. As one of the three guardians of the nephilim Reychnalyn closed himself off after the connection with Hell broke and he lost a big part of his power. Those were the actions of a coward. Especially since one of his fellow guardians, Inerwos, best friend of Zelgor the Titan, died during the war, putting the nephilim in a weak position.
It was Inerwos's successor together with courageous individuals like Lewriova who stepped up and supported the nephilim from that point on. Yet now that Reychnalyn regained his powers – completely due to the efforts of others at that – he was strutting around all arrogantly.
Unfortunately, Liam couldn't ignore Reychnalyn. He would play along for now until he got his class.
"Teacher, this adventurer is quite strong. We thought him the Holy Tempest class and he hasn't let us down."
Liam received some unexpected support at this moment. The two nephilim have ended their fight and Ganrala approached from behind, speaking out in Liam's favour. Reychnalyn looked at his disciple.
"Hmpf. He learned from you, but did he do anything for our lineage afterwards? I fear not. Since you are speaking out for him, I will give him a chance. But I won't go easy on him!"
Finally, Liam realized what was going on. Back when he received his Holy Tempest class, Ganrala hinted at him to complete some quests from her colleagues. But Liam never found the time for it. If he had completed the quest, Reychnalyn might look upon him more favourably. Well, it couldn't be helped. As long as he was no wanted criminal Reychnalyn would eventually teach him the Chaotic Tempest class. At most he would raise the difficulty by a few levels.
"Alright!", said Reychnalyn as he turned to Liam. "Since Ganrala is speaking up for you, I will give you a chance. You should know that our nephilim are once again the mightiest race of Crunaboul. All our allies of the order faction are seeking help frantically. I have recently received multiple tasks and will hand one of those to you. Let's see…"
With that Reychnalyn fell silent for a moment, pondering. Meanwhile a notification appeared in front of Liam, asking him if he wanted to accept the quest 'Class change: Chaotic Tempest'. As soon as he accepted a faint grin formed on Reychnalyn's face as he ordered Liam:
"Adventurer! I will send you to the city of gold, Talor! Investigate the murder of Tem van Deeran. If you complete the task to my satisfaction, I will teach you the Chaotic Tempest class."
"As you wish. Can I ask…"
"Hmpf. Just go!"
Liam scrunched his nose cursing Reychnalyn inwardly. He tried to ask for more information but the arrogant nephilim directly interrupted him. Fine. He would do without help.
Without saying goodbye Liam turned around on the spot and left the arena. He headed down Winged Mountain and reached the teleporter. A light flashed and he disappeared.
[Discover city of gold, Talor. Reward: 50EXP]
[EXP: 103.020/154.034]
Talor was the capital of the Talor Republic. It was a trade republic bordering the Rising Basilisk Empire in the south-west. If one travelled further to the south one would reach the centre of the Central Plains where strong magical anomalies could break out at any time. The countries located there were all protected by powerful mages who used the magical anomalies to further their understanding of magic.
However, since the south was so dangerous and the Talor Republic could be reached through safe paths, it became a trading hub for the surrounding countries. Talor Republic was not big, but it was incredibly wealthy. Wealth dictated one's standing. Thus, in Talor adventurers usually weren't regarded highly. Liam could feel this as soon as he arrived. Civilians in fancy clothes walked past, either ignoring him or looking down on him.
The veteran shook his head and stepped off the teleportation platform. He swiped his eyes over the gorgeous city with its smooth stone roads, fancy chariots, and finely crafted buildings. He had hoped to spot some clues for his quest but at a first glance nothing seemed off. Thus, he went to the side and opened his journal.
[Quest: Class change: Chaotic Tempest]
[Investigate the death of Tem van Deeran]
[Step one: Find the crime scene.]
[Hint: Hurry!]
Liam couldn't help but frown. The quest didn't offer any help, not even marking an area. It was as expected from the quest which would allow one to change to an advanced class. These kinds of quests were difficult and random. Additionally, Reychnalyn didn't regard him favourably, increasing the quest's difficulty by a level or two. And chaotic tempest was a rare class to begin with. Thus, Liam found himself in a situation where he received a quest which he had no prior knowledge about.
However, the veteran was not helpless. Although he didn't know much about the quest, he knew the name Tem van Deeran. He was the only son of one of the twenty plutarch, Kave van Deeran. With this in mind Liam knew where to begin. He rushed through the broad streets of the city and soon reached the northern district.
If one considered the rest of the city luxurious, the northern district could only be called lavish, perhaps even wasteful. It consisted of multiple hills whereas each hill was occupied by a single sprawling estate belonging to the most prosperous families of Talor. Of course, the twenty plutarch were among them.
Liam rushed straight ahead towards a certain hill.
"Halt! Who goes there?!"
A guard in golden armour blocked the gate. Their halberd shining with gems looked utterly impractical.
"My name is Bleary Mirage. I have been sent by Reychnalyn, Guardian of the nephilim, to investigate the murder of Tem van Deeran."
"Finally! Our call for aid went out a long time ago. But to only send an adventurer? Hmpf."
The guard scoffed but he didn't dare to complain more. He might not fear the adventurer, but he couldn't disregard the nephilim. He waved at a colleague to notify their boss. The colleague returned after a few seconds, and the guard led Liam inside.
Sprawling gardens, quaint pavilions, and multiple fancy buildings. This was the van Deeran estate. Liam had no time to enjoy the scenery. He observed everything with squinted eyes, careful not to miss a single clue. The servants all appeared anxious, and the atmosphere was tense, but this was to be expected. However, suddenly he noticed something. One of the male servants had a barely hidden black eye. Liam would keep it in mind for now as he entered one of the buildings behind the guard.
The interior was luxurious and well taken care of. Past the entrance was a spacious room decorated with carpets and chandeliers, with multiple doors leading in all directions. Liam had no time to investigate the house for now as the guard brought him towards a narrow corridor which ended in a set of stairs leading downwards.
The basement wasn't quite as fancy as the upper floors. It was dimly lit and built from smooth stone, mostly used for storage. Liam followed behind the guard and quickly reached an opening which was blocked by two more guards. Liam involuntarily raised his brows. He could tell at a glance that this opening was no normal door but a hidden entrance.
The guards hesitated for a moment but since their boss had already given the order, they allowed Liam to enter. Before he even reached another room a pungent smell wafted towards Liam. It smelled of blood and sweat, forming quite the contrast to the rest of the house which seemed to be bathed in perfume.
Following a short corridor Liam finally entered a big room. It was built from dark stone, with red crystals inlaid in the ceiling to spend some light. Liam frowned as his eyes instantly fell on the various instruments lining the walls. They were torture instruments, whips and stocks were the most harmless among them.
Other than that, there were four people in the room who suddenly turned their heads towards Liam upon his appearance.