I was met with the sound of a terrible howling when I reappeared inside Goodlabor’s Chapel. A large dog or perhaps a wolf somewhere close by was either being tortured or in a rage I assumed by the sound of it. The Chapel door was still sealed from when Sneed had slammed it shut, believing me to be trapped within until I was mutated. As I now had the means to defend myself, I decided the opportunity for an escape was worth exploring.

  It was difficult to discern how far away the howling beast was, but I was no longer the helpless younger son of a Duke. Afraid? Of course, but I was learning that the Gods rewarded action and decision making. I had already chosen my course and I was ready to take action. I began with casting my buff and preparing for a fight.

  You have cast Caretaker’s Guidance!

  You have cast Congruency Darts!

  I also had Lesser Barrier of Light and the protection from the Stone Bishop’s Bell staff ready to go in a heartbeat should it be necessary. It likely would be necessary, wouldn’t it? There was a Fel Shard somewhere in Goodlabor. A Hadaeon shard. I’d have liked to have known what the difference was between a Hadaeon and Limbus Fel Shard, for starters. How was it possible that Fel Shards existing within and without a dungeon could connect to one another despite being in separate dimensions? Was someone placing Fel Shards in Dungeons? The Limbus shard had appeared to have grown naturally from the cavern stone where I had found it, but I doubted my expertise on such matters.

  I felt that some answers would be found with Lore Sight and I was interested in doing so, but first I needed to make my escape from Goodlabor. Preferably without encountering Sneed, Leif or whatever it was that was howling. I could use Fade, but its cooldown was a full 3 minutes so I could only use it so much. Also, even if I did make it through one of the gaps in the town gate, from there to whence should I go?

  I pulled the Chapel door open just wide enough to peer out with one eye. The street in front of the Chapel was empty, but Shadowmurk still blanketed the ground. I blinked. A swiftly moving current of the purple murk was flowing left to right. Wait, air couldn’t flow in several different directions all at once, could it? Rivers of Shadowmurk twisted and snaked like a horde of worms to converge and swiftly move en masse towards the center of town.

  I groaned. I had been made immune to the power of the Limbus Fel Shard, but only within the dungeon. Once I exposed myself to the Shadowmurk created by the Hadaeon shard could I again be infected by a Murk Worm?

  “Oh, Mir help me. I don’t want one of those things crawling around inside me again!”

  Angrily, I willed the Corrupted Shard of Ara from my Inventory into the palm of my hand. Its description remained the same. If I attempted to use it on the new Purgation skill, I had a 50/50 chance of getting a mutated skill and I didn’t want to risk turning something so powerful into something unusable.

  I opened up my Status and saw Purgation listed as Inactive. I was about to tab over to the Faction Web Terminal when I saw noticed something curious. Both Fate Domain skills had toggles next to them.

  Hmm, the only reason for those to exist would be if I wanted to turn a skill on or off. Wait a moment…

  Eyes wide, I attempted to toggle off Lore Sight.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  You are about to set Lore Sight- Tier V as Inactive. Doing so will set the skill on cool down for 24 hours. All experience gained towards the next Tier will be lost and reset to the beginning of the current Tier.

  Reset Yes/No?

  Ord, Bless me! I can use the unlocked Fate Skill slot for any Fate Skill, not only Lore Sight!?

  It was a solution to his problem, albeit a temporary one. The loss of all experience gained towards Tier VI of Lore Sight was a blow, as was the 24 hours cooldown. I had come to rely heavily on the skill for insight and information and its absence would be felt. Yet, I needed to see if Purgation was the answer the Gods had led me to.

  Purgation: Fate Skill

  Description: The power of Fate does more than cleanse and cure, it also reconnects past, present and future where it has been severed. Remove that which is the antithesis of the {LEVEL INSUFFICIENT} and restore the flow of Positive Energy.

  I didn’t let the fact that some of the skill’s description was locked bother me, because what I was able to see and understand was enough. There was nothing in Aramyr that was more an antithesis of Positive Energy than Shadowmurk. Obviously having both skills equipped would have been ideal, but for now I would pay the price and set aside one skill for another.

  I reset my Lore Sight to Inactive and toggled on Purgation. There was nothing noticeable different at first, but I did feel a slight tingling in my fingertips and the air no longer smelt quite as rotten. It may have been my imagination, but I also felt a sense of diminishment.It was as if thoughts I’d been holding onto in the back of my mind were suddenly swept behind a curtain.

  I can only hope that I haven’t just made a big mistake.

  Congratulations! You have completed the Hidden Quest: Path of Hope, Part II. By unlocking the second of Ara’s lost skills, you gain access to forgotten powers and skills to return hope to Aramyr! Purgation is one of the six lost powers of Ara.

  Reward: 20,000 Experience Points, Quest: Path of Hope, Part III.

  New Quest: Path of Hope, Part III

  Locate and unlock another of Ara’s lost abilities.

  Reward: 30,000 Experience Points, Quest: Path of Hope, Part IV

  Well, that’s something at least!

  I shook my head to clear way the doubts. It was time to get moving. The streets remained clear of all save the Shadowmurk. I said a prayer to Mir and slipped out of the Chapel door and moved at a trot in the opposite direction of where the Shadowmurk was flowing. By my estimation, whatever the murk was flowing towards was likely worth avoiding if at all possible.

  Except, it’s probably the Fel Shard.

  “Be quiet,” I whispered. I didn’t need that voice inside my head dragging me into trouble again.

  Won’t it be more trouble to let it pass? Who is to say there isn’t another Fel Shard in a Dungeon out there somewhere it may try to connect with?

  “What do you know about such matters? I need to find my way back to Ordheim. Father will know what to do about this place and the Fel Shards.”

  You can stop it.

  “I only wanted to heal the sick!” I stopped in my tracks, Shadowmurk weaving its way around me. I hadn’t yet been hit with a notification that I was infected. The more I lingered in Goodlabor, the higher the chances became. Perhaps my new skill could be used to stave off the worst of the Shadowmurk’s effects, but would the power I currently held be enough to cleanse all of Goodlabor? My faith in the Gods was strong, but faith in myself?

  “We must not give up hope that Ara will return to us someday. That Hope will return. That you are here now shows that humans have not given up either and I take great comfort in that.”

  Amara’s words echoed in my mind. If she were here now, she would be marching sword drawn without hesitation towards whatever horror the Shadowmurk spawned. It was a betrayal of her memory and the hope she had carried in her heart all those centuries ago if I ran away now. I couldn’t do that to someone who had taught me that there had once been a time when Humans and Elves had stood together in the Light.

  I cannot abandon the people of this town. I won’t let their hope die.

  I turned about and moved with the Shadowmurk instead of against it. I was caught in its current, rushing towards the center of Goodlabor and drawing closer to the howling creature. This wasn’t bravery, it was will. My will to be a healer was strong and Fel shards created a disease of pure horror. I would purge it from Goodlabor. It was the will of the Gods. All the Gods.

  Or you’ll die horribly.

  “Mir’s Tears, I wish my brain would learn to shut up.”