EFate: An MMO Story Chapter 63: The Wolf Spirit

"Any idea where that is? I can't see s.h.i.t right now," said Eric, squinting at the dust that was slowly drifting through the still air of the cavern.
The crack that the wolf pup was hidden in had disappeared from view, obscured by the dust. Resolving to look for it once the dust had settled, the trio began to search the cavern slowly, occasionally picking up the pieces of their gear that had been scattered in the fight. Staring sadly at his broken bow, Eric stuffed it into his storage pouch, resolving to have Craig look at it later.
"Guys, I think I found where the wolf was," Griffin called out from the opposite side of the room.
Making their way towards his position, Eric and Mark found themselves staring at the corpses of the two adult wolves, barely visible now that they'd been coated with dust.
Approaching the wall, the trio began to search for the crack where the wolf pup was hidden. As Eric searched, a sudden system prompt appeared in front of him.
[Quest Updated: Red-maned Killer]
You've driven off the Swordclaw Lynx, the killer of the red-maned wolves, and saved the trapped red-maned wolf pup. This seems to have satisfied the red-maned wolf's spirit. Interact with the spirit of the deceased Red-maned wolf to receive your rewards.
Reward: The red-maned wolf's spirit will give your party a reward. An extra reward will be given to the savior of the wolf pup. Additional rewards may be earned based upon your interaction with its spirit. Tip: The den may not be as simple as it seems.

"I found the puppy," said Mark, breaking Eric out of his reverie.
Moving over to Mark's side, Eric could see that his friend now held a shivering wolf pup in his hands, the tiny animal pressing itself into Mark's robes as Eric approached.
"You're scaring it," Mark said accusingly, holding the puppy gently as he hid it from Eric.
"Am not. The poor thing's just terrified because it's being held by a man in a dress, let me hold him," Eric insisted, reaching towards the wolf pup.
"I uh. Think we might have something a little more pressing over here," said Griffin.
Turning, Eric and Mark's jaws dropped as they beheld the sight in front of them. Floating in the air above the corpses of the dead wolves, was the ghostly apparition of a large wolf.
Letting his hands drop to his sides, Eric simply stared at the ghost wolf, unsure of what to do in this situation.
"Thank you for saving my nephew," a deep voice rumbled throughout the cavern.
Looking at each other incredulously, the trio looked back at the wolf spirit.
"Was that you that said that?" Griffin asked curiously, breaking the silence.
"Naturally. Like I said, thank you for saving my nephew. The Swordclaw was after something hidden in this cavern, and did not care that this was our home. This wolf pup, my nephew, is now the last survivor of our pack," the wolf spirit intoned, his voice a rich baritone that echoed off the walls of the cavern.
"Are you the spirit of the wolf we pa.s.sed earlier? The one that died with grievances?" Eric asked.
"Of course. Unless you've accepted the request of another deceased wolf recently."
"Wouldn't all of your pack members have died with grievances? I know that I generally don't look too kindly upon my killers," Eric continued, spreading his arms as he asked the question that had been bugging him since they'd gotten the quest.
"I was the Alpha of this pack. As such I was both the strongest, and the one entrusted with the secrets of our heritage," the spirit explained, "But enough of this. You have all done well to save my nephew and rid our home of that hateful monster. As such, I am willing to grant you a gift. I shall allow my nephew to travel with you. He will grow quickly, and become a useful companion in your travels. All I ask is that you treat him well, and that you treat him with kindness."
"We'd be honoured," said Mark, giving a short bow as he cradled the wolf pup in his hands.
The wolf pup had gone silent once the spirit had appeared, staring up at the apparition of his deceased uncle in awe.
"How will we decide who gets to raise him?" Griffin asked, looking between the wolf pup and the spirit.
"Normally I would have entrusted him to the strongest among you, in this case that would be the one who was most instrumental in the defeat of the Swordclaw," replied the spirit, "However, it would not be appropriate for me to entrust my nephew to the one who killed several of our pack," it continued, turning to glare contemptuously at Eric.
"What? But your pack attempted to kill me and my companion first. It's not our fault that we were stronger," Eric protested.
"I remember the proceedings a little differently. Something to do with an arrow killing a sleeping wolf inside the den. Like you yourself said, we wolves don't look too kindly upon our killers. Regardless, you are exempt from the rewards I give your companions," growled the wolf spirit, the glow around its form intensifying for a moment as it towered over Eric.
Stepping down unwillingly, Eric watched as the spirit turned to Mark and Griffin.
"As for the two of you, decide between yourselves which shall be the one to raise Ulfir. Once you have decided, I shall grant a skill to the other as compensation."
With an apologetic glance towards Eric, Mark and Griffin began to confer excitedly.
"What type of skill is it?" Mark asked, holding Ulfir tight as he did so.
"It is an attack skill, useful for close range fighters," the wolf spirit responded.
Mark nodded, "In that case. Allow me to raise Ulfir. My companion is better suited to melee skills than I am."
"Is this arrangement okay with you? I can sense that you would also be a good master for Ulfir," the wolf spirit asked, turning to look at Griffin.
Griffin nodded, "That's fine."
"In that case, let it be so. May you both live without regretting this decision," said the wolf spirit.
With a blinding flash of radiance, the wolf spirit disappeared, reappearing suddenly in front of Griffin. Extending its paw, it placed it upon his forehead. With another flash of light, it disappeared once more, appearing before Mark this time.
"Live well Ulfir, do not forget the teachings of our clan," the spirit said gently.
Dimming slightly, the spirit began to diminish in size, the light that made up its form flowing gently into the solemn wolf pup. As the last ray entered the pups forehead it began to whine, burying its head back inside Mark's robe.
Watching the spirit disappear, Eric looked at his friends enviously. Griffin seemed to be having an epiphany, staring vacantly at the cave wall and occasionally moving his arms in strange ways.
Mark on the other hand was cooing softly to the wolf pup that had buried itself inside his robes, gently petting the back of its head to calm it down as it snuggled into his chest.
"This is bulls.h.i.t," Eric grumbled to himself. While he was happy for his friends, it was him who had found the wolf den after all. Why did he have to be punished for killing monsters that had spent the last few days attempting to kill him? Eric thought indignantly.
As Eric was stewing internally, secretly contemplating whether or not to try and entice Mark's wolf pup to join him, a system message appeared in front of him.
[Hidden Quest Received: Swordclaws Vengeance]
You were successful in saving the wolf pup. However, you were unable to kill the Swordclaw Lynx. The Wolf Spirit is angry that you killed members of its pack and has exempted you from the normal rewards for this quest. But the wolf spirit understands that you had your reasons for killing his pack members and it is willing to give you the chance to prove yourself. Should you succeed, you will earn an even greater reward.
If you can avenge the Wolf Spirits pack it will reward you greatly. It has linked you and the Swordclaw together, both of you will be able to sense when the other is near, and you will be able to vaguely sense the direction it lies in when it is far away.
Actions have consequences, and while you definitely shone the brightest in the battle against the Swordclaw, you've also imprinted yourself in its memory. The Swordclaw will remember you, and attempt to hunt you down wherever you may travel in Northern Nova.n.a.lba.
Primary Quest Objective: Survive. Either find a way to kill the Swordclaw, or find a way to prevent it from continuing its hunt.
Secondary Quest Objective: Avenge the Wolf Spirits pack. Prevent similar ma.s.sacres from happening.
Hidden Quest Objective: ???
Rewards: The Swordclaw will not brutally maim and murder you. The wolf spirit will greatly reward you. Hidden Reward.

Seeing the quest, Eric paused.
"Did you guys just get a new quest?"
"Nope. But now that I think about it, we haven't actually received a quest completed notification yet either," said Mark, looking up from the wolf pup which was yawning gently.
"Yeah now that you mention it, the quest only said that it was updated didn't it?"
Griffin added.
"Yeah. Did you get a new quest Eric?" Mark asked curously.
Nodding, Eric told them the details of the quest he'd just received.
Griffin whistled, "Whew. A hidden quest? I've never seen one of those before. What do you think the reward will be?"
"I thought it was weird that you didn't get a reward. Good to see that you're getting something as well," said Mark.
"Well the main reward is not dying a horrible death, so with luck it's something a little better than that," Eric said dryly.
"It's a hidden quest, so the rewards should be pretty sweet. Especially since it's from the wolf spirit himself. But ignoring that, what do you think we have to do to complete this quest? It's still on my quest log so it's pretty obvious we're not finished yet," said Mark.
"Didn't the quest text say something about searching the den itself? Why don't we do that? Maybe there's buried treasure or something," Eric suggested.
"Maybe. I guess we can give it a shot," said Griffin, giving his approval.
Acquiescing to the will of the majority, Mark also agreed, and the three of them began to comb through the cavern, stirring up the dust that had just now begun to settle down.
After a few minutes of this, Griffin waved his friends over excitedly.
"Guys! I think I found it!"
Rushing over, Eric found himself looking down upon a set of wooden slats, embedded into the floor of the cavern.
"Is that a trapdoor?" Eric asked curiously.
Griffin nodded excitedly, "Yup. There's a handle and everything."
Griffin pointed to one end of the wooden trapdoor. Looking closer, Eric could just make out a rusty ring, nearly hidden beneath the dirt and dust that kept the trapdoor from view.
"What do you think is down there?" Griffin wondered aloud.
"Hopefully treasure. I wouldn't mind a magical item of some sort," Eric replied.
"Only one way to find out," Mark said with a grin, reaching down and yanking on the handle.
With a creaking sound, the rotten wood gave way, the handle ripping off of the trapdoor as the entire thing disintegrated, falling to the depths below.
Peering into the hole it had left, Eric could just make out a ladder, leading deeper in to the cave.
"Shall we?" Griffin asked.
"Let's go," said Eric, climbing into the hole.
Watching their friend get swallowed up by the darkness, Mark and Griffin looked at each other. With the slightest of nods, both jumped in after him, all three heading deeper in to the hidden depths below.