After buying Coen mother Esme’s medicine from Anca during the Withering Away quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker Prologue, a heavy storm hits Vale Sangora. Anca offers to let Coen wait out the rain in her hut and practice his Latin to pass the time. This choice comes down to whether you want to spend an extra Time Segment (1 Hour) to trigger her optional prologue quest, Page-Turner, or save that time for other errands before the Blood Mass.
Should You Practice Your Latin With Anca or Go in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
If you want to romance Anca, choose “Gladly – I’ve missed it too.” to agree to practice Latin with her. It unlocks the optional quest Page-Turner, gives 100 XP, and offers a backstory on Coen’s bond with her. However, if you are speedrunning the prologue or want extra time to complete other village side quests before Mass, pick the “I really have to go.” dialogue option. Rejecting her and leaving locks you out of her quest, but you will keep the extra Time Segment for other activities.
I’d decide to stay with her on a normal playthrough. You get an optional quest, XP, and extra character development with Anca. She’s also a romance option, so spending time with her is hardly wasted from a story perspective. The only tradeoff is time, as it costs 2 Time Segments, while leaving immediately uses 1. With a time-sensitive Prologue, that extra segment can make a difference later on.
| Dialogue Choice | Time Cost | Rewards & Impact |
|---|---|---|
| “Gladly – I’ve missed it too.” | 2 Time Segments total (1 extra Hour) | Unlocks Page-Turner quest, 100 XP, flirty dialogue, and character backstory. |
| “I really have to go.” | 1 Time Segment total | Skips Page-Turner and saves 1 Hour for other prologue quests. |
Page-Turner Quest and Choices
If you choose to stay, Page-Turner starts immediately. Anca will offer to read a standard poem, but you can insist on reading a red book on the desk instead.
- Standard Poem: Focuses on stories of the gods.
- Question 1: It’s the subject of the sentence – something that ‘made gods’, as a first thing. Any ideas what it could have been? -> Answer: Fear.
- Question 2: Think, then. It’s something that ‘falls from high heaven’. Any guesses? -> Answer: Lightning.
- The Red Book (Catullus): The more playful and flirtier exchange.
- Question 1: Think about the context. ‘You ask me how many… hm, hm… of yours is enough, Lesbia.’ What can it be, then? -> Answer: Kisses.
- Question 2: Think. First, Lesbia asks: ‘How many kisses of mine are enough?’ And Catullus answers: ‘As many as there are… hm, hm… in Libya’. Any guesses? -> Answer: Grains of sand.
Getting these answers wrong doesn’t derail the quest, so don’t stress about remembering Latin trivia while trying to survive vampire-infested Transylvania. Midway through the lesson, the storm knocks a tree onto Anca’s shed.
To help Anca, head into the damaged shed and collect all the dried herbs off the wall racks. All means you must collect all; she cares for them a lot. When Anca screams outside, ignore the distraction until you’ve grabbed the herbs, then step out to check on her in front of the hut door. She has slipped and cut her back. Treat her wound by washing the cut and applying blue balm following the prompts to complete the quest and claim your quest reward.
If you agree to stay but abandon her after the tree crashes, the Page-Turner quest will fail, and you’ll lose the extra hour, though she won’t hold a permanent grudge against you.
Still working through Coen’s early choices? Our The Blood of Dawnwalker guides hub will help with the main story, side quests, important decisions, combat systems, and other answers you may need while exploring Vale Sangora.
