"Isn't the discount ya got from blackmailing me enough, ya have to keep mocking me!?" Orvand screamed in rage.
"Shut up, You have no right to complain and I am sure you would be doing far worse if you were in my position." Artanis said with a disgusted expression on her face, "After all you said and did, don't you dare to act like the victim." She said holding back the urge to slap him, as that would actually benefit him.
"Damn elf..." Ornvand mumbled as he placed one of his hands on his forehead, while the other opened a drawer on his table, 'This is the first and last time I hire women, elven or otherwise.' He thought after grabbing an expensive looking silver canteen and taking a gulp from it.
Done so, Ornvand followed Artanis into the mine, to see the reason behind the crazy elf action’s. What he saw there made the little man scream in his weird dialect, what Artanis imagined to be a curse before he ran out of the mine with all his might, leaving her alone with the large gem, now out of the mine; he entered the miner's sleeping quarters and loudly barked out orders.
Soon Aaron, along with a couple of other miners left their bed, and with a tired expression at their faces, walked towards the mine. They didn't take long to reach her location, and the protesting mumbles they had been uttering during the whole trip ceased, being replaced with words of admiration.
"Holy Tyr, now I see why Ornvand was so desperate, that thing could have caved in part of the mine." Aaron said as he touched the crystal's surface with the palm of his hand as he smirked.
"So, will it take long until I can resume mining?" Artanis asked, earning the dumbfounded looks of Aaron and the rest of the miners.
"Wouldn't you rather sleep? Even an elf should be tired after such a long day, are you not?" Spoke Aaron looking at her face, he wasn’t aware she was a player, as she never acted suspiciously in front of him, nor he ever heard of Wystan training one of them.
“Don’t worry, I can still work some more time.” Artanis responded, after hearing her words Aaron’s expression changed.
“Okay, If you really need to keep working I won’t try to stop you, just take any empty cart with you deeper into the mine, I will explain it to Ornvand.” Aaron said before sighing. “The guards want you to testify at Yedlar’s trial, you won’t be forced though, there’s enough evidence to put him in jail either way.” He said with a worried look on his face.
“They know why he did that?”Artanis asked, eager to discover the reasons behind the dwarf’s attack.
“It seems so, they aren’t telling me anything about it though.” Aaron answered, he however had a good hunch about the reason.
“I see… Thanks. Sorry for making Ornvand wake you guys.” Artanis said before picking up her pickaxe and backpack and leaving them alone to extract the crystal from the mine.
It didn’t take long to find an empty mining cart which Artanis placed her pick axe in, before she started to slowly push it deeper into the mine. As she did so, Artanis inspected the surroundings walls for a place that looked rich in minerals she could excavate, smiling to herself after an analogy formed inside her head.
‘Finally found the right section.’ She thought after finding a place that looked promising, letting go of the mining cart Artanis took off the backpack and placed it against the wall, done so Artanis set an alarm which would be activated in two real world hours, then went back to the mining cart and took her pickaxe, using her skill to repair it before walking to her targeted wall.
Slowly as Artanis repeatedly struck it, shards of common stone fell, revealing the far more valuable minerals hidden behind. This cycle repeated itself until the alarm Artanis had set before hand started ringing and broke her focus. Closing the alarm, Artanis sat beside her backpack, closed her eyes and uttered the logoff command.
After a short exercise, a meal and a bath, Amanda returned to her capsule and started mining once again. Or at least that was what she had planned to do before receiving a private message from Gold Tree’s guild leader, Edmund.
“Say, that mine you’re at is nearby Rockheim?” He asked after noticing she had just came back online.
“Yes, why you’re asking?” Artanis responded, holding back her annoyance to the fact he most likely knew what had been going on at his guild’s chat-room.
“Good, I have a personal favor to ask. Would you please try to find more about the recent incident at the Rockheim’s magic guild?” Edmund said with a clearly worried tone of voice.
“What incident?” Artanis asked, considering the possible reasons for why the knight was interested on events concerning such guild and why he hadn't asked his brother for information instead.
“I saw a post about a magic accident happening there, it didn’t say exactly what did happen.” Edmund answered not touching the true reason behind his question.
‘How stupid he thinks I am?’ Artanis thought, angry with how he didn’t come clean with the reason for such request, “Sorry, I am too busy for that.” Artanis said hiding her anger, “Unless, of course, It’s something urgent.” She said hopeful he would fall for such bait.
“Yes, it’s urgent. It involves my brother, you like him right, will you help?” Edmund said, slightly annoyed that Artanis had not accepted to do a favor for her guild leader without asking any questions.
“You still haven’t answered my questions.” Artanis said before sighing, ‘Not only he lets his guild members badmouth me, now he acts as if I should worship his brother for inviting me into it?’ She thought that Edward, like his brother, was also aware of what had been happening inside the guild’s chat-room.
“Fine, its not like there are anyone else I could ask anyway.” Edward said before sighing, “My brother died while attempting to learn a new spell and I want to know if he will need to escape as soon he logs back, happy?” He said with an annoyed tone of voice, after having to practically beg to his younger brother’s crush, who he doubted to be even half as beautiful in real-life than what his brother described her avatar as, that is if he is not some creepy guy.
“I will see what I can find about it, but if the magic guild or the guards discover he is the culprit behind anything serious,” Artanis said before sighing, disappointed he took so long to honestly answer her questions, ‘If anyone here is unworthy of trust that would be you’ She thought before continuing with her discourse.
“Escaping will only make things worse for him, any idea of what would happen to a wizard if he manages to get one of the most powerful guilds as his enemy? Few would manage to deal with the problems they would cause for them and would have to devote far more time to make amends than if they just went and asked for forgiveness as soon they made a mistake.” Artanis said while imagining Edward’s being hunted because of a large bounties ensued by one of the most popular guilds among players.
“Look… Just find out whatever you can, then I can start discussing with him what to do, okay?” Edmund said moments before Artanis reached the mine’s exit, she didn’t even bother to reply, focusing in finding someone who could had heard something about the incident. Seeing Aaron and the other miners returning to their sleeping quarters after having removing the crystal from within the mine, Artanis approached them.
“Please, don’t tell me you found another one.” Aaron said before sighing, when he noticed Artanis was walking towards him.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t,” Artanis said after smiling, “I am just curious about Rockheim, I’ve spent such a long time inside that cave, did Wystan send me a letter or a message?” Artanis asked Aaron, hopeful he would do more than just answer exactly what she asked.
“You’re better off asking the guards, they handle any packages that arrive, if you’re expecting a letter from Wystan and it didn’t arrive I am sure they would know why, everyone else tend to be too tired or busy to gossip.” Aaron said bringing another smile to Artanis lips.
“I see, thank you Aaron.” Artanis said, happy with the information she acquired.
“Is that all?” Aaron asked after yawning, “Then if you will excuse me, I need to sleep.” Aaron said leaving Artanis behind as he entered the sleeping quarters.
Following Aaron’s advice, she went towards the walls guarding the Ulta Mountains mining site, where she found two guards, which seemed bored with their work as they observed the woods, as if they were ironclad owls.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Excuse me, could any of you answer a few questions right now, or should I come back again later?” Artanis asked after they noticed her presence and one of them turned around, what he did next however, scared her.
“I am terribly sorry for the actions of my ex-coworker!” Screamed the ironclad man, whose large size immediately exposed him as a barbarian as his loud voice reverberated within his closed helm. It was not his size, not her scream that had scared her, she had grown used to such kind of men thanks to her father, his friends and disciples.
What had scared her was the speed at which he jumped at the floor and groveled before her, the sound of the impact caused by doing so in full armor and what she remembered about such act during one of her family travels.
“Japanese?” Artanis blurted out without even noticing, the sight before her was too bizarre, it was one thing to see such act done by a person wearing average looking clothes, but seeing it done by someone wearing plate armor is another.
“You are… I see, that makes sense.” The barbarian said before sighing, disappointed that Artanis’s arrival was not the start of some random quest and that he hadn't attributed such a weird behavior for an elf, such as to work in a mine to a player.
“Did any letters or packages from Wystan arrive? Aaron said I should ask one of the guards.” Artanis said smiling, hoping the player before her would overlook her mistake, attributing his sigh to her breach of online games etiquette, which dictated that asking for private information such as one’s gender or country of origin was something rude.
“No package for Rockheim has arrived recently, is that all?” The large guard answered since doing so was part of his job, he however had no interest in Artanis anymore.
“What will happen when that dwarf returns?” Artanis asked, thinking it would be troubling if he managed to enter the mine and attack her again, she was not eager to experience her first death, not to mention she wanted to leave here as soon she paid her debt with Jestahad.
“Don’t worry, we will capture him and he will get the punishment he deserves.” The other guard who had been silent so far answered after noticing his partner was taking to long to do so, lifting his helmet's visor as he did, revealing the face of an young man who's only defining trait was a rather large nose on his otherwise plain face.
“I see, thank you, I feel safer now.” Artanis said with a false smile on her lips as she spouted such lie, ‘Even if the dwarf got what he deserves as everyone he seems so fond of saying, nothing can prevent him from going after me once such punishment is over.’ Artanis thought as she imagined the dwarf stalking her.
“I am sorry that happened with you, but I swear such mistake won’t happen again. You’re are safe, me and my big friend here will make sure of that, won’t we?” The large-nosed guard spoke before bumping his gantlet on the barbarian armored chest, who emitted a grunt in response before nodding.
“Thanks for everything I will be going back to the mine now, but before I go did anymore more information about the incident at the magic guild arrive? Ever since I heard someone mention it I have been curious.” Artanis said, hopeful she had done enough for such question not to link her with the incident’s culprit.
“The blizzard?” The large-nosed guard said smiling as the other guard sighed, “I heard it was caused by a freedman, can you believe it only caused minor damages to the tower? No wonder Lady Evelyn forbade anything from being constructed near the magic guild, that stupid freedmen could had killed many innocents if not for her wisdom.” He said proudly, as he mentioned Evelyn’s name his expression and tone of voice made it seem he was talking about a goddess.
“Elf… Tell me, why are you so interested in that incident?” The barbarian suddenly asked, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.
“I was worried, because I have a few clients there.” Artanis answered with a calm expression on her face, ‘Did he figure it out? I should have refused his request.’ Artanis thought, knowing she couldn’t refuse Edward’s brother request, since the only link she had with the guild and with the Arkmek’s tomb was Edward himself.
The guard sighed as he could not find any clear signs Artanis were lying he turned away and resumed his watch. She was in a way saying the truth, to her the members of the magic guild were all prospective clients for the fire agates she planned to acquire in six days.
“We got some cockroaches, can you warn the other Erol?” The large guard spoke after looking into the woods.
‘He’s such a huge man and can’t deal he deal with roaches himself?’ Artanis thought, before she noticed something wrong thanks to expression Erol had on his face, before he left them and walked towards the guard’s sleeping quarters.
“Go to the miner’s sleeping quarters, it is late, you should go sleep.” Said the humongous guard without turning away his gaze from the woods, until suddenly he jumped in front of her, partly blocking her vision of the forest he were so interested about.
“Oh shit!” Cursed the guard, as he used his body and shield to cover the elf behind from an arrow which engraved itself on his shield instead of in her body, “Stay behind me, you’re an easy target!” without looking behind him, where the elf now stood, he had no need to verify she was still there, since he could sense her thanks to his class skill.
“Okay, I will!” Artanis answered before sighing, ‘They came because of him didn’t them?’ Artanis thought, figuring the dwarf whom she had defeated was behind the sudden attack, as she thought so, another arrow came from within the woods, only to be blocked once again by the living wall of steel Artanis was currently behind.
This continued for a few seconds until the amount of attackers suddenly doubled and two arrows, from different directions flew aimed at Artanis, one of them, aimed at her slightly exposed should, ended drawing out blood.
“Not under my watch!” The guard said smiling after managing to actually catch one of the arrows with his hand, not that the elf behind him, or anyone else could notice his expression, since his face was covered with a helmet.
His smile suddenly faded away as he regretted such action, while he did earn fame, honor and contribution points as he protected the squishy elf under his care, the arrow which had cut his hand as he attempted to grab it as it flew had been poisoned.
You have been poisoned!
Your health decreases by 4 per sec, lasts for one minute.
“Please tell me when your health drops down to sixty percent!” Artanis said worried with the message window she had just saw, ‘If just a drop of his blood did so to me, he must be in an awful situation.’ She thought while using her shirt to dry up the blood which had fallen from the arrow tip into her skin.
The guard grunted in anger, humiliated with how little faith the elf behind had that he would manage to protect her, imagining Artanis planned to leave him as soon his health dropped, being distracted by such thoughts he didn’t react in time to the next couple of arrows which flew towards him.
“Can’t you read the mood damn it?!” He screamed after feeling the impact of the arrows on his helm before its high defense completely blocked the damage they would have otherwise had inflicted.
Behind him, he noticed the elf had started to mumble innocents words, but he paid no attention to them, why should him? He knows exactly what kind of people choose to play as elves, he was certain the player behind him was simply spouting random nonsense out of fear.
“Cowards.” The guard said as he blocked another couple of arrows, he utterly despised ranged classes, and believed that true men should be close enough to see the look in the eyes of their enemies after smashing their tooths.
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