“Quests can be broken down into several tiers,” Riya explained as they walked through the tunnels. She kept her voice low, seeing as they were exploring tunnels with unknown dangers. Normally, Glade would have demanded they maintain absolute silence, but if their loud stomping didn’t announce their presence, then the magical light they used to see most certainly did. “The ones I’ve personally seen are rank ordered - negligible, simple, common, uncommon, and professional. I’ve read of others, such as rare and legendary quests, which is why I am so curious about yours. Chain quests specifically are always ranked professional or higher.”
Glade grunted his acknowledgement of Riya’s explanation as he continued surveying the area immediately in front of them. He was only a few yards in front of his group, pistol at the ready in case of danger. Riya and Kedryn followed behind, each casting their light source at the minimum levels to keep from using too much mana.
They had already passed stunning rock formations and pools of steaming hot water that were so clear they could see the bottom scattered along their path. Their current trail sloped upwards along a winding path of bluish white stone, the constant drips of water making the floor a minor slipping hazard.
“What factors determine a quest’s tier level?” Glade asked over his shoulder, his purposefully kept his voice low enough so it wouldn’t echo throughout the tunnels.
“That’s honestly hard to say,” Riya responded. “My gran once told me there are dedicated scholars who study such things, but the easiest way to know is by asking someone with the right skill to identify the level for you. Usually those are scholars or information brokers who can help you with your quests. Of course, they usually charge you a lot of money and you run the risk of them selling your information to others. What I can tell you is that tiers are generally categorized by difficulty, amount of experience or rewards earned, and by those who issue the quests.”
“People can issue quests?” Kedryn asked in his semi-quiet voice. That the Corporal was actually trying to practice noise discipline gave Glade a modicum of hope the Kid might be teachable after all.
“Yes, but there are restrictions,” Riya said. “Whoever issues quests must be in recognized positions of authority. Like my father, who is the Ki of our house. He used to issue quests to me and my sister Val while we were growing up. They weren’t worth much, but they added up over time.”
“What exactly is a Ki anyway?” Glade chimed in. He had heard the term several times over the couple of days they had been together, but still didn’t understand the ranking system.
“Right, you wouldn’t know about elvish society. There really is a great deal to go over,” Riya sighed. “A Ki is the patriarch of an elvish house and is only subordinate to the royal family. Very similar to what humans would call a Duke, or a Clan Lord in the dwarvish kingdom. Then there is the Ri, or king in human and dwarvish kingdoms. I could keep going, but to be honest it would be better to learn about the elvish society from my gran. She knows the details of the various houses, rules at court, rank structure, and overall status.”
“Thanks for the explanation,” Glade responded. He liked this new version of Riya. Not only did she share important information for them to know, she was confident, excited, and direct. “That was helpful. Going back to quests, are they the best way to gain levels?”
“That depends on the experience provided as a reward and the type of quest,” Riya said, stopping to run her hand along a smooth looking patch of stone on the tunnel wall. She had done this several times on their journey, especially when they came across any strange plant life. “It’s well known that hunting monsters is the most consistent method for leveling and skill development, but it’s also the most dangerous. I bet if we successfully completed your Keeper quest chain to the end, we could all get to level 5. Maybe even higher.”
“How can the quest help you and Kedryn? Did you get the same quest as me?” Glade asked, taking a long look at their surroundings. The tunnel they had traveled had widened significantly, sporting thin trails of smooth stone crisscrossing each other like a pack of large snails had traveled through the area.
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“Oh, I’m sorry.” Riya said quickly, looking his way with a hint of panic. “I guess I had just assumed you would… share the quest?”
“He can do that?” Kedryn asked at the same time Glade said, “I can do that?”
Riya glanced between the two of them, surprise once more written all over her face. “Of course, you can. Almost any quest can be shared with those you trust.”
“Is there a downside to sharing quests?” Kedryn asked.
“The downside is experience is spread out between those you share the quest with, so you don’t want to include a lot of others, or you’ll end up with little reward. Most people don’t share quests for obvious reasons, but a chained quest is something else. Not only does the experience grow with every new quest, but so does the difficulty. I’ve read that specialized parties are often created to handle the rare and higher quest chains. The accounts also hinted at other benefits, but I can only guess what those might be.”
That made sense. He had noticed the next chain in the quest doubled the amount of experience he could earn.
“So, how do I share quests?”
“Really?” Riya said, a smile blossoming on her face.
Glade gave her a nod. Sure, he could hold onto the quest and get more experience, especially since he was the only one who could change the mushrooms into something the Matriarch could eat. But hoarding something that could be beneficial to others went against the grain. True leaders provide opportunities to grow, even if it costs them opportunities for personal advancement.
“When you’re ready, all you need to do is pull up the quest and will it to be shared with those you want included.”
Not seeing a reason to delay, Glade pulled up his logs and willed the quest to Kedryn and Riya.
A notification appeared.
Would you like to share Protect the Keepers II quest with Da'Riya Ab'Loshere and Bei’Kedryn Serevlir?
Yes/No
Note: Sharing this quest will divide the rewarded experience by 3, giving each recipient 167 experience points (rounded up) upon completion. Relationship point rewards will remain the same at 200 per person.
Glade didn’t hesitate, mentally selecting yes.
Both Riya and Kedryn got a far-off look as they read the quest details.
“That’s not a lot of experience…” Kedryn began, but was interrupted by Riya’s shout of excitement.
“Overseer’s light! 167 experience points!?! That’s incredible! And the Matriarch is in the process of laying her eggs!? We need to head back immediately!”
“What were you thinking the experience would be?” Glade asked. He had to agree with Kedryn, the experience points seemed low to him.
“I was expecting at least 30 each but was hoping for as high as 50. But 167? I never dreamed of being part of such a quest!”
“If I may ask, what level are you?” Kedryn asked.
Riya nodded as if expecting the question. “I’m level 4, with just over 500 experience points to go before I reach level 5.”
“Is that the average level for people on Veil?” Glade asked.
“My level is slightly above average. Most are between 2 or 3,” she responded. “I’m a bit higher because my Da could issue quests, which he did all the time. They were small, only worth 5 experience or so. But it’s better than nothing seeing as I wasn’t allowed to hunt or fight.”
“Which means you made it all the way to level 4 off of low-level quests?” Kedryn asked. “That must have taken you forever!”
“Obviously not forever,” she responded with a roll of her eyes. “I am 23 after all. And quests add up. I was especially glad when Da apprenticed me to our Naturist. That’s where I received most of my quests. Though the experience gains only went as high as 25 points.”
Glade turned back to the tunnel wall, a movement in his periphery drawing his attention. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he turned his full attention back to scanning the immediate area. The last thing he wanted was getting caught off guard in these strange tunnels.
The crisscrossed lines again drew his gaze. Trailing his fingers along the wall, he was surprised to find the lines were smooth, almost like something had melted away the rough spots.
Another movement out of the corner of his eye pulled his attention to a spot above him, just shy of the tunnel’s moderately high ceiling. A glint of light reflected off what appeared to be an enormous dew drop of clear water that was easily the size of a large grapefruit.
And he could have sworn he had just seen it roll closer to him.
“Um… Riya?” Glade said, taking another step closer to inspect the large water drop “You might want to take a look at this.”
The ball of water suddenly rippled, constricting itself like a tensed muscle. Then it launched itself straight at Glade.