Chapter Twelve: Times are Gone for Honest Men
Fourth Tower Year 4771, 8.4.6
The Holy Kingdom of Zah’paht Dur
Krt’al Mines
The staging area at the mine entrance was crowded. That was to be expected considering the potential for riches. The treasure for this venture was not just Mana crystals, guaranteed to be in good supply, but also the chance to lay claim to a vein of Mythril, the most precious metal in the world.
Technically, Mythril was not a metal, but was actually a naturally formed alloy of tungsten that had been infused with a high level of Mana for a significant amount of time.
The hardness of tungsten was tempered by the effects of Mana exposure to create a new metal that was not only incredibly durable, but also granted it the ability to act as an excellent conductor of Mana. Its golden, translucent appearance was favored in personal tools and even jewelry due to its eye-catching aesthetics. Ostentatious displays were frowned upon by many, but the wealthy like to show off everywhere.
Mythril was used to create channels for nearly all magic tools to work and was also highly prized for use in armor and weapons. The rarity of the metal however kept the price for the material extremely high. A single gram of Mythril could cost as much as 10,000 Rel. Indeed, a 100,000 Ban-Rel strip was made of exactly one decigram of pure Mithril.
In places like Threshis, near a Mythril mine, it was possible to get raw ore for a significant discount, but that price varied greatly based on supply and demand. The mining operations were overseen by the Guild Hall of Threshis, under the supervision of the Guild Head, an ancient Dwarf named Buchee.
Marc had no occasion to meet the local Guild Head. He spent most of his time with Ba’eth or the various smiths and craftsmen. Buchee’s advanced age had him spending most of his time in the Guild Hall, though he was still a highly respected mediator. As a center for commerce in the region, the Guild Hall of Threshis was much more involved in politics and business than the production and Mana crystal-focused Guild in Clearwater.
Marc appreciated the ability to stay under the radar here, even more so due to the larger presence of The Tower in the Holy Kingdom. In the years he had been here, he had yet to have any direct contact with the Tower, but there had been enough close calls that had encouraged him to keep vigilant.
This was the largest gathering that Marc had participated in since arriving in Threshis. Hundreds of people had gathered at the mine entrance to prepare to explore, or to support or recruit the services of those who did. That was to be expected as a mine expansion was an event that happens only once in several decades. As the currently mined sources of Mythril are depleted, the Guild would allow the opening of new areas within the mine to ensure a steady supply of materials.
The caves present within the mine were mostly natural. Various beasts would nest near strong Mana sources and dig out tunnels and cave systems that form the basis of the mines.
Opening an extension therefore required clearing out nests of beasts before proper mining operations can commence. This was handled by the Guild through party contracts. In order to gather the necessary power to handle this dangerous task, the incentives were exceptional, which is what made this such a great opportunity for Marc.
In addition to a generous stipend and a bounty paid for all beasts cleared, and the right to claim all Mana stones personally recovered, If any explorer identified a vein of Mythril, they could claim it, guaranteeing them 3% ownership of any material mined at that location. As with any dangerous mission, there was no penalty for failing the contract, and the standard 10% guild commission was reduced to 5% during the expansion period. This led to a festival like atmosphere in the gathering outside the mine, complete with entertainment and food vendors.
Of course, such a generous contract meant the danger was significant. Upon checking out the details at the Guild Hall, Marc learned that in the two weeks since the expansion was opened, already several parties had been overcome resulting in one emergency extraction by special Guild contract, and even three deaths.
Solo party entry was not allowed due to the expected danger level and complexity involved in mine exploration, but luckily Marc was able to convince several of his fellow apprentices to join him in a party to hunt the mines for treasure. It wasn’t difficult, as the possibility of gaining a supply of Mythril was an irresistible lure to any blacksmith hoping to attain Expert level.
Marc stood in the line for registration with Hee-deh and Hee-ssu. They were the niece and nephew of Patah, but to be honest, Marc could never tell any difference between them. Luckily he could use the identification ability of his interface so he never mixed them up in conversation. Someday he would have to learn how dwarves could so easily differentiate genders by appearance.
Between the two, Hee-ssu, the brother, was the more social. He and Marc got along well, so he was the first person Marc approached to find party members. Hee-suu was an accomplished Earth mage with impressive defensive spells making him ideal to act as the team’s Shield.
Hee-deh was a tougher character to figure out. She rarely ever spoke to anyone other than her brother. She was also a competent mage and Marc had seen her impressive healing ability. He hoped she would be a good team support.
That left the position of Force to Marc. While he admittedly lacked durability, his offensive spell arsenal had grown in size and increased in power. He could also apply buffs to his own strength and dexterity that put him on par with most Journeyman-level hunters. Of course, his best ability was his interface’s map which would ensure his team stayed safe and helped them to navigate the underground caverns and locate mineral deposits easily.
They had already registered their party at the Guild Hall the previous day, so they only had to confirm their exploration appointment at the desk set up by the Guild employee at the entrance to the cave. The employee went over the rules and procedures with them again, then issued them a tracking stone and assigned them an area for exploration.
The tracking stone served several functions. Should there be an emergency that required a party to be recalled to the surface, the runes on the stone would flash red. It would also track their location which would be used to verify any mineral claims at a later date, or to send rescue parties after them should they fail to return by the end of the scheduled exploration window. Finally, the destruction of the stone would trigger an alarm to the Guild. Should that happen an emergency support contract would be issued. Any nearby teams would be obligated to assist in the rescue of a missing party.
As this was their first day of exploring the mines, Marc’s party was assigned a location closer to the entrance. Marc didn’t mind as this was the first time the three of them had worked together as a party, so it would offer them a chance to work out a party synergy while reducing the overall risk. Regardless, Marc expected to make enough from just a few days of exploring to make enough to purchase the Mythril he needed to complete his training. If they did manage to find a vein of Mythril, well then he would be able to head back to Clearwater a very wealthy man.
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“So far, so good,” Hee-ssu called back from his position in the front of their formation.
Marc held the center, while Hee-deh followed up in the rear position.
Marc’s experience with hunter parties in Clearwater made him the most experienced one in the party. The enclosed terrain however meant that he could not rely on his weapon of choice. A glaive was impractical in enclosed spaces where its length could limit his movement.
Instead, he had opted to use a short sword and buckler. Both were his own creations and represented his current level of craftsmanship. The sword resembled more the swords of his world, with a dual edge and a tungsten core, giving it a good balance of slashing and piercing capability. The buckler was a local design that attached directly to his forearm and included forward-facing spikes to aid in controlling the movement of beasts at close distance.
Marc had never used this combination before and still felt unsure of his ability to fight effectively at close distance, so he planned to leverage his magic and interface abilities to avoid direct combat as much as possible.
Hee-ssu on the other hand was a solid and reliable party Shield. He carried a larger shield and mace combination and was experienced in using both. He made an excellent vanguard as he was also very experienced in the mines, having worked in them as a miner previously.
Marc was mostly concerned about Hee-deh. Not that there was anything specific that was a concern. Her healing abilities were excellent, and she was also able to use several expert-level spells to buff the defense and recovery abilities of the entire team. Her communication skills however left a lot to be desired as she all but ignored Marc whenever he spoke. He worried that there was something personal behind her behavior, but Hee-ssu assured him that she treated everyone that way. She carried an ornate large hatchet that seemed more decorative, but he could tell it was well forged, and as it was likely her personal creation, Marc chose not to criticize her choice of weapon.
Their assigned area was about an hour from the cave entrance and Marc spent the time getting used to the underground environment.
Kira was able to adjust his vision to give him nearly perfect vision, even in the darkest areas of the cave. She was also able to monitor the air quality, so there was little danger of being overcome with oxygen deprivation or poisonous gas unawares.
He felt almost guilty using his interface to look for Mythril deposits. With his interface, if there was any Mythril in the area he would find it with ease. That said, he wasn’t the only one in the city with appraisal abilities, and noting how cleanly the mine was swept of valuable materials, others with similar abilities must have used them here in the past.
They soon found their assigned area. It was warded off with a barrier and the entrance was collapsed to prevent any beasts from escaping into the mine. These were easily dealt with by using Earth magic to clear the entrance and the tracking stone dispelled the magic barrier as soon as they came in contact with it.
Once they entered the tunnels, it was clear they were not made by sentient beings. The maddening network of caverns wound in random directions, in every possible direction. Marc’s mapping ability was more than a match however, and Kira laid a visual path Marc used to direct the party through the labyrinth.
From time to time they would encounter small bands of beasts. Mostly goblins, nasty monsters that resemble large frogs that walked on two legs and had two rows of razor-sharp teeth. Fortunately, the groups they found were small and Hee-ssu dispatched most of them by himself, smashing them to a pulp with a single strike from his mace.
Marc was relegated to the position of navigator, though the convoluted pathways made that a critical role. Hee-deh simply followed along in silence, sharing neither advice nor criticism.
For the first few hours, very little happened of note. They did locate a small vein of gold, and collected a good number of Magic stones, but on the whole, it was somewhat disappointing and anti-climactic.
Marc accepted that his dreams of making it rich were more of a projection of his desire for some excitement. Still, he was glad he had a chance to bond with his fellow apprentices.
《Found it!》
“What? Wait, seriously?” Marc thought directly to his partner.
《It’s not close. It will be a pain to get to it. But yes, I found a good-sized deposit.》
Marc explained what Kira had found to his companions, describing a possible Mythril vein further down the network of winding tunnels. It would take an hour to get there at a steady pace, and they would not be able to avoid more beast encounters along the way, but the team was in full agreement. Mythril was the true goal of their expedition, so they had to take the chance.
It turned out the path was more difficult than Kira had let on initially. Many of the tunnels were far too small to traverse, or had collapsed, and required them to use magic to expand the tunnels or backtrack a few times to find more stable routes. The number of beast encounters also increased as well as the difficulty and size of the groups of enemies they fought.
While fighting a mob of giant beetles Marc was pushed to use his sword as the insects quickly advanced on them. Slashing did little against the thick carapace of the giant bugs, so he had to take them out with targeted thrusts directly to the exposed areas near the head.
Kira helped by enabling a targeting guide showing him exactly where to strike, but his speed with this type of attack was slow and several beetles rushed past him.
Worried about Hee-deh, he turned back, only to see the quiet dwarf smith expertly cleaving the insects in two with single strikes from her gleaming hatchet.
His eyes widened as he realized that she was channeling her Mana through the weapon. If she had forged the piece by herself, she was already at the Expert-smith level.
That was something to think about another time. Marc returned his focus to the swarm and after a while, the trio slumped to the ground, exhausted and surrounded by hundreds of insect carcasses.
Hee-ssu was covered in small wounds, but was otherwise in decent shape. Marc was completely spent but managed to get through without injury, while Hee-deh was completely untouched. No insect that got close to her survived for more than the time it took for her to swing her arm.
She went over to her brother first and healed his small cuts and bruises. Then she cast a group stamina-boosting buff. That buff, coupled with his own stamina recovery abilities, would have Marc back to the top of his condition in a few minutes. He nodded his thanks to the dwarf, but she was already collecting the beetle carcasses into a storage bag she carried at her waist.
Marc was impressed at the large capacity of the bag as soon every remnant of the swarm had disappeared into the tool.
Marc looked over at Hee-ssu who simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say just accept it.
Marc got up and checked his map. They were near the Mythril deposit. Maybe just another half hour and they would be there. Then Kira spoke to him.
《The tracking stone. Check it.》
Marc had put the stone in his storage space so he reached into Rynan’s bag that he still used to camouflage his storage skill. Pulling out the stone his face went grim. Hee-ssu noticed and walked over.
The runes on the stone had turned red. They were being recalled.
For a split second, Marc contemplated sending the pair back first, then charging ahead, using his full ability to rush to the deposit so they could mark a claim. He should be able to do that and rejoin the party before they exited the mine, ensuring that their time was not wasted.
He knew he could not go through with it, however. It would be a betrayal of the promises he had made and the very core of the Guild values.
Enpii used to chide him when he would explain one clever scheme or another that would net them benefits by taking advantage of gaps in the rules. He would often imagine that Enpii and Meservi were like an angel and devil sitting on his shoulders, one pushing him to be bold, while the other constantly reminding him of his oaths and responsibilities.
He could not abandon his party, even if he was sure they would be able to return safely without him. He could not take risks involving others, just to increase his own wealth. He could not ignore his responsibility to respond promptly to the Guild emergency summons.
Disappointed but determined, Marc had Kira plot the fastest return route to the mine entrance and explained the route to his companions. Without a word of protest, the team started their return journey.