Jake stepped out from the darkness of the Dungeon’s door and into a cold, rocky tunnel that had small patches of light from what looked like clusters of glowing mushrooms.
“Well, this brings back memories,” Alan said under his breath as he pulled out his torch and quickly lit it. The blossoming flame revealed the surrounding area in a lot more detail and Jake found himself echoing the Scholar’s feelings.
Apart from the mushrooms, and the odd smell of decay in the air that he was starting to pick up, this reminded him a lot of the very first Dungeon they’d delved together.
“Okay, looks like it’s time for torches,” Jake said, following Alan’s lead and lighting one of his own. “Two should be enough with these mushrooms as well.”
“Agreed, I’ll take it from you, Alan,” Gargan said, holding out his hand for the torch. “I don’t need both hands for my wand.”
“Oh right, okay,” Alan said, eagerly passing over the torch and wielding his bow with both hands once more. “I wonder what we’ll find down here.”
“Only one way to know,” Jake said, leading the way into the tunnel, his torch held high.
The number of mushrooms quickly rose, forming small clusters that gave off an eerie greenish glow.
“Jake, wait,” Alan said abruptly, gesturing to an upcoming set of mushrooms when Jake turned to glance back at him. “Something is in there.”
“Take the shot,” Jake said, stepping aside and firming his grip on his sword, just in case.
Alan nodded and fired a single arrow into the small cluster, causing a brief squeak that was followed by a large rat scurrying out and charging at them.
Acting on hard-earned instinct, Jake kicked it into the wall and stabbed the monster, waiting just long enough to make sure there were no more before sharing a look with Alan.
It looked like they really were retreading their old path today.
-**-
The Ironfur Murk Hound died, one of Alan’s arrows through its eye, bringing their initial foray into the Dungeon to a close.
The Guardian floor had been the same as the rest of the first tier, albeit with larger mushrooms that in turn gave off more light.
The second monster type of the Dungeon had been the Bilv Lineage. Specifically, that meant Spitters, which was apparently the proper term for the acid-spitting beetles Jake had fought in the past.
This final fight had been a single Murk Hound alongside fifteen of the Spitters, which had been awkward, but not too difficult.
It was quite eye-opening how much less of a threat the giant rats were now. The first time they’d fought a Murk Hound, it had torn arms clean off and stalked them in the darkness.
Now, Jake was fast enough to keep pace with it for a short while and his infused sword could cut through its fur and hide without issue.
Looking down at the dead creature for a long moment, Jake let his thoughts wander for a moment more before shaking himself and heading over for the reward chest.
Opening it up, Jake saw a pouch of Wyrdgeld, and what he at first thought was Wyrdwood. It wasn’t quite right, though, it looked softer and lacked the right appearance for bark.
Picking it up, Jake realised it was like a mix between the normal Wyrdwood and the stalks of the glowing mushrooms.
“Have any of you seen this before?” Jake called out, turning to show the wood to the rest of the group.
“That’s Murkwood, it’s good for crafters who want poison or decay including in their work,” Gargan said, coming over to inspect it. “Same price as Wyrdwood, but more specialised.”
“Murkwood, huh,” Jake said with a shake of his head as he looked at it. “Anything else like that from Dungeons like these?”
“Well, instead of Wyrdfruit Dungeons like this might have Murkshrooms,” Gargan said, cracking a rare smile at the flat look that Jake gave him. “Look, I didn’t name them.”
“Remind me to do a better job if we ever have to name anything,” Jake said, laughing a little at the idea of an overworked adventurer naming a bunch of things in quick succession and just putting the word murk at the front.
Of course, not everyone knew the exact names of these Dungeons, so that made it a little more likely that another Dungeon Noble had done that, however long ago it was.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Everyone else had finished drawing out their Wyrdgeld, so Jake scooped up the pouch from the chest and followed them over to the exit.
They’d take a few hours to rest and then come back prepared to kill some rats.
-**-
A pleasant surprise was waiting for them as they got back to their area of cabins and found Varin waiting with Felix and Ari.
“Look who wandered in after you left,” Ari said as they drew close, nodding to a large pack on the ground. “We went and fetched some presents he’s made for you as well.”
Jake had been pleased so see Varin, but the bulging pack he had with him was a sight for sore eyes.
“Good to see you, Varin,” Jake said, hurrying over to shake the crafters hand. “We’ve got all sorts of stuff for you.”
“Oh, I’d like that,” the pale-faced crafter said with a slow smile. “Do you want to see what I’ve made?”
“Very much, yes,” Jake said, not bothering to hide his eagerness.
Varin’s smile grew, and he opened up his pack as they gathered around. “I focused on you three, as I saw that your new companions already had infused equipment.”
“While that is fair, I’m still upset that I don’t get a present,” Aspen said, taking a seat with a heavy sigh.
“I focused, but I didn’t exclude,” Varin said, flashing Jake a grin as he pulled a wrapped item out of the pack. “I prayed for guidance and made this. It isn’t infused, but I hope you enjoy it.”
Aspen perked up as Varin slid the item over to him and hurriedly unwrapped it before gasping aloud as he found himself holding a chef’s knife. “It’s beautiful!”
Jake and the others murmured appreciatively. It really was a good-looking knife.
“I’ve been able to get plenty of resources here, as well as the use of a forge back in the town,” Varin explained as he pulled out a second, much smaller package. “It has been a nice change to make things while using my Skills properly and to their full extent.”
Gargan looked intrigued as Varin slid the small package over and he carefully unwrapped it to reveal a pair of leather gloves that left the fingers exposed but covered the wrist. They were an odd look, but Gargan seemed pleased.
“Thank you, Varin.” Gargan nodded respectfully, which Varin returned with a satisfied expression.
“Now,” the crafter said, turning to Jake and pulling out a new leather chest piece. “This is a similar style to what you have now, but is infused to grant further protection. Applying Wyrd to it will also heal small amounts of damage to the material over time.”
“Varin, this is amazing,” Jake said, hurriedly taking off his existing armour, which had picked up more than a few damaged areas recently, to put on the new piece.
“There’s also this,” Varin said, holding out a dagger that seemed to have been shaped from a single long fang. “I was lucky to get it, and had to trade away quite a few materials for it. The fang is from a poisonous snake and is infused to be able to better pierce whatever it strikes.”
“No poison then?” Jake asked, turning over the fang and considering how similar it was to his Boon.
“No, but the inherent properties mean that it will work well with a poison infusion Skill.”
Jake nodded thoughtfully before sliding the fang into his belt. He’d definitely need to figure out one of those. “These are really impressive. Thanks, Varin.”
“Glad to help, bear in mind, though, that they are made from low tier material, so they won’t hold up in any of the other Realms.”
“No problem. Even temporary aid is gratefully received.”
Varin nodded before pulling out another package and tossing it to Alan. “I made these with those arms you found.”
Alan eagerly unwrapped the package to find ten arrows, each with a rough texture to them and a wooden tip. “What do they do?”
“They pierce better and the Wyrd within them makes them better at hurting Enhanced monsters. They’ll also work well with any piercing or wood-related infusions.”
Alan nodded, giving the crafter an impressed look. “Thank you, these will be very useful.”
Varin nodded before pulling out a second leather chestpiece and passing it to Nepthys. “This is the last infused item I have for you.”
“It will be very useful, thank you,” Nepthys said, doing the same as Jake and immediately putting it on.
“This is quite a bit you’ve managed here, Varin,” Jake said, looking over the gear they’d been given. “How did you do it?”
“Well, I used most of what you gave me to make items, and then had some good luck with selling them at a nice price. When I knew you were coming this way, I used everything I had left to make these.”
Jake noticed the dark circles under Varin’s eyes and wondered how many sleepless nights had been included in that.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got some materials for you,” Nepthys said, pulling out some of the Murkwood that they’d gathered.
“Thank you. These will make good arrows. Not so useful here, where the monsters are hard to poison, but in another Dungeon they’ll do well. If you could keep your eye out for any stronger materials as well, I need something better to be able to make a Worthy item.”
Jake nodded before pausing in thought. “What did you end up making with that Woadheart we gave you?”
Varin grinned and reached down into his pack. “I said that armour was the last infused item I made, but it wasn’t all I did.”
Jake frowned, not quite understanding until the last moment, as Varin pulled out a small wooden ring.
“Varin, is that Woven?” Jake asked in little more than a whisper, ignoring the amused looks Ari and Felix were wearing.
“With that much Woadheart, and my own ability, this ring can be bound to any Skill or Trait, but will only grow alongside it to the Uncommon ranking. You’ll need something better to fuse it with to progress further, or just a different item.”
“Can it go on any Skill?” Alan asked, looking just as amazed as Jake felt.
“Yes, but Woadhearts are about durability, endurance, strength, that sort of thing. Putting it on a dexterous Skill or a Trait to sharpen your mind would be a waste. Unless you try for a specific outcome, of course.”
“Who should take it?” Jake asked, looking around at the others.
“None of my Abilities really go with it,” Alan said with obvious reluctance. “So there’s no point in me having it.”
“I have a Woven item already. I will sit out as well.”
Aspen cleared his throat and spoke next. “I have abilities it would work with, and would take it in a heartbeat, but it doesn’t quite fit what I want.”
“Then it’s down to just you and me,” Jake said, looking at Nepthys. “Do you want it?”
Nepthys hesitated before shaking her head. “The only Ability it would work with is higher than Uncommon, which feels like a waste. Do you have something closer?”
Jake nodded, so she shrugged and stepped back, gesturing for him to take it.