Tom and his team had to return to town on foot due to the incident with the dolphins in the initial attack on Clem's base. They had managed to loot a bunch of guns and planned to hand them out back at the guild building. All told they had over three hundred handguns now from the bodies as well as the crates they had searched, and nearly a million rounds of ammunition of various calibers. This had been a huge score for them.
"Here. We all thought you should have these." Kiera said to Tom as she handed him a bundle of cloth.
Taking the bundle and carefully unwrapping it, Tom saw that it contained Clem's revolvers. They were absolutely gigantic handguns.
"What caliber are these?" Tom questioned in surprise.
"Looks like they are .600 Nitro Express rounds. It's not very common, but the bullets are actually rifle-sized. Lots of kick to that gun. Be careful if you shoot them." Kiera smiled at him.
"I'm not even sure how Clem carried these. They look so unwieldy." Tom commented.
"Probably a high Strength stat. But that explains why the rounds did so much more damage." Kiera replied, not sure if he was looking for an answer or not.
"Thank you all for this. And for your help." Tom said to her, another smile creeping onto his face.
"We're in this together now. We'll always be here." Kiera smiled back again, the tension leaving her at seeing Tom calm and feeling better.
Derek had made everyone stop back in the tunnels of the cave before they moved on and heal. Which had been a good idea as there wasn't a single one of them without some kind of injury, except Petunia and her friends who had mostly stayed out of the room the fighting was happening in. Tom couldn't blame them for not wanting to be in the fight. That was tougher than they had expected.
When they had finally gathered everything they thought could be useful, they left the hideout and headed back toward town, following the road leading away from the entrance of the cave. It took them hours to get back, and when they finally entered the town the sun had not only risen but was high in the sky.
Townspeople who had been going about their business as usual stopped and gawked at the dirty, blood-covered individuals walking into town. Mothers pulled their children behind them, people crossed the street to be out of their way, and a few even ran into nearby buildings. Petunia helped them navigate to the Sheriff's office and they walked inside.
"Both Pecoses are dead. It is Pecoses, right?" Tom said suddenly unsure of the plural of Pecos as he looked to the others for the answer.
Shrugging they all just looked at him unsure, and Tom turned back to the Sheriff.
"Yeah, Pecoses or whatever, both of those assholes are dead now," Tom affirmed, figuring the best policy was confidence. Fake it til you make it his grandpa had once told him.
"What the hell are you covered in?" The Sheriff asked as he covered his nose.
"The answer to that question is also Pecoses, sir," Tom replied placing his hands on his hips in a show of confidence in the matter.
"You could have just turned off the density-shifter to clean up a bit," The Sheriff added.
"I could have also fallen in a sea horse trough or just not gone to help out. What's your point?" Tom said, annoyed at the direction the conversation was taking.
"Do you have any proof?" The Sheriff asked him, trying to stay as far away as he could from Tom without seeming like he was being rude about it.
"We can vouch for him," Petunia spoke up.
"You think the word of a whore is good enough for us?" The Sheriff retorted. "Could have paid you to say that."
"Beyond the fact that you liked them enough to send me after them so you should believe them? Fine, here." Tom said and slammed one of Pecos Clem's guns down on the Sheriff's desk.
The fishman's eyes went wide at seeing the large revolver.
"Know anyone else strong enough to shoot that gun?" Tom asked, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance.
"Well, no, I suppose I don't. This town thanks you for your...uh, help." The Sheriff stammered, still staring at the giant weapon. "Do you mind if we keep it as a memento?"
"I certainly do mind. I earned this. It's mine now." Tom said with enough finality that the Sheriff just nodded along.
With that settled, everyone on Tom's team got the same message at once.
Quest Complete: Defeat the Outlaws
Congratulations! You have completed the quest "Defeat the Outlaws" and managed to save all three of the ladies of the night from the clutches of Clem and his gang! Rewards increased! Each member of your team will receive the following
Rewards:
25,000 XP
30 Common Cores
1 Roulette Reward Spin
"A Roulette Reward Spin? What the hell is that?" Tom asked out loud reading over the prompt.
Suddenly the pop-ups winked out and the world began to fade. Petunia, her friends, and The Sheriff were standing completely still as the world turned into darkness. The familiar orange writing appeared in the air in front of them as they found themselves in the void of darkness where they could all see each other, but nothing else. It read, "Congratulations, Dungeon Complete" in the stylized characters.
As the words were disappearing in the air, an object began flowing up out of the floor that couldn't be seen. It appeared to be some kind of slot machine with images on the reels that depicted different items.
"So, how do we use this?" Tom asked no one in particular.
After this question, a stack of coins appeared on the small table attached to the front of the machine. One for each of them. The writing in the air began again.
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"You may insert the coin into the machine to take a chance at an amazing prize. But be warned, prizes range from the fantastic to the familiar. Step up and try your luck!"
"Well that seems really shitty for the dungeon," James commented.
"It was the Dungeon of Chance. This seems pretty on brand." Tom said stepping forward and taking the first coin.
He looked back at his friends as he held the coin up.
"Wish me luck," He said and placed the coin in the machine.
Pulling the lever down, the wheels began spinning at speeds Tom's eyes couldn't follow. First, the reel to the left stopped, then the middle, then the right. A bell ringing sounded as lights went off on the top of the machine. A can was dispensed from the bottom of the machine and Tom took it out. Opening the can with the normal puff of smoke, he found himself holding a peculiar item in his hand.
It appeared to be a vial with an amber liquid inside. The vial was beautifully crafted out of what appeared to be crystal. Tom Inspected the vial.
Nectar of Atum
Atum, the Egyptian god of creation, was said to have created a drink that strengthened his champions to allow them to complete impossible tasks. This vial contains some of that brew. Drinking this will give you thirty additional attribute points to allocate as you like.
"Holy shit! Thirty attribute points to put wherever I want? Hell yes!" Tom said holding the vial up for the others to see.
"Oh, man! Move over! Let me have a go at it!" James said, pushing his way to the machine.
Grabbing the next coin in the stack and placing it in the machine, James pulled the lever as well and the reels began to spin. One by one they stopped and a can was dispensed. No bells rang and the lights didn't shine for James.
"Huh. It didn't give me all the fanfare." James said picking up the can and opening it.
After the cloud of smoke dispersed, James was left holding a ring. He turned it over in his hand, puzzled at the small object.
"Seriously? It's a ring." James said holding up for the others to see.
"Inspect it, dumbass," Kiera offered.
Ring of Reflect
This ring allows the user to create a magical shield with 5000 hit points. It can be cast at any time with a thought and will last as long as the user concentrates on it. When the 5000 hit points are gone, the shield will take 24 hours to recharge before the shield can be used again.
"Oh, I take it back! This is badass!" James exclaimed and immediately slipped the ring on the middle finger of his left hand.
Activating the shield, a blue disc grew across his arm emanating from the ring and covering the upper half of his body.
"That's great! Okay, who's next?" Tom asked.
Kiera stepped up, put a coin in the machine, and pulled the lever. When the reels stopped and the can popped out, it contained a single monster core. It was a different color than the others though, and when Kiera inspected it, it said it was an Epic core, so it was worth fifty of the common cores.
Kevin put his coin in next and when it dispensed a can the bells rang and the lights went off again. The can that he received had a new great axe in it. Though this one was made completely of a light slightly blue metal.
Mithril Greataxe of Sundering
This greataxe is made entirely out of a solid piece of mithril ore. It was crafted by master Dwarven Smiths in the fires of the mountain on their home planet of Darthvein. This axe has the special ability Sunder that can be activated by the wielder. When activated it will unleash a strike that emanates from the user in a straight line for 25 yards dealing additional slicing and force damage, knocking enemies back.
"So the System is adding in items, not from our planet," Tom said while thinking about the implications. "I think that will only benefit us in the long run. But depends on how widespread it is. It could just be this particular dungeon since it's special."
Kirsten excitedly stepped up to the machine next and put her coin in the machine. Pulling the lever, the reels spun again, and when they stopped, a can dispensed from the bottom. Taking the can, she opened it and when the smoke cleared she was very disappointed to find a regular Greatsword in her hand.
"At least it appears to be taking your class into consideration," Tom said to her, trying to comfort her.
Jay stepped up next and kissed his coin before dropping it in the machine and pulling the lever. Picking up the can and opening it, Jay received a small vial with purple liquid inside.
Botulinum Toxin
The tiniest amount of this poison can kill a grown man. Placing this neurotoxin on a weapon is sure to inflict some serious damage to any enemy. Use sparingly.
"Holy fuck!" Jay said as he suddenly held the vial at arm's length. "This shit is dangerous."
He quickly put it in his inventory and moved out of the way. Brian stepped up to the machine next.
"So, you survived. How do you feel?" Tom asked.
"Like I'm Arnold and you're Miss Frizzle and we just went on the worst field trip of my life," Brian replied almost angry.
"Oh, come on. You should get something great! And that had to be worth a ton of XP for you." Tom brushed his feelings aside and tried to put the situation in a positive light.
"It was. I gained quite a few levels. So I should never have to do this shit again." Brian said looking straight at Tom's eyes.
"Alright, I promise we won't make you go on another dungeon dive. But only if you promise to go out with some of the teams more often to level up. You need these skills to survive. You can't hide in the ivory tower all the time. Eventually, the fight will come to us." Tom compromised with Brian.
"Fine," Brian agreed reluctantly and let out a big sigh.
He took his coin, placed it in the slot, and pulled the lever. When the reels stopped and the can dispensed Brian took it and opened it. He was left holding an earring in his hand. One small piece of gold.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Brian said in dismay at the object.
"Things aren't always what they appear. Inspect it." Tom advised him.
Communication Network
This earring can be worn and paired with life signatures. The wearer has the ability to detect if the other's life essence is still active as well as allows one-way telepathic communication with any life signature they are connected to. Generals have used this technology in battles across the universe to give commands as well as keep track of troops.
"That seems really handy, actually. Especially for my job. No more tracking people down." Brian admitted after reading the description several times.
Finally, Derek stepped up and picked up the last coin on the table. Placing it at the lip of the coin slot, he turned to look at his friends. Then he dropped it and pulled the lever. The reels continued spinning for longer than they had for the others. Finally, they all stopped at the same time as if someone had hit the quick stop button on a typical slot machine. A siren went off this time and the lights flared to life again.
The can that dropped out didn't have a label on it, which was unusual because they normally had an image of the item inside on the front. Derek looked at it confused but decided the only way forward was to open it. When the smoke puffed out, there was the sound of clanging metal on the ground. What they saw when the smoke cleared was Derek staring at a set of blackened armor that was shined to a polished finish.
Dreadnought Armor
This suit of full plate armor was created for the original Dreadnought Donovan Bartol. Donovan was a powerful Cleric who led his people to many great victories in battles millennia ago. The armor was thought to be lost to time when he disappeared from a particularly vicious battle. His people mourned his loss for a month straight. What secrets it holds still have yet to be seen.
After inspecting each piece, Derek found that they offered three times the defense of his current armor and were lighter as well. Looking at the helmet, there appeared to be some kind of screen inside of it. He decided to equip it now and when he got all the pieces on and slid the helmet down, he heard something seal him in and the display lit to life in front of him.
"Holy shit....it's battle armor!" Derek exclaimed.