Although he had seen players mining closer to the entrance, no one seemed interested in crossing the mountain down this path. Most people probably preferred to pay to use the cable car, and only people who focused on gathering came here. Roth found fewer miners the farther he traveled and was starting to doubt whether this route was the best choice, but it was too late to back out now.
He spotted one lone miner and decided to confirm he was on the right track. “Excuse me, sir.”
“Hello, son,” the man spoke endearingly as if meeting a long-lost friend. “You’re not a miner. You're way too clean!”
“That’s right.”
“And why is it that your skin is shining? Are you some sort of apparition?”
Roth had been getting this question from many miners. Even though it was difficult to see it under the sunlight, he had become a little fluorescent due to the effects of [Horrific Glow].
“It’s a skin condition I have,” he answered.
“I see,” the man said while taking a few steps back.
Does he think I'm radioactive or something? “Anyway, I'm trying to cross the mountain through these tunnels and want to ensure I'm headed the right way.”
“You are. You’re heading straight into the depths.”
“I’ve been noticing that there are fewer miners here. Why is that? Is there no coal in the depths?”
“Oh, there is coal aplenty.”
“Then, why is it so deserted?”
“It's hard to build secondary shafts that reach this deep into the mountains. You're dead if there's a cave-in. Also, strange things happen in the depths.”
Roth had been hearing all this superstitious jibber-jabber from the miners. “What kind of strange things?”
“I’ve heard many stories. You dig a tunnel one day, and the next day it’s gone. Or you dig a tunnel one day, and when you return, there are two. Many have also found…” he shuddered, “claw marks.”
“Claw marks?”
“Oh yes. It is left by a foul monster that can cut through stone like butter. I’ve seen those marks with my own two eyes.”
“What leaves it? Some kind of animal?”
“Some say that the mines are haunted. Others say that the mountain itself is alive and has conjured a guardian to stop people from digging through it. Whatever it is, I don’t want to find out.”
“Are there any animals living in these mines? Rats, maybe?” If there were any ratans, he could ask them what the deal was with this place.
“Hmm… not rats, but bats. They are closer to the entrance.”
“That’s it?” There were so many tunnels! How could there be such a big map with no mobs?
“There have been creepy crawlies in the past. Infestations. But when that happens, corporate hires exterminators to clean the place, and the whole thing goes dead quiet again. Whatever is down there is different. It’s godless.”
Despite the foreboding tone in the miner’s warning, Roth was looking forward to meeting whatever lived down there. Perhaps there was a new race waiting to sign a trade agreement. “Thank you, sir.”
“Godspeed, traveler,” the man said with a toothless grin, and Roth proceeded while opening the Rescue Library to research clues on the strange phenomena in the mountains. He wrote ‘Charleville Mines' on the search bar and got a few hits.
There was a list of minerals that could be extracted here and a brief explanation of why this was a popular place in Green Country. One of the reasons was that the mines were quiet most of the time, and minerals could be gathered peacefully without having to worry about monsters. Furthermore, once a month, there was a local event where tunnels were swarmed with giant cockroaches, and players came to participate in the extermination quest and earn unique rewards.
Roth crossed the information with similar posts in the forums. It looked like there had been a cockroach infestation a week ago, attracting many adventurers. He tried writing ‘the depths’ and ‘claw marks’ together with the name of the mines and only got one hit.
Questline in the Charlesville Mines
#quest #infoexchange #charlesville #mines #clawmarks #thedepths
Poster: Wilderman
Post: I’ve crossed from the Rock Canyon to Green Country through the Charlesville Mines and found these weird claw marks. (See image attached.) Does anyone know what caused this? Is there a wild boss down there or something?
Comments
JollyMiner: The only mobs in those mines are bats, and the cockroach swarms once a month.
KalElliot: It has to be connected to some sort of quest. But whoever knows the secret doesn’t share it. I’ve also tried finding out more about those marks, with no success.
This KalElliot guy was probably right. If there was a quest, it likely required someone to complete smaller quests in the nearby town. Roth didn’t want to get stuck out here since he already had plenty of quests to tackle, so he decided to drop the investigation.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
After reading about the mine, Roth checked his list of pending quests. In Rock Canyon, he would probably be able to learn more about the slavers and the camels. Soros mentioned they were the most active in this region and the Sun Desert. Since Lua was originally captured by slavers, there was a good chance she came from this region, too.
He still didn’t know where the Crow Emperor or Mario’s mom were, but Red, the dwarf from the Green Woods, had mentioned that he had been tasked with guarding one of their mountain’s vaults. Since there were more mountains here than anywhere else, there was a good chance that the dwarf’s mountain was here, too.
After getting to Saphira, if he became friends with the NPC for whom Soros had written an introduction letter, he could get some much-needed answers to his many questions.
After reading his to-do list, he checked his post about the riddles leading him to the Crow Emperor.
Riddling challenge
#riddles #cringe #funny #iambored
Poster: Sphinx314
Post: Fellow players, I came across some awesome riddles and wanted to challenge you.
1) What is faster than light?
2) I bubble without boiling. I freeze the past without getting cold.
3) A man is on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet or using a bridge or a boat. How did the dog do it?
4) Three spies, suspected of being double agents, speak as follows when questioned:
Albert: “Bertie is a mole.”
Bertie: “Cedric is a mole.”
Cedric: “Bertie is lying.”
5) Three rats are sitting at the three corners of an equilateral triangle. Each rat randomly picks a direction and starts to move along the edge of the triangle. What is the probability that none of the rats collide?
Comments
AuroraWolf: Number 4 would be: Bertie is the mole, right?
CassioFerreira: Good guesses!
Bossrman: It's not a guess; it's the only way it works. By making a single assumption, you can use logic to see if that works, given the restrictions.
If we assume Albert is telling the truth, Bertie is lying, making Cedric also telling the truth, which checks out.
If we assume Bertie is telling the truth, then both Albert and Cedric are lying when only the 1 mole can lie; this does not check out.
If we assume Cedric is telling the truth, then Bertie is the mole by lying, and Albert also says he's the mole; this checks out.
Kinja427: I think I've seen 1) before. Darkness moves faster than light or anything inside a black hole, but that doesn't seem like an actual answer.
PaulTB: 5) No collision happens if all rats go clockwise (1/2*1/2*1/2) or all rats go anticlockwise (1/2*1/2*1/2). That's 2/8 or 25%.
ChaosMunky: Not sure about the bubble one, but for the rest, going with darkness, the river is frozen, Bertie, ¼.
Even though it had taken a while, he finally got some replies and the answers to the riddles! Surprisingly, his most active commenter, GrandpaBill110, had gone off the grid. He wondered what had happened to him. Had he grown tired of riddles?
Anyhow, if these guesses were correct, the answers were: 1) darkness, 3) the river is frozen, 4) Bertie, 5) 25%. How did these connect? It didn’t make any sense! How was this supposed to help him find the Emperor?
Perhaps the second riddle was the key that would unravel the whole puzzle. He wrote a comment to try to spice things up.
Sphinx314: Thank you all for taking the time! Congratulations on getting the easy ones. Now, I wonder if there is a real riddler among you who will find the answer to number 2. Muahaha!
Despite his cheeky comment, he felt bad about outsourcing this work. The least he could do was try to decipher this riddle himself. He read it aloud a few times and got nothing. “Something that bubbles without being hot. Something that freezes without being cold,” he mumbled.
He heard something as he tried to find answers to the only riddle left, making him stop. It was a scraping sound, faint and distant. He closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the source. What was it?
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
It was a rhythmic sound, almost like metal scraping on rock. The sound was very faint, and he couldn’t hear any echoes. That meant that there wasn’t anything in his tunnel. He leaned his ear against the wall, and the sound became clearer. It was coming from the other side of the wall.
Little Lin climbed out of his woolen clothes, yawned, stretched, and took a seat on Roth’s shoulders. “You can hear it too, Lin?”
“Meow!”
“I wonder what’s making this sound?” He knocked on the wall. And the scraping sound suddenly stopped. He tried knocking again, and nothing happened. “Strange.”
“Nyah?”
Was it some sort of monster? Then why wasn't it coming out to attack him? Still leaning against the wall, Roth decided to make an experiment.
Blink Blink!
His body disappeared and reappeared in the same location.
Warning: You cannot cross through this wall with this skill.
That was worth a shot. He hadn't played around with [Blink] yet, and he hadn’t been sure whether it helped him phase through walls. It seems that it could only help him teleport across open spaces.
Scratching his chin, he tried thinking of another solution. If there was a tunnel on the other side, there would probably be a passageway or an intersection point. He had another skill that could help him find it.
Search!
A bright point appeared at the very edge of his skill’s radius. Walking toward it, he found it was a little hole in the wall. It wasn't particularly big, but he could use [Miniaturize] to get through. He looked at the tunnel ahead and then at the hole below. Should he go in? What if it was dangerous on the other side? He tapped his foot, considering his moves.
He saw a flash of movement, and Lin was gone.
Lin’s [Naughty Antics] skill has triggered.
“Lin?!” Where had he gone? He heard a faint meow and, squatting, found that his kitten had made his own choice while he was deciding. Lin had gone across the hole on his own accord! “Lin! Get back here!” he commanded.
The kitten regarded him momentarily through the opening and sat down as if saying: “Nope. I’m a cat. I own you, not the other way around.”
“Lin, it can be dangerous. Get back here, right now!” he hissed, trying not to call attention to whatever monster was hiding on the other side.
Lin turned his head, offended, and walked away. That little brat. While checking his to-do list, Roth had ignored the most important entry: “To teach Lin some manners.” Oli’s influence was evident on his once-innocent kitten. Roth had no time to think; he just had to get his kitten back. Something terrible might happen to him.
Miniaturize!
Roth's figure shrunk, and he entered through the hole. He ran in the direction in which Lin had disappeared. Hopefully, Roth’s high charisma and reputation would deter whatever beast lurked here and prevent them from attacking Lin.
As he ran, looking for his kitten, he noticed how different this tunnel was. The tunnel seemed half-full with gravel instead of having the hard stone floor he’d seen everywhere else in the mines. Were he in his normal size, he would have had to crawl. The gravel was all cubic, with sharp lines and angles. He’d never seen anything like this. The scraping sounds he heard earlier were clearer and echoed now. Lin had gone toward its source.
“That curious little rascal,” Roth complained. He sprinted, hoping he wasn’t too late, and after coming around a corner, he found Lin sitting down, observing what had been making the scraping sounds.
Its furry body seemed as big as an elephant to Roth's miniaturized size. It was half immersed in the gravel and had giant hands and long, sharp claws cutting through the rock as if it were paper. What creature was this? Was this the clawed monster?