Chapter 150
Press Release: For Immediate Distribution
Church of Gaia, Central Basilica
Kagan's Dome Dungeon Re-reopening
Please join us this Monday for the grand reopening of Kagan's Dome!
After another brief downtime Kagan's Dome is once again available for dungeon runs. The daily limit of one group per day has been rescinded. It should be noted that this dungeon now provides unlimited and instanced access for approved groups. Multiple groups may run the dungeon at once, separately. Once a group exits the dungeon they will need to wait 24 hours before running the dungeon again.
Dungeon rewards in Kagan's Dome are based on a point system, making it the only dungeon with a temple built over it to do so. Rewards are not handed out randomly. Instead after completing the dungeon you will be assigned a number of points. Those points may then purchase a small or large reward. The reward being a selection from three options of which you may choose one.
After some investigation the Church has been unable to locate any other dungeon on Eden that not only uses the unique point system now found in Kagan's Dome but is also instanced! The dungeon has been fully mapped including traps, bosses, fight mechanics, and even rewards which work under the special system described above.
Anyone wishing to try their hands at this new destination dungeon may apply for entry approval at Kagan's Dome. Time slots are no longer required and entry for approved groups is available 24 hours a day.
The dungeon itself now requires a 1 silver per person entry fee, payable each time a person enters the dungeon.
*****
Jay and friends sat around the table in a bit of a daze. It turned out that two blueberry muffins slathered in butter and sugar probably exceeded a person's total recommended daily caloric intake.
The entire group sat listlessly in their chairs as they each enjoyed their food coma.
“I'm full I think.” Aiden admitted.
“Finally! I thought you were going to order thirds!” Norri said with a smile but without moving too much.
“I said I think. Don't tempt me.” Aiden replied with a grin but did not make any move to order more food.
“Guys,” Norri started before drawing in a deep breath and letting it out, “I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go back to my rooms and take a nap. Is that ok?”
The others all assured her that it was no problem. “We're an adventuring group, not a prison work party – you're allowed to go off on your own Norri.” M'redith assured her with a kind smile.
Aiden nodded, “We have been spending a lot of time together. If we're going to split up then maybe I'll go see if Aisha is at work, or even better, not at work,” he said with a growing smile.
“I thought you were full?” Norri asked with a crooked grin.
“I'm full now but I'll be fine by the time I get to her work.” Aiden insisted.
The others laughed. “Remind me again, which one is Aisha?” M'redith asked jokingly.
“Long black hair that she wears in a single braid? Short? Smells like vanilla?” Aiden replied as he ticked off her attributes one by one.
“I think I remember who you're talking about. Smells like vanilla? Why would I want to know that?” M'redith teased Aiden with a smile.
“That's it. I'm definitely splitting up from you guys and visiting Aisha. At least when she teases me I like it.” Aiden stated with a grin.
“OOOooook.” Norri said, “Enough of that. How about you two, what are you going to do?” she asked Jay and M'redith.
M'redith looked at Jay who just smiled. “I think we're going to just go for a walk about. See some of the city and just enjoy ourselves.” She looked at Jay questioningly as she spoke and he smiled and nodded at her words. Going for a walk sounded just great after fighting through a dungeon the day before. They could use a break.
Norri yawned. “That sounds like fun. You two have a good time. Hey Aiden, share a cart?” Norri asked. She was tired and ready to go. The blueberry muffins were sitting a bit heavy in her stomach and she would have already closed her eyes for a nap if it had only been socially acceptable to do so.
Aiden shrugged, “Sure, why not. I have to pass the Guild on the way to Aisha's work anyhow,” he said as he got up. “Be right back.”
He left the room and returned a moment later. “Food's on me. My treat. I know I can get a bit prickly sometimes but I just wanted you guys to know how thankful I am for being a part of the group. You know what I mean, Glimmerhide Group. Now c'mon Norri so I can get out of here, I can barely move I feel so full.”
Everyone thanked Aiden for the food but he was done and merely waved in thanks as he led Norri out of the room and then outside to wave down a passing cart.
Jay and M'redith sat for a bit longer and just enjoyed the silence before she smiled and pushed her chair away from the table. She rose to her feet, a bit slower than normal, and turned to face Jay. “Ready for that walk?”
Jay grinned but sighed as he stood up, “I'm beginning to think that Norri had the right idea, a nap sounds good right about now.”
M'redith shook her head and put one of Jay's arms around her shoulder as she wound her arm around his waist. They both thanked the host that had seated them as they left and promised they would be back one day for more.
As they exited the building they stopped under a slight overhang just outside of the door. A light rain had begun to fall, just a gentle pattering of raindrops, not enough to become a nuisance. M'redith tugged Jay along and out in to the rain and the two walked down the road in no particular direction.
The sun made an appearance which just confused things as the raindrops continued to fall. It had turned in to a somewhat sunny day with a constant patter of rain drops. It gave the rainy day a more cheerful appearance. Jay breathed in deeply and smelled petrichor, a distinctive scent that sometimes comes with rainfall. He could also smell a potpourri of foods from the various nearby restaurants and food carts.
They were in a commercial area of the city, of which there were many. M'redith used her arm wrapped around Jay's waist to guide him in to the next shop. She didn't know what was in it but thought it'd be fun to find out.
As they entered a bell hanging over the door jingled and announced their entry. The shop looked a bit unorganized but that was only the entryway. Further back they could make out brightly lit shelving. Each shelf held an item and a card that described the item. They were too far away to make out what the items were.
“Welcome, let me know if you're looking for anything or need help finding something,” said an older man from behind a counter that abutted the entryway. There was no way to exit without passing by the shop owner and paying for your items first, a good setup.
M'redith said thank you to the man and led Jay further inside. They stopped in front of their first glass cased shelf unit. The glass case could be opened but was currently locked. Inside were a number of white stained wooden shelving, each shelf separately and brightly lit from above.
The first shelf held two halves of a geode, their insides glittered creamy whites and purples. A geode is a rock that is hollow inside. Inside of that hollow forms crystals that cover the interior of the rock. Jay read the paper tag next to the geode. It read “5 inch Amethyst Geode, Coulson Quarry, Girt”
M'redith hadn't seen anything like it before apparently. Jay figured that a farmer wouldn't run in to a lot of geodes. She reached out to touch it before remembering the glass case in between her and the geode. “What's this?”
The shop owner had been watching them carefully but came around from behind the counter with a gruff look. He huffed a bit before launching in to a description for M'redith.
“That's a basalt geode – five inches is a good size. Got it from a quarry out in Girt, Coulson Quarry. This has three layers here, see? The outer one is basalt, then the middle is calcite, that's that white stuff, and finally the amethyst crystals. And this one fits back together perfectly, which is nice,” the old man explained in a gruff manner.
He was a bit abrupt but it was plain to see that he enjoyed talking about geodes. He wore a pair of blue overalls and a white long sleeved shirt under that which was ribbed, not smooth. His white hair and beard were practically one and both were bushy and puffed up. Two cloudy blue eyes peered out at them from behind all that hair.
“If you like that you'll love this, follow me,” the old man said and turned without waiting to see if they would follow him. He stomped to the back of the shop and pulled aside a curtain.
M'redith made an appreciative sound and her eyes went wide. In front of her sat a massive geode, four feet tall and two feet wide. It had been cut in half somehow and the two halves were held up by a wire frame so that they could be displayed upright and next to each other.
The interior of the massive geode glitter violet and twinkled dots of white as M'redith moved her head back and forth to change her viewpoint.
“It's gorgeous,” M'redith gushed.
Jay checked the card on display with the massive geode. “4' Amethyst Geode, Dragon Nest, Carch Mountains”
Jay looked over at the old man who peered at him and nodded. “Before you ask, yes, it was a real dragon's nest and no, the dragon wasn't there when I took the geode, and finally, yes, I had a bit of help. Can you imagine carrying that geode down a mountain by yourself? Impossible.” the old man insisted grumpily.
Jay checked the back of the card and noticed the price. He very carefully replaced the card the way he had found it.
When the man went back to the front to greet another customer M'redith leaned her head close to Jay's.
“How much?” she whispered.
Jay shook his head. “Eighteen gold and seventy five silver!”
M'redith made a choking sound and carefully moved away from the massive geode display. She didn't have much gold and neither did Jay. Not yet anyway. They were working on it.
She led him to a new aisle and stood next to a another display case. On the shelves were a number of round slices that looked almost like drink coasters. Each slice had a striated pattern on the surface and was almost transparent in places. Each had a splash of brilliant color, one was entirely made up of oranges and whites, another of whorls of blues and blacks.
Jay checked a tag, “Large Agate Slices, various, Girt”
On a shelf below that was a number of black looking rocks, the surface of each spotted with bubbles of a rainbow of colors.
The owner approached them again just to make sure they didn't have any questions. M'redith leaned in towards the new rocks. There was no tag.
“What are these ones here? Under the agate slices?” M'redith asked politely.
The old man grinned and showed off a smile that had seen better days. “Ooo. I need to label those. So those are a kind of chalcedony. You know what that is?”
Jay and M'redith shook their heads at the same time.
The old man grinned again. “Some call it Fire Agate. Some claim that these are formed by volcanoes. See how the surface has an iridescence that makes it glitter in rainbow colors?”
“What makes it do that?” M'redith asked curiously.
The man smiled widely, he enjoyed talking about his craft. “Layers. Silica on top of iron oxide on top of silica and so on. That's what gives it so much color. Aren't you glad you asked?”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Jay laughed, “Every answer you give just confuses me more.”
M'redith smiled, “Thank you for helping us, these are all so beautiful.”
The man nodded happily, glad to have an audience. “If you like iridescence I've got something else you'd probably love,” he said and he stomped off to the back room for a bit before returning with a small box. He offered it to M'redith who took it with care.
The man made a motion towards the box and encouraged M'redith to open it.
The box was a small square covered in black fabric. When M'redith lifted the lid inside she found a round orb roughly half an inch across. Its surface was entirely iridescent and looked as if someone had wrapped a rainbow around the little orb.
M'redith smiled and her eyes went wide, “Is this a pearl??”
The man nodded excitedly. Pearls were not minerals like the other things she had been shown so far, but pearls were pretty to look at. This pearl in particular was larger than usual and more colorful than usual. It was an incredible find.
“It's amazing, I haven't seen one like it before.” M'redith admitted as she inspected the pearl and turned the box so that she could see each side. She made no move to remove it from the box.
“This one was taken from a colossal clam off the coast of Girt,” the old man explained happily.
“A lot of these seem like they're from Girt, are you from there?” M'redith asked politely.
The man shook his head, “Not me, no. I just found myself stuck there for a time and made the best of it. These,” he said as he waved one hand to indicate his store's merchandise, “are the best part of Girt, I assure you.”
M'redith mentally put Girt on the list of places not to visit.
“There's not much there unless you're a miner or someone who really enjoys collecting rocks and minerals. There's a thriving community there of loners who all love keeping to themselves and mining. Some shops there, but they pay very little for minerals. Not an easy place to live, but perhaps an enjoyable place to visit if you like rocks.” the old man explained as he scratched an itch on one arm.
“I think I might like to try mining for minerals some time – is it fun?” M'redith asked. She had become enchanted with the various displays of brightly colored rocks and minerals.
The old man grinned and nodded, “Sure. You're usually in the dark with a tiny pick and a brush while you very slowly work your way through the earth, what's not to like?”
Jay smiled at M'redith, she looked as if she had found herself a new hobby.
“What do I need to do to learn how to do that?” M'redith asked in excitement as she slowly came to the realization that perhaps she too could go hunting for rocks and minerals. Why not?
The old man glared at her, hard, for a moment as he looked her over. “You asking just to know or you asking so you can do?”
M'redith grinned, “I want to do it, not just learn about it.”
The man nodded and muttered to himself as he turned and walked away towards the front of the store. He came back with a small black case perhaps half the width of a normal briefcase. Although half the width it was perhaps twice as deep as a briefcase.
The old man swept a pile of papers off a desk and on to the floor. He didn't seem to care and was entirely focused on M'redith and he appeared to have forgotten about the other customer in the store as well.
“Here's what you need. Not what everyone says you should have, what you need. You can go spend a ton more money if you really want but you'll be able to do everything you need to do with this kit here.” The old man explained.
“Who makes it?” Jay asked.
The man looked at Jay oddly, “Who makes it? I make it! What, you think I have someone who puts these things together for me and I just sell them?” The man shook his head and laughed. He opened the case and the entire front opened up. Inside was revealed a number of drawers along the bottom half of the case. Each drawer had thin removable wooden partitions that allowed each drawer to hold a number of smaller specimens or one large specimen. There were eight drawers, four side by side which were stacked on top of four more. Above the drawers was a felt lined partition with a few tools. On the side of the case was strapped a foot long rock pick hammer.
The rock pick hammer looked like a normal pick except it had been shaped in to a pick point and hammer. The grip was wound in leather and appeared to have been dyed a bright yellow.
The old man pointed at the yellow dyed leather, “Yellow makes it easier to find your pick when you forget where you put it. Trust me, it happens a lot more than you'd think.” He moved and pointed to the tool portion of the box's contents.
“Gloves, safety glasses, magnification loupe, a set of six cleaning brushes, a chisel, a six inch cup sifter, a pair of tweezers, and a bottle for water for cleaning off specimens. The only thing I'd say you should also pick up would be a collapsible shovel.” The old man stood proudly as he finished speaking. He seemed very proud of the kit he had assembled.
M'redith examined the kit. It was wonderful and managed to hold almost everything that she would need to get started in the hobby. One thing was lacking. Instruction.
“How will I learn how to use all of this properly though? Is there a guide or instruction booklet for hobby mining?” M'redith asked. She was close to purchasing the kit but the lack of guidance was holding her back.
The man smiled and nodded at M'redith approvingly. “It's good to see someone who is serious and not just looking for some fun new toys to play with. Tell you what, wait here and I'll be right back.”
The old man stomped in to the back room again and Jay and M'redith could hear a terrific crash followed by breaking glass.
“Everything is fine! Just a mess!” the old man yelled from the back room. His grumbling had gotten louder but was no more intelligible from the increased volume. Eventually he found what he was looking for and returned from the back room. He emerged with his hair a bit disheveled but his eyes were wide and excited. He seemed happy to have someone to share his trade with.
He held a pocket sized book out to M'redith, almost reverently. “This is a Primer. They aren't skill books but work similarly. Primers don't grant you skill however, they grant you guidance.”
M'redith's eyebrows raised as the man continued to describe the Primer.
The front door opened and closed and the bell jingled as the other customer in the store left.
“A Primer guides you through a craft and provides basic instruction on required tasks. Every Primer contains its own unique set of tasks. This Primer contains a set of tasks for hobby mining.” He held it out so that M'redith could read the cover.
“Rock Hounding? What is that?” M'redith asked in confusion.
The old man chuckled, “That is what we used to be called, rock hounds. Nowadays the term hobby miner is usually used to describe us.”
M'redith grinned when the man said 'us' instead of 'me.' Somewhere along the way he had decided that he approved of M'redith and that her interest in gem mining was legitimate.
M'redith looked at the book and smiled before she seemed to think of something and her face fell. “How much though?” she asked.
The man looked at her with one eye. He closed his left eye and just looked at her with his right. It made him look spooky and he held that pose for longer than anyone felt comfortable with. Finally however he relented. “Fifty five silver for the kit. I'll throw in a collapsible shovel for free.”
M'redith nodded happily, she could afford that! “And for the Rock Hound Primer?”
The man made a hmph sound and scratched his beard. “The Primer isn't for sale,” he began.
M'redith sighed and her face fell, she had really wanted that Primer. Jay rubbed her back in consolation as the old man continued speaking.
“I'll make a deal with you though. I'll give you the Primer, and in return you will bring me back one gem of each kind you find. I don't care about the value of each specimen, I just want you to return and talk with me about how you got it. You think you can do that?” the man asked hesitantly.
M'redith's face had bloomed in to a bright smile and her eyes practically shined as she nodded emphatically. “Absolutely! Thank you so much! I promise I'll be back with gems!”
The old man smiled warmly, “Gems are good. Conversation about gems is better. Come, let's head to the register.”
The old man returned to the front and walked smoothly behind the front desk. He hit some buttons and the register's drawer flew open with a ringing bell sound.
M'redith gave him her shiny gold coin that she had earned from running the Landlocked Lighthouse and handed it to the old man. He took the coin and put it in a drawer in the register that was filled with other gold coins. He fished out some silver and handed it back to M'redith.
After that he helped show her how the Rock Hound Kit could use an included strap so that she could carry it over one shoulder. After helping her adjust the strap to the right length the two shook hands. He handed her the Primer which went in to her backpack.
“Thanks for coming and I'll see you again soon I hope,” the old man said as he waved to M'redith who left the shop with Jay in tow.
“That was fun!” M'redith said happily as they walked down the street in no particular direction.
“I can't believe you just bought all of that,” Jay said a bit surprised.
M'redith looked over at him, “Why's that? I see you spend money all the time.”
Jay pursed his lips before speaking, “Yes but you just spent more than half of what you just earned.”
One corner of M'redith's mouth raised in a grin. “Again, I see you spend more than half of what you earn all the time.”
Jay sighed and nodded, “I guess I just didn't know you were that in to rocks before.”
M'redith grinned like a kid and laughed, “I didn't know I liked them that much until today.”
M'redith was acting a bit more freely with her money than she normally would but Jay just assumed it was due to the stress of running a dungeon the day before. Most adventurers tended to make a gold and then spend it the very next day. Which is why they were adventurers and not ex-adventurers. They constantly needed the money.
“Well how about we plan on taking a trip this week somewhere you can do some mining? Maybe try out some of your kit and maybe complete a task in your Primer. I think it would be fun. I can watch and cheer you on while you do all the work.” Jay offered with a smile.
M'redith laughed but didn't argue. She didn't want anyone else to use her kit until she had gotten a chance to play with it. She didn't want any help, she just wanted to mine quietly by herself. She'd be happy to have Jay join her though.
Their walk in the city wasn't as exciting as a dungeon run and it wasn't as difficult as a Guild class. It hadn't quite been a date, but it had been enjoyable. She hadn't been responsible for anyone other than herself, there were no monsters to fight or traps to dodge. Just a quiet walk through the city. She couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the day.
Jay felt relaxed as well for the first time in a while. It was nice not having to be constantly on guard – it got tiring quickly.
M'redith was a little surprised that she had spent so much money but wasn't worried about it. Her adventuring group would make more money, of that she was sure. M'redith had always wanted a fun hobby but had been drowned in family obligations for as long as she could remember.
Something about mining for gems though had just spoken to her. She wanted her own shelves in her own home with brightly colored rocks and minerals with tiny labels next to each. Each would be a trophy that would always remind her of the time when she had mined it. Herself.
She smiled and Jay returned the smile without even knowing why she had smiled in the first place.
“Can we go somewhere I can read my Primer? I really want to dig in to it.” M'redith asked.
Jay groaned at the pun and smiled, “That was awful.”
M'redith laughed, “I'll take that as a yes!” She flagged down the first available cart even though it looked a little rougher than the usual ones did. She gave the driver a coin and a destination and then joined Jay in the cart. She cuddled up to him and relaxed as the cart pulled back in to traffic.
They didn't have far to go and five minutes later they were dropped off in front of an ancient looking building. It completely blocked the view of the back yard. M'redith led Jay inside and greeted the receptionist warmly.
It was a coffee house and the interior was filled with couches and tables with two chairs each. A wide exit with double swinging doors led out back.
M'redith paid for herself and Jay before moving to a nearby counter. She ordered two coffees and a biscotti for each of them.
The coffees were smaller than Jay remembered coffee being, about half the size of what Jay had expected. The biscotti were oblong, dry, and crunchy.
After she paid once again for the two of them they each took their coffee and biscuit and M'redith led Jay out through the rear swinging doors. The doors led to a small room with a door that led to the back yard.
The yard was dominated by a series of waterways that ran along the edges of the yard. At each corner of the yard had another waterway that connected to a large pond in the center of the yard. Along the running water coursing through the waterways were a number of benches, tables, and sitting areas where one could eat in peace.
No one was making any noise and the only sound came from the water lapping at the pond's edges.
Jay took a step forward and was surprised to see that there were fish in the pond! Jay stepped closer and discovered a number of long thick fish, some orange, some pink. Koi fish, Jay remembered they were called.
M'redith pulled Jay closer to her and whispered to him, “We're not supposed to talk in here. Let's find a place to sit for a bit so I can read.”
She led them to a tree stump that had been hollowed out to create a sitting surface. Cushions were stacked up nearby and she grabbed a few and arranged them on the stump so that she'd be comfortable. Jay sat down next to her and she took out her Primer and Jay took out his Mighty Book and writing kit.
Jay figured that he should write down some of the traps he had found in the last dungeon. He needed to clean up some of his notes a bit too. It'd be a nice thing to focus on while they both relaxed and enjoyed their surroundings.
M'redith grinned, leaned over and planted a kiss on Jay's cheek, and then opened her Primer. She didn't look up after that and Jay finally moved his focus from her to his own book.