Chapter 187

“How is everyone? Anyone injured?” Jay asked quickly as he looked furtively at each group member.

Carly's face had a deep purple diagonal welt across it. One of Bess's hands had swollen a bit and had an angry red looking welt as well. Everyone else looked healthy if a bit tired.

“Congratulations!” Victor called down from the grating in the ceiling.

“Hey! The exit door still hasn't opened!” Bess replied in confusion.

Victor chuckled lightly, “You have to gather up your treasure first, then the door will open. Kids. Who would want to leave without their treasure?” The group could hear him mumble to himself and trail off and he sounded more like he was talking to himself than anyone else.

Cory had run over to the ivory colored chest and was about to touch it to open it.

“Is it trapped?” Jay asked with a smile before Cory's hand made contact.

Cory snatched his hand back and looked at Jay with worry. “I don't know!” he exclaimed.

“Then maybe don't touch it yet?” Jay offered and the other children smiled and laughed at Cory.

Cory looked at the ground, chastised, but only for a moment before an excited smile broke across his face. “Can you check for traps?” he asked before he remembered something. “Please?”

“Sure, just give me a moment,” Jay said agreeably as he walked over to the chest and inspected it closely. He lifted the lid the tiniest fraction and inspected the edges for triggers. It appeared to be safe. He checked one more time just to be sure.

“It looks good to me, go ahead Cory, open it up,” Jay offered and the others all gathered around.

Cory placed his hand on the lid to open it and the a shrill cry filled the room. A small form flew through the air and directly over Cory's head too fast for anyone to make out what it was. Cory instinctively ducked and let out a strangled shout.

The other children immediately drew their weapons and for a moment Jay felt proud of them. Then the flying shape slowed and hovered over the chest. The children watched as a yellow and green parrot slowly descended and landed on the top of the chest.

The parrot spread its wings and displayed its bright yellow and green plumage. With a squawk the parrot yelled one word.

“UPGRADE!” the parrot shouted again and again as it grasped at the lid with its talons and flapped its wings in excitement. The parrot's eyes pinned to small black points every time he shouted.

The color of the treasure chest had up until then been an off white color. As the parrot shouted the chest's appearance quickly changed to a deep emerald green.

The children all lowered their weapons and stepped closer to the treasure chest and the parrot.

Cory went absolutely still as the parrot hopped off of the treasure chest and flew to Cory's shoulder where it perched and made short trilling sounds.

“There's a bird!” Cory said nervously. He still hadn't moved.

“His name is Sunny,” Jay pointed out as he watched Cory's wide eyes slide to the side in an attempt to keep an eye on the parrot on his shoulder.

“This bird is yours?” Bess asked.

“It is!” Jay said, “But that isn't the best part. The best part is what Sunny can do.”

“What does he do?” Bess asked.

“It's actually one of my Class Abilities. He's a treasure parrot – he upgrades the rarity of treasure. He doesn't always appear, but when he does he usually makes one item one rank rarer than it would have been otherwise. This is my first time seeing it work on an entire chest though. I didn't know he could do that.” Jay admitted.

Neiman looked confused, “You don't know how your Class Ability works?”

Jay laughed, “Class Abilities often have hidden features that aren't explained. Only through use does a person learn what it can and can't do. I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you – it's a good question.”

Sunny leaped off of Cory's shoulder which startled him and distracted the other children. The brightly colored parrot flew in to the air, higher and higher. Then he was gone.

The children all looked at each other in confusion. Sure, there had been a parrot for a brief span of time but now it was gone and the treasure chest had changed color. What was going on?

“Where'd he go?” Bess asked.

Jay shrugged, “I don't know. I've often wondered at that myself. I sometimes wish he'd stick around longer. Having a bird perch on your shoulder is pretty amazing, right Cory?”

Cory realized that he had just had a parrot do exactly that a few moments earlier. He had never had a bird perch on his shoulder before and thought it was an amazing event. He couldn't wait to tell his friends and his parents.

Bess and Neiman looked a little disappointed that they had been left out of the parrot perching but neither said anything.

“Ok. It is now loot time. Before we begin I'd like to go over the rules real quick. We are doing need before greed random rolls. If you need it you can roll against anyone else that needs it. If you don't need it, you don't roll. If no one needs it, everyone gets to roll. Simple, right?” Jay explained.

Everyone nodded silently. No one wanted to interrupt – it would just take longer to get to the treasure.

Jay pursed his lips. “Ok. First item,” he said as he reached in and pulled out an item. He read the description out loud.

Firefly Circlet – Uncommon – A fine silver circlet with a dangling emerald designed to be worn on the head. When worn properly the circlet sits on the head like a crown and the emerald is draped over the center of one's forehead. While worn the wearer's head will be surrounded by ten magical fireflies. Whenever the wearer is inspected the fireflies will glow red for ten seconds before they then return to their normal glow. This item will bind to the user upon first use.

“What is that? All the treasure is supposed to be common! That sounds like a magical item! No one said anything about handing magical items to children! Where did you get that?” Victor shouted down from above.

Jay smiled and shouted back, “I'd say it's not my fault the loot isn't common but that wouldn't technically be true. I will say that loot rules were specific and you agreed to them, need before greed and the kids get to keep what they win! No changing the rules now,” he yelled before he turned his attention back to the kids who had all gone wide eyed at the item's description.

It was useless for the children except as a play toy – it would certainly make them stand out whenever they wore it however. Whoever wore it would make quite the fashion statement. It was the kind of item a person might base their entire outfit on.

“Let's talk about it – who here would use it?” Jay asked the group.

Carly raised her hand as did Bess. Cory looked like he wanted to put his hand up but did not do so when he noticed that Neiman wasn't going to.

“Well, I'm going to pass,” Jay said to start them out. “Cory?”

“Pass,” Cory said a bit sadly.

“Pass,” Neiman agreed.

“Roll,” Carly said and Jay frowned but said nothing. She technically had a right to roll. Technically.

“Roll!” Bess said excitedly. She was only up against one other person! She might win it!

They all received a notification at the same time as the system triggered random rolls.

Item: Firefly Circlet x 1

Carly: Random(100) = 46

Bess: Random(100) = 72

Firefly Circlet x 1 awarded to Bess!

Jay handed the circlet to Bess and she reverently accepted it with two outstretched palms. She looked at it in wonder before she looked up at Jay and grinned, “Thank you!”

Jay laughed, “You're welcome, but I didn't give this to you. You earned it and won it, fair and square. Congratulations on your first piece of magical dungeon loot!”

The others all congratulated her and patted her on the back. It took a minute and Bess couldn't wait for it to be over so that she could focus on arranging the item on her head. Once she had it set in place properly it appeared to become fastened to that spot and would not move unless she pulled at it, hard. It would not come off on its own, in combat or out.

As she arranged the gem so that it rested on her forehead a field of fireflies popped in to existence around her and she gasped. It was magic. A magical item. Not many 11 year old children could boast having their very own magical item – at least not one that they had fought for and earned themselves anyway.

She received a short notification that told her the circlet was now bound to her. She shrugged – that was fine with her, she'd never want to sell it!

“It looks amazing!” Cory said enthusiastically as the fireflies danced around her head. Points of glowing light appeared and disappeared as the fireflies moved about.

She moved away from the treasure chest and around the room for a bit and as she moved the fireflies moved with her, no matter which direction she went or how fast she moved. Finally she grew tired of it and sat back down with the others who had waited for her patiently.

“I love it!” Bess said as she hugged herself in her excitement.

Jay smiled and chuckled, “Well, there's more. Want me to do the next one?”

“YES!” all the children yelled at him and even Carly smiled.

Jay reached in and took out the next item. He rested it on the floor in the middle of the group.

Flaming Choker – A fiery red and yellow band worn around the throat, the colors ebb and flow like a liquid when worn. Any time an unexpected attack is directed at the wearer the choker will vibrate in warning. This item will bind to the wearer on first use.

Jay read out the description and everyone went quiet. It was a good magical item – a really good one. Even Jay would be forced to roll on something like that.

A voice from above them wailed, “Are you kidding me? This was all supposed to be common loot! This stuff isn't common, it's magical!”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Jay shook his head, “Rules are rules,” he yelled up at Victor before he turned back to the group. “Who wants to roll?”

“I want to roll!” Victor yelled down at them from above and the children all laughed.

Everyone wanted to roll on the Flaming Choker.

“Can I roll too? Even though I got an item already?” Bess asked hesitantly.

Jay nodded, “You can – because we didn't make any rule ahead of time about it. Loot rules are sacrosanct. If you want a specific rule be sure to get everyone to agree to it before you do the run.”

Bess smiled happily. She would get her shot at the choker.

“Ok, let's do this,” Jay said and the system obliged him.

Item: Flaming Choker x 1

Jay: Random(100) = 97

Carly: Random(100) = 08

Bess: Random(100) = 23

Cory: Random(100) = 77

Neiman: Random(100) = 98

Flaming Choker x 1 awarded to Neiman!

“Congratulations!” Jay said happily and handed the choker to Neiman. The other children didn't look too upset that they had lost but Carly looked quite perturbed. Jay wasn't really upset – he had plenty of money to go out and buy magical items if he really needed to – not to mention all of the dungeon runs he found himself on.

Neiman didn't wait but put the choker on right away. It fit his neck loosely at first until he fastened it shut. After he did so the band magically shrunk to fit his neck perfectly. The band rested flush up against his skin and looked almost like a band of fire across his neck. He turned away from the group.

“Someone attack me!” he begged excitedly to the group behind him.

Bess reached out and tried to poke him in the back of his left knee.

“Garglgge!” Neiman exclaimed as he grabbed at his neck with both hands. He mentally dismissed the brief notification he received that informed him that the choker was now bound to him permanently. He breathed heavily for a moment before he calmed down. “That was... a surprising feeling. Ok. Try again?” Neiman got back in to position and turned away from the group.

Bess shrugged and tried to poke the back of his right knee this time. Neiman made a strangled sound but jumped away before Bess could touch him, even though he didn't see her strike coming.

“The vibration is really strong. I'll have to work at getting used to it,” Neiman said but he had a huge smile plastered on his face as he sat back down with the group. “Thanks everyone, I love it!”

Jay was about to explain that he had earned the item but gave up. If the children wanted to thank the whole group for their loot who was he to stop them?

“Next up then,” Jay said and pulled out the next bit of treasure.

Charm Kit – Uncommon – This flat black case opens to display a bracelet made out of fine silver links with a clasp mechanism. Fitted in to the case are a number of charms. Only one charm may be worn on the bracelet at a time. The charms are small flat discs of metal each of which has a colored gem attached. The charm effects are as follows: YELLOW +10% earned gold in dungeons, BLUE +3% chance for melee attacks to inflict cold damage, RED +3% chance for melee attacks to inflict fire damage, BLACK you are harder to detect in shadows, GREEN you are more resistant to poison and its effects. This kit binds upon first use.

After Jay had finished reading he could hear muttering from overhead as Victor complained about non-common loot being wasted on children. Jay didn't feel it was wasted though. They'd all grow in to them, wouldn't they?

“So who wants the charm kit?” Jay asked.

“I don't know – is a 3% chance to do fire damage really useful?” Cory asked.

Jay nodded, “As a bonus to attacks it is – you attack a lot in a dungeon run – that charm turns each time you attack in to a chance to do even more damage. You won't be hurling fire constantly, but it should trigger often enough to notice a difference.”

Jay let that sink in for the others before he asked again, “So, any takers?”

Everyone wanted a shot at the bracelet and charms which was understandable. The kit would add something to anyone's setup no matter what class they might be. The children wouldn't have much use for it at first but as they grew older it would become more and more useful to them.

Carly, as usual, wanted to roll on the item. The children all did as well.

“I pass,” Jay said, which caused some confusion.

“Why would you pass on this?” Carly hissed to him in a whisper.

Jay leaned over to her and tried to explain, “It doesn't offer any bonuses that I need right now. I'm not a combat oriented class so the cold and fire damage wouldn't see that much use. The bonus to hiding in shadows might be nice but when was the last time I hid in shadows? The same goes for the poison charm. The bonus to money would be nice if it weren't for the fact that I earn most of my money from being a Patron – not from dungeon runs and bringing back gold.”

Carly thought that through and realized that the bracelet wasn't all that great for her setup. She looked a little guilty. “But you could still sell it,” she pointed out.

Jay shook his head. “We're not doing that. We're doing need before greed. Not sales before greed. If you're planning on selling it that means you won't use it – the opposite of need.”

Carly shrugged. “I could still use it.”

Jay sighed and decided not to push it any further. “Ok then. Moving on. Children, who wants in?”

They all wanted to roll on it as it would be useful for all of them.

“Right. Ok, here we go then,” Jay said as they all received the same notification.

Item: Charm Kit x 1

Carly: Random(100) = 40

Neiman: Random(100) = 06

Bess: Random(100) = 31

Cory: Random(100) = 61

Charm Kit x 1 awarded to Cory!

“Congrats Cory! It's all yours!” Jay said and handed the flat black case over to him.

Cory smiled and nodded as everyone congratulated him and he opened the case up as soon as he could. He fastened the red gem to the bracelet and put it on his wrist and fastened the clasp shut.

“What do I do to bind it?” Cory asked as he stood up and grabbed his staff.

“Well, you're using the red gem so maybe try some attacks with your staff? Hit the wall or something? It might take a bit though,” Bess offered.

The group watched as Cory delivered strikes and pokes aimed at the wall in front of him. This went on for a few minutes until Victor yelled down.

“What the heck are you doing down there? Sounds like your trying to break your staff!” Victor called down to them.

Cory had just delivered his last strike and had turned his face upwards to reply when a sudden WHOOSH was heard as if a bonfire had suddenly been lit. A wave of fire spat out of the end of the staff and splashed against the wall. The fire dissipated quickly but left scorch marks on the wall.

“Er, maybe be careful with that? Or wear a less deadly charm when you're not in a dungeon?” Jay pointed out.

Cory laughed and dismissed the notification that he had just received that had informed him that the Charm Kit was now bound to him. Cory returned to the group and sat back down as he swapped out his red charm for a black one. Black was safer.

Bess grabbed his shoulder and whispered congratulations one more time before she let go and returned her focus to the treasure chest.

Jay didn't wait this time but just reached in and set the next item on the floor.

Precise Cuts - Uncommon – A dull gray short sword with a deep brown leather grip. When striking vulnerable areas on an enemy this sword has a chance to stun them and one other nearby enemy for one second. This effect may not occur more than once every minute. This weapon binds when first equipped.

Jay read out the description aloud and Bess smiled.

“Ooo! A named weapon!” Bess cooed. Then her face fell. “I don't use short swords. I have to pass.”

Cory nodded in agreement, “I pass too. I'm leaning towards staff not blades.”

Neiman had quickly worked out the implications of the weapons used by the people around him. They all used staffs as their main weapon. Neiman was the only one that could use the sword. Did that mean they would just... give it to him? He was too nervous to ask.

Carly sighed, “I can't use it – I pass.”

“I pass too. Looks like you get the short sword Neiman.” Jay said and passed the blade over to him, handle first. As he did so they all received a new notification.

Precise Cuts x 1 awarded to Neiman!

Neiman was clearly worried that someone might try to take it away from him once they returned home. So he removed his other sword and carefully slid his new sword in to the sheath. It was a lousy fit – he'd need a new sheath made just for the new blade but for now it counted as being equipped. He yelled in excitement as he received the expected notification that the weapon was now forever bound to him.

“Well this is going great for you guys. These are some really great items.” Jay said with a smile. “Ready for the last item?” Jay said with a grin.

The children all complained. They had hoped there would be even more treasure in there. After a moments reflection they all realized that they had already made out better than they possibly could have hoped to. Each item was magical and worth gold to the right buyer – not that any of them would ever be sold now that they were bound to their owners forever.

Lizard Socks – Uncommon – These fiery red and yellow socks flicker just as a flame would when worn. They are not made out of lizards but rather they are socks that any lizard would love to wear. Unfortunately for lizards these socks are shaped for humanoid feet. The pair of socks are magically heated and become comfortably warm when worn. Thick and soft to the touch, the socks should be washed in cold water when dirty. Binds to owner upon first use.

Jay made a long hmmm sound. It had been getting a little cooler the past few days. Were they headed from summer in to fall? A pair of comfy warm socks sounded pretty incredible.

Carly had arrived at the same idea and immediately said, “I'm rolling on that one.”

The kids all groaned but couldn't really complain. Carly had saved the group in the end – although that was sometimes easy to forget in light of all of her other behavior.

“I think we should all roll on it, unless anyone wants to pass?” Jay asked the group. After a moment of silence no one had passed and Jay nodded. “Ok, here we go then.”

Item: Lizard Socks x 1

Jay: Random(100) = 27

Carly: Random(100) = 95

Cory: Random(100) = 04

Bess: Random(100) = 88

Neiman: Random(100) = 31

Lizard Socks x 1 awarded to Carly!

Jay was torn on whether or not he should congratulate her. She had been rather awful on the run and then had saved him. He decided to be at least polite. “Congratulations Carly, you win the socks!” Jay handed her the fiery pair of socks.

Carly smiled and the children sighed in defeat. Carly didn't thank the group as the children had but instead pulled off her boots before she tugged off two pink socks.

Carly had small feet and had painted her toenails a bright yellow. She quickly tugged on her new socks and instantly received a notification telling her that the socks were now, forever, hers. Her feet began to become quite warm and she sighed as she tugged them off before her feet began to sweat. They'd come in handy during the coming winter but for now it was still 80F degrees out.

Carly put her socks and shoes back on as Jay inspected the inside of the chest.

“Alright guys, that was everything. Everyone got something so you should all be happy, not to mention excited over your experience. Everyone ready to head out and meet back up with Victor?” Jay asked as he channeled his inner camp-counselor.

Bess looked at Jay strangely. “You didn't get anything.”

Jay shrugged, “I was here for class, not for the loot. Trust me, I made out just fine.” Jay grinned at the thought of how much money he had made that day through his status as Patron of Kagan's Dome. He could have stayed at home and made money while he napped. Instead he had gone to class. He had found this far more fun and enjoyable.

Jay stood up as the treasure chest burst in to motes of light. They lingered for a moment like the afterimage of fireworks before they disappeared. As they did so the single door that had been closed since they had entered the room swung open. No riddles or secret triggers or anything. It just opened. It was almost a relief. Jay was getting hungry.

The rest of the group all stood up and gathered their belongings. They each double checked to make sure they still had their new items before they got in to line behind Jay, just as they were supposed to.

Jay led them to the exit and up the winding stairs.