Chapter 26

“I want to go home!” yelled P'trick.

Walter looked startled by the outburst and tilted his head in confusion. “P'trick? Are you ok?”

P'trick didn't respond but instead cried softly..

Turning towards the group Walter took in their sad faces. They did not have the appearance of a group that had hurt P'trick out of anger. They had the look of a group at a funeral. “We're very sorry.” said Jon.

C'nthia nodded and paused for a moment before speaking. “It's Dungeon Panic. He has it bad. He went totally non-responsive towards the end of the run. He almost got himself killed. If it hadn't been for Jay he might not have made it back in as good a condition as he is right now.”

As she finished a pair of white clothed Healers entered the room and helped P'trick up before half-carrying him away for treatment.

“Will he be ok?” Jay asked.

“Yes and no. He doesn't appear to be badly injured physically. Mentally he might have trouble adjusting to what happened.” Walter said. “Now tell me everything,” he demanded as he sat down at the table, the group joining him.

C'nthia told him everything that they had done in the dungeon, not leaving anything out. Jay was a bit embarrassed when she described the fights. She hadn't missed Jay dropping his staff and brought that up as well. Jay blushed in shame. Dropping your weapon was a big no-no.

Walter couldn't have cared less about Jay dropping his weapon. His face would go tight whenever C'nthia described P'tricks less than helpful behavior. He became excited when she finished up with a description of Jay's ability to trigger quests along with the final award of titles. He stared at the title over C'nthia's head thoughtfully. “Everyone is going to want one of those you know.” he said while pointing to the title.

Jon grinned, “I want one of those! I'm next!”

His comment broke up the seriousness of the moment a bit and Walter appeared slightly more relaxed. “What about Jay's ability? Did it trigger?”

C'nthia shook her head as the final chest was placed on the table. It was about the size of a loaf of bread and shone metallic green. “This is all we found and we decided instead of opening it at the time it was more important to return home for medical treatment.”

Walter nodded. “You were right to do so. Still, now we have an opportunity and one I can actually view myself. At least the dungeon run was not an entire waste.”

Jay didn't think it was a waste but the exact opposite. He had gotten to fight (well, technically he had poked a rat in the mouth,) had been awarded xp, loot, and learned a bit about his Mighty Book as well as how to behave in a dungeon in general. Jay had a great time.

Walter motioned to Jay, “Your chest awaits Jay.”

Jay grinned like a fool but first checked for traps before opening the lid.

Walter laughed at his carefulness but C'nthia nodded approvingly.

The group all leaned towards the chest trying to see what was inside of it. He took out a stack of round, two-inch, thread-woven patches. Each patch had a picture of the Manrat in the center. Along the bottom of the patch was the current date. Along the top of the patch was sewn the word 'EXTERMINATOR' in blue thread and the edges were sewn with a metallic bronze thread border.

“Trophies!” Jon said happily.

Each member received a patch which could be displayed at home or worn on their clothing. “Are these usually given out after a dungeon completion?” Jay asked curiously.

“No!” M'tthew said. “But they should be!”

Jon looked over at him with a raised brow.

“What?” M'tthew demanded. “I like to collect things!”

C'nthia grinned but was also pleasantly surprised to receive a patch. “Another thing everyone is going to want.”

Jay wasn't sure how to feel about a sudden mob of people wanting to group with him. It was the exact opposite problem everyone had originally warned him he would have as an Adventurer class.

Walter took a patch and set it aside for P'trick.

Jay next took out a fat shining gem about four inches long and an inch across. It was warm to the touch and as he took it out of the chest a dialog popped up for the group.

Group loot set to Need Before Greed.

Group members C'nthia, M'tthew, and Jon have chosen to give up their right to roll for loot.

Item: Upgrade Crystal x 1

P'trick: Random(100) = 78

Jay: Random(100) = 32

Upgrade Crystal x 1 awarded to P'trick

Jay handed the crystal over to Walter. “For P'trick.”

Walter looked at Jay and nodded in thanks with a tinge of sadness in his expression.

Jay lifted out the only other item. It looked like a softball with a single fingernail sized hole that was shut tight.

Item: Streamer Ball x 1

P'trick: Random(100) = 23

Jay: Random(100) = 95

Streamer Ball x 1 awarded to Jay

Jay grinned and squeezed it. Two or three long light as air party streamers flew out of the ball across the room before gently falling through the air and settling on the floor. A few moments later the streamers disappeared.

Jay grinned while the rest of the group looked disappointed and groaned. “A stupid party favor? Sorry Jay, but it was just a starter dungeon.”

A high pitched cry sounded as she spoke and a yellow and green parrot appeared on Jay's shoulder.

“YES.” said Walter emphatically. This apparently was what he had really come to see.

The parrot extended its wings in a gorgeous display of colors as it took flight and glided across the room. It flew circles around the room as its wings beat waves of air across the group.

Finally it returned to Jay's shoulders before it screamed “UPGRADE!” right next to Jay's ear causing him to clap a hand to the side of his head. “GODS that hurt.” he said.

The chest on the table had gone from green to a rich blue color before it disappeared as it was now empty.

Congratulations! An item of yours has received an upgrade in rarity thanks to party member Jay! Your Streamer Ball is no longer uncommon and has been upgraded to rare. Please check the item for additional information!

Jay read out the dialog which Walter scribbled down in a small notebook he pulled out of a pocket. Jay turned the Streamer Ball so it pointed away from him and squeezed it again.

A wave of streamers shot out of the ball and covered one side of the room in eight or so airy streamers. They gradually fell to the ground and as before they then disappeared after a few moments.

C'nthia patted Jay on the shoulder, “I'm sorry. You'll get a useful item next time.”

Jay looked at the group all of whom shared various looks of disappointment.

Jay looked at them in confusion. “Are you guys kidding me right now? Don't you know what this is really for?”

Earth was different from Eden. Earth was covered with cultures almost all of which grew up with war – if not on TV then outside their very own doors at home. A resident of Earth grew up immersed in tales of war and combat, fighting and tactics. Even a pacifist on Earth held a vast trove of war related information in their heads – they just didn't use that knowledge.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Eden was different. Knowledge had a difficult time propagating from one location to another. Valuable tactics and techniques were frequently lost before the knowledge could be handed down. Unless a resident was a warrior or a dungeon runner or in a trade related to war they just weren't exposed to war related information very often. This made Jay look unusually canny when he would volunteer something no one else had heard of or even tried on Eden. Eden had no internet to spread information.

Jay had once read about the uses for silly string in urban combat and a dungeon was a perfect analogy for it, full of tripwires. He had read about it in a magazine about music. That should give you an idea of how warlike Earth was. Even the musicians published articles about war.

The group tried to figure out what Jay meant before C'nthia finally spoke up. “Is this a Traveler thing?”

“Sort of? Think about what I, a level 1 Adventurer, could possibly use this for in a dungeon.” Jay replied. A silent moment passed.

Finally Walter had enough of the waiting. “What's the purpose of this if not for a party?” he demanded.

Jay shrugged and turned the Streamer Ball away from him. “Watch.” A large number of streamers shot out and slowly floated to the floor. “Tell me – are there any trip wires over there?”

The streamers floated straight to the floor while not appearing to get caught up on anything.

M'tthew spoke up first. “That's..stupid. And brilliant. And ridiculous. Why didn't I think of that?” He sounded almost angry with himself.

The rest of the group picked up on it right after M'tthew did.

“Oh.” said Jon and Walter in sudden realization.

“That thing is pretty helpful,” C'nthia finally admitted.

Jay read the item's description out loud.

Streamer Ball – [Rare]

This item when squeezed will produce 8 light-as-air streamers which will cover the area in front of the item before gently descending to the ground. After touching the ground the streamers will disappear in to motes of light after a period of ten seconds. This item may be used at will, does not need to be refilled, and operates using ambient magic alone.

Jay grinned. “This is pretty great. Thanks everyone. Thank you Walter.”

Walter looked distracted as he was scribbling notes and looked up a bit surprised at being thanked. “You're welcome Jay. I believe there is still the matter of pay?”

Jay had forgotten all about pay as the rewards he had gotten so far seemed pretty nice.

Walter pulled out a dark, buttery soft, leather pouch that clinked when he handed it to Jay. “Here. Don't spend it all at once. You never know when a big expense might pop up.”

Jay thanked him again but didn't count the coins, instead attaching it to his belt. He'd look at it later.

“Thank you for your time Jay. Apologies for the complications.” Walter offered as he stood and shook Jay's hand.

Jay thought calling P'trick's Dungeon Panic a 'complication' was a bit cold but he supposed it was technically accurate. “You're welcome. You'll forgive me if I say I would rather not do this again with P'trick?”

Walter's eyes narrowed but he nodded, “I understand. Next time I need you the group won't contain P'trick. I can assure you of that.”

Everyone stood up and bid Jay goodbye with assurances they would do another run as soon as Jon could convince everyone to go which made Jay laugh. If Jon had anything to say about it they would be doing another run soon.

A young man clad in blue robes and a strange hat arrived and led Jay out of the room and closed the door behind them. Apparently Walter and the group still had some talking to do but without Jay.

It was late, probably around midnight and Jay couldn't wait to go to sleep. The coach ride back to The Guild's front gates passed in a blur as Jay's eyes went unfocused and he tried to just relax. He was still a bit hyped from the dungeon run. He wondered how long the slight shaking of his arms would last.

As he exited the coach he grinned as M'redith tried to tackle him with a hug. Aiden stood behind her with a smile. “You're alive!” he said half jokingly.

“We've been waiting for you all night!” M'redith said, her voice muffled due to her being pressed up against Jay's shirt.

Jay gently pried M'redith off of him with a smile. “I missed you guys too but I'm exhausted and feel dead on my feet. Can we go sit somewhere?”

M'redith grinned and slipped an arm around his with Aiden taking up the other side. Jay told them all about his adventure as they walked to Jay's room which had become their unofficial meeting place whenever they were together. Jay unlocked the door and let the other two in before him.

Jay went in to his bedroom and left the other two in the front room. He changed in to some simple pants and a clean shirt. His other shirt still had blood on it from carrying P'trick.

He returned to the sitting room where M'redith had left a chair open for him. He sat with a thud and she took up a perch on the chair's side arm.

They were shocked when he told them that the catch had been P'trick's presence as the fifth group member.

“He was just as bad as we had thought he'd be. I'm not sure the ending was all his fault though. Dungeon Panic seems like something you can just get through no fault of your own.” Jay said.

Aiden shrugged, “Not everyone feels that way. He's going to have a hard time showing his face after this to any Guild members. I think his time here is pretty much over.”

“Well I certainly never want to run a dungeon with him ever again I can tell you that. I literally had to carry him through parts of the last dungeon. I came back safe and sound though so I suppose I can't complain.”

M'redith shook her head, “No you can complain. And I'm not sure anyone will find out. If anyone finds out it'd have to come from one of the group members which would be easy enough for Walter to track down. I think P'trick is going to just quietly disappear from The Guild. He'll be moved to another place and will have to find something to occupy his time with. Whatever he does it won't be dungeon running.”

Aiden nodded, “If strings were pulled and he sneaked his way in to a group without telling them about the Dungeon Panic.. that is pretty much criminal. The Guild takes that sort of thing seriously but you're right, I doubt it will be publicized. Even Walter wouldn't pull something like that.”

Jay sighed. “I can't wait to sleep but I'm glad you guys waited up for me. I really needed this time to help calm down.” Jay's arms had gradually stopped shaking thankfully.

Pulling out the pouch Walter had given him he put it on the table along with his Streamer Ball. M'redith immediately picked it up and asked, “What's this?” as she inadvertently squeezed it causing it to shoot all over her, covering her in the brightly covered streamers. She let out a squeal that made Jay grin before the streamers all disappeared after a few moments.

“What the hell is that for?” Aiden asked with a laugh. “Such a powerful artifact! Your enemies will flee before you!” he said in an extra deep manly voice. “All will fear your approach!”

M'redith grinned and pointed it at Jay while sending a flurry of streamers at him, covering him.

The streamers faded away. “I don't care what else you got this is the best one out of all of them.” M'redith stated with absolute certainty as she sent streamers shooting all over the room and its occupants.

Jay forgot about his tiredness and joined in. It was fun and Aiden took a turn with the Streamer Ball as well before they calmed down. “What's in the pouch?” Aiden asked.

“I don't know. My pay?” Jay replied.

M'redith held the pouch and it jingled as she moved it. Jay looked over at her and shrugged, waving at her to go ahead.

Opening the pouch she tipped it over on to the table and three fat gold pieces rolled out.

“Sweet Gaia.” exclaimed Aiden. “That is ridiculous.”

M'redith's eyes opened up wide. “Walter gave you this? For one dungeon run?”

Jay thought about their earlier conversation, “Maybe. I think some of that is a bribe – to keep me from badmouthing P'trick. Or maybe its because he got to see Sunny upgrade a piece of loot. Or it could be all of the above. For now I'm keeping all of this between you two and me.”

Aiden grunted, “Huh. I don't think you need to keep the dungeon run secret. Just the parts with P'trick. Between your title and the quests I doubt anyone is going to even think to ask about P'trick. How would they even know to ask? It was a secret even to you until you got there.”

“There's another possibility,” M'redith began. “Walter could be giving you this as an apology for P'trick because he wants to use your ability or needs it for something. If you two parted on poor terms that would make things more difficult for him. Having you feel like he's a generous benefactor works in his favor next time he asks you for a run.” M'redith said while leaning against Jay on the chair.

Jay shrugged and put the coins back in to the pouch and hung it on his belt. “I won't say no to it. I guess I have a new errand to run tomorrow. Bank.”

Jay yawned wide and turned his head so he wouldn't yawn towards M'redith's face.

Aiden squeezed the Streamer Ball and covered Jay's head in streamers making M'redith giggle. “Ok it's time for bed for everyone. I'll see you guys at breakfast. Welcome back Jay, I'm glad you made it buddy.”

Jay smiled back, “Thanks man. Yea, I'll see you in the morning. Maybe come and get me though? I feel like I might sleep in tomorrow otherwise.”

Aiden gave Jay and M'redith a half-handshake and half-hug before walking out in to the night and left Jay and M'redith alone.

Jay yawned again and M'redith looked a little displeased but didn't say anything about it. “I'll see you at breakfast too. Welcome back.” she said giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving as well.

Jay packed up everything from his dungeon run and set it aside in his bedroom as he undressed for bed. He lay down and grinned as he turned out the lights. He still had to go through the experience points or xp that he had earned from the quests and dungeon but otherwise he felt very happy with his run. He'd learned a lot and made some new friends. He'd take care of the xp points tomorrow with his friends.

He didn't drift off to sleep so much as pass out entirely from exhaustion. He dreamed of him chasing rats with his Mighty Book held open in front of him, the magical blue light from it almost reaching the rats but each time falling short.

Finally the dreams faded away and Jay slept peacefully.