SLAM! SLAM!

Amez heard the sound of hands knocking heavy against the shop door, and stood up from his chair. He stared at the door, feeling nerves rise all over his body. Steeling himself, he took a deep inward breath, and then “haaah” breathed out. Here they come. He shook his hands and legs vigorously as he stepped over, trying to shake the nerves out.

He grabbed the handle, and swung open. “Hi” he said, and his eyes took a second to realize they were staring at Darmon the fully-armored human’s helmet, before he moved them down to Elrith Heart-Piercer, party leader and former customer.

“Hi” Elrith returned, a slight smile on her face. “May we come in?” she gestured inside.

Amez widened the door and stepped aside. The quad came in and formed a line with Rulli, Gilda, and Darmon standing behind, and Elrith standing front. The short human lifted her huge crossbow Martin from her back and put the weapon on the floor facing up. Leaving it to rest there, she held the bow-like end in her hands. “Where is Rum?” she asked.

“He... he’ll be here soon” Amez replied. “I’ll go and look for him.” He stepped around the party, around the cushioned table, and knocked on the door to the bedroom. “Are you there, Rum? I’m coming in!” He opened the door and entered.

Rum sat on his big bed, Electroblade and White Rose in front of him. It looked like he’d been inspecting the duo, but when Amez arrived the big brother’s eyes immediately turned over to him.

“They’re here” Amez said.

“Who?” Rum look confused.

“What you mean who? Who else are you expecting today?”

“Sorry, but the amount of people seeking me out these days is surprisingly varied. Who am I expecting today?”

Amez facepalmed. “Your dungeon friends?” he said.

“You know I have more than one set of those?” Rum raised his eyebrow, looking at Amez as if he was the forgetful one.

“Elrith Heart-Piercer” Amez said, deadpan. “Ring any bells?”

“Ah!” Rum sprang up from the bed. “Yes, of course, that was today.”

“We did talk about it yesterday” Amez mentioned.

“Well, you know, I was so caught up with Veish leaving.”

“Who’s Veish?” Amez looked at his brother with a curiously raised eyebrow.

“Uh” Rum began, “a friend, uh, a colleague.”

Amez stared at this big brother with suspicious eyes for half a second, then loosened up. “So, you coming?” he indicated with his head to the workshop.

“Eeeh, I’ll be right there. Can you tell ‘em I’ll be right there?”

“You got something you need to do?”

“Just–” Rum started, “–arrange some things. Will take maximum 5 minutes.” The wizard displayed 5 fingers and produced his most reassuring expression.

“Alright” Amez accepted the argument, “we’ll be waiting.”

Rum turned to look at Electroblade and White Rose. “You can go and wait too, if you want.” He lowered to focus on the gnome. “You can introduce yourself, I’m sure they’ll be interested to meet you.” He smiled.

“Sure” Electroblade shrugged, then drew her rapier from White Rose’s side. “That way, onwards!” she pointed at the door.

Amez eyed the duo some as they approached him, then turned and let them pass, closing the door behind all 3. Curiously enough, Rum had just sat down on the bed and simply waited for them to all go. That was odd behaviour. However, thinking about it for even a second, he just let it go. There was simply too much of Rum’s odd behavior in general, that this one wasn’t even worth the consideration.

The trio of body enchanter, skeleton, and one-armed peglegged gnome, walked over to round the cushioned table and stand group-facing-group with the 4 adventurers.

“These are the dungeoneers” Amez nodded his head at them. The 2 groups stared at each other for a second. Electroblade wore an excited expression. White Rose, well, if ze had an expression to speak of, it would be perpetually deadpan. The 4 dungeoneers though, they had a lot of raised eyebrows looking down at the gnome. “And this” Amez gestured at the woman with the massive crossbow, “is Elrith Heart-Piercer, leader of the party.”

“Hi, name’s Electroblade” the gnome put her hand to her chest, “nice to be fighting with you!” she grinned at them.

“Fighting?” Darmon replied. “Gnome, you only got one arm!”

Rulli lazily gestured with his axe at the steel pegleg. “And that’s not a working leg.”

Electroblade stared back at them. “Buuut” she retorted, drawing the word out, “I’ve got 47 levels and probably more combat experience than any of you guys.” She cut at the air viciously with her rapier, putting her accumulated dexterity on display.

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Darmon snorted inside his helmet. “With all those scars? I’ll believe it. But – how are you supposed to get off and fight?”

“Get off?” the gnome raised a pretend-confused eyebrow. “This IS my BATTLE FORM! White Rose” she tapped the skeleton’s shoulder, “runs faster than a level 50 WITH legs. I’m told ze’s UNBELIEVABLY strong, and would take a weapon blow like a champion.”

“We know” Elrith said. “We’ve seen it, ehm, ze, in action. We know zes deadliness. However, even with 47 levels, I still have a hard time believing in your usefulness.”

Electroblade narrowed her eyebrows. Surge of electricity burst forth across her blade, and the weapon started sparking violently as she positioned it between them. “Are you sure about that?” she gave them a daring stare.

Elrith eyed the magic. Not aweing at it, but neither did she dismiss it outright.

“That’s a real piece of enchantment” Rulli spoke, the dwarf’s eyes suddenly interested as he held up his own axe, the runes on its blade glowing for a second. “Is the rapier enchanted?”

“No” Electroblade smiled. “But I am.” She ceased channelling, and the crackling magic show ended.

“What interesting friends our mage makes” Darmon stared down at the gnome.

Elrith sighed. “He certainly does.” She looked over at Amez. “Where’s your weapon gear?”

Amez perked up from only having observed the exchange. “I’ve got it right here” he walked around the cushioned table and found his light halberd resting against the wall. It was a solid piece of weapon. Metallic, sharp, and light, and with a soft leather-wrapped firm grip. He brought it around to show.

“What is that?” Gilda asked, the blond pigtailed dwarf woman eyeing the thing like she’d never seen its kind before.

“This is a light halberd. I’ve been training with it for a bit. I got a higher level adventurer to mentor me.” He smiled at them, and offered for them to take a closer look at it. Their unmoving bodies declined the offer.

“Light halberd isn’t a thing” Elrith pierced Amez’ heart with an opinion as straight as it was blunt.

Momentarily taken aback by the comment, Amez held it out to them again. “Then what am I holding?”

“An axe too long to swing” Rulli answered, “and a spear too heavy to stab.”

“What are you even planning to do if the enemy closes in on you?” Darmon added. “We’re fighting in a dungeon, not on a battlefield of armies.”

Amez turned and hastily went back to where he’d found his halberd, placing the weapon to lean against the wall again, before bending over and out of sight. “I have a shortsword!” He lifted up a belt with a sheathed shortsword in it. The little brother stood straight again and started to strap the belt around him while beginning to walk back over. As he completed his task, he stood before the 4, splaying his arms and hands in a voila! display of himself.

“But no armor” Darmon commented.

“He’s not going to survive at all, this one” Elrith said to her colleagues.

“None of them are” Darmon corrected from his helmet.

“Wh-what?” Amez blurted, but then the door to the bedroom opened and in came Rum on fast legs and with a wide smile on his face.

“Hello!” He yelled, before arrving next to all of them. “Everyone here?” He looked around at the gathered. Nobody immediately reported themselves missing. “Well it sure seems like you’re all here. Were you all able to introduce yourselves?”

For a second nobody answered. Then Darmon spoke. “Hi, my name’s Darmon. I’m the tank” the man sighed metallically, “my job is to be hit, so you don’t have to.”

“My name’s Rulli” went the dwarf man next, stroking his braided half-long beard. “I kill things that come close to me, with this” he gestured with a slight lean of his greataxe.

“I’m Gilda” went the last dwarf, “and I do the same as my husband” she glanced over to Rulli’s face, and the 2 smiled at each other.

Elrith sighed. “I’m Elrith, as you know. I shoot things from afar. I also got a pretty powerful enchantment that I can use to blast things apart, thanks to Amez” she nodded at the body enchanter, who appreciated the credit, although his mind was still occupied by his estimated non-survival.

Rum stared down at Electroblade next.

“Oh” she said, “I’m already introduced.” And she smiled back at him.

“About that” Elrith said. “Rum, I don’t think you ever mentioned bringing along a gnome.”

Rum looked towards the human, his face innocent. “What’s wrong with a gnome?”

Elrith rolled her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong with a gnome. Have you forgotten we’re all in league with the gnomes? The Mecha-Gnomes’ Revenge, remember that?” She gave him an intense stare.

“Well” he said, “what’s wrong then?”

“The fact that you didn’t mention her. Do you realize she’s missing half her limbs?” The human pointed accusingly at the subject of discussion.

Rum looked over at the mecha-gnome, and surveyed her, as if realizing now for the first time that there were indeeds limbs missing. “Yes” he said, “what of it?”

“HOW’S SHE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT!?”

Rum frowned. “She’s not.” He pointed a finger at White Rose. “She’s supposed to help guide White Rose around.”

Elrith looked confused for a second. “Well, she certainly seems to think she’s going to fight.” And the shorter human looked over at the steel-modified gnome. Rum followed the eyes to also look at Electroblade.

“You told me I would be able to fight” the gnome responded.

“Yes” Rum nodded, “but it’s not like I intend to bring White Rose into the dungeon on the first day. You’ll have to stay behind and guard the camp. And keep White Rose out of the way. Ze’s only a child, it’s way too soon to bring ze into a dungeon.”

Electroblade slumped and pouted, defeated in her ambition.

Darmon shifted his feet behind Elrith. “Makes me feel a lot better” he commented.

A silence fell upon the 8 present, with everyone giving themselves glancing, but nobody having anything in particular to say.

“Should we get going?” Rum offered.

“Yes” Elrith agreed, “yes we should. Get your things. Both of you.” She glanced at Amez and Rum. “Or, all 3 of you” she glanced at Electroblade. “We’ll wait outside.”

Amez nodded lightly to the adventurers as they aimed for the door, and he walked heavy-hearted and more nervous than ever back to where he’d leaned his weapon. There, below it, he also found a packed rucksack. His own travelling gear.

“RUM!” Gilda shouted from the doorstep. “Bring you rucksack this time!”

“Ah” the mage responded and turned. “Yes, of course. My rucksack” he darted his eyes about, as if he’d put it in this very room. “I’ll get it” and he waved the dwarf off. She eyed him for half a second, then stepped out, closing the door.

“Rum?” Amez asked, as he saw his big brother move towards him on the way to the bedroom. The wizard stopped next to his little brother. “You didn’t pack your rucksack, did you?”

The wizard smiled wide.

Amez shook his head. “Do you even have a rucksack now?”

“Why yes” the mage answered with honesty, “don’t you remember the one I brought with me when I first came to you?”

“That dirty old thing?” Amez grimaced.

“Well, it was dirty, that’s true. But I think I might be able to do something about that.”

“Okay, but you better pack fast, I don’t think they want to wait forever on you to get all the things you should’ve packed.”

Rum nodded. “Understood.”

“You can borrow some of my stuff” Amez continued, “if you can’t find what you need in a reasonable time. Okay?”

Rum smiled warmly. “Thank you, little brother.”