As we walked through the already familiar cave corridors, my attention was inadvertently drawn to Katashi's attire. Or rather, what was left of it. Just a couple of hours before, it had been a masterfully crafted piece of armor, worth no less than fifty solid gold coins on the local market. And that's considering the prices in the Rur region; in Tries, such armor couldn't be bought for less than a hundred. Now, only fragments remained, which the Japanese had somehow cobbled together while I was sleeping.
Well, so much for making money on this expedition. Considering that, according to the head of the local tunnellers, they usually haul out about fifty gold's worth from clearing the Garnet Grotto, and adding to our expenses not only the broken armor but also the potions used... As well as Katashi's mutilated shield, which will probably have to be discarded after the expedition, we are already at a loss. Moreover, we've only completed about a third of the dungeon, and the expenses could rise even more.
Indeed, the difference in dungeon complexity from rank to rank truly increases dramatically. It seemed like just recently, while traveling on the Larindel's ship, I was clearing dungeons alone over and over again. It wasn't easy, but it was manageable. However, they were of a lower rank. Unlike them, now, the second Wootz dungeon in a row demonstrated that solo clearing on this rank is unreasonably difficult and dangerous. No, in theory, I could manage this dungeon alone, but certainly not on the first try. And even then, the potential risk wouldn't be worth the reward.
When we entered the second cave, the blacksmith stopped and, leaning over a pile of stones that was once the carcass of a granite troll, looked up at me:
"Question," he waited for my nod before continuing, "How did you kill the last two trolls? How you managed to deal with the first one is clear from your explanation; the Dance helped you. But what did you do with the remaining pair?"
"Rune of Movement," I shrugged and displayed the corresponding sign on my palm. "For some reason, a touch of this symbol to the back of a troll when it reached maximum speed caused it to accelerate further without any attempt to brake." And I quickly added, anticipating further questions: "I was unaware of such an effect and had never used it before; it was somewhat of a desperate improvisation."
"Curious," Katashi drawled thoughtfully. "Do you mind if I check something?"
"We've already been here for three hours," I grimaced, "and there's still a large part of the dungeon ahead."
"It won't take long." The Japanese's smile was formal and did not reflect his true emotions.
"Alright." I was actually curious about what he had in mind, but I hid my interest behind an irritated tone.
Throwing his shield on his back, Katashi asked me to stand in the center of the cave. He then described the details of the experiment that had come to his mind. It was quite simple. The Japanese would sprint as fast as possible, and as he ran by, I was supposed to press my palm with the Rune of Movement onto the shield on his back.
Runes do not always act as stably and predictably as the Des sign, so if it had been someone other than Katashi, I would have refused. But in this case, I was completely confident that nothing would threaten the future God of Labor. So, with a light heart, I agreed and stood in the cave's center. After all, I had to start studying the runes I already knew at some point, and refusing an experiment where one of the Shards himself offered to be a guinea pig would have been a true waste.
Counting down from three, Katashi charged at me with all his might. When the smith reached the center of the cave, he accelerated faster than granite trolls. However, since the Japanese made no attempt to dodge, I easily managed to touch his shield with my palm and activate the Rune of Movement. Unlike the stone monsters, Katashi didn't continue to accelerate. On the contrary, he stopped abruptly and did so quite effortlessly, as if no external magic affected him. The smith stood still for a minute, as if listening to his inner sensations, then he took the shield off his back and examined it closely. All this time, I struggled with the desire to ask the Japanese several questions, but I held back and waited silently.
"I only realized you hadn't missed because of a light push in my back. The Rune of Movement didn't affect me in any way," Katashi finally spoke.
"Really?" I asked.
"I didn't feel it. And nothing prevented me from stopping," the smith shrugged and then added, "We need to repeat it."
The second experiment had the same result, or rather the absence of one. But this did not stop the Japanese; he threw the shield aside and suggested pushing him directly in the back, protected only by fragments of chainmail and a light gambeson. Despite my warning that the effects of Runes are not always predictable, the smith just waved it off.
Again, the Rune of Movement had no effect. We repeated the experiment three more times, but Katashi noticed no influence. Yet, this did not stop the future God of Labor; he shed the rest of his armor, the gambeson, and even the rough linen shirt, remaining bare to the waist.
I don't know what so captivated the Japanese, but he, so to say, dug his heels in. I even wanted to stop these experiments, but remembering Katashi's character and inhuman perseverance, I bit my tongue and, letting a borderline indecent joke slip, suggested the smith position himself against the wall. To my relief, absorbed in his thoughts, the smith did not notice the joke, missing it entirely[1].
"Evaz," my lips whispered silently, pronouncing the name of the Rune as my palm touched the smith's bare back.
This time, it seemed that the Japanese didn't stop immediately, but with a slight, literally a fraction of a second, delay.
"Once more." Without explaining anything, the smith took his position at the wall again and prepared for another run...
"Once more..."
"More..."
After the fifth repeat, Katashi finally calmed down. He stopped, pondered, and after he threw on a shirt and donned a gambeson, I understood that the experiment was over.
"This time, there was an effect." Fully dressed and somewhat securing the remnants of his armor, the Japanese approached me. "As far as I understand, the Movement Rune doesn't make you move against your will. It's more accurate to say that it just prompts movement. But any conscious command from the mind immediately cancels the magic's effect. I'm not sure this Rune can be used in battle, except in very specific cases. One would have to find a target acting unconsciously - then, if this Rune is applied, there's a chance this target wouldn't be able to stop in time... This is nothing more than a hypothesis, as I perceived the rune's effect not as an order but rather as an encouragement to movement, which I could easily suppress with a mental command. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the effect of the Rune only occurs when applied to the body. Even a simple shirt already provides reliable protection. Apparently, this Rune attempts to impart Movement specifically to the item that came into direct contact with the Sign. Meanwhile, the strength of the effect decreases significantly.
"In short, if trolls had brains, or if they wore some kind of clothing, my technique would most likely not work on them." I summed up briefly everything the Japanese said.
"It seems that is the case." Katashi agreed.
"Have you satisfied your curiosity?" I asked with a demonstrative yawn.
"It's not about the Rune of Movement itself," said the Japanese, turning away as if to study the cave ceiling. "From what I've gathered from the priests and tunnellers I've spoken with, all the dungeons of Ain are maintained in working order by the world itself, according to the will of Eyrat. And from your explanations, I've learned that the magic for powering Runes is also provided by the world, that is, also according to Eyrat's will. These two facts seem connected on some fundamental level." Leaning down, the blacksmith picked up a small stone and tossed it in his hand. Then he added, addressing not so much to me, but as if convincing himself in something, "I'm just curious to understand how it all works."
This statement laid it all out for me. Since Katashi decided to look at the problem from the "How does it work?" perspective, the question itself, judging by how he posed it, must have touched him deeply. Well, if he doesn't stop and really tries to understand such fundamental aspects of this world, he might even grasp more about the local cosmology than Arien and Morpheus could in their time. Because those two approached the question like scientists, and Katashi will try to solve it from a practitioner's perspective. And who knows, might his approach be more effective? Another brick has just been laid in the foundation of my strategy, which could either be a dud or the cornerstone of future success. For I am still convinced that to stop the Invasion and somehow hinder the demons, one must see and understand the big picture. And without knowledge, you can't "paint" that picture.
Checking our gear once more, we were ready to leave the cave and move on when my gaze fell on the twisted steel rods that had recently been whole and served as my weapon. Picking up one of the rods, I examined it more closely.
"It was a rough, twisted forging," noticing my interest, Katashi said with slight irritation in his voice. "Not a weapon, not a tool, and not even a blank. An experiment... Testing and reinforcing old skills on the local technological base." I felt he was making excuses now. "The fact that this pseudo-spear withstood your strikes on granite bodies for so long can already be called a miracle," the Japanese added, seemingly overcoming himself. "I should not have offered such a crude contraption as a Weapon. It seemed like a good idea then, but now I realize it was unacceptable."
"It's all right," I dismissed his formal bow-apology. "Just an ordinary crowbar; considering the enemies we encountered in this dungeon, it indeed lasted quite long... I'm interested in something else."
"In what exactly?" Having endured my gaze, the Japanese asked with slight wariness in his voice.
"You said you know how to weave metal, and a corresponding Rune helps you with that."
"Yes," the smith answered shortly and somewhat too sharply.
"As far as I know, the skill of weaving on the Metal Coil can't be mastered even with the help of a Rune. Am I mistaken, or, in addition to Runes, does an Affinity with Metal also aid you?" Of course, I knew the answer, but I needed the Japanese to say it himself.
"That's right, I do have an Affinity with Metal," Katashi finally answered after a brief contemplation.
I was sure that, besides Metal, he also had affinities with Stone and Fire, but I wisely kept these thoughts to myself. Instead, I said:
"For some time, I was the Avatar of a powerful Entity. And then, the 'spear' forged by you was in my hands. And I'm curious... Did this Entity leave even a small echo of its Powers on the remnants of this crowbar?"
Before I could finish speaking, Katashi literally snatched the steel rod from my hands. Then the blacksmith not only inspected and felt the metal, but also sniffed it and even bit it. After that, he collected all the other rods that remained from the shattered spear-crowbar and examined them incredibly meticulously as well. This inspection took the Japanese at least a quarter of an hour, but I didn't even try to interfere. At that moment, the blacksmith reminded me of a dangerous obsessive, the kind depicted in movies and cartoons. Like a mad professor or a master engrossed in his gadgets, oblivious to everything happening around.
"I found nothing," Katashi declared when he finished the "inspection" of the fragments. But the fact that, despite his words, the blacksmith continued to hold the twisted steel rods in his hands, not letting them go, suggested to me that things were not so simple and clear-cut.
"Well, then throw them away," I said, shrugging and nodding toward the far side of the cave.
"That would be shortsighted..." the Japanese replied, clearly not planning to throw anything away. "Yes, I found and felt nothing unusual... But some inner intuition prevents me from just tossing away this metal, which would even be shameful to recycle."
"Inner intuition - that's serious," I said without a hint of humor. It's truly not something to joke about, especially when one of the Shards tells you about such an intuition.
"I would take the fragments with me and examine them more thoroughly in the forge," Katashi continued, clutching the steel rods in his hands as if they were a beloved toy lost in deep childhood.
"Go ahead, take them," I dismissed as if this matter didn't concern me at all. Although, in fact, I was filled with curiosity, I understood that it was better to restrain it for another time.
"It's not that simple," the Japanese replied a bit guiltily and demonstrated the twisted rods as proof. "In this shape, they won't fit in my backpack and will tear through any packing."
"You can bend metal with your hands," I said casually, "so roll them into balls and put them at the bottom of the backpack."
"These rods are quite thick, and besides, they are forged; it will take about twenty minutes."
"Do it, I'll wait," I dismissed, as if it were some trivial matter not worth attention.
Katashi immediately got to work and completed it about a third faster than he had predicted. Indeed, he rolled each rod into a rough ball, using more brute force than skill in metalworking, and packed them in a backpack, first reinforcing its bottom with remnants of his armor. The fact that the blacksmith was left in a thin gambeson did not seem to bother him at all.
It so happened that we only set out from the second cave on the fourth hour after we had passed through the Gate. I wasn't very concerned about this delay because I was sure we could get through this dungeon in the remaining eight hours before the Reset. And after everything that had happened, I had no doubt that we would eventually clear the dungeon. Stone spiders were no longer a problem for us. Nor were the rockjaws. I had learned to deal with trolls, so the only unknown factor left were the marble frogs.
"Should we hurry up?" Katashi asked, as if reading my thoughts, yet there was no hint of worry in his voice.
"For now, all is well," I responded just as calmly, mirroring the demeanor of the Japanese. "We're on time."
"We still need to gather loot, and that also takes time," the blacksmith said, slapping his pouch without hiding his mercenary interest.
"Then, less talk - more action." How my past self hated that one of Katashi's favorite sayings! I couldn't help but use it on the Japanese himself, and judging by how his eyebrows twitched, my jab had hit its mark.
Not wanting to aggravate the situation, I turned my back to my partner and walked confidently towards the cave's exit.
As I expected, the corridor was empty - if anyone had been residing there, they would have already shown themselves, attracted by the noise of our battle with the trolls. In the end, we walked nearly a kilometer along a winding corridor, twisting like a snake dancing on hot sand, and only at the very end did we encounter an ambush of three stone spiders, which we dealt with without any problems.
Slowing down one turn before the entrance to the new cave, I gestured for Katashi to stop and hide. Making sure the Japanese wouldn't follow me, I stepped behind a stone outcrop and immediately draped myself in the "Shadow Cloak." I had my doubts that such shadow magic would actually prevent the stone creatures from detecting me, but it seemed wise to take the precaution anyway.
Silently approaching the entrance, I carefully peeked into the new cave. Unlike the previous one, this one was much more elongated. If the one where we faced the trolls somewhat resembled a huge fighting ring, this one was much more elongated and looked like a natural formation. After assessing the situation, I returned to the Japanese, not forgetting to deactivate the "Shadow Cloak" before coming out to the blacksmith.
"So, let's start with the good news," I smiled almost sincerely. "There are no trolls ahead, not a single one. The rockjaws, while they are inactive, can't be distinguished from ordinary moss-covered stones, but I think there are plenty of them. The same goes for stone spiders. Now, onto the challenges. The cave ahead is elongated and quite narrow, and at the end, on cubic pedestals, sit two marble toads. Each is the size of a well-fed bull. From Ilakris's story, we know that these toads spit stones. In the worst-case scenario, it's like a magical version of ancient artillery firing cannonballs. That is, one hit, and no Wootz Rank will save us. As for your shield, I wouldn't risk trying to deflect toads' projectiles with it."
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"What's our plan?" the Japanese asked tersely.
There are moments like this when it's easier with Katashi than with anyone else. He prefers action over reflection. And I definitely need to learn from him.
"First, we need to determine the rate of fire of these marble toads, their accuracy, and whether they can change the trajectory of their projectiles. Ilakris's words on this matter were too vague, like 'each of the marble toads is unique,'" I quoted the head of the local Tunnellers' Guild. "All we know for sure is that they puff up their cheeks before 'firing.'"
"So, you're suggesting we just go in and see what happens," the Japanese concluded, not so much asking as summarizing my words.
"If you have any better suggestions," I spread my arms, "I'm all ears."
"We could throw my shield into the cave first and see how those toads react." Hearing this made me slightly annoyed that I hadn't thought of such a simple and obvious solution myself.
"Agreed." I nodded sharply without showing any emotion.
After checking our gear and leaving anything unnecessary in the corridor, we headed to the cave together. We stopped at the entrance, and I began a silent countdown, unfolding my fingers. On the count of "three," Katashi stepped forward and hurled the shield deep into the cave with all his might. The rumble of the steel shield bouncing off the rocks was such that it hurt our ears. However, to our disappointment, none of the stone monsters reacted to this quite loud noise. Neither the marble toads, the rockjaws, nor the spiders showed any sign of life.
"Seems they only react to living things," Katashi whispered almost silently.
"Somehow, we never thought to check before," I smiled in response.
"There was no need," the Japanese shrugged, not at all upset. "What's next?"
"Back to plan A then," I smiled, gripping my spear more comfortably.
"The one where you rush in up to the middle and see what happens next?" the blacksmith grimaced.
"It's worked twice already, so let's not break what brings results."
Katashi didn't have an immediate response to that, so, pretending to examine the cave entrance, he asked:
"What do I do?"
"Survive," I grinned.
Without waiting to see Katashi's reaction, I dashed into the cave. In fact, I had a much more elaborate plan than I had told the blacksmith. A short run. The bloody-red garnets, serving as the marble toads' eyes, immediately ignited with a ghostly light. Large and smooth, as if polished, the cheeks of the monsters sitting on massive stone pedestals puffed up, resembling blacksmith's bellows.
Now!
A double forward somersault, and a pair of round granite spheres, each the size of a head, flew under my body. The speed of these projectiles was about five times faster than that of rockjaws.
Damn, rockjaws! No sooner had I thought of them than numerous boulders on the cave floor came to life. I managed to count about fifteen of these annoying monsters before the cheeks of the marble toads puffed up again.
This time, instead of speeding up, I abruptly stopped and, a moment before the spit-shot, performed a backward somersault. But it didn't go as expected; the toad on the pedestal to the left spat out its projectile half a second later than the right creature did. Fortunately, I kept my eyes on the monsters and managed to react in time, adding a twist to the somersault.
Bad! If the toads were shooting synchronously, it would have been much easier, but now I had to calculate the actions of each creature individually. However, even that wasn't excessively complicated, especially since this cave looked like a natural formation, with many ledges and crevices on its walls, and there was always a place to hide if something went wrong.
Half a minute later, I realized that the marble toads weren't so dangerous… They wouldn't have been - if they had been alone in the cave. These monsters didn't shoot that often, and I could have quickly made my way to them. All I had to do was dodge their volley, tricking them into firing the wrong way. But such a dash would have been hindered by the annoying rockjaws, which also should not be overlooked. Lose sight of one of these monsters, and it could either break your ribs, having crashed into you at full speed, or bite off half of your side with its stone teeth.
Another complication of the situation was that the closer I approached the toads, the more stone spiders lying in ambush tried to drop on my head or ensnare me with their legs. Fortunately, Katashi was not idle; not only did the Japanese distract some of the rockjaws, but he also managed to timely warn me of the ambushes ahead.
To my relief, the toads focused all their attention on me as the closest target, and Katashi was not at risk of getting a "cannonball" to the head. After all, for all his efforts, the Japanese lacked my mobility and, most importantly, athletic training. He certainly wouldn't have managed to leap around the cave like a mountain cat, dodging both monsters and stone projectiles at the same time.
However, all these difficulties were nothing compared to the danger posed by the trolls in the previous cave. And when the number of rockjaws decreased by a third, I saw an opportunity and, accelerating sharply, I rushed forward. Two stone "cannonballs" whistled over my head at a quarter-second interval, missing my skull by barely half a meter. The toads didn't manage to fire another volley. Sitting on their huge pedestals, these creatures were as slow and cumbersome as they looked. Once I got behind them, they tried to turn towards me, but due to their build and massive weight, their turning speed was like that of a fully loaded truck maneuvering in a small parking lot.
It took twelve applications of the Rune of Destruction before the first of the frogs finally could not withstand it and crumbled. Finishing off the second was even easier, as having dealt with the first, I already knew the weak spots of such monsters, so it only took seven Runes of Des. All this time, the rockjaws were attacking me. But I positioned myself between the cave wall and the massive bodies of the marble frogs, so that whenever these fanged monsters reached me, they had lost their speed and, thus, their main threat. Moreover, Katashi had become quite accustomed to fighting them, and when the frogs turned towards me, the Japanese took on no less than a dozen rockjaws, which greatly eased my task. True, the blacksmith nearly paid with his life for attracting the attention of so many creatures, but nevertheless, he managed, survived, and even killed all the monsters surrounding him. In doing so, he finally lost his shield and suffered a rib fracture, which required a large healing potion to mend. And that's not to mention the lesser wounds and bruises. But these were details; he did his job, timely distracted a part of the monsters on himself and gave me an opportunity to deal with the main threat.
While the Japanese was waiting for the potion to take effect, we discussed the past battle. More accurately, under the guise of such a discussion, I tried to instill in Katashi the basics of dungeon clearing and to convey to him the idea that his kendo was a poorly suited tool for fighting monsters. And that dodging, moving off the line of attack, was much more effective and reliable than any, even the most skilled and timely, block. It was no coincidence that local tunnellers so rarely used shields, for there were monsters that couldn't care less about your block, like, for example, those granite trolls. Or my recent opponent, the marble frogs - had I been careless enough to end up within reach of one of their paws, no parrying would have saved me, as it would have crushed me into a meat pancake, end of the story. I hoped he wouldn't dismiss my words and would start learning local combat styles not after the Invasion commenced but much earlier. Because, as practice had shown, kendo was not the best choice against demons either.
When the Japanese's cheeks regained a healthy hue, and his ribs not only healed but also didn't hurt when moving, we advanced further. By this point, we had already encountered all the monsters inhabiting the Garnet Grotto and knew how to act against each of them. So, the further clearing of the dungeon turned into a complex, relatively dangerous, but still methodical task. Narrow corridors filled with lurking spiders alternated with vast caves, each inhabited by various sets of monsters we already knew. Indeed, the deeper we descended, the more monsters there were. But with each battle, we gained experience and developed strategies, honing them better and better.
The final cave, which Ilakris mentioned as the most challenging trial, greeted us with twenty-five rockjaws, three trolls, and the same number of marble toads. What was incredibly difficult for the local tunnelers turned out to be one of the easiest steps for us, all thanks to Katashi's suggestion: I positioned myself so that the attacking trolls were aligned with the marble toads. As a result, after a speeding troll was hit by the Evaz Rune and couldn't stop, it crashed into the clunky toad, immediately destroying both. Repeating the successful tactic two more times left only the familiar rockjaws and some remaining spiders in the final cave; clearing them was easy.
"If my internal clock is correct, it's been just under five hours since we entered the Gate," Katashi said, leaning against a stone wall and heavily breathing after we killed the last monster.
"I feel the same way," I responded vaguely, not wanting to admit to the Japanese that I trusted him more than myself when it comes to telling time in enclosed spaces.
"Does this mean we have about seven hours to gather the loot?" The seriousness with which the blacksmith asked this question threw me off a bit.
"Seven hours?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "Why do you need so much time? Ilakris said that the only valuable things in the Garnet Grotto are the stones that serve as the 'eyes' of the monsters. There's nothing else noteworthy in this dungeon. And while extracting the 'eye stones' from the broken creatures, considering there are two of us, is indeed a hassle, yet even then, it shouldn't take more than an hour."
"While you were out of it, I did some digging in that cave and I can tell you that either Ilakris was sincerely mistaken, or he consciously omitted some details."
"Some details?" I frowned.
"Details like this," Katashi finished, stepping toward me and pulling a fist-sized red stone from his pouch.
"This is a garnet, and quite a pure one at that. Back in my homeland, it could sell for about a million yen," the blacksmith explained, noting my confusion. "That's equivalent to about seven thousand dollars. I don't know the local prices, but I assume it's worth a lot here, too."
"Where did you find it?" I asked, mesmerized by the blood-red stone. The conversion to Ain's currency happened almost instantly in my head. If Katashi's estimate was right, then the stone in his hand would be worth about fifty gold on the local market, if not more.
"It served as something like the heart of a granite troll."
"So you have three of them then," I recalled, remembering how many trolls we had encountered in the second cave of the dungeon.
"Correct," the Japanese nodded calmly. "As for the rockjaws and spiders, they turned out to be empty inside. Yes, the 'eyes' of the spiders are made of the moonstone I so desperately need, but all the specimens we've found so far were too small and unsuitable for me. Moreover, many of the moonstones were shattered and are now worthless." The blacksmith grimaced, then added with a strained smile, "But the biggest spiders we encountered were closer to the end of the dungeon, and I haven't examined them yet."
"Marble toads, like trolls, I would consider large monsters; perhaps they have something valuable as their 'heart'?"
"I'm sure of it," nodded Katashi.
"In that case, let's work as geologists," I smiled, rubbing my hands and already mentally counting the potential profit.
"But are you versed in stones?" the Japanese asked, piercing me with his direct gaze. "Do you possess an Understanding of the necessary Rune or have an Affinity with Stone?"
"No. I don't have any of that, and I can hardly tell a natural diamond from rock crystal," I had to admit.
"In that case, it would be better if you don't touch anything and just sit aside," the blacksmith shrugged. "You can even sleep; I won't mind."
"So my main job is to not interfere, not get in your way, and not be a nuisance," I concluded from his remarks.
"That would be very good," the Japanese replied with a relieved smile, completely sincere.
And this person wondered why nobody could stand his company for long?!
After receiving assurances that I would not touch anything myself, Katashi said he would begin a systematic inspection of the entire dungeon, confidently stating that he would manage in the remaining seven hours.
To avoid wasting time, I immersed myself in meditation and reflection. The first thing I thought about was whether Ilakris had lied to us or if he himself didn't know that large garnets could be found in troll bodies. I eventually concluded that he was unaware of this. Local tunnelers kill trolls by smashing their heads with multiple hits from two-handed hammers. As a result of such a victory, the troll's body remains intact, essentially looking like a granite block larger than a minivan. Prying and breaking such a massive block of granite, even for a warrior of Wootz Rank, would take considerable effort and sweat. But the main thing is, before you hit the granite, you need to understand why you are doing it. And to "see" the hidden value inside the body of a defeated troll, one must possess an Affinity with Stone. I don't think any of the local tunnelers have such a rare Affinity, not just now, but ever. Moreover, as in the case with the Tomb I had previously cleared, the stones mined by Katashi reached such impressive sizes because they had been left untouched for centuries. That means, if Ilakris's group does manage to break a troll's body into pieces next time, they will find not a garnet the size of a fist inside, but a much smaller stone, which consequently is not as valuable. This theory was also supported by the fact that it was none other than Katashi who found the gems. A Shard with his inherent luck. And the thought that Ilakris had deliberately lied to the Sheriff of the Book seemed overly contrived to me.
Having clarified this matter, I immersed myself in the contemplation of the Core. I was concerned about the possibility that the Lethal Beauty, with her "invasion," could have broken or changed something. To my incredible relief, this Entity left no traces behind, except for, of course, the adamantium Achievement.
As my meditation was deep and contemplative, it took about an hour. During that time, Katashi managed to explore just one cave, the very one where we first encountered the marble toads. I was tempted to approach the Japanese and inquire about the progress of the mining, but I managed to hold myself back and remained where I was.
Judging by the thoroughness with which Katashi approached the task, he really intended to spend all the remaining time until the Reset searching for valuables. Persuading him otherwise was not in my interest, so after removing my gambeson, I spread it on relatively flat stones and lay down to sleep.
I woke up abruptly, as if someone had flipped an emergency switch. Opening my eyes, I looked around for a few seconds, not understanding where the sense of danger that woke me came from. It was still empty and quiet around. The only change since I fell asleep was the lighting, which had dimmed slightly. Such a shift could mean only one thing: the dungeon Reset was not far off. I quickly gathered mine and Katashi's belongings, slung the backpack over my shoulder, and hurried to find the blacksmith. Fortunately, the Garnet Grotto was a linear dungeon, so it was impossible to get lost, and I quickly found the Japanese engrossed in his work.
"Judging by the change in lighting, we have no more than ten minutes," I said, looming over the blacksmith.
"What?" Katashi asked, looking up at me irritably.
"I'm saying the light is changing. Just take a look for yourself." After waiting for the Japanese to look around, I continued. "A Reset is approaching. Gather everything, and let's go."
"But..."
"No 'buts,' we're leaving right now."
This was one of Katashi's shortcomings; when he was engrossed in his work, he could stop paying attention to everything happening around him.
"Yes, I see, it's gotten darker," the Japanese agreed. "How much time is left?"
"Five minutes," I halved the remaining time.
"Alright, I'm essentially done."
"I've brought your things. Pack up, and let's go."
Many in Katashi's place, upon learning how little time we had left, would have started to hustle, but the blacksmith seemed completely unaffected by the pressure of time. First, he thoroughly checked his belongings, then rearranged a couple of finds, neatly put away his tools, and only then put on his backpack. It seemed like he was doing everything slowly and unhurriedly, but in reality, it took him even less than a minute to pack up.
"Ready," he said briefly.
"Tell me, what did you find?" I asked as we briskly walked toward the Exit.
"Fourteen large garnets; alas, two troll hearts shattered, and their fragments are worthless," began the Japanese. "Seven sizable moonstones, two of which definitely meet my requirements. Thirty-nine small garnets, very clean but quite tiny, still worth at least a couple dozen silvers each. Another fifty small moonstones, I would rate them at five silvers a piece."
"You know the local prices for precious stones that well?" I couldn't hide my surprise at his knowledge.
"While looking for replacements for the stolen moonstones, I had to run around the markets," shrugged Katashi.
"What about the marble frogs? Did they have precious hearts?"
"They did, but I'm not sure about my assessment. The frog hearts turned out to be simple jade. Yes, they are as large as a grapefruit, but seemingly of no value."
"Seemingly?" I asked for clarification.
"I've never seen jade of such shade before," explained the blacksmith, "so I took them with me, but they might be worth nothing." Patting his bag, the Japanese continued, "All told, judging by the prices in Bordum, the stones are worth about eight hundred gold."
"That's without the frog hearts?" I clarified.
"Yes, I didn't count those," Katashi nodded in a manner that made it evident he was quite satisfied with himself.
"Don't count your money just yet," I sighed regretfully, bringing the Japanese back to reality. "First, we need to deduct taxes. Second, we've rented the Garnet Grotto on certain terms; specifically, we have to give a third of the loot to Ilakris. And third, the assessment of the stones you found and their buyback, according to our agreement, will be handled by the head of the local tunnellers, and I'm not sure his evaluation will match yours." With each word I spoke, Katashi's face grew darker - apparently, he had already mentally spent his share on buying tools and rare ingredients, and now it was physically painful for him to hear my listings. "Though, due to my status as the Guild Sheriff, Ilakris won't dare to underestimate, but still, I think he'll try to assign the minimum price for each stone. Why are you upset?" I asked with slight surprise, as if I had just noticed the change in Katashi's mood. "Remember, we came here just for a couple of moonstones, and you would have been happy if we had found just them and nothing else."
"It's true, but..." the Japanese said, frustrated, and waved his hand without finishing his thought.
"I'm not planning to break the already made agreements and run away with the loot, keeping it all to myself," I stated with feigned firmness.
"And I wasn't suggesting to," the smith snapped back. "I always honor the agreements I make, even if they turn out to be unfavorable..." Knowing this trait of his character, I had made the previous statement, already knowing what response I would hear.
When we reached the Sign of the Gate, I stopped Katashi.
"I'll be handling the negotiations and trading."
"But..."
"No 'buts'. The local society is largely class-based, and my status as a sheriff is much higher than yours until you earn your personal Master's Sign. If you interfere in the conversation and especially contradict me, the locals might take it as crossing a line."
"Fine." The Japanese was clearly not very pleased, but he accepted my reasoning.
"Did I interfere when you were working? I did not. So don't interfere with me doing my part of the job." And without letting him get a word in, I placed my hand on the Entrance Sign.
Nature greeted us with twilight at sunset and a slightly drizzling warm rain.
"I thought they would wait for us," said Katashi. Having emerged from the Gate, he immediately noticed with slight irritation that the fire in front of the dungeon had long gone out and that no one was around, neither Ilakris nor Sheriff Romer.
"As if they have nothing better to do than sit by a fire for twelve hours waiting for something," I dismissed.
But, without taking a step forward, I froze, then bent down and picked up a small bouquet of wildflowers neatly placed near the Symbol of the Garnet Grotto Gate.
"What's wrong?" asked Katashi, peering over my shoulder.
"Well..." I grimaced and showed the Japanese the bouquet I had found underfoot.
"And... What?" The blacksmith didn't understand.
"This unassuming and hardy flower is called the gatekeeper; it grows practically at every entrance to a dungeon. It is also considered a flower of the tunnellers. And it is only plucked for one reason - to be placed like this at the Gate."
"And?" The Japanese spread his hands, still not grasping what I meant.
"We've been declared dead," I explained.
[1] Translator's note: I'm not so sure about the essence of the joke, but my guess is that it was a reference to the fact that prostitutes on the streets used to wait for clients standing at a wall. Usually, telling someone to go and stand at a wall refers to the way an execution by a firing squad happens, but there's nothing indecent in that case.