With the battle over they left the town of Tanaris. They were in no hurry to get back to the capital. Thus they decided to quest in the neighboring region. To quest now in the town would be a waste. Only low level quests would be available for them.
They ventured north east to another town where they were told a few quests would be available for them. It seemed after their promotion more than a few people were extremely friendly to them. They departed the morning most others did. More than a few people wanted to travel with them. It seems that in the guild chat there was gossip as well. After the useful information was shared it was time for gossip. The gossip was mainly about unique things that happened. Anything from a secret quest or class was talked about. Naturally the whole episode of Yuri and his spirit hawk was also talked about. It has been nearly 3 months since it all happened so people were not talking about it anymore. The battle would be talk for the next week or two. Most of the time they only glanced at the guild chat. When they were sitting and doing nothing they would monitor the guild chat out of the corner of their eyes.
They found a group quest to protect a noble man for a few days from bandits while he was in town to collect huge amounts of money from those that owed him. Most of his old body guard had died during the previous collection and he needed time to recruit new guards. The quest would last 5 days and they expected trouble on the last day when the noble man would go around town to collect the money. They were forced to spend their time in the yard of the lords house. They worked out rotations. Two would stay and watch while 3 others could go walk in the town and spend their time how they wanted.
Cuzen and Yuri got the first shift. 6 hours from now they would be replaced. The town was about the same size as the Tanaris. This town however had no keep and had 3 watchtowers. The best looking house was that of the mayor and the second best was the one they were protecting. Those that went to town went mainly looking for new quests and to stock up on the odd supplies they needed. Before the 6 hours were up they all were back in the yard of the noble man.
“Well since you all are here I have good news and bad news.” Cuzen said
“Bad news first.”
“We are stuck here for the next 4 days at least. I talked it over with those that suggested this quest for us. According to them one person in the party has to stay here in the yard until the 5th day. So for the next 5 days we are trapped here until we are done. The good news is that this quest has a high experience reward and gold for 4 days of sitting here. There will be a brief battle on the 5th day. They told me that on the 5th day a group of bandits will attempt to kill us and take the money. The number of bandits and their level varies to that of the group guarding the noble man.”
“That seems not too bad. You are sure they will not attack here at the house?”
“Yebo yes. It seems this is a fixed quest. Whenever a party takes the quest from the steward of the house the current guards all magically disappear and thus the need for us is made. After the 5th day those guards that had disappeared will be back. If you fail the quest the noble man would be replaced by a son, brother or uncle. According to others the first noble man was an old man. The one we see now is a son of some sorts. When the current noble dies the system replaces him with somebody we have never seen before but the town knows him and so the next party can do the quest. The bandits we are going to face are 3 levels higher than us. They will also outnumber us. There should be 7 of them if the guys are correct. Other than that there is not much more I know.”
“Must say this amount of detail for a quest we are doing is something new. Wonder how long it would last.”
“Do not jinx it for us, let us use these 4 days to sleep and work on our professions”
“Ok, so be it. Who knows, maybe something exiting will happen to us.”
Nothing exciting happened to them. Tinker was still braking and repairing leather items, Zomger could not fish so he scribbled down a few poems and songs. Yuri left them there and said he was going out hunting for meat. They would have complained but he was the best hunter and they never bought meat. The prices were crazy to say the least. Cuzen also used this time to leave and claimed he needed a forge to go work at. He could have afforded his own little smelter and anvil by now but blacksmithing was not high on his to do list. Lina stayed behind and was making slippers. It was not cold enough and they never really had time to wear slippers but yet she was making a pair for each of them. She claimed they needed it for a cold winter and when they were not running around in the wild. She apparently thought that they would find a place to call home where they could relax and take it easy when they were not running around. It seemed that the guild house of the BoS was giving her odd ideas.
The most interesting thing to happen was that Cuzen would attend his first Elder Circle meeting. It was just a conference call of all the leaders in the guild. Not all of the leaders were online. Buster and Zane were offline. Thus the others would just go on without them.
Major was the first to speak.”Evening all, we do not have much to discuss so it won’t take long. First order of business is to welcome Cuzen to our rank.” All congratulated him and he thanked them all in turn. “Just a friendly reminder that we will expect your monthly payments now that you are one of us. I suggest you keep track of your money.”
“I did not think you guys were serious about that. 10 % of my monthly earnings?”
“15%, it is all there in the guild tab. Back to things that matter. Gambit you are up first.”
“Ok. Recruitment is coming along fine. Few more people are currently being monitored. 3 people left the guild after we refused to lend them 1 000 gold for whatever it was they wanted it for. Sorry I forgot what they wanted the money for. Raiding is coming along fine. We have reports of a new dungeon close to the sea that has been found. It is a bit out of the way but for those in the area it should be a good place to farm. Asmodian?”
“Nothing to report on my side. Maybe when I get back to the city I will do my rounds at the mages guild and wise sage house. Aurora?”
I will look at the church of Freya for new recruits. As per usual not much more from the others in my division to report. Where you others go we healers have to follow. It is getting harder to find healers. It seems most new players want to do battle or even choose warrior classes if they just intend to take in the sites. Most players that delete their old characters and make new ones choose to leave the healing class and take something else. I will have to think of a new way or something great to find more healers. It seems those that choose the healing class are already in full parties and not all their members are good enough to join our ranks. Those few solo players who are healers are not interested in joining a guild so soon. Dismas?”
“Crime is down in the capital, seems harsher punishments are being implemented. Maybe this will help to get the weak caught and the strong might be convinced to join the guild. One of my underlings spends a great deal at the thieves guild and has his eye on a few possible candidates. Not much is happening over at the assassins guild and it seems the hunter guilds are busy as ever. Yamato is the person that goes around there for recruitment and he had stopped doing it. He claims there are too many idiots and it is too early to rate how well a player is. He will think about other means and ways of finding good hunters. He claims that the good hunters all join parties with random people or friends. As you know we cannot look and monitor all these groups. The solo players are running in the wilds and rarely come to cities, thus we have no idea who they are either. Cuzen?
“Wait what? I have been stuck in a satanic mansion for the past few months and had no time for recruitment.” He was not sure what was going on so he assumed that they wanted to talk about recruitment.
“No need to get all defensive. It is just how our meetings go. We all get a change to report and usually Zane goes after Dismas but since he is not here you are next. After each person delivers their report we talk. Depending on the talks we vote and implement new things and give out orders.
“Good to know. Not much to report I am afraid. Not sure what is report worthy.”
“We are currently focusing on recruitment and expansion. So unless you have something to add or valuable information to reveal you do not have to mention it. If you are not sure about some information you may pester Gambit with all your information.”
“Hey, why me?”
“Other than the usual reasons? Because he would have fallen under your division if we did not put them in a special class.”
“Fine. Cuzen any more questions or things you want to add before we move on to Major’s report?”
“Yes. Why did you create the special class? Can you give me examples of valuable information?”
“We created the special class for those that do not really fit into our current ranking system. It is for those that have unique skills and classes. We wanted to make Asmodian leader of this group since as far as we know he is the only Arcane mage around but then your group shined in battle and we all still remember Yuri and his Spirit hawk. It seems you guys are doing things that normal players do not. Who had ever heard of a warrior with the highest level of alchemy in the guild? The rate you guys are moving we can only hope more interesting things are to come. As for the information it is things like how you guys entered the fairy forest and lived to tell the tail. I do not expect you to help in trades and things like that but if a plague or war broke out in a area, do tell. We do not expect details.
Again take Asmodian. We all know he has the secret class but not how he got it. He told us of a powerful sage whose magic power rivals that of the mages guild Grand Magus back in the capital. We had sent a few other mages and wizards over to him but none had returned with a secret class. It us up to you how much you are willing to share but the more the better. New dungeons and their locations are a must to be reported.”
“Ok I think I understand more now. Maybe in time our special group can be like heavy hitters that can surprise our enemies.”
“That’s cute, heavy hitters. But yes that is kind of what we are going for. Only time would tell I guess.”
Major spoke next. “With that sorted out it is my turn. Talks and negotiates with friends and allies are ongoing as ever. I need a group of knights to go clear out mines in Falmer. According to my NPC foreman at the mines, three of my mines in that area have been overrun by goblins. There level is between 30 and 50 so we do not need the best to go. These mines however are very productive so the sooner the better.”
Gambit said that he would send a group or two that are nearby to clear them.
“Also I need a group of knights to protect a lord for a week or two while he takes control of the Sheanar region. He is staging a sort of coo and the other lords will send and hire thugs or assassins to get him. We have interest there and we need him to not die. The group you send will only protect the lord and not attack his rivals unless they are threatening the lord’s life. Best that we are not directly involved in the killing of his enemies.”
“A task of this magnitude will require compensation. How much money will you give for the group that is to protect him?”
“500 gold. Spoils and items they earn while doing this is theirs.”
“That will make things easier. I’ll send a group that are high in levels.”
“Good. Send the best if they are willing to go. I have received reports from my minions at the Razor mountains that there is a man that is mining in the region. Apparently he is a player and I want someone to go to him and listen to his story. If he shows potential, recruit him.”
Asmodian spoke. “The Razor mountains are close to Cuzen, maybe he should be sent to investigate. This would be a good time for him to test his leadership skills.”
The others agreed and thus he was given the task. Cuzen explained he could not leave right away since he was currently busy with a quest. As soon as he could, he would go.
“Alright I am sending a huge caravan down to our southern chapter. Spread the word for those that want to travel with it and those that go can double as body guards.” Major was still reporting
“Currently we are still looking for a place to buy or build us a ship. The Sea is vast and many places are eager. Here in the heaven kingdom seems to be the best place so far. I have asked other players in other kingdoms who are questing around sea cities and large towns to keep their eyes open. As for now we are still waiting before we act. Think so long of names for three ships. No Star Trek or Star Wars names will be accepted. Cuzen we had spoken of this and voted to get ships or build new ones. Currently a transport ship, a battle ship and a smaller fast ship has been approved. So if the names you think of can reflect that it would be good. We do not want our battle ship to be called Flower Power.”
“Our allies are pleased with the result of Tanaris. They requested that a few warriors stay behind to protect them for in case they are attacked again. I could not promise that but I told them that many of our knights are going to quest in the surrounding area and should help ward off the enemies. I doubt the Pharaohs will attack but a person never truly knows. It has been a while and it seems two other guilds joined them in the attack for promised riches. After the defeat they left so all should be well.”
“In closing I do not have much more to add. Recruitment of new scribes are low. It seems many choose to take battle classes. I have noticed that most scribes we have recently recruited are friends or party members of the other recruits Gambit had found. So if anyone has something more to add or say were are done.” It seemed nobody had more to say and the meeting was over. He was not sure what to expect but this meeting turned our normal. A few things were new to him but that was not so important.
The others wanted to know what happened in the meeting and what was talked about. He told them it was mainly about recruitment. He added the part of a strong sage that lives in the capital. How they will have ships soon and how he had a task to do when they were done with this quest.
At the morning of the 5th day the lord came into the yard to get them. Today will be the day the bandits strike. They did not know when and where so they had to be vigilant. The Lord had many stops to make before he returns. They left the house, per usual Cuzen was walking in front with his helmet visor open. He would close it just before the battle starts. Lina walked arm in arm with the lord. She did not mind, she claimed the lord was rather handsome. They hoped that would catch the bandits of guard until she toasted them with a fire spell. She wore her dress for battle. For the casual observer it would seem like just a lord with a new young thing on his arm. Little do they know the temper and damage output from Lina was high.
On a single scarecrow or many Lina did the most damage. During battle she had to move and cast spells that are mana efficient, otherwise she burns out too quickly. Zomger was just behind them in full bards uniform. Again they hoped the enemies would ignore him while he curses and heals them. In combat healers and spell casters are the first to be targeted. Zomger was under orders to take a dagger in the place of the lord. He did not really want to, but for the good of the mission he would do it.
Tinker would bring up the rear a small distance away. If the party walks on the left side of the street he would be on the right side. His instructions were to blend in and just look like another person. Thus he wore his leather armour under a coat. The heat was killing him but this way he seemed like just a random traveler. Yuri was on the roof tops flanking them. His spirit hawk was on the other side watching the blind spots Yuri could not.
Everything went fine, until they came to the last stop. It was an antique shop of sorts. In addition of having old furniture they had staves, wands and the odd crystal ball. Lina was in heaven and took the time to look at each item. With her identification skill she quickly sorted out through all the items in hopes of finding something good. There was a staff that was powerful, but she did not want it because it did not match her outfit.
As they left the store it all happened so fast. Hooded figures that seemed to have appeared out of the wood work all had weapons in hand. Yuri already had his bow out and made ready to fire from the roof across the street when he got stabbed in the back. Tinker was the second to react, he saw men making a move on his party that just came from the shop. Before his weapons were drawn, he too got stabbed in the back. Three hooded figures attacked Cuzen. With his plate armour on, the damage he suffered was minimal. He tried attacking but they just dodged and kept poking at him with their weapons.
Zomger and Lina on the other hand, had little time to react. Zomger did actually dive in front of a dagger aimed for the lords back. He got stabbed and grabbed his opponent. His strength did not match up with those of combat classes but he could hang on to his enemy until others could help. The other hooded figure stabbed the lord and took the purse with all the money in. He was making his retreat and whistled. His allies seemed to take that for the retreat signal. Most of them escaped.
Lina burnt the person Zomger was holding on to. Tinker managed to reverse the tables on the person that stabbed him. His thicker leather saved him from mortal injury. The enemy tried to use his speed to get away but Tinker ended his life quickly.
When things settled down they could finally figure out what had happened. Zomger was healing the lord. His personal injury was not fatal, but the same could not be said about the lord. If the attacker from behind landed his attack, it all would have been over. Tinker came closer while Cuzen was returning after a short sprint in an attempt to catch the criminals. He lost them after the first corner.
“Guys, bad news. Some pussy assassin got me from behind. My hawk is following them, he will return once he finds their hide out. Get the gold then and salvage the quest.”
“Wait I can heal you, I just need to get to the roof or have direct line of sight.”
“No time, save the lord. I am going to the movies and maybe get some take out...”
“Haha, what a man to the very end.”
Yuri has died
“Will the lord live?”
“Yes, he will probably be awake soon.”
“How in the seven hells did they sneak up on us like that? I barely had time to cast a fire spell before they were running away.”
“All seven of them were assassins it would seem. Three to distract Cuzen. Two to rob the lord and kill him and two others to disable me and Yuri.”
“It was smart of them. I really thought we did a good job of blending in. It seems they were one step ahead of us all the time. I think they might have scouted us at the house. Since Lina and I wore no armour or used no class related skills, they probably just thought you were eye candy and I was a handsome bard.”
“That does not really comfort me. When the hawk gets back, those bastards will pay. Ill burn their entire hideout to rubble.”
“Indeed, first let us get the lord back the house and leave this place.”
The NPC’s just looked on and went back to their normal lives. It seemed they did not really care about the lord and these kind of things happened frequently.
Back at the Lord’s house he finally woke up. “The pain, bring me wine for the pain.” A servant ran away to get some.
“My lord, 7 assassins attacked us. We lost one of our own and killed two of theirs. If it was not for Zomger here that used his body as a shield against one of the attackers, I fear the worst might have happened to you.”
“I am thankful. What of the gold?”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“They took it, but do not worry. Soon we are leaving to the hideout of the bandits to get your gold.”
“Good, I was about to say you fail the quest. Bring back my purse and all would be fine.”
“That is the plan my lord, you rest now and enjoy the wine. We will be back when we are done.”
When the hawk returned they followed it to the rundown part of town. He landed at the steps of a door and vanished. They assumed he went back to the fairy forest to visit. All of them had their battle gear equipped. With weapons drawn and a fire ball floating in front of Lina, ready to hit the first unlucky target. They busted down the door with no real battle plan in mind. For now they were going to kill any who stood in their way.
Five men sat at a table with each a drink in the hand. They did not have much time to react before Cuzen leaped into one of them and bashed him into the opposite wall. Tinker dodge a dagger aimed for his head and went into his rotations. He attacked two opponents at the same time. The fellow that was trying to stand up after his encounter with the wall got a massive fire ball that burnt him to a pile of loot. One person darted to the next room and left his friends behind. The battle was short. All that remained was 3 corpses and one burnt pile that would have been a corpse if Lina did not waste all her mana. During all the ruckus the table was overturned. Lying on the ground they found the purse along with a small lock box. They searched the house that had nothing else of value. It would seem the 5th person left his friends behind.
“What the hell, I can’t put the lock box into my inventory.”
“Yes, that is because it is owned. It prevents people from putting others chests into their inventory. They could however carry them out, but then they would be seen.”
“We need somebody with good lock picking.
“Let us just bust it open.”
“No can do. When you break a chest or lock box open, you damage the contents inside.”
“How can you damage gold?”
“I don’t know. It is just the way the system works. I read somewhere that is how it works. I do not really want to test it out.”
“Guess that is one way of getting people to play thief and assassin classes. On the other hand it’s just another reason to keep them around.”
“Great so do we bring the lock box or leave it here?”
“Bring it of course. There should be someone in this crummy town who can open it.”
“Until then I need to walk around with it in my hands?”
“Yes, you are a dual wielding swordsman, sure you can handle a small box until we are rid of it.”
The loot they got was mainly cloth. Lina claimed them all for her profession. Even if it was not good quality, she could still use them. They found a person to open the lock box. He asked for 2 gold coins, 5 if it was not theirs. He opened it and found a handful of gold coins from different kingdoms. Along with a note.
The lord will go on his rounds soon. Make sure you rob him after he collects all the money. Currently we can only confirm he has hired outside aid. Best to investigate before you strike.
Van Cleef expects his cut of the profit
Nobody had any idea who this Van Cleef fellow was. They asked the lock smith, who claimed he had no idea. They noticed he was lying. His personality changed and he seemed to be very nervous all of a sudden. He quickly added that for an additional gold piece he would take the lockbox off their hands. He got his gold and they were off. Best not to get to involved in this. They wanted to leave the area soon.
Back at the lords house they gave him his gold. None seemed to have gone missing. He was pleased to say the least. The empty wine bottles alongside his bed was a good indication of how he was feeling. With the quest completed they decided to head toward the Razor mountains. Yuri would just have to catch up once he logged back in. It was unfortunate that he missed out on the experience gained from the quest. What was even worse was that all the money they got from the quest was lost, so no reward for him. A bag full of gold divides better 4 ways than 5.
During their walk they talked. They used this time to catch up on each others personal activities.
“So Lina. Whatever happened to you and the level 5 enchanting?”
“I failed. It is dam hard to learn something from level 5 if you do not know level 1 through 4.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“No worries. Master William claims that I needed more levels and affinity to fire. He said on level 100 I should know what he is talking about.”
“That makes no sense. You are a fire mage. Don’t you have an affinity for it already?”
“It would seem no. It unlocks at level 100, so than I will know what is going for what. That reminds me. Cuzen you mind to give me your fairy dust?”
“A bit. Why?”
“I will need it when I try again. I spent all of mine.”
“Sure. Not like I have major magic and mana intensive spells or abilities.”
“What more can you tell us of enchanting.”
“I guess I can tell you the basics. Enchanting is not what I thought it would be. The type of magic you use and class you are. Dictates the type of enchantment I can make. For example, I could only give fire resistance to armour or add fire damage if I put it on weapons. There are a few other fire related things I can do, but that is the basics of it. Stats that gives strength and so forth comes from warriors that learn the skill and more importantly the materials the item is made from. But since it is so hard, I doubt you will find warriors and other classes with low intel to be enchanters. Also you need expensive materials.”
“Of course you do.”
“Between level 1 and 4. You use arcane dust. Which sells for between 100 and 500 gold depending on the purity. The more pure it is, the better.”
“Just how many enchants can a person make with one batch that costs say 400?”
“One” She said in a tone which gave them all shivers down their spines.
“How does that work?”
“Not sure, but just the way it is. But on the up side. Enchanting is faster to level up then say blacksmithing, if you have the mats. The % it climbs after each use is determined by the purity of the dust and the better the purity, the better the enchantment will be. On level 5 you start using arcane dust and arcane sulphur.” She took a deep breath and spoke again.
“Again take blacksmithing, at the start you use iron, then when you get better you will use bronze and maybe silver and later you use only steel to make the best armour and weapons. What we are told is that Mithral is the next ore that will be used to make better gear, and who knows what comes after that. But in enchanting. You don’t get a new powder. You add to the next. So from level 5 I need arcane sulphur that costs currently between 400 and 1000 gold per pop in addition to the arcane dust. It really becomes expensive.”
“How is a person supposed to level it up, if it is so expensive?”
“You can lick me if I know. I think the prices will maybe go down. Or when the time is right. Massive mines and supplies will appear or be found. If that does not happen. Not sure how I am going to level it up.”
“Maybe it will become easier when the time is right or the overlords at Unicorn industry decides the time is right.”
“What made me mad, is that on level 1. You can only enchant things that do not have bonus stats or any item of worth. So those crappy swords and iron rod that helps no one. Is the only things you can enchant. Not sure why people would pick this up as a profession. It is madness. I can however confirm that from level 5, a person can enchant something relevant. Like say our current items we using. But still only one enchantment per item.There is more to be said about it, but since I did not learn the skill. There is much I still do not know and will only find out myself later.”
“Well, keep us informed and up to date if you get it and Shot gun.”
“Shot gun on what?”
“If you do get the mats and learn the enchanting skills. I call shot gun that you enchant my items first.”
“How about I torch you first instead?” A quick fire ball hit Zomger
That was the last they would hear of Lina and her enchanting until she could go back to Master William and learn the ability.
The Razor mountains were named because all the mountains and peaks facing north looked like spikes. According to a local it was the harsh weather from the north that carved out the spikes during the centuries. The town was located in the middle of the mountain range on the south slopes. It did not take long for them to find a person who knew what they were looking for. They were told to go to the only three story inn, in town.
“Evening adventures. Welcome to the Razor Inn. You will find no better place for rest and meals while you are visiting.”
“Thank you sir. We are looking for a man that is mining in the surrounding area. We were told that you may be able to help us.”
“That depends, is the person in trouble?”
“Not really no, we are here to talk to him and ask him a few questions.”
“Very well, you do not seem like bounty hunters. The man you are looking for is actually a dwarf.”
“Really, now I feel racist for look for a dwarf that loves mining.”
“Please tell us more. Is he here right now?”
“No, he only comes when he wants a hot meal and to flirt with the ladies”
“He sounds like an interesting fellow”
“That he is. When he first came here a few weeks back he payed with a giant jewel. He said he wanted food and drink every time he comes here, until he leaves or the jewel does not cover his tab. He left yesterday, so he will not be back soon.”
“Do you by any chance know where he mines in the mountain range?”
“No, there is only one active mine here that stretches through the entire mountain range. He could be mining at any of the caves, shafts or holes in the mountain. Maybe the foreman of the mine can help you.”
“Aw hell. That is about a few miles of area we will need to cover and search if nobody knows where he is.”
“Let’s go to the foreman and get this started then.”
“Follow the main road towards the mountain. The last building is where the foreman and workers off load their goods after a days work. From that point there are also caves and smaller paths leading all over the mountain.”
The building was easy enough to find. There were two guards sitting outside playing cards. They asked for the foreman. They were told he would be back before days end.
“So we are going to take a break and log back in later?”
“Sure might as well”
“Great see you all later”
Scot climbed out of his capsule. He had a few hours to kill before they were going to resume the quest. On their way to the to the Razor Mountains he wondered what move Yuri was going to watch. He got on the internet to watch what movies were showing these days. He would not have time to watch anything today but soon he will have some free time to go. He was craving popcorn.
For a change Tinker was the last to log back in. He saw the others already talking to a man. He joined them as soon as he could.
“Yes yes, a real troublemaker. I took the case to the local magistrate. He refused to send guards to arrest him. He said the mineral rights Major owns are specific for copper. Since he mines Jewels and leaves the copper he is not breaking the law. The only charge he is guilty of is trespassing. We almost got him arrested for that but he was mining from a cave into the mountain.
Since he was not using existing tunnels that we own, he was not trespassing. There is nothing we can do to him. He had mined into a copper vain and has ruined it, so that we cannot mine out the entire vain safely. That was when I sent message to Major to ask for help”
“Yes that is why we are here. Where can we find this person?”
“In a cave near the eastern side. About an hour’s hike from here. I will send a man with to guide you. He may not be there anymore, but that was the last area we saw him in.”
“Right, let us be off. Tinker is here and Yuri is still locked out for 3 days.”
Their guide seemed not to impressed that he was told to lead them. It was getting dark fast. He removed 3 lamps. He would walk in front with one. The other is for the person in the back and middle. The others asked Lina to use her magic but the guide told them not too.
“People that use magic here at night have a tendency to disappear”. They wanted to object and know more. The guide refused to talk more about it, or lead them further, until they stopped the magic. The progress was slow to say the least but they powered onwards. The guide talked about how he could navigate these paths in the dark. It was the few paths on the north slope a person should fear. Every one giggled when he slipped and fell a few seconds after that remark. He did well not to let the lamp break.
From the way he fell and protected the lamp a person could tell he was protecting the lamp at all cost. Each of them tripped on stones or lost their footing now and again. They were not skilled explorers and Cuzen in his full plate armour seemed to be struggling the most. Nobody shed a tear for him, he was an idiot for almost always wearing battle armour.
“Are we there yet? I am sure it has been an hour already.”
“We are well over half way now. The night slows things down.”
As Zomger was walking he stared at the stars to take in the beauty of it all. One miss step and he well face first, crushing the lamp he was carrying.
“I am ok guys, the path suddenly moved, so I fell.”
“Sure it did. Awesome use of your face to break the fall.”
“Those in the middle will just have to walk in the dark. Use the last lamp at the back”
“Why do you use lamps and not torches?”
“We do not want open flame when we are mining for in case we come across a gas pockets. In addition no mountain fires will start by accident. Lamps also last longer and their brightness can be adjusted. No mage will work in a mine unless he was hard pressed for work or being punished.”
“Are there any monsters here?”
“Not that I have seen. Some snakes and the odd eagle lives here. The eagle’s are the ones you should look out for during the day. A few years back goblins moved in but we got rid of them.”
“How can a eagle be a problem?”
“They are big and strong enough to grab a child and fly away with them. We should be safe. They like the smaller animals. I have seen a hungry eagle try and kidnapped a young man when there was a tough winter.”
‘’So the thing in the night that does not like magic is not a monster?”
The guide ignored them and kept on walking. A few minutes had passed.
”The cave is up ahead. Best if one of you take the lead. I’ll just hang at the back and be ready to take you back at a moment’s notice.
They set off to find this interesting dwarf that would rather mine in the dirt all day then explore the grand world of RR
As they entered the cave they could hear tapping sounds in the distance. They followed the sound. It did not take long to find him. As soon as their light started to illuminate the tunnel he stopped mining. They could see how he swapped a pick for an axe.
“Who goes there?”
“Don’t worry. We not here to attack you, just to talk.”
“The last group of players that wanted to talk, tried to rob me.”
“We are not them, and how do you know we are players?”
“No woman as attractive as her will come here unless she was a player.”
It was odd, they were badly illuminated and could barely see the dwarf. But he could see them just fine.
“How sure are you she is not a man with just a female avatar?”
“In the way she stands. As soon as she starts talking and walking it will be confirmed.”
“I told you guys that is how you spot real woman and not guys”
“O please Zomger now is not the time show off.”
“Anyway, back to the matter at hand. You mind if we come closer and get a better look at you?”
“Yes I do, I can see you just fine from here. Not my fault you don’t have night vision.”
“Really, what level is your night vision?”
“That is none of your business.” He said firmly.
“Ok. We are going off topic again. Mister Dwarf, do you mind telling us who you are and what you are doing here?
“I do, tell me what is it to you?”
“As I said, we just here to talk and investigate. Our guild master owns this mine and he had reports that there was trouble. Thus we are here.”
“Ok, I have been over it with those annoying NPC’s. Now I am mining here in this natural cave and the jewels belong to no one.”
“Yes we know all that, we here to listen to your story.”
Their eyes were still adjusting to the dark but they could see his body language changed and he gave a few steps forward. They still could not see his face but it was clear he had no hair on his head and a beard to the middle of his body. A pick was resting over his one shoulder and the outlines of an axe could be seen in his other hand.
“I will tell you my story. If the pretty lady agrees to give me a kiss”
There was silence. Nobody would dare to ask Lina to do most anything, let alone give a kiss to a stranger.
“All right, I will give you a kiss..”. All of them were shocked, Lina did not even tolerate men talking with her if she did not like them. She started walking closer, when she was in front her hands lit up. "....The Kiss of FIRE!” She shot fire balls into his face.
Most warriors would charge and fight, but he just stood there.”Definitely a women”. He said while laughing.
“I have heard many replies but this was the first kiss of fire, a deal is a deal.”
“Good, so name, class and life story. The works.”
“As you can see I am a dwarf. I started out over in Bremen. Picked up mining profession, mined a lot of stuff. Noticed the real money was in jewels and rare ore. So I got jewel crafting as well. Currently I am looking for a specific gem. Lastly the name is Antrax.”
It was a short description, just like he was.” Ok Antrax, did you say your profession is mining?”
“Yes.”
“How did that happen?”
“Easy I mine a lot and I like it. It is very rewarding.”
“Makes sense I guess. Earth full of minerals and ore. Don’t you get bored or lonely?”
“Yes I do, that is why I go to towns and when I trade what I need, I meet some new people.”
“Why would you mine, there is a whole world full of adventure and monsters out there?”
“The same could be said about mining. I have seen things in caves that not many people have.”
“Like what?”
“I’ll skip the usual rats, bats and goblins. I accidentally found a mole city, accidentally mined into magma. And then there was the whole thing with the earth elemental.”
“Wait wait wait. Did you say mole city?”
“Yes, humanoid moles living in a city. One of the many races in our world. Got a nice bit of fame for it.”
“How was it?”
“Bad, they are very slow and of average intelligence. They don’t like outsiders but I won them over. And the ironic thing is they taught me Night vision.”
“How is that ironic?”
“Moles have terrible eye site”
“Oh, my bad”
“So what thing happened to the earth elemental”
“The usual, was mining and accidentally mined into a huge sleeping earth elemental. I could not get away.”
“Could you not escape it in the caves?”
“That was the plan, but as he woke up he collapsed most of the surrounding caves and a large part of the mountain. Not nice to die of a mixture of dehydration and suffocation, I assure you.”
“Could you not just mine your way out?”
“Of course I can mine myself out of any situation, if I have room to move in. I was trapped. 4 days later came the fun part of mining back into said mountain and get my dropped items.”
“That seems a bit extreme.”
“Yes, but for the loot I drop, it was worth it.”
“So now comes the awkward part. I have to ask you to stop mining here and not disturb the others.”
“Normally I would just ignore the threat or comply, but now I cannot.”
“Fine, tell us why.”
“You won’t believe me”
“You will find we are a very understand group.”