Chapter Seven: Party Up
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The dawn gave rise with a gray and cloudy yawn, etched with a certain sluggishness that only came by way of passing storm. Both wind and snow had settled long before the first light of day, but the low temperature alone was surely enough to make a person think twice about stepping outside. Though true to its rugged nature, the sounds of Kelvalder grew into the morning seemingly without delay, stirring Blychert from a state of deep sleep he very rarely enjoyed.
It was quiet throughout the house, not unnaturally so, but Bly was certain to fall back asleep if he didn’t get up immediately. And so, with a dazed groan, he hoisted himself from the comforts and the warmth of his bed, before setting himself to the task of getting ready for the day. Though once he was up and mostly alert, it didn’t take him very long to get into his usual routine.
Of course, the big difference today was Bold Arrow.
He still wasn’t sure what to make of Xander’s proposition, despite already agreeing to it.
He would have been lying to himself if he said he wasn’t nervous about it, even if it was just for the day. And yet the very same prospect made him antsy with excitement and anticipation. He'd always imagined what it would be like to adventure as part of a team. But now the gift horse was here, and damned if he didn't know what to do with it. For all he knew, there was nothing to worry about at all. But the exploit he used to manage his system alias had never been tested against the scrutiny other adventurers, at least as far as he knew. He had no reason to doubt that Alyse had given him every possible advantage, and yet that didn't do much to stem his anxious energy this morning.
Besides, lying in perpetuity was easier said than done.
Trelen could be anyone he wanted, but not Blychert. The memory of that experience back home in Darskaart was still burned so deeply in his mind, it somehow felt wrong to want this for himself; to want to be a part of something that wasn’t just him on his own. And he could forget about asking for advice either. Bartolo was away, and Alyse was still gone—wherever that might have been—and all he had were his instincts. They were telling him this was a bad idea, that getting involved with a party was the surest way to wind up in trouble again, and yet his heart was saying otherwise.
What was he supposed to do?
Somewhat paranoid by his own musings, Blychert opened his sage terminal and inspected its elements for any issues.
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[ SAGE ]
[Name: Trelen Veil]
[Age: 16]
[Class: Sorcerer]
[Level: 7]
[Experience Points: 13,630]
[Health: 170, Stamina: 480, Mana: 610]
[Attributes] [Class Abilities] [Skills] [Magic] [Quest Log] [Party]
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Everything was exactly as it was supposed to look, all the way down to the finest detail of how many experience points he was supposed to have, if not for his transmogrifier ability. Frankly, it was the same as it had been ever since he’d first become Trelen in the first place.
No need to stress. He reassured to himself. If you don't use any system commands, then you won't have any issues. I think...
In any case, he’d given his word already, and he wanted to be good for that, if nothing else. And so, it wasn’t soon after that he was out the door and setting off down the road, moderately refreshed and hopeful for another successful day of dungeon delving.
Keeping true to their word as well, Xander and the others were waiting for him at the northern gate. They all looked as groggy as he felt, if not worse, but it was at least nice to finally see some new faces heading for the dungeon for once. Even if what they admitted was true, that they were still a relatively inexperienced group, Bly was confident that they’d be able to hold their own in the Gleaming Caves just fine, given their levels, and that gave him a slightly renewed sense of optimism.
“And that makes five.” Xander announced, as Bly rounded the corner of the last wooden post, stopping short of where they loitered by the stables.
None of them were adorned in particularly flashy armor, though they were certainly better equipped than Blychert was. Both Xander and Lisel had armguards and shin-guards made of taut leather beneath their winter gear, and Xander wore a steel breastplate that gleamed under the pale light of day. Bly could see the faint shimmer of Lisel’s chainmail, tucked just beneath the dark jerkin and cloak she wore. Bredic had a robe similar to Bly’s, though ruddy in color, and his appeared to have padding around the elbows and shoulders. Vineta seemed similarly dressed to Bredic, though she now carried a quarterstaff in one hand, and all of them wore packs and belts filled and lined to the brim with all manner of adventuring gear.
Suffice to say, they were all sufficiently dressed for cold weather and for delving, not that Bly should have expected anything less from an adventuring party from the Calvergian capital.
“Good morning.” Blychert nodded at the group as he approached, shrugging his pack up a little as he added, “Hope you were able to sleep alright?”
“It was cozy, and mister Ralf was more than accommodating.” Lisel reciprocated with a cheerful nod. She twiddled a bit with her bowstring from where she sat atop a wooden fencepole, her auburn bangs swaying a bit in the slight wind, before glancing across at the disgruntled wizard with a wry smile, “Bredic was telling me the same thing a little earlier. Weren’t you, Bredic?”
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“Hardly…” Bredic groaned, snapping shut his spellbook as he looked up with a frown, “Try laying on the floor next to thirty people, all grumbling and sniffling and snoring, and see if you get any shut eye. We should have crashed at the kid’s house!”
Xander shoved Bredic slightly, saying, “What he means to say is, we slept just fine. Thanks for asking. We’ve been on the road for two weeks, after all… that was as good as it’s been in a while for all of us.”
“Sorry to hear that, Bredic.” Bly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, “The inn fills up pretty quickly when there’s a storm. I’m guessing you’ll have your own rooms tonight though. By the time we get back from the mountains, I’m sure you’ll be too tired to even notice anyway.”
“Let’s hope so, for all our sakes.” Vineta nodded, who seemed to be nursing another headache, “And let’s do try to get going already, can we? Any longer and I really might consider heading back to the inn to get some more sleep.”
“Which reminds me…” Xander started, and Bly watched as he began to pull up his sage terminal.
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[Sage ---> System Notification]
> You’ve been invited to join [Bold Arrow]
> Do you accept?
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Blychert stared at the terminal message for what felt to him like an eternity. A million thoughts and questions raced through his mind as he poured over those words on the terminal screen. Was this a mistake? Alyse always told him that his alias exploit was good enough for this—essential, even—but he was having a hard time believing that all of a sudden.
If only she hadn’t taken off yesterday morning, he could have sat down and talked through this with her like they so often did with all his other problems.
Bly grumbled under his breath.
Alyse Crane was going to be the death of him! There was no mistaking it at this point.
> Party invite accepted
> You have now joined [Bold Arrow]
> Select party role [Damage, Damage Support, Support, Healer]
Blychert scrutinized the screen for a moment. He was so used to filling out every role himself, he'd nearly forgotten how the party system actually worked. Guessing that he'd be taking more of a lesser role, at least compared to the likes of Bredic, he made up his mind before pressing his hand down on the second option.
> [Damage Support] selected
> Party Leader: Xander Wolfe (Swordsman, Level 11, Damage)
> Party Members: Bredic Meyr (Wizard, Level 10, Damage), Vineta Maurer (Theurgist, Level 9, Support), Lisel Kirk (Ranger, Level 7, Damage Support), Trelen Veil (Sorcerer, Level 7, Damage support)
> Average Party Level: 9
> Primary Dungeon: Silver Vault
> Primary Guildhall: Frostwall
> Party Experience Bonus: 5%
“Guess that settles it.” Xander said, closing his terminal as he stepped up towards Bly, patting him on the shoulder twice, “Welcome to the party, Trelen.”
***
By the time they reached the Gleaming Caves, it was already well past mid-morning, and nearing noon quickly. The overcast had cleared in part, revealing a cloud-dappled blue sky above as the party came to the end of the mountain path. Thereupon, they were met by the two massive pillars hewn from white stone that signified the dungeon’s entrance. The strange hieroglyphs that also populated the sage terminal were intricately etched across their stonework, and they loomed ever larger against the slate-colored rock of the mountains before which they stood guard. Beyond them, however, were the darkened depths of the tunnel, which winded down all the way to the first floor of dungeon itself.
> Now entering the [Gleaming Caves]
> Party Status: Activated
> Core Volatility: 10%
> Active Wayshrine(s): Entrance, Chamber of the Vanguard Golem
> Daily Bonus Reward: Kill [5] Stone Golems
“So, Trelen.” Xander huffed, as he hoisted his pack from his back and onto a nearby rock, carefully readjusting a few items as he talked, “What can we expect down there?”
Blychert paused and thought for a few seconds, before saying, “E-rated ice demons and wolf spiders are pretty common on the first floor—second floor too, but those ones are usually D-rated. I’ve seen a wyrmling before, but no luck catching it; too slippery. Golems tend to wander the second floor, at least from what I’ve seen. Oh, and the first-floor boss spawn also happens to be a golem, if that matters to you at all. I've never fought it, but missus Stein told me once that she knew some other adventurers who had.”
Xander furrowed his brow, “No second-floor boss?”
“Nobody’s found the boss room.” Bly shrugged, but frowned somewhat embarrassingly, “Then again, I might be the only person who’s even come here in the last year, so… I guess I haven't found the boss room, to be more specific.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Xander smiled, “You can’t be expected to delve a dungeon on your own. Even D-rated dungeons are extremely dangerous, I'm honestly surprised you go at it alone at all. And anyway, dungeons only get tricker the farther down you go, especially trap rooms, so it's not a surpirse you haven't found it. But who knows? Maybe we’ll be the ones to find that boss room. Together.”
“I—” Bly stammered, but the words didn’t come out.
Honestly, he didn’t want to get his hopes up for something like that. Putting aside whether that was even a battle he could handle or not, he still wasn’t sure how this whole adventuring party thing was going to pan out, and it seemed irresponsible to commit to fighting a boss on a floor that hadn't even been explored fully yet. Besides, what if he accidentally did something to out himself as a classless during such an encounter? What if something went wrong and he had to rely on his classless abilities to get himself out? He’d be figured out immediately if he started using system commands. No question about it. As far as he knew, there were only two types of people that could use system commands: the classless and the administrators. But what if he had no other choice? What if came down to him saving someone's life or not?
What then?
“Would you two hurry the hell up? You can play 'ask me anything' later!” Bredic shouted back from the entrance, “Not getting any younger here! Let’s move!”
“Yeah, yeah, shut up!” Xander called after him, but turned back to Bly with an awkward though cheery expression, “Well, he’s got us there. We are burning daylight. Come on, let’s go have some fun. And hey, don't hesitate to rely on us. We're a team today, we've got your back down there. No sorcery heroics, got it?”
“Hmm…” Bly sighed anxiously, but started forward just the same.
One by one, the members of Bold Arrow crossed the threshold of the dungeon's entrance; stepping through the faintly shimmering field of energy that acted as a "safety" barrier, separating the monsters of the delve from the rest of the overworld. Together, they descended, and before long they had come to the first chamber. It was a vast cavern where huge chunks of ice and glittering rock illuminated everything. The silence bloomed throughout the chamber, as it often did, contrasted only by boots on rocky terrain or by the awing of the others.
But Bly knew the serenity wouldn't last long, not in a place like this. And as if on que, several bluish lights were already beginning to spawn on the far side of the cavern.
Bly grinned somewhat, despite his earlier reservations.
They'd spawned sooner than expected. But they were expected, nonetheless.