Azabar ushered the group into the central structure that dominated the village. The first level was a well-lit, relatively open-aired market where various gnomes were trying to sell the materials they had mined or scavenged. Aidan had expected to see more foods for sale but quickly realized that everything was a product of moss or mushrooms. Without the modern seasonings that the envoy was used to, he imagined that the foods were bland or unappetizing. It wasn't a shock that the honey-covered cakes had garnered such interest. The councilman and his clan stood to make some serious money if their trading relationship bore fruit.

Azabar didn't let them stop at any of the stalls. Instead, he ushered them to an elevator in the back. Looking at the lift, the envoy wondered where they found the power to light their city and operate their machinery but assumed it had something to do with the flowing water he had spotted before. Perhaps they had developed a hydroelectric plant or were burning coal somewhere in the depths of the village. Either way, power generation would be something the camp would have to deal with eventually. Batteries wouldn't tide them over forever.

The group shuffled into the cramped elevator and took it to the top. They exited to an opulently appointed waiting room with two artificers standing guard at a set of double doors. Aidan reassessed the combat potential of the gnomes. The guards were well-equipped with heavy armor that protected their entire bodies. Blocky-shaped helmets stood atop angular armor stylistically edged with patterns that resembled electronic circuitry. The artificers carried a metal spear whose tip arced with lethal-looking lightning in one hand. The other arm was equipped with a double-barreled blaster. Aidan thought he could even see a set of rocket boosters peeking over the backs of the two artificers.

He looked over and shot a meaningful glance at his friend Guzman. The trooper was already observing the potential adversaries and nodded gravely back.

Azabar stopped the procession and turned to the humans. "Aidan, I'll have to ask you to leave your men here. A few of our people warned us that you can make your weapons appear and disappear on command."

Aidan relayed the request to his team, who shuffled quietly to various positions around the room. It wasn't a coincidence that if something untoward happened, the assembled group occupied the best places in the room to secure the door and launch an ambush on the heavily protected artificers.

Azabar led Aidan alone through the double doors and into a large circular chamber when the humans were settled. At the center of the room was a roughly hewn stone table that created a semicircle facing the doorway. Aidan spotted twelve elderly gnomes already waiting for them to arrive.

Azabar gestured for the envoy and his translator to approach the table. He circled around the table when they were properly positioned and took his seat. Aidan wasn't sure what the protocol was for meeting the council and their lord. So he clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the assembled gnomes.

"Greetings to Lord Telwubitack and the esteemed ruling council members of Stalakmitzil. My name is Aidan Steele, a diplomat on behalf of the United States of America."

Notoriety increased to level 1. You have earned 5 experience.

He also projected his thoughts to Ariza to translate as he spoke aloud. As she repeated his words, the council members murmured. Apparently, they were surprised at how much information he had been able to glean in such a short amount of time.

The elderly man at the head of the table began to speak in a rich voice. His tone and position at the table made Aidan assume he was the village's merchant lord.

"Stalakmitzil welcomes you, diplomat. Tell us, what brings you to our humble village?"

Linguistics increased to level 17! You have earned 85 experience.

Even though Aidan understood what the man was saying, he still had a part to play. He waited a moment in polite silence for Ariza to translate her leader's words. When she was finished, Aidan spoke again.

"We come as peaceful neighbors hoping to trade with the like-minded gnomes. We offer protection, food, and the exchange of technology."

Aidan hoped that offering food wouldn't offend clan Azapazil. But he knew not offering food would be an indirect admission that he had already come to an agreement with the clan's leader. He didn't have to worry because Azabar quickly butted in.

"Clan Azapazil has already entered into an agreement with our new neighbors to exchange food for materials. The deal was penned without my knowledge by my daughter while she was traveling with the human diplomat. Since my honor as a clan rests on upholding our bargains, I have decided to support the deal. However, I must apologize to my fellow council members for my daughter's rashness."

There were banged fists and aggressive shouting from the other council members in response to Azabar's underhanded dealings. However, to Aidan's untrained eye, it didn't look like the opposition was serious. In fact, his psionic abilities detected a grudging admiration from the gathered council members. It was probably just a quirk of gnome politics manifesting in the meeting.

Psionics increased to level 10! You have earned 50 experience.

Linguistics increased to level 18! You have earned 90 experience.

The only person not shouting was the merchant lord, Togim. He was weighing the Azapazil patriarch with his eyes.

Finally, the din tamped down, and another gnome spoke instead. He bore a resemblance to the gnome, Farryn, so Aidan wasn't all that surprised when he came to Azabar's rescue.

"While it isn't appropriate for your daughter to be making trade deals without the council's input, we can overlook the indiscretions of youth. I propose to the rest of the committee that any other agreements made with the humans exclude clan Azapazil.

Murmurs of agreement rose from the rest of the council, and the Togim banged a stone gavel on the table.

"Then it's decided." He said definitively. "Clan Azapazil's commitments will be honored, but the clan will not be part of any other agreements we come to in these chambers."

Azabar had the grace to look embarrassed, but Aidan could feel the satisfaction practically oozing from the man.

Finally, the merchant lord turned his attention back to the diplomat. "Since we can no longer trade for food, what can the humans offer us?"

Again, Aidan waited an appropriate amount of time before responding. "While our mission is scientific in nature, we've brought the best warriors our faction can offer. Forgive me if I'm saying something out of line, but it appears that gnomes are merchants and craftsmen first and warriors second. We would be willing to help the gnomes of Stalakmitzil with any problems they may have in exchange for engrams. Further, we would be willing to share our technology in exchange for the same."

Togim stroked his glacier-white beard, but he wasn't hurrying to respond. Instead, he addressed his fellows.

"Do we require such warriors? We've been safe inside Stalakmitzil for hundreds of years. Our artificers and wolverines have been enough to fend off danger."

An elderly woman spoke up. "That's true, my lord, but there are periodic raids from kobolds and gremlins. It would be nice to put them down for good. Plus, I'd rather risk the humans than our own artificers."

"That's true," the Finbadatil leader agreed. "Also, my clan has discovered a Progenitor ruin still guarded by some remote defenses. We haven't been able to clear them out because of the danger."

Aidan, we must be allowed to visit that ruin, Astra butted in. There have to be engrams and equipment that would be beneficial to an Envoy and his faction.

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If they bring it up, I'll convince them to give us access, Aidan promised.

The merchant lord listened to the council members as they discussed the various ways humans could be utilized. The exchange was valuable to Aidan because he learned quite a few words of Gnomish, and the constant use of his psionic powers to intuit their meaning helped him level.

Psionics increased to level 11! You have earned 55 experience.

Linguistics increased to level 19! You have earned 90 experience.

Finally, Lord Telwubitack banged his gavel to bring the meeting to order. He gave Ariza a meaningful glance to indicate she should translate his following words.

"We should give the humans a chance to prove themselves, but I don't want to involve them so deeply in our affairs that we're using them to make war against kobolds and goblins. I propose a trial—the humans clear out the Progenitor ruins in exchange for some select engrams from our stores."

Aidan frowned at the lord's proposal. It was heavily weighted toward the gnomes, but that was to be expected.

"In the interest of proving our value as a partner and setting up a strong partnership for the future. I suggest we approach this problem as equals. How about this, my team will clear out the ruins for you, but any loot that my team can carry away will belong to us. After all, we're the ones risking our lives. Further, we won't take any engrams from your stores, but any engrams or technology discovered within the ruins will be shared equally by the gnomes and the humans."

Diplomacy increased to level 4! You have earned 20 experience.

After Ariza translated for the council's benefit, Togim turned to the Finbadatil leader. "Fulkrim, your clan has a claim to the ruins, so ultimately it's your decision how the profits get split. Does the agreement work for your clan?"

Fulkrim tugged on his beard as if he were seriously considering the proposal, but Aidan saw the man shoot a subtle glance at Azabar. In return, the Azapazil patriarch gave a barely discernible nod, and then Fulkrim leaned back in his seat.

"In the interest of promoting peace between our two races, my clan could accept such a proposal. However, since our clan is being asked to give up our claim for the benefit of the entire village, it would be fair that we were justly compensated for the rights to the ruins.

To Aidan's surprise, there wasn't any disagreement from the other council members. None of them would be willing to give up something of theirs for free. Even Togim seemed like the request was expected.

"Of course, Togim. Since I'm the lord of our village, I'll buy the rights from you, but let's hold our negotiations on the side."

"That's fair, my lord, but in the village's best interest, I want to ensure our deal is agreed to before the ruins are explored. We don't know if there will be anything of value there or if there will be something so valuable that a price is impossible to negotiate."

The merchant lord nodded his assent. "That's fair, Fulkrim. We'll take care of the details as soon as the human leaves."

The deal settled, Togim turned his gaze to Ariza. "Tell the diplomat we agree to his terms and ask him when he'll decide to visit the ruins."

Aidan waited an appropriate amount of time before responding, but he didn't need to understand the language because he was given a System prompt.

MISSION: Explore and clear the Progenitor ruins.

REWARD: Any equipment your team can salvage, equal rights between the gnome village of Stalakmitzil and the human settlement Camp Plymouth to any engrams and other technology discovered, and 1 common engram.

Accept? Y/N

Aidan accepted the mission but responded aloud to the assembled council members.

"I need to confirm with my team, but I think we're well-equipped to clear this ruin out for you immediately."

Aidan's reason for accepting right away was two-fold. Without comms, they couldn't run the proposal by Dr. Smith back in camp. So to get her approval, which she would likely give anyway, would mean they needed to travel to the base and back to explore it. Secondly, Dr. Smith might want to send a different team or some of her scientists to tag along with the exploration group. Aidan didn't want to babysit more people than he had to, and if Astra needed valuable technology, he didn't want to potentially share it with the camp.

After Ariza relayed his words, the merchant lord banged his gavel and called the council meeting to a close. He promised that once the ruins would clear, they would convene another meeting to discuss the more detailed technology trade. For his part, Aiden was rewarded with increases in his notoriety, authority, and diplomacy. Overall, he was satisfied with the initial negotiations with the gnomes.

When he was sure he was dismissed, Aidan exited the chamber, and his team gathered around him. After briefing them on what had occurred, he asked for their thoughts.

Wang was as cautious as ever. "We don't know anything about these ruins, and we can't be sure we have the necessary equipment to clear it. However, I think the reward is worth the risk."

Aidan couldn't reveal that with Astra along for the ride. They had exactly what they needed to clear the ruins. He was happy that he didn't have to convince the man because he wasn't sure what to say.

In contrast, Weir seemed the most excited. "We haven't run into any progenitor ruins yet, but the Codex has implied that such caches of technology exist to help us get into space. I'm all for exploring the ruin. I don't even care if we get sent to respawn."

Guzman chuckled, "Well, I don't know if I agree with the last part, but it will definitely be more exciting than hunting some wolves. We haven't had anything fun to do in months."

Aidan turned to Faraj, and the man considered the proposal seriously. "If we don't do this, we won't progress further in negotiations with the gnomes. From what I've seen around here, we could have a significant head start on the other factions if we can get their assistance. This is just one ruin, but there could be potentially much more. Especially if there are other gnome communities like this one."

Aidan knew he shouldn't have been surprised at the man's careful thought of the situation, but he was. It was always the quiet ones that had the most surprises.

Agerwal interrupted before Aidan could say anything. "I don't care about all that." He gripped Aidan's shoulder and looked him deeply in the eyes. "Please, for the love of god, will I be able to blow some shit up?"

The entire group laughed, and Aidan finally let the engineer off the hook, "Yeah, Agerwal. We'll find something for you to destroy. I swear, it's like keeping chew toys in the house for an unruly puppy."

Agerwal didn't even care about the slight jab. Assured everything was right in the universe, he released Aidan's shoulder with a contented smile.

Aidan looked over to where Ariza, her father, and the Finbadatil patriarch were patiently awaiting their answer.

We'll go right away. Just point us in the right direction, and we'll clear out the ruins for you. Aidan promised.

Ariza translated the group's decision and then spoke to Aidan telepathically.

By the way, I told them you wanted me to go with you just in case you need translation help. My father knows better, but old man Fulkrim doesn't. Just go with it, she said impishly.

Aidan chuckled but agreed to the gnome girl's condition. Usually, he'd be worried about taking a noncombatant, but with Astra there, he didn't think the group would be in any actual danger. It did occur to him to ask a follow-up question.

Wait, Ariza, do gnomes die?

The girl shot him a confused look. Of course, we die?

No, I mean. Aidan tried to explain. If you die, do you respawn like we do?

What do you mean you respawn? Ariza asked as a dawning realization settled over Aidan.

Instead of answering, Aidan glanced over at Guzman. "Hey, Guzman, I don't think the gnomes respawn. They're like non-playable characters in a video game."

His friend raised his eyebrows. "Well, that changes everything," he said flatly. "If they can't respawn, then there isn't a world where we can't eventually overtake them. We could take this entire city by ourselves if we wanted to. We would only have to set our respawn point to somewhere safe in the city."

"Should I tell them that?" Aidan questioned.

"I wouldn't," Guzman finally answered. "At least not now. We need to build trust, and I'm sure the implications wouldn't escape them. We should only bring it up if one of us dies or it becomes strategically relevant."

Aidan nodded in agreement.

Never mind, Ariza. I'll tell you later if it comes up. Just think of it like a religious thing for now.

At his mention of religion, Ariza rolled her eyes. Whatever, she agreed. Let's get down to the ruins. It's not too far from here, and I can't wait to see what an actual Progenitor ruin looks like! The Finbadatils have been guarding it like a jealous lover.

Aidan laughed and gestured that they were ready. Ariza translated the same to the two Patriarchs, and then their party was off.

They went back down the elevator and then set off in the opposite direction from where they had arrived. As they moved through the town, gnomes would stop what they were doing to stare and whisper at each other. Since Aidan's name was the only one known by the gnomes, he found his notoriety climbing. When they reached the village's end, he figured he was more well-known by the gnome community than he was in his own camp.

He wished his notoriety hadn't stopped at level five. He was so close to his next level that he wanted to push through and get enough experience to keep him safe from a possible respawn. Losing half of his levels wouldn't cost him much, but after the attribute gains, he didn't want to return to his former condition. Something was addicting in knowing that his body was continuing to progress.

When they left the village behind, Fulkrim led the group through a labyrinthian made of tunnels, natural caverns, and developed mineshafts. Close to an hour later, the patriarch stopped abruptly and addressed Ariza.

"Alright, sprout. We're here. Just ahead, the mineshaft leads to the ruin. Despite its age, our scavengers report that it's in excellent condition. They've run into various types of drones that fire on our scavengers at the slightest provocation. No amount of stealth hides them from the drones' sensors."

"Thanks, Councilman Finbadatil. I'll warn the humans of the danger," The gnome girl respectfully replied.

"See that you do. I don't want them to die in that ruin and deprive us of some precious trading opportunities."

Ariza only laughed. "They seem pretty confident. I'm sure we'll be fine."

The patriarch nodded his head and then left from the direction they came. Ariza's father hugged her, warned her to be safe, and asked Aidan to look out for her. When Aidan agreed, the Azapazil leader departed as well.

Finally, it was time for the team to do what they had been trained for.