Duncan ate the roasted rat leg getting his whole face smeared with grease as he voraciously bit into it. He found that the adrenaline from fighting earlier burned calories like fire was consuming oxygen. Fenris and Petris got their own rations from their inventories and joined him.

They were all sitting on the edge of the stone casket facing away from the skeleton inside. Duncan turned around at one point and considered if they should cover it back. He quickly decided it was impossible since they could hardly move it out of the way. There was no chance they could lift the lid from the ground.

Turning away and facing the wall he notices strange dark streaks on the rock face. He came closer as he was still holding his plate in one hand and rat’s thigh in the other and concentrated. Activating [Identify] he got back [Copper Ore].

He quickly finished his meal and took out his pickaxe.

“What are you planning to do?” Fenris asked as he saw him.

Duncan looked at him and replied, “I want to mine this ore.”

“There is a time and place for mining. This isn’t it. The noise could bring more of those things here,” Fenris sternly warned.

Duncan knew Fenris was right and reluctantly put away his pickaxe.

He sighed as he remembered his solo excursions when he had no rules to follow and no one to commandeer him around.

“Well at least it’s safer…” he thought.

As the duo finished their stews Fenris took up command again.

“Petris, you will go up the stairs first and run back at the first sign of trouble. Duncan, you will do as before. If it’s a Wraith or Shade that comes you are in front. Otherwise, move behind me. Let’s go to the narrower part as Petris scouts ahead,” Fenris commanded.

Petris was soon gone and Duncan stood by the opening to the stairwell room.

“What if Petris once again fails with his stealth?” Duncan asked.

“Don’t worry. His highest attribute is agility then perception. He is very good at running,” Fenris replied as they awaited Petris to return.

Soon he came back.

“There is a Ghoul guarding an exit to a similar room as this one on top of the stairwell,” he explained.

Fenris nodded, “Any of you two have any suggestions?”

Petris replied immediately, “Let’s set a tripwire on the stairwell and he will roll down the stairs.”

“I like it,” Duncan said.

Fenris nodded before saying, “Do it! I will try to chop off its head directly as it lands.”

“What is it with this guy and chopping off heads although I must say it is effective,” Duncan thought.

Petris took out two small daggers and a rope from his inventory. He fastened the rope to one and left.

“Stay on one side of the stairwell. I will take the closer one,” Fenris instructed Duncan.

There was a thump on the wall and then another. Soon after there was a sound of Petris running back and clawing at the walls. After a second or two, there was a metallic object hitting the ground, and a moment after there were dull sounds of something massive rolling down the stairwell.

Petris came running out and stopped behind the casket as the Ghoul flopped head first to the ground in front of Duncan and Fenris. Fenris took no chances and had his sword raised the whole time and with a vertical down-slash, he hit the Ghoul on the neck. The Ghoul’s head separated from the body and its body twitched a few times as a fountain of dark blood sprayed towards the stone casket.

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“Damn it!” Fenris yelled.

Duncan looked with worry in his eyes in his direction before asking, “What is it?”

“I chipped my sword on the ground,” Fenris replied, shaking his head.

Duncan shook his head and Petris came towards them.

“Take the body,” Fenris told Duncan as he finished crying over his sword and he complied.

“Anything else up there?” Fenris asked Petris.

Petris shook his head before he said, “I am not sure.”

“You will go and check then. Make sure to fix the tripwire,” Fenris commandeered.

Duncan was feeling all over the place. Scared, overwhelmed by adrenaline, directed like a puppet by Fenris. Every time he wanted to just say let’s call it for today and go to safety Fenris would issue a command he followed without question.

He shook his head to clear his mind and noticed a LOG message. He expected that it informed him of his party killing the Ghoul but it was about a level up.

“I leveled up. How?” he asked Fenris.

“Every party member gets at least some experience every time we kill,” Fenris replied and listened for any movement from upstairs.

Petris came back and said the coast is clear after a while.

They all moved back up and came to the stone casket in the middle of the room.

“Pickaxe?” Fenris said.

Duncan took it from his inventory and handed it to him. Fenris stuck it under the lid and like before they both pulled back as Petris pushed it to the side. They found a much smaller body inside the casket this time. It was wearing a tiara so it was probably female. They also found a necklace and two rings.

“Keep all of them,” Fenris said to Petris’ dismay.

“We should split them up as before,” Duncan replied.

“We have nowhere to sell them or identify them but from the mayor. Do you know what that means? If it’s something good, it will be gone,” Fenris replied. Petris' mood got suddenly better when he realized Fenris was right.

“What about the armor and helmet?” Duncan asked.

“She would not want to use them directly so there is a better chance we get it back,” Fenris replied.

Duncan nodded as he replied, “I see.”

“If you had any way of identifying a curse I could give it to you,” Fenris said.

“I don’t but maybe Bolgar, Wazsh, and Elland do,” Duncan replied.

“Take it. If they can or can’t, you know where to find me. I trust you,” Fenris replied.

Duncan took the offered armor and stuck it into his inventory and Petris offered the helmet.

“You trust me too?” he asked.

Petris shook his head before replying, “I trust in Captain’s judgment of people.”

Duncan felt betrayed for a millisecond before he shook his head and stowed away the helmet.

“We should go back to town now,” Duncan said and looked at Fenris for a reaction.

“Yeah, I think that would probably be for the best. We can return again after a few days,” Fenris replied.

“A few days?” Duncan asked.

“There are kobold traders scheduled in a day or two. They are not exactly what you would call punctual,” Fenris explained before they started walking back.

They made their way back without incidents and parted at the mine entrance. Duncan went to Wazsh’s bar and the other two went to the barracks. The black hole sun was already quite low in the sky once Duncan made it to the bar.

As he walked in, he saw Bolgar and Elland in their usual places.

He nodded in greeting as he came closer.

“I was looking for you today,” Duncan said to Bolgar.

“Ah, you did? It must have been when I went to pick up the money from the mayor’s office,” Bolgar explained the reason for his absence from the shop.

“I went to the mine and stopped by on the way there. That reminds me; I found some copper ore in the mine. Do you want it?” Duncan asked.

“Usually, I don’t use copper but it might be worth it for you,” Bolgar replied.

Duncan looked at him with surprise before he asked, “How so?”

“Copper conducts lightning far better than steel, at least I read or heard that somewhere. If we attach some copper from the handle of your sword to the pointy end you could shock monsters better,” Bolgar explained.

“What about the durability and sharpness? Copper is not a strong metal,” Duncan asked.

“It will be just on top. It, won't matter at all, except adding some weight which I am sure you can handle by now,” Bolgar said.

Duncan nodded before he turned to Elland and said, “I might have some materials for you if you want them?”

Elland’s eyes grew wide before he said, “Show me what you have!”

“I can’t show you since it’s messy. Two decapitated Ghouls and two purified Wraith powders,” Duncan replied.

Elland got thinking before he said, “I don’t have enough money to buy them from you. Maybe one of these I can afford.”

“Take them all. I have no use of them until you show me how to use them anyway,” Duncan replied.

“Where is Wazsh by the way?” Duncan asked as Wazsh left the bar unusually long unattended.

“He is making a surprise dish for us,” Bolgar replied.

“I could eat too. I hope there is enough,” Duncan replied and sat down.