“Twenty-four gold, eleven silver,” Omrak read out proudly after being passed the tally note from Asin. For a single day’s run, it was a good return, though they would have to spend some of it on consumables and fixing their equipment.
Asin nodded, pushing the pile of coins to each of the other two. She had no true fear about showing the coins here, in the Adventurers Guild’s inn. The amount they were handling was a decent haul, but nothing spectacular and certainly nothing that another Adventurer would chance being thrown out for. As for Pickpockets and common Thieves, the Adventurers Guild’s attendants were all on the lookout for them, leaving only the truly foolhardy to try their hand at stealing from Adventurers within the Guild itself.
Even so, her friends quickly picked up and stored the coins in their inventory, putting them away before anyone had a good chance to look them over. Asin nodded, grateful that they had the sense to do that. No need to tempt others more than necessary.
“Note.” Asin next handed Daniel a rolled-up slip of paper. When he unrolled it, she curiously peered over, only to see a list of names and times. She absently nodded to herself, having guessed that it would be replies to his earlier queries.
A familiar set of approaching footsteps made the Catkin turn her head, peering curiously as the Guildmistress of the Bent Nail trooped over, flanked by a pair of her teammates. Unlike her provocative evening clothing, Nicole was clad in full plate armor and bearing her weapons. Even from a few feet away, Asin could smell the lingering traces of blood and stink of fear and adrenaline on the party’s skin.
“Daniel, Asin, Omrak.” She greeted the trio by name, a smile splitting her face.
“Guildmistress Novak,” Omrak replied, turning slightly to smile at the young ladies. One sniffed, turning away from the Northerner whose smile slipped for a fraction of a second before returning. “Brandi. Adelle. A pleasure to see you this evening, as always.”
And evening it was, with the noise of returning workmen and Adventurers and the aroma of roasting meat for supper filtering in from the streets outside. Being late winter, even as far south as they were in Brad, the light had begun to dim as the sun set. Within though, Mana lamps kept the Adventurers Guild brightly lit. An easy cost to bear, when the Guild was the only official way to sell Mana stones.
The thought had Asin flicking open her inventory briefly peering at the few stones she’d kept to sell to her contacts. Of course, she would make sure the team received their share later, but cutting out the middleman increased their take by twenty to thirty percent. A good trade, if dangerous, since doing so was a fineable offence.
“—finally got our potions, so we’ll be delving deep tomorrow,” Nicole was saying, answering Daniel’s question. She took a seat beside him, sitting with a slight hitch in her movements as she finished lowering herself the last few inches.
“Problem?” Daniel said, frowning.
Asin let out a little chuff of amusement, her tail lashing behind her. Did he still not notice how some of these “friends” only showed up to speak with them when they were hurt? Nothing serious, of course, but just enough that a quick Healer’s Mark spell would fix it.
“I’m fine. Just a small pull,” Nicole said, waving her hand away. “I actually wanted to speak with you about something else.”
“Oh?” Daniel’s eye still lingered on her body before he wrenched it up, even as the rest of the table fell silent.
“I heard a rumor you were asking to meet with some guilds.”
“That’s right,” Daniel said, warily.
Asin picked up her cup, sipping at the mulled wine within. She preferred chabu, but they did not serve it here. Or when they did bring in a barrel, charged twice the going rate. Using the edge of the cup to hide her face, Asin cast her gaze around, spotting how a few nearby tables were now paying attention. She even saw a Goatkin the table over leering at them, its ears cocked in their direction.
Daniel always missed these things, more focused on what was in front of him than potential threats behind. He was too straightforward, too good. But he was a healer, and his Gift left him vulnerable. It was her job to keep him safe out here, just like it was his in the Dungeon.
“I’m a little hurt you didn’t invite us,” Nicole said, fluttering her eyes a little.
“Well, that, uhhh . . .” Daniel paused.
Before he could make an offer or suggest that he forgot or squirreled out of it, Asin spoke up. “Small.”
“Pardon?” Nicole said, frowning a little.
“Guild small,” Asin repeated, offering a slight tilt of her head downwards and lowering her ears to show it was not personal. Of course, she wasn’t certain Nicole would understand the body language, but it was worth the shot. They did have a trio of Beastkin in their group, even if one was a Dogkin.
“Well, we’re not that small . . .” Nicole said.
Daniel shot a glance at Asin, one mixed between relief and disapproval at her being so blunt. But, his hand forced, he backed her up like he always did. “No, you’re not. But you’re not really a regional guild. Or national. And that’s what we need.”
“Oh.” Nicole paused, her gaze sweeping over Daniel as she considered her next words. Eventually, she smiled. “Well, I hope we can still rely on you for the occasional consultation?”
“Uhhh, I guess?” Daniel shrugged. “I think it’d depend on the guild.”
“Of course, of course,” Nicole replied immediately. She shifted slightly, wincing again. Daniel’s eyes drifted over, and Asin could not help but roll her eyes. Especially when he made the low-voiced offer and Nicole gladly accepted.
Not that Asin had much to object to, other than his good nature being taken advantage of. It was not as if Nicole did not return the favor at times, between hints and recommendations for the levels they went to as well as merchant and trader recs. Since both she and Omrak had already been healed and they would be calling it a night, Daniel’s Mana would regenerate by the time they entered the Dungeon the next day. If he didn’t heal her, he’d probably just go to the hospice and do some healing there before the night was over.
Still, Asin kept an ear out, watched as he cast the spell, watched how they talked to him. And eventually, listened as they got around to giving advice.
“Make sure to go down with them. You’ll want to see in-person how they train their teams, how they teach and deploy their people,” Nicole was saying. “It’s not enough to just, you know, be told what they do. You need to see it.”
“So, down into the Dungeons with them?” Daniel said.
Asin found herself nodding to their words, grateful for Nicole’s recommendations. She continued to list and point out things the party needed to know, questions to ask, playing advisor to the newbies now that they were certain that they weren’t going to pick their guild.
Sometimes, Asin had to admit, Daniel’s tendency to heal first and talk later worked out well.
***
The first to meet with them was Gadi, the vice-guildmaster of the Seven Stones. Unlike many others, Gadi himself rarely entered the Dungeon these days, being semi-retired. He had been what was termed a Sword-Mage, a multi-Class Adventurer who had attempted to specialize in both magic and his weapon.
Of course, because of the slow regeneration of Mana, every mage learned a few melee or ranged skills. But most did so only to protect themselves, and to offer some small level of support to their team. Ranged weaponry were the most common choices since it allowed the mage to stay safely back while adding another ranged attacker to the team’s arsenal.
Even so, ranged weaponry was less effective in many Dungeons. Cramped passages, tight corners, and shortened sightlines meant that ranged attacks were less useful in many levels. But not all. And realistically, most parties were happy to get any mage on their team, since their versatility and added magical damage could make the difference in clearing certain levels or failure.
Even so, few mages took it to the same extent as Gadi where they devoted significant portions of their time learning a melee weapon and added themselves to the frontline. Most mages were too studious; the rigors of magical enchantment and casting requiring long hours of book study and practice. Splitting time off to study weaponry as well resulted in the same problem that both Daniel and Gadi faced. Barring being a prodigy in both areas, at some point, one’s skill in one area of your study would lag. For Daniel, his melee combat skills lagged far behind his healing ability. For Gadi, his magic skills had fallen by the wayside as he studied the sword.
But at the higher-leveled Dungeons, those ranked Expert and above, specialists were of greater use. A single, powerful Mage could end a Boss fight before it began in earnest, saving lives. A strong expert swordsman could deal damage and cripple multiple monsters in a fight, dealing damage or holding their attention. Unfortunately, Sword-Mages could do a little of both, but neither well. And it was because of this that it was rumored that Gadi had failed, eventually being sidelined and forced to take an administrative post.
All this, Omrak related to Daniel as they walked over to the Seven Stones guildhall, waving his hands around in an expansive manner to punctuate his comments. “—and that’s why I think you should be careful yourself, Friend Daniel. For you are not spending time bettering your weapon skills. You lack even a powerful melee skill.”
“I have Perin’s Blow,” Daniel said. He hopped over a splotch of manure and landed on the rough-fitted cobblestone street, barely even noticing the waste. It would be picked up soon enough by the collectors or the street children, all intent on making a copper from the valuable fertilizer.
“Yes. And combined with your Find Weakness Skill, it can injure or end an already injured opponent. But compare that to Thundering Strike,” Omrak said.
Daniel grunted. “That’s a bit of a cheating skill though . . .”
“Nothing cheating about it,” Omrak said. “It is a powerful skill because I have gained much experience. It focuses my attack on a single point and adds the strength of the sky to it.”
“I did wonder why it’s not called Lightning Strike,” Daniel said.
“Another skill,” Asin piped up. “Fast.” She jabbed her hand out, miming the skill activation.
“Like Snake Strike?” Daniel said.
“Faster.”
“Huh.” Daniel shook his head. Sometimes, it seemed that Eris had gone for the simplistic in the naming of skills. But perhaps that was for the best. Too many Adventurers spent more time at the training pells than studying books. “But Asin is missing a sure-kill skill.”
In reply, Asin grinned at Daniel.
“Wait, you have one?”
A nod. Asin dodged sideways, getting out of the way of an older laundrywoman and her large bag that she was hauling to the river. That put her up against the whitewashed walls of the shop, getting an irate rebuke from the shopkeeper as he spotted the Beastkin. With practiced ease, the group ignored him as they kept walking.
“What?”
“I am curious too, Friend Asin.”
“Penetrator.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, a good passive skill. Not the same, but at higher levels.” Omrak paused, raised an eyebrow, and got a nod from Asin. “It begins to show its value. Especially if you combine that with your other skills like Bone Breaker. An interesting combination.”
“I don’t get it,” Daniel said, turning his head between the pair of melee fighters.
“Penetrator—or Penetration—is a skill that comes from the combination of perception, monster biology and weapon skills. Once you achieve sufficient levels, it is available for purchase,” Omrak said. “As a combined skill, it is hard to level, but it has the benefit of also being an on-going passive. All of Friend Asin’s attacks will dig deeper, do more damage. And at higher levels, it should penetrate deep within.
“It is a skill for precision fighters.”
Before Daniel could inquire further—especially on the part about monster biology—the trio arrived before the door to the Seven Stones Guild. The healer looked up, taking in the squat, two-story whitewashed building and could not help but compare it to the others beside it. They were in the richer part of town—thus the paved stones and recently whitewashed walls—and thus everything from the trim to the clay-fired tiling on the roof itself was well kept. Yet there were little signs of disrepair to Daniel’s eyes, little indications that while organisation might be rich—comparatively—they were not affluent.
“Well, are we to enter?” Omrak said, suddenly looking nervous. He tugged on his tunic, his best set of three and the one he wore most often when he went out on dates. It was a little thinner, a little tighter woven than his other rougher, much-patched wear he wore into the Dungeon.
Not that Daniel had anything to comment on Omrak’s clothing choices. He too wore his best outfit, but unlike Omrak, he had a wider range of clothing options to choose from. One of the advantages of being a healer in the hospice was that he often received small gifts. In this case, the shirt he wore was a hand-me-down from a grateful patient. It was much finer quality than Omrak’s own tunic, but his was about twenty years out of style.
“Yes,” Daniel said.
Of course, rather than barging in, he knocked on the door before shifting on his feet, taking a few seconds to clean his boots on the edge of the upraised lip of the door. Like most of the other buildings on the street, to get to the door, you had to ascend a few steps to reach it, offering the inside of the house a little protection from the constant rains and mud.
Asin, beside him, was already cleaning her own sandals. While she preferred walking barefoot whenever possible, the city streets were not on that list. If nothing else, the constant rumbling carts and deposits and the need to keep her feet clean on entering a residence meant footwear was a necessity.
As he was watching the Catkin, Daniel noticed the way her head tilted; her ears swiveled moments before he too heard the footsteps from within the guild hall. A moment later, the door creaked open to reveal Gadi himself, the short, five-foot human glaring up at the group.
“So, you finally chose to speak with me, did you? What happened? The Burning Fields turn you down?” he said, crossing his arms before himself. Dark blonde hair, nearly brown in the dim lighting shone, though from their angle, Daniel spotted the thinning center line.
“We have chosen to explore other options first,” Daniel said. “As you said, they’re a little large. And might not offer what we want.”
Gadi’s eyes narrowed for a second before he nodded, waving the group through the door. Once they were in and the door closed, Gadi led them to the sitting room on the door’s left. As they walked forward, Daniel could not help but notice the doors at the end of the hallway that led out to the training grounds.
The sitting room itself contained simple carpets and wall hangings, a cabinet filled with glassware and drinks, and a series of wooden lounging chairs. Gadi took the single seat, plopping himself down with force before he faced the group.
“So, you recall my offer, yes?” he declared beforehand, before continuing. “What else do you want?”
“Remind me,” Omrak called out. “I have forgotten what it was you offered us.”
“I offered the healer a salary, a silver for his healing services and double shares on any delve. As well as the usual benefits of being part of our guild—access to our merchant and alchemical resources and the guild library.”
“And us?” Asin asked, perched as she was on a chair.
Gadi glanced at the Beastkin before he turned away with a dismissive sneer and faced Daniel again. “I can take in your friends. They are unremarkable, but not useless. But we’ll want to add to your party. It is significantly under-strength.”
“I’d like to choose my members,” Daniel said.
“We’ll send who we have, but you have to take at least five down with you,” Gadi said. “We won’t let our investment die just because he didn’t take enough precautions.”
“That’s fine. But I won’t work with people who I don’t trust,” Daniel said.
“Of course,” Gadi said. “And as I said, your friends are adequate. Would you like to see your potential teammates now?”
“They’re here?” Daniel said, surprised.
“Mmm . . . we have some. The ones missing a team,” Gadi said. “And one other Advanced team, who are spending the day training. We institute a five-two regime.”
“Five-two?” Omrak said, frowning. The big Northerner was lounging in the room, having made the couch he had taken his own. The ostentatious display seemed to not make him unconscious at all, unlike Asin.
“Five days training, two days delving,” Gadi replied.
“Not the other way around?” Daniel said.
Daniel’s reply had Gadi bark a laugh, one that was closer to the bray of a mule than a human chuckle. Catching himself, he stared at Daniel before he snorted. “Who goes delving five days in a row?”
Asin let out a chuff of laughter, while Omrak frowned. When Gadi looked at the group, frowning, Daniel explained. “We do.”
“What? Why? How do you . . .” Gadi paused, then shook his head. “Of course. Healer. You overuse your skill on them, don’t you?”
“I keep the team well healed.”
“And subject their body to repeated healings,” Gadi said, shaking his head. “You should not.”
“Why?”
“Repeated magical healing can cause issues in the long-term. It’s a known issue with older Adventurers. Certain kinds of diseases that erupt, causing tumors and other issues,” Gadi said.
“Oh, that!” Daniel nodded. He knew about those issues. In fact, they treated cases like that in the hospice relatively regularly. Of course, Gadi was not correct in calling it a disease since it was not an external effect on the body but a problem within the body itself. Daniel could—and did—scan his friends and himself for the issue. It was a weird problem, one that could easily be fixed by his Gift for minimal cost when it first started showing up but was extremely expensive later on. It was one of the few things he refused to fix when presented to him, instead reverting to alchemical concoctions. Sometimes, those even worked.
“That.” Gadi’s eyes narrowed, and Daniel smiled brightly in turn. Soon enough, he’d learn the truth if he hadn’t already, but it was better to not speak of it just yet. “Well, so long as your friends and teammates understand the dangers.”
“I don’t heal everything,” Daniel said, nodding. “It’s good for the body to heal by itself at times. Magical healing just resets the body, instead of letting it grow.”
At least most kinds.
Healer’s Mark was more a regeneration spell, which just sped up the body’s own natural healing properties. It actually had less chance of causing issues, though for some reason, some individuals were more prone to damage than others. Interestingly, it had nothing to do with Constitution itself. Of course, there were true Healers who spent their time researching the why, but much of it was still speculative. Common theories ranged from Erlis’s will, to unseen diseases, to intrinsic issues within an individual’s body. That such problems were more common among inbred creatures led credence to the first and last theories.
And outside of the low-level spells like Healer’s Mark, there were more powerful healing spells like the Body’s Return and Regeneration as well as the priest’s blessings like Erlis’s Forgiveness that sidestepped issues like that entirely. Either by forcing the body to regenerate or that flooded the body with a purer form of Mana—or perhaps, a better controlled use of Mana; the priests were rather ambiguous about that point—that not only healed and regenerated but cleared the body of other issues.
“Good. It’s still dangerous to push like that,” Gadi said.
“People,” Asin said, butting in and tapping the table with a clawed finger.
Gadi frowned, eyeing the spot where Asin had tapped as if he was distrustful that she might have damaged it, before sighing. “Yes, yes. I’ll get them.” He paused. “Or we could join them.”
“Join?” Asin cocked her head to the side.
“On the training grounds.”
The enthusiastic nods from the group had Gadi smiling as he stood up and waved them to follow him. Daniel could not help but grin a little, anticipation rising. There was definitely something to be said about watching his potential allies at work.
And really, Omrak was not wrong. He did need to work on his skills.