In the royal capital of Brad, Warmount, there exists a party of Adventurers graced with both fortune and fate’s merciless gaze. For this party of Adventurers had gained royal favor, a favor that saw the third prince of the kingdom joining their ranks under the pretext of understanding the common man and making his way without the aid of his parents.
A common enough desire, though when expressed by a prince, engendered a series of noble plots and machinations. Drawn unwilling into the world of lordly intrigue are the members of the party. The original trio of Daniel Chai, an ex-Miner turned Adventurer with an Erlis-Gifted ability to heal even the most grievous wounds, at the price of his own memories. Asin, a member of the minority species of Beastkin that survived amongst the majority-human rule, her bestial, cat-like features gifting her speed and agility but also, marking her as other forevermore. And finally, Omrak, son of Losin, the large Northerner teenager who neared his twentieth birthday away from the sheer mountains and green pastures of his home. The team’s center and tank, their melee fighter whose bravery could only be matched by his straightforward heart.
Through numerous Adventures, starting from their time in Karlak, did the three forge an unbreakable bond of friendship as they grew in strength and skill alike. Joining the original trio were others like the Healer Anne, the noble Lady Nyssa and her bodyguard Charles, and Rob, the Selkie Enchanter. Some would leave, seeking better pastures or finding the life of danger and excitement of Adventuring too much for them. Others would seek safer environs, for Daniel’s unparalleled Gift of healing was as unusual as it was desired.
In the end, machinations and plots came to the fore with matters resolved in a trio of duels between manipulative nobles and the party. In the end, the party were victorious, though it came not without cost. Daniel’s Gift and the Price he paid were revealed for all to know, and the party now had a pair of open slots to fill. One of which was guaranteed to include the third prince.
Months later, the newly reformed party of Adventurers were in the midst of another delve into one of the many Dungeons of Warmount. An Advanced Class Dungeon, the party is hard pressed to guard both their royal addition and survive their encounter with the murderous monsters.
***
“Fall back, damn it!” Omrak roared, ducking a hard swipe. The attacking alligator-like creature with its long, biting snouts and clawed fingers was also seven feet tall, putting even the large, blond Northerner at an uncommon size disadvantage. That he had to handle three of them, all while wielding his giant two-handed sword by himself was difficult at the best of times.
Doing so when his companions were not in position and busy attempting to draw the attention of the monsters he was fighting in the cramped room they were in just made it harder. He hissed as he paid for the lapse in attention, the alligator on his left leaving a long tear along one arm, managing to slip a claw between the plates of armor between shoulder and arm.
“I have him!” Roland snapped, head down as he ducked and swiped at the croc he was chasing. The croc kept pulling backwards, dodging the enchanted weapon the third prince used, its bleeding stump evidence of what happened when the all-too-sharp sword struck.
“Erlis’s tears, listen to Omrak,” Daniel Chai said, head bent low under his shield as he pushed forward and struck. His hands blurred for a second, the warhammer in his hand flashing in a Double Strike that cracked into scaled torso and sending a resounding snap through the room. Immediately, Daniel pulled back a little, raising his shield to take the retaliatory strike, a wash of hot, half-rotten breath washing over him as the croc turned its attention to him.
“We’re being flanked!” Another cry, female and noble but a little worried, carried over from behind. Daniel cast a quick glance behind, spotting movement in the shadows from the corridor that they had entered from. A single glow stone, left behind to illuminate their way was all that offered illumination. That was, until Lady Nyssa, the leather-armored mage, started casting. A sonic orb formed, escaping Mana and magic illuminating her and the area around her further and showing the hulking shadows charging forwards.
“I got it!” Charles, her bodyguard, replied. The older man drew his sword as he discarded his ineffectual bow and took guard next to his employer, the retainer drawing a dagger a second later after consideration of his potential foes.
“We need to finish this!” Daniel said, risking a blow to crack his warhammer on a swiping claw. His hammer was nearly thrown from his hand upon impact, making him regret his choice. A moment later, the croc’s head ducked low, its mouth open wide as it attempted to bite his head off.
Only to rear back as a glowing, Penetration-enhanced throwing knife embedded itself in its throat. Another second and a flurry of throwing knives followed as Fan of Knives added to the creature’s pain. Asin slipped pass Daniel on his right, crouched low and moving fast as her hunting knife cut at tendons and sweeping tail. The fast-moving Catkin with her black skin and red cloak was a blur that shifted away from the croc, throwing knives peppering the back of Omrak’s other pair of attackers.
Distraction. Enough for the Northerner to unleash a new Skill, Deadly Blow, to bring his weapon crashing down on a turned back. His massive weapon, using borrowed impetus and the rage that cloaked him, tore through armored scales and crashed through the meat between collarbone and neck to slide deep into torso.
A twist of his hips and Omrak tore the weapon out, leaving a giant, gaping wound and dying monster. In the meantime, Daniel used his own Skill Perrin’s Blow to strike at his own opponent, crushing hip and sending the creature flying into its friend. Tangling the pair up and knocking them off their feet, Daniel and Omrak jumped on the two crocs to finish them while Asin scampered off to deal with their errant prince.
A moment later, their whaling upon the monsters was interrupted by the harsh screaming of the unleashed spell, a caterwauling that shook teeth and made their ears bleed; such power was embedded in the spell that it brushed pass the auditory defensive equipment they were all equipped with. For the unprotected crocs though, the damage was even worse and they fell to the ground, clutching their heads.
Easy prey for Charles and the last member of their party whose overly large war polearm came crashing down on the crocs, crushing shoulders and heads with blinding speed. He wove his attacks through the group, and when he hit too hard and the hammer head was stuck, Johan just dropped the polearm and pulled a halberd from his Inventory to keep at it.
Finishing up the fight, the party regrouped in the center of the chambers. Asin moved around the edges, picking up and storing the various Mana stones in a small pouch, one that was linked to the rest of the team. A simple enchantment, but it not only kept track of all Mana stones that were collected but ensured that they could all collect the pouches.
The Third Prince—Roland, as he insisted on being called—had arrived with the pouches for everyone after their first delve, handing them out with a wave and muttering how these were old pouches that none of the family used anymore.
“Where were you, Johan?” Daniel said, frowning as he looked at the Men-at-Arms. His position should have been beside Omrak or all the way in the back, covering the team.
“I . . . umm . . . well . . . I saw . . .” Johan trailed off. “Then, I fell in . . .”
“Fell in?” Daniel said with a little groan.
“Pit trap,” Asin called out, waving a hand over her head from where she stood. A single pit trap, positioned just to the far left and out of the way of the fight was beside her.
“You fell into the sole pit trap in the room,” Daniel said. Johan flushed and ducked his head and the Healer sighed. “Did you put more points into Luck yet?”
“Haven’t leveled . . .” Johan whispered.
Of course he hadn’t. Nor would he likely put his points in Luck, even if he did. The Curse he had been afflicted with was not going to be so easily swayed.
“Whatever, all right, let’s talk about what happened here,” Daniel said, looking around the room and ensuring it was secure. “Especially you, Roland.”
“I did great, eh? Did you see how I killed that croc?” Roland said, grinning.
“That . . . wasn’t what I wanted to talk about?”
“Oooh, the new blade? I did change it out. I liked the sharpness aspect I think, but I’m worried about durability . . .”
“Ummm . . .” Johan said.
“That wasn’t it either . . .”
“Do you want me to get those floating lanterns then? Because I can. It really is rather dark in here . . .” Roland said, rambling on.
Daniel let out a groan, burying his head in his hands.
“Umm . . . I . . .”
“Perhaps, Your Highness, if you let our Healer—” Lady Nyssa cut-in.
“Friend Daniel is not a registered Healer,” Omrak rumbled.
“Uh . . . my . . .”
“It’s true. He isn’t. And the Healers are getting quite upset everyone is calling him that. They’ve even registered an official complaint to Father,” Roland said.
“Ummm . . .”
“Just say it already!” Daniel snapped, spinning on Johan.
The nobleman flushed, looking down. Daniel’s gaze was forced to follow it, only for his eyes to widen to see the swollen and broken foot.
“Shit! Sorry!” Rushing over, Daniel laid hands on it, casting his Heal Minor Wounds spell. It was a fast-acting spell, one he would normally reserve for the middle of combat to conserve Mana. But considering they were not going to be heading too much deeper this delve—again—he had Mana to spare.
Swelling started going down, the bone popping back into place with a crack, while Daniel looked up at Johan, incredulity warring with wonder.
“You climbed out of the pit and fought on that?” Daniel said.
“Uhh . . . umm . . . yes?”
“Idiot,” Asin hissed, next to him. “Help.”
“Ummm . . . I was trying!” Johan said.
“No, she meant we’d help you,” Daniel said, translating.
Asin gave him a short nod, while Johan flushed red and looked away. He muttered so low that Daniel could not hear it and after a quick thought, Daniel decided not to ask.
Sometimes, it was better to just let things lie. Looking back at Roland who was happily chatting with the rest of the team, he sighed.
Sometimes, it was best to let things lie.
For the good of all.
***
“Four gold and seven silvers each,” Daniel said, handing the funds out to everyone. The nobles pocketed their amounts without a glance, Omrak looking down at the payment with a grimace while Asin pursed her lips.
“Another great day delving! Shall we go drinking?” Roland said, grinning. A short distance away, a pair of armed guards stood, out of the way and as unobtrusive as they could be. Once they exited the Dungeon, these guards had appeared, shadowing the group.
“The King’s Arms?” Lady Nyssa said with a half-smile.
Daniel winced, making Roland turn and frown in concern.
“What is the matter, Daniel?”
“We only made four gold,” Daniel said.
“Exactly! We should celebrate.”
A low rumbling sound from deep within Asin’s chest rose up. Roland smiled at the Catkin. “Do not worry, they have been spoken to. The waiter was fired and no one will bar you or any other noble Beastkin from dining at the King’s Arms again.”
“I think, Your Highness, that it is the fact that we only made four gold that concerns Friend Asin,” Omrak said.
“I . . . do not understand,” Roland said, blinking.
“Ale is a silver a piece, Your Highness,” Omrak pointed out.
“Is it? I never noticed,” Roland said, shrugging.
Another, deeper rumble from Asin. Daniel looked over at her worriedly, and she stared back at him. Unspoken words passed between the pair before he sighed.
“Your Highness . . .”
“Roland. I might not make the Northerner call me properly, but you surely can!”
“Roland. We only made four gold from our delve today. Drinking at the King’s Arms is expensive. As is living in the city itself. Repairing our weapons, food, and savings. It all costs. We also should practice our team coordination further,” Daniel said.
“You mean when I broke away,” Roland said.
“Yes,” Daniel replied.
“I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. I just got so excited and knew you guys could handle the other three,” Roland said. “I promise to do better.”
Asin let out a little chuff, recalling the other times he’d promised.
“It’s not about promising. It’s training so even if you do break away, we can cover for you when necessary,” Daniel said, lips pursed. “There are times when you charging ahead is necessary. But we aren’t ready for that yet. We need to train together, so you don’t break away. And if you do, we know.”
“Well, of course we should train,” Roland said, nodding.
“Then—” Daniel began.
Roland, however, kept talking, ignoring the fact that Daniel was saying something. “But we should also rest. My previous groups always delved one day and trained another.”
“Then we will train tomorrow and train the whole day, shall we not?” Lady Nyssa said, cutting and smiling at Daniel while giving him a look.
“Ah . . .” Roland hesitated.
“What?” Daniel snapped. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed how Lady Nyssa flinched, as did Johan. He did not care, frustration bubbling through him.
“Oh, I can’t train tomorrow,” Roland said. “There’s this ball I have to do.” Seeing Daniel beginning to scowl, he reached out and patted Daniel on the shoulder. “It’s not as if I want to do it—but my father asked me to. My second brother is busy, and well . . .”
With a huff, Daniel waved his hand. What could he say when that weapon was pulled? It was not as if anyone—not even Roland—could tell his father no.
“Now, come on. I’ll buy the drinks,” Roland said. “Call it my apology for missing tomorrow’s practice. Though, all of you could come too.” Eyes twinkling, Roland leaned in and bumped Johan’s elbow. “Lots of young ladies coming out at that time . . .”
“Uhh . . . I . . .” Johan blushed, while Roland, having said his piece, walked off with the expectation that the others would follow.
Lady Nyssa hesitated, looking between the group but took off after him after a second. Johan followed soon after, keeping a respectful step back, as did Charles. Leaving the original trio to stare at one another. In the end, Omrak put his hands around his friends shoulders and guided them forwards.
“Let us drink. Free ale is free ale!” Omrak said wisely.