“Friend Daniel, would one save this poor hero from an ignoble death?” Omrak cried, stumbling into the breakfast room in the guild hall. Daniel, seated with a large plate of breakfast foods, smirked as his blond friend took a seat beside him, looking the worse for wear having overindulged.
“I should let you suffer,” Daniel muttered, but when his friend gave him a piteous grin, he chuckled and touched his friend with his hand. A slight push with his Gift, a brief few seconds of memory, and he set his friend’s body on the right path. “Go. Drink water, a lot of it. And eat well too.”
Omrak was already stumbling away, knowing the routine.
“Foolish. Not teaching well.”
Daniel jerked, then turned to glare at his oldest friend. She grinned back at him, having taken a seat with her heaping plate of sausages, shredded meat, and bacon with nary a sound. The Catkin looked pleased with herself, but nodded to where Omrak was creating his own plate when the Healer raised an eyebrow.
“He’s young still. He’ll get over the drinking phase,” Daniel said, justifying his decision to his friend. “He was getting better too, before, you know.”
“Prince.” No scorn, no inflection even in the Catkin’s words.
Daniel knew how she felt, but Asin was smart enough not to voice her opinion. As a Beastkin in a capital—especially the nobles—that looked down on her kind, she was careful not to step out of line. Already, being a Beastkin in the prince’s party had put a target on her back, one that she chose to share with Daniel and Omrak by staying close to them. No longer did she disappear by herself, at least, not for the most part. Individuals looking to deal with the “uppity” Bestkin were, unfortunately, all too common.
“Yes,” Daniel sighed. “I guess we’re alone today.” The Catkin nodded. “Training again?”
Asin shook her head, and fished in her tunic for a second. She extracted a piece of paper and dropped it off with Wu Ying, leaving him to pick it up and read it over.
“Huh. And that’s today?” Daniel said.
Another nod.
“It’d be a nice change of pace . . .”
“What would be, Friend Daniel?” Omrak rumbled. Then, spotting the scrap parchment in Daniel’s hand, he pulled it from Daniel’s hand after dropping his plate aside. He stared, mouthing each word as he read before looking up, smug in his hard-trained skill. “A quest!”
“An assignment,” Daniel corrected. “It’ll be dirty and squashed and we won’t find a lot to fight. Maybe nothing at all.”
“Minimum.”
“Exactly, Friend Asin. There is a guaranteed payment,” Omrak said around a mouthful of bread and sausage. He gulped the mouthful, taking another bite before he continued. “We certainly need the funds. And who knows, we might be lucky. It’d be about time for a change!”
“Omrak, manners, please,” Daniel said, quietly correcting his friend.
“Bah! The vice-guildmistress is not here. I am allowed to eat how I will. All these nobles and their—urkkk!” Omrak spluttered to a stop as his ear was grabbed from behind and twisted. He stretched and half-rose as his assaulter leveraged him up.
“Oh, but I am here, Adventurer Omrak,” Lady Marshall, vice-guildmistress of the Seven Stones Guild murmured, leaning down to softly murmur into the Northerner’s stretched ear. “And you promised that you would practice. Now, is the courageous son of Losin going back on his word?”
“No, Honored Lady!” Omrak wheezed, eyes rolling furiously. Daniel and Asin were hiding small grins, knowing that the Northerner had brought this on himself. They all had been receiving lessons in etiquette now that they were partied with the prince, but only Omrak had fought against it with such vigor. It seemed to offend him on some intrinsic level, the manners of nobility for Brad. “But I only promised to practice, not all the time.”
“Well, I think we should change that, no?” Another squeeze and twist when Omrak chose not to answer her question.
“Yeessss!” Omrak said, relieved when she let his ear go.
When he sat back down with a thump, rubbing his ear, Lady Marshall glared at the trio. “You three have the most to lose. Yes, even you, Daniel. If nothing else, your friends could be taken. We have told you, many times. You are being watched. Act like it.”
The trio grimaced in unison before murmuring words of assent and acknowledgement. Once they had finished properly expressing their contrition, Lady Marshall held a hand up, silencing them. She made a few gestures, and a slight pressure filled the air around them, forcing Daniel to pop his ears. He knew by now that marked the casting of a hasty privacy barrier.
“Now, I’ve heard rumors that you three are unhappy about the speed of your progress?”
“He just doesn’t train enough,” Daniel said, softly. “We keep having to cut our delves short because he just won’t listen and stay with us. It’s . . . frustrating.”
“Poor,” Asin added. Lady Marshall glared at the Catkin, until she reluctantly was forced to clarify. “Low coins.”
“We seek not much, but glory. And in his presence, we cannot even find that, Honored Lady,” Omrak added.
“Firstly, I told you, we’re Adventurers. There is not hunting for glory among us, just coin,” Lady Marshall said, leveling a finger at Omrak. The Northerner quailed before the pointed finger, before she turned to the other two. “As for you, Daniel—just because you and your friends have always been training maniacs does not mean everyone else is. Most Adventurers do not enter the Dungeon every day or every other day, spending the rest of their time not in the Dungeon training. Most choose to have lives.” When Daniel made to argue, she continued to speak, rolling right over his words. “And taking time off to spend working in local hospices and clinics is not counted as a break.
“Accept that the prince is a more typical Adventurer. He will train, he will progress—if not, his father would never have accepted him becoming an Adventurer at all—but he will not be following your schedule. He has, justifiably, other important duties to attend to.”
Daniel grimaced, but eventually nodded in acceptance. Of her words at least, if not the reality. That might take longer.
“As for you”—Lady Marshall paused as she turned to Asin, then smiled—“Well, you have a point. The city is expensive, and while we are covering your stay in the guild’s quarters, Adventuring is expensive. And having a prince in your midst should have some benefits. It just took us a while to come to an agreement.”
A hand reached into her robe, and three coin pouches landed on the table. Asin snatched up the first, pulling it open before her eyes, cat-like and large normally, widened even further, giving her a comically adorable visage.
Daniel chose to stare at his friend’s reaction for a second, savoring it, before he too checked the contents on the pouch. Only to find himself mimicking her reaction.
“Those are platinum coins,” Daniel whispered.
“Yes. A monthly stipend.” Jaws dropped, before Lady Marshall continued. “Also, we’ve agreed to allow you each access to the guild’s armory to procure a single item at our expense. Within reason, of course.”
“All of us?” Omrak said, disbelievingly.
“Just you three. The ones who lack . . . connections . . . to make up the difference in equipment,” Lady Marshall said. “That is our own contribution.”
The three grinned, sharing a moment of joy, though Daniel felt a little guilty. Just a bit. He knew that for the others—barring Charles—the addition of the prince was offering other, ancillary benefits to their Houses and thus, offering them further access to their Houses’ own armories. Even Charles had received new equipment as his own role had expanded. And Daniel had spotted the man wearing better and new tunics recently, likely the result of an increase in his base salary.
“When can we get them?” Daniel said.
“Mmm . . . in a few days. Opening the armory is an elaborate process, so you’ll have to be patient,” Lady Marshall said. “You will be informed beforehand once we know for certain.” Once more the group nodded. “One last thing.”
A hand came up, this time clutching a necklace of delicate gold and silver filigree, with runes etched on the intricate braid that cradled emeralds and rubies and a single, large Mana stone. It was a beautiful and quite feminine piece, which was why Daniel was surprised when the Lady pushed it towards him.
“Wha—t?”
“This is for you to wear,” Lady Marshall said. “Taken from the Royal Treasury itself, it is an Artifact of great power.”
The trio froze at the word Artifact, none of them daring to even breathe as they stared at it. Artifacts were as different from standard enchanted gear as a copper coin was to platinum. There was no true comparison, and few Artifacts were created each century. Most were made by demented and gifted craftsmen, their lifetime Masterpieces.
“What does it do?” Daniel said, still not daring to touch it.
“It helps to reduce the Cost of your Gift,” Lady Marshall said. “And before you ask, we’re not entirely certain how. The Artifact has not been taken out in centuries, and records of its exact workings have been significantly eroded and uncertain. It is hoped that you will report in more detail.”
Daniel gulped and took the Artifact. Even dreading the responsibility of owning such an item, he would not turn down the gift. Or bribe, depending on how you saw it. After all, the Price he paid was all too high, with portions of his life stolen each time he used it.
Sliding the necklace on and slipping it under his shirt, he felt a surge of power enter his body, the Artifact attaching itself to his aura and himself. Somehow, he knew, it would not come off now unless he willed it.
“Now, that is all that I had to do with you. Is there anything else you would like to raise with me?” Lady Marshall said, the tone of her voice warning them that there better not be. The group shook their heads in negation and the vice-guildmaster strode over, disappearing out the doorway soon after.
Silence fell over the group, before Asin tapped the table with one long claw to draw their attention. Once she had it, she was succinct as always.
“Quest late.”
Hurriedly, the pair still with food on their plates ate at the pointed reminder. Newfound wealth or not, they—Asin—had agreed to the quest. Failing to follow through would see them penalized by the Adventurers Guild. And nothing, not even royal edict, would save their reputations if they failed too many quests.
Anyway, money was not the only reason these three Adventured.
***
“This reminds me so much of Karlak,” Daniel said as he edged along the caverns.
The entire delve had reminded him of his time in the Beginner Dungeon. First, going through Warmount, they had travelled through manufactured hallways down the fortress itself, plunging deep into the bowels of the stronghold that had been carved and situated on the mountain itself. Then, once they passed the manufactured lands, they entered these natural stone caverns, struggling through tight corners and climbing up tight walkways.
“Yes. Familiar,” Asin said, her voice echoing down the tunnel. Then, she added, “Shhh!”
Daniel wanted to chuckle but kept it to himself. He knew any noise they made, even the low murmur he had used initially was something that would echo through the tunnels. But the entire point of coming down these tunnels was to find monsters and, most importantly, sappers.
One of the greatest threats to Warmount—the Master Class, deeply entrenched and multiple quest line Dungeon they were within—was the danger of sappers. Periodic sweeps of the lower levels to find and kill such generated attackers was a necessity. Of course, fighting in tight quarters like this was not the preference for most Adventurers—the lack of support and the altered fighting techniques one needed was unusual for most.
Which was what it made perfect for the Karlak graduates like Daniel and his team. Of course, the fact that the extensive cavern system beneath the mountain meant that finding such sapper parties was difficult was also why there was a minimum payment amount, one that was pooled from and paid out by the Guilds attempting to “win” the latest iteration of the Master Class quest.
Silent now, the group made their way through the caverns, dressed down to lighter armor and fewer weapons. Daniel had his shield stored, a smaller buckler in hand and his hammer by his side. Omrak, wearing only his tightly belted, enchanted, soft-leather armor had stored his greatsword and was wielding the paired enchanted hatchets he carried. Easily usable to throw or cut those who closed in on him, the weapons were a favorite mid-range solution for the big Northerner. Only Asin had foregone changing her equipment, having always worn light armor and wielded her knives.
It was nearly towards the end of the day when the group finally came across the first signs of their prey. It was not their first fight—the Dungeon spawned minor Dungeon monsters deep within the caverns like Kobolds, enchanted Rock Beetles and Venomous Caterpillars, but none of those were a real concern for the experienced party.
However, the patrol of Korrigan and the single Grendel that accompanied them was another matter. The Korrigan were small, dwarf-like creatures, standing only four feet tall and slimly built. Daniel knew from reports though that they were uncommonly strong and the oversized jaws hid sharp, powerful teeth that were used to crush armor. Once a Korrigan clamped down on you with its mouth, it was difficult to make them release. Most Adventurers had to do it after they had killed the stubborn, pupilless creatures.
As for the Grendel, it was as big as the Korrigan were small. Dwarfing even Omrak, the creature was eight feet tall of corded muscle and slimy skin. Its presence down here was unlucky for the team, and though it might seem at first glance that its large size was incongruous to be in such tight places, those individuals did not know of the Grendels’ strange ability to contort and squeeze their bodies through even the smallest openings. So long as its head could fit, the monster could squirm its way through.
Asin, spotting the group first, signaled the team to a halt. Then, using a series of hand signs, informed the waiting pair of what she saw. Turning her head to see her friends, she continued the conversation.
“Plan?” she signed.
“Big. Mine,” Omrak returned quickly, a gleeful smile splitting his face.
Daniel rolled his eyes a little, but then ran a hand down his armor. He pulled out a small glass orb, a similar contraption to what their old Enchanter member Rob had used and showed it to the others with an inquiring eyebrow raise.
Nods from them around and Daniel added a few other quick command details. “Orb first. Three count. Asin and I, Korrigan. Pull group away. Omrak, after pull.”
Once the pair acknowledged the simple commands, the trio put the plan to action. There was no long planning session, partly because the team had worked together for so long, they understood their places in battle and partly because they feared being found out. All too often, such patrols would move on, and an inadvertent accident could easily alert them of their presence. Never mind potential other tragedies like a second patrol or a roving monster appearing.
No, faster was better. This was why they trained beforehand anyway, outside in the guild halls, so that they understood what they had to do. Now, if only they could convince the prince to put more time in and follow the formations.
Daniel shook his head violently, dispersing the thoughts and finished the silent countdown. He stepped to the side, briefly coming into view as he lobbed the orb at the monsters underhanded. One of the Korrigans spotted him, beginning to shout a warning, only for Asin’s thrown knife to lodge in its throat, cutting it short.
The other monsters still noticed the problem, but it gave them enough time. Time for the team to duck back around the corner of the passageway, for the orb to impact the ground and shatter and for the energy contained within to release.
A combined shrieking and light display erupted, stunning the monsters in the chamber. Daniel had a second orb that layered targets with a sticky web—derived from another nearby Dungeon monster—but this was more appropriate. The Grendel was too large to get caught, and the team wanted to pull the Korrigans away.
Daniel, after the initial shriek of noise, ran in, his small buckler in hand and hammer coming down hard. It crushed one head, leaving a sizeable impression and on the backswing, lodged its spike into a raised arm to yank the opponent off-balance.
Throwing knives, glowing with power and replicated, showered the caught monsters. Asin burnt through her Stamina to use Fan of Knives in quick order, and Daniel chose to follow her example, using Perrin’s Blow to send one monster flying into another before he retreated.
Already, the Korrigans were recovering and swiping at him, forcing the Adventurer back. A couple moved towards Asin, intent on closing on the Catkin while the Grendel roared, wanting to push through to attack the other two but caught behind its friends.
As the Adventurers retreated through the small cavern that hosted the patrol, they directed the group’s attention away from their initial starting spot. Unfortunately, the impatient larger monster chose to ignore waiting for its friends, instead throwing its own allies aside as it pushed forward.
“Ba’al’s favor,” Daniel swore. He caught a swing by the large monster on his shield, sharp claws raking the front face and staggering him backwards. The monster was huge, its strength formidable. As he recovered, one of the Korrigans managed to slip in, stabbing him with the shiv it used and pulling it away, bloody.
Before the rest of the monsters could capitalize on the action, Omrak struck from behind. He chose to trigger his new attack Grand Sweep that struck multiple targets at once. It was less effective without his greatsword, instead putting the Northern into a dual-wielding spin, but it did manage to kill one Korrigan and injure the Grendel.
Unfortunate for Daniel but the Grendel did not seem interested in changing targets, even struck from behind as it was. It kept attacking Daniel, swinging his arms at the Adventurer with each strike. Rather than just take the damage, some of which was being healed by his own Healing Aura, Daniel occasionally triggered his Flawless Dodge skill proficiency, managing to somehow avoid attacks by the barest inch. It always set him up to counter, though more often than not, he’d use it against of the Korrigans that tried to flank him.
A Shield Bash sent one Korrigan bouncing backwards, leaving Daniel space to step sideways rather than back. An important move since he was fast coming up to the end of the cavern. Being trapped with his back against a wall was fine against numerous and weak enemies, but against the Grendel, it was just a recipe for disaster.
Hectic moments passed, the Korrigan squad whittled down by Asin and Omrak till the pair could turn their attention to the final Grendel. By that point, Daniel’s arm ached, his shoulder and even his chest bruised from repeated strikes, some of which had compressed his shield all the way into his own body. But he had managed to hold on, which was all the pair needed.
A Penetrator jumping blow allowed Asin to put a blade directly behind the skull, staggering and critically injuring the Grendel. As it sagged to its feet, Omrak released a lightning charged Thundering Strike with his hatchet, driving the blade of the axe through ribs to shock the creature’s heart.
The Grendel collapsed, twitching and insensate. A quick series of strikes finished it off, leaving the team the only survivors in the arena, Mana Stones glittering on the ill-lit floor.
“Well, that could have gone better,” Daniel said as he leaned against the cavern wall, his shield hand hanging down by his side.
“Ah, you are too modest. We are alive, and our foes lie glittering before us. Rejoice, Friend Daniel!” Omrak said.
As much as Omrak praised their abilities, Daniel did note how the big Northerner had come closer, making use of his Healing Aura to help close the few wounds he had received. Asin, being smarter and more avaricious had left them alone, picking at the Mana stones, knowing that Daniel’s aura would catch her anyway.
“Now, if we could only repeat that with the rest of the team.”
To that, even the positive Omrak had nothing to say.