by Tao Wong
Over on Asin’s side, the Catkin was focused, her hands flicking out semi-regularly as she worked more precisely. Each attack either struck an Imp or a couple as she triggered her Fan of Knives ability. Attacks often targeted Imps slightly ahead and above the rest, their sudden cessation of movement or torn wings creating further havoc in the sky. Unlike Daniel’s scattershot approach or Omrak’s stonewall, her Imps fell and stayed down.
“Overseer!” Omrak called out. The blond giant focused, pulling the large shield back into his Inventory, his face showing the strain from using his Mana in such a hurried fashion. Still, freed of the cumbersome protection, Omrak took the opportunity to charge his opponent.
“Damn it, Omrak!” Daniel snarled as their friend created a hole in their defense. At least he had waited until the initial group had left, leaving the pair a chance to recover. Dropping another rock into place, Daniel yanked the string back while searching for a good spot to aim. Finding it a moment later, he raised the weapon and triggered it, arms already aching from the constant motion. To save time, Daniel had kept his shield on his left hand, forcing him to carry the extra weight as he loaded his crossbow.
“Go!” Asin snapped as she stepped sideways to adjust her position. With a flick of her hands, she had two knives in it, held ready and low as she crouched down, eyeing the Imps which had gathered back together into a swarm.
Daniel snarled but heeded her advice, trusting in Asin to handle matters as he dropped the now empty rockbow. Reaching for his belt, Daniel pulled his hammer free as he watched Omrak take a cut across his back, the Overseer’s whip leaving a burning mark on the Northerner’s body where it was still unarmored. As he crossed over to aid his friend, Daniel took the time to cast a Healer’s Mark on him as he reached his party mate.
“Side by side,” Daniel said as he arrived, taking the whip high on his shield as Omrak panted. “I’ll go first; you come in a step behind.”
“I can do this.”
Not giving Omrak time to argue, Daniel surged forwards, shield held high. Omrak snarled, following a step behind, waiting for his opportunity. The Overseer’s whip swirled faster in retaliation, striking again and again at Daniel. But Daniel’s plate armor and shield absorbed the majority of the attacks, the ones that slipped between the gaps left only stinging and burning cuts. Sheltered by his friend, Omrak closed the last feet in a surge of energy, bypassing Daniel as the Overseer attempted to retreat to make full use of its weapon.
Left behind by the quick retreating Overseer - and Omrak who stuck close to it, swinging his sword and fouling the creature’s attempts to get away - Daniel sagged to a knee, panting from the exertion. It was only for a moment before the sound of a scuffle behind him drew his attention back to his Catkin friend. Asin grappled and fought with the last half-dozen Imps who clawed at her body, ignoring the shocks of electricity and her pendant’s deflection in equal measure.
“Asin!” Daniel said, concern in his eyes as he rushed forwards. Thankfully, the way back was significantly faster without the danger of losing an eye. As he closed, Daniel triggered Shield Bash as he smashed his way into the pile of bodies that was holding his friend down. His move sent a few bodies flying, their lighter bodies unable to stand the mass of the stocky, armored Adventurer. A howl of pain indicated that they might not be the only ones.
Double Strike was triggered next, the move allowing Daniel to quickly sweep another pair of Imps aside. A particularly large Imp, perched on Asin’s left hand twisted to snarl at Daniel, its teeth red with blood. This one Daniel graced with Perin’s Blow, his gift Find Weakness guiding his body to target the sides of its ribs where its lungs lived. The attack blew the monster off the angry Catkin, taking another Imp with it. In a moment, Asin had rolled up while yowling in pain.
“Off!” Asin growled, pointing to Daniel’s feet.
“Wha… Sorry!” Daniel said, quickly shuffling his feet aside as he got off her tail. Immediately, it twisted to wrap near her body, only the end which was stepped on not curling properly. But Daniel had no time to focus on that as the last couple of Imps recovered from their shock. The pair fell on the remaining Imps with vengeance, hammer and knives flashing as they took lives before it was finally over.
Omrak and the Overseer were still battling one another in the distance, the overly large, muscular Imp with its tiny wing nubs having discarded its whip for its claws to grapple the Northerner. In turn, Omrak had dropped his own weapon, leaving the two rolling around on the sandy floor.
“You think we should help?” Daniel asked Asin even as the pair walked over, their breathing harsh as they attempted to steady it. Asin was limping, one eye glued shut beneath a wash of blood where a strike had torn off part her forehead. A hasty bandage kept the skin in place while Daniel’s Healer’s Mark worked on her. Already, his other Minor Healing spell had helped to reduce her pain and injuries.
“Dangerous,” Asin said, obviously not inclined to Daniel’s sense of humor at the moment. Testing his ankle which he had somehow managed to twist, Daniel started jogging forwards, watching the pair. Already, he could feel his skill acting, guiding his thoughts. Once he was close enough, Daniel jumped, yelling out loud just before he landed next to the pair, the hammer arcing downwards already.
As Daniel’s hammer connected with the back of the Overseer’s head, a white flash spread across the Overseer. It wrapped the creature in the light, dancing for a moment before being absorbed back into the hammer. Next to its normal runes, a new one appeared, stylised to look like an Imp.
The attack, powered by Daniel’s jump and his ability, had struck the Overseer dead-on as Omrak held the monster tight. Already injured from repeated punches and a few cuts, the Overseer gave up the last of its life, fading into motes of blue as Omrak collapsed, his hands splayed beside him. All across the uncovered portions of his body, scratches both light and deep bled.
“Healer’s Mark,” Daniel whispered, once again using the vocal component to heal Omrak. After which he forced himself to stand, Asin having scrambled close to snatch the Mana Stone and then away again, suddenly having significantly more energy as she went to pick up the remaining stones.
“Why’d you leave?” Daniel said once he caught his breath. Knowing that Asin enjoyed this aspect of the delving, Daniel was grateful for the chance to sit and rest and verify his own injuries. It was best that he do so immediately, before the adrenaline wore off and he realised he’d been bleeding for ages without realising it.
“The Overseer’s weapon was too long. I could not protect you both if I had stayed,” Omrak said, gesturing to where the weapon, surprisingly, had not disappeared. Asin continued to chase around the walkways, picking up the stones.
“That’s pretty smart,” Daniel said. In the heat of battle, Daniel had not realised that factor.
“Neither did I,” Omrak said suddenly with a grin. “It was only after you joined me that I realised why I felt it right.”
Daniel sighed, resting his head on the cold metal of his armor. Damn it, Omrak. I was just beginning to respect your decision.
“What was that with your hammer?” Omrak asked, changing the subject.
“Oh! The enchantment finally triggered,” Daniel said happily. He lifted his hand, sharing the information weapon information with his friend.
Steel Spiked Hammer
Damage: 8 - 12 + .5 Strength + 2 Quality Bonus
Durability: 47/50
Item Class: Enchanted
Quality: Good (+2 bonus to damage)
Enchantment: Aide from Above (1/1 Summoning Stored). Hammer has 0.1% chance to store a copy of an attacked monster in it. Each stored summoning may only be used once. Summoning lasts for 5 minutes.
“Ah! I had wondered,” Omrak agreed. Asin, having wandered back, stored the whip and then sat down next to the pair, chewing on some hard tack.
“Sorry. I should probably have told you, but till now, nothing stored. My luck must have sucked,” Daniel said with a sigh. “I could have
sworn I’ve swung this over a few hundred times.”
“Luck bad.” Asin nodded with agreement. “No like luck enchantments. Persistent.”
“But the effects are so much greater!” Omrak said, pointing to the hammer. “We now have an Overseer to use.”
“Once,” Asin countered.
Watching the pair begin arguing, Daniel chuckled to himself and pulled out some water and his own lunch, his body beginning to shake slightly as the adrenaline left it. Well, they had finished their first Overseer. Even if they had yet to get to the next floor.
“First floor Champion Mana Stone. Eight gold two silver,” the Clerk announced after a quick glance, pushing it aside and then touched the whip. “Overseer whip. Uncommon drop. We can give you seven silver for it.”
“Seven?” Asin yowled, scandalized.
“It’s not enchanted. Most people buy it for the novelty value locally. We ship some down south – there’s a market for whips there,” the Clerk replied immediately, unfazed by Asin’s protest. “You can keep it and attempt to sell it somewhere else. We don’t negotiate.”
“Sell,” Asin said distastefully. The Clerk didn’t even show a flicker of surprise as she pulled the whip aside, moving on to the small pile of Imp claws and Mana stones. Soon enough, she had totaled and handed over the team’s earnings.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Adventurer. We’ll see you next delve,” the Clerk said by rote as Asin stomped back to the waiting pair. Asin’s ears twitched, tail lashing out behind her while she considered going back and giving that woman a piece of her mind. Then, considering how much that’d hurt her throat, Asin decided against it. Anyway, the Guild wasn’t about to change just because one particular Catkin felt they were taking too large a profit margin. After all, Asin knew that that same Mana Stone would be sold after refinement for at least four times the price. But since it was royally decreed that Mana Stones from a Dungeon could only be sold at the Guild, there was nothing she could do about it.
“How’d we do?” Daniel asked.
Rather than speak, Asin offered the tally note to Daniel. A quick glance was all that Daniel needed but Omrak, taking the note after him struggled to read it. The past few months had the pair teaching Omrak how to read, though it was slow going as the Northerner attempted to memorise the most common symbols. For some reason, the big Northerner struggled more than he should. At least in Asin’s perspective.
Such a strange thing – that these humans would allow others of their kind to be illiterate. The Beastkin might have many flaws, but all Beastkin were taught to read. Beast-script if not Brad, but more often than not, both. Without their written language, communication could easily break down between Beastkin species after all. So many Beastkin had their own clan languages that without a common script and common language, it was a recipe for failure.
“Not bad,” Daniel said. “Back to the inn?”
“Busy,” Asin said, shaking her head. In their own corner by the guild hall, Asin was happy to break apart the coins by feel from the pouch and hand them their share.
“Oh, okay,” Daniel said. While his face showed no trace of his disappointment, the sudden shift in his scent might as well have shouted it to the Catkin. A part of Asin wondered if Daniel realised how clear his emotional changes were to her. Still, she did not explain but waved goodbye to the pair.
Omrak and Daniel needed more time together anyway, Asin thought. Since both of them were direct fighters, there was significant overlap in their roles in the team. Thus far, things had gone relatively well, but she could sense the brewing conflict. It had lessened since the pair had started spending more time together, alone, in the city, and it was something that Asin felt should be encouraged.
It also helped that she had her own things to do.
An hour later, Asin found herself in the south-west corner of the city near the walls. This portion of the city was more rundown, drier than most, which required its residents to make regular treks outside and to the north of the city to gather fresh, clean water. As such, it was no surprise that water barrels lined the streets, collecting what little rain fell. But, unlike most other quarters, the Beastkin quarters were clean of refuse and trash on the streets, the entire area filled instead with the smell of spices being cooked and dried.
“Asin,” Tevfik called out to the Catkin girl a moment before he slipped his hand around her waist. She spun around, growling at him as she struggled, futilely to escape from his grasp. He chuckled, trapping her easily before he lay a kiss on her lips and nuzzled her with his whiskers. “Good day?”
“Very good. I caught scent of the Overseer and guided the team to him. Made good gold today,” Asin said with a purr, rumbling away happily in Catkin. The language was a lot lower, a lot more growly and involved significantly more body language which made it perfect for the bestial Catkin girl.
“I’m surprised Daniel agreed to fight him,” Tevfik said, eyes drawn tight. “I had thought he was more careful than that.”
“I need to pay Mulla,” Asin said, evading the question. Of course, Daniel was more cautious. Perhaps because he was their Healer, Daniel was always cautious. That’s why she hadn’t told him but guided him to her choice.
Sensing her evasion, Tevfik sighed but did not pursue the matter, instead following along as the girl scampered off to see the Apekin enchanter. “You know that Mulla is willing to wait, right?”
“Because you guaranteed it. And I can pay now,” Asin said firmly, bursting into the Monkeykin’s home workshop. Soon enough, the Catkin was back out, low curses in Brad following her.
“What happened this time?”
“Walked in on him cleaning,” Asin said with a shrug. She eyed Tevfik, recalling the first time they had met again when she went shopping on the second day, his attention drawn to the minor commotion she had caused. In a human enchanter’s shop there where her inability to speak had angered the owner. It was Tevfik who had introduced her to Mulla. And after that, well, it would have been rude to turn down his offer of dinner.
“Did you think about what I said?” Tevfik said softly as the pair walked to their favorite restaurant. One that cooked proper Beastkin food – meat wrapped in bread with more meat and spices.
“Yes. No,” Asin said, shaking her head. Tevfik had offered to help her sell some of the Mana Stones on the black market, one run by fellow Beastkin friends. Not too many of course, it would have been too obvious if they stopped bringing in Stones.
“Why?”
“My friends trust me. Would be wrong,” Asin said.
“You’re not taking from them. You can just cut them in on other things, make up the difference later,” Tevfik said. “That’s what I do with my party. I even add a little. You know the government sells stones to us at one and a half times the going rate. This is just a little rebalancing.”
“No,” Asin said, shaking her head. While Tevfik was right, and she did know that, it was also true that if she was caught doing something like this, the entire team would be affected. She could not do that to her friends.
“Sorry,” Tevfik said immediately, bobbing his head. As they neared the busy restaurant, he pointed. “Look, a table!”
“The tournament? It’s being held in less than two weeks now. If you want to join, you should register soon,” Nicole said to Daniel and Omrak. The guild master had found the pair seated by themselves and promptly sat down along with a pair of young ladies that had accompanied her. One, a female wearing a blouse and afghan ensemble sat next to Daniel, the other, a tall, rangy redhead had taken a seat next to Omrak, leaving Nicole to sit between the two youngsters. After the initial awkwardness, Nicole’s social skills and the plying of alcoholic courage had relaxed everyone.
“But what is it going to be? Puzzles? Skill displays? An arena fight?” Daniel persisted in asking.
“Oh, arena fight,” Nicole said. “For the noobs, you’ll be fighting captured monsters. If you checked the Quest section, you’d see the Questors
all running around cackling and exhausted by the sheer number of capture quests they’ve received.”
“We’re fighting monsters?” Daniel frowned, not expecting that.
“Of course, you are. You’re Adventurers. That’s what we do!” Nicole said with a snort.
“Except they’ve got the Blue and Whites fighting each other,” Emma, the afghan-wearing brunette pointed out. “It’s just that they’re scared you Reds might hurt each other. Not enough defensive enchantments.” As she said this, Emma fiddled with a ring on her finger.
“That too! But the Guild wants you to get more practise too. Good chance to fight strange and weird things you might never get a chance to fight otherwise,” Nicole said with a nod.
“This matter doth puzzle me. Surely the Artos cannot be suitable for both those at the highest and lowest ranks of the Advanced Classes?” Omrak said.
“Gods, I love the way you talk,” mooned the redhead, Sara, as she leaned into Omrak’s big arms. Flushing again, Omrak stared straight ahead.
“Artos is special. It’s a submerged location that is in Aramis that some say is actually a third Dungeon. It’s not a very big Dungeon either, with only three floors. Getting into it requires you to use a portal, one that has a moonstone key on it. You can set which floor you enter with Artos,” Nicole explained. “Because the portal only works for a limited number of teams, we have to limit it. But each team has to clear their floor. If not, the next time it opens, we get a Dungeon break.”
“And that’s why the tournament,” Daniel said. “To find the best.”
“Exactly.”
“Nope,” Emma said at the same time.
“Emma…”
“Oh, come on; you know it’s bullshit. They could just use the average payout as a guide to see which team is the best at each Level. Maybe with a little judgement included for those teams that are just coming off injuries. But they don’t,” Emma said. “Why do you think that, huh? It’s for the gold. The tournament is a great gold maker for the Guild and royal family. It’s also why all the winners get prizes.”