“Now I’ve had my fun, I suppose it is time we get down to business.” She pulled out two rolls of parchment, glancing over both quickly before signing them.
“Blake.” She held the first piece towards him. “Take this to the clerk. This will start the preparations for an expeditionary settlement at the new darkness dungeon. As I understand it, your father wants you to be a part of this settlement, and so I have authorized it.”
Blake almost let out a shout of happiness as his trembling hand reached for the parchment.
“Sean.” Alice’s voice took on a solemn tone, grounding Blake’s emotions. “I know you wanted to be a part of the settlement as well, to help establish and guide it, and to watch Blake grow.” She glanced between father and son. “But the guild has a more important task for you.” Sean hesitated as he reached for the parchment.
“The necromancer?” His voice was low, serious.
“I have assigned precautions against him.” She looked from Sean to Blake. “Don’t worry, Sean. The expedition, and your son, will be in good hands.”
Sean cleared his throat as he grabbed the parchment. “Understood.”
“You will both depart tomorrow, so I will dismiss the two of you for the day. And don’t worry about reporting the mage’s betrayal to the Mages’ Guild. Since I’ve given you additional tasks, I’ll handle that.” She shooed them away, pulling out another piece of parchment as they turned to leave. “I expect great things from both of you.”
Sean opened the door, leaving the guild office.
“Blake.” Alice stopped him just as he stepped after his father, his hand on the door.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Try not to get killed. I want to see your potential unfold.”
????
“My lord.” A messenger stood before him, quivering. He looked down upon the messenger, a pathetic, weak thing, and nodded, allowing him to speak.
“The dungeon has been located and confirmed by the Adventurers’ Guild.”
The messenger paused, eyeing the skeleton that was filling his goblet. He often forgot humans were not used to seeing the undead.
“They are preparing to send a party there on the morrow.”
“And?”
He tried to keep his voice stoic, but his excitement broke through. He couldn’t remember the last time the Adventurers’ Guild had allowed a darkness dungeon to survive. If it were up to him, he would be leaving immediately for the dungeon. However, it wasn’t his choice to make. A fact he hated.
“The Exalted One has given you permission to seek out the dungeon after you have completed your last task, in order to make a pact with it. The Exalted One commends you for your work in the South and is glad to see your undead forces have been growing. With the new darkness dungeon under your command and the town that will be built around it destroyed, we will be able to move the plan forward even sooner.”
His mouth turned up in a smile, a rare thing, and he allowed the messenger to exit alive, an even rarer thing. But then again, he had just been given permission to make a pact with the darkness dungeon. Soon, he would have all the minions, all the power, he could ever want.
But first, he had to destroy one more town for the Exalted One. He wasn’t sure why he was being ordered to destroy so many towns. Then again, he didn’t care. He was never one to complain about free minions.
Chapter Eighteen
The rest of the day passed in a blur for Blake. He remembered handing off the parchment while the Guildmaster’s cryptic final words weighed on his mind. After that, his day was a rush of packing his gear and saying his goodbyes. Those goodbyes, filled with a generous amount of liquor, were the reason the day was a blur – and the reason he had such a headache as he stood with the expeditionary group the following morning.
“All set, Blake?”
His father’s voice bounced around his head, making him groan. He glanced towards the direction the voice had come and nearly cried out in pain. His father’s armor shone brilliantly in the morning sun and sent blinding rays into his bloodshot eyes. Blake silently vowed never to drink again.
“I believe so.” He motioned towards one of the wagons, filled with everyone’s gear. “I’ve got my tent and bedroll packed, a few books, spare clothes—”
Sean held up his hand, cutting off Blake’s list.
“Are you ready, son?” His voice softened and he placed a gauntleted hand gently on Blake’s shoulder.
Blake had never seen his father act like that. He sobered up immediately.
“Honestly, I’m… I’m not sure.”
His first adventure had been a failure and he was worried about what was in store for him. He wanted to make his father proud. He wanted to surpass his father. But would he be able to? Blake hated to admit it, but the fact his father wasn’t going to be accompanying him was a little unnerving.
His father’s grip tightened on his shoulder, which Blake realized had started to shake.
“You’ll be fine, son. Just remember what I taught you and find a good team to adventure with. The people you surround yourself with are the ones who will become your family.” He stepped back and looked Blake up and down, nodding.
“Do your best, Blake, and make sure to stay safe.” His voice cracked, but the paladin quickly reined it in. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get out there to see your progress, but I expect great things from my son.”
Pride swelled within Blake at his father’s words, washing away his earlier feelings of doubt.
“I will make you proud.” He stood a little straighter, face beaming. His father may put his Goddess before his family, but Blake could feel how much his father cared for him in that moment.
“That you will.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.
It was a ring Blake had seen many times. It was made of pure silver and textured to almost seem like it was made of fur. On it, a wolf’s head was open in a howl, eyes shining with a golden light.
“Take this ring, Blake, and treasure it.” He held the ring out, and Blake hesitated before accepting it. He slid the cold metal on his finger, surprised at how it fitted perfectly on his finger. “That ring was my father’s, and his father’s before him. It has been passed down as each generation began their life as adventurers.”
“I will keep it safe.” He rushed forward and wrapped his father in a hug.
The paladin stiffened for a moment before returning the hug. Sean was not used to showing affection.
“I need to get going, Blake.” Sean pushed Blake gently away, breaking their embrace.
“Where are you going?” Blake hadn’t spoken with his father since they left the Guild Hall, and he still didn’t know what exactly his father had been tasked to do.
“I’m being sent to investigate some rumors of a growing fanatical group in the remote Northlands. It shouldn’t be anything too dangerous. Zealous groups form up periodically, but Alice would rather send a high-level adventurer to deal with the problem than risk lower level adventurers if it does prove to be something that needs taking care of.” He turned towards the north, shaking his head. “There are no towns with portal stones up there, so the trek alone is going to take over two months on horseback.”
Blake couldn’t help but feel sorry for his father. Valta was located in roughly the center of the continent. The dungeon he was going to was about a week’s ride west in one of the many forests that populated the land. The Northlands were at the very tip of the continent, and to get to them his father would have to trek through not only dense forest but also treacherous mountain ranges in order to reach the cities up there.
Because of the rough terrain, the lands to the north were all but uncharted and unexplored, with only a few known settlements. The church often sent missionaries to those villages to ensure the people were taken care of, and law and order upheld. What type of trouble could be brewing in the North?
“Don’t worry about me, Blake.” His father’s comment pulled him fr
om his thoughts. Blake guessed his face had betrayed the thoughts running through his mind.
“You just worry about getting stronger. Leave the tough matters to the Guildmaster and myself.” He smiled and turned away.
“Be safe, dad—” Blake started as his father’s figure moved into the crowd.
He didn’t want to make a scene, but his emotions were pushing at him and he felt a moment of panic as his dad walked away. He took a step forward, thinking to rush after the paladin, but stopped. Sean’s hand was in the air, waving back at him casually. His father would be all right, Blake decided. He was a Platinum-level paladin, after all.
“Aye, well, that was touching an’ all, but you about ready to go?” A hand grabbed his shoulder, and Blake didn’t need to turn to know who was talking to him. The gruff voice had been calling out orders all day. It belonged to Marcus, a Platinum-level rogue and the lead adventurer on the expedition.
“Yes, sir.” Blake wiped away his tears as he turned, noting a few eyes staring at him from their group. Apparently, they had been waiting for him to finish his goodbyes. He steeled himself and offered everyone a smile. From here on out, he was going to be an adventurer his father could be proud of.
Chapter Nineteen
“Are we there yet?” The question rang out for probably the hundredth time and was met with a mixture of laughs and groans.
The dungeon was a week away from Valta on horseback, Blake knew. But when you had over one hundred people in a caravan, filled with hopeful adventurers, craftsmen, and trainers, as well as all the supplies needed to begin building a small settlement, the trip became a lot longer.
“Next person to ask that is going to make me turn this caravan around!” Marcus called out, his gruff comment met with more laughter.
Though they had been traveling for almost three weeks, spirits among the group remained high. The excitement that came with the news of a new dungeon and the mission of establishing a settlement outside of it was just too infectious. Every day people swapped stories or rumors, speculated on what the dungeon would be like, and made crazy boasts.
Blake spent most of his time listening to the stories and training with a few other adventurers at night when they broke for camp. So far, no one knew he had been part of the group that discovered the dungeon. Well, almost no one.
“How close are we, Blake?” a female voice whispered beside him, pulling him from his thoughts. He had been back in the dungeon, thinking again of the mage’s betrayal and the dungeon’s actions. A shiver ran through his spine as he turned to answer.
“Another day, maybe two,” he whispered back. The woman beside him, Karan, was the only person who knew his father had taken him on the dungeon dive. She was a Gold-level cleric and had apparently been chosen by Blake’s father to be his team leader.
By guild rules, five-man parties had to be formed in order to conduct dungeon dives unless you were Platinum or higher. For a low-level dungeon, like the one Blake was heading to, there were additional rules. The team had to have a Silver or Gold-level leader, with the other members falling underneath them in rank.
“Have you found any teammates yet?” Karan had left the task of forming the team to Blake, promising that she would be happy with whoever he chose. Her job, she informed him, was to make sure he and his teammates were properly healed. Being a Gold-level cleric, she was more than capable of that task for a low-level dungeon.
“I think so.” Blake had been utilizing his time at nights, when he wasn’t training, to observe the other adventurers. A common practice he made note of early on at camp was that individuals looking for a team would leave their level triangles visible on their left palm. This allowed anyone who was recruiting to easily take note of an individual’s level.
Blake lifted his left palm and willed his triangle forward. Shimmering golden lines crossed his skin, taking shape into a triangle. Every adventurer had the ability to will their triangle to appear on their palm in order to easily take note of their level as well as their mana capacity.
Blake, being Bronze Eleven, had a single small triangle, on the bottom left of his level triangle, filled in. A number ‘10’ shone lightly, showing his available mana. Bronze Eleven adventurers had fifty mana points to start with. Because Blake was a physical class, eighty percent of his mana was constantly consumed to increase his physical attributes.
The other twenty percent existed for him to utilize skills and abilities. Blake had heard that mages were the opposite, with twenty percent spent towards enhancing their physical attributes, leaving them with eighty percent of their mana for spells. At the Bronze ranks, mana was really only used for the most basic of abilities and spells.
However, once adventurers hit Silver rank, they could choose their next class, and discover their affinity. Silver rank was when Blake could truly start his path to becoming a fully-fledged adventurer.
“I was thinking we could try and recruit Emily and Matt.” Karan nodded as he spoke. Emily and Matt were siblings, from what Blake had gained from their earlier conversations. Emily was a Bronze adept, the lowest form of magical class. Her goal was to become a summoner, a special magical class that utilized their chosen affinity to summon familiars to fight for them. Matt, on the other hand, was an archer, a physical class, with the goal of becoming a ranger, a highly skilled and formidable class of archer.
“They would both make good additions to the team, and I believe they are all around your age.” Blake was the youngest adventurer in the caravan, having just turned eighteen a few months past. You couldn’t join the Adventurers’ Guild until you were eighteen, and unless a dungeon appeared, you were then usually stuck simply training and going on small missions to try and gain experience. The fact that a new dungeon had appeared so soon after Blake joined had meant he had little time to actually train or climb the Bronze ranks.
“Yes, Emily is twenty and Matt is twenty-three, I believe.” Karan offered him a nod and a smile. Blake wasn’t sure what other tasks his father had given Karan, but she had seemed pretty adamant that he try and find fellow adventurers his age as well as of both genders.
“And for your final member?”
“Jack.”
Karan winced as he said the name, but quickly hid it with a smile.
“The,” she paused as she made a face, “thief?”
“That’s the one. He’s Silver ranked and he has a wind affinity. I think he can bring a lot to our team.”
When you reached Silver rank, you chose your next class. From there, you were set on a path, and your choices of specialization when you became Gold ranked were limited based on your class. Blake was a fighter and intended to become a knight when he hit Silver. From there, he planned to choose paladin as his specialization when he hit Gold rank.
Jack, being a thief, could choose rogue or assassin when he reached Gold. Neither of those classes was looked on kindly by the church, though, which explained Karan’s disposition towards him. However, Blake felt a thief could bring some much-needed skills to his team.
“If you think he will be a good match for your team, I will not object.” Karan offered him a kind smile.
“Damn straight he thinks I’m a good match.” A voice from behind made Karan curse and she turned around, glaring. Jack stood casually behind her, wind blowing gently around him as he offered her a wink. “I’m awesome.”
Blake couldn’t help but laugh as he offered the thief a smile.
He had a good feeling about his team choices.
Chapter Twenty
The caravan stopped for the night a half-day’s travel from the dungeon. At Karan’s suggestion, Blake invited Emily, Matt, and Jack to his tent so they could officially form their team and get to know each other. Now he sat nervously waiting for the others to arrive.
“You think they’ll all come?” He glanced at Karan, who was patiently waiting with him in the tent. She looked up from the book she was reading and smiled.
“Well, I can’t see why they wouldn’
t. Though I wouldn’t be upset if that thief didn’t come.”
“Aw, now that’s just mean.” The tent flap opened, revealing a grinning Jack. “If only I had a fire affinity, I could melt that cold heart of yours.”
Blake grinned at the comment, feeling some of his previous tension fading.
“If only you’d chosen a proper class, you might actually have been useful,” Karan said to Jack.
“Your words, they hurt.” Jack feigned pain, grasping at his chest. “Is there a healer nearby? I feel myself dying.”
“I hope you’re good at dodging. You’re going to be the last one I lay my hands on to heal.” Karan offered Jack a smile, but her eyes showed she was serious.
“Fine by me. Thieves specialize in being sneaky.” He walked easily to Blake and took a seat, pulling out an apple to eat. “So, who else is coming to the party?”
“Hopefully Matt and Emily.” Blake trailed off as the tent flap opened again.
Two forms stepped in and it was immediately evident the two figures were siblings. The brother and sister shared the same blond, almost white hair, as well as icy blue eyes. Matt scanned the room as he stepped in, while Emily seemed hesitant to make eye contact with anyone as she followed.
“Well, it looks like everyone is here.” Karan closed her book and motioned for Matt and Emily to take a seat. The two took up positions across from Blake and Jack. Blake offered them both a smile and a nod before turning his attention to Karan. She had asked him to call everyone to the tent to form the team, but he really wasn’t sure what that involved.
“Are you going to be the party leader?” Matt looked over Karan, likely taking note of her very plain appearance. Even though Karan was a Gold-level cleric, Blake had noticed she rarely wore anything that would betray her level or her class to others. She dressed in simple cloth robes, the kind that even adepts could afford to purchase.
Bone Dungeon (Elemental Dungeon #1) - A Dungeon Core LitRPG Page 8