Adventures on Terra - Book 2: Escape
Page 27
Damage dealt: 4
Damage dealt: 4
Damage dealt: 2
On the third strike, the magically created knuckle busters break apart. Darn, guess they’ve taken too much damage, and I don’t exactly have time to repair them right now. I continue to hit the skeleton I have pinned until it collapses and disappears.
You’ve helped kill a Summoned Skeletal Defender, lvl. 4. You gain 0 XP.
It still puzzles me why we aren’t getting any XP for killing these things, but I put the question aside for now. I rise to my feet ready to help kill the skeletal archer when I get the notification.
You’ve party has killed a Summoned Skeletal Bowman, lvl 4. You gain 0 XP.
I see Vrax and Mr. Snuggle Butt standing over the body of the last archer and then the remains disappear. Vrax pulls an arrow out of his side, and a green glow heals the wound. I glance behind us and see Kitsune’s outstretched hand also glowing green. Man, I love having a dedicated healer. Though, when I glance up the corner of my vision, I see that her mana bar is mostly depleted. She likely only has enough mana for a couple of light heals.
The team advances on Royal Ryan as he madly gestures and tries to cast another spell. However, his spell casting is disrupted when three magical bolts hit him square in the face.
Mary deals damage: 3
Mary deals damage: 2
Mary deals damage: 3
While the magical bolts seem to do less damage than normal, they do their job and prevent the skeletal minotaur from casting any more spells. Vrax and Mr. Snuggle Butt are the first to reach the undead minotaur and quickly drag him to the ground. I arrive next and add my own kicks and punches to the fury of attacks from everyone else. As a level boss, he seems to have a rather large health pool but without his magic, he’s an easy target and his health is slowly depleted by all of our attacks. Right before the last of his health vanishes, the red dots in the minotaur skeleton’s skull shift and he looks at each member of the group and he yells, “I’m a lover, not a fighter. Tell Wendy I love her.” Then the red lights in his eye sockets disappear, and he collapses into a pile of bones.
You’ve helped defeat Royal Ryan, the Skeletal Minotaur, lvl. 7. You receive 20 XP.
Chapter 4.11
“Congratulations adventurers. You’ve defeated the second level of my dungeon.” Clapping echoes through the room and the dungeon master continues, “As promised this will now be a safe room until you’re ready to move onto the next level of the dungeon. Food and drink are over there.”
In a flash of light, the corner of the room where Royal Ryan performed, now has a stream of water coming down from the ceiling that disappears into the floor. Additionally, more mushrooms are growing nearby. However, next to the mushrooms are five still alive, flopping fish.
Vrax runs to the fish and pulls his stone knife out of his [Inventory], kills and starts to clean the fish. I don’t understand what Vrax is doing until Mary explains, “If he waited until the fish died then they’d just disappear and leave a small amount of food. However, if you kill a creature and start harvesting it immediately, you can use all of it. Through you forfeit any treasure that might have dropped with the loot bag.”
I guess that makes sense. Why would farmers raise animals if all they got was a fraction of the meat when they killed it? I guess there has to be some balance between food production and loot drops.
The dungeon master continues, “Additionally, as promised here is the extra special treasure for listening to Royal Ryan play his music and then defeating him. This also counts as the crafting resources I promised you.” In the corner of the room opposite the food, a treasure chest appears.
“Woo Hoo! Loot!” Mary cries and then flies over to the chest. She flips the lid open in record time then groans loudly, “Aww man. Armon, this stuff is all for you!” I walk over to the treasure chest to see what Mary’s talking about. A grin spreads across my face when I look inside the copper bound treasure chest. Inside, are tools. My inner tool man grunts at the sight of it all. There are hammers, files, tongs, scissors, and a bunch of other stuff. Included in the chest are some tools that seem to be made out of some type of crystal.
I look up at the dungeon ceiling and say, “Aww. Thanks, dungeon master. You really get me. This stuff is great, even if I don’t know what most of it is.”
The dungeon master laughs, “YoHoHoHoHo! I’m glad at least one of you likes the treasure I painstakingly collected. Inside the treasure chest, you’ll also find something that’ll teach you the basics of blacksmithing and how to use all the tools you see.”
Mary throws her hands up in the air and says in an exasperated voice, “Once again, Armon gets all the good loot. What about the rest of us? Don’t we get something too?”
The dungeon master is silent for a moment then asks, “Hmmm, I had thought you all wanted the crafting stuff. If that’s not the case, what do you want?”
“Shinnies!” Mary blurts out. Then in a slightly less manic tone, she says, “I mean, I like things that sparkle and shine. Jewelry, gems, gold, silver, or platinum will all do.” Then she pauses for a moment while thinking before continuing with a sigh, “Though I suppose if I’m going to be practical, I’d also settle for some magic spells.”
Kitsune, who’d been silent up until now chimes in, “I’d like some armor. I’ve been wearing this kimono for a long time and I while I like it, it’s not exactly practical for the fighting we’ve been doing.”
Mary chimes in, “Oh, if you have some soap, that would be awesome too. We’ve been down here for a pretty long time, and while the water baths have been fun, I’d still like to smell clean. Oh, and if we’re making a list, how about some nice towels, beds for us, something to boil that water in, cups, plates, forks, spoons, a reclining chair, a flat screen TV, and a beautiful condo that overlooks a beach somewhere.”
“Is that all princess? You sure you don’t just want a mountain of gold to go along with all that?” The dungeon master says sarcastically. “Look, I can only give you the stuff that naturally occurs within the mountain or items that I’ve found here. I don’t know what the last few things you mentioned are, but I can see about some of the objects you asked for. Don’t expect any money though, I’m not a bank after all. I’ll talk to you again in the morning.”
The room is silent while we all wait to see if the dungeon master is going to say anything else. I call out, but the dungeon master doesn’t respond. Guess he’s not listening anymore.
I turn and look at a very smug looking Mary hovering above the open treasure chest. I raise an eyebrow and ask, “Really, you requested a recliner, a flat screen TV, and a condo?”
She just shrugs and responds, “Hey, if you don’t ask for it, you won’t ever get it. Besides, if I hadn’t asked for the big stuff, the dungeon master wouldn’t have compromised and considered giving us the small stuff as treasure.”
I guess there’s some logic in what she’s saying. Leave it to our master haggler to get us the best deal from an ethereal voice.
Oh, speaking of treasure, I ask the team, “Hey did anyone get the loot drop from the boss?”
Everyone shakes their heads no, and I look around the room for the bag of loot that the boss would have left when his body disappeared. I spot something near where Vrax is working and walk over there. Yup, there’s a small loot bag. I open the bag and start to laugh loudly at what I find inside. I call out to my fairy friend, “Here Mary, I think this belongs to you.”
Mary flies over, a greedy look evident in her eyes. I hand her the loot bag, and she gives me an annoyed look when she pulls a long silver fork out of the bag. Mary sticks her tongue out at me but puts the fork away in her [Inventory]. She flies over to Kitsune, who is now helping Vrax prepare the rest of the fish and mushrooms.
I decide to go claim my loot! I walk over to the treasure chest, remove all the tools inside, and line them up on the stone floor. The last item I take out is a white crystal the size of my fist. As soon as I grasp it, a notification p
ops up in front of me.
You’ve discovered a knowledge crystal. An ancient method of storing knowledge and skill within a long lasting crystalline structure. Would you like to learn [Blacksmithing] from this crystal?
I readily accept the offer by thinking ‘Yes.' The instant I accept, the crystal in my hand starts to pulse. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. When the crystal glows continuously, I’m seized by a strange force, and the world around me disappears. Images, scenes, and information flash through my mind one after another. In one scene a man with six insect-like eyes explains about the extraction of metals from ore and the scene shifts to the processing of ore in a smelter. In another scene, the same man with the insect-like eyes talks about forge safety. In yet another, he names and explains the use of a variety of tools including ones that seem to be made out of crystal. The images and information pour into my mind, one after another and it’s all I can do to process them. I learn about the structural differences between copper, bronze, iron, and steel. How each metal is different and how best to use their properties when crafting. I learn about heating metals in a forge and how to fold and shape them into objects. I learn about the different types of casting and how to create a mold. All this information and more is poured into my mind until I can’t take anymore. The world around me fades to black, and I pass out.
Chapter 4.12
When I open my eyes again, I’m greeted by the sight of Kitsune looking down at me with a concerned expression. I can feel her hands on the sides of my head. Without thinking, I say, “Mmmm. Your hands feel so nice and cool.”
Suddenly, the support beneath my head disappears, and my skull hits the stone floor. The jolt of pain clears away the cobwebs, and I realize what I just said. I close my eyes and chastise myself. I really have to learn to control my tongue after I pass out. I sit up and rub the back of my sore head. Looking around the room, I see Vrax sitting near and Mary hovering beside him. Kitsune gets to her feet, her cheeks red, says, “It seems like you're alright. We were worried that something happened to you, but it seems like your mind just took in too much information at once. It’s not an uncommon occurrence when someone uses a skill book,” she gestures to the now dark crystal, “or whatever that thing is.”
Vrax and Mary move towards me. Vrax pokes me with a clawed finger, and when I swat it away, he smiles and hugs me. He says, “I am glad you alright. We still have many things to do brood brother.”
Mary looks at me with a concerned expression until she sees me watching her. Then it quickly changes to one of feigned ambivalence, “Well, I’m glad you’re Ok. But next time tell us when you’re going to use some weird crystal thing.”
I shake my head, not understanding what the big deal is, “I don’t understand. I just used the knowledge crystal the dungeon master gave us. I figured it was like the spell book you used in Restrian.” Pointing to the now dead looking crystal, I ask, “Are you saying you’ve never seen one of these knowledge crystals before?”
Mary shakes her head, “No. I thought the dungeon master left you a skill book or something. But I’ve never seen a crystal hold a skill like blacksmithing before. What happened when you used it?”
I describe what I experienced when I touched the crystal. When I’m finished, Mary looks concerned, “I’ve only read about them, but the person you described could be an Aleph.” Mary paces in midair with her hands behind her back and continues, “From what I remember from the fairy guide database, the Aleph were a reclusive insect-like race that developed some rather advanced technologies using crystals. But they disappeared from the face of Terra centuries ago, and no one has seen them since.”
“The Aleph?” Kitsune asks, “I’ve never seen them myself but back home, one of the royal treasures I remember seeing as a child was said to have been made by the Aleph. It was a magical smithing tool the size of a horse. Given enough magical energy and all the materials, it could make an exact copy of any weapon or piece of armor.”
The four of us sit, stunned by the revelation that I’d learned blacksmithing from something created by such a mysterious race of creatures. When I think of crystals, I’m reminded of the city of thieves above us. How the buildings were lit by crystals everywhere. Is it possible that group is now living in the remains of a town created by the Aleph? The thought is both disturbing and exciting. What treasures and ancient knowledge might be hidden there? For that matter, how did the dungeon master get a hold of all this stuff? So many unanswered questions.
I’m brought out of my own thoughts by a snapping sound. I blink and see Mary hovering in front of my face snapping her fingers, “Terra to Armon, come in Armon. You ok? You zoned out there.”
I smile reassuringly and nod, “Yeah. I was just wondering where the dungeon master got this stuff if it all belonged to the Aleph. But I guess we can ask him in the morning about it. For now, why don’t I put all this in my inventory, and we can eat and rest.”
I place the steel hammers, chisels, tongs, and files into my [Inventory] without much thought but I pause and examine the tools that seem to be made out of crystal. The first is an anvil the size of a breadbox that is made of a dark black crystal. I tap the object and find that it’s cool to the touch but hard. I can easily lift it with one hand. The next object is a hammer, whose head is made from the same black crystal that the anvil is made from. The crystal seems to have grown around the wooden shaft that makes up its handle. Lastly, there is a metallic cylindrical object with a rectangular hole in it, attached to it is a large green crystal. From the knowledge crystal, I recognize it as a crystal forge. Without me seeking it, the knowledge of how to use the object comes to me. All I have to do is place my hand on the green crystal and tell it what temperature of heat I want it to produce and it will use my mana to generate that heat inside the cylinder. I can precisely control how much heat the forge provides, eliminating any guess work that other blacksmiths have about the heat they use to forge items.
After dropping everything from the treasure chest into my [Inventory], I decide to look through what I have stashed there.
Tax Documents and Order forms (variety)
Lilliandra’s Journal
Playing cards,
Paper (10 sheets)
Ink
Pen
Copper chunks (10)
Pick Axe
Shields of Pointy Pain (1)
Rusty Swords (4)
Warped Short Bows (22)
Arrows (312)
Steel Hammers
Chisels
Tongs
Files
Crystal Forge
Crystal Anvil
Crystal Hammer
I’d forgotten I’d taken those playing cards. I remove the playing cards from my [Inventory] and walk over to the other members of the group. They’re waiting for me, their magical cook, to get dinner ready. My stomach growls, agreeing with the suggestion that I’d get some food prepared.
I hand the playing cards to Vrax and quickly cook the filets of fish and mushrooms that he and Kitsune have prepared. The fish and mushrooms cook quickly, and we enjoy the meal in silence. After, the four of us play some cards while we talk about our day.
We all enjoyed the musical stylings of Royal Ryan, even if we did have to kill him afterward. After losing a few hands of poker to Mary, I ask her why we didn’t get any experience points from killing the summoned skeletons. She informs me that summoned creatures are considered a part of the summoner and neither give experience points or loot when they are defeated. Instead, they’re sent back to whatever plane of existence they were summoned from. Which is too bad, since it occurs to me that repeatedly killing a summoned creature would be a great way to grind out some XP if they gave it.
After a few more hands of poker, we all retire for the night with full stomachs.
Chapter 4.13
I wake up the next day feeling good. I sit up and quietly watch the three other people on my team getting ready for the day’s challenges, and I contemplate
how lucky I’ve been recently. In only a matter of weeks, my life has gone from idyllic training with Rex, Lilliandra, and Keans to infiltrating a city of slaves to rescue the kidnapped people of Restrian. Then trying to flee those now pissed off slavers by crossing the border into a kingdom populated with people most humans would consider monsters. Only we’ve yet to even make it there to find someone to help decipher the notes from the slaver, Mr. Gerald. The records that are supposed to help us find the enslaved remnants of Vrax’s murdered tribe. Yet, here I sit, making my way through some abandoned dungeon after escaping execution from a city of refugees turned bandits.
At any point in any of those situations, a lucky strike from an opponent could have ended me. But that didn’t happen. Instead, I’m here now. Watching Vrax, my brother from another mother and Mary the first friend I made here and the only person who will ever really understand where I come from. Then there’s Kitsune, the fox woman we rescued from slavery who turned out to be a princess from a far off kingdom. Maybe it’s because of the stresses of combat, but she’s also starting to become someone that I trust and care for. Yup, I’m pretty lucky.
My introspection is broken when something soft hits me square in the nose. I shake my head and crinkle my nose and look down to see a mushroom in my lap. I look up and see a giggling Mary hovering across the room holding two fingers up in the air, “Score. That’s two points for me,” she says. I smile at her and wave. Then I rise to my feet and head over to the stream of water coming down from the ceiling and get cleaned up before breakfast.