“Yes, of course.”
“I don’t know the names of some of these places on the notices. Are they dungeons or something?” I asked as I pointed to one of the notices. It had Iron Crypt written underneath the Looking for Member: Healer/Protector headline.
“Yes, most of them are dungeons. The Iron Crypt is located in the north side of the city, at the base of the cliffs. It descends into the mountain side, and part of it explores the ruins of the ancient city that Arnicoal was built upon. It is a difficult journey, and they say that an ancient skeleton king guards treasure of vast proportions.”
“I only see a few different dungeons listed here. Are all these adventurers going to the same places? It would seem that all the treasure would be looted in a few weeks, since there have to be hundreds of people going there.” I recalled Zarra telling me that there were no unique instanced parts of Ohlavar Quest, so I didn’t see how they would be able to keep parties from stepping on each other when they all explored the same dungeon.
“Ha. That is a great question, Leo. Perhaps it is better discussed over a beer and meal. I only make my fees through the food and the job postings. Would you be willing to eat here while we talk?”
“Of course, I needed to get lunch anyway, but what about the membership fee?” I asked as I followed the older man to the bar.
“Membership fee?” he raised a furry eyebrow as he began to fill up a beer mug for me.
“Yeah. The half-orc at the door—”
“By the Shadow. I knew that bugger was up to no good,” Switt sighed heavily.
“Wait, he doesn’t work for you?”
“No. No. No. Ahhh,” the old man moaned and then set my beer on the table. “I am so sorry that happened to you. How much did he steal from you?”
“Two gold.”
“Bugger!” Switt slammed his fist down on the bar with surprising quickness.
“Do you know that guy?”
“He started coming in a few weeks ago. Goes straight to the board posting, takes down a slip or two, and then walks out the door. Doesn’t really talk to anyone else, but I had a bad feeling about him from the start. If I see him again I’ll make sure he gives you back your gold.”
“Ahhh thanks,” I said with a sigh. I did have a bunch of gold at Artus’ home, but it sounded like learning healing abilities was going to be very expensive. I felt more than a little frustrated that I had been swindled so easily. I also doubted that Switt would be able to get the money back from the half-orc. The green-skinned man was probably twice the size of the old adventurer.
“No. I really feel bad. Please take this meal for free.”
“That’s okay. I’ll pay you for it, how much?”
“It is a silver,” Switt said with a loud sigh. He did seem very upset by the situation, and I saw him agonize over taking my money.
“Just take it. I’m going to ask you a bunch more questions and you’ve already helped me out. I have no problem paying for knowledge.”
“Alright. I thank you, and I’ll do my best to get your money back.” The old man took my silver and dropped it inside of a drawer in the bar. “We were talking about the dungeons?”
“Yeah.”
“A lot of it has to do with the tides here. When they are up, or down, the water comes in at different places to change the paths of each dungeon. There are probably twenty unique paths, and the ancient magic deep in Ohlavar serves as a life force for all sorts of terrible creatures.”
“So you can visit a dungeon twenty times and have a different encounter each time?” I asked.
“Perhaps not that many times. The tides shift every month or so, and the old dungeons get blocked off. Then a new set appears.”
“A completely new set of dungeons? Or do some of the past dungeons re-open?”
“I’ve heard of some dungeons re-opening after a handful of years, most of the time the dungeons are entirely new.”
“Wow, that is amazing.” I had forgotten all about the half-orc that stole my money and felt the smile on my lips again. This was a really great dungeon design, and I really liked the idea. The month time would mean that players had to really push themselves to explore all the possible paths. I wondered for a second if the game would adjust the amount of dungeons opened around a city depending on how many players were in that area. It was really a genius way to keep the content fresh and incentivize players to be the first to explore new dungeons.
“There are many dungeons outside of the city as well. I don’t have any of those on my board, but I know of at least five within a ten mile ride of the city walls. There are also rumored to be many around Cutno, in the bowels of the Laven Mountains, but that is quite a bit of a journey, and most of the dungeons around the city haven’t been explored yet.” Switt passed me a bowl of stew when he finished talking, and I inhaled the sweet scent of garlic, salt, beef, and potatoes.
I took a small spoonful of the food, blew on it to take care of some of the heat, and then ate it. The taste was fantastic, and I nodded to the man while I chewed.
“Ha. Glad you like it. I’ve got a pair of elf cooks in the back. They are great chefs, and don’t cause me a lot of trouble, as long as I keep them distracted with work.”
“I know what you mean. I’ve got an elf girl with me, and it’s been kind of a pain.”
“Ha! A female? You must like complications. I have two men, and most of the women that come in here aren’t interested in their affections. The elven women are even more of a pain.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I think I have her convinced that I’m into men. So she has started to leave me alone.”
“Ha! That is a good tactic. Older elves are prized in adventuring groups, but they are hard to come by.”
“Why are they prized?”
“They have remarkable senses. They can find secret doors easily, they hear very well, and they have a great sense of smell. Often times, they can sense danger before it even comes to a party. They are also extremely strong, quick, and seem to know all sorts of useful skills,” Switt explained.
“I have noticed that with the one that follows me around. When she isn’t obsessed with mating, she’s a great addition to a party.”
“Yes. Most of them lose their desire to adventure or work as hard once they mature, so finding any that will join a party is rare, but the few I’ve met have been great comrades, and have pulled more than their fair share of work.”
I took a few more bites of delicious stew and thought about my next question. The door opened behind me, and I turned to see a human man and woman enter the tavern. The man carried a long blade over his back, and the woman had a lighter sword and shield. They each wore chain armor with plates on their shoulders, elbows, and knees, both of them had dark auburn hair, and their features looked similar, so I guessed they were siblings. They made a small waving movement to Switt, and then sat near the dwarves by the fire.
“Those are two of my regulars. They are very experienced warriors that have completed several dungeon explorations.” The older man nodded over to the cork board. “They are the ones looking for a healer or protector for the Iron Crypt. They have been able to explore two of the other dungeons without a healer, but that one is just too dangerous. They told me yesterday that they have two other members, and are just waiting on the final.”
“Do you think they would let me join up if I learned some healing abilities?” I asked as I finished sipping my beer. The drink was one of the best I’d had, and it reminded me of the hoppy stuff they made in California.
“Honestly, no.” Switt gave me a small smile. “You look like you’re in good shape, but our conversation has convinced me that you are still new at this. However, pickings are slim for healers, so if you can demonstrate some basic abilities, they might want to invite you.”
“How much gold and treasure do these adventures make each journey?” I asked.
“Oh, probably a few hundred each. Most of that is in gems, but it depends on the dungeon.
No one has explored all of the Iron Crypt yet, and it seems difficult from what some other adventurers have told me. I’m guessing that this skeleton king, if he actually exists, is sitting on tens of thousands of gold worth of treasure.”
“Do these dungeons ever have art pieces, or magical weapons?”
“All the time. Most of the nobles in this city get a good chunk of their art from adventures,” the old man said.
“How about Baron Yinnia? Do you know him?”
“Ha. It is funny that you mention him. I haven’t actually met the man, but he had a representative come in here a week or so ago and tell me that he would pay top gold for any art pieces found in the Iron Crypt. Shortly after he left, I had three other representatives from other noble houses visit me. I’m guessing that the rich folk love to flaunt their unique pieces.”
“Do you think he’d be willing to trade some pieces? If I found something unique?” I asked.
“I don’t know for sure, but it is worth a try. You’ll have to find a party first,” Switt explained as his eyes drifted over to the man and woman sitting by the fire.
“What are their names?” I asked.
“Wicum is the man’s name, Mirea is the woman’s. In case you couldn’t tell, they are siblings. I think Wicum is older.”
“You seem to have a high opinion of them.”
“Yes. They have a great career ahead of them. They are cautious, that is the most important quality in a party. I don’t know who else they have recruited to explore the dungeon, but I believe they will be successful, as long as they get a talented healer.”
As Switt spoke I saw the tags above their heads change from Male Adventurer and Female Adventurer to Wicum and Mirea.
“Why don’t they train in healing abilities themselves? Then they wouldn’t have to wait for that fifth party member.”
“Takes time or it takes money, or it takes both. Adventurers tend to specialize as much as they can so that they become skilled. They also like to travel to new cities. Healers in Arnicoal are hard to come by now, but a new batch of ships come into the bay every day. Within two weeks there might be a room full of healers looking for party members that know how to fight.”
“Ahh I understand,” I said, and I thought about what learning healing or protection abilities would do for my future career in Ohlavar. Did I really want to go down the healing path? I had played the class a bunch in Astafar Unlimited, but I was far more used to being a damage dealer type or a tank type class. Then I realized that spending attribute points weren’t the same as learning new abilities. I’d only lose money if I paid to learn a healing ability, and investing my attribute points in Light probably wasn’t going to be a big deal in the end game. Zarra might even add in a way to reset attribute points, if there already wasn’t a method.
It would be kind of cool to play a support class. I was also great at fighting, so maybe I could play some sort of paladin like role, where I could get on the front lines to fight, but also heal the party. There wasn’t really a class like that in Astafar Unlimited, but it seemed like I could do anything I wanted in Ohlavar Quest.
“How many healing type abilities do you think I would need to get accepted in a party?” I asked.
“One or two might be enough for the easier ones, but that all comes down to experience and how risky a party’s nature is. My wife would often use only one protection ability during an exploration, and she would never have to heal us.” The old man’s eye got a faraway look for a brief second, and I imagined that he was thinking about the dead woman.
“She sounded wonderful. I am sorry for your loss,” I said.
“Ahh. That was a long time ago, friend.” The man gave me a half smile.
“Can you tell me where these places are to learn the healing and protection abilities? I’ll see if I can get those abilities, and then find a party,” I said to the scar faced man.
“Yes. I’ll be more than happy to help,” he replied with a big smile.
Chapter 11
“Ugh. They are really damn expensive,” I moaned to Allurie as I looked at the books the skills trainer had laid on the table. The shop we were in smelled of oregano and sage, and we were surrounded by shelves stacked with potions, bottle herbs, and scrolls.
“If you want to come in every night for an hour, I can teach them to you. Will only cost you two hundred gold, and should take three or four months,” the fenia woman said with a shrug. Her fur was a cream color and had a few dark gray patches for a pattern.
“Can you just give them to Leo? Look at how handsome he is! Do you see his muscles? Ohhh. He is so amazing and nice, and wonderful. Please?” Allurie pleaded with the cat-woman.
“Grrr. Sorry. I’ve got a family to feed; crafting these books took me over a thousand hours of work, each. I’m offering them to you at a deal.” The woman shrugged. “So do you want them?”
I looked at the books again and weighed my decision. This was the fourth trainer I had visited today, and she was the only one who sold books with abilities written in them. They would act like the stories I read in the dungeons under Cutno, and instantly give me access to the abilities.
Yesterday, Switt had given me the locations of the eight Light trainers he knew in the city, but the other four were on the far quadrant of Arnicoal, and it would take me all day to get there and back.
“Can you cut me any deal?” I asked one final time.
The first book would teach me the Breath of Life ability. The woman had explained it as a heal over time ability. It wouldn’t instantly heal someone in my party, but it would mend most physical damage in less than a few minutes. The other ability was named Guardian of Fortune, and it was what I now knew was a protection style of Light-Mind ability. It lasted for only a few seconds on a single target, but it would make three of every four attacks do no damage.
The fenia healer had a bunch of other spells inscribed to books, and they were all significantly more powerful, but each of those started at 3,000 gold pieces. Breath of Life would cost me 800 gold pieces, and Guardian of Fortune would cost me 1,400 gold pieces.
If I bought the two abilities, I’d be left with less than a hundred gold pieces.
I supposed it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but spending the majority of my current wealth on two abilities seemed a bit risky, especially since I didn’t even know if I could get a spot in Wicum and Mirea’s party. Then again, it had seemed that most of the groups posting on the board were looking for healers. If I couldn’t get into a group going for the Iron Crypt, I could probably find one that needed a healer for another dungeon. I just needed to start getting my name well known in adventuring groups, then I could graduate to better dungeons, and hopefully end up with a piece of art, or something else that I’d be able to trade to Baron Yinnia.
There were a lot of “Ifs” and “Maybes” in my plan, but Switt had seemed to think that the nobles of the city were interested in buying loot from adventurers. I would try that strategy first, and if Baron Yinnia wouldn’t trade, I’d think of another way to get the relic.
“I can’t give you another deal. Sorry, but I’ll tell you that you negotiate as well as one of my kind, so I respect your attempt.”
“Fine. I’ll take them.” The words left my mind with a cold finality that corkscrewed into my stomach. I hadn’t felt this scared when I bought my first house, and that had been a few million dollars. Walking down this ability path seemed like a large commitment to my role in this game, and I didn’t want to stymie any opportunity I might have.
“Very well. I’m guessing you brought the gold?” The woman raised an eyebrow and looked at the hefty backpack I had over my shoulders.
“Yeah. Here you go,” I said as I set it on the table between us.
“Ask the elf to divide it into stacks of a hundred,” the fenia said as she pointed to Allurie.
“Oh, I would love to do that!” the silver-haired elf practically knocked me out of the way as she stepped between the backpack and me.
“You trust her to count correctly?” I asked the fenia as Allurie began to dig out the coins from my backpack.
“Elves don’t really lie, and they are quick.”
“I’m done!” Allurie giggled.
“How in the hell? I looked away from you for like three—” my voice caught in my throat as I saw the table top. It seemed like a set of complicated dominos; only they were columns of glittering gold coins.
“I even polished them. Some were a bit ewww looking.”
“Good job. Okay, I’ll take twenty-two of those stacks. Elf, help me carry them into my safe. Leo, you may use those books now if you are able to.”
“If I am able to?” I asked.
“I’m just selling you the books, if you want me to perform an analysis of your attribute level, I can, but that will cost you more. Worse case, you try to use the books and they don’t work.”
“How much does the analysis cost?” I asked the fenia.
“It is 85 silver, and you’ll have to come back in two mornings. I am too tired to do it today, and I have sessions all day tomorrow.”
“I’ll just try them now,” I said. I didn’t really want to wait.
“I’ll be back here if you have any questions,” she said with a wiggle of her whiskers.
“Great, thank you,” I said as I opened the Breath of Life book and began to read. The inside of the leather-bound paper didn’t have a story like the earlier ability books I had seen, it just jumped right to the flip book section. I began to flip the pages while I looked at them. The words were chaotic but then began to form the shape of an illustrated wind blowing across the pages. I heard a heartbeat boom in my ears for a few moments, and then my UI glowed a bright white.
I saw that the pages of the book were now blank, and I closed it before I motioned over my UI to see my abilities tab.
Breath of Life Light 25, Body 10. Enchantment Spell. Intended target is healed for 1% of health every second for 100 seconds. Once Breath of Life has ended, target cannot be healed by another Breath of Life spell for 10 minutes.
Lion's Quest: Dual Wield: A LitRPG Saga Page 12