“Interesting times and a lesson learned. For now, I want to stay here for twenty four hours. So we will have a full day of rest and boredom. We can thoroughly explore the cave and help Ossa clean up loot she will get backlogged on. Maybe have everyone give a short lesson on a topic for the group to learn from. The reason is Nicole’s staff. I cannot imagine going into battle without that power ready to save one of us. I know we don’t vote here, but I hope you understand my reasoning. We will also put on a watch around the clock. We will make up for it by an extra hour less of adventuring in the morning and at night. We are not here to rush and burn out. We are here to do this right and for all this holy to stay as warm as we can.”
Desmond gave a stomp of his foot in agreement as did the rest of the team. We set about establishing the camp we had rapidly torn down. The Queen’s Bitch was spawned and I sent everyone to bed to pull first watch. The snow decided that since the overcast had been broken it wasn’t dealing enough damage and big flakey snow descended in mass. I climbed into the wagon and kissed Zoey, Mysti, Cyrene, and Nicole goodnight. I figured since I was not around to snuggle with, they were going to clump in a single bed. When I clamored up to the top of the roof and sat in the perch, I did so with a few layers to keep warm. I wanted to be by a fire because the snow really was coming down hard. I decided I was not going to risk my night sight and instead shivered in my blankets and robes.
I never woke anyone to relieve me and when the sun rose over the horizon Dib flew up to sit beside me. We sat in silence for at least ten minutes when he finally spoke.
“Death scares me. I have grown kids and have had a wonderful life. Seeing you sling a spear that cut a bearfrii - like me - in half… Well, it frightened me. Not that I am trying to guilt you or demonize what you did. Your decisive action meant there was only one story to be told. The winner always writes history.”
The silence continued and I opened and closed my mouth a few times trying to think of something proper to say in response. Out of curiosity, I glanced down at my level. I was now four hundred and twelve. By the creator. Killing high-level beings was where the leveling was at. This did cause me to frown as I think this is part of what Dib partially concerned with.
“I understand,” I finally replied.
“Thank you for saving Urisa. You did so not knowing she could help. Only knowing she did not deserve to die. I respect that. Go get some sleep while you can. All I hear from Zoey when we cook is how much she adores you,” Dib said and I took him up on his offer.
“Thanks Dib. I think I will do that,” I said and walked down into the wagon.
I went through the living room and past the kitchen. Our room was locked but I heard chatter on the other side. Zoey was still lying in the bed and danced her fingertips to the base of her palm to summon me into the warm blankets. The other girls giggled as I stripped and dove into the covers. I was given a goodnight kiss and then snuggled into Zoey’s firm tight body for a good rest.
∞∞∞
I was sitting in the troll chieftain’s throne by the fire in the ogre cave. I had to admit the seat was very comfy for a stiff wooden chair. Nicole had built upon my idea last night about sharing knowledge. Two hours before dinner we would all give a five to ten minute presentation on something we could find helpful to the others. I had wanted to learn about potions so decided to focus my lecture on that. The book I had pulled from the shelf was written by an egotistical alchemist that was penned under the anonymous name. You think if they were so high and mighty on how awesome they were; they would have used a real name.
The material that was pried away from the hidden alchemist was actually superb. The author had a great sense of how creating potions worked and what would be the best for the profession going forward. Hint, it was not what had happened as I later learned in the book. The rest was history as he or she said. I penned notes on a paper as I reviewed the book for a second time. This time focusing less on the theory crafting, and more on the factual crafting. When I snapped the book shut I saw Desmond pointing to my chair.
“By all means, I am about to get up. Where is everyone?” I asked while looking around.
I had apparently zoned out in my studies and glanced around to see Dib cooking lunch and Ossa peeling metal nails out of boards. The rest were missing.
“They are in the cavern. Remember that stupid rock that hit me on the head from that floor trap?” Desmond asked and I tried. I mean I really tried not to find his comment humorous. I fought to keep my smile from spreading on my face but failed. “Har. Har. They found a single durca stuffed up there. Funny how we kill thirty trolls and the big jarl kind too. The best thing we find is hidden in a crevice behind where a trap rock sat. So they are in the caves exploring every spot for treasure. That little gnome is a miner or has family that is. He built some tools and is chipping at a gold vein. I had some fun with it but I want to study this book on fire magic. Always wanted to be a mage.”
I twisted my chin in contemplation as this came as a surprise.
“Are you not happy being our tank?” I asked and he huffed in confliction.
“Look… Gryff. I like you. I do think you are a good man. The opportunity you provided for me has given me freedoms I have never been able to achieve before. My grandma would have never blessed my courting of Ossa as a poor ogre without work. Your contract gives me steady pay and hope for the future. I am not a dumb ogre, merely an ogre. I fit the stereotypical tank role due to my strength and bulk size. But I would prefer to be a backline trooper. I could always swap into a ranged tank to stop anything that makes it to the backline. We got five years together Gryff. Best to be forward and open. I would love to keep the party alive as a tank and will continue to do so for now. Down the road do not be surprised if I ask to follow a passion if I can.”
I pursed my lips at his revelation and gave up the chair for him to study. He opened his book to page one with his thick fingers and then waited for my response before reading.
“I approve. Find a replacement or if you can’t, we will eventually. I guess I probably can afford a recruiter now. Once your role is filled you are to go where you want within the team. Does anyone else want to swap that you know of?” I asked and he smiled.
“You and Dib should have a talk. I think he wants to be an air mage to help with ranged projectiles. While we were in the front fighting, the backline took some arrow fire that should have been shielded away if not gusted. All this is expensive though. Something all of us have been fighting with is income. Then you come along and open a lot of doors. Do not be surprised if some of us ask to go through those doors.”
“I appreciate your candor and honesty. This is something I never really did before. I had this friend, Donnie. I sort of forced him from position to position. I was contemplating making him rule my empire so I could retire. Conversations like these make a leader wonder. I will leave you to your studies. Off to the cave for me,” I said and he gave a grunt to acknowledge my statement.
I left the ogre cave and immediately was battered with a cold wind that was picking the top of the snow up and flinging into me. The reality is, it was almost like the cold didn’t exist until we ventured outside our comfy areas. I almost wanted to hire another ogre for cleanup duty or cook and stick a better cave familiar in them. I wondered what a deluxe cave would look like. I mulled the possibilities over as I walked to the troll’s lair.
Entering the cavern killed the annoying chill from the wind and a small fire at the front pushed warm air back into the cave. I walked in and saw the first open area devoid of all items. The ground had been dug up in a few places which caused me to tilt my head. Why would anyone stash stuff here? I heard the clunk of a stone tool smashing against a wall. I followed the noise down a side cavern until I saw Shala and Barq paused. The duo were inspecting a section of a wall insentiently.
“This part right here is a false pocket. You see this line down here, this is compressed bedrock, and then the thin shiny layer is flatte
ned gold. The way it thickens tell me there was downward pressure…” Barq noticed me as he explained to Shala. He handed me a stone pickaxe that had a perfect point on it. “Going to keep going, sorry Gryff. This widening means there is more gold here. I would wager digging here or here would be homes of good pockets. Smash in either of these two spots for ten inches or so and you should start to find gold in quantity.”
“Want me to smash here?” I asked and he shook his head no.
Shala went to chipping away and he let her work while he led me down a path. He picked up a candle from the ground and carried on into the dark. The walls narrowed here and the height made me want to duck even though there was a foot of clearance.
“We got time to pass so I decided to inspect this labyrinth for minerals or gems. I am going to go on a limb and guess that since we are in the mountains there will be more ore than gems. Get into the jungle caves that dive a few miles deep and then start digging for gems. I wonder if they have a spelunking dungeon. The journey might be worth it even if the mobs are not. We’re barely a few hundred feet below the surface here. Anyway found the gold vein. Got a few silver from it in raw gold stacked in Shala’s chest. I went to about here,” Barq said while running a hand down the wall. “And stopped simply knowing we had something to work on. This area was cleared of loot but not inspected for ore.”
“Yeah, I went down here when we were stripping the place. Pulled out two mining picks in bad shape. They are in the scrap metal pile and the wood was tossed on the fire. Good thing I gave you a stone tool-making orb,” I said with a soft chuckle. Trashing mining picks was a great idea yesterday and a bad one today. A lesson that not all things could be accounted for.
“Gryff, first thing I am buying is a blue tool making orb when we get back. They drop here off these mobs, and from this very dungeon. At least that’s what Cyrene says. I could go home with those and make a lot of silver. Maybe I can find out if there are any chain trade routes going that way and buy passage or something,” Barq said with a sad sigh. I knew he was missing home. I patted him on the back as we made our way down the tunnel to where there was the sound of water running. This was where the foul smell had forced my retreat. “Water tends to cut the rock for you. I wanted to explore up this stream but was afraid to do it by myself. Stand behind me and if I slip catch me.”
“Who catches me if I slip and slide?” I asked with concern.
“Turn sideways you ape,” Barq quipped with a loud cackle that echoed across the small cavern. “You will stop because you are too wide. So we are looking for anything shiny. Hold the candle while I spray the walls with water and remove any built-up dirt.”
The stream slightly inclined and I had to leave the pickaxe behind. I turned sideways to get into the waterway and felt the icy chill of the liquid. Damn… I missed my step and found the ankle-deep water was near freezing. I stepped up the narrow cut out and started to feel a tad claustrophobic.
“Gryff!” A shout cried out from somewhere down the tunnel. Mysti if I were to guess.
“Down here,” Shala answered for me. I guessed right when I heard. “Down that way Mysti, Barq wanted to go upstream of the troll shit.”
“Boys and poop, right?” Mysti said and I was shocked how well sound carried down here.
“This is what it is like back at home in the mine. Lots of candles and torches. Then endless echoed hollering. Alright, hand me back the candle. The water is so stinking cold in this stream and so easy to plunk a boot into the shallow depths. I might make steps or something to stand on. Probably should have from the start,” Barq said and I handed him the candle while he mumbled. He let out a soft whistle. “Well, nothing too fancy. I will make a chisel and a stone bucket. Back on out please. Oh hey Mysti.”
I turned to back out and saw Mysti with a joyful smile. “I found a durca coin! Everything else has been a few gold coins but I was the one who thought to look up behind where that boulder was stored. What ya boys doing down here? And can you make the bucket so I can wash these missed piles of shit downstream?”
We were in the water cavern that was ten feet wide and ten feet tall in an odd dome shape. The roof showed scars of miners chopping this opening with picks. There was a large rock that was converted into three buckets and then a chisel tool. Mysti grabbed the bucket and dropped it the second her hand touched the cold water. The bucket washed down the stream and we heard it clog and the water gurgle from the darkness as it flowed around the jam.
“The great waterfall of Frizzia caverns was created when Mysti dropped a bucket from the touch of the icy waters. So that is what the chisel is for. Marking the date and time of this occurrence.” I was swatted by a wet hand onto my ass and a playful glare. She was not actually angry. “See! The gentle gnome crafted me a new one. Barq what did you find?”
“Glints and shimmers of red,” Barq said with excitement. “Either means leenspar ore, or it is a few rubies. Rubies are used in conjunction with fire mage gear while leenspar ore makes for great tank armor but you need a whole bunch of it. Both hold value. They are high up but you should be able to reach them. When your feet get numb come on out.”
I frowned as my wet foot was almost numb already. My brow furled deeper at the thought of mining in the dark. I had done many things to make my time in the gaming universe successful. This was not one I was looking forward to. Being crammed into a freezing waterway trying to dig out gems or ore was not my idea of fun.
“You sure I wouldn’t be better suited to smash open that gold pocket?” I asked trying to get out of it.
“Gryff I could toss Shala on my shoulder and walk her up a slippery embankment and maybe she can reach the shiny spot. You are the perfect height and you have Mysti here to help. Take the candle. Find the spot and then hand the candle to her. Mysti hold the bucket and then take your time. We have hours of the day left,” Barq said and handed me the chisel with a smile. With that, he was gone.
“He sure gets bossy in mines. Must be a gnome thing,” I said and moments later.
“I heard that. You are the right man for the job Gryff.”
I sighed and went to the waterway cut out with a candle in one hand and chisel in the other. The walls glistened with moisture from where Barq had shot them with his water purify spell. My foot slipped and I used my torso to block my fall but a boot splashed in the water. Shit. The temperature was so cold I swore I felt little chunks of ice crashing into my boot. Now I had two soaked and freezing feet. I probably should have halted the ruby digging adventure but my inner determination made me drive on.
“I am right behind you. If you slip we are both probably going down. Stop,” Mysti said and I felt a tug on my belt line a minute after standing still. “That is my breast wrap. If I fall now, you will help me from sliding down the waterfall I inevitably created.”
“So the warm cloth touching my lower back is titty warmth. That must have a plus three hundred stat to masculinity,” I said jokingly.
“Or feminism, your call though. I could give you a handy while you chip away up there. Would make for a champion’s story. I was deep in the bowels of a wintery cave digging for gems. My wife started to stroke my cock. She went to turn it into a blow job and smacked her head and lost an eye. See... great times,” Mysti said with a rambling snicker. I giggled with her while looking for what Barq had found.
“Here it is. Shit, no idea what this is. Okay, get as close as you can to me. I am going to chip with the left hand and brush with the right. Ready for the candle?” I asked and she accepted it in the dark confined space. “Higher, higher. Perfect. Wait. Stick the bucket between my chest and the wall. I will lean into it to hold it in place.”
She did as I asked a few moments later the bucket was held by pressure at a good spot. I dusted the loose gravel to see what freely moved and decided best on how to proceed. If I had to guess my work would be helping Desmond get a custom fire staff made because there was indeed a shiny glint that a gem gave. Mysti returne
d the candle to up high as I felt a gust of wind on the back of my neck. I glanced up the cutout and saw it narrowed. I had looked earlier for spiders, found no webs, and took a second new longer inspection. When no green eyes glowed in the dark I shrugged with a relieved exhale.
That did not mean I was not on edge while I was shimmied in between two narrow walls over ankle deep icy water. I did focus on the task. There was an abundance of crusty rock mixed with earth. I scraped with my left hand and then brushed with my right ever so gently. I blew on the spot and saw a tiny bit more reddish sparkle. A sensation of boredom overcame me. Okay, gentle was going to take forever. I certainly did not want to stay down here for hours carefully picking at rocks trying to jimmy a stone-free with precision. I found the right side of the stone and added strength from my orb. I slammed the chisel into the wall. I pulled it straight out and plunged it deep again. Then another time.
Now I could get my fingers in and around the gem for that is what it was. I slid three fingers into the narrow gap and yanked hard. A section of the wall tore free and we… well me, went flying on top of Mysti as I crashed down with a chunk of rock. She groaned under me and we were thoroughly drenched. Well shit. The cold water assaulted me and I felt a warm liquid pouring from my forehead.
“Nicole!” I shouted out and became stuck trying to get off Mysti.
“Were under attack! Help!” Mysti shrieked and I thought that was a bit dramatic.
I had not meant to fall on her. Mysti was crying out with a broken forearm. Bone protruded from her skin as she managed to snake free from under me. I saw her untangled our cord and get out of the entrance. She continued to yell we were being attacked. I tried to find what was attacking us but saw nothing. The patter of running feet sounded as I lowered myself back into the water. My back felt heavy and I had no idea why. I was already growing tired from the cold wanting to lure me into sleep. With my body down low I had the most space and I used the terrain to worm my way out into the small cavern. I was bleeding from a few places but none as much as my gushing forehead and I was so very cold. I made it to the dry land in trembling shivers. At that moment I decided I hated all caves. There was a valiant effort to make it further into the tunnel when I passed out.
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