“Hey you louts, the attendant said if you aren't out in five minutes they would charge both of you for a second bath” a voice shouted into their room and then hit the canvas wall that divided their bathroom from their neighbors on either side.
Franco barely heard the voice as his head was under the warm water just floating and enjoying the view of the blue sky above. Filled this morning with big billowy white clouds. The bath attendant had asked if Oaken and him wanted the canvas roof rolled open and he was glad they had. This was only the second bath he had taken since he had woken up here, the memory of his past life gone. Franco wasn't sure about a lot of things and at times strangely sure about others but he knew he liked this bath a lot and that he was happy.
Maybe pleased was the better word with how yesterday had gone. It excited him to think about it now. After the long interrogation well into the night yesterday he had forgotten about all they had accomplished and just crawled into his sleeping mats. Franco let himself drift back up in the bathtub and took a breath. He needed to get out but found himself staring at the back of his left hand again where a new small black ink tattoo of a sword in profile with a few lines around it that somehow conveyed great movement. The tattoo was just under the knuckle of his pointer finger. After falling asleep almost as soon as he got into his bedroll he had found himself floating in that more than dream sense in front of a glowing pillar of flowing blue light and crystal. Seeing golden text write itself in the air telling him that he had leveled up to level 8 and he must choose a new Ability. He had chosen [Cleaving Strike] and felt sure that he could better handle that Bone Giant from yesterday if that fight were to happen again.
“We better get moving, Frazier sounds..” Oaken said to his right as he started to get out of his own bathtub.
“I sound like what? Huh, because I do have news you want to hear” she said frustration clear from the other side of the canvas door that she kicked again. Franco stood up from his large bathtub. The Kimber loved their baths and apparently big bathtubs. This one was big enough to seat three people comfortably. While the enchantments had kept the bathwater warm the entire bath.
“I’m moving and I have news for you,” he said as he stood out of the bath and started to towel off. He and Oaken shared a quick smile at the fact they had both leveled up. He got dressed in the one other pair of clothes he owned. Simple cotton underwear and socks with an off white cotton long sleeve shirt which he rolled the sleeves up past his elbows and tucked it into dark green canvas pants. That then tucked into worn calf high black leather boots with a black belt which you couldn't see because his adventurers belt sat over it, saber hanging on his left hip. Last he put on his black fingerless gloves. Oaken shook himself dry mostly and used a towel briefly. Getting dressed quickly with some underwear and a deep blue Kimber robe over it.
They met Frazier outside the makeshift bathhouse. One bath attendant worked on cleaning the room they used while another was outside with two expedition workers working on a much bigger and more permanent bathhouse next door now that the world had learned about the Dungeon of Desanigh.
“How late did you two sleep in?” Frazier asked as they walked towards the mess hall.
“Oh what would you say Oaken, we got up about an hour and a half ago?” Franco asked with a smile on his face.
“Sounds right to me, how how about you, our glorious Captain?” Oaken said.
“Dawn, and I hate both of you,” Frazier said as she rubbed her blood shot eyes. “Well lunch just started and Maph and Sarah are there. Should at least be a fun discussion.”
“Good news then?” Franco asked.
“Mostly,” she replied.
Lunch was stuffed bread with dipping sauces and a spicy corn salad. Franco and Oaken had both loaded up their plate and joined the team at a more private table in the shade of a ruined house wall. Maph was sitting next to Frazier, his lunch mostly gone now and was reading a magically printed letter while Frazier sipped on some fresh coffee having only eaten the corn salad off her plate. Sarah was sitting opposite the couple, her back against the ruin wall, feet laying across the bench. Lunch plate empty and looking like she was trying to nap. All of them were out of their armor but had their adventurers belts on and their weapons nearby. Oaken pushed Sarah's feet aside and sat on the bench next to her while Franco sat next to him.
“What the shit!” Sarah exclaimed as she almost fell off the bench.
“Some [Rogue],” Oaken said before he took a bite out of one of the stuffed breads on his plate.
“I knew you were there,” Sarah said in a huff.
“Sure you did, well anyway anyway, Franco has news,” Oaken said as he tore off another piece of bread.
“As does Oaken, but well I guess I will go first then,” Franco muttered with a spoonful of the corn salad in his mouth. He felt a sudden pang of gult for talking with his mouth full of food.
“I leveled, hit level 8, which is an Ability level of course and chose [Cleaving Strike]. It feels like I could handle that Bone Giant much better. I think one [Cleaving Strike] with my saber could cut through one of those Bone Giants limbs now” he said. The group besides Oaken congratulated him on the level up.
“A new level just days after hitting level 7 and that was two levels. Incredibly, I have heard of few faster levels, besides in stories of course,” Maph said, having put down the letter he was reading.
“Well I learned something else about myself at that level up.” That statement had gotten everyone's attention at the table. Even Oaken who looked like he had half a loaf of stuffed bread hanging out his short bill of a mouth.
“I saw that I have three titles,.” Franco said. He had debated with himself just briefly during his bath if he was going to tell them. It felt like something old Franco would not do, that sharing this information was too personal but now, this newish person he had become. He just didn't care about secrets like this. The more information his team had the better they would all due.
“What?” Oaken half choked out.
“How?” Sarah shouted.
He took a deep breath and told them. He was just as surprised as they were when he learned about them.
“They are Son of Abigail: I Will Stand, True Companion: Before you, me and Adventurer (Copper): More than Fear.
“Son of Abigail, isn't that from the dungeon up there in Abigail and I Will Stand sounds like a will or vitality boost during a fight. Very good stuff and More than Fear is just a very weak [Danger Sense] and what most of us adventurers get. ” Sarah said.
He wasn't exactly sure what they were but her explanation for the two sounded right to him.
“Impressive, very impressive” Maph nodded at Franco with a look of respect on his face.
“At your age, really?” Frazier asked.
“My age? How old do I look? Actually I don't know how old I am,” Franco said, realizing that he had not thought about that till now. How old was he?
“Really?” Maph said, interested. “You look the same age as Sarah and Frazier to me”
“I’m 19,” Sarah said, offended.
“And Frazier is 22, that's the same age when it comes to human looks.” Maph said with a smile.
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“Says the too tall, skinny looking 16 year old elf boy,” Sarah replied.
“I’m old enough to be your father, and I am an elf. I look like a 52 year old elf, not a human boy,” Maph retorted.
“That's enough of that. Congratulations on the level up and the titles Franco. Which we will need to talk more about later but needs must,” Frazier said, frustration at both Sarah and Maph clear from her expression.
“And you, Oaken?” she asked to move the conversation forward.
“Level 7 and I choose the Skill, [Active Recall: Spells]. It felt like it took me a year to learn that skill but but now my memorized spells come easier and with near perfect memory. Almost all my free cast spells I tested tested this morning are a third faster to cast now and It improved three attributes. This will greatly help my free casting, and help me learn new ones I think. Which I am going to spend my cut of the loot on. Spells, a few at least but if possible a Grimoire of some kind.”
The group congratulated him on the level up and then got serious about the real discussion.
“So our news is done so let's talk about that loot,” Oaken said, trilling in excitement.
This is what Franco wanted to know and was as excited as the rest about. Frazier pulled out a piece of paper from one of the pockets on her belt and unfolded it. Franco could see the paper was covered in a lot of clear small handwriting.
“Ok Mistress Bluescale worked late into the night and came back half-way through the morning meetings to finish up. She was able to give an initial rating on everything which is both good and bad. First the red spear, it's the best item in the lot and probably cursed but i'll explain that with the large sword as it has the same thing. Let's see here,” Frazier said as she looked over the paper for some detail.
“Here, she rated the spear as Gold rated. High Gold and recommended that it get appraised by a master enchanter before anything, but that doesn't matter to us because Master Helmric is taking it as his cut,” she said.
“Not a surprise, as soon as I I saw that I knew he would, even if he had to pay us or the Guild gold out of pocket to make up the difference,” Oaken said, waving his spoon around. “My father loves his spears”
“That is almost exactly what he said and its true value is only questioned because they aren't sure if the curse is worth removing for him. It and the long sword’s curse is an added enchantment that when held by the living it seems to make the Undead in the area both aware of you and angrier. Which for us would make it unusable but for a level 35 Gold rank adventurer it might be a bonus or not if their awareness of the wielder made them flee him.”
Franco could see the issue. Even Greater Undead would flee a fight they thought they couldn't win. The curse would need to be better understood before it could be risked, especially in the dungeon.
“The second best item is actually one of the daggers we brought back. Rated at Gold. She says here that the blade itself is Silver work only but it has an enchantment that when drawn that it hides the wielder in some way, makes people overlook them. She was not sure which skill or ability is enchanted into it but that it’s Gold rated. After that is the long sword that Franco’s giant had,” she said.
“Hey, he wasn't mine I just found him,” Franco said in mock outrage.
“Well he might be yours if you want. That sword is the third best item and also Gold rated, maybe higher. It has that same curse as the spear but she wrote its properties down for us unlike the spear. It has Superior durability, repair and slashing as well as a passive [Sunder] ability. It's good, maybe too good for us but also worth a lot. The three swords from the Giant I fought are all peak Silver rated and are good. The one I used and want has a [Mighty Blow] ability that might take up to a week to recharge, one has a passive mana disruption and the best out of the three is a lesser spell sword. The rest of the daggers are low Silver rated, nothing but quality metal and durability enhancements to set them apart. Oh and the enchanted bone clubs are Bronze rated mace weapons that have impact as well as durability enhancements. I think that covers it all.”
“What about the armor I carried?” Maph asked.
“Oh right, let me check,” she said as she turned over her page of notes to find where she had written something down.
“Ah here, the helmets were good both Bronze rating with the armor samples being Bronze or Copper rated. Now all this can and should be checked again when this first caravan gets here in a few days. Apparently news of Desanigh being discovered has got a lot of powerful people coming. The old elf of the Enchanters Guild of Gemport is coming himself. He is apparently bringing ten wagons, two Master Enchanters, four Journeyman Enchanters and 15 Apprentices. Along with a [Golem Artificer] and the best Artifact appraiser, besides himself of course.”
“Suzerain Valiant is coming here?” Maph asked with surprise and a little worry in his voice.
“Yes, is that going to be a problem, Maph?” Frazier asked concern entering her voice as she looked at him.
“Not for us but for me, he is a very old elf and a Suzerain of world fame. He will sit me down and give me the ‘you are a child’ talk that all old elfs do and I will bear it,” Maph said, resigned to his fate.
“Perfect.” Sarah said with a big grin on her face. “Maph, you gotta play that up so we can get him to look over all our new loot first and when we find more just play the dumb child so he will feel compelled to help us.”
“That doesn't sound very lady like,” Oaken said with a grin until Sarah gave him the flattest look Franco had ever seen.
“Then you don't know ladies,” Sarah replied dryly. Franco thought Sarah had won that exchange and so did Oaken who went back to eating his meal.
“But I also do not know about ladies, so what do I know?” Sarah said a little too loudly after a second.
Maph just shook his head at Sarah as if he couldn't believe her suggestion.
“Well I’ll protect you from the big mean elf dear so don't worry about him,” Frazier said, patting Maph on his hand that he had on the table.
“We need to decide who's getting what. The Adventurers Guild gets ten percent of the findings and the Expedition gets 30 and we don't have the gold to make up the differences so we will give up items. Also we need gold as we survived that fight because we used eight healing potions that Franco was kind enough to buy and I used at least another hundred gold on my expendables. With Master Helmric taking the spear that should cover his cut according to Mistress Bluescale but that might change once the Enchanters get here. So, we need to hear what you want. I want that sword with [Mighty Blow]. It's Silver rated so better then mine was and I currently don't have one.” Frazier said and then looked at Maph. He sighed and picked up the letter he had been reading to show the group as he talked.
“I don’t know if I want that longsword that Franco’s giant had. It sounds amazing and it's a Gold rated sword but it's not my preferred sword type. I have of course trained and been taught how to use a sword like it.” He sighed and shook the paper he was holding.
“I paid for an urgent Message last night and got a response just an hour ago from the Sword Master who I trained under. If it's truly a Gold rated weapon he said I would be dumb not to take it even just to have it, but that I would need to wield it for years and train with it daily before I could honestly say if it is not for me. A very elf response, so I am still unsure.”
Frazier nodded at Maph with a smile, still patting him gently on his hand and turned to Sarah.
“What me?” Sarah said when Frazier looked at her. “I was going to say one of the shortswords but that dagger with the hiding enchantment sounds amazing and it sounds like it would make me much more useful to the group in a big fight like yesterday.”
“Sarah, if we do get that dagger, please try to remember that Undead will still be able to see you and that it will not hide hide you from them,” Oaken said, scratching at his bill. “It is still a weapon that could make any [Rogue] or [Assassin] known worldwide but it’s not amazing against everything.” Oaken looked at the younger red-haired girl in worry.
Frazier looked at Oaken next.
“Gold, I want as much gold gold as we can get. I say we get one of the two big items for the team and then one or two more of the Silver rated weapons for our use but really I would be happy selling everything,” Oaken said.
“Spellcasters," Maph muttered, clearly using the phrase as a curse.
Frazier just rolled her eyes at Oaken and then looked at him and Franco still wasn't sure what was best for him
“Honestly, I am not sure. The spell sword would be nice of course but since it's not a saber I do not need it. The more I think about that fight yesterday the more I realized how beyond our skill and level it was. We walked away because we fought hard and threw a lot of gold at the problem. Oaken has a point about the gold and, if his ploy to get us into the Jade Temple works, then I want to be the tip of the spear and not assigned to guard the outhouse. So whatever it takes in that sense, if it means the sword and the dagger and we sell everything else then lets do that. If we can have only one of the Gold rated items then I’d have to say the dagger and then let's use the rest to restock now.”
“Why the dagger for Sarah? The sword for Maph might be enough to make this team Bronze ranked,” Frazier said, looking surprised at Franco’s words.
“You are more than right Captain but we will be at the doors of the Jade Temple before that elf Enchanter gets here which means the sword is not available. While the dagger has a good chance of not helping at all if we face Undead it might be a huge boost for the team fighting living monsters,” Franco said with a shrug. That got Maph and Frazier thinking for a minute before Maph spoke.
“You’re right, if we can’t afford both Gold rated items, which by Mistress Bluescale’s notes we can’t, then Sarah gets the dagger, you and Franco get your swords and we have money to spend to outfit us with potions and other consumables.”
“I don't want the sword. I’d rather have a new wand,” Franco said.
“Same for me,” Oaken agreed.
“Ok, we keep Sarah’s dagger and my sword and we sell everything else or trade it for items,” Frazier said then sighed. Sarah jumped up and hugged everyone at the table, squealing in glee.
