Diego had returned home that evening exhausted from the grueling day's work.
His home wasn't the fanciest around, a simple townhouse apartment on the southside of town.
Despite it being an older building it was decently maintained and supplied with a few luxury amenities.
It may not have been what he felt his family deserved, but it was still home.
And entering through that door would always wash away his fatigue.
Entering the domicile he is greeted by the scent of dinner, the scent of his mother's rosemary chicken accompanied with roasted vegetables.
He takes off his shoes and announces his return.
“I'm home.”
“Dinner is just about finished, why don't you wash up.”
“Right”
Diego walks up the stairs towards the restroom.
He winces in pain for a moment. lifting his shirt he exposes the numerous scars across his torso and examines the nasty new gash he had received in the Dungeon from that stray coyote.
The wound had mostly been treated by one of the healing magic specializing mages at the Dungeon camp, but because her magic was low rank it was still a bit rough.
All that was left to do now was wait for it to heal on its own.
For now, he changes his bandages and washes his hands.
He quickly comes back down still carrying the black box.
In the dining room is a middle aged couple. The woman has her curly hair tied in a messy bun and wearing a stained apron.
She had just finished placing the roasted chicken on the table.
The man appearing a bit older than the woman eagerly waits to be served.
He sits in a wheelchair and has a thin appearance.
Diego sits at the table pouring himself a glass of water. He serves himself some roasted vegetables and takes a few slices of the roasted chicken.
“Thanks for dinner Ma”
Diego's mother affectionately kisses the top of his head and sits down. The three have a pleasant dinner, Diego’s father starts the over dinner conversation off.
“How was work today Son?”
“Same old same old. They put me on mining duty, but I still got nicked by a coyote.”
“What!? Let me see!”
Diego groans as he lifts his shirt to show his mother his most recent injury. She peels back the bandaging to take a closer look.
“Ay Mijo, you need to get this looked at!”
“Get off him Puchi, you really think they would let him walk home untreated?”
“Hector… you are gonna look me in the eyes and tell me they actually did all they could? You know how those people treat people of his rank.”
“Stop! Stop! Why don't we just stop that here, before we get heated. I'm ok Mami, I was given the all clear and they even gave me an ointment to treat the cut.”
“...”
Puchi returns to her seat grumbling, but understanding she did not need to press the issue forward.
“I just wish you would quit that job…”
“We've been over this Mami. I can't, there's nothing else out there that would pay me enough.”
“Mijo, do you really think your Father and I can't take care of ourselves? What do you think we did before you came along?”
“Mami, Papi is way too sick to work and you can't work full time and come home to take care of the house. This is temporary, I'm just doing this to save enough to get into a training program and get Papi a full time Homecare Worker.”
“...."
Diego I worry… I just wish you would focus on other things, like finding a Wife.”
“Oh Ma…”
“Leave the boy be Puchi. You have to let him be his own man. Diego, tell us more about your day. It couldn't have been all bad.”
“Actually there was a treasure room in this dungeon.”
“Oh!!”
Diego’s parents both perk up at the sound of “treasure room”. They both knew it meant a bit more income was going to stream into the home.
Diego presents the items he was given as his share. Some coins, a few rings, a pearl necklace, and the black box.
“It’s not much, but it gives us some more breathing room this month.”
Hector looks at the box in stunned surprise.
“Mijo, do you know what this is?”
Hector picks up the box to examine it further.
“This is a Runestone chest. Back in my day I only ever saw a few, but the ones who managed to take the Runestones inside got a Skill from them. Did anyone else open this?”
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“I don't think so, I just found it buried under some stuff.”
“Puchi quick, go get me a knife!! We have to pry this open!!”
“Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea how busy the E.R. is on a Wednesday night? I'm not sitting there because you accidentally cut yourself. Diego, help your Father.”
Diego snickers as he takes the box from his Father. He pulls out a pocket knife he always carried just in case and began prying at the lock.
After a bit of struggling, he eventually hears a click and feels the lid of the box loosen.
He opens the box as his Father looks on in excitement and his Mother shows a nervous expression.
Within the box surrounded in a cream colored velvet fabric acting as cushioning was a single stone that shined with a dull luster. With its rounded edges concaved bottom and sharpened top, it evoked the image of a scale in Diego’s mind.
Though due to it could comfortably fit in Diego’s palm it was still fairly larged.
Had it really been a scale, the creature it would belong to would habe no doubt been enormous.
Diego curiously examined the artifact in his hand. He felt a slight warmth and sensed faint magical energy radiating from it.
“Is this really a Runestone?”
They may be uncommon, but Diego has seen a few Runestones at shops specialized for Hunters. They were usually smooth stones with runes inscribed on them. The ones he saw provided low level skills like scanning an area for traces for magical energy or a slight buff in Strength, but even these ones cost an arm and a leg.
Diego shows the scale to his Father, who is also perplexed by it.
“It has to be, it was in a Rune Chest.”
He then places the scale back in the box and closes it.
“Welp that's for the shopkeep to work out.”
“Diego you can't be serious?! You can't sell that!”
“What’s the alternative Pa? Even if this was a Runestone, I'm just an E-rank, I don't have the magical energy to use a skill practically. Besides, I don't even know how to use this.”
“All you need to do is break it. And even if it was an impractical skill, the Bureau would help you use it.”
“Papi, I'm not investing more than I need to for this job. All I want is to collect enough cash and bail out. I don't want to end up-”
Diego stops himself.
“Go ahead, Diego, finish it. You don't want to end up like me.”
Hector looks up at his son with an expression of anger at how sour the conversation became, and disappointment in himself. He then tightly clutches at the blanket covering his legs.
Puchi looks at both of them with a sorrowful stare. She tries to silently clean the table.
“I-I'm sorry Papi… I didn't mean any ill. It's just, I know my limitations. Not everyone is meant to be a captain of industry. Some of us are just meant to clean toilets and I am ok with that. All I want is enough to live comfortably.”
“... I'm sorry too Son… it's just… I want so much more for you, we both do.”
Puchi comes over to Hector and lays her hand on his shoulder.
“None of this is your fault. Your old man got cocky and paid the price. Your Mother accepts that and still stocks by my side. We can take care of ourselves, you shouldn't be burdened with our baggage.”
“You're not a burden. Neither of you are. I do what I do because I want to.”
The three smile as they reconcile. They finish cleaning up and retire for the evening.
***
Diego had retired to his room that evening.
His room was a tiny space on the second floor of the townhouse. In it was his full size bed, with the headboard propped on the wall where the window is.
Next to the bed is a night stand with a few shelves on the bottom filled with reference books.
A lamp sits on top of the nightstand with an alarm clock and a tray containing a jug full of water and a glass.
Across from the bed was his desk which had an older model computer.
The desk was a bit on the long side to accommodate some models displayed next to the old PC and a little work area to assemble them.
On the wall above the model area was a dry erase board marked with a calendar, and tucked into the dest was an old leather office chair.
His dresser was at the foot of his bed and on the adjacent wall was his closet.
He sits down on his bed, examining the scale in his hand once more.
His plan was to go to the shop first thing in the morning and selling it in the hopes of a big payout.
He just wanted to leave the scale in its box and just go to bed, but something deep within compelled him to thoroughly examine it.
Runestones were a special treasure. The higher quality ones were found in special Dungeons, but there were also those that were dropped by certain magical beasts on rare occasions.
Each granted special abilities to the Hunters lucky enough to consume one.
A lot of Hunters would then use the Runestones they found to specialize in certain jobs.
Some would even collect Runestones that would even give them abilities that almost gameafied Dungeon raiding.
These Runestones weren't very rare, in fact they could be found in shops, but they were insanely expensive.
The gamefying Runestones were especially popular with the children of wealthy households who had awakened Hunter abilities.
So much so that an almost extreme sports style hobby was born of their Dungeon raiding activities.
For someone like Diego, these types of activities were an alien concept. He couldn't wrap his head around the thought of anyone making a game of almost getting killed by magical beasts.
He tended to avoid things related to that phenomenon and just stuck to treating raiding like a job.
He did envy those that could live comfortably enough engage in risky hobbies though.
‘I just need a break…’
KRRK!!
A crack formed on the scale.
Diego panicked as he heared the loud sound and tried to get a closer look at the scale.
“Oh no!!!”
KRRK!!
More cracks started forming in a spiderweb formation.
Diego’s heart sank as he imagined the money he would have earned from selling the scale burn away.
“This can't be happening!!!”
KSHK!!!
The scale shatters between Diego’s fingers.
FWOOSH!!!
A sudden burst of magical energy is released.
The crimson energy envelops Diego’s left arm.
He feels a sudden rush of pain greater than anything he had felt before, almost as if his arm was on fire.
“AARRGGGHH!!!”
Diego clutches his arm and collapses to the floor in pain. He feels areas around it go hard as plate-like objects grow out of his skin.
The pain subsided as quickly as it came, Diego is shocked when he sees his left arm is now covered in those same stone-like scales.
Diego moves his fingers to make sure there wasn't any nerve damage.
BAM!!!
“MIJO ARE YOU OK!!!”
Puchi barges into Diego's room and sees him on the floor.
“AHHHH!!”
She screams when she notices Diego's scale covered left arm.
Puchi immediately drops to the floor and takes Diego’s arms into her hands to examine it.
“What happened?! What is this?!”
“I-I don't know… the scale just cracked in my hand.”
“Mijo are you ok? WHOA!!”
Hector had come into the room. It took him a bit longer due to being in his wheelchair.
He is also taken aback by the transformation of Diego’s arm.
“Mijo what happened?”
“Hector, I am taking Diego to the emergency room. I will call if anything comes up.”
Puchi tries to lift her son up, but is immediately stopped by Diego.
“Ma it's ok. I don't think a hospital will help me. I think I will just go see the Hunter’s Bureau in the morning and hopefully they can tell me what this is and what to do.”
“Mijo…”
“What happened?”
“I don't know, the scale cracked in my hand and then there was a flash of pain… and now this.”
Hector briefly pauses looking at Diego’s arm.
“So that scale was a Runestone.”
Hector touches the arm feeling the scales.
“I have heard of Runes granting Hunters unusual characteristics once consumed, even granting people the abilities of the monster they came from; but I've bever seen it for myself. ”
Hector examines the arm further.
“We must find out what creature that scale belonged to. From there we might be able to ascertain what kind of abilities you have.”
“Are we not going to the emergency room?”
“I don't think that will be necessary My Love, Diego simply consumed a Runestone and it gave him an unprecedented skill. He's right, a hospital will do nothing for him”
Hector begins leaving the room, beckoning Puchi to come back to bed.
“Why don't we all take a rest for the night and we can just stop by the Hunters Bureau in the morning.”
“Good night Mijo.”
The couple exits the room leaving Diego standing in the center of it.
Diego looks at his arm as he sits on his bed.
“Damn”
Is all he says as he lies down for the evening.
