Watcher's Question: A LitRPG Saga (Life in Exile Book 2)

by Sean Oswald

  Finally, Jaselm asked, “Leveled up? I’m pretty sure that most of the men under my command are at max level.”

  “Max level? Wait … I thought max level was like sixty or something like that.” Dave’s confusion showed in his response.

  The group of leaders all looked at each other as if to say, “Who is gonna tell the boss what he doesn’t want to hear.”

  Finally, Daichi spoke up. The old elf didn’t seem concerned about what any human thought of him. “Sixty is the highest level ever recorded, but most people max out long before that. It is very common for people not to be able to pass tier one. At least fifty percent, and some people say as many as eighty percent of all humans and elves cannot pass beyond the first Tier.”

  Daichi waited for his words to sink in and to see if Dave had any questions, but when the Baron was quiet, he continued assuming the man had the good sense to wait for the full explanation. His estimation of Dave rose slightly then. “From what I have deduced, all of your foot soldiers are maxed out at level nine and no longer gain XP although they can continue to gain character points at 1/10th rate back like when they were level zero.” One of the knights nodded in affirmation when Dave looked. Your knights are into tier 2 so they will eventually be able to climb as high as level 19 unless they are fortunate enough to be able to pass on. I don’t know what level they are right now though.”

  Looking at the knights again, they each mumbled in answer, “14,” and, “13 thanks to this last fight.”

  As soon as the two knights answered, Daichi continued, “Other than Sir Jaselm, I believe that the three paladins of the forgotten lady are maxed at level 19, and Sir Jaselm is somewhere in Tier 3 but not max level much the same as Eisuke is.” Another round of nods confirmed the lesson the monk was giving. “As far as the elves, you are fortunate because the Throne focused on sending quality over quantity. Every member of the Meiyo Eihei and all of the Hogo-Sha Shinrin are into the second Tier with half of them being max level and unable to move on. Most of the rest won’t be able to move on although there is no way to know for sure until they reach level 19.”

  Now Dave’s curiosity got the better of him and he interrupted with a question. “Level nineteen? Why would they know they can’t progress at level nineteen? Wouldn’t they find out when they got enough XP to hit level twenty but were unable to level up?” He had not intended to, but there was a bit of desperation in his voice given that he had just hit level 19.

  Again, the elves and humans looked at one another. It was like explaining to someone basic things like how there were two suns but only one moon. This time it was Jaselm who broke the silence, “Um, Baron Murkwood, did you just hit level nineteen?”

  “Yes, I did and it doesn’t appear to be any different. If I check my character screen I see that it requires a lot of XP to hit the next level but everything else seems the same. It was the same way when going from nine to ten.”

  A smile broke out across the paladin’s face, “That is excellent news Baron. As long as you see how much XP you have till the next level then you are able to level up.”

  Dave couldn’t help but feel relieved as he said, “That's great. But is it only at the different Tiers that people can cap out?”

  “Exactly correct. For example, I am level thirty-three and Tier four, but even amongst my people that is very rare.” Daichi said as half the humans around him whistled under their breath.

  At this time one of the druids walked up to the group of leaders with Emily beside him. “Consort. Master. Commanders.” He gave a brief nod to each as he stated their title in greeting. “Lady Emiri has been kind enough to assist with healing, but now we need to get moving again while there is daylight. I know you have many political concerns now regarding the rebels, but I need to remind you that unless we stop the tree sapper swarm from breeding a mass swarm, then there will be nothing left to worry about as all the moon elves will be forced to come south.”

  “Mhmmm,” Eisuke sounded as he cleared his throat as if to say, “I’ve been trying to tell them this.”

  Emily added, “Given the actions of the rebels I also don’t think we can be gone from Eris’ Rise for too long. So we are going to have to push on even though I’m sure many are tired after this battle.”

  Dave looked upward. The first sun was at its apex, so there were still many hours of daylight left, but he understood what Emily meant. A few minutes of intensely swinging a sword while worried about yourself or those you loved around you dying was very draining on a man. He assumed that the repeated casting of healing spells was much the same.

  Workers and soldiers from the town came out and hauled in the meat and various crafting supplies. Dave was glad that it wouldn’t go to waste but pushed the various leaders to get everyone moving. They were going to first go to the spot where his family had first encountered the tree sappers. It wouldn’t take more than an hour or two, but it would give him plenty of time to think about the ramifications of the new information he had learned. He walked with Emily. Being close to her made him relax and waved away anyone who even looked like they intended to come ask something of either of them.

  The hunting force reached the spot they were looking for with little difficulty and without having a single encounter with any beasts. The elven scouts said that there was some small indication that the rebels had moved through here in small numbers but nothing to suggest that they were preparing any further kind of attack.

  Eisuke and the druids along with a couple of the senior forest wardens walked circles around the clearing where the ironwood tree had been. Dave felt strangely sentimental about that ruined husk of a tree which had at one point been a place of safe haven for his family. The signs of Mira’s fire spell were evident, but fortunately, the fire had never spread far. Eisuke explained that was probably due to the work of the lesser treants.

  Once they had gotten Emily and Mira to recount the details of the swarm half a dozen times, one of the druids finally signaled that he thought his tracking spell had found the direction to the horde. A couple of the other druids cast their spells again and were able to replicate his results, so they began to grow very happy. Seeing looks of uncertainty on Dave and Emily’s faces, Eisuke explained to them that the druids were excited because it seems as though the tree sappers were close. Likely close enough to have not left the Murkwood and that with any luck the hunt would only take a couple of days.

  After resting for lunch, the force started moving. Now hot on the trail of the tree sappers. The hours went by as Dave discussed the forest, elven life, and how to blend the elves and humans together into one community. Mostly, he was surrounded by elves for this discussion, and for many of them, their opinion of him rose. So much so that at one point he got a notification.

  +3 Faction with Moon Elves. Total: 38

  It wasn’t much, but at his low faction he would take whatever he got. Apparently, they were taking him seriously in his statements about wanting to treat the races all equally and having a merit based society. Which was good because he was very serious about it. All was going well until the second sun was setting and there was beginning to be discussion about finding a spot to camp. One of the human soldiers came running up and whispered something to Sir Belmor, one of his sworn knights who had accompanied them and was in command of his personal guard. After a heated exchange between the two men, Dave finally said, “Will one of you tell me what’s going on?”

  Reluctantly, Sir Belmor looked at him and said, “Of course my lord but it is something of a private matter. I would prefer to speak to you alone or at least with only your closest advisors.”

  Dave frowned. He knew well that the expression that ‘loose lips sink ships’ was true and that valuable information had to be kept compartmentalized. On the other hand, they had just been speaking on the issue of unity and lack of secrets between the races. With a compromise in mind, he asked for Emily, Daichi, Jaselm, Sir Belmore, and Eisuke to join him a short distance from where the rest of the
force were ordered to make a camp. Mira tagged along even though she hadn’t been invited, but Dave figured it couldn’t hurt for her to hear things too.

  “So what is it Sir Belmore?”

  “Well my lord, it is potentially very good news. Your man, Kraden there, you see he grew up in a small town outside the principal gold mine of the kingdom, right outside of Konig. Him and a couple of the lads were off wandering in the woods a bit away from the rest and they stumbled upon what he swears is a gold nugget.” With that, the knight handed over a golf ball sized rock to Dave.

  Dave took it and examined it while Emily and Mira both tried to peer at it until he made a show of letting them hold and examine it. That gave him the opportunity to cast Identify on it.

  Gold Nugget: 88% pure. Remaining composition comprised of silver, copper, and iron.

  Seeing that, Dave’s eyes lit up after casting his spell, Sir Belmore continued, “That isn’t the best news. Having found that nugget, Kraden went to look around and found a cave mouth in the side of a low cliff. He says he is pretty sure it's a gold mine or at least has the potential to be one. He would know, having grown up and worked in one until he took to soldiering for the chance to get out of that hole in the ground.”

  Emily spoke up while Dave was thinking about how the best way to handle this would be. If the mine could produce a good amount of gold, it would in fact be a big deal and might very well change the economic outlook of the barony in a very short amount of time. “Perhaps you should have guardsman Kraden come over so that we can question him ourselves.”

  “Yes, Baroness. Right away.” With that, the knight signaled for Kraden to come over from where he was waiting one hundred yards away.

  The soldier immediately saluted the Baron and then the knight with chest to his fist and then turned and bowed to Emily calling her baroness. He answered all of their questions and explained a bit more about his background and upbringing near the mine. Apparently he had had quite a knack for finding new deposits of ore and almost hadn’t been allowed to leave. The only reason he had finally been allowed to join the army was that he had a strong propensity for fighting when he drank, and he happened to hit the wrong man one time such that it would be best for him to be out of town. Kraden blushed some whenever looking at Emily as he told his story and kept saying, “Pardon me lady, I don’t mean any offense.”

  Dave could only chuckle and wonder what the Albian’s were used to for noble women. He knew his wife was no fainting lily and certainly capable of hearing about this man’s background. Heck, she would probably insist on finding a way to “fix” him now. Finally though, as the man ended his tale, Dave said, “We need to go check that out right away.”

  Emily echoed his sentiments until Daichi spoke up, “That would not be a good idea. We have not had the opportunity to confirm that this area is secure and there are still the rebels to consider.”

  “Daichi, if you think it is too dangerous for Emily, that is your call, but I personally would welcome the XP, I’m anxious to get to Tier 3.”

  Looking around at the faces of those present, Daichi seemed to think through what he was about to say, “I would call you Baron or Consort, or even Dave as you asked, but really all you deserve to be called is child. I expect less of humans due to your short lives, but in the short time I have known you I had come to think you might be an exception. You have a town of people depending upon you. It is almost as if you think this is all a game.”

  Dave had the good grace to at least look rebuked as he hesitantly said, “I understand what you mean, but certainly my personal strength is also a significant factor in the protection of my people.” In the back of his mind though, the monk’s words triggered another concern. It would have to be saved for another day, but he would have to come to grips with the fact that his lifespan was going to be far shorter than Emily’s now.

  Jaselm took over for Daichi, “I don’t mean to speak for the esteemed elven Master. We will of course help you both gain XP, but now is not the time.”

  Emily, “I am not so worried about XP. I am however very worried about Eris’ Rise and a gold mine could make all the difference. So my husband and I--”

  Mira interrupted and said, “And me.”

  “We are going with Kraden to see this mine. You may of course provide whatever support you deem necessary.” Dave was amazed at how much Emily’s words and tone took for granted that everyone around her would obey her. She had always been bold in directing her family but very deferential when dealing with others. Her distaste for politicians always made her hesitant for fear of overriding the views of others. Now, hearing her talk like the noblewoman that she had recently become surprised humored Dave. He was of course wise enough to keep that amusement to himself.

  The end result of the conversation was that Sara would be left at the main camp with three elven monks and two paladins as her personal caretakers, not to mention Balayria or Krinnk. Meanwhile, Dave, Emily, Mira, Daichi, Jaselm, and Kraden would go out to inspect the mine with another squad of half elves and half humans as their back up.

  After leaving instructions for setting up the camp, the two groups moved out following Kraden as he led them the mile or so towards what he claimed was a gold mine. Along the way Dave asked if it would be prudent to form into a raid party so that the two groups could work together. The general response he got from Daichi and Jaselm was that it wasn’t necessary. If they felt it was dangerous enough to need a raid party then they wouldn’t have consented to this trip, and besides, apparently an individual could only enter a raid party once every moonrise and only for a maximum of three hours at a time. More limits for Dave to factor into his tactical decisions.

  The walk only took a little over ten minutes as the woods were not overly dense in this area. Once they got up to the cave mouth it was clear that there were veins of ore running through it, and the mouth itself was fully ten feet across and eight feet high. All three of the Nelsons wondered how they could have failed to see this cave when they had been living in the general area. It was set in a small rise of the ground covered by brush but not that hard to see. The likely explanation for their not having noticed it before was the simple fact of their life and death fight at that stage of their time in Eloria.

  Looking around on the ground they found some more nuggets of metal scattered about. Dave found this to be a bit odd, “So is it normal for mines to have precious metals just laying around on the ground?”

  Everyone looked to Kraden for an answer. The miner turned soldier shrugged his shoulders, “Not that I have ever seen before.”

  “So what conclusions should we draw from that?” Dave asked.

  This time all they got was a shrug from Kraden without any words to follow up. Daichi added though, “In my years of experience, if something appears odd then it usually signifies danger.”

  Jaselm’s face was covered with a wry grin as he said, “And we all know that you have more years of experience than the rest of us combined.”

  Dave and Emily both looked on expecting an argument at the obvious insinuation that the monk was old, but the elf simply smiled back at the paladin. Dave leaned in to whisper in Emily’s ear, “What do you make of that?”

  She responded in an equally hushed tone, “Either they are jabbing each other and it’s only a matter of time till things explode, or they are starting to respect each other and being men, they can’t express it outright.”

  “Hopefully the latter then.” Dave carefully schooled his face not wanting to grin and draw Emily’s ire. He knew well how she felt about what she called ‘machoism.’

  Turning towards Kraden, “So it looks like more than just one type of ore here? But I don’t have your eye for this. What are we looking at here?”

  Without answering, the man started bending over and looking at the various nuggets on the ground before turning to the cave mouth and running his hands over it and stepping into the mouth of the cave a couple of feet before literally jumping back li
ke his feet were on fire.

  “What’s wrong?” Emily asked while the guards and even Dave all drew out weapons in response to Kraden’s leap.

  “Well ummm … the good news is that there appears to be multiple veins of gold and at least a fair size vein of both iron and silver. There was also another metal I wasn’t able to identify.”

  “You certainly didn’t react like that because you saw some veins of metal. So what is the bad news?” Emily’s tone brought the man to attention as the soldier in him knew when he was facing a commanding officer.

  “The bad news is that as soon as I got two feet into the cave mouth, I got a notification.”

  “And…”

  Kraden then explained the notification he received.

  Warning! You are about to cross into Unnamed Mine 714. This zone is a dungeon zone. Dungeons are extremely dangerous and the level of the surrounding zones does not necessarily reflect the zone of the dungeon. Do you wish to leave the Murkwood Zone?

  Both Dave and Mira perked up and said simultaneously, “A dungeon?” They looked at each other before Dave added, “A dungeon could be worth just as much as a mine, and if we combine the two, this could be a huge boon to our people.”

  “We have to explore it and see what’s in it.” Mira’s excitement was visible to those around her.

  “First off, we don’t have the time for this. I understand the benefits of both a dungeon and a mine to you and your people, but you also need to understand that this is a different type of dungeon from what you told us you discovered previously.” Daichi took on the tone of a teacher.