“Heal yourself up,” Shane said, tossing him a potion flask.
Kelvin took a moment to check his weapon for damage. Luckily nothing seemed to be broken. The spike driver might be heavy, but it was rugged the parts were sturdy. At the very least it made for a powerful club, especially when combined with his temperament's extra strength.
“So, this looks like a ferox cat den,” Bailey said. “Do we go in and risk it?”
“Do you really want to go back with nothing to show for it? What's the worst that could happen to us?”
“We end up as cat food?”
“Oh come on, it's not going to be that bad if we die,” Kelvin said. “And besides, didn't we come out here to have some fun? What's a little risk?”
“I'm for it,” Shane said.
“I am too,” Brandon said. “Even though I'm the one that got bitten.”
Jamie nodded.
“So, I guess it's just you?”
Bailey shrugged. “I don't have a problem with it. Just making sure.”
“I'm sure that's it.”
She pushed past him with a scowl. “Well, what are we waiting for? This quest isn't going to last forever.”
Kelvin grinned and followed her
Shane saw more bones in the cave entrance, as expected. He drew his blade and took the lead with Bailey and Jamie.
“Well, they decided to be nice to us,” he commented as they pushed further into the cave. Bioluminescent moss and fungus lit the tunnel with a soft glow. None of the party had lamps, since they didn't expect to be out after dark and didn't want to deal with the extra encumbrance.
“That depends on how many cats they send after us,” Bailey said. “If the-”
A snarl and a charging blur cut off the rest of her statement. Shane saw the cat coming through the faint light and went into a fighting stance, cutlass held forward and at the ready. At least in a confined space like this the creature could only attack them from the front.
“Hold position for a second,” Brandon said, and a moment later Shane heard the thump of a steam rifle.
The beast yowled and stumbled. Shane charged forward and hacked the creature down with a pair of chops before it had the chance to recover. The cat crumpled to the ground and then lay still.
“Well, that's two. They're not attacking in very large numbers,” Jamie said. “Do we have a rating for the quest?”
Shane pulled out his guidebook and flipped to the page, then found the subheading. “It's a Tier 4 quest.”
“Great, so we could end up with something really good, or some absolute crap for loot.”
That was always the trouble with random quests. They ran in tiers from Tier 1 to Tier 5, which determined the strength of their enemies and the potential rarity of the loot they received at the end. The value of the items could vary, but the higher the tier, the higher the probability that they'd be rare.
But there was no worse feeling than clearing a Tier 1 mini-quest and then only getting a few coins at the end. They could still loot the enemies for pelts and other valuables, but they paled in comparison to what they could have received from a chest. The most valued items were components, weapon parts made from high-grade materials that cost a fortune to make and required a high-level engineer to manufacture. Even though they wore out over time, they gave players a huge advantage while they lasted.
“The reward in this isn't really the point,” he said. “It would be nice, of course. But I'd say it might be better for us to get money out of this. We're not getting ship parts, so why not get gold so we can pay for them?”
“OK, that makes sense.”
“And at least the enemies will be easier to deal with,” Kelvin added. “Although if you're Brandon, you get chomped on by the first cat we come across...”
“Yeah, yeah. Shut up.”
“You're welcome for saving your hide.”
Shane grinned and turned back to face the rest of the tunnel. It curved to the left a short distance ahead, and he didn't see any forks or other passages.
“Well, there's only one way forward,” he said. “Come on. What are we waiting for?”
Chapter Eighteen
They advanced further into the cave, fending off ferox cats and exploring anything of interest. There wasn't much, truth be told, which didn't surprise Bailey. This looked like a simple cave, and mini-quests were designed to provide quick, straightforward adventure. There weren't many secrets to find, if any.
“So assuming that this is just one of the simple quests, what do you think we can expect from it?” Jamie said.
Kelvin shrugged. “Coins.”
“Coins,” Bailey agreed. “Unless we get really lucky. And like Shane said, coins might be the best thing for us.”
“Don't tell me that you'd pass up the chance to get glimmersteel components to play around with.”
Bailey smiled. “Of course I wouldn't. I'd love to screw around with them and make new weapons and equipment out of them, but that's not what we're going for right now. So I guess I'm making a sacrifice?”
“Don't start counting our winnings just yet. We have to kill the boss at the end of this,” Brandon said.
“If there is a boss.”
“Why wouldn't there be?”
She shrugged. “Maybe we get lucky and this is one of the few times where a mini-quest doesn't end with a boss?”
“If that was true then I'd expect to have more cats attacking us. And-”
Bailey spotted movement and reacted, aiming her weapon for a split second before pulling the trigger. The steam blunderbuss spat a spread of metal shards into the charging ferox cat, killing it almost instantly.
“That enough for you?” she asked.
“That's what? Five, six of them?”
“Are you really keeping count?” Shane asked. “And really, what does it matter? We just keep going until we either reach the boss room or the end. Nothing else to it.”
“Aw, but it's fun to speculate,” Bailey said. She opened up a container and reloaded her weapon.
“Fun to speculate on how the random number generator is going to screw us over?”
“See, you do it too.”
“Everyone complains that the random number generator screws them over,” Kelvin said. “Of course, that's because they think that probability should always favor them.”
“If it has a 95% probability then it should happen,” Brandon said.
“Not when you treat it like it should be 100%.”
“Whatever. I still think the random number generator cheats.”
“Yeah, you and a million other people.”
“I think the thing just has it out for me. Or us,” Bailey said.
Kelvin snorted. “Yeah, a computer calculation is knows what its doing and totally has it out for us.”
“You laugh at it, but it's happening. First it starts toying with us, then it tries to take over the world.”
“What the heck?”
Bailey shrugged. “I don't know, all I know is that those things are evil.”
It would be just their luck that the one time they didn't want rare components would be the one time they actually received them. Oh well. She couldn't exactly complain about it if it did happen, and if it didn't they could make good use of the coins. This might be the one time they'd gain significant benefits from any outcome.
Provided they made it to the end, of course.
Kelvin hung back toward the rear of the group and let the others handle most of the fighting. His spike driver wasn't suited for quick action, not against fast-moving monsters like the ferox cats. He'd save his ammunition for the boss at the end.
They traveled through the cave, dealing with their attackers and following the only course forward. Kelvin began to wonder what might be waiting for them. Would it be a pack of cats? An especially large one? Something else?
“Looks like it opens up ahead,” Shane said from the lead position. “Probably the boss chamber.”
“Everyone ready?” Ke
lvin called. He checked his weapons to make sure they were in working order.
“We set?” Shane asked. “Let's go.”
Kelvin took stock of their surroundings as they stepped into the boss chamber. The room stood was about fifteen or twenty feet high, and about fifty feet or so across. Haphazard piles of bones littered the floor.
And standing in the midst of the chamber was the biggest ferox cat he had ever seen, six feet tall at the shoulder. It's face had been scarred by slashes, but Kelvin only really noticed the huge fangs, maybe six to eight inches long and wickedly pointed.
“OK, that's going to be a problem,” Shane said. “Let's spread out. Ranged attackers try to whittle down its health. The rest of us will try to keep it off your back.”
Kelvin pulled one of the levers on the spike driver to fill the compression chamber with steam. He kept a careful eye on the beast, wondering what it would do. The monsters tended to spring ambushes, but this one showed no signs of moving into cover or trying to be stealthy. And were the scars on its face for show, or were they a warning that the creature could take huge amounts of damage?
“Brandon, you fire the first shot,” he said.
“Got it.”
They had to find out the monster's attack patterns. If he fired his spike driver without determining that then the cat might be able to dodge the shot. And while his team would try to keep the beast at bay, Kelvin didn't want to take any chances. He didn't imagine getting caught in the enemy's jaws would be very pleasant.
A shot rang out through the clearing, and the ferox cat recoiled with an angry snarl. Kelvin sat it lift its front knee, a small wound apparent just above the knee.
Good thinking, Kelvin mused, and he adjusted his aim as well. Limbs weren't easy to target, but with a creature this size it might be their best option. They weren't going to be able to kill it in a few hits. Better to slow it down at the beginning.
He brought his spike driver to bear and prepared to fire, but the cat seemed to sense the threat. It moved away, leaping sideways toward the right. Kelvin noted that it covered a large distance. If that momentum was focused forward…
“Oh crap,” he said, just as the monster sprang forward, its jaws open in a vicious snarl.
They scattered, trying to dodge the beast's wild leap, its slashing claws and its vicious teeth. Kelvin had to dive to get out of the way, but he rolled up to a crouching position and got his weapon up to his shoulder in an instant. With a mere split-second to aim he found his target and pulled the trigger.
The metal spike clanged out of the weapon's mouth and smacked into the creature's hind leg, hitting it right above the rear part of the knee. His shot must have done critical damage, because the ferox cat roared in pain and stumbled, apparently having trouble putting weight on the limb.
It was always so difficult to tell. Everything had health bars, but they remained hidden, along with the damage being inflicted. Players had to rely on visual cues to determine how they were doing, and sometimes the beast's actions were confusing.
No time to wonder, though. Kelvin grabbed another spike off of his belt and started to reload his weapon. Another spike to the right spot would compromise the beast's mobility even more, and give their close-combat experts a better chance. Even if he couldn't completely destroy the limbs it would at least slow the cat down, making it an easy target for fast-moving shadows.
Another thump rang out, and the ferox cat snarled again. A shot had hit it right between the eyes, but though the impact bloodied its face the monster still seemed alert and able to fight.
It pounced again.
Brandon moved back, but the ferox cat caught him with a glancing blow from one of its paws. He stumbled, dazed by the impact. The monster lunged forward and tried to snap him up in its jaws.
Another shot rang out, enough to make the beast flinch back. Kelvin saw a blur move past Brandon and put itself between him and the monster. It lashed out with a blade, raking the beast across the face and then dodging the counterstrike. Kelvin saw Shane pull Brandon to his feet.
And then he finished reloading.
“Hold it there!” he said, adjusting the spike driver and then pressing the stock to his shoulder.
Front right. The front right leg, at or above the knee. Even a beast this size couldn't deal with having two of its limbs badly damaged. Maneuver was everything in combat, especially with powerful ranged weapons in play. Lose the ability to maneuver, and you'd lose the ability to win. That went for close-combat specialists, ranged fighters, everyone. Staying in one spot meant death.
He aimed and fired.
The shot slammed into the ferox cat's knee, shattering it with sheer force and causing it to fall to the ground. It struggled to rise, but the damage had already been done.
“Don't let it up!” Shane yelled. “Close-combat, everyone!”
For a moment he thought about drawing his hatchet, but thought better of it and started reloading his spike driver again. He watched the other four attack the wounded beast, cutting at its limbs and its face while dodging its attempts to counter their assault.
The ferox cat could still lunge at them and swipe with its left paw, but the damage had been done. Without the use of its right legs it couldn't move fast enough. Bit by bit the others wore it down through attrition.
Kelvin stood up walked over to the monster, crippled but still alive and defiant. Even though it was just a beast and a virtual construct, he felt a bit of pity toward the creature as it continued to battle. But then he swept those thoughts aside.
“Gosh, thanks for all the help,” Bailey commented as he stepped in front of the beast.
“Don't mention it,” Kelvin said. He lifted his spike driver and sent a shot into the creature's skull at point-blank range. The monster shuddered for a moment, then lay still.
“Kill thief,” Shane said.
“Hey, I did my part,” he said. “That thing would've cut you all to ribbons if I didn't put spikes in its legs.”
“Let's ignore all the times I shot it,” Brandon grumbled.
“It's dead, who cares?” Bailey said. “It's not like we get experience for individual kills.”
Kelvin looked toward the cave. “Think that's it?”
“Probably.”
He pulled out his guidebook and checked the quest section.
“You have found the location and killed the ferocious beast that guarded it,” he read aloud.
“Well, that confirms it. So come on,” Shane said. “We have to go steal whatever's not nailed down.”
Kelvin grinned. “That's adventuring for you. Kill everything, steal all the loot.”
They found a small chest inside the chamber, along with more bones. Some of them looked like they belonged to some unfortunate humans, but Kelvin ignored them without a second glance. He was more concerned with what they had earned from the mini-quest.
Shane reached into the chest and pulled out a bag. It wasn't much, just a few hundred gold, but it was more than they had before they started.
“Huh, I was hoping for more,” Brandon said.
“Still enough to buy some stuff. And that's probably more than what we'd get from ferox cat pelts,” Kelvin said.
Jamie glanced back toward the entrance.
“Speaking of which, what do you think that thing's pelt will cost?”
“Something?” Shane said.
“Well, that's a very specific number.”
Kelvin shrugged. “Well, some money is better than no money. And I'd say that something like that will fetch a decent sum. It might be a pain to ship it through the rail to Beylan, but Mamlare should be fine.”
“So what are we waiting for? Let's get the pelt and then get it to the market.”
“You seem awfully eager to skin a dead animal,” Brandon commented.
“Do you want the money or not?”
Kelvin laughed. “Don't listen to him. Let's get this done with. I don't want to get caught out here when the wolves show up.�
��
Shane counted through the coins again and slipped them back into the pouch.
“No sigh this time,” Bailey commented. “I assume that's good news?”
“Yeah, I'd say so,” he said. “There's about six hundred gold in there. It's not going to buy us a ship, but...”
“No, but there's other things we could use right now. We need to upgrade the base as well. We could use a workshop.”
“You mean you could use a workshop,” Kelvin said.
She scowled. “What difference does it make, unless you're going to be doing all the upgrades and inventing.”
“OK, forget I said anything.”
Shane leaned up against the side of the railcar and watched the trees zip by. Sometimes it was too easy to get caught up in the chaos of Beylan and everything surrounding the Iron Guild. If the game had just been about that he would have quit a long time ago, but…
Questing with the guild made the hassle and the annoyance worth it, and Shane didn't want to lose that feeling. If they could do something, anything to bring that back for so many other players that had lost it, he would.
Chapter Nineteen
Their find provided them with a little extra cash to use on their new property. Under Bailey's direction they had added a workshop to one corner of the base, complete with a furnace, workbenches, new tools, and a hoist. It wasn't the equal of some of the larger workshops that other guilds owned, but for their purposes it would suit them just fine.
And it also gave them a spot to create a mockup of the planned vessel like she wanted. At the very least Bailey wanted to test designs to see if they were practical before they sunk a massive amount of time and resources into them.
“So here we have it,” she said, guiding the others to the model hidden under a sheet. “I had quite a bit of help from Jocelyn to get this done, but we have a basic design and a schematic prepared.”
“So once we look it over can we build it?” Shane asked.
Bailey hesitated for a moment. “Well, we can build it, but it's going to cost us. And we don't have the weapons for it yet.”
Rising Tide: A LitRPG Novel (Age of Steam Book 1) Page 19
