by Tony Corden
“Well, it looks like I’ll get the chance to test your words. Bartender, two beers.”
A huge Barbarian who’d had too much to drink was walking up to Leah and was about to grab her when Thad’s neighbour called out. “Hold on Morris; I’ve a bet with this lad that if you grab her you’ll be dead or unconscious before I can finish a beer, wait till my beer arrives.”
Leah called out, “How much is the wager?”
“No money yet, just honour. But if you’d like to lose some coin, I’ll match it.”
“What’s your limit?”
“Well, I reckon I’d wager everything I’ve got, let’s see, forty-two Silver.”
Leah said, “Done. Who’ll hold the money?”
“Barkeep holds the money.”
Leah yelled, “Anyone else want in on this?”
There was a rush of people to the bar, and it was several minutes before the tally came in at fifteen Gold, forty-three Silver and forty-nine Copper. The barkeep had handed out over twenty-five tankards of beer and people were standing in a huge circle ready to quaff the drink as fast as they could. Finally, Thad’s neighbour said, “All right Morris, carry on.”
Morris swung his right arm at Leah who dodged left and hooking her arm around his right grabbed his shoulder and swung her self onto his back where her left hand came around and hammered the butt of her knife into his temple. As she stepped back off him, he dropped to the floor face first, unconscious. Leah then walked on his back over to the barkeep. She put her hand out, and he dropped the bag into it.
She said, “We are travellers and need to know more about this region, the mountains, and the goblins. Anyone who wants their money back just come over to our table and tell your story. I’ll even throw in a tankard of beer for your information.”
For the next hour, they were regaled with stories of hunting, goblins and fighting. Slowly they built up a picture of the area. The barbarian who had warned Thad, was named Buyuk, and he had sat and listened to everything. He was the last one to speak of his experiences.
“I’ve nothing much to add. Most of what's been shared is accurate, once you remove the exaggerations. I’m probably the most experienced hunter and tracker around here, I don’t go as far as the others, but I’m a little more patient. The goblins near Dusen, are careful, but they occasionally do leave tracks, and they all head toward the summit along this ridge.” He ran his finger alongside the map Leah was drawing. “I’m also fairly certain the Dark ones have a home near the peak of Ucan. They seem to head to the north side before going up. We’ve lost a few over the years to raids by those Goblins so if you do head to Ucan, some of us might even be persuaded to go with you.”
He then turned to Thad and said, “So have you made up your mind yet which way you’ll head.”
Thad replied, “I’m not the leader, we sort of share ideas before deciding. Stay and listen if you want. Now James, Dusen or Ucan?”
“Ucan”
“Wisp?”
“Ucan”
“Amy?”
“Ucan”
“Zack?”
“Ucan”
“I also think Ucan, how about you Atherleah?”
“Dusen”
“So,” said Thad, “There you have it, all decided.”
Buyuk nodded, “So, Ucan! I think some will come with you.”
Thad said, “Sorry you misunderstand. We’re headed to Dusen. Atherleah is usually right. Where she goes, we follow.”
Buyuk turned and looked at Leah, “So, why Dusen?”
“We’ve two tasks here in Ejder, and I’m sure we’ll head to both places eventually. The goblins on Ucan seem violent, and they kill wantonly. The ones on Dusen just want to be left alone. Our first task is probably with those who want to be left alone. Also, the map shows Dusen has an almost circular ridge line, and our first task requires that type of geography. Would you be interested in guiding us toward Dusen? Not all the way, you can turn back when you want, but we’ll be faster if you lead us at the start. I think we’ll head toward this steep valley, as there have been few sightings of goblins seen in that area.”
After some more discussion and haggling, Buyuk agreed to lead them to the base of the valley Leah had pointed to. He needed thirty minutes to get ready, so the group sat and discussed everyone's reactions and thoughts while they waited for him. Leah sent Zack to the trader for ten coils of rope and some more climbing gear. The hike was about four hours, and they had to deal with several creatures, but with the seven of them, this was fairly straightforward. The first creature to attack them was a Level 98 Spiny-Maned Boar. At its shoulders, it was as high as Zack. They could hear it coming down the trail toward them, and Thad stepped forward and equipped a huge spear he had taken from the trolls. Zack stepped to his left side while Leah and Amy moved to either side and equipped their bows, James and Wisp stepped behind and prepared to help or heal. Buyuk just stepped back out of the way as he wanted nothing to do with the massive beast.
As it came around the corner, it saw Zack and Thad; both began taunting the boar, tapping their arms and yelling. In a rage, it began to charge. Zack stepped back, and Thad grounded the spear and prepared to lower it. Just before it got to Thad, it was shot on either side by arrows, one of which pierced its heart. Thad lowered the spear, and it penetrated the huge beast, also spearing into the heart. Leah stepped forward and looked at the massive beast. She called to Buyuk, “When travellers kill an animal we sometimes only use part of the beast. If we left this here would you be able to use most of it in the settlement?”
“If we tie it high in the tree, then my family and I will come and retrieve it this evening. Let me quickly dress it and then we will wrap it in a canvas I bring hunting. Then we can tie it in the tree. This will feed us for many days.”
Even though it took longer, Leah had been slightly disturbed by the waste of valuable resources. She had killed chickens and goats before and was pleased to see the process was similar. Soon they were on their way again. They did something similar for the next boar, but after that, they were too far from the settlement to realistically have the people come and retrieve the three carcasses in the one day.
Finally, they came to the base of an immense rocky cliff. As they looked up, they could just make out the curve of the peak almost 700 metres above them. In front of them was a crack in the rock face which went more than two-thirds of the way to the peak. The fracture was only a metre thick at the base. It went deep into the rock face, but within ten metres it was thirty centimetres wide. Everyone was concerned at what might live in the crack. Several of the barbarians in the tavern had mentioned the geological feature as being unusual; this is what had drawn Leah to it.
The friends said farewell to Buyuk and Leah began the climb taking the coils of hundred metre rope with her. When she reached what she thought was 100 metres she stopped and placed her feet on one side and pressing her back against the other, she slowly uncoiled the rope and let it out. She too high by five or six metres so she slowly lowered herself down and after hammering in several pitons tied the rope off. She began the next stage of the climb. It was perhaps halfway up the third climb when she heard a screeching noise come from inside the crack. She quickly resumed a position where she could hold herself up using her legs. She cast echo and could see the shadow of a creature moving toward her from inside the crack. Using her ring, she told the group below to watch for creatures and to be prepared for something falling towards them.
When the creature was about five metres from her, she could make it out as a Level 115 Leopard Gecko. It had spots like a Leopard but with scales for skin. The feet ended in Gecko type hands, but each finger had retractable claws like the leopard. The face was that of a lizard but when it opened its mouth the teeth were sharp and long like the predator cat. Leah cast Rain of Fire, but the flames swept over the skin and left it unharmed. It opened its mouth and made what would be described as a cross between a roar and a dog barking. From deep in the cave, ther
e were several answering calls. Leah needed to end this soon.
She equipped her bow and the next time it opened its mouth she fired directly into the mouth. The arrow struck something for the Gecko let out an unusual screech and began moving its head back and forth trying to rid itself of the arrow stuck in its gullet. When it couldn’t, it turned toward Leah and scurried directly at her. She equipped Merdiven, and as the Gecko came within striking distance, she equipped the Spider Hands and hung there with one hand while the other swung the staff in a full circle, bringing the Morningstar down on the gecko’s head. This killed it, and it fell straight down the crack. It just missed both Amy and Thad who were climbing the ropes and landed with a thump next to Wisp on the ground.
Leah warned everyone what to expect, but no more Geckos appeared. Finally, after climbing 500 metres, Leah moved out of the crack and began to search for anything that might be visible in her mining sight. Almost ten metres above the end of the fissure she found a small area in the shape of a doorway, outlined in green. She quickly hammered two pitons into some small cracks and stood on them as she began to mine. By the time all the others had gathered at the top of the crack, she had excavated a small opening in the rock and could see the start of an internal staircase through the rock toward the summit. Her mining also produced several pieces of pure silver. After lowering some rope, the others were able to join her on the staircase. There was no light inside the rock, but with several small mana lights produced by James and Wisp, they made their way up the stairs.
The stairs ended in a blank wall which also glowed green when viewed with mining sight. After checking the time they decided to log out and break through the wall after two hours rest.
In the two hours, Leah had breakfast and rang her mother to apologise for missing church and a day at home. She shared that she would most likely be home on Monday. She took a sword lesson and worked with Gèng on some more details around the tower.
Wisp had a small light ready when they all appeared back in Dunyanin. Zack and Thad worked to break through the rock, again receiving some silver. Finally, the doorway crumpled away, and they found themselves at the top of Mount Dusen. What they had forgotten though was that it was midnight in Dunyanin. Fortunately, there was a bright moon, and after spelling those without night vision, they all moved out and onto the rim of a large crater. From their position at the top of Dusen, they could see it was the first of three such craters, all in a line; like stepping stones. This, the first, was the highest and it was dark and empty in the moonlight. It looked to be almost two kilometres across. On the other side, there was a break in the crater wall through which they could see a part of the second crater, it was spotted with small lights that looked like campfires. Of the third crater, they could only make out a part of the far ridge, for all, they knew there were more craters further on.
They had two choices. They could descend into the crater, or they could make their way around the ridge. After some discussion, they deferred to Leah who wanted to see if there was a way to an unclaimed mine somewhere in the crater. The crater wall was very steep and had a lot of scree. It took them almost an hour to find their way carefully down the slope. As they descended, the temperature rose, and when they were near the crater floor, it was hot enough to remove their cold weather gear. As soon as everyone stepped onto the floor of the crater Leah received a message:
Level 4 Named Personal Achievement
Find an Adamantine Deposit/Mine - First 10 (Ruby)
Reward 1: 1000 Experience Points x Player Level = 171760 (+52%) (215000/215000) (92844/220000)
Reward 2: 1 Platinum x #L4 NPA (Ruby) = 1 Platinum
Reward 3: +3 % to Experience Points
Reward 4: 1000 Fame Points (36600 FP)
A Commemorative Plaque has been placed in your bag.
Note: This achievement will be published on the Dunyanin achievement forum. Do you wish to retain your privacy?
[Y] [N]
Atherleah, this deposit/mine has not been claimed.
As the leader of this group do you wish to claim this mine for Clan Guàn?
[Y] [N]
Leah shared the last message and then checked [Y].
Atherleah, you have claimed the Adamantine Deposit/Mine for Clan Guàn.
The position of the mine has been marked on your map. You have thirty days in which no-one outside your clan may contest this claim or mine in this location. After this amnesty, you should be prepared to defend your claim.
Be advised; there are significant threats from local fauna in the area of the Adamantine Deposit, care should be taken.
We hope you enjoy the experience.
As soon as Leah showed everyone the last message, they all began to search the ground and skies for threats. Leah scanned the skies with her echolocation, but they were empty. Slowly, and with care, they began to work their way across the crater floor. Amy walked ahead of the group, and found the threat. She was mid-step when the ground beneath her moved, and her leg seized in the mouth of an enormous snake, its fangs penetrating clear through her thigh. As she began to convulse it was only the quick thinking of James who cast a healing spell and grabbed a restore HP potion, pouring it down her throat that saved her life. Leah’s sword arrived just before Thad’s, but neither blow had any effect on the snake. It released Amy and reared to a height of three metres and struck out at Leah. She was calm, and her new Ki Speed helped her reaction time, the head just missed her, she reached out as it went past and touched it with her hand and cast Freeze. Zack and James dragged Amy away as James continued to heal her as fast as he could cast. The Freeze spell certainly slowed the snake down, but it didn’t kill it, It reared again, and this time both Leah and Wisp fired arrows into the gap between its jaws. Leah’s arrow hit the lip, but Wisp’s went through the gap and exploded with a freezing spell. She had used one of the freezing arrows from the anthill.
The snake moved even slower, and Leah was able to move beside it and cast Freeze again. Finally, the snake stopped moving.
ADAMANTINE MAMBA (Level 130) 712/16900HP (6500EP)
Leah tried to harvest it but couldn’t. It was still alive. Thad tried to cut the skin but was unable to. Finally, Leah pried open an eyelid and thrust her knife deep into the skull. Finally, she was able to harvest it.
You have harvested:
1 Adamantine Mamba Skin*
1 Adamantine Mamba Heart
2 Adamantine Mamba Fangs**
4 Vials of Adamantine Mamba Venom***
* Note: This skin has been infused over time with Adamantine and requires a Smith Grandmaster to work it.
** Note: The fangs has been infused over time with Adamantine and requires a Weapon Smith Grandmaster to work them.
*** Note: A highly prized ingredient and highly prized by both healers and assassins.
Amy required two more restore potions before she was able to shake off the devastating debuff. After she healed, Leah took a troll spear out of her bag and handed it to Amy saying, “We need to test the ground before we step on another one of those things.”
It was just as well she did for a kilometre later when Amy thrust it forward the ground shifted and another Mamba struck out at the stick. Both Wisp and Leah already had arrows knocked and as the snake reared they shot. This time Leah’s arrow went into the mouth, and Wisp’s exploded over the snout. Neither one slowed the snake's reactions by much, but they knew its weakness, and it was soon dead, Leah counted the number of Luck potions she had left and took one before harvesting the Level 152 Mamba.
You have harvested:
1 Adamantine Mamba Skin*
1 Adamantine Mamba Heart
2 Adamantine Mamba Fangs**
1 Adamantine Mamba Skeleton**
4 Vials of Adamantine Mamba Venom**
* Note: This skin has been infused over time with Adamantine and requires a Smith Grandmaster to work it.
** Note: The fangs and skeleton have been infused over time with Adamantine and require a Weap
on Smith Grandmaster to work them.
*** Note: A highly prized ingredient and highly prized by healers and assassins.
This was the last attack before reaching the other side. It had taken them two hours to cross the two kilometres. Climbing the crater was just as dangerous as descending, although the break in the wall meant less distance to climb. When they crested the crater wall, they could see what had stopped the goblins crossing between craters. There was a large crevasse between the two craters, it was over twenty metres wide and easily several hundred metres deep. They searched the top looking for somewhere to mine or something that might let them cross easily. Though they couldn’t see anything Leah could sense several shadows moving around the base of the crevasse, some of the shadows seemed to be flying in the space between the two walls.
After overruling all objections, Leah decided to go up and down by herself. She used the spider gloves and the ring of concealment. When she got closer, she saw a nest of Fire Wyvern with the weakest registering as Level 210. Quickly, but quietly, Leah made her way back up to her friends. There was no way to cross over past the Wyvern.
As she rejoined them, it was almost six in the morning, and the sky was beginning to lighten. As the sun rose, it was directly behind the destination crater. When it peeked over the lip of the crater, they saw a small notch on the top of the crater wall, over forty metres away. If they could get a piton or a metal arrow to become snagged in the notch, then they could make a rope bridge to the other side. All three archers tied a piton, with a rope attached, to one of their arrows and then one after the other shot their arrows. Amy shot first, and her arrow fell short, she failed to make appropriate allowances for the weight of the piton and the rope. Before she had finished pulling the rope back up, the arrow disappeared and arrived in her quiver. This was a good sign as it meant that the piton might somehow catch in the small gap. Both Wisp and Leah made the distance, but neither landed in the gap. It was on the tenth shot that Wisp’s arrow flew directly over the notch and the rope dropped into it. They waited until her arrow returned and then carefully pulled the rope back. The piton caught on something but when they increased the tension it slipped, but before it travelled too far it caught again. This time, as they increased the tension, the rope held. Thad and Zack pulled it tight and tied it around a small rocky protrusion on their side.
