“I wonder if he’s a ranger only reward? I would love a cute little thing like this. Makes me kinda miss my cat. You know something Luke?” Penny waited for an answer.
“What?” he quickly replied.
“I’m petting this little guy’s belly and I’m noticing he's missing certain… how do you say… parts that would make him a… him.” Penny did air-quotes with her free hand.
“Huh?” Luke’s eyes went wide when he looked at Ringo’s private parts. Ringo was actually a female baby alpha wolf. “Ringo, you're a girl! Now I kinda feel bad for never checking.” He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
“You got an awesome pet wolf from a glowing box that a mystical warrior king gave you and you didn’t bother to check between its legs?” Backstab mocked.
The group all looked at one another before bursting into laughter.
“That reminds me Luke. We have something for you: welcome to the guild.” Penny set her backpack down, which Luke just noticed was more full than normal.
“Is it a guild invite?” Luke chuckled.
“Well, that too.” Penny fiddled with some invisible menus and a system notice came into view while Penny continued rummaging through her bag.
New guild request: Guild Officer Penny of the Travelers 4 Hire (T4H) guild would like you to become a fully fledged member. Current contribution settings for members are 1% exp and 5% gold. Note: The guild will also share a small percentage of any reputation you gain or lose, so be careful with your actions. Accept / Decline.
Happy to finally get the invite he knew was coming, he hit accept. When he did, the message disappeared to reveal Penny holding gray furs laid out across her forearms. “What's this?” She bobbed her head and stretched her arms out more showing she wanted him to take what she was presenting.
Fur Armor (uncommon) x1 obtained. Adds +5 physical resistance.
Fur Leggings (uncommon) x1 obtained. Adds + 4 physical resistance.
Fur Gloves (uncommon) x1 obtained. Adds +3 physical resistance.
Fur Boots (uncommon) x1 obtained. Adds +3 physical resistance.
Running his hands across the fur he saw specks of red among the gray. “This… this is from the alpha, isn’t it?”
“We thought you could use some armor since you didn’t have any and you pretty much kept us all alive.” Penny commented.
“Plus, it’s really manly looking!” Nanoc added.
“Don’t move around too much or I’ll think you're a wolf and backstab you!” Backstab gave Luke an evil grin.
“Sorry we didn’t have enough for the helm but…” Penny stopped speaking when she saw tears rolling down Luke’s face. “You’re one of us now, Travelers 4 Hire. Besides, we saw how much that one attack took out of you. Without armor, you’d be dying all over the place.”
Luke wiped his face with his forearm and pushed up his glasses. He choked out the words “Thank you” before grabbing Ringo, deciding she was now tagging along, and the party proceeded out of the city.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Den
The trip to the Howling Forest took much longer than usual. Luke had to continually run after Ringo when she would get off the path to explore something. If it moved, she wanted to know about it. They stopped for every ladybug, butterfly, or noise. It didn’t seem to bother anyone as much as it bothered Luke.
“Ringo! Stop, please just stop.” Luke pleaded with his companion as it ran after a butterfly floating just off the path. Luke ran over, picked Ringo up and decided it was best to carry her the rest of the way.
“Way to show her who’s boss.” Nanoc joked and Backstab chuckled but Luke didn’t seem amused.
“Shut up,” Penny commanded.
She bent low and pointed toward a clearing up ahead. There were several foxes carrying rabbits in their mouths and they were all heading in the same direction. She put a finger to her lips and started to whisper.
“It appears they are heading back to their den. If we follow them, we could find it and possibly get an area quest to clear it out. Luke, make sure Ringo stays quiet. The foxes get more jumpy the closer they get to their den.
He nodded as he positioned his large bag to hang from his side, placing Ringo in it. He cinched the top of the bag so that Ringo could only get her head out. “Stay in there and don’t make a sound. If you do, I’ll give you some apple slices.” At the mention of apple slices she closed her mouth and Luke could have sworn he saw her nod her head.
The party waited for the foxes to be out of sight before leaving their spot in pursuit. They followed the well-beaten path until they spotted several small holes on the side of a small hill. The foxes were carrying food in and out of the hill. Penny raised a fist into the air to signal the group to stop their pursuit and gestured at a cluster of nearby trees. Hiding behind the trees, Penny started planning.
“Ok Luke, I need you to shoot some arrows into the next couple of foxes who enter or leave the den. Nanoc and Backstab, you two circle around and get on top of the hill. Neither of you wear heavy armor, so you can move more quietly than the rest of us. I will wait with Luke for the foxes to charge him. Let a couple of them leave the den so they can come after us but then leap down and surround the. Everyone good with that?” The group all nodded. “And Luke, you also need to pay attention to our HP. We have potions but I think I speak for everyone when I say we would rather not drink our gold away.” Backtab nodded extra fast at that before sneaking off with Nanoc.
Unable to use his bow with Ringo bouncing at his side, Luke set Ringo down. “Stay hidden and quiet Ringo. And don’t go far from me.” The wolf cub ran behind the closest tree and poked his head around it and looked back in Luke’s direction. Luke smiled and turned back to the upcoming fight. Penny and he waited until they could see Nanoc and Backstab crawling on their stomachs up the hill. When they were in a good position, Penny gave Luke the signal to open fire.
Luke released his first arrow, and it hit its mark, piercing the side of a fox. The creature took one more shaky step forward before falling over on its side and curling up. Instantly, the remaining foxes all stopped moving in unison. Rather than charging at the pair as expected, they quickly ran into their den.
Nanoc and Backstab shrugged their shoulders and gave Penny a look that said, “What now?” Turning around, she signaled Luke to follow her as she cautiously approached the den. He nocked another arrow and told Ringo to stay put before he followed Penny.
When they got to the den they tried peeking inside one opening but it was too dark to see anything past the first few feet. They could hear the fox running in the distance and it sounded like the noise was reverberating deeper, as if the fox was descending somehow. Luke poked his head in so that he could hear better.
Congratulations! You are the first to discover this dungeon, The Den. Because you are the first to discover the dungeon, your party has been granted exclusive access for the first 24 hours. You will also be granted bonus experience and loot for the first 24 hours while inside The Den. Note: All dungeons grant a bonus reward item if you are the first party to clear it. Happy hunting and good luck. Time remaining 23 hours and 59 minutes.
Luke pulled his head out and saw that his party’s eyes were all distant. “I assume you all are reading the system message?” he asked.
“A dungeon! This is huge! I haven’t heard of a single group finding a dungeon before. We could be the first group to ever defeat a dungeon. Think of all the treasure and gold that might be down there.” Backstab’s eyes lit up with excitement. Backstab started drooling and rubbing his hands together. Luke was surprised he didn’t have dollar signs floating above his head.
“I don’t know guys… It seems pretty dark and narrow in there,” Penny stated.
“I agree! I don’t think I’ll have enough room to swing my axe in that hole,” Commented Nanoc.
Backstab saw his opportunity fading and started to panic. “Wait, wait. Let’s not get hasty here. I have a skill called minor dark v
ision. Let me go in a little way and see if it opens up at least.” Penny started rubbing her chin in thought. “I mean, unless you're scared or something?” Penny’s cheeks filled with pink.
“I’m not scared of anything. Go on in then.” She gestured her arm toward the hole in the manner a game show host would show off a prize. “After you.”
Backstab had a wicked grin on his face before he started crawling into the opening. He quickly disappeared into darkness and the group was unable to follow his movements. A few moments later, his head popped back out. “There’s light in here, well, sorta. Come on!” he said excitedly before disappearing back into the dungeon.
They all looked at each other and shrugged. What did they have to lose? So they all quickly crawled in after him.
Luke hesitated and called over Ringo. “Hey girl.” She ran over and he began petting her, testing out different spots to see her response. She seemed to like under the chin the best because her foot began to kick vigorously when he scratched her there. “Hah, you like that girl.” Ringo let out a low groan of pleasure in response. “We're going to head into this dungeon and I’m not sure how safe it is for you but… I don’t really want to leave you out here alone…” Ringo barked and began moving toward the opening of the dungeon. “Well… I guess you're coming then…” Luke still wasn’t sure about bringing her along but didn’t have a better alternative, so he didn't fight her enthusiasm.
After crawling through the narrow space for a minute he saw the feet of his comrades gathered near a blueish light at the end of the tunnel. The hole opened up into a much larger cavern. The rocky walls of the room had blue crystals jutting out of them in what appeared to be a random fashion. The entire room was illuminated by the blue glow of the crystals.
Luke noticed Ringo was on his back while Penny was scratching her tummy. “Traitor,” he mumbled loud enough to be heard.
“Sorry, I LOOOVE dogs.” She responded.
Luke smiled in return and waved away the comment. “I’m just messing with you. Actually, I’m glad someone in the group knows how to take care of her. I’ve never had a pet before.”
“Gawk. Can we drop the cutesy talk and do this dungeon? I need loot!” Backstab cut into their conversation. Nanoc shook his head in disapproval of Backstab’s words. The group quickly located a wide staircase that descended steeply.
“This must be where all the foxes went. Ladies first.” Penny mocked Backstab by reaching her arms outward and presenting the staircase. “You first, you little girl.”
“Normally that would hurt me… but there's loot down there so I don’t care,” said Backstab. He proceeded down the stairs with the party in tow. Luke scooped Ringo up and put her in his side bag, instructing her to stay quiet.
The staircase was spiral in shape and the group seemed to descend faster than expected. Along the walls of the staircase, connected to the ground were small holes with remnants of rabbit bodies near them. “I think that's where all the foxes went.” Luke mumbled.
Just when they thought the staircase would go on forever, the staircase opened up into a small room. The room was shaped out of the surrounding rock but there was a stone wall with a plain wooden door on one side. Hanging on the wall were two lit torches.
“Should we knock?” Nanoc asked genuinely.
Penny shook her head before speaking. “Let’s have our resident rogue check it out. I knew there was a reason we put up with you.”
Holding his chest in mock pain, Backstab said “That really hurts. I think I just took 50 points of damage from a broken heart.” Penny exhaled from her nose loudly and Backstab proceeded to the door. He grabbed a dagger in one hand and lifted his other hand in the air to chest level as he closed his eyes. He pointed his fingers upward and his whole hand began to glow dark purple briefly before fading.
“What skill is that?” Luke asked.
“Detect traps. Basically, I pull ambient mana from the surrounding area into my open hand and then flow the information that mana contained into my eyes. I get a bonus to finding any hidden traps, and it highlights any obvious traps for me. At least that's what the skill description says. This is the first time I’ve ever used it.” He looked around the door for a while before bending down and slashing the air with his dagger. “There was a tripwire here. My skill says it was tied to a blade trap.”
“Nice find,” Penny complimented. “I knew you weren’t useless.”
Backstab ignored her words and slowly turned the doorknob. He pushed the door slightly ajar with the smallest amount of strength and peeked inside.
“It looks well lit inside. I don’t see anything from this angle but the torches are against the wall so they cast all the shadows in the opposite direction. There easily could be enemies inside.”
Nanoc pulled his axe off his back and rolled his shoulders to loosen his arms up. Penny drew her sword and tightened the strap holding her shield to her arm. Luke put Ringo down, grabbed his bow from his back and nocked an arrow toward the door, ready to pull back when the door was opened.
“How about a little shock and awe?” Penny grinned while looking at Nanoc.
Nanoc gave a wicked-looking smile of glee before approaching the door. Lifting a large, muscular leg tinged red with rage, he gave the door one massive kick and splinters went flying inward in all directions. Dust clouds bloomed up from most surfaces and obscured their vision. Luke pulled back on the bow string, ready to shoot the first thing that moved.
The dust clouds slowly began to disperse as a spear flew out of the dust, pulling a dust trail along with it. The spear landed in Nanoc’s shoulder and he staggered backward, letting out a grunt of pain. The spear’s trail left a temporary hole in the dust cloud that gave Luke an opening to release his arrow at the green-looking monster at the other end of the room.
“Enough of this!” Penny rapidly fanned her shield and dispersed the remaining dust.
The room appeared to be a cross-shaped entry room with some tables and chairs in various spots. On the opposite side of the room was another door and four short green humanoid creatures. They were standing battle ready, one with an arrow in its leg. They had pointed ears, extra long witch-like noses, large guts, sharp claws and long, sharp teeth that didn’t seem to fit their mouths. Their teeth were spilling out between their lips, even when their mouths were closed. They didn’t have any equipment other than a few spears and they wore only loin cloths. The goblins started shouting something unintelligible as they charged the party, their spears pointing out.
“ARRRRR!” Nanoc roared loudly and Luke could feel small traces of power in his words. He grabbed his axe low with both hands. He lifted his hands in the air until the axe was behind him. “TOMAHAWK!” He brought his hands down with all his power, releasing the axe as he did. Spinning like a vertical helicopter blade, the axe soared through the air and seemed to pick up speed as it raced toward the goblins.
They tried to jump to the side but time wasn’t on their side. The axe slammed into the chest of one goblin, and the momentum carried the monster in the air all the way to the opposing wall. The axe still had enough power left over after hitting the goblin to drive itself into the wall, leaving the body hanging from the axe.
The sheer strength demonstrated by his teammate left Luke amazed. Not wanting to be shown up, he decided to test out his new skill. Mentally activating water shot felt completely different from nature’s regrowth. Instead of his body and hand warming up, he felt cool water flow through the arm that held the arrow. It flowed down from his shoulder to his hand and when it reached the tips of his fingers, it lingered briefly as the arrow gained a small blue aura.
When he released the arrow it started off like normal, but when it was about two feet away from Luke, it shot off like a geyser, instantly gaining speed. A goblin was getting up from dodging Nanoc’s attack and was knocked back to the ground when it took the speedy arrow to its chest. Luke looked up and noticed he was missing about a quarter of his mana, but the goblin seemed
to be down for the count.
Penny raised her shield and ran at the goblins, an unarmed Nanoc in tow. The remaining two goblins had recovered by now and thrust their spears towards Penny’s exposed side. Penny parried one goblin and the other could not finish its advancement. Backstab had circled around the group during the confusion of Nanoc’s attack and drove two daggers into the goblin’s back. “Backstab.”
The remaining goblin wasn’t giving up on its attacks and charged Backstab, the least threatening looking of the three. “Crap, crap, crap.” Backstab’s daggers were lodged in the back of the goblin, and he was having a difficult time of pulling them out. By the time he could reach for another dagger, a spear head was lodged into his gut. The goblin smiled, revealing misaligned and decaying teeth. The goblin's smile quickly faded as he looked down and saw a sword stained with green blood coming out of his chest.
“Backstab,” Penny said with a nod to her teammate.
The goblin’s body went lifeless after a moment and it fell to the ground as Penny pulled her blade out of its back. Acting quickly, Luke ran closer to Backstab and cast nature’s regrowth on him, watching his mana bar drop by nearly half. He recast the spell on Nanoc when the skill was off cooldown to bring the rest of his party to full health.
The group rested to allow their stamina and mana to regen, so he pulled up his notifications. Before entering the dungeon, he switched his battle related notifications back to only show up when prompted, and changed them to only show a condensed version. He still hadn’t found a setting with his notifications that he liked enough to make his permanent configuration.
Skill up: Short Bow, Beginner 5.
Goblin Scout x4 defeated. 123 party participation exp gained (100 base + 25% discovery bonus - 1% guild contribution).
Luke made a mental note of the system math behind the experience gain. The game system rounded up with decimals, taking two exp for guild contribution instead of one. He also noted that the positive effects seem to happen first before the negative ones.
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