by R. A. Mejia
My mind reeled at the good news, and a glance at Gnomerad showed his face turning red in anger. I’d thought for sure that Gnomerad’s arguments would be believed, and I was so relieved that I’d get a chance that I almost missed what Doctor Gnomerson said next. “We appreciate the delicate nature of your position and do not wish to waste such a rare opportunity to learn about such a powerful race. At the same time, we do not want to risk unnecessarily the Institutes considerable investment in you. So, you will have thirty-three days to reach level eight, the minimum requirement to enter the competition before we must submit the paperwork for our final choice.”
I wasn’t sure what to think about the condition for my being their champion. I knew it would be hard to make level eight in such a short period of time. I estimated it would take me around 70,000 XP to make level eight and despite me working all day dungeon diving and crafting at night, I’d never reach the goal in time at the rate I was working.
“Not only that,” a gnome on Doctor Gnomerson’s right said, “but you must also prove your usefulness and value to us as a source of information on the Metalmen by getting the ochrium you need and making this new mechanical companion that was spoken of, without the Institutes aid. You must prove that you are not the financial drain that researcher Gnomerad claims you are.”
Prove your worth
You have been tasked with reaching level 8 within 33 days without assistance from the Institute thus proving to the Council of the Gnomish Research Institutes that you are worthy of being their champion.
Reward: Represent the Gnomish Research Institute at The Ultimate Research Warrior Competition.
I dismissed the notification with a wave of my hand and saw that the added provisions seemed to cheer up Gnomerad a bit. His expression had gone from anger to one of snide amusement. He’d likely done the same math I did and saw the challenge in how I’d been asked to prove myself. Tognomey’s expression seemed to be caught between hope and concern.
Doctor Gnomerson clapped his hands and said, “That is quite right. Your task is not easy, but it is not meant to be. You will have to prove to this council that the faith of both researcher Tognomey and Professor Gnominsky, who suggested the compromise, are well-founded.” He stood and looked around at the gnomes before saying, “This council session is adjourned. Guards, please escort the Metalman out, and make sure he returns when we meet again in thirty-three days.” He then turned and walked back into the rooms behind the chairs, followed by the other four gnomes on the council.
“I’m sorry that we had to bring you to the council like that, Repair,” a voice said. The familiar sound made me look down and I saw Niala Applebrush looking up at me. I looked around and realized that I’d been escorted out of the council chambers and back to the courtyard on the Institute grounds. My mind had been so consumed with the incredulity of the decision by the gnome council that I had walked without noticing where I was.
“I’m sorry too, Niala,” I said as I felt my shoulders hunch and my head tilt down dejectedly. “I can’t imagine how I’m going to meet their deadline.”
She reached up and I felt her hand rubbed my arm consolingly. I noticed how warm her skin felt against my metal plating as she said, “It seems impossible, I know. But you’ve already gotten to level five more quickly than anyone expected. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
I could tell from her touch and the look on her face she was sympathetic to my problem, so I asked, “Would you be willing to help me? You’re a much higher level than me. Couldn’t you help me through the dungeon?” While my gamer instincts rebelled at the idea of being power leveled, I did not think I’d be able to beat the challenge the council had set for me if I didn’t try everything.
Her eyes widened and she bit her lower lip while she considered what I’d asked. Just as I thought I saw her starting to nod another voice said, “No she will not help you in the dungeon. She will not help you in any way at all.” I turned and saw Gnomerad standing behind me, Tognomey next to him. The greasy, dark-haired gnome walked up to me and poked me with a finger as he said, “You heard the council, Metalman. You are to do this without any help from the Institute at all. That means no materials to repair yourself, no purchases by us to help you with your upgrades,” He pointedly looked at Niala before continuing, “and definitely no help from our guards in the dungeon. Not if they don’t want to be dismissed without a letter of reference.”
I clenched my fists and had a very deep urge to hit Gnomerad. It was his fault this was laid before the gnome council in the first place. If he hadn’t complained, none of this would be an issue and I’d just be preparing for the competition. On top of that, the dirty little twirp was threatening Niala if she tried to help me. I raised my arm to punch the smug gnome in his big nose, but I felt Niala’s grip on my arm tighten and stop me.
She looked him in the eye and said, “Of course, researcher Gnomerad. I wouldn’t ever think of going against the orders of the council. But I don’t doubt for a second that Repair will figure out some way to overcome the challenge presented to him. After all, he figured out a way to single-handedly beat the third floor monster and save his goblin friend, despite the obstacles that were dropped in his way.”
I heard a chuckle from Tognomey and realized that Niala had insulted Gnomerad since it was he who had been the biggest obstacle that I’d dropped down a mine shaft in my effort to save Greebo.
Gnomerad turned red and his brows furrowed angrily as he said, “Why you uppity no account…”
I never got to finish hearing what he was going to say as Tognomey stepped between Gnomerad and Niala and interrupted. “Guard Niala, please escort Repair to his quarters and then return to duty.”
“But she just…” Gnomerad sputtered, angry that someone had interrupted the obvious dressing down he was about to give the guard.
Tognomey turned to the dark-haired gnome and said, “She what? Stated quite clearly that she had full faith in Repair to meet the challenge that the gnome council in all its wisdom has given him? Well, I agree with her. I too have faith in Repair. And that’s exactly what I’ll tell the council if you try to make more of this.”
Gnomerad scowled at the three of us angrily then turned and stomped off towards the residency buildings where the researchers lived. We watched him go, then Tognomey turned back to us with a sigh and said, “While that was fun to watch, it only further puts Gnomerad against you.”
“Well, he made me angry telling me what to do. Like I work for him or something,” Niala said, crossing her arms.
Tognomey scratched his head and said, “As much as it pains me to say this, Gnomerad is right. You cannot help Repair in the dungeon or it would make him fail the challenge the council gave him. Believe me, I understand the urge to help. His success is tied to my own as I was in charge of the program that brought him back to life. But he must do this without the Institute’s direct help.” He then bid us both a good night, turned, and walked towards the same residency buildings Gnomerad had gone to, leaving Niala and myself alone.
Niala uncrossed her arms, pursed her lips as she looked up at me, and motioned for me to follow her. “I have to escort you to your room now.”
I nodded and followed her across the courtyard and through the laboratory building to my room, the former storage closet. I opened the door and entered, but before I could close it, Niala said, “I’m sorry I can’t help you. It’s unfair, but I really do believe you can do this. Come find me if you need someone to talk to.” Then she turned and walked away. I was left alone in my room, wondering just how I was supposed to get to level eight by the deadline if I couldn’t use any of the resources of the Institute.
Chapter 13 - Consequences
I spent the night considering my options as I sat and did nothing. I couldn’t even deconstruct the broken pipes and tools left in the room and craft for fear that it would be considered using the Institute’s resources. The challenge laid before me meant that I needed to figure out a wa
y to make level eight. But I was stymied by the amount of XP I was currently earning both in the dungeon and from my crafting exploit. If I wanted to increase my XP gain, I needed to improve both those sources. Doing so, however, meant devoting time and energy to getting better equipment, completing class quests, and upgrading myself--all of which was going to take some serious coin.
The night came and went, but I had time to consider both the challenge set by the gnome council and the goals Greebo and I had. I left the Institute grounds at first light with the beginnings of a plan in mind. Niala wasn’t on duty at the gate, but I left word that I’d be gone for the day in case anyone asked. The city streets were always less busy at this hour with servants and factory workers heading to work. It made traveling faster and I made it in relatively good time to the center of the city where food vendors were just setting up for the morning crowd of adventurers.
I knew Greebo would be waiting for me at our usual meet up spot, the fountain outside the dungeon entrance. I arrived a bit early, but it gave me time to think about some of the problems we might face. So, when Greebo did arrive, I’d thought out a few solutions. First, we went to the Adventurer's Guild to find out more about mining.
The doors were open, though there wasn’t a crowd yet, and we were able to approach my favorite attendant, the cute beastkin girl with the cat ears, Sandra Silverclaw. She had short brown hair and a cute button nose, and she was wearing a finely tailored black suit with a stripped vest that emphasized her sexy athletic build.
Walking up to the counter, Greebo climbed onto the counter and said, “Hello, Sandra. We had some questions.”
She gave Greebo a small smile and nod. Thankfully, the two had improved their views of each other after we’d all gone out for drinks a while back. She turned to me, and her smile seemed to light up the room. I was lost for a moment just looking at her smile, but a nudge from my goblin friend reminded me while we were there. I gave her two thumbs up and said, “Hey, Sandra. You’re looking positively perfect.”
She blushed and her cat ears twitched. “Why, thank you, Repair. What can I do for you today?”
“You’ve already done so much just smiling for me. It’s positively brightened my day,” I said, trying my best to pour on the charm. It was challenging when I couldn’t smile or make a facial expression, but a sexy tone goes a long way.
She looked down for a moment before coughing into her hand and straightening her vest. When she looked back up, she had a steady business face, though I could still see the red in her cheeks. “Please, Repair. I’m working. You can flirt with me sometime after work if you want, but I need to be professional here. What can I do for you?”
Greebo made a face at me when he heard me compliment the beastkin woman and answered her question. “We need to know about mining. Is there a special guild we need to join to get the class, or is it just a skill?”
“There is no mining guild, little goblin. However, there is a Miner class. Miners work for companies that dig precious metals and resources out of the ground. The ones in the city hire adventurers to escort their miners to resource nodes in the dungeon so that they can dig for metals, gems, and hidden treasures. The companies also provide equipment, specializations for classes, advanced class quests, and have a wealth of practical mining knowledge beyond the basic class stuff. It’s dangerous facing monsters when you don’t have a combat class, but it can be lucrative if you find good resources.”
"If there isn’t a guild, then how would someone get the Miner class?” I asked.
Sandra smiled at me before answering. “Any mining company will be able to get you the class, but the Adventurer’s Guild also has a class stone they use for it as well as many other basic gathering classes. They all require a fee to obtain, of course. The Miner class costs ten silver.”
It was just like Greebo had said. It was expensive to get a class like this. That was enough money to feed a person for several months, and many laborers barely made enough to provide food and shelter for themselves, much less save funds for a class.
I already knew that, between Greebo and myself, we had enough coin to buy the class for several people, but we’d still need to outfit them and make sure they were safe in the dungeon.
While we were asking questions, I also inquired about both the Merchant’s and Crafter’s Guild. Sandra wasn’t able to give us a lot of details about their inner workings or high-level benefits, but she did tell us that each guild required either a letter of recommendation or a specific class that related to their guild to join. Barring that, a level of proficiency in the guild’s skills would be needed.
For the Merchant’s Guild, that meant showing that you were a good businessman and that you constantly made a profit in your business dealings. The guild offered various levels of membership: wood, copper, silver, gold, platinum. Each had better benefits but also larger guild fees.
The Crafter’s Guild had similar requirements to join but also required you to show that you had crafting skills--skills that appeared on your character sheet.
Sandra tapped the counter between us with her fingernail for emphasis and said, “This means that you’ll have to get someone to take you on as an apprentice to train you in them since you don’t have a class that automatically gives you crafting skills. I believe the guild requires at least one crafting skill up to level ten before they’ll let you join.”
“Why level ten?” I asked.
Sandra looked at me, eyes narrowed, and lips pursed. “Are you joking? Everyone knows that you get to purchase an ability from a trainer every ten levels you gain in a skill. So, that would be when you get your first crafting ability. Different trainers, even for the same type of skill, can sell or give you different abilities, so it’s a good idea to research who you’ll want to train under.”
She said it all like it was something everyone should already know. Maybe that was the case for the people that grew up on this world, but I was still learning some of the rules. But it wouldn't be right to say that, so I simply thanked Sandra for all the information and promised to return soon with a few friends to take the miner class. She waved as I left.
To get a sense of what it would cost to outfit a single miner, we decided to check the prices on basic miner’s equipment. I already knew that a poor copper pick, like the one I’d been using, would not cut it for a real miner. It would crack and bend when striking the hard earth and stone, and none of the miners would be able to repair it like I could. So, I looked for a minimum of an iron pick to price. Yet, no matter how hard we scoured the market for mining equipment, we couldn’t find one. I knew miners went to sell their ore to the Merchant’s Guild and tried them for information. They directed us to a mining group called Dungeon Diggers.
We walked to their offices, a few streets from the center of town in a big wooden warehouse. There, burly humans were coming in and out of the place with large packs on their backs and picks on their shoulders. The men inside the office, however, were rail-thin by comparison. They were dressed in smart black suits and dress shirts and didn’t look like they’d ever done any mining themselves.
We walked up to the office counter, and a human man with thinning hair stopped chatting with another worker and turned to us. He looked us up and down before squinting suspiciously and asking, “What do you two want?”
I could see Greebo’s expression turn to annoyance at the tone from the human and before he could say something that would get us in trouble with the company, I stepped forward and said, “Hello, we were interested in mining and some equipment.”
The man’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could ask the questions I always seemed to get when people first met me, I said, “Yes, I am a talking machine. I am likely a surprise to you. I was built by the Gnomish Research Institute. Now, could you please...”
I did not get to finish my question as a burst of laughter from the other men behind the counter interrupted me. “Ha! Geoffrey, that golem sure caught you
with your mouth open. Surprised you that it could talk and could guess what questions you were going to ask.”
Geoffrey closed his mouth, which had been hanging open, and adjusted his black suit jacket and his hair to regain his composure before turning to his coworkers. “He did not surprise me. I’ve seen plenty of lifelike golems before. I even saw a dancing one in Teleiorite once.” He then turned back to me and with a scowl on his face said, “As to your inquiry, we certainly don’t hire golems or goblins to work for us.”
“Then why would the Merchant’s Guild direct us to you?” Greebo asked.
Geoffrey sniffed at the goblin but answered, “Well, while we don’t hire anyone but humans, we do lease and sell equipment to outside miners.”
“Well, then that’s what we’re looking for. We can do our own mining if we have the equipment we need,” I said.
The other men behind the counter laughed again, this time at Greebo and me. “Another group thinks they can make it as miners? As if it were as easy as swinging a pick and collecting coins from the ground. How will you find the richest veins of ore? And who will protect you from the monsters that try to swarm you while you work? Mining is a dangerous job, and without the proper protection, you will be killed. They never think of any of that.”
