by Michael Ryan
Amy didn’t know if Emi had even heard what she said. Her friend was already breathing deeply. She drank a potion that would keep her alert while Emi slept.
The enemy troops in the distance seemed restless. Amy assumed they were getting ready to march, and wondered where they were headed.
It didn’t matter. She had her own mission to worry about.
She settled into a comfortable position and absentmindedly ran her fingers through Emi’s hair.
Dale approached Evelake with the four surviving members of his group. The village was a commercial center for both the mountain and plains people, and was located on a medium-sized lake from which it received its name. It was listed on maps as neutral territory. But that didn’t mean that individual battles couldn’t break out, and there was no reason to believe that the Declanians would honor any neutrality rules.
The group checked in with an official from the mayor’s office. “Enjoy your stay here, soldiers, and Princess. Your gold is most welcome.” He laughed and dismissed them after recommending an inn, a bar, and a gambling hall.
“Probably all places his cousin owns,” Rikuto said.
“No doubt.” Dale looked at the group. “We’ll meet back here at first light tomorrow. Do what you will, ask about the Princess Talargo, and with luck we’ll have a direction to follow in the morning.”
“And if not?” Yingtai asked.
“We’ll deal with it tomorrow,” Smith said. He was forceful with her, obviously tired of her pushiness.
“Let’s see what the shops have for sale,” Dale said to Smith.
“Sure,” Smith said, “Rikuto?”
“No, thank you,” Rikuto answered. “I’m going to the gambling hall.”
“Suit yourself.”
Dale and Smith went hunting for herbs and potions, and anything else magical they could find.
Rikuto entered The Stuck Pig Inn & Casino.
“Do you have Texas Hold ‘em here?” he asked.
“Vexus what?” The hostess looked at him funny.
“Texas… Never mind. What games do you have here?”
“Dragonesallanti, of course,” the hostess said. “You can also bet on the beast races, but they don’t run until late tonight. On Saturdays we have open pit fights, and on Sunday afternoon the old village women come and play Bored-O.”
Rikuto thanked the hostess and walked to the casino floor. There were three tables with players and dealers. A blue haze hung in the air, and the sound of gaming chips announced a chance at fortune or ruin.
“Sir?” An attractive elf spoke to him. “Would you like a seat?”
“I don’t know the game,” he said.
“Here you are, sir,” the elf said. She handed him a scroll.
Dragonesallanti
The game of Dragonesallanti is an ancient card game believed to have been invented by magical elves who had too much time on their hands during an unprecedented time of world peace.
The deck is composed of 144 playing cards ranked from 1 to 12, and arranged into 12 symbols.
The full instructions can be found in the Dragonesallanti Wiki and in various strategy guides.
[Wiki] [Guide] [Tournaments]
Dale and Smith found a shop that specialized in Fire Magic, which was where Dale had been trying to concentrate his magical experience. The torch spells seemed to be reasonably effective, and Dale had only scratched the surface of the available offerings.
“Can I help you, sir?” The shopkeeper was a humant, an old man who appeared from behind a counter and tugged on his long white beard.
“I want to get stronger in Fire Magic,” Dale said.
“I see. I have only one Fire Book in stock, sir.” The old man left the sales floor and returned with a book. “It’s five hundred gold bars.”
“That seems expensive,” Dale said.
“This is a town built on negotiation, Dale,” Smith said.
“That is true, sir,” the old man agreed. “But Fire Magic is hard to come by.”
Dale removed an emerald from his inventory. “I’m not pursuing enchantments right now, so can I sell you this emerald?”
“Hmmmmmm.” The shopkeeper took the stone and inspected the gem. “Nice. I’ll give you a hundred bars of gold, or a hundred and twenty bars worth in credit.”
“Let’s see what else I have,” Dale said. He placed gemstones on the counter.
The old man sorted, calculated, and inspected. After some time, he placed seven stones in a neat pile. “I’ll give you five hundred bars of gold in credit for these.
“So an even swap?” Dale laughed.
“As you wish,” the old man said, and waved his hand over the Book of Fire Magic.
“Okay, done,” Dale said.
Acquired: Book of Fire Magic
“What about you, sir?” the old man asked Smith.
While they talked, Dale scanned his book, and he got closer to the Logi tree of spells. He only had four more books to go. Every step counted.
When they left the magic shop, they went to find something to eat.
“I’m tired of roasted razordillo,” Dale said.
“Are you kidding?” Smith said. “I could eat that shit every day.”
“There must be a place where we can both get what we want.”
“God, you sound like a girl.”
“Fuck you.”
Smith laughed. “It’s good to have the old Dale back.”
“Let’s try this place. The Stuck Pig. You can have razordillo. I just want a hot dog and some normal mustard.”
After Dale and Smith ate, they walked to the casino floor and found Rikuto in a heated game of cards.
“Come on, dealer, throw me a dragon!” Rikuto shouted.
A dragon card landed on the table because Rikuto and several other players at the table cheered. A grumpy old dwarf stood, scowled, and left the table.
“My rotten horrible luck,” the dwarf said. “I hate this game.”
“Not as much as your wife does,” another player shouted.
The dwarf stormed off.
“Rikuto! You winning?” Dale asked.
“Hey, Dale, Smith,” he said. “I’m on a roll. Would you like to learn to play?”
“Maybe later,” Dale said.
“No thanks,” Smith said. “But I’d like to watch.”
“Next game starts in three minutes,” the dealer announced, and excused himself from the table.
Dale sat beside Rikuto. “So, explain this game.”
Rikuto explained the basics of the game.
By the time the dealer returned Dale and Smith were interested enough to stick around. Rikuto explained his play and the gambling continued until Rikuto asked Dale if they’d had any luck finding information on the dwarf mines.
“That’s funny, Sam,” a dwarf said to one of the players. “Every time we get some big city players here they want to know about your stupid mine.” The dwarf laughed and placed a wager.
“Yeah, I had a big payday,” Sam said.
“Maybe you can score another bet?” the dwarf said.
“You strangers doubt that dwarf mines exist?” Sam asked.
“What do you mean?” Dale said.
“Oh, just some dumb city gambler a ways back,” the man said. He looked at his cards, frowned, and placed them on the table. “She bet me that I couldn’t lead her to an old dwarf mine entrance in the mountain. I did, she paid up, and that was that. Some people have more money than brains.”
“You took her to the mine?” Smith asked.
“Of course,” Sam said. “That was how I won six bars of gold.”
“Hmmmm. What did her entourage look like?”
“You ask a lot of questions.” The man looked at Dale, then at Smith, then at Rikuto. “These friends of yours?”
“Yes, we have a quest to go through the mountain,” Rikuto said.
Sam played his cards, and then told Dale about the party he’d guided to the mine.
“Sounds like the mine we need,” Dale said. “Will you take us there? We’ll pay you to guide us, of course.”
“I’ll guide you there for five bars of gold. A discount.” Sam played with his chips.
“Three,” Smith said. “That’s a fair rate.”
“Four.”
“Done.” Dale stood and extended his hand. “We leave in the morning. I’m Dale Brown.”
Sam rose. “I’m Sam Treyolum. I’ll meet you at the city gate, first light,” he said.
When the group left Evelake in the morning, the air was crisp. The sun would rise above the mountains in an hour, but pre-dawn provided enough light to see the path, and they rode their mounts into the forest.
“Be on guard at all times,” Sam said. He’d claimed that he knew this side of the mountains like he knew his own face, but admitted that he’d never been to the other side.
“You’ve never considered going into the mines?” Dale asked.
“No. Too many dangers. Lots of risk for little reward, in my opinion. I’d rather hunt bears and wolves.”
“What about dragons?” Smith asked.
“Haven’t heard about a dragon attack in over a generation. They’re ancient creatures; I think they spend most of their time hibernating in caverns, where hot springs keep their lairs warm and moist.”
“And dragonlings?” Princess Jara asked. “In my time they often caused entire traveling parties to disappear. Poof.”
“Yes,” Sam said. “There are many dragonlings in the forest. I don’t hunt them. I know hunting parties from the city sometimes seek dragonlings for their skin—for armor like what Dale wears. Tough stuff, but I have no use for it.”
Rikuto rode point, and Dale took the rear. The huntsman rode behind Rikuto, in case they came to a fork in the path.
They moved silently for three more hours before exiting the forest.
The mountain ahead of them thrust high into the clouds. There were dozens of waterfalls in the distant valleys and shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds.
“It seems safe here,” Dale said.
“Looks can be deceiving,” Smith said.
“True,” Dale said. “But we need to rest. Set a guard detail.”
Dale found a place to lie down, and immediately fell asleep.
When he woke, it was dark, and a campfire crackled nearby.
“Smith?” he whispered.
“Here.”
“What’s the status?” Dale stood and moved closer to the fire.
“We’ve set up a guard,” Smith said. “Yingtai and Jara have been pressing me to wake you so we could enter the mines.”
“You found—”
“Yes. The hunter recognized the place, true to his word.”
“You paid—”
“Don’t worry, it’s handled. Sam said the mines are so dark that day and night become meaningless,” Smith said. “Granted, he admitted he’d never actually been in the mines.”
“It makes sense.”
“We need to make sure everyone has enough material for torches. Jara has an enchantment for a glowing orb. She said she can use it several times, but if she…”
“Understood.” Dale got up and paced. “We leave before dawn.”
The five of them entered the mine on foot before light brightened the eastern sky.
They walked for a half a day. They saw no signs of life. The mine shaft had a flat sandy base, smooth walls, and a ceiling supported by massive timbers.
Dale inspected the walls as they walked. When it seemed close to noon, at least according to Dale’s stomach, he ordered a break for lunch.
Dale chatted with princess Jara as he ate. “What do you do when you’re not a princess?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You’re an NPC?”
“What is that?” Jara asked.
“I mean…” Dale said, confused again, and unsure what to say. “An NPC is a non-player character, you know, like the hunter, Sam. I think. Maybe not him, but you understand?”
“No,” she said.
Ërin?
I can’t help you here, Dale. Sorry.
Shit.
“What would happen if you died?” Dale asked.
The princess looked at him with a strange expression. “It’s hard to kill a princess.”
“But not impossible?”
“No,” Jara said. “I can’t recall. I think, well…” She stood, obviously agitated.
“I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“I’m not offended,” she said, and sat again. “I think I was killed before I was trapped in that dungeon, the one Yingtai saved me from. I don’t remember now. It’s weird. I don’t like thinking about these things. Wake me five minutes before you want to move again.”
With that, she curled into a ball, placed her head in Yingtai’s lap, and fell asleep.
“Girls,” Rikuto said.
After lunch, the group traveled in silence. Dale was physically rested but emotionally exhausted, and he assumed he wasn’t alone. The darkness of the mine affected the mind and emotions, and the light from their torches was little help.
The stone walls eventually changed. Carved reliefs of symbols, lettering, and strange mystical beasts adorned both sides of the shaft. Dale raised his torch and ran his hand along the wall, testing for loose stones. The texture of the carved reliefs offered a reprieve from the monotony of the walk.
His hand hit a loose stone. He worked his knife into the crack. The stone dropped and revealed a hidden cache.
You have found: 1 Carat Ruby: Supreme Masterful Quality.
You have found a scroll.
He inventoried the ruby, unrolled the scroll, and inspected it.
Congratulations!
You have opened your first scroll.
Dale read the entire scroll, made a few mental notes, and put it into his inventory.
“This is a strange world,” he said.
“Aren’t they all?” Jara asked.
“Touché.”
They came to a doorway that opened into a vast ornate chamber. Dale motioned for everyone to stop.
“It looks empty,” Dale said, and crossed the threshold. A decorative throne carved in stone sat in the center, and the highly-detailed scenes on the walls included banners and battlefield scenes.
The most prominent theme was of snakes.
“I wonder what’s about to attack us?” Rikuto said.
“I’m guessing snakes,” Yingtai said. “You should be right at home.”
Smith put his hand on Dale’s shoulder. “Nothing we can’t handle, boss.”
“Overconfidence isn’t attractive,” Dale said.
“You hurt me deeply.” Smith laughed.
Dale stood with a sword in each hand for five minutes. Nothing happened.
“Nothing’s coming,” Rikuto said.
“There’s no way out of this room, except to go back the way we came,” Dale observed.
“Is it a dead end?” Smith walked to the throne and sat on it.
The throne sank and a gate of iron bars sealed their exit. A wind extinguished their torches.
They were trapped, and in the darkness Yingtai’s voice cried out in pain.
Princess Jara created a bright yellow glowing orb, which illuminated the room.
Yingtai had been bitten by an adder which she chopped into pieces.
Soon everyone chopped and hacked the snakes that dropped from small round holes in the walls.
“We could be here forever,” Dale shouted.
“These aren’t high enough value to mean much, unless we stay for a week just to level up,” Smith said. “Try a Fire Spell, maybe?” he suggested.
“I’ll need protection.” Dale moved to the center of the room.
“I got your back,” Rikuto said.
Dale sheathed his swords and shot a torch spell at the holes in the walls. Snakes burned to cinders and fell into piles of ash.
When his spell e
nded, he took a deep breath. “It worked.”
“Not so fast,” Smith said. He pointed to the walls, where more snakes slithered into the room. “It worked, but only to stop them from pouring out while the flames were active.”
“What about Ice Magic?” Dale looked to Jara.
Jara used a spell, which worked about as effectively as the fire, stopping them while it was active, but not stopping the flow after the spell ended.
Dale removed his shield and threw it at the adders. The shield uncoiled, and the battle pet began killing and eating snakes, giving it additional strength and durability.
“Well, that’s something!” Dale shouted.
“I wonder about Gingo?” Smith said.
“Can’t hurt to try,” Dale said, and summoned his pet.
Gingo went crazy. She bit a snake, shook her head, and snapped bones. Between the golden retriever and the shield adder, the number of snakes attacking dropped significantly.
Dale eyed the wall from which the snakes were continuing to pour. “There’s something peculiar about those holes.” He walked towards the wall. “Cover my back,” he said to Rikuto. “I need to get closer.”
He ran his finger along the edge of a hole. He recognized the shape.
“This feels like the vertebrae of a Green Forest Reticulated Python, usually found in the Amazon.” He paused. “This,” Dale said, pointing to the hole, “is the shape of a vertebrae…” He dug around in the mess of bloody remains at his feet until he found a green form. “We need a snake like this, only larger.”
Jara, Yingtai, Rikuto, Smith, and Dale searched for a large Green Forest Reticulated Python while continuing to kill snakes that dropped into the throne chamber.
“I got one!” Smith shouted.
Dale examined the snake. He removed a vertebrae and tried fitting it into one of the holes. It didn’t fit.
“Shit,” Dale said.
“Here,” Jara said. “I think it’ll fit in this hole.”
Eventually they found a hole in which the bone fit.
“There’s a perfect sized bone for every hole,” Jara said.
Dale held up the Green Forest Reticulated Python. “Start slicing, guys.”
Once they’d deboned the python it was a matter of finding which vertebrae fit where, and soon all the holes were filled.
