Quest Alert: The Bear Essentials (Recommended Level 8-10)
Captain Grandmite has tasked you with feeding the army, or at least providing the meat necessary to feed the army. Kill 10 bears in the wild and bring them to the Hammerton Quartermaster.
Reward: Experience, Bonus Experience per additional bear
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
“Consider it done,” said Olaf, accepting the quest.
“As long as we’re out there,” I started. “Want us to thin the Rock Giant numbers?”
The Captain snorted. “If you think you can. There is a standing bounty for Rock Giant Hearts.”
Quest Alert: Heartless Rock Bounty (Recommended Level 8-10)
Standing Hammerton Bounty for Rock Giants
Reward: Experience per Rock Giant Heart, 5-Silver per Rock Giant Heart
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
“We’ll kill as many as we can,” I said, accepting the quest. “Any other bounties or requests?”
“No,” Captain Grandmite stated harshly.
I would have bet there were more, but she didn’t trust us enough yet to help. For now, this would be enough. We just needed to go above and beyond.
“Okay, where are the bears most commonly found?” I asked. I know I had seen one bear already but that could have been a one off.
“North slope, east of Hammerton, but they can be found anywhere,” said the Captain. “Now, I have given you two quests that ought to keep you busy and out of my hair. I have real work to do and a war to prepare my soldiers for.” She didn’t acknowledge us further, simply marching away toward the gates.
“Yeah, she can be a bit hard,” said Dinger, startling me slightly. I had forgotten about the Guards.
“Why is that?” I asked, noticing Vision hadn’t taken his eyes off Dinger’s pack.
“Word is, she has been stuck as a Captain too long,” said Denslo, a small smile on his face as he glanced down at the wolf pup.
“The way I hear it, she is going to be dismissed at the end of the month,” Dinger added, pointedly trying to ignore the puppy staring at his pack.
“She is good at her job but has not done anything to make a real impression on the higher ups,” explained Denslo, then he added, “Oh, just give the pup one of the buns. You will still have five left.”
Dinger sighed before digging into his pack and producing a single bun and tossing it to Vision. “That’s it, no more.”
“Thank you,” said Vision, his words slightly muffled by the food.
“Anyway, I’m afraid that is all we know,” added Denslo.
“I see, thank you both for the information,” I said thoughtfully. “It seems to me there is only one course of action available to us then. We need to get her promoted.”
Quest Alert: Making a Splash (Recommended Level 8-10)
Captain Grandmite has been passed over for promotion one time too many and now faces the possibility of dismissal from the Hammerton Armed Services. She needs to make a big splash if she wants to be promoted. Make that splash in her name . . . if you can . . . or even want to.
Reward: Experience
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
I grinned, feeling like I got my mojo back. “We definitely need to get her promoted,” I said, accepting the quest.
“Is there anything else we can do for the two of you?” Micaela asked, grinning a little and glancing at me from the corner of her eye.
“Well, seeing as you seem the trustworthy sort,” started Denslo. “With all the double shifts I have not been able to stop in and check on me mother. If you do not mind, would you bring her a box of peppermints? Come back and let me know how she is doing? I promise to pay you for your time.”
Quest Alert: Mother Dearest
Hammerton Guard Denslo has requested you deliver a box of peppermints to his mother then report back on how she is doing.
Reward: Experience, 3-Silver
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
“We’d be happy to check in on her,” said Micaela, giving me a brief but knowing glance.
“How about you Dinger, anything else we can do to help you out?” I asked, returning a glance of my own.
“Nah, I be alright,” replied Dinger, glancing between Micaela and me as if he sensed the minor rivalry that was blossoming.
“Well, you be sure to let us know if you need anything at all,” I volunteered, feeling a little perturbed that I couldn’t dig out another quest.
“Well, have a good afternoon,” Olaf said, ushering us away.
“You pushed too hard,” said Micaela, smirking a little as she poked at me.
“Yeah, you pushed too hard,” echoed Vision.
I was about to retort when Olaf cut us off. “Alright, that’s enough, both of you,” he said, “It’s great you’re both finding us quests, but this isn’t a competition, we’re on the same side.”
“You’re just saying that because you don’t want your wife upset when Jack finds more quests,” Rose said, seemingly trying to stir up trouble.
Olaf took a deep breath. “Again, not a competition. We’re all on the same team.”
“Fine, spoilsport,” said Rose, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, Heath, you should probably start looking into Mardi’s defenses. We’ll meet up with you later, let’s say around 5:00 for dinner.”
“Yeah, that works. After I finish with Mardi’s defenses, I’ll start my spy hunt,” Heath replied, vanishing from view a moment later.
“Okay, let’s go see about renting a wagon,” said Olaf, directing us forward.
The stable didn’t look like much of a stable from the outside considering it looked like any of the other buildings that lined the street. Only the few stray bits of straw suggested it was anything related to a stable. That and the wider and taller door that hung open. When we got closer, the third factor made itself known in the form of a stench that came with live animals.
Olaf knocked on the open door, “Hello,” he called through the door.
“What do you want?” a gruff and unpleasant sounding voice called back, followed by the shuffling of feet.
“We need to see about renting a wagon,” said Olaf, seeing an old Dwarf shuffling toward us.
“Any of you know how to drive a wagon?” the old Dwarf asked as he started to come into view.
I assumed this was Old Krangle.
The old Dwarf didn’t give us a chance to answer. “Oh great, adventurers. I am going to assume none of you have the ‘Wagoneering’ profession. So, you need to hire a driver. Where are you going?”
“We have been tasked to collect bears for the army and boars for Filina’s Bakery,” Olaf answered directly.
“Boars . . . south slope then. You got guts . . . no brains . . . but guts. Well, not my problem if you die. Just so you know, if you die, my driver will leave and bring the wagon straight back here. If you do not collect your goods fast enough, I will sell them myself. This is your only warning,” the old man stated. “As for my driver . . . he should be perfectly safe on the south slope but if he does die . . . well, best you never return to this city again.”
“We’ll keep him safe,” Olaf promised. “How much for 10-hours?”
“South slope? Let us say 1-Gold per hour,” the old Dwarf stated.
“5-Silver,” I countered. I had the ‘Barter’ skill so there was a good chance I would be able to reduce the cost. With my Charisma up to 112, that meant I would be able to reduce the price by at least 17% or there about. I could possibly get even more.
Barter
Level: 12
Experience: 19.54%
Skill Effect (Passive): Reduce purchase cost by 0.12% (0.15% Charisma)
Skill Effect (Passive): Increases your Charisma Experience Gain by 12.00%
“Thief, that is what you are. 8-Silver, 50-Copper,” he counter
ed.
“6-Silver,” I pressed back.
“7-Silver, 50-Copper per hour, final offer, take it or leave it,” the old Dwarf said with a finality.
“Deal,” I said, offering my hand, happy to have reduced the price by 25%.
“Horace Krangle, good negotiating with you,” said the old Dwarf, shaking my hand and nearly crushing it. “Boy!” he shouted suddenly, looking down into the stables.
There was more shuffling from inside followed by a young Dwarf, that looked very different from the other Dwarves in Hammerton. His nameplate read
“This is my boy, Ash, just Ash,” said Krangle, introducing his son.
“Isn’t he-” Rose started but was cutoff.
“A Shale Dwarf, yes. I took him in when he was a little guy. Those Anvilton bastards tossed him out because he cannot speak,” the old Dwarf hissed. “Anyway, he is the only Dwarf in the city that can safely go to the south slopes.”
It made sense. A Shale Dwarf would be safe on the Shale Dwarf side of the valley.
“Much as the Shalies hate the Bronzies, they will not kill their own, they might give him a hard time, steal his cargo, but they will not harm him. At least they have that much honor,” explained Krangle. “Anyway, Ash, these adventurers are hunting bears and boars. You know the best spot for both, so I trust you to get them there and back safe.”
Ash nodded once confidently before turning and returning inside.
“He will be back shortly with the wagon and oxen team. All that remains is for you to pay me. Half now, half when you return the wagon and oxen team,” Krangle finished, holding out an open hand.
I put 7-Gold and 5-Silver into his waiting hand, paying for the full ten hours then stating, “I have no problem paying the full amount up front.”
“Suit yourself,” said Krangle, pocketing the coins. “Keep him safe out there. I have heard Anvilton hired themselves some adventurers. I do not want my son caught in the crossfire.”
“We’ll keep him safe,” said Olaf.
“See that you do,” the old Dwarf said, nodding once and returning inside his stable.
“He wasn’t that crotchety,” said Micaela. “And did you hear how much he cares about his son, adopted or not.”
“I did,” I said. “I was surprised he didn’t give us a quest.” It was curious, I knew instinctively there was more going on here. I would definitely need to do some more digging.
The turning of wheels and clacking of hoofs on stone came a few minutes later followed by a wagon being pulled by four large oxen, and Ash sitting up on the only seat.
“I guess we’re walking,” said Olaf, noting there was nowhere to sit in the wagon.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Ash, your father said you knew the best places to go hunting, so lead the way.”
Ash met my eyes and nodded once. He pulled a hood up over his head and flicked the reigns then clicked his tongue to get the oxen moving forward. I looked at his nameplate again, it now read
Chapter 4
Exiting the gates of the city turned out to be quite the process. We needed to give our reasons for leaving, expected duration and several other details. I half expected them to demand to check our inventories, thankfully they didn’t go that far, but it did show they were taking the threat to the city more seriously.
Once we were finally outside of the city and through the east gate, Ash seemed to navigate the natural maze of stone formations with practiced ease.
“Don’t forget to practice your combat movement,” Rose reminded us. We weren’t even a hundred feet from the gates when she barked out the order, her form suddenly blurring from view as she charged the wagon then used ‘Shift’ to get away from it before her shoulder impacted. I thought it was an interesting combination.
I glanced over to Olaf and Micaela to see them do the same thing, activating ‘Bull Rush’ then leaping back away from the wagon.
Ash briefly looked over his shoulder at us. He frowned and shook his head but looked ahead again, focusing on driving the wagon.
“Wee!” Baby cheered, making me look up to see her cartwheeling and doing loop the loops.
“Jack, get to work,” ordered Rose.
Right, I was the only one not actively training my combat movement skills. I took a small stutter step forward, springing from my feet into a front flip, putting my ‘Acrobatics’ skill to work.
Acrobatics
Level: 93
Experience: 16.14%
Combat Movement
Dodge Chance: +46.50%
Skill Stamina Cost: 5 per second
I followed that with my own ‘Shift’ skill, moving back again.
Shift
Level: 78
Experience: 7.24%
Combat Movement
Range: 1.78 yards
Skill Stamina Cost: 5 per move
While both were already highly leveled, they were still Rank I. Admittedly, I was curious about what would happen with Acrobatics after Rank II, at the current pace, I would end up with 100.00% chance to dodge while using it. Unless it was a prerequisite skill and stopped at level 100. I supposed I would find out soon enough.
Despite Ash leading us easily, I was feeling frustration that I couldn’t follow our path very well with all the flipping and spinning through the air as we wound our way through the rocks. I was more frustrated when I lost my sense of direction, anytime I could not see the monolithic hammer of Hammerton I couldn’t tell north from south or east from west. I had picked up the skill ‘Cartography’ so I could make area maps and the like. Maybe it was just me, but I felt like part of that profession should have been the ability to not get lost.
Clearing the stone maze, we began ascending the mountainside using a well-worn path that seemed to spring up out of nowhere, the ruts from wagon wheels were easy enough to spot. The area around us was cleared on either side of the path out to about twenty-feet, but trees and rocks quickly filled in past that.
A loud banging interrupted my thoughts on ‘Cartography’. Ash was thumping a wooden mallet against the side of the wagon to draw our attention. I was so distracted by my own concerns I hadn’t even noticed he stopped the wagon.
“What do you see, Ash?” Rose asked, walking to the front of the wagon.
Ash pointed to the left of the wagon and held up two fingers then made a double claw motion with his hands.
“Two bears?” Rose asked, checking to make sure she understood correctly.
Ash nodded firmly once.
“There are three,” said Vision, ghosting into view. “One is up a tree, it is only a cub though,” said Vision.
“Ooh, spirit,” Micaela nearly shouted for joy.
Ash thumped the side of his wagon again, drawing Rose’s attention from the forest and back to him.
“What?” Rose asked, looking to our guide.
Ash made the motion of claws again, then made the motion of cutting his throat, and finally he held up a single finger.
“Only kill one?” Rose asked.
Ash nodded again.
“Why?” Rose asked.
This time Ash made a rocking motion with his arms folded.
“Right, mother and child,” said Rose, understanding what he was pushing for.
Ash nodded once then crossed his arms, leaning back in his wagon seat to wait for us.
“Mic, why don’t you go see about getting that spirit for your armor,” said Olaf. “I’ll stand guard over her and the wagon. Vision, lead Rose, Bye-bye and Baby to the lone bear.”
“You got it Boss’s Minion Number 1,” said Vision, earning a lot of laughs.
“Mic, babe, what have you been teaching him?” Olaf asked, looking to his wife.
“Me? Nothing, I’m pretty sure Baby or Heath has been teaching him these bad habits,” Micaela defe
nded herself unconvincingly. “Anyway, going spirit walking, be back soon,” she added in a hurry, sitting down next to the wagon and closing her eyes.
Olaf pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right, you guys go get that bear, we’ll wait here.”
“Lead the way, Vision,” I said, still feeling highly amused.
“Follow me,” the wolf pup said, padding ahead and hardly making a sound.
Rose followed right behind him, I was just behind her, and Baby was flying somewhere over our heads.
We found the
“Charging,” said Rose, blurring from view, her shoulder ramming into the sleeping bear, simultaneously waking it up and stunning it.
I started with my ‘Lesser Holy Fire’ then ‘Lesser Holy Shock’ both instant cast spells, so there was no down time between them. With both of those active and the 10-second cooldown on ‘Lesser Holy Fire’, I cast ‘Holy Smite’ five times at 1.50 seconds per cast. Even with my level as high as it was, I hardly knocked off 30% of the bear’s HP. I cast ‘Lesser Holy Fire’ again, adding my second stack followed again by ‘Holy Smite’ six times and a final stack of ‘Lesser Holy Fire’, followed by three casts of ‘Holy Smite’ before the bear died, a measly +24-Experience floating up from the body.
“Wow, your magic is sad,” commented Rose.
“I noticed,” I replied flatly, glancing at my MP bar, I was displeased to see it was almost depleted for so little magic damage. To add insult to injury, I checked my spells quickly to see how much they progressed. ‘Lesser Holy Shock’ and ‘Lesser Holy Fire’ only gained a few percentage points apiece. At least ‘Holy Smite’ gained 5 levels. “This is going to be a very long day.”
The Mountain Valley War Page 6
