Dungeon Noble - Squire

Blood-soaked and wracked with pain, Jake all but crawled over to Karl’s body and fumbled one of his companion’s healing potions out from his belt with shaking hands.

The taste of victory was sweet, but survival was his main concern now.

Tipping most of the potion over the stump of his left arm and the claw wounds that covered his body, Jake drank the final bit, sighing in relief as it dulled the pain somewhat.

Jake wasn’t sure if there was a limit to how many potions you could drink in a short space of time, but the third one seemed to have worked just as well as the first, so he was going to keep drinking them.

Jake’s right eye was damaged beyond what minor healing potions could solve, even several of them, but his left eye was working well enough to see that a brass-bound chest had joined the pedestal with the hourglass while the torches bracketing the door they’d come through initially were now alight.

Limping over to the pedestal first, Jake cautiously opened the chest, the lid rising smoothly to reveal a cloth sack and a branch.

A little confused, Jake pulled out the cloth sack and looked inside to see a selection of fruit, ten in total. The fruit looked a little odd, however. Their colours were vibrant, and they were all in pristine condition, as though they were all perfect examples of what that fruit could be.

Closing the sack, Jake put it to one side, fighting off the urge to eat one and see what it tasted like.

Looking at the wood next, Jake examined the branch more closely. It was about the same length and thickness as his arm, with perfectly flat ends and no knots or odd kinks to it.

Resolving to ask Ari about the odd rewards, Jake set about retrieving the Wyrdgeld from the fallen creatures, piling it all into a backpack alongside the bag of fruit.

Once he was satisfied he had collected everything he could, Jake gathered his things and headed over to the door, which opened easily beneath his touch.

Ari straightened in surprise as Jake came limping into view. “You actually made it. Well done!”

“Only just,” Jake said, starting to reach up to rub his face with his left hand before grimacing as he stared down at the stump.

“Eh, nothing that won’t be fixed in short order,” Ari said with a shrug, focusing instead on the branch that Jake was carrying. “I see you got some loot. Nicely done indeed.”

“Yeah, and these as well,” Jake pulled off his backpack and passed everything over to Ari, the other Classer filling his own pack with it.

“Well, this is a nice little haul for you all,” Ari said as he poked through the fruit, eyeing the selection with interest. “I’ll buy these off you at the going rate if that works for you?”

“Sure,” Jake was too exhausted to particularly care, and Ari had shown he was trustworthy with their money.

“Excellent,” Ari pulled out a bright red apple and took a healthy bite, letting out a satisfied moan as he did. “Oh, that’s the stuff. You should do that Challenge again!”

“I’m glad you approve,” Jake gave Ari a withering look as he went to the door down to the Guardian floor. “See you on the other side.”

-**-

Despite Jake dying last, he was still the first to revive and make his way out to Ari, who was waiting at the Dungeon’s entrance as normal.

Unsurprisingly, Jake’s solo attempt at the final floor hadn’t lasted long, but considering the state he’d been in, dying and being reborn hadn’t been a bad thing.

Jake flexed his left hand subconsciously and rubbed at his wrist, the lingering sensation of losing his hand haunting his mind.

“I can’t believe you actually managed to kill the hound after it got us,” Rhew said as they entered the tavern and took their usual seats.

“It was a close thing, and there was only one of them,” Jake said, feeling a little uncomfortable with their praise. “Two of them at the same time will be a problem.”

“True, but if we can take one down, then two is just a matter of getting better, right?” Alan had a hopeful look, but his eyes were tired.

“Absolutely,” Ari set down a tray of mugs and slid one to each of them.

Grabbing the one Ari sent his way, Jake inhaled the heady aroma of strong coffee and wrapped his hands around the mug, appreciating the heat emanating from it.

“So, as I mentioned in passing on the way here, Jake managed to finish the Challenge,” Ari said, reaching down to where he’d left the loot and placing it on the table. “This meant he got some extra Wyrdgeld, this branch and this bag of fruit. I’ve already said I’ll buy the fruit at the going rate, but you still have to decide about the branch.”

“What’s it worth?” Rhew asked, eyeing the branch with interest.

“Touch it and extend your senses into it; tell me what you feel,” Ari pushed the branch towards Rhew. “You’ve got the most Wyrd familiarity out of the four of you.”

“I feel a faint amount of power, but it’s not flowing anywhere. It’s just sat within it,” Rhew said after a moment, eyeing the branch with fresh curiosity.

“That’s the feel of what we call basic dungeonous material. It’s been created in the Dungeon, so it has an inherent amount of Wyrd within it, enough for a Weaver to work with, but not enough to make a true Woven item.”

“So if not a Woven weapon, then what?” Karl reached out to poke the branch as he spoke.

“We call them Infused items, and they’re the halfway point between what you use now and what a Woven item is. Magical enough to be of use, but not enough that you can bind them like you can with something that’s been Woven.”

“Is that what a wand is?” Alan asked abruptly, making Ari stop and give him an approving look.

“Excellent guess. Yes, a wand is technically an Infused item, but they’re the most common you’ll find. This branch might make two wands at most, but the material is only the start of the process, so while a wand might set you back at least thirty Wyrdgeld, the branch will only get you twenty.”

“I wanted to ask about that,” Jake said, glancing over to where Ari’s huge sword was propped up against the wall. “Why would anyone use Woven weapons or armour in the Dungeon if you just lose it when you die?”

“Well, there are two answers to that,” Ari took a sip of his drink with a thoughtful look. “The first is that your companions bring your gear out for you, which comes back to owing each other deaths. The other is that anything Woven that you bind becomes linked to your soul, and so isn’t destroyed by the Dungeon. It’s one of the true advantages of having Woven gear, but your soul can only handle so many bindings, so you’re always limited in what you can have.”

“That would change everything,” Jake muttered, thinking of how much easier things would be if he had a Woven sword.

“Very true, which is why a Woven weapon is usually one of the first expenditures any Classer makes. Bear in mind, though, that the gear won’t grow with you, and you’ll eventually need to break the bond and get something better.”

“Another expense,” Rhew sighed, her shoulders drooping a little.

“Yes, but let’s cheer you up by dividing out the loot. Back to my original question, what’s the plan with the branch? Are you thinking of selling it?”

“I vote we sell it. What do you all think?” Jake looked around at the others questioningly, getting a mix of shrugs and nods in return.

“Alright, well, we’ll put that in your share. You can sell it to the Trading Post directly; it’ll be good practice for you,” Ari said, sliding the branch over to Jake. “As for the rest, you got the standard sixty-five Wyrdgeld from your delve, plus an additional twenty-seven from the Challenge room. That includes five for the fruit, by the way.”

“Damn,” Jake let out a low whistle, only just realising quite how much they’d come out with.

“That’s a total of one hundred and twelve if you get twenty for the branch,” Alan said with a wide-eyed expression. “That’s twenty-eight each!”

“Exactly, so here’s the rest of yours, Jake,” Ari said, passing Jake eight Wyrdgeld.

It felt a little odd to be receiving a large branch as part of his loot division, but Jake rolled with it for now, happy to be making more money.

“Damn, one more delve, and we’ll have enough for the Triarchy,” Rhew said as Ari passed over her share.

“Or rank three,” Karl said as he took his own share. “A few hauls like this, and we’ll be able to do both, for that matter.”

“So, you said the branch was good for making things, right?” Alan looked over to Ari and pointed to the bag of fruit. “So what do we make with those?”

“A lovely jam if you get enough of them,” Ari said, grinning at Alan’s sigh. “In all seriousness, that’s really all they’re for. Any foodstuffs you bring out are just for eating or making into meals. Eating Wyrd-infused food restores your Wyrd and has health benefits, and it’s very popular amongst those who have the money to afford it.”

“Interesting, but I think we should still sell any more we find,” Rhew said, idly playing with one of her Wyrdgeld. “For now, anyway.”

“On that note, are you all feeling up to another delve tomorrow?” Ari’s gaze lingered on Alan for a moment, but the Scholar straightened and nodded that he was good to carry on. “Excellent. Take some time to relax, and I’ll see you all in the morning.”