Dungeon Noble - Squire

True to form, the next day began with a series of fast delves as they pushed to get enough Wyrdgeld for them to all get that one extra rank.

Aspen started to offer to not take his share of the Wyrdgeld they were harvesting, but Jake wouldn’t hear of it. Aspen was already acting as their cook, and was using his own ingredients to do so.

Jake refused to have him be losing money by them being here at the Dungeon, even though he knew full well that it meant he wouldn’t get enough Wyrdgeld from their delves.

Still, he pushed on regardless, and they had just finished their third delve when Varin arrived.

Varin looked much the same as when Jake had last seen him, a tall man with an unhealthily thin figure, a gaunt face and particularly pale skin.

At first glance, Varin looked like he was more likely to keel over from some sort of malady than be able to craft magical weapons and equipment, but Jake’s wand said otherwise.

“Varin!” Jake called out, jogging over to greet him with a wave.

“Jake, good to see you again,” Varin said, smiling slightly as he saw Jake’s belt. “I’m glad to see that you’re putting my work to good use.”

“Oh yeah, it has been really helpful,” Jake said as he patted the wand at his hip. “I hope you’re ready to make some more, though.”

Varin nodded and hefted the large pack he was carrying. “I’ve come prepared. I’ve got a few things saved up from the last few weeks, I just need a project and some space to work.”

“We can manage both I’m sure,” Jake said with a laugh as he waved for Varin to follow him and made his way to one of the empty cabins. “What sort of project are you looking for?”

“Well, the trades I’ve made have been limited, and I don’t have any metal to work with, so it would be limited to something wooden or some sort of armour.”

“Armour would be more than welcome, though I’m guessing it won’t be anything heavy?”

“No, I would be infusing regular clothing to give it some further resistance and protection,” Varin said, shrugging slightly and giving Jake an apologetic look. “That’s the best I can do at the moment.”

“No, no, anything is better than nothing,” Jake said, waving away the apology. “How long would it take to make?”

“If I make the simplest kind, it will take a few days, but the effect will be minimal. If I use up more of my stock, I can make something better, but it will take up to maybe a week.”

“That would be too long, we’ll be leaving by then,” Jake said, knowing full well that Nepthys wouldn’t stand by for another week. A few days was something more manageable, though.

“It will take time for the weave to settle in each one, so I could make several at a time if that helps?”

“Oh yes, that will help,” Jake said, clapping Varin on the shoulder with a grin. “Do you need anything from us to make it happen?”

“If you have anything you can harvest from the Dungeon that would be suitable, that would be good,” Varin said after a moment’s thought. “I don’t know what the rewards given are like here, though.”

“Nothing useful for that,” Jake said, considering what they could gather from the Dungeon. “Not unless you need some berries.”

Varin chuckled and shook his head. “Sadly, that won’t do. Well, if you do find anything, let me know. I can use anything from a Dungeon, whether it be a reward, parts from a monster or something you’ve harvested.”

Jake frowned for a moment before realising what Varin was saying. He’d forgotten that you could harvest everything in the Dungeon, and that meant there was a lot of potential they were missing out on.

Of course, he doubted it was worth the time chopping down all those saplings when they could just finish the Dungeon faster and run it again, but still.

“Alright, thanks, Varin,” Jake said, nodding to the tall crafter. “We’ll be heading back in shortly, so I’ll introduce you to the others at dinner.”

Varin nodded and went inside the cabin, leaving Jake to head back to the others and share what Varin had told him.

Alan was just as excited as Jake about the possibility of getting some armour, even if it was limited in nature. Nepthys was somewhat less excited, but Jake put that down to her feeling the urge to pursue the Corrupters.

None of them, however, were particularly thrilled about the idea of harvesting further materials from the Dungeon.

“Some places, especially in the second tier Dungeons, are almost made for it,” Aspen said, tapping the armour he was wearing. “You can get hides, leather or scales with only a bit of effort. This place, though, would be difficult.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Jake said, thinking of how awkward it would be to try and carve up a Rootling into something usable. Little pieces of them would be easy enough, but he wasn’t sure that would be helpful for Varin.

“What about the Oaken?” Alan asked thoughtfully. “We could just remove one of their branch arms, right?”

Jake considered it for a moment before shrugging. “Maybe, not sure what that would come under really. Would it just be the same as those sections of wood we get as rewards sometimes?”

“I don’t think so,” Aspen said, shaking his head. “They’re not solid wood, and I think there’s an extra step to using something from a monster.”

“The crafter will need to prepare the materials with infusions of Wyrd,” Gargan said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully before continuing. “I can do that for him, though.”

“That sounds like it might speed things up,” Jake said, giving the caster a nod. “But I’m not sure what use we’ll find in sections of wood, in the short term anyway.”

“Wands, bows and arrows are the main three,” Gargan said, nodding to Alan. “So our best use would be to give Alan some more strength.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Jake said, wondering how much those arms would be worth. The lengths they got in the Dungeon rewards were worth around twenty Wyrdgeld, so the amount they could get from a harvest would potentially be quite high.

The thought that they’d been missing out on Wyrdgeld with each delve was enough to make Jake’s eye twitch. It wasn’t just this one either, there was all the other Dungeons to consider.

“Gargan, you seem familiar with infusions and all this, how much would you think the branch arms are worth?”

“Well, anything that isn’t already refined, so hasn’t gone through that process I mentioned, is worth a lot less. Dungeonous material is worth as much as it is because it is always of the highest quality and perfect for infusions or Weaving.”

“How much less?” Jake asked, his heart sinking at the look Gargan gave him.

“More like a single Wyrdgeld each if they are in perfect condition.”

“Still, that triples the value of them, more so if we can use the legs,” Alan said brightly.

“Yes, but you can’t just take them to Ivaldi, which is the real issue,” Gargan said, gesturing to the cabin that Varin was in. “You need to sell to crafters, either individually or to stores in the cities. That means taking them there, which is difficult, or using the local Dungeons, and then you get barely anything for it.”

“Damn,” Jake said with a heavy sigh. He’d thought there was a way to make a lot more Wyrdgeld for a moment there.

The obvious workaround was to store the goods with Ivaldi, like he did with the Wyrdfruit, but that cost Wyrdgeld to store and retrieve, and that cut into any profits.

Jake knew without a shadow of a doubt that countless people did just that, and took out large crates of whatever ingredient had the best markup wherever they were.

Sadly, Jake just didn’t have the time or the dedication for that. He’d rather just do an extra few delves to make the Wyrdgeld that way.

Speaking of, it was time to get back to it.

“Thanks for talking it through, Gargan,” Jake said, giving the caster a nod before gesturing to the Dungeon. “Let’s grab a few arms for Varin, see what he can whip up for us.”

Everyone nodded and started forwards, but Gargan moved over to Jake’s side and gave him a measuring look. “I’ve seen that you’re branching out with wand and sword, are you looking to use your Wyrd more?”

“Well, yes, I suppose so,” Jake said, caught a little off guard by the question.

“Then I’ll offer you the same tutelage I’m giving to Alan. My Patron chose me and showed me the purity of Wyrd and the Weaves we can make of it. I consider it part of my bond with her to spread this knowledge to others.”

There was an intensity to Gargan’s voice that Jake hadn’t seen before, and he found himself looking at the quiet caster in a new light. Gargan had taken up with their group with little issue, barring the occasional barbed exchange with Aspen about their gods.

Aspen, however, had been a far greater influence on the group as a whole, and had integrated into working with them particularly smoothly.

Now, though, Jake was wondering if that was because Aspen’s motivation was to delve, to find those fights and push himself, whereas Gargan saw them only as a means to an end.

Realising that the other man was waiting for a response, Jake cleared his throat. “That sounds good, learning more about Wyrd and Weaving would be more than welcome as well.”

“Come find me after your training this evening and we will begin,” Gargan said, a hint of a smile touching his face for a moment before he dropped back and let Jake lead the way into the Dungeon.