- 115 -

  Debuff Removed: Bleed (1/1) exp 150

  Debuff removed: Punctured Lung (1/1) 350 exp.

  Debuff Removed: Shock (1/1)

  MP: 5%

  Marcus was the first to arrive. His lithe Elven strides were made more effective fueled by his fear of the dungeon around him.

  Drew had treated Yandas for shock and almost completely healed Khermet by the time he’d run out of mana. It took more of his mana than he expected. Drew downed another Mana potion just as the elf had arrived.

  “Drew! William! You two are alive!” Marcus said as he jogged up to the scene of the battle. “It’s quite dangerous in here, did you see those slimes down there?”

  William met Marcus and clasped wrists with him.

  “Welcome to the party Marcus. You missed all the excitement. We could have used your sword.” William said quickly. “I feel like we fought the worst this dungeon had to throw at us.”

  Drew turned his attention back Khermet’s broken arm but the Dwarf pushed him away.

  “Go, my arm can wait.” He said stoically.

  Drew nodded his head in thanks and flew to Marcus.

  “It’s good to see you alive too Marcus,” Drew said. “William is right except we didn’t fight any slimes. Just a boatload of undead.”

  The Elf produced a biscuit for Drew while he spoke and he took it into his gathering ring without missing a beat. Upon hearing there were undead nearby the elf paled even further.

  “Undead?!” He yelped. “We must go immediately!”

  Two John’s and three mercenaries reached their group.

  Maggie took one look at the bones littering the ground before directing Jeff and Scarlet to clear the area.

  “Maggie,” Drew called. “We’ve got some survivors over here. Can we move them back to the fort?”

  “We will split up,” She said. “We need to bury these remains before they start spawning undead.”

  Drew brought out his Earth wand and started charging it.

  “I’ll lend you a hand,” Drew said.

  “Hello there.” John said and offered his hand to Yandas. “My name is John, this is my less handsome brother John.”

  “John, try not to seduce the little lady. Can you not see she has been through an ordeal?” The other John said and waggled his eyebrows at Yandas.

  “Torky Torks” Sw?dgar said looking between the two John’s.

  “Twins?” Khermet said. “My mother always said, was good luck to meet twins.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Drew said, trying to joke, but he couldn’t bring himself to sound cheerful.

  The charge solidified in his Earth wand and Drew started digging a mass grave for the bones.

  “Jeff, Scarlet. I’ll get a big grave going for the bones can you dig a pair of graves for our Rancher friends?”

  The two mercenaries nodded solemnly and set to work with some spades they unfolded from their packs. Maggie stepped over to Drew and Marcus and William joined them. For a few moments the large grave formed in the ground as they watched silently.

  “They didn’t make it then? Those three?” Maggie asked.

  “It’s a long story,” Drew said.

  William gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

  “They fought honorably against a Hag and her endless undead. We barely survived and we couldn’t save them,” William said.

  Pegg turned on them! He gave up on saving them and took a shortcut to power. How could he think that was helping them?

  Marcus put his hand on William’s armored shoulder.

  “They are with Bella now,” The elf said.

  The mass grave was expanding rapidly and Drew’s emotions simmered.

  Why did so many people have to die?

  “Drew!” Damien huffed as he nearly reached them.

  Damien stumbled across the battlefield while he caught his breath.

  Did he run all the way here?

  “Damien!” Drew said. He looked up from the earth spell he was digging with.

  It will be an ‘I told you so.’ It’s always the same with him.

  “You are alive,” Damien said. “That’s a relief.”

  Huh?

  “More than I can say for my friends,” Drew replied.

  “Are you hurt?” Damien asked. “I brought some of your health and mana potions.”

  “I am fine. I lost my wing for a minute but I got it attached again,” Drew said with a shrug. “Do you need any help catching your breath? Is it a debuff?”

  He’s not mad I flew off to play hero. I risked my life and everyone’s here. And I failed the quest.

  “No I am simply too old for all this adventuring and delving.” Damien said.

  Would any of this have happened if I had ignored the quest?

  “A mass grave for the undead?” He asked and pulled out his wand. “Let me finish that, you need to rest.”

  “We need 5 graves for our fallen as well.” Drew said.

  “You aren’t going to bury Pegg’s remains alongside Hemut’s and Vaylari’s.” William said, astonished.

  “Yes. And Yocca,” Drew said.

  “And the last one is for Pigra then.” Yandas said and brushed back a tear. “Why make him a grave when there’s nothing left of him?”

  “We will remember them all,” Drew said.

  -

  “He was a fool, if not a laughable one, a lovable one.” Khermet spoke through his grief.

  He said a few words over Yocca’s body then they buried him.

  “He was more than a brother to me,” Khermet said. “He was passionate and more than a little battle crazy, a true dwarf. Taken from us too soon. The both of them.”

  There was nothing left of Pigra so the Dwarves went to get mementos of the mage to put in the hole instead.

  An Ale cup, A book, a hat. Is that all that is left of a mad mage? That’s what this system does to you if you are alone. An alpha wolf will die or become a monster. Or a demon.

  Damien started filling in the graves with summoned dirt.

  What was my Memorial like? What holes did I leave in the hearts of my friends and family? I was reckless and stupid.

  Khermet stood before the 5 graves, his arm in a sling. Everyone gathered around and watched silently until Damien finished filling in the graves with summoned dirt.

  “Saved us alot of time digging.” Wolderrf leaned over to his brother and mumbled.

  “Shut it. Or I’ll bury you next,” Sdaddler whispered.

  Khermet gasped as Damien formed headstones out of nearby boulders. He carved them simply in flat-topped triangles, in the Dwarven style.

  “Thank you for that moment of silence.” Khermet said to the people gathered around. “As is tradition, the eldest Dwarf will recite the Song of Passing.”

  Sw?dgar stepped forward and cleared his throat. He began to hum a discordant chord deep in his chest while he spoke in his sing-song voice. The Dwarven poem rolled off his tongue in the ancient dialect of the Dwarves.

  “St??rnie-bl??rnies, in der wall,

  Whur der bangy-‘ammers go bork-bork-bork.

  St??dy side-a-siddee, der chonky line,

  Ker-Feellie downy, alla p??ndy fine.”

  Thrain wiped his eye with the back of his hand. Krag pretended not to notice, but handed his employer a handkerchief.

  “Sad day to hear the song of passing,” Sdaddler said.

  His brother kept his mouth shut for once.

  “Sk?l-a-hoo! Der glug a glugs bundy,

  No snerky skerdies in der n?ggin fr?ights.

  Br?rder b?rglers uppa ‘igh,

  H?rty h?rts hork a st??dy bork!”

  The three John’s and William stood off to the side with Seraphina and Marcus. The Elves were quiet. They had kept their distance and so far, none of the Dwarves had even met their eyes.

  “He has an amazing voice,” One brother said to another. “He could bring in the coin by the handful in the taverns.”

  “He’s their cook. He cooks twice as well as he sings,” William said. “He makes an excellent roast giant bat.”

  The third John shushed them both.

  “Nork Mork b??my-b??ms, der f?rgy’s sn??zy,

  Weenie no f’getsie—so no be bl??zy!

  Clinky-clank yer mugga-mugga,

  Dey’s snugg’n stone, peacey-l??se.”

  -

  Back at camp, William crated up the collars he and Drew had made.

  “We made all of these and did not use any of them.” He said to himself.

  “Two silver for the cart. You were going to leave it behind anyways.” Thrain said to Gizmo.

  The two were haggling over the camp’s gear and resources. The Mercenaries were spread out across the boundary of the dungeon Maggie and the captain waited near the mine shaft.

  Marcus and Seraphina stood at the gate. They were not invited in, and they did not overstep.

  William kept all the rancher’s weapons. He Had quietly cleaned each one, oiled them and crated them up along with some metal and smithing materials. He kept his plate armor on.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  The Johns lent Khermet a hand as he packed up his gear on his own cart.

  “The mine was nearly empty anyways and this was a last ditch effort to wring a few more coppers out of it.” Khermet said when they asked him how he could just leave.

  “We will leave today.” He said and turned to where Damien sat at a camp table. “You have already helped enough, but could you close the tunnel behind us when you leave?”

  Damien nodded. He was already fatigued from the earthwork earlier, and he put a handful of his hard snacks into his mouth.

  “We will be ready to go within the hour,” Wolderrf said. “Where’s that Skurr? Ive got some gratitude for him and he’s making me wait.”

  “If you are that appreciative then you can wait quietly.” Sdaddler said gruffly.

  -

  Drew used his Earth wand to bring down the walls he had summoned around the Goblin warrens. They were all cowering anxiously inside.

  Relief washed over him to see there were still so many left alive.

  There are no large goblins left. Did the Hag kill them first?

  “Come on out!” Drew said loud enough for all of the Goblins to hear. “The hag is gone and you are free.”

  Do they even understand me?

  One of the first Goblins to step forward was a female. She had several kids huddled under her.

  Drew pulled the Dungeon core out of his gathering ring and looked at the notification again.

  Claim the Dungeon: Yes / No?

  Drew selected yes and a screen opened before him. There was a list of all the mana generating resources in the dungeon but Drew swiped past them.

  Dungeon Interface:

  Select Dungeon type:

  Bat

  Goblin

  Mine

  Mushroom

  Skurr

  Slime

  He made his decision and turned to the female Goblin.

  “You are in charge now,” He said and gave her the dungeon core.

  “Protect your people, grow slowly, farm mushrooms, or slimes, and stay safe.” She snarled at him, but then looked at the orb thoughtfully.

  “It’s better to be smart than strong,” Drew said. “Stay here. Be safe.”

  And remove your racial feral trait someday.

  He flew out of the tunnels back into the cavern’s main chamber.

  -

  The hike up the mineshaft took them over an hour. The angle of the tunnel was awkward for Drew to fly so he rode on William’s wagon.

  They stopped repeatedly for Damien and Drew to summon a wall of stone and bring the roof down to block off the tunnel.

  “And we walked through the dark for hours!” Marcus said, describing their trek through the mountains to find the mine’s entrance.

  “We will register the route with the trading guild and earn a hefty reward,” A John said.

  “These mountains take a week to travel around, it will be a boon to merchants for both kingdoms,” Another John said.

  “The exit is just ahead,” Khermet called back.

  The evening sun was glowing over the mountains tinting everything pink and green. The trees on this side of the mountain grew tall and slender with needles like pine trees, except they were a dusty pink.

  The two groups separated in front of the mineshaft.

  “Drew,” Khermet said. “Thank you again for everything you have done.”

  “How can you thank me?” Drew said incredulously. “You lost dear friends and your family’s mine.”

  “The mine was a coin pit has been for longer than I care to admit. Losing it has shown me that there are other ventures I should be pursuing. This mine has held my family back for too long.” Khermet said with a laugh but his eyes stayed sad.

  “Pigra went out with a bang, he chose how he lived. And Yocca? He was a warrior with his own grief. He died in battle like a true Dwarf.”

  Damien built a wall boxing the mineshaft closed behind them. He brought the hillside down on top of the smooth summoned wall. After the rubble settled you could barely tell where the mine had been.

  “In a few seasons that will look just like the rest of the mountain around here,” Damien said with a sigh.

  “A fitting tomb for any brave dwarf,” Khermet said.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Wolderrf said and gave his brother a shove. “You look worse than ever.”

  Sdaddler was looking even more down than before.

  “I forgot my good pair of boots down there.” He replied.

  - Interlude - Far Stone

  It was content. Warmed by the sun, washed by the rain. Handsome with some flowering moss. It was a proud stone.

  For a long time, it had been at the very top of a mountain peak. It had withstood countless storms and a thousand years of harsh winds.

  It was finally knocked loose by a duel between dragon riders and a winged Lich.

  It did not care about falling. It had been stationary and still for so long.

  When the dragon’s breath blasted the Lich from the sky the monster had crashed through the mountain peak.

  The large stone was unable to enjoy its short flight. Since it was a stone.

  It was not sad to leave the mountain peak. It traveled for a lifetime, down valleys and streams. The stone did not mind moving.

  It was a large stone, a prize carried to battlefields to be launched at armies. The stone became a warrior unshaken by the many it had slain.

  Yet still, the thrill of flight, of crushing bones and meat could not stir up any emotions within the stone. It was a stone.

  The stone was finally left forgotten after a battle. Its career as a warrior ended without fanfare or regret. Eventually, farmers moved in and the battlefield became a field for hoppergrass. The stone was moved by strong arms and broad backs to be part of a wall around the farmstead where it watched over generations of farmers.

  Then soldiers and mages came, the stone was claimed to be part of a castle. Yet the castle was never completed. A massive Drake took offense to the construction and tore the unfinished castle down. Destruction had once again eventually sent the stone downhill.

  Rubbed smooth by sandy streams then rivers, the stone was worn down. It was fished out of a river and set at the edge of an old kings road, the base of a farstone marker.

  It supported an inscribed stone showing the distance to Valoria. But the stone did not feel pride, nor shame at this. The stone could not read. It was a stone.

  Until the road was forgotten, reclaimed by weeds and bushes and then trees.

  The stone was still and stable. It was warmed by the sun on clear days, pushed by the wind on stormy days. It grew moss in the spring, and it was covered in snow in the winter.

  One morning, the stone was suddenly not alone. A Bushcat hunkered down behind the stone and coiled itself. Its legs and tail and head folded under its hulking foliage, ready to spring into action.

  It was not the first time the stone had met a monster. The stone watched the monster bush without making a sound.

  It is pretending to be a bush. It is not a bush. A true bush is like a stone, fixed to a place and a point in time. This is a temporary imitation.

  The Bushcat waited patiently for the adventurer it heard coming. The young man was wearing miss-matched leather armor and had a half-sword at his hip and his braced shield strapped on his back beside a fishing pole.

  He was picking mushrooms on his way through the forest and placing them in a basket.

  The stone had no sympathy for the adventurer. It was not rooting for the monster. It was a stone.

  The Bushcat pounced on the adventurer toppling the stone onto the old road from its perch.

  The adventurer fought for his life and struck the beast with its shield. Before he could draw his sword the monster swiped the shield from his arm. It skid across the old road to stop beside the stone.

  The man dropped his basket and pole and drew his sword.

  The Bushcat slipped back into the dense flora around the old road and everything was quiet for a few tense seconds.

  The adventurer kept his eyes moving from bush to shrub to log. His eyes landed on his shield and he considered scrambling to grab it. In that moment the Bushcat launched itself from behind the adventurer. He managed to bring his sword around and graze the monster across its belly.

  The beast landed on top of the adventurer and they grappled across the road. The adventurer reached for his shield but it was out of his reach. Instead, his fingers closed on the stone.

  He yelled and brought the stone down on the Bushcats’s head.

  The first strike dazed the monster and the adventurer hit it again.

  The stone was unconcerned. It was much harder than the monster’s head.

  Before the adventurer could slam the stone down again the Bushcat scored one more hit, slicing open the adventurers armor and their belly beneath.

  He struck again and again until he was fatigued, bleeding out, the adventurer dropped the stone onto the road. The adventurer’s blood pooled around the stone and mingled with the Bushcat’s blood.

  The stone was not squeamish. It was a stone.

  Too much excitement for an old stone like me.

  Rank up: Stone Golem lvl 1 (1000018/1000000) yes / no?

  What are these? Leave me alone. It is a nice warm day and the sun is shining on me.

  Rockford Stonepeak sat contently in its new spot in the sun on an old kings road. A Spider Melon came eventually and dragged the two corpses away.

  Rockford knew that rain would come and clean up the rest of the mess eventually.

  - Interlude: Trouble in Aldermere pt 3

  The sun shone down on the main street in Aldermere. Mozeby the shopkeeper for the second largest general store had plans to step out early for lunch and rushed the last two kids out of his store.

  “Alright! Alright we are going!” Dyler said with a huff. “Some way to treat your best customers.”

  “Certainly not!” Mozeby laughed. “You only buy Mishrooms these days. Now get out I have places to be!”

  Kodna stumbled at the door and fell flat on their face.

  “Oh now look! Your loose floorboards have tripped my friend!” Dyler said with exaggerated offense.

  Step away from that door.

  “What now? I just had them mended last spring!” Mozeby cried. He stopped locking up his shop and sprinted over to the fallen dwarf at his front door.

  As the shop keeper fussed over Kodna’s banged shin, Victor and Calvin peeked from behind a crate of rope.

  You guys are good to go!

  Dyler gave them the signal and the two brothers slipped from their hiding place into the back of the store.

  “Now see! This is just a small bump.” Mozeby said with a scowl. “What game are you playing at? What about that Dwarven heritage? You are tougher than this!”

  “Thank you sir, I feel much better.” Kodna said quickly.

  Kiritus you are up next!

  Dyler lifted his friend up by their arm and they made their exit before Mozeby could give them a lecture.

  Kiritus ran up to Mozeby and pulled his attention off Kodna.

  Exactly according to plan!

  “Oh! Is the shop already closed for lunch?” She said.

  “Sorry little one.” Mozeby said as he fumbled with he keys to his store. “I’ve closed for lunch.

  Kiritus made a particularly sad face.

  “Oh shoot, I’m only a few minutes into lunchtime,” She said.

  “What? It can’t be that late!” Mozeby cried. “Come back in an hour, no two! I’ll be back and open for business then.”

  The shopkeeper locked up the front door to his shop and hurried off to the tavern to rendezvous with Mara.

  “Where is he off to in such a hurry?” Dyler mused aloud.

  “Did the guys make it inside?” Kiritus asked.

  “They sure did. Should be around back any minute.” Dyler said.

  “Race you around back!” Kodna shouted before sprinting off as fast as their shorter frame could carry them.

  “You think this will work?” Kiritus asked as she gave Kodna a little head start.

  “It has to.” Dyler said as he hopped from foot to foot. “Taking a graft from Mozeby’s Mother stalk is the only way we can raise enough Mishrooms to feed Charley.”

  The two lanky kids took off running after their friend.

  -

  “Well done guys!” Dyler cheered.

  The group had met up behind Mozeby’s general store. Their prize was a section of breeding stalk from a Mishroom Mother.

  Kiritus held the small cage with the sleeping monster inside. Victor and his brother Calvin struck victory poses and soaked up the praise.

  It’s so cute! She thought. Now we can have enough Mishrooms for Charley.

  Dyler reached over and took the cage so he could have a look at the monster too.

  “Whoa it’s a fat one!” He said with a laugh. “Alright let’s split up and meet back at Charley’s shed.”

  Kodna took the cage and covered it with a cloth.

  “I’ve got some scraps of food from lunch? I’ll pick them up from home.”

  “Dyler?” A familiar voice called. “Dyler are you back there?”

  That’s Dyler’s father! He would report us to the guards if he found out we were stealing!

  “Kiritus!” Her mother called.

  “Why are our parents here? Did they see us steal the mother stalk?” She whispered quickly.

  “You all go, we can stall our parents.” Dyler said. “We will meet you at the shed tomorrow!”

  The two brothers and Kodna hurried off down the alley away from the adults.

  Dyler always knows what to do. He’s a great papa to Charley too.

  “Alright we are coming back there.” Dyler’s dad said loudly. “There you two are!”

  Dylers father had walked slowly around the back of the general store, with Kiritus’s mother one step behind him.

  “Pa! Has something happened?” Dyler said.

  “Oh nothing, I was just speaking with Diane here about you and your friend.” Dyler’s dad said with a twinkle in his eye.

  Kiritus met her mother’s eyes to gauge if she was in trouble, but her mother’s expression only radiated humor.

  Why is mother so happy? What is happening?

  “Nothing is wrong, just thought you should know that we know what you are doing.”

  “What?” Dyler squeaked. “We aren’t-“

  “Don’t deny it, it’s fine. We approve,” Dyler’s dad said. “Just be careful.”

  How could they know?

  “What?” Dyler stammered. “But we were so careful.”

  Diane stepped forward to speak.

  “It’s okay. We were young too once. And as you near your second rank you will understand. Young love is so wonderful but don’t let it blind you to the dangers of adventuring.”

  “What?” Dyler squeaked again, his adolescent voice cracking.

  “We are careful mother.” Kiritus said.

  “Of course you are Kay. But boys can get a certain way while adventuring.” Her mother said with a blush.

  Dyler turned beet red and couldn’t look at any of them.

  “It’s not like that!” He said with more emotion than he intended. “We are friends! All of us are working together to level. Victor and Calvin and Kodna too.”

  Kiritus felt a pang of emotion in her chest.

  So what if they have it wrong? It's a fine lie. Does he hate the idea so much?

  She swallowed back her emotions and spoke up.

  “Dyler is right. We are just hunting monster for materials and experience. We all have a craft,” She said with only a little tremble in her voice. “I made a bow and have been selling arrows!”

  If he thinks we are just friends then we are friends. I can raise Charley on my own.

  Dyler’s dad laughed and grabbed his son around the shoulders, but Kiritus' mother could see something else was wrong.

  “Well then forget I said anything,” He said, unconvinced. “I’ll be taking this stud home, there’s chores to do around the house since he’s been out adventuring.”

  Diane and Kiritus watched them walk away and then turned towards their home. They walked in silence until she spoke quietly to her daughter.

  “If you like him then you might have to tell him. Some boys are stupid, some men are too,” She said.

  “It is fine. We are just friends,” Kiritus said.

  They turned past the southern gate and two strangers were passed through by the guards. An older man and a boy, both with fine linen pants turned bad by traveling on foot. The man wore a hat made out of grasses woven together.

  Where are they from?

  Kiritus met the boys eyes and he gave her a warm smile.

  “We will find the inn then get a room. We will need to stay here a while and stock up.” The older man said to the boy as the walked. “They should have beginner quests for you here, or we could offer to help the surroundings farms.”

  The boy listened respectfully nodding along as the older man spoke.

  “Yes Papi.” He said as he kept pace with his grandfather’s long strides.

  Something about the two strangers held Kiritus’s attention, but she couldn’t settle on it.

  She had stared blatantly for so long that the boy noticed. He waved at her.

  He’s cute.

  She waved back out of reflex.

  “Ethan come along!” Calix said.

  They aren’t wearing armor or weapons or anything! How could they travel here?

  https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/60277/irwins-journey-the-cardsmith