5 days 21 hours 36 minutes, and 9 seconds remaining

Horn stared at the countdown. The time was flying by. The debrief of his champions took an hour but was very educational. Clan wise, he first had to focus on building a chieftain hut, which would allow him to access clan menus and, more importantly, to raise Essence tax on his people. This was a solution to develop their dwarfpower. However, that wasn’t as easy as he expected.

First, he had to summon a quartermaster, an advanced crafter costing a thousand points, even to make heads and tails of piles of wood, stone, and random metal. What surprised Horn was the choice of advanced workers. It was a lot smaller than he expected. There were only several choices, Constructor, Engineer, Scholar, Alchemist, Quartermaster, Armorsmith, and Weaponsmith. There were a dozen more types, but they were grayed out, and he couldn’t even decipher their crafts. However, he decided it wasn’t the best time to dive into that, so he approved the summon.

The dwarf came out a bit more eloquent and even gave him his name - Ulvir. He quickly went through their stockpiles, or rather, just piles, and came up with the estimated ten units of wood, fifteen of stone, and two of a low-quality metal. On top of that, the loot from the dungeon amounted to a dozen hand weapons, axes, hammers, swords from which most could be used as tools, four sets of leather armor, and three damaged sets that could maybe be salvaged into two full ones.

Knowing what he had, Horn had to keep summoning, two builders –five hundred points each - and a constructor – another thousand down the drain - to oversee them. A carpenter – another five hundred - to make the wood usable. Tanner, as it turned out, rat’s skin can be very useful in creating small sacks, and butcher as dwarfs didn’t have any reservation on eating them. Horn made a mental note to avoid meat for a day or two until they go through the stockpile. A leatherworker to repair the armor and work on the prepared skins. Then all of them required tools, so a blacksmith followed, but he needed both metal and smithy, thankfully he found an option to buy the necessary tools and even a mobile crucible on a metal cart, which cost another thousand points. It was still cheaper than buying finished products. A single iron knife cost a hundred Essence! While an ingot that could make two of them was a quarter of that.

Still, his small shopping spree pushed him down to less than fifteen thousand points, and he didn’t even start on either food, wood, or ore production, not even mentioning the military, but what’s done was done.

Goran’s report was even more interesting, as Horn suspected the five gates led into the five challenges of the dungeon. The five gates led into five areas. The first one was a woodland valley. The entrance led into a shallow cave with an incredible vista over the area. The valley seemed to be closed off from every side, and Goran saw smoke in the middle of it. Investigating a bit led him into a skirmish with two goblin gathers, which ended badly for the greenskins. Goran had a bit of grudge for their race. Still, he concluded that the objective was to wipe the goblins out. However, what took Horn’s attention was that the valley was full of trees, plants, and probably game. He already saw in his mind an army of lumberjacks cutting it to the ground to fuel furnaces making arms and armor.

The second gate led into a perfectly circular arena, with bleachers for the audience. It looked like a coliseum, with two gates leading into the sandpit. The doorway from their cavern led into one of the waiting areas just in front of the gate leading on the sand, but Goran couldn’t tell anything else as nothing happened despite spending some time there.

The third gate led into a library, with hundreds of volumes on shelves and a door leading deeper inside. The passage was closed with runes etched on the door, blinking in and out randomly. However, Goran didn’t understand them. The library itself didn’t look anything special. A few rows of shelves, a few reading desks, and glowing crystals spread evenly throughout the celling serving as light.

The fourth gate led into a crafting paradise area. Spread evenly into twelve parts, and each contained a fully equipped crafting workshop. Horn almost shouted at Goran when he heard that, as he just spent a few thousand Essence on equipment, and there was a whole trial full of it. However, Goran stopped him explaining that a rule board in the middle of the room said nothing could be brought into the room or taken from it. The test itself was to craft a dozen well-made items.

The final gate was probably the most interesting for Goran. It led to something he knew. It was a dungeon. Based on his knowledge, it was a five-man dungeon, a monster-infested place that respawned after clearing. It also allowed several parties at once to delve, each landing in their own version of the puzzle. The dwarf said he wasn’t sure how many charges the core had left, but that was to be tested.

Horn instantly launched a barrage of questions regarding dungeons. Where they were, how they worked, what charges? Goran was overwhelmed for a moment before starting to explain. The dungeons were a somewhat common occurrence in the Nexus. They were refreshing after each run, regenerating monsters, traps, and loot, but they had a limited amount of charges in them. If the energy ran out, then the dungeon would dissipate. Energy regenerated slowly on its own over time, or if someone died inside. The first party leader to clear the dungeon would receive a dungeon master title and benefits that included detailed information on energy and its regeneration. Overall, they were treasured possessions of any lords as they brought an endless amount of loot and Essence their way, as long as they were strictly regulated.

Sometime later, Horn was suffering from information overload. Around him, his dwarves kept busy, running back and forth, but he was sitting on a boulder and pondering about his course of action. Dungeon sounds fun, but it’ll take him from the camp for an unknown amount of time. Goblin village was for sure a tactical challenge, which would be costly, but probably provided a lot of loot and the valley itself. Unlimited, for the time being, source of raw materials. The library was either a puzzle or something connected with magic, but it also might have been a treasure trove of knowledge he needed.

Crafting challenge would level up his crafters. He learned that crafting yielded essence. What's more, it was free, and the challenge provided both materials and crafting stations. Finally, the arena had to be a test of might against monsters, but that didn’t make too much sense as goblin valley and dungeon were about that. So, that left a PvP challenge.

He wanted to tackle them all, but he just didn’t have time to do so. A hundred things demanded his immediate attention, and he couldn’t decide where to start. “If I only could clone myself,” he thought as someone bumped into him. Annoyed, he turned to see – Handy, his first summon hurrying with an armload of wooden planks towards the building site of Chieftain’s hut. “I can clone myself,” Horn said to himself with a smile.

A while later, he called a small meeting with his champions. As they gathered, he explained, “So we have five challenges and less than six days to complete them. We lack everything, but mostly time. So we have to tackle them at once, and all of them at once. Goran, Ingrid, meet Sigrid, our new resident scholar. She tells me she can research like no one else. She’ll be handling the library to find the solution to the puzzles and whatever other knowledge she can salvage. Ingrid, you’ll take crafters and kick the shit out of the crafting hall. Goran and I will take our three new fighters will delve into the dungeon. Hopefully gaining enough essence to summon reinforcements and remember, there are for sure hidden objectives in each of the halls, so let’s try to find them!”

“Ay pumpkin, we’ll make sure it's done.”

“Ah yes, Ingrid, we’ll be taking Thumper and Snouty with us into the dungeon. Goran tells me they shouldn’t count as party members.”

“What? No, after my dea –“ Ingrid began, when Horn cut her off, “Stop being drama queen, I promise they’ll be fine, probably they’ll come back fatter than they’re right now. I’ll keep care of them, and if we’re successful, we’ll buy more of them. Deal?”

“Pfft, younglings and their stupid ideas, taking my darlings into a dark, smelly dungeon. If there’ll be a hair missing, I’ll have your head. You understand?”

“Yes, auntie. We’ll be leaving in a few hours - When Goran finishes his refreshing course for the newbies, go check the crafting hall. I’ll get some more crafters for you when I come back.”

Ingrid stormed off, probably more acting than being angry, but Horn didn’t care as long as she’d do what he said. Goran was nodding at him, pleased with the outcome. However, seeing Horn’s eyes flaring up, he quickly bowed and took his leave. Sigrid, the new researcher, was already gone, not too talkative, like most summoned dwarfs, but she certainly had some personality. Uncommon souls seemed to either be better programmed or more developed.

Horn approached the Soul well and sighed, the researcher cost him another thousand points and three fighters fifteen hundred each, draining him to a sad state of just a hair over four thousand, from which six hundred of his own. He summoned a few more crafters for Ingrid, adding a stonemason, a tailor, and a barrel maker. These were a few of the crafters he got a list of from her earlier. With a thousand in reserve, he was done with summoning for now.

Instead, he could level up himself. Before diving into the dungeon, that seemed like the most sensible choice or maybe buying more equipment. He remembered that only a few splinters were left from his shield, but he had some crafters now. He grabbed the passing dwarf and told him to pass a message to Ingrid to get him new gear.

Then he pushed four hundred Essence into a level, seeing a familiar message. The free points went into might for strength and spirit for some mana regen.

You’ve reached level 4. You gain: +1 Endurance, +1 Might, +1 Spirit, +1 Might/Endurance/Presence (choose one within 1 hour or it will be randomly assigned), +1 Free attribute point.

Congratulations, you’ve learned skills: Inner Fire

Inner Fire level 1 – 20 mana +5 per additional target up to 3, 10-second cast, 1-hour cooldown – Mind / Spirit – Imbue the targets with righteous might, increasing their resistance to most damage and increasing health regeneration for 30 minutes.

“What with all that spells and crazy mana? Even with the latest gains, I have a bit over forty points and regen like half of that an hour. How the hell would one play a caster or support if there’s so little mana?” Horn complained into the space.

At least he still had a dozen of potions. He spread them evenly between himself and fighters but took all four mana potions. They regenerated ten points each. He knew that by trial and error earlier, he still was annoyed by not having any sort of identifying spell or ability. The HUD in this game just sucked, but then he realized he had an empty skill slot and a scholar who maybe could help him out. He quickly marched to the library challenge and found Sigrid.

“I need an Identify skill,” Horn stated,

“I’m not sure I understand, Chieftain,” Sigrid replied, raising her head from the book she was reading,

“Ahh, you know a skill that would allow me to see the level of people around, statistics or descriptions of items, and so on.”

Drumming her fingers on the table, she said, “Ah, a Lore skill. A wise choice, leaders, have to be educated. Yes.”

Horn waited for her to continue, but she already went back to reading, “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I concur with Chieftain’s choice.” She replied, not raising her sight.

“What is it with intelligent NPC and their quirks?” Horn complained under his breath, then added louder, “Amazing, so can you teach me that?”

“Yes,” She answered and kept reading.

“Moth…” Horn started but stopped himself. He took a deep breath before saying, “Then please do, and if you again answer in a single word, god my witness, I’ll burn this library.”

That got her attention. Sigrid jumped from the chair, her hood sliding off her head. It was the first time Horn saw her face. She kept the hood on, and her baggy brownish robes covered her from head to toes. Sigrid turned out to be a beautiful woman with sharp facial features, big emerald eyes, and short ear-length hair. Or at least she would be one if she took care of herself a bit. Her hair was disheveled, and spatters of ink were visible on her cheek. However, her eyes drilled into him, promising violence if he even touched a single book.

The intimidation ended quickly, as she gathered her senses, then replied, “Chieftain, mastering such a skill would take a few weeks in this library - a few weeks of very diligent researching, we can, of course, start, but I believe you could purchase the skill from the Soul well. It’s called Lore, and the first level should be affordable. The following few could be learned by research like every other skill, but remaining mastery needs to be achieved by practice. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

He was still a bit taken back by her sight, and he believed the promised violence as a cold shiver went down his spine. Shaking his head, he quickly went back to the main cavern. Checking in the interface, he indeed found the Lore skill. It was priced at a hundred essence, just within his reach. Buying it, he saw a message, and then his world changed,

Congratulations, you’ve learned skills: Lore

Lore level 1 – Passive – Mind – Gives deep understanding of his surroundings based on one’s knowledge. Grants knowledge of entity race and estimated level. Allows identifying items and potions up to scarce rarity.

His world changed. Names appeared above dwarves’ heads he knew. Others just said Dwarf level 1-5. His axe brought up a message,

Iron axe – common - average quality – min. 12 might, 10 endurance – 10 slashing damage – made by the unknown crafter.

The mana potion became: Minor mana restoration brew – uncommon – average quality – restores 10 mana over 4 seconds – made by the unknown crafter.

“Finally, this looks like a game!” Horn exclaimed.

Next, he went to check on Goran and his fighters. Following his advice, he summoned two melee specialists and a single ranged one. He wondered why they needed a ranged specialist when they didn’t have any ranged weapons, but his question was answered. Their smith had to work overtime as the dwarf was just strapped with all matter of javelins. Two quivers crossed on his back, each with at least eight handles sticking out of it. Then he had two in his hands.

“What skills do you have?” Horn asked the thrower,

“Chieftain, I’m a level one Crossbowman; I have a Ranged Combat Proficiency and Precise Shot skill.” The dwarf replied,

Horn’s jaw dropped. It was the first time he got such a simple yet informing reply. Then he only became irritated as that meant that his champions were just fucking with him. Taking a breath, he asked Goran, “So why you don’t want to share your skills with me, while this here does it without any reservation?”

The captain looked at him, with disbelief in his healthy eye, “Chieftain, it's rude to ask for such details. These are personal matters, you taking advantage of a weak freshly summon clanmates is offe –“ he stopped mid-word, before adding, “Uncustomary.”

“Huh, didn’t expect that,” Horn muttered, somewhat ashamed, then replied louder, “Apologies, I’m not used to your customs, but can we discuss a training scheme? Or how we should develop our fighters? I need to know what they can do.”

“Of course, we can set up a basic skill tree that our fighters should follow, that’s normal practice, but first we would need a training field and barracks to have a place where they can learn them. Not even mentioning either skill shards or technique manuals.” Goran replied,

“Uhm, yes, of course. We’ll leave it for now.” Taking another look at the three trainees, he saw that their fighters also looked better than when they came out of the portal in just some basic clothing. One was holding two hand axes and expertly swung them in some complicated pattern, at least to Horn’s eyes. The other hefted a massive sledgehammer, now resting on his shoulder. A large rectangular stone was attached to a long pole with a metal brace and strapped tight with leather. All three were wearing a set of leather armor, identical to one Horn had. Only Goran had his chainmail and metal shield, fitting to his role of tank.

Goran was putting them through their paces, shouting quite a lot, and forcing more complicated maneuvers. Horn was tempted to join, but after seeing the pained faces of warriors, he quickly changed his mind. Nodding to Goran, he walked away.

Sometime later, he picked up a new shield from his carpenter. It was good two feet in diameter, made out of sturdy wood, one of the last pieces remaining, and he was ready for the dungeon. Just to be sure all bases were covered, he quickly checked his status.

Name: Horn Skysmith

Race: High dwarf

Allegiance: Lightforge Clan

Level: 4 (21/500 essence) /0/0

Current class: Adept

Previous classes: -

Health [Regeneration]: 48 / 48 [28/h]

Stamina [Regeneration]: 46 / 46 [26/h]

Mana [Regeneration]: 41/41 [21/h]

Attributes: [0 free points]

Might: 16

Reflex: 12

Mind: 10

Endurance: 20

Spirit: 16

Ability: 14

Presence: 10

Skills [0 free skill slot]: Combat proficiency level 2, Cure Wounds level 2, Radiance blast level 1, Blessed weapons level 1. Riding (Exotic beasts) level 1, Inner Fire level 1, Lore level 1

Traits: Chieftain, Dwarven Endurance, Low Magical affinity, Magical Resistance (Minor), Low light vision

Titles: Outnumbered specialist, Slayer I