For long moments, they all just stared at sparkling wonder before them, glittering rubies, sparkling emeralds, and flashing sapphires among countless other precious stones trapped in striations of brilliant crystal and midnight obsidian with an unearthly shimmer all its own, like distant twinkling stars in a midnight sky. Jack was absolutely captivated by the sight, his eyes drowning in glittering display of incalculable wealth, his remaining senses serenaded constant splash of the waterfall pouring into the pristine underground lake echoing so harmoniously it was almost like music, the air smelling of damp stone and priceless magical ore.

Yet what caught everyone's eye just as much as the glittering jewels were the cords of mercury silver, a latticework running through the obsidian-like stone that Jack intuitively sensed wasn't obsidian at all. But rather the bedrock of living dream.

Mithril ore, one of the most sought after prizes in all the world above. Thanks to Barlton's nose, they had stumbled upon a prize lost to time, whose worth Jack could scarce comprehend.

"What would all this ore be um... worth?" Elof asked, his voice hushed and reverential before the wonder before him.

Aroust chuckled softly. "That's a very good question. Your grace?"

Drake just shook his head. "As I'm sure our dwarven friend could tell you, the subjects been a tiny point of contention between our peoples."

"Indeed it has, yer Grace, but we can certainly leave past quibbles aside, band o brothers that we now are."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Drake, his bemused gaze turning solemn. "Because on the one hand, the stuff's priceless. Used as it is in the creation of powerful artifacts, indestructible weapons and armor, and the very pillars that serve as the foundation of our city's defense. Vital as it is, both to the Arcane Academy itself and the defense of our home, there can be no price tag put on it's worth.

"However, that being said, the one edict our duchy has always held to is that all Mithril ore found in the duchy is the property of the duchy, and that daring to sell it or transfer it to any foreign power is a hangable offense that, in the case of adventurers is commuted to exile, for obvious reasons, with all titles and property forfeit."

Aroust whistled. "A steep penalty indeed, Your Grace."

Drake nodded. "It is. Of course, the world's a place of compromise, and destroying the lives of hardworking Delvers who help defend our land simply because they're enticed by a corrupt merchant and are somewhat ignorant of the law commuted the very few cases this occurred to steep fines. So too, Nobles are ever wary of how easily these laws can be used against them as well. What happens if a pawn of your enemies stashes mithril in our carriage as you vacation outside the duchy?"

Drake shrugged. "But regardless, that law, as it stands, is still in the books."

Elof glowered. "That hardly seems fair. We find a priceless prize, go to the trouble of mining it, and the crown seizes it and claims its theirs? Sounds like bullying and theft to me."

"Agreed," Barlton said with a nod. "But o course, it ain't so bleak as that, now is it, yer Grace?"

Drake was smiling. "Not at all, my friend. Compensation is tendered, and by ancient adventurer's Guild treatise a lucrative exchange was offered, since long before modern magical mining techniques, the only ones who could farm even traces of it were adventurers. And for all that we are no longer in good standing of the Guild, for the simple fact that we can use all we can get, the duchy has not seen fit to alter the terms of the codices forged."

Veti furrowed her brow, blowing a stray lock of soft brown hair out of her eyes. "And just how much is the duchy willing to pay us?"

Drake's eyes positively twinkled, for all that he kept his expression solemn. "One hundred gold per ounce."

All the them froze at those words, save Barlton, flashing a brilliant smile of his own. "So the duchy didn't try ta weazel out o' the agreement. Good! I trust ore mined by one o my kind get the same treatment as always?"

Drake rolled his eyes then grinned. "Of course it will. In fact, I'll tell my uncle that I agreed to that stipulation personally."

Their friend crossed his massive arms and gave a satisfied nod. "Excellent!" He then pulled a massive pick from seemingly nowhere and was warming up his muscles. "Time ta get mining! We got three picks here, right? Tis good, because my talents as a miner will let me give three of ya my miner's blessin' which is kind o' important if ya plan on actually diggen' out the ore. And receiving other benefits besides." With those words he spat on his hands and rubbed them together in seeming excitement.

But Elof was just gazing at Drake open-mouthed, feeling much the way Jack was, at that moment.

"Wait, wait! You're saying each ounce of this mithril is worth a hundred gold crowns, and if a Gold crown is worth 20,000 copper feathers..." he swallowed, gazing at Drake in stupefaction. "Drake. that's 2 million copper feathers per ounce."

Drake couldn't hold back the fierce grin now stretching wide across his face. "I know."

"But Drake, there has to be... what... a hundred pounds of ore trapped in this rock?"

Barlton gave a thoughtful nod. "At the very least. Mayhap more, if we're truly fortunate." His face split wide with a brilliant grin. "Mayhap much, much more!"

Elof's eyes bulged. "That would be worth... god's mercy, that would be worth hundreds of millions of copper feathers!"

Drake tilted his head back, laughing with glee. "I know! We could literally buy the capital while mages and artificers all over the world flood our duchy to make the most magnificent artifacts imaginable that will make our duchy a bastion of culture, magic, and civilization and make us so powerful that neither Erovering nor Velheim will dare to strike at us ever again!"

Veti's eyes also lit up with excitement. "The boon this will be to the college. We'll be able to expand our territory to an incredible degree!"

Drake laughed merrily, giving his mage friend a hug. "I know. I know! It will be even easier to enter the hidden city, and our magics will work to full effect through the entire duchy! We'll be helping to forge a paradise on earth, and we'll be living legends, revered by school and duchy alike!"

Elof was still shaking his head, gazing at the glittering fortune with awed disbelief. "A billion copper pennies. What couldn't I buy with that?"

Drake grinned. "Of course there's no way the duchy or any empire could actually cash us out. Instead we'll be awarded vast tracks of land, titles, and the favor of my family. You'll all be able to live it up like lords because you will all be lords, with monthly stipends assuring you never want for anything again!"

Barlton frowned. "Good enough, yer Grace. But if we are truly pulling up an unrivaled fortune in ore..."

Drake's cast took on a grim intensity. "I assure you, friend Barlton, I will let no slimy bureaucrat on my uncle's staff shortchange us a penny. Whatever the worth of the lands and stipends granted, I will make sure that that fraction alone is deducted from our net worth. The remaining will be the land boon debt the duchy will honor on our family's behalf the minute our territory widens."

Jack blinked in surprise to see his erstwhile easy-going, almost happy-go-lucky friend flash such a jaded, predatory smile. "When those Velheim bastards eventually dare to strike at our nation with their rifleers in the years to come, we will be more than ready to let loose our hounds of war and tear free the entire kingdom of Velheim from the corrupt king's greedy little paws! Once that occurs, there will be an entire council of lords to replace, and duchies handed out to the most efficient generals, but to none will be feted land boons quite as great as to those valiant heroes whose vast finds of Mithril will serve as the cornerstone of our future military might!"

The rest of the party blinked, staring at Drake.

"An interesting take on future events, Your Grace," Aroust said at last. "If you'll forgive the suggestion, however, I think discretion would serve us well on many fronts. Especially at first. And before we worry about anything else..."

"We have a fortune o' wealth ta uncover before ma nose picks up the trail again!" Barlton said, flashing another thousand megawatt smile. "So what's say we get digging?"

Elof, however, was gazing at Barlton with stunned disbelief. "Wait! There could be more?"

The dwarf shrugged. "Only one way ta find out! And that's ta dig up and store all this ore proper-like, and see if ma nose picks out any other trail because... well..."

"We have absolutely no knowledge on how to get back home, or even to our realm?" said a bemused Jack. "Because even my interface map has no idea where the fuck we are. I just had to start a new page, a few jumps in reality back."

Barlton coughed awkwardly. "Well, there's an old dwarf sayin' that when yer nose can smell nothin' else, it can find the way back home. And won't it be excitin' to see if that's actually the truth!"

Aroust rubbed his face and groaned, and Jack couldn't help laughing.

"Sounds good to me!" Jack said. "After all, what the hell else are we going to do?"

"Starve?" wondered a suddenly worried-looking Elof.

Drake furrowed his brow. "Hopefully not. My storage space has a month's worth of rations and as much water as we might need."

Jack nodded. "And I can summon fresh elementally pure water at will, to say nothing perfectly clean air, though I think we have enough air and water flow through this cavern. Not to mention a couple of... well, let's just say some spiders and bugbears were in my way and it was more efficient to store them in an instant than lumber over them, so we actually have a few hundred pounds of meat... assuming people don't mind eating spiders and bugbears. Of course, I'll have to clean out the poison glands of the first."

This earned a number of queezy looks, though Barlton and Aroust were sharing equally wide grins. "Spider meat is quite the treat!" Barlton declared. "We get those bastards often enough in dwarven caves. Got so bad we eventually got used to the taste o the spiders before we finally cleared the last. Then we started breeden' the remainders for taste and nutritional value, and maybe ta not be so poisonous, o' course."

He beamed down at the queezy looking Veti. "Don't worry, girl. I happen ta be a great cook. You'll love my food, I swear it!"

For some reason Veti blushed at those words. Then she smiled. "I... I think I would like that," she said.

"Well then it's settled!" Barlton turned to Jack. "I already know you have a gold tier storage device, and you'll always have my eternal gratitude, lad. But how long will an undressed kill last in there?"

Jack grinned. "Eternity, I think. It won't age or decay. It's basically frozen in time, the instant you put something in it."

Drake whistled. "Now that's what I call a priceless artifact. But aren't you worried about it getting damaged if you store too much in the way of caustic poisons or sharp blades and massive suits of armor?"

Jack shook his head. "I'm pretty sure it's indestructible. I mean, considering what it was made of, and all."

This earned several intent gazes. "And what, exactly, is it made of?" Veti asked.

Jack winced. "Um... you know what? I'd rather not say."

Aroust frowned, but Barlton just shrugged. "Well then, let's just be grateful our Jack here is able to use it so well!" The dwarf declared helpfully. "So, who's interested in learnin' what it means to mine beside a dwarf?"

And in very short order, an excited Drake, hesitant Aroust and awed Elof were all stripped of everything save basic pants, tunics, cotton gloves, boots, and mining picks now glowing with a subtle energy Jack attributed to the dwarf's own feats finally coming into play.

Jack grinned. He had seen how well his companion's Ore Strike ability worked on spiders in the instant they made themselves vulnerable to the massive dwarf. He could only hope it would work half so well on actual ore.

"And now we'll begin, boys, while our mage friends watch on. Now ya all might feel a bit strange and tingly, but don't fight it! That's the magic of the mines workin' through you, and the magic o mithril as well."

He flashed Jack and Veti an almost pitying smile. "There's a boon to be had for those who dare to work this ore. You'll feel it start ta flood yer veins... you might even feel a sudden itch, and urge to open yerself fully to its promise... to level up, as it were." The dwarf's gaze turned solemn. He adamantly shook his head. "But don't ya dare give in to the easy path. Instead, best to let the sweet pressure build. Build to the point ya can feel the mithril enterin' your veins Changing ya from the inside out, as it were. If ye're really gifted, ya might even be able to affect the flow o that potency. But either way, it's a free gift that won't change yer level if ya let it compress you as far as it can."

This earned a couple surprised frowns, but Aroust instantly got it, his eyes widening with a certain amount of awe. "So what your saying is, to put it in Jack's terms, it will either give us a flat experience point bonus, that might push us up a level, or a power or stat bonus. Something to that affect?"

The dwarf squiggled one massive digit in his ear thoughtfully before giving a slow nod. "More or less," he allowed, before smiling at his prize and flinging the pulsating blog of earwax against a far wall.

Jack sensed Veti's wince.

"I could almost... if only it weren't for those ears... and that nose!"

Jack blinked, turning to Veti. "What was that?"

For some reason she blushed furiously and averted her gaze. "I didn't say anything, Jack!"

Jack blinked at this, scratching his own ears, not quite sure why they were tingling, or why he was getting such a strong image of Veti sleeping in the giant dwarf's powerful arms. He shook away the unwanted image, gaze focusing on Aroust as he waxed on about character building tactics.

"So our dwarven friend is absolutely right! Considering the steep increasing cost of leveling up, turning that boon into a free level may be the easy path, but it will only be a fraction of the experience you need to level up yet again, while your friend who was wise enough to take whatever perk or boon was granted is only the slightest bit behind you, by what will one day be the tiniest fraction of a level, yet he still maintains the full power of his original boon."

Drake nodded, clapping Elof's shoulder. "Basically, take the stat boost if we're actually given one, and ignore the itch to level up."

Elof chuckled bitterly. "That won't be a problem, Drake, seeing as I can't see my character sheet, and I don't even have a class!" He sighed and shook his head. "But if this mithril can somehow help me, even if it's just by making me a little bit stronger than I was before? Then maybe all this was worth it."

Drake laughed at that. "Are you forgetting about the fortune in ore? No matter what happens, eternal youth and inconceivable wealth, something we're all on the cusp of achieving, are gifts every lord who refuses to dare the deeps will envy, which is almost all of them."

Jack grinned at that, before catching Barlton's eye. "You sure Veti and I can't join you?"

The dwarf gave a sad shrug. "I'm sorry lad, I truly am! Our Drake here's a wild card, I'm surprised my gift will sync with him, but it does. But you have no warrior or mining class, nor does Veti."

Jack laughed and shrugged. "True enough. Hell, I don't have any class at all, really."

Elof blinked. "But neither do I."

Barlton nodded. "Yer a clean slate, lad, but let's be honest, yer soul's that of a warrior. Clear as day ta me and my gift." He then gazed Jack's way, an apologetic cast to his features. "And as much as I'd love for our sweet little Veti ta join us... and you two, friend Jack who saved my skin... one of you is a pure mage and the other, well..."

"An elf?" Drake said.

Barlton nodded. "That he is."