Returning to her people alone had always been a risky proposition, one that Kalani was actively bargaining a solution for. Not only would announcing a pact with the territorial lord provide her much needed legitimacy, it would redirect the energy some may put into overthrowing her into the transition. If she could convince him to formally acknowledge her before the other naga Kalani’s position would be practically unassailable.

Maisy had proved quite capable in pulling information out of the naga queen, but she had gotten as much as she had given. Kalani had revealed that the size of her settlement was at the camp level. In other words, Mistfall Lake held a population between fifty and two hundred and forty nine. She knew that the next level, hamlet, required a minimum of two hundred and fifty people. Her tribe had several times in their past attempted to breach that threshold only to bring about decades of famine and worse.

Holding on to her kin’s primary secret had been a simple affair, the dwarf had never even asked questions along those lines. In all the time her tribe had been isolated from the wider world, she had learned about voraciously from their library and elders, it appeared that their tribe had been forgotten. While anonymity served her tribe’s purposes, it didn’t sit well with Kalani. If the histories were true, and she had no reason to believe otherwise, than they would eventually have to settle the primeval feud that had forced them into their current circumstances.

Kalani detailed the various goods that her camp could provide in trade. Naga were able to use their magical sensitivity to seek out the abundant herbs and components for alchemical concoctions throughout the cavern and tunnels. They had expert hands when mixing the ingredients as well. Their ability to sense the various forms of mana in its constituent parts, whether the life magic in Old Shepard’s Beard or the fire magic in the Orange Death Caps, made them experts at mixing potions, casting rituals based spells, and magical cooking.

In turn, the polite and adroit dwarf had shared much. Kalani soaked up any any and all information about things outside her small contained world. It was not surprising that one of Cire’s subordinates ranher own settlement. The queen was now beginning to recognize the shift in mana that occurred when she had observed Cire and the others. It was a subtle thing, but once she noticed the difference, Cire had shone like a beacon. Maisy’s aura tasted similar, but more like a torch and far less tangible.

Promises of lumber, furs,and open hunting grounds in exchange for potions and herbs were a good start.Prospective larger trading opportunities with the regular caravans that visited the valley were more persuasive prospects. Ultimately, nothing was more important than continual access to a manner of egress out of the cavern.

Apparently Cire was still consolidating his territory and had yet to found his own city or establish an existing one as a capital. This limited the benefits of forming a bond with him and the land at this time. Although, that was only a momentary concern.

Cire was young, had much potential, and had yet to take any wives. Maisy had been quite pointed in revealing that last fact. In turn Kalani had shared that she had one husband and several lovers. The naga queen was still unsure if she would make any of her previous lovers consorts now that she was queen, but that hardly mattered in her consideration. A marriage could serve her purposes very well.

“He fightsss well enough,” Kalani had observed the elf and his group during their melee with the mushrooms. She had little doubt that Cire could fulfill other needs of her adequately as well. She had always preferred elven features on her partners versus the blocky, and hairy, ones of dwarves.

“It isss a considered idea. I believe I would be open to a union between usss to formalissse the allegianssse of my people. Hera Teleia would be honored if we were to join in sssuch a way. You are wissse and knowledgeable, Maerria.”

Maerria, more commonly known as Maisy, smiled warmly at the comment and the continued easy manner of her conversation with Kalani.

“Thank you for the compliment, Kalani. I shall go over the proposed agreement with my lord and return with him so that we can proceed to your camp once we make final arrangements.”

During the second round of negotiations the group had decided that sitting around was no longer an option. They couldn’t leave Maisy unattended with the naga, but they could split off half the group to go poking around the ruined dwarven homes. Durg, Andre, and Nic went off in the direction of the alcoves built into the southern wall. Nicolas had been hesitant, but had gone along so he could keep an eye on Durg and Andre.

Stout sat on the dismembered cap of a giant mushroom with his knees pulled up. He was in a sour mood after running across the valley just to wait in the musty cavern. For once, he worked on reigning in his temper, but it screwed up his face into an unpleasant countenance making his demeanor all the more apparent.

Rechecking her gear for the third time after having recovered, Selene was still showing a degree of unease with the situation. Without the others driving the conversation she had gone silent. Cire could feel the prickly atmosphere and stayed quiet himself. Without much else to do, he tackled the long overdue notifications he had minimized or disregarded during this last foray.

You have gained a new sub-skill: Mountains and Hills (Common) Lore Tree.

“But why all this about oak or stone?.” - Hesiod

At initiate rank you have access to basic mountain and hill based terrain knowledge based actions with no penalty.

You have gained a new skill: Climbing (Uncommon).

“In that air they say that clouds do not gather and no stormy weather exists.” - Augustine

At initiate rank you can perform basic climbing actions with no penalty.

You have gained a new sub-skill: Rappelling (Uncommon) Climbing Tree.

“Nature does not make sudden jumps.” - Proverb

At initiate rank you can perform basic rappelling actions with no penalty.

You have gained a new sub-skill: Diplomacy (Rare) Communication Tree.

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” - Pericles

At initiate rank you can negotiate for terms with groups and organizations with no penalty. +10% relationship point gain with groups.

Skill level up! You have reached level 16 & 17 in Swordsmanship.

Skill level up! You have reached level 16 & 17 in Large Blades.

Skill level up! You have reached level 10 in Armor.

Skill level up! You have reached level 10 in Light Armor.

Skill level up! You have reached level 6 in Adventurer.

Skill level up! You have reached level 4 in Communication.

Finally receiving the skills for all of the climbing up and down out of the giant hole was gratifying. It had taken a couple of goes so it was unlikely he had high aptitude for the skills, but it was nice to gain them. Building up his communication skill options was also welcome. The bonus from diplomacy to his relationship gains would compound nicely with his Trustworthy aspect and his high Charisma.

Cire really wanted to visit a shrine so he could see the requirements for the various professions. He was high enough level now, but he still needed to meet the skill conditions. If he had a better idea of what he was suited for in the long term he could map out a better plan for his advancement. So far he had just been muddling through. He focused back on the notifications and continued to plow through them.

Your party has slain a total of 63 Red Cap Fungus Beasts (Levels 1 – 12). You have earned 4,103 experience points.

Your party has slain a total of 24 Blue Roundhead Fungus Beasts (Levels 1 – 8). You have earned 1,642 experience points.

Your party has slain a total of 47 Orange Death Cap Fungus Beasts (Levels 4 – 10). You have earned 2,332 experience points.

Cire’s quick progression through early levels was starting to slow down dramatically. He suspected that the tutorial’s experience boost was essentially a mechanism for him to help catch up with other adults in Elysium. He wasn’t sure how much bonus quest experience he had been getting, but he knew it was significant.

On top of that, the diminishing returns of no longer fighting enemies that were higher level than himself were readily apparent. At this point, anything that was below level 4 gave no experience for defeating. Given that the experience was also divided by all the members of their party, his gains for the fungus massacre felt paltry. They had just killed more enemies in one go than he had killed up to this point, but he hadn’t even gained a level.

The dramatic benefits of having settlement based quests and the scion bonus were starting to reveal themselves. Over the long run he would be able to continue progressing, something that most people wouldn’t be able to do. He pulled up the next notification with a renewed sense of purpose.

Quest update! The conditions for a currently accepted quest have changed now that you have gained additional information.

Quest Title: Flay the Fungus I

Condition(s): Clear the remaining Red Cap, Blue Roundhead, and Orange Death Cap fungus beasts from the ruins of Miletus. Discover the origin of the infestation within the western tunnel.

Rewards: Dilapidated dwarven residential and mercantile quarters. Additional settlement rewards still available.

None of the new information was particularly revelatory given his recent inspections and their unwelcome introduction to the Orange Death Caps. It did confirm that the rewards depicted in his quests were related directly to the tasks at hand. He had thought this to be the case ever since the first quest series with Gene and Stacy when he had received hand me down armor, but confirmation was good.

Quest Title: Net the Naga

Condition(s): Form a pact with the Lantern Naga Camp of Mistfall Lake and bond them to your territory.

Rewards: Territorial population increase, settlement bonus, territorial bonus, and trade goods.

Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: None

Do you Accept? Yes or No

Quest Title: Raze the Reptiles

Condition(s): Eliminate the Lantern Naga Camp of Mistfall Lake and slay the nest.

Rewards: Experience and unknown treasure.

Penalty for failure or refusal of Quest: None

Do you Accept? Yes or No

Cire wasn’t surprised to have received new quests regarding the naga, but this was the first time he had diametrically opposed options. He knew that he could judge the quests against each other by their rewards, but that didn’t feel right. He refused the quest to eliminate the naga outright. Everything the elf-vampire had killed so far, except the boars, had attacked him first. The boars had been pests actively digging up crops, and the hamlet had eaten the meat, so had no compunctions with their fate. Cire had very different feelings on wiping out a whole community of people that hadn’t come after him or the hamlet, scary snake people or no.

It felt like the quest system wasn’t exactly accurate or it lacked the nuance to deal with complicated political situations. If he failed the Net the Naga quest he expected there to be very real ramifications. However, the quest listed the penalty for failure or refusal as “none,” which couldn’t be right. If he tried and failed to bond Mistfall Lake he didn’t think it would go well. In the middle of his musings Maisy came back with a mischievous smile. She pulled Cire aside from the rest and briefed him on the potential agreement.

“… so the trading options are quite plentiful. I believe that you would benefit much from making allies of the naga. Typically they are quite isolationist and seldom have regular contact with other intelligent species. Their magical goods however, as you have already found out from the potion you administered, are of the highest quality. I suspect that once they have access to materials outside of the cavern that their production will greatly increase.”

Narrowing his eyes, Cire nodded.

“I can see that Sunset will benefit from this arrangement and having ready access to a more diverse market of local goods will be positive for everyone. How does it help me? Will I receive taxes on the exchanged goods?”

“Not in the form of gold and silver, but in kind, yes. Until your capital is constructed there will be a developing stockpile of supplies. Many of those goods, like healing potions and magical services will be of immediate use to you and the house. Of course, I have also teased out a bit regarding Hera’s blessing. It will primarily be for you and your heirs. There will be a residual effect for the territory, but Hera’s domain over heirs and kings has focused the gift to those groups.”

“That does sound intriguing. I am starting to realize how much strength I will need to stay alive. Okay, besides the physical goods, I assume you put their ability to exit the cavern on the table. I am leaning towards the pact pretty heavily. Are you going to let the other shoe drop?” Cire said.

Maisy actually paused, tilting her head a bit to the side and looked at him curiously. She didn’t recognize the idiom, but she could pull the meaning from context. Normally Cire gave little evidence away that he was not from her realm. It reminded her that for all he done to fit in and keep his secrets hidden that he had been stumbling around like a lost child more often than not. She reminded herself that did not mean he was unintelligent or incapable. Ideally it simply increased her value.

“I was very wary about the queen’s intentions, but I have sussed out that she is looking for your support to bolster her position of authority. This is why she insists on you being introduced to her people. If she returns to them with your blessing as leader and a pact with the territorial lord it is of great value to her. We can use her motivation to our advantage and secure a settlement, albeit small, that otherwise would most likely reject you. Not many elven lords have a tribe of naga under their command, at the very least it would be unexpected.”

“That makes sense, logically. I can see the value, but I can also tell that you are dancing around something. Which means that the marriage is still on the table isn’t it?” Cire asked.

“Yes, it is. I did warn you that worshipers of Hera would put much stock in the proposal. I hadn’t expected Kalani to already have a spouse and suitors, but with their isolation it is reasonable. You would be her second husband, but from a status viewpoint of course you would be her first. She seems quite amenable to the prospect. However, I suspect her concept of marriage and yours differ.”

Sometimes in this new world Cire felt incredibly young. In comparison to Maisy and Stout he was, less so when matched against Durg and Selene. However, he had plenty of life experience for a human being. He had never married. There had been romance in his life, but he had never found a partner. This was his chance to make different choices, decisions that included more risk than before. Cire also had far more to consider than personal happiness or gratification. He had been considering his response ever since he had let Maisy go negotiate with nuptials as an option.

“I suspect it is wildly different, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t right. It’s just, when we came to explore the cavern today I really didn’t expect to end up getting married. This whole thing, the exploding mushrooms and the naga, it’s a lot. I figured we would fight some fungus beasts, loot the duergar, and maybe explore a bit. This is a very different result.”

“We don’t all get what we expect. I thought you would be more of a push over after my little display. Instead you went off and started rummaging around in dangerous ruins. Now I am acting as your emissary years, if not decades, before I wanted. I suspect we will both end up compromising more before the day is done. Now, my dear, are you going to agree to the terms or shall I go back to her with a different offer?”

Maisy didn’t deliver the question as an ultimatum, but she intimated with her tone heavily. She knew he couldn’t conceive of the true value of bringing the naga under his control this early, but she didn’t want to push him too hard either. Maisy had already learned her lesson of the consequences of pinning him into a corner.

Cire’s response was measured, but it was clear he would assent as soon as he started speaking.

“I am still not sure how I feel about it, but it’s not like I have ever done something like this before. Okay, let’s go get me hitched. What sort of ceremony do you think it will be?”