Things are going pretty well, Saul thought to himself as his group exited the tavern. The streets of Bel Dharim were mostly empty early in the morning which gave the party an opportunity to appreciate the beauty in the town. “It’s like a medieval village,” Liza breathed out. Saul couldn’t help but agree, “It reminds me of some of the castle towns I’ve seen. Places like Alnwick.” Liza nodded, her harsh demeanor worn down by their mutual goal and their time spent drinking last night.

It occurred to Saul that he wasn’t sure exactly where they were going. He’d seen the signpost but he didn’t know how long it would take to get there or what the inside of the mines looked like. “Reric, do you happen to have a map of the mines?” The dwarf had a pack on his back. He removed it and set it on the ground before squatting down to take a look, “I think so lad. I grabbed what I thought would be important when I got home last night, but you humans were trying to drink me under the table so it’s best to make sure.” The sound of rummaging could be heard. From his bag he withdrew a cylindrical wooden case and popped the top off.

Sliding the paper free and unfurling it revealed the words, ‘Greater Bel Dharim.’ He flipped the paper over and several detailed maps could be seen. His finger jabbed at one spot on the map in particular. “Aye this map goes over the mine. I know they’ve been working on some deeper sites lately but this should be good enough.” At some point Basi moved close to Reric, looming over his crouched figure. His forked tongue flicked out over the map as if to taste it. That seemed to startle the dwarf who threw his hands up. Balance gone, he toppled backwards with a thud.

Amusement flashed along the bond between man and lizard. That’s not nice, Basi. Liza and Edwin chuckled at the sight of the dwarf who seemed to be embarrassed. “Mighty bit lizard… Stupid… Needs to keep to himself.” He grumbled. Reric stood and moved back over to his pack. He rolled the map back up and tucked it back into its case which went back into his backpack. “Let’s keep on moving then.”

Before long they were exiting the gate. The same guard who had let Saul into the town yesterday nodded to him. “Heard ye’re goin’ to th’ mine. Watch yerself there.” Saul just inclined his head in the dwarf’s direction and kept moving.

Based on the map it would take the party about four hours to reach the mine on foot if the map was to scale. That meant a lot of time spent walking in what so far seemed to be an uncomfortable silence. “It sure is a beautiful place here. I haven’t seen too many like it.” Saul mused absentmindedly.

“It looks a lot like the Grand Tetons, I think. Different, of course, but… There are some similarities.” Edwin responded. Liza shrugged, “Personally, I think it looks like the Himalayas.” Reric grunted, “On about your home? Because to me it looks like the Dragon’s Maw range.”

Silence fell over the group for a moment. “...Isn’t it the Dragon’s Maw range?” Saul was pretty sure he’d seen that on the map just a few moments ago. “‘Course it is!” Reric responded, “Just saying it’s rude to talk about all these places without describing them to people who may not know what they look like.” Saul hadn’t thought of that. “I’m sorry, Reric. I didn’t consider how alienating it might be to have us talking about Earth with you the only one not from there.” The dwarf shrugged, “It’s alright, but if you’re going to talk about places, at least describe them for me.”

Land passed by in comfortable silence. Saul noticed something that he had to bring up, “Reric, it seems like these passes are really well maintained. I haven’t seen any hints of monsters here. Where do dwarves train? How do you keep the passes so clear?” The dwarf thought about the question for a moment, “Well, I don’t think I can tell you where we train, but we keep the passes clear with regular patrols. The mine is the lifeblood of Bel Dharim, so we send troops back and forth between the city and the mine and keep the monsters away. Engineers go with the patrols to maintain the roads.”

Edwin spoke up then, “That makes sense… So how about the Mountain Pass? What’s through there?” The dwarf shrugged, “The Door to the next level is at the end of it. Most dwarves don’t have any business there, so it’s much wilder than here. If you were going to run into any monsters, that’d be where you’d do it.”

Silence fell over the group once more. When the signpost came into view, Saul assumed they had about two hours left on their journey. “So Edwin, where did you grow up?" Despite the poor reaction he'd seen last night, he hoped talking about their homes might bring some cheerful conversation to the group. The man raised his eyebrows at the question. He was quiet for a moment as a shadow passed over his usually friendly demeanor.

“I was living in San Francisco when this all started. It seemed like any other quake, until half of Nob Hill vanished into the Earth…” He trailed off, his sentence ending in a whisper. Liza glared at Saul and moved to lay a heavy arm around Edwin’s shoulders. “I’m sorry to bring that up. It’s… Well it was a horrible event. Maybe better not to talk about it.”

Liza scoffed at that, “Do you think so? Really?” Her face was even more sour than usual, if possible. Saul assumed the question to be rhetorical and let it lie. “I’m going to scout up ahead for a bit, just to make sure we’re still alone out here.” He didn’t wait for a response before he moved ahead. I am a Ranger after all. I should be embracing my role. And that was awkward. He jogged for a while, the padded slaps of Basi’s webbed feet against the pathway playing out beside him as the two of them put some distance between the party and themselves.

When he was five minutes ahead of them he turned to look back, surveying the area for any potential threats. He didn’t see anything that could pose a problem for his party at the time. Moving forward he continued his efforts to scout and he came to a place where the trail began to rise steeply. In his legs, a familiar burn began to form. It was the strain of muscles that had been without use for too long. With nobody else to talk to, he said, “Alright Basi, it’s been a while since I’ve done a hike, don’t make me look bad.”

After a short climb the trail switched back and continued to climb. Then again. And again. Looking up, it seemed the trail was carved out of a great stone slab and he estimated it to ascend another 300 meters or so. “It’s not the most brutal hike ever, but the gradient is pretty steep. You doing ok, boy?” Displeasure flashed through the bond, then strength. “I know you’ll tough it out. Me too.”

After the next switchback, they took a short break. Saul moved to the edge to try and spot his companions. He saw them arriving at the first signs of increasing elevation. He checked ahead and behind to ensure their safety. Nodding, he set off once more.

Eventually, after what seemed like far too many steps and far too many switchbacks he reached what seemed like the top of the trail. It was a wide open plateau with a trail off in the distance that led to a slot canyon. He tried to settle his breath as he waited. I wonder how they’re doing. He went to check on the group. Looking down over the edge of the cliff he saw that he must have been going faster than expected - Or maybe it was that the group wasn't moving as fast as he thought. He could see them down below perhaps an hour away from his current point at their pace. He could see that there was nothing on the path ahead of them or behind them.

“Basi, keep an eye out for me. I’m going to rest.” Saul sat down on the hard ground. He crossed his legs and placed his elbows on his knees. He placed his hands over his crossed legs, one palm towards the sky while the other pointed towards the ground. He centered himself and tried to relax his body. Relax. Breathe. In, then out.

He drew in a deep breath, somewhat shaky due to his racing heartbeat, and then exhaled slowly. He felt his heart beating in his chest strong and fast, spreading the energy of his life throughout his veins to infuse his muscles with energy. He drew in another breath and tried to focus on the energy itself, pulling it towards his heart and willing himself to relax.

It seemed to work. He repeated the process. Deep breath in. Hold. Let the energy suffuse his heart. Exhale slowly. The rhythmic nature of his breathing technique was helping him to relax and return to normalcy after the exertion. As his heart rate slowed, he began to focus on the energy itself, not just directing it towards his heart but feeling how it moved throughout his body.

He felt it circulate, moving along the path of his veins Wait, that’s not exactly the path of my veins. I know the energy in my arm isn’t exactly layered over. Maybe the rest isn’t either. It’s… a parallel path? He felt a stirring of the energy at that discovery. Exhale. Inhale. He felt the energy travel around his body and the pathway seemed more defined as he focused more intently upon it. The energy was pooling somewhere. Near his stomach.

No matter how he pushed and pulled on the energy, he felt some of it accumulating there. Like it belonged. He focused on that sensation and willed more and more energy towards that area. As he breathed in and out he pressed energy into that spot. It just seemed natural for his body to gather energy there. That spot demanded energy. Hungered. Suddenly, words flashed before him on a screen. Words that he knew before he ever read them.

By discovering your dantian, you have leveled up your Cultivation skill! Your cultivation skill is now Foundation, Level III. Continuing to cultivate towards your dantian will help you to reinforce your skill further.

He willed the screen to go away with a thought and continued to cultivate. It seemed like only a few moments passed, but before long he heard his companions approaching. Letting out one last deep breath, he rose with a smile. He was calm. His mind was still. His relaxation was supreme as he greeted them. “The way ahead seems clear but I don’t see any signs. This path appears to lead to the canyon. Can you verify that, Reric?”

Reric looked ahead at the path, shielding his eyes with one hand and pointing with the other, "That slot canyon there is the last major landmark. Once we get into the canyon, the mine is only a few minutes walk away."

That sounded good to Saul. Looking over his companions he could see that Liza was struggling in her massive plate, and Edwin seemed unused to the effort despite living in such a hilly city before he wound up here. “Let’s take a moment to rest. I have some salt pork from Level I that is quite the delicacy. I’d be happy to share.”

He settled down once more and withdrew the bag of salted meat from his inventory. It was as large as any backpack and packed to the brim with delicious sustenance. He shared freely with his companions. “I have some water as well, but not as mu-” Reric cut him off, “I’ve got a canteen that refills itself automatically every ten minutes. Let’s just drink out of that.” The dwarf started things off by digging a small hole and emptying the canteen into it for Basi to drink from.

They shared their meal in relative silence. Saul could hear Liza and Edwin working to catch their breaths with Liza in particular struggling with the task. He couldn’t imagine her armor made the trek uphill very easy. Not only did it seem heavy, it was hardly the kind of outfit that would breathe.

When everyone seemed rested enough Saul stood up. He looked towards the canyon with a small smile. This really is an amazing place. I need to make the most of my time here, even if I’ll be leaving when I get the chance. How often do you get the chance to be a hero? The group moved on, not far from their destination at this point.

They were almost to the slot canyon when trouble started.

The plateau was quiet but as they approached the canyon that silence seemed stifling. Something seemed to be wrong. Saul’s muscles tensed as he walked along. It’s quiet… Too quiet.

An arrow took him in the shoulder before the group realized they were under attack. He cried out in sudden pain but withdrew his own bow. He nocked an arrow and looked around with wild eyes for the source of his pain. Another arrow soared past. Saul was expecting another shot and he managed to react in time, bringing his bow up to knock the shot away. Suddenly, Edwin’s voice boomed, “Reveal Enemies!” To the entire party, it was as if their enemies had been covered in red paint.

Against the grayish backdrop of the canyon they stood out like sore thumbs. Saul drew back on his bow and fired at the one furthest away. He saw five enemies, but he had a feeling he was the one who’d shot him. He called out orders to his allies as he prepared another shot. “Basi, to the left! Liza, get the one on the right! Edwin, try to focus on the archers! Reric if you could do something to help me with this arrow that would be great!”

His group exploded into action. Liza surged forward with a fierce cry, her sword nearly as tall as she was held overhead. Basi rushed along low enough to the ground to surprise an unsuspecting enemy. Saul fired again at the furthest target, then prepared another shot. While he did he took another arrow. This time it hit him in the stomach. Pain exploded out from the wound, pain that far exceeded what he’d felt in his shoulder. A burning sensation began to spread throughout his body.

His vision blurred. Faintly, he could see the health bar of the enemy he’d been shooting had dropped to zero. Basi’s enemy was in a similar situation. He heard Liza’s fierce cries, and… Was that an explosion? He dropped to his knees then collapsed backwards, his world fading to black.

When Reric yanked the arrow from his stomach he awoke screaming. His world was fire. Pain. His screams were muffled by something that had been shoved into his mouth. His teeth gripped it so hard he was sure it’d break in half. More pain exploded as the other arrow was ripped from his shoulder. It was the kind of intense pain that could render a man delirious. Oh, look at that. He thought as he saw his health bar. Almost 0. I like 0. Don’t divide by it. Undefined. He giggled around the bar in his mouth. A strange sensation played against his arm like something licking him. It happened again. That tickles. Distraction. Distraction was good.

“Shh lad, it’s okay now.” Coolness began to replace the burning pain, his stomach no longer feeling like it was on fire. Over his shoulder the same sensation was happening. A beautiful light glowed over his form as that blessed sensation spread further and further, numbing his pain down from the point of agony to a dull ache. His body was knitting itself back together, spurred on by Reric’s healing magic.

Before long, that light faded. With it his pain vanished entirely. He could see his health was restored in its entirety. “Thank you.” He coughed out. He moved. Rolled. Then he stood up and tested his body out, finding no traces of the pain that had utterly consumed him a few moments before, yet he winced anyways as he moved the shoulder that had taken an arrow. Weird… My brain thinks I should still be in pain… He saw that Liza and Edwin were looking at him with concerned expressions. Well, Edwin looks concerned at least.

“Sorry I got hit, guys.” They shook their heads. Edwin spoke. “It was an ambush, it wasn’t your fault. We took care of them without any issue.” Good. “What attacked us?” Reric’s expression darkened, thunderclouds moving in across his face. “Dwarves. No surface kin. These are Darkforge corpses, to be sure. Must be the problem in the mines. They’re evil beasts that launch raids on surface dwellers every now and again.”

“Let’s move on then.” Before long they were inside the canyon itself. They didn't find any more trouble as they approached the mine but just outside the mine itself they came across a guard post that should have been manned by the town guard.

Instead it was abandoned. Saul moved into the outpost and noted there were a few signs that the guards hadn't left on their own. A few chairs were overturned and some items were scattered across the floor. There were a few scud marks that seemed to suggest that some dwarf-sized humanoids were dragged off of their own volition.

It seemed they'd be earning their pay as they investigated the mines.

"Weapons out, everyone. We need to be on high alert. I... Ah... Can't see in the dark. I imagine our enemies probably can." Reric responded quickly, "They can, but the mine has glowing glyphs inscribed in regular intervals for non-dwarf visitors and workers. It should be lit pretty well." The party gathered at the entrance of the mine and steeled themselves for the trouble that was sure to come. A faint glow illuminated the interior, eerily still and quiet. “Alright, let’s do this…” Saul said, then took a step forward.

They didn't know just how bad the fight would be, but they were ready to take the mine back for the people of Bel Dharim