Saul had never been in a mine back on Earth, but he hadn’t imagined this when he thought of a mine.

The walls were perfectly smooth, as if they had been sanded down after the dwarves had tunneled away. There were support columns here and there, but they weren’t wooden beams like he’d expected. They were actual columns, similar to what you’d see on an ancient roman building. Each column had a soft glow that cast the mine in a pale, white light. It seemed as though every one of them had a magical glowing glyph scrawled upon it, and based upon the large number of columns in any given area, visibility in the mine was nearly as good as visibility outside.

The mines were actually rather impressive. The dwarven villagers were famed for their skilled craftsmanship, and they worked with many rare metals that were found in this very mine. Two distinct shafts had been dug, one leading to a large deposit of adamantium and the other leading to an even bigger deposit of mithril. Between these two materials, the dwarves were able to create wondrous arms and armor that could fetch amazingly high prices to the right buyer. When Saul was a higher level, the dwarven village here would actually prove to be a great source for more powerful weaponry.

There were tracks laid out for a mine cart starting five meters or so from the entrance, and a lever nearby that would determine whether the cart moved down to the adamantium or mithril deposit. All in all, it gave the impression of a dedicated and smart operation that would definitely impress if it was in full swing.

The entrance to the mine was quiet, not filled with the echoes of pickaxes and hammers working away at ore deposits as could be expected, but rather filled with an ominous silence that seemed to hang over the mood of the party.

Saul was the first to enter, and he did so with his bow out and an arrow ready to be fired if necessary. Fortunately for him, there was nothing at the front of the entrance. He looked around cautiously as he stepped aside from the entrance, making room for the rest of the party to enter. “Nobody here…” He breathed out softly. He had expected that the enemies would be deeper, but it was always better to be safe rather than sorry. The air seemed heavier in here, richer in energy.

As Reric entered, he gestured for the others to come close to him. He produced a map from his belt and unfurled it for them to see. “We’re here.” He whispered, jabbing a stubby finger at the map, “And as far as I reckon, the Darkforge party probably entered somewhere near one of the deposits. I don’t know much about the mine, but I’d guess we accidentally opened a passage to the Deeps.”

None of the humans seemed to have any idea what the Deeps were. Edwin voiced the question first, “The Deeps? Forgive me, but I’m new to your lands. Could you tell me more about it?” Reric drew in a deep breath, as if steeling himself before discussing it,

“The Deeps are a dangerous place. The creatures who dwell there are full time denizens of the dark, and often their hearts are as black as the tunnels they inhabit. We surface dwarves try to avoid going down to the Deeps if we can avoid it. We left the Deeps thousands of years ago, but every now and again a Darkforge raiding party will tunnel into one of our mines, or we’ll accidentally dig into a natural passage. We’re in for a real fight if this is a full raiding party.”

Saul didn’t like the sound of that. He thought to himself, ‘Status’

Name: Solomon Andrews

HP: 60=>80

Class: Ranger

Level: 3=>4

Talents:

Cultivate

Befriend Animal

Cultivation Level: Foundation

Abilities:

Attack

Shoot

Track

Strength:

23=>26

Intelligence:

23=>25

Dexterity:

26=>29

Willpower:

16=>18

Endurance:

18=>21

Experience:

3,607=>4,500

On page II, he read the following:

Talent Type:

Talent Level:

Talent Description:

Cultivation

Foundation, Lvl III

Through finding harmony with the ambient Qi, you are able to harvest it and use it to fuel your own strength

Befriend Animal

Foundation, Lvl II

Your connection to your animal companion confers you both greater strength and attributes.

Archery

Foundation, Lvl IV

Your arrows land to greater effect than they did before.

Single wielding

Foundation, Lvl II

You are able to use a single weapon in combat without hurting yourself

Dual wielding

Foundation, Lvl I

You may be able to avoid hurting yourself while using two weapons in battle. You may be able to hit the enemy with them.

Two-handed weapons

Foundation, Lvl I

You are able to use a two handed weapon to some degree of effectiveness

He saw he’d gained a level at some point. Perhaps it was after the battle with the dwarves, or maybe after he finished the quest in the Slime Village. He was starting to get a handle on what each stat did.

Strength seemed to boost his physical capacity, including his damage dealt with melee weapons.

Dexterity helped him with things like moving quietly and quickly, dodging, and it seemed to have something to do with his hand-eye coordination - So it was useful for shooting.

Intelligence seemed to affect his ability to understand things, and his ability to process things quickly. It seemed that the higher his intelligence got, the more quickly he could make decisions in battle.

His Endurance stat seemed to directly correlate to his ability to take hits, and his health. He thought of it as his armor.

Lastly, his Willpower stat… He wasn’t really sure what that did. It seemed to be related to his cultivation, but he was sure there was another use for it.

All in all, he wasn’t unhappy with his strength at this point, but he didn’t feel prepared to handle an invasion the likes of which Reric described. He would have to put his trust in his party to see him through the upcoming exploration.

“Alright, then… Let’s make any preparations we may need and move on. We don’t know how long these invaders have been here, but based on the lack of corpses, we may not be too late to save your miners.”

They moved ahead without much fanfare. At the junction between the Adamantium and Mithril deposits, they decided to go to the left first - The Adamantium deposits. They'd been walking down the path for about ten minutes, their footsteps echoing loudly in the empty mine, when the shaft suddenly opened up into a large cavern.

The cavern was lit up by more of those glyph columns, but it was massive compared to the mine-shaft. This place seemed to be natural, with two sloping paths that hugged the wall splitting off and descending. In the middle of the cavern seemed to be a large lake. The walls weren't maintained here like they had been in the tunnel down, with moss and lichen growing along walls that glistened with signs of moisture.

Periodically, glowing green lines could be seen zigging and zagging throughout the walls themselves. He wasn’t sure, but they seemed to glow and pulse in a rhythm, as if energy was running through them from the bottom of the cave up to the top.

The party was descending on the path when they heard the sounds of a commotion coming from the passageway they were approaching. Saul held up a fist, giving the sign for everyone to stop advancing while he waited to see what was coming. As the quietest member of the group, Saul crept forward, his steps soft as feathers and hardly audible even to his own ears. He leaned back away from the edge of the walkway, minimizing his profile as he looked to see what approached.

Two dwarves, stockier than the others Saul had seen, were approaching the lake. The dwarves were dressed in armor and had fierce looking weapons strapped to their backs. They were dragging another dwarf between them, this one was shoddily dressed in comparison and didn’t have the look of a warrior. His feet were held tightly together, a heavy iron chain wrapped around them glinting in the dim light. There was a large rock tied to the other end of the chain that was dragged along the ground, a loud scraping sound echoing in the cavern.

From his vantage point, Saul could see the dwarf struggling against his captors, but his hands were bound and he was muffled. He didn’t have a fighting chance. Saul continued to creep forward, finding himself within shooting range of the dwarves. Basi slunk along beside him, quietly. Advance as close as you can. If I shoot at one of them, I want you to attack the other. He thought to his lizard through their bond. Basi melded with the shadows and moved forward, hugging the curvature of the wall closely.

He reached over his shoulder and drew an arrow from his quiver, slowly enough to avoid making any noise. His fingers placed the back of the arrow against the bow string, as easily as if he’d been doing it his entire life. I don’t remember being that smooth. Must be my higher archery level and dexterity.

Saul knelt on the ground, feeling the cool earth below him as he drew in a deep breath. I don’t want to kill anyone if I can avoid it… He’d go for a disabling shot in that case. He drew in a deep breath. His eyes locked on the closer Darkforge dwarf’s knee, and he took careful aim. When he saw the dwarves approaching the underground lake with their captive in hand, their intent became clear.

I can’t let them drown that poor dwarf… Okay then. He drew back on the bowstring and filled his chest with air. His target in sight, he released the bowstring, a soft ‘thrum’ sounding by his ear as his arrow flew true. He grabbed another and had it nocked and ready to go, aiming for the other knee. Drawing back once more, he released his arrow. They soared through the air, and suddenly an arrow sprouted from the dwarf’s right knee. While he was still throwing his hands up in surprise, a second arrow sprouted from his body, this one in his left. His health bar appeared overhead and dropped significantly, reduced to less than a fifth of its normal value. It read:

Darkforge Dwarf, Lvl 4.

The other dwarf let the captive go, reaching back to pull his weapon free. The dwarf was halted by a large crimson blur that suddenly bowled into him, crashing to the ground loudly. Basi’s jaws found purchase on his wrist, snapping the bone on his dominant hand. A health bar appeared overhead and dropped to about 60%. To the dwarf’s credit, he lashed out at Basi with a punch from his other hand, but it didn’t have much effect on Basi.

Saul called down to the dwarves, “Hold still and we can take you captive. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt any further.” Guided by his fingers and some mysterious force, another arrow found its position against the bow string as he watched the dwarf for signs of surrender. When he called out for support rather than surrendering, Saul cursed. Taking careful aim, he let another arrow fly where it blossomed from his knee, taking him out of the fight.

Basi, get back up here! He commanded mentally. To Liza and Reric he said, “We need to free that captive in case reinforcements are coming!” Liza surged forward to do just that. She used her sword to cleave through the chains which separated easily before her superior might. “Run!” She shouted to the captive, then she followed him up the ramp.

From in the hallway, they could hear the thunderous footsteps of more Darkforge dwarves coming to the aid of their allies. From the number of thuds that emerged, Saul guessed their contingent to be somewhere in the 20-30 strong range. He didn’t like those odds.

The width of the ramp could prove to be an asset for them here. It wasn’t wide enough for three people to walk side by side comfortably, which meant it would limit the number of dwarves that could face them at once. “Liza, take point! Reric, help keep her clean! Basi will move in to assist when he can. Edwin, rain destruction down on them!”

He prepared another shot, his whole body tight as he waited for enemies to emerge from the passageway. The groans and cries of the injured darkforge dwarves caused him some distress, but he suppressed those emotions for the time being. The first of the dwarves stepped forth from the passage with features illuminated by the pale light of the magical columns, a large axe in his hands. He moved to his fallen companions. There was disdain written across his face barely visible to Saul in the dim light. Soft words seemed to be spoken between the two of them, too faint for Saul to make out, and the dwarf turned and looked up the ramp with a gauntleted hand pointing in his party’s direction.

His heart was pounding in his chest as those boots grew louder and louder, until more dwarves began to pour forth from the mouth of the passageway, almost like ants in response to their colony being kicked. Saul counted at least twenty of them as they formed up. Can’t give them too much time to get ready… “Edwin, hit them while they’re bunched up.” He whispered softly. He began to focus his energy into the arrow, willing more and more of it into the sharp point. He drew back on his string, his heart thundering in his ears as he prepared to fire. He took aim at the one that had pointed them out, the one that seemed to be some sort of commander. “I’m sorry…” He whispered to himself, then released.

His arrow flew true and when it landed it seemed to grow from the leader’s forehead, a small red trickle of blood invisible to Saul in the night. His health bar vanished and he dropped to the ground, dead.

That was when all hell broke loose. In the middle of the darkforge contingent, the ground seemed to swell in anger, and suddenly exploded outward. Rocks crashed into the dwarves with several of them flung in all directions from the force. A few unlucky dwarves landed in the lake, their heavy armor doing them no favors and dragging them to a watery grave. Jesus Christ, Edwin! Saul fired at one of the dwarves that seemed least affected, the shot taking him in the neck and erasing what health he had remaining. Saul looked back at the wizard as he grabbed another arrow and saw that the man was panting, the effort having been considerable.

“I’ve got a few tricks left, but that was almost all I could do for now.” He said in answer to the question in Saul’s eyes. He gave the man a nod and turned to pick his next target.

The darkforge dwarves were professional soldiers, and they’d reformed quickly after the attack. The group that hadn’t been overly affected by the spell were charging up the ramp now, and Liza had her sword ready to greet them. The huge weapon gleamed menacingly, and as the first dwarf got into range she swung hard enough to cleave through his neck entirely, blood painting the wall as his head tumbled free. The new corpse fell to the ground, slowing the other dwarf’s progress and giving Liza enough time to deal another fatal blow to the next closest dwarf.

By Saul’s guess, there were about fifteen on the ramp. He could see several more at the base, reforming a second offensive group, and he could see a number of corpses there. “Edwin, do what you can to finish off the ones who are still stunned!” He scanned the field, picking targets that seemed like the greatest threat. One dwarf had his axe pulled back menacingly and was within range of Liza. Saul’s arrow took him in the head, knocking his health near enough to 0. Basi surged forward to finish that one off, his sharp claws making short work of the man.

A small pile of bodies was building near Liza but her efforts to keep the dwarves back were beginning to fail - There were probably ten dwarves left on the ramp, and all of them were close enough to form a sort of half circle around her. Sharp axes had been neglected in favor of large war hammers, the dwarve swinging frequently enough at her to put her on the defensive.

Beyond them, Saul could see small beams of energy landing against those few dazed dwarves that sent them to whatever god they worshipped.

He continued to fire away with his bowstring singing an aggressive song, but before long all the targets were too close to Liza and Reric for him to risk it. He could see Liza was beginning to struggle with the dwarves, every now and again she got in a good counter hit that reduced their numbers, but trying to fend off nine war hammers was too much.

Their blows were starting to land against her armor, and her health bar was starting to drop. Reric did what he could to help fight. It was obvious that he was more focused on keeping her health full than fighting, swinging his large hammer to catch one of them in a weak spot when he saw an opening. He willed his bow to vanish and withdrew his sword and dagger. I have to help her or she’ll die… Saul flowed down the ramp like an avalanche, stabbing forward with his sword and taking a distracted dwarf through the neck.

Suddenly, there were eight enemies. Four of them focused on him, three on Liza, and one seemed to be doing battle with Basi if the feedback from the bond was any indication.

The dwarf closest to him swung that heavy hammer at his head and Saul ducked below it while lashing out with his sword. Another of the darkforge dwarves seemed ready for that, and used his own hammer to knock the sword down. That was going to be a problem. Saul was knocked somewhat off balance by that move, so he went with his momentum, rolling forward and barreling into the dwarf that had swung at him in the first place. The dwarf was knocked off of the ramp into the water, taking care of him.

Saul came up and spun to face the other three just in time, another hammer crashing down at him from close enough that he’d have no chance of dodging. He raised his sword and dagger together in a crossed fashion, grunting as he tried to absorb the blow. His body quivered and his muscles screamed as he tried to stop the hammer’s momentum. It blew through his defense, but he’d done enough to slow it down and weaken it. He ducked forward and let the blow catch him in the back.

The blow drove him to the ground with enough force that he lost his wind. Stars seemed to explode behind his eyes, his health bar reducing substantially. Move… Move… MOVE! His body screamed. He rolled to the right just in time to avoid getting his skull crushed.

The dwarves could smell blood in the water as he pushed himself to his feet, his weapons held shakily in front of him, his body still reeling from the effects of that massive blow. Saul needed time to recover. Another blow was coming from his left. He stepped back, just out of range of it. Another swing came at him from the right, this swing an arc that seemed too wide. He ducked low, then rolled to the left to evade a swing that came at him vertically. My legs don’t feel like jelly any more… I guess I can try to fight back now.

When the dwarf on his left swung that mighty hammer at him, he was ready this time. From his lower position, he was able to duck below the strike. As soon as he finished sinking down into a crouch he exploded forward, his dagger leading the way. He punched forward with the pommel of the weapon, pain exploding in his hand as his fist met what felt like a steel chin. He shook it off and followed quickly with a slash from his sword, the weapon sliding across the dwarf’s head closely enough to remove his ear. His health bar appeared overhead and reflected this damage by reducing by about a fifth.

The other dwarves tried to take advantage of his distraction, but Saul dodged their attacks and darted forward to reclaim the high ground. He saw an opportunity ahead and took it, cocking his arm back and bringing it forward lighting fast. His dagger left his fingertips, slicing through the air and burying itself in the back of a dwarf’s head. Now Liza just had one foe remaining.

Saul turned to face his own foes, his short sword looking woefully inadequate to handle their war hammers. The one he’d given free plastic surgery to was turning his way as well, leaving him alone against three angry Darkforge soldiers. Basi, help! He called mentally, nudging the lizard at the one he’d injured.

To his satisfaction, Basi bowled into the soldier, all fury and teeth and claws, and the dwarf’s health bar declined rapidly as a result. Then there were two… Saul took a sideways stance, watching the dwarves warily as they approached. The sound of a gurgling cry from beside him let him know he wasn’t alone any longer, and a relieved smile threatened to pull the corners of his lips up. Just in time! Liza flashed by him, her mighty sword brought to bear on one of the dwarves. Saul used the momentary distraction to charge the other dwarf. After just a few short moments, the cavern fell silent as the last of their enemies were defeated.

Saul collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving as he tried to get his breath. That was exhausting! I got lucky a few times there… The thought was a somber one. He looked around the room, littered with corpses… There had to have been over thirty dwarves. That was thirty dwarves that would no longer laugh, no longer sing, no longer get home to their families…

He felt sick. Breath was coming in short supply, panic setting in as he realized that death was a very real thing here. He had been thinking of these creatures as NPCs in a video game, but they were living, thinking, breathing beings… At least as far as I know… Sure, they were the bad guys, but… Still.

Liza seemed to sense his distress. She laid a hand on his shoulder, her presence calming as her voice reached his ears, “There was nothing to be done. These dwarves are vicious killers, and we saved someone’s life. There are many more people to be saved, hopefully.” He looked up into her eyes and saw her resolve shining clear as day. Her eyes could be surprisingly kind when she wasn't scowling at him. He nodded, She’s right.

Suddenly, his vision began to flash with updates:

Through demonstrating consistent accuracy and pace, you have demonstrated superior archery skill! Your archery skill is now Basic, Level I!

Through your use of two weapons in simultaneous defense, you have shown a deeper understanding in the use of two weapons! Your dual-wielding skill is now Foundation, Level III!

Through your clever movements in avoiding the attacks of your enemies, you have unlocked the Dodge skill! Your dodge skill is now Foundation, level I!

Exp Gained:250! Exp Gained: 250! Exp Gained: 250! Your share: 188 exp!

The experience gained screen popped up so many times that it barely remained visible before being replaced with another. Suddenly in the middle of the deluge, he saw:

You have leveled up! You are now level 5.

+3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance! +2 to Intelligence and Willpower!

You have leveled up! You are now level 6.

+3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance! +2 to Intelligence and Willpower!

The increase in levels and skills helped to bring him further from his negative thoughts, curiosity getting the better of him. With things like this, it was no wonder he had believed these dwarves were no more than NPCs… And it became easier to think of defeating them as simply the righteous thing to do.

How much damage did everyone do? He wondered. He pulled up his menu and flashed through the screens, looking for something that would relate to the battle itself. Hm... Kill log? I guess that's... Sort of what I'm looking for.

He pulled it up with a thought.

Name:

Kills:

Contribution:

Saul

9

25%

Basi

4

11.3%

Edwin

10

27.7%

Liza

10

27.7%

Reric

3

8.3%

Kills was straightforward. Contribution... Hm. I wonder if that's our contribution of damage to the ones we killed, or to the overall group of monsters? That would be useful to know. I'll have to remember that.

He'd started the battle the same level as the dwarves, but now he had two levels on them which should make the rest of the dwarves a cinch to defeat.

When the torrent of experience, items gained, and skill levels seemed to stop, Saul went to check on the dwarf they had freed. He cut the dwarf loose of his bonds. “How many are there?” Saul asked. The dwarf shrugged, “I couldn’t count that high. There are many more. Including what seem like their bosses and leaders. They came upon us sudden and swift as death, pouring in from the deepest part of the mine.”

Saul had to ask, “And your fellow miners? How many are left?” The dwarf shook his head and responded, “Most of us, but a few of my closest mates… Lundry… Renar… They were going to do to me what they did to them! They have fun torturing us, and when they get bored they kill us off one at a time."

What a terrible fate! Saul thought to himself. These Darkforge dwarves seem as evil as advertised. Living beings or not, if they are truly servants of evil… I guess that makes killing them more justifiable. He cleared his throat and placed a comforting hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "I'll avenge your fallen friends. We're going to take this mine back! I want you to go back to town and let them know what's happened here, just in case."

The dwarf reached up to wipe at his eyes, glancing at Saul before looking away hurridly. "Th..." He started, then paused and drew in a deep breath. His stout body shook slightly as he did. "The commander might make that tough." He wiped again at his eyes, then looked straight at Saul. "I'll let the guards know what's happening. We can't let this attack go unpunished." Saul nodded to him, and the dwarf began his journey back to Bel Dharim.

As the dwarf hurried off, Saul turned back to his companions and steeled himself. He could see that everyone had been busy healing up while he spoke with the dwarf they'd rescued. “Let’s get some rest here. If he’s right, there are a great many more Darkforge dwarves waiting for us and I don’t want to be tired in battle. Let’s make camp at the top of the ramp. Someone should stay and loot the bodies while we get set up. Tonight, let's take turns on watch so that we all get a chance to sleep.”

Everyone in the party agreed, so they moved to set up a small campsite by their point of entry. Liza stayed behind to loot while they set things up. They moved quickly and efficiently. The others were asleep before Liza made it back to the top of the ramp with a small smile, "Found a lot of gold. Some healing pills. Some arrows for you." She handed him a small bag that contained several items:

Item(s) gained: Medium Healing Pill!(x5) 29 gold pieces! Arrows(x250)!

"Thanks, Liza. You should get some sleep." She nodded to him before she disappeared into the tent she and Edwin shared. Saul kept a vigilant watch on the passage the Darkforge dwarves had come from, until eventually Liza tapped on his shoulder and indicated that it was her turn.

He moved over to his sleeping roll and laid down, trying to get comfortable enough for sleep. His thoughts were churning, visions of the dwarves he’d cut down swimming in his head. Eventually, blessfully, sleep came for him and took him to a land of dreamless slumber. They weren’t interrupted by any Darkforge soldiers that night.

In the morning, or whatever time it was, they packed up quietly. He was still bothered by the deaths of those dwarves, but there was little that could be done at this point. He put on a false appearance of bravado and spoke to his companions, “It’s up to us to save the rest of the dwarves! I know the last battle was tough, but through our teamwork we prevailed. There’s no reason we can’t do the same again and free the captives! Let’s move forward!”

With that, they set off.