Saul exited the town hall with a bounce in his step and an inventory full of gold. He felt quite a bit stronger, and that pleased him. While he knew that he could have never handled the Darkforge Commander on his own, he could see a path that would lead to him being as strong as that demon - Or perhaps even more powerful.

For now, he had a lot of gold burning a hole in his inventory and a need for some new equipment that he could use to help him further his quest to discover the secrets of the Dungeon. Before he could worry about hitting the shops, he needed to see exactly where his stats were. He took a few steps and settled down on one of the steps.

‘Status’

Name: Solomon Andrews

HP: 120=>160

Class: Ranger

Level: 6=>8

Talents:

Cultivate

Befriend Animal

Cultivation Level: Basic

Abilities:

Attack

Shoot

Track

Strength:

32=>38

Intelligence:

29=>33

Dexterity:

35=>41

Willpower:

22=>26

Endurance:

27=>33

Experience:

6,500=>8,900

Hm.. Seems like I get a level for every 1,000 experience so far. I was level 6 when I had 6,500 experience. I have 8,900 and now I'm level 8. There's no way that continues... There'd be no real level cap if that was the case. It must get harder once I hit level 10 or something.

On page II, he read the following:

Talent Type: Talent Level: Talent Description: Cultivation Basic, Lvl I You have broken through the barrier and unlocked your second dantian. Energy infusion is more effective, and your senses grow stronger Befriend Animal Foundation, Lvl II Your connection to your animal companion confers you both greater strength and attributes. Archery Basic, Lvl II Your growing mastery with a bow allows you to do greater damage. Single wielding Foundation, Lvl II You are able to use a single weapon in combat without hurting yourself Dual wielding Foundation, Lvl V Your hands are able to move independently of one another to some effect, ensuring your attacks are likely to land. Dodge Foundation, Lvl II You have demonstrated some ability to slip attacks and leave your opponents hitting only air.

He smiled to himself at the progress he'd made. Not bad. I can see some real improvement. My foundation skill seems to be independent of the rest of my stats so far. I wonder if my stats change whenever I infuse my body with energy. Now seems like as good a time as any to find out.

He focused on the Qi in his dantian and let it spread throughout his body, flooding his muscles and granting his body a sense of increased strength. He looked at his stats screen again and noticed a small difference:

Name: Solomon Andrews

HP: 160

Class: Ranger

Level: 8

Talents:

Cultivate

Befriend Animal

Cultivation Level: Basic

Abilities:

Attack

Shoot

Track

Strength:

38(+6)

Intelligence:

33

Dexterity:

41(+6)

Willpower:

26

Endurance:

33(+8)

Experience:

8,900

It seemed to increase his endurance more than his strength and dexterity. Moreover, the numbers didn’t seem to match with the increase he could see in his abilities - His speed seemed to nearly double when he let his Qi fill his legs, but the dexterity increase was only modest. There had to be something to that.

That would be something to look into in the future.

While he was thinking of the Dungeon’s mechanics… Inventory

The list pulled up before his eyes, listing every item he possessed before him. By looking closely at each item on the list, he could read a description of what the item was or did.

Inventory:

Item Name:

Item Type:

Description:

Monstrous Longsword

Rare Longsword

With a wicked curve and barb, this sword emanates a desire to inflict pain and pulses with the strength to do so.

Intermediate Shortsword

Intermediate Shortsword

This Short Sword is quick and has an exceptionally sharp blade

Basic Longbow + 350 arrows

Basic Bow

This longbow is made of high strength materials that are capable of transfering high levels of force to arrows.

Intermediate Leather Vest

Foundation Chest armor

This vest is crafted with superior quality for level I - It has strong durability

Basic cloth pants

Foundation Leg Armor

These are stylish pants that offer protection from little other than public indecency

Minor Healing potion x 3

Potion

Heals 50 HP.

Saul looked over his weapons - They would all do nicely. Each of them seemed at least adequate for his level, especially that longsword. He'd been lucky that Liza used one massive weapon instead of dual wielding. The more he thought about swords, the more he was beginning to consider another weapon type, but for now he'd stick with what he had.

His armor, on the other hand... Something would have to be done about that. Luckily for him, and the local merchants, he had a lot of gold to spend and a lot of things to spend it on. Considering the path he'd taken to get to the town hall from the entrance, he decided on the best route back and set off towards the market.

The village was alive with sounds and sights as he made his way to the market. People were laughing, children were playing in the streets. Small animals, closely resembling cats and dogs weaved their way through the crowds of people as he made his way along - It seemed as though the return of the miners had brought a cheerful mood to the denizens of the Dwarven Village. His faithful companion, Basi, wandered along next to him, hissing quietly at some of the dogs that got too close.

Saul was happy to see their vigor and excitement. It warmed his heart to see the results of his party’s efforts. He had never considered himself the heroic type back on Earth, but he hadn’t been in a position to really make a difference. He was usually the type to do the “right thing”, but there was a big difference between that and actually saving lives. It felt really good!

He was lost in thought, but not so lost that he didn’t manage to avoid the kids that nearly bowled him over, chasing one another in a rousing game of tag. Water was dumped from a window three stories up, and he was able to sense it quickly enough to dodge. His awareness of his surroundings seemed greater than ever, despite his reverie.

That’s interesting, he mused, It’s almost like I have a sense of what’s going on around me. Like I can feel things happening before they happen… But that doesn’t seem quite right. It’s more like… I’m reacting to things around me quickly. I’ll have to do some testing to see what that’s all about.

He turned his thoughts towards his newfound cultivation level, considering the sensations of his Qi as it flowed between his two cores and infused his body with strength. He could sense the energy coating his body, very lightly. Tuning out the distractions around him, he closed his eyes and really focused on the sense of his Qi. It was almost like a cloud that wrapped itself around his body. He felt Basi's presence nearby, and the presence of dwarves as they wandered past.

He could feel that cloud dispersing as something disturbed it, but he wasn't sure what until he ran right into a wooden cart on the side of the road. He opened his eyes and rubbed his ribs gently. That helped to explain why he was able to react to the things happening around him - It must have been a subconscious response to the flow of Qi being disturbed. That was an interesting ability, one he was quite sure would come in handy in the future.

He shook himself totally from his thoughts at that point and set out with a renewed pace towards the marketplace. When he turned the corner that led to the market, he was greeted with a sight even more chaotic and lively than he remembered.

Dwarves were standing on benches next to their wares, holding up items of all sorts and shouting at the top of their lungs about the benefits of their products. The crowd in the street was a veritable sea of people, with each booth surrounded by interested patrons.

Some of the merchants had large baskets set up next to them, filled with all sorts of exotic looking fruits, both beautiful to look at and colorful enough that they'd be screaming "Poison!" back on Earth. He saw one dwarf who had a booth with a number of animals in cages and a large cleaver on display, the cleaver currently occupying a notch in a log that was stained red with what he suspected were previous animals. "Meat! Get yer' meat!" He could hear the dwarf yelling at the top of his lungs.

The people were as interesting as the booths, full of life and energy. He could see the resolve of the Dwarves on their faces, a general sense of purpose and capability that made him feel at ease with the people there.

He looked around the square until he spotted what he was looking for - A merchant whose booth was filled with items that suggested defensive purposes, from shields to breastplates and everything in between. Saul made his way over to the Dwarf and greeted him, "Hello there, good sir. I need to purchase some new armor. Mine isn't doing the job any longer."

The Dwarf smiled, "Well you've come to the right place! Gundrin's the name and selling armor is the game! I've got shields to make the strongest blow yield! Breastplates that your enemies will hate! Leg guards that make hurting you hard! I've got..." He seemed content to continue if he was left uninterrupted, so Saul cut in quickly, "I'd love to see what sort of leather armor you have available."

"Sure, sure." Gundrin grumbled good-naturedly. He seemed a little put out that he hadn't been able to continue his rhyming spiel, but he was interested in making a sale and this human seemed like he meant business. Gundrin gestured to the table beside him, "Here's the average stuff. I have things of higher quality, but they come at a higher price. Breastplates start at 5 gold pieces and cap out around 26, leggings and the like go from 4 to 20, if you need gloves, shoes, or anything of that nature I have those as well."

Saul took a look at the various items, waving his hand over each one. The action gave him an impression of the armor, and its level of enchantment. A thought occurred, and he asked Gundrin, "Do any of these have any special enchantments? Or just damage resistance?" The dwarf looked around the table, "None of these have any special magic in them. I have a few pieces that have some stat boosting enchantments on them, but their damage reduction enchantments aren't as strong. We don't have the highest level of enchantments here."

Saul seemed to consider for a moment, then he asked, "How much is are the stat enhancements? How about the damage reduction - What are your strongest pieces? I have..." He paused for a moment and willed his bag of gold to materialize in hand, "98 gold pieces and I need to replace all of my armor."

Gundrin smiled and jumped up at the mention of gold, ducking below the booth for a moment to dig some other armor from his stores. He straightened up with a few pieces in his hand and frowned at the booth's surface - cluttered as it was. Setting the pieces down on his stool, he used his arms to clear a space before laying out a few different breastplates. "These are stat boosting. Each one boosts an individual stat by 10 points. That's a pretty big jump. Their downside is that they only reduce about 10% of damage done to you. There's also this piece" He gestured to the one closest to Saul, "And it boosts all your stats by 4. It's a much stronger piece of magic than a single stat boost."

He pointed at another breastplate, this one on the stool. "This one here does its primary job really well. It's armor, through and through. It'll reduce about 25% of damage you take, but you don't get any stat boosts. To me, it depends on what you do - Do you do a lot of close up fighting? If so, this is the armor for you. Any of these pieces here will cost you 25 gold. I have leggings that do the same thing, and I'll let any of them go for 23 gold pieces since you're looking for a whole outfit."

The dwarf let Saul consider it for a moment, reaching below the booth for more items. He cleared that same space once more and began to lay boots and gauntlets out. "Now these are pretty special items. I've got a few different types of boots. This." He said, pointing to a silvery pair of boots, "Cancels out any sound your feet make. It's designed for sneaking up on people."

"This one," He pointed at a brown pair of leather shoes, "Increases your movement speed by a percentage. You'll be able to walk, run, whatever, 20% faster with these on." Finally he pointed at one last pair, "This one lets you jump higher. In these shoes, you'll jump three or four times as high as you normally could. Also, any one of these pairs will reduce 5% of the damage you take. I'll let a pair go for 12 gold."

Next was time to consider the gauntlets, "I've got a few of these. This one," He pointed to a pair that had weird spikes coming from the wrist guard of the right glove, "Lets you fire arrows that come from the ambient energy around you. I know that sounds great, but keep in mind - If you're in a fire aspected place, you'll be shooting fire arrows at creatures that are likely immune to fire."

Pointing to the next, "These enhance your precision. They'll help you make fine movements as surely as an increase in your dexterity would." Then he gestured at the last, "This one... well, this pair I call the rogue's gauntlets. You can disarm traps or pick locks when you've got these gloves. They have a bit of magic on them that reacts when in the presence of locks or traps, and transforms the fingertips into whatever tool you need."

Saul considered his options, The movement speed increase sounds great, but I need to stay stealthy. It seems like every time I grow in levels my speed increases... Is there a limit on the enchant? What about the armor? How much damage can it take before it fails? Saul pointed at the Boots of Fleet Foot and the armor, "I've got a few questions. What's the durability on the armor?"

The armor smith smiled at that question, "It's one of the best pieces here. Its got a durability of just over 1,000 points, and you can always repair it if you learn how or take it to the right person. So if someone stabs you with a sword, the armor will soak up a quarter of the damage which will be done to the durability. Keep in mind, these resistances only apply if you're hit where the armor is." Saul nodded and gestured at the boots again, "And these? Is there a point at which they lose their effectiveness?" Gundrin shrugged as he looked down at the boots, glyphs visible on the metal, "These fail at a certain point. If you run too fast, the enchantment loses its effect... I've heard the cap is around 100 strength, but I'm not the enchanter so I couldn't say."

Hm... That's interesting. I don't think I can justify those boots, even if they do sound great. Plus, I'd probably move too fast for Basi. He purchased the Rogue's gauntlets, the Boots of silence, and a full set of general stat boosting armor. The man didn't seem to sell helmets, so he didn't worry much about it. "Can I leave my old stuff here with you? I'd like to get into this new armor now."

Gundrin didn't seem to mind. He gestured behind the booth - There was a stall that seemed made for changing. Saul had Basi wait nearby and stepped in with his new items and began to change. As he removed his old items, they shrank somewhat, becoming more manageable. As he moved to put the new armor on, it melded perfectly to his form, fitting as if designed just for him. He could feel an increase in his strength in the new armor, a general sense of increased power.

Not bad Saul thought. He stepped up to Gundrin and offered him the old items. Perhaps he could sell them for a few coins. He reached into his coin purse and produced 78 gold pieces - Most of his money, but it was money well spent. "Gundrin, I was wondering... Who's the best dwarf to talk to about weapons around here? Purchasing, but maybe also some lessons in their use?"

The dwarf thought for a moment, then gestured across the street at a booth just to the left of his, "That'd probably be Grenar over there. He's been forging weapons for as long as I can remember. He's outfitted pretty much everyone in town, so if anyone could tell you who the best masters are, it'd be him."

Saul bowed, "Thank you, Gundrin. You've been most kind." Turning, he and Basi made their way over to Grenar's booth. Saul could see a huge number of weapons for sale, everything ranging from pole arms to daggers. There was a great selection there, and everything was categorized by type. Swords of all types lay next to each other on the top of the table, seemingly arranged from lowest quality to highest. Hanging from the top of the booth were several different types of battle hammer.

Saul admired all of these weapons for sale, but he didn't want to be rude. He looked to the proprietor of the booth and greeted him, "Hello, Grenar, my name is Saul and I'm looking for a weapon. I was hoping you might be able to help me!"

The dwarf nodded. He didn't seem to be as friendly, or at least as talkative as Gundrin had been. "Aye, I've got every type of weapon you might want. What're you looking for?" Saul looked at the spears, "I was hoping for something to help keep my enemies at bay. I'm a ranger, you see, and I prefer a bow - But sometimes they get close. I've been using swords, but I'm starting to wonder if a spear or something might not be better."

"Swords are always useful, but if you've got something to help you fight up close..." He looked towards Basi, "Then I'd say it would be smarter for you to stay back and attack from far away. Having a spear is a good way to do that. I've got a few spears here - Basic and Intermediate. I'll let go of an intermediate spear for 7 gold."

Saul grabbed hold of the weapon that Grenar was looking at. It was a fairly long spear - Probably close to three meters in length, if he added in the length of the blade. It more closely resembled what he'd seen samurai use - Yaris? He'd never held a spear before. He took a wide stance, sinking down low and holding the spear in both hands. "That sounds like a fair bargain, kind Grenar, but I'd need to know who can help me learn the weapon as well."

Grenar nodded, "Aye, I can help you meet up with a master today who can teach you the basics."

Well, who could pass up that deal? Saul happily paid him the 7 gold pieces and placed the spear near his back. As if by magic, it adhered to his armor, its bladed tip well away from him.

"Thank you, Grenar. I'll look forward to those lessons."

The dwarf nodded, "Just be at the tavern at dusk. Look for the surly dwarf out front holding a spear four times his own height. He'll be able to help you learn." Saul was looking forward to it!