They hadn't ventured far before they encountered the first sign of gremlins. There was a skittering sound in the distance, the patter of small feet. Rygn gave pause to place his torch into one of the old sconces in the wall. In some mines, they had been removed entirely when the new lighting system had been installed, but this mine thankfully still had them. Theonix followed suit, immediately readying his Worn Battle Hammer as soon as his torch was out of his hand.

“Stay close, lad,” Rygn whispered.

They stood side by side with weapons drawn, and they didn't have to wait long before a loud hissing was followed by two gremlins rushing towards them from the darkness. Theonix barely had time to register what was happening before his foe was upon him. Beady red eyes appeared only a second before the body followed. The gremlins had short torsos but long limbs, their legs bent like a dog's to aid in leaping impressive distances. The one that attacked Theonix did just that, launching itself at him as soon as it was within range.

Not expecting such an aggressive charge, Theonix stumbled, falling on his backside with the gremlin on top of him. It smiled wickedly, its batlike ears filling his vision. Rows of jagged pearly teeth peeked out beneath black curled lips before the gremlin swiped at him, its one-inch nails slashing across Theonix's face.

Level 2 Gremlin Whelp delivers 10 damage.

Adrenalin was the only thing keeping the pain at bay. Blood dripped into Theonix's left eye, working to blind him. There was no time to brush it away.

He was angry at himself for being caught off-guard yet again. It was similar to what had happened with the molding; Theonix had underestimated his foe. What was worse was that this wasn't even an adult gremlin but one of the younger ones. It was about a foot shorter, its black skin still smooth, unlike the raisin-like skin of the adults. But its youth also made it more dangerous. Less intelligent than its older counterpart, gremlin whelps tended to be more aggressive. Their ability to jump long distances gave them an advantage over slower foes. Instead of thick calcified nails, the gremlin whelp's were thin like razor blades.

Fighting with his Worn Battle Hammer when the enemy was already on him was out of the question, so Theonix dropped his weapon. Unlike the moldling that was able to wrap itself around him, the gremlin whelp had no such ability. Theonix grabbed it by the throat and easily pried it away from him. It sunk its claws into his arm, causing him to wince, but he refused to loosen his grip.

Level 2 Gremlin Whelp delivers 10 damage.

Pulling back his free hand, Theonix summoned the Mana within him and used his Pummel ability, adding 10% of his remaining Health to his attack as he punched the gremlin whelp square in its ugly face, causing its head to bounce back and its eyes to roll.

Congratulations! New skill learned: Battle Magic Level 1. Your strength is in battle, and you're able to channel your Mana into helping you succeed. From giving you extra attack power when needed to healing your wounds, Battle Magic makes you a powerful adversary no matter the foe.

The punch was more focused than one Theonix would have typically used in a bar fight. An inborn ability, in desperate, close-range situations, Pummel was one of the best weapons he had. If need be, he could use it as many times as his Mana and Health would allow, but it wasn't the most efficient way to end a battle.

Tossing the dazed gremlin whelp aside, Theonix stood and took back up his Worn Battle Hammer. By the time he had recovered, so had the monster. A quick glance in his peripheral vision showed that Rygn had already made short work of his adversary, its lifeless body left bleeding about two yards away with its long pointed red tongue lolled out to the side. Now, Rygn was just standing aside observing.

Looking for an opening to attack, the gremlin whelp's head moved back and forth like a snake's. But Theonix's defense was solid this time. He would not let the creature get the literal jump on him again.

Much like he'd done with the moldling, Theonix watched the gremlin whelp for several seconds, trying to anticipate its next move. He was hoping it would jump again so that he could slam his hammer into its soft torso, but the little monster seemed content on the ground. It dashed in to swipe at him with its claws, but when Theonix swung down at it, it thought better and pulled back. The gremlin whelp probably wasn't smart enough to fake him out, and as soon as Theonix realized that, he had a plan.

Theonix pretended to attack from the right with a light swing, and the gremlin whelp predictably jumped to dodge, causing Theonix to change course and put all of his weight behind swinging his weapon to the left instead. The face of his hammer connected with the creature's side and sent it flying against the wall. He could feel something inside of the gremlin whelp give in from the impact, bones crushing and piercing organs. It hit the wall with a sick thud, a pained sigh escaping its throat before it fell the rest of the way to its death.

Defeated Level 2 Gremlin Whelp. 32XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 1 of 12 Gremlins slain.

"Good job, lad." Rygn walked over and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks." A small smile made its way to Theonix's lips. He would have been happier if the memory of the gremlin whelp's bones caving in wasn't sticking with him.

Theonix knelt next to the creature to loot it. Its body was in far less disrepair than the one his uncle had slain, but there was still a trail of blood leaking from the corner of the gremlin whelp's mouth from its internal injuries, and its side was definitely dented in from the blow.

Well, you shouldn't have attacked me. Theonix quickly brushed his guilt aside. As soon as he thought to loot the monster, its body disintegrated, leaving behind a thin strip of meat where the body had once been.

You have received the following item:

Dried Gremlin Meat

Uses: Food. Restores 30 Health over 30 Seconds.

Sell Price: 2 copper

Theonix had never eaten dried gremlin meat before, but he couldn't imagine it would taste good. This would probably be one of those 'in case he ran out of healing potions' kind of items.

"I didn't even get a chance to Analyze them," he complained.

"Ya need ta learn ta be quick in battle. Sometimes, jumping back an getting a good look at yer foe is a smarter move than engaging them right away, even if they throw tha first blow. With time, you'll learn ta Analyze while ya fight," Rygn assured him, though it didn't wipe the frown from Theonix's face.

He placed the dried gremlin meat in his bag and stood before walking over to the sconce on the wall to reclaim his torch. They pressed on, making their way down the mine for about fifteen more minutes before the sound of gremlin feet could be heard again.

This time, Theonix anticipated being jumped at, but his uncle got the feistier of the two gremlin whelps. Not wanting to repeat the same mistake, he quickly Analyzed both foes only half a second before his attacker reached him. To Theonix's alarm, the gremlin whelp heading in his direction had a green glow, which meant it was a slightly higher level than him. The creature charged straight for him, its lips pulled back in a snarl. Theonix activated Rupture and swung his Worn Battle Hammer straight down on the gremlin whelp's head. A brief flash of whack-a-mole ran through his mind as the monster sunk, seeming to compress like a crushed aluminum can.

That should have killed it, he thought, and was dismayed when the gremlin simply shook the blow off and continued its attack, swiping at his leg with a long arm. Surprised by the creature's tenacity, Theonix didn't dodge and received a sharp pain to his shin as the nails tore through his armor and flesh.

Level 3 Gremlin Whelp delivers 15 damage.

Theonix wanted to hit the gremlin whelp with Rupture again, but his cool down period hadn't passed. He could see the ability's cool down time displayed as a sword with a clock face on it. The seconds he had left to wait were grayed out.

This gremlin whelp was both persistent and stupid. It faced him directly, slashing out with both arms. Theonix struck it dead-on on top of the head again, and it crumpled to the floor.

Defeated Level 3 Gremlin Whelp. 48XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 2 of 12 Gremlins slain.

As before, Rygn had slain his gremlin whelp first and had been waiting on his nephew. Ignoring the fact that he was being watched, Theonix knelt to loot the body.

You have received the following item:

Dried Gremlin Meat

Uses: Food. Restores 30 Health over 30 Seconds.

Sell Price: 2 copper

Theonix placed the item in his bag, and they moved on only to encounter a third set of gremlins an equal distance away. At this point, he was starting to get a rhythm down. The nervousness Theonix had felt when first encountering the creatures had almost dissipated, replaced by excitement. He swung his hammer with confidence, activating his Rupture ability once during the battle to kill the level 2 gremlin whelp with one mighty blow.

Defeated Level 2 Gremlin Whelp. 32XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 3 of 12 Gremlins slain.

TRING!

Congratulations! You are now Level 3! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics. Please note that adding points to some characteristics(Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level.

Congratulations! You have learned the ability Battle Bandage.

Mana Cost: 15

Cool Down: 5 minutes

Using Battle Bandage will heal you for 10% of your max Health.

Wow. Theonix hadn't expected to level up so quickly. He hadn't even used his skill leveling ability from the last time yet. That meant that he could instantly level two skills, or level the same one twice.

What he was more excited about though, was the new ability he had learned. Concentrating on his wounds, Theonix pulled from the Mana inside of him. A soft blue light covered his body for half of a second, and he recovered 12 points of Health. In his peripheral vision, a small bandaged hand with a countdown clock appeared.

"Congrats, nephew!" Rygn clapped him on the shoulder. "But ya may have wanted ta wait ta use that 'til ya decided where ta put yer points."

On the one hand, Rygn was right. Theonix had been hasty to use his new ability. On the other hand, what did one more point of Health matter?

Wondering where he was at in regards to leveling his skills, Theonix pulled up his character sheet.

Name: Theonix Madguard

Race: Dwarf

Class: Battle Mage

Level: 3, 2% of the way to next level

Health: 87 / 130

Mana: 80 / 130

Stamina: 75 / 130

Vitality: 11

Intelligence: 11

Strength: 11

Agility: 10

Dexterity: 10

Charisma: 10

Luck: 10

Skills: Analyze Lvl 2; 70% of the way to next level

Two-Handed Weapons Lvl 2; 80% of the way to next level

Gathering Lvl 1; 40% of the way to next level

Battle Magic Lvl 1; 60% of the way to next level

Languages: Dwarvish

It felt like a waste to use his skill leveling ability on any skill below a level 3, so he decided to wait again. For assigning his points, now that Theonix was seeing more combat, he thought it might be a good idea to place one into Agility and one into Dexterity. The third was a bit more challenging to assign.

Never had Theonix felt at risk of mortal danger since his first encounter with the moldling that had wrapped around him. While he was using his Mana more now, he still didn't feel like it was draining quickly. The only concerning thing was that Theonix hadn't encountered any Mana restoring potions or edibles yet, so he had no way to refill it. Stamina seemed to be his most lacking resource. Everything drained it, from gathering to swinging his hammer. The only time he was able to avoid using it was when he activated an ability that consumed Mana instead of Stamina. With that in mind, and knowing that mining would definitely by a Stamina drain, Theonix decided to place his last point into Strength. Now that he really thought about it, he probably should have put all three points into Strength, but it was too late to go back. Once a point had been assigned, that was it.

With that business concluded, Theonix closed his character sheet and knelt to loot the body before him. He was surprised to see that the gremlin whelp had disintegrated into a small pickaxe.

You have received the following item:

Starter Pickaxe

Attack: +1-2

Type: Two-Handed

Durability: 25/25

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Uses: Mining, Weapon

Sell Price: 1 Gold, 8 Silver

Theonix's eyes widened as he read the value of the item. It was the most expensive thing he'd seen so far, probably because it had multiple uses.

"It's a good thing ya found that. Otherwise, ya would have had ta purchase one from me, an they ain't cheap," Rygn told him.

"A lucky find, indeed." Theonix smiled.

Rygn looked beyond him into the depths of the mine. "It shouldn't be much further."

"Good. I feel like this is taking forever."

They continued on for about ten more minutes before Rygn finally stopped and placed his torch in one of the sconces. "This should be good," he mumbled before approaching the left wall and running his hands over the stony surface.

Theonix stepped back as he watched his uncle pull his pickaxe from his belt and swing it at the wall a few times. Rocks crumbled at Rygn's feet, and a minute later he rested his pickaxe against the wall and knelt to scoop up a handful of the fallen material. He examined it for a moment before carrying it over to Theonix, his palm extended. Chunks of black ore rested on his hand.

"This is what we're lookin' fer, lad," he told his nephew. "We'll need quite a bit ta get tha lighting system working."

Quest: Mine Some Coal

Rygnuhdruhr Madguard has determined that the lighting system in Ponoisle Mine is out of coal. To fix it, you'll have to replenish the fuel source. Twelve pieces of coal ought to do it.

Difficulty: Very Easy

Success: Mine 12 pieces of coal

Reward: 1 gold, 1 Potion of Minor Stamina

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

Theonix accepted the quest and took up his pickaxe. Rygn continued working on mining the area that he had started, giving his nephew no sense of where he should begin his efforts. Wanting to stay out of his uncle's way, Theonix walked a few feet towards the entrance of the mine and began picking at the opposite wall. The second his pickaxe struck stone, a notification popped up.

Congratulations! New skill learned: Mining Level 1. Whether in a mine or a quarry, mining allows you to extract ore and minerals. Be careful when mining, because dangers often lurk in the depths of The Realm.

It took two strikes before Theonix hit something. Already, he was wishing he would have placed all of his points into Strength because swinging the pickaxe drained him of 10 Stamina every time he did it. The reward for his effort was, what appeared to be, a white rock. Prying it from the rubble brought up a notification.

You have received the following item:

Small Diamond

Uses: Jewelry Crafting

Sell Price: 500 Gold

Oh, holy shit. Theonix had struck it rich on his first try at mining. He was so excited by the find that he couldn't help but break away from his duties to share it with his uncle.

"Look what I got." He jogged over to show Rygn.

The older dwarf's eyes fell to the small diamond, and a twinge of jealousy took over his expression. "Beginner's luck." Immediately, he refocused on his work.

Theonix's smile sagged from his uncle's quick dismissal. Disappointed, he placed the gem in his sack and returned to his post. Before taking up his pickaxe again, he finished off his Potions of Minor Stamina, knowing he'd need the Strength.

On his very next swing, he struck coal.

You have received the following item:

Coal

Uses: Combustion Material

Sell Price: 7 Silver

Quest Update: Mine Some Coal – 1 of 12 coal mined.

Damn. The coal was worth a good amount, too.

Eight more swings of his pickaxe produced three more pieces of coal. It also drained his Stamina down to only 25 points and leveled the mining skill.

Congratulations! The skill: Mining has reached Level 2. This skill allows you to mine precious stones and metals. Use it to build your wealth or find rare materials for crafting.

That took way too much effort for such a little reward. Theonix's arms were trembling from the weight of the pickaxe, and his palms were already beginning to blister. While he had wanted to wait to use his stored up skill leveling abilities, it was worth placing one in mining if it reduced the stress on his body and made him able to complete this task faster. Without second-guessing himself, Theonix immediately leveled up his Mining skill to 3.

Congratulations! The skill: Mining has reached Level 3. This skill allows you to mine precious stones and metals. Use it to build your wealth or find rare materials for crafting.

Theonix groaned internally as he realized that no perks were gained from leveling the skill. Perks were rewarded every few levels, but he hadn't been sure how many it would take with the Mining skill. He had hoped to get lucky. Not the case.

For a few moments, Theonix struggled with the idea of using his final skill leveling ability to advance his Mining skill one more level but ultimately decided it wasn't worth it. More than likely, he wouldn't receive a perk until he hit level 5 in the skill, and while it was a Stamina drain, mining wasn't particularly dangerous. He still had gremlins to slay, and he'd much rather level up his Two-Handed Weapons skill than waste the ability on something so trivial. That didn't take care of his immediate problem though, which was that he was almost out of Stamina, and he had no more Potions of Minor Stamina left. It was time to visit his uncle again.

"Hey," he called to get Rygn's attention. The dwarf was still tirelessly chipping away at the wall, a pile of rocks and coal at his feet.

"Yeah." Rygn stopped, setting down his pickaxe to wipe his brow with the back of his arm.

"I need to buy some more stuff from you." Theonix pulled the Small Diamond from his bag.

Without another word, the two dwarves met in the middle, and the bartering screen appeared again. This time, there were a few additional items for sale.

Dried Gremlin Meat

Quantity: 1

Uses: Food. Restores 30 Health over 30 Seconds.

Buy Price: 4 copper

Mine Water

Quantity: 1

Uses: Drink. Restores 90 Stamina over 90 Seconds

Buy Price: 2 Copper

Coal

Quantity: 5

Uses: Combustion Material

Sell Price: 1 gold, 4 silver

Potion of Minor Stamina

Quantity: 6

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Uses: Restores 30 Stamina.

Buy Price: 1 Silver, 2 Copper each

Potion of Minor Healing

Quantity: 8

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Uses: Heals 30 HP

Sell Price: 1 Silver, 1 Copper each

Coin Pouch

Inventory Slots: 1

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Buy Price: 2 Copper

"Heyyyyy!" Theonix couldn't help but react to the fact that his uncle was selling things for twice their value. "You're buying Dried Gremlin Meat for 2 copper but selling it for 4. That's not fair." He gave his uncle a disapproving look.

A toothy smile took over Rygn's face. "No, it's not fair; it's business."

Theonix's expression sulked. Whatever the case, he could afford anything he needed now that he'd mined the Small Diamond. Handing it over, he collected his 500 gold. Then a thought occurred to him. If he purchased the coal from his uncle, would that add to his quest?

This felt like a test somehow, but Theonix was tempted to try it. Why would the coal show up in Rygn's inventory for sale if he wasn't allowed to buy it? The worst thing that could happen was that his uncle would deny him the sale and he'd get an earful about cheating.

While he mulled over what to do, Theonix went ahead and bought the rest of Rygn's Potions of Minor Stamina and the Mine Water. Hesitating, he gave his uncle a suspicious look before purchasing all of his Coal as well. As soon as he closed the sale window, a notification popped up.

Quest Update: Mine Some Coal – 9 of 12 coal mined.

Rygn turned away and went back to work on his part of the wall, leaving Theonix standing there dumbfounded. Perhaps he knew that his nephew was tired and low on Stamina. Sympathy had never been one of Rygn's stronger attributes, though. Whatever the case, Theonix wasn't going to argue.

Feeling kind of bad that he'd clearly cheated on the quest and hoping that there would be no latent repercussions from it, he drank two of the Potions of Minor Stamina before returning to his own patch of the wall.

While his uncle didn't punish him for his laziness, the universe seemed to be doing it in his stead. It took four swings of his pickaxe before Theonix hit coal again. A few more swings, and he needed to down two more Potions of Minor Stamina. They were depleting way too quickly. Considering how difficult it had been just to mine what coal he had, Theonix was regretting buying the rest from his uncle less and less. From the look of things, he would have run out of Potions of Minor Stamina long before he would have mined the required amount of coal to complete the quest.

The Realm continuing to punish him, it took five more swings before he finally mined the last piece of coal he needed.

Quest Update: Mine Some Coal – 12 of 12 coal mined.

And with that, he was also forced to down his last two Potions of Minor Stamina which only brought his Stamina up to 65 points. Hopefully, the gremlin whelps would start dropping Stamina recover items. Otherwise, he was going to be screwed.

"I did it," he said exhaustedly as he carried the required amount of coal over to his uncle. Rygn seemed just about finished mining, too.

"Excellent." He nodded, pleased.

Congratulations! Quest: Mine Some Coal has been completed.

Rygnuhdruhr Madguard noticed your weakness and cut you some slack. This should teach you how important correctly allocating your characteristic points are and starting a quest with the right items is. You'll know better next time. Despite your shortcomings, you got the job done. You have earned 1 gold, 90XP. You have also received the following item:

Potion of Minor Stamina

Quantity: 1

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Uses: Restores 30 Stamina.

Sell Price: 6 Copper

Theonix immediately drank the potion then debated using Battle Bandage to restore some of his Health but decided that it was better to save his Mana for his attack abilities. Instead, he drank one of his Potions of Minor Healing to bring his Health back up to 117 points.

"Now what?" Theonix asked Rygn, happy to be done mining. While he generally loved the idea of mining—the excitement of finding valuable ores and minerals—it took a backseat when he had other quests to complete.

"Now, I'll show ya how ta fix tha lighting system."