"Do ya remember tha boxes on tha walls when we were walking here? There were two at tha entrance an another two halfway in." Rygn touched a small metal pipe that extended down the right wall and connected all of the sconces on that side of the lighting system together. There was an identical pipe on the other wall.

"I remember." Theonix nodded.

"I need fer ya ta take this coal," Rygn handed all of the coal back over to Theonix in a small sack, "an go fill tha last set a boxes, halfa tha coal in each box. There should be a switch next ta tha box. Flip it, an if Finborh permits, tha lights should work."

Quest: Fix the Lighting System

You've collected the necessary amount of coal. Now you must travel back toward the entrance to the mine to place it in the combustion boxes. Doing this and flipping the two switches should repair part of the lighting system in Ponoisle Mine.

Difficulty: Easy

Success: Fill two combustion boxes with coal

Reward: 2 silver, 5 copper

Will you accept this quest: Yes or No?

Should fix it? Theonix huffed internally at that part. Also at 'repair part of the lighting system.' That probably meant he would have to mine some more. Such a time suck when daylight was burning.

"And what will you be doing?" he asked.

"I'll stay here an mine some more coal. We'll need it as we descend further inta tha mine." Rygn reached into his bag and withdrew two sticks to make new torches.

Theonix's mouth fell agape as he watched his uncle. "Do you mean to tell me you had those all along? That you sent me into Willow Forest for nothing?"

Rygn shrugged. "Ya needed tha experience. But ta be honest, ya should have brought back more sticks, ya lazy shyt." A grin spread his lips.

It was a good thing that Rygn did have the extra sticks because their torches were already beginning to sputter. Almost the second he lit the new torches, the old ones died out. The burnt pieces of wood disintegrated in their sconces, their usefulness expended.

Words from the last quest completion notification flashed through Theonix's mind. This should teach you how important correctly allocating your characteristic points are and starting a quest with the right items is.

Fuck! It was now blatantly apparent that Theonix should have taken the time to gather more sticks, but how was he supposed to have known that they wouldn't be able to fix the lighting system before their torches ran out. This was a lesson in 'it's better to take too much than too little.'

Rygn handed one of the new torches over to Theonix. "Now, get going."

He briefly thanked his uncle before turning to head back toward the entrance. It wasn't long until Theonix lost sight of Rygn, though the sound of his pickaxe slamming against the stone wall could still be heard. While the tunnel was wide enough to support four stout dwarves standing side by side and tall enough that Theonix didn't need to bend over to walk, due to his limited visibility from relying on the torchlight, it felt smaller somehow. A near circular coffin under the ground.

That thought was disconcerting. This was where Theonix should have felt at home. Underground. Deeply entrenched in the smell of the earth and the coolness of the stone around him. It was the knowledge that foes still lurked that made him uncomfortable.

Almost as soon as he thought it, Theonix heard a noise. Up until now, all of the threats had come from deeper within the mine. But this one was traveling toward him from the entrance, and it sounded like more than one.

Theonix quickly side-stepped to place his torch in one of the sconces. Then he grabbed his Worn Battle Hammer, adjusting his grip on the handle repeatedly as beads of sweat began to form on his brow from nervousness. Now completely alone, he would have to handle this threat on his own. One gremlin, he knew he'd be able to take out, but he wasn't entirely confident in his abilities to fight more than one at a time.

Listening, he waited, watching the edge of the light, knowing that he would see the gremlins' glowing red eyes before their bodies would follow. He had been right; there was more than one. Focusing on the closest as both gremlins made to attack him at the same time, Theonix was only able to Analyze the one right in front of him before the melee began. Thankfully, it Analyzed as blue, an easy kill.

Wanting to finish it off quickly, he activated Rupture to take it out in one hit. Gore squirted from the gremlin's ears as its skull sunk in. Its eyes bulged from the compression, one of them popping from its socket. Theonix wretched into his own mouth, the horrific sight catching him off guard. This is what should have happened to the last gremlin he had scored a direct hit on, but that one had been stronger.

Defeated Level 2 Gremlin Whelp. 32XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 4 of 12 Gremlins slain.

While Theonix was occupied fighting the first gremlin, the second came in and swiped at his leg, landing a hit across his shin.

Level 2 Gremlin Whelp delivers 10 damage.

Theonix hissed from the pain, adrenaline keeping most of it at bay. Using all of his strength, he pulled his Worn Battle Hammer from the first gremlin whelp's skull and took a wild swing at the second. The creature dodged and then lunged in for another strike, swiping its claws across his right shin this time.

Level 2 Gremlin Whelp delivers 10 damage.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled as he swung his hammer down, trying to smash this goblin whelp the same as he had done to its friend. This one saw the move coming and dodged.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 3. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

As planned, Theonix immediately used his second skill leveling ability to level the skill one more time.

Congratulations! The skill: Two-Handed Weapons has reached Level 4. This skill enables you to use all manner of two-handed weapons to defeat enemies. Increasing your Strength will make them easier to wield.

Damn. Still no perk. Oh well. It can't be helped right now.

Calm down! Theonix told himself. The reason this goblin whelp was able to dodge his attacks wasn't because it was smarter than the first. It was because he was swinging too wide, his movements fueled by his desperation to end the battle quickly. He shouldn't be so frantic. Without even having to Analyze the gremlin whelp, he knew it was a level 2. There was no way it had more strength than him. If he would just calm down, this should be easy.

Taking a defensive stance, Theonix gathered his nerves. Now that his fear was dying off, the pain in his legs was increasing. Luckily, the scratches were barely skin deep thanks to what little protection his armor provided. If they had made it through muscle and bone, he'd have a much harder time winning.

"Come on, you little shit," Theonix seethed as he watched the gremlin whelp's movements. It bobbed back and forth in much the same way as the ones before it—as if they couldn't physically sit still. The creature wasn't trying to fake him out; this was just how they moved. Every once in a while, one foot would jut an inch in one direction or the other. That gave a good indication as to where the whelp would try to strike out next.

Theonix watched, trying to anticipate the monster's next move. Figuring out how the creatures fought was one of the best ways of learning how to quickly defeat them. It took a few more moments, but eventually, the gremlin whelp tired of waiting on Theonix to brashly attack again, and it went on the offense. He calculated its direction of attack and swung in as it leaped forward, batting the creature across the mine like an incoming baseball. Its body fell, limp and dead, just at the edge of the light.

Defeated Level 2 Gremlin Whelp. 32XP rewarded.

Quest Update: Rid Ponoisle Mines of Gremlins – 5 of 12 Gremlins slain.

"Fuck yeah!" Theonix whooped, proud of himself for having killed both of the gremlin whelps when he had been outnumbered. Sure, they had been weaker than him, but this was the first time he'd faced more than one foe at a time, and he'd triumphed without the help of his uncle. It was a huge personal victory, and it bolstered his confidence for future battles.

Now it was time for his reward. Theonix knelt next to the closest gremlin whelp's body first. It was difficult for him to look at its crushed skull. While he knew that everything had happened faster than the creature could probably feel pain, its face was still set in a look of agony. Thinking of looting it caused the gremlin whelp to disintegrate away.

You have received the following item:

Coal

Uses: Combustion Material

Sell Price: 7 Silver

Well, that was a bit unexpected. Why would a gremlin whelp have coal on it, especially one that was just now entering the mine?

Theonix shrugged it off. It didn't matter. This was one less piece of coal he'd have to waste his Stamina on mining.

Placing the coal in his bag, he moved on to the next goblin whelp.

You have received the following item:

Dried Gremlin Meat

Uses: Food. Restores 30 Health over 30 Seconds.

Sell Price: 2 copper

He was beginning to wonder if gremlin whelps even dropped Mana and Stamina recovery items. They didn't use any spells, so it made sense that they wouldn't carry Mana recovery items, but they definitely used Stamina. Theonix tried not to think on it too much. With 75 points of Mana left, it would still be a while before he ran out. As long as he didn't use Battle Bandage, he should be able to make it through his gremlin killing quest before completely running out. Besides, he hadn't even had to use Rupture on the last gremlin whelp. It shouldn't be necessary on weaker foes.

Picking back up his torch, Theonix continued toward the entrance, now finding the mine much less constrictive. Pride swelled in his chest, and he had to fight the urge to whistle while he walked. Dwarves were known to be amazing whistlers, and Theonix was no exception. But not having a clear view of what was ahead of him would make that a stupid move. Giving his position away could lead to being swarmed by gremlins. He would not make that fatal mistake just because he felt the need to express his joy.

The remainder of his journey to the combustion boxes was uneventful, and there was no mystery to what he needed to do next once he arrived. Theonix filled up one combustion box with twelve coals, then flipped the switch. The crunching of gears and a whirring sound could be heard for a few seconds, then the sconces leading deeper into the mine lit up one at a time. Rinse and repeat with the combustion box on the other wall, and the deed was done.

Theonix sighed in relief, enjoying that he could now see down the mine. There would be no more surprises. No more red-eyed beasties jumping out at him from the darkness.

His mood elevated even further, Theonix walked back down the tunnel toward his uncle. This time, he whistled while he walked.