Quest Received *

A Rift in Trade

From what you've been told, two brothers with hearts destined for trade were currently up in arms with each other, each trying to see his own will done to the company. They have each promised reward to those who aid them in their family struggle!

Possible Rewards: Increased relationship with the tradegood faction of Erikson's Trade; set of armor or masterwork weapon; Increased relationship with produce and livestock faction of Erikson's Trade; a riding horse (poor quality) with sufficient feed for two weeks.

Possible Consequences: Decreased relationship with the tradegood faction of Erikson's Trade; Decreased relationship with produce and livestock faction of Erikson's Trade

Possible Chain: The Mending of Trade

Deran looked askance at the quest his friend had shared with him, "Wow. That is a lot more information than I'm used to seeing. Does this mean I'm at the quest where you are?"

She laughed, shaking her head, "No. You haven't started the quest yet. It just has all the information because this quest is affirmed as one of the ones with every possible chain discovered. There should be a star in the title or something, I forget. The game considers it public knowledge now, so any newcomers can just pick the path and go for it. Quite convenient, if you ask me."

"You aren't wrong there! That chain seems promising, Mending of Trade. Any idea what that's about?" Deran scratched his nose as they walked down the road cutting through the merchant's district. They had to find one of the brothers to start the quest, and Lyselle needed a refresher. She said it had been the first quest she started but never finished, working on her skills as a mage instead.

"Why would I need armor when my leather hold's nature enchantments the best? And what need of a horse, when at level 25 in nature magic I can call a forest animal to my side for a time, to do my will? I focused on those, and I'm more than three-quarters of the way to my mount." Deran could find no argument to her logic. His need, however, drove them here so she figured she'd finish it along the way as well.

"How would it work if we choose a different chain than you?" Deran asked, gesturing to the further quest, oblivious that she couldn't see what he was pointing at.

She was smart, and pictured the questbox in her mind, "Ah. Yeah, I didn't go for the chain, jumped the gun on it. It's boring and long, and it has an unknown which is always stressful." She paused, looking at him and his sword before continuing, "Well, usually always stressful. You are you, however. But to answer your question; no, it won't matter. The game can somehow keep track of who is where in the questline and changes their world but only in their perspective..." She trailed off and shook her head,' "It's too hard to put into words."

Deran bit his lip, thinking fast. Finding unknowns had worked amazingly so far, rewarding him with high-level gear and extremely boosted relationships with everyone in town. From what he had been told, it was painting a target on his back, "Every one of these unknowns gets me more money in the real world, right?" Lyselle hesitated, then nodded slowly, "Good. So I'll get them all. And if they kill me, I'll come back and redo it on their dime, get right back here on now public knowledge quests, and do it again."

"One flaw." The words were spoken in a flat tone, quelling his growing sense of accomplishment. Yet again, her intellect was already four moves ahead of him, "That makes the quest public, which nullifies any sort of lead you have. As it is, no one knows how you did this. Granted, they will find it, but it will take time. The moment you die, they know. And then it's a much closer race, one you will lose. Deran, you gotta listen to me. Don't tell anyone how you did it. Not even me, or an NPC. The longer this remains unknown, the more you stand to gain. If you want to follow that path, at least. You can choose a side right now and possibly break this unknown quest chain..." She trailed off, eyes darting through mental math, "Though I doubt it. It's the origin chain. Information was leaked that this chain was the sole project of two of the developers for over a year. On one questline!"

Deran shook his head in wonder, then argued, "Wait, if they've waited so long, why would they try and end me early? Shouldn't they be happy?"

"Normally, you'd think so! However, it's a loss in their eyes. As it is, you are one person who has this questline in hand. One person who stands to gain a heck of a lot. If they take you out, now everyone has access. The prize is split up between all the parties and individuals who deduce it and now everyone wins a little. Their PR guy eats it up and is the prime suspect as the one behind the bounties. No one knows for sure, of course."

"So I get as far as I can before whatever this jackass sends after me gets here and hope I can handle it. Luckily I have my faithful bard ever beside me, even unto death." Deran grinned at his friend, who was busy rolling his eyes.

"The moment you fall, I am booking it. Hopefully, they won't bother with the tiny green man running away. I believe I could even get away with it." Gorgath spoke with a flat voice, no emotion to be found in his tone or posture. Deran tried to swallow but found his throat had gone dry. His sudden anxiety was shattered by a bright voice.

"Not to worry, Sir Deran. You have me and the power of nature at your side!" Lyselle spoke confidently, standing erect and proud in her stained leather. It was an impressive sight, aided by her staff seeming to bend in a nonexistent wind.

"That's right!" Deran grinned with relief, shoring up his resolve, "Though I still don't understand why you're still helping me. Or why you started in the first place."

Lyselle didn't respond to him, instead pointing out, "There's the guy you need to talk to. Grab him quick before he disappears, he doesn't come out to town often."

Deran grumbled but didn't argue, hurrying to the harried man's side just as he stepped into the recess of a doorway. "Excuse me, young sir! I was told you were in desperate need of help and thought to offer my services!" He hoped the speech was enough to start the quest, everything here was still so new and foreign to him.

The man Deran presumed to be one of the Erikson brothers looked up at him from the recess, irritation flashing across his features. "Now, who do you think you are? And how do you know of my personal affairs, I don't know of you one bit."

Deran quickly applied his skill, words smoothing the man's ruffled emotions, "Peace, friend. I heard from a man at a tavern nearby, he spoke highly of you. I never caught his name, though he was quite persistent in finding you help."

The seeming bookkeeper grimaced, "Probably Justin. He's always trying to do more than he should. Well, he wasn't wrong. I have run into a bit of an issue I haven't been able to solve on my own."

Deran opened the door and beckoned with his head, "It's quieter inside. I understand your trouble arises from within your family?"

They stepped in from the clamor into a dimly lit seating room. Bustling around the room was an old man, fumbling to get candles lit and set up in time. At their entrance, he bowed deeply, "Master, I am sorry. I did not have much notice that you would be stopping by."

"It's perfectly fine, Mr. Bartlebe. In fact, if you would just leave that light, I can finish up these rest. You get home to the family and rest. We all take family for granted and rarely find that out in time." The manservant bowed again, able to meekly get out a thank you before vanishing, leaving the two of them in the sitting room alone.

"Make yourself at home," The man sighed, removing his glasses and massaging his temples. He managed to find a bottle of clear amber somewhere in the dark, "Bless that man for leaving this. Light up the room, I'll pour you a glass. Then we talk of business."

Deran grumbled but found no sound reason not to just do as the man asked. As he picked up each candle and felt it's weight, smelled the tallow hanging thick in the air, and sparked the light to brighten up the place, he marveled. Everything was perfectly real. The flicker of heat near his hands as the candle flared to life, the smell of dust still hanging in the air.

By the time the last candle was lit, the man was sitting in a comfortable looking chair, a glass of some kind of whiskey in hand, "Take a seat, both of you. And feel free to drink. I'm Harvey, by the way. Harvey Erikson, of Erikson Trade. You probably already know that." Before the two chairs across from his at two similar glasses to the one in his hand, both filled with the same amber drink. He gestured towards them with his hand, sipping his own in invitation.

Deran politely declined, sitting on the edge of the chair apprehensively, "So, what was it you needed help with? Some sort of feud, from what I've gathered?" He wanted to get the quest started already, preferably behind him if possible. Everything he had learned so far showed him how little he knew and Lyselle had made it perfectly clear to him how fast he needed to learn.

"Yes. My brother and I are currently at odds, each seeking to drive the other from the business. He thinks I'm turning against him but I'm only doing what's best for the company! That's what we swore to do."

Deran slid the glass back to the man whos current glass was empty, "Alright, let's start from the beginning. You guys are obviously in business together. What did he do that makes you feel the need to drive him away? Gambling debts? Bad company? Loose women?"

"Bah." The man practically spat, "Those, at least, I could deal with. But this farce with the mine is too much. We should have never tried to invest in the source, I said it from the beginning. But that traitor went behind my back and bought it without my consent! So, accepting that we were now stuck, I agree we should at least send a team to survey the metals in the mine. See how much we lost." He trailed off, pouring himself another drink before continuing, "Not one of them has returned. Good men who've been with the company for five-plus years. They would never just abandon and it would take more than just a bandit group or two to put them in any danger. To truly help them requires the company to be stable enough to outfit you in your search if you so choose."

Quest Updated!

A Rift in Trade *

From what you've been told, two brothers with hearts destined for trade were currently up in arms with each other, each trying to see his own will done to the company. They have each promised reward to those who aid them in their family struggle!

One of the brothers went shady and bought a mine without his partner's approval. The mine is still an unknown, as the survey team has yet to report back their findings, an odd occurrence according to Harvey Erikson, and so he worries about them and the investment. This has pushed his trust and faith in his brother to the breaking point, tearing their company in two.

Help Harvey unseat his brother and at least bring a normalcy to the company. While not as large, Harvey argues, it will be more stable.

(Optional chain) Discover the disappearance of the survey team to let Harvey find out if the investment has any merit.

Possible Rewards: Increased relationship with produce and livestock faction of Erikson's Trade; a riding horse (poor quality) with sufficient feed for two weeks; Even further increased relationship with produce and livestock faction of Erikson's Trade.

Possible Consequences: Decreased relationship with the tradegood faction of Erikson's Trade

Possible Chain: The Mending of Trade

Deran stood quickly and reached out a hand to be shaken, "I'm on the case, Harvey. I'll figure out just what's going on, don't you worry." He nodded to the man and stepped back outside, holding the door open for Lyselle.

"That went smoothly," She looked down the street and scanned nearby faces intently, "So, what are you going to do? I don't know how to initiate the chain, I never looked into it myself."

"So, we can search for a player who might know something, check out the cave for the survey team, or find the other brother who you said was hard to find. Sounds like a great plan, it's no wonder no one follows this questline." Deran mumbled, shading his gaze from the suddenly bright light as the sun came out from behind the clouds.

"Especially since the reward is some locked door that can't be opened and a boost to all skills based on charisma, which most people don't have many. Most of them just go with the other quests."

"Which even further breaks up the unknown questline, based on this door that hasn't been opened yet. I can't give up on it but finding help won't be very likely. They made it hard to follow this damned thing." Deran kicked at a rock in frustration, mind trying to puzzle out the best path.

"Which is why no one has found it yet. The rewards seem to be pretty good, from what I've seen," Lyselle pointed out, looking at his sword, "Speaking of rewards, where's your companion at? Just sitting somewhere?"

Deran shrugged, "No clue. He mentioned doing something but I'm not sure what he's gonna do when I'm not around. The companion thing is just as new as everything else here, so unless you know anything, I'm in the dark until we learn on our own. I'd rather not ask other players about companions and give something away."

"True. So what now?"

Deran looked at the quest again before responding, "I guess we should head to the mine first. Figure out what's going on there first and go to the other brother with that as an incentive to follow us. Plus optional rewards are awesome, so there's that too."

"Do you have any idea where the mine is? Bring up your map and see if it got updated or not."

"I.. have a map?" He asked dumbly, looking at his now laughing friend, "I followed Gorgath to his camp and then to town, I never even realized I had one." The moment he envisioned a map, it appeared before him. Most of it was covered in black, though there was one tiny section that was revealed. Zooming in on it showed an icon of a small town surrounded by woods and a plain on one side. Deep in the woods was a lit icon with the words "Erikson's Mine".

"Look at that, it's on the map. Easy enough to get to, only looks about a day or two's walk, based on how far away Gorgath's tent is on this thing. This would have been useful. I wonder what else about this game I'm not using properly."

"Well, you are using the extra attribute points for roleplaying, right? Those things are the best." Lyselle turned to look down the street, "I wonder how much it would cost to rent a horse for the day. Get to that mine faster"

"Wait, extra points? I knew nothing about that!" Deran began frantically looking through his character sheet, "I haven't been the best roleplayer but I think I did some good!" He was scanning his stat sheet when Lyselle burst out laughing, making him blush.

"Sorry. I forgot you're new to VR and dives in general. That's a pretty common noob joke, no ones fallen for it in quite a while so I assumed you'd know. Silly me. There are no extra stat points; in fact, this game is pretty stingy on them. Skills only level up from use or quests, not leveling, and with only three attributes a level, it caps at 307 points. Most players go for mastery of as many as possible with one or two dump stats. My plan is to dump strength and max everything else, personally. I'll be a lot weaker than almost every other person at the same level, but all my other stats would be perfect. Worth the risk, as long as I have something to hide behind." She playfully punched him in the arm and grinned shyly. He chuckled in response, nudging her back.

"Come on, it's this way to the town gates, based on the map. Maybe there will be a stable or something nearby, I'm sure they have a taxi service or something.

***

"A swan! For one day!" Deran groused at the nonchalant looking man standing across the counter from them. The scrawny man shrugged.

"That's the price. With an escort to bring the horses back for one-way trips. Or you can pay more for a longer rate and bring the horses back on your own time."

Lyselle laid her hand on Deran's arm and tried to pull him back outside, "Come on. It was an idea but I suppose we can just walk." Deran started to follow after, not caring one way or the other. With his constitution score, he could probably run the distance of a horse without a ton of problems. On their way, he saw some bits of saddle lying in a heap and an idea struck him.

"How much for some of this scrap? You gonna charge a swan for that as well?"

Relationship with Samson decreased to unfriendly!

"Nope. Just a feather and you can take the lot. I can't piece it out." He crossed his arms and chewed a small piece of sweetbark, raising an eyebrow at him.

Deran took a deep breath and tried to focus past the irritation. Laying two feathers on the counter, he picked out two stirrups from the pile and walked out, ignoring the squawk of surprise.

Lyselle came chuckling after him, "His eyes are bugging out. He's also coming out here, looks like he's as curious as I am about what you're up to." Deran grunted, retying knots and adjusting the length, looking at the height of his companion.

"Well, I know Gorgath has a high con if nothing else. He kept up with me that first day and we were booking it. The only one unable to keep up is you." Lyselle started to argue but Deran continued over her, "However, I'm also decently strong. with a four, so with the right set up, I should be able to carry you for a little while." He finished tying the stirrups and slipped them over his shoulders. By now, Samson had made his way outside and was currently leaning up against the doorjamb.

Lyselle looked at him with one hand covering her mouth, "Am I getting a very long piggyback ride! I am totally in for that!" She jumped up into the stirrups with excitement, not even waiting to make sure he was ready. With a grunt, he stood straight and tried a short jog forward, ending up sending the girl tumbling after just a few steps.

"Here. Do this." Samson stepped forward and began tying leather thongs to the stirrups stretched across his back, adding a support system based around his hips. He also tied the stirrup irons straight to Deran's belt, making most of the weight to be carried by the hips. The arrangement was much better, the man's expertise in the area giving good insight.

Now, when Lyselle climbed into place, Deran barely felt any real difference. He remembered seeing pictures of those backpackers with their giant backpacks and chuckled. Who would have thought to use the same principle here?

He set off towards the inn at a jog, feeling Lyselle jostle into a more comfortable position before settling in for the ride. On the way, he clicked the notification icon.

You have unlocked the skill Tinkering (5xp) Relationship with Samson increased to respected!

Gorgath said nothing when they came into sight of the inn, standing in the courtyard with a deadpan expression. As they approached, he remarked, "I know those of your kind talk about being ridden over by their womenfolk but honestly, this seems to be a bit much."

Deran blushed, "It only makes sense. We can't afford mounts and she can't keep up with us running. It was a test, which, for the most part, works. Sadly, there's no mount skill I can level, at least not from lack of trying. She's been having a blast."

Lyselle poked her head over the warrior's shoulder and beamed, her hair splayed out in all directions, "It's such fun! Now I wanna finish this quest so I can have a horse until I get my nature mount.

Deran derigged while he went inside to pack, asking over his shoulder, "What mount are you getting? You mentioned that before, your magic gives you one?"

Lyselle nodded, following him into his room. She had never unpacked, whereas Deran was still new to life as an adventurer. His spare set of clothes was strewn about and he had left a packet of foodstuffs the inn had provided; Dried meats and cheese wrapped for travel.

"Not sure. It changed based on the person. Supposedly the type of wood we have as our staff during the summoning affects it. Since almost everyone has the starter or common wood means they've all been basic. Though there are a few awesome ones that are actually living mounts, like a unicorn. Some player-become princess gained one as a special quest reward from the elf kingdom."

"Nature magic is weird. The wood even matters? I thought it was just a staff." Deran finished packing, leaving a chip on the bedside.

Lyselle followed him, closing the door behind them, "Yeah, it's how you become a nature mage. You have to find a tree that's at least a thousand years old and commune with it until it's been convinced of your intent. Which with a tree is a pain, so knowing a bit of magic already helps. Anyways, the three most common trees are situated around the spawning area solely for people like me, so knowing that got me started pretty early. I got willow until I find something a little bit better. As long as both the tree and mage remain alive, the staff is a living extension of the tree and retains its properties in mystical ways. Willow staves are able to bend around blocks and strike unexpected places."

Deran remembered all the times in their sparring she had laid into him from an impossible angle, ragging about how slow he was. "So that's how you kept winning! You cheated!" Lyselle stuck her tongue out at him and continued, "I have an idea what kind of tree I want but there's a lot more to it now that I'm in-game than I realized. The forums are only so good at portraying the actual dive and I'm still new to it myself. Did a vacation once but this is my first adventure."

"Well, we will just have to find you a really good tree. As soon as you think it's safe for me to move around, we go find you whatever tree it is you need. What were you thinking?"

Lyselle stuck her hair in her mouth to think while climbing back onto his back. They had managed to find their way back to the road outside where Gorgath stood ready. "We going to run, nofang? Sounds like so much fun. I forgot how fun it was to adventure with you. Remind me why I'm running with you?"

"Because after I leave, maybe these people forget just how nice you are and when someone's bread goes missing or maiden loses their womanhood from the smooth-tongued lowlife at the bar and you won't have me to hide behind."

Gorgath stopped in his tracks, turning to look at him for a long pause. The silence was shattered as he started to roar in laughter, scaring a few nearby passersby.

"Nofang, you continue to surprise me! Aye, I suppose I should go with you. Already a few of those husbands and fathers have been looking at me entertaining their women with song, ill intent obvious in their eyes. I don't know why; I'm just doing my duty to the innkeeper for his generosity. In fact, while you were gone, I stocked up on some supplies for the road and got you a backpack. It's hanging off mine for now, until we find an actual need for it."

Deran stopped, looking back towards the town, "It would be better to stock it up now... but I'm sure we'll be fine without it. Let's just go and fill it on the way with stuff."

"On the way back, we can fill it with herbs. I'll keep an eye out and mark the places on my map for a more thorough search on the way back. Let's do the mine as quickly as possible though." Lyselle tugged on his ears from her perch as the path curved, miming as if he were an actual horse. Deran put up with her antics with quite a few eye rolls but no real resistance.

They ran at a decent speed, faster than he had ever been able to maintain in real life. They probably covered close to eighty miles, eating lunch on the run. When the sun finally set and everything started to go dark, they came to a stop. "We should already be setting up camp," Gorgath grumbled, looking around the dim trees for a decent spot, "Now it's gonna be a pain to find something."

Lyselle grinned with delight, thumping the orc playfully about the head with her staff. The near brushes against his head made Deran realize the staff was somehow warm. "No. Go that way, we should be close."

"Close to what?" The orc scoffed, pushing past a few branches.

"Close to that."

'That' was a gigantic tree, the biggest one Deran, or Jason, had ever seen. The thing made him feel as insignificant as an ant, with branches that were thicker around than his body, reaching almost to the ground. The space underneath its massive overhang of branches and leaves was a dry safe spot. "Nothing will bother us here. This is my tree, so it's pretty much a guaranteed safe zone. Since communing with a tree takes a while, they had to make it a non-PvP area or no one would be able to become a nature mage."

"Cool. I still want watches set, just in case. I only have one chance at this and don't want to risk it. It'll be nice to not have to worry too much though. I didn't realize just how far away the tree was."

"Yeah, I got lucky and spawned around the same time a guy was riding out that way. I guess he needed a sprig from the tree for some quest, he was pretty nice about it all. I tried to friend him but he wouldn't go for it. Speaking of! I completely forgot to send you one!"

You have received a friend request from Lyselle Tarthbound Accept?

"Oh, nice." He focused on the 'yes' and instantly saw a new icon pop up: the outline of a person. Focusing on it brought up a friends list, where Lyselle's name was written in pink glittering letters. "Oh, you can send messages. That's nifty."

"Technically, it will still take an amount of time to reach the person, whatever the quickest means you have to deliver it. Still, it's a nice feature to keep in touch. We joined parties when I shared the quest with you, but now we will always have a link to each other! In case we have to split up, which is hopefully no time soon." She looked out at the now dark trees apprehensively.

"Kinda cute, the nature mage being scared of nature. Not to worry, I can't find my way without you yet, so you're stuck with me for a while." They settled down to sleep, Gorgath taking the first watch. The giant willow brought a sense of peace to Deran, making his dreams soothing and comfortable.

***

"We got really far yesterday," Deran mused, looking at the map, "We can be there in about two hours if we maintain that pace."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Lyselle piped in from her new favorite spot, oohing and aahing at things only she could see.

Deran didn't even see Gorgath shake his head, already setting off at a slight trot. The next two hours passed in a blur, soon ending at the beginning of a clearing.

At the center of which sat an entrance into the dark abyss. That's what it looked like, at least, a jagged rent in the ground that somehow descended into almost pitch darkness. Even the torches staked at the entrance seemed to give off an exhausted, weak light.

At its entrance also stood a few men in tattered armor, bearing scars and grim expressions. One man was frantically waving over his shoulder back towards where they were hiding, leading to two of the men quickly escorting him inside. Two remained to guard, looking intently into the woods.

"So, obviously, we know what happened to the survey squad. We also know that we have to attack from the other side, both quickly and quietly." Deran got cut off by Gorgath silently handing him a length of slight wire; a garote. Deran looked the orc in the eye and nodded once, heading around the clearing to the left while Gorgath went to the right.

Doing his best to be as sneaky as possible, Deran was grateful for the light armor he chose and his average amount of stealthiness. With all the man's attention focused on the clearing across from him, he never realized Deran was behind him until the wire had passed over the man's head.

You have unlocked the skill Stealth (5xp)

Deran struggled with the bandit watchmen for a long minute, though it felt like a thousand years as the man's fingers clawed at his arms feebly. It was almost in a dispatched manner he held the bandit as his health bar finally faded and he went limp. The game forced a vague sense of disassociation with his consciousness. Almost like he was just watching a movie from the corner of his eye.

Finally able to move again, he glanced over to see Gorgath standing over a similarly limp man. Shaking his head, they both darted into the cave entrance, blending in with the darkness as well as a blind man could when stumbling through unknown terrain. So, not very well.

The tunnel made its way down into the earth for more than a hundred strides, the only light was a flickering torch that they could barely make out at the end of the tunnel. It slowly grew larger, until they found themselves at the entrance of a large cavern, filled with flickering torches that did little to light last the cavern. The stone seemed to absorb the light itself, making it difficult to make out any solid features.

"I'm telling you, they were stomping through the woods right for us! Two of 'em matched the ones who took out Scalps' team the other day. They weren't even trying to hide, they ain't impressed by you nones." The man they had seen frantically gesturing at the mouth of the tunnel was just finishing a long-winded spiel to a man outfitted in fancy studded leather.

"You mean to tell me they are here? And you brought my men in from the only entrance for what reason, exactly?"

One of the guards stepped forward, awkwardly clearing his throat, "Uh, that was my decision, sir. No one on watch recognized the call sign so we stuck with him to be sure."

The armored man sighed, slapping his subordinate aside while calling to the only man he didn't glare at in the room; a man with pristine chain mail and a large two-handed sword, standing slightly behind him. "They are all idiots. The lot of them. Make sure the guards go back to reinforce the perimeter. Alfonze is returning with his men shortly. Hopefully, that will be enough to reinforce our ranks until more manpower can be gathered. Make sure these idiots do what they are supposed to; they're the only ones we've got for now."

A presence behind them made both of them start, "Sounds like that's our cue." Lyselle appeared in the tunnel behind them. "Bard, do your thing!"

Gorgath grimaced and hacked, clearing his throat. But then he did it again, and again, forming a discordant beat that turned into a melody of off-key notes.

You have automatically resisted your party member's Song of Discord. You suffer no effects.

Lyselle stepped out into the cavern and threw out her hand, a glob of green matter shooting out to hit one of the bandits. She dodged a hastily shot arrow and yelled, "Cut him!"

Deran did his best to oblige, stepping up to the man who had been sprinting here the entire way and was currently out of breath and outlined in green. Deran's blade sliced through his armor easily, severing the man's arm at his shoulder.

Lyselle opened her mouth to speak, shaking her head slowly, "Well, that kind of defeats the purpose of the bleed effect but, good job?" Deran didn't have time to respond, barely able to raise his shoddy wooden shield up in defense as one of the other guards slashed at him with a rusted sword. Lyselle muttered a few words and plants that had grown through cracks in the rock suddenly grew in size massively, growing to ensnare and trap the boss and his second-in-command.

Activating his parry ability, Deran slid one of the bandit's swords aside as he swung, stepping in close and running the man through. His attack left him open, however, the pain bringing that fact to his attention as his side was sliced open by a hasty thrust.

Bandit scored a hit! (-9 Health)

The second bandit couldn't follow up on his advantage, suddenly being beset by a stick of blurring wood. It was everything he could do to keep it from knocking him out of the fight completely and he was still getting hit once in a while from the wraparounds. The distraction was all Deran needed to chop at the man until he wasn't moving.

Not a moment too soon, as the vines holding the two other men were finally hacked to pieces. Deran yelled, "Hit the boss with a curse and then hold the other guy off! It's our only chance! Gorgath, keep up the song!"

Gorgath waved, though his voice was beginning to strain from overuse. The discordant notes couldn't have been easy to maintain and it was showing. They had to finish this quick.

The curse hit the bandit leader squarely in the chest, causing the man's name to appear in red letters over his head: Murderous Mike.

"The writers and their use of alliteration get me every time," Deran mumbled, bringing his sword up to a guard position, trying to be prepared for the man's first attack.

The only thing that saved him was the day of practice Lyselle forced onto him and all that did was barely keep him alive. Their swords clashed together with sparks and both men left each exchange bleeding a little bit more. Deran was barely ahead, solely to do with the curse keeping the wounds open. By the time a minute of furious blows had been exchanged, the bandit was losing ten health a second.

"Deran, the curse is gonna wear off soon! You have half a minute left!" Lyselle called out desperately, one hand holding bloody ribs. Gorgath's voice finally cracked and his song wore off, the bandit leader stopping to try and finally shake off its effects.

Knocking aside his opponents' sword with his parry skill, Deran flung his makeshift shield at the other bandit to buy his friends a moment of respite at the same moment he began a downward swing towards the now exposed bandit leader. Grabbing his sword with both hands, he finished bringing it down with a crash against the man's helmeted head, caving in the metal and crushing part of his skull. With the captain's death, his second in command flung down his sword and called out, "I surrender! Mercy! I was just following orders!"

"Shut your mouth, filthy curr." Gorgath spat out hoarsely, one hand rubbing his throat, "Take off all your armor and gear and pile it up to the side over there." He gestured away from them, "Then come back over here and we will figure out what to do with you. Quickly now."

Deran flopped himself down, rubbing his sore arms tenderly, "They don't tell you about this in books or games. Even with my constitution, just a few minutes of heavy fighting and I'm exhausted. Lies."

"Don't get too comfy," Lyselle began to pile up all the gear in the middle of the cave, including the now almost naked bandit's abandoned arms, "According to the now old leader, more bandits are coming soon enough. Let's get everything here situated, maybe throw something across the entrance."

"Stake his head outside and Alfonze won't step foot inside," The remaining bandit spoke, standing with crossed arms, "I know I wouldn't either. Honestly, the only reason we stuck around here was cuz Mike was obsessed with the door. Took out the miners who were here and laid claim to the place. Gives me the creeps."

"Door?" Deran asked, knowing what he was referring to but curious what the man knew, "What door was your boss obsessed with?"

"Rake me if I know, wouldn't let anyone down that tunnel. Not even me. I went along with it cuz the man was insane and would kill people as soon as look at them. Seriously, I was the fourth second in command the guy had in less than a month. A couple of the men were thinking of leaving out of here but then the business with the girl came up."

"Girl? The mayor's daughter? So she had something to do with this too?" Gorgath broke in, a protective tone creeping into his voice.

The man obviously heard the tone as well, face turning white as a sheet, "I have no idea. We were told to grab her, no questions asked and we would be paid more coin than we've ever seen. First time I've ever seen a Royal, myself. The door is down that tunnel there. I wouldn't get too close, it made Mike weird. Weirder than normal, that is."

"Good to know. Gorgath, can you tie him up, while Lyselle and I go check out this door?" Gorgath grunted and started over towards the bandit, twisting some of the spare clothes into a rope of sorts. Deran and Lyselle both made their ways down a tunnel made of similar dark stone. It slowly faded from black toa more greenish color, lightening up the further down they went.

"Where do you think this light is coming from?" Lysell asked softly, trying her best not to echo, "It doesn't seem to have any origin."

"Good question. I think our answer has something to do with that," The tunnel ended in a glimmering slab of green stone, eddies, and whirls covering it. There was a handle set in the middle, directly above two slits in the stone. "Well. That is one hell of a door. Any idea how to open it?"

The nature mage ran her fingers over some of the carved words, written in a script Deran didn't recognize, "I have no idea what this language is or what it may mean. If I had paper, I could get a rubbing. Maybe we can come back if the Erikson's let us."

After messing with the door for a few more minutes, Deran shrugged and turned back the way they came, "Like you said, best get the rest of this over with. We will come back with more information about this." He smacked the door softly, hesitating at its warmth, "Damn, I really wanna know what's behind this thing."

"Who doesn't?" Lyselle asked, speaking softly still, "One of the biggest mysteries of the game, after that initial unknown. A door that can't be opened as a reward for an optional quest that's a lot harder than the normal one. If anyone can open it, we will."

"Right. Let's grab everything and head out. With the prisoner and all the new gear, I can't carry you. It'll be a long walk back." Deran sighed and stood, stretching, "At least it will give me a chance to look at all these damned notifications. Been going off like a rave since that fight finished."

***

Gorgath was content to haul the bandit as a prisoner, putting his load of gear on Deran's shoulders, "Don't wanna risk losing my hold on this guy. Can't let him get away." He flashed a grin that no one believed to be innocent, though no one argued either.

Deran finally focused on his notifications, fading it so he could see the forest. It wasn't easy but he was able to read and walk at the same time without too many scrapes and falls.

You have slain 6 bandits and one bandit captain! (200xp after party reduction) One-Handed skill increased to 9! (5xp)

Level nine seemed to be the magic number for his next One-Handed ability to be unlocked:

Disarming Attack: You know where to strike on a weapon to try and cause its wielder to lose their grip! Chance varies based on the strength of both parties and the size of the weapons used. Cooldown: 5 minutes Block skill increased to 4! Shield Bash ability unlocked! (5xp)

Quest Updated!

A Rift in Trade *

From what you've been told, two brothers with hearts destined for trade were currently up in arms with each other, each trying to see his own will done to the company. They have each promised reward to those who aid them in their family struggle!

One of the brothers went shady and bought a mine without his partner's approval. The mine is still an unknown, as the survey team has yet to report back their findings, an odd occurrence according to Harvey Erikson, and so he worries about them and the investment. This has pushed his trust and faith in his brother to the breaking point, tearing their company in two.

Help Harvey unseat his brother and at least bring a normalcy to the company. While not as large, Harvey argues, it will be more stable.

(Optional chain) Discover the disappearance of the survey team to let Harvey find out if the investment has any merit.

You have ventured into the unknown, seeking out the team at the mine. There, you found yet another ruse by bandits, this time the downfall of your quarry. Clearing out the mine left you more questions than answers, though at least you can tell Harvey of the loss. You have even brought back a prisoner to answer for the crimes! (150xp; additional reward)

Possible Rewards: Increased relationship with produce and livestock faction of Erikson's Trade; a riding horse (poor quality) with sufficient feed for two weeks; Even further increased relationship with produce and livestock faction of Erikson's Trade.

Possible Consequences: Decreased relationship with the tradegood faction of Erikson's Trade

Possible Chain: The Mending of Trade

Deran grimaced at the xp drop; he had been sure that bandit leader would be worth a lot. In fact, it appeared he was, just having more people in the party really limited the amount of experience you gained.

Though as he looked at both of his friends trudging along next to him, wearily making their way back 'home', he smiled.

He wouldn't have it any other way.