Orrin counted the traps carefully this time. They had eight remaining to examine in this room. The next two hours were spent finding each trap, having Emily assess them with her [Inferno Veins], and then figuring out different ways to neutralize or set off the traps.

Daniel and Garret ended up being the best at setting off the traps. Daniel simply tanked or dodged the damage. When he took the lid off a trapped urn, he was hit with an acid that burnt into his skin, letting them see the red muscle underneath before Orrin quickly healed him back to full health. He swore he only felt the pain for a second and hadn’t even screamed. Despite the deadly trap, the urn was empty. Daniel kicked it, punting it against a wall where it shattered.

“I hope that wasn’t a priceless work of art or something,” Orrin muttered as they walked away.

Daniel was also hit with an electric shock from opening a trapped drawer but simply shrugged it off. The drawer contained yellowed and faded paperwork that none of them could make out clearly. Orrin thought it was a disciplinary action but either way, it had no real value to them. They left it behind.

Daniel’s next go seemed easy enough. A small wardrobe had been tilted against the back wall. After they cautiously righted it, Daniel got ready and opened the doors. He only narrowly dodged the swinging axe that fell out like a pendulum. After standing up and cursing at the long-dead ‘pranksters,’ Daniel pulled a shoebox-sized container out of the closet.

“Wait,” Orrin said as Daniel started to grab the lid. “Let me check if it’s trapped, too.”

Daniel ignored Orrin and popped the top.

“Clothes?” Daniel picked up a corner of the cloth and held it up for all to see. “Somebody used a spring-loaded axe to protect clothes?”

Emily hesitantly reached out and ran the fabric between two fingers. “That’s dwarven silk. It’s woven with strands of metal to deflect glancing blows from sharp weapons. That’s worth a few dozen gold pieces to the right buyer.”

Madi grumbled, “If there’s even enough fabric to make a shirt. That looks like it was made for a dwarf.”

Orrin glanced around at the angry faces. The trap-exploring hunt was not going well.

“Let’s try one more and then take a break,” Orrin suggested. “I think Daniel has a few more minutes on my last buff.”

Garret spoke up from behind them. “I’d like to try one of the traps.”

Orrin and Daniel looked at each other. Daniel shrugged and waved a hand.

“Sure,” Orrin answered. He led them to the nearest remaining trap.

After Orrin pinpointed the exact trigger - a small bust of a bearded, noble-looking male - Garret pushed them back until they were almost out of view. The arrow he summoned was of the same stone they stood on but when he released it, the stone dart flew with the speed and precision of a normal arrow. The eight-foot-tall block of spikey black ice that exploded from the sculpture would have been a nightmare to deal with… if Emily hadn’t simply waved a hand, turning the entire thing to water.

“Ice magic has almost no effect on fire,” she said with a grin.

Orrin almost summoned an [Ice Sword] to test that theory but figured he could always do it some other time. The group was flagging a bit at this point.

“Is there anything?” Madi asked with a sigh.

Garret picked up the bust from its pedestal. Surprisingly, his arrow had not knocked it off the four-foot marble stand.

“This is too heavy,” Garret murmured before turning to the group. “The marble is a façade.”

“Break it?” Daniel suggested.

Garret lifted the man’s head above his head, but Emily quickly stepped close and plucked it from his hands.

“Let me try first,” she said, running her finger along the edge.

Orrin caught a glimpse of her fire crystal sitting on the tip of her fingernail, acting like a small blowtorch. Emily left a scorched black line along the white marble as she worked a small circle around the bust’s scalp.

“That should do it,” she said, taking out a knife and trying to work the edge into her burn mark. She slipped only once before the dagger caught. Emily twisted her wrist and a skullcap of marble popped off, revealing a black material underneath.

“That’s cold iron. The entire bust is cold iron,” Emily said with delight. She began burning away more of the marble with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Don’t waste your mana,” Madi admonished. “We can clean the rest of the marble off later. Check the pedestal, too.”

Regrettably, the pedestal was marble throughout.

“There are four traps left,” Orrin counted them off. Two were close to each other. “Should we take a break?”

“No,” all four members of his party said in unison before bursting into laughter.

“I think we’ve been properly incentivized,” Madi said with a chuckle. “Which way to the next one?”

“Next two,” Orrin corrected. “There’s a pair of them close by. Over this way.”

Orrin directed the party to the westernmost wall, on the opposite side of the door. At least, he thought it was the western wall… he’d gotten a bit turned around on the walk in. The first trap was on a coat rack covered with fluffy fur jackets. About ten feet away was a couch. The area between the two traps was clear of any other items.

“A couch and a bunch of coats?” Daniel asked in disbelief. “Should we just leave these? You know there isn’t going to be anything of value.”

“At least Emily can reach both at the same time,” Orrin commented, having gotten a better idea of the fire mage’s ability. At least, I can investigate her and Garret’s powers while in here.

Emily just nodded and sat directly in the middle of the traps. The rest of them backed away a few steps.

Those few steps were not enough.

As soon as Emily’s fire magic touched the coat rack, the fur jackets flew off their handles and swarmed after the party.

Madi’s spear extended and parted one jacket into two pieces; however, the separated garment wrapped one half around her arm and the second circled her legs, pulling them taut. With a frustrated yell, she was swept off her feet and pulled to the couch. After a moment, her yells were muffled as several more fur and heavy cloth coats assailed her. The couch cushions stretched and morphed, wrapping her even tighter.

Orrin and Garret didn’t even react. They were both watching Emily at the wrong angle and were quickly knocked down and tied up by the clothing. The couch hugged them closer, pinning their arms and legs down.

Daniel lasted longer. He swung Gertrude faster than Orrin had ever seen. He dodged and used his skills to their full effect but in the end, ripping and cutting the clothing only made more strips of cloth. He was overwhelmed and tossed to the couch as well.

Only Emily was spared. An inferno blazed around her, making her appear as nothing more than a dark silhouette against the rising flames. Orrin caught glimpses through the scratchy wool blazer that had partially wrapped around his face as she simply burned her way through the attacks. The floating cinders of charred clothing settled around her and within half a minute, she had destroyed the remaining foes.

As they didn’t seem to be in mortal danger, Orrin resisted the urge to [Teleport] or buff his strength. He waited patiently as Emily pulled at the straps of cloth holding them all down. She pushed her fiery hands through the fabric of the couch until she reached the wooden frame. They heard a snap and the couch sagged in the middle, broken. The cushions eased their hold and Orrin popped off the seat, stomping on a few rags that had lost their magic when enough of the garment was burnt.

“I told you,” Daniel huffed. He’d sliced the coat rack in two. “Totally waste of time.”

Emily started laughing.

“What?” Daniel asked gruffly.

“The look on your face when you were yanked back,” Emily started laughing harder. “I just kept imagining having to explain to the Guildmaster how the [Hero] had been killed by a fur coat and a couch.”

Daniel pursed his lips and then blew out a burst of air. He began to chuckle and then joined Emily in her full-on laughter.

Garret nudged Orrin. “They’re both crazy, aren’t they?”

Orrin nodded.

After confirming neither trap had been guarding any prize, Orrin pointed out the last two marks on his [Map]. Piles of broken desks and old tent canvas separated the last two traps with the waving paths carved out by past Guild members. One centered on a sword stored in the middle of a weapon rack, with no other weapons hung in the brackets. It was situated against a row of wooden dummies that had rusted armor and small buckler shields but no weapons. The second was a tapestry hung on a wall just a stone’s throw away but not within sight. They examined both from a distance before heading back to the weapon.

“Even with Orrin’s spell, I’m running low on mana,” Emily explained when asked to examine the sword. “I can get maybe one more [Inferno Veins] off but then I’ll need to rest. With how much of the storeroom we’ve explored, I’m guessing we’ll come back tomorrow?”

Madi grimaced. “The deal was a one-time entry.”

Orrin added, “I have a few mana potions if you really need one.”

The party glanced at the sword and weighed the options.

“We can always spend the night in the first room,” Daniel suggested. “We found those tents and can put something together to be comfortable. Pritus can’t complain if we don’t leave, right?”

Garret grimaced. “I’m not sure I want to sleep on old monster skins.”

“You can leave the bow with us when you go home,” Madi said with feigned indifference at Garret’s stricken look. “If Emily is up for it, that is?”

The fire mage shrugged. “This has already been a better haul than my last five quests combined. We can at least check out the other two rooms and see if Orrin finds any more traps. I don’t have to use my magic the entire time, too. Daniel seems good at avoiding them. Not to mention having someone in the party who can heal is a game-changer. I still don’t understand your class, Orrin.”

Orrin turned his eyes down and hunched his shoulders, not wanting to answer more questions. He hadn’t thought of how many of his spells and skills he should reveal. Healing Daniel had been a reflex. They already knew he could buff, heal, and examine objects.

While the party argued whether to stay or not, Orrin walked closer to the sword and tried to [Analyze] it.

Sword

Sword

Mythril Alloy Sword

“Hey, it worked!” Orrin yelled and turned to the group. They all looked at him with wide eyes. “It’s a Mythril sword… or some sort of alloy. My skill is finally starting to work a bit quicker… What is it? Why is everybody looking at me like that?”

Daniel had Gertrude raised with one hand and was beckoning Orrin with a slow and steady motion with the other. Emily’s hands were burning bright red, and Garret had a stone arrow nocked. Madi’s spear was out and extended. Orrin could see the telltale sign that she was preparing [Shimmersight], as well.

Orrin turned and observed the sword was unmoved. The five wooden dummies were also there; however, the random armor pieces had floated off and reattached themselves into four complete spectral knights. Orrin could see the ghostly apparition of swords in each free hand, pointing at him from behind the bucklers as they took a defensive position.

“Oh shit.”