Haeros Dungeon - Chapter 2 preview (Patreon)

“So, Adventurer Lin, what exactly are we looking for today?” Petra, she of the dark hair, flashing brown eyes and mischievous smile asked. There was a subtle scent to her, lavender perhaps – something floral at least, but a touch musky too. It tickled my senses and memory, and I ’couldn’t help but breathe deeper, as they sparked a number of emotions that might have been a little dangerous.

Dangerous emotions and hope.

To distract myself, I took in the second floor of the academy’s shop once again. Unlike the downstairs, which had been crammed with goods like an old-school hardware store, the kind you’d find before the advent of big box stores, the upstairs was a modern designer’s dream.

Clean lines, fewer items, all organized in groupings. Not a lot to be seen, in truth – but that, again, was not too surprising. This floor was, after all, the domain of students who had managed to acquire what little funds they could in the fault – and desired –to spend them. Even for a normal year, that number was still limited, what with the nature of the fault itself. 

Had to admit, I was curious about the stairs leading up to the third floor but didn’t even bother asking. That was not open to me, not till I cleared the first real test of a delver – the tenth floor of the dungeon proper.

“What’s the most expensive item here?” I asked, curiously. “And how much is it?”

“Ah, you’re one of those.” Petra wrinkled her nose like she had smelled something terrible. “Unfortunately, the administrator has chosen to bar me from answering that question till you’ve picked. In fact, I’m barred from selling you anything till you’ve chosen.”

“How unfortunate.” Understandable, but annoying.

“Isn’t it?”

I noted a degree of tension in her voice, a trace of coldness as she switched back to the professional. I groaned, internally, belatedly, the understanding of what I had done wrong coming too late. It was time to repair some bridges. “Doesn’t matter, I was just curious.”

“Oh, then you know what you intended to get?”

“Actually, I had hoped you’d tell me.” I leaned against the counter, sweeping my gaze over the surroundings. In the far corner, both Yorrick and Brand stood, chatting with Xan. He was allowing Yorrick to peruse the weapons available – one of the areas that were more filled – while he kept an eye on Brand. From my previous visit, I recalled that the options for protection were sparse, at least in terms of enchanted items outside of armor. Considering how much we had already spent on armor, we weren’t about to pick up something second hand that was not going to fit.

No, most of the items of protection that Brand would look at would interact with his aura or the surroundings: items that would help protect him no matter where or how he wore them. Or what else he had on him.

Kira on the other hand was perusing the shop slowly, asking questions constantly of the patient Fiona. It was clear that she was going to take the most amount of time of us all.

“And why would you think that?” Petra drew my attention back to her.

“Because you did mention that advice was part and parcel of the academy’s staff job.” My lips twitched into a smile, as I spread my hands wide and puffed up my chest a little. I might have been old in the soul, but Fiona was neither a teenager nor a lady who lacked the confidence to smack me down if my advances were unwanted. Light as they might be. “So, advise me.”

“I do, often, require more knowledge before that. What can I ignore? What do you think you need? What do you have?” She raised a finger and pointed at my chest. “And what, if anything, can I know of your skill?”

“Did you not read up about us all?” I asked, curiously.

“Do you think we have the funds to keep that detailed notes about each and every one of you? I know a little of your team, and spoke to your teachers upon your winning. But there is much that is unknown, especially about that skill of yours. Conserve, was it?”

“Yes,” I said. “It lets me conserve things about myself. Health, of course.”

“Of course,” she echoed.

“And my latest breakthrough was motion.” I chose not to use the word momentum, since there really was not a word for it in their language. Motion was close enough, for their purposes. “In time, I intend to add durability or protection of some form.”

Petra nodded. “You lack attack and defense then. In the meantime, your ability to heal yourself is very powerful.” I could see her reassess me as I finished speaking, almost as though she was adding a few more years to my survival age. “Which means that any of those items would not matter, in the short term. You expect to get the third ability soon?”

“Not soon.” I touched my chest, as though I could take hold of the skill within. “I need more levels in the skill itself, I think. Even when I get it ready, it takes a while for such things to become useful.”

Momentum was a little more useful, in small doses, unlike durability. A 10% increase in durability was not going to mean much when you were being stabbed. However, a doubling of that would make a little more difference. A 1,000% increase, now I might be able to tank a proper attack. Wasn’t going to enjoy conserving that, though.

“So, maybe protection. But your friend will have chosen the best option.”

“Possibly. I also spent a lot on armor, and have a new enchanted gauntlet that makes some nice spikes. So I feel suitably equipped there.” I gestured downwards. “Maybe there’s something that would benefit me long-term?”

“What are you thinking?” 

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “Which is why I asked.”

“Something on the utility level then, something that could benefit you during your day-to-day. I would normally suggest a recovery item, but that would not work for you.” She tapped her lips, thinking. “We do have a shard garden.”

“Shard garden?” I said, uncertainly.

“Well, in this case, an aquarium. Place a shard – or three – in the item and the liquid within helps to concentrate the mana. It promotes growth of those shards to create larger shards, or, eventually, orbs.”

“Why the difference?”

“It depends on the size of the shards, what level you gathered them from and how long you are willing to place them within the aquarium. It’s a passive method of earning more, and what some of the larger merchant houses do to supplement their income.”

“But?” I said, sensing there was one there.

“Such items generally only are worthwhile for large institutions, or when the shards themselves are larger. With the size of the garden that we have, you will not find it increasing your income substantially.”

“Then why’d you suggest it?”

“You mentioned long-term.” She tilted her hand side-to-side. “Unlike every other item in here, that you will likely sell off, break or discard by the time you progress over the years, a shard garden will still be usable so long as you live. If you acquire enough of them, you could retire off the income they generate.”

“Are there no limits?”

“No. Just a matter of time. Better gardens increase the size of shards faster, form orbs more often, so on and so forth. But given enough time, any shard garden will concentrate and amplify a shard.”

“Damn.”

“Given enough time is the key here. We are talking days for a basic upgrade, weeks to months to make orbs.”

“So, a long-term investment.”

The look she gave me told me I had slipped in an Earthism. I worked on the issue, realized the problem, and decided not to explain to her. After all, introducing the idea of financial instruments, derivatives, fractional banking and all that jazz might just be the tipping point into late-stage capitalism. That was the kind of horror that I had no desire to be party of, not when I had only a rough idea of what kind of controls were needed to stop a complete collapse of the banking system.

Shuddering, I muttered. “Let’s clear that chamber later. Or never.” At the look Petra shot me as I muttered, I shook my head and gestured around. “Never mind. What else do we have?”

Her expression said that she had questions, but she was kind enough to move on. Younger men might go for looks, but us old fellas, we valued kindness higher. The second was more useful, especially when things began to break down.