Here's today's chapter :)

Thanks for reading!

-Plum

19 – Boons and Burdens

Andy let Omar and Bella take the lead back through the tunnel because he was worried about Delilah. The truth was that he couldn’t quite believe she was willing to accept that Trevor was gone. He thought she might do something reckless, and so he tried to talk to her as they walked. “Delilah, I honestly can’t begin to think of the right words…” He trailed off lamely, and she looked up at him, eyes red.

“Be real, Andy—we’ve all lost so many people. Anyway, I cared about Trevor, and he was sweet…sometimes. He could also be a real jerk, so—” She broke off as she shook with an uncontrollable sob.

Andy put his hand on her shoulder, but didn’t say anything.

“I didn’t mean that…” Delilah shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “Yes, I did!” It looked like she might say more, but she didn’t. They walked in silence, but that was mostly Andy’s fault; he couldn’t think of the right words; nothing about the Elven woman or her feelings seemed straightforward. Before long, they were too busy picking their way through the piles of bogwart corpses for any meaningful conversation, in any case.

When he and Delilah finally pushed their way through the gate, Omar and Bella were already at the tunnel opening, looking out over the vast cavern and the fungi forest at its center. Andy saw Bella look back at them, and then ran toward them, returning to take Delilah’s arm. “Sorry, guys. I didn’t realize how far ahead we were.”

“It’s fine,” Delilah said, though her face was flushed with effort.

Bella looked at Andy. “The cave’s bigger than it looks from back by the gate. I saw the, uh, boss you fought, too. Crazy.”

“Where’s your mouse?” Delilah asked.

“Exploring. I don’t know if any bogwarts are left, but if there are, they’re hiding.”

“System said they fled to the ‘depths,’ didn’t it?” Delilah asked.

Bella grunted in agreement, and then they were out of the tunnel, walking onto the stony slope that led away from it. “Damn,” Andy said, his eyes tracing bloody trails from one pile of bogwart corpses to another. He’d killed more than he’d thought.

“No wonder we got so many levels,” Bella said, nodding in agreement.

Andy pointed to the larger of the ramshackle huts down by the river and said, “I guess we should go check it out.”

Omar started walking, kicking aside a crude wooden club. “They weren’t very crafty, but they were damn strong. I guess it’s lucky they were sensitive to heat.”

“Those people—someone should let them know they’re saved,” Delilah said, pointing to the distant side of the cavern.

“We will,” Andy said. “The hut’s on the way, though.”

She didn’t reply, but Andy took that for agreement; he didn’t intend to linger in the hut longer than necessary. The first obstacle would be the river, though. It was narrower than the one back in the underground canyon, but it was still too wide to cross easily. “I should change my class again. I have a feeling that’ll be the best way to get those captives out of here, anyway.”

Delilah looked at him. “You can do that?”

He shrugged. “I figure I could open a passage to that restaurant where we slept. I made a longer passage for Omar, Bella, and myself when we came to the city.”

“You can keep it open long enough for all those people?” Omar asked.

“Well, that’ll be the tricky part, but if I have to rest halfway through, I have to rest. It’ll still be better than trying to hike all the way out to that parking garage and then climb up a hundred-foot rope.” They were well into the fungi forest by then, though a clear trail led the way down to the water, so they weren’t exactly crowded by the giant mushrooms.

“Chani’s already made it to the water. She didn’t sense anything very dangerous,” Bella said.

Here and there something moved in the “underbrush” and Andy heard occasional cricket chirps and the squeaks and chitters of rodents. Even with his Flame Sight in effect, he could see the blue tint to the world, thrown by the bioluminescent fungus that covered almost the entire ceiling far above. “Pretty weird down here, isn’t it?”

“Straight out of a video game,” Bella agreed.

When they reached the narrow river, Andy gave it a good look and reassessed his earlier opinion. “I think I could jump it.”

“Not sure I could,” Omar replied.

Delilah sat on a large, flat rock, shaking her head as she wiped some sweat from her forehead. “I definitely cannot.”

“Better do your thing, Andy,” Bella said, moving to stand closer to the downtrodden elf.

“Well…” Andy looked around and settled for sitting on the ground, pressing his back to the same rock. “Just watch the damn river; who knows what else is lurking in that black water.” Even as he said the words, he regretted them; the last thing he wanted to do was remind Delilah about Trevor. She didn’t say anything, though, and he went through his menu, selecting his Axiomatic Pathfinder class and confirming his intention to change to it.

Vertigo struck him, and Andy slumped back, closing his eyes against the sensation. When it passed, and he sat up again, the world was different. He could still see, but the blue tint of the lighting was truly pronounced, and all the shadows were deeper and darker. It made the strange fungi forest look all the more alien. With his newly limited range of sight, his mind began to imagine all manner of creatures lurking in the darkness.

He stood and looked around; everyone was still where they’d been—Omar patrolling the riverbank and the two women sitting hunched together, whispering.

“Was it quicker that time?” he asked, for he felt like it had only been a few seconds.

“About the same,” Omar replied.

“Huh.” Andy stepped closer to the river and focused on the far bank. “Gather up.” While everyone drew close, he cast Greater Axiom of Passage, tracing the flaring magenta glyph in the air with his left hand. Just like with the river back in the canyon, a ghostly bridge of solid-seeming mist took shape at their feet, and he urged everyone across.

He followed, taking his time because it was only about twelve good strides, and when he stepped onto the far shore, he was pleased to see that, once again, he hadn’t used any mana beyond the baseline cost of the spell. “Easy.”

From the river, it was a short walk to the big hut, and it wasn’t difficult to find the entrance—the far side was missing a wall, so they could see the interior from the rough path. Just as they’d hoped, the System Node was there, floating above the muddy ground, but more interestingly, there was a large, rusty iron chest there—easily as big as one of the old steamer trunks Andy had seen in movies.

“Our rewards?” Bella guessed, eyeing the chest with everyone else.

“Makes sense,” Omar replied.

“Well,” Delilah said, looking at Andy, “I’m going to check on the captives. Those people might break free of their pens any minute, and if we don’t stop them, they might run into danger.”

“What about the chest?” Bella asked.

“I don’t care about it,” she replied, already trudging up the path that led toward the pens.

Omar looked at Andy and sighed. “I’ll go with her. Just—just hang onto anything that looks like it would be good for me.”

Andy nodded. “Count on it.”

Omar smiled crookedly, then whistled sharply so Bella looked up. “Don’t take all my loot!”

She grinned. “No promises.”

Omar shook his head, still smiling, and turned to follow Delilah. Andy watched them for a moment, then stepped off the path into the damp, muddy yard of the big hut, picking his way toward the System Node and the chest. He avoided the puddles, and Bella followed in his steps. When they were halfway across the yard, rustling scratches on the big hut’s roof made Andy stop and search the shadows, Scirocco held ready.

Bella laughed and pointed, and he looked to see Chani there, sniffing around the randomly placed planks, boards, and bits of fungus. “Silly mouse,” Andy said, continuing into the hut. When he stood before the Node and nothing happened, he looked at Bella. “Figure I have to touch it or something?”

She shrugged.

“Helpful,” he muttered and stretched out his hand, resting his leather glove atop the floating round orb.

**Congratulations, Andy! You’ve captured a hostile settlement! There aren’t enough defenders to resist your claim, so you are free to add this settlement as a subject territory or dissolve it, in which case some of the Boon Points spent here will be credited to your primary settlement, Mesquite Mesa. What action would you like to take?**

Andy repeated the message to Bella. “Thoughts?”

She looked around, peering up at the glowing blue ceiling. “If you squint your eyes just right, it’s almost like being out under the stars. I mean, I can see how this could be a good settlement, but it’s too far from home. We don’t have enough people to defend it.”

“Yeah, I was thinking pretty much the same thing.” Andy touched the Node again and said, “Dissolve.”

The result was more immediate than he’d expected. The Node rotated quickly for about three seconds, and then it disappeared with a pop.

**Tremendous! You’ve conquered and dissolved a hostile settlement, earning 3 Boon Points for Mesquite Mesa. Your actions have also completed your quest to save the survivors of the former settlement and rout the bogwarts. As a reward, you’ve gained enough experience to advance your Axiomatic Pathfinder class to level 13, resulting in 2 Improvement Points and 60 maximum mana. Additionally, you may now claim the System-generated treasures in the nearby chest.**

“Another level!” Bella cried, punching Andy in the shoulder.

He nodded, rubbing his shoulder as he turned toward the chest. “Well, I got three, but that’s because I’m in my low-level class.”

“Pretty good deal. I wonder if your other class would have even gotten a single one.”

Andy shrugged. “Hard to say. Anyway, did you see the message about the chest?”

She nodded, moving closer to the big iron box. “I’m sure Delilah and Omar will have rewards in here, too, right?”

“Probably.” Andy grasped the heavy metal latch and lifted the lid. It squealed, and the hinges stuck halfway, so he had to jerk it to get it to open further. While he did that, Bella turned up the flame on her lantern and held it over the opening. Andy caught his breath when he glimpsed the objects inside.

More precisely, it was one of the objects that immediately caught his eye—a small clay pot that held a plant with silver leaves and tiny glittering crystalline flowers. Bella was staring at it, too, and she reached in to lift it out of the chest. She held it up. “See any kind of label?”

Andy nodded, plucking a small card from the soil. “Elvenwood Tree.” He turned the card this way and that, looking for more text, but finding none. “That’s it.”

“This must be for Del,” Bella said, carefully setting the plant—or baby tree, Andy supposed—at their feet.

“What else?” he asked, as she reached into the chest again.

Bella held up a gray ribbon attached to a small silver whistle. Frowning with concentration, she read the card attached to the other end of the ribbon, “Lycantor’s Friendly Whistle. When a person with an animal bond uses this magical trinket, their companion will hear their call no matter where in the world they may be. Moreover, once per lunar cycle, if blown thrice in quick succession, this whistle will summon the owner’s companion to their side.”

“Oh! That’s cool!” Andy said, watching Chani as the giant mouse scurried around the perimeter of the hut.

Bella was staring at the shiny whistle, smiling. “I’ll never have to worry about losing Chani! Well, I mean, maybe if she gets lost more than once a month…” She looked at Andy. “Do you mind?”

“Nah, it’s meant for you.”

She nodded, already fastening the ribbon around her neck. While she did that, Andy reached into the chest to pull out a heavy piece of armor. It was a breastplate affixed to a well-padded leather vest. The metal was glossy and black—some kind of laminate, Andy was sure—and etched with silvery whorls around the edges. Like most System rewards, it had a card attached, so he read it aloud to Bella, “Breastplate of Bolstering. This magical armor will add to the wearer’s effective mass, especially when they brace with a shield. Enemies will find them especially difficult to knock down or bowl over.”

“For Omar!” Bella said. “Right?”

Andy nodded. “I don’t really use a shield—would be a waste for me to wear this.” He set it down next to the plant.

Bella was already looking into the chest again, and she pulled out a small, copper-colored, metallic box. It was about four inches square, and she easily held it in one hand while she lifted the lid. A pulsing red gem about the size of Andy’s thumbnail sat in the box, cradled by what looked like fine, white sand. “Ooh!” she whispered. “Beautiful!”

Andy leaned closer, and that was when he noticed how Scirocco was vibrating in his hand, so much so that the butt of the spear, where Andy had placed it on the ground, was pounding the water out of the muddy soil. “Something tells me that thing’s for my spear.”

Bella looked at him, arching an eyebrow as she pulled the card from inside the box’s lid. “Gem of Growth. Use this magical gemstone to boost a living artifact’s power.” She looked at Andy’s spear. “I think it’s for you.”

Scirocco’s vibrations became frenzied, and Andy had to lift him off the ground because he was splattering mud everywhere. “Yeah,” he said, “I think so.” Bella closed the box, and to Andy’s relief, Scirocco calmed down. “I think he’s already got some experience, but I haven’t had a chance to look at his status sheet. I figure—”

“Andy!” Omar’s bellow echoed down toward them.

Andy looked at Bella. “Does he sound upset?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, let’s go see what’s up. We’re done, right?”

Bella nodded. “Chest is empty.”

Andy hastily sent the treasures, other than Bella’s new whistle, into his magical storage ring. Then they started for the trail, squelching in the mud as they made their way out of the ramshackle building. They’d only gone a few steps before Omar arrived, panting from his run.

“I only had one vial of Bea’s water on me, and there are a lot of hurt people up there. Are you done here?”

Andy immediately started jogging, feeling guilty for going through treasure, laughing and having fun, while people were suffering nearby. “Yeah! Lead the way!”

Omar nodded and turned to run, keeping ahead of Andy. “It’s straight up here. There are around fifty people—only about nine elves. We didn’t talk much about it, but I’m not sure they’ll all want to go up to Mount Lemmon with Delilah.”

“We’ll have to figure it out,” Andy said. “How many are hurt?”

Omar looked over his shoulder at him, his face flushed from his running, but maybe from something else, too. “All of them, man. They’re all hurt.”