Book 2: Chapter 51 (Patreon)

Daniel stood in front of Arandir, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“If it was up to just me, I’d put this entire forest in my rear-view mirror and go back to Dey,” he started.

“What is a rear-view mirror?”

“That’s not important,” Daniel said, flustered at being interrupted. “Madi and Orrin think you might be some help with these Administrator powers. I’m not entirely sold on the idea but first things first. If you or any elf attacks me or my friends again, I’m going old school [Hero] on your entire city. Understood?”

Arandir let out a bark of laughter before suppressing his smile with his hand. “Please do not take this the wrong way. I do apologize for my earlier action and agree to swear no violence will be done to you and yours. You must understand though, [Hero] or not, you are a kitten roaring at dragon. While I do not care for such matters, the council would take offense at your words.”

Daniel kept his arms crossed and glowered.

“I am glad that you have decided to stay. I would like the opportunity to make up to Orrin for my actions. I would not have it said that I do not honor my debts and attacking someone in my own home unprovoked is a slight on my honor.” Arandir turned to Orrin. “If there is anything I can do to show my regret, please do not hesitate to ask.”

Orrin nodded but kept his mouth shut. They’d agreed to let Daniel handle Arandir. He’d promised Madi that he would handle the situation with tact and, so far, he hadn’t attacked the elf. He was improving.

“We know how to get more Admin Points.”

Maybe he wasn’t. Orrin rubbed his eyes. He listened as Daniel told the story of the dungeon core but as if he was the one who absorbed the core. Arandir remained unnaturally still.

“If what you say is true, the people of Asmea will be forever in your debt.” Arandir stood up and paced the room with the nervous excitement of a small child. He began pelting Daniel with questions. “How many points did the dungeon give you? How many floors was the dungeon you defeated? Is there a trick to absorbing the dungeon core versus destroying it?”

Daniel held up his hand. “Have you ever destroyed a dungeon Arandir?”

“Of course, every elf spends time clearing the blasted things. Why do you ask?”

Daniel shifted his weight to his other foot. “When you used your magic on Orrin, I could feel your power. I don’t think you can absorb a core. If you destroyed one before, it would have given you the option.”

Arandir’s face flared with a flurry of emotions: disbelief, anger, loss, suspicion, and acceptance, all in rapid succession. “But you do not know for sure.”

Daniel shrugged. “It hardly matters. If you want to go destroy a dungeon, I’m all for less of the things in the world but—”

“That is a great idea. We can test out your claim in a dungeon.”

“Yeah, no.” Daniel held up his hands. “We just left a dungeon and I’m not in the mood to go traipsing through another ten floors of –”

“Of course not. I will see you to the last room. Let me get Leanthun to find the nearest dungeon. We keep a few cultivated for training purposes.” Arandir walked to his elevator and stepped off the ledge before Daniel could argue.

“They cultivate dungeons?” Madi said with a low burn of anger.

“Madi…” Orrin put his hand on her shoulder.

“Why does he think we would agree to another dungeon run?” Daniel stomped over to his friends. “We just left one. Besides, he’s obviously at a much higher level than us. Wouldn’t that hurt any experience gains?”

Orrin rolled his eyes at Daniel. “That’s not the issue, D.” He nodded his head at Madi. “They keep dungeons as training grounds.”

Daniel finally caught the look in Madi’s eyes. “Then we should totally take them up on the offer and destroy every single one, huh?”

Madi smirked at that. She stretched her neck. “I’m fine. I think it might be a little soon to go—”

“Wonderful news. Leanthun has informed me we have three dungeons currently, with one at only twenty floors.” Arandir appeared by the door.

He must have jumped or flown up. Orrin was more concerned with how stealthy the old elf had been in getting back in the room.

“It took us forever to get through ten floors,” Daniel complained. “Plus, we didn’t agree to do a dungeon run for your people.”

“Nonsense, we use these dungeons to train up our forces. We cull them before they get too large.” Arandir walked toward his desk and rummaged in a drawer. “Leanthun and I will do all the work while you rest by the door. Lady Catanzano and Master Orrin can relax here or anywhere within the forest really. We have some wonderful restaurants.”

“I’m not going anywhere without my friends.”

“No matter. They are welcome to come as well. The experience returns for all three of you will likely be abysmal but twenty floors should only take a day or two at most.” He pulled a key from the drawer and tossed it in the air, catching it again. “Daniel, if you could push that couch toward the wall?”

A day or two? Either he is overpowered as fuck or he’s cocky. Orrin watched his friend simply pick up the edge of the three-seater couch and move it with ease. Then again, Daniel’s strength is stupid high and we haven’t been here half a year. What kind of power would he have after a thousand years?

Arandir knelt and threw the rug up. Hidden by the couch and carpet, and easy to miss even when Arandir was running his finger around it, was a small hold. It could have been a knot in the wood but when the key sank into the crevice, Orrin realized Arandir was opening a hidden safe.

A plank of wood pivoted and opened to reveal a bow and staff, nestled together in a bed of velvet. Arandir picked both up slowly and whispered softly to the weapons before strapping the bow to his back.

“Are you ready or do you need supplies?” Arandir stood, using the staff to straighten up. For the first time, Orrin felt the power radiating from the man. “The dungeon is not too far away but it is on the eastern front of the forest. I can have us teleported there and we can be back for dinner tomorrow.”

“Arandir,” Madi said, stepping forward. “We haven’t agreed to this. Even with you and Leanthun taking point, a dungeon isn’t something we should or can just rush into.”

He paused and tapped his finger on the staff. “If it is a matter of safety, I have already promised you no harm will come to you. If you require payment, this will be a free run. Even with the level disparity penalty, you will likely gain at least a level. If that is not enough, I can offer gold. What is the problem?”

Orrin inspected the staff more closely. The wood looked the same as his bow, obviously a Citrandish bow. However, while the bow was polished and smooth, the staff was gnarled and pockmarked. He wanted to know more and tried [Identify].

Intense pain smashed behind his eyes. He was screaming as he fell to his knees, holding his head. Blood poured from the corners of his eyes and his ears as he slowly fell back.

He blinked. He was standing in the same place as before. Daniel was saying something to Arandir. The elf wasn’t listening but frowning at Orrin.

Orrin touched his ears but found no trace of blood. He rubbed his eyes but his fingers came back clean.

“It is settled then? We can leave as soon as you are ready,” Arandir nodded to Madi and Daniel. “I will send Leanthun ahead to tell the council where we are going.”

As the elf swept by them, he leaned close to Orrin. “Some things are better left unknown. It can be dangerous to use [Identify] on others and their belongings.”

Orrin shivered.

“What did he say to you, O?” Daniel asked, grabbing some food from the table.

“Nothing,” Orrin muttered. “Did we just agree to go defeat another dungeon?”

“No way.” Daniel tossed a grape in the air and tried to catch it. Madi snatched it before it landed in his mouth. “We agreed to get carried and get free experience. We get to be the ones who are sneaky and learn all his moves. Plus, we get paid.”

Orrin rubbed his eyes again. “You’re too blinded by gold, dude.”

“Arandir and Leanthun are both at an extremely high level,” Madi chimed in. “Possibly two of the highest leveled people I’ve ever met. If they think it will only take a day or two, I think that’s time we can spare. But if you didn’t want to do it, you should have spoken up. You seemed like you were just out of it.”

Orrin groaned as he recalled the backlash from whatever anti-[Identify] skill Arandir or his staff had. “I kind of messed up and tried to see what his staff was all about.”

Madi froze with the grape halfway to her mouth. “You didn’t?”

Daniel laughed. “Yeah, he totally did.”

Madi shook her head in disbelief and ate the fruit. “You are lucky. Some skills cause real damage. Did it knock you out or just confuse you?”

“When I tried to [Identify] his staff, I had a vision of me dying. Blood was coming out of my eyes and ears. I fell down and darkness was creeping in. It felt so real.”

Daniel clenched his fingers hard on the back of the chair he was standing behind. “But you’re ok, right?”

“Yes, mom. I’m fine.”

Daniel smirked but then got serious. “If you don’t want to go, we can still call it off. If we don’t go through with it, I think we should head back to Dey. What do you both think?”

Madi didn’t hesitate. “I’m for crushing another dungeon. We’re going to need to figure out a way for Orrin to be the one to absorb the core without them noticing but he can always use his invisibility spell.”

“It’s not invisibility and we don’t know whether Arandir would be able to see through it,” Orrin countered.

“I guess you’re against it then?” Daniel came around the chair to stand by him. Orrin noticed him glance at his ears, checking for any damage.

On one hand, they’d accomplished what they’d set out to do. Daniel gave the Quest to the elves. They were using it as a workaround to their no-war policy and going after the Odrana forces right now for all he knew. He hadn’t used his Administrator Points but with the few hints he’d gotten from Arandir, he knew enough to figure out what path he’d want to take. There was no absolutely necessary reason for them to stay.

On the other hand, free experience and more Admin Points. Orrin didn’t care about the gold as much as Daniel or about destroying dungeons like Madi. It would be cool to see Leanthun and Arandir operating. From what Orrin had read, having a party member twenty levels or more above you would result in an experience penalty but they would still be getting twenty floors worth of experience. That was not even counting the dungeon stat bonus or the Admin Points he would get. It would be difficult to pull off but the worst-case scenario was Arandir finding out they’d pulled a fast one on him. They could still escape as soon as they left the dungeon.

“I’m not against it,” Orrin said slowly. Madi pumped her fist in the corner. “I just needed a minute to think it through. I guess… we’re going to defeat another dungeon.”