Lance awoke, the smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils. He had been propped against a crate. Goblins had been placed on the fire. Their gear and clothing in a pile not far from it. King held the gourd in one hand, taking big swigs from it. Lance sat forward, King hearing his movement turned around. Lance looked at him as he stepped forward. His faint flicker still present. The daggers however were not. Two bloodstains on his chest in place of them.

  King got in front of Lance and knelt down. “This stuff, here… Drink more. *burrp* The buff.. It helps.” He pushed the gourd into Lance’s mouth. Lance couldn't even fight back and rather than not drown in it he began to swallow. Not until he had too much a burn he jerked his head away.

  Lance got a notification, but rather than check he simply asked King. “How l”

  He was cut off by King “ Like 10 ish minutes from when I woke up.. How did you save me? I thought for sure…”

  Lance wanted to take the credit but he couldn’t. “ Your skill. It stayed active. Your armor, it didn't go away, it let me fight, it protected you. Then I saw your bugs..squirming. The last goblin ran away.” Lance looked at his game timer. Fifty four minutes left. “We better get to work, figuring out what is here.”

  King sat on his butt. “Yep. But first, here.” King pulled out a gem. It glowed faintly. Lance looked closer, it was like Fire was trapped in it. He grabbed it and put it close to his eye. He looked into it inches from his face.

  “Graz? How what?” Lance said, looking back at King.

  “Yeah, I don't know. But if I was to guess… He's this floor's boss.” King pulled his hand up a small coin purse in his hands. He sat it on Lance’s thigh. Lance opened it and his jaw fell slack.

  “Oh my gosh, wait how.”

  “I guess they collect them too. I don't know why but I'm not upset about it. It’s these that I don't understand.” he reached in the sound of marbles clanking in the bag. He pulled out a small rock semi polished.

  Lance grabbed it and inspected it closely, his brow tightened. “Wait this.. This is a slime core. Or well it's like a slime core, but it's harder” he said as he squeezed it in his fingertips. It was solid unlike the slime cores he had previously. “Mana… the goblins wanted to trade for mana… My slime cores added mana to food.. These must be processed in some way.” Lance activated his Discern Ingredients. These cores were a dark purple. He then studied them with his Appraise skill.

  “Mana Crystal”

  Praise tier

  Use: Draw or Deposit 1 Mana.

  Regeneration cooldown 1 day.

  Description: A crystallized Mana sphere, can be used to contain and draw Mana for the wielder.

  Value: 2 Dusk experience gems.

  Lance smiled wide as he looked into the bag, there were a total of four crystals here. He explained to King, unfortunately none of these had any Mana in them, they tried to use them. Lance tried to activate it by putting a Mana inside instead and the crystal lit dimly with a faint light from inside.

  The pair of them grabbed all the gear and opened the crates that the goblins had. Unfortunately these crates were empty, but tossing in all of the gear and bat hides filled up two of them. The crates weren't too large or heavy but would each be large enough for only one person to carry. Lance went back to the bodies of the goblins and King stepped forward counting the experience gems.

  “Here, take half. And this, I think it would be good for the kitchen.” King said handing over two more experience gems and the cleaver.

  Lance had wondered what happened to the cleaver, it was another thing he had his eye on. “ Oh sweet. Yeah I was thinking the same.” He said watching the bodies of the goblins burn in the fire. “ You know, I think for as good as these guys can taste, I'm not so sure I want to eat them anymore.” Lance said, King straightening his backpack.

  “ I agree.. Feels kind of wrong. The other two that got away.. well no matter.” King said as he took another swig of his gourd.

  “ Little guys weren't so bad.” He said as he handed the gourd over to Lance.

  Lance to a swig and coughed, his chest hurting. He looked at the gourd. “ Jeez this stuff is so strong.” Lance inspected the gourd with his D.I.

  “ Bottomless Goblinalco Gourd”

  Praise+ Tier

  Use: Drink enough goblin alcohol, it will provide a buff and a debuff.

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  Buff: Brazen - Drunken strength, + 2 Strength (+4 attack) with natural Weapons. Feel less pain from wounds.

  Debuff: Stupor - Difficulty Casting spells or using other Intelligence based abilities - 2 Intelligence.

  Holds One Gallon

  Regeneration cooldown 1 week.

  Description: A goblins wish come true with endless alcohol. A plain potato liquor, a common goblin-made alcohol.

  Value: 1 Dawn Experience gem.

  “Whoa. King do you… this thing is”

  “ I know it's bigger than it seems. I've had more than what that thing should hold.” King said, letting out a small burp under his breath. “ And yes I'm keeping it heh” He smirked.

  Lance knew it was better than that but decided to not to lie to King and just told him.

  “ Oh wooooooww.. I can get drunk forever in this game.” King said as a tear welled in his eyes. The alcohol seemed to be doing its job. Lance mentioned to him about the small barrel and checked it over. It was just a regular barrel but it seemed the goblins had made sure to top it up over time. It easily held around three gallons.

  The guys divided the loot evenly. They both had too much to carry but rather than leave it behind they piled it by the door to level 2 so that as they stepped through they could push the crate through the threshold to their Legacy space. King waved to Lance and pushed his mounded crate through. Lance looked back one time. Then pushed his through.

  LEVEL ONE COMPLETE.

  Lance stepped into his legacy space. Tired. Bloodied. Arrow holes in his arm and shoulder. A crate full of items he had yet to identify. A mound of bat hides lay atop the crate with a Cleaver and Graz’s shortsword weighing them down. He slid the crate to the side of the room nearest his chest. As he approached his nostrils filled with the putrid smell of rot and decay. He pinched his nose and looked over at Wellyn behind the bar, who wore a clothespin on his nose, pouring up two slime sodas. They nodded to each other. Lance stepped over to his chest and reluctantly opened it. Inside the bat wing backpack and a few more items including some goblin ears and things had all soured and began to rot. Lance quickly closed the lid.

  Almost gagging he looked at Wellyn. “ Do you know where I can throw this away? Also I'm so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “ Well unless you get a trash can only place I see you putting trash is in a fire.”

  “WHAT? There's not a trash can? Can't I just throw it out the door?” Lance pointed at the front door.

  “ Who's gonna take out your trash when you're not here huh? No, the legacy spaces don't work like that. Find someone with a space that can take it for you. To be quite honest. Your space, pretty small. Keep that around and the whole place’ll stink. Open that door and toss it out, be my guest won't like what happens though.” Wellyn said, rounding the bar moving toward the tables and placing down the drinks.

  Lance was tempted he opened and grabbed an ear. Then went to the door. Opening it and looking beyond, he stared into the dark miasma that rolled like a pond surface just beyond the doorframe. He tossed it out. Nothing happened. He waited, he turned his head and looked at Wellyn chuckled. Splat. The ear flew back hitting him, sticking on his neck. It slid down slowly. Lance pursed his lips. “ At least he warned me, could have been bad.” he murmured as he shut the door.

  “ Okay fire where? Like in the stove? What about the ash and the smoke.”

  Wellyn shrugged. “ Not my problem. Take it to the next dungeon with you.”

  Lance sighed. He went over and began to open the crate laying its contents on the table. After a couple minutes of non stop unloading Wellyn began to become more and more surprised. Everything was great until Lance pulled out the casket of Goblinalco.

  “ Hey! WHOA KID! GIMMIE THAT.” Wellyn said yelling for the first time ever. He said as he rushed Lance.

  Lance caught off guard for a second froze. Wellyn approached and just before he grabbed it from his arms, Lance pulled away. Wellyn's brow scrunched.

  “Wellyn my man… Calm dowwwn. I was gonna share. What do you think I would hold out on you? I owe you a few drinks” Lance said slyly, acting as if that were his intent.

  “No. The cask ladd. Did you see this?” Wellyn said pointing to the side where a cast iron medallion laid in the wood, an insignia of a tree on a shield where below two figures stood crossing swords. The three inch rounded buckle was raised and ornate but Lance and King thought nothing of it.

  Lance shook his head and shrugged.

  “ What is it the brand or something? I don't know it.”

  Wellyn pushed the insignia and it popped out like a button. Inside a note and a red Gacha ball sat. Wellyn grabbed them, Lance cried out like a child who had his candy stolen. Wellyn looked at the Gacha then tossed it on the table. He opened and examined the note.

  He turned around as Lance put the barrel on the table and grabbed the Gacha. “ Kid, this is high elven. I can't read it can you?”

  Lance shook his head. “ You think I just know high elf?”

  “ Elvvve. Not elff” Wellyn said, as if he spoke with the most proper accent, “ This insignia is of the High Elven court. The Elven Court hasn't been seen in hundreds of years. Since the.. Listen, this insignia, the barrel is, this Note! Is likely the last bit of anything related to Elven history. The Elves that walk about now are few and far between and most of which aren't true elves, either half bred or level bred. Just.. This is important. I need to borrow this okay. And don't open that!” Wellyn said walking to the doorway pointing at Lance's Gacha, he fiddled in his hands. He opened the door and for a moment beyond the doorway Lance could see a city street. People and carriage sounds came through, briefly as Wellyn stepped through leaving Lance to himself.

  Lance sighed but looked at the Gacha again.

  “ Renowned Tier - Elven”

  Lance looked at the marketplace. There were still zero Gachas Two tiers up. Shame and Praise were plenty. Honored, Renowned, Regal, and Law were still flat zero entries.

  “ I wonder if this is like a quest line thing. Dude finds a barrel, npc gets weird and says Don't open that! It's obviously something really expensive or rare. It's like he's baiting me to open it. Fuck it I'm already cursed.” Lance bit his lips sideways.

  “ POP “ he opened it