I wonder if Leeda knows about node regeneration, slides into my thoughts as a flop breathless upon the shore of the cavern lake. Speaking of the Halvyr, my map shows my ‘party member’ heading toward me. I should probably put a top on.
I test the wraps and they are still wet, much to my dismay, so I put on the durable but chafe-worthy coarse linen shirt I took off before jumping in. Leeda finds me spreading out my wrap, even though I know it won’t dry in a cave near a water source.
“Done with your little swim? Because I have some news!” She’s excited? Of course she’s excited, I bet she found some gems.
“Do tell, I was checking up on a hard to reach node myself.” Her interest is naked, though she squashes it immediately.
“Fine, but me first.” She walks over to my bag, unrolls my blanket and dumps her satchel on it. Rocks, more rocks, and? More rocks. The different colors are dull, but I do see some non-metallic ones.
“First we have Rubies and Sapphires. Chemically related, same hardness and are commonly used for decorative foci for magic weapons and wands. That’s not even the exciting part! These are proto-dungeon nodes, Zhantsa! They regenerate!” I don’t react and she deflates a little. “Why aren’t you excited?”
“I uh, figured that out with these.” I crystal appears in my hand.
“Of course you did. You’re like some goddess-blessed golden goose. I will say that dungeons are bad news, or can be. You need to work to deplete resources so that whatever the source of aether is, has to work hard to replenish the nodes. Only the nodes count. The source might even be where you found your bounty.”
“Okay, but what else did you find, there’s more than just red and blue rocks there, Leeda.”
“Nothing too special, one electrum node, some aluminum heavy granite, and some non-node metals that I left alone. None of the platinum or titan steel you showed me previously.”
“I found most of those deeper, much closer to the bat cave. Maybe there’s a dungeon there and it’s affecting my tunnels. Though I admit, I don’t much care unless I lose control of the place. I like it down here.”
“Heh, so do I, but we’d have to invest in some infrastructure if we wanted to spend more than a few days down here. Okay, maybe three times that since there are only two of us.”
We have a light meal and some water before covering Leeda’s finds and moving toward the bats. A few of the things I found previously still had tool marks—no regeneration equals no node—but to her great delight, the Titan steel is a node along with a very small node of platinum. None of the gold, oddly, which is a let down.
“I hate to say it, Zhan, but moving this is safer through the Guild. I can process them into ingots, but it’s risky to move refined platinum because it makes you look like a criminal that just robbed rich people. Since I’ll be keeping the electrum and the Titan, we won’t have issues with that. That many pure crystals, though, you’ll have issues with what you have right now.”
“Yeah, about that, I have ideas, but I need to build things to do it. Also, if there are ways to hook up our chillbox or hook your stove up to aether, I can just power them with crystals larger than the pebbles installed right now.”
“I just heard you say you want to power my chill box with a crystal worth more than ten gold.”
“If we can’t move them, what’s the point!? What I want to do, is turn a few moderate sized ones in to the guild, after you shape and polish them of course, then I want to get a munch of smaller opaque ones for grinding down. Well, potentially. When we get to the lake, I want to try and imbue the ‘mostly aluminum’ ore you found.”
“This is about glass making, isn’t it?”
“It is!” I beam at my friend.
“Goddess, if you’re going to get that excited, I bet you blow something up, likely yourself. The first explosion, we find you a new place to work.”
I bark with laughter, “That’s your bar? Explosions? Though you’re probably right, much of what we found is on Melody’s list, so maybe I can build something on my land where I won’t hurt anyone. Speaking of that list, did you find any mushrooms in that first area you went to?”
“Oh, sure. There was a small, columnar cavern actively dripping with water. The column was full of these purplish- blue fungus.”
I gasp and pull her into a hug, “You may have just bought me a house.”
“What? Do I get a cut?”
“Sure, ten percent finders fee.”
“What?! That’s robbery!”
“Oh? What are the chances I would have found them myself, and what are the chances you’ll want to ride in the cart on the way back?” She glares at me and stomps up the crevice toward my lake.
The next morning, Leeda is all complaints and no help.
“It’s still bullshit that you left me to make camp while you collected blanket-fulls of mushrooms.”
“Could we have filled the cart with node ore?”
“Well, no, but . . .”
“Planning on taking a turn on pulling said cart?”
“Well, no, but . . .” I pause and wait. She was expecting another interruption it seems.
“Out with it you ginger gremlin.”
“I was cold and alone, and it made me miss my horrible family, okay!?” She stays a few paces ahead of me after that.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
We hit the road to town and still no talking, while I feel powerful guilty for teasing her. “I’m sorry, Leeda, I didn’t know what you were dealing with.”
Leeda helps get us through the gate with some hand waiving and malarkey, but after that she keeps on moving. I swear silently as I veer toward the Guild Hall, where I pack the electrum, platinum and Titan steel into my pack or personal storage. I message Melody to meet me outside.
Ten minutes later, the Elven receptionist pushes out of the hall doors and sees me standing next to a covered hand cart.
“What kind of bounty have you brought today.”
“A few items on your list that I want to be anonymous?”
She sighs at the request. “You’re only a copper rank, so I have to inspect the cart.” I nod and she looks in.
“This is a lot, Zhansta. We might have to get this hall’s Guild Master involved.”
I shrug, “This is all I planned on doing today.”
She laughs, replaces the cover and opens the door for me. She leads me back to the room where my pelts were collected and shoves me and the cart inside and shuts the doors behind us.
“Alright, let’s lay it all out.”
I grab the mushrooms and she focuses on the ore and gems and with another pair of helpful hands, it goes quickly.
Melody leaves for a few minutes and brings back some water and a small tray of snacks. “Oh!, thank you so much!”
“You were looking pale, Zhantsa. You have to be more responsible with your food and water, you can rage from privation just as easily as anger.”
I want to argue, say that I know what I’m doing, but the fact that I want to argue something that I know is false is proof enough that she’s right. I settle into the tray and drink the whole pitcher of water.
“Sorry, I guess I’m not used to this much stress and adventure.”
Melody shakes her head at me. “I will get to the bottom of how you seem to know so much, yet so little.”
“I’ll save you the trouble.” I hop off the bench and put my lips close to her ear. “I’m a Traveler.”
She backs up in shock and searches my face and assesses my whole self again. “How did the gods think that was a good idea.”
“Are you about to launch an investigation on me or keep tabs or whatever.” I have zero knowledge on investigation or ‘keeping tabs’.
She laughs at me, a mirthful laugh with and somehow some of the worry in her face fades. Did I win? Was I competing?
“If you weren’t so adorable, you might seem dangerous. I should tell the Guildmaster this, but . . . if you ask me not to, I won’t.”
Resignation colors my exhale, “I don’t want to strain our . . . whatever this is, like that. I’d prefer if everyone didn’t look at me like three plagues wearing a trench coat, but if that’s your duty, then so be it.”
She doesn’t say anything, but she grabs my hand and pulls me to lean against a work table next to her. We stand in silence until two familiar faces walk in.
“Melody, I’m tired of you pulling strings for that pretty Troll! I was in the middle of assessing some ruin finds when . . . well fuck me, and that job can wait.” He moves immediately, snaps on some gloves and some magnifying spectacles and whispers to himself “come here my pretties.”
“Offhand, Melody, what’s your assessment?”
“Sir, I’ve never seen more than a couple of these mushrooms in one place, as they are a powerful contact poison unless brewed properly.” She gestures vaguely to me. “Not a problem for her, apparently. That said, the platinum ore is worth an easy platinum in bullion. I’d say two platinum and ten? Unless there are other surprises?”
“Uh, yeah, I was supposed to show you these, but I got distracted.” I rummage in my pack to disguise my summoning of two of my mid-sized crystals.
“Dear deities. You are going to bring too much attention to this hall, young Troll.” The Guildmaster runs his hands through his braids.
“So here’s the problem Zhantsa: You have two items in such quantities that they constitute as crimes without a license. Special dispensation is made for Adventurer turn-ins, however, we pay a fine for keeping them anonymous. That said, these are obviously unprocessed and have experienced no tools, so an investigation would likely not come.”
“Is the catch that it’s an expensive service? Because what you said was workable.”
“Yes, the service costs 30% of profits to pay everyone in the chain of custody. I bring it up, because I would like to know if this is part of the resources your new land contains.”
“I have registered no resources, sir.”
He sighs and takes a few steps toward me, “This is a lot of work for us, keeping this anonymous. If I am going to be asked to do it regularly, there are other channels I can use that will get us less scrutiny, but the price goes up to 40%.”
Forty percent?! That is madness. “Does that include the quest bounties?”
He appears surprised, then his brows furrow before chuckling to himself. “No, I suppose not, save the small fee that Melody would get for processing your quests.”
“This is gem-grade aetherite, Gunther. The whole thing. There are more than twice as many mushrooms as I have demand for, and the grime that surrounds the platinum nugget is analyzing as platinum level fertilizer. Where did you find this, Troll?”
“It was all legally obtained, I assure you, and the fertilizer is from
“She’s got nodes on that land, I can hear it in her voice,” the Quartermaster accuses.
“I have that documented in her file, Harmon,” Melody scoffs, “if she does have nodes, regenerating ones, then she will need support—not harassment.”
“What are your plans in Marcrest, Zhantsa?” Gunther turns to me and maneuvers to block the judgmental glare from Harmon.
I laugh sadly, “I just want to live and have hobbies. I’m interested in glass and alchemy, and beyond that,” I shrug, “Maybe explore a little once I carve out a place for myself.”
“No merchant or trade tycoon aims?”
“I mean, not me, but Leeda knows about this, and she might have those. And my mentor here obviously has interest in helping me and the Guild out.”
Gunther raises a hand. “Perhaps I was not clear enough. We do not have the proper infrastructure to handle the attention that unrestricted trade of these items would bring. Many Marcrestians are here to avoid that kind of attention from the Empire, or the merchant families of Crater Bay.
“If you have a plan for the majority of your crystals, and the mushroom haul is not regular, management will come up with a plan to get the platinum out without bringing the Inquisitors to our door. I should also note, that Guild Halls don’t usually keep this kind of cash on hand for massive payouts. It will likely take us a month or more to balance the ledger.”
“Oh, I don’t mind that at all. As long as I get a sale commitment, I have an account with the Bank where it can be deposited as it comes in. Until I find a place where can live and workshop, I don’t have much to spend the money on.”
Gunther grabs his chin and hums, “Melody will handle that side of things, and I’m tempted to make her your account manager. I’ll ask my Deputy to make the final decision on that.”
Account manager? Does that make her my fence? Why do I suddenly feel like a criminal? Melody must see the worry on my face, because she gives me a shoulder hug while we wait on Harmon’s assessment.
The Quartermaster takes off his glasses and gloves and turns to Gunther. “I can get more off of the mushrooms if we store half of them and release them as needed. There’s an artificer in Crater Bay that has a license to contract platinum ore that’s willing to contract us to ‘find’ more. Crystals this large . . . we’d need to either rely on the black market or try our hand at the Ducal seat or the Capitol to avoid too many questions. That said, each Guild Hall is interested in getting such crystals to power their devices for longer periods and more output. It would save us money on hiring mages to come out and charge them.”
I would have assumed that Melody would have told them about my being able to charge the crystals, but it seems she hasn’t. Maybe she didn’t pull the trigger on our other deal yet? Or maybe she managed it without the additional help she thought she’d need. I wonder.
“To this Guild Hall, this is worth two Platinum and twelve with the crystals staying here, one Talent and eighty if we market them. That includes the contract fees, storage and shipment arrangements, etcetera.”
/Melody, that is a lot of money!/
\Yes, Zhantsa, it is. It should be enough to start looking for that work site you want.\
/Yes please!/
“We can part with a mina up front, but the rest will have to be sent in increments, lest we run out of funds to pay jobs and bounties,” says Gunther.
I nod, “Sounds good to me.”