Tell us everything you know about Threewells, Leonard demanded.
Up until that mont I had seen the dour samurai as a sort of... pompous and sowhat rude man that was in a bad mood. Just a normal person who had rolled off the wrong side of the bed that morning. He wasnt a threat because he could talk, he could be reasoned with.
Now he was in my face, hands gripped over my shoulders and holding on so tight that I couldnt move. Sothing told that bonking him on the head wouldnt do anything to him. That, and there was a force pushing down on .
I could hardly hear Erics protests over the roaring in my ears.
Then I rembered that I was Broccoli Bunch, and Broccoli Bunch said nope to bullying. I wont tell you anything if youre going to act like a bully, I told him. If you want, I could trade you so information, but with how rude youre being I think Ill just keep it to myself. I crossed my arms. So there.
Leonard let go of my shoulders but didnt back away. He opened his mouth to say sothing, paused, then stroked his chin. A trade would be acceptable, he said. What do you know of the Exploration Guild?
Um. Nothing? I said. Nothing beyond what I can guess, at least.
Oh boy, Valerie said before she moved back to the cauldron and started scraping stew off the bottom.
Leonard pulled the log he had been using as a seat closer with hardly any effort. The Exploration Guild is an old and storied society. It transcends the boundaries of race and species and serves many. Kingdoms rely on it to find new lands and resources, rchants rely on us to find precious materials and to scout new roads. Most important of all, we are often the first to delve into new dungeons to discover the will of the world.
Thats impressive, I said. The feverish light in his eyes kind of disturbed a little, but it did genuinely sound interesting.
Leonard nodded. It truly is. As impressive as we are, we still lose mbers. New Dungeons can be creative and dangerous, exploring faraway lands ans being far from help, or encountering threats never seen before. Information is what we seek, and information is what keeps us alive. Like you learning about dryads and sombrals and knowing to avoid them.
It kind of clicked, not that there was much work needed for that. Thats why you want to know about Threewells, I said.
Yes, he replied simply. You asked for trade. I do not know how valuable your information is. But so of it might be the difference between the life and death of this party of overconfident fools.
Um, are they your responsibility? I asked.
He nodded. They are. But I am but one grenoil, I cannot be everywhere at once.
Well, okay then. I wasnt sure what to think of Leonard anymore. That was both annoying and kind of confusing. But he wanted to know what I knew and I wasnt averse to sharing. Let just fetch sothing. I opened my backpack and retrieved my map of Threewells. The map of the dungeon I left behind, maybe I could use it to bargain for sothing else. Maybe so food. Here.
Leonard took my crude map and his eyes widened a little. This is Threewells? he asked.
Yup, I explored most of the town while I was there, I said, a bit of pride sneaking into my voice.
Eric laughed. Full of surprises zis one. We should keep her!
Oh no, Arianne said. Im not going to abide to ze party having a pet human.
The two bickered back and forth, but my focus was mostly on Leonard who was looking over the entirety of my map with more care than I thought it deserved.
This is shoddy work, he said and my tiny kernel of pride deflated and died. Its not accurate to the maps of Threewells I have seen. The houses are all there, but their locations are slightly off. And the art is... questionable at best. These words, what language are they in?
Um. English? I said. You cant read?
Of course I can read! Leonard said over the laughter of Valerie and Eric. Even Donat seed to want to laugh. I dont speak this Henglish of yours.
But were speaking it now, I said.
Arianne looked at curiously. Do you have a translation skill? she asked.
I shook my head.
Any magical jewelry zat may be soul-bound? she asked next, this ti looking at my hand with the bronze ring.
Well, yes. But unless my Insight skill was dead wrong there was no way that my ring was translating for . Did that an that I just... knew how to speak frog? I didnt have much ti to wonder about it.
You shouldnt just put on strange jewelry, Leonard said. At this rate it is a miracle youre not dead already. Donat, fetch a paper and an inkwell! The younger grenoil jumped to it. Very well, for the map, if you help recreate it in a less... childish hand, then I will give you one gold.
Eric whistled. Suddenly being generous, he said.
A lesser gold, Leonard added even as Donat returned with a small satchel. The samurai pulled out a wooden board with an inkwell built into it and then a long feather and so yellowish paper. Do you accept? he asked.
Um, okay, sure. Gold was good. Maybe. Probably. Did I want my new friends to know that I had no idea how the money here worked?
Good. Leonard reached to his belt and pulled at the drawstrings of a pouch. He flicked a coin at that I caught out of the air. It was small, about the size of a di but thicker, and it was heavy. I stuffed it into my backpack in a hurry. Now, translate this.
I did as he asked, translating all the little notes I had made for myself while he copied the map with quick, sure strokes of his plu. His notes were tiny little inscriptions in the margins and sides of the buildings and places I had marked.
I can tell you about the buildings I explored too, I said.
Go on.
In exchange for the right to spend the night here, I added.
The samurai looked up at and narrowed his eyes. Very well.
Am I the only one zat expects her to slowly fleece him of everything hes worth? Eric asked. He smiled at then got up to his feet. Ill leave you to it. Donat, fetch so blankets and finish setting up ze second tent. Broccoli can sleep wiz ze girls. Well set up a watch and put up torches before ze sun sets.
That last comnt had looking up to a sky that was putting on its night ti colours. Ah, darn, the days almost over.
Indeed. Now, tell of these places, Leonard demanded again.
So I did, each ho earning a small notation next to it as he moved across the town. And thats the main tower. The one I ca in from, I said. Nothing on the third floor. You can only get to it by scaling the outside wall. Ah, but there are offices on the first floor, I found a lot of papers and stuffed them in a chest in the barracks.
... good, Leonard said. Docunts from a fallen city might interest so buyers at the guild.
How much would you give for, say, the ledger of the guard captain? All the reports leading up to the fall of the town?
Leonard looked at . He sighed. I have misjudged you. For that, I would give a young fool... a letter of recomndation to the guild. As well as four lesser gold.
Ask for more, Arianne said.
Mind your own business, Leonard grumped at her. To he said. What made you explore the town so much? At your level its an incredible risk.
I needed stuff. Food and supplies. And I like exploring, its fun. I grinned at the flummoxed look on the samurais face. It was as if hed swallowed a fly. Only probably not, he would like swallowing flies, I suspected.
He shook his head. Perhaps the letter of recomndation would be too much. The amount of ti spent beating the stupid out of you would cost our instructors far too much.
No, no, Ill take the letter, I said. The guild sounded neat. And the gold too. Oh, and so food. But nothing with bugs in it.
Hey, nozing wrong with so crunch in your lunch, Valerie said.
Arianne shook her head. Humans dont usually like eating insects.
The look of confused betrayal I received from Valerie had holding back giggles. Just enough food for the road, at least until I reach that outpost you ntioned. Unless youd let co with you?
No, Leonard said. There is no chance of that happening. He said it with enough conviction that I decided not to test him. We can offer you so food, yes. But only after I see the books.
I pulled out the two binders filled with reports. It was going to be nice to not have that weight on my back. Or maybe just to replace it with proper food. I handed them over to Leonard who brushed a thumb across the cover, then leafed through the reports. Most, I knew, were exceptionally boring, but he seed not to care.
Six lesser gold. I wont have my honour besmirched by shortchanging even a fool. He carefully set the binders aside. Tell more about the town.
Ah, which parts? I asked.
The so-called evil hole you ntioned, he said. I sat up straighter and wondered what kind of goodies I could get for my dungeon map. It sounds like the entrance to a young dungeon.
We felt a mana surge, Arianne ntioned.
Leonard nodded at that. We did. Soone might have destroyed the dungeon after you left. Not an easy feat.
Is that bad? I asked.
I shrank back as all three still around the fire looked at .
Destroying a dungeon is, Arianne began. A cri of ze highest order. One who breaks a core must in turn be broken, for it ans going against ze worlds will.
The worlds will? I asked.
Its a miracle you know how to read and write, Leonard said. With the pitiful education youve no doubt received. Typical of a human.
What Leonard is trying to say, Arianne said with so bite. Is zat ze world needs mana to sustain itself. Not all of it. You can live in a mana-free area your entire life. But you will be made uncomfortable by it. Injuries will take longer to heal and you will no doubt die younger with fewer offspring. Dungeons, when zey appears, bring lots of clean mana to an area, and wiz zat cos the lure of ze dungeon boss.
You an... the class thing?
Not completely clueless, then, Leonard muttred.
Yes, killing a boss grants you a class. Zats why our group has zree fencers in it. Zeres a boss zat grants ze fencing class near ze capital. A lower levelled one, at zat. It is fard regularly.
Oh, I said. Wait, three?
Eric was a fencer until his class evolved. Valerie also reached ze level for a class evolution, but she remained a fencer.
So cool, I said under my breath. Do you know what Cinnamon Bun evolves into?
No, Ive never heard of ze class, Arianne said. Was it a natural one? That is, one you grew into?
I guess so.
Zen it being strange isnt surprising in ze least. Uncommon, but not surprising.
What can you tell us about the dungeon? Leonard asked.
I shook my head and smiled. Nothing, nothing at all.
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