Loremaster - A Progression Fantasy Adventure, page 26
“They sound dangerous,” Rowan said, wishing he had something a little more intellectual sounding to add to the discussion.
“They are,” Kanna agreed. “Climbers are one of the biggest causes of death for lower-tier adventuring parties. You said you encountered an Aracocytus, which is a monster usually only seen in Gold- or Silver-tier dungeons. It’s not a monster that should exist in a Brass-tier dungeon, and nor is it something most Brass-ranked parties can handle. You were lucky that the Frost Blades proved up to the task.”
“Will anything happen to the dungeon now that a climber’s been discovered?”
“Now that they’ve been alerted to the presence of a climber, the guild will move to seal the path it used to enter the dungeon, or reclassify the dungeon as a different rank, if sealing proves impossible.”
“A Silver-tier monster…” Rowan echoed. Hearing it said out loud suddenly put the danger they had faced into context. He had nearly died down there, and only a few lucky breaks had saved the Frost Blades from being completely annihilated.
As Rowan broke into a cold sweat, Kanna nodded. “A Silver-tier monster, and you not only survived but defeated it, which explains why the Frost Blades gave you so many magical crystals. They must have been quite grateful to you for your contributions within the dungeon. Did you happen to catch how much they earned from their broker for the rest of the loot?”
“Twenty-four Vlends,” Rowan responded. While his memory might not work quite so well for school work, and a little too well for recalling the faces of horrifying nightmare spiders, he could always remember financial matters. A thief without a mind for numbers was begging to be taken advantage of.
Kanna nodded. “This is a full sixth of what they earned down there, an equal share as if you were a full member of the Frost Blades. For them to give up so much, it means they must think you acquitted yourself well, beyond well, even.”
Rowan smiled at this, happy to receive praise for once. It had certainly been a scarce commodity recently given his performance at the academy.
Closing the sack, Kanna reached inside her desk, pulling out a purse which she emptied out into her hand. Several gold coins glimmered there, as well as a few of the smaller silver Dirrins. Counting out two gold Vlends and a handful of Dirrins, Kanna placed them on the table, before returning the rest of the stash to her purse which was then stashed back inside the desk.
“These are for you,” Kanna told him, pushing the coins across the desk to Rowan. “Fifty percent of the value of the crystals you’ve acquired, as we agreed.” Seeing Rowan’s expression, Kanna laughed. “I know it sucks, but at least you’re getting paid. Back in the day, apprentices were expected to acquire reagents without any compensation at all. Just consider it a broker’s fee for getting you a place with a powerful party such as the Frost Blades.”
“Ah, I’m not thinking anything ungrateful, master,” Rowan said hurriedly. “I’m just amazed, is all. Even if it’s more than three times as much as I was supposed to earn, the fact that I could make so much from a dungeon of the lowest level feels strange. I risked my life every day back in Taureen, and the most I usually had to show for it were a few scraps of bread and maybe some rotten vegetables if I was lucky. But in a single morning, I’ve made enough to live comfortably for weeks. It’s… strange.”
Kanna looked on in sympathy. “It’s just the way of the world. Connections beget power, and power begets connections. Street-dwellers have neither, and thus, they can acquire neither. No amount of hard work will change that, only luck.” Seeing Rowan’s dour expression, Kanna changed tack. “But that’s enough of the depressing stuff. You did well today, and I’m sure that there will be more opportunities for you to join dungeon runs as your reputation spreads.”
Rowan blinked. “There will?”
“Of course. Even if you hadn’t performed well, I’d have still arranged for you to join other parties to obtain magic crystals and other items—it is part of your job description after all. Your stellar performance just makes things easier.” Leaning forward, Kanna looked Rowan in the eye. “Given your performance in class so far, what I’m about to say might sound counterintuitive, but I think you should take as many of these opportunities as you can.”
Rowan tilted his head. “But shouldn’t I be spending time studying? How can I do well in class if I’m adventuring all the time?”
“Just study more,” Kanna said with a shrug. “I don’t know, school was never all that tough for me. But the more experience you get now, the better. The classes in the first semester are mostly focused on classwork and getting new students up to speed, lots of theoretical stuff. But starting in your second term, you’ll be taking classes that focus more on the practical side of adventuring. You know how adventurers increase in power, right?”
“Ummm…” Rowan paused. Darm had talked about killing monsters to absorb mana and gain strength, but he had not gone as in-depth as Rowan knew Kanna would have liked. Hoping for partial marks, he looked at his master. “Killing monsters for mana?”
“In the basest sense of the word, yes. Though that’s a very simplified version of events.” Grabbing a nearby teacup, Kanna stared back at Rowan. “Anything else?”
Taking a moment, Rowan tried his best to remember Darm’s exact words. “Every living being in this world has mana within them. When they die, that mana is released and we can absorb it in order to grow stronger.”
“Better,” Kanna replied. “A few clarifications though. We don’t absorb all the mana a monster releases. Some of it disperses into the air, the ground, nearby rocks, whatever is nearest really. Then another part of it is absorbed by those nearby, strengthening their bodies, mana vessels, and mana pathways, with the killer getting the dragon’s share. Those whose bodies are strengthened in this manner are more powerful than normal.
“Swordsmen can swing their swords faster and more powerfully. Mages can cast spells more quickly and with less worry of rupturing their mana paths. It’s a necessity to obtain the strength required to enter higher-tier dungeons. As a result, this means that killing monsters is the fastest way for adventurers to increase their power as monsters tend to contain large amounts of mana compared to humans or beasts.”
“So you’re saying that I became stronger just by being nearby while the Frost Blades killed Thimps today? Even though I didn’t kill many?”
“Yes. I would wager you probably felt a rush of mana when the Aracocytus died. That was your body absorbing some of the latent mana it released. It’s also why some parties tend to dislike porters. They’re seen as leeches, tagging along only to steal mana and treasure from those who are actually putting their lives on the line.”
A thought occurred to Rowan. “Does this mean you could get stronger by killing people as well, master?”
“Indeed,” Kanna answered. “It’s frowned upon, obviously, as killing other people is a practice generally referred to among the general populace as murder. But it’s possible. There are cults dedicated to the sacrifice of powerful beings, be they monster, human, or other. They usually get snuffed out pretty quickly since the government does not tend to look kindly upon those who challenge their monopoly on violence, but every once in a while, one gets big enough and becomes powerful enough to wreak true havoc among the populace.”
Rowan nodded. “ Is murder the only way? Is there no other way to absorb mana?”
“Sure there are,” Kanna replied. “The monks of the eastern monasteries meditate within mana-dense areas in order to increase the mana within their bodies. The beastmen of the great desert put their bodies through hell to naturally stimulate growth. There are even tribes of pacifistic snow elves who use alchemy to purify the mana in the plants they eat and gain power that way. But for the most part, killing monsters is the fastest, easiest, and most efficient way to go about it, so that’s how we do it.”
Pausing, Kanna looked at Rowan. “All of that is to say, this is the one area where many of your fellow classmates will be starting from zero. While some students might have accumulated a little mana through the course of their training, only a few will have been into dungeons or tagged along on culling expeditions before thanks to parents or mentors who were adventurers. Most should be only a little above your level in regards to the mana they’ve absorbed into their bodies, having only that which has accumulated naturally over the course of their lifetimes and perhaps the fruits of one or two dungeons worth of accumulation.”
“Only one or two?” Rowan was confused. “Why so few? Shouldn’t nobles want their children to become as strong as possible?”
“If only it were that easy,” Kanna said wistfully. “Dungeons require permits to enter, and those in more populous areas are heavily monopolized. It takes weeks or even months for new monsters to move into an empty dungeon, and most of a day for traps to rearm themselves. This means that every run has to be used to its fullest. Nobles who own the rights to dungeons would rather train up their security teams or contracted adventurers than send their brats through, as the returns on the former are far greater.
“It’s the same for capturing high-tier monsters and allowing their children to slay them, or making their children the executioners for their fief. Returns are better if they use someone else, and nobles are nothing if not business minded. If their children aspire to be adventurers, they’ll receive plenty of opportunities to absorb mana here at the academy, and thus one or two runs through Gold-tier dungeons are sufficient to give them a major boost in strength, enough to deal with minor threats such as pickpockets or lowborn muggers without issue.”
“But wouldn’t more strength be preferable to allow their kids to defend themselves against real threats?” Rowan rationalized. “They’re nobles. Surely they must have assassins after them or something.”
Kanna chuckled. “You’ve been reading too many dramas. Most nobles don’t have assassins after them. And remember, anyone looking to kidnap or kill a noble also has the ability to absorb mana to grow stronger. If nobles send their brats through fifty dungeons, enough to raise an entire party of Silver-tier adventurers, then all that happens is that the one hired to capture them is now a Gold-tier instead of a Silver-tier.
“It’s easier for everyone involved to just let their children accompany a party on one or two runs then call it a day. If the child has a problem with that, then they can rectify the issue once they take their parent’s title. There are exceptions of course, nobles who send their children out to absorb more than just the bare minimum amount of mana needed to gain some strength, but that’s the normal way of things.”
Rowan’s mind flashed to Dillo, who had spent a considerable amount of time bragging about his father’s accomplishments. With such an accomplished adventurer for a father, it was likely that Dillo had been able to enjoy the perks that Kanna described and had entered the academy with a step up over his peers. If Rowan could use portering to the same effect, even if the amount of mana he earned as a non-combatant in Brass-tier dungeons was likely a pittance compared to the Gold-tier dungeons nobles ran, then perhaps he too could become a successful adventurer.
“Right, so you’re saying that, if I acquire some power now, I can stand out in the future.”
“Exactly,” Kanna replied, her gaze steady. “I’m not telling you to sacrifice this semester’s classes—I’ll kill you if you slack off in mine—but diverting some of your time from schoolwork to adventuring would probably prove beneficial. Most first years have difficulty finding parties willing to take them on, but I can help you with that. So long as you perform well, you should be able to head into dungeons at least once a week. With three months left before the end of the first semester, that’s at least twelve dungeons you can enter, maybe more if you work over the holidays. And any dungeons you get into without my help, you can keep the entire fee.”
Rowan did the math in his head. Assuming he made even just a quarter of what he’d made today, that was still nearly ten gold Vlends that he could make between now and the winter break. That could buy a lot of pies…
“What’s the best way to go about this?” Rowan asked.
Kanna smiled.
To say that Rowan’s following weeks at Faebrook were hectic would be an understatement.
During the week, his time was consumed by classwork, doing his best not to fall any further behind as midterms came and went. His weekends were spent in dungeons, delving into the myriad ruins that surrounded Faebrook as a porter, processing and hauling the loot for whichever party Kanna had managed to find for him this week.
Interestingly enough, Rowan’s services were actually in fairly high demand. Most of the students at the academy looked down on porters, viewing the job as something beneath them. As a result, Rowan found that his services were in low supply but high demand, especially once his reputation began to spread. Parties were always looking for a reliable but lowkey worker to help with their loot, and Rowan offered just that.
A month and a half after his first dungeon dive with the Frost Blades, and Rowan had already managed to enter more than ten dungeons, alongside seven different parties. Unfortunately, the Frost Blades themselves had not hired him again, Nor’s premonition having been correct. The week after slaying the Aracocytus, they had all been promoted to Silver-rank, and as a result, the dungeons they were entering were too dangerous for Rowan to enter.
Kanna had been fairly stringent about this fact. No matter how simple the job of a porter was, there was always danger when entering a dungeon. Although Silver-tier dungeons would have given him a significant increase in pay, it was not worth the risk of dying to some Silver-tier monster that escaped the party’s notice, and there were plenty of Brass-tier dungeons to enter anyways. Thanks to the lack of porters, even if Kanna stopped finding him work, Rowan felt that he would be able to enter dungeons, not that he ever planned to separate from Kanna. His relationship with his provisional master carried too many benefits for that.
Despite his growing popularity as a porter, Rowan did his best to avoid getting involved with the cliques that had formed among the other Draigwyns. He had nothing against social ties, but nobles and merchants always sought benefits out of their relationships, and Rowan had little to offer. Apart from Dugan, he had so far refrained from making any more friends at the academy, and that was fine with him.
Although she had maintained her position at the top of the class, Morgana was even more isolated now than she had been at the beginning of the semester, her prickly attitude and frosty demeanor enough to keep even the kindest of hearts away. On top of that, it seemed to Rowan at least that she had somehow managed to piss off the most popular group of students in their house.
Led by Tianna Caleigh—the blonde girl in his Intro to Magic class—they were a group of nobles who monopolized the best parts of the common room, clustered around the fire whenever the older students were away, and occupied the most comfortable chairs and sofas available whenever they weren’t.
Although Rowan did not know what Morgana had done to annoy them, it wasn’t as if it was hard to guess. The number of people who had not fallen afoul of the fae girl’s sharp tongue was the same as the number of those who had not yet interacted with her. The girl lashed out at everyone.
Given her growing notoriety, and the fact that some students must have spotted his act of goodwill in Northall, Rowan had been approached to ascertain his affiliations. Aidan Cannis, one of the boys from Tianna’s posse, had interrogated Rowan about his ‘relationship’ with Morgana. Rowan had hurriedly assured him that there was no love lost between them, an answer that seemed to satisfy the noble. Reinne Westmarch, another of Tianna’s friends, had even rewarded Rowan with a nod of recognition the next time he had seen her.
Not keen to implicate himself in the social battles of nobles, Rowan had isolated himself even further from the rest of House Draigwyn, interacting only with Dugan, Kanna, and a few of the friendlier older students he had adventured with.
“I swear, you spend all your time in here,” Fiin told him, setting the books she was carrying down on the table he was studying at. The library was nearly empty at this time, most students preferring to spend their leisure time in the common room or on the grounds, even despite the chill that fall had brought.
“You’re one to talk,” Rowan said, glancing up from the book he was reading on magic theory. “You’re here more than me.”
“Yeah,” Fiin replied, “but I work here. What’s your excuse? You spend all your time studying, but when I checked the midterm results in the great hall, you weren’t even in the top half of your class.”
“Which is why I’m always here studying,” Rowan retorted.
Fiin grinned. “Touché. Gotta admit though, I am kinda surprised to see you here at noon on a weekend. Thought you’d be in a dungeon right now.”
Rowan shrugged. “Couldn’t find a party. What about you? Why aren’t the Frost Blades in a dungeon right now?”
This time, it was Fiin’s turn to shrug. “Training. Dillo feels we’re having too many close calls in Silver-tier dungeons, so he, Jaro, and Patri are drilling formations today, which means Stenne and I have the day off.”
“And you’re spending it in the library?”
“Just because I have the day off doesn’t mean I can slack off,” Fiin retorted. “As the party’s loremaster, I need to make sure I know as much as I can about the dungeons we’ll be entering, and our jump to Silver dungeons means I’ve had to relearn nearly everything.”
“Silver dungeons require different knowledge than Brass?” Rowan asked, intrigued. He had been under the assumption that the different tiers were only separated by the mana density and the power level of the monsters within. Clearly, that was not all there was to it.
