Delna has always been a small town.
It's far enough from the coast so that much rain doesn't make it South. The mountain range to the West blocks all of the other moisture. To the East and South there's not much but rocks and desert.
That isn't to say there aren't bigger and fancier cities in those directions, but they all have something that Delna doesn't - a strong draw.
There's only a single reason that Delna was founded in the first place - the copper mine. It's not a large mine, and there's never been any other valuable metals that have been found inside. Now Delna mainly sells stone. For as worthless as it is here, the cities in the great Zeikhal desert have a great need for something as basic as rocks.
Thus, Delna may not have ever flourished, but it survived. There had been good times and bad, but overall the merchants that had come through provided enough to live on.
There were challenges, of course. Sand Scorpions. Rock Bats. Goblins. Nothing too dangerous. The mountains that surround three quarters of Delna are steep. Other villages might have to fear things coming down from the peaks, but it's never been a problem for Delna and its nearly perfectly vertical surrounding slopes.
All of that changed when the Emperor of Sands attacked.
Although... it is perhaps too generous to use the word 'attacked'. There were many kingdoms in the North-West of Chandrar that were left adrift to their own devices when the King of Destruction retreated to his great slumber. Some of them joined the fledgling Empire of Sands willingly. Some of them fought. Others were like Delna: too small for anyone to really care about and were taken over without any fanfare.
Delna might not even have been part of the neighboring Kingdom. It certainly hadn't paid taxes, but that might've been because it was too poor for a tax collector to bother.
That isn't to say that there hadn't been any excitement during the eight years since the Emperor of Sands began forming his empire.
Merchants, Spies, Soldiers - they all came to Delna. Most just passed through, but there was a rumor. A rumor of something valuable that had been found inside of the mines. Something that was being passed on to finance the resistance. Something like... gold.
It was three years ago that the Empire of Sands send men to kill the old Mayor and replace him. It was busier then. Truthsayers and investigators came and went along with tax collectors. However, all they proved was that no gold veins had ever been found in Delna.
This didn't stop the new mayor. If Delna wasn't making gold for the resistance, then surly they were helping hide it. He remained after the Empire withdrew to more important places. Tax collectors were left to make sure that Delna was not forgotten and paid its dues - as small as they might be.
The Mayor hired thugs on his own. In part to protect himself from the villagers that disliked him. In part to extort them. In part to look for the gold he was certain existed in one form or another.
It is said that other cities in the Empire of Sands celebrate their new [Emperor]. That the Emperor brings water to the desert. That their armies crush those of other nations. That all manner of goods flow in and out of the Empire and make it rich.
Whatever prosperity might come from being part of the Empire had yet to reach Delna.
Now? There are rumors that the King of Destruction stirs. War has been declared upon the Empire of Sands, and thus Delna. Or by the Empire of Sands, and thus Delna. However, that is to the East, and the great Zeikhal desert is known for swallowing armies whole. Delna has yet to be impacted, but there might come a time when its miners are called to join the army and fight for people and land that they've never seen.
Jubei nodded as Raemon finished his story.
Corruption, greed, violence. He'd seen such things before, but rarely so blatantly. Of course, he was sure he would have gotten a different story if he'd asked the [Mayor]. Then again, one side had assaulted him, stolen his possessions, and then extorted him.
Should he just kill Borert and be done with it? He was confident he could do it. It wouldn't be hard, nor would getting away. Like Raemon had said, Delna wasn't big or important.
Ah, but he wouldn't be attacking Delna, he'd be assassinating an official of the Empire of Sands. That wasn't something he was eager to do. After he found his target, he'd still have to travel through the entire empire.
Still...
"Is the King of Destruction really awake, daddy?" The two Stringfolk children had woken up at some point during the story, and were now gazing up at them.
"Yes, Milne, he has." Raemon patted the little girl on her head. "But he's far, far away, and not something that will involve Delna."
"Unless we really do find a vein of gold." Darius smiled before looking over at his detached arm. "Then we'll be a minor footnote somewhere."
"I hope that we never find any gold then!" The boy, Hoat, declared.
"Don't worry about it." Raemon's wife, Melne spoke as she continued sewing Darius' arm. "The King of Destruction was a fair ruler. His troops would never harm civilians. So, even if he does invade us, we'll all be safe and sound."
"So, about your [Mayor]." Jubei spoke up again. "Will he actually return my possessions if I do what he asks, or will he try and cheat me out of them?"
"Was that a real bag of holding?" Raemon asked, and got a nod in return. "In that case, Borert will never let it out of his slimy grasp."
"Stringfolk aren't slimy, daddy!" Milne insisted.
"No, they aren't on the outside, but Borert has a dark, greasy slime inside of him. If you don't watch out then one day... he'll get you!" Raemon lunged at his daughter and started tickling her. She giggled while protesting.
"Don't tell them things like that, dear." Melne frowned. "One day they'll get into trouble. Milne, he's not being literal."
"Dead gods, woman." Raemon glared at her. "Can't you have a little fun for-"
"You look like you're doing good work, Melne." Darius interrupted him. "My arm will be as good as new!"
Milne looked away from her husband, and back to her work. "It was a clean break, and I've re-stitched the bone. You'll still need to let it heal, mind you. I'm really only good for scrapes and stuff, so the bone will have to knit on its own."
Darius smiled. "That's still a lot better than I was expecting. Thank you."
Jubei stood up. "I also appreciate the company, and the conversation, but I think it's about time for me to depart."
"Are you sure?" Raemon asked. "We don't have much, but we can spare a bowl for you."
"Nonsense." Jubei shook his head. "I'll have plenty of food once I get my bag back." He put his hat on his head and tied the strings that kept it in place. "Please, excuse me."
"Let's see here." Borert reached into the bag and felt around. "Smooth, smooth, smooth... and... huh?" He pulled out a ball of... rice? "That's odd."
"What else is in there, Boss?" One of his [Thugs] asked. Borert refused to learn the names of his lessers.
"Potions." The [Mayor] pulled out one bottle after another. "Lots and lots of potions."
"Makes sense, he's an adventurer."
"I wonder how good they are?"
"Might be poison, that guy looked sketchy."
"Shut up! All of you." Borert grumbled as he shifted through the bag and tried to find anything that wasn't bottle-shaped... "Ah! Here we go!" It was smooth and round. Glass, but not a bottle. "What?" He held a clear sphere in his hand. He put it down with a frown, and the rummaged around in the bag some more. He found another sphere - also made of glass, but black instead of clear.
"Aren't those?"
"I told you to shut up." Borert glared at the ugly, hemp face of his underling. "If you have to ask, then you clearly need more education." He picked up the scrying orb. "This is clearly the tool of a [Spy]." There was no other reason to have such a thing except to show images of important places to the enemy.
The black orb?
Borert picked it up and turned it around in his hands. It had to be another spying tool. Possibly poisoned.
He dropped it like it was on fire.
"You!" He pointed at one of his minions. "Fetch me a new pair of hands!"
Poison could be just as deadly as fire was to a Stringfolk, unless you replaced the area quickly.
...
There was a knock on the door, and one of the [Thugs] opened it. The foreigner stood there with his stupid hat. It had only been a few hours. He could not have possibly killed the goblins yet!
Could he?
Perhaps if he had caught them running back to their caves, or wherever it was the monsters lived in the mountains...
"I have come for my items."
"Whoa, there." The larger hemp man raised a hand. "No one gets to see the [Mayor] carrying a sword."
"I have come for my items." The idiot repeated himself.
"Did you kill the goblins like I ordered you to?" Borert spoke from the other side of the room past all his hired help.
"Yes."
What?
Borert swore to himself as he looked for a truthstone. They were all locked up, and he wasn't about to show the human where the safe was. "I need proof."
"Proof?"
"Yes." Borert smiled. "Bring me the head of the hobgoblin. That should work."
The man's hand floated above his sword. "Give me back my equipment, or I'll make you."
What a moron. Planning to attack Stringfolk with a sword? Perhaps he wasn't a [Spy] after all, or he could simply be bad at his job. "Are you threatening me?" Borert sneered. "I'll add that to the list of charges." That didn't get the reaction he was hoping for. "Even if you attacked us, and somehow managed to win, you'd never find your bag." That got him a scowl in return. "Bring me the hob's head, or we'll chop off your legs, like you did to my men."
The human stood there for a long second, and Borert wondered if he'd made a mistake. No one could take on all of his [Thugs] at once... not unless they were higher than level twenty! He gulped.
"Fine." The man spun around and walked away.
Once he was gone, Borert gave his men new orders. "Gather everyone here, and tell them to bring their worst stuff. Poison. Traps. Any dirty trick they can think of. When he next shows his face, he's dead." The bag was prize enough. He'd never return it - or its contents. Asking to remove the goblins had been greedy. It would be better to just kill the man as soon as possible.
"You got it, Boss."
Jubei stalked away from the slightly larger and nicer building.
Should he have killed them?
He was pretty confident that all he'd need was his sword.
Besides...
Jubei stopped. They were Stringfolk. He could amputate them easily enough without killing them. The fallout wouldn't even be so bad. He was just a [Wanderer]. He'd leave the town with no attachments, and no reprisals. A bounty was a laughable threat. He could avoid it by-
"Hey! Jubei!" Raemon yelled and waved at him from up ahead. "How'd it go?"
The man fell into step beside him, and Jubei glanced at him. "Not well. They refused to return my bag without the hobgoblin's head in exchange."
"Hah!" Raemon smirked. "I told you. They'll just make another excuse and have you do something else. Over and over again."
"Hn."
"If you're going after the goblins, I can come with you." Raemon slapped his own chest. "I may not look like much, but I have [Lesser Strength]. I can bash in a goblin's head just as easily as I can crack a rock!"
"No."
"C'mon. There's no other way I could get a [Warrior] class! Everything is too dangerous to fight on my own, and no one in town will go hunting."
"No."
"C'mon. Please?"
"If you want a better class, start by training. You have a [Blacksmith], right?" Jubei waited for a nod before continuing. "Have him make a sword. Or a spear. Or something. Then practice swinging it."
Raemon huffed. "That will get me [Soldier] or [Guard] or something. I want a REAL class! Let me follow you! I can watch your back and finish some goblins off. I can even beat them one-on-one."
"No. If you want to kill goblins do it on your own. You'll only slow me down." Jubei then [Leapt] onto a roof and sprinted away towards the wall.
He supposed he COULD go and search for the goblins while he thought. He hadn't really encountered the green humanoids before, but he'd heard tales - nothing good.
But, if they were thinking people instead of mindless monsters, then there had to be a solution here that didn't involve killing them, or mauling a bunch of idiots.
Or, they might be evil, and killing them would be honorable and just.
It probably wouldn't change things one way or another. It was clear that Borert couldn't be trusted...
Yeah. It would be quickest to kill him. Maybe his [Thugs] too. Or he might just hurt them all. He hadn't decided yet.
It was something to think about while he 'looked' for the goblins. Besides, Borert would need time to bring all of his underlings together for an ambush. That would make things much easier than chasing them down one by one.
As for Delna?
Well, they could make up whatever story they wanted. It wouldn't matter to him, and dead people couldn't gainsay anything.
Raemon ran to the gate, but it was still being fixed. Besides, he didn't want to deal with the [Guards] telling him what he already knew. It was dangerous outside the town's walls. They would ask him what he was doing, and look at the mattock he held, and come to the conclusion that he was going to get himself killed.
They would look down at him.
If he had a sword and armor, he could beat any one of them in a fair fight!
It was just so... stifling. Raemon needed this. He NEEDED to take control of his life. He might have been born a hemp - like everyone in town except the [Mayor], but that didn't matter! He might never be someone like the Hero of Zethe or one of the King of Destruction's seven, but he could still protect his home!
Raemon took a detour to the southern edge of the wall. That was where Jubei had fought off some goblins that had tried to sneak in. There would be people there, but not as many as at the gate. It was a shortcut that would let him catch up with the adventurer.
Raemon and his friends had snuck out of Delna when they were kids. At first it had been to drink. Then to enjoy other activities outside of his parent's prying eyes. Recently, it had been to try and help fight off the Empire of Sands.
He couldn't do anything directly. He was only a [Miner]. That didn't mean he couldn't contribute in other ways.
Sure, he might not have been the one to find the gems. Or to mine them. If he was, he'd be higher level. He also hadn't been the one to stop old man Joffe from handing them over to the Empire.
Of course, that hadn't turned out so well for Tom. He'd been one of the few that had died when Delna had been 'conquered'...
Raemon put that out of his mind as he scaled the mountainside. It was hard. The rock was smooth from being worn down over the years, but there were still a few well hidden hand holds. The other side was even more sheer, and Raemon fell down, but he didn't cry out.
Instead, he picked up his mattock and looked for Jubei.
Not to the South.
Not to the North.
Could he have passed by here already? Could he be so fast he was out of sight in such a short time?
It was that, or he was slower than Raemon thought... No. He'd seen him sprint away. It must've taken him longer to climb over the wall than he'd anticipated. So Raemon began to slowly make his way to the South. He wouldn't be able to find the goblins on his own. The monsters were too sneaky for that. If they were fighting Jubei? He would notice that.
He just needed to keep his eyes open.
While Raemon didn't have any [Skills] to help him go unnoticed, he did have experience. Experience that was rusty from years of not being used, but it was all coming back to him. His footsteps made hardly any noise as he clamored over the rocks and the dry wild grass that poked out of them.
The foothills weren't nearly as treacherous to climb as the mountains themselves, but they were still difficult. Raemon was silently cursing the topography while being thankful for his leg muscles from all the mine carts he'd pushed around. He crested a ridge and then saw it.
A single goblin.
Winter was waning, but it was still cold out. The creature, however, did little to cover itself. It only wore some rags as a loincloth, and around its chest. In fact... it kinda reminded him of Milne...
It was female!
The realization struck Raemon like a spark. Of course! It was so obvious now that he took a closer look. Sure, the monster was small and scrawny. Sure, it had green skin and pointy ears. Raemon could still make out some feminine features.
He relaxed a little. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill it? He could capture it and... somehow... get it to tell him where the monsters made their camp? Goblins couldn't speak, so that might be-
Raemon shifted his weight, and the rocks beneath his feet crumbled away.
The goblin looked up from gathering the dry grass that grew in the foothills. Her eyes widened, and she began scampering away. She even left her basket behind.
Raemon gripped his mattock tightly before giving chase.
He charged up the hill, and past the place where she'd been. His feet trampled the forgotten basket as he pursued his quarry.
She was nimble, but not any faster than him. Her short legs and lack of muscles slowed her down. Raemon chased after her. He was gradually getting closer...
*WHAM*
Something hit him.
Or, he'd run into something?
Raemon shook his head. His vision was dark, except for the after-image of the sun that rushed past him. The glowing orb moved from left to right, before suddenly re-appearing on the left. It repeated itself. Raemon's head swam.
What had happened? He... was lying down?
He tried to stand up-
Something gripped his arms and legs!
Raemon blinked, and looked down and to his sides. Small green hands held him pinned to the rock. A swarm of goblins had him! Where had they come from? What was going on?
A larger goblin, no, the hobgoblin walked into view. He was well-muscled, and had scars all over his body. He was also taller than Raemon. Beside him, there was another female goblin, only this one had more clothing. She also had a necklace made out of small bones, and blue stripes painted on her face.
The hobgoblin pulled back his fist, and punched Raemon's head.
The world went black.
Jubei was sitting down while leaning against the side of a house.
He'd chosen a location with some dark shadows and a good view of Borert's house. A few people had left after his confrontation, and they were now returning in twos and threes with reinforcements. He'd counted a dozen underlings so far.
That... might be difficult.
Unless...
His hand rose, but then fell back down. No. He didn't need to do that yet. Just because he wasn't currently capable of facing off against so many in a straight fight didn't mean that it was an un-winnable battle. He would just need to be patient and pick some off beforehand.
It was true that he had somewhere to be, but wasn't encountering people the reason he'd chosen to walk in the first place? He also still hadn't found his real target yet.
Killing the underlings - or Borert for that matter, wasn't his goal. He still didn't know enough about the Empire of Sands, and assassinating their officials would start him off on the wrong foot. He needed to get his bag back, but he could do that by following the corrupt [Mayor].
It might take some rough questioning, but he could make him talk if he had the time.
There were some yells, and then the sounds of people talking.
Jubei stood up and looked around. The uproar was coming from the gate again. Were the goblins attacking? He didn't hear the sounds of a pitched battle, nor the screams that he would associate with an ambush.
Jubei took one final look at the [Mayor]'s house. The door hadn't opened, and no one had come out. He shrugged, turned around, and walked towards the solitary gate that Delna had.
"Oh, mister Jubei, was it?"
Jubei lifted the brim of his hat. "Hello. Melne. Milne. Hoat." He nodded to Raemon's wife, daughter, and son. "What are you doing?"
"I was looking for Raemon, when I heard the commotion from the gate." She held her children close to her. "Have you seen him?"
"No." Jubei shook his head. "Not in several hours."
"Melne!" Someone yelled from further up the street. "There you are!" Darius ran up to them. "Are you doing okay?"
Melne arched an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be doing okay? What's going on?"
"It's Raemon..." Darius frowned. "You'd better come take a look."
...
"What is it?" Melne asked.
"A rock." Darius replied as he showed them a round stone. It was about the size of a baseball, and was covered with...
"Are those drawings?" Jubei asked.
"Yes?" Darius turned it over in his hands. "We're not sure what it means, but-"
"What does this have to do with Raemon?" Melne's eyes narrowed.
"Well..." Darius lowered his hand, and one of the children pulled the rock away with a grunt. "That's the thing. The goblins came back. Or, at least, the big hobgoblin did. Only, he stayed far away from the walls, and threw the stone at us."
"Why?" Melne frowned. "That makes no sense. Why didn't you shoot him with your slings?"
"That's the thing." Darius swallowed nervously. "Like I said, there were no other goblins, just the big hob, but it wasn't alone." He took a deep breath and then exhaled. "It had Raemon with him. As... a Stringfolk shield. I wanted to go out after him, but everyone else was saying it was a trick and that we couldn't have our [Guards] go out into an ambush - especially when the gate still needs another hinge made first!"
Melne's hands went to her mouth. "What? How?"
"I don't know!" Darius grimaced. "I don't even know how he got out of town! He never went through the gate! It makes no sense!"
"At least he's alive." Jubei added. "I thought the goblins would kill people they found?"
"They do." Darius said. "Not that anyone goes out there for them to get their green hands on, but they definitely are murderous little monsters."
"Hmmm..." Jubei hummed to himself, and then looked down. The stone was on the ground, and he reached down to pick it up. "What about this rock?"
"I don't know." Darius shrugged. "It has some drawings on it, but it's just nonsense."
Jubei turned the rock over in his hands. "A curse? No, it's just paint. That also rules out an attempt at getting people sick... A message?" Yes. He turned the rock until... "See? This part? This looks like the gate. And here? I'd bet that's the mine."
Melne snatched the rock from his grasp. "You're right! This is smudged, but see here? Two tall figures - one of which has no arms, or has his arms tied up. They're surrounded by smaller ones, and are..." She looked up. "I think they want to exchange Raemon for something!"
"What?" Darius took the stone back. "I mean, it's crude, but... Yeah, I can see it. They want... something from the mine? That part landed on the ground and the paint smeared. Do they want to trade him for some copper?"
"Oh no!" Melne gasped. "Raemon used to tell us of a treasure that was hidden in the mines, right? Milne? Hoat?" She glanced down. "Milne, where did your brother go?"
The small girl pointed down the road. "That way, momma."
"The mines!" Darius gasped. "I have to save him!"
He turned, and raced down the street with Jubei following him. "What's dangerous about the mines? Are there monsters down there or something? Giant rats? Bats?"
"What?" Darius glanced at him before shaking his head. "No. What sort of mine would have wild animals in it? Hoat might wander into a closed shaft - especially if he's looking for 'treasure'!"
"A closed shaft?"
"Shafts can be closed for any number of reasons: the vein runs dry, the tunnel collapses, or... if they find pockets of bad air!"
"Bad air?"
"It knocks you out if you breathe it. If someone doesn't pull you out soon, you die." Darius grimaced. "If you don't know what you're doing, you can easily suffer the same fate when trying to save someone. You shouldn't go in either."
Jubei shook his head. "I'm going to help, besides, two people can search twice as fast. Time is of the essence, right?"
"Huh." Darius pulled up as they came to the entrance. "What an odd phrase, but it's fitting." He looked around and cursed. "Everyone's down by the gate again!" He walked into a small shack and came out holding two glowing stones. "Here." He tossed one to Jubei. "You're human, so you might not fear burning, but you still don't want an open flame in the mine. That bad air? Some of it reacts poorly to fire."
"Good to know." Jubei caught the rock. "Anything else I should know?"
"Nothing comes to mind." Darius jerked his head. "C'mon, let's go!"
Jubei nodded, and followed the Stringfolk into the darkness. The stones they held in their hands pushed it back, but not far.
"Lightstones might be expensive, but..." Darius mumbled. "They SHOULD have them set up at intervals at least in the main shaft, but..." He let out a sigh. "They were taken as 'taxes'." He shook his head. "I'll take the right branches, you go left."
Jubei nodded, and turned at the first opening. Once he was out of sight of Darius, he paused. He drew his hand with the lightstone closer to his face before... No. Not yet.
Instead, he wrapped [Ninja Wire] around it. It might come in handy if there were random rats or bats, but the real reason was: Jubei spun the glowing rock, and then tossed it forwards. It flew about forty feet before plinking off a wall.
Jubei nodded. There was a shaft on the right ten feet away, and another fifteen feet after that. The tunnel also curved to the right at the very end also. That made sense. The village would be to the left, and the right tunnels would lead deeper into the mountain.
Jubei jerked his light source back to his hand while walking forward. The terrain was rough, but he could still manage to balance on it in the dark.
The first side tunnel ended after a hundred feet. There were warnings posted, and a flimsy barrier that Jubei easily squeezed through. He used his wire trick again, and saw nothing except a cave in at the very end. That might be all, or it might be filled with bad air - especially since it didn't seem well ventilated. Either way, Hoat wasn't here.
The next tunnel also had warning signs and a barrier. This one was better made, but still wasn't much of an obstacle. Jubei tossed the lightstone, and it plinked off of a solid-looking wooden door.
Jubei frowned as he walked forward. The door looked old, and was pretty well disguised. If it hadn't been for the sound the rock had made striking it, Jubei might've not noticed it.
He bent down and held the light closer to the ground. There were scratch marks at the very base of the door. Judging from the lack of dust, they were fairly recent to. Could Hoat have come this way?
Jubei pulled at the hidden door. It was locked. Still... if the young boy was looking for treasure, this seemed a likely place - especially if Raemon had told him any stories.
Jubei shaped [Ninja Wire] into some lock picks, and quickly got the door unlocked. It made a grating sound as he pulled it open and it scraped against the floor..
The next room had a table, chairs, and a cage made out of iron bars. Jubei stopped scanning it when he saw... the body.
Small.
Still.
Naked.
Lifeless.
Green.
Jubei reached up towards his face...
*Gamer's Body enabled.
...And I took my mask off.
It felt solid for a moment in my hands before it, my clothing, and my sword all faded away as [Don the Mask] ended.
I took a deep breath, and looked closer. It was a goblin. A female goblin, and it was dead with clear signs of abuse.
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.