39 Logistics

Finn got up and had dinner at the guild bar. Jess was back And joined him at a table.

'How are you feeling now?' Jess asked. 'Our task needs to be completed within the next few days, so I hope you'll be ready.'

'I'm actually feeling quite good. My wound has been healing really quickly after I washed it. Look!' Finn lifted his shirt to her the wound.

It had mostly healed by now, the combination of cleaning it, eating and sleeping seemed to speed up the process a lot. Now instead of a deep red gash, it was just an inch long red line.

'That does look a whole lot better, does it hurt at all?' Jess was impressed by his ability to recover.

'Not too much, I think I could be back at full strength by tomorrow morning. We can head off after breakfast to complete the task.' Finn said.

'That's good news, the foreman will probably be wanting the help as soon as possible. Let's talk things through now so we know what to prepare.'

'Ok, so what do we know so far?' Finn asked, he hadn't really paid too close attention to the task details when she showed it to him previously.

'Well, we need to go to the mining district. There have been an increase in attacks on the miners which had caused a bit of unrest amongst the crews. People had started to go missing and so, the foreman of the iron mine posted the request for help.'

'So we just head into the mines and take care of whatever is causing the trouble?' Finn thought that might take a while. 'I've heard the mines are like a huge labyrinth of tunnels, how will we track the culprits down?'

'The attacks have all been in one region, so we should start there. Maybe we can find some clues.' Jess suggested.

'Ok, but do we know what we are up against? Have there been any witnesses?'

'Nothing was mentioned, but we should be prepared for the anything. It could be some of the usual cave dwelling creatures, Spiders, giant bats, giant badgers or the like. Worst case scenario would probably be escaped criminals or other intelligent humanoids.'

'Hmm, I guess we should be fully armed and armored. I can see alright in dim light, but a light source might make things easier. How long do you think it'll take?' Finn asked.

'Depends how hard they are to track, and how big the many there are. We might need to be down there for several days, so bring what you need of food and water.'

'That's going to be a pain to carry around, I've heard there are shops and small taverns at key intersections where the primary tunnels connect. That's were all the workers live too, so resupplying shouldn't be too hard.'

'I'm bringing my backpack, and a bedroll. You should too. It'll make the long walks through the tunnel easier, and bedrolls are better than a hard rock floor.'

'Um, don't have those, but I'll get that sorted out tonight. Maybe I'll get something to light a fire with and some firewood.'

'Great! I need a few materials for spell casting and a couple potions. I think that'll do then.'

Finn was about to get up and go shopping when Jess stopped him. 'Tell me what happened yesterday evening.'

Finn sat down again and narrated the whole thing, he didn't add or omit anything. Jess was too smart and would probably catch any lies.

'So you got the report then? That was pretty dangerous, this group seems much stronger than you first thought.'

Finn took out the report and let her read it before explaining some more detail. 'Future Meat has developed the product, but it isn't necessarily safe to eat yet. Mortimer got arrested because he knew too much and didn't comply with their demands. Now I found out that they have strong agents who aren't afraid to kill.'

'Finn, this report isn't enough to change anything. It doesn't connect them to the incident that got your friend arrested. It doesn't even say anything about them planning to sell it any time soon.'

'I know,' Finn agreed with a disappointed look on his face. 'It's the only clue I have though.'

Jess smacked him on the top of his head. 'It wasn't worth the risk you took. Next time you plan something dumb like this let me know. How would I complete our team's task if you had just died out there. There aren't any other newbies in the guild to partner up with either.'

'Yeah, sorry.' Finn rubbed his sore head. 'But I need to help Mortimer! What should I do?'

'Well, based on what you've told me, there isn't anything you can do. He will be sent to the mines any time now and you don't have any evidence proving his innocence.'

'What? I thought you'd have an idea at least.' Finn was disappointed.

'If you are angry about the injustice, you would have to topple to whole Future Meat company. Right now you should have realized you are still too weak for that.'

'Yeah, I almost died. That agent was strong. If I hadn't caught him off guard with my mage hand...'

'Mage hand? That's how you won? So you can cast magic!' Jess was surprised. 'Here's my advice, forget about justice or revenge for now and focus on getting stronger. Learn more about your enemy before they know who you are.'

'Hmm, that makes sense.' Finn saw the logic in her suggestion, to fight them now was foolish.

'You want to learn another spell?' Jess offered. 'I don't know too many, but there might be one you could manage.'

'Sure, but I rely completely on my internal mana so only simple small spells work for me. You can teach me when we are in the mines.'

The two split up to prepare the necessary things for the task ahead.

Finn got into his armor and brought his daggers, knives and hand crossbow along. He wasn't about to be caught unprepared.

Finding the backpack and bedroll wasn't too hard. Finn paid 2 silver and 65 copper after haggling the price down. Next on the list was flint and steel along with some firewood.

Firewood was cheap, but Finn realized that carrying the wood was not an option. They would have to rely on what they found down in the mines.

As he was looking around in the night market Finn suddenly spotted a goblin. Now goblins weren't always treated equally by the other races. A goblin's sharp teeth and poor hygiene combined with their greed and tendency to scam people made most people dislike the short creatures.

Finn paused, and the goblin made eye contact. The goblin gestured for Finn to come over.

Finn wasn't afraid of this goblin and walked over calmly. Most of the green skinned cowards would never resort to violence if money could be made. Finn asked what he wanted.

'You look like a fellow who would appreciate the special kind of products. All my wares are hand made by local artisans, I'm sure you'll find something of interest.'

The goblin proceeded to lead Finn to a secluded corner where others wouldn't watch and pulled out a small table. It had apparently been left there in advance. The goblin then unfastened his cloak and lay it on top like a tablecloth.

Finn attention was immediately caught by the selection of small objects fastened to the cloak. Previously hidden under the cloak, they now lay on the table for him to admire.

The goblin proceeded to introduce the objects one at a time. First there were a few unusual components used for spells that Finn didn't recognize. After that, there were a few gadgets that could accomplish simple tasks. What caught Finn's attention though was what looked like a pouch of marbles.

The small round balls were slightly rubbery to the touch. Squeezing one slightly the goblin quickly stopped him.

'Don't squeeze them too hard, you might activate them.'

'What are they?' Finn asked.

'Those balls contain a special mixture made by alchemists. You activate them by squeezing them, five seconds or so later they burst into flame. The gel coating causes it to burn slowly and steadily, but if it bursts then it will cover a small area with flaming goo.'

'Interesting, so I could use these to start a fire?' Finn asked.

'Absolutely, campfires, bonfires, barnfires, any thing you need lit, it will do the job.'

Goblins were notorious for being pyromaniacs, they seemed to have a fascination with those shining tongues of flame. Finn thought the balls would be great for a campfire, and he wondered if he could attach them to his crossbow bolts.

'How much for the pouch?' Finn asked

The goblin held up two fingers.

'20 coppers? Isn't that a little steep?'

'It's 2 silver, these were specially made by my brother. It's the family's secret recipe, the ingredients alone cost a lot.'

'Yeah right, I've bought those previously in the factory district for half that price.' Finn bluffed.

'Well whoever sold it to you must have been a fool or owed you a favor, they definitely didn't make any profit off of that. 1 silver 80 copper is as low as I'll go and that's a great price, ask any goblin.'

Finn pointed at something else, 'still too expensive, what about that then. How about you throw in that tiny vial?'

'Eh? The health potion? No way, sure it's not the standard recipe but it's still too valuable.'

Finn though for a second before taking out his damaged dagger, the one with a broken tip.

'What if I give you a silver and this dagger in exchange for the fire starters, health potion and that weird rock.'

'That dagger's tip is damaged, and that's not just a weird rock. It's got magic runes carved on it, no way I'd take that offer.'

'Sure the tip is damaged, but what are you going to use it for anyway? Isn't it good quality steel? You could use it to make a new contraption worth even more silver. How about this, forget the stone, just give me the fire starters and potion, I'll give you the silver and the steel.'

'Fine, hand it over then.' The goblin feigned disappointment.

Finn paid the silver and handed over the dagger, he left with the pouch of fire starters and the tiny vial of red liquid. As he left the goblin grinned and disappeared into a back alley.

Back at the guild, Finn did his daily practice in the training room. Throwing his knives and firing his crossbow before switching to mage hand to retrieve the blades and bolts.

When Finn got back to his room and deposited his things in his chest, he noticed the two health potions he already had.

'I'm so dumb! I should have used one as soon as I got back, or even brought one with me. How could I forget.' Finn facepalmed, he could have saved himself several hours of pain.

Going to bed, he asked his roommate 'Blade' to wake him for breakfast before falling asleep.