Report-Chapter 14

(Elsewhere -labyrinth entrance)

Alexavier squinted as he saw the light from the entrance to the appear. Finally. Beside him, the Sapphire adventurer they'd rescued breathed a sigh of relief. 

The adventurer, Edwin, had been leading a temporary party as part of the throne's commission to help clear Korrum kingdoms' labyrinths in advance of Bolat's next visit -Cothmore's being the worst in terms of maintenance and monster clearing. The young men and women should have been safe within the planned couple days' journey from the entrance; they'd been assigned such a sector with exactly that in mind. It was unheard of for such a monster as that plant beast to appear so close to the surface.

A grunt could be heard from the prisoner, currently being monitored by Reefka and Sky. It had taken strip searching to find all his potential methods of attack or suicide. He was probably getting thirsty, but Alexavier would leave that to the guards to handle. There should be some around the entrance.

As they approached the area flooded with daylight, Alexavier breathed a sigh of relief. These weren't the Cothmore guards, frequently assigned to labyrinth duty as a punishment, but the royal guards sent along with the minister sent by the throne to monitor the Cothmore situation.

"Sergeant," Alexavier called, noting the markings on the guard's armor. "There's trouble in the labyrinth. It may dungeonize within the next couple of days. There's also higher-level monsters on the upper floors." He held up the vine monster's crystal.

The sergeant's eyes widened. "I'll get the commander."

*******

A short while later, Alexavier was in a meeting with Edwin representing his party, Alexavier representing the Death Eagles, and Sky representing Elmerin's party. They faced the Adventurer Guildmaster Anol, who'd been inspecting the temporary guild base by the labyrinth, Philip Rammeld, the minister sent by the throne, and Elis, commander of the royal troops assigned to the Cothmore cleanup under Rammeld's command.

Technically, in the party leader's absence, the highest ranking member present should have been attending in their place. But Falchan had blown it off and headed toward the tavern tent to go drink. Alexavier and Sky doubted it was much of a loss.

Elis and And looked up from examining the papers taken from the man wearing the red dragon symbol. 

"It certainly looks like they're planning to dungeonize the labyrinth," Anol said grimly. "I suspect they're taking advantage of the fact that the Cothmore lords have neglected the labyrinth since Bolat's last visit. Minister, may we have your assistance in decrypting the papers?"

The minister nodded. "Of all the days for us to do a surprise investigation," Rammeld said, amused. "At least we won't be wasting time." He turned to Elis. "The prisoner is being questioned?"

Elis nodded. "They're doing it a bit away from camp, and the magicians have put some sound barriers up. I've stationed guards around as well. The adventurers shouldn't be bothered, and it'll be obvious if anyone is sniffing around."

"The question is, how did they get in in the first place?" Edwin asked.

Sky, Anol, and Alexavier all rolled their eyes. "The count usually sends the worst of his troops to guard the labyrinth," Anol said. "It's a punishment detail, and it's very common for them to slack off or not even show up. For which violations they're assigned right back to the labyrinth.

The minister frowned and made a note. "Do you think bribes might be involved?"

"Well, they practice extortion," Alexavier replied. "If Falchan's not in your party, there's a pretty good chance they'll demand payment to let you into -or out of- the labyrinth."

Anol bowed his head to the minister and commander. "I am so sorry about this. I've tried to appeal to Count Cothmore and Lord Falchan to stop this, but Count Cothmore refuses to shut it down. I believe he may even indirectly encourage it: A soldier working for the Cothmores can get his punishment reduced by paying a fee."

"What!?!" Edwin and Elis yelled in unison. Minister Rammeld frowned and made several notes.

"With all this corruption, why the hell do so many adventurers come to Cothmore!?" Edwin demanded. "I'm only here because of the royal commission."

"They come because of the neglect of the labyrinth," Alexavier said quietly. "Even with the extortion, it's possible to make a lot of money and increase your abilities quickly." He nodded towards Anol. "Although Cothmore's been trying to bully the Guildmaster into raising fees and lowering payouts beyond what the kingdom allows, so who knows if that'll last if he manages to get another guildmaster in."

"That won't be happening," Rammeld said in a mild tone.

Edwin, Sky, and Alexavier looked at each; that sounded like a promise, not just a statement. Anol looked relieved, as if a burden had been removed.

A tap came from the tent door. Rammeld paused from straightening his notes. "Come in." 

One of the local guild staff came in, her face pale. "We've finished evaluating the crystal from the vine monster."

"Sapphire, right?" Edwin asked. "That thing was tough."

The staff member shook her head. "Diamond."

Most of the men gasped. Alexavier himself was not entirely surprised.

"Are you sure, Alicia?" Anol snapped.

Alicia drew herself up and glared. "I pride myself on my Appraisal's level and accuracy. I double checked and had Lorena take a look as well. It is definitely a Diamond-ranked crystal."

Edwin's head was in his hands. "My kids never stood a chance. If you hadn't come along…"

"No wonder only Drysia and Elmerin could handle it," Sky said. Alexavier nodded in agreement.

The minister was consulting his notes. "I see Drysia is a Diamond, but Elmerin is an Emerald?"

A sigh of resignation came from Anol as Alexavier and Sky started laughing. "The only reason El's not a Diamond is he refuses to apply for promotion." Alexavier shook his head. "Says -repeatedly- he doesn't want the responsibility of the higher ranks."

"He took down a Sapphire goblin sorcerer a couple days ago," Sky added. "He got injured, but knowing him, he allowed it to lure it into a trap." He snickered. "Nera yelled at him. A lot."

"I can't give him the promotion myself," Anol said sadly, "and I can't urge him to take the test in another city." His guilt was clear in his voice. "I have no right to do so. But if it were in my power, I would double-promote him to Diamond in a heartbeat -he qualifies on all counts. He's repeatedly done most of the tasks required for the rank-up as it is."

"I only have copies of the basic records here," Rammeld said. "I'd like a look at the more detailed records later. Sounds like he's following in his grandfather's footsteps.

Alexavier blinked. "His grandfather?" As far as he knew, Elmerin had no family. 

"Well, I presume," Rammeld smiled. "My father has a magic painting of a man that looks almost exactly like this picture of Elmerin in these records, but the man in the painting has shaggy and shorter red hair, and he looks to be quite a bit more muscular."

"What's the name of the painted guy?" asked Sky.

Rammeld smiled slyly. "Silver of Geler."

"Silver of Gelar!?" Sky exclaimed. "The archer who slew four monsterized boars by himself less than twenty-four hours of joining the guild? The Silver that killed the sphinx plaguing Rushton? The Silver that slew a geryon and disappeared afterward -he might have died of his injuries, but they never found the body? That Silver?"

Rammeld nodded. "The Silver who found and wielded the lost bow of Kasaru, one of the weapons created for the Summoned of the Ocheorean Empire. Weapons blessed by Meinz of Acorath himself in the name of Idilan and Vikesh. The painting was done after Silver completed a commission for my grandfather." Rammeld shook his head. "I have to question the ethics of its creation -grandfather had it done secretly because he feared Silver would object if asked."

"That kind of fame would explain why Elmerin never speaks of his origins," Anol mused. "He'd get far more attention for his ancestor's achievements than he does for his own publicized feats. At least, until now." He turned back to Alicia. "So, Diamond? And that close to the entrance of the labyrinth."

"The rest of the Death Eagles have been arguing about whether the corruption of the area is responsible, or if these Red Dragons have somehow lured it out on purpose," Alexavier said. "I lean toward the latter."

"Either's feasible," Atol answered. "Vine monsters tend to follow water, good soil, and warmth. It could have been judiciously lured, or have been seeking such resources out."

"The Royal guards and available adventurers have been sent to clear the collapsed tunnel mouths as quickly as possible," Elis said, spreading out a map. "They'll be concentrating on the tunnel Elmerin and Drysia were in when the mana bombs went off- This one, correct? "Alexavier looked and nodded. "-since it seems to be the one that opens to the shortest route to the probable locations of the Bolat crystal."

Sky and Alexavier both pointed to a particular spot on the route Elis was tracing. "You need a different route here."

Elis arched an eyebrow at Sky. "Why?"

"That bridge is out," Alexavier said. "Has been for months."

Elis' jaw dropped. "But the lord of the land is supposed to pay for repairs-" he stopped and facepalmed. "Right. Someone who lets his soldiers take bribes probably doesn't care. He probably gets a cut." He examined the map, tracing alternate routes. "Probably should send forces by more than one path…"

The minister tapped his pen on the table. "Do you here think Drysia and Elmerin will make it to the Bolat crystal in time to stop it?"

"If anyone can, they can." Guildmaster Anol didn't have to fake the confidence in his voice. "No one else in the Cothmore guild can hold a candle to them -maybe no one in the kingdom." He shifted. "By the way, all the adventurers, including them, will be getting bonuses for participating in this emergency. Correct, Minister?" 

*******

Characters in this chapter:

Present:

Sky

Death Eagles:

Alexavier Asheburne

Reefka

Temporary party:

Edwin: Guild Rank: Sapphire. Gender: Male.

Ruby adventurers

Cothmore Guild:

Cothmore Guildmaster Anol: Male, Topaz.

Guild assessor Alicia: Female, Topaz. Appraisal, Level 8.

Guild clerk and assessor Lorena: Female, Zircon. Appraisal, Level 7.

Royal commission:

Phillip Rammeld: Minister of Labyrinth Management. Diplomacy, Level 8.

Commander Elis: Commander of the Royal Guard, Unit Seven. Sword Skills, Level 8. Blessing of Itar of Light and Izar of Dark, gods of the sword. (Note what a sword is can be very loosely defined.)

Royal Guard soldiers

Red Dragon prisoner

Past:

Silver of Geler: Profession: Adventurer, Archer. Guild rank: Sapphire. Hair: Bright red. Eyes: Green. Gender: Male. Archery, Level 9. Enhanced Sight, Level 8. Agility, Level 8. Farsight, Level 8. Mapping, Level 5. Strategy, Level 9. 

Monsters:

Boar, monster: A normal boar that has been affected by corrupted magic or Bolat energy. The level of mutation depends on the degree of corruption, and can range from simple enhancement of existing abilities, to increased size and durability, to even additional tusks and other appendages. They can range from Topaz to Diamond level in the current day; during the Demon Wars, ones of Black Opal rank were reported. A normal boar is considered Zircon level.

Geryon: A humanoid body with one powerful set of legs and three bodies joined together at the waist. A higher level monster that appears near large or old sources of corrupted magic or middle to large amounts of Bolat energy. The lowest geryon recorded was Sapphire rank.

Sphinx/Sphynx: A monster with a humanoid head and feline body. Sapphire and higher have bird-type wings. Lower-level ones are not very intelligent and relatively easy to defeat, but Emerald and higher can exude a "fascination field" where the affected feels like they are being asked a riddle, and if they can solve that riddle, they can win. It doesn't matter if they solve the "riddle" or not; the field is to keep the target in place until the Sphinx can eat them. Mental acuity or resistance of at least 5 is needed to resist the field, with higher-level Sphinx requiring higher levels of resistance.