Eternal Rest

The dwarves were somewhat used to Bones asking rather… odd questions, so they didn't question why or how he didn't know about something so general.

"Really? You’ve been dying to ask?" Dar said with a smirk, clearly amused by Bones' curiosity.

"Well Bones, you are familiar with adventurer guild rankings, I take it?" Bones nodded, and Darsumi continued. "Splendid! Then you know that the adventurer guild is old... pre-system old? The Guild was founded with the purpose to fight and protect the people from the magical beasts and monsters that were growing in numbers on our continent. The Guild classified the strength of adventurers in bronze, silver, and gold ranks, with peak adventurers being around gold rank back then. When the system came, copper ranking was introduced before bronze and platinum after the gold rank, but that was a long time ago. Rarely anyone uses the term copper and platinum rank anymore." Darsumi paused, then continued.

"The system introduced advancements, and The Guild later implemented tiers into their power ranking. Any kingdom or empire where the adventurer guild has a certain amount of influence uses their rankings as a measure of power. I don't know why they still hold on to old rankings, but places outside of adventurer influence use tiers as a measure according to advancements achieved. I'm sure you get the picture now, yes?" Darsumi finished and downed his ale.

Bones nodded, pondering the explanation. It did seem odd to categorize individuals solely as bronze or silver rankers. "Doesn't that lead to a misleading assessment of users' strength, though?" he questioned. Darsumi shook his head, explaining that the adventurer rankings had their merits. According to him, The Guild's rankings not only indicated the user's advancement tier but also provided a level range.

"I see, that does make sense," Bones acknowledged. "At higher levels, the level range becomes less important, and the advancement tier is all the information you'd actually need."

"Once you venture out into the world, you'll find many who disregard The Guild's rankings and instead classify both users and monsters into tiers," Darsumi concluded.

Bones expressed gratitude for the clarification and redirected the conversation to the matter at hand. The remainder of the negotiation centered on determining the allocation of costs and profits. After some back and forth, Bones managed to secure 20% of the profit from the seasoned dwarves. Recognizing the substantial workload ahead, he appreciated their generosity. To kickstart the business, they required additional manpower, or in this instance, dwarven labor. Thankfully, Darsumi had a connection, and soon a dwarf tailor named Belmus joined their discussions. They hashed out the details well into the night, laying the groundwork for their venture.

Bones opted to remain with the dwarves for a few additional days, ensuring all the details were ironed out before the shop's launch. According to Darsumi, with the right connections, it was only a matter of days before they were operational. Reflecting on his plans, Bones realized he had neglected to inquire about acquiring a mana core. Although he possessed one from the Ant Queen, he deemed it prudent to secure an extra for contingencies. Determined, he resolved to broach the topic with the dwarves the following day.

As the dwarves slumbered in Hem's smithy, Bones delved into the pages of "Basics of Mana Engraving" that he had acquired in the capital. By morning, he had grasped the fundamentals and realized he required appropriate tools to commence his practice. Anticipating the dwarves' awakening, Bones found himself waiting in vain as they remained deep in slumber. It dawned on him that dwarves deemed 9 am as early morning, preferring to approach their day at a leisurely pace.

Bones sat at the kitchen table, putting the finishing touches on his notes in the book, when he heard the familiar stomping of footsteps on the wooden floor above. Presently, three groggy dwarves emerged into the kitchen.

"Morning, Hem, Dar, Belmus. Coffee?" greeted Bones.

"Boney? Morning, lad. Ye had a gud nite sleep?" Hem asked, as Dar shook his head and headed for a mug, followed closely by Belmus.

[…]

"Wut?" It took a moment for Hem to process the question, then he quickly added, "Oh, sorry, Boney. Wut did ye do last night?"

"Just some light reading, I suppose. I do have a question, but it can wait until after breakfast," Bones replied.

"Breakfast? Hah! It be lunchtime soon, Boney! We don't eat no breakfast!" Hem chuckled.

Bones glanced at the other two dwarves, who shrugged in response. It seemed Hemdus had a unique personality even among dwarves.

After they finished eating, Belmus left to make arrangements with other dwarves for the shop. They needed more dwarven help, and fortunately, Stonefalls had an abundance of them. It was something Bones planned to inquire about later. Why were they all gathered in Stonefalls, of all places?

"So…wut did ye want to ask us 'bout?" Hem inquired.

"I bought the book 'Basics of Mana Engraving' while I was in the capital, and I understood most of it, but I don't have the right tools to practice. Would you know where I could acquire engraving tools here in Stonefalls?" Bones asked.

"Hmm, let me think..." Hem stroked his black beard thoughtfully before exclaiming, "Of course! If it's the tools for practice, then I could get ye one free of charge! But proper engraving tools, ye'll need to acquire in Hagos!"

"That's great news! Now then, do you have any free time today and possibly for the next few days?" Bones inquired.

Both dwarves looked at each other. Darsumi was the first to reply, stating that he could make some time if it was important, while Hemdus, without hesitation, said he was totally free. Bones appreciated the dwarf's willingness to take time off work, knowing he had orders to fulfill.

Bones didn't divulge the specifics of what he needed them for, only mentioning that it pertained to the shop and other matters, and that he trusted dwarves more than humans in this regard. Both dwarves nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. The only additional information Bones provided was a rough location of where they were traveling to.

They didn't depart immediately but late that night, as the dwarves still had tasks to attend to before setting off. By early morning the next day, they arrived at a clearing. "Is this close to Westbrook? Is this the area where the ritual took place?" Darsumi asked, surprising Bones with his knowledge. The information about the ritual and the undead army was disclosed and not publicly shared. Darsumi chuckled and explained that he had a reliable information network.

Bones nodded and led them to the hidden entrance to the cavern. The boars kept their distance after sensing the three. Even with their dull senses, they detected the aura of a silver rank. Once they reached the not-so-hidden hatch, Hemdus snorted. "Wut crude craftsmanship! Wut is this hatch made of? Bones?" tsk tsk

Darsumi stood silently by, shaking his head and surveying his surroundings, while Bones maintained an indifferent attitude and replied, "Well, I did my best with what I had…"

"Eh? cough I see! I mean, it ain't good, ye ‘no? But it ain't that bad either…yeah."

If that was supposed to make Bones feel better, it didn't. "Never mind, come." With a flick of the wrist, the hatch opened up and Bones led them down the ladders he made. After reaching the first platform, Hem jumped off and landed on the shabby wooden platform.

boom crack

The loosely set wooden logs gave in under pressure, and Hem found his foot stuck inside the hole he made. Bones passed him by without saying anything, and Darusmi silently followed behind.

Bones approached the wall where faint markings were visible and motioned for the dwarves to take a look. Darsumi approached and squinted, following the markings with his eyes. His expression changed as he recognized the faint outline of an arch on the wall. He took out a torch, likely from his inventory, and lit it up. "The runes and… this is?... I see!” Darsumi muttered, identifying the markings as runes and understanding their significance. “Hem! Hem?" He turned to Hem and found him kneeling with his hands on the wooden platform.

"This damn…wooden…travesty!"

"Hem!" Darsumi called out, and Hem finally responded, tearing his eyes away from the dubiously made platform. "Come, take a look," Dar motioned.

Hem yanked his foot out of the hole and walked over. Dar pointed at the wall. Hemdus took one look and shouted in surprise. "Cor blimey! Boney! Ye realize what this means?"

"Yes, I have a general idea of wh-"

"I'm going to have to redo the floor!"

The dwarves grasped the significance of Bones showing them the dungeon. A newly discovered dungeon was no trifling matter. Undoubtedly, if word got out, the kingdom would lay claim to it and exploit it for its own gain—precisely what Bones intended to do!

“I assumed you obtained the chitin from the underground ant nest you stumbled upon somewhere beneath the mountains near Stonefalls. It never occurred to me that it could be from the dungeon.”

Darsumi posed a few more questions about the dungeon's size, level, and the behavior of its denizens, eventually realizing it was a small, natural dungeon. "No wonder you've amassed so many chitin parts. This changes things, Bones. A single small shop won't suffice if you plan to exploit the dungeon for its resources. That is your intention, no?"

"Of course, that's why we're here! There wouldn't be a point in keeping the dungeon a secret forever. At least this way, we can make the most of it. I take it you have trustworthy peop… dwarves, you can invite to join us?"

"Of course, all dwarves! You can trust a dwarf!" Darsumi exclaimed. They both turned toward Hemdus, who was making rough measurements of the ground plan of the cave.

"I have another thing I wanted to ask you about," Bones turned to Darsumi and asked.

"Ask away," Dar replied.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could acquire a mana core, would you?" Bones asked and added, "I failed to kill the boss in the second dungeon and got kicked out when the timer ran out."

"Hooh? You managed to reach the boss of the second dungeon? That's impressive considering your level. Usually, it takes a party of level 30+ users to take on the boss." Bones nodded and explained how "impressive" his fight against the Widow turned out. Darsumi chuckled and continued, "As for the mana core…I guess, since you were sincere about the dungeon, I could tell you. I don't have the mana core, but I know where and how to acquire one!"

There was a moment of silence. Darsumi waited for Bones to take a hint and ask him how and when Bones was about to ask, Dar shouted, "We steal it!"

We steal it we steal it we steal it The sound echoed in the cavern, and Hem turned to Dar, frowning. "That's real nice, Dar! Now wut he gon think about us?"

"I’m telling you! We need a bridge and deep pits on both sides so when you look to the side, all you see is darkness!"

"Boney, I'm tellin' ya, that don't make no sense!"

They've been going at it outside a cavern for about an hour now, and Darsumi was getting agitated, trying to take notes. "You two, get on with it already!"

Both Bones and Hem stopped bickering and looked at the irritated dwarf. Hem turned with a hmph and opened the hatch to the cave. "Fine! We're gonna do it your way, Boney!"

"Splendid!"

Finally reaching some sort of understanding, Bones followed Hem back inside while Darsumi went to get more wood. Down below, Hem motioned for Bones to stand aside, watch, and learn. Bones didn't know that besides smithing, Hem was an excellent handy-dwarf!

Hem piled the logs off the ground and threw them to the side. According to Bones’ wishes, he was to dig deep and make a pit, a dozen meters deep, with a bridge in the middle that would lead to the entrance of the dungeon. To Bones' surprise, the dwarf reached deep within and started casting a spell. A moment later, two golems made of earth crawled out from the ground. Hem ordered the golems to start digging while he worked on the entrance and the stairs. "This would be a lot easier with more dwarves, Boney!"

"I know, Hem, but not right now. The three of us are the only ones who know about the dungeon, and I want to keep it that way for the time being. It's not that I don't trust you, but can you tell me with certainty that the secret wouldn't easily slip out in conversation with someone else?"

Hmph "Alright, Boney. Yer right, it shoulda stay between the three of us fer now!"

Bones watched the dwarf work and was amazed at the speed and precision with which Hem worked. Hem had plenty of materials with him, either in spatial storage or inventory—Bones couldn't tell. Regardless, he kept bringing out huge amounts of stone blocks. His main affinity with earth made both digging and construction much easier. They stopped working once night fell and took to drinking. Once the dwarves fell asleep, Bones continued working out his plans for the future.

The next day was much the same, with Hem doing most of the work, and Bones had to admit, the cave looked unrecognizable. Stone beams with wooden steps in a spiral led from the entrance of the cavern to the large stone platform below, where a hidden formation would be set up in the future. At Darsumi's advice, the formation would be set up to recognize the mana signature within the users and deactivate the hidden trap under the bridge. Ahead of the platform was a narrow bridge, wide enough for a single user to pass, and on both sides of the bridge were pits deep enough to conceal their bottoms. Bones used his bone manipulation to set up a trap of densely packed bone spikes below. The walls were left as they were, with stalactites illuminating the cavern with dim, warm light.

Next to the stone platform, to the side, Hem built a sort of accommodation big enough for a party to stay overnight, complete with a designed kitchen and bathroom. The only items missing were the kitchen appliances and the bed sheets. Hem decided to leave the final touches and polishing of the woodwork to one of his cousins with a carpentry profession. On the other side of the platform, Hem extended the cavern with storage space built into the walls.

It took two whole days to build everything, and Bones looked at the dwarves with a newfound admiration. He had thought the project would take months. Never would he have imagined it would only take two days, and everything was made by a single dwarf! He could only imagine how efficient the earth mages specializing in construction would be. No wonder damages in Westbrook were repaired in a matter of days. Cities and towns could be repaired in weeks, if not days!

"Wut do ye think, Boney?" Hemdus asked with smugness, and he had every right to be smug about it.

"I'm speechless, Hemdus. I haven't witnessed finer work!"