Rune Seeker

Hiral stepped out of the portal from the Tomorrow’s Vigil dungeon, and as the Ascender’s Tower resolved head, so too did an unexpected sound – applause. Cheers went up for the party emerging relatively unscathed – and definitely not dead – with growls of encouragement coming from the companions.

“They seem a lot happier about us clearing this dungeon than the last few,” Yanily said quietly into the party chat.

“Because it means it’s doable,” Romin responded quietly. “And we’ll be able to share information on what other parties will face. We’ll lose less people that way.”

“Ah, now you’ll be able to write your own guide,” Yanily said, nodding sagely.

“Something… like that?” Romin half-asked. Then he turned to Seena. “I’m sure you’ll be waiting for Nivian and the others to finish their dungeon run, but…”

“You want to start debriefing the other Bonders,” Seena said, catching on quickly. “Of course, go ahead. Just don’t go too far? Planning on getting some rest after we chat with Nivian, and that rest includes you. Can’t have our tank being sleepy while we’re trying to farm some experience.”

“I won’t leave the tower,” Romin promised. “And, thank you all again. To say you were each impressive in there would be an understatement.”

Looking over at the Bonder in his new armor – which almost made him look like a slimmer Sentinel – the word ‘impressive’ extended to the whole party.

“You more than pulled your weight,” Seena said, patting Romin’s arm. She looked at the small Rune-o beside him. “You both did. Good work.”

Wallop lowered his head and turned it to the side, his front leg scuffing across the floor, back and forth.

Is he… blushing?

“Thank you again,” Romin said. “I’ll be nearby, but if you need anything, just say something into the party chat.”

“You got it,” Seena said, the Bonders surrounding them clearly holding themselves back from rushing in to congratulate the party.

When Romin finished talking with the party leader and stepped forward – separating himself from the others with Wallop at his side – that seemed to be the cue for the dam to break. Bonders and their companions charged in like a wave, completely enveloping Romin and sweeping him off his feet. Suddenly up on shoulders, there was a hip-hip-hooray as they tossed him lightly into the air, then carried him off.

And Wallop wasn’t left out, the other companions somehow doing the same thing to the Runeocerous, despite it making no sense how they did it. One second Wallop was on the ground, then next he was bouncing on the backs of dozens of miniaturized versions of multiple animals, from hyenas, to birds, and snakes. None of them even had arms to toss the Rune-o, but toss they did.

Hiral could only shake his head and chuckle as Romin and Wallop got carried over to the far side of the room.

“Glad they’re happy,” Seeyela said, eight-eyed helm under her arm.

“You saying you aren’t?” Seena asked her sister.

Seeyela replied by waving her free hand in front of her face. “Not saying that in the least. That dungeon was a challenge, but not anything we couldn’t handle. And the rewards for it? Well worth the time and effort.”

“Agreed on all those points,” Seena said, turning to Gran where she floated and watched after Romin and Wallop. “And, Gran, it wasn’t just those two pulling their weight. We couldn’t have done it without you either.”

“Shush girlie, you’ll make an old lady blush,” Gran said so flatly, Hiral couldn’t possibly imagine the vampire ever blushing.

“Doesn’t change I mean it,” Seena said, then looked back towards where the portal to the dungeon had been. “How about Nivian’s group? How do you think they’ll do?”

Hiral activated Foundational Split while he waited for the answer, but it didn’t take Gran long to give one.

“They’ll be fine,” the vampire said. “Not as quick as us, but that group is plenty strong. Specially those friends of yours. Wule puts my healing to shame – at a cost – and Nivian? Yeah, he’s a tank, technically. A damn good one, too. But, I saw him get angry. Once.”

“What happened?” Hiral asked.

“Something hurt his brother,” Gran said. “The dolt went and got himself in trouble. Nothing new there, really. This time, he couldn’t get himself out of it. Almost cost him his life. Would’ve. If Nivian didn’t show up when he did.”

“What’d he do?” Yanily asked.

Instead of answering, Gran sort of froze, like she was remembering what she’d seen. “He saved the dolt.”

“That’s it?” Yanily asked. “You made it sound like he did something special.”

“Putting up with Wule is something special,” Seeyela said with a half-chuckle, cutting off when something about Gran’s body language made laughing seem inappropriate.

“Special?” the vampire quietly mused. “That’s one way you could describe it.”

“And how would you describe it?” Hiral asked, more than a little curious what sort of new abilities Nivian would have.

“Terrifying,” Gran said. “And I was already on his side. In his party. But, even with how old I already am, I’ll never forget what I saw. And hope I never have to see it again.”

“You still haven’t said what it is,” Yanily pointed out.

“Don’t think I will, either,” Gran said. “It’s a side of your friend he may not want you to see, and I owe him enough to keep my mouth shut. More than I have. In fact, forget I said anything. Who are you and what are we talking about?”

“Playing senile won’t work with us,” Yanily said.

“Who’s playing, knucklehead?” Gran asked with a cackle.

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Hiral just shrugged at Left and Right beside him. Gran had her secrets, and this was just another one. Maybe what she was saying about Nivian was correct and he was hiding this from them, or maybe it was just another ability he had they’d find out about soon enough. Either way, it didn’t seem like something worth pushing.

“And how long are you going to make an old lady stand around here?” Gran continued.

“You’re not technically ‘standing’,” Yanily pointed out where the vampire very subtly bobbed in the air.

While her dress touched the floor, Hiral had decided – at least in his head – that her feet most certainly did not. She was floating. Then again, he could do the same thing now…

“You’re right,” Seena said, interrupting Hiral’s thoughts. “We don’t know how long it’ll be until Nivian’s group finishes. Hey, Romin,” she went on, clearly talking into the party chat. “Sorry to bug you, but is there a place we can set up camp?”

There was a second before Romin responded, likely deep into the story of the dungeon already. “Of course,” he finally said. “It’s a little cramped, but there should be some space on the side of the room near the stairs. If that’s not enough, you can always go up to the A-Rank dungeon area.”

“A-Rank dungeon, huh?” Yanily asked, tilting his head back like he could look through the stone of the floor. “Maybe a quick peek?”

Seena immediately shook her head. “It’s High-A-Rank, and Tomorrow’s Vigil was tough enough. We don’t need to be reckless right now, so let’s not be. And, we’ll stay on his floor.” Those words seemed directed to both the party around her, and Romin over the party chat. “That way we’ll know when Nivian and Wule finish.”

Since nobody had any objections to any of those points – at least nothing more than Yan’s small pout at not doing the A-Rank dungeon – the party moved over near the stairs. Tents went up, bedrolls came out, and they even began setting up a small cookpot over the firepit already set in place.

A quick look around said there had to be magic at work, with the air in the room remaining crystal clear even with four other pits already smoking. Right and Yanily – predictably – made pastries miraculously appear.

Possibly even more of a miracle than that, they even shared them. Nobody said ‘no’ – including Hiral – while they all sat down and dug in to the sweet goodness. After the whirlwind four-dungeon run, it was nice to sit down. To really sit down, and be able to relax knowing there wasn’t going to be a monster coming to eat his face.

At his side, Seena clearly had the same thought, leaning back with a contented sigh.

“It’s no cheese,” she said, looping one of her arms in his. “But it’s good. I can almost see how those two got addicted.”

“I’m not addicted,” Right said, one pastry in each hand.

“We can stop whenever we want,” Yanily added, while also dual-wielding pastries.

“So you keep saying,” Seeyela said, powder from the delicacy dropping down onto her armor, where it immediately vanished. “How long do you think we’ll have to wait for…?”

The woman cut off as the blue portal spun open by the interface. The next second, Nivian strode out, bone armor scuffed but unbroken. Much like the man who wore it. Behind him, Wule and the others quickly emerged. Like their leader, they looked like they’d been through one helluva fight, but they held their heads high.

Until Wule’s eyes landed on Seena’s party, already sitting down and with camp set up.

“Oh come on,” the healer said, literally stomping his foot. “I thought we had it this time. What? Another five-minute dungeon run?” He threw up his hands.

Nivian’s hand found his brother’s shoulder. “Stop making a scene. You were worried about them.”

“Were,” Wule corrected. “Clearly misplaced.”

“They only beat us by eleven minutes,” Igwanda said from beside the interface. “We can do better next time.”

“So could we,” Yanily said, his competitive spirit coming out.

“Oh, you think so, spearboy?” Igwanda said. The undead wight sauntered over and looked at the man’s weapon before tisking at how obviously inferior it was to a bow.

“I know so, bow… lady?” Yanily stumbled. “Bowgirl? Do you have a preference?”

“Now, now,” Seena interjected, though the next thing she said was clearly directed as much at Nivian as anybody else. “We aren’t planning to clear it again.”

“Experience?” Wule asked. “Which part of the dungeon? The Sentinels?”

“Scorpinator Mid-Boss,” Seena said. “We’ll stall the big guy, then farm the adds for experience. They weren’t Elite, but were worth almost as much experience per kill.”

“They sure seemed endless, too,” Wule said, mulling it over. “How long do you think you could dance with that guy?” His question was aimed at his brother.

“As long as needed,” Nivian said. “We should destroy the tail first, though. Without that, it lacks anything too dangerous until it moves into phase two.”

“Exactly what we were thinking,” Seena said, smiling at her old friend. “Remove the tail, then just tank its armored form while most of the party culls the adds as they arrive.”

“Then what?” Wule asked.

“Then the dungeon ends and we get kicked out,” Seena said with a shrug.

“You’re planning to do it for three hours?” Wule asked, back to thinking. “I guess if don’t bother with the death-ball, and just rush straight for the scorp…”

“I like it,” Nivian said.

“Before all that…” Seena started.

“You want stew.”

“Uh… no. I mean, yes, I’d love some of your stew,” Seena admitted. “Was actually going to say we need to talk about what happened in the dungeon. See if it was the same. And… ask if you knew who were escorting the whole time.”

“The name was familiar,” Wule said. “Didn’t you say he was the Hidden Boss of Fallen Reach?”

“Exactly,” Hiral said. “Vorinal, and all the other researchers. They’re the Fallen. Well, the people who’d become the Fallen. Vorinal is who we fought on Fallen Reach, and the one we think is on the other side of the raid zone.”

“Huh,” Wule said, nodding. “They didn’t seem like such bad people. Little bossy…”

“More must’ve happened after the dungeon finished,” Nivian said.

“A lot more,” Seena said, looking over at where Gran sat by herself. The woman’s hands seemed to knit absently, while her hood stared off. “Did you know Gran was alive around the same time Dr. Benza was?”

At the question, the Death Knight’s eyebrow went up. “She’s that old?”

“Apparently,” Seena said. “Not a big fan of Vorinal or the others though. She almost killed the researchers as soon as she recognized them.”

Nivian just laughed. “You managed to stop her?”

“Hiral did.”

“Bet she loved that.”

“She calmed down after we talked a bit,” Hiral said.

“Speaking of talking,” Nivian said, looking at the space Seena’s party had claimed to rest. “Let me get some stew handed out before we continue.”

“You won’t get any argument from me!” Yanily said.

“Good.” Nivian and the rest of his party joined the space, the others making room for the newcomers. Politet – much like Gran, but for different reasons – went off to a far corner on his own, while the others settled in with Seena’s party.

Igwanda and Yanily’s short-lived feud resolved itself pretty quickly with Bash joining the pair to discuss the fights in the dungeon. And to compare the effectiveness of each of their favored weapons. Intermittent shouts of “smash best!” punctuated what actually sounded like useful tactical advice in the conversation, and Hiral turned his attention to Nivian and Wule.

The stew bubbled merrily only a few short minutes later, the scent of it wafting across the nearby parties and beyond. Heads even turned from Romin’s explanation of the dungeon as the smell reached the Bonders, and it was suddenly clear they were having trouble listening to what Romin had to say.

“Hey Niv,” Seena asked. “You have enough to make some extra and share?”

“There’s more than enough in the pot for everybody,” Nivian said. “Invite them over. I’ve got enough bowls, too.”

Wule rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You won’t believe it – or, maybe you will? – the group loot from the first dungeon we ran after we split was this pot. And close to a hundred matching bowls. Have you used View on it yet?”

“On the pot?” Hiral asked, and the healer nodded. So, Hiral did just that, then chuckled. It was actually an Interspatial Pot. That was the name. And it was A-Rank! And the way the description read, Nivian could probably feed an army if the pot was actually full.

“Did the ladle come with it?” Seena half-joked, nodding at the cooking implement in Nivian’s hand.

Wule just sighed. “It was a whole set. Got a knife and cutting board too.”

“Best loot we’ve gotten yet,” Nivian said smoothly, one hand stirring the stew, while his face clearly dared anybody to argue with him.

Nobody did.