Chapter 18: True Adventure

Chapter 17

True Adventure

Eager, June followed the dwarf as he wandered further into the storage level. “You just not going to tell me what I want to know?” Asked June, trying to press her concern about not knowing how to actually navigate the Tombs. He paused before another nondescript door, this time a stone one, and turned to face June, “Tell ya what, you learn how to cultivate both Water and Earth Mana over the next week, and I’ll see what I can do about getting you free access.”

Content with his response, June simply nodded. Inwardly, she thought, “ha, I’ve already explored the swamps, so with no enemies to worry about, this quest is going to be cake!”

Bullin held open the hefty stone door, motioning her inside. Compared to the previous room, this place was a mess. Instead of shelves and boxes, Piles of wooden crates that put Bullin’s shop hoard to shame sat scattered all over. The visual of dozens upon dozens of similar crates reminded June of the iconic Hangar 51 from Raiders of the Lost Ark. They stretched on for a vast distance, far too long for June to see the other side of the chamber.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Bullin remarked, standing beside her, eyes glowing blue.

“What the hell is all this?” She asked, mouth agape.

Bullin opened his arms in a grand gesture. “This is the first of the Vaults. We stored some of the best loot we have in these rooms. And no, you can’t come in here freely,” he quipped, sensing her excitement.

“You’re no fun,” snipped Kotor from her shoulder, cutting off her own retort.

Both of them turned their attention to the fire imp for a moment. Bullin was the first to react, emitting a huff. “You just don’t know good fun when you see it, ya little bugger.”

The crates all appeared to be unmarked, but that didn’t deter their progress. Bullin carted the pair of skeleton and imp along, pulling things from crates as he went. June tried to keep up, even using her Mana Sense to find any kinds of markings, and find them she did. Each crate had runes inscribed on it in some kind of system. But try as she might, June couldn’t make sense of it. Some crates had runes for certain elements on them, only for Bullin to yank a caddy of finished potions out of them. Another that bore runes for metals like gold and silver contained pieces of armor.

As he went, Bullin continued to fill the knapsack with more gear.

 

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