Book 2: Chapter 38: The Emerald Lake

Book 2: Chapter 38: The Emerald Lake

The next morning we received a message from Copperpot that our building was “Being Surveilled" by his own Corporate Combat team. And they would “Provide Discrete Security” whenever Annie or I left the building. Which didn’t really help my anxiety.

But that was neither here nor there, because I now had 'get my own freaking gnomish ninja squad' on my bucket list. Maybe I could arrange something with Whistlemop for our partnership.

On that note, I idly wondered if Berry already had her own, or if anyone had bothered to tell her yet. She was getting big enough that it was probably relevant. Then again, I’d been busy immersing myself in dwarven culture, so maybe she had learned about it right away as a gnome. Oh, and I really needed to brush up on my basic dwarven anatomy before I got blindsided with another quirk of biology. Maybe I really should let Annie give me that little talk on the elves and the trees.

With Copperpot on board and his company ready to announce our partnership, that put us right on track for our meeting with the Brewer’s Guild in.... freaking two days. Yeesh!!! We were cutting it close, and if the Mine corporation managed to sabotage us even the slightest, we wouldn’t make it.

Balin padded over with a big yawn. “I’m goin’ ta bed soon, Pete. I need some shuteye. Before I go, I got some more stuff fer ya. We're through Darkwood, and we hit tha Emerald Lake. Nasty place. None of us can swim, so we’re goin’ round it.”

He shivered, and dropped a sack on the ground beside me. “Here’s what I was able ta get. Most of it is still from Darkwood, but I got summa tha fish, plants, and monster parts from tha lake.”

I took the bag and opened it up. Balin had the forethought to individually wrap stuff in oilskin this round, so the bag wasn’t quite as... squelchy as the first time. “Thanks Balin. I’ve been meaning to ask, how do you get back to where you were? I can’t imagine you’re trekking in each time. Is there a [Displacer] on retainer?”

“Naw, Minnova built warp gates at most o’ tha major hubs. Ya’ got to prove you can make it to them before you can use em, though.”

“Like the ones in the capital, that go to the human and elven lands? How do they justify the cost?” I’d learned about those fascinating pieces of transportation during my lessons with Richter. They were incredibly expensive to maintain and use, so they generally only went to the capitals of the various kingdoms. I’d been disappointed to learn that they were so controlled that warp travel was practically banned. Only approved companies or certain noble families could use them. If I wanted to easily bring my beer to the rest of the world, I was going to need to find a way to get that approval. Another problem for later.

“Cost isn’t an issue in tha dungeon. The high ambient mana down there keeps tha gates workin’ on their own,” Balin answered.

“Why doesn’t anyone connect all the dungeons to each other?” I mused.

“Dunno. I’m not an [Artificer].”

I began rifling through the bag. It was once again twigs, mushrooms, leaves, and the occasional organ. In addition, there were a couple slimy fish - one looked like a trout, and the other a trout with legs - some slimy weeds, a fuzzy purple crab, some kelp, and a clear rubbery skin of some kind.

I began flicking my ingredient filters on and off. I’d reduced the number of active items on my Minimap after the attack, and currently only ‘People’ and ‘Gnomish Blood: Ambermine’ were active.

I yawned as I flicked ingredients on and off. I was getting pretty tired myself, and I was going to need to -

I stopped dead as a dot appeared on my minimap right beside me. I immediately whipped my head around looking for gnomish super ninjas then breathed out a sigh of relief as I realized It wasn’t a person - the dot was too small. Then that breath caught in my throat.

“Balin!” I choked. “BALIN!!”

Balin immediately went on high alert, grabbing his shield and axe. “What is it!? I donnae sense anythin’ with [Perceive Ambush]!”

I began throwing organs across the room. “Not that! One of these is isinglass!!!”

Balin lowered his arms. Of both kinds. “Whazzat? None of it’s glass.”

As I tossed the rubbery skin across the room, the dot on my minimap sailed away. I shrieked with joy as I ran to pick it up, which of course caused the entire brewery to descend on our position with weapons at the ready. There was a confused jumble as everyone looked around for the enemy.

“Pete!” “What’s goin on!” “Who you want me kill!?” “Where’s the ambush!” “I don’t see anyone!”

“IT’S FINE, it’s fine!” I waved my hands. “We’re all fine, don’t worry about it. Balin just got me the best present EVAR!” I held the strip of skin aloft for everyone to see. My worries and fears of the previous night were briefly forgotten; I could collect them with interest when I slept, later.

“You think that’s the best present? I need to get you out more, Pete.” Kirk said with a raised eyebrow.

“Godsdamn, I thot we were about ta die.” Richter moaned. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.

“All worked up and nothin’ to hit.” Johnsson sighed, his tone... polite.

“We could smack you instead?” Zirce and Emma told him in unison.

“So, why all the fuss?" Annie asked. “I can’t imagine it’s just some... whatever that is.”

“It’s isinglass. This stuff is, uh - I’ll tell you later. After I do some research.” I looked around at our audience. Half of them rolled their eyes.

“Steady.” Starshine commanded. “Steaaaady.”

Aishablue finished her sigils with a flourish. “Spell’s ready.”

“Wait on Balin.”

Slowly, the ripples died out and the lake returned to its placid, calm state. But after over eighty ambushes, nobody was fooled.

Aishablue held her wand on the sigil, which had begun to shake as she pushed more mana into it. “[Dangersense] is still spiking.”

Starshine spoke without taking her eyes from the water. “Do you see anything with the glassfiles?”

“[Basic Glasseye]... no, just a bunch of weeds.” Flowerpott shook his head.

“AMBUSH!” Balin roared and closed his eyes.

Aishablue unleashed her spell, flooding the space around them with white hot light. She activated her new Ability at the same time. “[REVEALING LIGHT]”

When Balin opened his eyes again, their enemy was revealed. The Ability had stripped away whatever natural or monstrous camouflage it was using, giving it a slight blue aura - like a thin skin of moonlight.

It was a monstrous jellyfish, with tentacles made of squirming kelp. Each tentacle was at least thrice Kirk’s giant height, and it’s bulbous white body was as wide around as a Darkwood tree. A horrific stench wafted from it, like a combination of dead fish and unigoat shit. It burbled, and attacked.

“[Challenge], get over here ya foul beastie!” Balin roared.

Two green tentacles snaked out of the water and grabbed hold of his ankles. Then it heaved.

“AHHH!! NOT LIKE THAT!!” Balin fell onto his back and dug his axe into the silt. He skidded to a stop a mere handspan from the now roiling lake water.

“[Basic Charge]!” Starshine rocketed past him, her [Juggernaut] Abilities granting her great speed even while fully encased in plate mail. She brought her warhammer down on the jellyfish’s body, and clear goo splattered all over her and Balin.

Balin shouted, “Captain! I need ta’ hit it first!!” But the damage was done.

The jellyfish thrashed its tentacles in obvious pain and distress, and four of them wrapped around Starshine as she raised her warhammer up to make another strike. She brought it around in a [Basic Slash], but a green kelpy limb caught the weapon in mid swing.

Then another tentacle pulled her feet out from under her and she disappeared beneath the surface. The jellyfish returned to ignoring her and focused back on Balin, sending three more tentacles his way. He slashed them apart with his axe.

Then, Raysdotters was there, her body slipping through the water like an eel. She drove her spear into the rubbery body, impaling it through. At the exact same moment, Manny appeared in front, and its twin sickles sliced apart the tentacles holding Starshine. With a buzzing of wings, the glass golem jumped back into the darkness.

Starshine tried to rise, but her heavy armour was keeping her down. Balin swore and drove forward into the water. Another swath of green oily tentacles hammered down at him but he met them with his shield and [Basic Block].

“Come on, Captain. Not gonna let ya drown in yer own armour!” As the Jellyfish focused on the long shaft of wood driven through its core, Balin lifted an arm under his fallen leader. She rose out of the muck sputtering and hacking, every inch of her stained the same emerald green as the lake.

“I hate this place.” She grumbled, then smashed her warhammer onto the jellyfish once more. It shuddered, then died.

—

“So, what was it?” Aqua asked.

“Somethin’ called a Corpsejelly. They mostly eat dead bodies, but if they get real hungry they’ll attack stuff on the shore.”

“And Pete wants to put it in the beer!?” Johnsson gasped, aghast.

I hugged the sheath of rubber close. But not too close. “I’ll.... ask Jeremiah to check it with his Ability and talk to Alchemist Black. People eat disgusting things all the time. Have you ever thought about where goat’s milk or eggs actually come from?? And have you seen those pickled kippers that Balin and Jeremiah eat!?”

There was general assent to Balin’s protest.

Pickled kippers were definitely more foul than the rubbery flesh of a jellyfish corpse monster.