Chapter 8: The Basement

Chapter 8: The Basement

Milo entered the Guild Hall and stared around. The building was open all the way to the roof, with a dizzying series of stairs and open walkways at each level leading to rooms around the perimeter. The stairs down just disappeared into a hole in the floor. People in all sorts of garb and armor sat around drinking, arguing, and gambling. It was a little disorienting. He realized someone was talking to him.

"Yo! New Guy! Ears open and get over here." He turned and saw a halfling with huge hairy feet standing on a stool and yelling at him. "You got a problem? I think you have a problem! I see you standing in my guild hall and you ain't a member. I don't like you already. Impressive. It usually takes me a whole minute to get sick of you people. Get your ass over here and get your paperwork filled out."The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

Milo went over to the shouty little man at the desk and tried to smile. "Hi, I'm Milo. Squint said to come over."

The halfling put both hands on his cheeks in surprise. "Oh, Squint sent you! Gee Willy Gosh! That makes you special...shit, what am I doing...you look like the kind of idiot that will take me seriously. Sorry kid, you ain't special. Just another new fish that owes me his dues. Pay up and then you can go check out the job board. For someone of your esteemed level it's the worldly sum of 1 copper penny. You got a penny left kid, or did you spend it on the 'entertainment' along the way?"

Milo pulled a penny out of his pouch and handed it to the halfling. He signed the paper the halfling pushed over to him, and accepted a badge made out of tin with his number on it. "Get a piece of string, and tie that around your neck. That's your guild number. Most of you guys can't remember otherwise. Don't worry if you lose it, it shows up on your tombstones. Helps you find where you died in big battles."

"There you go kid. You are now a probationary member of the Shadowport Explorers Guild. Don't let it go to your head."

Milo looked at the badge, and put it into his pouch. "Now what?"

The halfling sat down on his stool and leaned back against the wall. "Holy crap. You really are new, aren't you? How many days in the game kid?"

"Well, not counting the tutorial, this is my first."

The halfling raised an eyebrow and whistled. "First day and you made it alive to Lights End and Squint got his hooks into you? Not bad kid. Real social climber. By the way, I hate social climbers." He was silent a moment. "But you did pay your penny with no argument, so I'll clue you in a bit. What we have here is a madhouse of player guilds, trade guilds, expeditions, and merchants. You can tell who's who by the brass plaques on the doors. Feel free to wonder around up top. Down low too, but people have less patience. There are job boards over there. Take the ticket, head to the person offering the job, make a deal and get to work."

This wasn't a mine tunnel, more like a series of cave tubes that slanted down, with ladders here and there to help with the descent. It took another two hours to get to the bottom. It would take more to get back up. This large cavern was filled with large wooden boxes from which foul odors came. Milo looked over the rim of one and saw it was filled with greenish looking mushrooms the size of dinner plates. Some of them quivered a bit.

"Stay away from those! They're nearly ready to harvest and the spores can do terrible things to your lungs!"

Milo moved three steps back and turned to see who was yelling. A squat, fat human was shambling towards him. Unwashed masses of hair were sprouting from the top of his head and his chin. Not much beyond a bulbous red nose was visible, his eyes covered by goggles. Layer upon layer of dirty clothing covered his body. Milo had thought the mushroom farms smelled bad. This person was far worse.

"Um...I may have the wrong place?" ...please let it be the wrong place! "I was coming about a job. Milo held up the card.

"Oh, frabjous day!!!! An apprentice! It's been so long since I lost the last one! Come right this way lad."

Shrooms in the Dark

Dr. Harold Earthtongue has offered you a quest: Harvest 20 pounds of wild Blackbristlecap Mushrooms.

Reward: Better favor with Hairy Earthtongue. Honest wages for an honest day’s work. A boring lecture on mycology.

Accept his generous offer? Y/N

Milo accepted the offer.