Chapter 34: Delivery Boy

Chapter 34: Delivery Boy

Pondering how to spend a windfall of 10 core skill points, Milo trudged up towards the surface. His smugglers' stash was full of things to sell, and he and Harry both needed supplies. Harry's recovery and Milo's willingness to grind mycology and foraging had resulted in a large number of finished products and a lack of vials, bottles, salt, spices, flour, and cheese. Harry had given Milo a huge number of items to go sell to the Alchemist guild, and a shopping list.

"Oh, and if they try to sell you any of my medicine, tell them I don't need it any longer. Not that it really did much."

"Medicine? For your ailment?"

Harry stretched and rolled his shoulders. He was getting back more muscle daily and looking more and more 'trollish' and he loved it. "Yeah. They tried to help me out. They had an opening for a mycologist and I had been about to take the job when I got sick. Thought it was a hangover at first since I'd been out drinking with the guild masters. But I was getting sicker every day. A total lack of earthen mana in my system, which is terrible for a troll.

They came up with a tonic to restore some of my earth mana, but it wore off pretty quick. Eventually I just left the guild and moved downstairs where I had a better chance at kicking the disease. They still sent down the tonics, and I still took them, but I don't think they helped a whole lot. I was getting more mana from eating a handful of worms than from a bottle of their expensive medicine. Glad to be done with it. Just get the stuff on the list, and sell off the stuff I sent."Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.

"Oh, and if you can, deal with Bertrand, he's ok. Roulf, not so much. Never got along with him and he likes to underbuy and overcharge, if you know what I mean."

Once again, Milo was thankful for being able to haul so much up in one trip. He was tempted...so very tempted!, to spend all 10 points on increasing the size of smugglers' stash, but he needed other skills. He was a bit worried about the whole "They will hunt you." thing, whoever they were.

The first skills he bought were Silent Step 1 and unnoticed 1. He hoped that more ranks became available. Not being noticed by people hunting him was a good thing. That used up 4 of his 10 points. Breathless 1 and 2 were next. He doubted very much he was going swimming soon despite suddenly being a fast swimmer. How fast was an eel? But when you had to work around flowers that enslaved with their pollen, holding your breath was good. It also meant less noise when you had to hide. Disease Resistance as a secondary skill was 2 points. He finished off with getting the first levels of Abundance and Skilled Provider to help with his mining and foraging.

He was caught up in his thoughts about mining and hunting copperheads. This cost him as he missed the small sounds that would have told him someone was lying in ambush.

You have been struck from ambush!

Milo quickly decided it didn't matter. If there was help coming, he needed to finish this one off and retreat. If the dwarf was bluffing? Well, he gained nothing by letting him live to ambush him again. Milo would have to find a new route down to Harry, which might not even exist.

The dwarf took the decision out of his hands by stabbing Milo in the leg and yelling "Get him." Shadowblight came down on his chest, killing him. No one came to his aid. Limping, Milo dragged the body down to the other dwarf. He bound up his leg with a bandage and had a piece of cheese. He felt a bit woozy, and wondered if the dagger was poisoned? If it was, it wasn't affecting him.

Shadowblight has fed on the blood of more opponents, and communicates more of its secrets. Your levels in bonecasting will now aid you in combat with the weapon. Each level of bonecasting will give you an extra 10% chance to hit, and another 10 points of damage.

Currently: Foes will do -10 damage against you with melee weapons for each would that you inflict upon them.

Base chance to hit: 40%+{30%} +5% for each wound inflicted on your enemy. Base damage of 40+{30} + 10 for each wound you inflict on your enemy.

Milo looked down at the weapon. It was much more powerful than he had at first thought. Did the crazy rat-kin make it? He somehow doubted that.

Checking the dwarves for money or clues came up with 10 silver between them. Considering a copper penny bought a tankard or two of beer, they hadn't been looking for drink money. He put the bodies in a side cavern and covered them in loose rock. Neither had guild badges or anything that said who they were. Then he carefully continued his trek up to the mines and then the guild hall.

=*=

Shifty retreated up the cave, staying ahead of their target. That little ambush had been perfect, and yet had failed. The guy should have been knocked out. He should have just given up when it was two to one odds. Neither happened and now two of his gang were dead. He really didn't care; both were players and might be back if they weren't discouraged. He'd thought about going to the rescue of Lefffty, but that would have meant a fight with someone who took out two people already and only had some slight wounds. Plus, the bastard was a mage! Burnock hadn't said shit about that. There was a lot that was strange about this guy.

Shifty was pretty sure he was using some type of obscuring spell. He could almost see through it, but not quite. The same with his weapon. It was magic and powerful, but he couldn’t identify it. Shifty didn't like things he couldn’t plan for. Burnock was going to have to pay a little bit more for this job.