When the 5 stepped through the portal and into the village square, all heads in the area turned towards them.
The adventures were surprised to see somebody steep out of the portals instead of the hospital. But what really attracted them was the swirl of magic that appeared next to the archway.
A plaque appeared.
{First run completed on normal}
Below that was their names, classes and levels.
Heath the guard captain was in the area and saw that they had completed the first level of the dungeon. He began to clap. The other adventurers began to join in as they offered their congratulations.
The group of 5 smiled under the praise and were pleased to see that their achievement of being first was going to be permanently recognized.
After answering a few questions, they moved to the redemption center.
They only had to wait a few minutes until it was their turn. Several people had followed them to hear the results of the expedition.
"Hello Ruby." Lana said when she recognized the automaton behind the counter.
Ruby, the automaton looked over them before she began speaking. "Your party overcame the first encounter. +2 dungeon coins to each member. Your party overcame the second encounter. +2 dungeon coins to each member. Your party overcame the third encounter. +2 dungeon coins to each member. Your party overcame the Boss encounter. +5 dungeon coins for each member. Would you like the individual break down of each creature killed?"
"No thank you." Lana said.
The automaton nodded. "13 creatures were defeated before the boss, +15 Dungeon Coins. A hybsil dropped a set of antlers rich in mana. The dungeon boss (Hag) was defeated, +25 Dungeon Coins. The Dungeon Boss (Hag) dropped a ring of +5 agility. Total earnings, 95 dungeon coins, 1 piece of common material, 1 piece of rare equipment."
The others were pleased. Not counting the loot. They managed to get 140 Dungeon Coins. That was 14 silver pieces.
"18 arrows have been recovered. 2 hatchets have been recovered. 3 poisonous smoke bombs were recovered from the boss."
They were surprised to see that the boss had tools that it wasn't able to use and now they belonged to the group.
"We also found this." Lana said while setting the spell book on the table.
Ruby picked it up an scanned.
"Detecting…"
"1 Spell book: Summon True Familiar."
When she set it back down, the others could now read the cover of the spell book.
Lana's eyes went wide. Before she could open it and take a look, Lord Titters motioned to the audience around them.
"Why don't we find somewhere private to divide our spoils." He said.
The others agreed and followed him back to his training compound and into one of the conference rooms.
"Let's talk about the drops first." Rod said.
"I really want the spell book." Lana said but she also looked torn.
Rod nodded. "You are the only one who can use it anyway." He was about to hand it over when his father stopped him and motioned to the look on Lana's face. "What's wrong?" Rod asked.
"It's to expensive compared to everything else." Lana said. "Even if I gave up the rest of the rewards, it still wouldn't cover the book."
"Really?" Asked Rod surprised. He knew that spells were expensive but they weren't ridiculous.
Lana nodded sadly. "This isn't a normal spell. At an open market it might be worth 100 gold or more. Maybe… I can get some extra gold to compensate you from my mother."
Rod looked to his father, he wasn't really sure what to do. He wasn't interested in it. The thing was worthless to him.
Lord Titters spoke. "These things happen while adventuring. The normal practice is that when someone gets something like this and can't afford it, they will treat everyone to a meal and then bow out of the next couple of general items that are distributed."
Cindy nodded. "If you plan to continue running dungeons with Rod, it would be appropriate for you to not join in the distribution of items for the next couple of runs unless something comes up specifically for spell casters."
Lana eagerly nodded. "Yes, yes, I can do that."
"Good, problem solved." Rod said as he handed over the book.
Lord Titters passed on the items and dungeon coins. Cindy received the ring. Dirk took the material. He thought the antlers would make a good handle for a dagger. Or it may have some other use. Worst case scenario, he could sell it. Then the dungeon coins were divided with the largest portion going to Rod since he didn't receive any spoils.
Everyone was happy with what they received.
"What do you think about trying out the second level?" Cindy asked.
Rod shook his head before anyone could speak. "We got lucky. I don't think we really earned that win. The Hag was interrupted from casting several times but none of it was on purpose. Then she was frozen while trying to get away. Besides, the next floor starts at level 15. I want to finishing unlocking the skills I am working on and then raise my level a bit."
Dirk nodded in agreement. Cindy turned to Lana to get her opinion, but the young woman was staring at the book in her hands while running her fingers over the cover.
Rod eventually tapped Lana on the shoulder to get her attention. "Are you going to show us your new spell?"
She shook her head. "It will take me at least a day to read through the book and practice enough till I can maybe try it out."
Rod shrugged but then turned away quickly when Lana opened the cover of the book. A bright light flashed through the room. When everyone's eyes readjusted they noticed that the book was gone and Lana had a shocked expression on her face.
"What's wrong? Where did the book go?" Rod asked.
Lana then smiled. "That was incredible. All the information poured into my mind. I think I can cast it already."
"Really?" Cindy asked. "Show us." She said, preparing to head out to the training yard. She didn't expect Lana to start casting right then and there but that was what the young mage did.
The chant was slow and long, taking almost 30 seconds. When she completed it, magic began to swirl and form a portal.
A paw reached through first and stepped onto the table in the center of the room. A black cat walked out of the portal before the magic dissipated. It then meowed and jumped into Lana's arms.
The young woman had a huge smile on her face as she stroked the cats head while it purred.
"It summons a cat?" Rod asked. He had no idea why a spell that summoned a cat would be so expensive.
"It's not just a cat." Lana said. "It is a true familiar. Its soul is bound to me. Even if it were to die, I could resummon it after waiting awhile."
"I don't think a cat will be all that helpful in combat." Rod said.
Lana shook her head. "Familiar magic is a general type of magic that doesn't belong to a specific class. The only requirement is that you need a familiar to cast it. There are spells that will let me see through her eyes or speak through her mouth. I may one day be able to cast through her or even turn into a cat myself. There isn't a lot written about familiar magic, but I bet I can find it here in the dungeon."
"Wow, that is pretty cool." Cindy said.
Lord Titters had been puzzled when the spell book was revealed at the redemption center. He couldn't understand why Mr. Clarkson would give away such a valuable spell in the first level of the dungeon. But now he was seeing the full picture.
The Dungeon Master truly was devious. He, like Lana, believed that those spells that could be used with a familiar would be available here. And chances are that they were pricey.
Thinking about it, the spell, Summon True Familiar wasn't valuable itself. Its rarity made it expensive. For Max it was probably pretty cheap. But once someone got it, they would want to spend gold on the rest of the spells that can be used with it, because how could someone have a familiar but no spells to go with it.
He had given them an obligation dressed as a reward.
Lord Titters chuckled to himself. He knew that if he was a caster he would probably be just like Lana, ready to throw his money at familiar spells.
"Do you want to get some more training in before it get's dark?" Rod asked.
Lana looked up from her cat. "Uh… I think I am going to do some solo training. See you tomorrow." She said while running out the door.
The others chuckled when she left. None of them believed she was going to train. They knew she was off to play with her cat.