Rencesvals

“Sounds a lot like local politics to me.” Ren didn’t approve, but he understood. You didn’t run a business in the resource sector for long before running afoul of this sort of thing. He’d seen it far too many times, and far, far worse. “Dorian ain’t stupid. People think that because he runs a small place like this that he can’t have ambitions. He’s always dreamed of moving on to bigger fish. Who knows what games he might play to try and get there?” The steady sound of picks and shoveling gave cadence to their speech. It was rhythmic, even soothing in its own way. Tongues loo

“Let’s just say that it’s out of my hands. Destiny or necessity governs, if you prefer. My path is through him.” A snort and spit were Gaspard’s response. Acceptance, rather than insult. Ren took it for how it was meant. “How long ago was Alaric’s passing?” Returning to his task, this conversation had instantly become the meat of chatter between coworkers. Certain things were understood, including the casual exchange of common information. “A few months, I think. I don’t really keep track of the days. There was some sort of trouble with Dorian first, as I understood thin

“I wonder what became of his father?” It was a question for the sky, not truly expecting an answer. “Old age and a worn out heart,” came the unexpected reply. Another man, older and with grey wispy hair sticking out in odd patches from all side of his head sauntered up to the pit with his own pickaxe in hand. “Alaric was a good man, and a good father. He served the village well for a long time.” The stranger moved to work the other side of the patch with a practiced hand. “Ren.” “Gaspard,” came the response. Formalities were thus easily settled. It was all that either man

“Done.” Ren offered his hand in friendship. Doubt still in his eyes, Callum grasped it firmly. Something about Ren’s confidence caught his attention enough to give him a chance. Grabbing a few heavy sacks from beside the forge, he left the shop with a spring in his step and clear goals in sight. It was a short and well-traveled walk to the coal fields. Tolbana had clearly relied on them for a long time. It was an open cut pit with large deposits readily accessible from the surface. Local usage was automatically replenished by the system, making it an effectively infinite supp

Callum guffawed at the bold and ridiculous nature of the request. Wiping grit and sweat from his brow, he set his wrought iron tongs down on the anvil and turned to face the new arrival. “Teacher? I’m barely more than an apprentice myself, and hardly suited to take one on myself.” The forge behind him was cold and dark. The crate of raw iron ingots at its side was nearly empty and coal stores equally depleted. As a shop, this place could barely be considered viable, let alone functional “Perhaps,” Ren replied, “But you’re the only such craftsman in town, and most of the sh

In the aftermath of his forays into the wilds west of Tolbana, Ren made his way back to the village. Raw materials recovered from Terenzio’s mine would provide a decent base upon which to build. Sakata’s own past experience served as added benefit, but beyond that point he needed practice and tutelage. A few well-placed enquiries point him towards the best-suited option. In actuality, he was the only option, which became apparent the moment Ren stepped into Tolbana’s smithy. The shop was well-appointed, but its current master was less impressive. Young and barely past the rank of a

An exhausted sigh then clatter of wood upon cobblestone as Ren collapsed into a heap on his knees. "So much for that," he gasped waving a finger aimlessly in the general direction of the shop that had somehow escaped complete calamity. "Did we do it? Yes? Oh good." Stretching forward to ease imagined tension from non-existent muscles, Ren grabbed the nearest water pail and dumped its entire contents all over his head, dousing himself completely. A slight sizzle crackled from his left, where the water put out the still-simmering curtains discarded during his dash to fetch apparent

Lured by tales of crystalline formations said to contribute to the unusually hardy and bountiful harvests of Dagan, Ren had travelled from the lowest extremes of the floating castle to the highest, purely to satisfy his curiosity. Wispy white hair and alabaster features still marred from soot and smears earned at Callum's forge, his studies were progressing slowly. It didn't help that he kept having to play fetch to feed the blazing furnace's endless appetite. Maybe something in these crystals could catalyze the combustion and make their fuel burn longer or hotter, or even help refine the q

Ren's brow furrowed. "Did you just..." You could practically follow the mental math as he struggled to explain what Dimos was saying. Sure, just following orders made sense to the guy barking the orders, but didn't that also paint a bullseye on that same guy? Dimos didn't strike him as a responsibility-taking sort. He was more akin to 'blame management.' Or, maybe, he'd just read him wrong during their brief time together. Illi was fully engaged in a titanic battle of wills with the same batch of dandelions he'd just given up on. Something, something about unstoppable for

"Terence? TERENCE!!!" A blur of green cloth broke from the passage Ren had followed to this place, wrapping itself like tape to Ren's ragged companion. Exhausted, but glad to have reunited the miner and his wife, Ren locked the cart brake one last time and slumped against its side. His breaths were short and taken through clenched teeth, revealing how much closer to his limits he had pushed himself than he'd been willing to let on. "Oww! Careful woman! I'm pretty sure that was broken for a few days. It's still tender!" Mirth overflowed his complaints as Terenzio spoke them. H

After clearing enough rubble to free Terenzio, their trip back to the surface was no easy matter. The miner was in no shape to walk, until Ren provided him with one of the healing potions he'd been fortunate enough to receive with his starter kit. "Thanks again, my friend. I think I might actually be able to walk with some assistance." "Good. If you can walk, then you can lean." Ren grinned slyly as he pointed to the half-full cart of samples he'd collected on his journey down here. "You can use it as a crutch and support. I'll take care of bearing the weight. It doesn't seem

A short while later, Ren had managed to brace a few nearby posts against the ceiling and found an old wooden mallet with enough heft in it to pound them into place. Terenzio, as he barely managed to introduce himself, otherwise remained quiet and borderline unconscious. "Stay with me! You can't fall asleep, understand? Tell me about Giovanna. How do you know her?" Terenzio's head lolled to the side as a rare smile creased his heavily parched lips. "She's my wife, and was likely the curse's first victim. That compass you mentioned? That's how this all started. It points

"Sorry, friend. I've no idea who Gadwyn is, but I'm glad I found you." Setting his lantern down, Ren crept as close as he dared without risking any further collapse. "What happened here? Are there any more of you?" He kept his voice low, just in case. The man's gaunt face was a mixture of exhaustion and exaltation. "I don't care who you are. Just that you're here!" He coughed in a wheeze and hacking fit just by trying to laugh at his situation. Prolonged exposure to this air wouldn't have done him any favours. The small pool of ponding water an arm's length from him likely kept

"I always feel stupid skulking around in dark tunnels with a bloody spotlight in my hands. Never makes sense when they do it in the movies. This doesn't seem like any sort of improvement." The mental image of an iridescent bullseye painted on the centre of his chestplate prompted a morbid grin. "Who's out there? Show yourself!" And do me the favour of sparing me trying to find you amidst all this crap. Shadows to put a gothic cathedral to shame splayed themselves across the cave walls as light beamed between the stalactite and stalagmites all around him. Clattering rocks drew Re

Yanking hard on the brake, Ren once again brought the mine cart to a stop. It was getting full and growing more vulnerable to a sudden runaway rolling spree if not properly secured. Smelting all of this stuff would be its own separate challenge, assuming he ever got it all back to the surface. Figuring out where to setup shop might be a challenge equal to just learning the trade. A fantasy world offered much broader options for a smithy than just setting up a furnace next to any town, though the neighbours would bring other benefits. "I wonder if there are any dwarves or gnomes anywhe

The air was getting thick as he went deeper. Moisture accumulated on the walls as the temperature cooled and caused condensation. Stalactites were appearing with more frequency and in greater size, gradually connecting their floor-laden brethren. "Maybe I should have brought a canary." Toxic gas buildup was no joke and had killed more miners than most were ever willing to admit, or even consider. If the bird died, you were likely to be next. In its absence, your nose was your next best savior. Glancing occasionally at the lantern swing from the front end of the cart, he was just as c

Time lost all meaning in the underground, forcing you to measure it by other standards. Normally, everyone just wore a watch, but that wasn't exactly a thing here. Sure, Ren could pop open his UI. He'd even experimented to see if it would cast light when opened, but the game physics apparently prevented that particular loophole. He could see the interface just fine, but it shed to additional light upon his surroundings. Shame. He'd found a few other metals on the tunnel walls as he went, gradually filling the cart that he would push and park forward a few dozen feet at a time. It wa

Several short side-passages branched off from the main line, each clearly pursuing a vein or prospect and having been mined mostly clean. 'Rock hounds chase the goods wherever they go', or so he'd been told a thousand times at the family business. Not exactly deep - he snickered at the pun - but accurate enough. Timber crossbeams lined several parts of the tunnel the deeper he went. "Did they encounter some instability, or were they just prudent?" His voice barely a whisper, it made good sense not to make excessive noise, whether to alert anything unsavory that might still linger down

Thankfully, the cart's wheels and bearings were still in good repair. A quick check of the brake ensure that it was also in good working order. The last thing Ren needed was some runaway cart going all Indianan Jones on him after he'd loaded it up with goodies. His sword still hung loose and ready in its scabbard, should he have need of it. Something had clearly happened here - enough to get that Giovanna woman all worked up and leave at least one miner dead on the trail. The rest were still missing. Could they have been raided by other players, or monsters? Going in here alone wasn't t

Grabbing and lighting a lantern and slotting a weathered claw hammer into a spare belt loop, Ren found a mine cart full of castoffs still sitting on the tracks that led inside. "They actually laid tracks. Whoever did this was serious, or found enough here to make this kind of effort worthwhile." Aincrad didn't exactly have a lot of heavy machinery available, or the ability to airlft supplies deep into the woods. Maybe the designers just plunked everything in place, ignoring those types of details? Regardless, it gave him an option. Dumping and sifting through the existing contents re

Light grew brighter ahead as the ravine finally emerged into a wider clearing against the base of a high and broken cliff face. Things finally started to make sense. A cleft in the rock face revealed a cavern entrance adapted to serve as a mine. Remnants of a base camp lay strewn all about: a firepit that hadn't seen use in some time; crates full of equipment and a few rugged carts stained with stone dust and beaten by the bearing of heavy loads. Something metallic was creaking Stirring the ashes with the tip of his sword confirmed it. There were no embers, but a short stack of kindl

Quick thinking by Austerlitz kept the rest of them alive. The man was ever sharp. Agincourt had pulled Ren back by the collar to keep him from diving after the others. It was already too late. She saved his life that day. The sound of blood and rage thrummed in his ears remembering as pulsing adrenaline overrode his good sense. That and the sound of the rain. What began as a light drizzle had turned to virtual typhoon by the time the attack came. No wonder they hadn't spotted the threat. Their 'friends' had made sure that they'd be easy prey. The shrill cry of some distant bird o

That was where he'd met his peers. Ironic, given the handle he'd chosen. Each of them had been major history buffs, favouring foreign studies. In a total pique of nerd exhibition, they'd all vowed to take on the name of a famous battle, whether real or fictional. Arguing that some sort of theme or cohesion, Arakawa had convinced them all to randomly determine the country that would have to be connected to the name. France was selected, much to Kano's delight. She had long studied the language and quickly chose Verdun as her title. Everyone just called her Verdy. A smile came unbeckoned

Branches creaked and snapped overhead, placing him immediately on alert. By now, the roots of the surrounding trees above had begun growing together, weaving an awning canopy that bridged the gap between both faces of the crevice. Light still shone through, but only because the sun remained high in the sky. It had to be close to noon by now, serving as a warning that he could find himself lost in the dark quite quickly if he lingered too long down here. More cart tracks, and this time a broken iron-shod wagon wheel discarded off to the side. "Maybe the ruts weren't made so much by fr

"These look like iron ore deposits. Could this be why anyone was down here?" The exposed rock face looked like it was bleeding, with rust-red streaks running down its face as the oxidized mineral was gradually being exposed and washed away. There were signs that some excavation had occurred, but only at a superficial level. Soft, moist earth had given way to bear grey rock as Ren climbed higher up the hill, though the ravine still concealed most of this location. Animals could be heard flitting about above, but ominously preferring to avoid this sheltered passage. "Out of sight and o