Chương 58: 1.3.14 - Musculoskeletal Compaction

I dismissed the notification, glad to confirm that I managed to get a Soul Mutation through all my efforts. Whether the Soul Mutation would do what I expected it to do was another question. I decided to hurry out of the woods before nightfall. My forearms were aching from the climbing I did today, though I only realized it when the adrenaline wore off after I had supper and cleaned myself. I lay in my bed, pulled on the Weave and focused on the latest new entry in my status.

The reward after a full day of hunting targeted beasts. Musculoskeletal Compaction: Gradually enhances muscle and ligament tensile strength and force output per unit cross-section without increasing muscle bulk or visible mass through the compaction of muscle fibers. Gradually increases bone density without increasing bulk to support enhanced muscles and ligaments. Hmmm, not quite what I envisioned. I was hoping for something that can give me stronger muscles to be able to hold the coil gun.

However, I recalled that Nature's Constitution would allow me to grow to my body's natural limit. Whether both the mutations would work in tandem was something I'll have to figure out over time. My Soul Mutations seem to require time to change my body gradually rather than an instant ability unlock like my core mutations. I would need to wait for some time to grow into it before testing the recoil on my coil gun again. Even though Randell had suggested I get some rest, I had used the two full days productively.

Firstly by developing my Lightning Manipulation, and secondly by getting my new Soul Mutation. It was the first time that I had actively hunted for one. Something to keep in mind as I continued to develop my abilities. The familiar smell of cheap beer and oiled leather greeted me when I entered the guild hall the next morning. I could feel some tightness in my muscles on my run over to the town this morning — whether it was due to hunting all those beasts or my new mutation taking place I had no idea.

I was stretching as I walked in and saw the trio. Their party name was one I wanted to avoid saying if I could.

"Morning Dam, still feeling the hit you took from the Sabertail?" Waldo asked as he saw me stretch while walking towards them.

"Oh this? No, it's something else." I took a seat across from Annie. She was quite lively earlier and seemed to be bantering with Randell and Waldo but had quieted down when I approached. Hmmm, I wonder if I offended her somehow. Was she still angry I called her a Monkey Girl when we first met? Might be good to apologize"Morning Damian" she said while giving me a brief glance. She tucked her hair behind her ear, which reminded me that the guild hall was rather stuffy this morning.

"Hmmm, it is kinda warm this morning. Maybe they should put out the fire in the hearth" I said. Annie quickly conjured some water and froze it into a ball before passing it to me.

"Oh thanks, how nice of you." Hmmm, maybe she isn't angry and it is something else. I should ask Waldo when I get the chance.

"Hope you're feeling better" Randell gave me a strong pat on my shoulder.

"First thing on the agenda. Here is the payout from the last mission. Less than what we would have liked but there was no helping it" Randell passed each of us 5 large silver coins.

"The guild was kind enough to round up the parts to one small gold piece. Combined with the scouting mission, that's 2 gold total divided by the four of us." Randell explained. I swiped the coins into my pouch. It was still a decent payout and we only had our luck to blame as we didn't encounter any of the giant ants. I could use part of this to pay for the new mold I need from the potter.

"Second thing on the agenda, Ms. Sennika has something she would like to share with us." Sennika was already walking to us when Randell said that.

"Thank you Randell, this is about the mission that the team took the other day." All of us waited in anticipation for Sennika to continue, afraid that there might be some complaint from the requestor for failing to find evidence. Sennika probably saw the worried looks on our faces which prompted her to quickly explain.

"It's nothing to worry about. The client would like to meet the team that took on the mission. He has some... questions and a proposition. You are under no obligation, however, to agree to meet him or to take on his request." We all looked to Randell for his opinion considering he was the party leader. He looked at us as if to confirm if we had any objections. The three of us just shook our heads and gestured for him to proceed.

"We'll meet him, but we'll hear what his request is first before we decide" Randell said.

"In that case follow me, the client is waiting in one of our rooms at the back." Sennika said.

"What like now?" Waldo said in surprise.

"Yes, he's been waiting since this morning. I told him the party would be reconvening today after checking with Randell" Sennika explained as she made a move to walk. We quickly got up and followed her to the back of the guild reception where the rooms were. She stopped outside one of the rooms and opened the door.

"The client is waiting inside. I shall get back to my duties." Sennika closed the door behind us. The client was seated with his back towards us, wearing a cloak. When he heard us come in, he got up and removed the cloak. He looked to be in his early thirties, with short brown hair that was cleanly groomed. The shirt he was wearing under the cloak also looked to be a cut above the usual attire that commoners wore. When he saw us, there was a brief look of recognition on his face before he suppressed it.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Annie whispered something in Randell's ear which made him take a quick bow.

"The RAW Dog party greets Lord Falden." I cringed when I heard the party name but a quick look at Waldo and Annie indicated that I should also bow, which I did.

"Please, do away with the pleasantries. Besides, Lord Falden is my father. Just call me Aldric."

"I did not realize the requestor was you young lord" Randell said.

"Please, have a seat. We can talk more once we're comfortable. And do not worry, I do not come on behalf of the barony. The mission was a personal request" Aldric gestured at the table for us to have a seat. We each took a seat to the sides, leaving Aldric to sit at the head of the table in the meeting room.

"If you do not mind, would you kindly share any details you might have seen during the scouting mission pertaining to ants of enlarged sizes?" Aldric asked.

"I've read the reports but I would like to hear it first hand from your respected selves."

"Yes of course, Waldo if you will" Randell said and nodded at Waldo. Waldo went through the full details of the path we took, how many markings we saw, the relative position to the dungeon entrance and how far apart they were.

"There could be more but the brief only indicated a rough area so we just trekked through normally" Waldo added once he was done recapping the events of that morning.

"If I may, Ald— young lord. Do you mind sharing the origin of the request?" Annie asked. He thought for a moment, seemingly trying to find the right words.

"A few weeks back, I was out in the forest with some of my retainers. It was a simple training trip really, I wanted to test my mettle against some wild beasts."

"We had slain a few beasts and had hung the beasts up to bleed dry. We had our escort with us, no point letting good meat and pelt go to waste. Perhaps it was the smell of blood, or the noise from the camp but we were attacked that night."

"First it was just one, our men were not sure what it was at first as it was dark. A few more eventually showed up. Their shells were a lot harder than regular insects and while my men did injure a few, we were not able to slay any of them." Aldric recounted the events.

"A few were able to steal the beast carcasses that we had tied up while we battled them. That seemed to be all they wanted as they left after that, probably thinking we were not worth the effort."

"If no one was injured, why issue the bounty to look for these ants?" Randell couldn't help but ask.

"Most of my men had the same thoughts, however after I recounted the events to my most trusted advisor, he hinted at a grim possibility. One that could put the town in danger." Aldric paused.

"The ants that had attacked us were all at Yellow grade. While insectoid creatures being at Yellow is not rare, those that operate as a hive are usually different." I could see Annie's eyes light up in real time at that statement while I came to the same conclusion myself.

"If the worker ants are already at Yellow, the guards could be at Green and the Queen could be at Blue..." I said, causing everyone to look at me.

"Exactly right young friend. My advisor suspected that this could be the work of the dungeon's influence. Somehow allowing the ants to go beyond their usual core threshold. Considering the distance to the town, if the hive continues to expand or worse — if the Queen went above Blue, there would be a flood of Green beasts that might run out of food."

"That could also explain why there were less beast encounters on our way into the forest. We did not have to actively avoid any beasts and we only encountered a few" I added.

"But if that's the case, why not just launch an expedition to look for these ants to eliminate the threat?" Annie asked. The young lord's expression soured at the mention of that.

"Alas, I am still not the lord of these lands. I had raised this matter to my father. Unfortunately, we could not see eye to eye on the matter. He cautioned against simply squandering the Barony's wealth on a fool's errand. He insisted my men and I must have been mistaken after days of hunting. He had forbidden me from entering the woods since."

"I had gotten one of my men to put up the notice on my behalf. I had almost given up hope when the request was ignored for days. When I heard that someone had finally taken it, I was hopeful that evidence could be found — evidence that my father could not refute."

"Unfortunately — and not to discount your effort my friends — the absence of any concrete evidence could not convince the Lord to marshal the barony's resources." Aldric said dejectedly.

"I had sneaked out this morning, and would have to return to the manor soon."

"I have one final request, if I may." Aldric said pleadingly.

"We suspect that the hive must have expanded their nest into the dungeon, or gotten access somehow. We theorize that there might be some tunnel at the lower levels of the dungeon that connects to the hive." Aldric pulled up three maps and laid them across the table.

"The first two levels and part of the third level have been fully mapped. Considering the frequency of the adventurers visiting the first level, we suspect the connection might be on the 2nd, or maybe the 3rd level."

"The ask is for the team to venture into the dungeon and check against the mapped terrain on the 2nd and 3rd levels." Aldric also took out a small grey leather bag full of inscriptions on the outside, with a gem embedded on one side in a metal setting. The gem had an unusual gleam to it, almost as if you were staring into space. When Annie saw the bag, she let out an involuntary gasp.

"I will also loan my family heirloom to help you on the venture. This is a bag of holding that has been passed down for generations. My father does not know that I had taken this out of the family vault, but if we could retrieve the entire body of an enlarged ant, it would finally confirm my initial sightings."

"Additionally, I am willing to provide 4 gold per person as compensation for this request from my personal wealth. This is the extent of the funds that I am able to access for the time being." Aldric mentioned the high bounty to seal the deal. I raised my hand, taking the opportunity to secure what I needed for my railgun project.

"Could I request for a slightly different reward?"

"What do you have in mind young friend? I can't promise anything more than what is within my limits." Aldric asked before agreeing.

"Could I have copper ingots of the highest purity? I had heard that only nobles have access to them." That seemed to stun everyone in the room, as they all went quiet.

"Copper ingots?" Aldric said with a furrowed brow.

"Yes, but those of the highest purity that are not normally sold. Is that a problem?" I said, starting to be disappointed that even a Baron's son might not have access.

"No, not at all. I was just surprised. I would have imagined that you would ask for Mithril which would not be possible. If it is just mundane metals you can have your pick from our warehouse. Once you complete the mission, I'll get one of the stewards to assist you with selecting any mundane metals up to 4 gold worth from there." Aldric agreed wholeheartedly.

"You know, we haven't accepted the request right?" Randell looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"Oh give him a break Randell, we all know you're going to accept it." Annie chided him.

"Marvelous, I will leave Lady Sennika to complete the rest of the paperwork then. I look forward to favorable news" Aldric said as he got up.

"The Falden Barony would have you to thank if we can avert a potential disaster."

"Alright team, let's get the preparation done for the rest of the day before we head out tomorrow morning at dawn. We can be more generous with what we pack now that we've got this treasure for our mission" Randell said with a twinkle in his eyes as he eyed the magical bag of holding. While I was excited about the potential reward, the foray into the dungeon would not be without risk.