Healing Dungeon

Yue just looked at him. You could almost see the gears in her head working at full speed to understand what he had just said.

Gradually it dawned on her and her eyes looked at him speechlessly as her face went through several expressions in quick succession; confusion to realization, realization to amazement, amazement to thoughtfulness, and thoughtfulness to even more confusion.

"But - what - how?! Why?!" She cried out, just to remember her oath and clasping her hands in front of her mouth. "You are a dungeon?? And what do you mean, you are not from this world?! Avan!" Yue whispered at him while grabbing his shoulders.

Avan raised both hands to resist her verbal onslaught. "Ahhh, wait, wait. I think I need to explain!" He placated her, almost begging.

He looked past Yue with a tilted head and called through the store. "Luria! We'll be right back!" And received in reply a gray-haired head leading through the door into the back room.

"Go on! I'm sure you can be heard several blocks away! I'll be waiting for you... and drink your tea... from precious herbs..." She called out to them, muttering to herself towards the end.

He took Yue's hand and pulled her behind him through the front door of the store. Standing outside, he crossed his arms and leaned sideways with his shoulder against the facade of the house. With a sigh, Yue lowered herself to the floor in front of him and sat down with her back to the wall. With an expectant and piercing look from her, he began to tell her about his world and how he suddenly woke up here on Aorus. Without knowing what exactly happened and how he got here, and his encounter with the black wolf. When he came to the old ruined temple in his story, he looked around to make sure no one was watching him, and summoned one of his last ten [Golden Meaple] fruits. Avan showed her the fruit and explained how he came to the Celestial Element by consuming it.

Yue received the fruit reverently as he held it out to her and turned it in her hands to look at it from all sides. She shook her head and smiled wryly at him. "You know, that's exactly what I've been saying all along. I have not heard of a single person who lives or works here in Cyntha who has more than the basic elements. And here I sit, completely without an element, holding an element of legends in my hand.... Unbelievable. You're making me doubt myself, Avan." Still shaking her head, she hands him back the fruit, which he promptly puts back into his storage with a quick look around.

"I know, Yue. And I also don't understand how no one has been able to find the temple ruins yet, when it's only a short walk from the city! Hmm... Now that I think about it.... There was something strange when I entered the clearing of the temple ruins. Surely there must be something like... barriers, right? Because when I entered it felt like I was walking through something and entering a new area. It felt like a tingle running down my back and a brief chill in the back of my mind." He discussed to her thoughtfully.

Yue moved her head slowly up and down as she thought through his stories. "At least that would make a lot of sense, you know? A fruit like that would NEVER be able to grow there. Either the elves from the east would have found the ruin long ago, or adventurers, or bandits." she said more to herself than to him. "But if that was the case, why were YOU able to enter the area? Did you have anything with you at that time that could explain that? An item? Or maybe a skill that seemed strange to you? Anything?" She looked at him with wide eyes as she listed the possibilities.

Avan put his head back. Looking up at the clear afternoon sky, he called up his character interface to check his inventory and skills. "Of course...! Oh, wow... Me am an anti-genius, eh?" He muttered to himself with an inane grin. Then, with a glance at her, he explained what he had simply ignored over and over again since the first day. "I actually have something... A passive skill called potential. As far back as I can remember, this skill was there from the beginning and had a question mark instead of a skill level. It wasn't until I got my healer class in the tower of Akkalon that there was an evolution and the skill was changed from a question mark to [Unlocked]! Do you think that could have been it? I mean... it sounds like the only plausible solution." he told her with confusion but also euphoria about this strange skill.

"Yep, if you didn't have any other weird stuff with you and you don't have any other weird skills, it can really only be that. Potential, huh? Sounds very ominous. But also a bit too... omnipotent? Now I'm even more excited to see what happens next." She said to him and gestured with her hand to show him to please continue.

He told her about the white temple ruins and how sublime and regal everything must have looked in its heyday. When he told her about the temple altar and asked her if she thought the runes could be learned, she nodded at him thoughtfully. Satisfied, he continued his story until he came to the dungeon sphere above the fountain. As he described to her how the sphere had crumbled when he had simply touched it, Yue chewed on her lower lips and stared at him.

"You've come a long way... Okay, you can't know... Avan, dungeons are sentient, but never sapient. These vaults exist, according to explorers and ancient writings, to filter and direct one. Dungeons are stationary, and I haven't heard even the slightest rumor that there are any that can walk around! If that's not thanks to your strange and confusing passive skill, then I don't know..." She explains to him while looking at him more and more like a cursiosity.

Somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, Avan fidgets a bit and nods as he ponders. "That would all make at least some sense, yes. I think that's the only possible and logical conclusion."

After a short silence, he continues with his story. He tells her about Horny and how he was able to bind him as a dungeon creature, the lonely goblin outside the cave entrance, and finally how he got to her. He also recounted his experience with the dungeon entrance and the secret room leading to the small library. The same room that had repelled the adventurer group, and apparently only he had been able to enter.

When Avan arrived at the point where he met the bookworm, Yue suddenly chuckled at the vivid description and the overly serious expression on his face. Then, after only a few seconds, he joined in the giggles.

"Sounds like a funny guy, the bookworm. But Avan, you might want to apologize to him. Maybe you can give him... some tomes? Buy books in Cyntha and bring them next time? You know, as an apology. Because, after all, he seems incredibly old and could pass on to you knowledge that was no longer available in book form. Just imagine what he could tell you about the Order of Healers, the dungeon, and maybe even the mysterious temple ruins." she advised him, her eyes gleaming with excitement at the thought of secret and long-lost knowledge.

"That's a solid idea, Yue, thank you. I'll probably even do it that way. Yep! I was already puzzling over how to apologize to him again a little bit and... Um... sucking up." He replies to her while his lower lips curl thoughtfully.

Yue chuckled amusedly at the sight.

When he finally got there, when they had met again, Avan got his water bottle out of his backpack and treated himself to a big gulp of water. With a quick gesture to her and a grateful nod back at him, he passes her the water bottle as well.

"Well... Now you are the only person in this world, and the very first, who knows my origin. And my... curious problem, if you can call it that. As much as I know from my world, and much had proven true here so far, it will be a VERY interesting adventure as a dungeon on two legs. I don't know how to advance or develop my dungeon class yet, but maybe something will come up in the deeper part of the tower. After all, it seems like the ruined temple complex, the Order of Akkalon, and the Tower of Akkalon are somehow connected. And maybe I'll find some answers to that when I comb through the dungeon. By the way. Do dungeons in this world... also have some kind of boss monster? You know, to complete the dungeon? And are there different types of dungeons or what does that look like?" He asks her with interest.

"I'll keep your secret, Avan. I have sworn my word and a blood oath to you. And to your guess, I think you might be right. It's too strange and coincidental for it not to be connected." She answers him. "And also yes to the question of the dungeons. There are an unknown number of dungeon types. From puzzles, to traps, monsters, proving certain skills, and much more. According to the archives of the adventurers' guild, new types are being discovered all the time. All dungeons have one thing in common; all flora and fauna that grow in a dungeon are extremely potent. You can find stronger monsters and more powerful herbs in their vaults, even the wood in dungeons is more resistant than the same tree outside could ever be. So, when you go dungeon diving again, try to take as much as you can of anything rare you come across. What might be valuable, I guess you'll have to figure out for yourself."

With a vague and curious look in his direction, she continued. "And now to your original question. I think we can trust Luria, but you should keep quiet about all this information. Especially the ability to have a storage without a storage device should raise a lot of questions for everyone. So continue to keep a low profile and keep the items and coins out of your backpack so that no one sees it. Anyone who thinks you have a storage item will try to mug you or steal it from you. And it gets worse when they find out you don't have one! So please be careful, okay? You might mention to Luria that you have a storage device, but I think that should be it for now. What do you think?"

Avan looked at her gratefully and knelt in front of the still sitting Yue. Taking her left hand in his own, he nodded his approval. "Thank you. It makes my life so much easier, and you've helped me so much already. Believe it or not. Now then! Let's talk to the alchemist we trust, and I'll tell her that I'll be looking for more plants for her. And then I guess we'll have to hurry if we want to get anything more done before the meeting tonight before sundown." He told her with a bright and cheery smile on his face.

Avan stood up again and stretched with short, crisp exercises while Yue also stood up and patted her pants with her hands to get rid of the street dust.

Of one mind, they both re-entered the herb store and strode over to the counter and into the back room, where a tea-sipping older lady was waiting for them with a curious look.

"All right, Luria. Deal. I just had to check with Yue here and make sure we're on the same page. I have thirty-two [Lymia Herbs] left, of which I could give you thirty right now. I'd like to keep two, because the tea from these leaves seems incredibly refreshing, and it never hurts to have a few tea leaves around." He explains to her and smiles at the subject of the tea.

"That sounds fantastic! Currently, I need two leaves of the plant to be able to make a high-grade potion. But experience shows that this will decrease as my skills increase. So with your amount of herbs, I'll be able to make at least fifteen. But now to the price part. I am willing to give you forty percent." she told him expectantly, rubbing her hands on her now empty teacup.

"Fifteen, eh? Sounds like a start. But since I'm probably the only supplier, and will be bringing more, I'm more in favor of sixty percent than my share. Plus being taught!" He replied with a haggling smile on his face.

"Ahh, you can't rob an old woman like that, young man! I say fifty-fifty, and that's my last word! After all, I have to put in the time, and not just any run-of-the-mill alchemist can brew something of such high quality from these herbs! And yes, I'll explain the processes and teach you the basics, as agreed."

Avan considered for a moment, then nodded to her as he held out his right hand. "Deal. If you still help me find a rune or enchantment teacher!" He grinned at her winningly.

Luria laughed out loud and shook her right index finger in his direction. "What a crafty fellow! Agreed. I'll just draw up a contract with our conditions. Just wait here." She says to them and walks past them smiling and chuckling. One could still hear a "cheeky badger" muttered by her.

Yue and Avan both looked at each other and their eyes gleamed with joy.

A short time later, the herbalist came back holding two simple and plain sheets of paper, which she placed on the table in front of them along with a filled quill. "Now then. High quality potions are sold for about five gold per potion. That makes a share per potion at two and a half gold coins. Is that in your interest? If so, please sign here and here, once per contract. The quill is of magical origin and it will automatically add a magical signature of your mana, which any scribe can then identify and match with yours. I have already signed right here and there." She explains to him while pointing to the appropriate places on the sheets where the conditions and signatures are written.

Avan and Yue read through the rather short yet very precise contract and he signed under both of them.

With satisfied expressions on their faces, both contract partners shook hands and the two said goodbye to Luria a short time later, after Avan had taken the thirty herbs out of his backpack. With a wave of her hand over the whole pile of herbs, the alchemist had simply made the whole bundle disappear, and at the sight of the surprised expression on Avan's and Yue's faces, she had only winked once before heading back to the back room. After that, they left the store with shaking heads and once again entered the crowded and busy town square.