Chapter 265 - Jas’perinar Kel’tanisik (Patreon)

Jas’perinar Kel’tanisik stared at the curious human in shock, unsure how to react to Zeke’s proclamation that he would “take care of the monsters.” He recovered from his shock just in time to reach out and grab the man’s upper arm; it was like grabbing a mountain. His skin was primarily normal, but when Jasper, as he preferred to be called, gripped it, he got the impression of an unmovable mass of metal. Still, he persisted because the alternative was death at the hands of the kobold horde.

“Wait,” he hissed. Then, Jasper added, “Please.”

Even though Jasper was completely incapable of arresting the man’s momentum, Zeke stopped and turned his head. “What? They’re just kobolds,” he said.

Just kobolds.

Jasper had seen Zeke’s martial prowess on a couple of occasions – the man was strong, durable, and inexhaustible. However, defending against a few roaming kobolds was very different than assaulting the rainbow forest.

Zeke was clearly a veteran of many battles, but against those kinds of odds, he was walking to his death. And Jasper didn’t have so many friends – or even companions – that he would willingly let that happen. Not without protest, at least.

“There are hundreds of them down there, my friend,” Jasper explained. “You will be ripped to shreds in minutes.”

It was only the first bottleneck within the mine, but those who took the dangers of the Rainbow Forest lightly rarely lived to regret their flippant disregard.

“I need something down there,” said Zeke, raising his club – or hammer, perhaps – to gesture at the multi-hued forest that had been the end of so many journeys. It was seething with the reptilian kobolds, and that was just what they could see. Every step within the forest would be contested by its denizens, and any descent further into the mountain would be blocked by the more evolved members of the kobold clan that made the forest their home. Even if someone could deal with the steady deluge of the lesser kobolds, defeating the higher-leveled creatures was a dim dream.

“What do you need? With enough contribution points, we can –”

“High-quality blood mithril,” Zeke said, interrupting the dark elf. His eyes glazed over, clearly reading something in his status. “Netherite. And black adamantine.”

Jasper’s jaw dropped. Was Zeke on a quest? Those were rare. Even with Jasper’s background, he only knew of a few people who’d been so blessed. Or cursed, given that the Framework didn’t give out mundane tasks. Usually, the rewards were commensurate with the dangers, though.

For his part, Jasper hadn’t seen a quest in years – not since he first gained his class at level twenty-five. But even that had been fairly straightforward, and it had only taken him a couple of days to complete it. Zeke’s quest was obviously much more complicated if it required him to gather three separate ores – two of which were incredibly rare. The other, blood mithril, was also uncommon anywhere but in the mines beneath Min Ferilik.

“Rare,” Jasper muttered. “Very rare. You will find an abundance of blood mithril if we continue down into the mines. But the others…”

“Have you heard of them?” Zeke asked, periodically glancing down and into the forest. It was far enough away that, poised well above the basin where the bulk of the forest grew, they didn’t stand much chance of being spotted. Kobolds weren’t the brightest creatures in the best of times, so it likely never occurred to most of them to look up. There was debate about whether or not they could even be considered sentient, much less sapient, but in Jasper’s experience, such designations were irrelevant. The line was too blurry for it to matter, so he tended to separate things much more simply – either something was in his way, or it wasn’t. And he knew exactly how to deal with either scenario.

But that was when he had access to his full repertoire of skills. Without them, he felt naked. Exposed. And worst of all, weak. His mother would have been ashamed.

“I have,” Jasper said, distracting himself from thoughts of his past. He’d left that behind years ago, and he refused to go back. “Netherite grows near areas suffused with demonic energy. Portals, sometimes. Most if it comes from the Scar, though.”

“The Scar?” asked Zeke.

Jasper eyed the rainbow forest, then said, “Might we retreat a bit? Just for now, while we talk.”

For a moment, Zeke looked like he was going to refuse. Judging by his tense muscles, the man truly was primed for battle, and Jasper knew that look well enough that he had already discarded any notion of standing in the big warrior’s way. Not that he would have ever been so stupid as to block Zeke’s path. No – Jasper was far more subtle than that. Trying to stop someone like that was a useless endeavor, but perhaps he could guide the man in the proper direction.

“Sure,” Zeke stated. Then, without another word, he strode back into the tunnel they’d followed into the bowels of the mountain. Jasper followed, dragging the cart along like he was some sort of pack animal.

Of course, that was what he’d become, wasn’t it? The moment he’d been captured, he’d ceased to be a person. Instead, he was property to be used, and when his usefulness ran out, he would be discarded like so many other slaves who’d come before him. It was a depressing fact, and not for the first time, Jasper wondered if he’d made the right choice when he’d left his home city of Tesh.

But that wasn’t a productive line of thought.

After a few minutes, Zeke stopped in an alcove. Jasper looked around. To his expert eye, he could tell that the stone dwarves had widened the tunnel, even if they hadn’t forced their sense of order on it. Their disgusting obsession with straight lines, right angles, and perfect symmetry made Jasper want to vomit. There was no artistry to it. No flair. It was all so soulless.

Not like Tesh, with its sweeping towers, delicate spires, and lifelike sculptures.

He shook his head. Nothing Jasper had seen in the decade since leaving his family’s estate behind had even come close to comparing to his home city. Certainly not the abode of a bunch of stone dwarves.

“Okay, so you know something, right?” asked Zeke, focusing on Jasper with simmering intensity. “What is the Scar? And do you think I could find what I need in this mine?”

Jasper shook his head. How could Zeke not know of the Scar. Unless…

“You are freshly ascended,” Jasper said.

“So? Is that a problem?” asked Zeke.

It wasn’t. In fact, it could be seen as a great boon. After all, those who’d ascended from lower realms were almost always more powerful than they seemed. Being born on the mortal plane and ascending to the Eternal Realm was obviously very difficult, and only the most talented survived such a journey. Even then, quite a few died soon after their ascension when they encountered a world of power that far exceeded anything they knew. However, the ones that did make it were always dangerously strong.

Was Zeke one of the former? Or would he become one of the latter?

Given that Jasper had latched onto him, he clearly had a preference.

“The Scar is the site of a war between the Eternal Realm and that of the demons,” Jasper explained. “The veil between the two is weaker and more pliable there, making opening portals between the two realms much easier. As a result –”

“The atmosphere leaks through and corrupts the land,” Zeke finished.

“You have experience with demons?” asked Jasper.

Zeke gave him a tight smile and shook his head, saying, “I’ve fought them once or twice.”

That was a surprise. In the Mortal Realm, the veil was rumored to be extraordinarily solid, meaning that the demons had little presence there. That Zeke had fought them at all was extraordinary.

“So, I’m guessing that netherite and black adamantine are metals that have been corrupted by Mal’araxis,” Zeke reasoned.

“Mal’araxis?” Jasper asked.

“The demon realm.”

Jasper shook his head. “It is called Mal’canus,” he stated. Perhaps Mal’araxis was the demon realm on the lower plane. “And black adamantine is a metal. Netherite is a crystal. Some believe it to be a gem, but they are wrong.”

Indeed, if he and his family knew anything, it was how to identify gems. Of course, the distinction wasn’t really that meaningful; netherite was as valuable as all but the rarest of gemstones.

And that was saying nothing of black adamantine, which was one of the most mana conductive metals in existence. It had the downside of being corrosive and corruptive, but that didn’t stop people from using it whenever they could. Jasper wondered what sort of quest required such materials, though he knew he wouldn’t soon discover Zeke’s secrets. The man wasn’t precisely paranoid, but he wasn’t talkative, either. Probably prudent, all things considered.

“Interesting,” Zeke said, looking lost in thought. He kept glancing downward, as if he sensed something. “Very interesting. But this doesn’t change what needs to be done.” Once again, he pointed his weapon back towards the Rainbow Forest, saying, “I need what’s down there. You’re welcome to come with me. If you do, you’ll get a cut. But if you don’t want to chance it, that’s your choice, too. I can’t force you to do anything.”

Jasper shook his head. That wasn’t entirely true. The dark elf was no weakling – none of his family were – but he’d already seen Zeke in action. And he knew from experience just how strong the warrior was. And if he was freshly ascended as Jasper suspected, then he would only grow more powerful still.

And then there was the matter of skills. Jasper still had no idea how Zeke had surpassed the restrictions on the shackles and collar, but he clearly had access to his skills. Jasper, who was even more dependent on his abilities than most, was still under those restrictions. The result was that his own strength couldn’t even begin to compare with Zeke’s. Perhaps if he had access to his skills…

But no. Down that path lay nothing but heartache. He had made his choices, and they had led him into the clutches of the dwarves. He refused to let himself become mired in useless regret.

“Without my skills, I –”

“I’m aware of your issues,” Zeke stated, once again interrupting Jasper. That was annoying. “But I can’t remove your shackles.”

“You cannot? Or you will not?”

“The first,” Zeke said. “It’s easier when I can trace my own mana through the runes. If I tried it on you, there’s every chance that it would explode. If that happened…”

“I understand,” Jasper said. It wasn’t ideal, but things rarely were. Life was about making the best of bad situations, and he was well-versed in doing just that.

“So? Are you coming?” asked Zeke.

Jasper nodded. There really wasn’t a choice. If he wanted to get out of the mines and again his freedom, he needed to follow Zeke.

“Okay, so just bring the cart,” Zeke said. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he said, “Wait…I’m being stupid.”

Then, he stepped forward and grabbed the huge, wooden cart. A moment later, it disappeared. Jasper gasped, asking, “W-what just happened?”

“I have a storage ability,” Zeke answered. “I’ll bring the cart back out once we’re done. For now, just follow me, and try not to get killed. Unless you want to wait here…”

Jasper shook his head. “No. I am coming with you, my friend. You need someone to watch your back,” he added with a smile.

Zeke shrugged. “If you say so. Come on,” he said. Then, without waiting forward Jasper to reply, he set off back toward the Rainbow Forest. Jasper followed, and they covered the distance in only a couple of minutes.

“So, how do other teams do this?” asked Zeke. “Do they just cut right through? Or is there some other trick to it?”

“Other teams go around,” Jasper stated. Indeed, that was why they had chosen this route in the first place. The presence of the Rainbow Forest – and the kobold clan that made it their home – was enough to rebuff just about any team of miners. Certainly, there were plenty of people powerful enough to traverse the underground forest, but they had access to better mines. Jasper hadn’t expected them to go so deep, but in retrospect, he probably should have. Someone like Zeke wasn’t content to travel the well-trod path. He was more likely to forget ahead and crave his own way through any situation.

“Alright, so I’m just going to run in there, kill a few, and then see what happens,” Zeke said.

It was the most basic of plans – if it could even be called such – but Jasper didn’t see any better way to go about it. Certainly, if he had the benefit of having access to his skills, he could have traversed the forest in any number of ways. But hobbled as he was, his options were limited.

And Zeke didn’t seem like the stealthy type.

Jasper lagged behind a little as Zeke rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. Then, the big man was off, trotting down the steep slope and into the basin containing the Rainbow Forest. When he came within a few feet of the tree line, a half-dozen kobolds came screaming out of the brush, all scything claws and sharp teeth.

Zeke didn’t hesitate before swinging his mace with such speed and ferocity that Jasper had a difficult time following it. However, he had no trouble seeing the results when a pair of kobolds exploded into an eruption of scales, blood, and bone. But Zeke’s swing left him open to the other monsters, who leapt upon and dug their claws into his flesh. This was what Jasper had been worried about all along; killing a few of the little monsters was easy enough, but fighting an entire horde?  That was something else entirely.

But Zeke didn’t stop swinging. Instead, he switched to a one-handed grip while snatching the kobolds away with his other hand. They left wounds, but they were shallow and inconsequential. Even those could mount, though, and Jasper felt certain that he’d followed the big warrior to his death.

Then, yellow tendrils of energy erupted from the ground, snaking around Zeke’s legs. Those yellow energy flows twisted and turned, enveloping the big man’s entire body, and a moment later, Jasper saw Zeke’s wounds injuries start to heal. All the while, Zeke’s continued to slaughter the small kobolds.

Jasper’s fingers tightened around the pickaxe in his hands. It was a far cry from his familiar daggers, but it was the only weapon he had. Otherwise, he’d be reduced to fighting like a pugilist. He could do it – after all, he’d been trained in all sorts of martial arts – but it wasn’t his preferred method of fighting.

Not that it mattered, of course. Zeke seemed to have things well in hand.

Or that was the case until the sound of cracking trees filled the air, heralding the arrival of a new, much larger combatant.