Loot Review 1: All the Small Things

As the flaming woad vanished, the party let out a collective sigh, with the more drained members giving into their weariness. Beth rolled onto her back, the hard stone floor not bothering her in the slightest.

“Please tell me that was the last guy we have to fight,” she breathed out.

“Tired already?” Aeolia ribbed her, landing next to her in her true size before leaning against her leg. “I could take on another couple of those guys.”

“Buzz off,” Beth groaned. “Don’t act all high and mighty when you’re using my leg as a pillow.”

Back at the top of the stairs, Teri slumped into John, her mana drained but a satisfied smile on her face as she let go of his and Vivian’s hands.

“Think I may have overdone it,” the goblin girl mumbled.

“I did tell you to go all out,” Vivian countered as she gathered up the still usable bits of shine dust and returned them to their container.

“Might have been a bit much,” John cut in. “Didn’t expect us to be able to take it out in three hits.”

“Better overkill than letting it get a second wind,” Senka opined.

“Yeah, but we ran the risk that there could be more enemies around,” John said. “We took what the quest said at face value, and that could bite us in our collective asses later.”

“So next time, keep someone in reserve. Sounds good,” Beth called out.

John nodded then looked to the central tree, noticing something amiss with it.

“Did the top of the tree open?” he asked, drawing everyone’s attention to the twisted tree. The upper branches had unraveled slightly, reminding John of a blooming flower.

“Think Teri’s spell caused that?” Vivian wondered, causing the girl in question to pull herself from John’s side to trudge her way closer to the tree, slowly walking down the stairs into the chamber. John and Vivian followed after her, joined by Senka once they reached the tree. The goblin lass pressed a hand on the coiling trunk and closed her eyes.

“I think it did,” she said after a moment of inspection. “But I suppose a power derived from some nature focused god would have an effect on trees.”

“Are we going to muse on that, or can we take the goods and get the hell out of here?” Aeolia grumbled, forcing herself up from her resting place and flying over. Beth let out a groan and followed her lead, joining up with the rest of the party.

“Yeah, let’s get the box and get out of here,” John said, eyeing the branches for a way up.

“I can fly up and get it,” Aeolia offered.

“I don’t want to make you do all the physical work,” John remarked with a smile. “All I did was throw a fireball. You got up close and personal.”

“You also cast that wellspring thing and we’d still be chipping away at the golem without Teri using that to cripple it,” Aeolia countered. “Plus, I’m sure I can fly up and grab it faster than you could climb.”

John opened his mouth to counter but Beth cut him off, drawing his attention to her, “Just let her do it. We still have to get out of here.”

“First time you’ve burned that much mana in one go?” Teri asked the grouchy parkour enthusiast.

“Yeah,” Beth snipped.

“You’ve probably got a headache, right?” Teri pressed, not taking Beth’s clipped tone personally.

Blinking, Beth nodded, her irritation eclipsed by curiosity.

“I thought as much,” Teri said. “You’ve got a touch of mana exhaustion. You don’t need to completely run dry, but using a lot quickly can lead to the same symptoms. When we get out of here, you need to hydrate and eat something. And take it easy for a bit.”

“Didn’t know you had medical knowledge,” Vivian cut in, looking at Teri with curious eyes. “But you said you did dabble with potion making, didn’t you?”

“Just a bit,” the goblin answered sheepishly, her ears drooping slightly. “It’s not like I can do real healing, but simple stuff like this I can handle.”

“Well if your remedy takes away this headache, I’ll sing your praises,” Beth grumbled, rubbing at her temple.

“No need for that.” Teri chuckled, shaking her head while smiling kindly. “Just want to make sure my friends are alright.”

“We’ll be alright when we get back to Vi’s place and can relax,” Aeolia said from the top of the tree, yanking the box from where it lay.

“It would seem we’re all a bit drained,” Senka noted. “We shouldn’t tarry if we can get so easily distracted.”

“Yeah,” John agreed. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Catch,” Aeolia called out, dropping the box down. John managed to catch the shallow light brown box easily, and he inspected it. It was perfectly smooth except for where intricate, interweaving patterns had been carved into it, reminding him of the vines crawling up the walls. Unable to resist, John cast Observe on it, as Aeolia landed on his shoulder.

“Guess we need to use the totems to unlock this,” John remarked as he failed to pry open the lid. “But we can do that back at HQ. Let’s get moving.”

The route out of the temple was, in contrast to their journey to its center, uneventful. The only notable part was when they reached the end of the winding path from the final chamber where they had to pull a lever to open a hidden door to the temple’s entrance, drawing a self-satisfied grin on John’s face. His expression dimmed when they crossed the temple’s threshold and a pile of items appeared right in front of him, along with a popup, the combination nearly causing him to trip.

Quest Complete: Dungeon Quest: Temple of Root
Successfully explored the overgrown temple, defeated its defenders and acquired what they were protecting. And you didn’t even over use your obvious elemental advantage.
Rewards: Nondescript Box, 1 random Rare Boss Drop.

A simple looking cardboard box, about half a meter across on all sides, popped into existence next to the loot pile, prompting Beth to remark sarcastically, “Yeah, that’ll help getting this stuff out.”

“Looks like it actually might,” John said, eyeing the Attributes. “Just from the titles, it sounds like we can store a lot more in here than the size would suggest and nobody will bother us about it.”

Aura of Dismissal: People with no or low mana are more likely to ignore this item.

Minor Extended Space: This container has a slightly larger interior than its exterior. This does not negate the weight of stored items.

Overflow Summoning: When you receive more items than your Inventory can carry from a Dungeon, this item can be summoned for 20 MP. This also reduces the durability by 10%.

Evocation: Magician’s Gambit: Cost 30MP, 25 Durability. Create a copy of a non-consumable item that was carried within this box no more than 24 hours ago. This effect only works with items generated in Barriers made by you and the copies only have 30% durability.

“So we can fit more shit in here and carry it out and it comes to us if you hit your limit,” Aeolia summed up, reading the displays from John’s shoulder. “Plus it can make a copy of something if things go bad. Sounds handy. Better than lugging it out by hand.”

“Or stuffing things in my pockets,” John joked as he knelt down to open the box. “Probably will need to store the bigger ones in my inventory, but for the smaller stuff this is great.”

He pulled open the corrugated flaps and peered into the box. The increased volume caused the bottom of the box to be further down than the outside portrayed, deep enough for John to have to put his whole arm in to reach the sole item resting within. He pulled out a coaster sized wooden disk with a small silvery cord sticking out of the top, marked with the same vine-like patterns he’d come to expect from these elf made artifacts. At the center was a carving of a knightly figure in profile, a blade held aloft, pointing ahead of the warrior.

John resisted the urge to Observe it and placed it back in the box, then quickly filled his inventory with the bulkier items: the jar of dirt, weapons and armor pieces. Then he scooped up the smaller items and dropped them in the box.

Standing up with the box, he said, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Ah, that hits the spot,” Beth said as she plopped down into one of Vivian’s chairs, a drink in one hand, a half wrapped cheeseburger with a bite taken out of it in the other. “I’ll pay you back later.”

“Don’t worry about it,” John waved off, as he took his own seat after placing the box of loot at his feet. “It’s not like some fast food is really a concern when we can net seven grand in cold hard cash in an afternoon. Even the really good stuff like this.”

John’s attention shifted to Teri as she settled in across from him, her eyes affixed to her still wrapped burger.

“You okay, Teri?” he asked.

“Huh,” she eloquently answered before shaking her head. “Sorry. Just, um, this is my first burger. I’ve heard about them, but never thought I’d actually get to eat one. Guess that’s a bit silly.”

“Not at all,” Vivian cut in, dipping a fry in a dollop of mayonnaise.

“Sometimes, it's the simple things that mean the most,” Senka added. “Especially if one has anticipated it for some time.”

Aeolia choked on her drink for a second, coughing briefly.

“You okay?” John asked, halfway to standing up before Aeolia held a hand out.

“I’m fine,” she hoarsely said. “Just went down the wrong tube.”

John slowly settled back into his chair. “If you say so.”

Teri, after looking between Senka and Aeolia for a second, returned her attention to her meal. With far more reverence than anyone ever paid to a burger wrapper, she peeled back the waxy paper until sesame bun, lettuce, onion, beef and cheese could be seen. She licked her lips and brought the juicy handheld meal to her face and took a hearty bite.

She let out a pleased hum and her ears quivered in delight.

“It’s sooo good,” she said through her full mouth, before rapidly beginning to devour her sandwich, switching occasionally to her fries. Kitai let out a whine from her perch and Teri muttered something unintelligible and tore off a piece of meat for her pet.

“I see it lived up to your expectations,” Aeolia said in an amused tone, causing Teri to freeze up, her slightly bulging cheeks growing darker as she flushed in embarrassment. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re among friends. Hell, first meal I had with this guy turned into a pizza eating contest.”

“One I won,” John said with a hint of pride.

“Just barely,” Aeolia shot back, a fierce grin that spoke of an anticipated future victory.

Teri had managed to **** down her food, taking a large sip of her cola to wash it down, and said, “Being with friends is no excuse for me to stuff my face.”

Aeolia shrugged. “”Well, we won’t rat you out to the etiquette police.”

“Fvck da palese,” Beth jokingly cheered through a mouth full of fries.

“Well, since most of us aren’t focused on breaking any speed eating records, how about we go over the loot?” John suggested. When everyone nodded in agreement, along with Beth playfully flipping him off, he asked, “Shall we start with the mystery box and work our way down or deal with the drops and have a grand finale?”

“Let’s work our way up,” Teri answered. “Maybe the stuff we got from the monsters will clue us in on what the grand prize is.”

“Alrighty then,” John said, bending down to pop open the Nondescript Box. “I’ll pull one of each out.”

He reached into the box and dug his hands into the pile of smaller loot, picking out the items. Once he held a sample of each, he withdrew them and placed them on the table. A marble sized green sphere, a seed, a wooden claw, a baseball sized sphere of carved wood, a familiar block of wood, and an irregular twisted stick covered the area in front of him.

“Looks like a fire hazard,” Beth commented.

“I’ll be sure not to cast Fiery Pursuit,” John joked, picking up the first item, the green marble. It was heavier than its size suggested and thrummed with a pleasant warmth. Placing it back down, he used Observe on it.

“Interesting,” John muttered, eyes shifting from the sap to Teri. “Sounds like this can be used in potions.”

The goblin girl nodded, reaching over to take the sap from John. She inspected it with focused eyes, turning the sphere around with her fingers.

“I think it could,” she said. “I’d have to know exactly what it can do though.”

“Guess that’s my cue to finish reading,” John remarked, returning his gaze to the sap’s sheet.

Condensed: This material has been compressed into a smaller area. An application of one mana can return it to its normal density, removing this Attribute.

Flora Charged: The material naturally generates Water and Earth Mana at a rate of .5MP/Hour up to 2 for each mana type. Mana must be drawn in equal parts from this.

Bolstering: When this is used as a component in potion making, item creation or as part of a spell, it amplifies aspects that affect one’s health and physical condition.

“You’re not going to test that first one at the table,” Vivian said curtly.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” John replied. “From how that one’s worded, I wouldn’t be able to turn it back into a ball.”

Senka sauntered over and plucked the orb from John’s fingers, her other hand gently grasping his shoulder. John felt a wave of heat rush to his face as the spirit’s full breasts brushed against the back of his head, but he managed to keep his composure as she inspected the sap.

“It’s interesting how this generates a twined pair of mana,” she commented. “It’s the same process as my blade, but at a greatly reduced rate and saturation. I wonder if that is tied to its mass? If we were to pool them all together, would we have nine times the amount of mana to work with?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Vivian chimed in. “But that might make things messy if we were to take an amount for something. Plus I don’t think I have anything to store it in.”

“Don’t think we’re going to be liquefying these anytime soon,” John said. “Keeping them solid sounds much better than needing to find jars or something to hold them.”

He reached up and took the sap sphere from Senka, then rolled it over to Teri, saying, “Think you can do any potioning with it?”

“It sounds like it’d be useful in healing solutions,” she answered, poking at the orb. “Not as the base, but maybe we can combine this with that Vine Juice you showed me earlier. I think if we could add something that can restore mana, we could make a really useful restorative.”

“Something to look into later,” John said. “Let’s move on to the next item.”

He picked up the next drop, the seed. Visually, it closely resembled an acorn, but after a moment to steady his mind, John could feel a faint warmth radiating from it, like a stone heated on a hot day.

“Well, these sound like they’ll be good for a farm,” Aeolia remarked.

“Eventually,” Teri added, a frown on her face. “It’s cool, but getting some actual crops would have gone a long way in convincing the elders we can stay.”

John nodded, feeling a bit guilty that the seed wasn’t something immediately useful, a trend he feared the rest of the loot would continue. Cool and useful they may have been, but with Teri’s narrow needs, they appeared to fall short.

“You don’t need to feel bad about it,” Teri cut in. “You can’t control what your powers generate.”

“Maybe later I could,” John replied with a small smile. Shaking away the negative feelings, he pulled up the Attribute information.

Hearty: This seed, and the tree that will grow from it, is very durable, and is projected to live for a long time.

Yav’maia Aura: The blessing of the elven forest deity is infused into this plant. While it is in good health, other nearby plants have their growth, and crop yield, increased.

“Not much more there,” John said glumly, putting the seed down. “Was hoping there’d be a bit more than what the item description said.”

John looked over the rest of the items, eyes settling on the block of steelwood. He pushed it to the side, saying, “Already snagged one of those before, nothing worth noting. Just stronger thanks to exposure to earth mana and can regen when given mana. Let’s check out the claw.”

“Didn’t you get a tooth like this?” Aeolia asked.

“Yeah, back from the Vine Hound we fought at school,” John answered. “That was an Uncommon, though, and had a second Attribute.”

“You guys fought something at school?” Beth blurted out.

“Yeah. Didn’t I mention I was attacked on Monday and that’s how I got roped into this?” John asked.

“No, think I’d remember that,” Beth remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “If my sister knew that, she’d pull me out in a heartbeat and run to one of the coasts.”

“Then make sure it doesn’t slip out,” Aeolia said.

“Almost sounds like you’d miss me,” Beth needled the winged woman.

Aeolia let out a snort. “Maybe a bit, but mostly because we’ve already put in the effort to make you part of the team. It would be a waste to just let you go.”

John was ready for the pair to start trading verbal blows but instead they both let out a peal of laughter after a second of prolonged eye contact.

‘I have no idea what just happened,’ he thought. ‘And I doubt I ever will.’

Shaking his head, he cast Observe on the next item: the glyph covered sphere.

“Looks like that’s from the things Beth and I fought,” Vivian said, peering at the display. “Not too different from the Glyph Spheres, though I don’t think it’s as configurable.”

“Yeah, looks like this is more locked in,” John assessed, looking at the second Attribute. “But let’s not jump to conclusions.”

Aura Compatibility(animal): This item can absorb some of the aura of the listed type(cost: 15MP). Once charged, any body this core is placed in will act like the donor.

Command Script: The glyphs inscribed on this orb provide the instructions on how to function.

Loyalty Bond: During the activation charge(25MP), additional mana can be supplied. Those who provide mana at this time are considered friendly and can issue orders, provided they don’t conflict with the primary activator.

“Pretty interesting,” John commented, turning his gaze to Vivian. “What kinds of animals did you guys fight?”

“Cats, big rats and monkeys,” the redhead responded. “But I feel like this can imitate any animal.”

“Could make for some nice guard dogs,” Beth commented.

“We’d have to find some way to make a golem first,” John said, shaking his head. “One last item from this set. Let’s see what this twisted tree branch does.”

“Seems like this could be a crafting component,” John surmised, picking up the stick. It was rough in texture, around a half meter in length and as thick as his forearm.

Mana Tuned: After years exposed to the elements, this material has become an excellent conduit for many types of mana.

Resilient: This material has stood the test of time, reducing durability loss.

“Definitely a crafting component,” John reiterated, pushing aside thoughts on how to use them. “But we can think about that later.”

John collected the items and pushed them to the side.

“Let’s get to the bigger items.”

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.