Loot Review 3: The Grand Finale

“Might as well save what’s in the box for last,” Aeolia said.

The others nodded in agreement and John pulled out the sole item they had scavenged from the dungeon. The heavy glass jar of dirt appeared on the table, just as unimpressive looking as they had found it in that old chest.

“Well, it’s better than it looks,” John remarked. “Figured it wouldn’t just be dirt, or I guess it’s soil.”

“Is there really a difference?” Beth halfheartedly asked.

“I think there’s a micro-ecosystem in soil, like bacteria and such,” John recounted. “Dirt is just dead, not good for growing stuff.”

“And all that stuff is ok in there?” Beth inquired. “Might have only barely got a ‘C’ in my last bio class, but locking something up in a jar can’t be good for keeping things alive.”

“Figure the Attributes play into that,” John said, finger reaching out to call up further information. “Especially that last one.”

Tailored Extended Space: This container has a larger interior than its exterior, but only for the selected material. This does not negate the weight of stored items. Current mass:100/100 kg

Concentration Array (Earth & Water): Rune arrays inscribed in the glass gather ambient mana of the indicated types and infuse the contained material while sealed. Current infusion rate: 1 kg/hour. Material infusion: 100%.

Weight Maximum: This container has a set maximum weight (25Kg). Any excess material does not increase its weight.

Preservation Field: To maintain the soil ecosystem, some of the condensed mana is used to keep the soil fresh.

“That’s a lot of soil,” Aeolia remarked in a deadpan voice.

John dismissed the screens and reached for the jar. He gave it a light push, finding it too heavy to even slide across the table.

“Yeah, figured as much,” he lamented, moving his hand to the lid. “Haven’t put enough into Strength to casually move twenty-five kilos.”

He wrenched the lid open with a hearty twist, the rubber seal letting out a ‘pop’ as it gave way. The room was quickly filled with the earthy scent of moist soil.

“Smells fresh to me,” Teri said, a hint of longing in her voice.

“You okay?” Vivian asked, concern etched into her expression.

“Just reminds me of home,” the goblin girl muttered. “Best place to read was under a tree near one of our fields.”

Kitai cooed and Teri patted her companion’s head. “Can’t dwell on the past. But that soil smelling like that is a good sign that it’ll be good for crops. I’ll have to snag a good spot once we get things set up.”

“Well, we’ll be able to make a good amount of farmland with this lucky find,” John said, dipping his hand in and scooping some out. The instant his hand lost contact with the soil, the divot he made shifted and refilled, giving the impression that none had been removed.

“Guess that means we’ll know when the jar’s close to running out,” John added as he focused his attention on the soil in his palm. It was moist, like it had just been watered, and he could feel it begin to stain his skin.

Infused Soil: This soil is infused with a mix of Earth and Water mana in the proper ratio best for growing plants.

“Any idea what the proper ratio is?” John asked as he turned his attention to Vivian.

“Not off hand,” the redhead answered, her fingers coming to fiddle with the charm on her choker. “But if I had to guess, I would place it as about fifty-five earth and forty-five water. A perfect split doesn't make sense since plants are solid, but too much of a difference in earth’s favor doesn’t work either given the general amount of water plants, and most life for that matter, need and are composed of.”

Nodding, John tipped his handful of soil back into the jar. The drip of moist soil seemed to phase
into the mass below, leaving the top flat.

“I wonder if the soil was sucked in like the rest of it was quicksand or if the magic pulled it into the extended space?” Senka mused.

“I think we’d have to give this a super thorough examination to figure out exactly how the Attributes work,” John surmised. “Which might be something out of our depth.”

“Don’t want to break the thing,” Beth commented. “Think of the mess it’ll cause in here.”

John let out a snort, earning a slightly reproachful glare from Vivian. “Yeah. No experimental item examinations in the kitchen. Wouldn’t start with something this rare anyway.”

John touched the jar and willed it away, and replaced it with the dungeon’s prize. A sense of weighty anticipation fell upon them, everyone’s attention focused on the box. John called up its Observe so they could review its Attributes.

Ancient Origin: The craftsmanship employed to create this item was refined throughout the ages. Channeling mana into it increases Wisdom by 1 for every 5MP spent. Effect lasts 1 minute for every point increased.

Sacred Sigils: These revered markings both increase the resilience of the material and ensure what’s sealed inside remains undamaged.

Mystic Lock: This item is sealed and will only open when the proper key is presented.

Evocation: Rite of Yav’maia’s Growth: Sacrifice this item to accelerate the growth of seed within. Cost: 100MP. Can be cast at a short distance. Others may provide mana to increase the effect.

“They really wanted this seed to survive,” Beth remarked once John had rattled off all the information.

“Makes sense,” Aeolia commented. “I mean the stuff we got earlier implied they were fighting undead of some kind. I wouldn’t want some zombie getting their hands on my stuff.”

John nodded. “Sounds like that could be it. But, none of this stuff has the anti-undead stuff like what we got from the Woads.”

“Perhaps they won,” Teri suggested.

“Maybe,” John muttered, not entirely convinced. Shaking his head, he added, “Doesn’t matter which way this possible history happened. Let’s get this open, shall we? Might need a bit more space though.”

John stood up and pulled out one of the totems. The sigils on the staff softly glowed a faint purple, an effect matched by the ones adorning the box. John leaned over and tried to throw open the lid but it remained locked.

“Guess that’s the wrong key,” Beth said.

“I’m not so sure,” Vivian interjected. “If it was the wrong one, why is it glowing and resonating with the box?”

“Think it’s a three part thing?” John asked, setting the totem on the table next to the box. He pulled out the other two, their markings flaring to life. For a moment, they matched the faintness as the others, but all the sigils increased in their intensity for a moment, bathing the room in magenta light. Then all the symbols darkened and the lid clicked open, a golden glow peeking out from the narrow opening.

The sense of anticipation redoubled and John’s mouth grew dry. He stowed the two totems he held, ignored the first, still laid out next to the box, and slowly brought his hands to the lid. He lifted it, letting more of the golden light illuminate his face.

Inside the box was a lone golden seed, close in appearance to an acorn. John carefully picked it up, finding its texture no different than the mundane acorns he’d encountered during the autumns of his childhood. He closed the lid and placed the seed upon the top of its container.

“That’s...” Vivian began to say before words failed her. “I’ve never heard of anything like this!”

“Gonna clue the rest of us in?” Beth asked. “I get this thing will grow into a tree, but what does the rest of this mean?”

“I believe Vivian is focused on the ‘Barrier can develop into a Kingdom’ part,” Senka said. “Given the ‘Legendary’ rarity, I presume such an effect is far beyond the usual order of things.”

“You could say that again,” the redhead muttered, gently picking up the seed. “Kingdoms are not something that are just made. From my studies, Kingdoms are separate, self sustaining domains. There’s a long standing debate on how they came to being. Some believe they all manifested at the dawn of magic. Others think that a sufficiently powerful being, like on the level of a god, could create one.”

“Sounds like that one might be right,” John said. “Since that thing implies it can turn any old Barrier into a Kingdom.”

Vivian frowned. “I’m not so sure this falls into that one so cleanly. It sounds like it won’t be as simple as plant seed, boom, Kingdom. It reads as more of a process.”

“Well, one way to find out,” John said, tapping the sole known Attribute.

Propagation of Grandeur: Great power rests in this seed, only needing a place to grow and proper tending. Further Attributes will be unlocked as the tree matures.

“Guess we have to commit to this to find out,” John remarked, disappointment in his voice over the lack of a clear answer.

“So, think this is good for you, Teri?” Aeolia inquired, eliciting a faint exclamation of surprise from the goblin.

“What?” she ineloquently asked, all attention now on her.

“Think this will work for you guys?” Aeolia reiterated her question. “You know, plant this bad boy and make a proper farm.”

Taken aback, Teri blinked before finding her voice again and said, “You’re going to give us the seed?”

“You guys need it,” John said, agreeing to Aeolia’s line of thought. “We went dungeon running to help you, so it makes sense for you to get the big prize.”

Teri looked at John, then to Aoelia and Vivian, and took a calming breath. “This is a big thing. Bigger than naming you blood kin. It’ll make my people almost revere you if you give us a home like our old one. Not that they aren’t already grateful for lending us your home.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing,” Beth remarked.

“It is when one’s leaders aren’t happy with others being looked to as saviors,” Teri informed the dark haired woman. “They’re pushing this ‘let’s try to reestablish our farms’ angle because they, mostly Elder Vrexty, believe it to be a doomed venture. They want this to fail to gain back control.”

“And if we deliver a place that can serve as a long term home and not just a way to produce their own, it would erode what little control they have left,” Senka coolly noted.

Teri nodded sadly. “Exactly.”

“Maybe you should just tell them to fuck off,” Beth said.

“That would be a bad idea,” Teri countered, shaking her head. “Trying to usurp the leadership, even with justification, might not make the people side with us. Our leaders aren’t elected. Their positions, and those of all of us, are hereditary. My mother was the clan shaman before me, and her father before her.”

“I think clinging to such traditions in a time of upheaval may lead to further disaster,” Senka commented. “If your leaders are driving you towards ruin, don’t you have the responsibility to your people to take the reins?”

Senka’s words caused Teri to look down in shame, a drawn expression on her face. Kitai let out a faint coo and rubbed against her cheek.

“I know that,” she murmured. “I’d hoped that with everyone more alive than they had been in months it would sway Vrexty, make him consider properly settling down. But I’m afraid he’s too set in taking care of things his way.”

“What about the other two?” John inquired.

“They’ve always followed Vrexty’s lead,” Teri answered glumly. “To be fair, back in his youth, Vrexty was an impressive warrior and led our people to the victories that let us be at peace for decades. They liked to recount those stories, so everyone knows how much he gave for us. Makes it hard to go against him.”

John let out a hum, scratching his chin. “How about this: We make a Barrier and plant the seed. See if that makes a good place to set up crops. At the very least, we could say we found some way to set up a small farming area for you. Play it by ear from there.”

Teri looked pensive as she considered John’s plan, then nodded.

“That sounds like it could work,” she said slowly. “Fills their stated desire without revealing the true extent of what it can become, in case we need it later.”

“When you say it like that, makes it sound like we’re about to start up some conspiracy shit,” Beth interjected. “Like this is step one to overthrow your bosses.”

Teri smiled sadly. “It might. I don’t want to upset the way things are, but like Senka said: I have a duty to my people. If Vrexty’s leadership would destroy us, I have to be ready to step up.”

“Well, whatever happens, we’ve got your back,” Aeolia declared, drawing nods of agreement from the others.

“We’ll need to find a good spot to set this up,” Vivian said, pulling out her phone. John did the same, opening the phone’s map.

“Guess I’ll look too,” Beth remarked, grabbing her own mobile device from her bag. Before she could even unlock it, the harsh sound of a metal guitar solo blared from it, the screen lighting up with a picture of a blonde young woman, the name ‘Lynn’ flashing above it.

“Fuck!” Beth exclaimed.

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.