Saul didn’t have any other business in the city after his shopping expedition, so he decided to go to the Tavern early and kill some time. He looked up towards the sky to get an idea of what time it was and saw that it seemed like it would be a few hours until dusk. There would be plenty of time to kill in that case.

When he got to the door of the Tavern, he looked at his spear point and noticed that he wouldn’t be able to fit if he didn’t pull his spear into his inventory. He really liked the look of the spear, but it’d have to go away for now.

He brought it into his inventory with a pocket, considering the implications for a moment, ‘It seems like I can just bring things into my inventory at will. I feel the weight, but… Do I have unlimited space? Am I only limited by what I can carry? Can I upgrade my inventory size if I don’t have an unlimited amount of space? Man… I should have spent some more time asking the Guide questions back on level 1. Maybe there’s some information on the Help screen. I’ll check on that soon.’

He entered the Tavern and blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the low level of light once more. “Move it! Yer blockin’ the door.” A voice growled from in front of him. He stepped to the side, bumping into a chair that was too close to the entrance as he moved out of the way of the dwarf trying to leave. “Sorry!” He said to both the dwarf and to whoever was sitting in the chair.

He blinked a few times to help his eyes acclimate to the low lighting more quickly and then took a look around the room. He saw a few of the miners that he’d helped to rescue. They cheered at the sight of him, “That’s one of the ones that helped save us! Get him a flagon of mead on us!” One of them yelled to the bartender.

Saul waved a hand in response and moved over towards the bar, where a large glass mug was pushed into his hand. Basi had followed him closely and settled down in the space between stools. ‘Looks more like a stein than a flagon if you ask me… But that’s probably just the beer snob in me.’ He raised his mug towards the dwarves, “Many thanks! I’m glad to see you’re out and about!” And took a sip of the drink. It was… Really good!

Saul had been known to play DnD from time to time back in the real world, so he slipped into his version of ‘Adventure speak’ quite easily. “Barkeep! Who makes this mead?” He took another drink as the dwarf answered, “That there is a local brew. We make it in the basement. Me and one of the other bartenders are the brew masters.”

Saul raised his glass to the man, “You’ve done a fine job! This is some of the finest mead I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had brews from many lands!” He looked down at the mead, noticing it was already close to half gone. He’d have to pace himself. He didn’t know how strong the drink was, either. It was a time for celebration, but he didn’t trust anyone well enough to really cut loose like he was back in a college frat.

Looking towards the people in the bar, he noticed more humans than he’d seen the first time he was here. His quest with the others hadn’t taken that long, but it seemed as though more and more people were winding up in the dungeon. That was interesting to see. He imagined that more and more humans would begin to explore the dungeon as time went on.

Thinking to himself, ‘I wonder if the Dungeon will expand towns like this to accommodate the increased numbers? Is this place more like a video game or is it actually its own world? It definitely feels real to me.’ It was a question that probably didn’t matter all that much. He figured that people smarter than him would be contemplating that question for quite some time. ‘We still don’t know what the meaning of life is, so how can we say whether or not anything in here is truly alive?’

Something to ponder for another time. He saw Liza and Edwin sharing a drink over by the fire. They were laughing and sharing drinks, their chairs closer to one another than seemed simply polite. That was surprising. ‘I wonder if they knew each other before the Dungeon? Or maybe they’re just finding comfort in one another to help deal with the oddities of this place. Lord knows I could use some female company…’

He finished drinking his mead and turned to the bartender, on the verge of ordering a refill before he remembered he’d need his wits about him later. The effects of even one mug of mead were noticeable, he was sure if he had another then he’d be too drunk to train appropriately.

“Do you serve food?” He asked the bartender instead. He hadn’t had a proper meal since he’d entered the Dungeon apart from the feast at the slime village and he was ready to change it.

“Aye, we’ve got a kitchen in the back. Let’s see… We’ve got a few different choices for meat. All the sides are pretty much the same. We’ve got chicken, pork, beef, or fish.”

Saul told the man he’d take the pork. “What about non-alcoholic beverages? I need to do some training later, so I don’t want to have too much to drink before then.” The barkeep nodded and took the flagon from him, filling it from a barrel somewhat near the one he’d gotten the mead from.

The beverage in his glass now was honeyed in color and had a large foam head. It looked a lot like his first drink had, but when he tasted it he found it was totally different. Complex, creamy, frothy, and delicious - It reminded him of a cream soda, but different in the flavors and tones. Altogether it was delightful!

Before too long, a large platter was set before him loaded with pork covered in some sort of gravy. There were roasted roots and vegetables next to the pork. He didn’t recognize a number of the roots, but the vegetables seemed pretty familiar to what he was used to on Earth. Carrots, onions, things like that. There was some sort of moss sprinkled over the top, browned gently.

It smelled delicious! They gave him a big knife and a spoon to eat with. He set into his food quickly, holding the pork with the spoon and cutting large chunks of pork free. He dropped several of these chunks to the ground for his faithful companion, reaching down to scratch the lizard’s head between bites. Before long, he had a full belly and an empty platter. He leaned back and patted his stomach with a happy sigh.

When the barkeep informed him that he owed 32 silver pieces, he pulled out one gold piece. “Does this cover it?” The bartender nodded, “Aye, and quite a bit more besides. You’d have 68 pieces of change.” Saul thought for a moment, looking around the room. It was pretty full - Probably close to 40 people were currently in the tavern, “How much per flagon of mead?” The barkeep shrugged, “It’s about one silver and fifty copper, give or take.” Saul wasn’t sure why the price wasn’t fixed, but it helped him decide, “A round for everyone, then! And I’ll have another mug of that drink you’d given me before.”

The barkeep grumbled something good naturedly at him, before roaring out, “Everyone, next round is on the human here!” A general cheer spread throughout the bar, with many of the patrons raising what they held left in their mugs in salute to him. Liza and Edwin spotted him and offered a wave, but they didn’t seem like they’d move over to join him at the time. It seemed close enough to time for him to meet the weapon master anyways.

He grabbed his stein and waved his thanks to the barkeep, then exited the bar, holding the door open for Basi. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was almost dusk. He took a drink and looked around for the dwarf he was supposed to meet. He hadn’t arrived yet, but there was plenty of time for him to do so. Saul leaned up against the wall of the building. He saw the street was relatively empty at this hour. ‘Well, might as well be productive while I wait. Let’s see if I can’t get used to holding this thing.’

Withdrawing his spear from his inventory, he felt the weight in his hands. He tried to figure out where to hold the spear to maintain the best balance. He stepped away from the wall and dropped down into a wide stance, nearly crouching, the spear angled upward with its haft against his thigh. He jabbed forward experimentally a few times, the spear angled so far up that it wouldn’t pose a problem for a giant, let alone a dwarf.

From below, a gruff voice, “Yer doing that all wrong, lad.” He jumped slightly, snapping the shaft of the spear against his shoulder and looking down at the speaker. The Dwarf was a little taller than most of the ones he’d seen, plenty stocky, with a number of scars across his features indicating that he was no stranger to combat. More importantly, he was holding a massive spear in his hands. “But I guess ye knew that since you asked for some lessons, eh?”

Saul bowed to the master, “Yes. I’ve been using swords, but with a pet that can handle opponents at close range, I figure it’s smart to stay further away from enemies…” The master nodded, “That’s smart thinking. Too many adventurers decide they want to use swords and don’ consider other weapons. Swords are good, but… Well, why risk fightin’ up close when yeh can kill yer enemies from far away?”

‘That’s exactly what I’m thinking…’ Saul nodded, looking around the street “Do you have a place we can practice? I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to do this here.”

The Weapons Master nodded, “I’m Bardal Rockspear, and I’ll instruct ye for the night. Follow me.” With that he set off down the street, leading Saul through a few turns before he came to a stop near a walled off section in the city itself. There was a smaller gate there, similar to the ones that led to the exterior of the city. Bardal banged on the gate with the butt of his spear, shouting something to identify himself. The gate opened and Bardal led Saul and Basi through. Up ahead, Saul saw a few buildings that looked like they might be housing for the city guard. There was a ring in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by several lanterns that gave off a strange tinged light.

"This'll be where we do our learning. I'll teach ye how to use the spear, but first you need to learn the sense of the spear. Do like I do." Bardal led him over to that circle and took a seat in the middle of it, his spear laid across his lap, his hands on the shaft of it. Saul shrugged and imitated the dwarf, settling down and assuming the same posture. It seemed similar to his cultivation pose.

"Now, you need to reach out for the spear... Let your energy flow into it, meld with it. Think about the purpose of the spear. What does it do? What do you need it for?"

That seemed both simple and complex. Saul reached out with his Qi, letting it flow into the spear similar to what he'd done with the arrows. He felt the wood in his hands, and felt his awareness of the spear increase. 'Spears are for fighting. That's simple...' As he thought that, Bardal spoke, "And don't think of something so simple as combat. Think about the types of things they do in combat."

Saul sighed and tried to break things down more deeply, 'Spears are... Offensive. Tip of the spear and all that. They lead the way, reaching out to strike down enemies that are out of range of others.' It felt as though his connection to the spear increased slightly. His awareness of it increased as he considered further, 'They're also for defense. Spears are used to stop powerful charges from horses and mounted enemies.' Another small flash, and the connection deepened further.

"What I'm trying to teach you is the Way of the Spear. I'm a grand master of the Spear, one of the highest levels that can be reached. You'll be starting out in the foundation stages. When it comes to weapons, gaining a deeper understanding of them can help you to have more powerful abilities you can use. You can know how to use a weapon without understanding it, but you'll always be at a disadvantage against someone who knows the Way."

That was interesting. It sounded remarkably similar to what he'd been doing with his bow and arrow. He'd have to keep that in mind - Maybe in future levels he'd be able to find masters of the Way of the Bow whom he could train under. He put that under his ever growing 'Things to do' list.

Bardal spoke again, "When we practice with the spear, we can deepen our understanding, but by sending our energy into the weapon we can increase the speed at which this understanding grows. Now, open your eyes and stand up. We're going to work on forms. I'll teach you a few exercises you can do yourself to help improve your balance and technique, then I'll drill you in some basic combat forms. We'll work on these for a few hours then take a break so you can get some sleep. First thing in the morning, we'll train for a few more hours to ensure you've mastered the basics, then I'll send you on your way."

He continued, "True mastery will take a lot longer, but I'm sure you've got adventures on the mind. The basics I teach you, combined with your natural gifts should keep you alive to continue growing. Combat will certainly help you get stronger. Now, hop to it."

That sounded positive. Saul opened his eyes and withdrew his Qi back into his dantians, standing tall and waiting for instruction. "Now, you've got to try and take a balanced stance. You want to stand low, see... Feet just over shoulder width apart. Sink down into the stance. That gives you flexibility and balance. Hold your spear with your off hand near the butt of the weapon, about your forearms length away from it. Your dominant hand should be holding the spear in a position that has your leading arm straightened out almost entirely."

He shifted so that he was standing similarly to that description. He held the spear tightly, pointing forward and slightly up. Bardal reached up and yanked on the spear which caused Saul to topple over. "Useless!" Bardal roared. "You should be balanced enough that a tug like that doesn't cause a fall. Now, let's do it again." They did. Over, and over, until Bardal couldn't pull or push Saul over with his own spear.

"Your stance is acceptable." The master stated. "Now, watch me. I'm going to show you a few useful forms." Bardal stepped back and held his spear snapped up against his shoulder. Then, suddenly he leaped forward in a stabbing motion that seemed quick and powerful. Suddenly he lifted up as if blocking a high attack, jumped back and swept out in front of him as if taking the feet from an enemy. He blocked low, then high again. Then spun the spear and stabbed behind him.

It seemed complex and useless for combat. "What's this for?" He asked the master. "Ye need to learn how to transition from a block to an attack, and ye need to learn how to transition from jabs to sweeping blows. Practicing a rigid form like this helps build muscle memory." That was fair enough, as far as Saul was concerned. Concentrating, he tried to mimic the movements, with Bardal correcting him several times as he made a mistake here or there.

They continued to work on these forms for the better part of two hours. Saul learned several different types of practice, and was drilled in the basic motions of spear combat. High blocks, low blocks, sweeping attacks, stabs. When Bardal was satisfied, he spoke up, "Now, for the fun part... We're going to duel. Over and over. Tomorrow morning, we'll do it again."

He saw he'd unlocked a new skill. He was sure after he was done training with Bardal he'd level up both of his skills at least a few more times.

While he read his notification, the dwarf had traded his real spear for one with a blunted tip. When Saul noticed this, he went to do the same, but the Dwarf stopped him quickly, "Don't think you'll be trading weapons. You need to get used to that one. You're not good enough to hit me anyways."

Bardal moved to stand before him, his stance perfect. "Are ye ready?" Saul nodded his assent.

"Very well. Here I come!" The dwarf leapt forward, his blunted spear flying swiftly at Saul in a fierce attack.