Chapter 50: Making it to Yaranhold

There was a chain around the core now, and Thomas placed it around his neck. Hiding the purple crystal in his tunic. The monsters went back to doing what they had previously done.

"How do I call you?" Thomas asked the crystal.

"I do not have a name, Thomas Silver-Tongue," the crystal told him.

"How about Alchemist? That is the name of the dungeon, after all?" The summoner asked again. If he was going to spend his time with the core, then the thing needed a name.

"Can't it be something more personal?" The core whined.

"Oh, I know. How about Chem?" Teri said. That sounded like a name, and it would suit the core.

"Chem sounds just fine," the core pulsed, and a screen appeared over it.

<Name: Chem.

Dungeon core of the Alchemist's Lair.

Protector of the dark Grimoire.

Gateway to Yaranhold.

Status: Artificial core created by the Alchemist Jeremy, some five thousand years ago. Currently, under contract with Thomas Silver-Tongue.>

"Thomas Silver-Tongue?" Rina said with a giggle.

"Chem saddled me with the nickname," Thomas whined. "By the way, Chem, what gender are you?"

"I do not have a gender, master," Chem told him.

"How about a girl, you are as mean as one," Thomas said thoughtfully.

"Mean? I let you have the contract of the century!" Chem protested.

"Boosts like one, too," Teri agreed. They were both hit over the heads by Rina.

"There is nothing wrong with being a girl, Chem. I, for one, think that it would suit you," Rina smiled down at the crystal. "Besides, you are purple. That is a feminine color."

"If you say so," the core answered.

"We have to get to Yaranhold. One of your titles is the gateway to it. How do we go there, Chem?" Teri asked.

"We are not leaving without the dark Grimoire that Jeremy left me. Press the button on the pedestal," Chem commanded. Thomas did just that.

The book that appeared on top of it was bound in black leather and closed with chains. There was a single orange eye on top of it, that was spinning.

"What is inside?" Thomas asked. He was no mage, but, if they found one in Yaranhold willing to party with them, then they could give it to them.

"All the magic in the world. All skills. It can be used only once per day per person. So, use it wisely. Whatever you do, don't open it," Chem warned.

"Wait, how are we going to learn something from it, if we don't open it?" Teri asked. He reached out towards the grimoire, but Thomas took it off the pedestal.

"This is a seal of some sort, right?" He asked the core.

"Yes. Jeremy was corrupted by his own mana. What became of him is inside this book. Just press your hands on the eye, and you will receive a skill each day," Chem spoke.

"Well, here goes," Thomas pressed his hand over the eye, and got a feeling that he was hearing music. The tune was tragic, as if a widow was wailing over her dead children. He knew he could make ice with it. The eye closed. Thomas handed the book to Rina.

"Your turn," he said, and Rina pressed a hand over the eye.

<New Skill acquired: Stone Arrow;

The caster will hurl arrows that will be just as light as before, but they will be made of stone. Stone that can turn to slush, given the mana concentration.>

"My turn," Teri just hoped he didn't need to waste twenty days on the book to get the new skill. He pressed a hand on the eye, and waited.

<New Skill acquired: Sonar Shield;

The caster can use soundwaves to burst his opponent's ear drums.

Skill fully mastered;>

"Alright, finally something easier," Teri then handed the book back to Thomas.

"Chem, we need to get to Yaranhold," now that Thomas was the dungeon master, he could feel the entire dungeon as if it were a part of him. Not only that, but he could feel the surrounding area. Horses were approaching, and he didn't doubt that it was Lucius.

"Just press on the ruby on the wall," Chem told them.

Thomas did so, and then a doorway appeared. They passed through it, and then sealed it back up.

"Chem, jam the mechanism," Thomas ordered. If Lucius wanted to get to them, he needed to take the longer way around.

"On it," they heard a click, and walked down a corridor, following the rays of light.

The closer they went to the exit, the more sounds of talking they heard. Soon, they were out. There were guards in an unknown levy on the other side.

"Halt, who goes there?" The one on the right asked.

"We are the Slime party. Here to warn the mayor of Yaranhold that a danger is approaching his city," Thomas said. The two guards shared a look, and then nodded.

"Come with us, then. You must be really something, to have gone through the Alchemist's Lair," the one on the left murmured.

They were made to get on a wagon, and, after a short ride to the city walls, were given to different guards. 

There was a different man with the guards. He looked old, but well-kept. In rich brown robes with yellow trims, and with short cropped hair, he looked every inch the noble.

"Adventurers, do you come from Orestria? What does guild master Yima have to tell us?" The man asked.

"We need to tell you that someplace private, to avoid mass panic," Rina said. They were gathering strange looks. Their clothes so different from those of the locals.

Where the adventurers wore leather and chain mail, the natives wore leather exclusively. Even the civilians did so. The women didn't wear pants, like Rina, but rather skirts that exposed their knees. The men wore something like a skirt over their pants as well.

"If you believe it is necessary, then so be it," the man made a waving motion, and led them towards a castle.