After Erik deliberated which of the requests he wanted to take, he decided on one that read "A Beast resides deep in our Nearby Caves!" He took the paper off of the Quest Board and quickly scanned over it with his eyes.
"We here in the town of Dulldrom," Erik read to himself, "have noticed loud, disruptive noises coming from deep within the caves that lay outside the entrance, near our fine settlement. When others try to go near, they are met with the distinct smell of poison coming from the inside, making entry unsafe. Please, any adventurers who may stumble upon this request, come and dispatch of this beast! ...Well, it's straightforward enough, that's for sure. Must be some sort of creature that wandered in and claimed the cave as its own."
Erik then looked up from the paper and thought, Now, I just need to find my way towards Dulldrom... wherever that is. Immediately upon finishing that thought, it occurred to Erik. That's right! Those three are FROM here - they probably know where Dulldrom is. In exchange, they can get some of the reward money.
Erik then turned and walked back towards the table where Tyrel, Simeon, and Dober sat, flyer in hand. As Erik approached, Dober turned his head towards him and responded, “So, find a good first quest?” with a big friendly smile.
"I think so," Erik replied. "Says here a monster has taken residence in a cave up near a town called Dulldrom. But, I don't know where that is."
Tyrel chimed in with a snicker. "You're new here, you don't know where anywhere is in Esteri!"
Erik scoffed. "Right, but I don't have a map on me."
Dober raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Really? Why wouldn't you have map?"
"I couldn't find one where I am from," Erik answered. "I had hoped that once I came in from the border and found my first settlement, that a map would be provided. No such luck yet."
"So I assume you'll be taking us up on that offer to guide you there?" Tyrel said.
Erik nodded. "If you wouldn't mind - at least until I can get a map of my own, having you three as guides will help tremendously. You've already done so much--"
"Yeah, yeah, save it," Tyrel interjected with a wave of his hand. "it's really not that big a deal to us. Just happy to be of service."
"You said that this came from Dulldrom?" Dober clarified. Erik nodded again, and Dober continued, "That's about half a day's trip from here... but, if we were to go now, we'd arrive by nightfall. Exploring a cave at night isn't the best idea."
"Not to mention, I don't wanna do two jobs in one day," Tyrel added. "I say, since we're already here, all four of us bunk up in our own rooms, and make way to Dulldrom first thing in the morning."
Tyrel then turned his gaze towards Erik. "That fine with you?"
"Yes, of course!" Erik answered enthusiastically. "I appreciate all your help! Get some good rest, guys!"
With that, Erik made his way back up to his room, as the other three went to confirm that they had accepted the job Erik had picked from the board with their guildmaster.
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THE NEXT DAY
The four men had made their way towards the town of Dulldrom on horseback - Erik himself did not have a horse, so he was elected to ride on Tyrel's while Tyrel himself would be seated behind Erik. Tyrel had decided to do this as a means of being able to quickly draw his bow should he need to, without the need to stop or get off his own horse. It was a clever solution, and saved the group some coin to rent another horse just for Erik. Tyrel and Simeon's horse strode alongside each other as Dober led the party up front, acting as the guide.
"So, you have been to Dulldrom before, Dober?" Erik asked.
"Indeed!" Dober answered back. "Very friendly town, full of friendly people - one of my first jobs at the guild was actually there at that very same place. That was even before I met Tyrel or Simeon."
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Tyrel recalled. "What job was that again?"
Dober couldn't help but laugh. "That was the one where they needed a wrestling partner on short notice! I figured I would be perfect, given my build."
Tyrel then laughed himself, "Oh that's right, I remember now! You were also a bit fatter then than you are now, correct?"
Dober nodded with a large grin on his face.
Dober then explained to Erik that Dulldrom was a mining town that would partake in all sorts of wrestling matches during the night as a means of relieving stress from such a hard day's work. The cave that the flyer on the Quest Board was their primary entrance to the cave system that the town had been built on top of, so without access to the cave, the livelihood of those in the town would be put in jeopardy.
More time passed, when Tyrel spoke to Erik.
"Alright, just so you don't set yourself up for disappointment, I should let you know that the 'monsters' here in Esteri aren't exactly all that."
Erik asked, "How do you mean?"
"Well, they're just not all that viscous," Tyrel clarified. "They're more of a nuisance than anything else."
"A monster that expels poisonous gas is just a nuisance to you?" Erik asked.
"Yeah, probably just a Shii - little mushroom guys that usually grow in dark areas. Their poisonous fumes are more of a defense mechanism, they can't even think of putting up a fight."
Erik had no idea what a Shii was, but a mushroom monster was something he had never encountered before. Threatening or not, it gave Erik the opportunity for a fresh experience.
The four men stopped their horses as they had finally approached the entrance to the cave, the town of Dulldrom well within sight. As they all came to a stop, Simeon dismounted first, followed by Tyrel, Dober, and then Erik. Dober was closest to the cave, and went up closer to it to inspect something unusual.
The opening to the cave was boarded off with wooden planks placed rather haphazardly, with an animal skull nailed to the front. To adventurers like Dober, this was an all-too-common sign that meant only one thing - “Keep Out”.
He then turned to face the other three and exclaimed, "You guys, the entrance has been sealed off."
Tyrel then raised an eyebrow. "Sealed off? You think the townspeople did that? Try and keep whatever is in there from getting out?"
"Why do that instead of just letting it leave?" Erik questioned.
Tyrel shrugged. "Beats me. My best guess? They were afraid that whatever it was may wander into town."
Dober then pinched his nose and made his way back to the group, away from the entrance to the cave. "Goodness - the smell coming from inside is nauseating..." Even from where Erik was standing, the faint scent of sulfur breached his nose.
Without even being prompted, Simeon then struck a pose with his arms - his left hand forming the shape of a ring connected by the tips of his thumb and index fingers. The circle this formed began to glow in his hand, and as he waved his hands around, four large, bright teal-colored bubbles formed above him, only to gently float back to the ground slowly. Before one could even hit the ground, Simeon then grabbed one of them from midair and shoved his head in from the bottom, his head now encased in it.
Erik was surprised. "What sort of spell is that?"
"Sense Protection," Dober answered, putting on one of the other bubbles himself. "It's a spell that protects one from elements that would hinder or attack the senses - sight, hearing, smell, you name it. No doubt the deeper we explore the cave system, the more concentrated the source of the smell will become."
Tyrel, bubble already over his head, gave Erik the last one. "Yeah, best put this on before we go any further."
Erik followed suit, and once all four were fully protected, Dober proceeded to tear off the wooden barricades with his gauntlets, Tyrel and Dober gathered their camping supplies. There was no telling just how long the expedition into the cave system would take them.
Erik, sword holstered on his back, then charged ahead once the way was clear. "Adventure awaits!" he yelled, while the other three followed leisurely behind him.
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After some time had passed, and Tyrel, Dober, and Simeon all caught up with Erik, Erik began taking note of the cave's environment.
The light that shone through the entrance of the cave had dissipated, but the cave itself was brightly lit by large, deep-blue crystals that emanated a collective glow. The ground beneath Erik's feet was covered not in rock, but rather mossy grass, mushrooms scattered about randomly.
"This is quite the sight..." Erik said quietly. "Hard to believe a beast is somewhere inside this beautiful cave."
Tyrel nodded. "Tell me about it - whatever is in here must have made it pretty deep if we still haven't come across it even now.
Dober's stomach then made an audible grumbling noise, as the other three turned to face him.
"Goodness, I guess I must be hungry!" he said with a laugh.
Tyrel snickered back, "Well, we seem to be in the clear for now - might as well set up camp here. This part of the cave is relatively serene, so we should be safe. Can't fight monsters on an empty stomach after all!"
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