Cat Core 3, Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.

“This map is an enchanted item that I purchased back in my early adventuring days. It can scale up or zoom in as needed,” Shara said, pulling a large, rolled-up map from her pack that she spread over the table. After a few tries, Shara was able to teach Florence how to manipulate the magic of the map and as Florence looked at it, her ability to know the direction of the nearest core she was looking for kicked in. Her focus landed on an area to the northwest of where they were now. It seemed like it would be a long journey to get there, and they didn’t exactly have a taxi service in this world.

“Here’s where we need to go, can you tell me anything about it?” Florence said, pointing to the spot on the map. It was pretty far from any nearby towns, but if her home was any indication, there was likely a small settlement built up around the dungeon if it had been there for a while.

“Ah, that’s another young dungeon, a beast core. It’s in an out-of-the-way locale and might have been the location to bring my initiates if your home hadn’t shown up. This core has a reputation for being a modest challenge for new adventurers to train, but it offers very poor loot rewards. The few that do adventure there tend to quickly move on to more profitable areas,” Shara advised.

“So, what’s the fastest way to get there? The clock is ticking, and I can spend all my time walking to dungeons,” Florence asked.

“It’s not a popular dungeon, but it’s been around long enough that you may find a teleportation scroll linked to it,” Shara said, flagging down Junior who was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to organize his move.

“Yes, Shara, what can I do for you ladies. Oh, my apologies, I’ve forgotten your map,” Junior said, looking a bit embarrassed that he had lost track of Florence’s request.

“Don’t worry about that, I have Florence covered. I did have a question for you about the beast dungeon near the Narlon Woods. Do you have a teleportation scroll that can send a small party there?” Shara asked. Florence didn’t know that was even possible, but she did recollect that them guild folks seemed to always be zipping around with teleportation magic. They sure didn’t spare the teleport scrolls when it came to trying to kill Florence Valentine.

“Not a popular place, and one I’d recommend your initiates avoid, despite their newfound skills,” Junior said, looking at where Shara was pointing on the map.

“It’s not for my team, it’s for Florence and her companions. They need to get there quickly,” Shara said.

“Well, in that case, I insist that you don’t go there, ma’am. This place has developed quite a reputation. When the initial dungeon was found a decade or so ago, it was a popular place for new adventurers, but over time, the dungeon became stingier with its rewards. A very unsavory lot has moved in, running a few ramshackle businesses that cheat any adventurers that do show up to the area. I hear that you’re more likely to meet your death in the town, than in the dungeon itself. It’s no place for polite company like yourself,” Junior said.

“Wrong side of the tracks or not, I’ve got to get there, it’s a matter of life or death. Now, can you get us a teleport scroll to there or not?” Florence asked, a bit annoyed at Junior for suggesting she couldn’t handle the place, but also a bit impressed that he was considerate enough to warn her about it.

“I do, I’ll have to dig around for it, it’s not something that’s in demand,” Junior said, flagging down one of his workers to find the scroll for him.

“If it’s not in demand, I’m sure your price will be much more reasonable, how much is this going to cost me Junior?” Florence asked, she did love a good haggle now and again.

“A teleport scroll is never cheap, and the more inaccessible the dungeon is by normal means of travel, the higher the price. Even though it’s not a popular place, the dungeon is out in the middle of nowhere. I think I can come down from the normal price of 500 gold to 450. It’s the least I can do for a friend of Shara’s,” Junior said.

“Florence, how much gold do we have exactly?” Doug asked her. Florence was a bit embarrassed to say that she was currently flat broke. Thankfully, nobody could understand Doug except for her and Fizz. How dare they send her here without a single copper to her name. She had been a powerful core, and they should have given her a passel of reward crates to crack open for herself, or at least let her create a few before she left her former home.

“Uh, Fizz?” Florence asked. The gnome shook his head no, showing her his purse which only held a handful of copper and silver coins along with bits of wire and a tiny screwdriver.

“Florence, allow me to pay for this since I can’t join you on your quest,” Shara said, digging into her pack for the coins.

“Thank you, Shara, that will help us out immensely, but before you pay this swindler, we need to slash that price a bit. How dare you try to rip off a pair of senior citizens. Nobody wants to go to this dump of a dungeon except for me. How long have you had that scroll in your inventory?” Florence asked.

“No need to get defensive, ma’am. I’m just trying to recoup my expense of acquiring it in the first place. I paid well for that scroll, and how long it's been in my inventory doesn’t make a difference to the price,” Junior said, a bit defensively, but Florence could see the gleam in his eye, this guy liked to haggle as much as she did.

“I’m not defensive, I’m just being a frugal and practical woman. I live on a fixed income and can’t afford to overpay. On the subject of overpaying, it don’t matter one tiny bit how much you paid for, it’s worth what it’s worth, and I say it isn’t worth anywhere close to what you’re trying to charge for it. Shara shouldn’t’ pay a copper over 100 gold for that useless scroll,” Florence countered.

“That price is an insult. I’ll use it for kindling before I’d give it away for that much. I’ll drop my price to 425, but that’s it,” Junior said.

“Talk about an insulting price, 425 gold is highway robbery. It’s a good thing we’re not in civilization or I’d have the guard arrest you for trying to charge that much. Now, given that you were dumb enough to overpay, and the fact I do need the scroll, we’ll bump our offer to 150,” Florence said.

“Florence,” Doug interjected, “don’t get too carried away, the clock is ticking, and we can’t afford to stay here haggling all evening,” her kitty said. To the others he likely sounded like he was meowing it up like a big old cutie pie kitty, but, sadly, Florence still heard his rather pompous voice, just like before.

“Hold on there Junior, before you say anything else, why don’t we cut to the chase, it’s been a long day for me. Give me your best price,” Florence said. She didn’t like Doug barging into the conversation one bit, but he was kind of right, that countdown timer in her interface was a ticking away.

“While I am enjoying our back and forth, I can see you, and your rather noisy companion have had a hard day. Let’s shake on 300 gold,” Junior offered.

“Okay, we’ll go with that, if you throw in some traveling rations. Me and Doug are all set, but Fizz here didn’t think to pack the important stuff, and just packed stupid stuff that he zaps himself with,” Florence said.

“Hey, my Fizzbolt 1000 is a work of art. Sure, I get some feedback from the spetzer valve, but that just shows me it’s working,” Fizz said, not at all happy that she disparaged his dopey contraption.

“I’ll do that, it’s a deal,” Junior said, shaking Florence’s hand while Shara counted out the coins. Junior looked fine, but she’d had to confirm with Doug later if her hands felt different from normal folks. She didn’t want to have cold, core gem hands or have them feel like glass or something weird.

“Give me a minute to gather everything up,” Junior said, taking his leave.

“Thank you for that, Shara, it looks like being changed into this didn’t leave me with any loot,” Florence said.

“Not a problem, here take this as well, I would have wasted it overspending on the scroll without your help. You should think about opening up a shop of your own, you have a gift for negotiation,” Shara said, handing a small pouch of coins to Florence. As soon as Shara glanced away, the pouch disappeared from Florence’s grip.

You have received 150 gold. As a core shard, all coins that you receive are automatically placed in void storage. Just think of the amount you want, and it will appear in the pocket of your choice.

“That’s way too generous, I’ll make it up to you one day, Shara. Once my home’s back, I’ll see to it right quick,” Florence said, touched that her friend would do so much for her.

“Here you go, ladies, it’s been a pleasure. Stay as long as you like, but I do plan to leave before sundown,” Junior said, placing a scroll case and a backpack full of rations and water bags on the table.

“I have to be on my way as well, stay safe, Florence, I hope we meet again. Here, you’ll have more need of this than I will. I can acquire another one where we’re headed,” Shara said, handing Florence the magic map they had been looking at.

“Thank you for this as well, I’m sure we will meet again, hey, Fizz, quit that grunting, I’m trying to say goodbye to my friend,” Florence growled at the gnome. He was trying to heft the bag of supplies but combined with the weight of his other pack, it was too much for him to lift, and he was grunting with the strain, which as anyone knows, is a sign of bad manners.

“I believe I can help with that, here’s one of Gnaw’s old harnesses, it has attachment points you can strap that ration bag onto. I’m sure that Doug is strong enough for it,” Isa said, seeing Fizz’s struggle.

“Oh, the humiliation, Florence, I may have to scratch Isa’s eyes out. This harness smells like an old dog, I’ll never get that scent off my coat, the horror!” Doug whined loudly.

“Quit fussing, you big baby, Fizz needs those supplies and you’re not carrying anything,” Florence said to her kitty as Isa finished strapping things on.

“You’re not carrying anything, you can wear this pack like a normal human, without the dog scented harness,” Doug complained.

“I’m going to be carrying this whole party on my shoulders, it looks like. I got a whining kitty, and an overloaded gnome that’s as much a danger to himself as he is to our enemy, Florence grumbled as they stepped outside the inn. Junior had shown her how to activate the scroll, it required touching a rune and reciting some gobbledygook. It only worked outdoors, and Fizz insisted he knew what to do since Florence found that she wasn’t able to pronounce half them sounds you had to make for the scroll to work.

“Ready?” Fizz asked as Shara, junior, and the others waved goodbye.

“Let it rip Fizz,” Doug said. The gnome started poking at the paper and chanting some nonsense, and after a few seconds, a bright light flashed, half blinding Florence.

“Tarnation, I can’t see,” Florence said.

“Me either, hang on, that was a rough ride,” Fizz said as a prompt appeared in Florence’s vision.

A member of your party has used teleportation magic. While still able to affect a core shard, the results of any teleportation magic will be much less accurate for you and the members of your party.

“I guess we’re here,” Doug said as their vision returned.

“Yeah, but I just got a prompt that says that teleportation magic might be a bit wonky for us, let me check the map,” Florence said. A quick look around revealed that they were deep in some forest, the place was overgrown enough that not a whole lot of sunlight made it through the trees. They were standing near a dirt trail cut through the undergrowth, it was a narrow game trail that she didn’t think would be listed on the map, even though it was a magical gizmo.

“Uh, guys, I think we’re not alone out here, wherever here is,” Fizz said.

“What are you yammering about, Fizz?” Florence said, looking up from the map to see several people appearing out of the woods, all of them holding crude weapons. They were all human and looked like some kind of slack-jawed fantasy world hillbillies to Florence. There had to be a stream, or something nearby, why did folks have to let themselves get so grungy and gross?

“What have we here, some lost adventurers trying to sneak by without paying their taxes?” One of the men asked. He held the nicest weapon of the bunch, a gleaming spear, that practically sang out that it was magical. The other seven all were using rusty weapons that looked like they hadn’t seen a cleaning in almost as long as the people holding them.

“Egad, who are these hooligans?” Doug said. It came out as a growl, causing the approaching people to stop.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, accosting an old lady in the middle of nowhere, didn’t your mama’s raise you right?” Florence asked.

“Oh, our mama’s raised us right, they raised us to take what we could from any outsider. The only question our mama would have in a situation like this is how bad we should carve up an old granny like yourself while we take everything you own,” the man with the magic spear said, grinning to show a mouth full of rotted teeth.