Paragon of Skills

There are few things that I can describe as well as the stupor I seem to be in at the moment. The fact that this legendary figure just offered me entrance like this... just because I have some mining background, feels incredible to me. Apparently, Rafnov is an even more legendary figure than King Baalrek, but that means that someone like him should have made this incredibly difficult for me. Instead, we just had a little chat, he took a liking to me, and now I'm staring at an invitation to one of the most coveted Dungeon Secret Rooms I could find.

"Can I ask one last question?" I say.

"Of course."

"Were you someone who helped people?"

I hear the voice falter for a moment before laughing with the most crystalline laughter I've heard in my entire life.

"Is that your question? Haha! You're such a precious character, Jacob. You're asking if I was good? I wasn't a Knight if that's what you're asking."

"No, I'm asking whether you used your powers for good. You mentioned creating some abominations. I wouldn't want to accept a legacy from someone like, let's say, belonging to the Cult of Asmodeus."

"No, Jacob. I'm not part of any Cult. But... your question..."

The voice goes still and then I see a blinding light appearing in front of me and slowly taking a weird shape, almost like a cross with no top.

"Oh," I say, as the light turns into a pickaxe.

"You're welcome to enter. And this, consider this a little gift from me. It's nothing mythic. It's a good pickaxe that will serve you until we meet again."

I look at the pickaxe. It's made of rather grainy, rough wood and what looks like scrap metal.

"Don't let appearances fool you, Jacob."

"Sorry," I say, grabbing the pickaxe.

"Now, let me pull you all in. Good luck with the tests. I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors. Oh, before I forget."

Once again I feel the weird pressure in my soul and then I hear the high-pitched voice of King Baalrek reappear.

"--I WAS THE GREATEST KING MY RACE HAS SEEN YOU CAN'T KEEP--"

"Sorry," the voice of Rafnov says, "I didn't mean to be disrespectful, friend. But you're not a miner and I wanted to talk to one. Now, goodbye."

As the voice disappears, the circular stone portal flashes brighter and brighter until I feel an immense suction force pulling me toward it.

I turn my face up and see several people being pulled into the pond. It's the other Champions.

* * *

Once the blinding light disappears from our sight, I look around to find myself and every other Champion drenched in water and in several states of disarray while lying on the pavement of a cave.

But it's not just your normal cave.

There are many crystals jutting off the walls and, in the very middle of the cave, there's a pedestal with a giant rock.

In my right hand I'm clutching the scrappy pickaxe.

"What the hell just happened?!" Sabrina Margrave asks, taking a strand of algae out of her hair.

"Are we in?!" Zibrek asks frantically. "Is this the Secret Room?! Is this from Rafnov's?! You gained entrance?!"

"Yeah," I reply, massaging my neck. "I spoke to a soul fragment and passed the test. We've all gained entrance."

"Welcome to the first trial. To pass, you must break the rock into its individual ore fragments without damaging them and examine them. Once you do, you'll gain entrance to the second room. You can absorb the necessary Skill Crystals beside the pedestal if you haven't learned the basic Skills already."

"Is that Rafnov's voice?" Vyrrak asks.

"It must be," Asterion replies.

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"It is," I say. "Or at least it's the same voice that I heard from the soul fragment."

"Now what?" Iskara asks. "Who's taking this test?"

Everyone turns to look at me and the pickaxe in my hand.

"Oh, right. I don't know how many of you remember, but I used to be a miner. The reason Rafnov's allowed us to enter is the fact that he said that I have mining Skills. And I don't mean any great capabilities, I just absorbed several Skill Crystals related to mining."

"Case's closed, then," Kaelric says, walking closer to the pedestal. "I could cut into this, but I don't really have a good grasp of where the ore is."

I look at the giant rock and I can feel my Minor Mineral Sense giving me all the information I need about it.

When I get the feedback back, I frown and walk closer, thinking I got something wrong.

This can't be.

I do it again once I'm touching the rock and I also double-check with the Grimoire to make sure I'm not making things up.

"Huh, this rock only has iron and bronze."

I take a look at the Skill Crystals and I see it's Inferior Mineral Sense (Iron) and Early Pickaxe Mastery (Iron).

This is for actual beginners. Even with my meager mining experience... this is way too easy.

I raise the pickaxe above my head.

"WAIT!" I almost trip and slam my face into the rock when the shout pierces the air.

"What?" I turn toward Zibrek, who's fiddling with her goggles. "Are you sure? This is a very important trial, Jacob. Please, don't screw it up. Let me take a look and--"

"It's... I'm sure," I say, flabbergasted. "Just have some faith in me, please. This is just the first room."

I turn and this time I give a few hits with the pickaxe until I've excavated all the ore.

"This is iron devoid of any Mana. Same for this and this. This bronze has traces of Mana. This one doesn't," I say out loud.

For a moment, everyone in the room just stares at me and then around, waiting for anything. Yet, it takes a few more moments before the cave's chamber starts trembling and a door opens on the other side.

"Congratulations! You pass with flying colors! You've incredible mining instincts!"

How low are Rafnov's standards for his legacy if this is passing with flying colors.

When we walk into the second room, Boomgar pats me on the shoulder.

"Dwarves are famous for mining, lad, but I never picked it up. My pa' wasn't happy about it. But the only way I ever loved to dig was by making things blow up. That's fun. Getting all dusty and dirty in a mine? Meh. But yeah, you've got the chops of a miner. Dogged, stubborn, and a bit dirty."

"Is this supposed to be a compliment?" I frown.

"Dwarves enjoy dirt," Zibrek says with a wrinkled nose.

"A hardworking man's gotta get dirty," Boomgar nods wisely.

"You don't need to roll in dirt like a pig," Zibrek shoots back.

"Stop bickering," I tell the two as I look inside the second cave. "Also, are those crystals valuable?"

"The crystals in the chamber are decorative and are meant as lighting. Trying to remove them will be punished."

"And that's the answer," I say, sighing. "Alright, what's the second test?"

"For the second trial, you must burrow half a meter inside a rock wall."

I look around, expecting it to be some Mana-infused rock that will be super hard to break but then I see a rocky wall at the center of the room, like a giant slab of stone. I walk close to it and place a hand on it, then also inspect it with the Grimoire.

Beside the platform there are two Skills, Iron Grip and Minor Strength.

"This is pretty funny," I say out loud.

"Why's that?" Iskara asks, getting close.

"These are exactly the Skills I used to have back then. Iron Grip. Minor Strength. They're... so common."

I smile with almost melancholia. It's been a while since I've thought about the mines. There's something about seeing Skills I was acquainted with for years and of which I celebrate even the smallest levelup that makes me almost tear up a little.

"By the way, where did you get that?" Iskara frowns. "That pickaxe looks like it's about to fall apart."

"Don't worry about it," I say, cracking my neck and readying the first swing.

When I swing, this time, putting some real strength behind it. I can feel the muscle-memory kicking in, as if I had never left the mines, as if my sustenance still hinged on whether or not I could hit my daily quota.

The first hit takes out a huge chunk of rock and in less than a minute, thanks to my Skills and Attributes, I manage to put quite the hole into the rocky wall.

"Congratulations! You pass the test with flying colors! Oh my, your mastery over the Skills is incredible!"

You know, it's pretty refreshing to have such an encouraging person teaching me, I say internally toward King Baalrek.

I'd be cheery too if I was a divine being or as close as you can get to it.

You sound jealous? Don't worry, I'm not going to replace you, King Baalrek.

I can feel King Baalrek blistering at that, but I ignore it.

The chamber trembles again and a third door opens.

"If it's all this easy," Sabrina says, "we're going to get to the end of it so fast."

"Please, don't say that," I groan.

"Why?" Sabrina frowns.

"Miners' superstition," I say. "Every time someone says that a tunnel has never collapsed, it always ends up collapsing very soon."

"Perhaps that happens because tunnels that haven't collapsed are now more likely to collapse," Iskara says.

"Nope. Luck. You all are very unlucky. In fact, don't get too close and don't jinx it for me."

But when I enter the third room and I feel a scalding heatwave hit me, I groan.

"Too late, apparently."