The reason that I know they got turned around and didn't go that way on purpose is that I can hear them arguing about it. Honestly I'm surprised they haven't gotten turned around before. I guess they just don't get deep enough normally. Still the fact remains that they found the second chest, technically the first chest as it's closer to the entrance but that's beside the point. The problem they are facing now is that their hands are already full from the first chest. It's not like any of them thought to bring storage containers. From their perspective their was no need to before now. After some debate they decide to at least open the chest.
This chest contains iron chest armor, Iron leg armor, a magic staff, a set of daggers, two short swords, two sets of thick robes, Three minor health potions, two minor stamina potions, a minor mana potion, and 6 copper coins. The problem with that being they still don't know what the potions are or what they do. The potions aren't exactly labelled. In fact they're just some colored liquid in a sealed bottle. Not even sealed tight since by it's very nature the bottle needs to be easy to open. The only reason I know what's in those bottles is because I have access to information they don't. It's a little frustrating because with the potions they have now they could keep going for a long time, maybe even fighting the boss, but to them it's just a strange liquid of questionable origin.
Ah well, no point crying over DP I'm not going to receive. As for Eric's party Amy has decided to switch out the padded leather she is currently wearing for the iron armor. She reasons that iron is tougher than leather. I mean even that leather they got earlier is tougher than what they are currently wearing, so she's not wrong. Heck, even the robes offer more protection as far as that goes. To everyone's surprise, including mine, the iron armor goes on as easily as putting on new cloths. I chalk it up to magic shenanigans. Iron armor should not be that easy to put on and take off. At any rate she just needs iron boots and iron gloves and she will have a full set of iron armor. She's currently the only one among them who actually looks the part of a delver. Even if the look is somewhat ruined by her modern shoes.
It is interesting to see them debating whether or not to even bother with loot that a level 1 or 2 party in almost any other world would be thrilled to receive. Eventually they decide to take it all figuring they can at least sell it if nothing else. Well, they do leave behind some of the padded leather Amy was wearing before changing into the iron armor. They also leave behind three or the rusty katanas. The first two because the swords are clearly better and the last one because Rachel realized that her fire spell, weak as it is, was far easier to cast with the staff. I only hope that of the eight and a half billion people that were on earth when I died at least one of them who lives nearby picked up the identification skill. Without it the only way to tell what those strange liquids, health, mana and stamina potions, do is by drinking them under specific conditions. I mean a health potion isn't going to have any effect if your not hurt and a stamina potion is going to be useless if you're well rested.
After they leave I immediately get to work. This delve has been very fruitful for more than just them. This is the first time I've gotten so much DP from a single delve. The first thing I do is spend 20DP to upgrade the snake spawner. The new snakes are one and a half meters instead of one meter. They are also slightly thicker and have venom that is slightly more potent. Then I use another 30DP to create a spider spawner placed near the boss and immediately upgrade it to level 2. Spider boss needs spider minions after all. The spawner rather predictably looks like a giant egg sack. Though that is where the similarities to known spiders ends as what comes out are tarantulas the size of dinner plates.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Now I think it's time I start saving up for my second floor. I still want to add ore veins to the mine but I'll wait another few months to a year. By then people will surely have figured out what I am. I'm sure some already have but eventually it will be rather obvious, especially once people start making it to the second floor. I could continue the theme by making my next floor an underground mining camp, the new floor theme option, but I plan to go a different route and make sure there is no doubt whatsoever that I am not just some mine. First things first though, I need to save up the necessary 200DP for the second floor.
The good news is that I'm starting to see a few regulars. Aside from Eric's party which has been here four times already the next few days brings two more parties that have been here twice before making this their third visit. I listen in on their conversations to try and piece together what is happening in the world at large. It turns out there are already some creatures that are completely immune to ordinary bullets. Or at least there are rumors of such creatures. I'm inclined to believe such rumors because even I can't yet imagine how strong my mobs will eventually be and the creatures outside aren't restricted by dungeon rules. Sadly, nobody else finds any of the chests during the next few days. A good thing too as it takes a while for the chests to be restocked.
About two weeks after Eric's party left the 12 person group returns. I had almost forgotten about this group as they've only delved once before. They seem much more prepared this time. I have high hopes for this group making it pretty far. They don't get very far into the mine when one of them stops the group. He then bends down to examine one of the mushrooms. "I'd like to grab a few samples to take back for testing" he says. I know they're edible but I can understand his caution, besides I get DP for them being harvested either way so I don't really care what they do with them.
"You're not actually planning to eat those are you?" a girl who looks to be in her late teens early twenties asks with a look of disgust.
"Maybe" he replies nonchalantly. "With modern infrastructure breaking down it can't hurt to find alternate sources of food. Besides these could have medicinal qualities."
With that he proceeds to wrap up a large pile in some cloth and put it in his backpack. It's clear that this group has been scavenging for a while now. Looking closer I finally realize it's not the same group. Some are missing and there are some new faces. The fact that the groups size is still twelve appears to be a complete coincidence. Based on what I've heard from other groups I can imagine what happened to the people who are no longer in the group. After making it to the first split in the path there is some discussion about which way to go. After some back and forth among the group they decide to take the path leading to the chest. Unlike with Eric's group however once they reach the chest there is no debate about whether or not they should take the stuff. Once again the first thing they try is just taking the chest itself. Although they are a bit more stubborn than Eric's group and so it takes them much longer to give up on that idea.
The chest isn't quite as full as when Eric's team got to it but there are still some good things in it. Whether or not the group will recognize their value is another story.
