Play 2 Wage: Linked

The courtyard was eerily quiet when I spawned back into the Factions layer. Only a few small groups of dwarves hurried across the normally loud and crowded yard that was now still and empty, all rushing to complete their tasks so they could watch the upcoming Clan Trials. I joined them in their hurry and crossed over to the House gates where I could see most of my formation was already waiting.

I slid into position, next to Kikkelin and now ahead of Korfook, who had been bumped down to the most junior spot. No one turned to greet me, or even looked at me. The only reaction I got from the whole group was from Chane who stood at the front of the formation, dressed in ornate ceremonial armor with his back to the gate as we waited for the allotted time for us to start our journey. He gave me a brief glance and a barely perceptible nod as I planted my feet in place.

Each initiate wore a rough naturally colored cloth robe, and I hoped that the running shorts I had chosen to wear underneath them would be deemed acceptable once we got into the actual trials. I had considered picking up a set of nano-weave shorts, to provide at least some level of protection for myself, but did not want to risk being called out for it. The only equipment I had been told I could bring were the gauntlets the dwarves had given me, yet they were only fancy protective gloves without the satchel of minerals and chemicals that came with it.

I was the last to arrive, and we spent the last 10 minutes waiting in anxious silence, although it felt more like an hour. During the calm before the storm, my mind was free to spin and churn over what might happen. I still had only a minimal idea about what to expect, only knowing that we would be expected to demonstrate our ability to gather, refine, and create whatever equipment was needed. I imagined fighting off more of the giant centipedes, with no armor or weapons, or stumbling into one of the black jellies in the pitch dark. Would there even be light to see by?

With 30 seconds to spare, Chane slammed the butt of his staff against the stone floor and a notification box popped up in the center of my vision

New Quest!

The Trials of Teurniting, the quest for adulthood. Prove yourself capable of standing amongst a long line of heroes. Showcase your skills and worthiness to serve alongside your brothers and persist through the rigors of society.

[X] - Join the House formation

[ ] - Proceed to the gathering hall

I read through the notification, and before I could process my thoughts into an actual inner monolog to question Max, he spoke up in my mind.

“Nope, this one's native. It always takes a while, but most factions eventually figure out ways to get the system to generate quests like this. The rewards tend to be pretty minimal though, the core ties the systems hands pretty tightly when it comes to giving out free stuff. You can expect some XP, some kind of cosmetic, maybe a few credits.”

I nodded in reply, tempering my expectations and legitimately grateful for the information. It was a nice change of pace to have Max simply offering useful information without having to pry it from him or pay for it with humiliation or discomfort.

“Initiates!” Chane called out, his voice raised but not quite to the level of a shout. “Today is the day, your moment is now! March forth to a new era and take your place amongst the line of House Galidurn!”

With his short speech given, he cracked his staff against the ground once more, then spun on his heel to face the gate as it smoothly opened ahead of him. He started through as soon as the gap was wide enough for him to fit his broad shoulders, leading our Row in lockstep as we marched out onto the public street.

The normally chaotic road was still crowded, but today the crowds stood to either side of a narrow band of clear space. Dwarves were pressed shoulder to shoulder on either side, or stacked atop each other in places. They clung to walls, hung from balconies, waved from windows, and lined the tops of every roof in sight.

The eerie silence we had waited in was immediately drowned out by a rising roar from the crowd. Dwarves shouted, cheered, and clapped, many carried their shields and others banged sloshing tankards against whatever hard surfaces were convenient. I kept my eyes forward and tried to focus on matching the timing of Kikkelin’s steps as she walked in front of me, counting my steps and doing my best to ignore the noise of the crowd or the overpowering mix of smells and pheromones from the packed mass of excited dwarves.

The crowd cheered for the whole journey as we descended the spiraling path down the undermountain, and eventually the exotic stink of the crowd dulled as my sense of smell was beaten into numbness. We marched for nearly an hour through the packed crowd, and I lost count of my steps halfway through at around 3000.

Near the base of the undermountain, we finally turned to a broad and empty flat space between two tall blocky buildings that was large and wide enough to be mistaken for an unpainted parking lot. The Initiate Rows from the four other Houses emerged from other neighboring streets, and we all filed into neat lines into the center of the cleared yard. The older dwarves at the head of each line raised their staffs and called a simultaneous halt, and the surrounding crowd quieted once again. I saw my quest tracker, which had minimized to the side of my HUD, mark off the current objective and a new one type itself out underneath.

At the far end of the area was a three sided stepdown that ended at a large and elaborately carved stone gate, perhaps 5 meters tall and just as wide. Just above the sunken gate was a balcony draped with the banners of each house, framed with shining under-lit bronze plaques depicting the Clans crest in a mosaic of glittering gems to either side.

Two of the heavily armored King’s Guard flanked an open doorway in the center of the balcony, and after a few moments of hushed silence the King stepped out. He was smiling, dressed in ornate polished bronze plate armor, and he swept his eyes over the waiting Rows of young dwarves.

Even from across the plaza I could make out the shining steel of his broad smile, before he raised an open hand to the air and clenched it into a fist. The crowd responded with a massive barking shout of “Clan Theedrite!” mixed with cheers, whistles, clanking of tankards and shields, and occasional mists of pheromones.

The King, still wearing his broad smile, opened his hand again, and waved down the noise as he lowered his arm to grip the balcony's bannister. The crowd obliged and the noise quickly diminished, leaving a ringing in my ears and an odd taste in my mouth from the light fog of excited chemicals.

“Clan Theedrite!” The King projected through the hush. “My people, my brothers. Today we will hold our fourth Trial of birthright!” He paused and let the crowd vocalize their deafening enthusiasm back in response for a moment, before waving for the excited dwarves who swarmed over every surrounding surface, piling up around the cleared space of the plaza.

“Long have we united to carry forward the blessing of society and progress, each generation joining the last in harmony and purpose. We dig deep and move forward, always keeping our eyes on the vision before us. A vision of cooperation and prosperity, of honor and service, of valor and opportunity!” He paused again as the crowd roared once more.

“Our people here, under this mountain, amongst the homestone of a faraway world, amongst new allies and horizons, carve deep into the strata of our shared history to reveal the ever growing promise of potential that we all carry forward with our actions. The actions of a family, united in purpose with a single intent. To strive forward and prosper, to make our voice heard, to be counted as peers amongst the great rivalries of this remote existence!”

The crowd cheered again, and King Kanduirik panned his shining smile from right to left across the gathered people. “I am excited, this day. Excited to welcome the next generation to join the alloy of society, to add their unlimited potential to our ever expanding story. Go forward with my blessing, with my hope, and my gratitude for every effort you make on behalf of our great family. For hearth and heart, for rock and stone, for Theedrite Underhome!”

He finished his speech with a rhythmic cadence, which the whole crowd picked up and chanted back at him as he waved with both hands. The noise of the crowds chanting drowned out the sound of the huge door beneath his balcony as it cracked down the center and began to open inwards, revealing a dark tunnel.

“Thee-drite Under-home! Thee-drite Under-home!”

Chane and the other armored dwarves at the head of each Row slammed their staves against the stone once more, then turned as one and stepped to the side of their respective groups to usher us forward. I was caught slightly off guard and was a half second later than the rest of the initiates as we started forward towards the looming gate.

Kazek took the lead and all five rows descended the short stairwell and entered at the same time, merging into a single formation. The hallway was dark, real dark. The walls of the wide corridor were dotted with small lamps that only provided landmarks and did not provide much illumination. Luckily the floor was level and our pace was steady as we walked alongside the other Rows.

We continued down the hall for a few hundred feet before coming to a circular room with five shadowy open doorways, each adorned with a carved crest of each house. We crossed under the flickering flame of a gas burning chandelier that hung from the ceiling without stopping. The Rows parted from each other, each marching into the door of their respective houses. We went into our own, passing under the Galidurn crest of a boulder rolling down a mountain under a hazy offset sunset.

We left the light behind and passed through a short downward sloping tunnel, then turned down a spiraling staircase with steep steps.

“Gah, watch out. We have stairs.” Kazek’s voice shattered the silence from the front of the line. “Everyone, get a grip on the person in front of you, we do this by feel.”

No one argued, and I reached forward tentatively and grabbed a fistful of the back of Kikkelins robe. I was surprised by how much comfort having a grip on the coarse fibers gave me, and only by that contrast was I made aware of the growing nervousness within me. I felt Korook do the same to the back of my robe, and we continued down the stairs as a chain.

I heard the snort and cough of a dwarv somewhere along the line ahead of me as they spat out a glowing blob onto the wall. The glowing blue smear running down the stone did little to lighten up the narrow stairway as I passed it, but it still eased my tension a little. It let me know I was not the only one made nervous by the pitch black darkness.

“Save your Oxalate.” Ordered Kazek, and we continued turning down the stairs.

Without the clock in the corner of my HUD, I would have completely lost track of time as we descended. Yet without anything else to look at, and nothing to do other than follow my fellows, all I could do was stare at the clock and count the stretched out seconds that crawled along at the pace of dripping pitch.

After nearly another hour of twisting our way down the stairs, I felt the ground level out beneath my feet and Kazek started calling out orders.