NOVEL WEB Chapter 17: The Merchant's Gamble
Interlude: The Hollow Vale
The past few hours had been a flurry of activity as Evan and Lisa worked to finalize the last details of their dungeon. Mob placements, patrol routes, environmental triggers—everything needed to be perfect before the first players arrived. But there was one particular point of contention that had them locked in debate.
"I'm telling you, the Widowspine Spiders are essential for the atmospheric balance," Lisa said, her fox ears twitching with frustration as she gestured at the encounter placement interface. "Look at the tactical map—you need something that can attack from above in the chapel area. The ceiling beams are perfect for ambush encounters."
Evan grimaced, his hands hovering uncertainly over the placement controls. "I know they make tactical sense, but do they have to be so... spider-y? Can't we use something else that drops from the ceiling? Maybe some kind of bat variant?"
"Evan, you already have Bone-Chewer Bats in the outdoor encounters," Lisa replied with exaggerated patience. "The Widowspine Spiders are one of your signature mobs. They're perfectly designed for the horror atmosphere you've built. Players expect variety in their encounters, not just 'flying thing that attacks from above, version two.'"
"But the egg sacs," Evan said weakly. "And the spiderlings. And the way they scuttle..."
"Are exactly what makes them effective enemies! The psychological impact is part of the tactical challenge."
Their argument was interrupted by a sudden system chime, followed by golden text that materialized in the air between them:
SYSTEM ALERT: Portal Discovery Confirmed. The gate to Fabledeep has been located by an adventuring party. Activation quest protocols initiated.
A second message appeared immediately after:
Prepare yourself, Grand Architect. Adventurers are coming.
Evan felt his stomach drop as the reality of the situation hit him. All their preparation, all their careful planning—it was about to be put to the test by real players with real expectations and unpredictable strategies.
"Right," he said, pushing aside his spider-related concerns with visible effort. "Lisa, can you handle placing the Widowspine Spiders? I'll finish setting up the patrol routes for the Hollow Revenants, then we meet at the manor to summon Lord Aurelian."
"Finally," Lisa said with obvious relief. "I was starting to think you were going to leave a quarter of your encounter design incomplete because of arachnophobia."
"I'm not arachnophobic," Evan protested. "I just have a healthy respect for things with eight legs and venomous fangs."
"Uh-huh. Get going, spider-boy. We have a dungeon to finish."
Back in Hammerfall, the party made their way through the market district toward Guppi's stall, their minds still processing the implications of their discovery. The revelation that they had found a portal to legendary content—even inactive legendary content—felt surreal after spending most of their gaming time killing rats and collecting herbs.
"So what do we think Guppi's reaction is going to be?" Spudicus asked as they approached the familiar amphibian merchant. "Excitement? Confusion? Immediate demands for a detailed report?"
"Knowing merchants," Nira said, "probably calculations about how much money he can make from this information."
They found Guppi at his usual spot behind the weapon stall, his independent eyes tracking different customers as he conducted multiple conversations simultaneously. When he spotted their approach, one eye locked onto them with immediate interest.
"Ah, successful adventurers return, triumphant explorers come back!" he said, his throat sac inflating with anticipation. "Tell me, tell me—what discoveries did you make? What treasures did you find, what riches did you uncover?"
"Well," Lunessa began, "we cleared out all the hostile creatures like you asked, and we explored every building thoroughly. But as for treasure..."
"We found something much more interesting," Ironstride interrupted. "There's a portal in the central keep. A gateway to something called Fabledeep."
The effect on Guppi was immediate and dramatic. His throat sac inflated to twice its normal size, his eyes went wide with shock, and he began making excited croaking sounds that might have been laughter or panic.
"Fabledeep?" he squeaked, his voice several octaves higher than usual. "Did you say Fabledeep, the legendary dungeon? Are you certain, completely sure?"
Before anyone could answer, Guppi was already moving. He rushed to the front of his stall, nearly knocking over a display of daggers in his haste, and slammed the wooden shutters closed. A hand-painted sign reading "CLOSED - IMPORTANT BUSINESS" went up in the window, and he gestured frantically for them to move to the back of his shop.
"This is incredible, absolutely amazing!" he said, his normal speech pattern completely abandoned in his excitement. "I knew it was out there somewhere! The ancient documents spoke of it, the old legends whispered of it, but I was never sure, never certain! To think it was right here, practically next door, all this time!"
The party exchanged glances. This was definitely not the reaction of someone who had sent them to random ruins hoping for generic treasure.
"So you knew about Fabledeep?" Serein asked, his bark-textured skin darkening with suspicion. "This wasn't just a casual treasure-hunting expedition, was it?"
Guppi's throat sac deflated slightly as he registered their expressions. "Well, perhaps I had some suspicions, certain theories. The legendary dungeon of Fabledeep is old, ancient beyond measure—as old as Aetherion itself, according to the texts. But finding ancient documents and actually locating the place are very different things, completely separate challenges!"
"The portal is inactive," Nira said bluntly. "Whatever Fabledeep is, it's sealed tight. We couldn't even get it to acknowledge our presence."
Guppi made a tutting sound, his tongue flicking out thoughtfully. "Of course, naturally! The dungeon must be greatly weakened if its portal has closed, significantly diminished. But that's why we have activation rituals, reawakening ceremonies! I've found references to the proper procedures in my research, ancient instructions."
Lunessa pulled up her quest log and studied the activation requirements. "I think I know what components will work. When we touched the portal, it gave us a specific list."
"Tell me, share with me!" Guppi said eagerly.
"Core of the Forgotten Flame, Thread of Moonwoven Silk, Tear of the Hollow Muse, Inkheart, and Shard of the Echoing Seal," she read off.
The color drained from Guppi's mottled skin as she spoke, his eyes growing wider with each item on the list. By the time she finished, he was swaying slightly on his feet.
"Those are... those are incredibly expensive, impossibly costly," he whispered. "Legendary artifacts, priceless components. The Core of the Forgotten Flame alone costs over twenty thousand gold pieces, an astronomical sum!"
The party's enthusiasm deflated rapidly. Twenty thousand gold? They hadn't even earned a single gold coin yet.
But Guppi's shock was already transforming into something else—the manic gleam of a merchant who had spotted the opportunity of a lifetime.
"But if the portal truly leads to Fabledeep," he said, his voice growing steadier as calculations ran behind his eyes, "then the investment would be worth it, profitable beyond measure. I must purchase the land immediately, secure the site! I'll arrange for the components to be teleported here from the major trading centers. Give me two hours, perhaps three, and I'll hire you again to escort me to the portal for the activation ceremony, the grand opening!"
"About our current quest rewards," Lunessa said carefully. "We didn't find any physical treasure to split, as agreed."
Guppi waved a dismissive hand. "True, quite true—no conventional treasure, no standard loot. But you've found something far more valuable, infinitely more precious! This will require significant investment on my part, considerable financial risk. The components alone will cost me a fortune, drain my resources."
He paused, studying their expressions with shrewd calculation. "But I suppose I could offer you proceeds from the dungeon itself, profits from the venture. Once Fabledeep is active, adventurers will pay handsomely for access, premium prices for legendary content. One percent of gross revenues, fair compensation."
"One percent?" Spudicus protested. "That sounds pretty measly for finding legendary content."
"The Core of the Forgotten Flame costs twenty-three thousand gold," Guppi said flatly. "The Thread of Moonwoven Silk is fifteen thousand. The other components are similarly priced, equally expensive. My total investment will exceed eighty thousand gold pieces, an enormous sum. One percent of a legendary dungeon's revenues is more money than most adventurers see in years of adventuring, decades of effort."
The party exchanged glances. They hadn't even seen one gold piece yet, and he was talking about investments that would dwarf anything they could imagine earning at their current level.
"When you put it that way," Ironstride said slowly, "one percent sounds quite reasonable."
"Excellent, wonderful!" Guppi said, his throat sac inflating with satisfaction. "I'll begin the arrangements immediately, start the purchasing process. Return here in three hours, prepared for travel. We're going to make history, create legend!"
As they left the merchant's shop, a golden notification chimed in all their vision:
Quest Complete: Merchant's Gambit You have successfully explored the ancient ruins and reported your findings to Guppi. Your discovery of the Fabledeep portal has exceeded all expectations and opened new opportunities for adventure.
Rewards Received:
2,500 Experience Points
Level 5 equipment upgrades (retained)
1% revenue share from Fabledeep dungeon operations
Reputation increase with Hammerfall merchants
Golden light washed over each party member as the experience points were distributed, bringing them all to level 10. A second notification chimed with celebratory fanfare:
Achievement Unlocked: Into Double Digits Reach level 10.
Reward: +1 to all primary stats, Title: "Veteran Adventurer"
"Well," Lunessa said as they walked back toward the tavern, "I guess we're about to become dungeon investors."
"Think he can actually get those components?" Nira asked.
"With that much gold involved?" Serein replied. "I think Guppi would find a way to buy them even if he had to mortgage his entire business."
As they headed back to The Drunken Duck to wait for Guppi's preparations, none of them could quite believe how quickly their simple treasure-hunting quest had transformed into something that felt like the beginning of an epic adventure.