The Alchemist at Hell's Gates

21

^^ Clockwork Fairy Dragon+Watch Form ^^

"-and that is why we're going to attempt a Level 20 Dungeon!!!" Hellen nodded seriously, and I looked up from the table I was tinkering at.

"Wait, what?" I looked up, confused.

"Weren't you listening? I've been talking for like 15 minutes!!!" She sighed at me forcefully, irritated by my inattention.

"No, no I was not, I was building a watch. What's this about a Level 20 Dungeon? I thought we were doing pretty well working our way through the Level 10's and 11's this week? Why jump to 20? Are we getting a Raid together?" I frowned back, setting down the clockwork slowly.

She glared daggers at me, sitting down in a huff. "Kenny, it's your turn!"

He sighed and stood up, addressing the room. "To all of you who dozed off, and Sam who wasn't listening in the first place, here's the Simple Version: the Big Lvl 50-100 PvP Faction Event happening on New Years has a much smaller, lower-level Event that anyone Level 30-15 can take part in this week; this Event requires a Party to challenge a Gate of the same Rank as them, meaning we, as levels 15-20, have to do a Lvl 15-20 Gate! The reward for this event is unknown, it changes every year, but the Hint we've been given by the GM's is that it will possibly involve Dragon Eggs, which we all know are usually reserved for Level 50 Adventurers, as well as the standard bonus of not losing our Inventories or any XP we gained if we die during the Event! The Event will obviously involve Faction on Faction PvP, which is why we're all Grey Faction here, and of the Level 20 range! Any questions, Sam?" He glanced at me, predicting my raised hand.

"Yeah... uh... what's the position of the Grey Faction in a PvP Event between Light and Dark?" I asked, scratching my head in confusion.

"Huh... okay, an intelligent question instead of something crazy; I apologize for doubting you." He nodded seriously, ruining it by grinning when I flipped him a censored bird. "Our position is that we have no real stake in the PvP; we're there to get paid. Every year, the Grey Faction goes to this event, and every year, they stay to the sidelines, offering Healing, selling their services to the highest bidder on either side. Our Faction takes part as mercenaries, and shares in the Reward when the Event is over. Anything else?"

"What happens if we actually win the Event?" I grinned evilly, and a couple of people laughed, thinking perhaps I was joking.

Kenny chuckled, shaking his head. "If by some miracle they all kill each other off, and we're the last ones standing, I suppose we'd get the entire Reward, instead of a piece of it. But that's not likely, Sam."

"So you're open to the option?" I pressed the question, and the laughter quieted a bit as people began thinking about it a bit more.

"I am... and I imagine most everyone here is, yes? But that will still require us to beat a Level 20 Gate first, so let's get started, okay? Because the Dungeon is technically higher Level than most of us, we'll gain double XP naturally, plus the Event Double XP, so all we need to do is choose a dungeon that fits our needs; there's 45 of us Level 15-20 Players in the Grey Faction, (who've decided to take part in the Event,) which means a cramped dungeon would be bad for us, but even with 45 of us we probably don't want an Open Plain or any other type that would leave us open to Flanking... any ideas?" He looked out at the entire tavern, and people started discussing amongst their individual Parties.

"Does the dungeon we choose change how the PvP goes? Is the Dungeon the Battlefield once the Boss is Dead?" I asked, picking up my watch again and using a small pair of tweezers to adjust a set of cogs that were out of alignment.