Chapter 69 (1/2)

Volume 1

Chapter 69

Ch 69 — Mithril Lizard

We left the city early the next morning, running toward Pasquale Mountain . Of course Fer is doing all the running, I’m simply riding on his back and Sui is sleeping comfortably in her new bag .

Fer gobbled up some Orc General steaks for breakfast before we set off . We had a long day ahead of us and I didn’t want him getting hungry and crabby half-way though . Sui seemed to be quite happy in her bag .

“Is that where that reptile’s supposed to be?” Fer’s tone of voice was dismissive of his intended prey . Hey, it’s supposed to be a Class A monster! A tall peak that I took to be Pasquale Mountain appeared on the horizon .

“If the Guild Master’s directions were correct, that’s Pasquale Mountain . Do you know where the Metal Lizard is likely to be, Fer?”

“Wait a moment . . . ” Fer said and after a second or two he accelerated towards where he thought the Metal Lizard would be . When I asked him he told me he seems to know the approximate location of any monster nearby . It’s something like a feeling of recognition rather than a specific location skill, apparently .

“We’re just about there . ” Saying that Fer slowed down to a halt .

“It’s over there . ” I followed Fer’s gaze . There was a cave under the shade of a tree .

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“Is that where the Metal Lizard is living?” I asked . I don’t like caves for good reason . I blame Fer’s magic training regime .

“Probably . ” Fer answered .

“So how are we going to do this?” I asked apprehensively .

“I’ll think about it later . ” Fer answered . That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear . . . Fer charged into the cave with me still on his back .

“W- W- W- W- wait a minute, ahhh-” At least let me off first, you big idiot .

As we ran into the pitch-dark cavern we immediately encountered the Metal Lizard . There was a wide opening just past the cave entrance . Over by the far wall the Metal Lizard was eating something with a loud crunching sound . It looked . . . huh?

“Hey, what’s up with that Lizard? Somehow its body is glowing . . . . ”

“So what . I’ll defeat that reptile with one hit and turn it into money . ” Fer was indifferent to the unusual sight .

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Don’t just say “So what”, you . . . To be on the safe side I used Appraisal on the glowing monster and it registered as “Mithril Lizard” . . . . Mithril? That’s the precious metal that appears in fantasy novels?

“Fer, I just used Appraisal on that Metal Lizard and it’s actually a Mithril Lizard . ” I warned him .

“If that’s the case there’s a vein of mithril ore in here somewhere . That reptile has been eating mithril ore and it’s mutated . ” Fer explained .

So there’s a vein of mithril ore here . . . that’s an important discovery, isn’t it? Well, it’s not something that involves me really, but if there’s some mithril ore lying about I’ll pick some up . I like the idea of having a mithril sword, or if that’s not possible maybe a knife . Mithril sword, mithril knife, both? hmmm . . . Having a knife and a sword made of such a rare metal is the stuff of fantasy stories . Mithril is especially romantic . I decided that I really wanted them .

“Mithril means that magic is not very effective . ” Fer explained .

Anything made from mithril is light and hard and it protects well against magical attacks by diffusing the energy . From Fer’s experience he told me that magic was reduced to less than half of its usual effectiveness . Did that mean Fer’s magic wasn’t going to be strong enough to defeat the Mithril Lizard?

Fer shook his head . “All that means is that I’ll have to use twice as much magic as normal to deal with that reptile properly . ” Saying that, the cavern resounded with a loud crash as Fer unleashed his magic attack . Kaboom! Rumble rumble rumble . . . A single flash of lightning hit the Mithril Lizard . I stared open-mouthed at the sight . Sui, surprised by the loud sound poked her head out of her bag .