Azure: Gunner

Interlude 6.5-II

Mana crystals are a critical resource for virtually every aspect of modern society. They occur naturally only in certain regions of high mana density, which makes them very difficult to obtain at scale in the wild. The few stable dungeons which produce crystals of Tier 2 and above reliably are generally considered the most valuable of all possible dungeon types.

Tier 0 and 1 crystals are exponentially more available than their higher-Level cousins, however. They are commonly received from the System as Essence rewards, particularly by crafting and other non-combat Classes. Delvers also frequently recover significant quantities of low-Tier crystals from unstable dungeons.

Finally, they are produced through the process of cutting and shaping mana crystals into a form suitable for their intended purpose, which generates fragments. These ‘scraps’, damaged by cutting and grinding, typically lose capacity as a result, effectively reducing their Level. A single Tier 2 crystal may spawn a handful of Tier 1 shards, each of which can then be worked themselves, resulting in a much larger number of Tier 0 leftovers.

Every bit of crystal finds a use in the manufacture of various items. Even the dust shed by the grinding and polishing process is a valuable resource, used by Alchemists in the manufacture of everything from mana potions to magical inks. The production of E10 and higher potencies of alcohol also frequently utilizes crystal dust, though alternative methods for producing ‘magicol’ exist.

Lastly and most problematically, ground mana crystals are the essential ingredient in ‘dust’, one of the most potent and popular illegal drugs known. Dust is for some people a relatively harmless stimulant, providing a short-term boost in mana and a mild sense of euphoria.

For others, the effects are dramatically more intense, leading to crippling addiction often resulting in a descending spiral of increasing doses required to offset a growing tolerance. This in turn brings crushing debt. Dust addicts frequently resort to criminal acts, even violence, in their attempts to secure funds for more of this dangerous poison.

Production and distribution of dust are controlled by Lost Angels’ criminal Syndicates. Estimates vary widely, but some sources believe that anywhere from three to as much as fifteen percent of LA’s total mana crystal supply makes its way into the production of dust.

- Rufus Veres, Level 29 Prolix Historian, Oddities of the System

Elin’s job was uneventful for a couple weeks after her shift with the orc who called himself White. She had some night shifts, some days, which completely fucked up her sleep and left her even more short-tempered than usual. Worse, Smith hadn’t taken her down into the pit in days, leaving her with no outlets for her pent-up aggression.

The next day she was on the day shift, and found herself partnered up with White again for the first time since the… incident. This time they were assigned to the dungeon guard, which was a first for Elin. The prison’s dungeon was located in a small room inside a larger building. When the dungeon was in use, which was typically every other day, it was heavily guarded.

Elin watched as the prisoner’s suppression collars were removed before a group of eight was sent into the dungeon. The whole time they were surrounded by guards on high alert with weapons at the ready. Once they had vanished into the portal, the door was closed and sealed and a watch was kept on the room through arrow slits in the walls.

Being the newest of the guards in the room, Elin was forced to do the majority of the watching. It was nearly seven hours later when the portal suddenly shimmered and the group of prisoners re-emerged. Most of them were wounded, some badly enough that they needed the attention of a Healer who was quickly summoned. None of the men put up a fight as they were brought out of the room one at a time, then forced to empty their Inventories onto a pair of tables before having their collars put back on.

Each time, an older guard asked them to confirm they had emptied everything from their Inventory, and they each replied “yes” in voices long broken of any resistance. It was only after they’d complied and been collared that they were permitted to see the Healer, who patched them up roughly – just enough to stop the bleeding. Elin was certain they would have new scars after the wounds finished healing, which explained why their bodies were a tapestry of past pain already.

One table was piled high with the cheap mining equipment the prisoners had been issued that morning. The other had a much smaller pile of mana crystals on it. Elin had no idea how much those were worth, exactly, but she knew they could be quite expensive at higher Levels. Three of the eight men who’d gone in had been ordered into a side room by White, while the others had been released back out into the prison yard.

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At White’s order, Elin joined him in the side room. There were no other guards present, and if she hadn’t been standing beside the massive orc, she might have been worried about the three prisoners overpowering her even without their Skills. At least, before she saw the defeated expressions on their faces.

One of the men fell to his knees, begging pitifully, providing excuse after excuse why he hadn’t brought back enough mana crystals that day. The orc grabbed him by the collar, hauled him to his feet, and proceeded to dispense the most casual beating Elin had ever witnessed. By the time he was finished, the prisoner was crumpled up in a sobbing ball on the ground, though as far as Elin could tell the orc hadn’t broken any bones.

When he grabbed the next man in line, who seemed resigned to his fate, Elin stepped forward.

“Let me do this one,” she told White, and the orc studied her for a moment before nodding.

“No accidents this time,” he cautioned her, and she nodded.

She made sure to look at the orc for confirmation between each cast of Pain Bolt. He stopped her after a mere three, the man spasming helplessly in his iron grip, before the orc casually dropped him to the floor. The third man had backed up into a corner, trying futilely to shield his body with his arms, which offered exactly zero protection from her Spell. He only needed two.

Still, Elin felt significantly better as they escorted the three men to the door and roughly pushed them out into the sunlight. White pulled her back into the room once the men were gone, closing the door behind them and locking it. He strode over to the table holding the mana crystals and looked at the guard sitting behind it, who was busily noting down an inventory of the crystals.

Without a word, the guard pushed a portion of the crystals across the table, maybe a fifth of the total. White scooped them up with a single meaty palm, then ordered Elin to follow him into the side room where they’d just… disciplined… the prisoners.

he ordered bluntly.

“What? Why?” Elin responded aloud in confusion. Surely he didn’t want to -

White barked, and she flinched, then complied.

The breastplate detached from her baselayer with a mental command and she held it out towards the big orc, unsure of what else to do with it. He grunted, then reached out with his empty hand and pointed a thick finger at the back of the armor, right where it would go over her modest breasts. The armor was made of a layer of hardened leather over a thick padding, almost like a built-in gambeson.

Elin started as she looked closely where he was pointing, seeing a subtle cut in the fabric of the padding just at the top of the breast. When she slid a finger inside, she discovered that there was a hidden pocket sewn into the lining of the armor where it was concealed by the curve of the leather. She was sure it hadn’t been there when she’d first received the armor.

she got out before White cut her off.

He gave her a few crystals at a time, and following his direction she carefully stuffed them into the hidden compartments in her armor. Perhaps a third of the crystals fit, and White held onto the rest as Elin reattached the armor to her baselayer. She could just feel the bumps of the crystals through the padding, digging slightly into her chest.

It was uncomfortable, but not nearly as much as the fact that she could only guess what was going on. The prison’s wards prevented anyone from using Inventory, so it made sense that any smuggling had to happen like this. But why her and why now?

she asked nervously. Obviously this had to do with the Reavers that White had mentioned to her after the… incident. She had been hesitant to ask anyone about the ominously-named group since. Arcadia was a very small town, after all. Word got around.

he answered.

Elin supposed Raymond was the name of the man she’d accidentally killed. Not that it seemed relevant at the time, or now. She nodded in response to White’s question, and he gave her a toothy grin. Heart pounding, she followed him out of the building. Outside, a guard stopped them.

“Guard Summers, are you carrying any mana crystals or other dungeon materials either on your person or in your Inventory?” he asked as his partner stood by idly.

She shook her head no.

“I need a verbal response,” he told her, and she cleared her throat.

“I am not,” she responded in the most even tone she could muster.

“Good,” he grunted, and she breathed out shallowly in relief as he turned to White and repeated the question. Once they’d been cleared, they only had another thirty minutes or so left in their shift, and they patrolled around the yard seemingly aimlessly. With White leading the way, none of the prisoners dared approach. Instead, they backed away from the Brawler in fear.

Elin was again jealous of the way others responded to White. She found herself longing for the day when she could incite that type of response. Perhaps if she was allowed to continue disciplinary work her… clients… would spread the word about her with the other prisoners? She licked her lips unconsciously at the thought.

When she headed for the locker room after her shift, she passed Senior Guard Zimbara exiting, the older woman ready for her night shift. Zimbara’s eyes flickered down to Elin’s chest before she looked back to meet the Healer’s gaze. Elin shivered as she passed the Thug-turned-Guard, now certain that whatever the Reavers were, Zimbara was part of it.

She had no plans whatsoever to betray White, and now that she knew Zimbara was in on it as well, Elin was doubly certain that she needed to keep her mouth shut and do as she was told. At least for the foreseeable future. Somehow, the lean woman was even more terrifying than the orc who was more than double her size.