Chapter 16 - "A swarm of bees?" (IAF)

Regardless of the infamous name that Steve had made for himself, he was still released. Andrew, who was one of the most infamous criminal minds out there, felt that Steve would be more useful to him as a free man, regardless of how stupid it might sound, out of context, to let go of him!

Andrew wouldn't have let him go under any other circumstances, but it so happens that he had been offered an insane amount of gold for that black crown and gem, and since Steve had hired a bunch of warriors for himself, it was best to have him and those warriors go treasure hunting. If they all die, then so be it, it would barely be an expense on Andrew's side, he wasn’t risking much, as the few gold bars that Steve owed him, seemed nothing in comparison to the tens of ingots in gold he could win over, if this plan was to succeed.

Anyway, Steve got to the Inn in one piece, gathered up all of his guards there, and started his journey for the black crown, which wasn’t to be confused with the flaming crown, which was a lot more important. Crowns were apparently really treasured in this world, mostly for their magical properties, but they were also great, expensive collectibles, the rare ones that is! Anyone could buy a simple, golden crown, but that didn’t necessarily make that crown magical and rare, no, one had to hunt for the good crowns, and that was what his team was for.

Over the day, Steve became more and more eager to find this crown, he counted plenty of reasons too. Firstly he was robbed of all his gold, he hit rock bottom, so he really needed a decent treasure to put his affairs back in order. That was the first issue, and he resented Andrew for robbing him, so he didn’t really plan to be cooperative if he managed to get to the crown, no, he wasn’t willing to hand it over whatsoever!

The latter train of thought also cited his decision to go treasure hunting, it summarized his second reason. He wanted to find this crown for himself, either to sell it, or to wear it, because he assumed that it had to be powerful and magical if it was worth this much. He wanted it, and within the day, the system offered him a good reward for the sum as well, which was all the more inspiring!

“Hey, at the very least I'll get seven-thousand system points for the crown.” Steve thought, as he tried to remain positive. “Maybe this treasure hunt will help me figure out how to find that better crown too, the flaming one? I can probably buy the city if I find that one.”

System points were a great motivator, he had a few hundred of them already, so he felt confident about exploring this old dungeon that the crown was supposed to be in. He had every advantage to his name, he could buy upgrades, so virtually there was no stopping him!

The main downside here was that he had to take his sister along in this adventure, because he couldn’t afford to leave her alone, not even at the Inn. She wasn't to be alone under any circumstances, it was too risky to do so. Since she tagged along, it may take a lot of effort to protect her, that was the downside of it all.

Arleesa was to tag along as well. She bargained with Steve about it, and wangled herself a spot on this trip. She wanted to get her hands on the crown, it was obvious, but she also promised to forgive all misdoings in the past, if she could tag along. He didn’t consider her much of a threat, regardless of how she cracked his ribs earlier on, so he let her tag along, as she was smart enough to contribute something in this trip, even if it may seem stupid to have her tag along.

Anyway, Steve hired one more woman within the day, one that was also a mage. He felt that they needed more mages in their group, as they were great at dealing damage from a distance. He didn't have anything to pay her with right now, but he promised her two pounds of gold by the end of the month, which was a great offer, so she accepted. He sensed that she accepted his offer out of desperation, but he could work with that too.

It was great to have another mage on the team, and this was especially great for Steve, because above other things, he also had a more ulterior motive behind her employment. He hired her, because of a reward that the system promised.

With the total number of ten people hired, the system promised a hundred system points as a reward, and he got that reward immediately after he hired her. He figured that this was the best time to hire her, because by all odds he wouldn't be able to hire as many people in the future, he was prepared for that sort of failure too, but overall he wanted to accumulate as many system points as he could possibly get. This was a dangerous trip for everyone involved, so he’d rather build an advantage of any sort for himself, before time!

…

The team of thirteen frogs dwelled deeper within the city, to find the entrance of this dungeon that Dandy Andy had mentioned. Steve and the rest had lived in a set of neighborhoods that were close to the city walls, and that area was far away from this dungeon's entrance, so the walk they had to take had been tedious for them!

The dungeon was located at the very heart of the city, in the very middle, and it was surrounded by houses that were very old, abandoned, or destroyed by the passing of time. The neighborhood where the dungeon was located was considered the first ever neighborhood in the city, it was ancient, so it wasn’t a surprise how no one lived here anymore, as the buildings here were simply uninhabitable and barbarians weren't exactly known for their appreciation towards archeological treasures either, so this place was abandoned all together. Weeds and trees have invaded this place a long time ago!

Nevertheless, these issues did not stop the team from pushing forward. They navigated through the weeds, and found an old prison/dungeon in no time, and this was the first thing that they had to find in order to kickstart the task that they were given! It was really easy to find this prison too, as it was a huge and spooky place, which also had a couple of old towers surrounding it, so it was hard to miss it.

They entered the ruined, stone building afterwards, and were on the lookout for a staircase that led downwards. It was Arleesa's belief that the old dungeon was underneath the main building, as that was where dungeons were supposed to be, and it was there where they could look for the crown!

They found a staircase eventually, but things started getting intense right then and there, because Oneta, who was Steve's sister, insisted that she heard a weird buzzing sound. The sound was coming from underneath the main floor, and every warrior here knew that this was something that they could not ignore!

“Could it be a swarm of bees?” Steve asked, quite innocently.

The rest of the group burst out laughing in response, as they thought that he was joking. Steve wasn't upset because they laughed, rather, he was more concerned that what buzzed below, actually wasn't a swarm of bees, he was nervous.

For that matter, he then asked. “Well, I can't hear shit, but if there actually is a bug down there, wouldn't it be smart to try and burn it?”