Chương 24: The Loot Lag

Recap: Elara Vex suspected you but decided to take you to town anyway. You voted to LET THEM TIE YOU (INFILTRATE). Being kidnapped by adventurers was not on my bucket list. Being used as a storage container was even lower. Elara wrapped the rope around my iron bands. Tight. Not tight enough to crush, but tight enough to restrict any sudden lid-opening. Kaelen hoisted me onto his shoulder. Warning: Orientation Change Detected. Warning: Gravity Vector Shifted.

My stomach contents (a dagger, a collar, and a robot leg) shifted heavily to one side. It felt like swallowing a bag of hammers and then going on a rollercoaster.

"Heavy," Kaelen grunted.

"What's inside?"

"Hopefuly gold," Elara said.

"If it's rocks, I'm throwing it in the river." I stayed perfectly still. Camouflage was my only shield now. If I twitched, the rope would feel it. If I made noise, the game was up. The journey was a blur of vibrations. Thump. Thump. Thump. (Kaelen's boots). Swish. (Wind in the trees). Clank. (Dungeon gate opening). We left Grimfang. I was leaving the dungeon. The place where I died, reborn, bit goblins, and ate a slime. And now I was luggage.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Time Elapsed: 1 Hour HP Regenerated: +1 (Passive) Current HP: 15/17 MP Regenerated: +6 (1 per 10 mins) Current MP: 12/12 (Capped) SP Regenerated: +60 (1 per min) Current SP: 22/22 (Full) If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Okay. Stats were back. I wasn't helpless anymore. But I was in a town. The vibrations changed. Stone streets. Crowds. Voices. Hundreds of them." Fresh meat!"" Potions here!"" Watch your purse!" We stopped.

A door creaked open. The air smelled of parchment, ink, and… ozone. Magic.

"Master Orin?" Elara called out.

"Back so soon?" a raspy voice replied. Old. Dry.

"What did you bring me? Please tell me it's not another goblin ear."

"Found a chest," Elara said.

"In the Sentinel Cavity. Floor 2. It… hummed." Hummed? I never hummed. That was the evolution surge. She was connecting dots that didn't exist. The rope loosened. I was set down on a hard wooden surface. A counter.

"Let's see," the old man (Orin) said. I heard the shuffle of robes. Then, a tapping sound. A cane? Or a wand?

"May I?" Orin asked.

"Be my guest," Elara said.

"If it's trapped, you're the one who loses a finger." Orin's hand hovered over my lid. I felt a pressure. Not physical. Magical. He was casting Detect Magic or Appraise. My False Appearance passive kicked in. I am wood. I am iron. I am inert. But I had three undigested metal items inside me. One was a Sentinel Leg (High-Grade Steel). That radiated arcane energy. The pressure intensified. Orin frowned.

"Strange."

"What is it?" Kaelen asked.

"The wood… it's mundane. But the contents… there's a resonance. Like a weapon. Or a construct part." My internal alarm screamed. He knows. Or at least, he knows there's metal inside. If he opens me to check the "loot," he sees teeth.

"Open it," Elara said. My lid was tied shut. But a rogue can undo a knot. Or an appraiser can cast Unlock. I had full stamina. I had full mana. I was in a shop, surrounded by people. If I fought now, I'd kill a few, but the Town Guard would swarm me. I needed to control the reveal. Orin reached for the lock. Current Stats (Level 2 - Evolution Suspended): HP: 15/17 (Regenerated) Mana: 12/12 (Full) Stamina: 22/22 (Full) Inventory: 3 Pebbles, Rusted Iron Dagger, Warg Collar, Sentinel Leg (All Undigested).

Status: Evolution Suspended, In Town (Stonehollow), Appraiser Present, Lid Tied. What do you do? A) UNLOCK YOURSELF (SECRETLY) Use your internal muscles to pop the lock from the inside before he touches it. Make it look like a faulty lock. Then stay closed. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Control. Risk: He might suspect manipulation.) B) ALLOW APPRAISAL (BLUFF) Let him open you. Keep teeth hidden (False Bottom Closed). Pretend to be a normal chest with loot inside. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Information. Risk: He sees the metal items and claims them.) C) SLAM SHUT & LOCK (DEFY) If he opens you, slam the lid immediately. Lock it from the inside. Refuse to be looted. (Cost: 1 SP. Gain: Security. Risk: Aggressive act. They might break you.) D) COMMUNICATE (CREAK) Make a specific sound pattern. Morse code? No, just intelligent creaking. Show sentience to Orin only. (Cost: 0 SP. Charisma Check. Risk: They might think you're cursed.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins.

[Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 23! Option A (Infiltrate) worked! You're in Stonehollow, at an Appraiser's shop. Elara suspects magic, and Orin is scanning you now!