Yvlena followed Soren back to the Smithing Quarters, taking note of his interactions with the other blacksmiths at work. They smiled as he passed them by with her in tow.

  Soren was loud, but jovial, leaving the other NPCs shaking their heads or laughing along with him. It brought a smile to Yvlena's face to see the interactions they had. Seeing the NPCs interact with each other like this made the game feel even more alive.

  One of the blacksmiths stopped them as they walked, an older looking man with graying tufts of hair sticking out from his balding head. He wore dirty overalls and his tanned face was stained with grease from working a long day at the forge.

  The ground rattled as a sledge hammer was dropped by his side. He lifted his hand and jabbed a finger at Soren and Yvlena

  "Don't tell me you're heading towards the old warehouse." The man sneered.

  "That's exactly where we're going, is that a problem?" Yvlena asked before Soren could stop her. She glared at the newcomer. Just who did he think he was?

  The man shot her a haughty look coupled with a smirk.

  "Don't come crying to Sean if anything happens." He said hefting the large sledgehammer over his shoulder.

  "Who's Sean?" Yvlena asked, playing dumb just to annoy him. The man’s smirk slipped off his face, morphing into an angry expression.

  Soren gave a nervous laugh and quickly ushered her away before an altercation could occur.

  He soon led her to a large brick structure that appeared to be at least two stories tall.

  It had a decrepit appearance, with many of the bricks crumbling and shifting out of place, causing the building to slump at an odd angle. The roof was practically falling apart, no doubt allowing rain to come through.

  "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me." Yvlena sighed. Could the building even withstand her running around in it?

  Soren nodded, looking apologetic at the fact that she had to go in alone.

  "Are you sure you're up to this, Yv?" Soren asked again.

  She nodded, touched by his concern.

  "I'll be fine. You can count on me to clear this place." She said giving him a thumbs up and a smile. Soren nodded, but still gazed warily up at the building.

  "I don't know where the creature could be. Some people have heard it moving around." Soren explained. As he said that, the sound of rattling shook the building, followed by the muffled sounds of an animal of some sort.

  Yvlena furrowed her brows, wondering what kind of creature could be nesting inside. Would it be as large as Commander Addison? Only one way to find out.

  "Just leave it to me. Sprite, Rabbit Knight, Kuti, let's go." Yvlena said, calling for her summons.

  Sprite flew up to Yvlena's cheek, looking up at the building with her.

  "That looks...fun."

  Yvlena snorted.

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  "Tell me about it." Yvlena muttered. A cold wind blew from the bowels of the warehouse, carrying with it the smell of rust and decay.

  Yvlena almost gagged from the scent alone, maybe having enhanced senses would not be to her advantage right now, but she had smelled this before albeit faintly. It smelled like the Verdant Woods’ path before she cleared the first Miasmic barrier.

  Kuti tugged the hem of her dress, looking to be picked up, which Yvlena obliged.

  "See you soon, Soren." Yvlena said making her way towards the rusted double doors. Soren nodded grimly and walked over to an old crate to sit down.

  "I'll wait out here for you, Yv." Soren said with a worried expression. It was clear despite his large stature, the gentle giant had no fighting prowess. Yvlena nodded.

  Oh well, it was better than tagging along and leaping in danger at the drop of a hat.

  ----------

  The rusty doors creaked open after Yvlena and her summons strained pushing it ajar. She huffed, stepping inside and being met with an even stronger scent of rust.

  A faint sound of dripping caught her attention. Looking up she could see a large hole in the ceiling of the warehouse, the roof long since eaten away by the elements.

  Luckily, the hole allowed sunlight to stream through, lighting up a path for her and her summon to begin their exploration.

  “Wow, that’s nasty.” She said, stepping forward. Scattered around were all sorts of tools and half finished pieces of ore. Yvlena leaned down to pick a clump of it that didn’t seem as rusted, figuring she could give it to Soren.

  [Yvlena Acquired

  ***

  Copper Ore x1]

  A basic weapon would need iron at least, but maybe this could improve her hoe or axe, there were still a lot of trees to cut up.

  “Something’s moving around.” Sprite whispered. Yvlena, Sprite, and Rabbit Knight paused to listen. In the darkness of the corners, they heard it.

  A sound akin to the beating of wings, reached their ears, but it was coming from above them. Yvlena looked up in time to see a large amber eye soar over her. She jumped, startling Kuti in the process.

  “That seems pretty big.” Yvlena whispered. She followed the sound, running through rust stained floors with tools and metals cluttering the floor. Her foot stomped into a puddle sending a splash of copper-colored water spraying about.

  Yvlena held onto Kuti and swerved around the bend leading up to a staircase blocked by a mountain of wooden crates.

  “Ugh! Of course, it’s not going to be as easy as heading up the stairs and into the fight.” Yvlena inhaled, looking around until she noticed some chains strapped to the bottom surface of the junk blocking her way.

  “Oh, it’s a mechanism? Where’s the switch?” She asked. Her gaze traveled to the ceiling where she saw a pulley mechanism attached to the chains. Beside her was a lever she pulled instantly, but as soon as she did it slammed back into its original position.

  The elf balled her fist, brimming with frustration at the puzzle.

  “Okay think Yvlena. There’s got to be a way to activate the lever.” She took a deep breath and scanned the pulley mechanism carefully until she noticed a part was missing.

  [Large Cog: 0/2]

  The game’s notification alerted her she was on the right path, Yvlena nodded and turned to her summons. “Let’s explore, maybe we’ll find the parts we need.”

  Her summons nodded. They began moving, picking up bits of ore from the ground as they explored the abandoned warehouse. The party soon discovered the area wasn’t as large as they thought, just cluttered with large wooden crates and dangerous pieces of metal.

  [Yvlena Acquired

  ***

  Copper Ore x3

  Iron Ore x2]

  “Over here!” Sprite said, calling for her summoner from the entrance to a flight of stairs leading downwards. Yvlena, Kuti, and Rabbit Knight followed her voice and stopped at an unsound door

  The doors hung off their hinges, swinging ominously in the wind coming from the basement below. Yvlena took the Fairy Lit Torch out of her inventory and gulped as she approached it.

  “Well...looks like there’s nowhere to go but down.” Yvlena said taking the first step forward. Kuti held on to her collar, shivering while Rabbit Knight and Sprite pressed on beside her.