Zach quickly rushed over to Andy, as the man slid to the floor. He could see red flecks of blood were around Andy’s mouth as the coughing became less harsh but raspier like a man just trying to cough through some heavy congestion. Andy looked up at him with a soft smile as he placed his head on the back of the marble outcropping. “Well lad looks like I am done mining for a little while.” Andy said as he closed his eyes and passed out.

“Shit! Shit! Grim what is happening?!” Zach said as he nervously started to shake Andy.

“Stop, Zach!” Grim shouted, as Zach pulled away from Andy. “I have very little medical knowledge. Especially, since your focus was mainly on computer programming in your old world. However, using the information from TV hospital shows, Medical websites, and our knowledge of Mana Theory, my guess is that the Death mana that he channeled poisoned him.” Grim pointed to some yellow bruising and swelling about Andy’s neck and arms. “At this time we can do one of two things; do nothing and wait till he gets better, or we could try and use Mana Manipulation to channel Life Mana through him. Since he seems to be breathing on his own and resting, I think we should leave him be. The Reason being is if we try and manipulate life mana through him; it could disrupt his mana channels and end up killing him.”

Zach sat looking at Andy for a minute wondering if he shouldn’t at least try pushing life mana through Andy. Yet Grim was right Andy, didn’t seem to be sweating or spasming, besides the raspy breathe it almost looked like he was resting. Slowly Zach got up and stood back from Andy. When he started looking around for stone to create a camp site. Grim coughed, and Zach turned towards him. “What?”

“Perhaps it might be better if we figure out a way to get to the backpacks and get supplies? I am sure Andy brought a blanket, water, and rations. It might be tough to drag the packs down here, but it would likely make him more comfortable.” Grim said as he pointed toward the way out of the large cave. Zach looked down at Andy and realized that he couldn’t create a campsite without a firewood so he would need to leave him for a little bit. Nodding to Grim, Zach and him walked out of the cave back into the quarry.

Pink marble walls and an eerie silence greeted him as he left the cave. As Zach scanned the quarry, the soft crack of a rock echoed as it bounced down the walls. Zach found small switch back ramp that had been hidden from them when they first arrived at the quarry. The ramp apparently had been built for only a few people to get up and down it, but it was at least clear of debris unlike the main one. Sighing it looked like the from the cave to the backpacks using this ramp would be a quarter of a mile one way. That meant Zach needed to drag the four packs a mile back to the cave and hike a mile to get them. Seeing no better option Zach started his long hike.

For twenty minutes, Zach heard the crunch of gravel under his feet as he hiked up the quarry ramp to their backpacks. At just about half-way up the ramp, Zach heard a metal crunch as took a step. Stopping for a moment, Zach bent down to the gravel and started wiping away the pebbles, when a dull green and spotted brown flat piece of metal was revealed. Excited at the find, Zach dug until he found the edges of the metal and slowly pulled it up. The dull green metal was curved like a dome with interlocking rivets and plates that went down one side. When Zach turned over the plate, deep runes had been engraved in the metal that formed around a socket. After tracing the runes and recognizing a few, a blue screen popped up.

Congratulations, you have found a Corroded Dwarven Golem Pauldron! Your Arcane Inscription, Golem Creation, Observe, and Mana Theory have been used to identify this object. By using three or more skills in identification of an item, additional information will be yielded.

The Dwarven Race are Master Craftsmen of all things metal and stone. In order for them to fuel their passion for creation, they created golems to perform menial tasks like farming, hauling, tanning, and cleaning. However, in order for the golems to do the multiple of tasks that the Dwarves did not, their clan of Artificers came up with a plan. The plan was to create a basic frame for the elemental and mana core. The frame would then have specialize sockets, which when switching out plates or pieces of armor inscribed with different spells and skills, the golems could be made to perform multiple tasks.

From the corrosion of the metal, this Pauldron hasn’t been used for a very long time seek a blacksmith or someone with a high enough level of Mend to repair the item.

This Pauldron is inscribed with the spell, Harden. When mana is applied to the inscription, the spell will harden all metal connected to the golem through the socket.

You have gained +3 to your Skill: Arcane Inscription!

You have gained +3 to your Skill: Observe!

You have gained +2 to your Skill: Mana Theory!

You have gained +1 to your Skill: Golem Creation!

Knowledge flooded Zach’s mind as to how he could put the armor plate on a golem and lock it into place. Additional knowledge about how the locking of the socket had to be precise to stop mana loss when using a spell sparked an idea of his. Softly, he took a small amount of his mana and wrapped it around the socket. Earth mana seemed to soak into the runes and just before mana activated the spell Zach could feel the mana reach out for the rest of the connection. Turning slowly, he felt the trailing edges of that mana point to another spot. Smiling Zach powered down the Pauldron and began tapping the armor his hand for a second. Finally Zach spoke to Grim, “Go ahead and place this in my inventory. I need to get the packs first and make sure Andy is ok. But maybe while I am getting the second pack we can go treasure hunting.” Grim nodded and with a flash of light the Pauldron was stored away.

For hours Zach went up and down the ramp dragging the backpacks back to the cave and checking in on how Andy was doing. After the second trip, Andy was sitting awake when Zach had come back. Zach gave him some water and was able to cover him up in blankets after the both of them removed Andy’s chains. As Andy laid there in his bedroll he told Zach that he shouldn’t worry and he would be able to travel in the morning. Zach took care to make Andy comfortable and place his rations from his backpack close to his head so that if he woke up he could feed himself. Still it wasn’t all doom and gloom, by the time Zach had retrieved the last pack he had found another three pieces to the golem; a Breastplate of Mining, a Greave of Speed, and a Vambrace of Stone Shaping. With each piece his Mana Manipulation and Mana Theory increased.

So as Zach made his last trip down the ramp from finding fire wood and kindling, the sun was getting close to setting and the Quarry’s walls began to cover the path in darkness. Taking a moment to cast the spell Light, his broken collar bone was finally telling him that this was the last trip out and he needed to get some rest. Thankfully, Zach had dropped everything from his inventory at the cave so that he could autoloot as much firewood as possible.

As he reached the bottom of the Quarry Pit Zach pulled out the Greave and felt the tug of mana as he started to walk along the wall. For almost another 300 yards Zach walked until he was lead to a large pile of large marble boulders. Carefully he began to dig around the loose gravel and small stones that the boulders had dislodge from the wall when he stumbled across some dull green fingers wrapped around one of the rocks he was trying to pick up. The fingers were made from the same bronze as the Pauldron and Vambrace, so Zach did his best to clear away the rubble around the fingers. Soon a hand and arm was found, and Zach began to clear way more gravel finding a faceless head and a leg with another vambrace on it. Stepping away from the inactive golem he looked up at the three ton boulder sitting right in the middle of the golem’s torso.

Congratulations, You have found a Corroded Broken Dwarven Golem! Without removing more of the boulder on top of the golem you are unsure of the type of damage or if repairing the golem is even possible. Autoloot is disabled until all debris is removed.

You have gained +1 to your Skill: Observe!

Looking at the blue screen, Zach decided that if the golem had been there for a couple hundred years, it could wait till the morning, and if Andy was ready to walk in the morning back to the village, then the golem could wait for them to be healed. So, with that decided, Zach went back to the cave and lit the fire and activating the camp site before going asleep.