"Great, now how are we going to divide this?" I moan to myself in the general workshop. All of the workshops have a shared inventory so no matter which one you are in, you have access to all the items in them. That means all of our crafting materials, equipment, consumables, Life Crystals, tools, kits, and money could be found in a hidden corner of each shop in a rucksack or two. Interestingly enough, the Mess Hall also counted as a workshop, so all the food could be stored inside the bags and preserved for a much longer time. It isn't a permenant solution, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And right now, I gotta sort out all of the new stuff.

Unfortunately for players, the only thing that gets kept when they die is the standard issued Ring of Holding and everything that's inside. When I died, I thought it was because Spindle's stupid, dead ass broke all of my armor, but I learned that was only partly true when I killed the first few players. It would've been great to get more rings and money, but there's enough to sort out without including items in another dimension.

Let's see… "Sonny? Would you be able to spare a moment?"

[Yes, though it will slow the mapping.]

"Well, I don't want to interrupt you, so I'll save my hard questions for later," I say as I access the Rucksack we piled everthing into. There's tons of leather gear: bracers; greaves; vests; and about five leather caps, something I never considered making. Every one of them had a dagger and either a handaxe or a shortsword. There's the scythe, something I considered too cheesy at the time, but I set aside for a project idea.

There's 3*Lvl 5(20XP), 7*Lvl 7(32XP), 13*Lvl 8(40XP), and 2*Lvl 10(60XP) Life Crystals in total.

When I used my own, it gave me back eighty percent of the lost XP. However, according to Sonny, anyone else would only get twenty percent. Still, free XP is free XP. I set those aside as well.

"Now, the really interesting part…"

>Scan

Now this is the kind of loot I've been waiting for! I slowly open the shoebox sized chest, taking note of the pawn on the lid.

[Nice! You received 100*Lumber]

Ha! These are great! The prize is in the form of a business card, that reveals its contents when accessed. This prize isn't that great, but free stuff is free stuff. I add them to the materials and grab the next one.

[Nice! You received 1*Simple Iron Targe]

A targe is generally a small shield that attaches to the forearm, leaving the hands free. It's not the best piece of equipment, but being able to use it as a basis for crafting we could create the perfect thing for the soldiers with one arm or maybe something for the casters to keep both hands free.

So far so good! Next!

[Great! You received Apprentice Enchanted Broom]

I'm giddy, though I don't plan on using it. Who doesn't like getting cool magical stuff? This item is capable of holding up to 350lbs, has a max speed of a typical person running, and no height restriction. Of course, I imagine a certain little kitty using this, anyone could so this is a great prize. One left to open. I run a hand over the lid before I open it. The idea of smacking my own butt crosses my mind, but I immediately dismiss the thought.

[Nice! You received 25*Iron Ingots]

I should have done it! We could always use more ingots but of course, I was wishing for more. Next in rank for the chests are the knights.

>Scan

Two of them. I look around the room, praying they don't broadcast this, and give my bottom a slap.

[Fantastic! You received 4*Whisper Ear Cuff]

>Scan

That makes these earrings the highest grade items we've gotten so far. I'm a little distracted by the ideas I have for them when I open the other Knight Chest.

[Great! You received 4*Random Apprentice Artisan Kit Packages]

Damn! I face palm in minor frustration, forgetting to do the butt slap. I open them up anyway and find out how great these little things are. Brown paper packages tied up with string, indeed!

[You received Deluxe Spice Rack!]

[You received Deluxe Alchemy Tools]

[You received Deluxe Tailor's Kit!]

[You received Deluxe Carpenter Set!]

I'm tempted to keep the Spice Rack to myself, but I remember Gorm's face when I gave him the salt. I toss them all into the general inventory and hold in my excitement to use them. This is like all the best holidays rolled into one and I still have three chests to open! Then, out of the blue, it hits me. A sudden realization washes over me and I groan loudly.

[What's wrong, Ardy? All of these new items are wonderful!]

"It's not that. It's the symbols on the boxes. They're chess pieces."

[And?]

"Chess. Chests. They're Treasure Chess-ts." I pinch the bridge of my nose, wondering about the wise guy who came up with the design. I wonder if I should thank them or slap them.

[I think it's rather clever. Funny, too, that you caught that.]

"Let's just move on," I mumble as I give my left cheek a couple of smacks.

>Scan

These odds are all over the place. There's a small chance of getting something comparatively lame or game changing. I smack myself couple extra times and open the lid.

[Fantastic! You received Amulet of Dragon's Breath.]

>Scan

[Great! You received 4*Hedge Mage's Ring!]

>Scan[1 Charge: Minor Illusion

[1 Charge: Magical Lights

[1 Charge: Shocking Touch

[2 Charges: Disguise Self]

Even with the lucky slaps, I couldn't get any Master, Expert, Unique, or Elseworldly gear. It's not that I'm complaining about what I did get, especially since we get more than one of the less powerful items. I'm sure if we did get a Master or higher ranked item we would only get one. The amulet is a great path clearer and the rings are super useful. I hesitate to open the last chest, but I check out its odds anyway.

>Scan

There's no chance of getting anything lower than Journeyman and a slightly less than fifty percent chance of getting something better. I'm really nervous, thinking about opening it, "Sonny, do these have a time limit to open them?"

[They don't. But it is better to use them than not. They serve no purpose sitting in storage. Anything that these chests produce will put you at a significant advantage.]

"It's a little late, but is there any way you can take a quick peak inside?" I ask, staring the box down like we're about to fight.

[No, but I have found a record of 87 other openings of the Rook Chest. There is only 1 record of the Queen Chest. And no one has yet to open or even find a King Chest. Dispensing of these items as rewards is done by the system for reasons I have yet to understand. It may have something to do with the contents of the quest, but more likely it is something under the Pantheon's control. Would you like to know what was found in the Rook Chests Y/N?]

"No thanks, Sonny. I have the feeling that these things don't repeat themselves often and whatever you say will only break my heart knowing I wont be getting them."

I take a deep breath, cracking it open just a tiny bit, but whatever is inside forces it's way out. A small cloud of purple magic shoots out and passes through the door. Whatever it is lands with a heavy THUD. I open the door and I'm left staring at a simple wooden wagon painted black. Attached to the front are two black statues that look like horses. At least, I think they're statues at first because they're not moving in the slightest, not even breathing. I ignore the notification and before I scan it, I take a look around. It looks to be like any other wagon, something you'd see in a movie with gypsies or a western with a man peddling oils and tonics. There are no windows, not even on the double doors in back. I check the blinking prompt.

[Incredible! You received a Masterwork Transporter, Nightshade]

>Scan[Based on the magic of the great mage Bailum and his one-of-a-kind Bailum's Traveling Entertainment Emporium. This vardo sacrifices an amount of spacial magic to power the two clockwork horses that can be operated like live horses, but need no regular maintenance.]

[Unlike other spatial items, this Transporter can also contain other spatial items. Also, unlike others, this item's magic isn't disrupted with a simple break or tear. Instead, this Transporter has 800/800HP, 20Armor. Once it reaches 0, everything inside and the vardo itself will be lost forever. The inner space is 250 x 250 x 15 ft. This is enough breathable air for about 3,000 people for 7 days, less depending on how much cargo is also on board.]

I am actually extremely relieved that it isn't a rare weapon or piece of armor; I didn't want to have to choose who it would go to. I scan the horses and they have 150/150HP, 10Armor but no other battle stats. They also can't be detatched but they can be replaced with real horses. According to Sonny, they can only be repaired with healing magic, which is actually pretty good news.

[Also, the horses and the vardo can be upgraded to increase their Armor. Can we put hats on them Y/N?]

I chuckle to myself, "Absolutely. Armor too if we can help it. It would be like a cross between an Armored Personnel Carrier and a clown car."

I walk back into the general workshop. My head spins with all the possibilities. There is just about an acre and a half of space in there with enough headroom for any race. You could even build a small neighborhood in there, if it weren't for the need for a water source. Wait… "Sonny, can we use the vardo as a dungeon?"

[No, there isn't enough ambient mana in it, but I like the way you think. Maybe we can use it to transport everyone to our new location? We can gather resources along the way Y/N?]

"That's actually a good idea. Plus, we can see more of this world. I can gather more monster abilities…"

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Hopefully I can remember all of my plans and ideas. I yawn big and loud, looking around the room. I get it all sorted out and withdraw the scythe. Its a simple curved iron blade attached to a distinctly shaped wooden handle. I wave it around, making wooshing sounds.

"Hey, Ardacen, did Rachel--" Dawn stops while I'm in mid swing.

Our eyes lock and I can feel the heat rise from my neck and the cold sweat drop from my scalp. "I can explain…"

Her laughter is raucous and unstoppable, no matter how much I protest.

"Okay, okay. I get it," I can see the pain in her cheeks from smiling too hard and long.

"Anyway," she resumes, collecting her breath, "Both Rachel and Richter got a main quest from the Queen."

I'm putting the scythe away, but my embarrassment is still hanging around, "Is Victoria still with Queen Herexa?"

"Yes, after their bath they took one of the houses. They have this cool tent that is more like a house inside than anything."

"Yeah? You should check out the vardo."

She looks at me like I garbled the last word. Pointing a deep blue thumb at the door, she raises an eyebrow at me, "You mean the wagon?"

I walk her back out and open up the double doors. We can't see directly into it so I help her up and climb in after her.

The inner space looks like the inside of a circus tent, reminding me of its description. The smell of dry hay and unseen animals fills my nose, but the ground is only plain dirt. I've been to fairs and events like that, but never got the chance to go to an actual circus. Oddly enough, I did work with a few people who were a part of one at some time in their lives and the whole lifestyle fascinates me. The idea that a group of people can travel and set up a small city in a day, entertain a large population at the highest level, and then move on to the next place like a song on the wind is truly awe inspiring.

The doors open at one of the "sides", the walls appear to be a sort of white canvas as does the ceiling. There's an odd sort of light coming through it that fills the space. I close one of the doors and it remained, meaning we could always find the way out. Since there isn't much else to do, we step out and continue back into the workshop after I close the doors.

"What were you saying earlier?" I ask her, bringing up the screen with the list of stuff we got over the course of the day.

"Oh, Rachel and Richter got a Main Quest from Queen Herexa involving gathering information for her." She shares the details of the quest with me. It's a chain quest that starts off with low rewards but increases as it goes along. "She's going into the city herself for several reasons. One being that Lord Bertrand leave us alone. But one of the main reasons she's actually here seems a bit more sinister. There are rumors that reached her in the capitol regarding missing people after the original Linqs group was kicked out. It seems the Thieves Guild is getting a lot of work and the Mage Academy is footing the bill."

"But what does that mean?" I ask, retrieving the necklace she pointed to so she can inspect it.

"That's what they need to find out. Even though they're no longer part of the Thieves Guild, there's no real indicator that they're a part of it or not. You know, like a title in the names or whatever. So, they're going to play spy." I withdraw one of the Hedge Mage's Rings and a Whisper Ear Cuff, "These are going to get a good test run then."