Special Going Batty

***Common Special Request***

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## Quest Data

* Normal, from level 5

* Ambush! -10 Energy
* Horned Rat - level 1
* Bat - level 3
* Speed check (DC70)
	+ If failed: Bat - level 3-5 HPVampire Bat - level 3
* FULL HEAL
* Vampire Bat - level 5
200 XP

Quest loot: Going Batty!

Buy on Neftyblocks for 50 GUILD

* 1 guaranteed from:
	+ Bat Wing (85%)
	+ Orb of the Bat (10%)
	+ Reap Scroll (5%)
* 1 guaranteed from:
	+ Stone (50%)
	+ Iron Ore (50%)
* 1 optional, 54.5% to get no reward:
	+ Mysterious Chest (20%)
	+ Mysterious Scroll (10%)
	+ Recovery Remedy (10%)
	+ Enlightening Scroll (5%)
	+ License Reroll Ticket (0.5%)
* 1 optional, 75% to get no reward:
	+ Lesser Air Glyph (10%)
	+ Lesser Shadow Glyph (10%)
	+ Lesser Earth Glyph (5%)

## Story

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

Awakening after your first sleep in the subterranean labyrinth of the Croft Mines, you stretch and hoist yourself out of bed. Following your nose and the dim flickering torchlight, you make your way to the dining chamber, having been shown there by Torcher Brady last night.

Upon entering, you see a burly man digging into some salted meat with enthusiasm, and a young lady idly filling in a crossword while she eats. The man turns to you, wiping his face on his sleeve and smiling.

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

*"Hi there! Lovely to meet ya! I’m Digger Bryce and this here is Barbara, she’s our apprentice!”*
Barbara turns to give you a very weary and low-effort smile and wave before returning to her puzzle.
*“Don’t mind her,”* Bryce continues, *“she’s a lovely lass and smart too. She might just be an apprentice, but we've made her the safety supervisor. Ever since she started a few months ago, we don't dig straight down anymore and our incident rate has dropped to zero."* You hear an exasperated sigh.
*"I honestly don't know how there's never been a tragic accident here."* Bryce gives a carefree laugh.
*"Ahhh, we're blessed by Balitoth, the Old Man of the Mountains. We're tough folk around here."* Turning back to you, he extends a hand. *"Sorry, where are my manners? What's your name?"*

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

*"[Adventurer]?"* His face falls. *"That doesn't start with the letter B"*. He screws up his face in thought. *"Got it! We'll call you Blake!"*
*"I'm sorry, what?"* You ask, rather confused as to why you need to be renamed. Barbara sighs again.
*"Don't try to fight it. Congratulations, you're Blake now. It's a superstition they have where everyone who works here in the mines has to have a name beginning with B. My name is actually Lydia."* The dark-haired woman looks thoughtful for a moment, then shudders. *"Malana help me, it's almost starting to feel wrong to call myself Lydia. Anyway, congratulations, your name is Blake now."* Bryce grins at her.

*"See, I knew we'd get through to you Lass!"* Barbara (or is it Lydia) brings a palm to her forehead with a frustrated groan.
*"I give up. Just finish eating and go show* Blake *the problem."*

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

After a quick meal, you're led down a rocky tunnel deeper into the mine. You pass a clearly man-made Stone Golem that is pushing a trolly full of ore. The construct is built from cleanly cut slabs of stone, and someone has even put a mining helmet on it's head.
You pass a few other workers who Bryce introduces as "Brianna", "Bob", "Benny", "Bella", and "Bill". He calls you Blake every time. After about 15 minutes of walking, you finally reach what would have been a dead end except for a narrow gap in the wall.

Bryce gestures at the opening. There's a decently sized sack next to it. *"The other side eventually opens into a cavern, but it's full of bats."* Waving his arms for emphasis, he continues. *"The cavern must connect to the surface somewhere, but we've not been able to work out where."*

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

*"We would like you to go in there, light the place up with some lanterns, and see what's going on. If it's the roosting place of an entire bat colony, I'd prefer to not disturb them, but we need to at least check if there's anything of note there."* Picking up the sack with ease, he hands it to you. You're caught off guard by how heavy it actually is, but you peer inside and see a number of magical lanterns within, just like the one hanging from your waist. *"Any questions?"*

You shake your head, and start maneuvering the sack through the narrow opening. *"If you need any more, just come back to the supply room, and we'll get you sorted. I'll be waiting here for you."* Bryce claps you on the back and you stumble into the passageway.

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

It's dark, but thankfully your personal lantern gives off enough light to see relatively clearly. You manage to make into the wider tunnel before something moves just outside the area illuminated by your lantern. You step forward, moving the light and startling a Horned Rat which attacks with a squeak.

Fight a Horned Rat!

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

Finishing off the rodent, you have a moment's respite before another leaps from the darkness at you.

**Ambush! (-10 Energy)**

Fight a Horned Rat!

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

*"Everything okay Blake?"* You hear Bryce call from behind you. You sigh at the new name.
*"All good!"* you reply, checking carefully for more rats. Seeing none, you reach into the sack and pull out one of the lanterns. You press the activation switch on the side and the enchanted device begins to emit a warm yellow glow that illuminates the corridor. You place the lantern off to the side, and begin to travel deeper in.

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

Navigating the tunnel and placing lanterns to ensure the entire passage is lit, you continue to explore. You can tell the tunnel is starting to widen, and you can hear the distant screeching of bats-
*"SCREEECH!"* A dark shape you hadn't noticed before detaches itself from the ceiling and swoops down at you!

Fight a Bat!

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

You successfully fend off the bat and stop to let your heart rate calm after that surprise. You also take the opportunity to sip a healing potion, recovering from the previous fights too. Lifting a lantern high, you scan the ceiling, taking in all of the rough edges and shadowy curves, searching for any other bats that might startle you.

*Aha!* A pair of bats hang from the roof further ahead, so far undisturbed by the light. Now that you know they're there, you can strategise!

**What would you like to do?**

**A: Sneak past: [Speed | DC70]**

***Location: Croft Mines***
You place the lantern on the ground, and extinguishing the one hanging from your waist, you try to sneak past the sleeping creatures.
Make an Speed check! (DC70)
Failed check

***Failed Speed check - Location: Croft Mines***
You try you hardest, you really do. And for the first few steps you're like a ghost. But unfortunately you stumble on some loose pebbles and trip. You manage to catch yourself, but the sack of lanterns falls to the ground with a loud clang, rousing the bats!

Fight a Bat!

***Location: Croft Mines***
The first bat is quickly dealt with, but the second manages to bite you it swoops down, and you suddenly feel slightly weaker, as if it has drained something from you.
**(-5 HP)**
You shake the creature off and take a better look at it. You manage to notice that it's darker than other bats before it swoops down again.

Fight a Vampire Bat!

***Location: Croft Mines***
Striking the dark bat from the air, you approach it's still form and examine it closer. You see longer than usual fangs, and that its colouration is darker than normal. It's hard to make out in the dim light, but as you move the lantern closer, you can see red markings along the bat's wings as well.
You're not entirely sure what to make of this new development, but you continue onwards, sipping a health potion as you go.

Passed check

***Passed Power check - Location: Croft Mines***
Every step is taken with care, and not a pebble is disturbed as you lightly navigate the passageway. You're like a ghost as you silently traverse terrain, and before long you manage to successfully creep past the bats. You realise you're likely near the cavern, so you pause after travelling further from the sleeping bats, you reilluminate your lantern and continue onwards!

**Fight them**

***Location: Croft Mines***
You boldy step forwards and march towards the bats. They wake as you near, and swoop down to attack!

Fight a Bat!

***Location: Croft Mines***
The first bat is quickly dealt with, but the second manages to bite you it swoops down, and you suddenly feel slightly weaker, as if it has drained something from you.
**(-5 HP)**
You shake the creature off and take a better look at it. You manage to notice that it's darker than other bats before it swoops down again.

Fight a Vampire Bat!

***Location: Croft Mines***
Striking the dark bat from the air, you approach it's still form and examine it closer. You see longer than usual fangs, and that its colouration is darker than normal. It's hard to make out in the dim light, but as you move the lantern closer, you can see red markings along the bat's wings as well.
You're not entirely sure what to make of this new development, but you continue onwards, sipping a health potion as you go.

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

The tunnel finally opens into a wide chamber - this must have been the cave Bryce was talking about. You take one of the lanterns out of the sack and activate it, before gently rolling it forwards across the cavern floor. As it moves, you can see that the ceiling covered with sleeping bats.

A sudden glint of light catches your eye, and you spot something reflecting the light of the lantern in the middle of the cavern. The roof of the cavern is high enough that your movement doesn't disturb the creatures, and you reach what looks to be a roughly-hewn pedestal with a small round red orb set within. Looking closer you see a faint bat-like shape within the strange gem, but as you reach out to take it, a **BIG** bat swoops down at you, oversized fangs bared.

Fight a Vampire Bat!

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

As you defeat the vampiric monster, the remaining bats as one awaken and take flight, potentially startled by your fight. It's absolute pandemonium, and you're ready to run.
You grab the orb from where it rests, deciding to study it later, but as it leaves the pedestal, the fluttering colony of bats suddenly spiral away and disappear down a tunnel you hadn't noticed. Within moments, you're left standing in the now empty room, distant shrieks quickly fading into quiet echos.

Ears still ringing from the cacaphony of the bats, you depart the chamber and make your way back the way you came. Along the way, you're met by Bryce, Brianna, and Bill- or was it Bob? Either way, the two men are armed with sharp pickaxes, while Brianna has a loaded crossbow ready.
*"Are you okay? We heard the noise!"*

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

You reassure the group that you are indeed relatively unharmed and explain what happened, showing the miners the red gem. Bryce claps you on the back yet again. *"Well done Blake! I knew you'd do it!"* He takes the orb from you and the three of you return to the dining chamber where Barbara is still sitting with her crossword. Bryce shows the gem to the woman, who appraises it with a critical eye. You see her mutter a few spells, her hand glowing faintly as she holds the object.

*"Hmmmm. It's infused with the magical signature of bats. I wonder if this is what was causing the colony to congregate in that cavern."* You tell Barbara about the vampiric bats and she nods. *"It's possible that whatever this artifact may be, its influence reached the natural fauna. You should report this when you return to Guildtown."*

### ***Location: Croft Mines***

A short while later, you find yourself on your way out of the mines. Passing the familiar painting of a chicken and navigating the tricky tunnels, you finally reach the surface for the first time in over a day!

Eyes sensitive to the light, blink as you step into bright sunlight. As well as your payment of Guilders, in your bag is a pouch of bits and bobs that Bryce handed to you as you were leaving, as an extra thank you for your assistance.

You adjust the strap on your bag and then set off back home, leaving the somewhat batty collection of miners behind you.