Chương 36: The Last Night in the Dungeon

Ch. 36 - The Last Night in the Dungeon There are many magical races that live on Anwyn, more than you'd think. I'm not counting 'monsters' in this case, as that would take far too long. No, I am referring solely to the races that are generally regarded as being a 'people'. Some are easy to spot; looking mostly human except for a notable aspect of their appearance. Proteans are a good example of this, as their brightly coloured bodies make them stand out.

Some are harder to spot, with the changes being internal rather than external.

Even Witches are closer to a race than a [Class]. And yes, I did indeed say 'changes'. I now strongly suspect that the vast majority of magical races were created, not born. Any record of why this was done has been lost to time, and if the races themselves have any inkling of the truth, they keep it well hidden. It all ties together with Dungeons, and why they were needed in the first place. - from the writings of Steadholder Eckhart"Well, this is quite the honour! Thank you, Lady Fox!" Lera beamed down at Kit.

The fox flicked her tail through the air, conveying amusement and slight disappointment.

'You're not surprised? Wyatt had a much more entertaining reaction.' The Protean shrugged, giving her a small smile. The three of them were following the path through the dungeon, although their pace wasn't hurried. Lera's teammates had long vanished into the distance.

"I'm afraid not. I'm a member of a magical race as well after all. And speaking of Wyatt, he does tend to glance at you whenever he is making a decision." Kit sighed, then cast a playful glance at Wyatt.' Yes, I'm afraid I am the adult in our relationship.' Wyatt raised an eyebrow at that, but his voice was mild. He was pleased that Kit was talking to Lera.

"Hey now. You're making me sound a bit pathetic there." Lera laughed, jostling Wyatt with her shoulder.

"Don't act like Lady Fox isn't the one in charge, Wyatt." Kit's jaw was open in a silent laugh, but she flicked a quick glance up at Lera.' You may use my name, if you wish.' Lera held up her hands in front of her, shaking her head.

"Oh no, I couldn't. That seems way too familiar."' It does?' Wyatt frowned slightly, looking between the two of them as they walked.

"What's wrong with 'Kit'?" Lera hesitated.

"Uh, just that it seems a little too affectionate?" Kit sighed again, shaking her head ruefully.

'Yes, he's terribly inappropriate sometimes. Lera, just the other day he petted me on the head.' Lera gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. She gave Wyatt a scandalised look.

"How bold!" Wyatt looked skywards for a moment. He hadn't realised that Lera and Kit would so quickly turn into a double-act at his expense.

"Are you both done?" Lera laughed, throwing a playful punch in Wyatt's direction.

"Lighten up! We are only having fun. It's just that it wouldn't seem right for me to call Lady Fox by that name." Kit was thoughtful for a few steps, then her expression turned slightly wicked.' Wyatt did give me another name, now that I think of it. Perhaps that would suit.' Wyatt blinked.

"I did? Wait, do you mean—" Kit spoke over the top of him.' Yes, a very august name. Would you be comfortable calling me Inari, Lera?' Wyatt held up a hand, shaking his head.

"Kit, I didn't technically give you that name." Lera ignored him, smiling broadly.

"Ah yes, that sounds much more refined! I would be pleased to use that name." Kit lowered her voice, sounding conspiratorial.' I'm glad. He chose that name after a goddess, you know. Oh, If I could but blush!' Kit looked down at the ground, pretending to be flustered, but her tail was swishing playfully through the air. Lera grinned, shaking her head in mock disbelief.

"Wyatt, you're such a charmer! But Inari—what an auspicious name." Wyatt rubbed at his face, feeling his cheeks getting hot as they succeeded in flustering him. Apparently [Advanced Fortitude] wasn't all that helpful in staving off embarrassment. He cleared his throat, lengthening his stride so that he was in front of them.

"Come on, we may as well speed up. It's already afternoon." Wyatt heard Kit and Lera whispering something behind him, and then some more soft laughter. Then they caught up, walking on either side of him. Lera nodded across Wyatt at Kit.

"The young are always entertaining, aren't they, Lady Inari." Kit nodded seriously.' Oh yes.' Wyatt stiffened his shoulders, sighing.

"I'm really not that young." Lera jostled him with her shoulder as they walked.

"You're younger than us."

"Oh really?" Kit sniffed pointedly.' Lera is right. A lady doesn't reveal her age, but I'm much, much older than you are, Wyatt.' Lera nodded cheerfully. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"And I'm no lady, so I don't mind sharing. I think I'm about fifty, but I'm not sure. I stopped keeping track quite a while back." Wyatt missed a step, and he stumbled. He looked at Lera in shock. The Protean looked a little older than he did, but if he had to guess he wouldn't have put her age much past twenty-seven.

"Fifty? You're messing with me, right?" Lera gave him a rueful smile.

"Afraid not. But that doesn't mean I'm actually fifty—Proteans don't age like humans do. We stay pretty much the same throughout our lives."

"How long do you—" Wyatt trailed off, wondering if he was being rude to her. Lera just shrugged, smiling.

"—live? Oh, we aren't anything like Elves. We still get old, maybe last a little longer than most folk, but you won't find any of us knocking around much past a hundred and fifty."

"Elves?" Wyatt almost stumbled again. There were elves in this world as well? It almost made him overlook Lera's casual mention of her lifespan. The Protean misinterpreted his expression.

"Yes, Elves! Have you never met one before? One of my party members is an Elf, I'll introduce you when we get back if you like." Lera looked up at the sky critically, tracking the position of the sun. She glanced at Wyatt and Kit.

"You know, I only assumed that you didn't want to hurry back to the city. Are you both fine with another night in the dungeon? If we hurried we would probably make it before sundown."' I don't mind.' Wyatt shook his head, giving Lera a crooked smile.

"Me either. I was looking forward to a hot bath, but one more day won't hurt." Lera sighed in relief, then grinned.

"Great! I'm in no real hurry either. My team is handling the request we fulfilled—I hate bureaucracy. And as for the latter, I'll take you to the best bathhouse in the city when we get back to make up for it! I'll even wash your back." Wyatt coughed, ignoring Kit's snickering.

"Ah, that's alright, Lera. So your trip to the fourth floor went well?" The Protean made a face.

"It did, but I forgot how unpleasant it is there. Nothing nearly so nice as this floor!"' That bad, was it?' Lera shuddered.

"You have no idea. One full day of trekking through the swamp, which was bad enough. But then we had to fight the Kelp Gators. Damn things fling muck at you as a defence mechanism. So we are all filthy, smelling even worse than the swamp around us, and then we still have to trek all the way back out! We spent a full day cleaning our gear before entering the portal. I still have a bundle of clothing in my bag of holding that I haven't decided if it's worth laundering. I may just burn it." Wyatt grimaced in sympathy.

"I know how bad a swamp can smell. That sounds rough."

"That's Adventuring for you. It's either life-threatening, or disgusting and gross. However …" Lera looked around appreciatively at the idyllic countryside they were walking through.

"… I really forgot just how nice the first floor is. Although I think I'm a little over dressed here. Hang on a moment, will you?" Lera stopped and started undoing the straps of her armour, very casually divesting herself of most of her gear. Wyatt watched as she struggled out of her chain and plate mail.

"Is that safe? I thought it was better to be prepared?" Lera got her chest plate over her head with a small grunt.

"It's fine for here, Wyatt, no matter what I've told you about being prepared. Theo can be a bit of a bore, but he was also kind of right. There's nothing on this floor that would be a threat to me, so I may as well be comfortable." Lera was wearing padded clothing under her armour, not bulky, but definitely shapeless. She pulled this last layer off with every sign of relief, revealing a simple loose cotton shirt underneath.

After she finished stowing everything into her bag of holding, Lera raised her arms above her head, stretching with a groan of relief. The light from the sun caught her blue skin, illuminating it into a muted radiance. She'd kept only her sword on, the belt holding it resting on her hip in a jaunty angle.

"Ahh … that's better. Now, Wyatt, you said you had a skill to find a campsite?" Wyatt nodded, but hesitated.

"I did, but I don't have that skill anymore." Lera frowned in confusion.

"You lost a skill?"

'Skill change. He's levelled quite a bit the last few days.' Lera brightened up, looking at Wyatt with approval.

"I see you've been more productive than I realised! Care to fill me in?" Sharing his Skills still felt oddly personal to Wyatt, but he found that he also didn't mind telling Lera. It was a similar feeling to Kit. He gave Lera a quick rundown of his new Skills and Classes, in particular the changes to [A Safe Place to Rest]. Lera looked thoughtful.

"Lady Inari is correct, that will be a far more useful Skill once you've levelled a bit more. It's not quite as secure in the meantime, but the choices it provides sound like it will suit you better." Kit nodded in agreement with the Protean.' He does have a particular focus in regards to his Classes.'

"I can see that. Wyatt really isn't suited to Adventuring, is he? Well, no matter. I think I remember there being a nice spot to camp near here, although it's been years. Any objections if we make camp? It's still a few hours back to the portal to Skalholm, but it will be an easy journey in the morning." Wyatt shook his head.

"I don't mind. Kit?"' Fine with me.' Lera smiled.

"Great! Let's get comfortable, and then you can tell me exactly what your plans are. I can already tell it's not going to be anything conventional." The campsite that Lera led them to was picturesque, like almost every part of this floor of the dungeon. It was a meadow in the lee of a hill, with a stream and wood being within easy walking distance. After setting up the test, Lera volunteered to gather firewood, borrowing Wyatt's axe.

The Protean rested it on her shoulder as she sauntered off, evincing an easy competence with the weapon. While Lera procured wood, Wyatt set about catching their dinner. It was fish, again, and even though he knew it would be tasty, he was starting to crave red meat. The fish he speared were more of the large trout that seemed endemic to the waterways in the dungeon, and Wyatt caught perhaps more than they strictly needed.

But then again, lunch had been quite light, just snacking as they walked, so he was quite hungry. Lera got back to camp not long after Wyatt, and she'd gone a little overboard. The amount of wood she'd cut would more suit a bonfire than a simple campfire, but Wyatt left her to it; just watching with a smile as the Protean cheerfully constructed a large fire. He did build his own, smaller fire, to cook with though.

It felt a little strange to be camping without the aegis of [A Safe Place to Rest], like it was an itch that Wyatt couldn't quite scratch. He'd not spent a night outside without using it ever since he'd received his first Class. Even so, he felt very secure. Lera had casually mentioned that she'd stopped trying to hide her strength—whatever that meant—and that only something truly crazy would dare attack with her here.

By the time that they had eaten, with both Lera and Kit singing praises about Wyatt's cooking, the sun had set, and the three of them were relaxing by the fire. Kit was laying on her side with her belly to the flames, and Lera was sprawled on her back, resting on her elbows as she looked up at the sky. The firelight danced across her blue skin, providing hidden depth and illumination. She tilted her head, looking over at Wyatt.

"So what exactly do you have in mind going forwards, Wyatt?" Wyatt glanced at Kit. The fox lazily opened an eye for a moment before closing it again.

"Well we found this place. Good land, water close by, a wood … and there's a ruin of a building. A farmhouse, I think. There's a lot of it intact—enough to build on. And I was thinking, with the Skills I have …" Wyatt quickly gave Lera the rundown on what he wanted to do, laying out his plans for the future. Lera listened attentively, but shook her head slowly when he'd finished.

"I'm not sure that will work, Wyatt. Or at least it won't be easy."

"It won't?" Lera sat up, clasping her arms around her legs as she drew them up to her chest. She rested her cheek on her knee as she faced him.

"Living in the dungeon … you couldn't do so openly. You'd have to hide it. Be underhanded. And that would only get trickier when you have produce to sell. You saw the increased guards and guild officials when we entered? They use spells and artefacts to determine the approximate value of any loot an Adventurer brings out of the dungeon. It's a way to prevent anyone cheating their dues. I'm not sure how that will work with you bringing the fruit out of the dungeon tomorrow though—we'll have to see."

Wyatt frowned, thinking. That would make things a lot more complicated.

"I see." Lera continued, watching him closely.

"It's not just that though. Wyatt, you can't repair a building the size of the one you are describing yourself."

"But I have the [Crafter] Class. I could—" Lera held up a hand, stopping him mid sentence.

"You may be able to muddle your way through repairing it with your Class, but that's not what I meant. You were planning on buying materials and then carting them into the dungeon, weren't you?"

"Yes." Lera shook her head.

"See, that's not feasible, it would take far too long. Bags of holding can only take so much — you might not have realised because you have only been using yours for your personal belongings. But if you started hauling lumber in, you'd reach the limit very quickly. It would take you hundreds of trips." Wyatt's face fell. He'd been planning on selling the dungeon fruit, then doing just what Lera had described.

"Well … damn." Lera's lips quirked in a faint smile.

"I might have a solution though."

"Really?" The Protean nodded. She stretched out again, pillowing an arm under her head and reclining languidly in front of the fire.

"I know a few people that might help you rebuild. Can't hurt to ask, and they do owe me a favour. Getting them into the dungeon might be tricky, but there are ways around that. Temporary passes as Party support would work."

"But what about materials?" Lera shrugged.

"You said the stone base was mostly intact? Then all they need would be lumber. And you mentioned that there was a wood nearby?"

"Yes, but we can't use green timber, can we?" Lera gave Wyatt a slow smile.

"Skills, Wyatt. I'm sure one of the group I'm thinking of has a Skill to quickly dry timber. They can harvest what they need right there in the dungeon."

"Lera—that would be amazing. Thank you." The Protean waved a hand dismissively in his direction, but she looked pleased with herself.

"I'll take you to see them tomorrow. It's an interesting path you're choosing to tread—how can I not tag along, if only to see how it ends?" The rest of the evening was spent in amicable silence, with the three of them just enjoying the night and each others company. When they eventually retired into the tent, Wyatt was more than a little nonplussed when Lera got onto the bedroll behind him, casually throwing an arm across his chest as she snuggled up to his back. She yawned, shifting to get more comfortable.

"Hope you don't mind—I get a bit cold at night."

"Ah … no?" Lera's body did indeed feel cool against him, but also pleasant. He could feel her breath against the back of his neck, which was distracting, but in a good way. Kit gave him an amused look as she curled up into a tight ball on the other side of him. Wyatt had been quite tired, but he ended up taking a long while to fall asleep.