Chương 41: [I Claim this Land]

Ch. 41 - [I Claim this Land]

"Alright, everything is sorted. I have the temporary worker passes for the dungeon." Wyatt patted at his bag of holding as he spoke to Thrais. He'd come straight from the Adventurers Guild to the square in front of the dungeon portal, and had found the Elf already waiting for him. The area was packed, the lines looking even larger than the day before. So many Adventurers were lined up, waiting for their chance to enter the dungeon. Thrais smiled broadly.

He politely bowed his head to Kit, then turned his attention back to Wyatt.

"That's excellent news! And there wasn't any trouble?" Wyatt shook his head. He was absently scanning the crowd, looking for Lera and her team.

"None at all. The guild said the pass is good for two weeks." Thrais nodded in satisfaction.

"That gives us a decent buffer if we get delayed. Come, meet my team." Thrais waved Wyatt forwards to where a group of people were already waiting in a line. As Thrais called out, they turned, and Wyatt saw that all four of them were Elves. As they got closer, he suddenly felt clumsy, awkward in his own skin. It wasn't anything that Wyatt was doing, rather it was just the fact of being faced with so many preternaturally beautiful beings.

It was hard to define, but it was like there was something about them, an effect that was magnified with them all standing together. A touch of something that was slightly more than mortal. There were two men and two women. The male Elves looked so alike that Wyatt immediately suspected that they were related in some way. They both had brown hair, but one had their hair clipped short, while the other had it longer and tied back.

Of the two women, one had reddish hair, tied back in a tail, and the other had short, darker hair. All of the Elves were tall and slender, with finely shaped features. They moved lightly on their feet, like they were only somewhat connected to the ground. Thrais clapped the male Elf with shorter hair on the shoulder, and looked at Wyatt.

"This is Alvar. He'll be in charge of cutting timber for us. And that's his younger brother, Aslak." Wyatt shook hands with the two brothers. Alvar just nodded at him as they traded firm grips, but Aslak smiled broadly at Wyatt.

"Looking forward to the job! Thrais never steers us wrong." Thrais then introduced Wyatt to the Elf woman with red hair.

"This is Krista. She'll be mainly working with me on construction." Thrais then waved the last, short-haired Elf forward.

"And this is Ronja. Her specialty is drying and preparing timber, although everyone here is a skilled carpenter or woodworker." They smiled at Wyatt, shaking his hand, but otherwise staying silent. He introduced Kit to them, and he wryly noted that they seemed much more effusive when greeting the silver fox. Wyatt turned to Thrais.

"So you have everything you need? Nothing else we need to do before heading in?" Thrais shook his head.

"No, we have everything we need. Our tools of course, and we have supplies for a little over a week. Lera mentioned you have Skills to keep us safe?"

"Yes, I have [Danger Sense], and also a Skill to ensure the area around the farm. It should discourage anything from getting too close." The other Elves had been listening, and seemed reassured at hearing this. Thrais rubbed at his chin thoughtfully.

"That's good enough for me. I know a little about the first floor, and by all accounts it isn't too dangerous. I did get us some extra protective gear as insurance though. Nothing offensive, as none of us are warriors, but we have potions of haste, amulets of stone skin … that sort of thing." Wyatt paused, remembering Howler's Bane, and how they had died without him being able to do anything to stop it.

"The first floor isn't always safe. I mean, I haven't noticed anything dangerous in the last week I was in there, but …" Thrais regarded him seriously.

"I know, and I wasn't being flippant. Lera didn't mince words about the risks. But we do owe her. Additionally most of my team have some form of the [Accident Prevention] Skill." Wyatt cocked his head.

"[Accident Prevention]? That would work?" Thrais gave Wyatt a crooked smile.

"It depends on what you consider to be an 'accident'. Since anything that would happen would occur while we are on the job site, it can apply if you are creative enough." Wyatt was fascinated.

"I didn't realise you could use Skills like that. Creatively, I mean."

"Well, you are young, it's to be expected. Most Skills have some kind of application outside of their initial scope." Wyatt and the five Elves shuffled ahead a few steps as the line moved forwards. Wyatt was still looking around, trying to spot anyone he knew. Thrais smiled, pointing towards the front of one of the lines on the other side of the square.

"Lera and her team are over there if you want to bid them luck before they leave." Wyatt perked up.

"Thanks! I'll be right back! Come on, Kit." Wyatt had to push his way through a few different lines to get to them, and he was slowed down by having to assure waiting Adventurers that he wasn't trying to cut in front of them. By the time that he reached Veiled Legacy, they'd already spotted him. Lera gave him a relaxed, one-armed hug, jostling him playfully.

"You made it! No trouble with the guild?" Wyatt grinned.

"Nope, all went pretty smoothly." He jumped in surprise when Celia gave him a hug from behind, however it was brief, and without any of the behaviour from her that he had become accustomed to. She gave him a genuine smile.

"Hey, you." Wyatt smiled back, and noted how close they were to the front of the checkpoint.

"I guess you're almost ready to set out. You know, the guild was almost completely empty when I was there." Kelar sighed, running his hand through his hair. He seemed frustrated, and more than a little impatient.

"Don't remind me. We are going to have to push in hard to get ahead of all the Adventurers that went in before us. But at least we are on our way." Lera took hold of Wyatt's arm, pulling him over to meet two people that he didn't recognise. She spoke to Kelar over her shoulder.

"Relax, Kel. I heard the crypt is huge, and most teams will be camped out near the entrance—there's only a few teams that would have the Skills and Levels to delve deeply in only a few days. Anyway, Wyatt, this here is Senni, our [Scout] and Prym, our second caster and [Witch]." Senni was an older man with piercing eyes, and white stubble. He looked far more rugged than the other members of his team, and was standing with his arms folded, just observing the crowd around them.

Senni nodded easily at Wyatt, but made no move to greet him other than that. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Lera moved her head closer to Wyatt's ear, speaking in a stage whisper.

"Don't mind him, he's just shy." Senni's stoic face twisted into an expression of outrage, but Lera had already moved on to Prym. Prym was wearing robes in a similar style to Celia, but without the long slit up the side of her leg. She looked older than the others as well, perhaps in her early thirties. Prym had a pleasant face, with chestnut curls, but most of Wyatt's attention was taken up by the wide-brimmed hat that she wore.

It was large enough that her body was completely covered by its shadow, and the style was so stereotypical of what Wyatt would expect a witch's hat to be, that he just stared. The [Witch] followed the line of Wyatt's gaze, and slowly started to frown the longer he stared. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Wyatt shook himself, giving her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. It's just … that's a cool hat." There was a long pause as Prym regarded him, then a ghost of a smile graced her lips. She turned to Lera, and tapped the Protean on the shoulder with a closed fist, giving her a nod of approval. Lera grinned, ruffling at Wyatt's hair. Then she pointed down at Kit.

"And this here is, Inari. She's in charge, so make sure you show her respect." Kit sighed theatrically, but trotted forwards, nodding her head at the [Scout] and the [Witch]. She spoke, but only to Wyatt and Lera.' And that's why you're acceptable, Lera.' Lera's smile slipped for a second, but then she recovered. Senni was nodding back to Kit, looking slightly bemused, but Prym had crouched down, cooing softly to the silver fox. Lera turned to Wyatt.

"So you're all set to head in as well?"

"Yeah, I was ready yesterday, and Thrais said they are all geared up. I wasn't expecting to go back in so soon, but I don't really mind." Lera shook her head ruefully.

"I didn't think you would. You look like you've been itching to get back as soon as we left." Wyatt blinked.

"Really?" Lera laughed softly.

"Yes, it was kind of obvious. But you're going to be careful, right?" Wyatt shrugged.

"Of course. But I should be saying that to you. It's going to be a lot more dangerous where you're all going."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. All of us are strong, and none of us are foolhardy. Well, maybe Celia, but Kelar keeps everyone on track." Wyatt smiled, then hesitated. He felt like he should say something to her, something about this morning. He'd certainly been raised that way, but Wyatt's intuition told him not to try—to not embarrass either himself or Lera by trying to put a label around them.

Kelar had mentioned something along similar lines the night before, even though Wyatt had been quite inebriated at the time. But he truly didn't get the sense that Lera was … attached, wasn't quite the right word. Wyatt just had the feeling that what they had shared wasn't the most important part of their relationship, whatever that was exactly. So, Wyatt just gave the Protean a rueful smile.

"Do you know how long you will be on the third floor?" Lera looked thoughtful.

"There's no way to tell. We will check it out, see how dangerous it is. We'll check back in with the guild in a week, or at least send someone to give a report."

"Hazel, the [Receptionist], did seem frustrated and worried that the guild hadn't heard back from so many teams." Lera nodded.

"That's amateurs for you. Or at least the overconfident ones. Don't worry, Wyatt. Ask for us at the guild when next you are in Skalholm. We'll be fine. And look after Thrais and his crew!" Kit nodded seriously at blue-skinned Protean.' Luck, Lera.' Veiled Legacy had reached the end of their line, so Wyatt had to hurriedly bid them good luck. He watched them cross into the portal, then went back to his own group. It was time for his own version of an adventure.

Wyatt and the Elves made it into the first floor without incident. The guard at the final checkpoint who took down their details actually seemed surprised at their destination. Almost every Adventurer was heading to the new discovery on the third floor. Wyatt let out a sigh of relief when he crossed through the portal. The sudden cessation of noise was startling, as was the absence of other people.

Thrais made it through without stumbling, but the rest of his companions missed a step, with Aslak having to grab Krista by the arm to stop her from falling. The five Elves all surveyed the surrounding landscape with wide eyes. The weather was perfect, the sun was warm, and the usual playful breeze was causing the grass on the hills around them to ripple and sway in beguiling waves. Krista turned slowly on the spot, her red hair fluttering behind her in the wind. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Thrais, this looks just like home!" The head [Woodworker] nodded, staring hard at the land they could see. They were still in the small valley where the portal was situated, but apparently the view was enough for him to agree.

"You're right, it does look very similar." Wyatt looked at them curiously.

"Where's home?"

"The continent of Terregal. We are all from there, if from different areas. But … this really is remarkably similar. I didn't know the first floor was like this." Wyatt led the five Elves up the slope, following the path that led in the direction of their destination. He consulted his map, even though he had memorised the route. It was just before midday, and they should be able to make it before nightfall if they pushed hard.

They made good time to begin with, but they started to slow down—the Elves all pausing frequently as they saw more aspects of the land that reminded them of their home. Ronja pointed excitedly towards a copse of trees in the distance.

"Krista, look! Aren't those —""Conelin! A whole muster of Ground Conelin!" Wyatt shielded his eyes, looking to where the Elves were pointing. He saw a group of the snuffling pig-rabbit creatures he and Kit had used as practice for his skill, [Mask Presence]. Wyatt glanced down at Kit, then at the Elves.

"I thought they were just dungeon monsters." Thrais shook his head, tracking the movements of the small creatures with his eyes.

"No, they are native to our homeland. Small, harmless creatures. But I haven't seen any in decades, not since I was last home. How strange." The group started moving again, but they paused almost immediately when they came across the first decayed ruins of a building. Aslak walked forward, running his hand over the most intact piece of wooden joinery. He turned to Thrais.

"This looks just like the style of house you'd find back in my village." Thrais examined the building as well, shaking his head.

"You're right. This … is strange. Everything here is so familiar." Alvar grunted in agreement. He pointed at some nearby trees.

"Those are the same as well. I recognise those species of tree." Ronja crouched, examining the grass more closely. She dug her fingers into the earth, lifting some sod up and sniffing it. She nodded.

"It's like this place is a copy of Terregal. It even smells the same." Wyatt looked from one Elf to the other.

"You can tell by the smell?" Krista laughed, prodding Ronja in the backside with one foot. Ronja toppled forward with a squark of outrage. The red-haired Elf shook her head, ignoring Ronja's curses.

"Ronja's exaggerating a bit there. But … it really does feel like home. I never knew the dungeon was a copy of a real place." Wyatt looked around thoughtfully.

"This is the only floor I've been on, but Lera mentioned that the fourth floor is like a swampy fjord." Thrais cocked his head, thinking.

"That sounds a little like Belthenia, the continent to the west. How interesting." Wyatt let the Elves look around a short while more, but then he got them all going again. Even though he'd seen no sign of anything to be wary of, he felt responsible for the safety of the five Elves. They pushed on through the afternoon, setting a fast pace.

Wyatt needn't have worried though, all of the Elves matched his pace easily, looking nothing quite like they were taking a casual stroll as they made their way deeper into the dungeon. Wyatt felt a surge of relief when they reached the waterway that he considered the boundary of the land he wanted to make his own. He ruefully considered he would have to see about building a bridge, even though the Elves didn't seem to mind wading across.

Aslak actually leapt across, shouting out the Skill [Winged Vault], and soared over the wide stream with an ease that astonished Wyatt. The Elf just grinned at him, saying that he'd had a wild youth before settling down with his craft. Thrais looked around at the fields of grass with approval as they walked up towards the ruined farmhouse.

"I can see why you chose this spot." The approval only increased when they reached the ruins of the building. The Elves immediately started to clamber all over the ruin, nimbly scaling the walls, and exploring the second floor. They called out to each other excitedly, investigating the damage and figuring out how much work there was to do. Wyatt and Kit watched them poke around for a few minutes, before calling up to Thrais.

The leader of the craftsmen was agilely walking along the top of the stone wall on the more damaged side of the house.

"How does it look?" Thrais smiled broadly.

"Better than I expected! There's a lot of work to do, but nothing that we can't handle. I brought some mortar for the stone walls, but there's actually very little that needs doing. Tomorrow we'll get the sawmill up and running, and the day after we'll get some real progress happening." Wyatt grinned back at him.

"That's excellent! Do you want to set up your tents inside? I was going to go catch some trout if you want to join me for the evening meal." Thrais jumped down onto the grass beside Wyatt.

"None of us will turn down fresh fish, thank you! But we will camp outside the walls. There's no point in cluttering up our workspace for the morrow." Wyatt watched as the Elves set up their camp, erecting tents in the fields just outside of the ruin. He looked down at Kit.

"I guess we are actually doing this."' You sound almost surprised.' Wyatt shrugged, then grinned.

"It's happening so fast, but it's amazing as well. It's hard to picture just how different everything will be with a proper house. And tomorrow we can make a real start on preparing the fields. But first …" Wyatt looked out over the land. His land. Or, the land he was going to make his own. And he was going to use the Skill he'd earnt to make it a reality. Wyatt took a deep breath, turning slowly on the spot as he surveyed the broken farmhouse, the woods that lay beyond it.

The fields that stretched out along the gentle slope that led all the way down to the stream far off in the distance.

"[I Claim this Land]." There was a brief pause, then Wyatt felt something like a pulse of awareness, a ripple of knowledge that spread out from where he was standing. It swept over the land around him, moving perhaps a few hundred yards into the woods, and then extending all the way down to the waterway in the distance. Wyatt felt a surge of something like vertigo for a moment, and then it faded. All that was left was the knowledge that this land was now his—as long as he could hold it.

Wyatt shook himself gently, then went down to the stream to catch some trout for dinner. [Survivalist Level 15!] [Skill — Demesne Sense]