I Hate Dungeon School

Breakfast had been eaten, a good hearty meal, our gear gathered, we made our way to the edge of the village to wait for Smitty to join us. No doubt, there were a lot of emotions that needed to be expressed to her and her family before she set off again on a dangerous adventure.

I had to admit I felt very jealous. Outside of my brothers, I wasn't close to anyone in my family. And even then, there was still some distance between us that we had never managed to overcome.

Auntie's words stuck with me. My name and blood smelled different. I had no idea what that could mean. Though my family had scorned me, I was still a daughter of the Marchesi house. I knew that.

But there was no seed of doubt forming. I had to find out the truth during the wedding. There was no way I'd be able to sleep properly till I knew for sure. It would explain so much, but leave me with even more troubling questions that would need investigating. Just what I needed, even more mysteries and conundrums.

I watched my breath puff in the cold air. Cold but not nearly as harsh as the day before. It was a blessedly cloudy day, which would make things somewhat easier, so long as it didn't begin to snow as well.

We had chosen to leave the Ptarms with the Kobolds, knowing that the birds wouldn't be able to make the climb. Which meant that we also had to leave some of our gear behind, leaving us with the bare minimum. Some basic camping supplies, our weapons and armor, and not much else. Helena had the storage cylinder lashed to her pack.

I found my eyes drawn to it, the new information Auntie had imparted upon me changing the nature of its menace. A Chaos Dragon was a threat without equal, for sure, but I had begun to worry more about my future. Would this talisman work? If it did, would I get my magic back? So many questions, so few answers seemed forthcoming, and the lack of proper coffee was making me jittery in the worst way.

Eira must have noticed me slipping into my thoughts again, as she pulled me close and ruffled my hair before putting my headwear back on.

"It's too early for brooding, sweetness! Save some of that for later, ok?" She smiled and gave me a smooch on my forehead.

I couldn't help but smile. She didn't pry, but she knew to comfort me anyway. I really did love this half-elf. I may have let out a lovestruck sigh, to which I could just sense Mariana holding back a scoff.

Cori and Myth had begun entertaining themselves by building a snow golem with some of the kobold pups that came to see us off.

It was kind of nice to see them playing around and having fun. Myth spent so much time out of her mind on her herbal smoke, and so much of Cori's spare time was dedicated to her mission of helping her people against the Knightly Orders. But now, I get to see them relax somewhat and play. They acted like older sisters to the kobold pups. The way older sisters should act.

I wished deeply that I could have had sisters like them. The thought didn't get to continue down the doubtlessly depressing road it was headed for, as Smitty emerged from her hut and made her way towards us, spear and shield across her back.

She tried to keep her face bright as usual, but her ears and tail gave away her true feelings. She missed her family deeply.

I didn't know if Kobolds had winter solstice traditions like other cultures in the Mortal Kingdoms, but this was a time for family, and instead, she was with us. I felt some guilt about that, but I'm glad she was with us.

If this all went well, she could return to her family while we made the journey to the wedding. I think I was looking more forward to the possible soul-rending than that.

"Let us go, yes, yes!" Smitty said as she joined us.

"Agreed! We need to get this done and soon. Come along, ladies." Helena waved at us to follow her. We all turned and waved at the Kobolds who gathered to see us off. The Kobolds, in unison, let out a howl.

"Is a farewell. Wishes for good luck on hunt." Smitty explained, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"We'll be back, Smitty. We're the best!" Cori said, putting a hand on the Kobold's arm.

"Yeah! Together we can do anything!" Myth joined in.

"Yes yes! Friends is right!" Smitty perked up, and the mood lifted considerably.

-

The trek up the mountain did its best to bring that mood down immediately. The higher we climbed, the colder it became, and we were buffeted by harsh winds that threatened to knock us off our feet. Worst of all, the clouds began to darken, and flakes of snow began to fly past us.

We pushed hard through the snow drifts and wind, our pace nearly slowing to a crawl. The snow and wind conspired to blind me, my face was stiff and sore from the cold, and my nose kept running. I had to wrap my face in a scarf to try to keep my nose from freezing clean off my face.

There were no trees this high up, nothing to serve as shelter. We just had to push on and fight the elements to proceed.

If I were being truthful, I would have rather fought an army of frost shades than have to deal with the weather that assailed us.

Soon, the snow fell so thickly that I could barely see my companions ahead of me. We had to stop and tie ropes to each other to keep from getting lost. It felt like being led along by a leash, but it was necessary. Better to face indignity than death on a mountain.

Soon, our progress came to a stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Mariana shouted into my ear in order to be heard amongst the howling winds.

"I don't know!" I replied. I trudged forward to reach Helena, who was staring straight ahead, her eyes squinted against the white, blinding flurry before her. I tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

She turned to look at me before pointing ahead.

"We're here!" She shouted. I looked where she pointed and strained my eyes to see what she was showing me.

There was a shape. Not a natural shape. It had too many straight lines. It was then that I realized what I was looking at.

The fortress. Our destination.

"Let's get out of this weather and figure out where to go from there," Eira suggested, her voice effortless carrying over the screaming wail of the wind through the stone of the fortress.

We all agreed and pushed through to the ruin.

We entered through the dark portal, the dark stained stone of the entrance leaving me feeling deeply concerned, but the reprieve from the freezing wind and snow pushed those concerns from my mind.

Cori quickly set about starting a fire using wood we had gathered at the beginning of our journey, while the rest of us put our equipment down. Every one of my muscles felt like they were screaming at me. Hiking uphill in a storm was not my idea of a fun time.

My legs especially protested, and I sat down near the blossoming campfire, my hands outstretched to absorb every bit of warmth it could. The others joined me, the same idea clear in their expressions. Poor Smitty was practically dripping as the snow melted from her fur.

"Alright, c'mon girls, we need to get these wet clothes dried out before we freeze." Helena directed us. We groaned, not wanting to leave the heat of the fire, but we obeyed, stripping down to our underclothes, which were gratefully still dry and warm. They were a simple set of long-sleeved shirts, trousers, and socks made of grey wool, but they served their purpose, and served it well.

We hung everything on a makeshift clothes line and let everything drip onto the cold stone. We sat in silence, warming ourselves. After I felt somewhat less like a living icicle. I looked around the ruin we were using as our makeshift shelter.

It was an old fortress. The arches and columns suggested it was from an ancient age, long before the Mortal Kingdoms, even before the first attempts at Burgotovan Unification. A leftover from a dead empire, no doubt. Part of me wondered if it was part of the ill-fated Endless Empire, but that mythical civilization was as unknowable as the dark side of the moon.

I huddled next to Eira, who wrapped her arms around me, sharing her body heat with me.

"So what do we do now that we're here?" Myth asked the question that had doubtlessly been on all of our minds.

"Now? Now we plan." Helena said, tossing another piece of wood on the fire.