I Hate Dungeon School

"Are you absolutely insane, Alta?! You have to be because that is the only explanation I can think of for why you, of all people, would be willing to work with Knights!" Cori shouted at me, just like I knew she would.

"Listen, I wasn't given a whole lot of choice in the matter. Can you all calm down while I explain everything?" I said, my hands held up in front of me, as if I could hold her anger back.

"It would have to be an amazing explanation, girl. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but c'mon." Myth said, glaring daggers at me.

"Ok, so let me start with a few nights ago," I said, grabbing some chalk and turning towards the whiteboard.

I quickly explained the job with Farina, the strange things we discovered, explained the trip back, where I found myself getting a ride from Noah and his bodyguard, and the entire meeting with the important bigwigs and the ultimatum I had been given. I was vague on a few parts of it, such as the exact order they worked for.

Myth had lost her sister due to the actions of the Knights of the Everspring. Her home as well. She had spent the rest of her life living in places she didn't fit in, and eventually found her way to Dungeon School with the rest of us. I had no doubts that Everspring was the last group she wanted to work with, and I totally understood.

Putting that aside, I also worked on how the strangeness at the abandoned villa might be related to these rogue knights and mages, but we didn't have any exact proof. We needed to get to the bottom of what was going on. For Farina's sake, as well as stopping whatever these rogue knights were up to.

I wrapped up everything as best I could and turned back to everyone.

"So that's pretty much everything in a nutshell. Questions, comments, concerns that don't involve shouting at me in an enclosed space?" I steeled myself.

"So, let me try to get this straight. You think there's a secret dungeon on the outskirts of town, you think these rogue knights are involved, and at the same time, you've been wrapped up in helping a knight figure out what these rogue knights are up to, and they want you to help them root out by helping said knight and his bodyguard pretend to be dungeon school transfer students. And you've gotten roped into this because you're good at shutting up, which I personally don't agree with, but that's neither here nor there. And you need our help because?" Mariana said, her head on the table.

"Because I know I can't manage this all by myself! I need help, and I need backup in case this is some kind of weird double agent backstab thingy! Also, knowing Farina, she's going to want that dungeon cleared out, and I'm sure as hell is hot that I'm not doing that by myself! We work great as a team! And I need a team, and you all are the only ones I trust, dammit!" I felt my own emotions bubble up, and I tossed the chalk down in frustration.

"And you want us to do all this, plus our part-time jobs, and school? With the end of term coming up? Is that in fact what you are asking of us?" Mariana chimed in, lifting her head ever so slightly.

"That is, sadly, exactly what I'm asking of all of you. It sucks, it really sucks, but apparently we're the ones they trust to do this."

"Ah, got it, so you're insane and stupid at the same time. Lovely." Mariana groaned and dropped her head back to the table with a soft thump.

"Because you know how to keep your mouth shut, and know people who also know how to keep our mouths shut." Cori rolled her eyes.

"I am very good at not speaking secret words, yes, yes," Smitty added.

"Also, very true. Apparently, discretion means more than any kind of skills or training. I don't agree, but that's not my decision, and I'm not keen on spending the next however long on house arrest." I sighed.

Everyone sat there in stillness for a long moment. Everyone stared anywhere but me, mulling things over in their heads, I hoped.

It was a lot to ask of them, I knew, but I prayed to any gods that might be listening that they would go along with this.

"Is it going to pay well?" Cori asked after a bit.

"500 gold, split amongst us, and internship recommendations with the Kildjan Train Company Dungeon Team," I said, taking a seat myself, my legs no longer to be trusted.

Myth let out a low whistle. "That's a damn good pay package. But I feel there's something you're not telling us, Alta. Just spill it. It can't be that bad."

"It's pretty bad, Myth. You're not going to like it." I winced at her words. This was the part I had been dreading.

"Just get it over with. I promise not to get mad." She reassured me as she took a sip of her tea out of the little wooden cup she had brought with her.

I took a deep breath.

"They're Knights of the Everspring," I said quickly.

Her eyes turned hard in a single instant, and the cup cracked deeply in her hand, the contents spilling onto the table.

"What. Did. You. Say?" She said, her voice quavering.

"Everspring," I said again, trying to retreat into my seat. I had never seen her this angry before in my life.

She clenched her fist tightly, and I could see blood coming from where her nails were digging into her hand.

She was shaking, and then tears poured from her eyes.

I expected her to show. Scream. Something. But she was just quiet.

And then she spoke. Quietly.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't. I just. I have to leave, I have to go." Myth stood, and Cori reached out to her.

Myth swatted her hand away. "DO NOT TOUCH ME!"

She didn't even grab anything she brought with her. She just left the room, slamming the door behind her.

We all sat there in silence for a long, tense moment.

"Shit," I said.

"Shit is an understatement," Cori said. Smitty and Mariana just sat there in stunned silence.

"What...what should I do?" I stammered.

"Give her some space. If you go after her right now, she's just going to get angrier." Mariana said. "Probably. That's what I've been told. I'm not the best at people."

"I don't think any of us are. Well-adjusted people don't do what we do." Cori added.

"Smitty, go take care of friend Myth, yes. Hurt, sad. Care for friend." Smitty quickly left, slipping back into her old speech patterns. Her ears were drooping, too.

I wanted to go with her, but in my heart, I was sure Mariana was right. I didn't want to make everything worse than it already was.

"Well then, are you in Cori? Mariana?" I asked, feeling defeated despite having tried to mentally prepare myself for that reaction.

"I'm in. I need the money and the recommendation." Mariana said quickly with a shrug.

"I need some time to think about it. I'm sorry, Alta, but we're getting towards the end of the period, and I still have my side project." She gave a slight head tilt towards Mariana.

I had almost forgotten that Mariana hadn't been clued in about Cori's little project, for training and arming her small village past the borders of the Mortal Kingdoms. Mariana, though exiled, with her family mostly in prison, and their lands technically belonging to my elder sister, which left her with basically nothing, was still a noble, born and bred, and we had no idea how she would react to such things.

"Right. I understand. I haven't heard back on all the details quite yet, so you've got time." I rubbed my temples, a headache threatening to settle in. "I just wanted to get you all on board before we had a definite time crunch."

"I'll get back to you, ASAP," Cori said, gathering her and Myth's things.

"Yeah. I'll be at Eira's if you need me. It's probably going to be for the best that I do not come back to the room for a while." I stood up for myself.

"Yeah. For sure. For what it's worth, Alta, you tried. It doesn't take a genius to tell you really didn't want to do that, but it still sucks." Cori patted my shoulder.

"Thanks. I really hate getting dragged into things, and I'm sorry I keep dragging you all into it, too. I just can't do this stuff on my own." I sighed, trying to keep my emotions in check.

"I know. That's the danger of being at a party. We all fight and get rich together, but I think eventually that means our emotions get entangled too. Dungeons, I think, are the easy part of this job sometimes." She shrugged and left, closing the door behind her.

It was just Mariana now. It was sad to say, but I was glad it was her. I had a good handle on her after all our years of antagonist acquaintance. I readied myself for some kind of snark, sass, or something else.

I was starting to have trouble keeping my emotions steady. I had prepared myself for the worst, and I got it, but in a way I hadn't expected, and that was throwing me for a loop.

"I don't envy you this whole leader thing. I couldn't do it. I wouldn't want to do it. It's a sucker's game." She said as she slowly got out of her chair. "Anyway, Marchesi, keep me in the loop with whatever we're going to do. I want to go finish having this hangover in peace."

That I didn't expect. Sympathy? From Mariana? I actually appreciated it in the moment. I think if she had been even the slightest bit mean, I would've started crying. I was barely holding it together as it was.

"Hangover? Still?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Again. I kind of hit the ale again, trying to get the first hangover to calm down. Not the best idea. Last time I take hangover cure advice from a dwarf." She stumbled out of the room, pulling a hood on to shield her eyes.

It was then just me and the remnants of everything that had happened. I cleaned the chalkboard, erasing any evidence of what we discussed in here, and wiped up the spilled tea and put everything back the way it was before we started.

I looked over everything, nodded, and made my way to leave.

And in my way was Farina.

"Good gods above and below, Farina, you almost made my heart stop! How the hells do you keep doing that?!" I snapped at her, my hand on my chest.

"Trade secret." She shrugged and handed me a folded-up piece of paper.

"What's this?" I asked, feeling dread crawling into my stomach.

"Invitation to a 'meet and greet' with a new student. We need a student volunteer to help a pair of new students with a simulation dungeon and a light spar so we can assess their skills. You've been volunteered." She looked me right in the eye.

I sighed.

"When is it?" I said, tucking the note into my pocket.

"Tomorrow morning. Before the training hall is formally opened. Bring your gear, and be ready. We've got healer staff on hand just in case."

"That doesn't give me the greatest confidence, Farina." I grimaced.

"Noted. Good day, Miss Marchesi." She gave a slight bow and exited the room.

I quickly moved to see if she was magically gone, but no, she went to chat with the goblin librarian woman.

One of these days, I was going to catch her.

For now, I was going to go find Eira, so we could eat before I started crying. It was never good to have an emotional breakdown on an empty stomach.

Of course, that never particularly stopped me before.