I Hate Dungeon School

I found myself in the little hut, changing out of my outfit and putting on the one-piece swimsuit we had bought back in the harbor. It was a utilitarian thing, a solid blue color, and felt comfortable enough and covered everything important, though it was cut a bit high on the hips; I supposed it was fine.

What I didn't like was how much of my shoulder was exposed. The healing potions, salves, magic, and everything else had healed the wound from the monster attack in the caravan, and the pain had settled, save for a dull twinge every so often.

The scar, though, was still very present. I was torn on what to do about it. I had a vain streak that saw the thing as a blemish, a thing to abhor and feel ashamed of. But as a dungeoneer, scars were a fact of life. Something inevitable, I suppose. It was a badge of a scrap with death that I walked away from. That was something to be proud of.

I wish it had looked cooler though. It didn't have the gravitas of the kind of scars you saw in artwork of warriors of legend. It was just a burn. A big one admittedly, but just a burn on the front of my shoulder, just in the wrong position to defy being hidden by the straps of any dresses and the like.

I sighed. I was going to have to get used to it, I supposed. Some spells and treatments could cover it up, but as vain as I could be, I wasn't so much that I wanted to spend an absurd amount of coin to maintain said vanity.

"You almost done in there, love?" I heard Eira call out from outside.

I took a deep breath and one final look at myself. I nodded in satisfaction.

"Yeah, I'm ready! I'm coming out." I shut the door behind me and made my way outside.

I stood at the top of the walkway to the beach, and Eira let out an appreciative whistle, which I couldn't help but blush at. Added to the blush was my reaction to her own swimwear. It was a one-piece like mine, but the neckline was far more bold that mine, which showed off more than expected. Not that I had any complaints.

"That really flatters your figure! Especially those hips! Mmm mm!" She held her hand out to me.

I giggled and took it. "You're the one doing all the flattering here. You've seen me in far less, so I'm not sure what you're so excited about."

"I can appreciate you in every single level of undress possible. That is just a fact." She nodded, and she led me out to a stretch of the beach with very few people. This resort was busy enough that having it completely to ourselves was an impossibility, but it was close enough.

There were nothing but a few sun bathers and a few couples and families playing in the surf.

I followed Eira's lead until we were nearly waist deep in the water. It was cold, and the sand between my toes felt squishy and very unfamiliar. I hoped beyond hope there weren't any weird sand fish things that had a thing for elf toes. That would be weird and gross, and just the idea made my skin crawl.

"Ok, my sweet. What kind of hand-to-hand combat are we learning out in the ocean?" I asked, pushing the mental image as far out of my head as I could manage to shove it.

"This is more stamina training than anything else. I think we need a break from anything else." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Stamina? My stamina is fine. I've never gotten tired or anything in a dungeon." I was confused by why she thought I would need to work on that at all.

"Alta, my sweet cherry-headed beauty, I've seen most of the dungeons you've been through. Outside a couple of wild exceptions, the dungeons they throw us into at school are pretty small fry compared to some of the ones out in the other parts of the world. You need to be able to haul arse, and then keep fighting plus casting magic and everything else." Her face turned very serious. "The longer you can last before giving out, the easier it'll be if I ever have to pull you out. Got it?"

She was really serious about this. Considering it, outside the abstract knowledge, I had never been in a truly difficult dungeon. Not to the scale that full professionals were likely to deal with. Sure, I was pretty fit, but I wasn't sure if I was that fit.

"I got it. Let's do this. What is your plan?" I sighed with resignation.

She beamed at me and then pointed at a spot on the beach that was distant enough that it strained my eyesight to focus on.

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"We're going to run to that point and back to the base of the beach house."

"Oh, that's not too ba-"

"Ten times." She finished.

"And why are we waist deep in the water? Thigh deep for you, you giant of a woman you." I was suspiciously curious.

"It'll make running harder. Also its not bad training for getting used to maneuvering in water. Fun, right?"

"Did I mention that you are an evil woman?" I glowered at her for a moment.

"An evil sexy woman!" She grinned wickedly at me before giving me a swat on my rear. "Now run! I'll be right behind you!"

And run I did. That lovingly warm sun that I had so delighted over that morning had become my enemy, a sort of hot, burning torturer that hung too far into the sky for me to stab in revenge. Was the sun always this hot? I don't remember the sun being this hot back home.

Eira kept encouraging me, telling me I could do it, that she believed in me, occasionally letting me stop to drink some water and catch my breath before pushing me further. While the encouragement was nice, this was absolute torment on my muscles. I regretted every moment of hubris that had convinced me that I could take on anything. Curse you, past me. You were a stupid idiot, and I wish time magic was a thing so I could punch you.

Finally, on the last lap, I could see the beach house closing in. All my muscles were screaming at me, and I would have given all my riches just to be able to lie down and be lazy for the rest of the day, just letting the cool ocean air blow over me, soothing my roasting body.

I was so tired I wasn't even sure if Eira was still with me, or had taken a longer break. I just wanted to complete these last laps more than anything.

I heard something behind me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was, nor did I particularly care at that moment. It reminded me of something.

No matter. I was so close! I emerged from the water and started to ease up my pace to rest my poor aching legs. I didn't even care about the sand sticking to my poor feet.

What in the hells below was that sound? It was getting closer.

I got my answer as I was suddenly knocked off my feet, and I landed face first in the sand with an undignified sound that sounded like a sucker-punched goat.

I tried to roll on my back to fight off whatever thrice accursed bastard would dare attack me and was met with a pile of small kobolds licking my face excitedly.

Decidedly familiar tiny kobolds at that. But it couldn't be who I thought it was. Could it?

"Nitty! Gritty! Bitty! Leave friend Alta alone, yes yes! Be good pups!" A familiar voice called out.

I sat up and realized that these were indeed the three pups I had once seen up on top of the mountain in Burgotova this past winter.

"Sorry, Alta! They were so excited that I just couldn't help but let them go!" Eira said, laughing at my very confused face.

"Smitty?" I said, looking up and seeing a familiar giant wall of white fur standing before me.

"Yes, yes, friend Alta! It is Smitty! Did not expect to see you here, no no!" The kobold said, her tail whipping back and forth excitedly as she reached a paw out to help free me from the trio of very excited pups.

"How? Why? I thought you were going back to the village for the summer." I was shocked, but not at all disappointed. It was nice having some level of familiarity here.

"Smitty, after school let out, was walking through the market, and there was a contest. To see how many beans were in jar. Smitty guess right! Won airship tickets and a week stay at island! Brought pups! Mate getting food for lunch, but he here too!" She said excitedly.

"Wait? They do that sort of thing in the market? How did I not know that?" I asked Eira.

"I forgot you weren't around Revenstahd during early summer last year. Yeah, we took off a day before the Grand Sun Festival, and the Grey Balance does a fundraising raffle thing." Eira shrugged apologetically.

"It good to see friend Alta and friend Eira, but must get pups wrangled. Excited they are!" Smitty barked something at them in the Kobold language that I had no hope in all the hells of translating, and they took off, the trio of young ones waving at me as Smitty shooed them towards the main resort buildings.

After they were gone, I felt my legs turn a bit to jelly, and I fell back onto the sand with a plop.

"Ooop, you ok there, Alta?" Eira said, kneeling next to me, her voice clearly concerned at my current state. Which, to be fair, I was also concerned about. I hadn't realized that the sun could be so cruel. After all, it rarely blessed us in Burgotova, and wasn't that much more generous to Revenstahd.

"Legs very tired. Feel like I've been roasted alive. Can we go inside now?" I said.

"Yeah, you are looking kind of red there. Did you put on the sun salve?" She asked.

"The what now?"

"Oh cmon now, Alta. I know I told you about the sun salve while we were getting changed." Eira shook her head with a sigh.

"I may have been distracted." I blushed, but it was invisible behind my sun

reddened skin.

At some point the novelty of seeing Eira undressed would likely wane, but it was not today. Or any time in the next year, to be honest.

"C'mon, you horny little idiot. Let's get you cooled down, and get some healing salve on you before you start to look any more like a freshly cooked sea scorpion." Eira helped me up gingerly, shaking her head even more.

"Do I want to know what a sea scorpion is? It sounds like the denizen of some sea-bound devil's menagerie," I groaned at the pain in my legs as I tried to support my own weight.

"I'll introduce you at dinner. Delicious little bastards." She smiled and led me up the walkway to our hut.

"Delicious bastards are my favorite kind of bastard." I laughed tiredly, and I stumbled along.

I looked back at the beach one last time, and I saw a tall white figure in the distance. I blinked to clear my eyes, and it was gone. I got a twinge of some deep-seated trepidation that I had no name for.

I decided to blame the bastard sun, and not think about it too hard.

I didn't want to think about anything at the moment.