Dungeon Life-Chapter Four-Hundred Thirty-Three

Yvonne

It’s been a while since she felt so sore. In truth, she had thought she’d never be sore again, thanks to her technical status as undead, but now she’s experiencing it, she can’t decide if she misses it, or remembers why she hoped she was beyond it.

Still, there is a certain pride to be had in being sore from good work, and she’s been putting in good work. The merfolk Rangers are coming along well, and if they keep this pace, she’ll be taking them out to find a snarl of stagnation to undo before the trees start changing color for fall. That may be several months away still, but it’s remarkable progress.

She mentally goes over what they still need to do, which mostly comes down to properly mapping out the surroundings so they actually know what they’ll be getting into. Not only will they need to map the sea floor, but also the currents and the mana flows if they expect to get anything useful out of their maps. All of which will be on them, with her finally able to take a step back and observe their progress, instead of needing to actively guide them.

Which is why she’s happily headed to the Slim Chance guildhall to reunite with her friends. Aranya is probably in the cathedral, but Aelara and Ragnar are probably at the guild, or perhaps somewhere around town on a date.

Entering, she’s glad to see them both at a table, relaxing together with a few blacksmith puzzles as they chat and enjoy each other’s company. She considers leaving them alone, but the elven woman spots her and waves her over with a smile, so at least Yvonne won’t be interrupting anything.

“Yvonne! How’s the new Rangers coming along?” Aelara asks while Ragnar gives a grunt of greeting. He’d ordinarily be more boisterous, but he looks to be on the cusp of solving his current puzzle.

“They’re doing well. They picked up on identifying mana flows quickly, which usually takes the longest to learn. After that, mapping and outdoorsmanship didn’t take long for them to pick up. They’re practicing by mapping the local waters to get an idea, and I think by early fall, I’ll be taking them out to hunt for a snarl to undo.”

Ragnar grunts and nods while Aelara smiles. “Ah, good! How’s the feather product I gave you working? Salt water can be dreadful on skin and hair, and feathers, too. Aqua affinity helps, but it was never designed to replace proper care.”

Yvonne titters at her friend. “It’s been working well, as I’m sure you can see. It took me a few days to figure out the best method for the honeycomb balm, but I got it eventually. How about you two? Anything interesting going on?”

Aelara nods. “Did you hear about Thedeim’s planned raid boss?”

“Only bits and pieces. Hullbreak’s dwellers are curious for news about it, but aren’t too concerned. Not only do they have no means to attend, but even if they did, they’d probably throw off his mana gains for it.”

“What about you? Are you going to join?”

Yvonne shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I’d like to watch, certainly, but I fear participating would ruin his mana gained, too. I know Aranya isn’t going, but she has her own project, along with the enclaves.”

“Oh?” asks Aelara, glancing over to Ragnar as he seems to make progress, only for him to grumble and walk the motion back.

“The military around the Hold are tired of living in tents. Luckily, the barracks section of the Hold is nearly finished. Unfortunately, the plumbing will still be a few weeks, probably, and though the military will enjoy having beds not made of dirt and grass, they’re getting desperate for a proper bath. So the enclaves are going to help give them one, and are planning to make a bit of a party of it.”

“Hah!” shouts Ragnar in triumph as he finally twists the three bits of metal apart, letting him set them on the table separately. “Sorry about not sayin’ hi. Was a wee bit busy, y’ understand?”

Yvonne nods, but can’t resist teasing him. “You’re only halfway done with that one, though. You still need to put it back together.”

Ragnar waves her off, refusing to let her ruin his triumph. “So, ‘re y’ gonna help th’ army wi’ a bath?”

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Yvonne shrugs. “Possibly. Are you two going to join the raid?”

Aelara and Ragnar both eagerly nod. “I need to get the coin together to commission a new robe. The spiderkin are simply unparalleled, and I think the antkin could work wonders if I can get the college and the weavers to coordinate.”

“An’ I wanna axe. M’ hammer’s all well an’ good, bu’ some beasties are better chopped ’n smashed, aye? Ah figure a few escorts'll get th’ coin or th’ bits ta commission sommat.”

Yvonne nods at that plan. “Through the labyrinth? I’ve heard there’s drakes spotted in there as well.”

Ragnar grins wide through his beard. “Aye! An I ‘ear th’ aranea quests fer ‘em tend t’ give th’ new armor Thedeim’s been cookin’.”

“Ah, he’s satisfied with the new enchantment to start giving it as loot? It looked very promising when I helped him test a few pieces.” She smiles as she thinks of something. “Are the aranea actually giving pairs of boots or gauntlets, instead of singles?”

Aelara and Ragnar laugh. “They are, actually! They still don’t like giving out multiple mundane socks or gloves, but the enchantment falls apart without both, so they give pairs for the new armor.”

“Aye, I’d like a set m’self, bu’ I dinne ken if I’ll get a set b’fore the raid.”

“You do tend to be rather rough on your armor, shield aside.”

Ragnar grins again. “It’s there t’ break so I don’t!”

“What about you, Yvonne? Would you wear a suit of Thedeim’s new armor?”

Yvonne considers for a few moments before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. It’s true it’s lighter than it has any right to be, but I’m just too used to how leather and hide move. I did overhear ideas for trying to use the pieces to make studded leather or even banded or splint mail, but that’s even more experimental than the plate! Would you wear it, Aelara?”

The elven woman grimaces and shakes her head. “I’m too used to my robes, I fear. The protection would be nice, but that’s what I have Ragnar for, right?”

The two smile at each other before Yvonne quietly clears her throat. “Would you two like some help preparing for the raid? Helping with a few quests will be much different than helping with the raid itself. I wouldn’t want to intrude, though.”

Ragnar and Aelara both wave her off. “We’re still a party,” points out Aelara. “We’ll never turn down help from our favorite archer.”

Yvonne smiles at them, then remembers something else. “Oh, have you two seen Hullbreak’s new delving area?”

“Sommat in th’ cliffs, aye?” asks Ragnar.

Yvonne nods. “Yes. It’s a mixture of puzzle and combat, not too dissimilar to Thedeim’s labyrinth in a way. There are puzzles involving changing the water levels, sometimes requiring the puzzles to be tackled at certain times or even moon phases. You can skip the puzzles with aqua affinity, of course, but trying to do that will earn you a few fights on the way.”

Aelara and Ragnar both look intrigued, to Yvonne continues. “If we’re more after coin than materials, it could be a good option, though we wouldn’t get any chances at Thedeim’s armor. Hullbreak prefers coins, pearls, jewels and the like, where Thedeim likes materials.”

Ragnar grunts in thought and pulls out the party ledger, going over the numbers as Aelara thinks. “I’ll definitely need more coin than materials, though Ragnar will need to get something for them to make his axe out of. He could commission with just money, but it’s cheaper to get materials and pay for the expertise. I could try to get widow silk for my new robe, but neither of us have field dressing.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“I do,” points out Yvonne. Aelara smiles.

“That you do. Are you willing to go exterminate Thediem’s widows to get me a robe?”

Yvonne shakes her head, then grins. “No, but I am willing to hunt them down to get you a robe and get me a new cloak. Widow silk will be a bit overkill, but I shouldn’t need a new cloak for a long time after.”

Ragnar nods to himself and closes the ledger. “We’ve a lot o’ bits t’ sell, bu’ no’ much t’ make gear wi’. Let’s hunt widows ‘n’ drakes b’tween labyrinth escorts, aye?”

Yvonne and Aelara nod, holding out their arms to grip, with Ragnar smiling and completing the triangle. “Lemme get m’ stuff,” he says and excuses himself to go to their room and get his armor on, leaving the girls behind. At least for a moment, as Yvonne stands, as well. “I should go get my proper delving kit, too. My bow doesn’t work very well underwater, so it’s still in the old Sanctum.”

“Oh, can Rangar and I come visit it, now that it’s no longer a big secret?”

Yvonne pauses and considers that. “I… think so? I’ll ask Teemo first, but I don’t see why not. I wouldn’t get your expectations too high, though. Thedeim saves all his artistry for the public-facing areas.”

Aelara waves off her concern. “As they say, exclusivity is its own decor. Besides, it sounds like a place that will be more cozy than ugly, each decoration telling some story.”

Yvonne snorts in amusement. “If you say so. It is rather comfortable, at least.”

Aelara smiles wide. “See! I’m sure it’s lovely, and I can’t wait to see it!” The two chat longer than Yvonne intended, long enough for Ragnar to return in his full kit. Instead of heading out, though, they all three continue to chat, catching up together.

Delving is all well and good, but sometimes, there are more pressing matters. Like trying to put that blacksmith puzzle back together.