Chap traced his fingers of the carved stone. The symbols both foreign to him but still familiar in a way. The angular characters just another almost similarity between his homeworld and this one. He knew it wasn’t actually runic. Or at least what he knew as runic. But it was similar in some ways. The format of it… the font?

As he walked down the wall he was joined by ‘Doza who started poking at the runes with a finger. At first Chap ignored it but he couldn’t completely. It wasn’t like his fellow Airman was actually doing anything. She was just poking the wall repeatedly with an annoyed look on her face.

It took him a moment to give in and ask.

“What are you doing?”

“Dunno, Chap. Just felt like being as useless as you are. You know, doing jack shit but making it look like I’m helping. Who knows, maybe one of these is another fuckin’ button?”

She poked at another space and he swatted her hand away. She smacked him lightly and he swatted her hand away again as she poked a second time.

Chap rolled his eyes in the dark before swatting her hand away a third time.

He knew ‘Doza was stressed, they all were. Why wouldn’t they be? They were trapped in a hallway that had been sealed from both ends for going on an hour with no idea on how to get out.

“Quit pressing buttons!”

Needless to say, hope was getting lower. Morale was in the dumps. And tempers were growing, at least in Chap’s case. He’d been mad a lot lately but he was even more annoyed because it had been a good day.

“Wait, is that what you’re really looking for? I was only kidding?”

“No! But… what if one of them IS a button and rather than open the door it… I don’t know… fills the room with poison gas.”

He doubted that, he didn’t see anything indicating a button. Mudane or magic. Although Chap knew he couldn’t really count on the magic part. After all he’d only spent a couple days practicing magic and had only just unlocked the [Mage] class, so his ability to recognize magic things was severely limited.

The thing was, he just wanted her to quit but now that he said it he couldn’t help but worry. From there on out he stopped tracing the individual runes with his fingers.

Still, he didn’t see anything in the button Aydin pressed but it had to have magic involved. He doubted the massive slabs of stone that rose up at either end off the hallway did so with an ancient Rube Goldberg machine or ancient pullies.

“Maybe it’s a passcode. Or telling us what we need to do.”

“Bro, it could just say ‘ha ha, you’re all dead’ for all we know.”

Rick’s tone was a bit harsh but Aydin would have to deal with that. Play stupid games win stupid prizes was the norm but it was a level beyond that when other people also won the stupid prizes right along side you.

“I didn’t mean- I didn’t know it was a button. Quit looking at me like that!”

“Dipshit, Lock it up. New rule, no shoving fingers into random ass holes in the middle of an ancient dungeon! It shouldn’t even have to be said!”

Chap snapped at Aydin for the tenth time that hour and the young man recoiled under the shine of Chap’s flashlight. He’d made a mistake, hopefully one they’d laugh at eventually, but apparently ‘be careful, there could be traps’ was too vague of a rule for Aydin. Apparently common sense of sticking parts of your body into random, potentially dangerous holes in dark, strange places was too much to ask for too.

“I doubt that it’s instructions. People have been down here before, yes? If it was instructions someone would have investigated and broke the trap, same if it was mocking us. But I have seen these before. Some of them. In Sa’liquen.”

“You’re just saying that now? Any idea what they mean?”

“No, it is why i haven’t mentioned it. The people of Sa’liquen do not care. To most, they are just old symbols carved into the stone of the walls. There are other carvings too but those are not here. If any know what they mean, they have kept it to themselves.”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t be looking at that… Hey, Dipshit. Feel like jamming your fingers into anymore strange holes?”

“Sarc… And didn’t you just hear the new rule? No, shoving anything in holes in the walls.”

“Shut up, Chap.”

‘Doza only spared him a moment to smack him before moving back to the other wall and plopping down next to Rick.

The rule about hitting people had died quickly with the stressful situation mainly because Chap knew that was how ‘Doza got when she was scared. Still, he continued to move along the runes carved into the walls in the hopes of spotting something new until he got to the end again. It made about as much sense as it did before.

He let out a quiet sigh as he stepped back to look at the runes as a whole

His look wasn’t lost on the others either. Karli summed up the question each of them were thinking.

“So what’s the consensus? Are we screwed?”

Chap ran his hand through his hair. There had to be something to it.

“I don’t know… probably not. Hopefully not. They’re runes of some sort but… yeah no clue. We’ll figure it out though. Don’t worry, we’ll… do something…”

Even he wasn’t convinced but if all else failed they could try to dig their way out. They hadn’t tried that yet because they didn’t know if it would make their situation worse. Opting to look for a way to open the door before they made one by force and risked something more lethal happening.

Chap knew the runes had to be something though, why else were they there. It was a puzzle. One they had to figure out.

All they had to go on was 11 runes carved into the wall in bold, clearly visible markings with the same runes carved around a circle on the other side of the hall.

Chap sat to think and stared at the runes for a while before switching to look at the circle. It was just easier to see them all at once.

“Small square, line, line with line on top, line with line in the middle, line with line on top pointing down, line with…”

He went through each one but obviously couldn’t make heads or tails of it. It was Greek to him.

No worse! Chap at least knew a handful of Greek letters. He’d have something to go on. This was like looking at sanskrit or fucking martian!

“You know, they kind of look like your ink.”

“Who’s ink?”

“Thanks ‘Doza, got that already. That’s why I called them runes.”

“You know it kind of does, bro.”

Chap looked at them from the light of the wand Karli was holding and saw the males looking a bit closer at the runic script on the walls while the females, except ‘Doza, looked confused. He’d changed in front of the other males but of the females, only ‘Doza had seen him with his shirt off before.

He took off his freshly washed uniform blouse, courtesy of ‘Doza, and after a moment shoved it in his bag of holding. He didn’t need it in there anyways and had already done the same with his plate carrier. Then proceeded to take his shirt halfway off, ignoring the catcall from ‘Doza.

“Not doing the full monte. That’s the ink she’s talking about. They’re norse runes.”

Chap was born and raised in North Dakota. Like much of the upper midwest a lot of the immigrants that settled on that frontier were of Scandinavian and German descent. North Dakota being the state that had the highest concentration of Norwegian heritage in the country. A heritage that Chap shared and displayed on his skin.

It didn’t say much, just his family’s name, the region of Norway where they came from, and a few complex runes that individually meant something.

They were symbols of protection, Norse gods, Seiðr runes, nothing complex except for the size. The tattoo was actually fairly big wrapping around his right shoulder and upper arm with parts extending onto his upper back and right pec. A long process to get considering it was made to look like stone with the runes carved into it.

It’d also gotten Chap into a little trouble after he’d gotten it. He had to see his commander and explain his reasoning for getting them. The issue of course was that while they were ancient symbols of his ancestors, a certain mustachioed dictator that tried to conquer Europe in the 1940s was also fond of them. Sticking runes on anything and everything he could. Completely disregarding an entire people and their history. Then again that guy was one of the worst people to ever live and him tarnishing the norse runic alphabet was just a small part of his atrocities. And runes weren’t the only ancient symbol that was dirtied by him.

But Chap’s commander was understanding after he explained. And was even a little sympathetic that something that represented where his people came from had been twisted by facism and that’s all people ever thought about anymore. He wasn’t punished for it but was ordered to get preapproval before adding anything else. Chap understood even if he thought it was bullshit.

A thousand years of history warped and the original meaning forgotten all because of one evil little bastard that ruled Germany for 12 years.

“Hold still.”

Lindsey got up and took the wand from Karli jumping at the chance to inspect his skin… Much to ‘Doza’s delight.

But thanks to the conversation a few days prior she at least had the sense not to go any further with the inappropriate behavior than that.

“They are similar. This one and… the fourth one down there are identical. And if you cover up this part, that looks like the third one. Oh and here’s one that kind of looks like the fifth.. well no, that looks more like an ‘R’… This isn’t helping…”

Lindsey rubbed his shoulder and handed the wand back before sitting down next to him. She let him get his shirt back on all the way then quietly took his hand and squeezed it gently between them.

A second breakdown in a single day. Yet this one was different, more immediate. A pressing concern that couldn’t just be ignored.

Chap could see the shine in Lindseys eyes under the light of the wand and heard a quiet sniff before he squeezed back. He rubbed her hand with his thumb as she curled one of her knees up while looking up at the runes. He knew the feeling, she was scared. So was he. But they’d figure it out.

They sat like that for a while, both looking at the carved runes. Karli gave up studying the copies she’d written down. Vyk sat quietly but in deep thought. Hopefully he’d remember something new. All of them just waiting for someone to have a breakthrough. When someone finally spoke it wasn’t that.

“Okay, since we’re stuck and might not get outta here. I’ve gotta question.”

Aydin was the one to finally break the silence. No one humored him with an answer and ended up staring at him when he didn’t continue on with his question. It took him a moment to realize they collectively weren’t going to give approval and were already waiting for him to open his mouth anyways.

“Okay. Don’t get mad… What’s a jodie?”

Chap reflexively let go of Lindsey’s hand slightly, an action she took as him completely letting go. She removed her hand from his and he thumped his head against the stone wall behind him. A thump that was joined by a simultaneous smack and yelp from down the hall.

“The fuck did I say? Didn’t I say drop that?”

“I’m not asking about that! I just don’t know what the word means. I thought it had to do with running?”

Chap looked at Lindsey, she cradled the hand he’d been holding and she gave him a toothless, embarrassed smile. He sighed. May as well get it out there. Not like it was important anymore.

“It’s someone who sleeps with a military members wife or whatever when the guy’s overseas.”

Chap sighed his answer. He really didn’t feel like bringing that up in detail. He didn’t owe them anything but on the bright side, Chap felt Lindsey take his hand again and felt like some middle schooler getting even halfway excited about holding hands with a pretty girl. But the contact calmed his nerves a little. Maybe it was just human contact and had nothing to do with her.

Chap was never good with women and the fact he’d been engaged had surprised a lot of people. It wasn’t that he was a deadbeat or wife beater. He also wasn’t clueless and would show Macy how he felt. The thing was, he was always busy. Work, school, training, TDYs, a couple deployments. Somehow he and Macy made it work for three and a half years. Though afterward, he questioned if it actually did work that long considering how it ended.

“Okay, that’s enough talking about the bitch. Got it. You got your vocab lesson.”

“Thanks, ‘Doza. You’re a good friend.”

It sounded sarcastic but Chap meant it and once again his dirty laundry was aired to the group but on the bright side, they dropped it. No one wanted to dig further into that and he was more than happy letting them sit in awkward silence. Though that came with drawbacks.

Honestly, Chap thought he and Macy worked pretty well together except that huge flaw in their relationship at the end.

She was outgoing and fun to counter his more serious demeanor. It brought him out of his shell a little and more than that they could hold a conversation together that he couldn’t with many of his coworkers. Not just him being a ‘dork’ and talking about random things he’d read about but she was interested in what he wanted to do with his life and they’d discussed it in depth. She even tried to keep up with what he was learning, just for the hell of it.

That didn’t work out too well though.

Macy was a lot like ‘Doza in some ways. Macy was book smart. She knew law and legal procedures like the back of her hand and loved the legal system and politics. ‘Doza on the other hand was street smart and, despite her attitude and how she portrayed herself, she had a good head on her shoulders and led her life using common sense but sometimes chose to ignore it for her own amusement.

The similarity came with the fact that both were horrible at math. It was still fun to try to teach Macy or annoy ‘Doza with it though.

In reality, they both only really understood algebra and geometry…

Chap’s eyes shot open and looked at the circle again. It was a perfect circle but the line was thicker at the top. A section that was a little less than 1/3 of the entire thing. He shot to his feet and… ‘scratched’ at his eyes before examining the circle again. He had to try to keep some dignity.

“Eleven digits. No ten- Zero through nine and a decimal point… I’m going to try something. Sorry if I get us killed.”

Before anyone could ask or object Chap poked the third symbol from the wall. It didn’t do anything so he tried again, pushing raw mana into it as he did. The rune glowed, then faded. The ceiling didn’t collapse. The walls didn’t close in on them and the closest thing to poison was some body odor. Chap smiled and then poked the little square. It glowed…

“…one four one five nine two-”

“Pi?”

The hall suddenly grew still as the grinding of stone filled the hall again. Every set of eyes looked to the way out but turned when they all realized it was coming in front of Chap.

A split in the stone that he didn’t even know was there slowly made itself known as the portion of the wall with the diagram slid down into the floor. He smiled at the others but dropped it just as fast.

Dungeon, new area, dangerous crap…

Chap pulled out his poleaxe that he still needed to shorten and pointed the business end towards the only way out of the hallway. At least its added length was useful in the situation they found themselves in. In a matter of seconds, the others scrambled to join him as the opening grew large enough for them to walk through three at a time.

“[Flashlight]s.”

The word rang out as Chap both gave the order and cast his own magic at the same time and suddenly two lights that had been turned off to conserve batteries were turned on while Chap’s fingers and a magic wand glowed.

They lit up the space as best as they could, trying to get a glimpse at what was coming but Chap’s was awkward, he had to point his finger while holding his weapon. He couldn’t exactly pop his into his mouth like ‘Doza. His own flashlight was in Teena’s hands. The dullahan girl having received it from Vyk so the squad’s gnoll could ready an arrow.

They stood ready but relaxed slightly as the new area came into view. It wasn’t the way out. Or at least it wasn’t a set of stairs going up with a giant exit sign over the top. They had no idea where it led.

“Oh great, another hallway…. Aydin, put your hands in your pockets. No touching anything this time.”

They stood in a cluster as they looked down a hallway that looked to be the same dimensions of the one they were in except it was long enough that they couldn’t see the other end. They all stood there, but no growls, groans, scrapes, hissing, or anything else could be heard. It was silent.

“Hrrmmm. There could be more traps. We should move with care.”

Taking the words to heart, Chap did the only thing he could do. He didn’t see magic even with the hidden doorway so all he could do was stick his poleaxe in. He traced the doorframe next and tapped a few times on the floor. Nothing. At least he knew there weren’t any trip wires though it didn’t seem like a place for that.

After that he took a breath and stepped on the hidden door, sitting flush with the floor and pushed down with about half his weight before quickly stepping back. No swinging blades or nozzles shooting poisoned arrows or fire came out. So he went a step further. Literally.

When Chap peaked around the corner of the doorway, he was confused. There was nothing there. Neither corner of the hall had anything in it. He even took a quick glance up. No guillotines or giant spiders like the other parts of the dungeon were descending on him. The guy that had led them down to the entrance had said it was a bronze ranked dungeon but he at least expected something more than seeing a few dead spiders killed by other people and sitting stuck in a hallway before typing out a few digits of Pi.

“Anything?”

Chap glanced back at dipshit and shook his head. He’d barely made it an entire step in the room. And the kid should realize by now that he wouldn’t just sit there with his thumb up his backside if there was an obvious threat. He stood there for another second, having already forgotten Macy again. It was time for work.

“No. Form up and be quiet. Don’t. Touch. Anything.”

There was nothing. More runes around a circle on the wall to the sides and a couple stone benches but it was empty other than that. Rick followed him in with his mace and the others began to carefully pull in, taking his lead in clearing the threshold quickly. They made their way into the dark empty hall with their [Flashlight], flashlights, and a single light wand.

It was eerie in there. The silent hall, too long to see the end of, the length fading into the darkness. It was almost worse than dealing with the croc. At least that, they had seen coming and could easily recognize what it was. It was even almost as nerve wracking as being stuck in the hallway behind them.

It was two different types of nerves. The calm anxiety of being trapped, filled with fear and quiet thoughts that sapped all hope. While the new hall was a fear of the unknown. Anything could be in there with them but it was the only way out so step by step, they pressed forward.

Twenty feet in Chap noticed the first change. The walls were decorated with different shapes on one side. Chap looked up at a giant triangle that stretched across the wall. The other?

“What the hell is that suppose to be? Flying Spaghetti monster?”

Chap turned to see what ‘Doza was looking at and what her flashlight illuminated was just as strange to him. He shrugged and kept going in silence.

There were no traps and no monsters. Only benches, tables, and the artwork on the wall which had gotten predictable, at least on one side of the hallway.

After the triangle was a representation of a prism. Then a square, then a cube, then a pentagon. After that he wasn’t surprised to look up at a dodecahedron… Yeah, Chap new what it was called. A three dimensional shape where every side was a pentagon Knowing the name for a D12 had finally paid off.

But as predictive as one side of the room was, the other side of the room it was completely random. Massive carvings of squiggly lines crossing over each other in complex patterns, random shapes stuck together to make symbols, some that looked like just waves, Giant complex runes, and occasionally a mixture of everything.

He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Geometric designs on one side and scribbling on the other. He’d believe it was the base of a cult or something if it wasn’t for the fact there were no cults in the entire world. At least not how people from Earth viewed cults. It was kind of hard to have a group worshiping some evil deity in secret when all the gods were dead and forgotten, the good and the bad.

No, it was something else… they needed a basic understanding of math to get in there. So the Ancient Ruins University’s math department?

But they also needed the basics of magic or at least the ability to cast raw mana?

“Door.”

The mumbled call came out quietly from his right and Chap could just make out a door at the very edge of the light from ‘Doza’s flashlight.

“Same.”

Rick spotted another one directly across from it. It was even less visible under the weaker flashlight that Chap had, the batteries were dying but he remedied that by increasing the power of his [Flashlight] spell. They could fix that later when they had the chance to use the repair wand.

“Again, door.”

When the light from his finger grew in intensity not only did it illuminate the door on the left but the far end of the hallway where a larger door sat behind a tall counter or alter. The two side doors were smaller, the size of normal doorways and didn’t have actual doors in the frames. But the one ahead was the size of the hidden door and had a heavy wood and steel double door still in place. Chap looked back and forth between the three and made a quick decision.

“Rick, ‘Doza we’ll clear right first. The rest of you watch those other doors. Vyk, keep your bow on the open one.”

They moved to the right and Chap choked up on his poleaxe as far as he could and made a mental note to get something shorter if he could. A polearm taller than he was wasn’t ideal for room clearing.

He took the rear while ‘Doza told Rick to go right inside the door. He tapped ‘Doza, she tapped Rick and he stood there for a second…

Tap, tap!

“Rick go.”

The tapping forward didn’t get the muscle bound would have been Marine’s attention but ‘Doza did, and Rick rushed into the room. It wasn’t exactly standard operating procedure, but Chap realized he’d never taught them how to stack up before. They could remedy that later.

He surged in after them and brought up his poleaxe to use it as a spear while he did his best to point his spell forward. He looked ahead and glanced to both sides. ‘Doza was all the way in the corner while he was standing right next to Rick. Again a mess up, it was no big deal. He started to walk forward.

“Two doors.”

Chap turned his eyes to the right and saw an open doorway. He leveled his polearm at it and pushed into the room. Even without instruction Rick joined him to assist, leaving ‘Doza to watch the main room.

No threats.

They pulled back into the main room and all three moved into the other doorway.

No threats…

It didn’t take them long to clear everything. The facility not being that large. The door to the right was what looked like a bunk room, a private bedroom, and a bathroom. All in, it wasn’t interesting at first glance. A place for people to sleep. Or at least that was the immediate and obvious conclusion. The stone bed frames with mattresses that had long since rotted to dirt and privy holes in the restroom gave the best evidence that they were right. The only interesting part was that all but one of the privy holes was extremely low to the ground.

To the left they found a series of rooms that mirrored the others across the hall in layout. Except it was a common room with what looked like a kitchenette instead of a bunk room, a storeroom where the bathroom was in the other and the private bedroom was an office with bookshelves carved into the walls and a wooden desk with really tall chair. They were made of higher quality materials than anything else and were still mostly intact, even if no one would ever trust the chair to hold his weight.

Adventurers the world over would know that sort of rule. To be cautious when dealing with something that was completely out of place, like a piece of furniture that should have rotted away long ago but none of the Earthers thought about mimics. It was probably rickety and it’s height was strange for a human.

After that discover was when they stacked up with the entire group on the last doorway.

Chap took point on one side while Ayden faced him taking point for the second fire team. He carefully turned the handle which creaked from the lack of oil on the mechanism and rocked back quickly letting those behind him know they were going.

He slammed his weight into the door and despite the lack of maintenance it flew open while Ayden was a second behind having tried pulling the door first. That wasn’t really a mistake though. The way the handles and hinges were designed it could have gone either way.

Inside there was a deep threshold followed by a much larger room. Chap pushed more mana into his spell and cleared the doorway, sweeping the corner to the right before facing down the length of the room.

It wasn’t as long as the hallway behind them but it was at least three times as wide. Wide enough that it likely was the width of the hallway and the two other clusters of rooms combined. Maybe even a bit wider It was broken up by two rows of large pillars supporting the ceiling and a variety of stone tables, shelves, and platforms.

As everyone else made it inside and lined up, they pushed forward. Chap was happy to see that everyone had their eyes on a swivel and even saw beams of light checking above them as they moved to clear the room and hopefully find a way out.

They had found exactly what adventurers had looked for. Yet…

“What the hell is all this stuff?”

“How would any of us know?”

“Vyk and Teena might.”

“Artifacts of some sort. I would advise not touching anything, in case it’s cursed.”

Chap had to admit, he was in heaven. Not because they’d actually found a treasure but because it was a workshop. And judging from what lay inside, they weren’t crafting simple tools and knick knacks. The room was fairly large and had two separate rooms off the back with what looked kind of like a blast furnace that had seen better days and a store room filled with random items neatly sorted.

Knowing that the room was free of monsters and any obvious traps, they made their way to the entrance again and started making their way down the rows of tables and workbenches. He had no idea what they were looking for but at a minimum they could keep an eye out for things they could use to get out. The outer doors hadn’t opened with the hidden one after all. But Chap suspected it had something to do with the runic buttons back in the hallway. They’d figure that out next.

“Chap, quit looking like that. This isn’t your garage. Fucking grumpy as hell for months but you hold a pretty girls hand for a bit and then find a warehouse full of junk and you’re smiling like Jenkins with a bag full of fatty cakes.”

He glared across the room at her for the excessive insult as far as he was concerned but caught a glimpse of Lindsey. She gave him a little wave and he waved back before giving ‘Doza the finger. Aydin and Rick were caught in the middle of it but the big guy just gave him a grin while Aydin looked confused again.

“Who’s Jenkins? … or should I not-”

“Tub of walking lard in our squadron. Got there right before me and Chap deployed and was a fucking walrus by the time we got back. He wasn’t small to begin with but could pass a PT test at first but moron gained something like 45 pounds in 8 months. It’ll probably be a few more months before they’re rolling him out the gate with discharge paperwork.”

“Hey. Be easy on Jenkins. He made a bad choice, really fucking bad, and now he’s paying for it. If it wasn’t for that he’d be a good troop. He’s not a dirtbag.”

It was a little harsh but Chap had to admit a good description. He hated seeing young Airman like that but they made their own choices. It wasn’t hard to stay in at least halfway descent shape, especially in a career field like his. He wore heavy gear and was constantly on his feet at work with flight PT three times a week. Far removed from the Air Force stereotype of a desk jockey. But even then it didn’t help if you shoveled garbage down your throat every chance you got.

“What’s a fatty cake?”

Vyk was walking alongside Chap and whispered it to him.

The fact the big gnoll whispered it caught him offguard, He wasn’t sure what Vyk was thinking to make him feel in necessary to whisper. He’d never had an issue asking questions when they were alone so far and now that Teena knew at least a little bit, they were essentially alone. The only thing Chap could think of was Vyk was interested in it but didn’t want the others to know. Not a huge stretch that he wasn’t worried about showing his ignorance but the fact he might be privately interested in the recipe wasn’t that far fetched for Chap.

After all, it literally sounded like a cake made from animal fat, which considering what the gnoll ate…

Chap shook his head at the thought. He’d seen the eat what looked like raw meat on a regular basis, so animal fat cake might be on his preferred menu. But with teeth like that? I was more of a surprise that gnolls weren’t pure carnivores.

“Just a nickname for snacks that are really unhealthy for you. Think of a pastry made from dough with ground nali sticks, that’s covered in sprinkles of nali sticks, and filled with a sweet cream that’s made from nali sticks. Then dipped in chocolate with ground up nali stick on top”

The gnoll nodded and didn’t say anything but Chap heard a crunch a few steps later. He looked up and Vyk was eating one of the aforementioned sticks. The gnoll gave him a toothy smile and offered Chap one. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“You were the one that kept saying nali stick. Hrrmm?”

“Sure.”

—

“How bout this one?”

“I don’t see any magic.”

Lindsey didn’t want to say there wasn’t any magic. It could still be cursed but she didn’t see any.

Even then it was probably safe, why would anyone waste magic to curse a book of all things. But even if it seemed like it was a waste, she still checked as best she could. She knew books could contain magic, they had a spell book after all and there were two on the shelf that contained magic from what she could see. Even without a [Mage] class like Chap, the best she could do was make a really dim light after all.

But she could at least tell the faint hint of something from those two that were carefully left on the enchanted shelf. One of only a few that was intact and still contained books. The rest had rotted away a long time ago when the preservation enchantments failed.

It wasn’t that they were getting much out of them anyways, or at least Lindsey wasn’t.

It was all written in a runic alphabet and they’d only managed to decipher the number system up to 19.

BUT! Lindsey had her thoughts on where it went from there. There were numbers that she could recognize and to the left were runes that looked like numbers. It was a theory but it would be like writing a backwards two to mean twenty.

An upside down two meaning two hundred.

After that was backwards and upside down for two thousand.

Then back to normal and underlining the two to mean twenty thousand.

From there she could extrapolate what the rest might be. Though it was a strange system with the numbers being read right to left. Which in retrospect made Chap’s attempt to unlock the door insanely lucky that the combination was pi going from left to write but that was probably what made it a password. Just an added security measure. One that was apparently hinted to the numbers being written in reverse order on the opposite wall.

It was easy enough to tell how to read them with the numbers that didn’t have decimals but they’d also found Pi. That at least gave them the heads up not to read the runes like English if they could figure out any words… What Lindsey wouldn’t give for a translation Skill.

That’s what she was doing while the others searched the rooms. She didn’t mind, it was a bit of a headache but interesting.

Beside her Karli slowly paged through the ancient books looking for anything worth copying down that wasn’t in the unknown script. She’d already struck gold once by finding what looked like a map of the entire ruins. It was only a shame they didn’t have a map of what had been explored to compare it to but they could look for one when they went back to the surface… if they even found a way to get out.

Still, it did make her project easier. She’d been attempting to make a map herself but now that she didn’t need to she was busy sketching the room she was in and was busy labeling anything she could identify and creating a list of what items were on what tables and of course taking a picture of it before moving on. She’d have to use the repair wand again soon but she had plenty of memory. She’d stopped with Karli because the younger girl couldn’t see magic… Lindsey could barely see magic.

“Oh, oh! Look!”

Karli suddenly sounded excited finding something they could use. She turned the book for Lindsey to see. Her finger was on a runic word with a strange symbol next to it. Some wavy lines connected it to a similar symbol drawn on what looked like a diamond or crystal with lines emitting from it.

It wasn’t a lucky coincidence or a little bit of help for anyone illiterate in the middle of the text heavy book. It was marked with detailed measurements and notes. Brackets with numbers measured what must have been the ideal sizes of each part. Lindsey was starting to recognize the numbers quickly but it was anyone’s guess how long a crystal that was 5 to 7 blocky ‘U’s with a diagonal line through it was. Maybe there was a ruler marked with the same measurements somewhere around there they could use to figure that out.

“That symbols by the door. It’s a light switch!”

“Hold on we don’t know-”

Lindsey paused and turned her [Flashlight] towards the ceiling. Sure enough there was a crystal hanging from the ceiling above her and others spread evenly through the room.

But that didn’t necessarily mean lights did it? I mean, sure they looked like blocky little crystals exactly where she’d expect to see light bulbs. But-

“See it’s right there. Perfect spot for a light switch. We might be able to turn it on the same way we can the cooling charms. Oh! There’s one right there.”

Karli immediately reached for the runic symbol at the base of a stand holding up a crystal before Lindsey could remind her about Vyk’s warning.

But the result was anticlimatic. No traps were set off, no acid spray, and Karli didn’t cry out in pain with blood dripping from her eyes.

Maybe they were being a little to paranoid about the risk of traps. All that happened was it lit up.

“It’s a-”

“Magical Desklamp!”

Karli may have been spending a little too much time with Aydin. Either that or she was adjusting to their new lives and finally coming out of the shock of being there. Lindsey also reminded herself that the young woman next to her wasn’t just a freckle faced teen. She’d been taking her first steps into joining the US military proper when they were teleported. Less than a day away from basic training, a decision she made to escape overprotective parents to boot. It shouldn’t be surprising that she had the occasional reckless streak.

At least she had found a diagram that gave a hint at what the rune did before poking it. And she didn’t go around sticking her fingers into random spots in the middle of an ancient dungeon for no apparent reason. So a calculated recklessness. Lindsey could respect that.

Karli gave her a smug smile in the warm light of the desk lamp and walked over to the door. She studied the runes there for a moment and gave the correct one a poke that caused every set of eyes in the room to look up as crystals began to glow.

Unlike the lamp, it wasn’t an immediate effect. The light emitted slowly grew in intensity until the entire room was well lit with the exception of a single spot where the crystal looked like it had broken in two. It was still covered by the adjacent crystals enough to make it more than acceptable.

“Found the light switch!”

Karli announced and made her way through the main room to turn the lights on in the store room and forge. Lindsey picked up the lamp and deactivated the crystal before walking to join the others where they went to see what Karli had done to turn the lights on.

The lamp of course went into her bag. It wasn’t very bright but it was small enough to carry around like a torch and seemed less dangerous than carrying an actual flame. Plus it’d make a nice edition to the bunk room and after a quick glance around, Lindsey realized there were several on various tables and shelves.

Gathered up again, a conversation broke out when Vyk gave his opinion on where they were. It seemed strangely out of place but at the same time, the why he said it wasn’t as important as what he said.

“It’s a guild. An abandoned craftsman’s guild.”

His statement got everyone’s attention. It hadn’t been loud and it sounded like he was saying it to himself but it was enough to get the ball rolling.

“How do you figure?”

“Think of what other guilds look like… Maybe not the Adventurer’s guild, you have not been there, but all others. They’ll have an open space in the front for customers and private spaces for the guild members in back, yes? The hall is filled with benches and tables for people to sit and talk with crafstman to work out a deal. A reception desk right outside this room to handle contracts. A private place for the guild members to sleep if they’re working long and a private bedroom for the guild master. A place for them to rest and eat with an office for the guild master on the other side. And this is their actual work area.”

“But why would there be a guild in the middle of a dungeon.”

“Because this is not a dungeon even if many call it that. It is a ruin as Teena has said.”

Lindsey suddenly thought of the map Karli had found.

“Do you have that map?”

“Ah… Yeah.”

Karli pulled out the copy of the map she’d made, not daring to trust the ancient paper to hold up much longer than it already had.

“What map?”

“I found a map in those books. It’s… here, look. I think we’re right here.”

The group crowded around the notebook to look. The map had to be copied onto four different pages to properly show the upper and lower levels of the dungeon. But it was detailed, even showing the rooms in most of the larger spaces.

Lindsey looked at the place where Karli was pointing. It was a cluster of rooms at the end of a long hallway that met another perpendicular hallway that connected with the rest of an octagonal structure. Leaving the point they were currently standing like a spoke sticking out from a center wheel.

It wasn’t the only one like that…

Both floors were an octagon shape with the occasional hall shooting further out from the center on top floor. All centered around the massive room where they first entered.

She thought of the alcoves with rooms behind and above them and realized those were stores. The doors they’d past and found nothing in were homes. Some of the rooms even had holes in the floor that might have once been drains but any fixtures had long since rusted away or been looted by adventurers.

Below was more of the same, an orderly labyrinth of hallways in the same rough octagon shape but larger. The great hall in the center was smaller but the extra space was mainly made up of rows of identical spaces cut away from the bedrock. More spokes led from there as well to much larger areas, a couple as large as the smaller great hall. Once she got some context and looked at the map again… It was obvious.

“We’re in a town?”

“An ancient underground town.”

“That’s been abandoned and full of fucking garbage.”

Chap shoulder bumped ‘Doza but in a way, she was right. That excited Lindsey even more.

She had been thinking they were exploring a space meant to squirrel away valuables, filled with traps aimed to harm or kill anyone who dared to try to steal them. And although there were apparently traps in certain areas the man who brought them down had warned them that the monsters that had gotten in were the bigger threat. Somewhat dungeon-esque in a way.

But it wasn’t some ancient vault or testing ground. It was what remained of a long forgotten civilization. It’s remains looted and scrapped over who knew how long… She had been documenting where everything was originally so they could know what went where after hauling it off in their bags of holding. Basically so they could sort it. Make sure similar artifacts stayed together… She was still interested in the artifacts of course but now?

Now she had a digsite again. Or rather another ancient ruin to document and study. It too had been looted just like the last one but just like the village. There were parts that people hadn’t bothered to touch. In this case because adventurers couldn’t find it and now they had a map to find more untouched areas!

Archaeologists back home would have killed for a find as intact as the one she stood in, and probably would want to kill the looters that had already helped themselves to who knew how many historical artifacts. A sentiment she agreed with even if that was likely the fate of everything of value they found too. But for them at least it wasn’t about selling a priceless artifact to buy a yacht, it was about not starving to death or buying new things to defend themselves with, survival.

Plus Lindsey had every intention of documenting the things they found so even if after they sold it they were locked away or melted down, there would be some record that it existed. It would limit any chance of someone else studying the items but it was better than nothing.

And once again it was thanks to Chap. He inspired her to try the first time and she got a [Amateur Archaeologist] class. Now he managed to solve the lock on the hidden area, the guild, out of a little bit of knowledge and pure luck! She was going to kiss him.

Just on the cheek though with what she’d learned. Eh? Maybe not. She could still give him a hug and a thank you.

She’d do it later when they had a moment away from ‘Doza at least. But first.

“I’m going to see about the lights in the other rooms.”

She left the others and jogged down the length of the long hallway. First things first. The runic buttons near the entrance with the desk lamp lighting the way.

When she got there she only hesitated a moment before putting in Pi but unlike when Chap did it, they didn’t light up when she pushed raw mana into them… It took her a moment to realize there was another set on the other side of the door. That one worked and a stone plate containing the runes pulled back before sliding up into the wall. She smiled and pointed her very dim [light spell] at what it revealed but blanched..

“Oh damn it…”

It was far more than just a simple light switch.

Lindsey had to take a look at the lamp to study the rune on it before finding the right one. Apparently it was a control panel that did more than just turn the lights on. She was curious on what the others did but she’d have to work with Karli and her books to figure out what they did first.

She wasn’t about to risk setting off an alarm or locking the place permanently. But it was also the most likely way to get out too. She thought about that as crystals began to glow from alcoves in the walls and on the ceiling. Illuminating the entire space. She turned back and started studying the other runes. After having to reenter the pin, the control panel door was apparently on a timer.

“Reach in with a finger and press the button like Aydin did and the outside doors close so you can unlock the front door in peace. But if people did business here then they couldn’t stay cut off from everyone. So one of these must open the outside doors, letting everyone know they were open for business. And there must also be a way to shut the door while opening the outside ones, putting it back how we found it…”

“I’ll see what I can find.”

“Ah!”

Lindsey nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice came from right beside her. She was so caught up on looking at the runes that she didn’t even notice Karli had decided to join her.

“Sorry.”

The [Scribe] said the words but Lindsey could tell she wasn’t feeling that sorry about it. Giggling didn’t exactly go with the proper sentiment for an apology… but it didn’t matter. She stood with Karli for a few more minutes, reopening the panel a couple times so the girl could copy down the runes in detail.

Once it was done, Lindsey turned around and looked down the hall, now far more visible. She took it in for a moment but then pulled out her notebook and pen… She had ancient architecture and artwork to study and document. After that there were still artifacts and a dead language. After that studying old magic. All untouched for countless years. An [Amateur Archaelogists] Dream.

Plus!

“I think we just found our fall back point.”

That night Lindsey crawled into her bunkbed and hugged her notebook.

They had to resort to poking random runes to figure out how to work the doors. The door itself had a few different settings. Outside locked while inside open, inside locked while outside open, all of them open, all of them locked, and one where the outer doorways were sealed and a magical barrier filled the inner doorway. From the inside you could see through it but from the outside it looked like stone.

And then they found the one they were looking for, even if they already knew they could escape by opening every door.

A button that closed the inner door on a timer then opened the outer ones. A way to keep their find a secret. Those didn’t include the runes for the lights and one that opened vents and pushed in fresh air and a few other ones they didn’t press.

Lindsey flipped through her notebook one last time. She could barely make out the sketches and notes but she’d have to get another notebook from the market with as filled as it was now. She put it back in her bag after a while and closed her eyes, waiting till they went back down tomorrow. It took her a while to go to sleep, for the first time since arriving she felt truly excited about the future.

[Amateur Archaeologist Level 4]

[Skill- Lesser Recall obtained!]

[Bound Spell- Basic Translation obtained!]

It of course woke her up. Lindsey didn’t level often. Not like Chap or Karli, with the two of them being the highest level of all of those from Earth thanks largely to having classes that they practiced constantly. Chap perpetually in charge and Karli always taking notes. It felt good to level again, the closest she’d gotten in the past few days was getting an endurance skill after their run and learning a few basic spells that she hadn’t actually been able to cast yet. But she was catching up.

She tried out her new Skill and after realizing what it was, she tried again while thinking of the map… Lindsey smiled at what she pictured. She knew it wasn’t a perfect memory, any detail she hadn’t actually taken notice of before wasn’t there but she could still effortlessly picture the map as a whole. The big picture as it was.

She tried a few other things before the Skill reached its limit. It wasn’t just remembering, she could picture it like it was right in front of her. Even reread a book she once held but not the ancient books from the guild. Those she could picture some of the script but only parts she’d focused on. Also the further back she thought the blurrier it was.

Guess that’s why it’s LESSER recall. It’s not perfect.

She held off on trying the bound spell for the moment, she knew if she did she’d end up stealing Karli’s notes and trying to translate it all in one go. Instead she rolled over and got comfortable again after flipping her pillow to the cool side and started drifting off again only to wake one more time. This time it was Karli’s voice rather than the mysterious one in her head.

“I just got a transliteration skill for my scribe class!”

Lindsey frowned and thought what that was.

She wasn’t really sure, it sounded like a translation skill but it must have been different. Then grinned and couldn’t help but mutter under her breath.

“Got mine first.”

–

Earth had walls… they usually weren’t really used for their original purpose anymore but they were still there. Not including a former Presidents partially built, and highly controversial, border wall, there were a lot of famous walls around the world.

All from different eras, different regions. Hadrian’s Wall in the UK, the Aurelian Wall of Rome, the Theodosian Walls of Istanbul, The Great Wall of China, the other walls of China like Xi’an, Pingyao, and Nanjing. The walls of Great Zimbabwe, of Mali, of the Mayan ruins of Mexico and Central America. Not to mention fortresses, castles, redoubts, and bastions the world over.

All masterful works of defensive prowess meant to protect their people. All tourist sites today. All a site for a 1001 selfies and landscape shots with cargo short wearing tourists in the foreground. None used for defense anymore and none like what Jenna was looking up at.

It was no walled city but that was a wall!

“That’s the size of a six story building.”

She guessed the walls were at least 60 feet high and towers reaching 80-90 depending on how you approached them. Just looking at them, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind why Sa’liquen was a valuable addition to any mercenary companies holdings. The massive octagonal towers had multiple levels for archers and enough space on the top for a trebuchet or a couple balista even if they held none. Its ramparts were more than just crenels and merlons making up the battlements. They overhung the side of the wall slightly for murder holes, so any enemy trying to take cover at the base of the wall was still in danger. And if those soldiers managed to get a ladder against the walls that was actually long enough after dropping into a dry moat, they’d not only have to contend with those on top of the wall but those inside it too, there was a series of arrow slits all along the top giving away a hallow space behind.

Jenna couldn’t see how anyone could assault those walls. It would take magic just to have a chance.

And it didn’t end there. As they moved closer they reached a towering gatehouse that was separate from the main walls, a barbican. By itself it looked like an octagonal keep with the road passing straight through it and gates on either end of the tunnel. The walls of interior passage of the barbican was filled with arrow slits and the ceiling was covered in murder holes. Some were occupied as Jenna spotted more than one eye peaking through to look at those trying to enter the city.

Then came a drawbridge spanning the dry moat which was a twenty foot deep gorge at that point and that was before the actual gatehouse. It was even larger than the barbican, a massive structure with octagon towers on either side.

It was there that she had to end her musings. The last thing she took note of was that it didn’t lead directly into the city. One had to walk through a courtyard surrounded by tall walls, only 40 feet high and a smaller gatehouse to get fully inside.

The city was a fortress!

Of course Jenna didn’t know any of the terminology for it but she noticed every piece. It was like walking into a castle. Exactly what she’d expect to find in a fantasy world. Something that she had only seen on the scrying orb in a way.

It seemed out of place for the Western Crescent or at least very different than the Azoru, Patli or the other small villages they’d passed during their trip but it would fit right in with other castles in Terrandria. Even if it wasn’t a castle and even though her only knowledge of Terrandrian castles was a glimpse of a single massive but beautiful one on the news.

“Reason for visit?”

Jenna was still looking up at the gatehouse when one of the guards got up to their wagon. She gave him a polite smile then looked back up at the gatehouse while Zosk answered for them.

“Looking for work and a place to stay for me and my daughters.”

“A human daughter? Her eyes look normal and I don’t see any scales. You fully human?”

Jenna had been looking away but still paying attention. She looked at the guard and nodded. Zosk had instructed them to let him speak though, so she did.

“Found her in the desert a while back, lost, separated from her people. We took her in.”

“That true.”

“Yes.”

He stared at her critically only sparing a moment to glance at a ring but moved on.

“Are you a wanted fugitive in any location controlled by the Crimson Sand Company?”

“No.”

“No?”

The ring must have shown something other than the truth that time. Zosk bobbed his big head back and forth for a minute before letting out a sigh.

“Just don’t hurt my daughters… I might be wanted.”

“Explain.”

“I was a [Corporal] with the Lost City Company… got out a few years before it fell after my wife passed away. I’m not sure if they’re still rounding up soldiers from my old company or not.”

The guard blinked up at Zosk a few times and shook his head with a chuckle.

“You’re not wanted then. That only went on till they caught your old commander but it plays into my next question… Do you intend to break the law or otherwise attempt to subvert, damage, or inconvenience the people or leaders of Sa’liquen, or the Crimson Sand Company? Not harboring any anger or plans of revenge for taking your company, are you?”

Zosk laughed and shook his head.

“No. I’d be pretty stupid to walk in here looking for a fight. I used to man these walls and I know how tough the city is.”

He grinned at the guard who returned it. They both looked up at the massive gatehouse rising above them for a moment before the guard carried on.

“Last one. Are you here to sell or buy goods?”

“No.”

“Well that’s it, welcome to Sa’liquen… Or I should say, welcome back. Oh and [Corporal], if you’re interested they’re looking to bring on a few more guards. You’re a former soldier, they’d be interested even if you didn’t know these streets. Since your from here I wont bother giving directions, the main watch barracks hasn’t moved. Head on over if you’re interested.”

“Not sure I’d want to. Those two back there cause me enough problems. I’ll consider it though, thank you.”

The guard waved them through and Jenna sat down as they moved through the courtyard that only had a few merchants wagons being searched by guards besides the people moving in and out. As she looked, Dess leaned in close to her and whispered.

“He didn’t have to say all that last time.”

“Maybe the truth stone said it was a lie. We’re fugitives from that slaver.”

Dess thought about it and scratched her neck frill but could only shrug. It was curious if it did come up as a lie. Did that mean Zosk thought Crimson Sands sent the slaver? They hadn’t really talked about it much other than how they were going to hide from him but now that Jenna thought about it. Would the most powerful mercenary company in the Chotaxl just sit back and let a slaver take their people like that? Maybe they actually were involved.

But there was nothing to be done about it though and they moved into the city proper with a quick stop at a stable just inside the second gate. Zosk didn’t want to pay to stable the biting camel or stow the wagon so he made a unilateral decision to sell them.

Jenna was kind of sad to see the camel go. He was big, smelly, spit, and tried to bite her once before Zosk punched him but he was still a majestic creature. And a useful one if they needed to flee Sa’liquen. Dess of course was livid, so much so that she didn’t speak but after inspecting the stables and seeing the animals were well cared for she relented. Even if it wasn’t her choice to begin with.

As they left the stables Jenna got her first taste of city life in her new world. The first noticeable was the smell. But Patli wasn’t a rose bush either so she focused on the second thing. It was the buildings, they were taller than she’d expect, upwards of five or six stories in general.

That was still a drop in the bucket compared to some cities back on Earth but she’d expected timber framed cottages not stone town homes and apartments with first floor shops along the main road. It almost looked modern to her.

The next thing she noticed was how crowded the city was. Even with the tall townhomes and apartments, she didn’t think it should have been that busy. The market maybe but she felt like she was walking through downtown Chicago. With stone buildings on either side, side walks, and a wide street, she could actually believe it if it wasn’t for the fact that Sa’liquen was filled with multiple species. Not just humans.

Besides the hordes of lizardfolk running around, there were of course dallahans, centaurs, and a lot of humans. But she also spotted what could have been a short human with a beard or a tall dwarf, half-elves with pointy ears, a humanoid being with an eye on each shoulder and four on his head that must have been at least part gazer, a cat person, people made of cloth, a group of bird people flying low over the buildings, and even a goblin…. Or not.

The hobgoblin she spotted was arguing with a couple members of the city watch and as Jenna watched the goblin’s chest split open and an orange tentacle reached out. The watch members were unfazed but a few onlookers recoiled, including herself.

“I’m a bronze rank and my body was falling apart. This was the only corpse I could afford! It’s not like I can climb into a party member…”

So no goblin but she was reminded that silphids existed. It’d been her first time actually seeing one. Now that she thought about it, there were a few people that looked like walking corpses in Azolu but she hadn’t been sure. She’d been to places on Earth where people looked the same way and they definitely not silphids, just your every day meth addicts and crackheads. So there was a chance that there were people in her new world like that.

It was still kind of cool for her to see a race of body snatcher walking around in corpses even if that was kind of gross. It reminded her just how diverse her new world was and she was only seeing a sliver of it.

Sa’liquen wasn’t the largest city in the western crescent, not even in the top three but it still housed 100,000 people with even more living in towns and villages outside the walls. Little pieces of suburbia dotting the landscape with a second smaller city, named Toula that acted as Sa’liquens river port, visible from the gates. Though they’d kept far away from that in case a certain barge was at dock.

But they had finally arrived and they walked taking in the sites for a solid 10 minutes before Dess asked the question that was growing in Jenna’s mind.

“Hey, old man. Where are we going?”

“I know a decent inn near here. It’s quiet, safe, bad food, good drink, and cheap. Just follow. It’s in the understreets.”

“The what?”

The understreets?

Jenna didn’t get a verbal answer but got an answer in a different way as they walked down a ramp to below street level. She immediately doubted it was as safe down there as the brightly lit square they’d gone to turned into a meager tunnel lit by torches. It was like walking into a dark alley of a major city, something ill advised in any city you were unfamiliar with.

But that was just the Earther in her speaking up.

“It may seem dark now but come nightfall, these are the brightest streets in the city. There’s no need to worry and the inn we’re going to is right next to a watch barracks too. A lot of watch members used to drink there, probably still do. Keeps most of the trouble makers away.”

“Why didn’t we stay here last time then?”

Zosk looked back at Dess and rubbed his neck frill.

“It’s the inn that me and my squad used to drink at, the human that owns it is a friend. I checked in on him last time we were here but didn’t want him talking about the old times so…”

Dess huffed and rolled her eyes at her dad. Reminded once again about his secret life as a soldier that she never knew about. It’d only come up a few times but each time Dess was angry and Zosk acted guilty. Jenna could understand both viewpoints and stayed out of it.

“I’ll introduce you this time. His name is Odell. Used to call him an honorary member of the company because of his drinks and threatened to toss him in a cell for his cooking. His granddaughter’s the [Cook] now from what he said a few weeks ago, she’s probably about your age. So the food might be better. He’s also got a grandson a few years older, he was tending the bar when I stopped by. Didn’t even recognize him until Odell said something.”

They made their way through the understreets, that Jenna realized were literally under the streets once she thought about where she was. The buildings on either side of her weren’t standalone structures carved out of the side of the tunnels. They were basements!

And one such basement was their destination.

It didn’t look special, Two visible stories like all the buildings in the understreets with only a few windows looking down over the dark subterranean street and two wide columns supported the vaulted ceiling above on either side separating it from its neighbors. One of which was the aforementioned watch house and the other, if Jenna had to guess, was a brothel.

She based that on a scantily dressed female Lizardwoman that tried to entice any passerby rather blatantly. Her profession would have been less obvious if she just started yelling her prices. She was relentless and the only male she left alone was Zosk. He turned his glare up and made a rude gesture to her as she turned to him. She looked mad but put her seductive smile back on her face as the next guy approached.

Jenna watched as the Lizardman bit at her ‘advertising’ and was thus escorted inside the establishment before she turned her attention to the inn. It was a hole in the wall hotel between a bunch of cops booking criminals and a bunch of hookers. Jenna hoped it had soundproofing.

When they crossed the threshold though she was pleasantly surprised. The room was comfortably cool, clean, nicely decorated, and generally quiet. There was of course people sitting around eating or drinking while carrying on conversations and the sound of news playing from a small mirror on the wall but it gave it almost a cafe ambiance. It only missed the crucial coffee. Something she had yet to see and was too afraid to ask about. Though she could just try to order it. If they’ve never heard of it it, it wouldn’t be a big deal right? It was a big world after all.

Zosk led them to the bar where a bartender with bright orange scales mixed with reds and blues stood. He wasn’t stereotypically wiping a glass or polishing the counter. He just stood there and put a smile on his face when they reached him.

“What’ll it be?”

“Need two rooms, double and single. Side by side and can you get Odell for me. Thank you.”

He didn’t even blink. Obviously used to people saying exactly what they wanted but they didn’t always get it.

“I can get you the rooms but I’m afraid Odell isn’t seeing anyone at the moment. How long are you staying?”

The barkeep reached under the bar to produce two keys and set them on the counter in front of Zosk as the big Lizardman started talking again. He wasn’t taking no for an answer even if he didn’t speak with anger.

“Just tell him to get his wrinkled ass up here and that it’s Zosk asking. He told me to stop by next time I was in Sa’liquen. Oh and we’ll need them for the mo- Two weeks at least.”

The lizardfolk server shifted uneasily on his feet and nodded.

“He mentioned something about you. I’ll let him know.”

He left the bar and headed into the back room while an older female beside Zosk whistled and looked him up and down.

“Must be an important name. Old Odell hasn’t even manned the bar for the past week. Not that I can blame ‘em. I’m surprised he even opened his doors after what happened?”

“What happened?”

Dess was the one to ask and Zosk pushed her back from her elder lizardfolk that looked nothing like the elders of Patli. The way she dressed, painted her scales, carried herself… it was all wrong. You wouldn’t think venerable elder and have this female come to mind.

“Still new information. The best kind.”

“I’m not giving you a copper. He’ll tell me, known him since I was 17.”

She rapped her knuckles on the counter and laughed.

“Can’t blame me for trying… Be easy on him if he does see ya. Both of his kiddos got themselves into a bit of trouble and he hasn’t been the same since.”

“They get hurt?”

“Probably by now. You don’t get chains without a few pains.”

Jenna figetted. She’d been warned once again to keep her mouth shut about slavery but it once again became the topic of discussion. Despite the warning a word slipped out.

“Chains?”

“Yup. A week ago now soldiers came and arrested Zander while I was sitting right here. Drug Brenna out of the kitchen too and almost took Odell when he tried to get them free, threw a punch. Only reason they left him was because he treats soldiers and guards well when they come in here. Not sure what it was all for but heard there was no fines, whatever they did got them sent straight to the slave pens. A lot of folk been getting that lately… Must be worth a bit too if Odell hasn’t tried to buy them back yet, I know the old coot has plenty saved up. Even if he can’t free ‘em after, better his little ones be his slaves than someone elses.”

All three of them just stared at her until Zosk dug unto his pouch and placed a silver in front of her.

“Buy yourself a drink on me.”

“Thanks… Bit of advice. Things may be looking up here, city’s safe, gangs have been wiped out, and not even [pickpockets] and [shoplifters] are willing to ply their trade. All because of those lot next door… not sure what’s gotten into them. But they’re not playing when it comes to any crimes right now. Keep yourselves outta trouble.”

“We will.”

Jenna gulped and suddenly wondered if Sa’liquen was worth staying in. If it wasn’t for the fact that their options were limited in where to go she’d ask if it wouldn’t be better to leave. But from what she’d learned on the road, the edge of Crimson Sands territory was a ways away and Sa’liquen only had two roads leading to anything more than small towns and villages. One went by the river which put them at risk of slavers catching them and the other the one they just traveled on to Pachacuti.

She knew she’d get herself in trouble in a city like that from what she’d heard. It wasn’t the heart of the slave trade but it was the destination for a lot of them. 40,000 people and over half of them in chains, forced to dig up different kinds of salt found in the wastes while some rich families lived in opulence and the majority of the free worked the wastes and lived in squalor. They’d have to pass right through it or go off into the desert to avoid it to get anywhere else. Which was where they could find acid spraying giant scorpions. Not the best options really.

It probably would be better to remain in Sa’liquen after she thought about it. It wasn’t like Jenna planned on committing any crimes.

They would just wait. The inn wasn’t too bad either and soon the bartender came back and waved for Zosk to follow him back. Dess got up and after a silent argument, Zosk relented and the three of them made their way through the kitchen and into a small living space. Inside sat an older man at a table with two empty chairs. A bottle of something from the bar half drank in front of him and papers spread everywhere. He looked up as they entered and tried to straighten out his graying hair before rising a little unsteadily.

“Ah Zosk! Good ta see ya again… This must be the daughter you mentioned. She looks so much like her mother. And… I might be a little into the bottle but I’m not seeing double…But two young ones? Fall for a human after ya left? Just please tell me you’re not out buying up people.”

“I’m not old friend. Yes, this is the one I told you about. My Dess. And this is Jenna a friend. I don’t own slaves, you know that.”

“Good, good… drink?”

He didn’t even wait for an answer before grabbing four glasses off the shelf and expertly pouring each glass despite his sobriety.

“Suppose that old bird out there got you to buy her a drink for running her mouth, didn’t she? Course she did, she’s been running that racket all week. Should kick her out but she’s almost family. She was the cities best working girl at one point, worked next door when my pops bought the place. Been drinking here every day for 40 years.”

“Wait? That was Betilda?”

“Hah! Past ten years hasn’t been kind to her. Hard enough to recognize even without all the paint.”

Zosk apparently knew the cities best prostitute by name. Jenna almost laughed at how quickly Dess’ head spun to stare up at her father.

“Ah, what was that old man?”

“Don’t worry. Your father would drink with the girls that came in here but he loved your mother. Seen girls that offered it to him for free and he turned it down every time. Those were better times, but I suppose doesn’t take much to be better times now.”

“Odell… She did tell me, I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do-”

“Buy ‘em.”

“What?”

What?!

All three of them were taken aback and how quickly Odell said it and the fact he said it in the first place. Zosk just said he didn’t buy slaves. Jenna would probably leave if he did.

“Told the boy up front a few names, you’re on the list. Told him if anyone of them showed to let me know. People I trust. I’ve got the- If I can get the funds… Zosk. Please just buy them and take them somewhere else. Anywhere else, don’t even tell me where you’re going till your there. They wont let family or associates buy anymore, new law. I can give you what’s needed to get my boy now… I just- I just need to figure out how to get Brenna out. They want a lot for her, she’s a- I mean she hasn’t… You know! And she’s a [Chef], a good one! Not even sure if selling this place would do it. More than a couple places like this have been seized and the owner enslaved for back room gambling dens and unlicensed brothels. Anyone looking to buy is buying those up from the city for cheap…”

He spent a moment looking at the walls, or maybe picturing his home and business around him. It was a sad sight and pain was clearly in his eyes. It was hard to imagine how it must feel that even everything you had wasn’t enough. He cleared his throat after a minute and wiped his eyes.

“But Brenna… She’s high level for her age and, well, she’s pure… I know why that raises the price. Girls like her always sell for more. It’s bad enough they had to check. They just used the stones thankfully. But once she’s sold… I won’t have it. Some sick bastard helping himself to my Brenna! I. WON’T. HAVE. IT!”

“Woah… Odell… I’ll listen but perhaps we can talk alone?”

Zosk gestured to Jenna and Dess. It was an intense moment and she felt for the man. He had stood when he started yelling but sat back down in his chair and ran his hands through his unkempt hair with a sigh.

“Of course. You’ve got your health issue, I shouldn’t be putting this on your shoulders like this. I’m sorry.”

Jenna shared a confused glance with Dess but remembered the bandages in his room and the way Zosk was always stiff. Was he talking about the tail arthritis?

“As I said, we can talk Odell but it might be best if the girls get a chance to rest.”

Jenna saw Dess go to protest but then stop. It wasn’t about Zosk’s secrets anymore. It was about the tired old man trying to figure out how to save his family. If Zosk wanted privacy to talk about buying Odell’s grandchildren, then there was no reason not to give it to him.

“Of course, of course… Boy! Where’s he at?”

Odell got up and they followed him into the common room where he tossed the two keys under the counter. Then handed Dess and Zosk each a new one.

“A suite is what they call it. It’s got a common room and two bedrooms. Zander thought we should have something like that in case anyone important ever stayed here. A place for their servants to sleep and all that. We knocked down a few walls and turned three rooms into one then never rented it out. Sleeps less than a bunk room but it’s nicer and it’s on the house. Thorpe, get these two some food and drink. Ain’t chargin’ ‘em. I’ve got some catchin’ up to do… Betilda.”

He gave the old female a nod and marched back into the kitchen. Zosk followed after giving strict instructions to not leave the inn and keep Odell’s business his business. Jenna and Dess watched him go then went to sit at the bar. Thorpe waited till his boss was for sure gone before standing across the bar from them.

“I’m not much of a [Cook] but we’ve got a descent stew today.”

“That works.”

“And what would you like to wash it down with.”

“Got coffee?”

“What?”

“Nevermind… I don’t know. What do you have that’s cold?”

Even though it was pleasant in the inn, it’d been a while since she had a cold drink. They didn’t have any at Azoru and definitely not in Patli but she suddenly hoped a city might have some way to make ice.

“I can do that. Thinking sweet, spicy, bitter?”

“Sweet.”

“I’ll make you something. How about you?”

Dess’ head went back and forth with the conversation as they went back and forth then scratched her head.

“Jenna, you know he’s talking about- Nevermind, I’ll have the same.”

That lightened the mood for her a little. Of course Jenna knew he was talking about alcohol, they were sitting at a bar!

They watched as the [Bartender] quickly mixed up two identical drinks and sat them down before topping off Betilda’s drink and disappeared into the Kitchen. Jenna picked up her glass of swirling orangish red liquid and was surprised it was cold. There wasn’t even any ice in it! She had to figure it was either an enchanted glass or a Skill. Next came the sniff. The scent of alcohol was apparent but it was weak compared to the overpowering smell of citrus. She took a sip and smiled.

“Cold and tasty.”

It actually tasted a little bit like a screwdriver to her. Something that she had before thanks to her dad. He didn’t want her drinking much but he also didn’t want her ending up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning on her 21^st birthday, so he let her drink at home on occasion to make sure she knew her limit. Which admittedly wasn’t much.

They drank their drinks and then had another round with their stew and a final one as they let it digest and watched the small scrying mirror. They were showing a battle in Chandrar. A kingdom ruled by a dead man was fighting a kingdom ruled by adventurers. It looked like it was going the dead guys way. She wasn’t sure what to think about that. Not even the commentators really knew which side they were rooting for. The undead kingdom was apparently a paradise while the kingdom-

Nope, Jenna was rooting for the undead paradise king. The adventurers were apparently yet another slaver kingdom.

Seriously, how common is that shit? It can’t be every- No, Dess did mention they don’t have it in Terrandria and it wasn’t actually that common in a lot of Baleros. Still, what the hell is wrong with people?!

But as exciting as watching adventurers fighting an army of skeletal warriors was, they actually did need sleep. And Jenna felt like the drink was a lot stronger than it seemed which did make her a little more sleepy than she probably would have been.

After confirming where the room was they made their way downstairs. ALL the way down the stairs…

Jenna realized that might be part of the reason why it was never rented out but then again it probably stayed really cool even without enchantments that far down. It would be worth the extra money spent to not wake up sweating and they didn’t even have to pay anything. Yay!

But then again they didn’t have to pay anything because Odell was sad… Not so yay.

She turned around and looked up the steps while swaying. Wondering what was in that drink. She’d drank before, not often, but on occasion. She never got that tipsy off from three, maybe four but never three!

She suddenly had a terrifying thought, what if the drink was spiked with something?

Why would he spike it? Zosk would beat him sensless. Even if he doesn’t know Zosk was a soldier. He’s big!

Okay not that big of a concern. The Lizardguy had seen Zosk and it was a cop bar, right? What idiot would spike a girls drink in a cop bar? Especially since he could end up enslaved if he got caught even trying. She was making herself paranoid with everything going on. There was someone out to get them but that didn’t mean EVERYONE was out to get them.

It was probably just a magic drink. He made it cold without ice, maybe it wasn’t the glass or a Skill. Maybe there were magic liquors that stayed cold all the time. That would actually be really cool…

Cool! Get it! HA!

Jenna shrugged with a smile at her own clever pun and looked around for Dess for a moment before she realized that her friend had left her. She stumbled down the hallway looking for the room, luckily Dess left the door wide open for her. She went in, locked the door, double checked it was locked, and then wandered into the open room. When she did she ended up swinging around and almost falling. She stumbled to the other door and pushed it the rest of the way open to see two small twin sized beds sitting there. Both nicely made in fresh linens, a small desk, fresh candles. Overall a nice room. It even came with a Sandy… Was the dog with them the entire time? She didn’t even notice Sandy going down the steps.

Oh, well. That wasn’t the issue. It was that Sandy wasn’t Dess. Jenna looked back to the other one then to the one she stood next to.

Dess was already laying in a big four post bed in the master bedroom and Jenna was torn. Well, not really. Issue was, Sandy had already claimed one of the beds. She’d followed them down stairs and quickly claimed her spot, Jenna didn’t feel like kicking her out.

Also, she liked Zosk but she wasn’t going to share a room with him. Besides being weird, he liked his privacy. She stumbled back into the other bedroom. Shut the door and stripped down to her tunic and underwear before crawling into bed with Dess.

A knock on the door woke her up and she cringed.

“What happened?”

Jenna knew what had happened, every part of it. It was more a question to fill the void of silence and maybe give whoever was knocking enough of a response to not do it again. She looked around the room, wondering if her blueprints finally let her level up but even foggy she didn’t think so. No, she’d remember that.

But a shift on her chest made it apparent though that she might not remember every part. She knew Dess shifted around a lot in her sleep and Jenna felt like she’d been punched and kicked repeatedly but she’d expect her friend to be sprawled sideways in the bed, not how she ended up. She also might not have known exactly when she fell asleep but she knew she didn’t fall asleep with Dess using her right boob as a pillow.

Jenna shook her normally morning person friend as the knocking came back but apparently morning people didn’t live up to the name when hungover. Dess responded by reaching around blindly until she found a pillow and covered her head with it while pushing herself further into Jenna’s chest. Jenna knew what needed to be done. She used to love doing it too when she was younger and her dad had the rare night out and had too many. It was pure schadenfreude, at its best. Not so enjoyable when she was on the other end of it though. Even worse that she was about to bring it on herself.

“Dess!”

Jenna’s head ached and the lizardgirl’s head shot up and looked around wildly before the pain of the moment caught up with her. Dess grabbed her head and rolled around, plopping her head down next to Jenna’s, groaning. The door opened a moment later and Zosk entered the room but quickly stared at the ceiling. He tossed something on the bed and turned to walk out.

“Hangover tonic. Drink half each and get dressed, we need to talk.”

Jenna looked for the reason for his actions. It wasn’t like him to care about Dess in her underwear after all. But she saw it and decided she should have just said come in and let Zosk see them cuddling. It would have been better.

Jenna pulled her arm out from under Dess and got the tonic. Throwing the covers over her friends naked butt. She didn’t realize Dess had stripped completely the night before. A fact that would have been hidden if she hadn’t sat straight up in bed, knocking the covers down… It couldn’t be changed now.

Jenna uncorked the bottle and drank her half. She glanced back to Dess, who was still laying on her stomach holding her head. Jenna’s eyes lingered on Dess’ exposed back for a moment while she held out the cure. She glanced away as her friend shifted, revealing a little more of her, the covers caught on her tail.

Interspecies lesbian? …well technically bi. Wait, am I bi? Is that even bi? Or am I the + not the B?

Jenna didn’t answer her own questions. It was too early and the tonic was just starting to work. And it was Dess. She’d admit there was a strange attraction but it was weird that it was Dess making her ask these questions. She wasn’t opposed to the idea and it had nothing to do with Dess being a female or a different species. Jenna just felt weird about it being one of her only friends. It made her worry that it was just the strange attraction mixed with the fact that Dess was the only option at the moment.

Plus the fact that she wasn’t exactly desperate for a relationship and the night before had actually been a harmless, drunken moment between the two. She was probably over thinking it.

The target of her confused affections finally started to stir as the tonic started taking effect and soon they were both awkwardly dressing.

“We didn’t ah…”

“No… We just drank something a lot stronger than it tasted and ummm…

“Cuddled?”

“Cuddled.”

They were in agreement. Although Jenna wasn’t sure if the lizard girl believed her but they could have a conversation on that later, when there weren’t about to die of embarrassment. That was unless they were about to have an even more awkward discussion with Zosk… She hoped not and made herself the vow that everyone made when the woke up hungover. The same one that everyone also broke and walked out into the suite’s common room to face the man of the house, who looked up from where he was sitting as they entered.

“Don’t care. Don’t… Care. I must talk to you about Odell. Whatever happened…”

Zosk put his hands up defensively before either one of them could open their mouths. Jenna wasn’t sure that was a good thing. Maybe he already figured nothing happened, maybe he thought it did and didn’t want to get involved in his daughter’s sex life. Either way they both came in and sat down on a sofa across from him, leaving a bit more space than normal between each other.

“I’ll just get it out. We’re buying Brenna and Zander. I don’t like the idea of owning slaves but he let me know what’s going on and once we think that slaver are not looking anymore we’re leaving. We’ll head to Tlanex, maybe even leave the crescent from there. Until then, we’ve got to find a place. We can’t be seen as acquaintances of Odell or they wont let us buy them.”

“Leave the crescent? Where will we go? Why?”

Zosk looked directly at Jenna and sighed while running his hand down his face.

“Remember those poor bastards that were murdered that were from Jenna’s homeland? They made the mistake of saying they found something? It seems that slave master also found it and is smart enough to keep it secret. Whatever it is, Crimson Sands wants it too and luckily for them the slaver just wants to go back to Chandrar with ships full of slaves. A lot of slaves.”

Aniker? That’s what he called it, right? An- something. Anker- Anchor? NO. An- Wait! An’karr! That’s what it was!

It took a moment but Jenna remembered the strange word that Zosk had mentioned in Patli. It wasn’t that long ago that he brought it up. Not that long since the unlucky soul had been pulled out of the Itli onto Patli’s docks that led to that conversation. But Jenna remembered it now. Although she wasn’t sure what it was yet.

“But why leave the crescent. Tlanex isn’t a part of Crimson Sands territory, is it? What about Jenna’s people? What if they’re still out there?”

Dess pulled Jenna from her theorizing on what An’karr meant. It was a foreign word with absolutely no context, so it wasn’t like she could figure it out anyways. Although she had the distinct feeling while looking at Zosk that the big Lizardman DID know more but wasn’t saying it. A conversation for a different day though.

At least until after they were out of danger of being enslaved and shipped to Chandrar. With some luck with some other people from Earth as well.

“We’ll keep an eye out for Jenna’s people but how long after Crimson Sands gets what they want do they decide that they need more bodies working their fields, their mines? Digging out the ruins? They’ll start another war and enslave the prisoners, they can’t keep this up with their own people very long. With them busy, smaller companies will take the chance to fight each other without risk of the bigger ones intervening and roaming companies will try to take a bite out of anything they can hold onto after the fighting’s done… We didn’t hear much about it in Patli but when they marched on my old company, the entire crescent bled. The only place that was safe was deep in their territory… I promise you, the crescent wont’ be safe.”

“But where do we go?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t know. If it’s time to go, it’s wherever the first ship that’ll take us is headed as long as it isn’t bound for Rhir or Chandrar. Up or down the coast, through the whitewash to the east. Stay there, go on further. If we need to leave, it’s because we have to run. Once we’re out we can figure out where we want to go… Who knows? You know I’m a soldier now. Maybe we’ll move east and I’ll try to get in with the Forgotten Wing Company. Your old man a [Corporal] with a great company…”

His voice grew more and more somber as he spoke. Enough so that even after mentioning the idea of reenlisting didn’t illicit a response from Dess. Zosk didn’t want them to go… he felt they had to. He chuckled at the end but it faded away as she studied his hand. Flexing it like he always did. He caught himself doing it and sighed.

“But it’ll be a little bit of time before Odell can afford it, he’s calling in favors, old debts, and looking for someone to buy the inn. I offered to lend him what coin we’ve got but he was insistent. He doesn’t want to risk his grandchildren starving or getting thrown into the slave pens again because we’re struggling for coin.”

“Can’t their parents help?”

He shook his head sadly.

“Their parents were on the walls when Crimson Sands took the city. Both [Gurads]. They didn’t make it… His oldest, their uncle, became an adventurer and left years ago. He still keeps in contact but it’s rare and last time Odell heard where he was, Harper was up way up north some where near Invictel. He’s also got a sister in Chena that might help but he hasn’t heard from her in over a year. So for now Odell’s all they’ve got.”

“And us.”

Jenna clenched her jaw and tried the most determined look she could muster. She didn’t know them, she didn’t know Odell but if there was a chance they could help someone get free, then she was going to do whatever she could. It was the principle of the matter.

“And us.”

Dess repeated and took Jenna’s hand to give it a squeeze before suddenly remembering earlier and letting it go. But taking it again after remembering what the moment of resolve was about. Zosk groaned and shook his head.

“Alright, let’s go. He said he can probably let us stay here for maybe a week for free without raising suspicion. Just doing an old soldier who used to drink here a solid but we need to find a place to live in or near Sa’liquen and find work…. Dess, sorry but no animals.”

“What? Why not?”

“I’m sure that slaver has figured out your profession. He didn’t even need to ask, he just needed to see your cart or look in our yard in Patli. And if he’s looking for us, people will be asking and we don’t need to advertise it in the market. So keep the birds out of sight too.”

She glared at him for a moment but nodded.

“The grayrock sleeps a lot and I can keep him in the sling. If anyone asks, I just found it… Kook, well he’s flying around up there right now. I let him go before we went underground. He didn’t like the idea of going somewhere where he couldn’t fly around much. He does pretty good on his own as long as he checks in.”

“Good, and Jenna. [Builders] are common enough but there’s plenty of other jobs available.”

Jenna thought about it. She’d considered getting a different class before but what else did she know how to do? She did gain another level after spending a couple days on the road making blueprints. No skills but it put her at level 4. She hoped she got something good at level 5.

“I think I’ll stick with [Builder] for now.”

“Okay, let’s go find a place to rent out big enough for all three of us and maybe two more. Wont be staying long after we’ve got them but will still need to spend a day or two preparing… We’ll see if we can find one with four bedrooms.”

“Four? They’re brother and sister, they can’t share a room?”

He grinned at them and got up from his seat, the grin faltering a little as he did then threw out a quip.

“I was talking about you two.”

Ah! Fuck my life! You make this weird Zosk and I’ll… I don’t know make it weird right back!

Two days and far too many jokes about her and Dess later they still hadn’t found a place. At least it was obvious that Zosk wasn’t being judgmental. He was exercising his right as a dad to pick on and annoy his children. To tease them about their relationships. It was something every dad, and every parent, did at some point, and Jenna knew her own dad wouldn’t have been any different. Strangely enough it actually did help with the embarrassment of the way they were found, it had turned to annoyance.

Jenna considered making good with her threat and flirting with Dess a little but didn’t. She didn’t want to make it weirder between them although that wasn’t the only time that she fell asleep cuddled up with Dess. Further times they were fully clothed and fell asleep talking quietly about strictly platonic things in the same bed to keep it quiet. They didn’t want Zosk to hear from the other room. They also stayed away from that particular drink that was called a Northern Venom Sunrise. A mix of a clear alcohol made from a couple different fruits, clear rum, and the processed venom of a viper that survived in snowy climates.

The venom was what kept it cold but the real issue was the rum.

Silphids had a particular issue that other species didn’t have to worry about. Not the Wasting, although that was a concern, the issue at the heart of it was more mundane. The dead bodies they inhabited had the issue of deteriorating, causing the Silphids to lose sensation even with a well maintained and properly prepared corpse.

Because of that it wasn’t uncommon for silphid liquors to be exceptionally strong. Whether in taste or consistency. The rum in question was one of them, produced specifically to provide the burn that most hard liquors made when drinking. A feeling that some liked even if Jenna and Dess weren’t a fan. It meant a higher proof concoction and that was what Thorpe had served him.

But in the [Bartender]s defense it wasn’t out of malice or any twisted ideas about the two young women that he was serving. It was the only drink that Odell had taught him using the venom and thus the only cold drink that he knew how to make. Jenna had encouraged him to experiment and even given him a few ideas. she got a bit of a smile after trying a much weaker mixed drink that was still cool the night before. A smile that only grew when Thorpe announced that his experimentation had led to him leveling in his class and gaining a new Skill. He happily demonstrated [Mix Cocktail] to them which provided a drink that was neither shaken nor stirred but mixed with a Skill.

Jenna couldn’t really tell the difference that well but she could still tell there was a difference. The drinks were a little smoother she guessed, their consistency the same from the first sip to the last. Betilda liked it. She told him to try to get actually shaved ice next to make a slushy type drink, like a daiquiri next.

But teasing, booze, and being happy for Thorpe for his new Skill aside, they had no immediate luck on finding an apartment. Even after Zosk told them he was only joking and they could get a 2 room and he would share a room with Zander if need be. Which only showed how serious Zosk was. He was willing to give up his privacy if it came to it.

No place to stay but there was a silver lining. Jenna did find a job.

A job that she was on her way to that morning. A job for a [Builder] that they were so desperate for that they hired her even low level. She’d be working with [Apprentices] five to ten years younger than her but it still paid some and, as the clerk at the Mason’s Guild said, she could get a ‘grownup job’ when she actually leveled a bit. That was actually kind of a kick in the teeth but true.

It was strange not being around Dess and Zosk after so long and wandering a strange city by herself but they’d found work too. Dess was a young attractive Lizardgirl that knew how to work with her hands and wasn’t afraid of dirt.

Naturally Dess was hired on by a wealthy [Horticulturist] to help maintain a garden at a villa just outside of the city. Jenna didn’t like it. She’d gone with Dess when she went to talk with the guy, both as support and in case he had need for a [Builder]. The guy was kind of creepy and spent half the time they spoke staring at Dess. His eyes wandering up and down her friend without even hiding it. Jenna did that a lot too but she at least had the hidden excuse of being completely new to beautiful, shiny scales on the coolest Lizardgirl ever.

And Zosk? He had basically walked up to a farmer not far from the gardens Dess was working at and told the [Farmer] his class and Skills and the guy hired him on the spot.

It was a good spot for him, especially because he didn’t like the [Horticulturist] and their relatively close proximity meant he was just a short sprint form Dess if she ever needed him. Jenna hoped that Dess would never need him and if she did, that Zosk would kick the crap out of the weirdo.

He seemed to think the same thing but at the same time wasn’t worried about Jenna in the same way. For her it was a different kind of safety concern. One that he couldn’t help with and Jenna would soon learn about herself.

She walked around the corner, following a map that Thorpe had drawn for her and almost was rear ended by another pedestrian as she came to a stop. She ignored getting told off and began heading to her destination. Thorpe had said she couldn’t miss it.

She knew she was going to be helping build scaffolding for the masons to use on an underground project but she’d thought she’d be going back down to the understreets. Not what stood in front of her.

It shouldn’t have been that surprising. The city had massive walls, tall buildings, and even an entire city moving under the one on the surface. She even learned that there was a second level of understreets in some areas and didn’t doubt it still had even more secrets. Ones she just hadn’t stumbled up on that the locals didn’t think was all that special or unique and most likely ones kept secret from others. The US military didn’t exactly divulge everything about their bases. Crimson Sands wouldn’t either. There could be secret facilities, extra security measures, defensive flaws that couldn’t be avoided, secure areas, or more that Jenna would never know about.

So, why wouldn’t they have a huge tunnel cutting deep into the mountain?

Jenna checked her map again and confirmed that it led her inside. She walked up to the entrance and looked up at it. It gave her the same impression as looking up at the Sa’liquen’s defenses, walls to barbican to gatehouse.

She’d seen tunnels through mountains before but looking up at it and then how wide it was… Even the tunnels back home, the ones that held entire interstate highways, weren’t that big. The entrance was tall as the walls. In fact the walls connected to the entrance and she could see members of the watch patrolling across the top of it.

She made her way inside and it wasn’t quiet. People were already leading draft animals pulling stone out of the tunnel while others pulled cut stone in. A constant flow both ways for whatever the project was. It showed her it wasn’t a little project and she knew that she’d be just a small part of it but she hoped that they pay would help and at the same time that she would gain a few levels and useful Skills out of it.

Jenna moved to the side of the wide area and went in deeper. Noticing the varying levels of craftsmanship. Some parts looked as perfect as the cities walls, perfectly cut stone in uniform shapes with sharp corners and edges. Every piece nearly blending in with the next. But others had visible tool marks or were a different kind of stone. Then back to perfect again.

It didn’t take long to figure out why. The tunnel had collapsed in multiple spots at some point in the long years. Jenna looked up at the massive pile of stone and realized she’d gotten it wrong. They weren’t putting up scaffolding for masons to just build something out of stone. They needed the scaffold to get up to cut the massive chunks of rock at the top of the pile.

It wasn’t a construction project. It was a restoration project!

After checking in with one of the workers Jenna found her group. She felt a little silly standing next to a bunch of kids and a little annoyed that she was standing next to a bunch of kids in what was far from a safe environment. She looked at them all, most were shorter than her but all of them seemed to know more about what was going on than her. An older lizardboy waved at her then tapped a helmet on his head. The others laughed at her for that. A great way to start the day.

“They’re over there. That crate.”

“Thank you.”

She quickly moved to said crate and started digging and ran into a problem. They were all meant for people younger than here and therefore SMALLER! It took a few minutes but Jenna eventually found one that actually fit and she was lined back up ready to work… minus tools.

The others around her had tools. Was she suppose to bring those? The person that had hired her hadn’t mentioned anything about needing her own tools….

Her answer arrived in the form of a lizardfolk… Maybe a silphid in a relatively fresh body. The body looked damaged. His scales had been torn from his body and had deep scares that showed exposed muscle. It had an orange tint in places, so Jenna assumed Silphid.

“Alright you little termites. You know what needs to get done today…”

His voice faded as he looked at Jenna and then pointedly stared at her waist and its obvious lack of tools.

Oh no.

Jenna dug through her bag of holding as the [Foreman] stared and came up with a few simple tools. A hammer, chisel, carving knife. Things like that. He looked at what she offered up and shook his head.

“Show up tomorrow with the proper gear or don’t show up at all. And congrats on affording a bag of holding but get a damn belt.”

His tone was condescending and the children around her giggled a little bit at her but she noticed a few of them take a glance at her bag of holding. Whether they were [Pickpocket]s or just eyeing the magical bag that they’d probably never be able to have was up in the air.

“Alright, that’s enough… We’re finishing up the west side today and then going to get back to work on center. Human, you’re new and I can tell you have no clue what you’re doing. Here’s the rules. If you have a question ask. If you make a mistake, you tell someone immediately. Why? Because you see those boulders up there. If we screw up and any one of them rolls down here, people die. I’m not taking a pay cut because you let something go unnoticed. Every flattened [Digger] is on me if they think it’s your fault.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Let’s get to work.”

–

“Mighty fine work… Don’t suppose I can get you to stay for the rest of the day. You know your way around the field.”

The [Farmer] that had hired Zosk was inspecting his field hands work. It was a large field and he had plenty of help but having a second [Farmer] on payroll helped. Zosk knew it, they’d often help each other out in Patli and that occasionally including Skills. Since he didn’t have any reason not to, he used quite a few of his Skills on his first day but he couldn’t stick around.

“Hah! Wouldn’t be much of a [Farmer] if I haven’t been around a field or two… Don’t worry, I’ll be back in the morning. I’m just going to see a healer. Spent a week on the road and walked most of it. I think it’s time for a new pair of boots. These rubbed me raw and there’s a little bit of puss that needs to get cleaned out, so no potions.”

“I was only half serious. I get it. My grandfather told me all the time that you’ve got to take care of your feet. He was a [Soldier] but it’s good advice for us too. Get it done and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’ve heard the same from soldiers but will do. I’ll see you in the morning and we can tackle those briars in the east over there. I’ve got a pretty good technique for getting them out without getting those thorns under my scales, I’ll show you.”

Zosk’s new boss gave him a nod and the [Arid Farmer] from Patli headed back into the city. It was around noon and the work crew had stopped to take lunch, a good time to get done something he couldn’t last time he was there, especially with the girls busy at their own work.

It didn’t take long to find a decent healer. He just asked the city watch and recieved some basic directions. He knew the street names after all, only a few had been changed, and made his way quickly to a ground floor apothecary. He checked in with an assistant and took a seat but didn’t wait too long before being escorted back to meat with the [Healer].

“So, what’s the problem? If it’s Yellow Rivers we got a batch of that miracle cure from Izril, it’ll clear you right up.”

Zosk had heard about the disease spreading through brothels and more but thankfully that wasn’t his issue. At the same time he wished it was if there was a cure he could take.

He was a little embarrassed at bringing the issue up but he had been a soldier. There were plenty of times he had to do what he didn’t want and plenty of embarrassing moments with [Healers]. No one wanted to have someone look at their backside and dig an arrowhead out. Even worse having a [Healer] grab a handful to stabalize the affected area before pulling it out. It’d happened more than once with varying levels of professionalism.

“I’ve got sores on my legs…”

“Well? Show me the sores.”

Zosk sighed and started removing his pants and stripped down to his under clothes. Then removed the bandages. He didn’t see any new sores in the process but felt a wet spot on the back of his thigh that told him there was in fact a new one. He just couldn’t see it. Worse than that his leg seemed even thinner.

“Ah… Well, let’s see.”

The [Healer] poked and prodded him, checking how far the dead toes went, how much of his leg was numb, had him bend in ever which way, then pulled out a crystal and sat it next to him before nodding in approval.”

“They should be gone in a couple weeks. Congratulations.”

“Congr- What? That’s it? The sores- In a couple weeks!? That seems really fast! What kind of crystal is that?”

Zosk’s eyes went wide as he looked down at his legs. He didn’t see any sign of them getting better, they actually looked a lot worse. He only noticed a single new sore but the ones that were there had grown a lot in size. Half of both of his feet were black and scaleless. His tail was swelling and there was a multitude of scales on the floor.

He looked to the [Healer] but the female just laughed for a moment while shaking her head.

“Oh…. You don’t know? Not the sores. Your legs!”