Dungeon Noble - Squire

It was getting dim when they reached the outskirts of Restern, and a torch-bearing guard was just about to close them when they came into view.

“Awful late for folks to be out and about,” the guard called out, resting one hand on his club as they came closer. “What brings you three all the way out here?”

“I’m here visiting Arnold,” Felix said as he gave the guard a friendly nod. “Sorry, we’re a bit late. We got somewhat turned around. He should have already set aside some rooms for us, though, so I wanted to avoid another night on the road.”

“Ah, I think I remember him mentioning that there’d be a couple more folk coming his way,” the guard said, relaxing and waving them through. “Just be careful travelling around here this late. There’s not much going on, but that means that any Hollows are usually full to the brim."

“A good point, thanks for the warning,” Felix said with a warm smile as he led them through into the village while the guard set about closing the gate behind them.

Thankfully, despite the dim light, Felix seemed to know where he was going. It was good, really, as there was very little in the way of lighting within the village.

The houses along their path had lights shining from within as the people of Restern went about their normal routine, but it did little to drive away the darkness.

“Here we are,” Felix said as they drew up to a larger building in the centre of the village. Dropping his voice, he continued in a low tone. “Be careful with your words for the time being. Loose lips cost lives in these situations.”

Jake and Alan nodded before sharing a concerned look as they followed Felix up to the entrance. That wasn’t exactly an encouraging statement.

Felix pushed open the door to the inn, letting light and warmth flood out into the slight chill of the evening, before walking in and calling out a greeting. “Arnold, good to see you again!”

Following Felix inside, Jake saw a portly, middle-aged man with a greying beard manning the bar inside the inn’s taproom, a great grin spreading across his face as he saw them enter.

“Felix!” Arnold called out in a surprisingly smooth and deep voice, waving for him to come closer. “I wasn’t expecting you for another few days yet.”

“We made good time,” Felix said before turning and waving Jake and Alan closer. “These are my students, there should be two others meeting them here to potentially join their group?”

“Yeah, they’re here, but I’m not sure they’ll do well in a group together,” Arnold said with a slightly hesitant expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they seem to have a lot of arguments, though I don’t know about what. I asked about it in case there was some issue, but they were reluctant to discuss anything about it.”

“Hmm,” Felix’s smile turned a touch brittle before he nodded sharply. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll deal with it from here. We’ll have a group meeting in the morning and talk things through.”

“Works for me,” Arnold said, reaching below the counter and rummaging around before producing three sets of keys. “Here, these are for your rooms. I’ll let the other two know you’re here when I next see them.”

“My thanks,” Felix said, taking the keys and passing them out between the three of them. “Any other word from our friends?”

Jake heard the slight emphasis on the last word and resisted the urge to look around the taproom and see who else was listening. He was new to this side of things, of subtlety and working from the shadows, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

There had been a certain thrill to it at first, that much Jake would admit. The idea of clandestine meetings with the resistance and its members had been exciting, but that excitement had soon faded.

In its place was left the worry, the doubt and the fear that the Triarchy would learn what they were doing. Even this simple meeting could have turned into a bloodbath if their plans had been discovered.

Rather than arriving to warm food and a dry bed, they’d have found a contingent of Triarchy guards waiting for them, and Jake wasn’t sure that even Felix could deal with those odds.

“Nothing of note,” the innkeeper shrugged idly, his posture relaxed and at ease. There was a certain amount of tension in his eyes, though, that made Jake pay attention as he continued. “Some of my cousins of fallen ill, though. I’ve warned them about living too far north in the past, we’re simple folk and not meant for city living.”

“Anything serious?” Felix asked softly, and Arnold shrugged with apparent disinterest.

“No way of knowing for now. We’ll see once the doctor has been to them.”

“I hope everything turns out well for them,” Felix said, sharing a final look with Arnold before turning to Jake and Alan. “Let’s get settled in.”

Following Felix upstairs, the three of them stepped into the first of the rooms they’d been given, Felix motioning for them to be quiet until he’d shut the door.

Felix’s room was twice the size of the one Jake had had in Casthorpe, but then the inn itself was a lot bigger. He’d assumed that just meant more rooms, not bigger ones, but he was pleasantly surprised.

Taking a seat on one of the two chairs in the room, Jake waited as Felix came over and sat on the edge of the bed, with Alan taking the other chair.

“So, what did all that mean?” Alan asked in a hushed tone, casting a concerned glance at the closed door. It was all the precaution they could take, but it wouldn’t actually do very much.

“It means that we’ve had people go missing in some of the other resistance cells,” Felix said softly, his voice pitched barely above a whisper. “Assistance has been sent, but we won’t know how bad things are until we hear back from them.”

“Do you think that’ll be a problem here?” Jake asked, matching Felix’s volume despite his growing worry.

“No, Arnold said it was for places further north. We should be fine here for the time being. Still, it means that the Triarchy might be cracking down on the resistance as part of all this. We’ll be in the area for a little while, so hopefully, we’ll know more before moving on.”

“What about the part about the other two classers arguing, was that code as well?” Alan asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, no, it wasn’t,” Felix said, idly rubbing his jaw with his hand. “We’ll run this Dungeon together regardless, but we may have to look further afield for new party members. That’s a problem for tomorrow, though. Go get settled in. We’ll head to the Dungeon first thing in the morning.”

Jake nodded and left Felix to his thoughts, heading back out of the room and following the numbering system to find his room. He was only a little down the corridor from Felix, and Alan was opposite him.

Heading into his room, Jake found a copy of the one that Felix had, which was more than enough space for him. Shrugging his pack onto the floor, Jake flopped onto the bed and enjoyed the softness of something other than his bedroll.

-**-

Jake made his way downstairs early the next day, drawn by the enticing aroma of bacon, eggs and fresh bread.

Arnold served up a breakfast sandwich with a wink and a wave of the hand when Jake tried to pay. “First one is free, young man. It’ll be two Wyrdgeld each after that!”

Jake blinked in surprise at the fresh reminder that this was a village of classers, not of ordinary folk. Of course, the costs would be in Wyrdgeld.

It also had an implication about the food he was about to eat, and Jake hurriedly bit into the bacon and egg sandwich, almost groaning in delight at the depth of rich flavour it held.

This was definitely Wyrdmeat, though he wasn’t sure if that was the right word for the eggs. He could feel a slight tingle as he digested the Wyrd of the food, and it got to work dealing with the aches and pains of travel.

“Enjoying that?” Felix asked with an amused expression as he sat down opposite Jake and signalled Arnold.

“Why can’t we eat like this every day?” Jake asked plaintively, forcing himself to pause between bites to savour the taste. The Wyrdfruit were good, but this was on another level.

“Because Arnold is a non-combat classer, he’s got some cooking Abilities that let him bring all of this together. You’ll see more of his kind in the higher Realms, and non-combatants in general, for that matter.”

“Really, why?” Jake asked, absently nodding to Alan as he joined them.

“The Deeds needed to reach the next tier are very different for non-combatant classers. Often, they’re around making Worthy creations, which, while difficult, requires only dedication. Succeeding as a combat classer requires that same dedication, but also a similarly dedicated team, and the mental fortitude to cope with the Dungeons.”

“So, what, combat classers trail behind while the rest soar through the tiers?” Jake asked, finishing the last of his sandwich with a regretful sigh.

“To begin with, yes,” Felix said, smiling broadly as Arnold delivered him a plate with a cut up sandwich that the instructor could manage with just one hand. “In the end, there are always those who struggle for how to push forward, to hit the limits of their talent and resolve. It is just that without the pressure of death, the first and second tiers are far easier for them.”

“Yeah, I think I understand,” Jake said, remembering that Alan, Karl and Rhew were all still struggling to get into the second tier. He was the odd one out with his more straight forward requirements.

In some ways, he reflected, his Class was more like that of a crafter. He had to do a set number of things, and that was that.

“Ah, looks like we have our two new prospects,” Felix said, motioning slightly to the stairs, where Arnold was speaking to a pair of classers.