Siren's Reach - Fallen Lands Book 3

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Much Ado About Naiads

Evelyn

I blew more bubbles into the bath as I lay as submerged as I could get away with and still breathe. I wasn't even sure how long I'd been soaking at this point, only that I still didn't want to get out and go back into the world. I knew, logically, that I'd washed off all the bug guts the night before, just as I knew there were no more mukade or ghosts or even impolite people out there, but the bath was enchanted to stay hot, and I was disenchanted with the idea of getting out. Ever.

My day had been going well. I'd made it to the bath and then, I'd stayed there. Kira came to check on me a few times, once even bringing in some breakfast, but otherwise, the day had been quiet and calm. I'd managed to meditate, relax, and not think about anything that had happened overnight for some time, but it was impossible not to think about it at all. Talking to Sibylla the night before about my second class had helped a little, but it was kind of awkward while walking across a field covered in so much death. She'd helped me work through what had really happened, even if she did it in a very Sibylla way. I could still hear her words of wisdom.

"You didn't kill them, Evie. You just cleaned up the mess. If you think about it, you're basically the janitor of the afterlife. Those levels were just a paycheck." That was almost as helpful as, "You can't let yourself stress over it. Life's messy. Death's messier. At least you gave them a proper send-off instead of leaving them to rot in a ditch. That's more kindness than most people get." It was like she was put on this world to make me feel those warm and fuzzies. In the end, it didn't matter how it was said, only that she'd been mostly right. I'd helped those people's souls cross over – or at least reintegrate with the cycle of reincarnation. In return, I'd absorbed part of their experience and my class advanced. It had left a lingering feeling of emotions and flashes of their lives that had fortunately faded over time, but it was not an experience I was eager to repeat.

I hadn't thought about it when everything was going on, but after spending some time quietly soaking and thinking, I wasn't sure why they even needed my help. I'd seen plenty of souls move on without any assistance at all. The only thing that made sense to me was that those I'd seen cross over before hadn't needed the help because they weren't ghosts. Everything else I came up with felt wrong, but I had to admit I was working with a very limited bit of information. I wasn't exactly a soul expert, and I had no idea why or how ghosts were any different. That meant that even if I was right, it didn't really help at all and I was still at square one trying to figure everything out. So, I was just going to stay in my oversized bathtub and hope the ghosts couldn't swim. I took a deep breath through my nose and sighed… which turned into more bubbles.

I had a feeling I only had so much time left to enjoy my isolation. I could hear things in the house getting busier, which let me know something must be going on, but I'd solved that little problem by wrapping my hair in a towel and covering my ears. Now, the noise was just distant shuffling and muffled conversation—muffled conversation that was getting closer. I groaned. I was debating casting an illusion to make the doors to the bath disappear when I felt the calming, healing effects of Amélie's auras hit me and heard the lively, towel-distorted tones of her voice coming down the hall. I felt my heart lighten and cheered up ever so much. Not only because I was looking forward to seeing her again, but also because her happy chatter meant she brought Sibylla with her – and if Sibylla was here, I could make her draw a line of salt around my bath for additional ghost proofing. I slid back to sit up enough to have my face out of the bubbles and tossed my towel back on my stand beside the bath just in time for Amélie to burst through the doors.

"She will not mind at all! If she's been resting all day, I am sure she will be full of energy to meet.. oh, hello Evelyn!"

She was trailed by a very flustered Kira and … Not Sibylla. Instead she was followed by two others I was entirely unfamiliar with, and Constance bringing up the rear. I stared at them like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment before slowly sinking back into the bubbles.

"...Uh. Hello Amélie… Who.. are your… friends?"

Amélie gestured grandly to them, "Evelyn, surely you recognize Alice? She has been traveling all over the kingdom, fighting her way through goblins, bandits, and even pirates just to reunite with you! You two belong together, after all. I think it's very romantic!"

I blinked at her, a little stunned at the unexpected interruption and nonsense. "…We do?"

My eyes flicked to them for a moment. A pair of very elven-looking young women, only unlike any I'd seen before, were somewhat frozen just inside the door behind Amélie. One was very short and olive-skinned but otherwise similar to other elves I'd seen. The other of whom Amélie was introducing, had to be a few inches taller than me, but she really stood out because of her silvery blue hair and pale blue skin that seemed to shimmer like water in the light. It was the kind of appearance I didn't think I could forget. In fact, it did almost seem familiar, but I was having trouble placing where I could have seen something similar.

Before I could figure out how to respond to the situation, however, Alice did. "Oh, come on, Amélie! Did you just drag me in here while she's sittin' in a bathtub? You did this on purpose, didn't ya?"

Amélie just nodded calmly, "Yes, of course. I did tell you I would bring you directly to Evelyn, and so I have!"

Alice nearly growled in response. "You could have just waited 'til she wasn't in the bath, but noooo, that'd be too normal!"

My sister gave a sad shake of the head, "I do not think you really understand, Alice." With a slight quizical grin, she asked, "Evelyn, when are you planning to get out of there?"

Automatically I answered, "Never," and sank a little more into the water.

"You see? This was the only way." Amélie said, sitting down on a bench and removing her boots. "Besides, it has been a long trip. The bath is the perfect place to sit down, decompress and chat."

Alice gaped at her for several seconds before stepping back toward another bench near a wall. "You know what? Nope. I ain't doin' this. I'm gonna sit over here and pretend this is just a real awkward meetin' and not a setup."

I looked between them for a moment in confusion. "A setup?" No one answered me right away, but I sighed and shook my head. "I'm sorry. I'm not being a very good host. I'm Evelyn. It's nice to meet you both. And, well, this bath is big enough for a dozen people and nicer than the bath house in town. If you're friends of Amélie, you're welcome to use it."

No one answered me at all, making the entire situation more awkward. The shorter elf, Caeda, looked like she really wanted to say something, and Alice was staring daggers at Amélie. Of course, Amélie was happily smiling, oblivious to the atmosphere.

"Well, I am going to get rinsed off in the showers. I will leave you all to get caught up!" she cheerily told us as she stood and abruptly left the room. Constance shot me an apologetic glance as she followed right behind her and grabbed up her forgotten boots on the way.

I stared at her back as she left, muttering to myself, "I'm really afraid to ask," before turning back to my newly abandoned guests. "I'm sorry. I really wasn't expecting any company."

Alice risked a glance at me before quickly looking away, "Yeah. We weren't exactly…" But she cut off and turned back to look at me again, actually meeting my eyes this time. "Why do you look just like that crazy fox girl?"

"Oh! That's an easy one. We're sisters. Technically, she's the pretty one."

She shook her head, looking toward the shower room where Amélie had run off, "No, you look exactly alike. Are ya'll twins or somethin'?"

I nodded, "Yes, that's what I just said."

She snorted and leveled her gaze back on me. I didn't think she appreciated my humor, but she just looked away, "I can't believe her! This whole time she's just been messin' with us! Let me guess – she's a [Hero] too? The nerve of that girl!"

Ah. I was beginning to understand. "She uh. Wow. Okay, well, maybe you could tell me what's going on and I can help sort things out."

While Alice was getting a hold of herself, Caeda interjected, the words bursting out of her like she'd been holding them back for weeks. "Amélie has been teasing her the entire trip about how you two are destined to be together, and you are going to make her part of your harem, and refusing to tell her anything about you."

"My what? I don't have a harem! Why would she say something like..! Amélie! What.. why?!" I sank back into the water, hugging myself as my face burned. This was the worst day of all time.

Alice sighed in exasperation. "Oh, for cryin' out loud. After all the time she spent talkin' you up like you're some kinda heartbreaker. I had a feelin' she was full of it, but damn, she really went all in, huh?" When I didn't answer right away she shook her head, "Alright, well, guess I oughta start by sayin' I don't actually wanna join your imaginary harem, so you can stop lookin' at me like I'm 'bout to climb in there with ya."

Caeda cleared her throat, "Actually, if the bath offer is still open I wouldn't mind joining you. We're normal people, I promise. Or, well, I'm normal at least. Alice is also a [Hero]. That's why we're here."

That stopped my frustrated thoughts of revenge right in their tracks. "You are?"

The words just kind of fell out of my mouth, though I don't think they heard them. They were falling into a familiar discussion about the custom of communal bathing as my mind was skipping around the possibilities. Had there been another summoning? And how? When? And, her horrible pranks aside, why had Amélie brought them here, and why were they looking for me? Just to see another [Hero]? Of course, she did look so familiar. More so, in fact, every second I spent watching her speak with her friend.

And then. It hit me. I remembered laying out a body, trying so hard to be respectful and struggling against the horror of it all. Stacking wood and making a pyre, and then burning everything that remained away with magic. Three women who looked just like her, only drained, faded, and dead.

"Oh my god. I am so sorry. Alice, I didn't know. I thought you were dead. I didn't know." Horror had gripped my mind. How was she here? Was she still alive? Hadn't I burned her to ashes? Was she here for revenge? Was she a spirit, too?

Alice, who'd been busy interrogating Caeda and trying to make sure what she was being told about communal bathing wasn't another prank, stopped cold at my words. She looked at me with an expression full of confusion and worry. "You didn't know what? …Why do you look so mortified? I ain't mad at you or nothin'."

I continued to stare, unsure what to say. I had no doubt her words were true, but even if she wasn't angry, I still felt terrible. Had what I'd done made things harder for her? What about the others? I knew Sibylla was okay, but there were six others in that fire. What if they weren't as dead as I thought, either? As my thoughts began to spiral, Amélie stepped back into the room wrapped in a towel.

"Everything is fine, Evelyn." She turned to Alice and Caeda, "Perhaps you two should get rinsed off and join us so we can explain things?"

Alice shot her a glare, "Yeah, Amélie, you got a few things to explain, that's for sure."

But Caeda grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the hall Amélie had just emerged from, "She's got a point. It's been a long trip."

Kira, seeing an opportunity to head off the conflict, agreed, "Yes, please come this way. I will show you the way."

The next two hours of soaking in the warm water were uncomfortable and tense at first, but soon enough, it turned into us each telling our stories. Alice went first with a little prodding from Caeda, which had initially been her way of getting the naiad to stop staring daggers at Amélie. Hearing her point of view of the ritual chamber and her experiences afterward really helped me understand what the others had gone through, and what things could have been like for me if I'd been less fortunate in my encounters.

When she was done, Amélie and I told our stories together, intertwining them into a tangled mess that was probably too much information at once. When I admitted what I'd done to the bodies of those who'd died in the ritual chamber, Alice didn't seem upset at all, much to my surprise. She didn't remember any of it, and didn't even feel like she had a reason to be upset. Instead, she just wanted to hear more, though I don't think the story I told was what she'd been expecting to hear at all. It wasn't just the ridiculous manner in which we navigated the world and the seemingly haphazard path that kept leading us to where we were needed most. She was expecting me to tell her all about the grand quest we were summoned for at very least, and I think she was convinced I already had a way to save the world plotted out and ready to go. Instead, she was left confused and unsure what she needed to do next.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

When Amélie and I began explaining my arrival at West Peak and how things played out from there, some things were left out by unspoken agreement. Things like what I went through in captivity and the revelations we'd been given by the nightmarish spider devil Nitees'tix in the depths of the mountain. Some topics were better to discuss in private. I didn't bother getting into the politics at the end. Escaping from the eruption was a much better ending to the story, after all.

"So, let me get this straight," Alice said when I was done. "Nobody knows who summoned us 'cept the folks in this room and a couple of elves, there ain't no big quest to save the world, and y'all are just stumblin' your way through accidentally doin' it anyway?" She crossed her arms, shaking her head. "That 'bout sum it up?"

I shrugged, "It's close enough. There is more to it than that, but, no offense to anyone, I think we should talk about that between the two of us."

"Fine," she said with a sigh. After a short pause she went on, "Didn't you say there's actually three of y'all? Why ain't this Sibylla here?"

That wasn't what I had expected her to latch on to at all. I blinked in confusion for a moment, but answered, "She was dissecting some monster corpses for alchemy materials, which I assume she's been finished with for a while based on the bonfires. She also said she wanted to do some research in the north end of the valley, so I assume that's where she is now."

Cautiously, Amélie asked, "What kind of research?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. She was really eager to get started taking those corpses apart. She borrowed my backpack and ran off to get to work long before I had a chance to ask her about it. Not that I was really in the mood to dig into it anyway."

With a raised eyebrow, she asked, "What would she need your bag for?"

I froze. Why did she need my bag? "Oh great. I really didn't need something else to give me nightmares!"

Alice scoffed, "Just 'cause she borrowed a bag? How bad could it really be?"

"Well... Remind me to tell you where all those monsters in the bonfires came from sometime."

Amélie perked up, "You can tell us about it on the way! We should get all the introductions done anyhow. You can't stay in the bath forever."

I sank further into the water, "You wanna bet?"

She shrugged, standing up and grabbing her towel, "Okay, you can stay. I will just take Alice and Caeda then. I have another great story for the trip." With a grin, Amélie turned her attention to our guests. "How about I tell you two the story of Evelyn's battle against the Evil Eyes in West Peak?"

"HEY! Okay fine. I'm coming. But if I get eaten by ghosts, it's your fault!"

Alice chuckled as she stood to grab her own towel, "What? Ghosts don't eat people. Now you're bein' silly." When no one responded, she looked around at us all,"…They don't eat people… right?"

While we got out of the bath and into our robes, Kira sent word down for a carriage to be made ready before she and Constance dragged the lot of us off to find outfits suitable for being in public. When Alice declined Kira's offer to pick something for her, insisting she had plenty of traveling clothes, I expected more of a fight when Kira pushed back—but as it turned out, the moment she saw the dresses being pulled out, her resistance crumbled.

The designs were both beautiful and elaborate, yet cleverly incorporated split skirts for ease of movement. While Alice kept insisting she wasn't very interested in fashion, her actions told a different story. Her eyes traced every detail of each outfit, her hands lingered over fabrics, and she couldn't resist getting involved in the selection process. In the end, she followed our lead, choosing a dress that balanced Kira's push for elegance with the practicality we needed for an extended time outdoors.

Even though she was several inches taller than me, it was still easy enough to give her one of my dresses as I'd enchanted nearly everything I owned by this point. Following the wacky rules of magic, the clothing simply adjusted to her size as she got dressed, much to her amazement. It was kind of fun to watch really, and reminded me of how surprised I'd been the first time I'd encountered that particular characteristic of enchanted clothing.

A moment after we all piled into the carriage, Amélie, sitting across from me, finally brought up what she had been wanting to ask about all afternoon.

"So, Evelyn, why were you hiding away in the bathtub all day? I saw that look you had on your face when we came in. What happened while I was away?"

I slumped a little, but Kira subtly kicked my foot and I sat back up. "Lord Edgar marched everything he had to the gates. He had a lot more soldiers than we realized."

She tilted her head quizzically, "If he is up there besieging the gates, why are you back in town?"

"He's not. He tried to attack us at our first negotiation and I killed him. All of his mercenaries and their support people are dead, and a bunch of his levies that didn't run off back home died too. It was pretty horrible."

I could tell from her expression that she knew I wasn't telling the entire story, and she confirmed that when she asked, "What else happened?"

I shook my head, "I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

Alice was happy to push the conversation in another direction, "Why the heck would someone attack you? Don't they know who you are?"

"Well, no. Sort of? It's kind of complicated. Lord Edgar, the one who declared war on me, I think he was clueless. But he only did that because someone else put him up to it, and that person I think knew but didn't believe it. But even if they did, I think they'd have put him up to it anyway because it's part of some big plot that has nothing to do with me directly."

"Uh-huh. That sounds a little convoluted. Why'd they go through all that effort just to get some folks killed?"

I shrugged, "We don't really know for sure, but they sent a thousand professional mercenaries with them, so maybe they thought they would win. It had to be expensive."

Kira nodded her agreement, "It is unlikely that they believed they could lose to a young woman such as yourself. Their culture would make it shameful to even consider such an outcome."

"They got some kinda chivalrous, macho knight culture or somethin'?" Alice asked and Amélie snorted a laugh.

"No, they're just a bunch of self-important crétins." She dismissed them with a wave, "So the war ended while we were away?"

I shook my head in annoyance, "No. For some reason the land is considered contested. Oh, yeah, I guess I should explain that whole mess."

As the carriage rumbled along, I began explaining our theories on the entire plot. Of course, to do that, though, I had to tell them about our raid on Blackstone, how we rescued Sarah, and how she later swore fealty before even getting started on the suspected conspiracy against The Spires. When I explained it, it sounded like the plot of a bad movie, but the others all seemed to like the intrigue, so no one complained about my terrible storytelling. By the time I was finished, the carriage had stopped at our destination.

As the door was being opened, Alice joked, "If nothin' else, the war's gotta be good experience."

Her attempt to lighten the mood didn't really hit right with the reality of the situation. "Actually…" I said, stepping down behind her, "most soldiers aren't even classers. They don't give me any experience at all, its only the higher level ones. I barely got any experience until I had to fight the horde of monsters at the end."

"What horde of monsters?" Amélie asked, but I barely heard her as my eyes landed on where we'd stopped.

I'd expected us to be going all the way back up to the wall, but we were only just past halfway there, and here, where nothing had been before, stood a tower. It had to be at least three stories high, and as I watched, it seemed to inch up ever so slowly. Standing around its base were a dozen black war horses grazing and nearly as many soldiers standing guard, yet looking as confused as I felt. One of those soldiers was hurrying over to us, and I recognized him as an officer.

He nearly stumbled to a halt in front of us and gave a quick bow, "My lady, I'm glad you've arrived. Lady Sibylla was working with some stone contraption, and then there was a flash and that thing started growing out of the ground around her!"

"What?" I asked, still confused, "Is she alright?"

He nodded, "As far as we know, my lady. She was on the roof soon after the second floor appeared and warned us not to let anyone enter through the doors as it would lead to certain death, and then she disappeared back inside."

Amélie stepped up beside me, "Tell us about this contraption. Was it magical? Was she doing anything else? Tell us what happened."

He gave her a slight bow and continued, "Yes, Lady Amélie. She had her cauldron out and a dimensional storage bag. She pulled the corpses of several dead demons from the bag... Imps, I believe, and somehow they all fit as she stuffed them into the cauldron and stirred in several concoctions and powders. The solution she was making began to glow, and then she pulled these triangular stone pillars out, one by one, and used the glowing sludge from the cauldron like glue to paste them all together. When she was done, it was a single stone pillar nearly a meter in diameter and two meters tall. That glow was pulsing through it and shining out like writing all over it. She stood the thing up and as she held her hand against it, the tower began growing out of the ground around where she stood."

Alice was shocked, "A bag full of demon corpses? Like, real demons? Why in the world would she have that?"

"Uh, oops?" I tried, but it only got me some weird looks. "It's a long story! Look, can we worry about that later?" I turned my attention to the top of the tower, "Sibylla! SIbylla! Are you alright? What is going on?"

It was a redundant question, I already had a really good idea of what was going on and it was giving me a terrible feeling. That feeling only worsened as my words seemed to make the tower grow several more feet, completing its latest story of height. The sound of thunder cracked in the background and the sky darkened as a form appeared on the parapets of the tower. Maniacal laughter crashed down on us and Sibylla's ominous voice followed.

"Mortals, who dares approach my tower?!"

"We're just as immortal as you, you dork!" I shot back. "What are you doing up there?"

The world snapped back to normal and she smiled down at us, "Oh! Hi Evie! I made a thing!"

"Yeah. I see that. Why? And what is it?"

It was awkward having to yell up to her in front of everyone, but for some reason she was on top of a now four-story-tall tower instead of talking to us from the door so I didn't really have much of a choice. Then Haunt's big head peeked over the side, his tongue lolling happily as he looked down at us.

Sibylla grinned, scratching him behind the ears, "It's my tower, of course! Well. Our tower, I guess, but I'm designing it! You should really come up here so we don't have to yell." Then, as if noticing them for the first time, she asked, "Who are your friends?"

"I'll just introduce them when we get up there… can you open the door?"

She laughed and disappeared before coming back a minute later and throwing a rope over the side of the tower, "Definitely don't use the door. I mean, you might be okay, but it goes the wrong way. Well, sorta. It's complicated."

I was about to call back with more questions, but she disappeared again, leaving Haunt looking down at us happily. I sighed, and turned to everyone else.

"She always like that?" Alice asked and Amélie grinned.

"Not at all! Sometimes she is completely mad. I guess climbing it is!"

I laughed, shaking my head as we gathered under the rope and I activated my levitation aura. Amélie recognized the familiar feeling and bounced right over to the wall, taking the rope and using it to help her walk right up the side of the tower as I told the others, "Just take the rope and pull yourself up. May as well make it easy."

Caeda tried to follow my instructions but her first step had her floating off course. She began to windmill her arms as she lost orientation for a moment before I sent a gentle stream of wind to push her over to the rope.

She snatched the rope, and realizing I failed to explain, I said, "Sorry! That's my levitation aura. Just follow Amélie's example."

She shot me a look, but started to pull herself up a moment later. Alice followed her, and I went next, worried about the range of my aura not reaching everyone otherwise. It wasn't a reasonable concern, my aura's range was getting pretty considerable at this point, but it was one of those worries that would nag at me if I wasn't careful. Not everyone had the same questionable relationship with gravity that I did. As I was climbing over the top of the tower, I heard Amélie introducing our new friends to Sibylla as I took in its flat top except for a single raised structure that was just a covered entry way to stairs leading below. Caeda was already distracted playfully introducing herself to Haunt, but Amélie's words dragged my attention to their conversation.

"…and Alice was searching the world over for our dear sister, determined to reunite with her. Now that they're back together, they have both been so happy that I do not think a blush has left either of their faces."

Alice punched Amélie in the arm hard enough that she staggered. "That's enough of that!" She then turned and offered a hand to Sibylla who was trying not to laugh. "I'm Alice. Nice to meet'cha."

Sibylla gave her a subtle look over with her eyes as she blushed and smiled, shaking her hand, "Wow. Evie sure knows how to pick 'em." Then, she cleared her throat, "Nice to meet you, too! Oh. Right! I'm Sibylla!"

I watched their awkward greeting for a moment before clarifying, "It isn't what it sounds like. Amélie made up this whole thing about how I have a harem and Alice was going to have to join it when we finally met and who knows what else."

"I did no such thing!" Amélie objected immediately.

Alice shot her an incredulous look, "Excuse me?"

Amélie just snorted. "I never once said Evelyn had a harem, nor that she would try to make you join one."

"Of course you did!"

A grin crossed my sister's face as she asked, "Is that so? When did I say those things? I'm sure you must remember my exact words with those mage class attributes."

Alice opened her mouth to reply, and then froze. She closed her mouth before opening it again, but no words came out. Annoyance crossed her face and she spat out, "Why, you little… I oughta strangle you!"

I shrugged, "I don't think a technicality is really helping here." Turning back to Sibylla, I asked, "What's the deal with this tower?" I was pretty sure I knew what she'd done, I just didn't really understand the why or how.

"Right!" Sibylla took a few steps backward, spreading her arms wide, "Welcome to the Tower of Learning!"

I nodded, "Yes, thank you… What is it?"

She blushed, looking around, "Well, I don't really want to call it my evil lair, because of course I'll share it with you all, but…" I put my hands on my hips and she laughed, "Okay, okay! It's a dungeon! Isn't it awesome?"

I put my head in my hands, "I had a feeling you were going to say that. But why? Why would you intentionally make a dungeon? Especially right on the main road like this?!"

She nodded, "Right! Well, I got to thinking about the ancient cat lady vampire [Hero] we'd been talking about and how she'd managed to create system traits, and most importantly, how she might have done that. So, I needed to do some experimenting. I tried a ton of things, but as far as I could tell, there was no way to inject ideas into the system or even interact with it at all. The only time we can make changes is with our status sheets. But then I got to thinking – don't dungeons make a ton of changes all the time? So, I borrowed your old broken dungeon core and started trying to decipher it. That was a lot harder than I expected. Did you know it has enchanting inscriptions and other things written in layers all the way throughout its entire mass? Anyway, if I injected mana into them I could make out a little of what they said, but everything was impossible to read in any detail because of how it was cut off. Fortunately, you had a bunch of dead demons in your bag too, we should probably talk about that sometime.. I'm a little concerned… but I was able to use them to make a magically conductive glue to put the core back together! The moment I brought it back to life with my own mana, I had access to a ton of new menus! Isn't that great?!"

I stared at her, sorting out my many, many questions, but it was actually Alice who spoke up first, "Ain't dungeons dangerous? And if you went and bound the dungeon core to yourself, don't that mean you're part of it now? Like… you can't leave?"

Sibylla blinked at her. "Why wouldn't I be able to leave? I mean, maybe if a mortal tried this, their soul might've been too weak and they could get sucked into the core in the process, but I don't exactly have that problem… Wait, how did you know that?"

Alice shrugged, "Just a guess. I read a whole lotta fantasy novels before I got here."

Sibylla's eyes went wide and I explained, "Alice is another survivor from the ritual chamber. She's from Earth."

When her eyes quickly turned to Caeda in expectation, she shook her head, "I'm just a normal wood elf that made friends with Alice."

I grinned, "This is Alice's companion, Caeda. They've been battling pirates."

Caeda looked at me incredulously, "Alice has a couple of times. I mostly ran away! We're too low-level to fight them on our own."

"Perfect!" Sibylla said.

"Perfect?" Alice parroted and Sibylla nodded.

"I need to get my dungeon a few levels, you need a few levels. It's a win-win!"

"Wait." I interrupted, "Get levels for your dungeon?"

She nodded, "Come on, everyone follow me inside!" She didn't even look back as she spun and began quickly moving toward a doorway and its stairs down beyond.

Amélie nearly bounced to follow her, "Oh, this will be great!"

I was apprehensive, but with everyone else already heading toward the door and Kira's supportive presence beside me, I sighed and began to follow.