Dungeons Are Bad Business

Despite the warm reds and yellow of the sunrise bathing the city of Oar’s Crest, Edukaiser’s first thought upon the place was that it was dark and dreary. Not the darkest nor the dreariest place she’d ever seen, of course. Not even close.

The leaning and abandoned buildings outside the walls made of scattered junk was no labyrinth of Eshurr – where the black staircases had defied the laws of physics and nature with abandon, seamlessly blending into one another so that she’d forgotten if she was climbing up or going down – and the aura of despair that darkened the sky above the city was no match for the one she’d experienced atop the peak of Deadsun mountain, where she’d gone gauntlet to claw against Umbra the dragon until her companions had come up with a method of slaying the [Dark Dragon] permanently.

No, Oar’s Crest was nothing compared to the worst places Edukaiser had ever been, but it was certainly closer than most of the places she’d been since entering the service of the Vales family, and she couldn’t help but think it fitting that Lord Vales’ melancholy son had ended up in such a place. The boy had always been a bit odd.

A few minutes later, Edukaiser reached over and gently roused the mistress, as she’d been instructed to do.

“Milady, we’re approaching the city now. I have your art supplies ready, as you requested.”

Emma mumbled something incoherent and stayed still for a moment before sitting up properly and blinking the sleep from her eyes. Once she was a bit more awake, she thanked Edukaiser and blearily grabbed at her charcoal. With wide sweeps of her whole arm, Emma started drawing the city while Edukaiser returned her attention to the world outside their carriage.

There wasn’t much to look at, she thought. Abandoned farmland and old ruins. Not even the interesting kind of ruins either; just houses, barns, and other buildings that’d fallen over from age and disuse. The overgrown grass was dotted with the spiny red stems and tiny pink flowers that Edukaiser recognized as belonging to a rather pernicious weed called –

– she couldn’t remember. The armorsoul closed her eyes for a moment and tried to collect herself, but while the weed’s physical characteristics rattled through her awareness, the name stubbornly refused to appear in her thoughts. She tightened her gauntlets and let the matter go. Such lapses in her memory had grown increasingly common of late, though they were generally related to minutiae that was unrelated to her normal duties.

Shifting her plates – which felt more brittle than normal, though that was probably just her mind playing tricks on her – Edukaiser looked over at Emma’s drawing and saw that her mistress had finished her sketch and was starting to add color. Unlike the real thing, there was something hopeful about Emma’s version, the blend of colors suggesting a deeper sunrise than the natural one the armorsoul could see.

“Edukaiser, I think I’d like some breakfast,” Emma said, setting down her colors.

“Of course, milady. I’ll prepare something for you right away.”

Finding accommodations for the carriage inside the city was surprisingly difficult. There was only one functional stable for griffons, and it was already filled with a mangy beast that looked like some sort of [Alchemist]-born hybrid that snarled at them like a dog.

Thankfully, the [Stable Master] was a reasonable man, and he directed some of his [Stablehands] to ready another berth for the visitors from Bardis.

“In the meantime, you can leave your carriage and luggage here,” the thin man said, gesturing toward the open, muddy square. “We’ll make sure that nothing bad happens to them and then move them to your stable as soon as it’s ready.”

Edukaiser doubted that, but she had no room to overrule Emma, who thanked the man earnestly and gestured for Edukaiser to follow her.

“Let’s go look around a little bit,” the woman said. “Get to know the city a little bit, and then once we’ve got ourselves situated we can start asking around about Vee. See if anyone knows where we might find him.”

Edukaiser bowed, waiting for her mistress to lead the way before falling into step behind her, casting a wary eye on the other people nearby. The other protectors Tyrion had hired for his wife would be along within the next few hours, which meant that for the time being Emma’s safety was entirely the armorsoul’s responsibility. That suited Edukaiser fine; she didn’t anticipate any problems, even in a city like this, but the armorsoul was determined to do her duty impeccably, as she always did.

“[Dungeon Champion]! [Dungeon Champion]! Just a moment, please!”

The voice was clearly directed at Edukaiser, so the armorsoul turned around and saw an older man walking slowly toward her.

“May I help you with something?” she asked, relaxing her arms when she saw that the man clearly meant no harm. “I’m afraid I don’t recognize that class.”

The man laughed. “Got a sense of humor too, eh? Sir Alforde, my grandson is a big fan of yours. He’s even got a little wooden hammer. Would you sign an autograph for him?”

“Sir Alforde? I’m afraid you’re mistaken,” Edukaiser said stiffly. “My name is Edukaiser.”

The old man blinked. “It is? But I was sure that the [Dungeon Champion]’s name was Alforde.”

“This is a different armorsoul,” Emma said gently, entering the conversation with a blazing bright smile. “But as luck would have it, we’re looking for Alforde too. Do you think that you could help us find him, perhaps? You see, my friend and I just arrived in town and don’t know where he might be. It’s such a big city, after all…”

Edukaiser saw the familiar gleam in her mistress’ eyes that always appeared when Emma used [Charm Offensive]. The poor old man was no match for it, and he stammered something about an opening ceremony the next day for some kind of dungeon thing down near the Westown gate. Wherever that was. Then, with a reddish tinge to his cheeks, he turned around and hurried away almost as fast as he could move.

“Thank you ever so much,” Emma called after him.

When Edukaiser and Emma were alone once again, the armorsoul shook her helmet. She’d seen that reaction from people toward her mistress more times than she could count, and refused to believe that her lady was as ignorant to her own beauty as she seemed to be. Sure, [Socialites] were known for being a bit…well, Airheaded from time to time, but Emma was almost unique in her ability to be oblivious to some things.

The only other person who came close was Vee, which was probably for the best.

“You know, I would have never thought that Alforde would have fans or be in a position to sign autographs. He was always so taciturn.”

“Only when you could see him,” Emma said, grinning. “When he was with Vee, Alforde wouldn’t ever quiet down. He was always ranting and raving about daring adventurers and singing ballads about beautiful princesses locked up in tall towers and guarded by dragons.”

Edukaiser stiffened, her gauntlets tightening. Princesses in towers guarded by dragons? She had some firsthand experience with those, and they weren’t worth singing about.”

“How did he learn of such things?”

Emma waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, you know, he read through all those pulp novels that I bought for Emory when he was little. Alforde loved them, and could recite most of them by heart by the time Vee was nine or so.”

“I see,” Edukaiser said. She’d have to have a private talk with Alforde when she eventually found him. Changing the subject, she said, “We should find lodging for the next few nights, milady. We can deposit the luggage there and then begin the process of exploring this city that your son has made his home.”

“But I want to go look for Vee! It’s been months since I last saw him.”

“Then another day surely won’t be too much to bear. If he’s preparing for the beginning of a dungeon circuit, I’m sure he’s rather busy and it would be best if we didn’t disturb him. He probably wouldn’t appreciate such a distraction.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right,” Emma said, pouting. “Fine. We’ll explore for the rest of the day and then go find Vee tomorrow.”

It took some time to find a hotel suitable for the mistress, as the hospitality sector of Oar’s Crest was, in a word, deficient. There were plenty of places that offered rooms, but none of them could reach the high standards Edukaiser held them to and so they were disdainfully passed over. Forge burning brightly, they wouldn’t have been acceptable even if Edukaiser had cut her standards in half four times in a row. They were filthy, decrepit things, buildings that should have been knocked down decades ago and turned into something useful instead. Yet, like a guest who’d overstayed their welcome, they remained.

“What was wrong with that one?” Emma asked as Edukaiser led them away from yet another building. “I thought the room was cute.”

“It was dark and dirty,” Edukaiser said curtly. “There were miscreants in the lobby and old stains in the floors that no self-respecting [Maids] would ever allow to exist. The master would not approve of you staying in such a place, and neither will I. We’ll carry on. Eventually there must be a hotel in this city that isn’t a vile pit.”

Emma Vales sketched what she saw from the window of her room while Edukaiser finished putting the rest of their luggage away and put the finishing touches on their accomodations. While she appreciated the armorsoul’s diligence and attention to detail, she wished that it hadn’t taken them so long to find a place to stay that met her companion’s absurdly high standards. During her years on the road, Emma had spent plenty of nights in far worse places than anywhere she’d seen so far in Oar’s Crest, and while she wasn’t exactly looking to repeat those experiences, she didn’t mind the prospect of a few uncomfortable nights in exchange for more time exploring the city her son now called home.

Her arm flowed back and forth in long motions, smoothly capturing the skyline of the city below. They were up on the fourth floor, which would have been laughably low back in Bardis where buildings would often reach the tenth story or higher, but here where most buildings were only a single story Emma felt like she was standing in the clouds themselves. It was an odd experience for the [Socialite], and she smiled, amused at how potent a change in perspective could be.

“Milady,” Edukaiser said quietly, “I have finished my work. Would you like to walk around the city and explore for a few hours?”

“That’d be lovely,” Emma said, putting down a few final lines on the piece she was working on. It wasn’t the nicest sketch she’d ever made – she’d made a mistake in setting up her vanishing points and, go figure, her perspective had suffered as a result – but she was beyond the stage in her life when such a thing would worry her. Accepting the reality that even skill and practice were imperfect protection against sub-par work, she carefully tucked the drawing back into her notebook and stood up, smoothing her outfit as she did so. She’d take a long look at it later, and try to glean whatever insights from it she could before starting again.

Smiling at Edukaiser, Emma led the way out of the room and down to the streets below. The roads of Oar’s Crest were bigger than Bardis, she thought, or maybe the fact that they were so empty made them seem larger than they really were. An occasional carriage or wagon rattled by – moving more slowly than they did back home – but for the most part the streets were empty.

And dirty.

Emma stepped around bits of garbage that littered the sidewalks, frowning at how common they were and making a mental note to swap to more practical footwear for all future trips through the city. She simply couldn’t understand how the people who ran Oar’s Crest allowed such filth to exist. Did they feel no sense of civic pride? Or were they simply so poor that they couldn’t afford to pay for regular cleanings? Judging by the rather poor appearance of the buildings around her, Emma found herself increasingly suspecting the latter, which prompted a bevy of competing thoughts to swirl throughout her skull. The city’s bones were solid, so why was there such heavy gloom in the air? Why didn’t the people come together to improve things? Surely the [Merchants] and [Shop Keepers], at the very least, could find a way to make the city look nicer? Why hadn’t they?

When she asked Edukaiser – who was better traveled than she was and often surprisingly insightful about these sorts of things – for her opinion, the armorsoul shrugged and said, “Inertia can be a difficult chain to break, milady. People get used to living in a certain way, so much so that they may fail to notice things that are screamingly obvious to outsiders like us, let alone take actions to remedy them.”

Wondering if her son had noticed the same problem she had, Emma nodded and continued on, taking a detour down a curly side street a short time later that looked like it was home to a small cafe called the Quenching Bucket.

Despite its size and rustic decor, Emma found the cafe a lovely place. It was warm and friendly, and she was more than happy to sit down and enjoy her cup of emberberry cream tea. The drink was pleasantly spicy, reminding her of her favorite spiced meads, and she looked around the shop while she sipped and savored. An etching on the far wall caught her eye, and Emma got up to go take a closer look.

The etching depicted a teenage girl making a strange face – an expression torn between trying to smile and look intimidating at the same time – and holding a pair of clubs. Her name was, according to the inscription beneath the image, Alisanne Henret, and she was an adventurer sponsored by the cafe.

Turning to the kitrekin shopkeeper, Emma pointed to the etching and asked, “Forgive me for asking such a simple question, but I’m from out of town. Has Oar’s Crest always been a hub for dungeon sports?”

“Not at all,” the kitrekin said with a smile. “Our adventurer’s guild branch has always been focused on thinning the numbers of ghosts and fiends congregating outside the walls of the city and keeping the blight beasts in the surrounding countryside in check. Until Crestheart there’d never been any genuine interest in having a dungeon at all.”

“What do you think changed?”

The kitrekin shrugged. “It’s hard to say, really. The dungeon just kind of popped up one day, and before we knew it the [Dungeon Master] was running around everywhere with all sorts of plans for opening ceremonies and festivals and then this dungeon development committee happened. His enthusiasm was infectious, and we all kind of caught the dungeon sports bug. It’s still small, but I know a lot of people around here expect big things from the dungeon in the future and want to be remembered as having been involved from the beginning.”

“I see,” Emma said, returning to her seat and taking another sip of her tea. She thought about other things to ask the shopkeeper, but before she got the chance the door to the cafe swung open and a hard-looking man swaggered inside.

His skin was pale, which made the manic gleam in his eyes stand out all the more, and malice hung over his every movement like a heavy cloak. The curve of his mouth was like the blade of a knife; he was a man who made his living through violence.

Edukaiser didn’t stand up, or move meaningfully in any way, but Emma saw the flash in her companion’s eyes that meant the armorsoul had also noticed the newcomer’s demeanor and was preparing herself to act should it be necessary.

The man’s gaze swept across the room, lingering on Emma for a long second and then turning to Edukaiser as he walked toward the counter without saying a word. Some sort of unspoken truce passed between them, and the man plopped his elbows onto the counter with an almost theatrical flourish.

“Hey lady, it’s that time of the week again,” he said flatly. “Mister Sacre sends his regards.”

The kitrekin nodded, quickly ducking down and bringing up a small bag that clinked when she handed it over. “Please tell Mister Sacre that we appreciate his protection.”

The man didn’t answer, simply turning around and walking away instead. A shadow that only Emma could see fell over the whole cafe, and the friendly warmth that’d been omnipresent only moments before was completely gone.

Her eyes must have made her discomfort with the situation’s ugliness obvious, because the kitrekin made a sad expression and shrugged.

“Some costs are easier to bear than the alternatives,” she said quietly. “Places that don’t pay up have a never ending stream of problems.”

Emma didn’t know what to say after that, and was spared the effort of having to figure something out by another man, who came in carrying a crate of ingredients that the kitrekin signed for without issue.

Feeling like she’d accidentally spilled a cup of coffee all over an unfinished piece of art, Emma finished her tea and wiped her mouth. Carefully arranging a few fleurs onto the table, she gestured for Edukaiser to follow and got up to leave.

“I’m surprised that you’re so upset about what we saw in that cafe,” Edukaiser said after a little while. Emma hadn’t said much since leaving the Quenching Bucket. “I know for a fact that you’ve seen worse plenty of times.”

“That’s true, but the casualness of it bothered me,” Emma said. “I don’t think I understand this city, Edukaiser. Or my son. Why would Vee come here of all places? Why would he stay? Why would my little boy who could barely stand to get his hands dirty in the yard choose to set up a dungeon here in a place where extortion is apparently as common as a supply delivery?”

Edukaiser’s plates made a soft sound as the armorsoul shrugged. “I am no [Mind Reader], milady. Neither are you. We can simply ask Vee about that when we see him.”

For the rest of the day, Emma and Edukaiser walked up and down the streets of Oar’s Crest and took the city in. They saw that more than half the places they passed were running some sort of promotional deal for the dungeon circuit, and those offering deals seemed to have more customers than those who didn’t. They also spent half an hour in the market, and Emma bought some fantastic caramel apple candy from a salamander [Candy Man] who was also a skilled sugar sculptor. She also browsed the wares of a [Tailor], but didn’t buy anything. While the prices were low – laughably so, in fact – the style of the dresses and other articles of clothing didn’t match Emma’s taste. She also browsed through a few stacks of used books, and purchased a thin volume of needlework patterns that a nearby [Sister of the Plate] suggested. She wasn’t much for threadcraft, as a general rule, but some of the patterns were cute and it never hurt to broaden one’s skills by working outside of one’s comfort zone. At worst, she could simply admire the patterns and look for ways to incorporate them into mediums she was more used to.

Like any good market, there was plenty of gossip to be had, and while Emma had no interest in the politics and scandals of the Oar’s Crest council or the recurring problem of crime caused by mud golems, there was lots of talk about the upcoming dungeon circuit that she listened to as carefully as she could.

“Had nearly twenty adventurers come through this morning for sharpening. Haven’t been that busy in months. It was nice to just work the whet stone for a change.”

“Apparently there’s a place we can go watch the runs if we want. Might be fun, huh?”

“Wish Vales would get off his ass and start cleaning up the rest of the city. Gawain knows the council ain’t ever going to get it done and it’s not fair that just a few blocks around Westown looks like a proper city while the rest of us look like we’re [Filth Mongers].”

At the sound of her own last name, Emma perked up and looked to find the man who’d spoken. He was a younger, rough cut sort of fellow, with a stubbly beard and close cropped hair, and Emma saw in his eyes the same listless expression that she strongly associated with those who never did anything but complain about the work other people are doing. As such, she dismissed his criticism of her son a moment later and continued listening in on the other people in the market.

From the things she overheard, as well as a few questions she asked the natives in passing, Emma learned that the dungeon was located in a place called ‘Westown’, and was even pointed in the right direction by a helpful [City Guard] who looked more than a little intimidated by Edukaiser’s presence.

However, as much as Emma wanted to go and take a look at the dungeon then and there, it was getting late, so she begrudgingly allowed Edukaiser to escort her back to their room for the night. Before sleeping though, she took out her colors and spent some time drawing. She sketched rapidly, assisted in no small part by the passive effects of her skill [Draw What You See], which allowed her to recall people and places she’d been with greater accuracy and potency than a person would have otherwise. Her pictures weren’t particularly detailed, focusing instead of themes – or moods, really – that manifested across people and places.

The ones that appeared from her brief stay so far in Oar’s Crest were similar to the ones she’d seen elsewhere; the city was a mosaic of every emotion imaginable. The classic dichotomies – fear and greed, hope and despair – were near omnipresent, as was a peculiar mix of beauty and ugliness that was strongest in her depiction of the Quenching Bucket. Interestingly, in all of them, Emma felt compelled to have light appearing in the corners or around the sides of the image, as if an unseen lightsource was just out of frame.

Surprisingly tired after her exertions, Emma bid Edukaiser a good night and fell asleep.

The next morning, Emma woke before sunrise and put on the nicest outfit that she’d packed. She didn’t know who she’d be meeting, after all, and it never hurt to be prepared to make a fantastic first impression. She hummed to herself as she did her hair and makeup, excited by the prospect of seeing her baby boy and what he’d done with himself over the past few months. Idly, she wondered what Vee’s hair looked like – he had a bad habit of letting it grow into a tangled mess if left to his own devices – and smiled at her own preoccupation with something so mundane.

Edukaiser was pacing back and forth by the time she was done – the sun had been up for almost half an hour by this point – and she grumbled something that Emma pretended not to hear before tucking Tyrion’s letter into her bag and leaving their room.

Despite the early hour, the streets were crowded beyond belief, and Emma quickly found herself frustrated by their slow progress toward Westown. She did her best to dodge spears and swords when they inadvertently crossed her path, but the adventurers carrying them were terribly inconsiderate, and Emma was almost nicked more than once. Each time she came close to danger, a blazing spark appeared in Edukaiser’s eyes. Moving rapidly, the armorsoul would grab the offending person and yank them toward her to deliver a few choice whispers. Emma didn’t hear them, but she could guess as to their contents, because without fail the adventurer in question would be profusely apologizing and begging her for forgiveness. Of course, she gave it each time, and Edukaiser shrank back into place behind her.

Unfortunately, despite Edukaiser’s best efforts, the pair reached a clog of people that simply refused to move a few blocks away from the gate to Westown. By this time, Emma had decided that she’d had enough of all the pushing, shoving, and coarse language and gestured for Edukaiser to follow her into a nearby alley.

“There’s bound to be a short cut or something through here,” the [Socialite] said. “If we stay in this mess we’ll be here all day.”

“As you say, milady.”

The alley was relatively clear of people, and Emma relished the sensation of having her personal space restored. Interestingly, as she maneuvered through the twists and turns that would – she hoped – take her closer to the Westown gate, she noticed that there was less and less trash strewn about. The streets looked like they’d been swept, scrubbed and scraped. While they weren’t exactly the pinnacle of cleanliness, they weren’t offensive in the same way that many of Oar’s Crests others were either. Emma thought it slightly strange that alleys, of all places, had been given so much attention, but she was also relieved that at least somewhere in this city had been attended to. It meant that there was hope for the rest.

Unfortunately, her mental model of how the city was arranged didn’t turn out to be correct. Instead of the nice straight lines of Bardis alleys, where you could be reasonably certain of where you’d come out if you had a decent idea of the city around you, the alleys of Oar’s Crest were chaotic and sprawling. They led to random places, or to nowhere at all which meant frustrating backtracks to the previous turn and going the opposite direction. On three separate occasions Emma felt like she was right on the verge of returning to the main street only to find herself in yet another pocket of the city that she hadn’t been expecting, which galled her.

“Milady, perhaps we should turn back and simply wait through the crowd,” Edukaiser suggested. “I’m afraid that we’re not accomplishing anything here but wasting time. The young master’s speech is due to start anytime.”

Emma bit her lip, agreeing with the armorsoul on one hand but also somewhat curious about where the next turn led as well. Inspiration tended to lurk in the places you least expected to find it, and Emma was a strong believer in allowing herself to meander “aimlessly” from time to time. Some of her best work had been born that way.

Admittedly, in her heart of hearts she wasn’t entirely sure that she believed there were masterpieces waiting to be discovered amongst the dilapidated doors and windows, nor in the chipped and peeling paint of the statues and flowerpots that were everywhere. But that was part of the fun too. Sometimes, oddly, failure was its own reward.

“We’ll just walk faster and I’m sure it’ll all work out,” Emma said with a smile. “Surely we’ll find a way out to the main street eventually, right?”

“Without a doubt, milady,” Edukaiser said, her voice tinged with the barest hint of skepticism. Emma ignored her and pressed on, turning this way and that as one alley led into another.

She wondered if this was how adventurers felt when they climbed down into dungeons. Did their heartbeats quicken at the thought of not knowing what was around the next corner? Or, instead, did they enter a state of emotionless focus, the way she sometimes did in the middle of a long painting session. Perhaps she’d ask a few once the runs started up and see what they said. Maybe she could even glean some inspiration from their words. That’d be nice.

A strange, squelching sound up ahead prompted Emma to stop, while Edukaiser stepped forward and rolled her pauldrons. The armorsoul’s posture remained relaxed, but Emma knew her companion well enough to know that her guardian was ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice should the need arise.

Something moved in the shadows on the far end of the alley and Edukaiser raised her right gauntlet.

“Remain where you are, milady.”

Craning her neck, Emma did her best to look and see what the source of the sound was, but all she could see was a slithering blob thing that was huddled down next to the ground.

She took a step left and stared past Edukaiser’s arm. Scratch her original thought. It wasn’t a slithering blob thing, it was actually a trio of slithering blob things. How had she failed to see that before?

The trio moved back and forth, as if they were looking for something, and then to Emma’s surprise – and mild horror – they merged back together into a solitary creature.

“What is that?” she hissed.

“I thought it was some sort of slime at first,” Edukaiser said, “but slimes don’t recombine so easily, so instead I think it might be a golem. I don’t think we are in any particular danger though, so we can safely walk past them. Follow me closely. They don’t seem hostile to me, but if they get too close to us before we pass I will eliminate them.”

Nodding wordlessly, Emma fell into step behind the armorsoul, who walked with the calm, collected confidence of someone who is more than equipped to handle the situation they face.

When they got closer to the golems, more and more of their features became visible. They were made of mud, and looked rather old, if the cracks around their joints were any indication. Their only facial features were small, misshapen eyes that brought the image of holes poked into a ball of dough by a mischievous child to mind.

They made no sounds other than a low, constant gurgle, and left a trail of muck in their wake. Thankfully they didn’t seem to move toward Emma or Edukaiser, and the lady Vales almost thought they were going to get through without issue.

Alas, around the next corner were a dozen more of the little mud golems, and this time they didn’t seem inclined to ignore the pedestrians. A kitrekin stepped out of the shadows with a wicked smile on his face.

“Sorry, lady. This isn’t anything personal, eh? You just look like you’ve got plenty of fleurs. [Combine]!”

The smallest of the golems shivered and slammed into each other, congealing into an oblong mass without any eyes or limbs to speak of. The larger golems followed in turn, until the entire group was replaced by a single monstrosity that was two helmets taller than Edukaiser.

Unlike the little golems that’d given birth to this one, the big golem had a gaping maw in addition to a pair of spiral eyes. Its arms were far too long for its height, and looked even longer on account of the creature’s hunched posture.

Making a wet, gurgling sound, the big golem raised one of its arms and brought it down toward Edukaiser.

Snorting, the armorsoul raised her left gauntlet and stopped the blow with ease.

“Such arrogance.”

The golem strained, trying to free its arm, but Edukaiser held it fast. A lazy sweep of Edukaiser’s free gauntlet later and the golem’s arm was separated from its shoulder.

“Did you really think we would be such easy prey? Insolent child. I faced dragons and [Dark Wizards] before you were born,” Edukaiser said quietly as she tossed the severed arm to the side. It melted into a puddle of mud as soon as it hit the ground.

Edukaiser stepped forward, her pauldrons chipping away to form a cloud of steel that hovered near her helmet.

“I have traded blows with [Fallen Heroes] and survived hundreds of battlefields,” she said. “I crossed both the Infernal Expanse and the Twilight Bliss, and emerged with hardly a scratch.”

She started punching, and each of her blows sent great chunks from the golem’s body flying into the alley. “I’ve climbed three of the Night Towers, and helped retrieve a {Pearl of Heart} from the Coral of the |Crimson Tidesinger|. Who are you to make such a threat against my lady?”

Standing a safe distance away from the melee, Emma couldn’t help but roll her eyes. For all that Edukaiser whined about Alforde’s flair for the dramatic, the old armorsoul would have been right at home at any [Bard] contest. Three of the Night Towers and the Coral of the |Crimson Tidesinger|, indeed! Everyone knew those were just children’s tales!

Although…Emma didn’t hear even the slightest hint of untruth in the armorsoul’s words, and to be fair Tyrion had said that –

Not important, Emma decided, shaking her head. The present demanded her attention; there’d be time to think about the past in the future.

The kitrekin, for what it was worth, seemed to believe Edukaiser wholeheartedly. He flexed his paws back and forth, summoning more mud golems in an attempt to undo the damage being done, but there was no way he could keep up with the armorsoul’s barrage. His golem broke and dwindled, turning into little more than a gooey mess and leaving the [Summoner] with few options and even fewer good ones.

He brought his paws together, and a pool of mud formed at his feet.

“[Mud Portal]” he said, sliding down into the ground. However, just before he vanished, a small blue bolt flew through the air and struck him in the arm. He snarled and tried to remove it, but it remained where it was until the kitrekin vanished.

Without their summoner, the last remnants of the golems melted away and Edukaiser’s pauldrons reformed a few seconds later. She relaxed, lowering her gauntlets to her sides before turning to Emma and bowing low.

“Are you alright, milady?”

Emma nodded. “I’m fine, thank you. Are you injured at all?”

Edukaiser laughed. “I would melt myself down if such a foe was capable of injuring me. I regret that it took me so long to make that mangy kitrekin flee, and fear that we’ll be late for your son’s speech. If you’d like, I can carry you back the way we came. I mean no offense, but I can move faster than you can.”

Before Emma could answer, a voice overhead cried, “I think he was down here, come on!”

Two young women, – one dressed in blue, white, and silver and the other in various shades of orange, brown, and red – wearing peculiar hats landed on the ground next to Emma and Edukaiser. They were both armed. The girl in blue held icicles in both of her hands, and the girl in orange carried a lance. Or a spear. Emma had never been entirely sure what the difference between the two was.

They were both breathing hard as they swept their gazes up and down the street.

“Do you see him?” the girl in orange asked.

“No, I think I lost him,” replied the girl in blue. “But I’m pretty sure I hit him with that [Icicle Dart] and we can track him with that.”

Nodding, the girl in orange turned to Emma and tipped her hat. When she straightened back up, Emma saw that the girl’s pupils were strange; they looked like pumpkins. More, when she walked forward and offered her hand, the air became sweet. Cinnamon, cloves, and other fall spices filled Emma’s nose, making her feel like she was relaxing in front of the fire back at home with a blank canvas or three and no afternoon plans.

“Are you alright?” the girl asked. “I’m sorry that we weren’t able to stop the golems before they accosted you.”

“My lady is fine, Witch,” Edukaiser snapped. “We seek no bargains nor boons, so begone.”

“Hey! There’s no need to be rude,” the girl in blue – another Witch? – snapped. “Luna was just asking if you two were okay.”

Edukaiser stiffened once more, surely about to say something more, but running a hand through her hair, Emma shook her head.

“Calm down Edukaiser. These girls mean me no harm.”

“Witches cannot be trusted, milady. They lie in the same way that you breathe. They are evil without fail.”

“Cannot be trusted? Evil without fail? Piper’s cat, what century are you stuck in, you shiny rustbucket?” the girl in blue hissed.

Bit of a nonsensical insult, that one was.

“Don’t get worked up Holly,” the girl in orange – Luna – said with a smile. “We have no quarrel with these travelers.”

The girl in blue snorted and folded her arms across her chest. Luna raised an eyebrow and Holly closed her eyes.

Ignoring her companion, Luna said, “I’m glad you’re safe, madam. My name is Luna Redhenny, and indeed I am a [Pumpkin Witch]. My companion Holly is a Witch too. It’s just the two of us for now, but I guess we’re the Oar’s Crest Coven. I promise we’re not evil. We help the people of the city.”

“...only because you’re a goody goody…and crazy,” Holly muttered, shifting her weight to one leg. Spitting on the ground, she opened her eyes back up and glared over at Emma. “Enough about us though. What brings you to Oar’s Crest, lady? You don’t look like the type to visit a place like this.”

“I’m here to visit my son,” Emma answered. “He’s the–”

– Before she could continue though, Holly’s eyes flashed and her mouth fell open.

“Ohmygawain ohmygawain ohmygawain…you’re his mom! Eek! You need to talk to Luna! For…reasons. Important reasons. Armorsoul! Come here, now!”

“My name is Edukaiser,” Emma’s companion said testily. “And I’ll be staying right here in case that kitrekin and his golems return to threaten my lady.”

“I’m afraid that for better or for worse he’s gone and won’t be back anytime soon,” Luna said. “Each time we get close to catching him, he vanishes like that and it takes us days to track him down again.”

Edukaiser rolled her pauldrons and tilted her helmet. “How many times has that happened?”

Luna shrugged. “A couple dozen, easy.”

“I see. Such incompetence is to be expected of Witches.”

Holly bristled, her flicker of mischievous humor vanishing like ice on a hot sidewalk, and even Luna’s smile faltered a bit.

Feeling like she was soothing hurt egos at a Bardis gala, Emma decided that it was as good a moment as any to step in and divert the conversation’s direction. After all, some people just couldn’t help themselves from making things worse and it fell to people like her to smooth things over lest things that couldn’t be taken back get said. That was one of the most important duties of a [Socialite], or so Emma believed.

Tapping her throat to activate [Soothing Voice], she held up her hands and said, “You mentioned that you should be able to track him with your magic, right? How long will that ability last?”

The words flowed out like water, warming the air and the atmosphere in an instant. Holly’s face softened, as did Edukaiser’s posture.

“An hour or so. Maybe two at the most?”

Emma looked over at Edukaiser and smiled. “It sounds like these girls could use some help. Do you think you could capture him if you encountered him again?”

The armorsoul bowed. “Without a shred of doubt, milady.”

Nodding, Emma gestured toward Holly. “Please assist them, then.”

“I can’t leave you by yourself, especially not in the wake of an attack, milady.”

“Luna can protect her!” Holly said quickly. “She might not look like much, but she’s really strong! I promise! Plus, there’s the fact that –”

She moved over to Edukaiser and stood up on her tiptoes, whispering something in the armorsoul’s…helmet. Edukaiser sighed.

“I see. I can’t say that I’m surprised.”

A conclusion was starting to form in the base of Emma’s skull, and she trusted her instincts enough to run with it a bit.

“I’d be most obliged if you escorted me to the Westown Gate,” the lady Vales said.

“Not so fast,” Edukaiser said, extending a gauntlet toward the [Pumpkin Witch]. “Milady, your husband tasked me with your safety, and I do not trust the words of this Witch enough to entrust you to this slip of a girl. Give me your hand, Luna. I will see what you’re made of for myself.”

Luna did as directed, and a long moment passed. Motes of gold and silver light played in the air around the Witch, as did a faint orange outline that looked like heavy armor to Emma’s eyes.

Finally, Edukaiser shook her helmet and released Luna’s hand. “I suppose you will suffice, but know this, Witch. Should any harm befall my lady, I will tear this city down around your hat.”

Isn’t that a little harsh? Emma thought, but she bit her lip and said nothing.

Luna simply nodded.

“Fear not, Edukaiser. I’ll keep her safe.”

“Not that I’m not dying to see how this shakes out,” Holly interrupted, “but time is ticking and if we want to go catch that stupid kitrekin we should get moving. He’s already several blocks away.”

“Indeed,” Edukaiser said, kneeling down. “Hop onto my back, Witch. If you’re convinced of your friend’s strength, then I’m sure that I can move faster than you. You point the way and I will close the distance.”

Holly looked like she wanted to protest, but that would have been rather hypocritical given her seeming interest in time, so while she grumbled about doing so, she climbed up onto Edukaiser’s back.

It was something of a funny image, Emma thought, committing it to [Flash of Memory] so that she could sketch it later.

“That way,” Holly said, pointing down the next alley.

Without a word, Edukaiser took off running, moving far faster than a giant suit of armor had any right being.

When she and Holly were gone, Emma and Luna were left alone, and the [Pumpkin Witch] pointed toward another alley.

“This will get us to the Westown gate faster,” she said. “Follow me, please.”

Any doubts about what Holly had been hinting at vanished as Emma walked alongside the [Pumpkin Witch] and noticed a tiny pink butterfly that seemed to be following them. From time to time it bobbed down and landed on Luna’s hat before flitting away once again.

Emma couldn’t help but smile. Infatuation. Oh, how she remembered those days.

Luna looked over furtively, a pinkish tinge appearing on her cheeks.

“Um,” she said. “You mentioned your son earlier. Is he…an adventurer here for the circuit?”

“Not at all,” Emma said with a laugh. She decided to have a bit of fun with Luna, get the girl’s measure.

“Though I must admit that’d be quite the sight. My son’s name is Vee, and he’s the [Dungeon Master] here in Oar’s Crest. Have you met him?”

Silence. Further blushing. A small nod.

“He’s a..friend of mine.”

Feeling a little guilty – the poor girl was clearly naive in matters of the heart – Emma cocked an eyebrow and said, “Is that all? Your friend’s behavior gave me the impression that it’s more.”

When Luna next met her eyes, Emma recognized the expression there all too well. It was the same look that she’d doubtlessly had the first time she’d met Gladfaye – Tyrion’s mother – a mixture of surprise, fear, pride, and just a sprinkling of defiance. Emma’s stomach twinged.

Had she ever been so young? It felt like both yesterday and forever ago that she’d put on her best dress, agonized over her makeup, and gone to Meet Tyrion’s Parents. How the woman had cackled!

“I suppose that’s true,” Luna said. The butterfly landed on her hat once again and stayed there. “But I’m not really sure. We haven’t exactly talked about it much, you know? Anyways, since you’re here to watch his speech can I ask you a selfish question?”

An old habit took control of Emma’s tongue. “I don’t know, can you?”

She softened the question by adding, “You don’t look like you have a selfish bone in your body.”

Luna shrugged. “My da always said I could be selfish when it came to people I cared about.”

“What is it that you want to ask?”

Luna kicked a small pebble, sending it bouncing down the alley. She looked like she was having a hard time putting her thoughts together. Finally, she stiffened her shoulders and met Emma’s gaze once again.

“Would you be willing to hold off on seeing Vee for a few days? He’s put so much into this circuit and I want it to go well for him. Please?”

Hearing the girl’s sincerity, Emma paused. Her mouth tightened and her voice grew cold.

“You’d have me skip visiting my son, after I’ve come all this way to do so?”

It was a challenge and both women knew it. To her credit, Luna didn’t back down. The pumpkins in her eyes blazed, and the scent in the air grew almost uncomfortably strong.

“I would. After all this time apart, I don’t think a few more days would hurt anything. He needs to focus on running the dungeon, and I don’t think he’d be able to do that if he knows you’re here watching him.”

Emma folded her hands together and thought it over.

“I suppose you’re right,” she said. “But I’d still like to hear his speech. Can you take me somewhere I can do that without him noticing?”

Luna smiled.

“Sure, that’s easy enough. Here, give me your hand.”

Emma did so, and the [Pumpkin Witch] closed her eyes. She muttered something quietly, and a big green leaf popped out of the ground beneath their feet. It was connected to a vine that crawled its way up the nearest building, and then raised the women into the air like a pair of flying stairs would.

They climbed off on the nearest rooftop, and once again Emma thought it was marvelous how much difference a change in perspective could make. The rooftops spread out before her like a street of their own.

“Come on,” Luna said, pulling her forward. “He’ll never think to look up here.”

Emma thought of Tyrion’s letter tucked away inside her bag.

She supposed it could wait a few days too.

Emma's and Edukaiser's Character Sheets

Emma’s Character Sheet:

Primary Class: Loving Mother (Emory and Vee Vales), Level 42

Secondary Class: Artist (Claude Renwalgogh), Level 40

Tertiary Class: Loving Wife (Tyrion Vales), Level 26

Additional Class: Socialite (Self), Level 25

Additional Class: Philanthropist (Self), Level 24

Additional Class: Teacher (Halleghast University), Level 13

Might: 31

Wit: 125

Faith: 131

Charisma: 75

Eye For Color: 72

Perceptiveness: 88

Drive: 60

Organized: 39

Ambition: 37

Nurturing: 55

Judge Of Character: 70

Silliness: 13

Silent Strength: 100

Edukaiser’s Character Sheet:

Edukaiser Armorsoul

-Worldweary-

-Faded Eminence-

Primary Class: Steelheart (Alloysia Moltenscales), Level 57* (Reduced by Faded Eminence and Worldweary)

Secondary Class: Right Hand Woman (Tyrion Vales), Level 55

Tertiary Class: Stalwart Companion (Marveil Newcastle), Level 48

Additional Class: Bodyguard (Tyrion Vales), Level 46

Additional Class: Roadside Philosopher (Self), Level 14

Might: 262* (Reduced by Worldweary)

Wit: 140

Faith: 100

Bravery: 232

Endurance: 182

Intimidating Presence: 166

Diligence: 104

Loyalty: 275

Flair For The Dramatic: 67

Adventurousness: 131