The Survivor Becomes a Dungeon

Ferodias POV / Ten Years Earlier

Even if it wasn't a fancy wagon by any means, the ride was smooth enough for Ferodias. He found himself resting among the crates of goods, curled up cozily under the shade of the canvas secured over the wagon as he dozed for a time. The caravan turned out to be a rather considerable group of people and goods, a total of eight wagons and four carts that were accompanied by at least nineteen other people. On numbers alone, Ferodias would have considered the caravan a formidable group. However, it was plain to see that most of these people are inexperienced with combat beyond using a staff or sling for self-defense. Of the nineteen, six militia guards rode with the caravan; two of them rode along on the wagons, while the rest rode atop some warbling swifts, otherwise known simply as warblers.

Warbling swifts were one of the more common domesticated mounts, being one of the easier large two-legged birds to handle and maintain. They were moderately fast and were equally useful within the tight streets of cities to the open fields and paths of rural life. They were the preferred mount of scouts and guards alike. However, despite their usefulness and overall mobility, the birds generally hated having to pull anything.

In any case, Ferodias ended up actually catching up on some much-needed sleep. His ears twitched as he heard the call of a couple of warblers and their riders returning to the caravan. It seemed that the guards had gone up ahead and found a suitable clearing that was safely away from the road for the caravan to navigate to and set up for the night. Stretching and writhing around within the cozily snug space he ended up in, he woke himself up and moved to climb to the edge of the wagon he was in to watch the line of carts and wagons behind him. The driver of the cart behind him offered a smile as they spotted Ferodias, and Ferodias returned the smile as best he could manage before being interrupted by a yawn.

Looking at the sky and the sun in particular, he could guess they still had a few hours until sundown. Ferodias felt that they could travel for at least another hour or two, but then he had to consider that this wasn't just a party of five that could disappear into the woods without a trace, but an entire caravan that needed both time and space to move and settle down in. Not to mention the sleeping and cooking arrangements that also had to be prepared for all of these people. His ears flicked in consideration, wondering if Regan had already thought of all these things when he added an entire day for the trip to the city. For another moment, he found himself impressed with his best friend; though he then had a sudden realization as he considered that if there was this much planning for a simple impromptu caravan, just how much paperwork and planning would he have to look forward to as king? A sense of dread welled up in his stomach as he considered just how often his father was in their office from day to day, not to mention the consistent flow of folders and papers that always seemed present on his father's desk no matter when he saw him. For just the briefest of moments, Ferodias wondered if he should try to find something else to do with his life instead of subjecting himself to several decades of paperwork.

Ultimately, he resolved himself to his fate. He did want to be king after all, and he would only be king for around thirty years or so. Well... It depended on when he had kids of his own, but that's usually how long rulers held their throne in his kingdom, and it worked well enough. Of course, other kingdoms and lands had different practices, but ever since the reign of Tyrant King Leondris the Senile, most kings of his kingdom did not stay on the throne for longer than three decades for the sake of not repeating that era.

Before Ferodias knew it, during his musings, the caravan had come to a stop and ended up in a fairly secluded clearing some ways away from the road. From his place in the cart, he could already see signs of this having been used as camping grounds before. Perhaps this is where these villagers usually stop from trip to trip, which would make sense to him at least.

It wasn't long until the site was a flurry of activity, the wagon with the equipment and larder being unpacked, Monty, and surprisingly Tori made their way over to help with preparing dinner for the group. Brasyl was spotted heading off with a couple of villagers for a hunting trip for meats to supplement their meals for the next few days. Danica found herself among the militia guards, badgering them with questions about their weapons and asking to take a look at them, the guards seeming more than willing to let her as they handed them over to her, much to her apparent delight. As for Regan, he found a quiet spot beneath a particularly large tree and meditated beneath it to continue recovering from his heavy mana use this morning. The Ladies Nerva and Roche settled among the few young women who were driving the carts and wagons, enjoying their company as they seemed to have become fast friends despite their different stations.

Ferodias once was again left to his own devices for the most part after he had finished setting up his tent. With nothing better to do, he made his way to the edge of camp and marked out a large circle with his blade before deciding to run through his training exercises. Half of these routines are just flashy movements and extended bouts of extreme speed with barely any practical combat use, however, what they were useful for was for training up the limits of his body and furthering the physical feats he could achieve while safely stressing his mana heart. He took a few more moments to get ready, stripping himself of his equipment and armor before pulling off his tunic and neatly setting them outside of his training circle.

Though as Ferodias stood in the center of the circle, drawing his blade and attempting to center himself, he heard Danica approaching with some of the guards, chatting as she led them over. "Oh, you lot are gonna like this. He's gonna start leaping and dancing around like an acrobat and move faster than most of those racing beasts you can see at the stadiums." She enthused, crossing her arms as she stood safely beyond the circle.

One of the human guards spoke up, it being a young man maybe a year or two older than Ferodias. "Whys he gonna do that? What's the point?" He asked curiously, sounding rather skeptical of Danica's claims.

A lizardkin guard spoke up before Danica could properly answer, intently stroking his scaled chin with interest. "He's training his mana heart, yes? Not everyone has one, though he must be strong if he can do everything you've claimed while simply training." He considered while explaining to the younger human guard.

The young guard nodded in a sort of way that showed he didn't really get it but was happy to watch what was going on.

Danica looked mildly miffed at being interrupted, but her good mood returned as she looked over to Ferodias with a grin. "Go on, Rodi, show 'em your flashy footwork." She mused.

Ferodias sighed as he broke focus to look over at Danica. "At least my flashy footwork isn't as destructive as your training, with how much you slam yourself into trees and stone the way you do." He mentioned as he flicked his tail before rolling his shoulders to try and center himself again.

The guards looked over at Danica curiously, though Danica looked more amused than anything as she crossed her arms. "Fifteen hundred years of dwarven tradition can't be wrong." She replied as she flexed her right arm before crossing them again with a grin on her face.

Ferodias didn't bother to reply, though he smiled to himself for a moment. His mana heart pulsed as he actively stimulated it, feeling the mana course through his entire body all at once with each beat of his heart. His senses heightened intensely as he could hear Danica and the guard's beating hearts and smell the herbs and meats simmering within a large pot of stew by the smoky fire. He felt the fur along his chest and shoulders shift in the gentle spring breeze, and finally, he took a breath as he dialed into the moment and opened his eyes, directing his heightened senses to be focused close around him instead of the entirety of the camp. He took a step forward, moving one foot after another as he crossed a fifteen-foot gap in less than a second. He could hear the gasps of surprise forming in the throat of the guards as he pushed himself to cross the entire thirty-foot diameter of the circle in the next three seconds. He could already feel the effects as he pushed himself, now doing laps after the initial burst of speed, jumping, side-stepping, and hopping around. That was until he started including his blade, swinging and thrusting, doing rather deep lunges, and jumping before forcing himself to descend faster by performing downward slashes. Ferodias briefly considered manifesting flames or wind around his blade to further stress his mana heart but ultimately decided against it since he didn't want to completely wear himself out tonight.

When he finally stopped, a good seven minutes had passed. It was a rather good time for how hard he pushed himself, meaning that he could easily use his mana heart for twice or maybe three times as long in real combat when he's properly pacing himself. By the end of it, he was down on his knees, leaning on his blade as he panted heavily. He could feel the heat radiating from his palms, ears, and feet, the heat coming in waves as he worked on cooling down. Thankfully, Danica came over and began pouring out a water skin over his head, the refreshing liquid helping him cool down much faster than he could on his own. "There ya go, Rodi, that's it." Danica said kindly before patting his damp fur with a strong open palm. "Now go on and get dressed. No need to be showing off for longer than ya have to." She mused as she pulled away.

Ferodias smirked as he had to catch his balance after Danica smacked his back, shaking his fur out before she could get out of range. "Go punch a tree." He mused tiredly as he got to his feet, wiping the now muddy tip of his blade off on his pant leg before sheathing it where it belongs. As he looked around, he found himself feeling vaguely surprised at the small crowd that formed around his training circle, just about everyone who wasn't cooking or hunting had stopped to watch him train. If his face wasn't already hot from the exertion of pushing himself, he was sure it would have heated up from all their curious eyes. He flashed them a smile as he ran his hand through his head fur, straining the excess water from it as it ran down his damp back. Before long, the villagers and guards dispersed while chatting among themselves.

All except the two ladies, Lady Nerva and Lady Roche, having lingered before approaching Ferodias once it looked like he had mostly collected himself. Lady Nerva was the first to speak up, offering a wooden cup with water as she looked up at Ferodias. "That was an impressive display of power and agility, Ser Rodi. Even my family's guard captain would be hard-pressed to meet you on even footing." She enthused charmingly, her fluffy tail slowly wagging behind her.

Ferodias was a little taken aback by their approach but offered a friendly enough smile as he took up the cup of water and indulged in a few deep gulps before sighing with delight. "Thank you." He expressed with a smile as he looked between the two ladies. "For the water and the compliment." He mused as he held up the cup.

Lady Roche spoke up as she looked up at Ferodias. "What rank are..." She started to ask, her eyes having momentarily wandered his chest before spotting the emerald tag that rested against it. "Oh? You're only an emerald, I was almost certain you were at least a bronze, if not a ruby." She considered before looking back up into Ferodias eyes with a question being silently suggested as she tilted her head a little.

Ferodias smiled a bit more as his ear flicked, sending some water behind him. "I believe it is only a matter of a time before Regan and I go through our promotion interviews to become rubies. It's only been half a year since we went up in rank after all." He explained, Lady Roche nodding at his words, seemingly accepting his answer.

Lady Nerva piped up as she stepped a little closer, her tail wagging a little more. "Ser Rodi, forgive me for being forward, but are you perhaps available for long-term contract work? I would be remiss to overlook such a formidable man as yourself, along with Regan, of course." She enthused before her own ears waggled a bit. "And while I haven't seen Danica or the others of your party in action; if they're anything like you, then they are surely impressive."

Lady Roche frowned a bit, stepping closer and attempting to nudge Lady Nerva to the side to get Ferodias' attention. "I would also like to make an offer as well, I come from a Viscount's household, and we can surely match any accommodations a Baron's household could muster." She offered, not wanting to be shown up by the wolfkin lady.

Ferodias took a step back, definitely not expecting this line of conversation as his ears lowered back against his head with surprise. "I'm sorry, ladies, but I have no plans on taking any long-term contract work. S-sorry." He expressed apologetically as he worked on relaxing a bit now that he had his personal space back, bringing the cup of water back to his lips to take another drink.

The ladies both frowned a little, clearly disappointed, but not as much as Ferodias anticipated as Lady Nerva placed her hands on her hips. "Then I suppose the rumors are true, you're planning on serving Lady Hisorietta, aren't you? Perhaps as her personal guard at first." She stated more than asked as if it was already set in stone. She then flashed a mischievous smile. "I suppose she has good taste, and you'd be rather comfortable if you did marry up." She mentioned, both ladies appearing in good spirits as they considered that possible rumor mill.

"True, a Count's daughter, falling in love with the adventurer who rescued her, ah it's the stuff of fairytales." Lady Roche was quick to agree.

Ferodias, on the other hand, ended up choking on his water and only just managing to turn away to avoid coughing water at the ladies as he panted and tried to catch his breath. His face heated up as his ears uncontrollably waggled. "I-it's not like that. I swear." And he meant it, in more ways than one.

Lady Nerva only smiled more at Ferodias' reaction and giggled at his expense. "Try all you like to deny it, Ser Rodi, but you cannot fool me." She mused, turning to leave as Lady Roche was quick to follow her.

Ferodias swallowed at nothing before looking over at Tori as she chatted with the others while preparing dinner, a beautiful smile on her face as she chopped up some vegetables. His ears started to droop as he considered what Regan had been repeatedly telling him. "It can't be like that... Not for a long while, at least." He murmured to nobody in particular.