Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 001-016

"Guess I'll have to figure it out."

Jordan nodded, still unconcerned. Natalie had a good read on her; she really must not care if Natalie was with someone else. Whether that was because she had open views on relationships, or because she didn't have feelings for Natalie...

Of course she didn't have feelings. What was Natalie thinking? Ugh. Kissing another girl had never left her a mess like this. Receiving her class had left her more disoriented than she'd thought. And Jordan's kisses. Why was she so good at them? Natalie thought Jordan had only had one or two partners. Why was she so good, then?

Pull it together.

"Later, though," Natalie said. "Uh. So. Letting Tenet know is going to be weird. Hope it's not a problem."

"Being a mage hybrid class?" Jordan said.

Natalie nodded; the lewder parts of her class, she just wouldn't divulge.

"Hm," Jordan said. "Paladins are more fighters than they're casters, aren't they?"

"I guess it depends?" Natalie, like Jordan, had spent plenty of time learning the endless amount of common adventuring classes. But there were too many to know in depth. There were as many classes as there were grains of sand on a beach. Infinite, more less... though maybe not actually. "I think most paladins are more fighter than mage? But even if it's just a small part of my kit..."

"You'll figure it out," Jordan said firmly. "It's not your strength, but that's fine. You'll work through it. If there's anything you're good at, it's persevering."

For a second, Natalie held Jordan's serious gaze. The words washed through her, comforting in a way even her parents couldn't have managed. How did Jordan say something like that with such confidence? Like she knew what she was saying was right. That she wasn't trying to be comforting, but speaking with total conviction. No doubt in her mind. A foregone result. Natalie would figure out her ill-fitting class, and that was that.

Natalie glanced away. "Yeah. I guess. Thanks."

"You'll just have to be extra good at punching people, until then," Jordan said, bumping shoulders.

Natalie laughed. "I can manage that, at least."

Jordan smiled, too. A brief silence. "Paladin, though. That's going to be interesting. Having a patron. Is that how it works?"

"No clue. Probably? Who do you think it is?" Natalie asked.

"Hm."

Jordan wasn't especially religious, the same as Natalie, but she absorbed information better than Natalie did. She always seemed to know what was going on, when it came to anything. Even half-zoned out, their weekly congregations at the church left more lingering knowledge in Jordan than it did Natalie. She might know who the 'goddess of lust' was.

Jordan had always been a sponge when it came to academics. Natalie might have cheated her way through classes using her, once or twice. She'd determined not to do so at Tenet... not that academics were particularly a focus, there.

"Niemh?" Jordan finally said. "Goddess of love and passion? That seems most likely. Could be others. Ffien, of beauty? Some interpretations have her as an icon of lust. Eyrlis, fertility and agriculture?"

"Eyrlis is Upper Pantheon," Natalie protested.

"And?"

Natalie paused. She didn't know where she was going with that. It just seemed absurd for Natalie's patron to be Upper Pantheon.

"Not that it matters who it is," Natalie said. "Paladins and gods don't convene. Not literally."

Jordan paused. "Well. The gods are silent, but that they did exist at some point seems beyond reproach. So maybe worship is required? That they'd... what, disown you, if you didn't?" She hesitated. "But probably not. Dunno."

There was merit to what she was saying... certain records were convinced that deities once roamed and interacted with sapient life... but Natalie wasn't so sure. Ancient texts were nothing if not unreliable. She didn't know if she bought into the divine, as blasphemous as it might be to say. Just, there weren't any recent records of such. Even paladin classes, while holding to certain gods, never spoke to them. And who else, if not a paladin? Or a priestess, she guessed. But the same argument applied.

"Yeah," Natalie said. "I guess." It wasn't the time to get into that.

Jordan collapsed back into her bed, splaying out. "I can't believe we'll be heading off to Tenet in a few days. You're really cutting it close with your birthday."

"I'll let my parents know they should've been more considerate with their timing," Natalie said dryly.

Jordan snorted.

A brief pause.

"I guess I should be heading back," Natalie said. Her parents would be expecting her. They'd known Natalie would hang out with Jordan, briefly, to celebrate, but she still had a curfew, even if it was her unlocking. With how much trouble Natalie got in on a regular basis, a curfew was inevitable. And while she wouldn't be afraid to break it, and annoy her parents, now wasn't the night. Might as well keep the peace for the two days left until she shipped off to Tenet.

Plus... she needed time to think. Jordan's presence was distinctly not putting Natalie at ease, like it normally would. Or, it was, but it also wasn't. Seeing her laid out across her bed, shirt bunched half way up her stomach... their experimental kisses had Natalie's thoughts turning in directions they really shouldn't.

"Ah," Jordan said. "Right. Okay. I'll see you later?"

"Tomorrow," Natalie said. "But yeah, they're waiting. Should get going. And I'm pretty tired."

"It's a lot to take in," Jordan said with a nod, reading Natalie as easily as she always did. Except... not wholly, because it wasn't just Natalie's class that had her head spinning. "Try to get some sleep. There's plenty of time to figure things out." She sat up, then patted Natalie's knee. "And you have me, to help. Don't forget that."

Natalie didn't think she could.

1.10 - Away

"I can't believe my baby's all grown up," Mom wailed, clutching onto Natalie's arm. "The house'll be so empty. You promise you'll write? Promise me."

Natalie rolled her eyes. Mom had always been dramatic... but Natalie guessed if there was ever a time for it, it would be Natalie shipping off to Tenet. Still, it was embarrassing.

"I've said it a hundred times, haven't I?" Natalie extricated herself from her mother's clinging embrace. "And it's only a few months till break. I'll be back in no time."

"You better be," Mom said firmly. "And you better take care of yourself. And Jordan and Sofia. I've heard so many stories of the Dungeon... promise me you'll be safe."

"I'll be safe," Natalie said for the millionth time. "It's definitely not part of the plan to become monster food."

Mom swatted her shoulder. "Don't even joke!"

"Sorry." Natalie adjusted her backpack strap, settling the weight. Her suitcase was set behind her; the two bags were all Natalie would be bringing with her to Tenet. "I'll be fine. Seriously. Relax."

In the background, a train whistle pierced the air. Natalie glanced its way, then said, "I should get going."

Her dad had been standing stoically by, watching Mom make an embarrassment out of the two of them. Despite his calm exterior, Natalie could see the hint of sadness in his eyes, too. Natalie's train signaling it was time to board, he stepped forward and hugged her goodbye. "We'll miss you, Nat," he said gruffly. "You'll do great things. But keep yourself safe. Go slow and steady. All that matters is you make it back."

Natalie hugged him. She hadn't thought she'd get so emotional over this... she'd been waiting to escape Tinford since she was eleven. Her voice wasn't choked up when she replied, "Like I said, I will." She pulled away and cleared her throat, glancing to the side. "They're boarding. Um. Bye, then."

She waved her parents goodbye, then scooped up her suitcase and departed. A glance over her shoulder, and she saw her parents standing there, arms wrapped around each other's waists, Mom leaning her head against Dad's shoulder, watching her go.

Natalie cleared her throat a second time, then focused her attention forward.

They'd needed to travel to Illesa to catch the train. Tinford was too small a town to have a station; even Illesa was barely large enough to justify the routing. Valhaur's capital city Aradon was three hundred miles to the north. It would be a several hour trip.

Which was insane. Hundreds of miles in five hours. That sort of trip would've taken a week or more on foot, assuming good weather and traveling light. The Magitech Insitute was changing the world at a rate hard to comprehend. Though, in a town as small as Tinford, Natalie hadn't gotten much chance to see their fantastical inventions. She'd only heard of them. Progress came slow to outskirt towns like Tinford.

Natalie would have plenty of opportunity to see how the world was advancing, now. Aradon, and Tenet, would be stuffed full of the Institute's inventions. Even the train itself was fascinating, unlike anything she'd seen. It was constructed with enormous, complex mechanisms... but more importantly, covered in glyphs, the swooping, arcane symbols responsible for manifesting magical energy into the physical world.

In the engine room, Natalie knew, monster cores were hooked up to fuel the vehicle. Batteries. Monster cores which delvers were responsible for gathering... Natalie's future career. It was a bit surreal to think about. How many cores, and what quality, did it take to run this mountain of metal?

Natalie glanced at her ticket as she shuffled along with the other boarding passengers. Cabin 18A.

Mom and Dad, along with Jordan's and Sofia's parents, had pooled their funds to buy the three of them a private cabin for the trip up to Aradon—a going-away gift. Natalie was flattered, but also, she couldn't help but feel like it was a waste. So much money... it couldn't have been easy for them to scrape the funds together, even splitting it three ways. Natalie wouldn't have minded sitting in the cramped public cabins. Her parents weren't destitute, but they weren't well off.

She might be able to change that, if Natalie's future went well. Delvers earned exceptional money... or, the non-low-level ones. Assuming Natalie didn't turn into monster food, as she'd joked about to her parents, then by the time she left Tenet in four years, a single delve would be a month of their pay, or more. Wealth was one of the main motivators for why people flocked to the dungeons.

Natalie had an advantage, at least, in that she'd been accepted to Tenet. Some people starting delving without any professional training, or preparation of any sort. Desperation, usually. The mortality rates weren't bright even for skilled delvers, so for those cases... even less so. Natalie's chosen profession had a grim reality to it; it didn't pay so well without reason.

Her parents' insistence that Natalie keep herself safe had been justified. Especially since they knew Natalie wasn't the most careful of individuals. They were ecstatic Jordan had qualified along with her. They'd made a few comments about how she'd keep Natalie out of trouble.

Which... Natalie would see about that. Jordan did have a moderating effect on Natalie, but she hadn't managed to 'keep Natalie out of trouble', growing up. Why would it be different now?

Natalie was almost at the front of the line. She looked around, shifting in place as she waited, and caught a glimpse of white hair.

Sofia had always stuck out in a crowd. Her hair, mostly. White wasn't a common color, down in Valhaur. The culprit was Sofia's Theliosian blood, the snowy, mountainous nation to the north of Valhaur. Natalie didn't know the exact circumstances behind how she'd been adopted by the Kipper family.

She was pressed in by her siblings and parents, who were, in much the same way Natalie's mom had been, wailing over her departure. Natalie didn't understand how such an annoying, smug girl had a family so bright and cheerful. She stuck out in the mass of brown-hair and tanned skin. Sofia's hair wasn't the only thing blindingly white about her... she had the skin of a Theliosian too. Theliosians didn't tan like Valhaurians; they just burned. Teasing Sofia over it was one of Natalie's favorite things to do. The fact she had to put on sunscreen to avoid roasting was something she was definitely annoyed by, much as she pretended not to be.

Natalie reached the front of the line, and she turned her attention to the attendant, handing him her ticket.

She boarded.

1.11 - Cabin

Jordan was already in the cabin. She looked up from her novel—Jordan was always lugging around something to read—saw her, then tucked a bookmark in and set the book to the side.

"Hey."

"Hey," Natalie returned, shrugging off her backpack and sitting across from Jordan. "This place is roomy."

"First class. They're sending us off in style."

Natalie wrinkled her nose, her earlier thoughts—that she appreciated it, but was a waste of money—flickering into her head. But she didn't comment. The money had already been spent, and she didn't want to come off as an ingrate. "Sofia'll be here, soon," Natalie said. "Saw her saying bye."

"Mm." Jordan seemed amused. "Five hours together. Think you'll survive?"

"I'll have to." But she wasn't looking forward to it. With luck, they could just ignore each other.

"You know, we're lucky she qualified, too."

Natalie raised her eyebrows.

"We are," Jordan insisted. "You've heard the stories. Tenet's cutthroat. The whole place is a... a whetstone. For delvers. It's not a friendly place. Having Sofia there, a second ally, someone we can trust... that's more fortunate than you're admitting."

"Sofia. An ally."

"C'mon, Nat. I know you two are bristly, but we're in this together."

"You think she thinks that? Sofia'll dump us the moment it benefits her."

Jordan frowned. "You can't believe that."

Natalie's first response—that she did believe that—fizzled up. She sniffed. "Well. Maybe not. But that doesn't mean I think she'll throw herself on a sword for us."

"I'm saying she's an ally," Jordan said, rolling her eyes. "Not our blood-sworn subordinate. Allies will be useful to have at Tenet."

"Sure. I guess. But she's out to make a name for herself, first and foremost."

"And we aren't?"

"I mean... not first and foremost. It's just up there. Obviously you'd come first, if something happened."

Jordan paused, then glanced away. "Well, yeah." She cleared her throat. "You too. That's a given." She tilted her head, peaking into the hallway. "Ah, she's here."

Sofia walked in.

Or, strode in. Sofia had always moved with a certain... arrogance. Some people would call it confidence, but Natalie knew better. Her squared shoulders and lifted chin were intentional; Sofia showcasing, through body language, what she thought of everyone else... and her position relative to them.

She was dressed comfortably, in jeans and a loose, frilly pale blue shirt. That was hardly a rare event, but Natalie had grown used to seeing Sofia in adventuring gear: leather armor, with a weapon at her hip. Usually a rapier. Sofia had always preferred a more elegant style of fighting than Natalie. They were both close-combat fighters, but inside that category, they couldn't be much different.

Sofia was a short girl, shorter than Natalie by a significant amount, and a bit more than Jordan, who was an average height. Something about the way she held herself didn't make her seem short, though. She had a presence twice her size.

A distinctly annoying presence. These days, just the sight of her irritated Natalie.

"Natalie. Jordan." Her words were crisp, deliberately so. Sofia had always been someone who cared too much about appearances. Her neatly trimmed eyebrows, perfect hair, and outfit gave it away. Natalie had always thrown on whatever she had available; she'd never cared whether what she was wearing was fashionable. What kind of adventurer did? "The day's finally arrived." Sofia's piercing blue eyes surveyed the cabin. "I'm glad all three of us made it."

Natalie snorted. She saw the dig. "Came as a surprise that I did, did it?"

Sofia spared a glance for her, then sat down on the opposite end of Jordan's bench, next to the window. She tucked her backpack underneath the seat. "Sensitive as always. I was being genuine."

Another snort.

Jordan gave Natalie a look. Natalie had seen it before; 'play nice,' Jordan was saying.

Natalie guessed for the sake of keeping the peace, she'd try. Even if Sofia had been the one to start it. A five hour trip would be miserable if she and Sofia were bickering the whole way. And bickering might be ninety percent of their relationship, but stuck in a confined space, together, it would quickly become a headache for everyone involved.

And there was some truth to what Jordan had been saying. Sofia wasn't their friend, but the three of them were from Tinford. They'd grown up together; their parents were friends. That counted for something.

The train shuddered, then started to move. Sofia must have been one of the last to board. She'd cut it close.

"So," Jordan said. "I was wondering if the three of us could talk practicals."

"Meaning?" Sofia asked.

"Our plans. For Tenet. Are we teaming up?"

"In what regard?"

Jordan shrugged. "Well. You've heard the stories. Tenet isn't all delving and training. There's cliques. Politics. Seeing how we're all nobodies, we should stick together."

"I presumed we would. It needs clarification?"

Jordan gave Natalie a sideways glance—'See?' it said. Natalie fake-sneered at her. Sure, whatever. Sofia wasn't a snake, she was just annoying. Natalie had already admitted that.

"But delving?" Jordan asked. "I realize that's more than a week away, before Tenet lets us into the dungeon, but tentatively? Assuming we don't work out something better."

"With two fighters and a rogue?" Sofia asked.

"It's not ideal," Jordan said. "But Nat..." she trailed off, shooting a concerned look Natalie's way.

Natalie rolled her eyes, then said, "You can tell her." Natalie hadn't come clean to the rest of Tinford, but it wasn't like she would be able to hide it from Sofia. They'd be rubbing shoulders for the next four years.

"Nat's class isn't wholly a fighter type," Jordan said. "She got a paladin class. So, more a versatile tank, than anything."

Sofia's eyebrows shot up, and she looked, incredulously, at Natalie.

Natalie crossed her arms, unable to stop herself from getting defensive. "I'll figure it out, okay? Not my forte, or whatever, but that doesn't matter."

"A paladin," Sofia repeated. "You. A mage hybrid."

Natalie sneered at her.

"I'm just surprised," Sofia said. "How did that happen? And why am I just learning it?"

"Because you're my first confidante, are you?"

"I mean, that you lied. To everyone else. Didn't you? Why?"

Natalie's squeezed her crossed arms tighter. Because of this, she didn't say. Sofia's incredulous reaction to what everyone would've known was an ill-fitting class... it would've been mirrored a hundred times over, by other residents of Tinford. Even Mom and Dad, probably.

"I didn't lie," Natalie said. She'd simply... omitted relevant details.

"The point is," Jordan said, interrupting the tension. "That a paladin, a duelist, and a rogue isn't a horrible composition."

"It could be worse," Sofia said coolly, turning to Jordan. "But it's not ideal."

"Sometimes we don't get ideal," Jordan said. "It's what we make of things. And again. No hard commitments. But we've worked with each other. Know each others styles, habits. That's important in a team. Maybe more than a perfect composition."

"Mm," Sofia said. "I'm still caught up on the paladin thing. What sort of skills did you get?"