Dungeons and Dalliances Ch. 001-016

The first thing that popped into Natalie's head was the... less appropriate skills she'd received with her class. But obviously those were staying a secret to everyone but Jordan. If the three of them were working on the assumption their first delves would be together, then Sofia would need to know Natalie's skills, but only the relevant ones. She'd learn them, regardless, during spars and training.

"An illusion," Natalie said.

"An illusion?" The raised eyebrows were back. "Not a heal? Or an empowerment?"

"Not a standard paladin, I guess." Not that a 'standard paladin' existed. It was a rather varied class. It depended on the god, or aspect, one received.

"Who's your patron?" Sofia paused, then huffed. "You. A paladin. With a patron. So ridiculous."

Natalie agreed, but she took offense, anyway. "That's none of your business." Not that Natalie even knew who her patron was. There were a few options for who a 'goddess of lust' could be. None were given the title outright, at least, not from what Natalie's research had shown. It could be any of several... the goddess of love, or fertility, or, in some interpretations, wickedness and sin. Again, it didn't really matter. The skills she received, she received. Didn't matter what her patron's name was.

"I suppose not," Sofia said. "What else?"

"The illusion's the important one." And, unfortunately, the only practical one. It wasn't the best level-one starting kit. But if Natalie had had something else, like a skill that made her faster, or stronger, it wouldn't be something she'd need to divulge to Sofia. Teammates were expected to share the general strokes—the key skills they'd be interacting with—but not their entire kit.

Some did, of course. It just wasn't a hard requirement.

"Hm," Sofia said. "Either way, an illusion sounds versatile. But you'll need to practice."

Natalie bit her tongue on a retort. "Yeah. I will." Sofia had a way of sounding condescending, even when it wasn't her intent.

"It's a shame your unlocking happened so soon to intake day," Sofia said. "You didn't have much time to adjust."

Yeah. That was definitely a problem. Natalie would rather not have been reminded of it. "I'll figure it out," Natalie repeated, half a mutter. She'd been experimenting with the skill in the past two days, and not made much progress. She wasn't, as she'd mentioned, a natural when it came to spell casting.

The solution was obvious. She'd just have to make up for it in other ways.

Other ways.

The... stranger parts of her class. Natalie would need to make the most of them.

1.12 - Arrival

They arrived to Aradon just past noon. The three of them collected their belongings and set off for Tenet.

Walking through the busy streets of Aradon was a spectacle. She had never seen anything like the tall, vibrant architecture that packed Valhaur's capital city. What surprised her most was the sheer density of everything. The buildings weren't the only thing cram-packed; the people, too, swarmed the streets, milling about their daily lives.

Natalie felt out of place. Even Illesa had seemed like a big city compared to Tinford, but here was a real city. More people streamed through this one street than all of Tinford might hold. It was chaotic. As expected of the most populous city in the country. It was, after all, a civilization built atop a dungeon entrance... one of only thirteen in the world. Of course half the world—or what felt like it—had settled down here.

Fortunately, the throng cleared out as they approached Tenet's gated entrance. The three of them provided their names, and the guards checked a list then let them through. It wasn't a high-security set up, just enough to keep Aradon's general populace out. The Delving Academy was located deep in the city, not more than a ten minute walk from the dungeon entrance.

The guards provided directions, though they were redundant considering the signage everywhere. Today was intake day, and Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan weren't the only ones lugging around backpacks and suitcases, seeking out their varying destinations. The non-newbies were obvious, compared to the regulars, the delvers who'd completed one or more semesters already. Natalie noted a mixture of expressions sent their way: amusement, annoyance, sometimes disdain. Natalie gave dirty looks right back to those who provided the last. She'd never been a person to ignore that sort of thing.

Which might cause problems for her, making the wrong enemies. While she, Sofia, and Jordan were nobodies, that wasn't usually the case for a place like Tenet. The Delving Academy was as old as the dirt it was built atop. It'd existed for thousands of years... because there'd always been need to train delvers. The dungeon had provided for the citizens of Valhaur—the world—since forever. Its student body, therefore, was similarly prestigious.

And sure, the Academy might not always have been these tall, gleaming stonebrick buildings, with well-maintained greenery and elegant magitech lamps scattering the pathways across the campus, but it'd existed in lesser forms. Like Aradon itself, it'd grown and grown, until it was one of the premier fixtures on the continent.

It was intimidating. Natalie still couldn't fully believe she'd qualified... that all three of them had. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Natalie had grown up hearing about how talented she was, but still. Tenet was for... prodigies might be too strong of a word. But only the best. That all three of them—from the middle of nowhere—had been accepted really was an unusual thing.

The signs, and the guards' directions, led them to an in-processing building. There, Natalie was separated from Jordan and Sofia as the three of them went about their administrative duties. Eventually, Nataliem, having properly registered with Tenet and documented her arrival—and received an I.D. that verified she was permitted on campus—set off to the dormitories.

Dormitories was the wrong word. First-semester students started out in barracks—communal living areas that housed twenty to forty Tenet students each. That was obviously a lot of bodies to pack into a space, no matter how big... and the barracks weren't big. Students' introductions to Tenet were intentionally uncomfortable. All the more to encourage them to escape, using the token system. Incentives. Tenet was all about incentives, urging aspirational delvers to work harder, out-pace their peers... earn more, compete.

A whetstone, Jordan had called the school.

Communal living, though. A few days ago—before her unlocking—Natalie hadn't been stressed by the idea at all. She wouldn't call herself shy, or uneasy around large groups of people. She'd figured it would be annoying, definitely, but not anxiety-inducing—not something she was worried about. A temporary problem. She'd be able to move out soon enough, and really, what would she care if other people saw her half-dressed or naked as she went about her morning routine?

Obviously, a new problem had presented itself, there. The changes to her biology that had come with her class. With that development taken into account, the idea of living with dozens of other girls in a cramped, communal space was far more daunting. Because even if she was careful to not reveal her secret, she might be found out, anyway.

By accident. Say, in the morning. When she pitched a tent, completely unwillingly... which Natalie had discovered she did, without fail. The new equipment between her legs wasn't considerate in the slightest.

With a blanket covering her, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but if she threw the covers off at night? Natalie might give herself away. Which wouldn't be the end of the world, but would introduce some questions—from a variety of sources—that Natalie would simply rather not answer. The odd, lewd details to her class, she'd prefer if nobody discovered besides Jordan.

Not to mention the embarrassment. Getting caught with morning wood would have plenty of that, just by its own.

Maybe it was happening each morning because she wasn't taking care of it. For the past several days leading up to ship-off day, she'd been pretending it didn't exist. Jordan, too, hadn't brought it up much... though they'd been kissing once a day, harvesting energy. That was its own mess. Natalie didn't let her thoughts linger on how much she liked those kisses.

What a situation to be in, right? Natalie hadn't come to terms with it. In the frenzy of the past two days, preparing to ship off for Tenet, and in the wake of her unexpected, intimate interactions with Jordan, Natalie had pushed the rather important thing between her legs to the back of her mind.

She'd have to come to terms with it, eventually. Both mentally, and practically speaking. Just, she wasn't sure where to begin... and pretending nothing had happened was so much easier.

Its introduction, too, had made her eyes start snagging to the curves of women with even more frequency than they had before—and Natalie had never been the most reserved girl in the first place. Though, it wasn't something impossible to put out of mind. She could ignore the inappropriate thoughts. And thankfully, it wasn't so big it couldn't be physically hidden, either. Loose pants had done wonders for her. Thankfully, a relaxed style had already been her standard when it came to fashion.

Taking a deep breath, ready to meet her twenty-to-forty temporary roommates, Natalie walked into squat, rectangular building that served as the first-year's barracks.

1.13 - Barracks

'First-year barracks' wasn't a wholly correct way to describe the accommodations. Technically, there weren't any policies mandating that a person bought their way out of the shared living space, not that Natalie knew of. So there could be second-years, or fourth, for that matter.

But any reasonable person would get out of the barracks as soon as possible. Even the most long-suffering didn't want to be crammed in with dozens of other students, especially in what wasn't so much a room as a long hall lined shoulder-to-shoulder with beds and lockers.

Natalie had arrived late, relatively speaking. Tinford was in the far south of Valhaur, and the five-hour train-ride was longer than the vast majority of students had needed to travel.

Walking slowly in, wearing her backpack and lugging her suitcase in one hand, Natalie scanned her surroundings, looking for Jordan. There were no guarantees they'd be roomed together. Considering the size of the barracks, though, there weren't horrible odds. Natalie didn't have an idea how big Tenet's yearly student-intake was, but surely not more than a few hundred.

Which still meant roughly eight barracks of this size. So not great odds, either. But random chance might bless them. Natalie tried not to get her hopes up, because she doubted they'd land the one-in-eight dice toss. She'd never be so lucky.

Peering around, hopes deflating, she didn't see Jordan's black hair tied up in a bun. And even worse than that... something else caught her eye.

Hair, of a more distinct, recognizable quality.

White hair.

Natalie barely didn't groan. Sofia. Of course she'd gotten placed in Sofia's barracks.

And, as Natalie finished looking around the long hall with growing dread, she realized something else. All of the beds were claimed. Not all had their occupants present, but all were claimed. Literally. Every single one, besides a single. Natalie was the last of the barracks suite to arrive—and Sofia had been second to last.

And guess where the only open bed was?

Natalie couldn't quite fight off the groan, understanding the fate that had befallen her. The nearest student—a short girl with brown hair—gave her an odd look, which forced Natalie to compose herself. It was best she didn't earn a reputation for eccentricity that fast after arriving.

The event was organic, not coincidence. As the last to arrive because of their long trip from Tinford, she and Sofia had received the two least-desired beds of the grouping—the ones in the middle of the rows, and directly beneath the cooling glyphs engraved into the ceiling. Not only would the hum of magic be the most audible there, she and Sofia would be getting blasted with cold air whenever they were active. Considering they were in a Valhaurian summer... pretty often. Not to mention the foot traffic, being sandwiched in by everyone.

Natalie sighed. Honestly, all of the above didn't bother her. She'd been braced for misery, coming to Tenet. Hardship was one of the appeals, even. She was starting her future as a delver... and delvers didn't have easy lives. This was more or less what she'd expected.

But why Sofia?

Well. Looking on the bright side, it wasn't like Natalie would be at the barracks often. She'd be out training, studying, or otherwise being productive. With forty roommates, she doubted anyone would be spending much time here, besides for sleeping.

As Natalie walked down the long barracks hall, she took in the living space in greater detail. There was an economy of design in the layout... because how else would they cram everyone shoulder-to-shoulder?

Each student had a slightly elevated bed (where underneath, it seemed, shoes were going), a locker, and a chest at the foot of their bed. Not much storage space, hence Natalie's—and everyone else's—limited luggage. The locker, one of which Natalie could see inside as she walked toward her inevitable fate, was fairly deep, and had a rod plus provided hangers to hang clothes from. There was a mirror inside, and a glyph for producing light. Also, several drawers of varying sizes. All in all, about what she'd expected. Simple accommodations.

The chest probably wasn't worth mentioning. There were locks and keys for each. It was where anything valuable would go. Though, Natalie doubted there were many thieves at Tenet. Of the mundane sort, she meant... there might be a few [Thieves] of various sorts.

As she'd already mused over, only a tiny portion of their studentbase were in Natalie, Jordan, and Sofia's situation... which was to say, not obscenely rich. The kinds of people qualifying usually had generational wealth—and training—behind them, helping them reach this point. Why would they steal anything?

But still. A lockbox was nice to have, for peace of mind. Even if she didn't have anything valuable monetarily, she had sentimental belongings whose safety she'd want ensured.

The bed was tiny, though enough to fit a single person comfortably. The sheets were made with crisp edges. Natalie wondered how long that would last—the sharp, organized condition of everything here. Sure, Tenet had policies for keeping their living spaces in good condition, but they weren't, to her knowledge, overly strict.

The similarities to a military academy were visible, but Tenet wasn't such, not actually. She might be required to make her bed in the morning, but there wouldn't be drills, or instructors inspecting for the smallest infraction. That wasn't, ultimately, what Tenet was here to encourage. Conformity wasn't the goal. Conformity was the opposite of the goal. They wanted students who stood out as starkly as possible.

Despite the cramped layout, the quality of everything was outstanding. The barracks sparkled, floor to ceiling. There wasn't a single scuff-mark or patch of discolored paint. Tenet was the premier training academy in all of Valhaur... and likely in the top five for the world. Funding wasn't a problem. How could it be? The students who left this campus, having graduated, were a collection of professionals who powered a staggering amount of the Valhaurian economy just by themselves. Monster cores grew in strength exponentially, and so the strongest adventurers hoisted society up on their shoulders, essentially, with the loot they dragged back from a delve. And a decent portion of that esteemed echelon of society came from Tenet.

Low- and mid-rank adventurers were just... kind of there. Trying to reach those heights. Certainly useful, but a mid-rank monster core provided a sliver of a fraction of what a high-rank core did.

Tenet's goal was to create high-rankers. The best. Hence, their exacting standards, and the systems they'd designed, carefully, to force competition—and thus growth.

Like being stuck in a shitty, cramped barracks, and having to buy your way out through their token system. Tokens, which were earned in a variety of ways... but most notably, the obvious. Delving.

Or academic excellence. And academic excellence at a delving academy meant, most prominently, combat prowess. So more or less the same thing.

Sofia had her suitcase laid out across her bed, and she was unpacking her belongings into her locker.

Natalie arrived to her bed. Sofia looked up and saw her.

She grimaced.

"Preaching to the choir, Sofia," Natalie said sourly, thumping her own suitcase onto the only open bed. "Preaching to the choir."

1.14 - Others

"Well," Sofia said. "I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world."

"Speak for yourself," Natalie muttered.

"We've already determined we'd be moving in together. So while unpleasant, it's hardly something we weren't prepared for."

Their future as a potential team hadn't been the only thing Jordan had prompted the three of them to talk about on their way to Tenet. The token system, too, they'd discussed... or more accurately, pooling their resources to get out of the barracks. They intended to move in together.

Natalie supposed she was fortunate the Tenet campus didn't function on 'real currency', and that just about everything—including niceties, and delving loot both, or anything else—functioned on their proprietary 'tokens'. Because it meant she wasn't behind the rest of the campus when it came to finances. They were all starting on even footing.

Which, Natalie had to assume was a bit of a shock to some of them, who'd grown up with silver spoons and droves of servants.

"That would've been when we had our own rooms," Natalie said. "I was supposed to be free from you, in the barracks."

The one redeeming quality of their starting accommodations.

"Hm," Sofia said. "Yes. Well. We can't always get what we want." She returned to unpacking.

Natalie took the hint; they could ignore each other. If they managed that, then maybe this wouldn't be the torture Natalie thought it would be.

As she went about the monotonous task of unpacking, she stole glances—subtly, as to not be caught staring—at the rest of her so-called roommates. Barracks-mates?

Despite the number of beds, less than half—maybe around a third—had their occupant nearby. Most people had come in, unpacked, then left to handle the rest of their in-processing duties, or otherwise to explore campus, shower, eat, or whatever else.

It was a colorful collection of people. Not only did Tenet draw applicants from all across the country—and plenty from neighboring, allied countries too—but fashion this far north was different from what Natalie knew. Or maybe that was the fault of Natalie's upbringing in a rural area.

Either way, dyed hair hadn't been common back home, as it was here. The girls with neon shades—pink, blue, green, violet—weren't the majority, but maybe a third had the bright, eye-catching colors. Several had mixtures of the bright hues. Some only had streaks, rather than dying themselves entirely.

Natalie was a fan. Of the hair, at least. Not much the rest of typical northern Valhaurian fashion, which was, like the hair, bright and attention grabbing... but too much so.

A few girls in particular, Natalie's attention gravitated to. She continued to unpack, stealing glances. Some of them might be future classmates, and were, at a minimum, competition... or potential delving teammates. Tenet's years were too large to know everyone individually, but making connections would be important. Natalie didn't intend to seclude herself.