The conversation shifted after that, to talk of food and, later,
clothing, which featured Alfric giving a characteristically in-depth
talk on what was best for both traveling and going into a dungeon. Then,
after
And then they were at the markers for the hex border, where Mizuki asked for a brief rest before they went through.
“Doesn’t it make more sense to rest after we’re through?” asked Verity as she sat down on a nearby rock.
“Nah,” said Mizuki. “Here, at least, it’s a nice day. Once we’re past the markers and we do the warp, who knows? Six miles away, and at least a little bit up, it might be cold and damp, right?”
“I suppose,” Verity said with a shrug. She had her own pack, which, like Mizuki’s, was slung over one shoulder. From this, she pulled out a waterskin and took a long drink. “Another mile and a half to go?”
“Just about,” said Alfric. “From what I’ve heard, the way should be pretty easy to find. And once we’re there, it’s the second dungeon. We’ll take a bit of a break before we go in. Is everyone feeling up to it?”
“I guess,” said Mizuki.
“Oh, I’m eager,” said Hannah. “Too long between, in my opinion.”
“I’m prepared,” said Verity. “Not eager though.”
“I’ve practiced with the bow and arrows,” said Isra.
“And?” asked Alfric.
“It depends on what we run into,” Isra replied with a shrug. “To draw and aim while walking alongside an arrow is more difficult than I had thought.”
“I’m sure you’ll do well,” said Alfric. He turned to Mizuki. “You think it’ll be easier on you?”
“Casting?” asked Mizuki.
“Mentally,” said Alfric, tapping his head.
“Should be easier the second time,” said Mizuki. “Right?”
“Not always,” said Alfric. “For some, they build it up in their head. The first time they go in, they underestimate, and then the second time, they overestimate. I just want to help you any way that I can.”
“But not the others?” asked Mizuki.
“The others too,” he nodded, and he sounded so earnest that it was hard to take offense at the implication that she was the weak link. Her hackles, which had begun to rise, went back down.
“Thank you,” said Mizuki. “But I think I’ll be fine.”
Alfric nodded and took a drink from his own waterskin. It was a warm spring day, with a nice breeze, but they had all worked up a bit of a sweat from walking. For a moment, they just sat there, stretching their legs, and Mizuki wished that it could just be this, sitting around with—well, ‘friends’ was probably pushing it, but they were party members, and that was something. If the whole of the business could be walking places with friends, she’d have no qualms about being a dungeoneer, not if it was with these people.
Then the break was over, and they went through the pillars that marked the hex boundary, far enough that there’d be absolutely no risk of winding up back in Pucklechurch, though Hannah thought that was a rather silly concern.
Mizuki’s ears popped from the pressure difference when she arrived at the warp point with the others, and she stepped out of the small, covered landing to take in the view. It had been quite some time since she’d been to Traeg’s Knob, probably at least five years, with her parents, come to think of it, though she’d been a bit old for sledding. For all she could remember, it was her first time in Traeg’s Knob when it wasn’t winter, if she didn’t count just passing through.
The view was gorgeous, with the woodlands unmarred by farms and a large lake that stretched out away from the bottom of the hill in one direction. No one picked where the warp points were, they were just at the center of every hex, and it was the sort of thing that people complained about, from time to time, though not about the one in Pucklechurch, which was almost exactly in the center of town. Traeg’s Knob was a large hill though, which seemed perfect to Mizuki, better placement than other warp points, at least from her knowledge of the local area. The air was crisp up on the hill, and the skies were clear, with the breeze that they’d felt six miles away more of a proper wind. Mizuki could tell that the heat was bleeding from her skin, and in another five minutes, she would probably be cold, but she had a pack with her change of clothes in it, along with her cloak, so that didn’t matter so much.
“So untamed,” said Alfric. “Hardly any houses.”
There were a few, but he was right, there weren’t many. The public places were up on top of the hill, and there were houses there too, but no more than five. A few more were down at the edge of the lake, each of them with its own small dock, but those numbered no more than five either.
“How many people in the whole of this hex?” asked Mizuki.
“Not many,” said Hannah, nodding. “A hundred, all told. A square mile of land each, I would think.”
