This Used To Be About Dungeons полностью

“The five of us together could almost swing a vote for hexmaster,” said Verity. “Do they even vote, when it’s this size?”

“You’d better believe they do,” replied Hannah. “And they’re properly fierce about it, most of the time. The fewer people in a hex, the more power each of the masters has, comparatively. And of course, most of them know each other, save perhaps those at the hex edge, which can make it more bitter.”

“The system of masters wasn’t designed for a hex with a population this small,” said Alfric.

“They have more wilderness than Pucklechurch,” said Isra.

“Ay,” said Hannah. “But Pucklechurch itself is fairly wild. Not too much of it is farmed.”

“A quarter,” said Isra.

“A quarter,” agreed Alfric, though Mizuki had no idea how he’d know that. “But that’s not much, by the standards of a truly civilized place.”

“I don’t think I would like civilized places,” said Isra.

“No, perhaps not,” said Alfric. He took a deep breath. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” said Hannah. “Lead the way.”

They walked down the dirt path, which was well maintained, and in a few places where it got steep, there were stone steps placed into the earth. Mizuki wished that she had a walking stick and was on the lookout for one, but the trees were mostly pine trees, which seemed less likely to give up a proper walking stick than a maple. She wondered, idly, whether she should buy a staff in Liberfell. A staff seemed like a proper sorcerer’s implement, though she was afraid some wizard would come by and accuse her of pretending at wizarding. Wizards used their staffs—staves?—for something, though Mizuki had no idea what, and it probably depended upon the wizard. There were only a handful of wizards in Pucklechurch, and she’d given them all a wide berth. There were historical disagreements between their two professions.

The shade over the path was a welcome change of pace from the fields they’d been walking beside in the Pucklechurch hex, and Mizuki found herself enjoying the damp, earthy scent and the cool air on her skin so much that she was surprised when they reached the portal to the Traeg’s Knob dungeon. She had, momentarily, forgotten that they had come all this way with a goal in mind.

“I need to change,” said Mizuki. She gestured to Alfric that he should turn around, and he did promptly and without questioning it. “I won’t be long.”

“Do you want me to turn around too?” asked Hannah.

“What?” asked Mizuki, who was halfway through removing her top. “Why?”

“Well,” said Hannah, “I don’t know, because you don’t want me looking?”

“Uh,” said Mizuki, still frozen in place.

“I just thought,” said Hannah. “Seein’ as you want him to turn around because it wouldn’t be proper, and it wouldn’t be proper because of his assumed interest, that you might want me to turn too.”

“I was told this wouldn’t be long, though I am enjoying the view of the woods,” said Alfric, who apparently could crack a joke, when he set his mind to it.

“I’ll turn,” said Hannah, turning her back to Mizuki. “Not that I have an interest, mind, but it’s the assumed interest, I s’pose.” She kept her back turned. “Though I’d think it would be enough for you to trust that I wouldn’t leer, even if I did have interest in your body, which I don’t, same as Alfric.”

Verity and Isra had both turned too, without saying anything about it, and Mizuki was left to hurry putting on her dungeoneering outfit as quickly as she could. She hadn’t meant anything by asking Alfric to turn, it had just been, well—he probably would have turned without being asked, or at least looked away as though she wasn’t in a state of undress, and Mizuki felt foolish for having made even a minor thing of it and a bit peeved that Hannah had called attention to it. And now, with all of them turned away, Mizuki was feeling a deep embarrassment about the whole thing.

“Done,” said Mizuki as she put on her helm.

Hannah turned back around and burst out laughing. “You look so cute!” she said.

“You were the one who helped me pick this out,” said Mizuki, crossing her arms.

“You look like a little boy playing soldier,” said Verity, who was looking Mizuki up and down.

“It’s for safety,” said Mizuki. “Sorry I didn’t pick up some sexy dungeon clothes.”

“I think having Hannah pick might have been a mistake,” said Isra, who was furrowing her brow.

“Well, it is functional,” said Hannah. “Not my fault that Mizuki looks odd in that kind of thing.” That Hannah was wearing almost exactly the same outfit, with a button-down shirt, long pants, and heavy boots, seemed to not be an issue to anyone, even Mizuki. It was, Mizuki reflected, because that kind of look suited Hannah, who was more heavyset and had a look of cheerful, if serious business about her. Mizuki was, comparatively, a wimp.

“You know, I have the most raw destructive potential of anyone here,” said Mizuki. “By a wide margin.”