Chương 581: Chapter Five Hundred and Sixty-Six - No Redshirts Allowed

"So... that Black Crater has to be the foundation for the Black Fortress thing, right?" I asked as we were walking back to the Beaver.

"Ah, no?" Awen said.

"It can't be."

"It can't?" I asked.

"Professor Celiga said that the fortress was on an island, right? This... is a plateau?" I looked around and, yeah, okay, we weren't on anything resembling an island.

"But the Black Crater is nearby! It could be on an island?"

"I didn't notice any islands on our approach," Amaryllis said.

"Though there could be. There is a cove, just to the southwest of here that we didn't fly over. There could be an island there... a small one, admittedly, but it could exist."

"Then that's where we should explore next. Once we're done fixing up this dungeon." I bobbed my head in a nod. That seemed like a great plan to me.

"I suppose," Amaryllis said.

"Perhaps helping this backwater will earn us enough goodwill that they'll be willing to help."

"Don't call them that," I chided.

"It's rude... probably? Anyway! Are we just going to scout the dungeon out, or should we all head over, prepared to tackle it all at once?" I asked. It was a couple of hours past noon. Usually that wouldn't be too bad, but the sun set early this time of year, so we only had a couple more hours of sunlight before we'd be working in the dark.

"If we're going to do things, I'd like to do them quickly. Lingering around here is making my feathers itch." I wouldn't want to be the cause for itchy feathers, so maybe it would be best to head out as equipped as we could be.

"I'll ask and see who wants to come. We should bring supplies for a day or two, just in case it's a tricky dungeon. And it might not be a bad idea to have some friends waiting for us outside of the dungeon, in case something goes wrong."

"So, two teams?" Amaryllis asked.

"I suppose that's not a terrible idea. Redundancy may well help. I'll be on the main exploratory team, of course."

"Of course," I said.

"Ah... the monsters are knights, so it's probably a knight class... that doesn't really interest me." Awen said.

"Um, I think I'll stay out?" We talked about who should or shouldn't come until we made it back to the Beaver. There, I had the entire crew gather up for a few quick announcements.

"Okay everyone!" I said.

"We're going to help this town with a little problem they have with a local dungeon. It's probably a knight-themed one, and it might hold a few clues about the Black Avatars. We're going to form three teams. One group will stay on the Beaver to keep him safe. A second will camp out near the dungeon, in case of trouble, and a third will go in, to clear the dungeon out and see what's making it act up."

"I wouldn't mind a spot of camping," Calamity said.

'Who's with me?" Surprisingly, all three of the Scallywags raised their hands.

"You three?" I asked.

"Sure," Sally said with a shrug.

"Never spent too much time out of the city. Might learn a thing or two. And the Beaver's nice, but some fresh air can't hurt."

"Yeah. Need to stretch my legs a little," Joe added. Oda shrugged next to him, and it looked like he was just along for the ride.

"Okay," I said.

"So, who's staying at the Beaver then?"

"I will," Awen said. She wasn't alone. None of the harpy crew wanted to leave, really, and I didn't blame them. The ship would probably be a lot comfier.

"Okay, that leaves... me, Amaryllis, Desiree, Caprica and Bastion for the dungeon team?" That was a nice mix!

"That sounds correct," Bastion said.

"For a simpler, already-explored dungeon, I'd think that this would make a fine team. Though I'm worried that this isn't simple, or well-explored. We'll be venturing into the unknown, with no idea of the level of threat we'll be facing."

"As long as you're there, I'm sure we'll all be safe," Caprica said.

"Overestimating oneself has been the death of several paladins," Bastion warned.

"But yes. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, princess. As long as you finish penning that letter." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Caprica pouted very strongly, but it did nothing to hide the bit of red on her cheeks.

"We should be ready for anything, then," Amaryllis said.

"That means packing food, supplies, probably ropes, any potions and first-aid materials we can stuff in a bag, spare weapons, armour... c'mon, let's get going. We might not have all day here, and the sunlight's burning." She was probably right! I rushed out to my room and started packing. I had a go-bag of sorts (it was really just the backpack I'd worn around while adventuring and which I never really unpacked fully) and some extra bits of armour that I hadn't been wearing for comfort's sake.

I geared up, then hesitated. I had two weapons hanging on the wall of my room. My trusty old spade, with me for a long while and fantastic at bonking, and next to it Weedbane, my unfolding warscythe. The only information I had on the monsters of this dungeon were that they looked like knights. Were knights weaker to scythes or shovels? I decided on Weedbane. It was a bit harder to use, but it could stab well. That sounded like it would help punch through steel plate, or whatever the knights were wearing.

After checking the fittings on my armour to make sure everything was snug (had I grown a little? Some of them were a bit tight. I'd gotten my armour... a couple of months ago, so I couldn't have grown too much since then, right? Did I gain a bit of weight? A pinch at my tummy suggested that no. Weird) I checked myself in the mirror, then looked at my collection of hats for a moment before picking up my old turtle helm and tugging it on. New Skill Acquired: Turtling Rank: E Nice! I felt more prepared already.

I checked my shoelaces to make sure they were nice and snug, tucked my blouse properly into the hem of my skirt, then lugged on my backpack and made sure it was on snug.

"Ready!" I called out as I left my quarters. I almost bumped into Desiree who was looking more or less ready too. She was in that tunic we'd bought her, and pants, with only a small borrowed backpack over her cloak.

"I suppose I'm ready as well," she said with a swish of her tails.

"Hmm," I said. We really needed to stop by a city and get Desiree better adventuring gear. The clothes she had on looked nice and tough, and they looked like quality, but it wasn't armour. Not that I wanted to see all of my friends in full plate, that would make hugs really clangy, but it would make me feel a bit better.

"We should see about getting you some proper explorer's gear," I said.

"Did you want a hat? I have a few to spare?" Desiree smiled.

"I'll be fine. I'm a caster, not one of those fancy melee-fighters."

"Yeah, but sometimes you don't get an option with that kind of thing, and I'm not just worried about like... punchy opponents. Sometimes we might have to crawl around, and then what'll happen to your knees? And what if you bump your head on an outcropping!" I wasn't going to try to introduce workplace safety to the Exploration Guild. The old-timers like Abraham would throw a fit if I did. That didn't mean that I wanted my friends to be unsafe! We quickly raided the kitchen to grab some stuff from the pantry.

There was some bread that was going a bit hard that I stuffed into my pack, and a few other little things that would keep. I made sure to fill two jugs with some water as well. I could always Clean water for drinking, but that didn't mean that we'd find water to drink. Desiree and I climbed onto the top deck of the Beaver and found my friends decked out and ready to go. The Scallywags had some tarp, and a few planks with them. When I looked at the stuff, Oda stepped up and explained.

"We're going to build a tent," he said.

"Oh, okay?" That looked like enough stuff to build a small hut, but I was never one for camping so what did I know?

"Alright! Is everyone ready, then? Let's go! We've got a dungeon to delve and a town to save and Avatars to find!"