Dungeons and Dalliances

Natalie hadn’t put too much thought into the training weapon she’d grabbed back at the courtyard, but for the first day of spars, she needed to be smarter.

Tenet’s armory—the smaller one situated inside the training facility—hosted everything a person could need: a swathe of fighting utensils so varied Natalie couldn’t help but gawk. She shook the reaction off—she was from the backwaters, but she didn’t have to showcase it—and focused. Instructor Robin had said she wanted to be expeditious about things. In, then out, so they could make use of their first day, rather than being stuck in the armory for the entire hour and a half.

Natalie had put some thought into which weapon she’d be settling with, even if she hadn’t fully decided. In the case of one-on-one combat against another human—rather than a towering, snarling beast, or whatever else might be found in the dungeon—a small round shield and a light one-handed weapon was the obvious choice. She was leaning toward a hammer, over a mace or a sword, her other two choices. She’d never liked axes, even if she could use them.

It wasn’t the most logical of decisions: just, a paladin seemed to fit with a hammer. Plus, they were frankly easier to use than a sword. Natalie was still getting used to spellcasting, so having the extra mental overhead would be useful.

Natalie picked out a hammer from the rack. It was of mundane make, not magical, like the ones found in dungeons or from surface monsters. She tested its balance, satisfied. It was made properly, unlike the prop wooden ones at the mage’s hall. It had a solid heftiness to it Natalie took solace in. He’d do some serious damage, swung right.

Someone appeared to Natalie’s side, and she looked over, sensing them. It was the black-haired girl with the blue streak in her hair.

“Hi,” she greeted Natalie, sticking her hand out. “I’m Liz. You’re Natalie, right?”

She knew her name? And, like earlier impressions had suggested, Liz didn’t have a remote problem with coming up to a stranger and brightly introducing herself.

“Uh, yeah,” Natalie said. “Nat is fine. How’d you know?”

“Well, you just seem like a Natalie.”

Natalie raised her eyebrows. The goofy grin made it obvious Liz was joking, but the exuberant friendliness took a second to adjust to.

“Right,” she said.

“Nah, kidding. I heard you three talking, earlier. Caught your names.”

Natalie had figured as much. “Well. Nice to meet you. We’re in the same barracks, I think?”

“Barracks seven! Represent. We’ve gotta show the rest of these losers what we’re made of.” Another goofy grin.

“Guess we do,” Natalie said, amused.

“You’re an, um, fighter?” She nodded at the hammer Natalie had picked out.

“Yeah.” Natalie looked down at the weapon. “Er, no. Kind of. Paladin. Fighter-mage. Probably gonna fill the tank role.” Then, because the response had been scatter-brained, Natalie gave an excuse: “My unlocking was a few days ago. Didn’t get what I expected, so I’m still adjusting.”

Liz made a noise of sympathy. “A few days? Sheesh, that’s no time at all. That’s gotta suck.”

“Better than the other way around,” Natalie said with a shrug. “Missing the deadline and having to wait for the next year.” Though, the total lack of preparation time would show. It’d be hard to make a good first impression. She was starting from behind.

“That’s true.”

“And you?” Natalie asked.

“Guess!” Liz seemed inordinately excited at the prospect. She leaned forward on the balls of her feet and started bouncing. “Almost everyone gets it. I’m a stereotype!”

Why was she so excited by that? Natalie continued to be amused. And yeah, she could guess this girl’s role. “Healer.” If she’d ever seen one, it would be her.

Liz snapped and pointed at her, seeming satisfied. “Exactly. How’d you know?”

“It just came to me, somehow.”

Liz laughed.

“Hey,” Natalie said. “Just putting out feelers, but you already have a team, or?”

“Got a few in the works,” she answered breezily. “But this early in the year’s for shopping around, like you said. You looking?”

“Yeah. Me and my two friends.” She gestured over her shoulder, turning, but Jordan and Sofia had wandered off elsewhere in the armory. “Er. Sofia and Jordan. Fighter and rogue.”

A second later, Natalie fought away a grimace that she’d accidentally referred to Sofia as a ‘friend’. But ‘my friend and sworn rival’ didn’t roll off the tongue.

“So we’d just need a mage,” Liz said. “How about Ana?”

“Ana?”

“In barracks seven with us. The girl next to me. She’s super nice! And so smart.”

“She’s a mage?”

“Some kind of light manifester. Really good at distributed damage.”

“That’d be perfect. Sofia and Jordan are better at single target.”

“Sounds like a match made in heaven! It’s a date.” She paused. “Or, er, were you just being polite with the offer? I’m kinda rushing into things. And I guess I haven’t asked Ana yet, either …”

“Like you said, just shopping around. We can give it a shot.” They didn’t have to lock anything in. “We can ask her after class today.”

Natalie was disoriented how easily things had fallen into place. Though, they very well could end up falling apart, too—Ana could say no, or, since Liz had said she had ‘several’ teams in the works, could find one of those a better fit. But it was something.

“Sure,” Liz said. “After class. We’ll double team her. It’s sure to work.”

Natalie stared at Liz. Liz hesitated, then asked, “What?”

“Double team?”

“Er, yeah?”

Natalie was ninety nine percent sure Liz didn’t know what that meant. Or maybe Natalie had a perverted mind. Liz looked at her so innocently that Natalie blushed for even thinking about it. She coughed and deflected.

“Uh, nothing. But yeah, after class. I need to finish picking out a shield.” She gestured to the weapon rack, indicating she needed to get back to things.

“Kay,” Liz said. “Have fun. I’m gonna go talk to your friends, let them know what’s happening.” She zipped off, gone with an enthusiastic wave.

Healers, Natalie thought, shaking her head.