Dungeons and Dalliances

“Wow,” Liz exclaimed when they’d returned to the sidelines. “That was incredible. I mean, you didn’t even use a spell. You said you had one, right? An illusion?”

The first half of the praise had actually managed to have Natalie pleased with herself. That feeling sagged away as the bubbly girl finished her statement. Liz was more impressed that she’d managed to flounce Elliot without using her ‘spell half’ of her class than the dominant victory itself.

At least it had been that. A dominant victory. They’d won, and it hadn’t been close. That boded well for Liz being interested in teaming.

“Er … yeah. Didn’t need to use it, I guess.”

It wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t needed to use it. But it would’ve been insanely useful, if she could. The tactical benefit of illusions were amazing, once she could get a handle on them. But in her current state, trying to use them would hamper more than help … and Natalie had needed to impress Liz. So, not the time for experimentation.

The fight had gone well. Quick yet drawn out, in that inexplicable way of adrenaline-doused combat. At some point Camille’s attention had turned to Liz, but Liz had been able to hold her own surprisingly well—an admirable trait in a healer. As soon as Natalie could, she’d turned and forced Camille’s focus back on her, but that Liz hadn’t crumbled immediately on assault was a rare trait in a healer. Usually, they were by far the squishiest point of a team.

Fortunately, though Natalie’s enthusiasm was a bit soured by Liz innocently pointing out her spellcasting incompetence, Natalie had done well. Enough their rough plans to team up weren’t soured. And their opponents hadn’t been push-overs, so the achievement wasn’t dampened by that, either. Because nobody accepted to Tenet was a pushover, even the few that slipped through the cracks through connections or wealth.

So, that she’d won her first spar against Tenet-caliber competition was something to be proud of.

Their fight finished, a different set of students took the stage, picked by Instructor Robin by seemingly—but probably not actually—arbitrary standards. Both Jordan and Sofia were called up, but on opposite sides. Rather than a two-on-two, it was a three-on-three.

Naturally, Natalie rooted for Jordan’s team. Any team with Sofia on it, Natalie instinctively wanted to lose. That girl could afford to be taken down a few notches.

“So,” Liz said. “Where are you from, anyway? I don’t think I’ve seen any of you, before.”

She said it like that was odd. Liz had come off pretty normal so far, so Natalie had kind of assumed she was someone in a situation similar to her. Someone who wasn’t entwined with the major Valhaurian houses. A commoner, put frankly.

Maybe not, though, based on her question. It sounded like she knew the rest of the students, here.

“You wouldn’t know it,” Natalie said. “Tinford. It’s way down south. You might know Illesa?” That was the largest nearby city.

Liz’s response blank expression was answer enough. She didn’t. Natalie had more or less expected that. Illesa was one of the bigger cities in south Valhaur, but that wasn’t saying much. Everything important happened up north. It was where the dungeon was. Nearly all major cities across the entire world were near one of the thirteen dungeons.

“Ilesa,” she repeated. “Uh … I can’t say I’ve heard of it.”

“Figured. And you? Where are you from?”

Liz tilted her head, as if surprised Natalie had asked. As if she’d expected Natalie to recognize her. Double confirmation she ran in political circles, and not just that, but someone of import. Someone who expected to be recognized.

Which was weird. Liz hadn’t come off as nobility. Or … did she?

“Um,” Liz said sheepishly. “Here. Aradon. Local, born and raised. I’m, uh … a Beaumon. Elizabeth Beaumon.”

Natalie stared at her.

Beaumon?

The royal family Beaumon? The monarchy was antiquated—their titles held no real power, these days—but they still held three seats in the Council, which made the Beaumons the single most influential family in Valhaur.

“Ah,” Natalie said, at a loss for words.

She’d been ready, coming to Tenet, to meet people that mattered—people with surnames from textbooks—but Liz had seemed so normal that Natalie was genuinely at a loss for words. Beaumon. The royal family. Really?

“I’m like, fourteenth in line,” Liz said. She seemed as awkward about the reveal as Natalie. “Honestly, I’m not even the most important person in this class. So. Yeah.” She shrugged, then brushed past the topic. “Tinford, though! Down south. How’d you get Tenet’s attention? You must be really good. Though I guess I just got proof of that.” She beamed at Natalie.

The brief awkwardness was gone, just like that. Hard to be awkward around someone so affable.

“Just happened, I guess,” Natalie said. “Tenet’s got scouts everywhere, even down south. I was pretty good at swinging weapons around … and they saw. Took notice.” She shrugged. It had been that simple. No grand coincidences.

“Makes sense.” She laughed. “Though, I expected a story.”

Now that Natalie was paying attention, Liz did have a clear enunciation to her words—and a straightness to her back and posture—that gave things away. That she was highborn. Just, almost everybody at Tenet was like that, so Natalie had stopped paying attention. Or, it hadn’t stood out, at least.

A member of the royal family. Even a far-removed one. This girl?

So weird.

And maybe Liz would be joining them for a trial dungeon run? A literal Beaumon princess? What would Mom and Dad think of that? Or anyone back home.

Natalie and Liz’s conversation petered off, the upcoming spar drawing their attentions. With a swing of her hand, Instructor Robin indicated for the fight to start. 

Despite not being the one up there, Natalie watched, tense. Liz would be judging Sofia and Jordan’s performance in the same way she had Natalie’s—even if she didn’t say so outright. For that matter, everyone was judging everyone. This first week of spars and classes would be how many students decided who they wanted to team with.

Fortunately, as the fight progressed, Jordan and Sofia handled themselves well. Sofia’s team won … and unfortunately, to Natalie’s immense annoyance, it was probably thanks to Sofia. Even more than usual, Natalie’s white-haired rival rose up to the challenge. She didn’t wipe the floor with her opponents—this was Tenet they were talking about—but she performed. More than performed.

Liz’s wide-eyed admiration, and the appreciative noises throughout the spar, made that clear. Though, Liz seemed to be the sort of person to give those reactions more freely than most. But impressing a Beaumon couldn’t be an easy thing. Liz had grown up around famous adventurers, and likely, been trained for this since birth. Not a shabby result, getting appreciative noises from her.

Natalie could take solace in how professional first impressions had gone well. Just, she might’ve preferred seeing Sofia not be perfect, for once. Even if it jeopardized their future plans in a small way.

Why did that irritating girl have to be so good?