Paths of the Chosen

Ysbail
The Realms
Firstday, 4th week of the 9th month, Age of the Chosen 1
Late Morning
Ceallach Macht, Mistvale Highlands

"I have a line on a virgin Dungeon of unknown depth, with only the first level partially looted. Are you in?" Ysbail asked.

Labhruinn laughed. "You had me at virgin! Is it just the two of us, or are you getting a team together?"

"Team," she responded. "I need to find three more; figured you could help."

"Why five?" the stocky Mountain Centaur asked.

"The Dungeon is some fancy thing locked up under the hill. Lord Aidan asked me to explore it for him. It only lets parties five or under inside, although familiars, summons, and tamed beasts do not count against the limit."

"Anwn, then, if you can convince her," Labhruinn responded immediately. "That giant wolf she has with her all the time lately is worth a slot on his own."

Ysbail nodded. "I can give it a shot. What do you think of Ceirios for support? I worked with her during the Day of Rebirth; she works well under pressure and has both healing and summoning magic."

"If you trust her to heal us up, I am willing to give her a try. Surprised you speak so well of her, though. You do not usually have praise to spare for non-combatants."

Ysbail shrugged. "As I said, I worked with her when we fought the Taig. Anyone who can suffer what she did and come out the other side sane and functional has more than earned my respect. I could ask Ailis, but she has her hands full running the city and Council. There are not many others qualified, and I refuse to enter an unknown Dungeon without a healer."

"Peace!" Labhruinn laughed, holding his hands palm-out towards Ysbail. "I was only curious. I said I would follow your lead, Ysbail. Do you have any ideas for the fifth? Assuming no one turns you down, we have a guardian, two strikers, and a support. That covers all the bases."

"Lord Aidan requested that I attempt involving the harpies."

"Oh?" The dwarflike centaur's eyebrows shot up. "And you are listening to him? Adding someone to your team for political purposes? There must be something here that you really want."

Ysbail smirked at her smaller companion. "You know me too well, Larry. Yes, there is. And I bet that if you put your mind to it, you can figure it out, too."

Labhruin's fuzzy eyebrows scrunched in on themselves for a moment before launching into his hairline. "Wait! Your Prestige Class quest! If I remember right—"

"Yes!" Ysbail confirmed. "I have to lead a party through five levels of the same Dungeon. I never found a Dungeon deep enough—until now. Everything around here gets cleared before they get that deep, but Aidan's Labyrinth is supposed to be the next best thing to infinite."

Labhruin laughed and pulled her into a hug that made Ysbail's ribs creak. "About time!" he proclaimed. "You have been waiting for years! Of course I will help, lass!"

Ysbail hugged her friend back and didn't even call him out for the fact that he was talking into her breasts. She let him linger for a moment before pushing him away with a laugh. "Alright, enough of that, you horny old goat. I plan to start tomorrow morning, bright and early, so meet outside the hill an hour past dawn."

"Will do!" He gave Ysbail a mock salute.

---

Ysbail
Noon

"Congratulations on your ascension, Councillor," Ysbail bowed her head to Ceirios.

"I had half a mind to turn it down," the other woman snorted. "I never was much of one for telling others what to do. But I know you did not come by just for this, Ysbail; what can I do for you?"

"Has Lord Aidan told you of his Labyrinth yet?"

Ceirios arched an eyebrow. "Yes, I know about it in general terms. Why?"

"Because he asked me to explore it, and to do that, I need a team. My team needs a support specialist. Since she has experience in the Labyrinth from accompanying Lord Aidan, I would ask Ailis, but she is even busier than you now that he made her Chancellor. You are my second choice."

"How flattering," Ceririos replied, voice dry. "You know that I am not a thrill-seeker like you, Ysbail. Why should I risk my life for this?"

Ysbail frowned and shook her head. "I am not a 'thrill-seeker,' as you put it," she told Ceirios. "I do what I do because someone needs to handle the big jobs. Yes, I enjoy it, even when things get deadly serious, but that is not the point. I do not seek out the fights, Councillor, and if there were never another call for someone to kill a maneater Drake or clear out a Tatzlwyrm infestation, I would find something else to do."

"Ugh," Ceirios grimaced. "I have only had this position a few days, and the stress is already making me snap. I apologize, Ysbail. Still, my question remains. I am a busy woman, and I do not find the same enjoyment you do in dangerous situations. Surely there are others you could ask, younger centaurs with more time on their hands?"

"Not so many as there were a few months ago." Both women lapsed into silence at that. The Battle of Ceallach Macht wiped out the Starchasers' dedicated healers, caught as they were in the formation's center. There were still a few like Ailis and Ceirios who avoided the same fate thanks to having additional spell schools that made them more useful elsewhere, but only a handful.

Ysbail shook her head and continued, "If you do not want to go, I accept that, but I would ask you to give it a chance. From what Lord Aidan told me, the first few floors are intended for a party of five with an average level around ten to fifteen. The group I am pulling together would average in the twenties. We should not be in serious danger for a while." Ysbail paused a moment, considering.

"I also will not be taking a share of the loot; I have another reason to do this. You are aware that I have yet to advance to a Prestige Class despite my level, right?" Ceirios nodded. "That is because I have my eye on a specific one. Most of the Prestige Classes branching off from Adventurer double down on the Class's wandering, monster-hunting, self-aggrandizing nature. Not so with the one I want. Guildmaster is only available because I have Apprentice rank in Teaching. Instead of being self-centered, Guildmaster is focused on sharing my knowledge with others and helping them grow stronger. That is what I have been waiting a decade for, and now I finally have a chance to do it. I understand if you are not interested in it for fun or wealth, but please consider helping me fulfill my dream to teach the next generation."

Ceirios remained silent for long enough that Ysbail was about to make her exit. "Alright, Ysbail. You convinced me. I cannot promise to devote my full effort to it, but I will join you when I can. When are you making your first trip?"

"Tomorrow morning, an hour after dawn, if you can. Thank you, Ceirios. I owe you for this."

The smile Ysbail got in return was sharp. "Yes, you do, and I know just how to use it, too. But that is for later. I will see you tomorrow morning."

---

Ysbail
Early Afternoon

A wolf appeared from the underbrush, and only long experience with Anwn's pack kept Ysbail from cursing and reaching for her sword. "I swear you lot enjoy making people jump," she muttered to the dappled gray canine. "Is Anwn around?" she asked it.

"Yes," came a reply from behind her. This time Ysbail did jump.

"Damnit, Anwn, how are you that quiet?" Ysbail turned to where the gray-haired young woman was standing.

"Talent and practice," came the expected reply. "I know you can be quiet when you wish to be, Ysbail, so do not snarl at me. You allowed yourself to be distracted by Dapple."

A snort was the only response Ysbail deigned to give that. Yeah, she could be quiet when she needed to be, but Anwn took things to a whole different level, her and her entire pack. They were all ghosts in the mist. "I came to call in my favor," she told the younger centaur. "You owe me for taking care of that pack of wyverns."

"I do," Anwn acknowledged in her flat tone of voice. "What is your request?"

"I am putting together a team to explore the Labyrinth. You are one of the best archers in the village, and your friends do not count against the party limit. This is not a permanent situation, but there were a lot of wyverns, and they nearly killed me twice before I got the last of them. I need to lead a team to beat five levels of a Dungeon. Once that is done, I will consider the debt repaid."

"The debt is mine, and I will repay it," Anwn responded. "My pack-siblings are under no such obligation. I will ask them if any wish to come, but they will earn a share of the loot."

"One share total between all of them," Ysbail replied. "I am not taking a share, so that leaves the math easy."

"Agreed. When are we starting?"

---

Ysbail
Late Afternoon

Four down, one to go, and I saved the trickiest for last, Ysbail thought to herself as she approached the Sisterhood's temporary embassy. The harpy on duty straightened as it became clear that the centaur's destination was the building she guarded.

"Halt!" the guard cried. "State your business."

"My name is Ysbail, and I wish to consult with Flight Major Cynehild on a cooperative exercise."

"Yes, ma'am. One moment." The harpy slipped into the building. A moment later, she opened the door and saluted. "The Flight Major will see you now, ma'am."

Ysbail stepped inside and paused to examine the harpy leader. Cynehild sat at a large desk covered in paperwork. Her honey-blonde crest was braided and looped around her neck to dangle down her front. She wore a crisp uniform of dark gray linen with silver cords at the shoulders, and four brown-feathered wings framed her from behind. Ysbail spotted a handful of white scars on the woman's tanned skin and noted the athletic musculature displayed along her arms.

Cynehild regarded her with equal frankness, dark eyes taking in Ysbail's tall, muscular appearance, and lingering on her own scars. "Ysbail, daughter of Laomann and Seasaidh, high-level Adventurer," Cynehild stated. "Noted for using an oversized two-handed sword. According to Lord Aidan, you saved his life while fighting against the dragon Karsarrym and managed to cut off a section of its tail. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it appears that you have me at a disadvantage, Major," Ysbail said, walking up to Cynehild's desk and settling onto a cushion that one of the other harpies brought for her to use. "Should I be flattered or frightened that you have a dossier on me?"

That caused the harpy to crack a slight smile. "That would be up to you. We keep notes on all the known high-level combatants among our neighbors, just in case. That is especially true of you Starchasers; a harpy can fight one-on-one against the other tribes, but not against you all. Still, we are allied now, so that information is more academic than practical—a fact that we are pleased about."

Ysbail chuckled and waved a hand as if to brush Cynehild's words away. "I had nothing to do with that, although I am happy enough with it. Still, that does sort of lead to what I wanted to talk to you about. I will be taking a party into the Labyrinth tomorrow morning, and Lord Aidan specifically requested that I invite one of your ladies along."

"I see," Cynehild said, nodding. "I expect he wants us to get used to fighting alongside each other; wise of him. I can spare someone. Do you have a particular role you need to fill in your group?"

Ysbail shook her head. "No, we already have all the bases covered. We have a guardian, an archer-slash-beastmaster, a healing and supportive mage, and myself. A complementary damage dealer or support would be ideal; I am confident in our guardian's ability to protect us, and I can back him up if needed. Except for the mage, everyone involved is above level twenty."

"Hmm. I think I know just the Wingsister for you. Wulfryn is a support specialist. She cannot heal well, but she excels at enhancing equipment and weakening enemies."

"Oh?" asked Ysbail, eyebrows rising. "A debilitator? What type?" Enhancement type magic schools were common among the Starchasers, but Ysbail only had theoretical knowledge of mages with the reverse repertoire.

"Wulfryn is an Apprentice in both Metal Magic and Darkness Magic. Metal to enhance, Darkness to cripple. If you want her, I can make her available to you on a semi-permanent basis. A word of caution, though," Cynehild's lips twitched. "She is a ... unique individual, and some of our Sisters find her difficult to get along with. She will do what she is told, I assure you of that, but—well, I do not think I can adequately explain. You will have to see for yourself."

Rather than being put off, Ysbail grinned. "Sounds like my kind of girl! I will take her. I have a soft spot for 'unique individuals.'"

Cynehild smiled back. "It is settled, then. I can send her to you whenever you want."

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early! I plan to start an hour after dawn."

The harpy leader nodded. "I will have her meet you then. I hope this is the start of a long and fruitful legacy of cooperation. Thank you for the opportunity, Ysbail."

"You too, Cynehild. Baby steps for now, but not forever, hey?"