The Outlands

“Where are we?” Maven asked, looking around.

“If I’m being honest, I have no idea.” Tess replied. They had used their Blessings to teleport to the savage dungeon they were supposed to clear, and had been deposited in what appeared to be a series of foothills. The land around them was brown and covered in shrubs, with hardly a tree in sight. They were next to a teleporter, Party Crystal, and a large doorway that was akin to those found in the Jagged Cliffs when moving to the next floor.

“Did they not tell you where this was located when they gave you your task?” Maven asked.

“We didn’t ask.” Ellie said. “It’s not really relevant to our job, so it just slipped my mind. Can’t speak for Tess, though.”

“Yeah, I forgot to ask.” Tess confirmed. “It’s not like we’re going to be going outside and trying to find our way home or anything, so…yeah. All I really know is that we’re way deep into uncharted territory. To the…west, I believe.”

“Yeah, I think that’s where they said it was.” Ellie said.

“So…if we stepped out of this dungeon, we’d be the first people to ever lay eyes on this spot?” Maven asked.

“I guess if you don’t count the gods, then…yeah.”

“Do you mind if I step out?” Maven asked. “I have always wanted to be an explorer like that.”

“Knock yourself out.” Tess replied. “I don’t mind.”

“Thank you.” Maven said, walking through the doorway. After a moment, Tess followed, emerging onto a grassy cliff that overlooked a large body of water. She hesitated to call it an ocean, because she had no way of knowing if it was actually an ocean or just a very large lake or something, but it certainly looked like an ocean.

“Is this…the other side of the Somorian Ocean?” Maven asked, looking down at the water.

“Never heard of it, so I can’t really say.” Tess said.

“The Somorian Ocean is one of the edges of the current map of this plane.” Maven explained. “Oceans tend to be difficult to traverse in the Outlands, and, with the Somorian Ocean being so far away from civilization, putting together a sturdy enough fleet to explore it is not yet worth it.”

“What about aquatic people?” Ellie asked. “Surely they could explore it?”

“They could, but the issue is getting them there. Higher level people can get out of the water by themselves, but getting a mass number of people to relatively thoroughly explore such a large area is another matter. There are easier targets for both ocean dwellers and people who live on land. So…well…we could very well be the first people to set foot on this side of the ocean, not that anyone would know aside from us.”

“Fortune is telling us we’re not.” Ellie said. “Apparently some of the other Appointed have been here before. Though…I suppose that does make you the first non-Appointed to be here.”

“Oh.” Maven said, disappointment clear in her tone. “That’s…not as good, but I’ll take what I can get, I suppose.”

“Well, according to Fortune, Appointed get almost all of the “exploring” firsts, but I’m sure there’ll be other firsts for you to get.” Tess said. “Don’t sweat it too much. We’re definitely the first people in this dungeon, and we could probably swing things so you’re the first diplomat to officially make contact with the governments of Mael.”

“Yeah, but…that’s not as fun as being one of the first to explore a new place.” Maven admitted. “Diplomacy is boring. It’s a lot of carefully watching what you say and trying to figure out what the opposing party is actually thinking, and I hate that stuff.”

“Fair enough.” Ellie said. “Want to get to the dungeon now?”

Maven nodded. “That would be wise. It is probably best not to be out here for too long; there’s no telling how strong the monsters will be, and getting caught unawares would be disastrous.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Tess said, turning around. Behind her was what appeared to be a small, ruined tower, the well-maintained door they had stepped through standing out starkly against the rest of the tower.

Tess stepped back through and into the scrubland beyond, and waited for her companions to follow before beginning to speak. “So, how do we want to go about this?” She asked. “We have absolutely no information on what’s coming, other than that the dungeon is meant for large groups of people somewhat below our level, so we’re going to have to tackle this differently than we have the other dungeons.”

Maven nodded. “I believe we should make scouting our top priority. You have the unique ability of being able to pass by monsters without them caring, so that makes you the logical choice.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Ellie agreed. “We’ll just move forward really slowly while you get a grasp on what kind of thing we should be expecting.”

“Alright, sounds like a plan. In that case…where do you think we should head? I’m not exactly seeing anything that sticks out, so I’m kinda thinking we just head to the tallest hill and see if we can see anything there.”

“I see no reason to disagree.” Maven said. “Lead the way.”

“Same.” Ellie replied. “Go ahead.”

Tess nodded, then looked down at her breast pocket. “Alright you two, it’s showtime.” She said.

On command, Silky crawled out of the pocket, gave a salute, then hopped down to the ground. I’m ready! She said enthusiastically.

“As am I.” Isabella said, floating out of Tess. “Where would you have me go?”

“Silky, you fly up and see if you can find anything that looks important. Isabella, I want you to stay back with Ellie and Maven, scout around the sides and the back and help make sure they don’t get ambushed. I’m heading for that hill over there,” Tess pointed at the largest hill she could see, “so meet up there when I call, got it?”

Understood! Silky said, saluting once again before spreading her wings and flying off into the sky.

“Consider it done.” Isabella droned, hovering off towards their rear.

That taken care of, Tess began to walk ahead, carefully checking for traps and monsters as she did. And, while she found no traps, there was no shortage of monsters. It was like someone had taken all the things that normally live in this type of area, and then made them into monsters; snakes, rabbits, and the occasional hawk or coyote all made appearances, but they were swiftly dealt with by the party.

It took the party roughly fifteen minutes to reach the top of the hill, at which point Tess called her attendants back, and reconvened with Ellie and Maven to share info.

I saw a cool cave thingy! Silky said excitedly. It’s reeeeeally big and probably important! You have to keep walking the way you’ve been walking and then you’ll find it!

“Silky is saying there’s a big cave in the direction we’re going.” Tess translated. “Sounds like a good first destination to me. Any of the rest of you see anything?”

“I did not.” Maven confirmed.

“Me neither.” Ellie said. “Sounds like that cave is our best bet, though.”

“Right. Then, if no one disagrees, I’m going to head for the cave.” Tess said. “We’ll proceed as we have been, and then change things up once we get there.”

Her party members nodded in agreement, so Tess had Silky show her the way to the cave. The walk over was exactly like the walk over to the hill had been, so they were able to reach it with little incident.

The inside of the cave was drastically different than what she had expected. The harsh yellows and browns of the surrounding land contrasted starkly with the lush green that permeated the cave; the floor and parts of the walls were covered with a soft-looking moss, and the ceiling dripped water from some unseen source. The only thing breaking it up was a teleport pad conspicuously placed inside an alcove a little way into the cave, the pure, unblemished white at odds with the rest of the overgrown cave.

Tess stopped at the entrance and waited for her party before making a move. “So, I think it’s safe to say that whatever is in this cave is important.” She said, nodding at the teleport pad. “But I don’t want to just march in willy-nilly. Tremorsense isn’t picking up any obvious monsters or traps, but I’m a little concerned about that moss. I don’t know if we can…trust that it’s just moss, and isn’t like…super poisonous or a moss monster or something.”

“I have a spell that can detect toxins.” Ellie volunteered. “Won’t tell us if the moss is a monster or dangerous in some other way, though.”

Maven bent over, grabbed a stone from the ground, then threw it into the cave. The three girls watched tensely as the stone impacted the moss, but after a moment it became clear that nothing was going to happen to it.

“I believe that rules out the possibility of it being a mindless thing that reacts only to motion.” Maven said. “Though if it is a monster, there is still a possibility of it choosing to ignore the rock.”

“You could burn it away, maybe?” Ellie said hopefully. “Then we wouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“Worth a shot, but I doubt it’ll help.” Tess said, throwing a lance of phoenix fire at the cave floor. It smoldered for a moment, but the embers were quickly extinguished. “Yeah, I think it’s too wet in there.” Tess said. “But I also didn’t get any damage notifications or anything, so it’s…probably not a monster?”

“I’ll cast that spell, then.” Ellie said, stepping up so she was only a few feet from the moss. She chanted a quick spell, then shook her head. “No toxins.” She said. “It should be safe to touch if it really isn’t a monster.”

“I’ll go first, then.” Tess said. “Since it won’t get me if it is a monster.”

Ellie opened her mouth to protest, paused, then spoke. “Only if you go all the way to the teleport pad first.” She said. “If it is a monster, and one of us steps up behind you, there’s a possibility you get caught in the crossfire somehow.”

“She’s correct.” Maven said. “I think it would be best if you waited on the teleport pad, so you can come to our aid if we get into trouble.”

“Fair enough.” Tess said. “Here goes nothing…”

She tentatively stepped on the moss, and when that didn’t prompt a response, made her way over to the teleport pad. As she stepped on it, it lit up beneath her feet, causing her to take a step backwards in surprise. “Um…that could be an issue.” She said.

She backed away from the teleport pad and braced herself, but nothing happened. After a few more moments of tense waiting, however, she got a message.

Tess and Ellie both let out a sigh of relief, and Tess stepped onto the pad.

“We’re in the clear.” Ellie said. “The gods just did that so we know when we’re able to use the pad.” She explained. “Apparently you can use a pad after anyone in your party touches one for the first time while you’re in the dungeon.”

“Oh.” Maven said. “That is good to hear. Shall we head in ourselves, then?”

“I’ll go first.” Ellie said. “You know, since I’m the tank and all.” She stepped up to the moss, tightened her grip on her sword, then stepped onto the moss.

Nothing happened. The moss didn’t peel itself off of the floor and walls and turn into some monster, Ellie didn’t lose all strength in her limbs and drop to the floor, she just…stepped on moss.

“I…think it’s just moss.” Tess said. “Sorry I got everyone worked up.”

“No, you were in the right.” Maven said. “It is better for us to be prepared for the worst and have nothing happen than it is for us to be caught off guard. Doubly so without our tutors here to bail us out.”

“She’s got a point.” Ellie said. “We’re more blind than we’ve ever been in a dungeon, and it’s a new kind of dungeon to boot. Approaching it recklessly would be a huge mistake.”

“Sorry about that, the gods were chatting again.” Tess said. “But it looks like this really is just moss. That’s no reason not to be careful if we see a change in color or texture or something. How do we want to go about this going forward? Just have me and Silky scout out front and Isabella in the back, or do we want to stay closer together in the cave?”

“I see no reason to change tactics.” Ellie said. “It should work even better now that there are less places for enemies to be coming from.”

“Agreed.” Maven said.

“Cool. I was sorta thinking the same, so I’m glad you guys agree. I’ll let you two know if I encounter something weird, okay? And don’t hesitate to shout if you get caught off-guard.”

With that, Tess began to head deeper into the cave, heart pounding with excitement. Things had been pretty easy so far, but she was sure that was just the start of the dungeon; things had to get much more interesting further in.

Fighterman481

Honestly, the only thing I really have to say about this chapter is that I realized when writing the very end of it that the whole moss thing is completely reminiscent of what the D&D group I'm in tends to do. I could 100% see that same scenario happening in almost exactly the same way (well, provided they had those same tools), and that just amuses me to no end.

Anyway, next time we're probably going to end this trip in the savage dungeon (probably), so...look forward to it, I guess.

And, as always, thanks for reading!