Out on the road, Mari got her first look at the outside of her dungeon. The ratfolk had covered up the sign, though she only got a glimpse of what was probably supposed to be that before the Overseer was turned away from the pile of (stuff) outside the (dungeon entrance) over to the forest that she was apparently based in. Swords and spears in various conditions were embedded into many of the trees and ground, as though they had rained from the sky, and a thin mist spread across the forest floor.

[So, the outside of the dungeon is… nice.] Mari muttered to Trena, unsure of what she could really say. It was mistier than the glimpses she had gotten through her Overseers, and she didn’t remember all of the swords and spears.

“I can’t believe there have been this many weapons so close, and we haven’t done anything with them yet!” replied Trena, rubbing her now free hands together excitedly. Marvin had been transferred to Starra, since she was a non-combatant.

“This wasn’t here before,” Yeshi corrected, the older ratman having actually been outside of the cave, “Dungeon Marianna is based in a location without quite so many swords. This feels… unnatural...”

[Maybe it’s that god’s interference!]

“Could be,” Terash mused. “Alternatively, perhaps a Dungeon War takes place in a separate space?”

“What does that even mean, Terash?” Yeshi inquired derisively. “How could we possibly be in another location? That implies the Lady Marianna’s entire dungeon has been moved!”

“Well, he’s a g-god, right?” Starra mumbled. Yeshi glared at her, but didn’t say anything.

“Just look, Yeshi,” Terash continued. “Does this area look anything like the one that surrounded our home before? No? That’s because it isn’t the same! Wouldn’t you agree that it’s far more conducive to a ‘war’?”

“Fine,” the leader mumbled. “Just forget it.”

[He’s a bit grumpy.] Mari said to her strategist.

“Can’t be avoided,” Terash whispered. “He’s on edge. We all are. This is our chance to save our queen, after all.”

[How do you do it?] She asked. When he didn’t seem to understand the question, she clarified. [Keep so calm? How do you just suppress whatever emotions you have?]

The rat snorted. “Lots of practice and emotional trauma.”

[Oh.] Mari fought to find another topic, grasping onto the environment again. [So… Should we take some of these swords, then? Some seem to be in an alright shape, and they’re probably better than the bone weapons you’ve all been using.]

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“In your own words, my lady,” Yeshi said quietly. “Best not to touch anything, for fear it might be a trap.”

“I concur,” Terash said, nodding.

So no swords then, she thought. Well, at least they’re past that little fight.

The misty woods obscured much of the rats’ vision, and both experienced warriors agreed it would be best not to split up, so the group didn’t explore outwards from their straight path.

“Well that’s different,” Yeshi said as the group stepped out of the woods and examined the dungeon before them. A brown cliff rose into the sky, numerous switchbacks leading up to a simple stone door laid into the rock face.

“Where’s the name?” Trena asked. “Does Cordon simply not have a sign, somehow?”

Mari was about to voice her agreement when Starra answered before the warriors. “That’s not C-Cordon.”

[Well, that could be lucky, right?]

“Where the hell is the name!” Terash shouted. “That can’t be a dungeon if it doesn’t have a name!”

“The only way to find out is to go up there, Terash. I recommend we don’t bring the Lady Marianna with us right away. Scouting it out might be a good idea.”

[Ooh! Let me try to help!] Mari said excitedly. The Overseers could fly, which meant they could perform the scouting for everyone. Granted, they were slow, but at least the group wouldn’t have to split up.

With a single command, Mari told Marvin to fly up to the stone door high above. She waited for the bulbous creature to float his way up into the air.

But Marvin didn’t move.

[Uh, Starra, would you mind releasing Marvin?]

The scavenger did as requested, but without her support, the Overseer dropped to the ground. Starra picked him back up at Mari’s request.

[Guess that’s not an option,] she said plainly.

“We’ll have to scout it out, my lady,” Terash decided. “Yeshi and I will go up while Trena guards Starra and your Overseer.”

Yeshi grunted his acknowledgement. With Mari in the party, it seemed he was willing to acquiesce to the strategist’s decisions far more easily. As the leader of the party, his word was second only to Mari, but it seemed like maybe her presence made him feel invalid.

Or, perhaps she was just reading too far into things.

The two rats she was with found cover in the shade of a large oak tree, which seemed to have deep gashes cut into its bark. The mist helped them as well, breaking line of sight and obscuring their shapes.

Terash and Yeshi did as they said they would, sneaking up the switchbacks cut into the rocky cliff.

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Trena asked, her voice quivering a bit as she watched the muscular backs of the two males vanish up into the sky.

“They’ll be fine,” Starra replied, unexpectedly calm. “Yeshi and Terash have been through far worse than scouting unknowns, and they’ve always fought over the littlest things. But nothing distracts them from their mission.”

“Really?” Trena asked in awe. “I hope I can be like them one day.”

“You will. I would trust them with my life. One day, you’ll earn the same from all of us.”