“I don’t like the idea of sending away our only two adventurers,” Charlie said.

The Mayor, Becky, Galad, and Olza sat with Hans in the guild hall, having just heard his report on the Polza dig and his intention to explore the caves.

“That’s why I think Becky should stay,” Hans clarified.

Becky punched in the shoulder. “You’re the smartest dumbass I’ve ever met,” the lady dwarf said to Hans. “If this has anything to do with squonks, you need me. If that human brain turns to soup, you’re no good to anyone.”

“I’m going too,” Olza interjected.

Charlie and Hans dropped their respective heads in their hands simultaneously. Without sitting back up, Charlie raised a hand toward the Guild Master, indicating that he should go ahead and explain why he and Hans were upset.

“You’re too important to the town,” Hans said. “Risking you puts almost everyone in danger. If a disease hits, we need you here.”

“I love Gomi, but my business is my own. I’ve been researching Polzas the longest, making me the best resource you have for research and fact finding.”

Quest Complete: Convince Olza to call the purple flowers “Polzas.”

Olza looked at the St. Bernard smile that appeared on Hans’ face at the mention of “Polzas.” “Shut up,” she said to the Guild Master.

The door to the guild hall opened and closed. After some stomping to shake the snow from his boots, Roland joined the meeting. “I heard you might have found something new about the squonks.”

Charlie groaned audibly. “Are you here to volunteer as well?” he asked Roland.

The hunter said that he was.

Galad patted the Mayor’s back, saying, “Hans is right that this needs doing. We’re not going to find an option that is completely safe on all fronts.”

The Mayor nodded. “I know you’re right. I just don’t like that we have to put so many of our people at risk.”

“Hans and Becky know what they’re doing.”

“You’re right. You’re right.” The Mayor sat back, crossing his arms.

With a little more debate, the group agreed that the party investigating the cave would consist of Becky, Hans, Roland, and Olza. Quentin’s dad might not have been a ranked adventurer, but he had expert survival skills and was comfortable with a weapon. Olza’s alchemy expertise could be critical, but lacking combat skills, she would be limited to support–such as first aid between battles–if there were any battles.

Charlie and Galad stayed to listen to the party’s planning so someone in town was aware of the party’s movements and intentions while they were away.

Hans talked the group through preparation. Each member needed to carry two sets of supplies: The items they would need to hike out to the Polza cave and establish a basecamp, and the items they would need for the crawl itself. He talked about those as separate sets because of the compact nature of the passage he found. Most of what would be helpful to have at camp simply wouldn’t fit through the tunnels.

Therefore, the party needed to use smaller backpacks and be very selective about what to bring into the cave and what to leave at camp. At a minimum, they would need to carry rations, water, a bedroll, emergency potions, personal first aid supplies, and several torches. If they could manage it, Hans also wanted each member to have their own climbing equipment as it was not unusual for caves to have steep rock faces and deep descents. Unfortunately, climbing supplies could not be easily purchased in Gomi, so they may have to share some gear regardless.

All of the equipment they carried beyond those essentials was up to the individual. For Hans, that meant a sword, a buckler, and a knife for protection, accounting for the narrow combat area. He would also pack chalk and a spool of twine, both for charting their trail to make sure they could find their way back. Normally the chalk was sufficient, but tight, twisty caverns had a way of disorienting even the most seasoned adventurers. If they weren’t careful, they could walk in circles until they starved to death. It happened to adventurers before.

Becky would have her axe, a small machete, and a few logs for firewood. Olza would have a long knife she borrowed from Galad and a select batch of testing supplies. Roland would have a shortsword as well as his bow and quiver. They may not ever have the space to use a bow, but if they did, they would be happy they brought it.

Next, Hans would walk them through–

“Mazo wasn’t kidding about the Hans prep meetings,” Olza joked, rubbing her temples. “How long is the agenda?”

Hans gaped at Olza for a moment. He coughed and answered, “Just monsters and group tactics. May I?”

Olza nodded sheepishly.

For monsters, the biggest known threat was squonks because of their hopelessness aura. Gnolls weren’t likely to be underground, but they could encounter them on the journey in and seemed to be connected with the Polzas in some way, so it was best to be prepared. The chimeras hadn’t posed any real threat thus far, but each one they saw was different, so underestimating them was unwise.

Then there were the usual cave and dungeon dangers: goblins, trolls, giant rats, earth elementals, and the occasional venomous snake. A sealed cavern was unlikely to have any humanoids, but then again, there could be another entrance they didn’t know about.

For as long as they needed to move-single file, Hans would be at the front to scout for traps and so he’d be the most likely to deal with a threat first. Becky would follow behind, her main priority being protecting Olza. Then the alchemist followed the dwarf, and Roland brought up the rear. Making a small digression, Hans explained how excited he was to have a hunter in the back. Guarding the rear was an odd skill to develop and also one of the most common shortfalls in adventurers. Attacks from behind were rare in linear spaces, so about the time an adventurer got complacent was when they got jumped.

Roland seemed mildly uncomfortable with the extra attention.

“At any rate, if we find a passage wide enough for us to have two in front, we’ll go 2, 1, 1. Me and Becky upfront, Olza in the middle, and Roland, well, you know.”

“Any questions?”

Three pairs of wide eyes stared back.

“Great. We’ll leave at first-light tomorrow.”

Quest Updated: Complete an expedition into the Polza caves.

***

The hardest part about descending into the cavern was leaving Becki at the surface. The warthog whimpered as she watched Becky disappear into the pit. Though the parting was sad, especially for Becky, the party had a small bit of good fortune: the Polzas had blossomed again. No one was excited about walking over Disintegration flowers, but Hans went first and survived.

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When they got to the edge of the pit, they saw that the roots of the flowers ran down the side of the hole and into the crack Hans opened. The roots were thin and stringy, but the direction of their growth was undeniable. By the time his feet touched the cave floor, Hans buzzed with anticipation. They had to be getting close to something.

“I feel like a piece of corn,” Becky said, looking down the tunnel. She was fine with the low ceiling, but the narrow passages weren’t forgiving to dwarf proportions.

“Aren’t dwarves at home underground?” Roland asked.

She scoffed. “Don’t be stereotyping. You get it, right? You know the trees are better.”

Roland admitted that he did. The cave walls felt like they were actively squeezing him.

The party assumed their formation. Becky chalked as they traveled while Olza unspooled the twine.

When Roland asked what the symbols she drew meant, Hans answered. Adventurers were taught to mark every turn as well as every 50 paces. Having a reference for distance helped prevent what was colloquially known as “the circles,” a psychological phenomenon where long periods of working only by torchlight disoriented and confused a party. With just a little bit of doubt and confusion, they could lose all confidence in what they did or did not recognize, taking them round and round.

As the first in the formation, Hans watched for traps and made a mental map of their journey, giving the party a backup guide if a clever monster scrubbed their chalk. Usually, the second in line did physical mapping with pencil and paper while the third did the chalking, freeing the adventurers in first and last to watch for threats. Becky and Hans were the only trained adventurers in this party, though, so they split duties.

“That was very thorough,” Roland said, dryly. “Thank you.”

The roots lined the cavern ceiling for 150 paces and then began to spiral, as if the roots were water circling a drain. Down the walls, across the floor, and up the other side, but always leading the party forward.

When the party came to a junction, they unanimously agreed to follow the roots. The decision came so naturally that Hans stopped the group, checking to see if they were under some kind of psionic affect. After some discussion, they agreed they weren’t, or if they were, it was so good they couldn’t tell.

I hate psionics. So much.

“Temps gone up two degrees,” Becky mused.

“What?” Olza asked.

“Temperature. It’s two degrees warmer.”

That’s a good sign we’re on the right trail.

But that trail was long.

After a while, Hans asked, “How many paces, Becky?”

“1207… 1208… 1209…”

“Okay. I get it.”

Hans stopped walking.

“Are those dwarf paces or human paces?”

Becky shoved him back forward. “You think you’re so funny, Guild Master.”

The party passed through three more cave junctions, allowing the roots to decide their direction.

“Hold,” Hans said, lifting his hand. “This seems significant.”

The party squished together to look over Hans as he knelt to study the floor. With a line as stark as the snowline around the Polza patch, the cave became a hallway. The floor, ceiling, and walls were made from the same blackish gray stone that Hans found in the pit. These were mortared together, solid and strong. He had no way of guessing how old the structure might be, but it was certainly in good condition.

This part at least.

Scouting the immediate hallway, which ended with a T split, Hans inspected for traps. He looked left and right at the ways they might go and came back to the party. He suggested they rest to fill their bellies and clear their minds. Feeling warm enough, they forewent the fire and shared rations, each sitting on the ground against the hallway walls.

Chewing on some bread he conjured, Hans opened his journal and started sketching with a pencil.

“What are you working on there?” Roland asked, whispering. Lowering their voices decreased the chances of something down the hall hearing them.

Hans spun the journal around, revealing a partial sketch of the path they took through the caves. “I like to put as much down as I can while it’s fresh. Someone typically does the drawing as we go, so usually these notes are for things like observations or reminders or anything that seemed interesting enough to write down.”

“Theories about… this?” the hunter asked, gesturing to their surroundings.

“Still too early to say,” he replied. “From what I read about the Dead End Mountains, there isn’t supposed to be anything like this here, and it was buried, so we know it’s at least a little older than recorded history, but that’s not impressive as it sounds.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was a lot of history before we started tracking ours. Apparently, quite a lot. It’s kind of intimidating.”

Becky leaned over to join the conversation. “My pap would say some things are meant to be forgotten, and he’d say it all spooky like that too.”

“Any of the local stories mention anything like this?” Hans asked, looking between Becky, Roland, and Olza.

Roland and Olza shook their heads. Becky scratched her beard.

“No underground castles come to mind,” Becky said. “Plenty of weird stories, though.”

“Like what?” Olza asked, unable to hide her curious smile.

“My pap used to say that the snow at the top of the Dead End Mountains has only ever melted once in the whole of Gomi’s history, and his papi was there to see it,” Becky said. “A summer day arrived in the middle of winter. The sun was so bright and hot that the entire forest steamed, but that’s not the freaky part. The snow caps melted.”

She paused for dramatic effect.

“Underneath that snow we see every day is the skull of a titan with one giant eye. The Dead End Mountains are his bones and the bones of his enemies.”

“Gods, Becky,” Hans sighed. “I thought you had a real story.”

“It is real. My pap wouldn’t lie.”

“You know, you’re right. It’s not my place to question our elders.”

Becky huffed slightly but seemed satisfied. Meanwhile, Hans had an idea.

New Quest: Research the history and legends of the Dead End Mountains.

Twenty minutes or so later, Hans motioned it was time to move. As Hans stood, Roland put a hand on his wrist.

“Do you think squonks are ahead?”

Hans shrugged, sadly. “I don’t have any idea, to be honest.”

“I see.”

“If this gets to be too much for you, we can go back. There’s no shame in that.”

“I’m just hoping… I’m just hoping we find the rest of me.”

Setting a hand on each of Roland’s shoulders to force eye contact, Hans said, “The only part of you that isn’t here right now is back at home worrying about you.”

Roland nodded, embarrassed.

“An old adventurer I used to know told me once that every monster we kill has to be killed twice, once with our swords and once with our minds. And he’d say, ‘I always wished my mind was as strong as my sword. Too many of my kills escaped their second deaths.’ Even when he was retired, hardly able to walk, he’d always be at the guild hall after a bad job, the kind of job that makes you sit quiet and still for hours after. He’d always come and offer that same advice.”

“Did it help?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s made me pay more attention. The monster you don’t see is the one that gets you, as they say, so at least I see them now.”

Hans gave Roland a moment and then patted his shoulders.

Now that they were in constructed corridors, they had the space to adopt a 2-1-1 formation, though Becky lagged a step behind Hans, an adventuring technique for keeping two party members from tripping the same trap. That extra step gave the spotter a crucial additional second to stop their allies from moving forward.

The roots bent to the right, so the party went to the right, Hans casting a curious glance down the unexplored hall, seeing only shadows. The corridor continued forward, the roots spiraling from floor to wall to ceiling as they had in the caves, but otherwise, the hall was featureless. They saw no doors or adjoining hallways. They moved in their pocket of torchlight down, feeling as if they were simply standing in place as the world around them never changed.

Then Olza sniffled.

“Olza,” Roland asked, “are you crying?”

***

Open Quests (Ordered from Old to New):

Progress from Gold-ranked to Diamond-ranked.

Mend the rift with Devon.

Complete the manuscript for "The Next Generation: A Teaching Methodology for Training Adventurers."

Identify the unknown purple flower from Olza.

Protect your place in Gomi and maintain control of the Gomi chapter.

Find a practical solution for a planar leak. Bonus Objective: Find a solution that uses only resources available in Gomi.

Expand the Gomi training area to include ramps for footwork drills.

Find ways to support new tusks in their transition to life in Gomi.

Identify the source of the heat melting the Polza snow.

Design a system for training dungeon awareness.

Complete an expedition into the Polza caves.

Research the history and legends of the Dead End Mountains.