The next morning Kass and I took the employee carriage to one of the other dungeon complexes in the city. It took a little over an hour to arrive, and when we arrived I just had to marvel at the complex.

It was like someone took the dungeon plaza, gave it a kid friendly twist, and expanded it three fold. On one side of the area was a glass sided building with a sign that read ‘My first dungeon: Gentle Meadows’. As soon as I saw it I turned on Kass, eyes wide.

“What? You’ve never seen an introductory dungeon before?” she asked. I shook my head as she led me up to the first window. Inside there were about a dozen kids running around trying to catch animals. “It provides entertainment for younger kids, typically four to eight years old, in a fairly safe place. Today it looks like the first room is catching ‘dire bunnies’ and ‘baby cerberus.’” She leaned closer to me “Actually, they’re just Flemish Rabbits and puppies. The ‘Floor boss’ is just a caregiver.”

As I watched the organized chaos within, one of the little girls fell down and skinned her knee. She barely started crying when two tiny ent looking creatures rushed out from the background and began comforting her. One applied basic healing magic on her knee, while the other babbled, keeping her attention. Within a minute she was up and running again.

“What were those?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off the seething mass within.

“Well, depends who you ask. The kids call them Bonsai ents, and they like to lean into that comparison, but they’re really juvenile tree sprites. They love kids.” She pulled on my arm, urging me to continue on. “There’s more to see.”

The second room had a table full of paper and paints, while various colorful creatures strutted about the room. The kids seem to delight in drawing the various fantastical things, and every once and a while one would run to the window to show their parents. A very wholesome activity.

The third, and final room, was by far the busiest. The kids were all lined up on one side while a sheep woman with curly horns, wearing a fancy maids dress complete with bonnet, stood on the other side, facing the wall. “Go!” the sheep woman called, causing the mob of children to surge forward. After a second or two she spun around calling “Stop!” Most kids did, but a couple stumbled. “Joey, Suzan, back to the beginning,” the woman chuckled. When the kids reset she turned around and cried “Go!” again.

This cycle continued for another minute, until one of the kids managed to reach her, and that triggered the rest of them to rush forward. Soon they were all on the ground, in a giant giggling pile.

“That’s Nora, she’s a sleep demon, and super popular with the kids,” Kass said with a smile. “Fun fact, between play sessions she reads to the kids and the dungeon rebroadcasts it. Nora’s Nook is actually more popular than a lot of runs.”

“Aren’t sleep demons fairly powerful?” I asked, glancing at Kass.

“Of course! Nora actually used to be a floor boss for the expert dungeon, but came here because of how much she loves kids.”

I shook my head, “This entire situation is crazy to me. I grew up thinking that dungeons are extremely serious business, but here we are in front of a dungeon themed daycare center.”

“You just need to learn how to lighten up a little. I know you grew up in constant competition, but you don’t need to work twenty four seven here to prove your worth. There’s more to life than a single dungeon.”

“I’m beginning to realize that,” I mumbled, staring at the laughing children.

“Good!” Kass patted me on the back with one pair of arms, while pulling me forward with another. “Now, let's get going. We don’t want to miss our appointment with Sylvia.”

The two of us crossed the food court area, past the shopping district, and into a slightly more subdued area. Here, next to the side entrance to the square, were three different dungeon entrances. There were several groups of adventurers, everything from young teens to seasoned adventurers, milling about.

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“Sylvia’s currently acting as a boss from the amateur dungeon. The area out front is busy since we have Training, Beginner, and Amateur dungeons here, thankfully we can use the staff entrance to by-pass it all.”

She pulled me around the side, passed the colorful facades at the front, and down a wide alley to the side door. Beside the door was another mythril golem, which reached out and scanned us, before stepping aside.

“They have a mythril here too?” I whispered to Kass as we passed by.

“You think the ones at the Wailing Manor are there to protect Lanivia? She could scrap them both if she wanted, they’re there for employee safety. I don’t know how Lanivia has the cash for them all, only that she does,” Kass replied.

The corridor beyond the entrance was similar to the Wailing Manor, but done in rich wood instead of stone, and it was much shorter. After about ten feet it opened into a smaller atrium, where the staff was running, preparing for the day's matches.

In the middle of the chaos was a tall, statuesque vampire woman. Her hair was snow white, beside a single lock of red covering her right eye. “NO! No charging!” she yelled at the desiccated hunched humans in front of her. Ghouls. They all cocked their heads to the side, almost like puppies that didn’t understand their owner.

“Charge!” One declared, which caused the others to yell the word out in unison and then dance around happily.

“Ugh… I hate you sometimes,” the woman muttered. “Go get ready for the match.”

As her entourage ran off, possibly in the wrong direction, the woman turned towards us. “Kass… What brings you to this neck of the woods? Come to gloat at how far I’ve fallen.”

“Come on Sylvia, if you could whip those vampiric layabouts in the Ballroom into shape, you can do the same for those ghouls,” Kass replied, as she stuck out her hand. The two women shook, quickly, before Sylvia turned to me.

“And I’m guessing this little one is the strategist I’ve been hearing about. The one that took over the Ballroom when that jackass left,” Sylvia said, eyeing me up.

“Hi!” I managed to chirp out, while doing my best not to hide behind Kass. Sylvia had a commanding aura unlike anything I’d felt before. It made me nervous.

“Well, at least she’s not as aggressive as Gustave, that’s a plus. What can I do for you today?” Sylvia asked, turning back towards Kass. As soon as she did I felt a sense of relief. Either she disabled her aura, or it was only directed at her primary focus.

“We want to invite you back to work at the Wailing Manor,” I said, finally standing up straight. “To help with both our regular matches and the duels.”

“And you think I’d just leave a cozy job like this to come back?” Sylvia asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’ve seen the records about what happened, you were right to leave,” I replied confidently. “Gustave was toxic to everyone around him, according to both the complaints and first hand testimony of multiple staff.”

Sylvia stared at me for a moment, then snorted in laughter. “You look like a shrinking violet, but looks like you do have a bit of a backbone.” She crossed her arms, “Why me?”

“Didn’t you receive messages we sent while setting up this meeting?” I asked, slightly confused.

“I did, but I wanted to hear it directly from the source before I made my final decision. So go on, why me?”

I looked her in the eyes. “We need not only a competent fighter, but someone that can keep their team alive. You have unconventional methods, which I actually consider a major advantage; Conventional means that it’s easier for our opponents to make plans to counter you. Plus, you have both offensive and defensive magic, which makes you very versatile. Finally, you’re really well respected back in the manor, many of the staff were impressed by you and wanted you to come back.” I took a deep breath, and tried not to pant after forcing my micro rant out in a single breath.

Sylvia just stared at me for a minute. “You were right, she’s cute,” she said after a minute, breaking out into a giant grin.

“Beg pardon?” I stammered.

“Kass and I are friends, and she already convinced me to come back. My only requirement was meeting the little strategist she’s been gushing about ahead of time.” I caught Kass blushing out of the corner of my eye, but that was secondary to what I’d just found out.

“Then… why did we come all this way?” I said.

“My replacement doesn’t arrive for another week, I can’t swap yet,” Sylvia replied with a shrug. “Kass just really wanted to show you off.”

I groaned, and buried my face in my hands. This entire conversation just became extremely embarrassing.

“Can’t wait to work with you!” Sylvia declared with a smirk.