A few days after Xylia returned, the town held a grand meeting of all of the most important members of town. Which sounded grand but was really just Steevie, Garlo, Nona Plic Abull, the chosen representatives of and only members of the guards: Sylvia and Kyla, and finally Xylia. Rofvil was small and didn’t have a lot of people who cared about politics.
After hearing Xylia's story of an ice dungeon underneath Mt. Fugra, they all came to the same relative conclusion: someone needed to check it out. Everyone collectively looked at Steevie, as the town's only dungeon diver who had seen combat in the last 20 years, everyone had expected him to take up the mantle.
“I’m going too.” Xylia said out of the blue. A chorus of shocked rejects immediately rose to challenge her. The loudest of all being a roaring “NO!” from her sister.
“That dungeon it…I need to see it with my own eyes again!” Xylia announced, her resolve unwavering.
“Alright! Alright! Let’s all settle down now!” Steevie called to quiet the crowd, which was just Garlo, Sylvia and Kyla shouting at Xylia. “Listen, you might, might be able to come. But hold on, hold on.” He said to quiet the incoming disagreements. “You are most certainly not going now. [Solo mission{”
“Because we’ll get burned to death by lava?” Sylvia asked way too cheerfully.
“No-wait, no we-uh…okay, yes, because we’ll get burned alive by lava, but also because that lava will empower the fire based monster, which is to say all of them. It will be extremely dangerous ‘round that volcano for a while. And unless we’ve got a full party of experienced delvers, we’re going to be staying here, got that?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Until then, you’re going to be training your tail off! And not just Xylia, I want the guards ready too!” Everyone nodded harder. “Good. Now then, I’m going to contact your Aunt Lilith!”
“Aunt Lilith?” Xylia parroted.
“Yeah! Did you know she teaches over at the Combold University up in Mearth?”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I think? She teaches dungeon Uh-something or another. I don’t know, you’ll have to ask her.” Steevie shrugged. “That old windbag’ll might know something I don’t.”
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“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Garlo chuckled. “Or the twenty fifth!”
“Oi! Snuff it!” Steevie said with a jovial tone. “Right then, that everything? Right! You two!” He pointed at Kayla and Sylvia, “Follow me, your training begins now! To the training grounds!”
The three of them ran out the door, leaving Xylia and Garlo alone in the bar.
Xylia tilted her head. “Do we have training grounds?”
“No, we don’t. I have no clue where they’re going.” Garlo said with a shake of the head. “How about you kid, what are you going to be doing?”
“Um, well, you see…” Xylia clenched her fists. “I wanna learn about magic! I-I wasn’t strong enough last time, and the dungeon had to save me…I don’t want that to happen again!”
“Magic, eh? Sorry kid, but I’m not exactly magical myself. Unless you’re counting beers as potions.”
Xylia looked down gloomily. “Yeah, but the only other person here who knows about magic is Steevie, and he’s…”
They both sighed. “Steevie…”
“Yeah, that cat’s great but he couldn’t teach a dog to eat scraps.” Garlo said. Xylia looked to the door. “No, they will not be okay. And no, don’t try to go after them, it will only make things worse. Trust me, I’ve tried.” His eyes glazed over for several minutes. Xylia had to snap her fingers a few times too many to get his attention again. “Hmm? Oh right, magic.” He shook his head, “Sure, I can tell you what I know at least. But it ain’t much.”
Garlo poured himself a drink and took a big swig. “Okay, so you know how you initially earn skills when you practice a physical skill, right? Swordplay and running and the like, yeah?”
Xylia nodded. “That’s how I got running.”
“Magic isn’t like that.”
Xylia waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she said “Wait, that’s it?”
Garlo nodded, “That’s all I know kid. Sorry.” Xylia’s expression grew dreary. “But,” Garlo said in a rush. He reached under his counter and pulled out a long wooden stick. “I may not know much about magic but, every mage has to have a staff, right?”
Xylia soaked in the glorious image of her first real staff. She had stolen her sister’s sword before, and used to own a knife, but this: this was different. It had an old and gnarled look, with twigs sticking out of it at every end, and it looked very, very familiar…
A memory of last night popped into her head when she saw some drunken patrons goofing around the dry tree outside of Garlo’s bar. And then hearing a loud snap followed by sobbing that could only be achieved when drunk. Xylia eyed Garlo, “Did-?”
“Just take the damned stick.” Garlo went back to aggressively washing dishes. “And get the hell out of my bar.”
“Yes sir!” Xylia hurriedly grabbed the stick and ran, really not wanting to be on Garlo’s infamous bad side. ‘Still though, it is a staff in a sense.’ She thought, ‘Just you wait, uh “dungeon core I didn’t get the name of”, I’ll be back soon, and we will meet again!”