Chapter 21

The ride took maybe ten minutes total and M'redith talked excitedly the entire way. She told Jay about her errands, how long it had taken to get her hair done, how she had to, verbally but almost physically, fight a woman for the last lipstick in the color she wanted, and finished up by telling him how she really hoped he had a good time at the play that night.

“I'm already having fun. I don't think there's anywhere I'd rather be actually.” Jay said with a smile while looking out the window and the crowd they had pulled up to.

M'redith smiled at that but Jay missed it being preoccupied with what was going on outside the coach. A knock sounded and the doors were opened as light from the magical lighting strung all along the theater building's front face and sound from the large crowd flooded the interior cabin of the coach. Jay got out and offered M'redith his hand, helping her down even though Jay was sure she could have managed entirely on her own.

They were on a wide boulevard packed with people. Jay and M'redith walked past the crowd to the theater entrance where M'redith gave their names which was then checked in a large gold leafed book a young man held off to the side of the entrance. A check was placed next to their names and they were admitted to the front room.

The noise from the crowd outside faded and was replaced by the hush of quiet conversation. People gathered in small groups, everyone exceptionally dressed, men usually in lighter colors of greys and tans while the women wore various shades of white. Jay suddenly realized that his and M'redith's black and red outfits stood out quite a bit but wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

M'redith enjoyed the attention but the two of them stood off to the side until an older gentleman who Jay recognized approached them. It was the man who T'lly had escorted in while they had been running Dungeon Room earlier that day.

“Jay!” he said dryly but with a smile as he stopped in front of them, “I've been looking forward to meeting you. I hope you won't mind me taking up a moment of your time?”

Jay looked confused and M'redith changed from having fun to looking wary. “Hi, I'm Jay and this is M'redith,” Jay replied, “I don't believe we have met. You are?”

“Walter. I watched your last dungeon room run with great interest. I'm a full Guild member and had heard some interesting things about you. What is this I hear about a parrot?” he said smiling. He looked straight at Jay pretty much the entire time. Jay found that odd. Everyone's eyes were occasionally drawn to M'redith and her outfit, but not Walter. He seemed to have eyes only for Jay.

“Oh, its my level 1 Adventurer ability!” Jay said happily while M'redith tugged on his arm trying to get his attention but failing. “As long as I get an even share there's a chance my parrot will upgrade a group member's loot rarity.”

Walter nodded, his eyes shining brightly. “That is a very interesting ability. How often does it work?” he asked, leaning in slightly towards Jay.

“That is a question I'd like to know the answer to as well. I haven't had a chance to try it in a group yet. I'm not sure how long training will take before I'll be allowed in a real group dungeon run.” Jay said regretfully.

M'redith was now tugging slightly harder but Jay wasn't picking up on it.

“Well now, I may have a solution that helps out both of us! How would you like to make some money, go on a dungeon run with some experienced Guild members, and still be home in time to have breakfast Sunday morning?” Walter asked, finally getting to his main point.

Jay was about to answer when three bells rang one at a time signaling it was time to be seated.

“We'll talk after the play, I hope?” Walter finished, shaking Jay's hand while bowing lightly with his head towards M'redith. “Until then.” he said, walking in to the theater and leaving them once again alone in a sea of well dressed people.

“Jay,” M'redith hissed, “don't you know who that was?”

Jay laughed, “Would you be surprised if I said no?”

A smile threatened to break out over M'redith's face but she forcefully over rode it and finally appeared serious. “That was one of the Guild's upper leadership members. He's a bit mysterious, no one I've spoken to can tell me exactly what it is he does. He's always in and out of The Guild and I've seen him speaking with just about everyone in a position of power at one time or another. I don't know what he does but he's not just some guy who bumped in to you accidentally tonight.”

An usher approached them and led them to their seats which were actually about halfway between the last row and the first. Jay didn't care, he got an aisle seat. As they sat down M'redith wrapped an arm around his and leaned towards his ear. She lowered her voice so only Jay would hear her as she spoke softly.

It tickled a bit and having her that close was enormously distracting but Jay paid better attention after she hissed in his ear “PAY ATTENTION.”

“Sorry,” he muttered quietly, “but you can be enormously distracting.”

M'redith grinned at his compliment but continued. “He knew you Jay. He knew about Sunny. He wants something from you. He may have shown up tonight for no other reason than to get a chance to speak to you outside of The Guild. This man came looking for you. You need to be wary.”

Jay nodded. It was good information but didn't help him or change how he would have answered the man's questions anyhow. “Ok. I'll try to keep my eyes open around him.” he said a little hesitantly.

“Just be careful. There's always a catch with these things. People with power like that say one thing while doing another. Just keep your wits about you when it comes to him, ok?” she said somewhat frustrated with Jay, who didn't quite get what she was trying to get across but was at least trying.

“Ok, I'll be careful around him.” Jay said as the lights began to dim, casting the room in to an almost but not quite darkness while the stage was brightly illuminated.

The play was a complicated one. Three families all fighting to be the first to uncover the secret to immortality. Rumors and vague ancient writings all pointed to the existence of a dungeon that if completed would award the victors with never ending life.

The first family wanted it for the matriarch of their family, who had fallen ill and would most likely pass on without the dungeon's gift. The second family was ruled with an iron fist by a man who wanted immortality so he might rule forever. The third family wanted to take the immortality for themselves, not because they had any specific plan for it, but instead merely to keep it out of the hands of others, believing it to be an ability not meant for mortal minds.

The story was rife with murder plots, forbidden love, forced marriages, and kidnappings - at least one of which involved a kidnapped goat. Jay was frequently forced to ask M'redith for clarification on who or what something was. Sometimes he would ask a simple question that even a child on Eden would know the answer to and she would smile warmly at him. She found his Traveler related ignorance endearing.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She would lean up close to him during the battles and would squeeze his arm when the forbidden lovers escaped their confines and were reunited on a beach just as a storm rolled in. Proclamations of love in the face of certain death drew sighs from many of the women in attendance, including M'redith.

Finally after years of searching and political maneuvering the dungeon was located. The Dungeon of Rebirth it was called. Group after group entered. Once entered no group ever returned from the dungeon. Over time the dungeon was renamed by the surrounding populace as the Dungeon of Death and the three warring families each collapsed in on themselves, eventually disappearing altogether. All that remained in present day was the dungeon, which no one would enter. The play ended and a hush fell over the audience.

“Pyrrhic victory,” Jay mumbled to himself as the audience clapped reservedly.

M'redith looked up at him as the clapping continued, “What's that?”

The cast of the play all had returned to the stage and were giving a bow to the audience, the player's faces flush from exertion and the heat of the lights.

“Its an Earth thing named after a king who won a battle at such a horrible cost it has never been forgotten. Basically its a victory that comes at such a monumental cost that it is the same if not worse than having being defeated. This play reminds me of that. They found the dungeon but the cost was everything they had.”

M'redith moved her lips as she worked out how to pronounce 'Pyrrhic.' “That's amazing. Can I use that?”

“Sure,” Jay replied looking down at her with a smile, “but good luck explaining to people where you got it!”

The actors and actresses left and reappeared on the stage in various groups all to respectful applause and the main characters were presented with bouquets of flowers.

Finally the applause died down and a curtain fell across the stage blocking it from view. The play had ended. The room lights came back up to a healthy soft glow and people began to filter out of the theater.

Jay and M'redith got up when it was their turn and walked out in to the brightly lit front room packed with people talking in small groups.

A photographer was wandering from group to group and taking photos. Jay and M'redith paused when he approached and he offered his services for an almost reasonable price. Jay asked for two deluxe photos without knowing what that meant and posed with M'redith. She drew Jay in to a hug and rested her head against his chest for the photo, one hand around his waist, the other placed delicately on his chest. After a bright flash Jay paid the photographer and gave him his information so the finished photos could be delivered to him the next day.

Afterwards M'redith didn't move away but stayed tucked in to Jay as she had for the photo. Jay noticed that Walter was waiting for them off to one side and waving at them. “Jay! I was worried I had missed you already!” he said with a relieved expression on his face.

M'redith stood quietly but with a slight frown at the interruption. So far Walter hadn't said anything to be worried about but M'redith wasn't drawn in by Walter's nice guy attitude. She felt that there was going to be a definite hidden agenda in anything he offered to Jay.

Walter handed Jay a card with his name on it in flowing script. On the back of the card there was an address which Jay of course did not recognize. “We'd love to have you along for a run tomorrow morning. I'd like to see if we could get your bird to make an appearance. Don't worry you'll be well taken care of, transportation will be covered, and you'll be given an equal share of the loot. All you'd need to do is follow directions and keep out of combat the best you can. The other members will take care of the rest.”

Jay looked over at M'redith who had been quiet the entire time. She shrugged. Without further information, which Walter was most likely not going to give, it was impossible to figure out what his game might be. “Ok,” Jay replied, “I'm in. I think it'd be fun and probably good experience to do a run with some people who really know what they're doing. What time should I be there by?”

“I'll send a coach for you to The Guild front gates around eight in the morning. That should leave you plenty of time to have breakfast and meet with your friends before having to go.” Warren offered offhandedly, as if the cost of a coach wasn't exorbitant. “I'm excited,” he stated, his eyes bright, “we shall see you in the morning then. A pleasure seeing you again. You as well M'redith. I do believe you have put the other women here to shame tonight with that gorgeous outfit of yours. Indeed, a pleasure.”

Jay and M'redith nodded, Jay shaking his hand before Walter headed back in to the theater.

“What the hell was that about you think?” Jay asked M'redith once they had left the building and stepped back up in to their shiny black coach, the door shutting behind them with a satisfyingly quiet click, the noise from outside disappearing.

“I've no idea but I'm looking forward to finding out from you tomorrow when you get back!” M'redith replied as she once again wrapped an arm around his and leaned back in to her seat with her eyes closed, relaxing. “Just be careful Jay.”

They were quiet for a few minutes before Jay spoke again. “The play. Was it based off of a real story?”

“Oh yes,” M'redith said, her eyes opening as she sat up. “The dungeon is a ways from here but its not like its location is a mystery. Its well known, just not well traveled if you know what I mean.”

“Ya, certain death will do that I suppose.” Jay agreed with a lopsided grin. “I think though that I might need to go there.”

M'redith turned so she was facing him fully. “Did you not pay attention during the play? Certain death and all that?”

“Oh I did. But they weren't Travelers. I think that might have been the problem. Remember when I told you Gaia had given me something to do but it wasn't religious? I'm supposed to find a Traveler's Stone of Rebirth if I've put the clues together properly anyhow. Could it be possible that The Dungeon of Rebirth is a Traveler's dungeon? Just a more dangerous version of one I mean? That would make a pretty powerful protection – kill any group without a Traveler in it.” Jay said.

“That is one hell of a reach Jay,” M'redith said looking a little worried. “Of course the name is pretty evocative though – Rebirth? Kind of on the nose. I can see why you'd think you need to go there.”

“I'll probably need to get quite a bit stronger before I could handle that anyway. I should focus on the training with The Guild for now I suppose.” Jay said softly while thinking to himself.

The coach dropped them off at the front gates of The Guild grounds and Jay walked with M'redith back to her rooms. Stopping at the front door she said, “Well this is me. I don't think you've ever been to the women's dorm building have you?”

“No,” Jay said distractedly, “I haven't. This is my first time.” But what Jay was thinking about was whether or not he was supposed to kiss her goodnight. They had talked throughout the night as friends but Jay felt like they had acted like it was a date. He was just too confused to know for certain what he was supposed to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but who wants to get slapped after trying to kiss a girl after reading the signals wrong.

M'redith watched the battle in Jay's head play out in his obvious facial expressions and finally took pity on him, wrapping him up in a big full front hug which made him stop thinking and just smile as he returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her.

“Thank you,” Jay said. “I've never been with the prettiest woman in the room before. It was even more fun than I had thought it would be. I'm glad I went with you tonight.”

He must have said something right because she let him go and gave him a kiss on the lips that happened too quickly for Jay to really enjoy it before she said while blushing bright red, “I had a great time too. I'll see you in the morning Jay,” and went in to her front room and closed the door behind her.

Jay stood there for a moment trying to gather his thoughts before he walked slowly back to his room. He carefully undressed and stored his formal clothing and shoes before laying down and turning out the lights. It had been a fun night for more reason than one. He thought he might have a better handle on his friendship/relationship with M'redith. He'd found a possible lead on the task Gaia had given him. Finally, he'd been given an opportunity to run a dungeon, learn a few things, make some money, and meet some full Guild members.

He fell asleep and dreamed of chasing M'redith through a dungeon, trying to catch up to her, but finding her always just out of reach.