Abby’s mutated spike thing slid out of her palm, hanging limply out the end. The tip of the spike had remained solid, but the rest of it looked almost broken. It, like she suspected her bones to be, were segmented, almost braided like hair. Or a whip. While Abby definitely looked human enough on the outside, with some exceptions, her ability to essentially have joints on every part of her body still freaked her out, even days later.
Abby clenched her arm, feeling her whip-like spike retract back into the slot in her arm. She clenched a different muscle, sliding it out again. In and out, back and forth. The unconscious exercise had started to become something she did to relax herself. It helped her come to terms with her new, inhuman nature.
“Can you stop that please?” Isabelle asked with a disgusted tone. She disguised it with reason. “I don’t want it becoming a habit for when we’re around other people.”
Abby retracted the whip-spike. She lazily wrapped an arm around Isabelle’s shoulder. “Are you sure it’s not because you’re jealous?” She grinned.
Isabelle gave Abby a look. “And stop smiling. Your teeth, remember?”
Ah yes, yet another mutation. Pointed teeth, like a cat. They weren’t so bad that people would notice while she was talking, but when her teeth were together, you could definitely see the jagged rows. Abby clicked her hard tongue against the teeth. She still couldn’t get used to not being able to feel things with her tongue directly. Or taste. Maybe that was a mercy, judging by Isabelle’s expression when they were eating smoked squirrel.
“Just remember that this is all on you.” Abby reminded the now much smaller girl. “In your own words, something something…” Abby rolled her hand in thought. When she found it, her whole arm fell limp, like a snake slumping over Isabelle’s shoulder. “I’ll take responsibility?”
Isabelle’s hackles rose. She quickly shoved Abby’s limp arm away, dancing away from her. She shivered and shook, scratching her shoulder where Abby’s arm had rested. Abby just laughed.
“I’m serious!” Isabelle berated her. “No more pranks, no more smiling, no more that,” she gestured to Abby’s hand, inferring her whip-spike. “Nothing! And stay out of sight at night and in the dark! Your eyes are doing that glowing thing like Garroway.”
“Like cats.” Abby corrected. She didn’t want to be compared to someone like him.
Isabelle nodded, accepting the correction. She was still getting used to this too, just in a more distant form than Abby was. She, in her own words, didn’t wake up in the morning looking like “a pile of wet noodles”, but instead had to bear with looking at the pile of wet noodles every morning.
Abby’s sleeping habits aside, Isabelle was dealing with the changes very well. Although she seemed uptight now, that was only because they were close to the capital. She had every right to be nervous, and Abby was trying to calm her down with a few light hearted jokes. She had every bit of faith that Isabelle had a plan in mind, just the same as she had a plan in mind when Abby got brainwashed by the dungeon.
Isabelle had planned their interaction with the dungeon with her plan to infiltrate the church already in mind. She knew she had to coerce the dungeon into evolving Abby in a very specific way, and that meant finding a dungeon that would most likely agree with her train of thought. After they encountered the dungeon that utilized ambushes and other sneaky tactics, Isabelle knew exactly how the talk would go.
First, she would give Abby some breathing room within her tomb. That would encourage the core to grow her to match the available space, hopefully in an attempt to ‘break out’. Then, after establishing that Isabelle was in power with the negotiations by ensuring Abby swallowed the cores whole, Isabelle would appeal to the dungeon's instincts to conquer things. Even if it didn’t know what the church was, or what they wanted, she could at least force it to empathize with their cause. By tricking it into believing that she somehow needed the dungeon alive in order for her plan to work, she was then able to further influence it into taking certain evolutions for Abby. Night vision, even better hearing, enhanced magic sense, and whatever the dungeon could do to make Abby fit in small spaces, even with her larger size. Even the act of entombing Abby in the exact manner she had was intentional, since it encouraged the dungeon to help Abby ‘escape’ the tomb through her own means.
Everything went exactly according to Isabelle’s plan. And thus, she claimed sole responsibility for Abby’s transformation. She wanted Abby to hate her for it. To place every bit of blame on Isabelle’s small shoulders. It was her idea. It was Isabelle that convinced Abby that this was the best plan going forward.
Of course, Abby could never accept that. This was her idea in the first place, and she only agreed to go further because she trusted Isabelle. She still did, and she would continue to do so forever. Isabelle was smart. She had a good head on her small shoulders, and she shouldn’t have to carry the weight of the world on them. They would share the burden. That much, Abby had vowed.
She smiled, ruffling Isabelle’s hair, much to the little mage’s chagrin. She laughed with her lips closed, to show that she could follow Isabelle’s orders. To show her that she didn’t have to worry.
Abby was here.
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The road leading into Everlast, the capital, was obviously packed. Travelers, farmers, and adventurers all equally needed to use the road in order to enter the city. Everlast was a large, walled city, with five gates leading down the roads that led people towards the closest cities in their respective directions. Of course, Abby and Isabelle couldn’t use the entrance directly. Guards and members of the church stood at the entrances, vetting everyone before letting them in. They’d have to find another way in! Climb the walls! Through the sewers!
“We’re going in through the front.”
“WHY!” Abby shouted.
Isabelle scrunched up her face. “I’m not crawling through muck to get inside.”
“The fate of Setterton is on the line!” Abby countered.
“What do you think is more suspicious? People who use the front door, or people who smell like literal shit?”
Abby considered it. But she didn’t concede the point. “So we’ll climb over!”
Isabelle gestured to the walls as a whole. “The whole point in the wall is that it keeps some things out, and other things in. There’s guards all along the length at all times, keeping an eye out for monsters and emergencies. News of Setterton has undoubtedly got people on edge. It’s not every year that a dungeon is able to ‘overpower’ a whole village.”
“But that’s-”
“That’s what people are being told.” Isabelle said firmly. “And if a dungeon is that powerful, people are going to be on edge, even if it is many days of travel away. They’ll be alert, looking for danger and anything suspicious. Sneaking in is a dungeon’s way of infiltration. Real people use the front door.”
“That’s stupid.” Abby finally relented. “They’re going to be looking for us.”
“In a way.” Isabelle agreed. “But do you think they know what we look like?”
Abby considered it. “Maybe. But then again, maybe they’re stopping every pair of girls like us.”
Isabelle nodded. “Which is why we’ll go in separately. Here, you’ll take this.”
Abby accepted Isabelle’s staff, slightly confused. “Why?”
“They’re looking for us.” Isabelle repeated. “A tall, athletic swordsman, and a small, noble mage girl. Not the other way around, and not individually.”
Abby gave Isabelle a blank stare. She looked down to her own body. Muscular beyond normal belief. Back up to Isabelle. Small and fragile.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to pass as a mage.”
Isabelle had followed Abby’s gaze, and had to admit there was a certain aspect of this plan that she had failed to consider. To make up for it, she took out the magic cores from the knots in the staff and just handed them to Abby. “Congratulations, you’re now a quartermaster.”
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“A wha-?”
“You beat people with sticks.” Isabelle hurriedly gestured for Abby to give up her sword. “Now come on! The faster we do this, the faster we get inside.”
Abby cringed, but she obliged. She pulled the sword out of her belt, handing it to the much smaller girl. Isabelle stared at the sword for a little longer than Abby thought she had to. Eventually coming to some sort of conclusion, she tossed the sword aside.
“We can’t take this in either. It’s a church weapon. Too recognizable.”
Abby grunted. “Alright, fine. So what’s the plan then? After we get inside.”
“We go in, one at a time.” Isabelle said. “Actually, I’m going to suggest we both circle around the city in opposite directions. Go through different entrances. After that, we’ll meet in Boar’s Hide. It’s an inn I remember seeing when I came here as a kid.”
Abby nodded. “And then we go after the church? How do we do that?”
“That much is going to be up to you. I can point you in the right direction, but actually spying on them will be up to you.”
Abby’s ears flickered, searching for sounds around them. She felt uncomfortable openly discussing infiltrating the church, but as far as she was aware, there wasn’t anybody nearby to overhear them. “That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”
“It’s not.” Isabelle admitted. “But no plan survives contact with the enemy. We’ve prepared as best we could, and now we need more information. We can plan more after that.”
Abby nodded. She could agree with that. “Guess that’s that then.”
Isabelle held out her hand to shake Abby’s. “Good luck. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She looked down to Abby’s gloves. “And maybe lose the gloves. The holes are a little obvious.”
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By some miracle, getting into the city went without a hitch. She melded into the crowds outside the main road, joined up with the larger crowd heading into the city, and just… walked right on through. The guards didn’t give her so much as a second glance when she smiled at them. Lips tight, of course. Abby followed all of Isabelle’s advice, including not raising her hands higher than her elbows. Her shirt was much smaller on her than it used to be.
It was a novel feeling. Being able to see over the heads of everyone else. Abby hadn’t been around other people before now. So to be around so many people all at once, she was really feeling the differences.
After she successfully entered Everlast, the nerves disappeared, followed directly by awe, and something else. The city was full of splendor. Large stores towered over her in every direction, made of stone and white plaster. Glass windows taller than Abby displayed fabulous dresses, jewelry, and baked goods of every make.
The main road had a perfect view of the castle in the center of the capital, and the large tower off to the side that marked out where the great dungeons were located. They dwarfed everything else, standing proud and strong, surrounded by a second set of walls that were meant to keep monsters inside should the dungeons ever grow out of control. Abby just had to stop and take in its majesty with a smile.
She choked back a sob. She’d made it. She was in the capital.
Owyn… she made it!
Her grip on her staff tightened. She took a few steps off to the side, to get out of the way of the regular citizens. Finding a nice little alley between buildings, Abby leaned up against a wall and wiped away the tears forming on her face. She wasn’t sad. How could she be!? She’d made it! This was the happiest Abby had been in a very, very long time!
She laughed at herself. How stupid was this? Being an adventurer in Everlast was everything she’d ever wanted. And here she was, ready to go on the most dangerous adventure ever. Sure, it wouldn’t be in a dungeon, at least not directly, but she was here!
There was just one thing missing. Owyn.
Abby sniffed, rubbing away the last of her tears. Goddess above, she felt like a little girl. She smiled up at the sky. The sooner she and Isabelle did this, the sooner Owyn could meet her here. In Everlast, as adventurers, like they’d been dreaming of for years. With a grunt and one last wipe of her cheeks, Abby got back on the road.
The only way out was through.
Abby found the Boar’s Hide first, but she didn’t have to wait longer than an hour for Isabelle to show up. They both assured the other that everything went according to plan before agreeing to deal with their sleeping situation before taking a walk to scout out the place. However, Abby was soon reminded of why it took so long for her and Owyn to decide to come to Everlast.
“Thirty-six!?” Isabelle shouted.
The clerk manning the check-in for the inn smiled apologetically. “Twenty-nine, actually. Thirty-six is food included. It’s a good deal!”
Isabelle grumbled, violently opening their collective coin pouch. Abby leaned over to see what little pittance they had for money. Not enough. Not by a long shot.
“First time leaving the house?” The clerk asked. “I know you nobles like having your own space, but maybe living with your parents isn’t such a bad idea. At least for a while.”
Isabelle glared at the man. She slowly put her money away, defeated. “It’s not that… I just didn’t know how expensive…”
The clerk gave her a dead stare that conveyed the fact that he knew exactly how she felt. “Tell me about it.”
They stood there in silence for a second longer, equally disparaging in the others' lack of money. Eventually, Isabelle waved Abby along. “Come on. We’ll figure something out.”
“Should we just start with the walk then?” Abby suggested.
Isabelle nodded reluctantly. “May as well. I didn’t know that… Man, mom and dad really paid through the nose for those vacations, didn’t they?”
Abby laughed hollowly. “Welcome to the world of adults!” Though even she wasn’t expecting things to cost that much. She’d thought Owyn was being a little too frugal when he suggested their daily budget, but after seeing the price for a single night in an inn? Abby was wondering if maybe they should save up just a little more before they moved to Everlast.
Isabelle was at least a little familiar with the streets of Everlast, so she was able to guide Abby more or less accurately through its many streets. Abby was a little impressed that anywhere could have so many streets, but she supposed it made sense, for a city so large.
Their first stop wasn’t really a stop, but a loop around the castle’s inner walls. Isabelle pointed out several gates, as well as their functions. A number of the gates were for servants of the castle and messengers. The road they took perfectly encircled the walls, supposedly to lead to the main gate for more noble business that Abby couldn’t follow. Something about foreign dignitaries, whatever those were. Also along this main road were two gates that led into the dungeons of Everlast, around back. The gates were closed, this late in the day, but Abby could still see through the grates to the dungeons entrance. It too had a large door, made of solid metal and guarded by no less than two dozen knights of the crown. Isabelle gave Abby an ‘I told you so’ at those numbers, which were apparently much higher than they normally were. Not like Abby had a frame of reference to draw upon.
Next, Isabelle took Abby to the main church building. They stayed a fair distance away, keeping out of sight without looking suspicious. The main building for the Church of Will could house hundreds of people at once. The stained glass windows that it did have were high out of reach of anybody circling the building, with no possible way to climb up to them. According to Isabelle, this was supposed to be a shelter to house civilians in the case of emergency, and having easy to break windows at ground level defeated the purpose of protection.
Isabelle, slowly remembering facts about the city, took Abby to an out of the way, entirely black building near the edge of the city. A large grove of orderly trees and tombstones lines a field surrounding it.
“Crematorium and burial grounds.” Isabelle told her. “For us lower nobles. My grandma is over there somewhere.”
“The church manages this?”
“They do.” Isabelle confirmed. With the night approaching, the building looked very menacing. “And with the rather… unsavory smells they use to prepare the dead, not many people wander over here. Businesses that are small or smelly go here, further isolating the area.”
Abby picked up on her tone. “You think this’ll be a good place to start?”
Isabelle shrugged. “If I wanted to hide something, I’d hide it around here.”
“Alright. Where else? If you said that big church was the main one, how many are there?”
Isabelle scrunched up her face. “Dunno. A lot probably. Not many people want to walk for an hour through crowded streets just to get to mass. There’s a lot of smaller churches close to the residential districts. I think my job is going to have to be to walk through every single street to see if I find anything that might be suspicious.”
“That’s going to take a while.”
Isabelle snorted. “Neither of us want the other's job. So let’s get it done. Meet back to Boar’s Hide at noon tomorrow?”
“Why noon?”
“Because I’m sure you’re going to want to sleep for a while after you’re done snooping.” Isabelle took a few steps away. “If we don’t see each other at noon, or half an hour later, we’ll try again at sunset. If we don’t see each other then…”
“Assume the other is dead.” Abby finished.
“Or compromised.” Isabelle said almost hopefully. “But… yeah.”
Abby nodded. Death wasn’t a fun subject, but this wasn’t a fun adventure. They had to be serious. “Good luck.”
“You too.” Isabelle turned around. She hesitated.
Then, the small mage turned back around and rushed into Abby, holding her tightly.
“You better show up.”
Abby smirked, struggling to keep her teeth hidden. “It’s gonna be so embarrassing when we see each other at noon tomorrow.”
Isabelle’s face turned red. She smacked Abby with a fist, though it didn’t do much. Staff in hand, armed with all her spells, Isabelle spun around once more, heading off.
Abby watched her turn a corner, considering her course of action. It wasn’t dark yet, so she didn’t feel entirely confident in snooping around the buildings themselves. However, under the cover of dusk’s shadows and plenty of trees, she could at least take a look around the graveyard itself. There was a lot of ground to cover after all.
It would be a good start.