“Okay, I’ll buy the boat,” said Jean.

“OOH! I’ll get a ton of healing potions ready!” Sapphire shouted.

“And I can put together some waterproof parkas. I imagine that we’ll be surrounded by water, right?” asked Chandrika.

Gio blanched. He had asked Jean and Chandrika to meet him for lunch, and Sapphire had tagged along with Rika. He was barely halfway through explaining his plan when his friends interrupted his well-rehearsed sales pitch. He was planning to have at least a small amount of pushback from them.

“A- Are you sure? I mean, this is going to be dangerous! You should at least consider what you’re signing up for! Sapphire, I wasn’t even planning on asking you to come!” Gio argued.

“I mean… for me, this makes a lot of sense. This is like… the loophole for your situation. We’re not allowed to buy, gift, loan, or otherwise supply you with any tangible materials… but aiding you on a dungeon crawl is a different story.” Chandrika said.

“Agreed. I… still think that it would be awesome to serve with you in the Ring Guard, but I hate to think that you would be joining under duress. I hope that if you do one day feel called to help defend the Ringed City, you do so on your terms. If this is a way for us to be able to help you work towards your dreams… I know that you would do the same for us.” Jean added.

“I wish I could say that I’m solely interested in tagging along out of the goodness of my heart like these two, but honestly I’m kind of just excited about coming along on a dungeon crawl. Also, I NEED to meet your cousin. She sounds like a badass.” Sapphire said.

Gio felt flustered. He had spent the ride back from the Copper Ring and most of the following day stressing over this conversation. He had been worried that asking for a favor like this would have put a strain on his friendships, or that he’d be seen as just another needy commoner.

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you all for helping me with this. I can’t promise that this delve is going to go perfectly… but I will promise you that I am going to work as hard as possible to make sure that we’re prepared.” Gio said.

“I think that’s wise. We can all work together to make sure that this is as successful as possible. We’ve got two and a half weeks to go, right? I think I am going to ramp up my training in preparation for the delve. I won’t promise that I will be as good at pathfinding as your grandfather was… but don’t underestimate the power of the [Great Sage] skill.” Chandrika said.

“Oh, I think we’ve all seen how potent your skill is. I’m just excited to get to tag along with the infamous dragonslayers this time. I’m just a humble true alchemist in training, but I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve that I’m excited to show you all!” Sapphire chirped.

_____

Gio placed a box of loose tea leaves down in front of his mentor.

“And what do we have here?” Baphelus asked.

“It’s a type of barley tea that we serve at King’s Garden. I can certainly guarantee that it won’t be up to your standards, but I figured that you might enjoy the novelty of seeing the standard fare of the Copper Ring.” Gio said.

“A common misconception. I have found that price has very little to do with the actual quality of tea. You’d be surprised at the hog-swill that certain boutique stores tout about as “high-end”. Let’s sample this. I seem to recall that you said it was best served chilled?” Baphelus asked.

Stolen story; please report.

“It can be served either hot or cold, but most of our customers enjoy a cold cup of it to accompany the spice of the broth that we serve,” Gio replied.

“Very well, then chilled we shall have it!” Baphelus replied.

Summoning a vessel of ice and a resplendent porcelain tea set, Baphelus artfully brewed, decanted and chilled two ceramic mugs full of chilled tea. Gio took his and was surprised at how good it was.

“That’s odd. I don’t think it’s usually this good.” Gio noted.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. A proper brewmaster can work wonders, regardless of the starting ingredients. I merely used purified water, controlled the temperature, and used a precise amount of ice.” Baphelus replied.

Gio savored the tea, noting the earthy flavor of the barley, letting the refreshing beverage wash over his palette.

“So, your trip home was refreshing, I hope?” Baphelus asked.

“It was. I must admit that I did still end up thinking about a potential solution to my problem. I’ve taken your advice, though- and I intend to meticulously plan my next steps. Would you mind if I shared the details of my plan with you?” Gio asked.

“Hmm… As a member of the faculty, It would be a conflict of interest if you informed me of any intentions to break school rules. As your mentor, I quite literally am obligated to intervene if you tell me that you’re going to do something that goes against bylaws if you catch my drift. With that being said, If you want to tell me, I will listen and offer feedback if applicable.” Baphelus stated.

Gio smiled.

“I understand. Well, I can gleefully report that at least part of my plan is completely in line with the school’s mission statement. I plan on delving into a minor dungeon to make use of a spiritspring that is allegedly hidden there.” Gio said.

Baphelus’s well-groomed eyebrows rose high.

“Oh? And how are you going to afford the delving fee? I seem to recall that depending on the dungeon, most guilds will charge an arm and a leg if there’s even a slim chance of a nexus inside a dungeon. A spiritspring… is a potent type of nexus, at that. I’d say a leyline crossing, or perhaps a forgotten altar of some minor god would be easier to come by.” Baphelus replied.

“Well… I am uncertain how much of this information I should disclose… but you’ve been nothing but gracious to me. My grandfather was a pathfinder of some small renown. I doubt you’d have heard of him… His name was Francisco. He was obsessed with a dungeon- he did years of research about it, and he was certain that it contained a spiritspring. To those without skills, it appears to be an endless maze of canals filled with worthless flowers.” Gio offered.

“Intriguing. There’s no shortage of bizarre and useless dungeons in the world. For one to have been overlooked as worthless to untrained eyes isn’t an unfamiliar story. My next question is this: If your grandfather failed, what makes you so sure that you will succeed?” Baphelus asked.

“For starters- I’m not going alone like he did. Next, I have his research. He outlined every trap, every monster, and their behaviors.” Gio said.

“Pathfinders usually have a slew of navigation skills. How will you find your way through this maze of flowers?” Baphelus retorted.

“Easy. I have a [Great Sage] on my team.” Gio replied.

Baphelus let out a hearty laugh.

“A potent friend to have indeed! Well, It sounds like you’re amply aware of the dangers involved, and I trust you to know to withdraw if it seems hopeless. We’d be hypocrites if we were anything less than supportive of a dungeon delve, in this place of all places. I guess my last question is- what can I do for you?” Baphelus offered.

“Well, I’m glad you asked, honored mentor. I want you to help me learn how to reach the reflection part of the mirror dimension. I’ll do whatever it takes, no matter how grueling the training or what I need to do to make that happen.” Gio replied.

Baphelus sipped his tea and looked pensive for a moment.

“You have a few weeks before your self-imposed deadline. You’ll need to get the Scriptorium boy involved, as I doubt that [Mirror Jaunt] will suffice. What you need is the seeds of a plane-shifting spell. You’re attuned to mirror mana already… but I imagine that this will be particularly strenuous. I mentioned previously that the mirror dimension is said to be heavily affected by the observer effect… You’ll likely need to spend some time doing visualization exercises. If it can be done… we shall see it so.”