They walked for an hour before leaving the road and circling back north through the forest. Garrik suggested they avoid game trails and clearings until they were farther from the city. Eira didn't argue, but she regretted the decision immediately when he deliberately took them through tangled underbrush. They climbed, crawled, and walked until sunset, took a brief rest, then continued by magelight until well into the night.

They didn't make camp that first night. Instead, they ate a cold meal with no fire and dozed against tree trunks. Garrik took the first watch and Eira was grateful. Her legs were already sore and her hair was a mass of twigs and leaves.

When the time came to start her watch, Eira was startled awake from dreams about geometry and bushes by a loud snap, followed by a louder curse.

"Pus and pox! You could have warned me you were warded. I called to you twice before I tried to shake you. Sleeping so sound, you're lucky I wasn't a bear." Garrik rubbed his hand and stretched his arm which was probably numb from the shock of her ward.

"The bear is lucky then. A beast like that doesn't have the resistance you do." Eira stretched and yawned, scratching more twigs from her hair then pulling it up into a loose bun and tying it off. "Sorry, for the nap, and the shock. It won't happen again." She used her staff to get to her feet to take her watch. She was less sore now, but the stiffness in her knees and back told her it wouldn't be long before it all came back.

Garrik was asleep the moment he rested his head. She spent an uneventful few hours wondering what they might find and alternately convincing herself it would be nothing at all or more than they could manage.

At first light, they had another quick meal then took a sighting with the amulet and started out.

"This is going to take us well away from the main road by the end of the day." Garrik pointed his thumb back toward the rising sun and Surus' Rest. "We can make a proper camp starting tonight. How far do you think we're going?"

Eira thought about it as they walked, her legs were already loosening up and she was beginning to appreciate the quiet sounds of the forest, and the cool air in spite of herself. "I don't have a way of knowing directly, but when I look east, I notice that the direction of the eye's gaze related to the side of the amulet is slightly different here than it was when we turned off the road to the south. So I imagine this forms a triangle with its point…" She stopped walking and tried to work the math. "Maybe three days?"

"That will be right at the edge of the foothills. We better get moving." He passed her on the left, careful not to brush up against her. "I won't tell Theus you were paying attention to his lecture on Pythagoras."

She climbed after him. "I shouldn't have told Theus about the amulet. He is likely writing to both of our families right now."

"Let him. What is he going to tell them? We went for a walk? Something more scandalous? Let him."

Thinking about it that way improved her mood considerably. She looked up at the brightening sunlight filtering through the trees and took a deep breath full of the earthy scent of leafmould blending agreeably with the deathly sweetness of the hawthorn. It reminded her pleasantly of playing knucklebones as a child with the ancient caretaker, Yuyu, in the atrium of her grandmother's house. Yuyu, an ancient but well preserved revenant, had that same earthy smell.

Their day was a pleasant walk for the most part. The land began to slope upward, but the underbrush cleared out. They only had to backtrack once to find a place to ford an icy cold stream.

It was dusk by then, so they made camp in a thicket just a few minutes walk past the ford. Now that they were well away from the road, they lit a fire and made themselves comfortable.

That was when the bandits revealed themselves.

One moment Eira was bracing herself to try a hot porridge Garrik had made from barley, fermented turnips, and mashed carrots. Next, they were surrounded by bandits with their faces painted skull white. Her staff was leaning against a tree near to hand, and Garrik's sword was just an arm's length away, but their weapons might as well have been stored back in the city as easily as the group had surrounded them. There had to be some sort of skill or magic at work that she hadn't sensed.

None of the bandits had their weapons drawn, and the archers hadn't even bothered to string their bows. Eira was both encouraged and insulted.

Garrik didn't look up, he just continued to spoon porridge into her bowl. "I didn't make enough for company. I hope you bunch aren't planning to stay long." He lifted the bowl with both hands and caught her attention as he handed it to her. He gave her a squint that said "don't."

She considered her chances. She could drain the life out of almost every living thing – tree, insect, or bandit in the thicket without much effort. Garrik was high enough level she could keep his damage to a nosebleed, but the bandits looked to be mostly low level. One big Orc and a higher level Fae might have some resistance, so Garrik would have to fight those two. She took her bowl and sighed. She had to take his warning seriously. Garrik fought bandits all the time, but even he wouldn't want to take on twenty at once, too many chances for a surprise skill or special ability.

"That does smells delicious, but no need to share." The same merchant in colorful clothing they had seen talking to Theus earlier stepped through a gap in the bushes. He didn't stir a leaf. "We'll be camping just to the other side of those trees."

Eira cursed to herself. This close and she couldn't sense him at all. A high-level rogue, no doubt. No one else moved like that. Even a casual glance was enough to spot his expensive and likely enchanted gear. He didn't even wear a weapon, at least not one visible. She kept her voice casual and spoke only to Garrik. "It seems our tutor has betrayed us."

"Not at all!" The merchant bowed slightly. "My name is Raek Hannichusor Faber. It is a pleasure to meet you here in the wild, but, as you've guessed it is no accident. Wise Theus hired myself and my companions here to help guide you and ensure your safety." He smiled at his gang, who ignored him. They just continued to stare at Eira and Garrik with false boredom, though it was obvious they missed nothing. "We are quite familiar with these woods."

Eira and Garrik ignored the implied threat. There was no point in trying to run and hide, not that they would have been inclined to try.

"Well if you're not going to eat, please pardon us," Eira said. She spooned some of Garrik's creation into her mouth. She took a bite from the spoon and was shocked to find the taste sweet and tangy. She finished the rest hungrily, forgetting about bandits for the moment, they could feed themselves.

True to their word, the bandits withdrew and set up their own camp a short distance away. It was obvious they would be keeping a careful lookout through physical and likely magical means against any attempts to sneak away, but they at least gave Garrik and Eira the illusion of privacy to talk.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Garrik said. "We did see him talking to Theus."

She respond in a loud voice, keeping her tone light. "It sounds exactly like something the old layabout would do, and he'll probably bill our families double for their fee." She lifted her empty spoon to her mouth and lowered her voice to a whisper, "None of which means they won't kill us when we find it, whether Theus intended that or not."

Garrik nodded and reached for his own bowl.

"Whatever may come later, they need us right now. No one with their senses intact would touch a Briar family heirloom except you." This Garrik also said loudly enough to be overheard. "If they'll be watching us, they can take both watches tonight." He scrubbed the cooking utensil and bowls with dirt and packed them away, leaving Eira to bank the fire.

They both turned in and slept surprisingly well, though Eira doubled her ward and Garrik slept with his sword beside him.

###

The next morning they woke to a big orc clearing his throat from just outside the thicket. "Sun will be clearing the trees soon. We should try to make the foothills before sunset, the land out there gets rough."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Eira stretched and yawned. Garrik was obviously faking sleep. Whether it was out of spite or duplicity, she couldn't tell. She tossed a stick at him.

To the bandit, she said, "You spend time out here? Why? There's nothing here."

He gestured toward the East. "The old road to the Altar Of The Hungry Flame isn't far from here. There used to be a good amount of traffic back and forth with scavengers. They liked to hire security, protection from bandits, trolls, that sort of thing."

Well who better to protect from bandits than the bandits themselves? She thought, but aloud she asked, "Trolls? Here? I've never heard any reports of trolls back in the city?"

"They come down from the pass every now and again, running from the Helvetii up on the plateau." He shuddered. "Dangerous bunch, the Helvetii."

Garrik made a dismissive sound. "Trolls? And what do they have to fear from Helvetii? Aren't they just a bunch of barbarians?"

"The Helvetii? They collect trolls, stake them out in the sun to turn them to stone then use them for decoration. I met a troll who had been frozen that way for eight years until some passing fae took pity and freed him." The big bandit wrinkled his nose and spit. "Those Helvetii painted him bright colors and put him by the village well to scare off rusalka. Humiliating."

"What was humiliating," Raek said, as he joined them, "was old Chert's cabbage soup. That troll was the worst camp cook I ever hired." He stuck out his tongue. "No taste buds. Not like Ba'Rush here." He slapped the orc on the back. "Now can we all gather ourselves and set out?"

Ba'Rush nodded to Eira and Garrik. "Porridge with boiled pears and honey on the go for breakfast today. Get yours before it's gone."

Once they were on the move, they made better time than Eira and Garrik had been able to by themselves. Normally going from a party of two to a party of twenty would mean slowing down, but the bandits proved they did know the woods well, and with no reason for stealth they were able to take the easiest, most direct path.

Raek and Ba'Rush, who seemed to be Raek's second in command as well as the camp cook, walked nearby. Ba'Rush was silent and vigilant for the most part, but Raek kept up a friendly yet insistent conversation. "And this eye amulet, has it reacted to anything before? Did you happen to look at it when the herbalists and alchemists commissioned that disaster of a display last Floralia?"

"I didn't look, but it has never reacted to anything like that." He was referring to the poorly conceived enchantment commissioned for the city walls during the festival of Flora. The flowers had been pleasant enough to look at on the first day, but they had been a rotting mess by the end of the festival, staining the stonework and streets. There was a rumor the alchemists had done it intentionally to sell wagon loads of bleaching wash.

Raek nodded, then whistled a command, as the way ahead opened up and they stepped from the trees into a meadow.

Eira noted that the rest of the band spread out automatically making a less compact target for any random mage or archer. They had experience and training. She and Garrik had made the right call avoiding a direct confrontation.

Raek dropped back into deep thought for a moment seemingly oblivious to their surroundings again. "I wonder if your amulet might sense some remnant of the dead dungeon? I've heard parts of a dungeon can live on without the core, sustained by a mana well, or a powerful monster or summon." He sighed, making a gesture that took in all of his band, or maybe all of the forest. "Things were so much better when there was a dungeon here. My countryman did us all a great disservice destroying such a wonder, don't you think?"

Garrik chuckled. "I think that was the idea. Carthage and Rome have never had much love for each other."

Raek raised his palms. "No love, but such a terrible price for us all."

"If Scipio had his way, they would have razed Carthage to the ground." Eira couldn't keep the bitter note from her voice. She had no love for the legions or their leaders.

Raek laughed. It was a deep, rolling sound like something he had stolen from a man twice his size. "As long as Carthage and her fleets are queen of the air and sea, I doubt even the Romans could do such a thing." He sobered quickly. "But imagine it, what if there is some remnant of the old dungeon that could be revived, or even a new one, some child of the Altar, if such a thing is possible? To witness the start of a new dungeon."

"So you wouldn't want to just plunder it, take the core, and sell it to the highest bidder?" Garrik asked, his tone neutral.

"I wouldn't even want to step inside. That's a fool's game. Risking one's life for one harvest when there is a lifetime of riches to be made and more, enough to establish a powerful family." He made a coin appear from nowhere and flipped it. "The money is not in the delving, but in supplying, counseling…" He winked. "And taxing the delvers." He made the coin disappear again.

"You mean robbing them," Garrik said.

Eira stiffened. Just when I thought we were going to avoid a fight.

But Raek just laughed, quieter this time, though it sounded genuine. "Not at all. Even a bandit must settle down someday, buy a tavern and a patronage and settle into a life of quiet corruption like any good politician. No need to rob the willing."

Ba'Rush gave Raek a sharp look. "Don't let Lithel and his crew hear you say that." He turned back to scanning the trees and Eira realized he might be watching the other bandits as much or more than he was watching for beasts.

From his tone, Eira didn't think he was joking. She wondered which one was Lithel. The name sounded Fae, so by the process of elimination she assumed it was the high-level Fae she had seen earlier. She wished she was able to see the status of sapients the way she could see it for beasts or the undead. She knew Garrik had gained an ability to see titles and levels with his martial [Assessment] skill. Maybe he could also see names? She could ask him later.

But she had lost Garrik to his favorite topic for now. "Your plans assume it's a well-managed dungeon core," he offered. "It would have to be properly trained so that you aren't dealing with some arcane miasma or a dungeon break every month."

Eira stifled a groan. Now Garrik would go on about dungeon management in minute detail for the rest of what was becoming a very long walk.

But Raek seemed just as bad. "It seems we may have a similar outlook on things." Raek smiled. "Theus thought we might. How would you start to gain the core's trust, assuming it's too young for speech. Animal offerings?"

Eira listened to the two of them trading dungeon facts and knowledge they had learned from traveler's tales and scrolls, and it turned out that Raek had even been to the Palatine dungeon as a child. She tried to ignore them. As far as she was concerned they were dividing up the yield for seeds they hadn't even planted.

She did have to admit, if only to herself, that she had dreams of her own. At the mention of the core, she couldn't help but think how fine an actual dungeon core would look on top of her staff. Not the stick she was carrying around now, she would mount it on a mithril and fine ebony staff to support it properly. A focal crystal like that would put her on the path to restoring her family's legacy, if not their name. She might even raise some relatives to help settle a few scores.

They reached the edge of the meadow and neared the trees again. She pulled the amulet from her pouch and checked their course. "Hold!" The eye was now pointing almost directly north. They had to be close.

She showed the others. They turned and retraced their steps for a few minutes. The eye's gaze noticeably changed direction. "We're very close."

After another hour's travel the eye was moving noticeably with even a few paces travel side-to-side.

Raek, Garrik, and Ba'Rush leaned over the amulet. "If this is pointing that way." Raek pointed through the treeline, toward a steep hillside that led higher and higher to become the edge of the mountains. "It's not the old dungeon. The old dungeon and the pass are that way." He pointed westward in the direction they had been traveling. "Though I suppose they could be connected in some way."

"Or this thing is an elephant bone finder." Ba'Rush rubbed his chin. "You said this was a Briar family heirloom? Maybe they would have been interested in finding big bones to raise. This place is bound to be full of them."

Everyone turned and looked at Ba'Rush.

He shrugged.

For her part, Eira was intrigued. There were the remains of an entire army around here somewhere. Then she shook her head. "No. It's too wet. Bones only last a few decades in the ground in this kind of soil."

Now everyone stared at her, including Garrik.

"What? You know swords and wine." She shook her staff. "I know bones." What she didn't say was there were plenty of bones around here, walking around inside the bandits. They might make a nice start for an undead army, if she had that dungeon core.

They set out, through the trees, and Eira led the way eagerly.

Suddenly, she broke through the treeline into a glade full of grass and flowers. She could see a large crack in the rocky hillside just in front of her.

She rushed forward, not thinking about danger and something caught her by the robe and nearly yanked her off her feet. Furious she whirled and pulled at it. The robe's fabric was caught in a bush.

Mortified, she yanked her staff free and blasted the bush with [Superior Drain Life]. She felt only a tiny trickle of vitality drawn into her veins by the spell, but the bush crumbled to dust, releasing her.

She stood for a moment, gathering her dignity, before realizing that, out of habit, she was also waiting for a victory notice and experience. For a bush.

Now, even more embarrassed, though no one had seen her, she turned to call the others, but they were already stepping from among the trees all around her. Everyone's eyes were on the opening in the hill.

She gathered her tattered dignity and raised the amulet. The gaze confirmed what they all already knew.

Whatever they were looking for, it was in that cave.