Of course I did not blithely plunge ahead without telling anyone my plans. I wasn't that confident or careless.

Fortunately, I knew somebody who should be a knowledgeable enough sounding board, and who was conveniently also paid by the hour to listen to my problems.

Nailla had managed to distract me entirely from thoughts of Duni. I didn't even realize until I was already stepping into Healer Bishop's office, when with a start I recalled the last time I'd been here. Then I had to flush at my apparent inconstancy: just days earlier I'd agonized over the supposedly life-shattering event of Duni's betrayal, only to promptly forget all about it. (That was embarrassing, right? Or was it wonderful and worth celebrating?)

"Rena, welcome." Healer Bishop looked on with approval as I set my book aside unprompted before taking the same couch seat. "You look like you have something you wish to discuss."

"Yes," I said unhesitatingly. "Do you remember Nailla...?"

In a rush, I explained the whole situation, including what I'd discovered in the Archives... after he'd confirmed he'd read everything he could on familiars himself, restricted or not (though he'd sensibly sought counsel before delving into any Reds).

"That gave me the idea," I said. "I can help her, or try my best, and then sever the bond." I paused, hesitating. "All right, I realize it sounds crazy when I say it aloud. But what other choice is there? Besides doing nothing?"

"First, let me clarify," Healer Bishop said. "Why do you consider the familiar bond necessary for helping her?"

Thankfully, I had given this a lot of thought. "It'll make transporting her much easier, for one," I answered. "If her sisters are to be retrieved, the first step is pinpointing their location, and I certainly am not breaking into every possible Breeder facility to look for captive undines. But Nailla should be able to sense other water spirits -- and water in general -- if she's close enough. Though she might need to be really close or find a weakness in the warding. More importantly, the usual security for a containment area is targeted at unbound monsters; she should slip under their notice as a bonded familiar. And in the worst case, they can't capture and keep her if she's already bound to me, magically and legally."

"The usual security?"

"I, um, read it in a book."

"Second," he said, "Even if you successfully locate the undines in question, how do you intend to relocate them?"

I noted his carefully neutral choice of wording. "One step at a time."

"How far are you willing to go?" he pressed. "Are you prepared to kill?"

"What? No! That..." I hesitated before admitting quietly, "That's another reason for the bonding."

"Familiars can disobey."

"Yes," I said, "Which is why she'll have to satisfy me she'll keep her word and avoid killing before we set out."

"Both your best intentions may not matter," he said, "Especially if it comes to active conflict."

"I know," I said, "But Nailla is a person, so her sisters must also be people. They don't deserve what's happened to them. Probably? No, even if they are monsters... nobody deserves to be property. Right?"

Unfortunately, he refused to tell me outright what he thought I should or should not do. I had to ask, "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, warning me off? Telling me I shouldn't take such risks?"

"I am your Mind Healer, not your guardian," he said. "My role is to safeguard your mental health, not your physical safety. It would be different if I believed you were mentally unsound, or if you were engaged in truly egregious activity."

That was a relief to hear, though... "I'd still like your advice."

His small smile suggested he'd hoped I would ask. "In my opinion, you shouldn't rush into bonding with Nailla. Preferably, you two should wait until both of you are prepared to join together for life, just in case severing the bond fails. At the least, you should undergo a proper joint counseling session, though I would prefer meeting Nailla privately first."

"Wait," I said, "You believe she needs Mind Healing?" What, because she'd offered bonding to me?

"I believe everyone could benefit from speaking to a Mind Healer," he said, "Especially before making such a major life decision."

"Does that go for marriages too?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, it does," he answered and said nothing more.

I tried to imagine it, wondering whether marriage or divorce rates would drop if such a requirement was made, before shaking my head to clear away the mental tangent. "Um, I certainly don't mind if you speak privately to Nailla," I said, "But aren't you, well... worried?"

"Do you think she will likely be difficult?"

I hesitated. "No," I said, "But I didn't think you were paid to risk yourself."

"I have [Aura of Peace]."

My eyes widened. That was a rare Skill, leading me to wonder what sort of life he'd led. And yet he hadn't been preaching nonviolence to me? In fact, he advised adventurers?

As though mirroring my thoughts, he said, "I also think you should consider consulting your adventuring team before bonding with a familiar."

"I don't know if I want to bring them into this. They don't exactly like Nailla."

"I will not tell you what to do, simply to consider the situation and your reasons objectively."

I nodded in understanding. He hadn't said anything I didn't know, but I supposed I sometimes had a nasty habit of avoiding the issue. I just wasn't keen on confessing my newest insanity to my friends, or on deliberately withholding information they'd want to know until after the fact.

...After phrasing my choices like that, I realized I already knew what I should do.

Right after seeing my Mind Healer, I went in search of them at the Adventurer's Guildhall (scanning for and finding no wayward nobles). Once more the whole group was corralled into a private library room, where I first asked whether any of them planned to possibly take a familiar, ever.

"No?" Bessie said. "The lifetime bonding is a turnoff, not gonna lie."

"Have enough trouble looking after these fellows," Tom said.

"Hey, I'm older than you!" Hannah crossed her arms uncomfortably before admitting, "Er, though my goldfish died. I tried keeping a pet rock... Think I lost it?"

"No," Blake answered shortly when I looked at him.

I bit my lip. "Are you sure? What I have to say will probably hurt your chances for gaining [Familiar Bond]."

This gave them visible pause. We all knew the seriousness of impeding a Skill.

"Is it important we know?" Bessie asked.

I thought about this. If I embarked on my whole crazy plan with Nailla, they would most likely learn I'd gained and then somehow lost a bond anyway. "Not if you stay uninvolved."

"This is about her sisters, isn't it," she said flatly. "No, you are not going on a risky adventure without us."

That was how I ended up running through the same explanations and arguments a second time, though they had more follow-up questions. "Does it have to be a familiar bond?" Hannah wanted to know. "Can't you pick one that won't maybe shorten your life?"

"Like a partner bond used for marriages?" I said. "Fewer drawbacks, sure, but I'd also lose most or all of the advantages."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you are going to so much effort for a familiar you won't even keep. It's like you've forgotten she nearly killed you, Rena!"

"She's a Scholar," Blake said. "I basically think of them as an alien species."

The others laughed like he was joking. "Wait, does this mean we could try out our own familiars?" Bessie said. "Call it quits if it doesn't work out?"

"The spell needs you to cast it yourself to break your own bond. So its existence shouldn't really change anything for you," I said, hoping that was true. Personally, I thought they could each manage it with enough effort albeit measured in years; thankfully, none of them had lie-detecting Skills. "Soul bonding is serious business."

"Says the one planning to bond and break," she retorted with good humor.

Once again, I waited for the expected words of caution, the assertions of insanity. And waited. "That's it?" I finally burst out. "You don't have anything else to say?"

Bessie tapped a finger on her chin before grinning. "Good thing you're already Silver! See, I knew you'd get up to more craziness."

"This... isn't the same..." I tried to protest.

"We'll lose our badges if we're caught 'stealing' guild property," she pointed out, and when my face fell, "But I approve. Helping out a friend in need, doing what you believe is the right thing. Wow, Rena. You're turning into a real adventurer!"

At least I was taking the bonding process slower as Healer Bishop had advised. He and Nailla had apparently Dreamshared together, but sadly it was impossible for me to join in until Nailla and I bonded, or if only the Mind Healer had Advanced Skills... no, that was an uncharitable if true thought.

Instead our joint counseling session by the river mostly revolved around trust issues. I admitted I wanted to trust Nailla and felt guilty I didn't, she was huffy in response, and he questioned what either of us had done to indicate our trustworthiness. "She... hasn't killed me?" I tried to think of more. Drawing a blank, I turned to the easier question and started listing out: "I contacted Jeff to help her, haven't reported her, bring her fish--"

"I offered to become your familiar!" Nailla interrupted. "That's more trust than you could understand in your measly eighteen years!"

"Very good, Nailla," Healer Bishop said calmly. "Would you say you trust her?"

"Do I have a choice?"

In the end, I thought we did a lot of talking without really resolving anything, but at least we were evidently trying.

Then before our next appointment, Executive Clancy reappeared. Apparently the guild would like to test my [Intermediate Universal Translation]; in the event of success, they were additionally requesting my services as interpreter for -- wait for it -- the Woodland Dungeon.

I stared at her, unsure how to feel. Honored? Solemn? Scared out of my wits?

"Wait, that's... the plant-focused Elder Dungeon in Ticamira, right?" I asked. "Why don't you speak to its Contractor? Or its Avatar?"

"Because the dungeon doesn't want to talk to us," she said, looking at me like I was a bit slow. "Also, it is rather difficult to negotiate with a dryad or treant trying to kill you, particularly when they're powerful enough to use a whole forest as long-distance siege weapons."

"Um." I blinked and gulped. "Will I be all right?"

"We've agreed to test your Skill only at the entrance," she said.

Which didn't exactly answer my question. I knew the Executive was no pushover, but I'd feel safer with a Platinum-Ranked team or two or even a Name standing watch over me, if that wasn't too much to ask. "Um, who else will be there?"

Her look turned wry like she knew what I was thinking. "Don't worry, I hear you will have quite the escort. If you are ready?"

The question seemed pointed, and I asked, "Ready how?"

"My records indicate you recently disengaged from private research," she said, "And also that you immediately sought Mind Healing." Well, that confirmed my mentor was reporting my activities, not that they were a great secret (to the guild) or that I hadn't already realized. "Do you feel comfortable taking on this assignment?"

I considered the matter seriously. Yes, I was anxious and afraid, but I had to admit to curiosity and excitement too. The chance to communicate with an Elder Dungeon...!

Also, I was technically obligated by magical contract to cooperate with research into [Intermediate Universal Translation], so it was considerate of the guild to ask rather than demand.

"I'll just be at the entrance?" I said. "And guarded?"

"Certainly."

"Then... all right."

She flashed me an approving smile, and I caught a whiff of excitement from her as well.

My first time traveling by overseas portal was... maybe not that special? Stepping into the Underworld or even any dungeon was technically longer-distance, but this was my definitive first portal from Namasia to a different continent in the same dimension. The experience was essentially the same as with a local portal, except possibly a bit more jarring, disorienting, and mana-intensive.

Still, the time took the same, and soon I was following Executive Clancy out of the Adventure's Guildhall to take in Litia, the island nation off the eastern coast of Ticamira. At least, I was reliably informed that's where we were, though I didn't see any ocean, just various blue-painted one- or two-floor buildings.

"Learned Loress!"

Turning, I was surprised to see a familiar Executive Scholar, the same elderly lady who'd generously let me use her portable bathing facilities in Nomalia. She looked much the same as before, wearing a pink knitted sweater and warm smile, but with the addition of a flowery hat.

I still couldn't sense her at all. She looked me up and down with twinkling eyes and said, "You certainly took your time advancing, young lady, considering all the praise I've heard sung of your potential."

"Um..." I wasn't sure how to respond to this. "...Thank you?"

"Well, you're still young. Seventeen, was it?"

"Eighteen, now."

"Practically a baby, and already a Path pioneer! Your grandmother would be proud."

I flushed. Path pioneer wasn't nearly as prestigious or accomplished as Pathfinder or Pathblazer, but still... "Thank you," I repeated, wondering whether there was a less awkward way to receive a compliment, especially one I couldn't help but feel wasn't wholly deserved.

"We'll be joining company, so if you have any questions or concerns to share with just us Scholars, now's the time. Oh, here." She passed me...

"An Escape Scroll?" It appeared to have a set destination, minimizing the casting time, but... I frowned, looking from it to her. "I thought I was staying by the entrance?"

"Yes, but better safe than sorry, my dear. Also, standard procedure when entering this dungeon."

Well, that wasn't ominous at all. Unfortunately, I couldn't just slip it up a sleeve of my mage robe or into my new bag, since neither artifact would have survived the portal trip, leaving me carrying the Scroll awkwardly. "Will my Empathy be a problem?"

"I'd say normally take precautions," the Executive said, "But in this case you're likelier to need it. Never fear, my dear, we will extract you if you appear compromised."

I looked at her uncertainly without saying anything, and finally she withdrew a familiar grimoire, which was just as magical and marvelous as I remembered. "Ready?"

I nodded, glancing back at Executive Clancy. Her face was smoothed into a professional mask, but she was positively bubbling with adrenaline underneath. Swallowing, I was about to reach out to take a handhold on the older Executive when she began casting. The spell beautifully unfurled, surrounding all three of us elegantly and precisely; unlike last time, she clearly didn't slow down her casting for my inspection, and in moments we were smoothly relocated into a wide-open space.

I blinked around, first surprised by the lack of disorientation, and then stunned to find a half-dozen people already present. It wasn't that finding people present should be in itself so surprising, but the only one I could sense was Master Thorne, feeling excited and interested as usual. If I closed my eyes, I'd swear it was just me, him, and Executive Clancy in the vicinity.

Hmm, their total lack of auras had to be a Skill, or... could it be from reaching some power threshold...?

I'd expected we would first mingle and socialize, or at least make a round of introductions, but the grandmotherly Executive said, "I will go first. Wait for Clancy's signal to follow."

Then she strode into the nearby dungeon I'd somehow overlooked. (What, I was a little distracted by the people, all right?) This entrance looked like a giant mound of dirt covered by roots and vines had spontaneously sprouted from the ground and opened a cave-like maw, which glowed slightly blue with mana. I said 'spontaneously' because the whole surrounding area had very obviously been cleared; I couldn't spot so much as a single pebble or blade of grass. There weren't even any slopes I could see.

As I made these observations, the second visitor -- intruder? -- went into the dungeon after the Executive Scholar. He appeared to be an older man with long white hair pulled into a bun, a long white beard that was neatly groomed and reached past his waist, and matching long white robes, suggestive of a Scholar's but more expensive-looking. However, I'd only seen a brief glimpse of him flitting past; I might've blinked and missed him.

I'd noted his appearance earlier because he'd stood near Master Thorne, which was particularly significant given the visible distance between everyone else. The group gathered here clearly weren't friends. In fact, nobody seemed to be chatting or even looking at one another. Maybe I shouldn't be staring?

As I thought this, another approached the dungeon at a slow walk. I was startled into gawking at him when I recognized his stylized hat indicating he was a Grandmaster Mage, just one rank below Archmage. What was someone in the Mage's Guild doing here, much less a high-ranking member?

Thankfully, he didn't pay my gaping any heed, disappearing into the dungeon without a sideways glance.

Next up was a middle-aged woman wearing casual-looking clothes and a cowboy hat, and then Executive Clancy said, "Your turn."

I was actually relieved she spoke; the silent, presumably preplanned procession was distinctly unnerving. Then I realized: "You aren't coming?"

"The rest of us will keep watch out here," she said. "Go."

I glanced over at Master Thorne, who smiled back. With his positive energy coursing through me, I turned and followed the others into the Woodland Dungeon.

Instantly, I felt the weight of mana pressing down on me. Though this was only the first floor, the mana density here was significantly greater than on Duni's second floor. Glancing around, I was surprised to find a wall of earth directly in front, exactly as I'd seen from outside, but as isolated and incongruous as the mound forming the dungeon entrance. Instead of the expected tunnel, I was in a small clearing in a thick forest, no light visible through the canopy far, far overhead, and I had a feeling I might only see its lowest layer of leaves and branches.

At least I could see: magic lights ringed our clearing, glowing softly and steadily. I noticed the others were all accounted for and had spread out like they were expecting an attack from any direction.

To my relief, the Executive Scholar stood right next to me. "Will you try to make contact, my dear?"

"Of course." I thought of Duni and tried to send:

I didn't feel any response. I felt rather dumb instead, like I was talking to myself. Still, I persisted:

I already knew it was alive and awake, of course, but I simply didn't know how else to deliver my greetings. I didn't think dungeons bothered with greetings; should I just cut to the chase?

Still nothing. "Um," I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't think it can hear me from here." Or maybe I couldn't hear it?

"Perfectly fine, my dear," the Executive said. She placed a hand on my shoulder. "[Overcharge]. Will you try that again?"

My eyes widened, but I obediently sent:

This time I felt like I'd shouted in a small space, which quickly filled with the sound of my echoes. Then silence. I looked around anxiously, half-expecting my telepathic blast to trigger an attack.

Instead I heard a tinny reply:

Though the message was short and quiet, it still seemed loaded with mockery.

I brightened, however. "I can hear it!"

"Yes?" the Executive said. "What is it saying?"

The follow-up message was... different. It was the difference between Scribing runes one at a time and drawing them by hand so they flowed together, adding considerably more nuance and correspondingly more vocabulary.

I tried to explain this after delivering the simplistic translation: "Also, um. It ah, it hates us."

"Thank you," the cowboy-hatted woman said, "I think we figured that out from all the murder attempts."

"Please ask if it is willing to cut a deal," the Executive said.

Was that... a joke? This dungeon's humor seemed to run decidedly dark.

I repeated the words dutifully anyway, and she answered seriously, "Out of the question. Nobody is willing to forgo useful resources." Since the dungeon was evidently eavesdropping, she continued by addressing it: "However, we are willing to offer more resources for your growth..."

It didn't leave room for doubt what, or rather who, it meant by eating.

"...limited times for entry..."

I considered whether to interrupt her spiel by conveying the dungeon's message and decided against. It frankly seemed to me this conversation was going nowhere; I'd expected two-sided negotiations and instead heard one side presenting terms while the other only spat insults, which might've seemed juvenile if they weren't so disturbing.

It was difficult to describe, but the dungeon didn't transmit mere words. I felt a creeping sensation of cold, tasted something bitter and bloody, heard the ringing of mocking laughter... These were all just translated concepts, faint impressions, but far more sophisticated than anything Duni had ever sent me.

Still, I came here hoping to learn from an Elder Dungeon, and I wouldn't quail and flee now from a few long-distance taunts. With difficulty, I formulated a transmission comparable to those I'd absorbed, or so I hoped:

There was a conspicuous pause. I started to wonder if I'd fumbled my sending, but then:

If our messages were previously squeezed out one painstaking drop at a time, this was like our connection was suddenly powered up, the signals flowing freely. At the same time, the more I understood of our communication, the more I realized I didn't understand. A knotted packet of information streamed past, and I only had the time and capacity to grasp the largest, clearest, most relatable concepts.

Moreover, I was distracted by the sense I'd gained the dungeon's attention, and by... Was the mana dropping just slightly? It was barely imperceptible, but with my nerves and senses strained to the limit, I thought I could feel a tiny difference.

Was our communication expending its resources? Was that why Duni couldn't or wouldn't send across floors?

If so, no wonder its message carried especial irritation and homicidal hunger behind the surface curiosity.

"Learned Loress?" the Executive said. "Has the dungeon said anything?"

I blinked at her. I'd been so focused on the dungeon, both its telepathic communications and my sense of it around me, I'd truthfully forgotten for a moment about her and the others. And actually, was I supposed to contact the dungeon with my own question? I was a Scholar; could I really be blamed for my curiosity?

"Um," I said, "I think talking is making it hungry. Hungrier--"

But I was cut short when I was abruptly grabbed and shoved through the entrance. I stumbled in surprise; Executive Clancy caught me. "We're leaving?" she asked.

The other Executive was already casting her teleportation spell.

"Now wait a moment." The Grandmaster Mage stepped through after us, his voice distinctly annoyed. "You agreed to share everything with all--"

He was still speaking when we arrived back before the Adventurer's Guildhall in Litia. I would've considered this a bit of a wasted teleport and extra portal trip, but considering she'd clearly been rushed for time... "What happened?" I asked.

"You tell me," the elderly Executive said. "Why would the Woodland Dungeon suddenly attack us?"

I paled. "It... what?"

She studied my expression before gesturing. "Through the portal, and then let's talk."

My comprehensive debriefing ended up taking considerably longer than the dungeon visit itself. (Admittedly, it didn't help I had my own questions.) Both Executive Scholars seemed satisfied by my Skill's success, at least, even though I realized it would have extremely limited applications; all dungeons who wanted to communicate with us could do so already, with the possible exception of Duni.

Apparently, the negotiation itself had been spearheaded by the Alchemist's Guild, while the Scholars were more ambivalent.

I hesitated before asking, "Why does the Woodland Dungeon hate humans so much?"

"It contains numerous new and exploitable resources," Executive Clancy answered. "That has kept it safe against destruction, but it may feel... used. Don't waste your sympathy," she added as though reading my thoughts. "We don't take anything the dungeon cannot regrow or respawn, whereas it's tried and succeeded at killing as many humans as it can."

Still. I could feel sympathy for both sides. "You might have warned me."

"You know dungeons are Empathic," the other Executive said. "We hoped it would be more receptive to you if you went in without preconceptions."

I looked down. "Are all dungeons like that? Other than Herohall, I mean?"

They exchanged glances. "I don't believe we know the answer to that," the elder said, "But if I had to make an educated guess?"

I nodded, though I didn't think I would like to hear the answer. Sure enough:

"Some are worse."

A week later, I bent down by the river and offered Nailla my hand. I couldn't help but think back to our first meeting, that unstated: Do you trust me?

She shot me an unfriendly look, but she took it. And together we teleported away.