The next morning, Lexie woke up feeling good. She picked up the new copper watering can she'd bought at Sprübeck's to celebrate her new job with the guild. Eventually she'd get a better one. Maybe one of the fancy models in the catalog for order.

But in the meantime, Lexie was just happy to have a watering can at all. It was so much easier than trying to slop water over her field with the bucket. She was able to water much more evenly, and with fewer trips to the pump. It went much faster.

None of her crops had sprouted yet. She hoped she'd done everything right, it should be any day now that the first little green heads would poke up out of the soil.

She put down the watering can inside the door and changed out of her work clothes. She didn't want to wear good clothes, she should probably dress in sturdy and practical. She wished she'd brought more practical clothes. She thought back to her belongings in Tanooki City, but she wouldn't have had room for half her things in the tiny cabin.

Maybe she could just buy some new pants next time she was in Sprübeck's. A couple pairs of sturdy work pants. Her farming pants were a pair of faded overalls she'd discovered in a Martha's trunk. She dug out her worst pair of jeans, and a practical pair of low boots. She'd known there would be walking from her brief research on Albatross Bay. It seemed like more people had boats than cars here. A lot more. Even the doctor rode a bicycle on his country visits. Albatross Bay was a place where the doctor made house calls.

The only one she'd seen was a battered blue truck with a wooden bed parked down at the harbor, and Lexie wondered if it would even run. It was parked in an unused section of the warehouse, and was how shipments were transported to and from the docks and around the town.

Albatross Bay just wasn't large enough for most of the inhabitants to need cars. And when the weather was bad, in the winter especially, but the rain too, it was often easier to bundle up in weatherproof clothing and trudge there on foot, rather than deal with all the inconvenience of getting an automobile out. Roads on the island weren't paved, and in snow or mud there was a good chance of getting stuck to boot.

She still needed to look for Martha's bicycle. But there wasn't time right now. She wanted to get to town with enough time to have lunch at the diner before she met Waylon to learn about the dungeon.

She pulled her walking bots on and tied the laces. A faded band tshirt and an extra long sleeved flannel button shirt over top to protect against the wind on the cliffs finished her dungeon diving ensemble. She guessed there would be more equipment, but that was Waylon's department. She threw her backpack on and headed into town.

The mushroom soup and crusty garlic bread at the diner was everything Iris had promised. The soup was creamy and the mushrooms gave it a nutty, buttery flavour. There was a sprig of green parsley and on the side, crusty, delicious garlic bread, piping hot. "This is amazing," said Lexie.

"If you happen to see any more mushrooms..." said Iris with a wink before she whisked away. The diner was bustling.

Sure enough, like Iris had suggested, as Lexie finished the bowl of soup she got a buff.

Soup buff: Fortified That was a tasty and nutritious bowl of soup. With a belly full of that, you're going to have lots of stamina to get through your day.

Lexie thanked Lindon for lunch. "If you come across any more mushrooms, you should see what Earl can do to an omelet," said Lindon.

After lunch, Lexie hurried to the adventurer's guild. She had time, but she'd rather be early than late. She still couldn't believe her good luck in landing a steady paying gig for the next six weeks. Hopefully that would see her through to the first harvest. She had to check the growth times. At least she didn't have too many money worries in those weeks, and she might even be able to afford some better tools.

At the adventurer's guild, she entered through the green front doors. Waylon was there with another man. He was shorter and stockier than Waylon, with a long beard that forked into two braids and, while thinning on top, his long hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Hello Lexie," said Waylon, glancing up when she came in. "This here is Harlan, the other full time adventurer here in the guild."

"Nice to meet you," said Lexie.

"Glad to have the help," said Harlan, shaking her hand. "Gonna get real busy around here for a few weeks."

"Harlan's not coming with us," said Waylon. "He's watching the office and getting everything in order for next week. He's better at the office management than me, so I'll have him give you the rundown on that. Probably not today. Thursday."

"Sounds good," said Lexie.

"Okay, so here," Waylon gestured at a table where he'd laid out an array of weapons, "Are your most common types of dungeon weapons."

He pointed at the top row. "You got swords, classic. Short sword, great sword, long sword, rapier..." He pointed at each type as he spoke. "Here you have a dagger."

He moved down a row. "Hammers, axes, pretty standard. This is a flail, and this is a mace." He pointed to two vicious looking weapons that Lexie had never seen before.

"Got your shields," he pointed at a tall shield and a small round shield leaning against the table.

"And you got your range weapons. Bow and arrows, crossbow and bolts, spears, javelins."

"But no guns," said Lexie.

"No guns," said Waylon. "Dungeons don't have to be underground, you could have a dungeon that's an airport, if you wanted. But most of them stick to the classic model. Underground, in caves and the like. Places where stray bullets can ricochet, and loud noises, like from a gun, can trigger falling rocks, cave ins and the like. Most adventurers don't use guns because of that."

"If you need heavier artillery, you bring magic," said Harlan without looking up from the papers he was sorting on the desk.

"Right," said Waylon. "We won't be bringing any, since there's nothing we can't handle with some slashing and bashing. But you'll see adventuring parties with wands, potions, scrolls, and so on. They can still misfire, or cause a collapse, but for the most part, it's gonna be safer and more controlled than guns.

"So pick your weapons. I'm guessing you haven't done any adventuring before."

"No," said Lexie, shaking her head.

"That's alright," said Waylon. "First thing to remember, this is a no kill dungeon. Worst that's gonna happen is you get knocked unconscious and a slime runs off with your boots."

"I'm not sure if that's reassuring," said Lexie, considering having to walk out of a cave and through the forest, in her bare feet with a headache.

"Next thing to remember, is that we're the guild." Waylon clipped a badge onto the pocket of Lexie's flannel shirt. "We're technically noncombatants."

"Then what do we need the weapons for?" asked Lexie.

"Slimes aren't real smart." Waylon tapped his badge with a finger. "And they can't read."

"Oh," said Lexie. "What do you recommend?"

"Well." Waylon studied Lexie, and then picked up the hammer. It was wooden, about the size of a croquet mallet, but the head was larger, and flared at one end. there were metal bands wrapped around the head, to reinforce it and stop it splintering, and the flared end had short, pyramid shaped metal spikes set into the wood.

"This should do. Not real strong, but we don't need it to be. Light enough for a beginner."

Lexie took the hammer, and Waylon said, "Pick up that short sword too, and follow me."

Lexie obediently picket up the short sword as well, and Waylon led her out to a walled courtyard behind the guild.

There were a few battered practice dummies, stuffed canvas and leather on human shaped wooden frames, set up. Along the back wall were three archery targets, with a bank of straw bales behind them.

"Okay," said Waylon. "Tie that sword on your belt."

After a minute puzzling out how the sheath was supposed to attach to her belt, Lexie got it attached and picked up the hammer.

"Right," said Waylon. "It's good to have a crushing type blunt force weapon, and a cutting type weapon. Your hammer will be more effective against things without much padding, like skeletons, and giant. spiders. Your sword is going to be more effective against flesh and blood. Either will work on slimes, they aren't real durable. Hammer will pop them like bubble wrap, sword will pop them like a knife in a water balloon."

"You mention slimes a lot," remarked Lexie.

"Slimes are about the most common low level monster you'll find in a dungeon. They're cheap to spawn, and what they lack in strength, they can make up in numbers. They work in any environment, from volcanic caverns to ice caves. If you're an adventurer, you're going to spend a lot of time in low levels killing slimes. And even in higher levels, you'll still have to walk through them to get where you're going. They're good expee for your first five levels.

"But right now, I want you to just get a feel for your weapons," said Waylon. "Go ahead and take a swing at that dummy."

Lexie swung the hammer, and felt the impact as the end connected. A faint 2 flickered in the air over the dummy before dissolving.

"Not bad," said Waylon. "You should hold it more like this, though." He showed Lexie where to grip the handle. "That will give you a little more heft in your swing and help your aim. Swing at the chest."

Lexie swung, hitting what could charitably be called the dummy's chest, though more accurately was probably the left clavicle. A faint 4 flickered and then faded.

"Good," said Waylon. "This hammer will only do an eight, max. Now set down the hammer and draw your sword."

Lexie obeyed and Waylon showed her how to draw the sword. She practiced chopping motions and stabbing thrusts, watching the numbers flicker and fade over the dummies, until Waylon pronounced it sufficient.

"I've got packs for both of us ready to go. Some basic equipment. Ropes, spikes, chalk for marking, some food and water, and flashlights, and some of the doc's healing plasters."

Waylon showed Lexie how to lash her hammer to the pack and how to unhook it quickly. "When you're expecting trouble, it's better to carry your primary weapon," Waylon told her. "But sometimes you need both your hands, say climbing. So you'll need to secure it."

Lexie left her own pack at the guild office and shrugged on the leather pack Waylon had provided, and they set off for the dungeon.

"I'll take you up by the main road," said Waylon as they walked through town. "This is how the adventurers will go, so you might need to give directions. It's easy enough. Pretty much a straight shot, turn off at the sign that said "Dungeon" and if you end up at the lighthouse, you've gone too far."

In town, Main Street was paved with cobblestone. As the road left town to the north, and then bent to the east, toward Perception Point, the cobblestone gave way to wide flat rocks, placed loosely. They'd been traveled a long time and pressed into the dirt. It was easy enough to walk. In contrast to the cliffside trail that Lexie normally used back and forth to town, the main road ran through leafy green forest. The thick branches of the old growth trees extended over the road creating a green canopy, and the afternoon sun became a dappled twilight.

"There's a shortcut to the cliffside path," said Waylon. "I'll show you that on our way back."

It was about a half hour walk to the turn off. A wooden sign on a pole marked a wide, well traveled path. "DUNGEON" it read. Just in case the meaning was unclear, an arrow pointed down the path.

"It's well marked," said Waylon. "But every year there are some parties that end up all the way out at the lighthouse, or wander around in the woods for hours, and come back wanting "better directions".

Lexie raised her eyebrows at that.

Waylon continued: "That ought to be the first test for if you're fit to take on a dungeon. Even a no kill dungeon like this one, you're gonna get hurt if you make mistakes."

Lexie didn't have anything to add, but she could see Waylon's point. If you weren't able to find your way on a paved road to a clearly marked trail, she could see where the dungeon crawl was going to pose a challenge. Even in an easy dungeon. She imagined most dungeons were twisty and windy. Downright labyrinthine. In some cases, perhaps literally.

About another ten minutes walk down the well maintained trail brought them to the base of the cliff. There was a large cave in the cliff wall. It looked natural, like a crack had opened up. She wasn't sure what she expected. Doors, maye a sign with some sort of warning.

There was a sign. But it only directed visitors to sign in and out at the guild station nearby, follow all the rules, and please enjoy their visit.

Waylon pointed out the guild station. It was a little hut, barely bigger than a shed, painted the same deep glossy green as the doors to the guild office in town. "That's where Harlan and I will be on duty. We swap back and forth, but the guild station has to be manned 24 hours during the season."

"Doesn't the dungeon close at night?" asked Lexie.

"It's always night in a dungeon. Adventurers don't keep nine to five hours, and neither do dungeons. There's a couple hours scheduled downtime every day, so the dungeon can clean up, reset and prepare for the next groups. Then, Harlan and I keep the adventurers out until it's done."

"I never knew dungeons were so organized," said Lexie. "I always thought they were wild and chaotic."

"Some of them, a lot of them are," replied Waylon. "You get places where the local dungeon unleashes a constant stream of monsters that terrify the local populace, you get remote dungeons, far from anywhere, feral nightmares they are. We're lucky the dungeon here and the town were able to work out a mutually agreed on beneficial arrangement. The dungeon doesn't bother us, we don't bother it, and we even make a bit off the tourism. In return, the dungeon gets what it needs, and without having to worry about the staff."

"You mentioned the staff before. So there's people that work in the dungeon?"

"Well, of a sort. You'll see." Wyalon adjusted his pack, and drew the short sword at his waist.

Lexie took this as an indication she should prepare too, and she paused to unhook the wooden hammer from her pack.

Waylon wore something that looked like a cross between a miner's helmet and a footsoldier's. The shape was similar to a hard hat, but it was made of steel and Lexie could see the riveted seams. There was a lamp mounted on the front. She fished out the flashlight from her own pack, and into the cave they ventured.

Waylon pointed out features of the cavern. "The entrance is always the same," he said. "Anteroom. One tunnel leading further in. From there, it's always a bit different every time you enter. If you come often enough, you'll learn to recognize patterns. Over here, come stand in this circle."

There was a barely noticeable ring of stones set into the stony floor of the antechamber. It was about a meter in diameter, off to the side. If Waylon hadn't pointed it out, Lexie would have missed it.

She did as Waylon directed and a message passed through her consciousness.

FAST TRAVEL ACTIVATED FOR Albatross Bay DUNGEON VISIT TOURIST BUREAU LEVEL 25 TO COLLECT YOUR AMULET

"I got a message," Lexie told Waylon. "About visiting the tourist office on Level 25."

"Right," said Waylon. He pulled a stone disc on a leather strap out from his shirt and showed Lexie. "You'll need to collect your amulet. After that, you can unlock the fast travel portals in the dungeon by visiting them. Untilyou do, I'm afraid we're going to have to do it the old fashioned way, level by level.

"Now, the levels, we say levels, but they aren't all on separate levels. Though the cave does tend to head down. But for the sake of convenience, we just call them levels." Waylon explained.

"Okay," agreed Lexie, who didn't care what they were called.

"So the levels, they are always changing, though it's a rotation of patterns. They aren't always identical, but you'll get to recognize the large open chamber with the sandy floor, and know that you should watch out for burrowing pests. Or a long narrow passage winding in a spiral, good chance there's going to be something waiting at the end, when it's too long to run all the way back. Or a long chamber with stone pillars... you get to see the patterns."

Lexie nodded. This was her first dungeon experience, and she decided to put aside the logistical questions about how a tunel of solid rock could reconfigure itself on the fly. That would be some powerful magic. Then again, dungeons were powerful. She knew that. Powerful and dangerous.

Lexie could tell when the areas changed. There was always a narrow passage or tunnel, sometimes a hole in the floor. They had passed through the first room and entered a narrow passage. As they traveled through, the quality of the air changed. There was a frisson of electricity that ran over Lexie's skin, causing her skin to goose pimple.

The next area was a set of caves winding around a long central corridor. As they were traversing the corridor, looking for the exit -- which could be in any of these passages, Waylon told her -- a small greenish slime appeared. It only came halfway up to Lexie's knee. It didn't seem very threatening and she was inclined to just leave it alone.

It didn't share the sentiment. It flattened itself slightly, then sprang up. Lexie took an instinctive step back, which was fortunate. It caused the slime to miss her face. It shot over her shoulder, sticky surface just brushing her neck.

"Ow!" she cried.

"Hit it when it lands," said Waylon.

Lexie turned, hammer in her hands.

"Now!"

She swung, there was a moment of resistance, and then the greenish slime went splat.

Lexie reached up and touched her neck gingerly. The skin was tender, like a burn.

"They have a mild acid on their skin. Hurts, but won't kill you, not one anyway. Here."

He held out a vial of potion and Lexie daubed a bit on her neck. Immediately the burning sensation faded.

"Killed your first slime," said Waylon. "Congratulations."

Lexie looked at the mess on the ground. It already seemed to be drying out into a greenish stain on the rocky floor. "Thanks."

"Keep an eye out," said Waylon. "There will be a lot more of 'em when the dungeons officially open, then they'll spawn by the bucket. But there's always a few left in cracks and crevices. Just get overlooked until they poke their heads up."

Lexie looked around at the cracks and crevices in the walls and Waylon chuckled. "Don't worry, at this level, they're just a nuisance."

"At this level," said Lexie. "Do they get worse?"

"Oh sure," said Waylon, continuing down the passageway. He carried his sword casually, but Lexie noticed the way his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings. He probably wasn't even aware of it, it was probably such an ingrained habit. "Further down, they'll be stronger and nastier. Still a lot of the little buggers, but the 'bite' will be a lot worse. And they get more aggressive. And, occasionally, deeper in, you'll run into a big bugger mama slime."

"A what," said Lexie.

Waylon chuckled. "That's what I call 'em anyway." Sometimes slimes run into each other, and they kind of... stick. All melt together into a bigger slime. Some can get huge. Twenty, thirty times the size of that little guy back there. Even if they're mostly made up of weak slimes, they still pack a punch."

Lexie tried to imagine something like that. Then decided she didn't want to. She clutched the hammer a bit tighter though.

They continued down. Lexie popped two more slimes with her hammer, while Waylon offered suggestions, and proferred healing potion. The second one had latched onto her leg. It hadn't hurt her skin, but the left leg of her jeans was now acid washed and frayed where the slime had grabbed her. She'd had to kill that one with the sword, stabbing from above, and being careful not to stab herself.

Adventuring would be hard on the wardrobe. Waylon just said, "The guild will buy you a new pair of pants. Just have Sprübeck send us the bill."

After another narrow corridor that wound into darkness, Waylon stopped.

"Okay," said Waylon. They were in a small rounded chamber with a clear blue pool. "This is one of the fixed points. Fixed points aren't large, or very interesting, but they're safe spaces. Monster free. Good place to catch your breath, use your potions, eat something, check your equipment. In our dungeon, they always occur after roughly the same number of floors. Five, in the case of our dungeon. Some dungeons might have them more infrequently, or random. Or not at all. If you look around here..."

Waylon stepped into a hollow behind what Lexie had first taken for just a boulder, leaning against the wall. She hadn't even realised there was a space behind it.

In the hollow was a wooden door labeled "TOILET."

"The toilets are located at the fixed points. Make sure you tell the adventurers."

"I didn't know dungeons had toilets," said Lexie. It seemed like everyone but her had a real bathroom.

"You don't want to know what the dungeon does to adventurers who don't use them," said Waylon with a malicious grin.

Lexie kind of did, but she didn't ask. /Poop golems/

Back by the pool, Waylon sat on a large flat rock and pulled a couple sandwiches out of his pack and two cold glass bottles of pop. "Here," he said, handing one of each to Lexie.

She untied the string and unfolded the wax paper. Inside was an egg salad sandwich speckled with chopped black olives. It was dressed with crisp lettuce and slices of red, ripe tomato and sandwiched between two thick slices of whole grain bread. Lexie was ravenous and polished off the sandwich quickly, and washed it down with the sweet, fizzy cola.

As she finished her meal, a notice drifted through Lexie's mind.

Strong like baby duck! Eggs are great protein, and protein makes you strong! For the next hour, you have +2 to all strength based activities.

Waylon rinsed the bottles with water from the pool and tucked them in his pack, along with the paper wrapping from the sandwich.

"I got a buff," Lexie told him.

"I make a mean sandwich," said Waylon.

Inside the dungeon, with no external light, it was hard to tell how much time had passed. Lexie was starting to feel the trek in her back, with the weight of the pack, arms, carrying the hammer, which was light as far as war hammers went, but still heavy to carry for a long time, and her legs, climbing over fallen rocks, up slopes, and up and down uneven, and sometimes slippery terrain. Waylon kept up a brisk pace, and even with her recent forays into farming, Lexie's strength still lagged behind even a junior adventurer's.

They passed through two more safe spaces, and encountered a few more slimes, which Lexie dispatched under Waylon's directions. She was starting to get the hang of the hammer, she thought. She was no expert, but it was starting to feel a little less awkward.

She popped another slime with it, one which had charged them from behind a stalactite /* Check which grows up from the ground */ as they passed.

"Good technique," said Waylon.