Since they were at leisure for now, they toured the Two Hoots and met Selen's friends and co-workers. They also sold stuff to her aunt, Tradewind. The turban-wearing bluejay had thought to buy a bit of the hard metal alloy that Vonn wanted for his machine tools, saving him a trip. "Thanks!"

Inside Tradewind's shop, Vonn felt safe to explain the situation with the Duke and the treacherous nobleman. Tradewind whistled and pried for more details. "So you met yet a third of these outlanders. What are his skills?"

Vonn said, "Mostly Agent. As for outside knowledge, I didn't get to talk with him much yet. Wonder what he's doing right now." He glanced southward, wishing for a telephone. "It sounds like the Duke isn't sending an army to beat down the dungeon."

"I wouldn't expect it. If he doesn't just have your Baron handle it quietly, he'll send adventurers who'll want to do it for the glory."

Vonn's ears lay back. "This is serious. The kids in my town won't be able to play outside without somebody keeping watch for goblins or gods know what else."

Tradewind said, "A bigger question I'd like to know for business is, who's the replacement Baron?"

#

Selen returned from a meeting to report she'd be getting a bigger rented workshop. Her feathers were all fluffed up with worry. "He's expecting big things. I'm wondering if I can turn coal into coal tar into plastics, or if that whole chemical pathway is nonsense now."

Vonn was hanging around in the main room of the Two Hoots. He said, "You can handle it. It sounds like I'm free; maybe it's time to go home."

Kotta answered, "We didn't get to see the Dungeoneers' Society last time. And there's a play to watch tomorrow."

"Ah, right. Been too busy to think about that."

Selen was eager for a Dungeoneer trip with Vonn. She'd described the place to him as a mix of hunting lodge, YMCA, and one of those puzzle places called escape rooms. Selen led them through the city's winding streets and up to a bunker-like building. They walked in and she greeted the Human man who was repairing padded armor by the front desk, saying, "I've got some experienced dungeon friends looking for practice! Is the main course open?"

"No, we're booked all day. Unless you want to volunteer to play a monster."

"I do want to see Vonn here in a goblin costume. But I'll just take them to the gym if that's all right." She flashed a few coins.

That got her guests into a long, narrow lounge. "Are we training or drinking?" asked Kotta.

Selen spun and spread her wings. "I wanted to show you here first. Sure it's a bar, but look down there!"

A set of windows looked down on an obstacle course. It took Vonn a moment to recognize the fake lava. There were pillars to hide behind in a fight, unsteady platforms, padded swinging traps, all kinds of dungeon crawl stuff. "Looks like fun!"

"Yeah! That was my only adventure experience before that trip to Tukka's Hollow. Good enough to give me practice at leaping and dodging. We can do that another time. For now, follow me."

They went to a sparring room that would fit in with Earth, but for the use of crystals for light. Racks of padded wooden weapons and practice armor stood out. "Maybe I should do armor training and build up Strength for once," Vonn said.

Selen grabbed a staff and answered, "Every point of that is one you don't take in something relevant to you."

The two of them and Kotta began fighting. In one part of the room the floor was rocky and sunken, letting Vonn fight from a low point and quickly get clobbered by two opponents. He was only taking a point or two of damage at a time from these hits but they still sent red flashes through his vision. He breathed hard as he tried out an actual sword and shield for once. He looked at the shield in his right hand and said, "I was right-handed, before. Did that change for you, too?"

Selen shook her head. "Worth asking Polestar, though."

Kotta broke through Vonn's pitiful defense and knocked him to the mat, saying, "I'm not left-handed either!"

Vonn tried rolling out of the way but Kotta was the one with actual Fighter training. "Ow, okay, let me catch my breath."

As they sparred, Kotta said, "I had the Centaur sketch a map of the other world, by the way. Compared it to yours." He'd asked Vonn and Selen independently to do the same.

"What'd you learn?" asked Vonn, pinned by a wooden sword against his chest.

"One, you're lousy artists. Two, you didn't just know the same basic shapes of your home kingdom; you drew the entire world!"

"That's what comes of having flying machines." Vonn got up and raised his weapon again. "You know, the old maps used to have a label for the places nobody had seen yet. 'Here be Dragons'. We kept imagining they were out there."

Selen objected, "I think that phrase is exaggerated. Nobody I know of has even calculated the size of the world, though."

That was a fairly simple math problem solved by an ancient Greek, after learning of a place where the shadows went straight down during an equinox. "I'm surprised," Vonn said. "We missed this season's chance, and the Grandbridge-Shieldpoint distance isn't enough for a good measurement. Hey, Kotta, I really don't know as much history as I should. Is there some lost civilization under our feet?"

"Several, the legends say! But Selen, isn't there anything more we can do here than distract Vonn with math and hit him with clubs?" He gently bonked Vonn about the ears.

She chirped, and took them into a room of ropes and unsteady platforms. Vonn grabbed a rope and swung around, saying, "I have the advantage here!"

Kotta taunted him and entered the fight from below, while Selen made them both jump and dodge with her short flights.

"Hey, Selen. New friends?"

Vonn turned to find a Vulin girl in padded armor, who'd just walked in. Selen's head-feathers flicked higher and she said, "Rozila! This here is Vonn of Shieldpoint, first non-Aves to learn how to fly. Vonn, Rozila here is a cooper and actress who's done a little dungeon exploration."

"You flew on Selen's balloon?" she asked. The fox lady looked rugged and compact, mostly hidden under the pads but pleasant. The fur pattern was one of those types combining rust-red and grey.