"Ah, ye welcome youn' un'."
As they wrapped up their transaction, Priscilla stepped closer to the counter and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Geralt, do you know if the dungeon is open today?"
"Eh? Are ye lookin' to sneak in or sumthin'?"
"I'm just curious."
He glanced at the door and noticed there was no one close to it, but even then he decided to speak quietly.
"Dungeon's never closed, not even on Radiance. 'Em guards keep a tight security 'round the place, tis hard to get materials as it is."
"I see… incidentally, where is its entrance?"
Geralt gave her a side glance as if he knew exactly where she wanted to get at, but didn't inquire any further. Instead he just answered.
"Ye head east through the main street. Ye might wanna avoid goin' with 'em crowd o' adventurers. If they catch ye without permission to go in, they'll rough ye up badly."
She nodded slowly a few times.
"Thank you, Geralt."
"It ain't nothin'."
Rionara picked her coin pouch and counted twelve coins and left them on the counter. Seeing this, Priscilla asked.
"Rio? Why are you leaving them there?"
"Ah, aren't I supposed to pay for it?"
That made the knight chuckle for a bit.
"Only when you receive what you asked for. Although… I suppose it's fine since it's Geralt."
The blacksmith flashed a smug smile.
"Aye, 'preciate it the trust, youn' un'." He then slid the coins back towards her. "But ye shouldn't pay others 'til they give ye proper service or goods."
"Ah." Rionara bowed slightly. "Thank you for letting me know."
"Ye welcome."
Seeing the young woman satisfied made Priscilla shift her weight and place her left arm on the guard of her rapier before saying her goodbyes.
"We'll see you tomorrow then, Geralt."
"Aye, I'll 'ave yer things ready fer 'morrow."
The knight raised her right hand and waved while Rionara bowed again before following Priscilla through the doorway.
After closing the door behind them, they were both left in the quiet central square. A few people were walking around but most merchants were closing up shop since it was nearing lunch hour.
'Maybe I should at least take a look at the dungeon entrance.'
Priscilla's eyes veered off to Rionara, who was unaware of her gaze.
"Rio." She spoke out loud. "Would you like to go back to the inn or will you go with me to take a peek at the dungeon?"
"Huh?" The young woman glanced upwards with a confused expression. "I'll go wherever you go."
Priscilla chuckled to herself while shifting her left hand underneath her guard—holding the scabbard.
"Alright then, let's get going."
"Mhm."
They both started to walk to the eastern side of the city.
Arivaul's dungeon was one of many that appeared across the Arcadian continent. The promises of riches, glory and fame—the lull of becoming an adventurer known far and wide. Men and women followed those steps into these dungeons, palaces full of treasures and dangers in equal measure.
Along their measured steps, the street began to grow wider as they approached the eastern district. Unlike the noble district to the north and the slums to the south, the place they were heading towards was devoid of any houses or shops, in fact, the buildings slowly became more and more dilapidated the further they went from the city center.
Rodents and other small insects could be seen amongst the rubble, either foraging for food or seeking shelter amidst the fallen buildings.
Looking further east, Priscilla noticed a tall dark rectangular monolith in the distance surrounded by guards. There were about eight of them, all wearing full plate armor and holding halberds. Two were on each side of the monument while the other six were resting under the shade of an improvised tent set up against the side of the ancient brickwork.
Aside from the guards, there were some other adventurers sitting on the ground or on the rubble around the perimeter set by the guards as if waiting for their turn to head inside the dungeon.
The two young women were about to enter the vicinity of the monolith but one of the six guards noticed them and started to head their way with halberd in hand.
"Halt." He shouted from across the yard as he approached. "What is your business here?"
Priscilla stepped forward and bowed her head slightly while explaining.
"I came here to learn what the dungeon looks like."
"Huh?" The guard's eyes veered to the plate hanging from the knight's neck. "A copper adventurer?" He narrowed his eyes before flinching back. "Wait… I know you- you're the woman who apprehended the Black Assassin!"
Looking closely, the man before her was the same she had encountered earlier near the barracks. Namely the older man that mentioned the former Arcadian Queen. Priscilla smiled awkwardly as she responded.
"Ah… yes, that would be me."
"Well… I doubt someone like you would cause trouble." He stepped to the side, opening a path for her. "Just don't enter the dungeon since you don't have a writ of passage. You and your kid can look around though."
"Thank you."
Rionara stepped forward as well and bowed while also thanking the guard.
"Thank you!"
Seeing the small framed woman perform such a cute bow brought a smile to the guard's face as he returned to the shade under the tent. After sharing a relieved glance of relief, both of them started to slowly walk towards the monolith.
The adventurers around were equipped for both exploration and battle. Heavy armor, pickaxes, lanterns, bags of food and gourd canteens filled with water were the basics that every group had covered. Some of the said groups had mages in them, they didn't carry any heavy luggage but they were equipped to the brim with extra pouches and satchels for potions and medicine.
'So this is what an adventurer group looks like…'
Priscilla observed them with an attentive gaze, unlike the Arcadian army, there was far more variety in a small band of adventurers. Given the unknown dangers of the dungeon below, it was a smarter move to have a bit of everything in a group's arsenal.
Upon feeling a tug on the left side of her jacket, Priscilla turned to Rionara—who was looking at her with curiosity in her eyes.
"Pris. Is this the place you wanted to go?"
"Yes."
"But… why? It looks like a very gloomy place."
"My father should be in there, somewhere."
"Your dad? Why would he come to a place like this…?"
"That is the same question I ask myself." Her eyes veered up to the top of the monolith. The dark structure emitted a faint aura that made the knight feel uneasy. "No human should ever step foot inside a dungeon like this…"
"Bold words for an adventurer." An unfamiliar female voice came directly behind Priscilla which made her take a quick step forward and turn around with her left hand on the scabbard. "Woah there, hello, Miss Duelist."
The person that had invaded the knight's personal space was a blonde haired elf woman. She wore a kettle helmet tied to her chin with a makeshift leather strap, white gambeson, puffy brown trousers and leather straps wrapped around her feet for shoes. Her dark green eyes had a certain mischief to them.
"Elaine, you know it's bad manners to eavesdrop on others."
A fully armored knight approached behind the elf while reproaching her, from his build and tone of voice, Priscilla knew exactly who it was. Her arms relaxed as she moved her right hand away from the hilt of her weapon while straightening her back.
"Sir Reinhardt, is this your companion?"
Rionara rushed behind Priscilla and stared at the elf from behind the knight's legs. Seeing all of that unfold, Reinhardt removed his helmet before apologizing.
"Yes, I'm sorry for her lack of control." He bowed and while also staring at his companion. "Come on Elaine, don't you have anything to say?"
The elf raised both her hands behind her head and tilted her body to the side while averting her eyes and with a subtle voice, said.
"Sorry."
He sighed before straightening his back and turning his full attention to Priscilla.
"But I must ask, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be hunting more bounties."
"Ah… I just came here to sate my curiosity." She glanced at the monument behind her before turning back to him. "I never seen a dungeon before, you see."
"Makes sense." He crossed his arms. "This dungeon has been very profitable as of late. You would do well to raise your rank to reap the rewards of exploring it."
"Thank you for your advice." Priscilla placed her right hand across her body before bowing slightly. "Now, since we both got what we came here for, we should get going." She glanced at Rionara that was still behind her. "Let's go, Rio."
"Mhm…"
Reinhardt bowed once again before saying his goodbyes.
"Farewell, Miss Priscilla."
Elaine on the other hand just waved both hands towards them with a faint smile on her face.
"Ciao!"
After watching them leave—Elaine glanced at Reinhardt and asked.
"Is that the woman you were talking about yesterday?"
"Yes. Any thoughts?"
"She isn't just your run of the mill adventurer." She reached for her own throat—massaging it with each finger as if feeling for something that wasn't there. "I'm sure she could have almost beheaded me with her first swing if she meant to draw steel."
"You say almost—does that mean you could win?"
"Maybe. If I get the drop on her." She raised both her hands and interlocked her fingers behind her head with a carefree smile on her face. "But she would be a handful."
"Like Lady Phoebe?"
"Haha! No, not like her. But she is definitely someone to watch out for."
"I see…" Reinhardt looked at the spellfencer's back from over his shoulder. "Priscilla Avellion, huh…?"
One of the guards under the tent pulled out a pocket watch from his belt and checked the time before standing up.
"It's time."
Upon hearing those words, the two guards in front of the monolith started to change posts with the ones resting. Once the new guards were ready, he started to shout.
"Get ready! We'll open the doors!"
The myriad of adventurers resting on their bags started to gather their things and stand up. Reinhardt reached for the bag he was carrying and grabbed a bow and a quiver that was beside it before handing them over to Elaine.
"Well…" He sighed as he put on his helmet again. "Let's go."
"Aye."
After grabbing his sword and shield he and the elf entered the line of adventurers to head into the dungeon.