Chapter 326: Castle by the Sea

"And that leads us up to now." Mike finished before sitting back down in the simple wooden chair. He found his gaze still drawn to the scenic mountain view projected on the edge of the demi-realm, and couldn't help but feel a bit moved by the starry sky rising over the jagged peaks. Even if it wasn't real, it was still impressive to look at.

"What neatly summarized exposition. Really helps me nail down my location in the narrative." Reber replied with a grin while reclining in his own chair. "Gildusi sounds like an interesting place, it'd be cool to visit and try some of those restaurants."

"That's not...wait, restaurants? Can you even eat?"

"Of course. Just can't really taste anything. No sense of smell, you know. Also, I don't really need to eat, because photosynthesis. Still, I can enjoy the texture of food."

"I...see. Well, I've been working on creating disguise items, and while I don't think they are advanced enough to hide your...plantishness, give me some more time to work on them, and I see what I can do."

"Appreciate it, brother, but do go to any trouble on my account. It's nothing more than a passing impulse. Besides, the way I figure it, with all the other weird shit in this world, a walking, talking tree is not going to raise many eyebrows."

"Now that you mention it, I think there was something…" He paused, digging through his storage and eventually pulling out a stack of notes he'd copied from a library book when he was back at the University. After a few moments of flipping through them, he announced. "Aha! Here it is. The Dryad, a rare type of tree monster found in very deep parts of Mirithian forests."

"Still a monster, though."

"They are classified that way, but they are also known for being friendly towards humanoids they encounter, or at the very least non-hostile. The author of the book suggested that the local elves might even have some kind of trade agreement with them, but admitted his assumption was based mainly on hearsay."

"So, you think I could pass for one of these Dryads?"

"Maybe. I'm not really sure what they look like, but I could do some research. Also, I don't know how well they'd be received outside of Mirithia, or even if they are known for visiting settlements at all."

Reber shrugged. "Oh well. Like I said, this is nothing more than an impulse of mine. If you find the time to work on the situation in the future, I would appreciate it, but make a big deal about it. I've still got plenty to keep me occupied around here."

"I get that, but I would like for you to have the freedom to come and go from the demi-realm as you please. Only seems fair after being trapped here for so long."

The treeman waved dismissively. "Besides the whole not having strong emotions thing, being a plant means I don't really have any inclination to move far from where I'm planted, so to speak. I think my urge to explore is something of a holdover from my human life, but it's not so strong that I can't ignore it."

"...Alright, but I'll work on finding a solution to your situation when I can."

[I'll just add it to the list, I guess.]

"Cool, appreciate it. Anyway, care for some roasted chestnuts?"

"Sure." Mike agreed while taking a handful from the proffered bag and popping them into his mouth, still deep in thought about the pile of tasks he'd set for himself. "This is pretty good."

"Thanks. Grew them myself."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and when they did, he felt slightly queasy. "...Huh? Wait, do you mean…"

Reber laughed. "Relax. I didn't use one of my own or anything. Your friends brought me a few tree seedlings the other day, and I've been subsidizing their growth with magic. Give me a few weeks, and I should be able to indefinitely sustain a moderate population of humanoids with locally grown food, assuming the soil holds out."

Mike swallowed dryly, "That's great. We aren't exactly hurting on food at the moment, but it never hurts to have something to fall back on...Do you think you could do something similar with other, more magical plants?"

"Hmm…" The treeman frowned in concentration, carefully considering the idea for nearly a minute before finally responding. "...No idea."

"Right. That's fair." He replied while resisting the urge to facepalm. "Anyway, I should gather up Morris and Sera. We'll need to be heading out soon."

"That the crew you're taking this time round?" Reber asked while reclining a little further in his seat to bask in the artificial sun.

"That's the plan."

"Cool. Cool."

As Mike was walking away, he heard the druid add, " Have fun storming the dungeon!"

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The Seaside Citadel turned out to be a massive, elegantly designed, and sprawling castle town built from pure white stone with light blue highlights on a narrow peninsula extending from the coast. Unlike much of the rest of the region, the outcropping of land was barely taller than the surrounding ocean, and in fact, portions of the city were submerged.

Tall and imposing walls protected the town, and three slender towers of varying heights rose from the fortress at its center. A ring of some golden material, reminiscent of a halo, floated around the highest peak, rotating slowly.

Like most dungeons, there was only a single entrance portal that actually led inside. Attempting to bypass the walls directly only allowed you to explore the empty streets and causeways of the town. Even then, there was no way into the central castle.

According to Morris's research, the Seaside Citadel had 12 floors laid out in three equal sections of four floors each. Delvers exploring the first section would find themselves passing through the remains of the ruined and partially submerged city that stood at the base of the castle, and could expect to fight a mix of Tier 1 avian and aquatic monsters.

Because of the relative weakness of the enemies inhabiting this first section, the Citadel was a popular destination for inexperienced adventurers and newbie delvers looking to improve their skills. Unfortunately, the danger increased greatly after the fourth floor, when delvers entered the castle itself.

Not only did the number and lethality of the traps increase, but the monster became much more difficult to deal with. It was to the point that the guild had issued a statement banning adventurers below Rank 3 from proceeding beyond the first section of the dungeon. Such a ban was more of a guideline than an actual law, due to the inherent difficulty of enforcing it, but it apparently helped to reduce the number of newbie disappearances in the Citadel.

The final section could be found in the towers of the castle, and it was home to several types of dangerous airborne monsters culminating in the boss which was known to be a massive bird creature which used Ice Magic.

While discussing the particulars of this information, the group stopped at the dungeon town, which rested on top of the cliffs overlooking the Citadel, and had the typical mix of services catered to delvers. At the moment, there was nothing they needed from the stores, so they checked in with the White Lions who were standing guard in front of the wooden staircase leading down to the peninsula.

Thankfully, it seemed that their names hadn't been passed around yet, so they were allowed past the checkpoint, and after descending towards the ocean, they were able to quickly enter into the dungeon portal, which stood in place of the citadel's gates.

They found themselves in some kind of barren store built along one of the main streets of the castle town. Initially, it seemed like they could easily leave the building through a window or one of the doorways leading deeper into the store, however, it quickly became apparent that walls of invisible force prevented them from doing anything besides leaving through the front.

"How bizarre…" Morris muttered while feeling the barrier that kept him from moving behind the counter.

"Now that I think about it, is this the first time you've been to a dungeon?" Mike asked.

The bard glanced back at him. "Yes. Delving is not a common pastime among nobles, and after leaving my household I never had the resources to do it safely."

"Safely? They aren't that dangerous."

The other two gave him a dirty look.

"Maybe to you," The Oracle commented dryly, "but ordinary mortal beings have trouble confronting even the most basic dungeon monsters without adequate training and preparation. Why do you think the Adventurer's Guild goes so far as to provide newbie adventurers with a guided dungeon trip when they first join up?"

"I'm guessing from the context it has something to do with keeping casualties down?"

Morris spoke up to explain. "Newbie adventurers have a tendency to overestimate their abilities simply due to the Guild's ranking system. This is especially the case if they managed to achieve Rank 2 or 3 during their initial entry. However, they lack the experience needed to judge the extent of their strength, and frequently end up entering dungeons beyond their abilities. In order to combat that, the Guild decided to start showing newbies the dangers of dungeons in a controlled environment."

"So instructor-lead tours. Got it." Mike nodded to show his understanding and hopefully prevent another lecture. "Anyway, let's get going. If we move efficiently, we should be able to clear this dungeon by the end of the day."

There was a pause as both of them watched him expectantly. Evidently he still needed to explain how things were going to work.

"Just so you know, I'm not planning on doing anything unless you actually need help. This is supposed to be for your training."

"I get that, but I'm not actually sure what to do in this case." Morris replied. "I have a decent understanding of the various party roles that a usual delving group has to fulfill, but we don't really have anything that could be considered a vanguard or scout."

[...Hm?]

"Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you, why are we in these pairings?" Sera asked. "I'm sure you have your reasons, but I'd like to hear them."

Mike scratched the back of his neck. "Well, from what I understand, the rearguard is usually in charge of directing the rest of the party since they have the least restricted view of what's going on, right?"

"That's right."

"So, in order to make this a decent training scenario, I need the rearguard to call the shots. The way I see it, both you and Tal are definitive back liners, but she has a distinct advantage in terms of experience. I thought it only fair to put her in the group that has to deal with the most unreliable element."

There was a brief pause as all three of them pictured Lily in their minds.

"I can't fault that reasoning…" Morris murmured, "but I'm not really a front liner, so I don't think I can serve as a decent vanguard."

"What are you talking about? Aren't you supposed to be a Bardic Knight or something? I've seen you fight on the front lines several times."

"Well, that is my class, but bards, even with the knight appellation, are considered combat support. In an ideal delving party, I would be standing behind the front liners and using bard skills to enhance their combat ability. Engaging in melee myself should only be considered an act of last resort."

"You've never done anything like that before, though?"

Morris sighed. "Think back to our previous fights. When did I ever have the luxury of doing something besides fighting for my life?"

[Ah...I suppose he has a point there.]

"Alright, I get it. You're basically saying that being a vanguard would be a misuse of your abilities and might negatively impact the value of this training exercise. Is that about right?"

"More or less."

Mike frowned in thought. He didn't think it was right to take on the role himself, since it would impair their growth, but they couldn't exactly add someone else to the group at this point.

[Kinda wish Brenden was here...If only we could just make a front liner…Ah.]

Digging through his inventory, he pulled out several scrolls. "Here you go. If you can't be a vanguard, then why don't you summon one?"