Chapter 43: The Vote

Chapter 43: The Vote

Two sleeps later, Hiral stepped out of the portal from their third and final run at Splitfang Keep, another pack of supplies over his shoulder.

“That was smooth,” Seena said, the last of them to exit the dungeon. “Well done.”

“Wish we could go in again. Another run and I’d be level twenty for sure,” Yanily said. “That bonus experience from Good Things Come in Threes was legit. Almost got me there.”

At the mention of it, Hiral took a quick look at the surprise notification he’d received when the group had cleared the dungeon for the third time.

Congratulations. Achievement Unlocked – Third Time’s a Charm

Reward: Class Modification – Good Things Come in Threes

Good Things Come in Threes – Successfully completing a single dungeon three times results in significant bonus experience.

And Yanily was right—the experience bonus had been pretty impressive. Good reason to clear all the dungeons three times.

“Yeah, but at least the rest of us are level nineteen now,” Seena said. “Well, except for you, Hiral. What did you end up at?”

“Level seventeen,” he said, checking his status window.

“Not bad. The teamwork in there was really good this time. You’ve all done a great job incorporating your new abilities—and Hiral—into the party. I’m proud of you.”

“Aw, stop. You’ll make me blush,” Yanily said.

“All the way up to his silky-smooth scalp,” Vix said.

“Don’t start, you two,” Seena interrupted. “We had the advantage knowing what was coming in Splitfang Keep, but I think we’re as ready as we can be to head out to the next dungeon.”

“Do you think your sister’s party will come with us?” Nivian asked, and the whole group looked back to where the portal would open when they finished their third dungeon clear.

“Seeyela said they’d stay in the dungeon after they cleared it, to hold the vote. We’ll know when they come out,” Seena said.

“Don’t want us affecting the vote with our opinions?” Wule asked.

“Probably. We’re all friends, and nobody wants friction,” Seena said.

“Won’t there be friction no matter what?” Hiral asked. “I mean, if anybody votes differently than what’s chosen?”

“And that’s why not-thinking-and-following-the-boss is the best tactic,” Yanily said... proudly?

“Knowing them all, even if one person votes differently, there won’t be any hard feelings,” Seena said. “They’ve all grown up together, like us. All close. Seeyela is more worried about friction between the two groups if we go and they don’t.”

“You really think there’s a chance they’ll stay behind?” Nivian asked.

“I don’t know. Wule, you’ve been talking to Cal a lot lately. Any idea where she stands?”

“She was scared after the first time they went in,” Wule said. “It was a lot more dangerous than she expected, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to heal her friends if they got hurt.”

“How about after the second clear?” Hiral prompted.

“Better. I think she’s coming around. She knows she has to get stronger if she wants to protect her party. They can’t hide in here until the islands come around again.”

“Yanily, any word from Balyo?” Seena asked.

“No problem. Like Hiral said up on the island, we’ve got your backs, if you’ll let us,” Right said.

“Wait, you guys know what I said up there?” Hiral asked. “I didn’t have Foundational Split then.”

“We’re you, remember?” Right said.

“We know everything about you since the day you were born,” Left said. “And no, you’re not adopted,” he added, tossing a glance at Seena.

“Thanks for the confirmation?” Hiral said, though he’d already been pretty sure about it.

“Great bonding moment,” Yanily said. “But, where are they? Aren’t they taking a long time?”

Hiral passed his hand over the interface crystal to bring up the menu. Enter Dungeon was noticeably absent, but that wasn’t what he was looking for anyway. “Help,” he said, and the image of Dr. Benza appeared. “Time Records.”

Splitfang Keep Clear Times

Party (Seena) – 27:01

Party (Seeyela) – 28:16

Party (Seeyela) – 28:38

Hiral shared the window so everybody could see it, then pointed at the second spot. “They beat their previous record, so they must still be in there voting.”

“Hah, but a full minute and a quarter behind us. Oh, yeah,” Yanily said, sharing a fist-bump with Vix.

“We were kind of cheating,” Wule pointed out. “Eight people when the limit was technically six. It’s no wonder we got through faster.”

“What is it with you folks and your details today?” Yanily complained, only to turn to Vix again and whisper, “Still number one.”

Hiral closed the window while the two Growers yammered back and forth a bit, but then everybody quieted as the portal opened and Seeyela’s party stepped out.

“Looks like you all made it through your final run without much trouble,” Seeyela said. She passed her hand over the crystal and said, “Help. Time Records. Damnit. They beat us by over a minute.”

“The Islander did cheat,” Fitch said, echoing Wule’s earlier words.

“What if we told you Hiral and his doubles sat at the entrance the whole time?” Yanily asked.

“What? Really?” Fitch asked, his head snapping from Yanily to Hiral so fast, it was a miracle he didn’t get whiplash.

“No, I’m just asking what if,” Yanily said.

“How did it go?” Seena loudly asked Seeyela to cut off any more arguing.

“We’re leaving with you after we all get a good rest,” Seeyela said. “Unanimous vote to go.”

Hiral looked at Seeyela’s party as she said that, and while the faces seemed to concur, there was also an undercurrent suggesting there had been a bit of discussion before the agreement.

Well, whatever. It’ll be better for all of us if they come.

“That’s great,” Seena said. “I was hoping you would. I’ll feel better having you with us. I think we have a few more hours before we should settle down for the night, so let’s get our gear sorted and figure out if there’s anything we don’t need to take.

“The supplies from the dungeon are handy, but they could also slow us down in a fight.”

“Agreed,” Seeyela said. “Let’s make sure everything is ready before we go to sleep. There were clothes in those supplies that looked like they might be better in the rain than what we have, so make sure you grab some of those. As soon as we get up, we’re headed to the next dungeon.”