February 10, 2019, 9:12 am. Not in time to prevent heartburn.

Cleansing my palate with a judicious application of water, I glare at Roberts who just chuckles at my misfortune. Note to self, Health Edge doesn't work on food. Or I don't have enough of it. Hmm. Would that have killed me before?

My thoughts on the relationship between food and Health Edge are derailed by Beth coming into the galley. She's reaching for a sausage, and while I'm tempted to warn her, I can't help but share a smile with Roberts instead. However, Beth doesn't gasp in shock. Instead she licks her lips before saying, "Now that's what this world's been missing. Haven't had anything with decent kick since we got here."

I watch, my mouth hanging open as Beth spears another sausage then sits next to Josh throwing an arm over his shoulder. Josh doesn't seem to notice, still caught up in his conversation with Rose and Lik'tik. Somehow they've shifted to the topic of how honey is produced on earth.

With the sausages off-limits, I move to grab some of the other food kept ready in the kitchenette. Preferably something that won't cause me to feel like I'm breathing fire without the flames. I prefer doing it with flames these days. The Twice Scuttled's pantry is more robust than the average K'tharn's, and I'm able to make something resembling pancakes, though I have to use a light bacon gravy since there's no syrup... or honey.

It's still amazing. Rufka agrees, giving it four thumbs up.

Take that, cooking skill of zero.

...TPWM...

A few hours later, while doing a basic obstacle course with Smoulder in the centre of the main deck, I notice we're not on the flat of the ocean anymore. We're still piercing through waves regularly, but when I look to the side, there's a tilt to the mainland behind us. Smoulder forgives my inattention, snuggling close as I move up to where captain e'Tell is singing a song that would've made me blush before I met Rufka. Now it just makes me smile. Okay, I still blush, but it's not nearly as noticeable.

Shaking my head, I make my way to the rear rail with Smoulder. The waves directly behind us make it harder to notice, but again, looking to the sides, I can confirm we're travelling up the side of the mountainous water-spout. It wouldn't feel so weird if not for the way I still feel like gravity is pulling me down in relation to the ship.

Captain e'Tell seems to notice my discomfort. "It's a side effect of making my ship my Stronghold. I have absolute dominion, so down is down. Would make this journey a lot trickier otherwise. Navigating the Depths round here are almost as tough as navigating through that," she states, one hand waving towards the mana-storms that are getting closer to blocking the horizon. "You're lucky I love making this run, otherwise you'd never have been able to get me so cheap."

Before I can comment on that fact that a price of hundreds of Essence isn't exactly cheap, a shape emerges from beside us, swimming up the spout. I blink before moving closer.

Over the side is a school of not-quite-dolphins. They're the right shape, but instead of the blue-grey I'm used to, these have shorter jaws crammed full of teeth and the black and white patterning of killer whales. They leap and sing next to the Twice Scuttled, their cries reminding me of birdsong, Captain e'Tell laughing in a sort of counterpoint in the background.

There's something about the beauty of the killer-dolphins that keeps me from Focusing on them. Part of me doesn't want to have the moment ruined if they have an ugly name, or some horrid history. So I just watch them instead. The others make their way on deck shortly after, Wyonna having informed them over party chat. Even the Taken emerge and watch in silence.

Once the killer dolphins leave, I return to practice and continue to wait. It won't be long now. The captain informed us that it should be less than a day once we started up the side of the spout. Not that the time of day is as clear a concept when you're travelling up the side of a massive waterspout where the sun never stops shining.

Still, a dozen hours later Beth lets us know to get ready.

We're almost there.

The isle of Desh Atun is ahead.

...TPWM,...

February 10, 2019, 11:12 pm.

On the horizon is a tiny dot. It almost seems to bob in the chaotic swirl of the waters this high up the spout. But I've been informed that's an illusion. The dot is actually the island the vale resides inside of. Kinda. Island isn't a great word, since the only land on the 'surface' of the spout is a thin strip of rock that shields what basically sounds like a giant tunnel that descends deep into the spout.

Even from our distance, I can detect the air and water mana emerging from within. A 'minor' release mechanism that bathes the area in more mana than Aethire uses to stay aloft.

We're all on deck watching as the dot gets closer. The Taken won't be getting off at the island. Turns out they really are just here to keep an eye on us.

The Twice Scuttled is forced to swing around the island amongst waves tall enough to blot out the sky, circling twice before Captain e'Tell crashes us down beneath the surface. The relaxed shielding is no longer in effect, yet water still seeps past the Stronghold's barriers, soaking the deck. A sign of the incredible pressures outside, both mundane and mana. The ship shudders several times, dark shapes swimming around us for over a minute.

And then we're through, the water exploding out as the Twice Scuttled comes to rest in a sheltered... space. I want to call it a cove, but the way we emerge from beneath the water, before coming to rest on its surface... and the stillness of the surrounding water. It feels like I need a bigger word, but cove is close enough.

To one side, light pours in the tunnel, illuminating the length of the tunnel as far as I can see, vast stretches of green, with ribbons of dark blue waters. And while I call it a tunnel, the scope of it... There must be more than ten kilometres from where I stand looking up to the far side above us. As I turn away, I realize the light reaches far deeper than I would've expected, the tunnel illuminated far into the distance until it curves upwards, out of sight..

This is the Vale of Desh Atun. And somewhere in this mess, is the actual Dungeon. The Ring of Desh Atun. Or tomb, according to the Taken. Trying to find it on our own would take months, even with our ability to fly and teleport. Luckily, Genitha left Beth with a tool that will lead us straight there. A map.

"This..." Tipan breathes out next to me as the Twice Scuttled drifts slowly towards the shore.

"Yeah," I agree, my eyes tracking the abundant wildlife moving amongst the trees.

"This is unclaimed land. Even the bravest Archmage knows better than to set up here," e'Tell calls from above. "Not that the System would allow any-user to establish a Stronghold here."

"It has a dungeon though," I point out.

"Yep. A dungeon that only gets a few users every other decade," e'Tell agrees with a nod. "You're the first group I've brought here since Genitha and I first came."

"Wait," Rufka says, looking over her shoulder at the captain. "You know mum?"

"Might be I do," e'Tell answers with a wink of both her left eyes and a flick of her ear. "Might be I know your mum real well, if you catch my meaning."

The way Rufka's ears fold back as she quickly turns away almost has me chuckling. But I content myself with a soft smile as I pull her close and look back out over the water. We don't make landfall, the abundant air-mana in the area making flight so cheap it practically increases our regen rate. Though not actually.

I wonder if there's a way to do that.

Leaving the ship behind is... weird. They're just going to wait for us to complete the dungeon, which I suppose is the real reason it cost so much to get them to bring us here. Especially since we're planning to be inside so long.

"So, kid. What next?" Beth asks, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, what?" I ask, then realize everyone is formed up behind me.

"You're in charge. What next?" Beth says, her arms crossed. "Don't you remember? Everyone chose you."

"But that was just for..." I trail off at her smirk. "You're just teasing me."

"Only kinda," Beth says as she floats forward, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "We're going to be practicing lots of stuff in this dungeon, if it's like Genitha says it is. And part of that is going to be your leadership skills."

"Oh. Right," I reply. We did talk about this, but I figured we'd wait until we were inside the dungeon.

"So, what next?" Beth asks again, raising one eyebrow.

"Next... Tipan uses her map to guide us to the dungeon while the rest of us keep a watch on the forest?" I ask more than order.

"Not bad. Though we need to work on your firmness. Can't be soft in combat."

"Except... we're not in combat, so that wouldn't apply," I state.

"There you go kid, getting the hang of it already."

I can't stop the grin as I turn to the others, lowering my voice as I say, "Alright people, you heard her. Let's move."

Roberts chuckles as he pats my shoulder. "Excellent Beth impression."

"What?" Beth protests as everyone floats forward, Tipan's map flickering into existence in our midst. "I don't sound like that."

"Definitely not," Roberts agrees, though he doesn't stop chuckling.

I can't stop smiling as we float above the trees. There are zambias here, the giant herbivores easy to spot when they poke their heads above the foliage to take a look at us. They have different patterns than the one I saw when I first arrived, jagged cracks of gold spreading across their otherwise dark brown skin. There seems to be a soft breeze that brings the leaves towards their mouth with every bite.

Huge dinosaurs that use mana to eat. Awesome.

The map leads us through the jungle, and while there's an abundance of life here, none of the creatures are mana-warped. Considering the huge amounts of air and water mana in the area, it's a little surprising. Then again, everything I've seen so far seems to have water or air based abilities. Maybe mana-warping only affects elements that are different from the normal species?

When I ask Tipan, she shrugs, and agrees that's how it usually works. But not always.

Another half hour of flying just above the canopy brings us close to our destination. At least, according to Tipan's map. Once we're there, it takes us another hour of flying through the actual jungle to find the Dungeon. When we do, I'm almost surprised we missed it. The Ring of Desh Atun is actually more of a dome, at least from the outside. And despite the barrier preventing plants from getting inside the dungeon, nothing has prevented them from growing on top. Still, the top of the dome is sticking out of the canopy, even if it is covered in vines.

With the dungeon located, it only takes us another five minutes before Roberts and Beth find the entrance.

When Rufka and I slip through the canopy near them, we're greeted by more vines. Right up until Beth unleashes a rapid stream of void, the dark bullets slicing through the vegetation and causing the structure underneath to shimmer. There are even some small gouges where a couple of her shots landed, though most of the vegetation itself remains stubbornly in place.

"Heh, whoops," Beth says as she shoulders her rifle. "Guess I could let someone else clear it."

"We've all been cooped up on the ship for days. It's understandable that you want to... express yourself a bit," Roberts says while flicking bits of fallen vegetation away with transparent barriers.

"She definitely expressed herself all over that entrance," I say before clapping a hand over my mouth.

"That's what she said?" Kellica adds, though her tone makes it clear she's not sure if she's using it right. Josh and Rose give her a thumbs up, and she stands a little straighter.

"That is indeed what she said," Roberts agrees, though he has a hint of a smile.

Our attention turns back to the entrance when Smoulder decides the vegetation needs to have its day completely ruined, as she deploys enough heat that Roberts re-deploys his shields to keep it off us. When the heat haze passes, an area over a hundred metres in diameter has been cleared. The jungle outside has come alive, a cacophony of movement and screeching arising behind us as Smoulder sits smugly outside the now fully revealed ring of Desh Atun. And it is a ring, similar in form to the standing stones. Though much taller, made of a golden sandstone and with no gaps except the entrance.

An entrance that seems to be made entirely of bone. Pleasant.

"Guess I wasn't the only one who needed to let off some steam," Beth says while stepping out of Roberts's protective circle.

As the ground hisses and puffs around us, I can't help but raise my eyebrow. Did Beth just make a... pun?

With the entrance (and a sizeable portion of the jungle) cleared, we step inside.

"Iron rank training challenge Ring of Desh Atun joined."

"Teleportation abilities have been locked to Ring of Desh Atun combat zone."

"Zone Quest received: Desh Atun. Requirements 0/1 Desh Atun defeated. Rewards: 25 Edge. Time: No limit."

And there it is. The reason we came all this way.

A bonus of twenty-five Edge. To everything.