The Call to War

Chapter 26

Tess and her team trudged back to camp covered in mud and the blood of mana beasts they fought. This wasn't unusual as the first few days in a dungeon were always the most difficult. However unlike with past dungeons, Tess and Caria had a hot bath to look forward to. Of course Tess was happy to see Arthur every day, but she still didn't want him to see her covered in filth either.

After the girls finally opened the door to Arthur's stone cottage on the first day in the dungeon, they came out feeling cleaner than they had in over a month and completely rejuvenated. They of course apologized for locking Arthur out, and promised they wouldn't bother him for his bath again. But Arthur didn't care, he just made the bathtub on a whim as to see what he could actually do. For him the only purpose for the small house was just for him to sleep in, so he told them that they were welcome to use the bath for as long as they were in the dungeon.

Upon entering the camp their noses were quickly bombarded by the delicious smell of food cooking, specifically Arthur's cooking. Since Arthur didn't really have anything to do until they found the boss chamber, he had taken the liberty of cooking for Claire and Tess' teams to pass the time. This brought Claire's depression about her cooking to a new low, as Arthur had proved to be an even better cook than anyone in the two teams.

"Mmm,I wonder what's for dinner this time," Stannard commented then licked his lips as they walked.

"I swear Tess, you've got the perfect guy. Any man who can cook that good is a definite keeper," Caria said as her mouth watered.

"Thanks", Tess laughed. "I never thought of Arthur being perfect, but the more I learn about him, like these secret talents of his, the more I realize he's probably the closest to perfect any guy could probably ever hope to be."

"Well you better get to that debrief," Darvus commented with a devious smile. "The longer you take the less likely there will be any dinner left for you."

Tess huffed at that comment, but didn't let herself get too angry, as she knew Arthur would make sure there was plenty left for her.

Tess entered the command tent, and could see three of her fellow team leaders already seated around the table.

"We're still waiting on one more, so take a seat," the Captain instructed.

Tess allowed herself to collapse into her chair with a sigh of relief for finally being off her feet.

"What's wrong Princess? Was it too hard for you?" One of the team leads teased.

Tess knew it was only friendly teasing, as there was a strong sense of comradery between nearly all of the team leaders. In the past Tess would have just shot back with some witty response, but she was actually hurting this time.

"No," Tess started to slip her left boot off. "My boots are just ruined," she said as she dropped her filthy boot on the table.

Everyone stared at her boot seriously now, as they could see the sole was uneven with parts coming out on the side.

"What happened to you?" Another leader asked.

"We ran into some serpents that spit acid, but we killed them so fast we didn't know it was acid till after the fight. It was red so we thought it was just blood, but as we walked through it we heard the hissing and could actually smell the leather being melted away. The damage was bad enough that now my feet ache from the walking," Tess replied and took her boot and put it back on.

"This dungeon is swarming with toxic mana beasts that haven't ever been recorded before. You can face anything from poison gas to beasts that can poison you from a simple touch, so you all need to be careful. Please reinforce this with the rest of the members of your teams," the Captain stated.