The Expedition [Dottore x Reader]

[Chapter 5]

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The Grand Sage, Azar, finally finished reading out the groups. Everyone attending went to search for their groups with the help of the six sages. You, Dottore and Alec walked over towards a table in the library that one of the sages had said to be the meeting place of group number five. The three of you finally arrived and saw that the other two scholars were already there, sitting besides each other on different chairs.

,,Good morning. You three must be the others joining our group correct? Group number five right?'' A young woman waved her right hand at the three of you as she was holding a notebook in her other hand.

,,Indeed we are, you two must be Sohreh and Tirzad correct?'' Dottore asked before sitting down on a chair that was standing near the table. ,,That's right. Glad to be teamed up with you guys. Let's hope for the best.'' Tirzad nodded with a friendly smile.

,,Well I'd assume everything goes smoothly seeing as we are either the most trusted or smartest scholars from our Darshan.'' Sohreh looked at Tirzad when she said that. ,,That is true, still though, let's hope nothing goes wrong. I've heard that the Fungi and Rishboland Tigers are very aggressive these months.'' Dottore explained before grabbing a notebook out of his bag.

,,Oh don't worry, as long as we avoid the locations they're usually found at we'll be fine.'' You said, trying to reassure both them and yourself. Alec and Sohreh both nodded, agreeing with your statement.

,,Exactly. I have a map with me that'll show most of the locations they're found in, so do not worry.'' Alec responded with a smile before patting the front of his back bag. Dottore sighed. ,,Either way.'' He started.

,,When shall we head towards the Sumeru forest? Or should we start near that old Ruin Golem?'' He added, looking at his notebook with a pen his hand, seemingly ready to write down any responds.

,,The Ruin Golem? Oh you mean that machine from Khaenri'ah? Perhaps we should do that on a later date. For now, we should start with the basics.'' Tirzad responded to Dottore's question. Dottore nodded and wrote something down in his notebook.

,,Like the Avidya forest?'' You questioned. ,,That would be a good starting point. If everyone agrees, we should start there by today.'' Tirzad responded to your suggestion in a positive way. ,,Sure, it seems like a smart idea.'' Sohreh said as she put her thumb up in the air in improvement. Dottore only nodded and wrote down something once again. ,,Sure! And I'll be the guard. I shall protect all of you from those Rishboland Tigers and Fungi!'' Alec said as he put his hands on his hips. ,,Great. Then it's settled. Let's get going then.'' Sohreh smiled.

The five of you had already left the Akademiya grounds before the moon would be shining brightly in the night sky, after all, all of you knew how difficult it would be if you were to travel during the night, seeing how you wouldn't be able to see most of the dangerous animals or monsters.

The camp was set near a small pond with low leveled water. There were a few beautiful looking flowers in the pond on the lily pads and you could see multiple fish swimming around.

Everyone was sitting near a campfire except for you and Dottore, since the two of you were writing down the environment and the way the fish were just swimming around while sitting on the ground. It was quite relaxing. Most of the birds were already asleep, which was a shame, but at least it wasn't anything unusual.

,,I never knew how bright the stars were here in the forest.'' Dottore spoke, breaking the silence. You stopped writing things down. ,,Indeed they do. I'm surprised I never realized how much more beautiful and clear they are here than in other regions of Sumeru.'' You responded while looking up at the stars with a small smile on your face.

,,Seems like we both have some new knowledge. Even if the Akademiya already knows about it.'' You nodded. It was true, for some reason, you had no idea about this small and insignificant fact. Yet it seemed so important.

,,I'm writing it down anyways. I should visit this place with my grandma and little sister.'' You said as you wrote down the location of the current campsite. Dottore just nodded and looked at you as you wrote down the newly discovered information.

,,Anyhow. Remember the book I got about those machines from Khaenri'ah?'' You looked up at your friend and nodded. ,,Yes, you were reading that in class right?'' ,,Indeed.''

,,I just wanted to let you know that I finished reading it and taking notes.'' He took out a familiar looking book from his bag and held it in front of you. ,,So you can have it. I have no interest in the rest of the information.''

You took the book from his hand in silence. You looked at it for a few seconds before looking back at Dottore. ,,Thank you Dottore. When do I need to return it to you?'' You asked. ,,Never. You can keep it. The sage that gave it to me doesn't need it anymore, so there's not need to give it back or anything.'' He responded as shrugged. ,,If you say so. Well, thank you once again.'' You smiled.

You put the book in a bag you took with you to the expedition. You then hugged Dottore from the side. He looked at you with a surprised look on his face, but then smiled. ,,You're welcome Y/N.''