Alphonse stood near the edge of the cliff overlooking a sea of endless, verdant green. Far to the west of the dungeon's exit were the jagged teeth of mountains gnawing at the clouds. A break in the trees to the north revealed the remains of a fortress from a distant time when the human kingdoms extended further. The ruins of settlements barely stood as the clear line of a western border that no longer belonged to civilization.
According to Rinka, no human had set foot past the border in several decades. It was always defended when the monsters were emboldened by strength of numbers, but it was as if the humans feared the very soil their enemy tread upon.
Alphonse knew that when he climbed down the short incline at his feet, settled himself down and dangled his legs over the forest canopy below, he would officially be one of the few to venture past the border.
'And I'm an outworlder.' He chuckled to himself at the thought.
He prepared for his descent and prodded a jutting length of rock to make sure it was sturdy enough. The soles of his new boots held fast as he angled his weight and reached for a handhold. Both hands held him in place as he maneuvered through a narrow crevasse and found purchase on a slanted platform. Another quick push as he slid all the way through brought him to the outlying precipice that would take him over the border.
Alphonse marveled at the change in perspective. After just a few minutes of climbing, he was able to see through a break in the mountains where the sun bid a modest farewell. He sat down and watched as the broken, empty settlements faded into the shadows.
"I could definitely get used to this."
The silence and calm breeze encouraged him to reflect on the past week following his deal with the Construct Contract at the Submerged Oasis.
He'd spent the first three days recovering from fatigue and mending what remained of his wounds. Most natives of Hovestile would find themselves bedridden for almost a week, even with the constant healing from a spellcaster, but the extra health regeneration outside of combat for outworlders hastened the process.
On the fourth day, Alphonse, Kirie and Asa ventured as a party for the first time into the numerous dungeons and forests surrounding the oasis.
There were three exits outside the sanctum. One was in the direction where Kirie had found Alphonse in the deep recesses that were home to mostly goblins and ogres. At the top of a spiraling staircase in the opposite direction was the forest. Downwards was a vast cavern that extended far beyond sight, cradling the ruins of another ancient city far larger than the one leading to the oasis entrance.
Alphonse's perspective of the world changed drastically with these discoveries. It was incredible to think that so much was hidden beneath a standard, seemingly straightforward dungeon. The dungeons were the remains of a past civilization, the Dysians, and it explained the existence of what appeared to be unlimited loot and treasures.
Unfortunately, the great ruins proved far beyond their abilities. Grotesque creatures waited in the skeletons of dilapidated buildings and beneath false piles of collapsed stone cast by illusion magic. Some monsters used an almost imperceptible form of mimicry as they lay prone amongst the rubble or at the center of open walkways.
Alphonse was convinced to retreat from the derelict city when the terrible monsters with exposed rib cages and mangled limbs appeared. Their lower jaws held two rows of teeth in a perpetual grin with putrid saliva bubbling. Milky eyes bulged from the sides of their heads and smoldered in the dim light. Coagulated blood leaked from their chests and splattered on the ground with a seething hiss like grease in a frying pan.
Alphonse and Asa needed to force a stubborn Kirie back to the Submerged Oasis by each taking one of her arms and carrying her out. She'd thrashed about and shouted a number of expletives at the powerful guardians of the city as she was dragged away. They appeared to laugh at her with their permanent grins.
There was no way they were going to deal with such monstrosities anytime soon, and Alphonse suspected it was a mission meant for more than just a party of three.
Thankfully, the forest was more tame and allowed them to practice as a true party against different monsters. The vegetation also made the trip worthwhile, and Alphonse harvested plenty of curing ivy and other healing herbs. Some of the plants were poisonous, and Asa appraised them for later reference.
Before his deal with the Construct Contract, Kirie and Asa were only able to venture in areas already claimed by monsters. The contract didn't allow them to leave Rinka past a certain distance (according to the bond), and she was bound to the Submerged Oasis. For the first time in years, they traveled beyond the boundary and observed all kinds of animals in greater detail that they hadn't seen since they were young, and some not at all: bears, deer, rabbits and other wildlife of the more strange variety.
Alphonse planned to hunt a deer at some point so the catgirls could try venison. He was surprised when they told him that they'd resorted to eating mantis worm meat on many occassions. Apparently, the poisonous monster was safe to eat when certain parts were boiled.
Alphonse swung his legs back and forth over the edge of the cliff as he reminisced. He jerked his head up when he observed movement through a break in the trees. Three deer jumped from a line of foliage, a mother doe and two fawns, who trotted to an open patch of grass. The mother stood between her two young and examined the surrounding area dutifully before pulling her meal from a cluster of bushes.
A thought occurred to him as he watched the deer.
Alphonse held out his hand, "I invoke the Construct Contract." The black book materialized above his palm, and he caught it in both hands as it submitted to gravity.
He'd taken notes on their progress as they explored around the oasis. There was also a small area that Rinka had repurposed as a sort of library from the books Kirie and Asa scavenged from the nearby ruins and Hollow'dys One. They held topics on a variety of subjects: bestiaries, alchemy, maps, spellcasting and so forth. The tomes were dense and numerous, so sifting through them all was implausible in just a couple weeks.
Alphonse made sure his research took the personalities and habits of his party into account. Everything else he painstakingly gathered was moot if the group didn't work together.
The catgirl sisters were practically polar opposites, but what they did have in common was talent.
Alphonse prided himself on his reflexes and stamina, but Kirie was on a whole different level. What she lacked in tactics she more than made up for with instinct and battle prowess. She always readied herself two steps ahead while in the midst of swinging her double-edged axe. It wasn't something anyone could train. It was experience and a gift.
Asa always found the most advantageous position at range and maintained a clear view of the battlefield. Her ability to multitask and focus on her party members' statuses allowed everyone peace of mind. Protection spells were second nature and didn't even require an incantation when she delayed them. Her interruptible healing abilities also helped in a pinch when Kirie and Alphonse managed to distance themselves from opponents.
Their coordination was still a little shaky, and it would take considerable time to establish a more solid foundation as they fought different opponents in the future. But so far, things seemed to be looking up.
"Alphonse! Get your ass up here!"
Alphonse jolted from his ruminations when he heard the voice shouting from above. He windmilled one of his arms to balance himself as he leaned forward over the cliff. His book vanished with a stray, dismissive thought before he could drop it.
'Goddammit. That would've sucked,' he thought.
He took a deep breath and stared at the clouds that formed a blanket overhead. Losing track of time outside was a nice change of pace compared to the dark dungeon.
He hoisted himself up with a despondent shrug and reluctantly turned his back on the view. It wasn't difficult to discern which of his comrades called for him so emphatically.
He heard Asa's calm, articulate voice as he pulled himself up to the last handhold, "See, I told you he'd be fine."
Alphonse looked up and saw her crouched in front of him with a hand extended. The fading light of the crimson sun complemented her red hair and pale complexion. A soft shadow fell over part of her face from the hood of her healers robe.
He gratefully accepted her assistance and felt a hand under his other arm pull him up roughly. He almost headbutted Kirie as she yanked again, harder than necessary. Her insistence was palpable as she pointed dramatically at nowhere in particular.
"No more daydreaming. We have work to do," Kirie said.
Alphonse gawked at her. "Wait, what? I thought it was time for dinner."
Asa led him along with a more gentle tug at his arm. "Normally, I'd agree, but this is a surprise for you."
Kirie gave him a wry grin and planted both fists on her hips. "I remember you mentioning something about a certain lizard."
"Wasn't it the real reason you came here?" Asa added.
Alphonse's jaw dropped when he caught on to what they were saying. "Wait, you don't mean..."
Kirie's grin widened. She pushed him the extra few feet to move him along. "That's right! We're going Migunne hunting."