Take A Flier

Do YOU remember
the Tri-Kingdom Dungeoneering Tournament of ’49?

Obscurerra University hasn’t competed in a dungeon run since. WHY?

Don’t let us languish in obscurity! Help rebuild OU’s dungeoneering team! Round out your physical education requirements, snag a few more combat credits, gain invaluable adventuring party experience!

Meet in the Lucent Hall basement, Edhir 4th, 7pm

Wynnie carefully tore off one tab at the bottom of the flier, with the time and place written on it. The entire poster appeared to be handwritten. There was no fuzz around the words from being copied, and she could still see some places where earlier drafts had been penciled in and erased before the inking had been done. Odd. Especially if there was more than one of these pinned to the university’s bulletin boards.

The young hellborn woman stepped back from the bulletin board, lightly twisting the slip of paper over her fingers. There wasn’t a crowd or anything, but of the eleven or so pull tabs at the bottom of the flier, hers had been the seventh. That must have meant this dungeoneering thing was going to be popular. And maybe that was a good thing. Maybe she could just slip in, get those credits, and slip out. Maybe-

“Wynnie! Don’t get lost!” Her cousin Myron barked from further up the hall. It had clearly taken him a moment to realize she’d been missing from his little tour. “I’m not going to explain everything over again.”

“Sorry!” Wynnie jogged to catch up. The pins on her jacket and her keychains rattled as she did. “I was just…” She waved the little slip of paper as if that would explain it.

“You haven’t even taken a proper class yet. Most people don’t worry about clubs until next week.”

“Do you remember the dungeoneering tournament of ’49?” Wynnie repeated what she’d read on the poster. Probably not. Myron was only two years ahead of her, not old enough to have been attending university during the tournament. But it wasn’t like they’d been close back when they were younger. Maybe he kept up with that stuff.

“Like was I there? I was like twelve, of course not.”

“But why doesn’t Obscurerra have a dungeoneering team anymore?”

Myron cast a glance over his shoulder, like he could check the poster from there. “You think you’re going to join a dungeoneering team?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Her cousin didn’t sound impressed enough for Wynnie to admit that yes, she was thinking about it. Why not? She’d look at other things too, of course. Myron had just said; She had the rest of the week and all the next to think about it. “It’d be kind of cool, right? Since there hasn’t been one in so long…”

Myron grimaced. “You don’t think that might be for a reason?”

“Well, yeah. That’s why I was asking if you knew.”

Myron took a moment to think. Wynnie could even feel his tail begin to wave idly behind them. “I don’t remember reading anything about it anywhere… But I don’t keep up with sports. Do you?”

The way he asked made Wynnie scowl and grip the strap of her messenger bag. “No…” That was the honest answer. “But that’s what university is for, isn’t it? Trying stuff and seeing what sticks.”

“Maybe.” He still didn’t sound like he agreed with her. “But you really think dungeoneering is going to stick? I mean, what would you even do on a team?”

“I think they’re called parties. And you know, there’s always mages.” Wynnie let go of the strap across her chest to wiggle her fingers. She wasn’t going to cast anything. She didn’t know about Obscurerra yet, but there had been rules about magic in the hallways at her last school.

Myron looked over at her with a smile that said ‘It’s adorable how naïve you are.’ “Most of the school can use magic, Wyn.”

“Alright, so I’ll learn to pick locks and disarm traps and stuff. There, practical skill.” She wasn’t sure how she personally would use it practically outside of a dungeon, but it sounded like it could be. If the party mage wasn’t an option.

Her cousin nodded, smile still as patronizing as before but now with the cheeky point of his fangs involved. “For a criminal. Your mother will be so proud.”

“Don’t bring her into this.” Wynnie growled, her own tail lashing behind her in annoyance.

“Whoa! I’m teasing, relax.” Myron pulled her into a side hug. “You’re an adult now. If you want to get pummeled in some dungeon, that’s on you.”

“Okay. Well. Don’t- Don’t say it like that.” Wynnie cringed hard. “And we’re not going to be in an actual dungeon unless we compete, right?”

“How should I know?”

“Yeah, yeah… But seriously. There nearest dungeon’s like… miles from here. We’re just meeting in a basement.” Which… didn’t actually sound that much better when she said it like that. Hm.

“Oh, well, if it’s just a basement, then that sounds much better.” Myron picked up on it too, agreeing cheerily before giving her another deadpan look. “But really, I’m not going to take you to the next county or whatever for dungeon practice.”

Wynnie scoffed. She could get there by herself. They had just agreed she was an adult now. “But I do need you to show me where Lucent Hall is. I think I have an immolation lab in there.”

“Oh.” Myron’s eyebrows lifted. She didn’t like the way it clearly surprised him to hear. “Yeah, sure.”

“What? Surprised I didn’t load up on charm classes?”

“No.” He drew out the word. “Your mom just didn’t- I guess that explains why you’re such a firecracker, huh?”

Wynnie tried to scowl through a smile. Nice save, not talking about her mother again.

“Well, I’m sure if you lead with your pyromania, you’ll be a shoo-in for a dungeon team.” Myron pulled open the door for her, leading them back outside.

Wynnie rolled her eyes as she passed through the doorway. He said it that way on purpose… But maybe he wasn’t wrong. Maybe she’d have to remember that next week.