Chapter 76: A Short Break

"Eight minutes." Lex said. "Drink something and check yourselves."

Leon placed his bag beside the flat rock he had chosen and opened one of his bottles.

Caleb was examining a scrape across his forearm, while Nolan searched through a small first-aid kit for something to clean it with.

"That’s going to sting." Nolan said.

"I know."

Leon drank some water and looked around the junction.

Iris was covering a small cut above her wrist. Another student had removed one boot and was shaking out a stone that had somehow gotten inside.

The woman with the spear counted the students, while the other professionals checked the adjoining passages. Gareth moved closer to one wall and took out his own water.

Seth was standing with Evan and Tessa, explaining why the next part of the dungeon might be completely different from what they had already seen.

"Not every gate leads into a dungeon." Seth said. "Some open into forests or grasslands. You’ll have the sky above you, changing weather and everything else you would find outside. Others have terrain that makes these rocks look convenient."

"Have you entered any of those?" Evan asked.

"Some. I’ve read reports about others. A few of those maps would take a week just to understand."

"A whole week?" Tessa asked.

"A day or an afternoon, then. If the instructor is helpful."

Tessa smiled and tightened the cap on her bottle.

A student standing nearby kept pulling at one of his shoulder straps. The bag had slipped too low, leaving part of the buckle pressing against his arm.

"Hold that for a moment." Seth said as he reached over.

He continued explaining while lifting the bag, shortening the loose strap and moving the buckle out of the way.

The student rolled his shoulder to check it before nodding his thanks.

Seth returned to Evan’s question about whether open terrain made fighting easier.

"It depends on what lives there. You can see farther, but so can everything else."

"At least the Hawk would have enough room." Leon said as he put his bottle away.

Seth looked towards him.

"Until something larger decides it wants that room."

"Then I’d let Nolan worry about it."

"Fair enough." Seth replied with a short laugh.

Leon stood and moved his bag out of the way of another student passing behind him.

Tessa asked Seth something else, and Seth turned back towards her. Neither he nor Leon tried to continue the conversation.

"You had an easier time back there." Linda said as she approached Leon while he adjusted the lamp clipped to his strap.

"With the Ridgebacks?"

"With your group."

Leon looked towards Caleb and Nolan. They were putting the first-aid kit away.

"Everyone understood their strengths."

"Exactly."

Linda stopped beside him, leaving enough space for another student to pass.

"I understand why we had to withdraw." She continued. "The ground was poor, and following the Ridgeback would have taken us farther than we were allowed to go. But my Yeti could still have finished it."

"Probably."

"I kept having to stop and account for where everyone else was."

"That usually happens when they’re fighting beside you."

Linda sighed inwardly, only lowering her head down ouwardly.

"I know. I just wish I had a little more freedom. Your Swordsman gets an entire approach to itself."

"It can handle itself well after all."

"So can my Yeti."

Leon adjusted his bag strap again.

"It sounds like you want to be a one-person team."

"Sometimes I do."

Leon looked at her before giving a small shrug.

"Tell them you need more room before the next fight. Then see what happens."

"Yeah, I intend to."

Linda looked back towards her teammates.

Iris had finished covering the cut on her wrist, while Mara helped her return the unused supplies to the kit. How they got the scratches, no one could really say.

"They’re trying." Linda said. "I just think we could use what we have better."

Leon nodded.

That was something worth discussing with them.

A short distance away, Mara looked between Linda and Leon.

"They look good together." She said quietly.

Iris followed her gaze.

"Hate to say it, but they do. He’s cute too."

Mara looked at her.

"That was a quick answer."

"I’ve noticed before, of course, with his looks, it’s hard to miss. It’s unfortunate that he’s younger than me."

"Would you have tried something if he wasn’t?"

"Absolutely." Iris said as she pressed the first-aid kit shut. "Without a second thought."

Mara laughed quietly and took the kit from her.

"Two minutes." Lex announced as he walked between the students, checking that everyone was ready to move.

"I’d better get back to them." Linda said after hearing him.

"All right."

Linda returned to Mara and Iris while Leon picked up his bag.

Caleb had finished dressing the scrape on his arm and was opening and closing his hand to make sure the bandage didn’t restrict his movement.

"Ready?" Nolan asked.

"Yes."

Gareth returned from the entrance to the connecting gallery with another professional. The route sheet was open between them.

"The next training section is beyond the gallery." Gareth told Lex. "The surveyed side routes are marked, and the main passage is clear."

"And the relays?" Lex asked after checking the indicated line.

"Clear replies from both."

"Twelve." The woman with the spear reported after finishing her count.

Lex nodded before giving the students a little more time to put everything away.

Gareth and one of the other professionals moved to the front. Seth gathered Evan and Tessa behind them, speaking quietly as he checked that both were ready. He seemed eager for their turn than they themselves. Though, he tried to hide it.

The other groups formed behind them.

Linda stood with Mara and Iris. A guy named Bren, a third year from the remaining group, walked over while his teammates were still packing their things, introducing himself.

"That was a good hold on the tail." He told Linda as he approached with a warm smile.

"Thank you." She said.

"Did you need the ice to catch it, or could the Yeti have held it without freezing?"

Linda answered curtly while adjusting her bag.

Bren remained beside her near the edge of his own group, and Linda, compared to the distance between her and her own group, stood closer to him while Mara and Iris finished their conversation.

Leon moved into position with Caleb and Nolan, closer to the rear of the student line and Lex took his place near the middle.

Behind Leon’s group, the woman with the spear and the fourth professional settled into the rear guard.

Gareth waited until Lex gave the signal before leading them into the connecting gallery.

Leon followed Caleb around the first shallow bend. The junction disappeared behind them as the expedition continued towards the next training section.