Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

167. New Dungeon Lessons

[Days to Ragnarok]

[6 days]

Cal stood in front of the older students of the north wind guild. Namely, Seamus's party.

"Alright, kids through some paperwork and heavy lifting on my part. We now have a training dungeon." Cal announced. They were in the alleyway between the guild buildings and the lodges standing in front of a door that hadn't been there yesterday.

"For those of you who don't know, there is a grand dungeon underneath the city beneath the levels that the slimes call home." Cal explained as he opened the door that lead to stairs that went straight down. He beckoned them to follow with Naomi, Achilles, and Dakota behind them. "Nothing chases away the nerves like experience, so we now have a mini five level dungeon for you to experience."

At the end of the stairway was a finished room that looked like a waiting room with a desk that was manned by a fox maiden.

"Some dungeon. This looks more like a high-end black market." Achilles remarked.

"This room is nicer than my house." Naomi quipped.

"Looks are meant to be deceiving, however this space was created for the safety of not only the students that go into the dungeon but also the students and civilians in the upper city." Cal explained. "Normally, the slime levels prevent the monsters from escaping or the civilians from meeting a cruel fate at the hands of the monsters below. In order to get permission for a mini dungeon a way-station was required."

"Is one staff going to be enough?" Dakota asked.

"That's why you are here." Cal said once they had all filed in. "Since this is part of the curriculum, it is up to you lot to pass down your wisdom and them follow behind while the students do the heavy lifting."

"I think it is still much too early for them to be dungeon diving." Achilles interjected. "We haven't even had any time to scope out the dungeon to prepare the necessary reconnaissance to prepare a map or anything. We'd all be going in blind."

"That's a very prudent observation, but that is also the point." Cal waved his hand at the large double doors that led to the dungeon. "This dungeon simulates, to a lesser degree, the ever-changing dungeon dubbed the gauntlet that is used for the light clan's training. Even if you did investigate, it would do you no good. I do not want you to teach them how to memorize a map. I want you to teach them the hard-earned skills you've obtained while putting your life in mortal peril."

Achilles looked like she wanted to object again, she had the students' best interest in mind after all. But Cal held up a hand to stop her.

Cal's smile pissed her off, but he began to explain a vital point of this training routine. He walked over to the desk and the fox maiden pulled out a wooden chest. It had a paper seal that she waved off before she opened it. Inside of the box was a pile of green and blue stones on chain necklaces. Cal pulled out one and held it up for all to see. "This is a special necklace of my own design." He nodded his head over to the Door. "Achilles, try to open that door."

Achilles glare at him and approached the door. She discovered that there weren't any knobs or handles. She pushed and pounded her fist against it. "It's locked." She said annoyed.

Cal tossed the necklace to her, "Put this on and then place your hand on the door."

Achilles rolled her eyes and did as instructed. This time when she reached for the door the area around her hand became transparent and her hand went through the space as if the door wasn't there. "Alright, it's clever. I'll give you that much." She crossed her arms. "But it they lose this then they won't be able to come out."

"Try to take it off." Cal instructed.

No matter how she tried the necklace wouldn't come off.

"It's cursed with fox magic, so that it can only be removed by a fox." Cal nodded at the Fox maiden at the desk. "It comes with the added feature, that if the wearer takes a certain amount of life-threatening damage it will teleport the wearer to this room. This will only save you from death, it won't stop you from feeling pain so don't be reckless. You'd be surprised how much pain your body is capable of feeling before you are close to death."

"Naomi, you are also a student here. So, pay careful attention so you may teach this class on your own if necessary." Cal gave out orders. "Dakota, you are the lead instructor. You have the most experience with dungeons and raids. Cover the basics and don't coddle them too much. Achilles, you are the assistant instructor. Focus less on dungeon exploration and more on fine-tuning teamwork."

Achilles clicked her tongue. "I don't see why I have to be dragged into this. Dakota and his friends have much better teamwork than me."

"Because you'd never consent if you couldn't go." Cal shrugged and Achilles clicked her tongue again since he was right. "Plus, you are on you guard constantly, especially around me. That is a vital trait that I value since I don't want these kids to get to complacent. By observing you, they will gain valuable experience outside of what you can vocalize."

Achilles didn't click her tongue, but she growled with a tinted flush from being complimented. She couldn't admit to anyone including herself that it felt good to be recognized but, being recognized by the man she hated was so conflicting. She couldn't do anything but just grimace and bare it.

"Seamus," Cal turned to the students. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Vera is your leader, and you are her vital support. Your role goes beyond healing and buffing in combat. Outside of combat, you are the voice of reason when you team is panicking. You are her second brain when she is fatigued or uncertain. But you are not the leader, Vera must grow and experience trial and error. She is responsible for leaning on your wisdom when necessary, but also have confidence in her own decisions. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Seamus nodded.

"Vera." Cal approached Vera. "It's okay to make mistakes, but it is not okay to dwell on them. Your party will respect you more when you learn from them, than if you lose confidence in yourself. I order you to make mistakes and learn from them. If you suffer from perfection, I will never forgive myself." Cal ruffled her hair. "Alright Dakota, I leave them in your care. I'm going to go spend a day off with my best girls." Cal winked.

He was showing off a little since Anastasia wouldn't be joining Dakota in training the students today. And Cal was going to be relaxing with Shayley, Selene, and Ophelia. He patted Dakota on the shoulder and neatly skipped up the stairs.