Jemima, Theobold, and Augustus sat in his office as he went over the plan.

It wasn’t complicated; take a group into The Pit, get a confession from Rathnil, then leave and turn the information over to Indigo. Past that point, it would be out of his hands, or at least he hoped it would.

“I’m in,” Jemima said from her spot on the couch next to Theobold.

She gave him a toothy grin before gesturing to Augustus. His chief of staff squeaked in acknowledgement. Not that Arthur had expected anything less. He knew if he could have trusted anyone here to have his back, it would be Augustus.

Theobold nodded as well, opening his mouth to answer, when a knock on the door interrupted him. It was three good, heavy knocks, accompanied by a familiar laugh. The timing of it made Arthur wonder if the man had waited outside for the perfect moment or if he truly had simply appeared there.

“With The Sage on their side, it’s hard not to suspect he knew when would be best,” he thought as he waved for Augustus to get the door.

As soon as he’d taken the first step to fulfill that order, it swung open to reveal the grinning face of The Explorer. He tipped his hat to Jemima as he walked in, then turned and leaned against a wall before giving a small wave.

“Arthur! I heard you were mounting an expedition. How would you like an expert along?”

“That depends,” Arthur asked, his tone half-joking as he flipped a coin into the air. “If you come, are we going the normal way or your way?”

“Ahh, the normal way in, I’m afraid.” The Explorer’s grin fell momentarily at that, and Arthur couldn’t help but pry.

“Oh? No teleporting in The Pit?”

The Explorer shivered before he gave a single solemn nod. A simple action, but one that made Arthur’s stomach churn with concern as he looked at the man in the hopes it was a joke. It wasn’t.

“Yes. None of our powers work in that blasted place. It’s one reason The Hero didn’t come with me today, not that it stopped him from asking. Even The Sage can’t get an accurate look at anything that goes on in there. Not that he’s ever tried too hard.”

“Ahh,” he couldn’t think of anything else to say as he caught and squeezed the coin.

“It’s not all bad,” The Explorer said. “I have enough tricks to keep me safe, and I have to admit, I’m curious about meeting an actual dragon.”

Arthur paused, then nodded to Augustus.

“Close the door, please?”

Augustus squeaked and then moved over to shut it. Once done, he turned and sat against it, his furred bulk acting as a guard against anyone who might even think about getting inside.

“So,” Arthur said. “What do you know about what we’re doing there?”

The Explorer shrugged. “I know from the grapevine you’re going after A Iocus Daemonium’s old boss. Which, according to The Sage, is going to have far-reaching consequences for us if you win or lose. Though it would be better if you won, of course.”

“Anything else?” Arthur asked, curious to see if The Sage had mentioned everyone else.

While he hadn’t met that particular member of The Archetypes, he remembered Alyssa’s displeasure with them. He was starting to understand why, even though he wouldn’t complain about The Explorer tagging alone. It still grated to know there was someone with all this information and no desire to share it.

“That’s all I know,” The Explorer admitted. “Is that a problem?”

Arthur shook his head. “No. I just needed to know, sorry. “It would be great to have you along.”

 “Excellent! Then may I ask who else we’re taking on this trip of ours?”

“Alyssa and Rab, if I can get them. Though after the party, that might be a problem.” Arthur admitted. “Also, any member of The Assembly who wants to come.”

“Are we taking all of Mike’s team as well? They have enough firepower between them to deal with anything that we find down there.” Jemima asked as she shifted on the couch, causing it to squeak.

Arthur thought about that for a moment before he shook his head. As appealing as the idea of having a large squad with guns was, he knew it would cause all the issues he’d read about dungeon delving. Noise for one, plus if there was anything down there attracted to life, it might draw the wrong sort of attention.

There was also the fact that most of them were ordinary people. Yes, they’d signed up to protect people, but the occasional wandering monster was a far cry from heading into a known death trap. He resisted the urge to sigh as he let the dream die.

“No, as great as an army might be, I don’t think most of Mike’s people would want to head in there. The group I’m thinking about already might be too large as it is. It will depend on how tight it gets.”

His hand squeezed down on the coin in his hand as he spoke, the warmth an easy way to keep himself centered. The last thing he wanted to do was give in to worrying about this. The Explorer spoke up then, though it was without his usual more jovial tones.

“Tight in places.” He paused and gestured, squeezing his hands together until they almost touched. “We’ll be single file in places, and that’s near the surface places I’ve dared enter. I would say, maybe, a group of eight. You’re right, too much noise can attract the wrong type of attention.”

“And we aren’t going in as armored as The Knights,” Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair with a creak.

Jemima frowned. “Why aren’t we?”

“I….” Arthur trailed off and frowned.

“Why aren’t we? I have plenty of gold, and it’s not like Marble and Red don’t have plenty of spare gear in their shop. It can’t be that hard to get their measurements for what they need.”

“If it helps.” The Explorer said. “I come equipped, as will the knights, I bet.”

“It does. Fine. We’re not heading off until tomorrow anyway, so I can do a little shopping. What does everyone want?”

As Jemima and Theobold listed their wants, he scribbled them down as he looked towards Augustus. The massive rat was already imposing, but with heavy armor and a bigger bat, Arthur wasn’t sure much could stop him. When he ran the idea past Augustus, he got a happy squeak.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” He asked The Explorer, who shook his head.

“Anything I need, I have people for. You make sure you’re equipped.”

Arthur nodded. “Fair enough. In that case, I’ll need to contact Alyssa and Rab. Then get Captain Swordsman. Between us and them, we should have enough knowledge about the place and combat expertise to be fine.”

Theobold snorted, and when everyone turned to him, he shrugged.

“I’m not sure that Alyssa will come. She will have her hands full already. Knight Rab will, though, without a doubt.”

The Explorer nodded. “She may if I am the one who asks. I need to go to the compound anyway, so I can deliver your message. There are tasks there I have been putting off.”

“That would be great,” Arthur said, happy that at least one task was off his plate. “In that case, I’ll contact The Assembly and see if I can’t gather them tonight. That way, if they want something from the Mall, I can pick it all up at once.”

“Good thinking; in that case, I shall be off. Until tonight.”

With a nod, The Explorer waved and appeared to fall backwards through the wall with the sound of a cracking whip.

Arthur shook his head at the display and stood. “In that case, I’ll hunt down a pigeon if the rest of you want to get any affairs in order. If possible, I want to leave by tomorrow morning.”

A chorus of squeaking and general agreement filled the room before he ushered them outside to get everything started.

***

To his relief, finding a pigeon didn’t turn out to be that difficult.

A large gray specimen sat on a nearby roof, and it flew away as soon as she finished delivering his message to it. He wasn’t sure, but he hoped it was a sign that Lady Pigonette had gotten the message and not that the bird had gotten bored and left.

After he’d completed that task, he turned his attention to another important matter—counting his hoard. As he sat in his office working out how much he wanted to spend, precariously stacked coins grew all over his table until he could barely see the door. To his amazement, he found that no matter how high the count got, he never lost his place. Even when distractions reared their ugly heads, he could recall the count without issue.

Among the first of these distractions was Carly, who arrived to grab some coins to pay the scavengers who’d arrived. After that, Mike dropped in to report about a minor incident with a Dogclops who had wandered onto the street. Then Nyssa knocked on the door to ask about how he was doing, which turned into a nearly half-hour conversation.

He was only halfway through his stacks when the door opened, and Adam stuck his head in. The man looked worried, and he gestured outside.

“Sorry to disturb you, but Rab is here, and he brought friends? They don’t look happy, and he’s asking for you. He said something about a book.”

“Are they waiting outside?” Arthur asked, sweeping the gold back into the box without really figuring out how much he wanted to spend.

“It will be an investment. Provided I keep at least one thousand gold for payments, it should be fine. So, I’ll look for second-hand gear. Marble owes me anyway, considering her new successful venture hunting counterfeits.” He thought.

“Yes, sir.”

“Great, head back to the counter. I’ll be out in a moment.”

Once he’d made sure none of his hoard had fallen to the floor, he tucked the box under his arm and moved it back to the counter. When the box sat once again in its rightful place, he looked out the window to see what Adam had meant.

Outside stood Rab, alongside a dozen men and women in simple tunics and multiple squires who were tending to the horses. Apart from Rab and the squires, no one looked pleased to be here. With a sigh, Arthur moved out into the street, ready to deal with whatever would come.

As soon as he stepped outside, the large knight spotted him and gave a shouted greeting. “Arthur!”

The shout made Arthur smile. There was no fear or hesitation in it, nor any concern about his form. Whatever the man thought about him, that greeting showed their relationship hadn’t changed. Egged on by that fact, he roared his own greeting back.

“Rab!”

Several people turned towards him, but he ignored their incredulous stares as Rab grabbed his hand. Briefly, he worried that he’d crush the mailed gauntlet, but that didn’t seem to be much of a concern. Once they finished the shake, Arthur gestured to the others.

“And who are your friends?”

“Your crafters, sir.”

This came from a man with a perpetual scowl and raven black hair with the faintest streaks of silver running through it. From the way he glanced at Rab, it was obvious the bigger man’s presence was the only reason they were being so civil.

“Hi,” Arthur said with a wave. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m sure.” The man didn’t spit after he spoke, but from the way he pursed his lips, it appeared he wanted to.

Silence hung in the air before Rab coughed. “Let me do introductions. This is Reginald. Reginald, this is Arthur.”

“I know who he is.” This time, he did spit. “We all know about your little show. So what are we building for you? Torture chamber? Gladiatorial pit where you feed the loser to your monsters?”

“Watch your mouth,” Arthur growled, unable to stop the anger that blossomed at the man’s tone.

Reginald flinched as the others took a step back. From the corner of his eye, he could see Augustus react, though he paused when he caught Arthur’s eye. After several deep breaths, he spoke again in what he hoped was a calmer tone.

“Houses. You’ll be building more permanent homes for the residents here. If you can manage that?” His calm tone slipped into sarcasm near the end.

Whispers sprung up, and Reginald shrugged. “Maybe? Do you actually have people and supplies?”

“I do,” Arthur said. “Theobold?”

“Boss?”

“Grab Davey, will you?”

“Yes, boss.”

Theobold turned and trotted off. It took only a few minutes for him to come back with the man in tow. When he saw Arthur, Davey appeared happy enough, despite being covered in dirt and smelling something awful.

“Hey boss. We’re almost done getting rid of some of the mud from the rainstorm the other day. So, we should have another structure cleared out soon. What did you need?”

“I wanted you to meet your new team,” Arthur said as he gestured to the group standing around him.

Davey looked confused. “My new team?”

“Yes. These knights worked under the crafter-captain. Between them and the books we’ve accrued, I figured you might start building those houses you wanted.”

The look of excitement on Davey’s face contrasted with the even sterner scowl on Reginald’s face.

“I’m not working under this man,” Reginald snarled.

Arthur shrugged. “Yes, you will. He’s the head of my construction company, so you should be right at home. Now, he can show you what needs to be done.”

Davey nodded. “I think I’ll show them the baths first. Do they count as employees?”

That question made him stop and think for a moment. It would be easier if they were, though he technically got their services for free. Still, with the way they were acting, it might be better to give them something as compensation. The last thing he needed was a roof collapsing because they did shoddy work.

“Yes. Though they’ll be on less than you. For the moment, go in and tell Carly to give you some money. I’ll worry about getting them on the books later.”

“On it, boss.”

With a wave, Davey started toward Apocalypse Assortments, the grumbling crafters in tow.

“And these were the ones least loyal to that man.”

“We’ll see how it goes,” was all Arthur could think to say. “I was wondering, though, did you bring Kourtney’s book?”

Rab nodded. “Indeed. She’ll be along tomorrow to collect it.”

Arthur smiled. “In that case, let’s get this done, and then I might show you the baths myself. Tell me. When was the last time you showered with warm water?”

From the look of excitement on Rab’s face, he figured he knew the answer.