Quoted By:
You do not rush back to Baileport.
Every minute you dally is another minute for some fisherman to stumble across the greatest catch of their lives. The bounty posted by the Magecrest for information on a new dungeon could feed a family of eight for eight years without working, or buy a good education for their children. Not a single yeoman or tradesman would think twice before informing the Magecrest of what they've found, and you cannot blame them for it. The Mona of two years ago would take you for a fool, for it's quite the tidy sum indeed, but the prize of the <span class="mu-i">First Clear</span> tempts you far more than mere money.
Yet all the same you need to pace yourself, for haste can ruin your plans just as surely as dallying. You do not have a face that easily blends into the crowds, that you can hide away your identity with something as simple as the shadow of a hood. The watchmen at the Stone Gate all know you from your comings and goings over the years you've lived in Baileport, and you know them just as well. If you rushed through the gate - or worse, tried to sneak by without saying hello - they'd want to know why, and while they might not see through whatever excuse you conjure, they report all they see and hear to the Magecrest.
Then one of those crotchety old buffoons would pour out a scrying pool to check in on you, and the whole plan to keep them in the dark would unravel.
Best case scenario, they pull you aside when you get back and chew you out for investigating a newly formed dungeon before reporting that you found one. Worst case scenario, they catch wind of where you plan to go and get there first, robbing you not only of the dungeon's <span class="mu-i">First Clear</span>, but the finder's reward as well. You know not which case is more likely, and quite frankly you'd rather avoid finding out.
So you pace yourself on the way down the hill, following along a path you carved yourself over the past ten years. What used to be a simple footpath now has water-cut paving stones lining the way through the dense pinewood forest, and stairs where there was once a steep and treacherous dirt path. After the second time loose dirt gave way beneath your feet, you craved the certainty of stone and made some renovations after getting Duke Conlan's approval. He even gave you funds to make the route to the scenic hilltop safer, most of which you pocketed after conjuring elementals to do the heavy lifting.
The path remains clean and free from brush thanks to a spell you spun amongst the branches of the trees, that wanes in winter and rises with summer. Waters gather amidst the branches and become [Euthymic Water Droplets] that find joy in washing away the dirt, the grime, and the weeds. They keep to the path, and in their play they provide all the maintenance that the stone road needs.
No elementals frolic today. Only the sounds of woodland beasts and the charming chirpsong of birds fill the air on your way back to town.
Oh, and also the raucous calls of goblins.
