I made it back to my room in a mental haze. It had been a difficult day, and setbacks aside, the last bit of news had taken me aback the most.

  I made it back to our room late, it was getting close to midnight. At some point, I had just wandered around the commons in a daze, running through information over and over again, trying to make sense of what I had heard.

  I undressed, hung and folded my clothes, went through my nightly hygiene rituals, climbed up the small ladder on the bunk bed I shared with Cori, and simply stared at the ceiling, letting my mind mull over everything, nothing but the sound of night animals outside along with the soft breathing and gentle snores of my companions, none of them so much as stirring.

  So much bothered me about the two pieces of news I had gotten.

  The first news, my family and the Togalli family are unifying through marriage. Marriage alliances were nothing new, but our family had been at odds for as far back as history could record, even back before Burgotova had united as a kingdom. Our lands had been next to each other, and we had always scrapped for added territory. First with swords, then the genteel world of politics. How had this marriage been decided? What deals were made? Why did my sister, ever stern and judging, even agree to it? It was partially her encouragement, along with my parents, that stoked the fires of rivalry between me and Mariana.

  The second bit of news was them uniting and then rebelling against the crown. Both families had been loyalists, being some of the first families to join the side of the future king of Burgotova. The rare times they put aside their feud were to unite the kingdom, and now, in defiance of it.

  I'm not sure why it bothered me so much. I wasn't part of it anymore. I had nothing to do with my family, I wasn't part of any succession, I had no title or land, or money for that matter, to be anything more than the vaguest footnote in the annals of history.

  But it did bother me. It bothered me a lot. For all my bitterness about my family and my homeland, I still cared deeply in my heart. But soon my concerns were superseded by my need for rest. I thanked whatever gods blessed me with the foresight to schedule afternoon classes on the day before the weekend rest period. I was so tired.

  As I felt sleep begin to claim my consciousness, a thought drifted into my head. What if the strange figure, the manipulation of the simulation request, and the events back home were connected? Before I could follow that thread, my body dragged me into the realm of dreams.

  -

  I woke up the next morning, sprawled out on top of my covers, feeling like a wrung-out washcloth. I was sore, thirsty, and one of my eyes was stuck together. It was on mornings like this that I missed the maids who helped me get dressed. Alas, the only maid available to me was me, and I was terrible at the job. I rolled myself free of all my sheets and blankets and stumbled down the bunk ladder onto the cold floor, a sensation which shocked my body into further wakefulness.

  I noticed that all my classmates had already headed out their separate ways, which meant I had some time to be alone and tend to myself. One thing I had learned is that when one felt worn down by the world, sometimes you just needed a little time to preen a bit. Clean body, clean mind, clean soul, and all that.

  Grabbing some clothes and a towel, I made my way down the hall to the dorm showers. They were a communal shower room, much like the Cleansing Hall, but without all the magical benefits. All it had were booths for some modicum of privacy and hot water.

  Thankfull,y the room seemed empty, and taking a look in the mirror, I was especially glad. I had no idea that my hair could go that many directions. And I was pretty sure the bags under my eyes could be used for luggage.

  I quickly undressed and climbed into the shower stall. It amused me that a few short months ago, the idea of stripping down anywhere but my chambers with an armed guard outside seemed ridiculous and uncouth, but here I was, doing just that with a care in the world. Old me would be horrified.

  A few minutes in there, with some shampoo and soap, and I finally felt like a proper elf, and not an Alta-shaped zombie. I went through the motions of cleaning and grooming as I usually did. I may have been reduced to a commoner, a commoner in a dangerous profession no less, but that was no reason not to be presentable.

  I made it back to my room and dressed in something more substantial than my morning clothes.

  I looked at my schedule for the day. I remembered I had afternoon classes, but I wasn't entirely sure what for. Looking at my planner, I felt a smile on my face. Training day.

  Training day was a day set aside in the dungeoneering program to dedicate to any area you felt you needed work on. This meant that you were basically in charge of yourself. Some students used this as an extra day off to add to the weekend rest period, but others, like me, wanted to use this as a chance to improve themselves. The options were varied, but I had a few things she wanted to focus on. Monsters, fighting, and magic.

  I decided that would even be the best order for it. Study some bestiaries in the library, train in the gym, and then go to the meditation area attached to the gym to not only work on magic but to relax after a hard workout. I might even slip out afterwards to head to the cleaning hall for a little extra relaxation time.

  I needed to keep my brain busy today. There was too much to think about, and I did not want to. Checking my timepiece, I decided to get something to eat,before heading to the library. Maybe I would treat myself. I then agreed with myself and grabbed my bag and packed it with some notebooks and my gym clothes, and a towel for later.

  -

  I crossed the campus leisurely, admiring the changing of the leaves that decorated the area. Reds and golds adorned them like jewels. I knew that soon winter would strip them away, but for now, I would enjoy them and the cool crisp air that came with them. Joining said crisp air was the scent I was hunting for.

  I followed the scent to a little café that was just outside the campus boundary. It was a cozy little place, and I loved it when I could afford to go to it, and could even get in. Early mornings were impossible, but early afternoon, just after lunch, was the ideal time.

  I ordered a small treat for myself. A fancy coffee and a sugary little pastry that I could never remember the name of, no matter how many times they told me, but it was filled with sweet berries, wrapped in a buttery and flaky crust, and covered in a honey glaze. It was sweet, delicious, and brought me comfort.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Normally, I would grab my treat and leave, but I decided today to enjoy the atmosphere of the place. It felt like a cottage in a deep forest, and they had some kind of magical mechanism hidden away that played soft music. I closed my eyes and soaked in the song, the smells, and the taste.

  As I did so, I pulled out a little notebook and planned the next part of my day. I would have to go to the library and dig into the bestiaries. I knew what we had fought was a dullahan, but it wasn't a standard one, and I wanted to know what the difference was for the next time we challenged it. And we would challenge it. I wasn't one to let a defeat like that go unanswered, unthinking illusions they may have been. I was petty like that. One of my few faults, I must confess.

  After finishing my late breakfast with delight and feeling refreshed, I made my way to the library, which led me to cross the campus again. I saw some of my roommates in the distance and waved cordially, but didn't feel like interrupting whatever they were doing. Likely they had their own rituals to relax after a hard day like yesterday and I didn't want to impose on it.

  In time, I found my way to the library. Unlike the library of a magic academy, or even the knightly orders' keeps, this one was two floors, filled with tomes mostly of purely practical knowledge, and most of it contemporary. No digging deep for ancient mysteries hidden in the stacks, no unlocking strange tomes of forgotten lore. Just plain facts.

  I had to admit, I was more than a little disappointed when I first came here, but it had its advantages. As the information was regularly updated, I didn't have to cross-reference five or six texts to verify what I was reading, along with a translation guide to find out what the book was even going on about. Plain text.

  Which is what I needed today. I needed clear answers. It also so happened that I had no idea where to look. The library used some kind of numerical ordering system I couldn't make sense of. I would normally hate to ask for help in this situation, but today was not a day for hubris. Hubris could wait for when I was in a better mood.

  I walked up to the main desk and looked around. There was no one in sight. There was, however a little bell on the counter marked 'Ring For Service.' I rang it loudly as to get whatever attention I could get.

  I suddenly heard some rustling from a side office. Soon, a goblin came out from a side room, looking flustered and smoothing out her clothes as she approached the desk and stood up on a little step stool. Her glasses were still slightly askew, but I chose not to say anything.

  "Hello, welcome to the Dungeon Library! What can I do for you?" She said eagerly, a smile on her face, and a flush on her cheeks. I noticed a dwarven lady slip out of the office behind her and duck between the shelves. I was confused for a moment before it occurred to me what I had just seen. Ah.

  I felt my face flush a bit. I shook my head to clear the budding thoughts forming there.

  "Uh, yes, hello. I need some help finding something. I need to know where to find Dungeon Bestiaries, preferably one that discusses high-level undead." I said, trying to keep any sheepishness from my voice. I still wasn't used to asking for help from strangers.

  She nodded, wrote down some information, before to a set of drawers behind her that were filled with some kind of cards. She shuffled through them for a bit before pulling one out.

  "Here we go! Follow me, please!" She came out from behind the desk and led me through the shelves. Despite its small size, I was astounded at the array of things offered. There were spell books, reference guides to any subject taught at Dungeon School, maps to every known dungeon, historical documents related to said dungeons, and even treatises on sword techniques, especially ones for sword-witches. I would have to remember to check that out later.

  After a short moment, we found our way there, and she indicated the shelf I needed. I saw the book in front of me, bound simply in an unadorned green cover with the words, "A Delver's A-Z Guide to the Undead" on it in plain white text. I knew I shouldn't expect fancy tomes like mages and like get to read, but I still felt incredibly underwhelmed.

  "Is there anything else you need? We have a reading area in the back there. Please remember no food or drink is allowed there." She explained with a smile.

  "No, thank you, its very much appreciated. Oh and you have something right there." I pointed at my neck, bringing attention to the lipstick she had on her own. She touched her throat, flushed, sputtered, thanked me, and quickly made her way back to her little side office.

  I smiled to myself. Sometimes I think such romance and the like would be nice. I certainly had dreamt enough times of such things, especially in my fantasies about life at a magic academy, or even the Knightly Orders. It wasn't for me, I think. After all the suitors thrown my way by my family trying to marry me off, after all the steamy romance novels I read in quiet hours by myself, I couldn't imagine it for myself. I wouldn't discount it in the future, but for now, I was happy with my current situation.

  Romantically speaking, at least.

  I sighed to myself, perhaps a bit melodramatically, but it just felt like the kind of day for that. I found my way to the reading area, found a comfortable chair with a small desk to put my notebooks on, and got to reading.

  The book was dry reading, and I flipped through the usual fare of undead. Various types of zombies, a plethora of beings with blood or bone in their names, darkness this, and shadow that. I finally found the entry I needed. The dullahan.

  The entry read: A being of shadow and death, appearing to be a headless knight, armed with a great blade in one hand, and what would appear to be its head in the other. If the head can be taken, the being can be weakened. If the head can be destroyed, this will break the dullahan's connection to the mortal world, and it will dissipate. They are often found in dungeons located near abandoned castles. Theories suggest that it is formed by the impressions of knightly individuals who lived in the area that the nascent dungeon core absorbed to form the basis of the forms of the monsters it summons.

  I frowned. Nothing about whatever it had done with the wraiths. I looked at the entry for wraiths to see if there was some kind of mention there as well. Part of me wonders if I should just ask Kugarth what monster that was, but I wanted to discover it myself. Knowing how to find information was almost as important as the information itself.

  I flipped through the book a few times, hoping to stumble across it, before something caught my eye. Harbinger.

  The text read: Harbinger, a threat to both the living and the dead. A deathly knight similar in appearance to a dullahan, however, it has the power to command and control wraiths and other spirits. It can also raise skeletons to fight alongside it if any bones are present in the dungeon. It can feed upon the spirits under its control to heal itself or to gain a powerful attack called The Knell of Doom. This wave of dark power will cause its foes to become confused, deafened, and their vision blurred. It uses this time to attack its weakened enemies and devour their life force. Do not engage without high-level holy magics or enchanted equipment. Salt and blessings will help somewhat, but the more of its ghostly horde it devours, the less help these things provide.

  I snapped the book shut. That answered that question. No wonder we couldn't defeat it. None of us had holy magic. Not really. My blade blessing was a light elemental spell, not a holy one. Myth could heal and bolster, but her magic was nature-based, again, not holy.

  I grimaced. I would have to talk to holy magic users to learn from them, and I hated religion and religious folk.

  Hate was too strong a word for it, I suppose. It wasn't that I didn't believe in the gods and their realms, but I didn't like the idea of dedicating any more than an occasional passing thought to them, maybe a prayer here and there. Holy magic required something a bit more than that, and I was not keen on taking that kind of step. I would have to see if there was a workaround. Magic holy artifacts, maybe? Was that something that existed? More research. I couldn't help but sigh.

  I looked at my timepiece and decided I had spent enough time reading. It was time to work out my muscles and relieve some frustration on a poor, unwitting training dummy.

  I returned the book to the shelf where I had found it and left, noticing the goblin was gone yet again. I smirked knowingly and resisted the urge to ring the bell again on my way out.