And a curiously uneventful journey it was proving to be, as we hadn't come across a single monster since pairing up. Our dungeon adventure had transformed into a peaceful stroll, punctuated by friendly conversation. Or to be more accurate: by Miss Sable calmly lecturing me about my naiveté regarding adventuring.
"Everyone gets overconfident at the start, thinking as long as they can swing a sword without chopping off their own leg or lob a fireball without burning off all their hair, then they're ready to start tackling dungeons. Doesn't occur to them to check their limits before making it a life-or-death situation. You ever play a sport? Practise a martial art?"
"N-no. I always had a talent for magic, so I focused entirely on that." Indeed, I hadn't spared a thought for my physical abilities, thinking it would be enough if I could keep up on a long walk. It was obvious to me now how foolish I was, even before Miss Sable admonished me.
"Being a mage is all the more reason to learn to be quick on your feet. Doesn't matter how big your spells are if you're getting interrupted while casting them. Even if you're working with a reliable front line, you don't want to make yourself an easy target. Especially if you're lightly armoured. Are you wearing any armour?"
"Armour? No, I just have my robe..." The same robe that tripped me up while I was trying to run. Stories and paintings of famous mages always featured them in beautiful flowing robes, but I was already starting to suspect there was some artistic license involved.
"I get it, you need to be able to move freely to work your spells. But that much fabric is just going to get in your way worse than basic armour will. At the very least you should have some sort of leather vest and leggings. It won't stop a determined attack, but it will keep the smaller cuts and scrapes from adding up. Though it would be good if you could get used to moving around in scale mail. And what about a weapon? What's your backup if you're in a situation where magic isn't an option?"
"I... hadn't thought about it. I guess I just assumed my party would cover for me." The party I didn't even know that well. We had merely bonded over all being new adventurers, with big dreams and little experience. We hadn't been together long enough to build up trust in each other.
"Being in a party is a way to cover weaknesses, but it's no excuse to stay weak. Get yourself a dagger, or something else you can wield quickly in an emergency. And an instructor who can show you how to use it properly."
Our journey through the third and fourth levels continued in much the same fashion. Miss Sable moved on from personal admonishments to general survival advice. I did my best to pay attention to every word, but occasionally my focus would waver a bit as I wondered at the lack of resistance to our progress.
"Are there no monsters on this level?" I wondered out loud.
"Eh? Lots of 'em," Miss Sable responded. "Look, there're a whole pack of goblins hiding in that rubble over there. And a few more around the corner we just came from. I was shocked to realise she was correct. Peering down one of the hallways at the crossroad we were passing, I saw at least a half-dozen goblin heads peeking from behind some boulders in the path, and a couple more sneaking around behind us. But before I could even begin the motions of a spell, they all ducked back behind cover, or ran off.
"They're... not going to attack?"
Miss Sable snorted in response. "Most people think monsters are just mindless beasts, but they aren't quite so stupid. At the very least, they recognise an even greater monster when they see one."
Her smile as she said this was rather unnerving. I chose to focus instead on the fact that I was safe so long as I remained on her good side. Probably.
"But never mind them," she said, sniffing again at the air. "Seems we're close to our destination."
I picked up my pace to stay close to her. "You mean we're almost at the boss' room?"
"The boss room is down that other hall we passed."
I looked back in surprise. "Then, why..."
"Weren't you listenin' earlier? I got business down here."
Ah, she did say that. I had simply assumed that "business" was conquering the dungeon. But thinking about it now, why would someone as strong as Miss Sable bother themselves with conquering a low-rank dungeon such as this? She had probably already done so multiple times in the past, which was why she could navigate so well without a map. But then, what did she mean by "business"?
My question would soon be answered without even asking.