North Sea Dungeon

Though the island was small, the town seemed to be bustling with activity as boats brought adventurers from all corners of the world to come test their mettle against the North Sea Dungeon. Silandrea was, quite frankly, feeling a little overwhelmed. The boat had been cramped, and the town was noisy, and she'd arrived a little before midday, far too early to turn in at the inn for the evening.

So she'd gone for a walk along the island outskirts, seeking a moment of peace and quiet. Eventually she'd found what she sought, far enough away that the hustle and bustle of the town was largely crowded out by the sound of the sea (while still being close enough that she could return without too much trouble).

There was only so much sitting atop an outcropping of rocks watching the surf she could do before she grew bored, however. Not yet ready to return to town, Silandrea took the opportunity to do some practice exercises with her sword, the grass springy under her feet. Combined with the sea air, it made her feel energized. It wasn't long before she was lost in a sort of meditative trance, swiping at the air with a quick flick of her sword before turning to lunge at the space behind her, sparring with an invisible partner.

Cleaning and picking out the useful bits from the bags and bags of worthless gore that was a monster's body was messy, and smelly, and tiring. If Nathaniel opened up the carcasses in town, people would no doubt make a fuss about it no matter what, so he didn't.

He dragged a big, dripping bag of monster waste across the sand of the beach, finally reaching deep enough water and dumping the contents out. It was better for the fish to eat this than for it to rot into the town's waste disposal, anyways.

The same bag was swiftly filled with that day's products, mostly huge scorpion meat and pincers, and the man hauled it over his shoulder with a huff, starting the trek back to town. Nathaniel perks up at the sound of someone moving around quickly. Looking around a rocky outcrop he spots a strange woman with pinkish hair brandishing a sword, she seemed almost bored, he did not recognize her at all.

"Good afternoon, ma'am!" he was a good distance away from her, but he could still make out the long ears poking out of her locks, an elf then "you picked a good weather for trainin', not much mist in the breeze today"

Silandrea swung her sword towards the noise a half-second before registering what it was, leaving her pointing her blade at the stranger almost accusingly. Thankfully they hadn't ventured closer; she was able to sheathe her sword without looking overly like she was eager to skewer anyone who approached.

"Good afternoon," she returned the greeting. "I've only just arrived. Is the weather usually this mild?"

The shiver that ran down the man's spine was easily masked by the idle sway of his body as he stood there. He realized a little too late that he must look really off putting, monster blood and dirt staining his hands up to his elbows, as well as his clothes, carrying a suspicious bag and talking to a strange woman in the middle of nowhere. Then again she wasn't making any move to run away or reach her fairy to call the Overseer on him.

"New arrival, huh? Figured" He kept his distance, but lowered the bag to the ground to let his arm relax "Usually, yeah, pretty sunny most of the time and not many storms" He looked at her sword for a second, humming in thought.

"I've never met an elf that likes to fight, you an adventurer?"

If Silandrea was off-put, it certainly didn't show. It was possible that she thought the man an adventurer himself, assuming perhaps that the job was messier than she'd initially believed. Whatever her reasons, they weren't immediately obvious.

Her ears drooped a bit in response to the question, glancing off towards the sea before looking back at the man and answering, "Something like that. I'm as new to dungeon diving as I am to the island, I'm afraid."

He gave her a short nod, looking at the ground between them and going silent for a moment. Nathaniel understood that, broadly speaking, there were two types of adventurers who came here: those who wanted little more than to go down the dungeon steps in search for whatever they were looking for, and those who had no other choice but to descend and hope to get out safely. He figured she was more likely the latter. His spaced out gaze caught the shimmer of the handle on her sword and he perked up.

"Well, then I guess you'd want to be prepared before you go down, right?" He motioned towards the hunting knife attached to his belt "I don't have my sword with me but we can still spar, get some practice in so you don't get taken out in the first floor, what do you think?' He tried his best to keep the excitement out of his voice, not wanting to sound like a creep with a new acquaintance.

Silandrea glanced at the man's hunting knife, then slowly withdrew her sword again, taking up a fighting stance. Her expression was still placid, calm, but nothing about the look in her eyes suggested she was anything but happy to oblige.

Nathaniel smiled and shuffled the bag away with his foot to avoid tripping on it, he reminded himself he still had to deliver it later. With a practiced motion he rolled his shoulders and grabbed his weapon, much smaller than his opponent's and thus more dangerous to fight with, but he didn't hate the spike of adrenaline the thought caused.

Silently, he scanned the woman's stance as he took his own, then nodded for her to begin when she was ready.