The journey--and particularly setting up camp--had revealed dozens of holes in their preparations.  Nobody had a skill for firebuilding.  Working off of no skill at all, Reylan had managed to coax the gathered brush into a flame (not with flint, of course, because nobody had brought some; instead Alisea had given him a light--carefully).  Still, tat was something they would need to fix.  Alisea was relieved to learn Dubstepp had a cooking skill; combined with Dirk's searching skill, they were able to keep the party fed--barely.  Another item to improve upon.  Sleeping for the night was going to be uncomfortable, all the more so if she was the only one who had purchased a blanket.

There was more.  Beyond the failed preparations for an actual journey (something a gamer never had to be concerned about when playing on a screen), the party was still untested.  They had run into a disappointing lack of trouble during the march, so all Alisea had for calculating was what each person had shared as they walked.  Putting Dirk in the front was obvious, and he seemed quite happy there.  Aster would be alongside him--and the pair had worked together already, so their cooperation should be a step above the rest of the group.  The rest being Dubstepp the mage, Karma the healer, and Reylan the archer.  Reylan had his rapier, so he could probably provide the best cover at mid-back--and that could help with his accuracy, too.  Alisea would be alongside him, for the same reasons.  Dubstepp would stay full back to keep Karma safe and lend fire support as he was able.

That was the general idea, anyway.  Alisea had no idea what the dungeon would look like.  If it was narrow corridors, the support at the back would have a hard time attacking around their allies at the front.  If it was wide open, the chances of having only one front and a safe back were slim to none.  A worst case scenario would be having to raid a settlement of some kind with back alleys and branching streets crisscrossing its entirety.  It was a vain hope, Alisea was certain, but if the dungeon could just be medium sized rooms all stacked neatly next to each other that they could clear one by one, the raid would be easy.  Or if it had to be in the open, let them be atop a rise or hill where the mages could destroy enemies before they could climb up.  Or better yet--

"[color=8882be]So, anyone got any good scary stories[/color]?" Reylan asked over the fire.

Startled out of her thoughts, Alisea looked at the archer over the fire.  She had to replay the words in her mind before it registered.  Even when it did, at first she wanted to dismiss it off-hand.  But her eyes caught his over the crackling flame, and the magess paused to consider.  She had been trying all day to assemble a workable strategy in her mind.  There wasn't anything more she could do.  Now would be a good time to think about other things--about rest and relaxing so they would all be ready for tomorrow.

"[color=ec008c]What? Do you mean ghosts and ghouls?[/color]" Alisea asked, the hint of an impending tease already in her voice.  "[color=ec008c]We probably shouldn't say anything that would upset a ghost; I think I saw one following Aster on the march here.  She might still be around, listening.[/color]"

That was right.  She couldn't stay focused on the numbers the entire time.  People needed to relax and laugh, too.  In an environment as stressful as this, all her comrades would need some relief.  She could help them with that.  That was what being a teammate meant--helping the members of your team, not just practice and improve, but also stay positive before the big game.  So Alisea smiled and laughed with the others until it was time to roll out her blanket and go to sleep.