World Between: Chapter 5 part 3

Meisa dropped a mug next to her sister “We’re not supposed to be working.” Watching as Lydria crossed out several lines of notes.

“But it doesn’t make sense, ” Lydria responded, dropping her head on to the table. “None of it makes any sense.”

Meisa sighed, and sat down. “You’ve been telling me they never do all this time, remember?”
“This is different. Sofia says they thought the shadow gem was in the mountains, which should have meant-” Lydria began.

“Where is it?” Meisa asked.

“What?” Lydria lifted her head from the table looking at her sister.

“The Shadow Gem.” Meisa said. “Where is it?”

“I don’t know.” Lydria replied offended. “Some desert or something.”

“Wait, really?” Meisa perked up. “Man, I just bet it was by the ocean!”

“Were not supposed to be working.” Lydria laughed.

“It’s not working. I’m gambling on the location of an object....” Meisa replied. “That happens to be work related…”

“Which requires you to look at a board detailing rumors of said work related object.” Lydria stated. “Why the ocean? I heard about some connections to water. But with the death associations  deserts seemed closer.”

“The desert isn’t a water-less wasteland of death.” Meisa replied. “Beside, everything death related, if you make the right connections like….” Meisa jumped and ran back to a betting table. “Lurg! What’s the service fee to swap terrains!”

 “Service fee…” Lydria thought aloud out. “Meaning she doesn’t feel like she can legally make a new bet… Everything is death related…” Lydria closed her eyes. “Fungi… Life from the dead, and commonly found in the wetlands

“We call a swamp.” Meisa finished sitting down.  “I said you might be coming over.”

Lydria got up. “They’re still won’t make it past the Turtle Logs!” She said walking over.
“That doesn’t mean they won’t take the wrong shrooms!” Meisa shouted over. “...Still that’s one weird attack plan…”

“Ugh, no work for a week.” Lydria sat back down. “Like that was gonna happen when our way of life is collapsing.”

“Yeah, but what are we gonna do about it?” Meisa replied. “Not like I have much magic left in me, either.”

“Aye!” Called a male dwarf as he sat down with a few tankards of alcohol. “Not much you’ll change now no matter how much you want to. A lot of us have to slow down lately, but we’ll all be back in due time.”

“You did… tell these people about elves for our world right?...” Lydria questioned looking at the betting board.
“I…. were they’re a lot of elves before the immigrants dropped in?” Meisa admitted as she chucked down a whole tankard in a few gulps.

Lydira picked her first tankard, and followed suit. “They never like each other, no matter who I asked.”

 “Yeah, but they never have a reason.” Meisa said chugging full beer another down. “And we don’t have dwarves, so it's not like I know what to say.” Meisa chugged a third as Lydria chugged a second.

“True.” Lydria conceded, mostly to chug her fourth tankard. “Do we have enough on us to do this?”
“They’re known for beer everywhere too, so I started us light.” Meisa replied.

“Too light.” The male dwarf responded. “We’ll get you ladies something worthwhile while the rest of us changed our bets.”

 Both sisters burped before Lydria replied. “You just wanted to see the big sis unwound, huh?”

 “It is working, ain’t it?” Meisa said. “Besides, we are supposed to be on vacation.”