Chapter Forty Two
Zilnek trailed behind the other three, head down and mind in a deep fugue. Joe lead ahead, walking at a pace fast enough to leave the three apprentices winded although all three wisely did not complain. Garnedell and his sister chatted quietly in front of him, but he noticed very little as his body moved like a beaten slave. He moved but his mind was in turmoil, his hand playing with the dual core that his master had given him, while his other hand rustled the cores he'd stolen from the sa master who'd given him wealth and access to power beyond his wildest dreams. His mind thought nothing, his body moved mindlessly, and his heart raged in turmoil.
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The trip through the dungeon maze back to the fifth level door proved about as easy as a stroll through the mall for Joe and Garnedell, a bit more exhausting for the siblings, although it was quite a bit more boring. No cool shops. No people to watch. No girls…
Joe sighed as he shook off his morose feeling, then hitched his shoulder again, a shiver of coldness flashing down his arm like a lightning bolt. This was the fifth ti in their travel it had happened, and while the interval seed to be increasing, it still bothered Joe that the snow's attack still seed to have infected him sohow. Wait… maybe it's a poison? Am I poisoned?
The idea of so form of magical ice poison seed strange to him, but living in a land where he'd seen magic unnerved him. He didn't know how to properly classify what magic ant or what it ant to be hit by a magical attack. How would it affect ? Is it just physical? Or is there so other… thing to it?
Joe rolled and stretched his arm, the feeling fading almost as quickly as it struck him, and Joe tried to keep track of the ti, again. It had taken him a bit, but he'd finally settled on maintaining a steady pace and counting the large wall sections as they passed.
He'd passed off the reoccurrence the first ti, but beca a bit worried after the second ti. The third ti clinched it for him and he settled on try to ti it, having already felt a ti difference, but worried it was just wishful thinking. He'd started counting after the third ti, but had taken a bit of ti to figure out a way to count, and didn't start counting until he'd missed a good dozen or so wall sections.
He'd added a good two dozen to his final count and found the fourth and fifth still seed to have taken a good chunk of ti longer. Nothing he would have been really notice without thinking about it carefully and counting it but sothing that he would have easily noticed if he just had a watch of so kind.
Doesn't matter. I've got a system now… just another two or three tis and I'll be able to see a pattern. Hopefully I can make sure even with just this trip through the dungeon. Joe knew that even a set pattern after just a dozen repetitions wasn't enough to guarantee, but he figured that it would at least give him a base line and he could check over the next week or so.
Joe looked back and found the three behind him puffing a bit, a little out of breath and Joe cursed under his breath and prepared to slow down before stopping his thought and continuing his pace. Well… that sucks. Sorry guys… if I'm going to get an accurate count of this, I need to maintain my pace. I can at least ask though…
"You guys OK? You look pretty tired."
Garnedell answered easily enough, although he did hear a bit of breathiness in his response, "Yes, master. We are OK."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was going too fast."
"It's OK, Master," Kilniara replied this ti, gasping slightly.
"No. It's not OK. We'll rest at the boss door before we go in. I'm sorry, but I can't slow down. I'm checking sothing so we have to go at this sa speed, but if you get so tired you can't keep up anymore, just tell and I'll stop. OK?"
The two only mumbled a quiet affirmative and Joe took it as them able to push on. Joe continued on and reached the boss door another four cold arm pulses later. Joe settled to the floor and pulled out a canteen of water while the three apprentices seed to collapse on the floor. Joe passed the canteen around to the three and watched with mild amusent as they all greedily drank. Huh… why are they so out of shape? They shouldn't be this bad, right?
Joe considered his apprentices weak bodily condition, mind going over possible redies before he quickly shook himself from the rabbit trail and focused back on his arm problem when the cold front ravaged quickly through his arm again. He winced fiddled the numbers in his head for this latest hit, adding another dozen or so to account for having stopped at the door. Huh… seems like it really is spreading out. Should wear out in another week or two? Maybe a month?
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Joe let the kids rest a good thirty minutes, unconcerned with the ti, as the next floor, while likely to be physically grueling, would not be long. Or… I hope it's not long. We've been down here a good chunk of ti. Really want to sleep in a bed tonight. And gotta figure out who stole the cores. Really don't want Kilniara or Zilnek using them… it'll kill their learning stat!
The kids… They're not kids… they feel… naïve like them… but not kids. Co on. Not kids! His apprentices… Nope… still weird. Don't like it… um… well… huh… that works. Joe felt a small smile grace his lips. My friends… yeah. His friends had recovered quickly, their breathing returned to normal and talking with each other animatedly, although Joe did notice that Zilnek seed a bit more subdued than normal. Huh… Zilnek?
Joe thought a bit, his mind flickering between all three of his new found friends and realized that he felt absolute trust with Garnedell. While there had been nothing that raised his suspicions about the other two, Zilnek's subdued and furtive actions now seed off. Kilniara herself seed completely fine but was not oblivious to her brother's obvious distress. She kept up a playful interaction with Garnedell while trying to draw her brother in. Joe thought for a bit, then decided to simply continue watching. If he's going to tell anyone, it's going to be his sister… I'll know when she changes. Maybe tonight? Before bed? Joe watched for a few more monts before dismissing the issue and joining in with the conversation.
"But the snow was obviously the hardest? Master was struck by the snow," Kilniara insisted.
"The snow was actually quite easy. I think the sli was likely the hardest. It is only that master has fought so many slis that he knows how to defeat them easily. With more practice, snows will likely be even easier," Garnedell countered.
"But the sli did not even hurt him, right Zilnek?" Kilniara tried to draw her brother in. However, Zilnek's response was a simple grunt while he remained lost in his thoughts. Kilniara waited a few monts but snorted in annoyance before trying to press her argunt. "Truly, the snow hurt master the most. Haven't you seen he is still stretching his arm? The snow was the worst, right master?" Kilniara turned to Joe when she saw him interestedly staring at them.
"Hmm… well. The snow did do the most damage to , but the scariest or most dangerous one was probably the mukfrog."
Kilniara and Garnedell froze in shock for a few monts before vehently denying Joe's statent, both speaking over top of each other as the rushed to defend their choices. Joe let them continue for a few monts before raising his hand.
"Both of you are right, in so ways. The snow hurt a lot, more than the others. That is true, Kilniara. And the sli pushed a lot more, physically, than any of the others. This is also true, Garnedell. But both of them are simple monsters without thought or intelligence. The mukfrog… the mukfrog can think. It can plan carefully; lead you into a trap; distract or even deceive you. The others just simply rush at you and attack. The mukfrog can think and make choices that are very different than simply charging. It can plan, retreat, trap… it's a lot more dangerous than any other foe."
Joe's observation gave the other two pause as well as lulled the conversation into silence for a few monts while they pondered what he'd said. Joe smiled at their furious thoughts and stood to begin preparing himself, shifting his weapons harness and weaponry in preparation of the fight. He chose to take the spear, shield, and sword although he left his sword sheathed. He decided to forgo the clubs for the boss fight, but then realized that if the boss was so form of electrical creature, he had no insulating weapons except for his wooden cudgels and he took one although he placed it for maximum comfort and ease of movent rather than to easily reach it. I'll have ti to grab it if the boss looks is a spark or sothing.
Towards the end of the half hour break, Joe stood as nervous energy ca over him. The other three stood to join him but he waved them to their seat, letting them know he was still preparing. He let his nervous energy guide him to so forms as he went through a quick practice using his shield with sword, spear, and cudgel, shifting between the three as quickly as possible. As he'd feared, the cudgel was difficult to retrieve, but Joe didn't feel like putting his cudgel anywhere else where it could tangle his legs or deteriorate the flexibility and motion of his core. He spent so ti shifting his weapon harness a few tis until he reluctantly accepted its current poor position as the best he was going to get. It did hamper his ability to retrieve his cudgel very quickly, but he truly didn't want to use the cudgel in the boss fight and only had it in case of so electrical enemy. He almost decided to just leave it with the bags and the other three, but then he rember the spark he'd just fought as one of the four bosses on this floor and it made him nervous to leave it behind in case he would need it. He could always toss it to the side if he ever felt like he wouldn't need it during any lull he might gain in the fight. Truly, the only disadvantage he would have keeping it sheathed to his back would be if he was spending a lot of ti tumbling and rolling on the floor. And if that were the case, Joe feared he would have quite a bit more problems than the cudgel.
Kilniara and Garnedell continued their conversation and Zilnek continued in his solitary silence. Joe stopped himself from continuing his nervous exercise and turned to the group.
"Alright. Let's head out. Everyone ready?"
Kilniara and Garnedell replied excitedly in agreent although Zilnek seed to not have heard and Joe directed another question to him.
"Zilnek? You OK?"
Zilnek was so distracted he said nothing, and Kilniara elbowed him one more ti just as Joe asked once more, "Zilnek?"
"Uh… oh. Um… Yes?"
"You ready to go?"
"Oh… yes!" Zilnek replied with a bit too much eagerness and Joe let it pass, turning to what was going to happen next.
"OK. I think we should all go inside. I'm not sure what will happen out here and you guys aren't going to be able to protect yourselves out here. So… I figure we should all go in and you guys just stay near the door and hidden. Try not to get the boss's attention, right?"
"Master?! You are going to fight by yourself?" Kilniara interjected in fearful surprise.
"Well, you guys can't even handle the bosses here. I'm assuming this one is going to be worse, right? These guys aren't too hard for , and I shouldn't be too much tougher since this is a beginner's dungeon, right?"
The three looked at each other and confird Joe's statent but all three seed a bit nervous.
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