CHAPTER 63(Rest Stop)

Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)

Discord: https://discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk

pat.treon: Keanu_Eugene

CHAPTER START---

"Thanks for this..." Thalie says, fiddling with both ends of her broken staff in her hands, the surprisingly bright rocky landscape allowing the gold sigils at each end to shimmer as she moves them.

"Yeah, had to look around for my sword anyway so might as well find your bo-staff," Welf replies.

"Do you think he'll wake up any time soon?" Thalie questions, nodding toward Yang.

Sitting across from Welf, huddled around a small fire as she bandages herself up while he dries himself off, Yang lays resting across from them on the far end of the small flame as he rests peacefully.

"Considering how... weird?... he is, wouldn't surprise me if he woke up right now, I'm more concerned about you right now, those gonna be ok?" Welf questions as he gestures to the woman's legs.

As the dried blood coats her boots, she continues tightening the straps on her boots and adding more and more strips of leather over the top.

"I, kinda, broke every bone in my feet, my straps are holding them together, mind carrying me for a bit... We can't use potions on this floor in case more of those things are already big," Thalie says while leaning on Welf.

"You're insane, but you're right," He says while moving a bit closer to Yang.

"That's just how my skill works, build the magic in my body then explode out with energy, that snake...thing, couldn't sense magic in me at least, problem is---"

"Your body can't handle the force..." Welf says, cutting her off.

"Yeah, what're you doing?" Thalie questions as she sees the smith open his water skin above Yang.

"We need to leave this floor so you can heal with a potion," he casually comments while pouring water on Yang's face.

As the water pours onto Yang's face, he suddenly surges awake. With small flames flickering to life on his body causing Welf to immediately fall backward.

"GUH!" He gasps loudly as if he were starved for air for years at a time, greedily swallowing air.

"Yang, look around you!" Thalie commands, causing Yang to take note of his surroundings.

He can clearly see the campfire, his allies hurt and tending to themselves, confusion creeps onto his face, a clear need for answers being made apparent.

"Relax, we got you out of the snake thing... it was tough but we pulled it off..." Thalie says as she tries to rise to her feet, only to immediately fall back down. "Shit!" she yells in frustration, staring down at her own feet.

"HEY! You can't move on your own right now, we'll get you healed when we're on the next floor," Welf says, turning back toward Yang immediately, "What about you...you ok?" he asks with obvious concern in his voice.

"Ugh... feels... like a hangover?" He says still unsure of how he feels. "I should be fine, not much magic right now, not for a while," he finishes while rising to his feet.

"Good, my legs are broken so you're carrying me..." Thalie says while locking eyes with Yang, leaving no room for debate.

"Alright, let's go, you guys ready?"

"Yeah, we've been sitting here for an hour getting patched up, when we get to another floor we'll use potions to heal her legs..." Welf says while putting out the fire.

Walking over to the woman, Yang stands above her, unsure of what to do now.

"What? Just let me get on your back..." She says, allowing him to put her on his back, with her arms draped over his shoulders he stands up and nods toward Welf, ready to continue forward.

---Tunnel to the 35th floor...

"So what my magic made it grow like that, from a foot long, tell me you're kidding please," Yang groans as Welf and Thalie catch him up.

"Nope, you're a fucking dumbass apparently that fed it a buffet, and while you got the best sleep of your life we were fighting..." Thalie says, a bit of irritation in her voice.

"Jeez, how many times you gonna make me apologize?"

"Whatever, we should be close to the next floor, test your magic..." Thalie says.

As Yang holds his hand out, small flames coat his fingers, appearing and acting as his normal blue flames do.

"Right, use some potions on my feet, my gear is keeping the bones in place so just pour it on."

"Gotcha," Yang says while withdrawing multiple potions from his inventory, using them on her legs.

After a few minutes, Thalie finally speaks up.

"Ok... they're all good. I can feel my toes again, if I lost my legs I'd of had to kill you," She says with a smug grin on her face.

"Hahaha, good one,"

"..."

"That was a joke right?"

"..."

"Right?!" Yang asks again, clear concern on his face.

"Sure sure," She mutters half-heartedly.

"Uh, this means I can stop carrying you now right?" Yang questions, rather nervously.

"Nope, broke my legs to save your ass, you're carrying me," She casually says.

"Yeah, that's fair..."

"Hey Yang, somethings been bothering me, how come the monster only used 3 elements?" Welf questions as Thalie gets back onto Yang's back.

"Oh yeah, why is that?" Thalie joins in.

"Mmmm, if I had to say, fire because you hurt it, it's kind of my reflexive element honestly, lightning is if I just want the fight to stop because I can paralyze things maybe, but that costs a lot more magic than fire, and water... it probably just wanted to shove you away from it and that's how the magic reacted..." Yeah finishes as he ponders his magic.

"Well it couldn't feel or take my magic or Welf's, so what makes you so special?" Thalie questions.

"Honestly, no idea, maybe my magic is just weird like that or something, but I always feel the elements around me so it's always kind of there, it's not like most mages that need to focus to activate magic, mine is always there, I just need to keep myself calm so it doesn't flare up, most of the time at least..." Yang says as he trails off.

"Sigh, of course, why can't you just be normal..." Thalie grumbles.

"Hahaha," Yang responds with a deep laugh, "Because that'd be boring, don't you want an exciting life?"

"I was born into this life, not much of a choice..." Thalie says as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe if you weren't asleep for the life and deal battles, maybe..." Welf says as he smirks at Yang.

"Ugh... I'm never gonna live this down am I?" Yang laments.

"NOPE!" Both his allies respond at once.

Arriving at the 35th floor, Yang could still be seen carrying Thalie on his back as Welf stands beside him. Looking out over the 35th floor, the exit on the other side was surprisingly clear to see even from the entrance. They exited the entrance to be a massive hill, for hundreds of meters before them the ground gently sloped downward to the dungeon floor.

Cascading outward from them, the rocky terrain was brightly lit up by glowing rocks as if they were emanating daylight. Many monsters could barely be seen roaming between the rocks below, as if they were the obstacles in this labyrinth of rubble and stones.

Miles away, a massive doorway can be seen across the floor, visibly close, but made exponentially further away because of the dangerous puzzle that the monsters and terrain make below.

"So we're pac man and they're the ghosts huh..." Yang mutters under his breath.

"What?" Thalie asks, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Uh... its like a maze down there and we need to fight through it, right?" Yang awkwardly deflects the question.

"Basically, those rocks look small but are pretty tall, they make it pretty much impossible to see the exit, and if you touch it... well... boom..." She informs the men while getting off Yang's back.

"Any reason they explode or just.... dungeon weird magic?" Welf questions.

"That's all the guild said about it, otherwise I'd say we jump rock to rock and skip the fighting..." Thalie comments.

"I've got an idea, gimme a sec..." Yang says as he places both hands on the ground.

"If he summons another snake to us I'm gonna let it eat him this time" Thalie mutters as her and Welf look at Yang.

"Honestly, same" Welf comments with a snicker.

"They aren't actually rocks... they're super thin and work like gas pockets, I'm guessing air triggers it," Yang quickly informs them while pointing at the rocks.

"How'd you---" Welf was immediately cut off.

"Seismic sense, lets me push magic into the earth to get a feel from everything and everyone on the ground," he responds with a shrug.

"That's.... not fair," Thalie says with a bit of disbelief.

"Good thing I'm on your side huh, anyway, my magic should be enough to get us across, I don't feel like fighting in a minefield, hop on..."

With Thalie in a princess carry and Welf on his back, Yang slowly made his way across the 35th floor by using his wind magic.

"Aren't you supposed to be, oh I don't know... charming and handsome to hold a lady like this?" Thalie teases from Yang's arms.

"Aren't you supposed to be, oh I don't know... A lady"

"HAHAHAHHA!" Welf can't help but laugh at his response.

"Smartass... why're we moving so slow anyway, I've seen you move at high speeds before..."

"With fire, if you're fireproof sure but wind needs a lot more focus and a lot less force, hence slower"

"Hey I can't speak for her, but I much prefer being carried on wind than fire," Welf comments from Yang's back.

As they soared above, not many new monsters were spotted, at least none that interested Yang, keeping a keen eye out for any he'd recognize from memory was constantly on his mind the entire flight.

"You look constipated..." Thalie mutters as she catches his eye.

"I'm focused..."

"On what?"

"I haven't seen any monsters I recognize, like the Anjanath."

"That should be... good?" Welf questions, " You didn't tell us much about how that even happened, or what else to expect, I'd rather know if another fire-breathing lizard is down here roaming these floors..." He says, taking a moment to look around once more as they continue to fly.

"Mhm." Was Yang's only reply as he continues to look at the monsters below, completely unaware of the hard glare Thalie shot his way.

Landing within the tunnel to the 36th floor, Welf and Thalie began stretching to shake off the weightless feeling Yang's magic had caused.

"Floor 36, this is the valley floor right, one long meat grinder with faster respawns and the first thing on my list..." Yang calmly says while looking at the tunnel, a large smile on his face.

"Meatgrinder?" Welf questions.

"A level with just mindless fighting and bloodshed..." Yang answers back.

"Should we be concerned that you look ecstatic while saying that?" Thalie jokes with a raised eyebrow.

"More monsters means more exelia, faster levels... and, I get to practice fighting, win win win right?"

"That's... one way to look at it, guessing you wanna take point on this floor?" Welf says, shooting Yang an unsure look.

"hahaha, I've got this, check the drops for the weird ore we need when the bodies drop..." Yang says with a broad smile as he marches into the tunnel, withdrawing and downing a mana potion as he proceeds forward.

END CHAPTER---