Floor 5 - Part One

"Are you sure we should be on Floor 5?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Peony said as we walked through a lush green jungle.

I had only been on Floor 2 before, and I was only barely getting the hang of that.

Now I was on The Jungle Floor, Floor 5.

I heard a rustle somewhere nearby. "What was that?"

"Probably just the local wildlife," Peony shrugged.

A giant creature jumped in front of our path.

It was like a leopard mixed with a warthog. It had tusks twice as long as my sword. Its beady black eyes peered straight at me, like I was its dinner.

Oh wait.

"Local wildlife?!" I cried as I stepped back.

"Yep." Peony held her staff in front of her and her eyes began to glow.

The tip of the staff glowed orange as Peony shouted, "FLAME BARRAGE!"

Dozens of fireballs flew out of her staff and into the creature. Its roar shook the ground. And the creature jumped over Peony and slammed into me.

I couldn't even scream. The noise just caught in my throat. I flew into the air and dropped onto the grass.

"TEROBU!" Peony cried.

I struggled to get up as I bit back curses.

I stood up and unsheathed my sword. "That damn boar is gonna pay!"

"BOAR?!" the monster cried.

"What the hell?! It can talk?!" I yelled.

"What do you mean? Did something shake loose in your brain when you hit the ground?" Peony asked.

"You mean you can't hear it?" I asked in dismay.

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'M NOT A BOAR, I'M A FREAKIN WARTHOG!" the monster screeched.

It began to rush at me with surprising speed.

"Take heed of your surroundings, Terobu. You can't just rush into battle all willynilly," Grandma's voice echoed in my head.

Time stopped. My sword moved forward, lightning arcing around the blade.

Time moved again and I was suddenly on the ground kneeling, sweat running down my face and arms.

A long gash ran down the monster's side.

"THAT FREAKIN HURT YOU JERK!" it cried.

"You're still alive?!"

"Leopardhogs. They have thick hides, so swords don't do a lot of damage against them," Peony noted.

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU WEAK ADVENTURER! CAN'T KILL ME!"

The leopardhog's beady eyes stared at my blade. "Is that the blade of Teroshimi?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm a child of Teroshimi!"