The sun shone through the bedroom window. Ella sat up in bed and looked around. Slipping out of bed , she ran to Lex’s room and banged on the door. No answer, and the door was locked.
Returning to her room, Ella poured herself a drink and sat on the edge of the bed.
“he’s not back yet. “ Ella said to Tatty.” I wonder how long he’ll be.”
“ do you think he’ll be ok?”
“ I don’t know. It’s been hours since we left him. All we can do is wait.”
“ I hope he wont be too long.”
“ we should go and have breakfast.” Ella said getting dressed.” I need to pay for a few more days. At least he made sure we had money,”
“we could look around the shops to see what kind of things they have in this world.”
“ Lex wants better bags, so we could look and see if any shops sell what we need.”
“ that will please him. I want to see his happy face when he gets back.”
“ me too. It’ll be good for him to see we can cope on our own.”
Going down stairs the couple settled at a table by the fire. It was still cool at this time in the morning. The inn keeper brought out a pot of tea and a plate of buttered toast and preserves.
“ did you’re brother return last night?”
“ not yet. So we are going to shop for some items for when he returns. We need some good bags, is there any where you know that we can get some?”
The inn keeper put her finger on her chin in thought. After a while she had an idea.
“ yes! Now it’s not a usual shop for bags, he is an armour maker. But some times he comes across curtain resources that allow him to make things that come in handy for tools or useful equipment. I suggest you go and see him. Come and see me when you are about to leave and I’ll draw you a map and give you a letter of introduction as I know him quite well so it should help”.
“ thank you so much.” Tatty said, “ that would be great.”
The inn keeper returned to the kitchen to continue the breakfast rush.
The girls finished their food and returned to their room to get the things together for a shopping trip, although Ella put her staff over her shoulder, just in case.
On leaving the inn, they stopped at the desk and rung the bell. The inn keeper came out with two pieces of paper.
“ while im here I’d like to pay for another 3 nights, for the two rooms just to make sure my brothers room is still here when he comes back.”
She handed over the coins and took the letter and map.
They thanked the inn keeper and left for the shop , following the map.
5th floor. Lex was just finishing off a Naga. His weapon had taken on the shape of a large machete, he had spent most of this battle just hacking and hoping .
He had eaten most of his food and only had a bottle and a half of water left, he had also had to throw out his sleeping bag and some other bulky things to make room for more monster parts.
Lex had been cooking monster meat, because he had been running low on food. His body was aching and full of wounds. He was glad he had been learning how to use armour or things could have been a lot worse.
Lex finally took out the final Naga, hacking a chunk of flesh from it’s throat, blood gushing out as it fell lifeless to the ground.
“ Please absorb the weapons these creatures were carrying. They are made from a metal I don’t know so I would like to use it.”
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Lex took out his knife and took the cores and tongues as confirmation .
He noticed some had rings and pouches so he took them too. Finally he placed his hands on the weapons and armour absorbing them into his alloy body. Lex had noticed a while back that some of his wounds were not healing, none seemed life threatening but they were impeding him and causing a lot of pain. And the smell of blood was acting as a beacon of his position to any monster in the area. He wasn’t having an easy time of it in any way.
Lex had found his way to the stairs and did his usual thing of sitting on the middle steps while eating and drinking. He snatched an hours sleep to help recover some of his health and stamina back. He knew he had a large number of boxes but no red ones so he thought he would wait until he was out of the dungeon and back at the inn. He just wants a good meal, a bath and a full days sleep. Then he could look at all this stuff.
“Al , do I have any tea in all this stuff? I need a cup now”
“ I’m sorry Lex, the tea is at the inn.”
“booo. I really need one. Ho hum, I suppose that’s on more thing to look forward to when I get back. I’m gonna have a pot while in the bath.”
“ you are quite easily pleased it seems”
“ oh yes.”
Lex checked his wounds , he noticed he was slashed quite deep along his left side. There were several gashes down his legs and quite a few cuts and bruises over his chest and arms. He learned a fair bit about armour over these past two days, and the use of different weapons. Not all monsters act and attack the same, and shields are probably the best invention ever .
Creating arm, leg and body armour and a beck de corbin, Lex headed up the stairs to the 4th floor.
Lex ran as fast as he could while in armour. The stairs were not far away.
Unfortunately.
“ oh now you’re taking the piss.”
Stood between Lex and the stairs was , what could only be described as a two headed giant with a tree in his hand. There was no way Lex could pass the giant without been seen.
“ I suggest using the large shield and a large hacking blade. The executioner sword would be a good fit. I have marked weak spots but this won’t be an easy kill, it seems to be a floor boss. I don’t know why it’s out of it’s area.”
Lex changed up his shield to a tower shield with spikes at the bottom to help hold it in place. Changing hi beck de corbin to a three foot single edge blade with no point.
“ so glad I have enhanced strength, this sword is chunky.”
Sneeking up behind the giant , Lex hacks at the back of its knee severing the tendon. It wouldn’t stop it but at least it would slow it down.
Crying out in pain , the giant swung down the tree where Lex had been stood. The ground cracked, spraying stone and dirt in all directions. Lex hid behind his shield as stones bounced off it.
Shortening his sword, Lex took a swing at the stomach of the giant. Just a shallow slice.
Lex recreated his long bladed spear, making it double edge with a sharp edge and point.
Circling the giant , Lex looked for an opening.
Thrusting up under the arm, he impaled through the arm pit causing the giant to drop the tree. It picked up the tree with its other hand, its other arm sitting limp by its side.
With a sweeping swing the giant hit the shield with the force of a truck. Lex flew back rolling across the floor.
Feeling winded, Lex was happy he had metal bone and encased organs. This could have been a one hit kill.
Catching his breath, he took a stance behind his shield. A red mark showed on the side of the neck of the giant.
“ so a neck shot? “
“ yes. As he now has a weak side. Try and keep to the dead arm side.”
“ understood. Stay away from the arm with the tree.”
The giant kicked out its huge foot, forgetting his tendon had been sliced. As it stumbled Lex charged in with the spear in both hands and thrust it into the neck, almost piercing straight through the neck. The giant gurgled, choking on blood. Lex withdrew his spear and pushed it back in aiming up into its skull piercing its brain killing it instantly.
Lex opened up its chest to take the core. There was two. A large red one a very large white one. The white one was the size of ostrich egg. When he took it out the giant turned into motes of light and dispersed into the air.
“ that was new,” Lex said.” how come there are two cores?”
“ I have no idea. This is something you will have to ask at the guild hall.”
“ right. I forget this is new to you too. Sorry.”
“ thank you. But there is no need to apologise.”
Lex climbed the stairs and sat down stowing the cores and taking a drink.
After a ten minute rest he moved up to the 3rd floor.
The next three floors were already mapped so Lex fast walked to the stairs and made his way to the exit.
The dogs and insects were nothing to him now after all he’d been through. He didn’t even bother with the cores, mainly he was out of room in his pack but also the closer he got to leaving this place the more he just wanted to get to the inn and have a bath and tea.
Absorbing his armour shield and weapon. Lex checked himself over.
Most of the bandages were dirty and full of blood so Lex replaced the worst and stored them for washing later. His body hurt all over and he had a deep ache in his muscles. The bruising on his back from the giant fight was turning a lovely shade of purple black.
Due to his clothes been torn and filthy , Lex created a very thin light armour. Just a costume really. No protection at all, just to hide the state of his clothing.
Leaving the last set of stairs Lex strolled to the exit. Leaving the dungeon he showed his card to the guard and waited for a carriage. He could have walked but he was completely exhausted, the carriage came quickly and Lex climbed on and closed his eyes for the journey back to town.
Arriving in the town square the carriage halted and Lex climbed out , picking up his pack and slinging it over his shoulder, wincing as he caught the wound down his side. Changing sides he made his way back to the in, deciding he’d do the guild hall tomorrow after a good rest.
Tiredness catching up with him, he trudged back towards the inn.
Walking through the door Lex felt a heavy blow , knocking him to the floor.