(Gavin)

Max's attack didn't actually take out any Health, despite burning away a fair portion of Su'Numal's ooze. That doesn't deter him from attacking again, even as the massive slime recovers from that damage.

"Braden, help Max!" I call. "I'll free Luca!"

I'm the best choice for that, since I can control my attacks a bit better than they would. One wrong move, and we might hurt Luca, especially with Max's stronger attacks. That cloak is protective, but it has its limits on how much it can handle.

As Braden begins his assault with Max, I charge over to the slimes. Some of them are Heal Slimes, and they're restoring Su'Numal's Health the few times Max and Braden actually do some damage, their attacks going deeper into it than just a few inches.

Drawing my sword, I activate Stun Blade and slash, striking several of the Heal Slimes. If I can't see Luca, then I'm safe to swing as long as I attack horizontally or don't go further than the Slime I'm striking.

As I Stun the slimes, several of them attack me, forcing me to dodge and move around. I use Stun Blade again as I fight, though, as disabling the ones I don't kill is the best option here. Slowly, I manage to kill off the slimes, turning them to ooze and inert, broken cores. After four minutes, I can finally see Luca's cloak and something bulging beneath it, no doubt Luca's body. Curled up, based on the form of the bulge.

Seeing him, I start working even harder. Max and Braden are still fighting the big one, too, and I know it's hurting them with its Stone Spikes. They're managing to whittle away at its Health, though, now I've taken out some of the Heal Slimes.

Once I've gotten the slimes here killed, I crouch down and start poking around at Luca's cloak, resulting in him squirming. I manage to find his head and unwrap it, and he gives me a look of relief.

"Come on," I help him up. "Max needs some healing."

Luca nods, then extends a hand out to Max as I pick up his brother's staff. Max's Health increases as Luca takes the staff in his right hand, planting the butt of it firmly on the ground. A few seconds pass, and he moves his hand to Braden, then a few seconds later, to me, granting me the Blessing of Strength.

"Thanks," I say, and he nods. "Wind Blade!"

I charge towards the massive Stone Slime, which shoots a Stone Spike at me. I dodge to the side as Max throws another Flame Lance, and a short wall of stone rises up from the ground.

"Max! Triple hit where I'll impact!" I call out. "Braden! Make sure its attacks miss me!"

I jump up, landing on the Stone Wall, and then I jump again. The monster releases several Stone Spikes at me, which are shot out of my path by Braden's green Magic Arrows mixed with Lightning Shot, and probably Power Shot, too. Max's three Flame Lances strike, and for the first time, I really appreciate Max's aim.

With my current momentum, I'm able to pass through the massive gap he created which led straight to the core, driving my sword into it. The core is tough, but with Luca's Blessing and Wind Blade, plus my current Strength, I'm strong enough to pierce it. Even as the ooze closes in around me, I force my sword in further.

The ooze covers me now, suffocating me, and I do my best to pull my sword to the side as the core moves back in an attempt to be freed of my blade. My movement damages it more, however, and with the other damage already dealt to it from my piercing and the little bit Max did to it with his attacks just then, it's enough to kill it.

The next thing I know, I'm missing my chest armor and Max is giving me chest compressions as I cough up slime that tastes like dirt.

"Finally!" Max exclaims, his tail wagging. "Me not want do mouth-mouth again. That stuff nasty!"

Mouth-mouth? Ah, right. Blowing air into my lungs as part of the resuscitation process. Peter taught me how to do that, and Zack, too. To use when someone's suffocated or drowned or something. I suppose that counts as drowning.

"Thanks," I cough up some more slime.

"That was insane," Braden says, his voice a little louder than normal. "Really, really insane, Gavin."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Are you sure you're a Paladin by nature and not a Dark Knight?" Luca asks. "Because that. Was. AWESOME!"

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(Zack)

"You can let go of me now."

Nik releases me, and I sit on the edge of the City Wall, dangling my feet over it. Nik does the same beside me. We were watching the incident with my team, observing how they handled it. Nik noticed that Luca had, ah, departed earlier, and decided to bring me here so I could watch Luca train. He wanted to emphasize to me that my team isn't as fragile as I treat them sometimes.

As if forcing me to sit here and watch as Luca ran for his life wouldn't just add to my stress. Then when Luca fell because he has absolutely nowhere near enough stamina to actually flee from something that can jump twenty feet with a single leap? Yeah. Nik had to physically restrain me, and I'm pretty sure Nathan buffed him with the Blessing of the Crystal to ensure I couldn't wiggle my way out even if I took on Demon Form.

Speaking of that, I smack Nathan on the back of the head for that. He was already seated, and he gives me a grin at the smack.

I wanted to get free and go save Luca, but Nik told me there was nothing to worry about, that Luca would manage to get free. The slimes had jumped on him in an attempt to attack him, but he'd managed to wrap himself up in the cloak and pull his head in before they did that. Su'Numal wouldn't just attack with the slimes on top of him, and after a bit, he'd get bored and leave. The others would eventually leave as well.

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But then the team showed up and got into the fight, with Gavin freeing Luca, before… well, Nik had to restrain me again. Mostly because I wanted to beat some sense into Gavin. There were a dozen other ways they could have won that fight! At least!

And he went the route that could have killed him!

"Are you sure I can't go and smack him around?"

"Yes," Nik answers as Nathan hands me a box of candy.

"Thanks," I accept it, and he nods. I hand him a box of candy canes. "Here you go."

He nods and takes one out, popping one end into his mouth as I send the candy into my Inventory.

"I think Braden's the only one who's not covered slime goo," I comment.

Then Max runs over and gives Braden a hug.

"Never mind."

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(Braden)

"Max!" I shove Max off of me. "Seriously? What was that for?"

"You need be covered slime, too, so that we all be take a bath together!" Max tells me. "It not be fair you not get dirty and not need a bath! Now you be needing a bath!"

I want to punch Max for that. We have to scrub our clothes clean of this slime ooze, too, or it will stain. It probably will stain, even with that. Zack says the soap we use can work wonders, but I'm pretty sure there's a limit to that. Slime ooze is definitely different from blood.

Max picks up Gavin's armor as Gavin helps Luca back into the robe, then the four of us return to Maelnor and hurry home, Gavin carrying Luca on his back. No one spares us much of a glance despite our state, probably because a lot of people end up covered in something after their training.

Though I'm sure Zack has the record for the most gore on him after a training session. Sometimes, I cannot help but wonder if he's doing that on purpose. Then I remember that his fighting style is up-close-and-personal with the monsters, and he often uses his hand to rip off heads or rip out hearts. That his attacks are nearly all close-range and put him right in range for sprays and spurts.

We reach the house and head straight for the bathing room and strip down. As I gather everything up to take to the laundry room, Kit shows up with a basket, missing a tunic. He gives me a confused look, then looks down at the basket.

He came to collect the clothes to wash them for us, and probably had his tunic off to avoid getting slime goop on it.

"Here," I drop the clothes into the basket. "And be very careful with Luca's cloak, okay? You won't get into trouble if something goes wrong, but it means a lot to him. It belonged to his brother, before a monster killed him."

Kit gives me a solemn nod.

"Thanks," I tell him. "And Kit, we normally do our own laundry, that's why I was going to take them all to the room. I was just going to have them soaking in hot water while we bathed."

He nods, and I can tell by his expression that he knows that wouldn't have been the best, even if it was better than letting them just sit like that.

"Thanks, though," I tell him, then drop my voice. "And I won't blame you if you don't ever take a bath if Max is taking one. He can be a bit crazy."

Kit gives me a shy smile before quickly correcting it. He leaves, and I scrub down. Gavin scrubs the ooze off of my back. I know the others usually scrub each other's backs, but I usually prefer doing it myself. This time, though, with Max having dropped slime goop down my tunic when he hugged me, it's best if someone helps me there, to ensure it all gets off. If I miss even the tiniest bit, it will itch hours past after it's removed. Luca's having fun washing Max's tail and ears, because there is a lot of slime goop in his fur, so it's a chore to get out.

After Gavin finishes my back, I do his, then I scrub my hair clean as Gavin scrubs his own hair clean. He has it as bad as Max does. That was really, really crazy, what he did.

I rinse off and sit in the bath, then Gavin climbs in, then Max and Luca, the four of us scrubbed-clean of slime goop and ready to soak for a little bit.

"Why did you leave Maelnor, Luca?" I ask. "You aren't a fighter."

"I wasn't leaving the fields," Luca says. "And Lord Zack's big book says that slimes will get bored if their target is hidden or too fast for them, and then just give up and leave."

"Why were you in the fields?" I ask. "Why did you leave without us?"

"I was going for a walk," he tells me. "And then that thing showed up and said 'hi'. So I ran. Then I fell and hid myself in my cloak, because I was exhausted."

"Luca, why did you go into the fields?" I ask.

"Because it's a beautiful day for a walk."

"You were training your new Class."

"It's not a combat Class."

"Luca be lying," Max whispers to me.

"I know," I whisper back, and Luca's face reddens.

"We're not going to try to get you to tell us what your new Class is," Gavin tells Luca. "We know you want to keep it a secret for now. However, you really shouldn't sneak out like that. Max said that Zack hadn't returned yet, and what if he'd come back and found you gone? We know you wouldn't do something exceptionally stupid, but-"

"I was fine," Luca tells Gavin. "The only thing that challenged me there was the big one. I didn't know he was there, he must be new. He wasn't on the Bounty Boards last I checked. I check them a lot."

So he felt confident he could handle the slimes in the fields, and probably the rats, too, if any tried to bother him. That explains why he went out. What's his new Class, though? Definitely a magic-based Class. I can't see Luca doing anything but magic.

"Oh!" His eyes widen. "That's what I was forgetting. Sir Nik came by and said that Lord Zack is staying at the Dark Temple for a couple of days, and that we're free to do our own thing. I knew I was forgetting something when I left."

"Zack is doing what?" Gavin asks.

"I think Sir Nik tied him up so that he'd stop abusing his body and get some rest."

Chances are, Zack is probably just resting with supervision. I know Brandon has voiced a concern about how hard Zack has been pushing himself lately, and I've noticed how exhausted he seems, even if he does his best to hide it.

Get better, Zack. Rest up and recover a little.

"Psst," Max nudges Gavin's arm.

"Yes?" Gavin looks at him.

"RAWR!" Max lifts up the wooden dog toy, startling Gavin.

I do not blame Kit if he never takes another bath with Max again.

As Gavin gives in and plays with Max using a wooden bear toy that came from nowhere, Kit reenters the bath and sneaks Luca's staff away, probably to clean it off as well. Luca doesn't seem to notice, which is a first. If his staff gets too far away from him, he freaks out. I hope Kit can return it without Luca noticing it's missing.

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(Luca)

Stop looking at me like that, Braden. I know Kit took the staff, and I'm trying not to think about it, but you looking at me so much is only making me think about it more. I know he just wants to clean it so that it's nice and ready for me to use again, without having to get slime goop on me again.

Because of that, I'm thinking about other stuff in an attempt to keep my mind off the fact that Kit took the staff. Like how I'm going to sneak back out to train some more. After the incident with Su'Numal, there's no way the team is going to let me out of their sight. They'll be scared I'll get into a mess again.

Oh, and we still need to collect the bounty on it. It's probably only a few silver. Hrm. Is there a way I can steal that from my team? I did all the work in luring it to them and I'm the one who lured all those slimes to one spot for Gavin to kill.

Not my fault he can't advance his Classes.