(Max)

"No, Max," Boss-Boss says. "That's not how you say it."

"That not be how it said?" I ask.

Boss-Boss sighs.

"Max," he says. "That question you just asked is 'that is not how it is said', not 'that not be how it said'."

"Me trying hard," Me tell him. I tell him. Max be getting better at that. "Well, me give up for today. Gonna go train more."

"Are you going back to the Valley of Power?"

"Yup!" Me nod.

As long as me be careful, Max be okay to fight in the Valley of Power. Already got lots of Levels! But me Leveling be slowing down, now, which makes Max sad. But that not matter, me already way stronger than should be! Very sore, too. Maybe this be last trip to the Valley of Power, so that Max can rest before Boss wakes up.

"Be careful," Boss-Boss tells me. "Don't push yourself too hard, or you'll cripple yourself."

"Me know," Max thump me chest. "Me going to be careful, Boss-Boss. See you later, ugly tater!"

Me leave the Dark Temple and make way to the sigil. There, me pull up the interface, then select the right City. A moment later, me there! That be fun to do, can see why Luca likes to exclaim with it. One moment, we here, the next, we there!

As soon as me arrive, me drop to all-fours and start running.

"Hi, Suzie!" Max call out as pass by. "Hi, Kara! Hi, Natalie! Hi, Dread Pirate! Hi, Colby! Hi, Jess!"

Keep greeting until me reach the South Gate, then exit through it. New monsters be ready to die! So me slow down as soon as me pass through the South Gate. Then, me touch me tunic and send it into Inventory. Forgot to do that two days ago, and it got covered in goop and blood and ripped up. Had to throw it away and buy a new one to replace it.

Drawing me sword, Max pick a target. Spitfire Flower! Perfect! It be Level 14, so within me abilities.

"Flame Blade!" Me say, and sword become coated with flames. "Die!"

Max charge forward, swinging blade. Spitfire Flower tries shooting razory leafies at Max, but me strike them with sword, burning them away. A moment later, me at the Spitfire Flower, which decides to spit Fireballs, so me hop to the side.

Me swing me sword and cut into its stem as it tries to hit Max with its Fireball stream. It fail because me keep moving. Slash up, slash down, deflect, strike, stab, Fireball-

"Oops!"

-slash side, slash from the other side, and keep going until the Spitfire Flower be dead.

Sadly, our fight attracted other monsters. Me not able to handle four at once, so me take off, finding somewhere safer. There be a Shadow Bunny here, so me change attacks.

"Sleep Blade!"

As Skill switches, Max already attacking, striking at the Shadow Hare before it see Max. No, no, no! Before it see me. No! Before it sees me! Yes!

Shadow Hare be sleeping now, so Max strike again. This blade be best for it. Flame Blade and Lightning Blade might be good, and me could probably learn Light Blade, but Sleep Blade keep it sleepy while me fighting it with every strike!

Because of that, it not able to use annoying Skills like Shadow Meld. Max got hurt by that when just a pup. Not fun. Never want use it, even if able to. Shadow Step much better, but not needed here, so me just keep hitting the Shadow Bunny with Sleep Blade, keeping it sleepy as its Health decreases.

After it, even if it wake back up, the same attack just put it back to sleep!

So me just keep slicing and dicing until it dies, then me move on to the next monster. Want to reach Level 5 of Tier 3 on Mystic Knight today. If me manage that, then me meet the goal for this training!

Boss-Boss suggested this to me. He said me probably be okay if me come out here, but recommends a healer, just in case. Max decided no healer be necessary as long as me fight like Boss. Plus, me be able learn Heal if needed.

Well, me not actually learn it yet. Maybe me should? Might be useful at some point, me do take a lot of hits. But if things get serious, Max usually switches from Mystic Knight to Dark Knight and just use Dark Vengeance. Not always heals everything, but usually heals enough that me able to clobber it to death. Or stab it.

That reminds Max that me need to return to training!

Me scan the fields. Not being attacked, or else would've stopped thinking a moment earlier, when attacked. That gives Max time to find other… no! That gives me time to find other things to fight! Yes! Got it! Me think so, anyway.

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After picking a target, me go after it. I go after it, continuing me training for hours. At lunch, me find a nice corpse to sit on. Some sort of boar, but it was already dead, me not able to handle the boars this big.

Actually, maybe this be a Bounty Beast? It be massive. Even dead and collapsed on the ground, it be at least half as tall taller than Boss-Boss! Normal ones be somewhere between as tall as Boss and Boss-Boss.

Yeah, this one probably be a Bounty Beast. That, or an Elite. Me wonder what killed it. It not bear the marks of an Adventurer. No skinning or harvesting of loot at all. That mean a monster killed it. Well, me not worry about that, its killer not seem to be around here.

So me climb up on it and pull out the meal me made. I asked Kit to make one, but he refused. Something about me being too noisy and annoying and that Max should make me own food. He be mean.

Boss-Boss said he just be upset that I poured water while he be napping, but me not think so. Kit just be mean. At least he not as much of a frighty-cat as he be before, though! Boss definitely be pleased when he wakes up and learns that!

Max lunch includes sandwiches, berries, fruits, and a carrot that somehow made it in without me noticing. There also be several danishes and sweet rolls. Me not make those, no, Max bought those earlier.

To drink, me have ale and water. Me not mix them, but still drink both, because me really thirsty. This training works up a sweat and a thirst.

After lunch, me put everything back into me Inventory and pull out Rok. He about two inches thick right now. Me stroke him on the back, and he vibrates, then flips over. Oh, that be his stomach. He like that, too. Me stroke him on his actual back, now, and he vibrates again, this time more happily.

"Found some tasty for you," me pull out a small rock, tiny one, and set it on Rok. He vibrates for a moment, then the tiny rock melts into him. "Me putting you away now, okay?"

Me put Rok back into Inventory, then hop off the boar. For the rest of the day, Max train. Wait, no! Me train! No, that be wrong, too. Hrm. Ah, right! For the rest of the day, I train! There, that be better!

It not be easy, but it be fun. Running and jumping and slashing and bashing, until me reach Level 5 of Tier 3 of Mystic Knight! That brings me to another bonus from Leveling and from Adventurer, finally putting Max over 600 Intellect! Now, me spells be really powerful!

Whoo-hoo!

Now that me training is finished, Max return to the City, running through. Me greet everyone on the way, and say bye, too, since me probably not returning here. At the Dark Temple, me wave goodbye to the people here, then use the sigil to warp back to Maelnor.

Finally back in Maelnor, me turn around and enter the Dark Temple. Me make my way to the Chamber of Flame and Blood, and approach the Altar of Fire. It go by many names, but this be what I call it. Yay! Got that one right! Me think.

At the altar, Max look at Boss. He be laid out on it, eyes closed. Boss-Boss and I took off his gear. His clothes be burned up, too, so we took them off and put good pants on him, ones not burned up. Big Flame's fire on the altar not be burning those, which be good. He said that the Dragon's fire be what burned Boss's clothes.

He looks peaceful, being sleepy like this. All offerings at this Dark Temple be halted right now, so that Boss can recover. We could still make the offerings, like putting them around him or on his chest or stomach, but Big Flame says 'no' when Max do that. So me have to go to other City to make offerings.

After seeing Boss still be sleepy, me put head to Boss's chest, ear against it, and listen. Hear his heartbeat. It be slow right now. But not as slow as it be last week. Still very slow, though. It starting speed up means Boss might wake soon. Hopefully in the next week or so. Time to count his beats per minute.

Me count both seconds which pass and number of beats Boss's heart makes. Me do this three times for better result. Boss's heart be beating at forty-one beats, forty beats, forty-one beats. So… forty and three-thirds beats per minute. His normal beats per minute be fifty-four, unless he angry, then it becomes over eighty beats per minute.

But when he be stressed out, like he be for the few weeks before the battle, it was over seventy. His angry and stressed heartbeats per minute be closer to what be normal for most people.

That not matter, though. It be ten beats faster than one week ago, so Boss probably wake up in a week. Maybe a day or two more than a week.

Oh, me not creepy. Me not listen to Boss like this when he be sleepy or something. Me can normally hear Boss's heartbeat without putting ear against his chest. Me know how fast hearts beat for all team members because of good ears, not just Boss. When doing this, though, me want to make sure me read it as accurate as possible, so that be necessary to ensure me not miss any beats or weirdness.

"How is it?"

Max pull head off Boss's chest and turn to face the speaker. It be Theodore-Flame, who looks concerned for Boss.

"He doing better," me nods. "Should wake up soon."

"Yeah," he approaches. "Big Flame says the same thing. Good job with your Leveling, Max."

"Thanks!" Me beam at him. "Me worked really hard for that!"

"'I worked really hard for that', Max," he says.

"Oh," me say. "I worked really hard for that!"

"Good job," he smiles.

Me also been working on speaking better. Gold be way better at it than me, and that make me realize that me even more of an idiot than me realized. At least me be better than Nit and Nin at this!

"Thanks," me tell him, then look back to Boss. "Me hope he wakey soon, Luca be tormenting Kylie a lot, and it be getting worse. Max think it be because his nightmares be getting worse. Boss not here to chase them away, and Luca be in the mines, not at home, so we not able to comfort him when they make him scared."

"Yeah," Theodore-Flame put a hand on me shoulder. My shoulder! That's it! My shoulder! There we go! "It should be soon, Max. What are you going to do, now that you reached your goal?"

"Learn to speak better," me tell him. "And prepare for Boss waking up. Need to do lots of preparation so that all we need do before leave be buy the food."

Though me think Boss already has lots of food in his Inventory, his special one that keeps food as fresh as when he put it in here. But before we head into Lost Territory, he probably be wanting to get even more food, just in case. After all, who knows how long we'll be gone for, right?

"Me heading home now," me tell Theodore-Flame. "See you around."

"Enjoy the rest of your evening," he tells me.

I nod, then he kneels and starts a prayer to Big Flame. I pray all the time, and already did a prayer in here this morning, before leaving for the Valley of Power. So I head home so I can take a bath and wash my training off of me.

Kit probably be upset me got gunk inside my pants again, but it not me fault the legs of me pants slipped out of me boots! There be gunk in my boots, too, now me think about it. Squishy, squishy! Okay, me really need get going, it be uncomfortable now that me be thinking about it.