James felt the ground with his hands as he got back up and it brought him a sense of comfort. For a while, he had been unsure if he would be back here again and again, but the loop stayed constant and so did the knowledge he gained. He had been in this spot a multitude of times before and was ready to try again. With a bit of work, he could beat the 24th floor and fight the drake. That task would have to wait because he had a few things to do first.
He repeated his assurances to Wes and Naomi that he was ok and was fine after falling. James stood up and gathered his bag. Naomi and Wes followed behind him despite their worries about him. Before they could bring up their concerns he told them that he would address them all once they had reconvened as a group.
James pushed Wes and Naomi to the back of his mind as he focused on the steps required to beat the 24th floor. He already knew how much rope they would need for the traps on the 19th floor. It would be better if he could reduce that amount so that it could be used on the 24th floor for climbing and then reused on floors above that if need be.
James looked up as he reached the apex of the hill in front of the portal and saw Ian and Derek fighting the skeletal knight. Not wanting to waste time, he shot the knight with an empowered blunt arrow. The arrow hit the one-armed boss that was already weakened and blew it apart. The arrow broke its bones and the boss fell apart.
“What the hell!” Ian yelled out as he turned to face James. “We almost had it. What happened to be our guide only?”
“I’m sure you had it just fine, but you altered the deal when you ran through the portal on your own. So, from now on you better follow my rules. I am no longer just your guide because we have gone further than we ever should have. From this point onward I will also have to fight with you to complete the floors. If you didn’t have your head so far up your ass you would realize that there is only one portal left active. That means we have only one way to travel. From what I can tell you will be getting your wish and will get to fight the drake of the 25th floor. So, congratulations. I’ll explain more on the way. We’ve got minotaurs to murder.”
Once they stepped through the portal James handed out the enchanted items leaving Ian with his hands empty.
Ian was steeped in his anger. He disliked having nothing to claim of his own and only promises to comfort him. It was relieved somewhat by the fact that they were continuing onward. That fact would be placed on their dungeon report regardless of whatever other additions were made. He looked to the other novices. Some showed their nervousness more than others. He was more focused on the fact that he could show off and fight for longer.
“It is a shame that I couldn’t get anyone else in on this trip,” he thought to himself. “They are going to be so jealous.”
James directed them down the pathways of the maze and they followed. Ian reluctantly used his magic as minimally as possible. He never outright refused to do anything, but he wasn’t very helpful either. Overall, he made sure that he was a net benefit to his team if only barely. This practice wasn’t exact though as he made sure to keep his teammates safe. Or at least some more than others. His mind wandered as he occasionally fought. James’s voice was tuned out as he thought about his plans for taking down the drake and the inevitable parade around the city he would put on to show off to his friends. He was so focused on his own thoughts that he barely paid attention to the instructions James was giving, only snapping back to reality when he was called upon to use his magic.
Despite his lack of focus, Ian made sure to keep his teammates safe, using his magic to defend them when necessary. He knew that if anything happened to any of them, it would reflect poorly on him and his reputation. To defeat the drake, they needed to face everything else before it of course.
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“Ian. We need to deal with their armor,” said James.
Ian followed those instructions by targeting the straps and buckles on the monster’s armor. His mana flowed through his staff and outward as fire. He used a few focused blasts to ruin the armor and soon after ended the two minotaurs’ lives.
“Hey watch it!” Naomi shouted. She shifted to the side and still felt the heat of the fire go by her. “Be careful where you are aiming that stick.”
“I know what I am doing. Why don’t you stick with standing still and firing your bow in the back? It would be more helpful than those pitiful knives.”
Naomi rolled her eyes. "I'm not just a backline damage dealer, Ian. I can hold my own in close combat too. And besides, standing still makes me an easy target. James is the one focused purely on arrows. I need to be able to move and dodge if I want to survive out here."
“Why just focus on the task at hand and look out for each other,” James interjected. “Nothing good will come from you fighting.”
“And yet he does it anyway,” said Naomi. “I mean what is there for him to lose right? Your teamwork score and more are going to be rated zeroes.”
“Naomi stop,” said James firmly. The minotaurs are already dead after their encounter. “Your score can also go down and there is much more you can lose in this dungeon such as your life. Don’t either of you forget that. There is also a chance that your score could go up. Ian, I know you have been eyeing those enchanted items. Your time will come to receive one soon. You just have to be patient and work with the team. We will be fighting harder and harder monsters coming up so you better be working with the team because I can not carry you all through the dungeon. On each floor, after the 20th I am less and less likely to clear it to solo with chances above fifty. By the time we hit the drake my chances of soloing the drake are effectively zero. I will need you not only for your ability to distract enemies but your firepower and abilities that can counter some of the future monsters better than I ever could. You need to understand something. I may have 20 years of experience most of which is in this dungeon, but I have rarely gone beyond the 15th floor may be up to the 20th. I may be a veteran, but I am not the strongest adventurer to walk these floors. I will need your help if we are to continue this delve and survive with all of us intact.”
They continued their walk through the maze fighting occasionally along the way without incident. James led the novices all the way to the boss.
It held out its sword and swung it from side to side before entering a charge. Its bull horns lowered to chest height and the monster ran. It went for Derek first and he rolled out of the way because there was nothing he could do. Wes moved into the path of the minotaur boss and the horns and shield collided. Wes’s shield rattled and he took a few steps back after the encounter.
Ian, Naomi, and James circled the boss and kept themselves sufficiently away while firing at a distance. James focused on piercing arrows that buried themselves into the boss’s armor though wasn’t doing much to injure the beast just yet. Ian fired off fireballs occasionally when he could charge them up and get a clean shot, but everything was in constant motion.
After dodging the minotaur’s charge Derek got in close now that the minotaur was no longer in motion and swung his sword. The boss blocked his first attacks.
The minotaur roared in frustration as it tried to shake off the attacks from the four heroes. It swung its sword wildly, trying to catch any of them off guard. But they were all too quick and agile, dodging and weaving out of the way of the deadly blade. their blades ringing against each other as they clashed in a fierce duel. The size of Derek’s blade was one of the few things keeping him protected. The clanging of their blades continued. The minotaur’s blade we a shorter and jagged blade that soaked in the minotaur’s ferocity. Derek used to expertly parry minotaur’s attacks.
Wes took the opportunity to strike, using his shield to bash the minotaur in the face. The beast stumbled backward, momentarily dazed by the blow. Ian seized the opportunity and unleashed a powerful burst of flames, engulfing the minotaur in a wall of fire.
The beast roared in pain as it was consumed by the flames. It thrashed and swung its sword. As the boss rampaged Derek tried to move out of the way. Wes used his power to deflect most of the attacks, but Derek was thrown against a wall anyway.
James realized the dire situation and looked for an opening while charging up a mana arrow. He realized that he should have done this much sooner. The lighting arrow flickered for a moment before leaving his bow and discharging in the minotaur’s body.