“Where are the others?” James shouted as he ran closer.
He drew his bow in defense against the Eagles. He fired off a volley of arrows into the sky. The Eagles were hit by a few but continued their attack.
“Back at the rock giant, I think. I got out of there the only way I could. Kira is badly injured now. Can we hide somewhere until they get bored of us? I am running low on mana.”
“I don’t know this whole floor well, but it should be just hills and rock beasts for a few miles until we hit the dungeon’s magic barrier going around the entire floor. We need to head back to the rock beast. We can’t leave them behind. If they are alive then maybe..”
James jumped to the side and an eagle’s talons swiped by where he once was. The eagle led out a caw and spun back around once they had reached a high enough altitude. James checked his side and felt blood. His thoughts raced as he considered how to get himself and the others out of this situation and whether or not the hit was worth it. James felt his sideburn as he raised his bow again to take another shot.
“Ian. We need to run back to the rock beast. It is our only chance because its large body provides some cover, and we need the help of others. If we could kill off enough of the eagles then maybe the rest will leave us alone. We can’t stay out here. Naomi and Ian's cover be as we go,” said James.
He pulled out a health potion and downed it. It immediately started to slow the bleeding and would continue to seal the wound while they ran. James kept up with the others while they fired off defensive shots. The shots hit regularly but the eagles were so fast that the attacks grazed off the dodging creatures.
James rolled away from another attack narrowly missing the claws of another eagle. The eagles dove down, screeching and clawing at them as they ran. James fired off a few arrows, trying to slow the eagles down, but they were quick and agile, making it difficult to hit them.
As they reached the rock beast, James breathed a sigh of relief. Its large body provided some cover, and they could regroup and plan their next move.
He turned to Naomi and Ian, "Alright, we need to work together to take these eagles down. We need to focus on taking out as many as possible so the rest will leave us alone."
The three of them huddled together, firing off arrows at the eagles as they swooped down. James' wound continued to burn, but the potion had done its job and the bleeding had slowed. James searched the underbelly of the rock beast and saw no one else.
“I thought Wes and Derek would be here. If nothing else where are their bodies?”
The eagles screeched and one dived down through the air and grabbed Naomi. She was in the middle of grabbing a new arrow and was caught off guard. The claws dug into her shoulders. Her bow now lay on the ground.
She twisted and squirmed as she rose in the air. James and Ian refocused their energy on the threat to Naomi’s life. Her focus shifted to the knives at her sides. Flipping her knives in either hand on her attacker and started stabbing. The eagle’s response was to dig its claws in deeper against the pain of the knives and the other’s occasional attacks. As she hit fifty feet in the air the beast dropped her.
While they were busy with the eagle others swarmed them. Three of them flew down from opposite sides and attacked. The wind picked up around them. James didn’t get to see what happened to Nami. He was too busy fighting that eagle held Naomi as his life blinked away before fully realizing what had happened.
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James woke up and rose from his death back on the 17th floor. Naomi was close and looked over him concernedly.
“Are you ok? You hit your head and you still seem to be out of focus.”
“I should be fine. Just thinking about a lot and maybe hungry,” James said his thoughts going to less important things.
“I’ll see what I have in my bag.”
“I suppose Ian and Derek are gone?”
“Yes, they are. Here are some nuts and fruit.”
“Thanks.”
James took the food quietly stuck in his thoughts.
‘I miss other food. I have eaten these snacks and sandwiches dozens of times by now. I can’t very well cook up some new food from the monsters, so I am stuck with this. Each bite now feels the same and blander than it already is. It doesn’t help that these foods are expedition rations, so they are not of very high quality. I miss my other options. If I can get out of here I am heading to Taron’s Tavern and getting myself a drink and some of his homemade pastries. I need something sweet in my stomach.’
As he finished the last bites of his food James stood up. Together with Naomi and Wes, he ran for the exit. They passed the remains of skeletons and Ian’s successful skirmishes.
James caught up to Ian and Derek fighting the skeletal knight boss like before. James watched them finish the fight while he waited. They wouldn’t spot him due to the fighting and he did not care how the outcome of the fight went.
Derek removed the knight's sword arm and Ian was whittling it down with fire, but it was unfeeling to the pain. With the sword gone Derek made the killing blow and removed the skeleton’s head.
“Nice job,” said James.
He started walking down the hill with Naomi and Wes right behind him. Ian turned to face James and his posture turned defensive. James knew approximately what he was feeling and as such tailored his response.
“Good job Ian. You have done something that has surprised me greatly. I have had to deal with difficult adventurers in the past but never has it caused everyone in my team to be stuck in a dungeon. Look at the portals. Do you see what isn’t there? We can only travel further into the dungeon. Congratulations. We have to go fight the drake to escape. You will beat your brother’s record after all.”
Ian spun around and confirmed the change in the dungeon floor. His feelings were mixed. He knew he had technically ‘won’ but that meant dealing with many challenges with some teammates not interested in continuing forward. He had not really set forth on the 17th floor with a plan and had only rushed into the portal to claim a higher floor level without consideration of his actual performance. And at least according to James, their only way out was getting to the 25th floor. The level his brother could not reach.
“How are we supposed to reach that level?” asked Ian.
“I have run the first 20-ish levels hundreds if not a thousand times. I can get us to the drake with some effort on your end and some luck. We will have to be careful, but it can be done. It starts with the items we have collected so far. For Derek and Naomi, I have the strength and agility items. It will help boost their abilities and survivability. We need to collect a few things for Wes and then we can get an item for both you and him by the 20th floor. Also, we will need Kira. Now let me explain the plan for the next few floors.”
James expanded on how he expected the next few floors would go until they hit floor 21. His plan focused on maximizing how quickly they could rush through the floors while making sure to collect what they would need for the shield and endurance floors. James also added a few things for the boss battle against the drake to the things needed. If their progress continued as usual they would complete the 24th floor the next time through.
They stepped through the portal once he finished his explanation and answered a few questions. James led them through the 18th floor against the minotaurs. He kept an active role in the fighting while watching how the novices were doing. By now he knew their ticks fairly well and how they liked to fight. Wes needed to be pushed forward and was unsteady but reliable while keeping the monsters on him. Ian was forceful, quick, and self-interested. As long as he was safe and not jealous things would not be a problem for him. Derek was reliable but did not make the best decisions evidenced by regularly following Ian’s plans. Naomi was sure of herself and a team player as long as she wasn’t antagonized. James hoped to avoid that this time through the dungeon loop. While the loop was getting repetitive he was glad there were no curveballs to deal with.
They had the 24th floor to conquer.