When James stepped onto the 24th floor again he was disappointed. Things had generally gone his way so far, but they had been slow this time around. Slow to collect and craft the shield. Slow to climb the mountain and slow to beat the monsters each time. Maybe it was just because James and done this a thousand times and the novices had technically done it only once. Still, he looked forward to beating this floor and seeing a new one.
The look of each floor had since been ingrained in him and the path he needed to take. Before leaving on this trip, James had taken hundreds of young adventures on this path. Each was unique and interesting with fun people around him to distract from the fact that he had seen the same hills, mountains, caves, and more a thousand times before.
Stepping back onto the 24th floor James had a simple plan. It probably should have been done before but James was a bit too optimistic last time and so he changed. He would help collect each one with the others before running off to collect the Jasper. It was a simple plan but should be effective. As long as the birds did not interfere with the collection there would be nothing stopping him from running away with the keys to the portal. Even if they caught up to him they should be able to activate the portal before any serious harm befell them. Of course, many things could still go wrong but he hoped to handle it all.
James’s speed at climbing had increased slightly since his first time entering the floor. It wasn’t a skill he normally practiced but one he was getting more and more practice with after these repeated hours of work. Normally he stuck to the lower 20 floors and as such did little more than guide people with occasional mixes of fighting thrown in.
James moved his hands and feet quickly while scaling the side of the first rock beast. He occasionally paused to look back on how the others were doing. He only did it occasionally because by now he expected them to have no issues. James stepped up onto the back of the beast and stretched. He flexed his fingers and felt the tenseness and sore spots start to fade. When he spun around the others were starting to arrive, so he helped them up once they reached the peak.
“Follow me and we can collect the first gem before moving on to the next one. Due to the danger of the eagles on this floor, we will stick together until the last gem needs to be found. I want to avoid any issues especially because we are so close to the 25th floor.”
Their group of five walked to the neck of the rock beast and collected the amethyst James expected. Naomi pried the gem out of the rock using one of her knives and pocketed it into her bag. While she took care of that James started searching for their next target.
James already knew which one he wanted to target based on the previous loop he just needed to find it again. They regrouped near the rock beast’s front right leg and began preparations for descending. James pointed out which one they planned to climb next and got started.
James’s hands slid down the rope and alternated as he descended. His feet pushed off the rock and kept him steady along the way. The others followed him down and kept up without issue.
“How are we going to defeat the drake?” asked Naomi. Her feet thumped and hit the grass.
“I don’t have a set plan yet, but I’ve got three bottles of poison that will last for a dozen shots. They will help us weaken the drake so that we can finish it off. We will have to be cautious, but we can do it.”
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‘I have to,” he thought to himself.
“We can also take our time resting before leaving this floor as the portal won’t open until all of the keys are placed.”
Their group ran towards their next objective. It was a straightforward climb to the top of the next rock beast once they arrived. Using some of their rope and tools they climbed. Each of the rock beasts had a different pattern of rock or sometimes a different type of rock entirely which caused the difficulty of the climb to change. This climb was a little harder due to the limited natural rest points, notches for feet and hands, and the height of the climb. Once they reached the top of the rock beast, they were rewarded with a stunning view of the surrounding landscape. They took a moment to catch their breath and take in the scenery before continuing on to their next objective. An onyx gem was collected by Naomi, and she pocketed it.
While looking around James searched for the beast Ian, Wes, and Derek had climbed. He did not want to waste time repeating that incident. There was no clear choice so James picked the next closest one that they had not climbed but would not near the eagle’s nest at the same time.
Their search took a bit longer than usual due to their exhaustion by that point. The five of them had been climbing and running around for the better part of three hours by now and it would not be stopping soon. James checked for the gem this time around and found a second amethyst. He returned to the others with the bad news before they rested.
They set up camp on the rock beast and recuperated for the rest of the hour while the rock beast’s movements carried them and shook them slightly. James did occasionally check on where the other rock beasts were and the ones they had climbed. When he noticed them veering closer to the eagles they prepared to descend once more.
At this point, the descents were comfortable enough for all of them that it went by quickly. In almost half the time they climbed they were back on the ground. James gathered up the rope and other things into his bag while pointing them in a new direction.
They stuck gold on their next climb. The green jade stuck out on the brown rock, so James and Naomi were able to pick it out quickly. While Naomi pried the gem out James made note of the location they were in. He had not always been watching closely but he worked his way back to a picture of where this rock beast had been an hour ago. He would have to confirm his theory next run but that was what being in a time loop meant by now.
James checked their heading and saw that they were already on a course toward the exit portal.
“Perfect. We’ve got three of the four gems so we will all be getting off here to avoid any chance of the eagles getting a whiff of us. I am going to collect the last gem alone. It is moving very quickly and the rock beast it is on is close to the eagles. It is not a risk I want everyone to take so I will go alone. Take the time to rest and mentally prepare. It will take me about an hour or so. Set up the rest of the portal while you wait I will meet you there.”
“Are you sure you should go alone?” asked Wes.
“Yes. The fewer of us go the better. I know you guys are also quite tired. We’ve not only been climbing for hours but it has been a dozen hours since we entered the dungeon. You need the rest. Going alone will mean less of a chance to get caught by the eagles. I also have more of a chance to run away if need be.”
James resumed tying off the rope and went first down the side of the rock beast.
The climb up the next rock beast was lonely without anyone with him. He had already watched the others run to the exit. He guessed that by now the gems were in place. They now just waited for him.
He heard the occasional sounds of eagles as he climbed but had not spotted them flying up above. His clothes blended pretty well with the rocks on some portions of the rock beast. He felt more exhausted the further he climbed and took a few breaks in alcoves along the way. He felt nervous while climbing and the feelings grew. Not because of the requirements for this floor but for what he had to face next. It was a powerful beast he had only ever assisted in the killing. Those that faced it usually came much better prepared or died. It would also be his first time leading a team to kill the drake. Those worries did not fade as he collected the jasper gem from the rock beast and descend off it.
James walked past the novices and straight to the exit. He Forcefully pushed the gem into its slot and the portal activated. He sat down in the grass and turned to the others who waited.
“Let’s go kill the drake.”