Chapter 39
“I’m sure you already know this floor is dangerous.” Z said as the group stood before the theatrical entryway James had designed for his sixth floor. They’d gotten to the old shack without any resistance, save for a few pot-shots by distant painguins. Those attacks might as well have been shot from squirt guns, as Oak, even distracted by his new unique toy, was able to easily block them. The Knights Who Go Ni had more than enough experience on the fifth floor to handle any surprises it threw their way, meaning James and Rue, had nothing to fear.
It also meant they didn’t get any experience towards level 80.
“That feels like an understatement.” Rue commented with a chuckle. “Didn’t you guys mention earlier you’d wiped on this floor?”
Z ran a hand through his hair, offering her a sheepish smile. “Well, I did,” he looked at the others, “but to be fair, we were being pretty reckless. Level wise we aren’t up to par anyways to really do too much on this floor. If the dungeon follows its normal trend, the boss has to be at least level 100. But we were still able to handle the basic mobs, even with it being our first time seeing them.”
“Oh, so you found the boss?” Rue asked with an eyebrow raised. She knew full well they hadn’t. James had missed the run itself, due to his conversation with Hades, but Rue and Steve had watched the run in full.
“Well, no…” Z looked at the others, but they all shook their heads. No one was going to help him out in this situation. And Rue was being ruthless.
“So, you died to those basic mobs?” Rue said, her tone filled with amusement. “The ones you just said you are able to handle.”
“Like I said, we were being reckless.” Z shot the others a quick glare that easily implied he was not going to forgive them for not helping out, before he looked back at James and Rue. “Either way, we know what we’re facing now, and know a decent bit about the layout of the floor. So we can pretty much guarantee we’ll get you two to level 80 here pretty fast, as long as nothing crazy happens.”
“Sounds like a plan,” James rubbed his hands together, excited to finally reach that milestone. Unlike the frozen fifth floor, the labyrinth of the six floor was warm and humid. However, his hands still felt cold and stiff, and he couldn’t help but shiver. It wasn’t from excitement. His anxiety was filling him to the brim, and he knew he couldn’t prolong this much longer.
“I uh,” James’s voice cracked a bit, and he growled, trying to clear his throat. The sound, coming from his archon form’s bestial head, echoed in an ominous way. “I want to talk with you guys about something.”
“Oh yeah?” Z and the others crowded around, drawing closer to him. They were all relaxed, smiling and clearly having fun. To them, this was all just a game after all. And from their point of view, they were just getting to enjoy the opportunity of playing the game with one of the developers. “What’s up Nyx?” Z pressed.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
James looked at Rue, opened his mouth to speak, but Rue cut him off.
“Not right here,” Rue said quickly, pulling the focus back to her. A smile crept onto her face, as she took the lead. “If I remember correctly, this dungeon floor has musical mobs, right?”
Oak visibly blanched, and James remembered the poor tank’s experience with them.
“That it does,” Elm said, slapping the tank on the back, “my brother here was a total fanboy, got himself killed by them.”
Oak slapped the hand away, and the two shared a laugh, before the tank spoke. “You’re asking about the J-kappas, right?”
“Those are the ones,” Rue smiled, eyes gleaming mischievously. “I think we should talk once we find them. There’s something I think you guys would enjoy seeing, before we take a moment to talk.” She looked around at their current surroundings. Dim lighting, stone walls and floor, it was mostly quiet. So quiet in fact, that James realized their voices carried and echoed quite a bit. He’d been so nervous and stressed about what he needed to tell the Knights, that he’d forgotten the original plan. They were going to come to the sixth floor, and make sure it was as impossible as possible, for anything they said to be overheard.
“So you didn’t know about Hokey Pokey,” Z looked accusingly at Rue, “but you know about the J-Kappas?”
“Different groups worked on different things in the game.” Rue said in response. “With how many monsters there are across DCO, there were countless teams designated to various creature designs. Others, were tasked with tasks adjacent to monsters. Such as, research for musical inspiration for certain mobs, or other pop culture type necessities.” She winked at Z, “I can’t say what I was a part of, but I’m just saying, there are sooo,” she dragged the words out, “many things that overlap within DCO, that it’s not all that weird to think I know about some monsters and not others.”
“Pop culture you say?” Z looked Rue up and down, “I’d expect someone older would have a role like that. Though, I suppose your avatar doesn’t necessarily have to reflect how you look in the real world. After all, while you could totally be a blood sucker for all I know, I don’t think you’re a vampire.” He looked from Rue, back to James. “Does she sparkle in the sunlight?”
“Uh?” Before James caught up in the conversation, laughter broke out as everyone, including Rue, seemed to immediately relax again, the mood in the area lightening for the moment. James hadn’t realized how tense he’d been, or how stuffy the air had felt. With that interaction though, and the fact they would need to find the J-Kappa’s first, before he had to have his talk with Z and the others, James relaxed, once more.
“Thank you,” he whispered to Rue, as the party began making its way through the labyrinth, their laughter echoing down the hallways, leading the way.
“I cannot do this for you,” Rue said softly, taking his hand in hers, “but I’ll be right there beside you, supporting you, every step of the way.”
James squeezed her hand, looking down into her eyes, wishing they were back in their normal forms so he could giver her a hug and kiss.
“However,” Rue’s mischievous smile was back, “it’s your platinum we’re using for the J-Kappas, not mine.”
James wanted to protest, but before he could, Rue let go of his hand, and skipped happily forward. With a resigned sigh, he followed after her. Damnit Rue.