Clyde's POV
Going down into the third floor nothing really surprises us. We had long realized that there would not be any encounters in the first room of any floor. We used the time to get our bearings and prepare for the first actual third floor encounter. Nothing could have really prepared us for the first encounter though. It was the first-floor boss, except now there was four of them.
Cole took on two of them by himself. Darrel tried his best to keep a third one tied up while I fought with one of my own. Chandra was off apparently searching for traps while the rest of us were fighting. It's only now fighting the dire rat alone that I realize just how strong they are. It's not that the first boss has gotten weak it's that we have each individually gotten stronger than it. In a one-on-one fight though it's not as one sided anymore. While I'd like for her to help us fight these dire rats first. I also don't want to trigger a trap while I'm fighting so I chose not to say anything. Besides it usually doesn't take to long for her to finish checking and disarming any traps she does find.
The first one to score a kill is surprisingly Darrel. I didn't see what happened, but he is now helping Cole deal with the other two. As for me I'm embarrassed to admit I might actually need some help. I'm still sore from the previous boss encounter and It's all I can do to keep up with the dire rat. I'm not defeated yet though. Just as it lunges for towards me yet again it's suddenly struck in the side by a throwing knife. This throws it off balance enough to give me an opening. Before it can reorient itself, I bring my sword down stabbing right through its skull.
As soon as the dire rat dies, I can feel my level up coming. Finally, I'm level 12 as well. I don't have time to celebrate right now though as I turn to go help Cole and Darrel only to see them finishing off the last dire rat. Ok then, I guess I do have time to celebrate after all. I tell the others about my level up as we recover and gather the loot. Going from 11 to 12 isn't nearly as special as going from 9 to 10 but a level is still a level. Not only does it make me stronger which in turn makes the party stronger, but it also brings me one step closer to obsidian rank.
Chandra and Darrel even managed to kill some rabbits and chickens that were wondering around. I don't think they got any experience for it, but they did drop the appropriate types of meat which is nice. It will give folks on the surface more variety in their diet without needing to have as much stuff shipped in. It will be a long time before we can start farming the first few floors regularly. It's nice to know that this is here all the same.
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As we're getting ready to leave Chandra points out a suspicious area in the ground that she spotted asking what she should do about it. After confirming several times that it's not a trap I allow her to dig it up though I'm still not entirely convinced it isn't a trap. To everyone's surprise however it turns out to be a treasure chest. Opening it up we receive six silver coins, a potion of healing, four potions of minor healing, and two mana potions. After a brief discussion I decide that we will not be including this in the official information about the third floor. I'm not sure why the dungeon would create such a chest but it's clear from the loot it's not meant to be discovered every delve.
Before heading into the next room, I take the healing potion. It's far more potent than a normal healing potion and I can already feel my sores going away. Potions can't cure exhaustion but other than that I'm back to peak health. It's a good thing to because as we enter the next room the first think I notice is that it's much bigger than any of the others. There's even a forest in the middle of the room. Seeing a forest growing in an area that is clearly underground feel wrong in a way that's hard to describe Sure the multiple light crystals do their best to give the illusion of a sky but it's not the same. For one I can still clearly see the ceiling and for two theirs not even any real illusion magic involved.
Putting the oddness of this room aside we enter the forest, and it doesn't take long to run into a group of goblins. Goblins are kind of a dungeon staple so I figured it wouldn't be long before we ran into them. It could be worse a suppose. I've heard rumors that in the kingdom of Morassmoor there is a dungeon that consists entirely of goblins. So, all things considered finding the little bug-eyed freaks of nature on the third floor isn't that bad. Not that it makes their appearance any less disturbing.
These things are surprisingly tough despite being half the size of Lily. The worst part is the sheer number of them. Our fight is attracting more and more. Already I count ten of them. All of whom despite not being anywhere close to sapient seem to be smarter than the average goblin. Eventually between Darrel ensnaring a few of them with his water vines and Chandra's throwing knives starting to find their mark we start to gain the upper hand.
Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any more. It still takes us far longer than I care to admit to deal with the remaining goblins. By the time the last goblin dies we're all in need of some rest. After making sure that everyone's fine Lily goes about harvesting some kind of fruit from the trees. It's not any kind of fruit I've ever seen but Lily insists that it's a good thing. I'm not sure how she knows that seeing as I'm almost positive she's never seen it before today. She did get that foraging skill so I suppose it's possible she can see details about it that the rest of us can't.
What I'm more interested in is another source of water. I'm already having to send people in between delves to collect water just to barely sustain the current population. Even with that I don't think the current population would be sustainable without Darrel and a few other water mages helping out by conjuring water. So, this extra water came at the perfect time. I just need to remember to pack extra waterskins next time so I can actually collect it. While I'm thinking about it, it might be a good idea to pack an ax so we can chop down these trees for the lumber as well.