We won! We had won against the alpha cobgoblin and its cohort and in the aftermath of winning my first boss battle and the marathon of skirmishes before that? The flopping to the floor and maniacal laughing in pain turned that I did after our victory transformed into collapsing unconscious.

I woke with a blanket wrapped on and under me, and my head on something I quickly recognized as Cerbearus. It took me a minute to make out my surroundings thanks to my vision being blurry, but as soon as I stumbled into sitting up I saw the rest of my party. Over a strange folding contraption like a tandoor oven and a grill combined, Kieran worked at making flat breads; and I could tell that from the smell alone. Kenneth ladled a savory-smelling stew into bowls, and I felt my stomach grumbling just from the smell of the food. A cindnutum chomped on wood under the stewpot and the oven grill; providing the necessary heat for them.

Calvin and Alec stood guard at the singular entrance to the ready-made palisade, and beside them were Craytipult and the still unidentified woodpecker monster that was the partner of Calvin. For a split second, Alec even turned his head to glance in my direction, but then looked away.

I couldn’t take more in before Moriah thumped me on the back.

“You sure threw everything you had at that Cobgoblin Alpha, duck! I had to carry you back here myself after you passed out.”

With the thump, there was a warning feline growl from my stomach. Quickly, I found that I had hallucinated the blanket. Bagheera lay sprawled across my lap and even in its sleepy state it warned Moriah against so much as touching me again.

I sighed, then looked around. “And Eris?”

Moriah hooked her thumb in the direction of the pile of backpacks and blankets on the furthest side from the palisade entrance, and after a second I noticed Eris. She was snoring, with her Hyporvid perched upon a bag near her head, and the rock dog of her’s laying by her side. She was covered in bandages, and snoring away.

Seeing that was an instant flood of relief, and soon Kenneth and Kieran proceeded to hand out the food they had just made. It was followed by clear glass bottles which I might have misunderstood if I had not learned to read Hekatondronan.

They were root beers, and somehow glistening with dew as if pulled from an ice chest. I found that even if I was in pain from the battle before, my body was famished. My stomach made that plain to me, and so rather than think or talk I proceeded to devour the bread and stew. Between bites, I took sips of the root beer and realized how much I had missed it.

Which is when I saw the benefit of cooks, even ones still in the apprentice class, being in an adventuring party in this world. As I came close to finishing the meal, I began to see prompt windows.

[[You have consumed FRESH BREAD and BEEF STEW. You have regained 15 Health Points. You have begun to regenerate health by 1% per eight minutes for the rest of the dungeon]]

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

[[You have consumed TIPSY TAURACEAN ROOT BEER. You have gained an increase of CONSTITUTION and LUCK by 5 points for the remainder of the dungeon.]]

As I took that in, Kenneth and Kieran handed out food to the monsters assembled as well.

***

With the food and drink digesting, I found myself falling back asleep and as I did I quickly fell into dreams. They were furtive at first but soon followed by flashed of image.

A horse sized beast of feathers running like an ostrich dominated my vision and I found myself running. In my conscious mind after waking there was no mistaking it for anything but a velicoraptor, and the sense of malice it excuded was impossible to miss. I felt terror so immense that my heartbeat thumped in my ears.

But I stood my ground, and grasped the carved bone in my hand tighter. Instinctively I knew it was my father's; and I let out a roar at this raptor and slashed at it. It dodged with ease but I had never truly attacked; my movement had been a feint and more.

As it chased me, I ran from it until I hit a slight rise in the land. Then I leaped to the side but its speed, size and strength did not allow for easy turning.

A wildling of a boy, dressed in worn hides and furs flashed by my vision. It fell and landed with a thud followed with a scream of pain. I let out a grin as I stared at it with my saber length smilodon tooth still in my hand. Father had taught me that; back when I was home.

Soon, its screeches, screams and calls ended and a transparent wall appeared in front of me. It was the dull slate of a cave and painted with charcoal imagery. Paintings, pictograms. I couldn't understand them but one glowed like a star against night's sky.

[[It showed a smilodon swiping its claw and beside it a tick line, one I later realized had been like a Roman digit for one.

Beneath it showed a man stalking across grass and a similar tick mark.

Beneath that was a pictogram showing a huge man knapping flint while sitting, and beside him a smaller person doing the same, and two more figures, progressively smaller doing the same. Ten tick marks stood beside it. ]]

Instinctively I took in the last image to mean experience.

The dream ended.

***

I woke up sweating, and found the six of my companions crowded around me.

Alec spoke, "Nightmare?"

Calvin interjected before I could answer; "Indigestion from Kenneth and Kieran's meal probably."

I blinked away at the last of sleep and as I did I shook my head. "No way, it was the best meal I have had since getting here. If only I had known root beer existed here!"

"Ready to go?" Eris chimed in energetically, apparently already back in full health.

I answered with a grin. "If y'all are ready to head back to Strongbridge, I am."

"No, you silly duck! Eris means are you ready to go into the dungeon proper."

That cobgoblin alpha hadn’t even been a boss of the dungeon proper; this was about to be a lot harder than I expected.