Upon entering the third floor, we were hit with air so hot and humid we were utterly drenched in seconds. The walls and floor were slick with moisture making our footing perilous as we practically had to swim through the air toward the room ahead. Inside we found ourselves in a massive domed cavern with a small lake taking up all but a few feet inside the door. Through the rising mist, we could see a tiny island at the center.

We both slumped our shoulders as we stared at the water, we could see ripples here and there and the occasional wake of something moving beneath the water at fast speeds. While we stood there looking around for something to tell us what we were supposed to do or maybe a bridge or boat, we both felt whatever controlled this labyrinth removed the suppression from the previous floor. That at least let us relax slightly as the hot air wasn't affecting us as bad, but it still didn't explain what we were supposed to do.

In the end, with no other option, May took off sprinting on top of the water running at her full speed. I lagged slightly but still managed to stay above the water. My foot broke the surface tension at the halfway point, and I went down under the water. As we discussed, May never slowed. We both knew it was unlikely for me to make the full distance with my greater bulk. As soon as my head went under, I spun out hundreds of earth qi threads and formed them into a crude shovel shape in place of my left arm and swam as if the gods themselves were on my tail.

Surprisingly, my swimming speed was almost a match for May's sprinting form, so I didn't fall too far behind. May made it to shore fifty feet ahead of me, and I swore when I saw her face turn white from what she saw coming up behind me. I pumped my arm and scooped faster, but I could already feel my muscles tensing up from the strain, and my qi scoop was beginning to fray. As I clambered out of the water, an arrow whizzed close enough to my face. The feather sliced into my cheek a little and I heard and felt as something clamped shut a mere fraction of an inch from my foot.

We both backed as far from the water's edge as the small island would allow before collapsing from exhaustion. Although the time we spent between the entrance and the island seemed to flash past in a few heartbeats, the swim had lasted nearly fifteen minutes. We took a quick look around, but other than a small wooden box, the island was bare. I crawled over to the chest, too tired to stand, and gave it a cursory once over before emptying the contents into my lap.

I found two fluffy white towels, a jug of clean water, and a copper disc. I handed a towel to May, who accepted it happily. Then we both wiped as much water as we could in this humid air. I opened the jug and, after smelling the water, took a small amount in my mouth. I swished it around a couple of times while trying to discern any strange taste to it. After not detecting anything, I shrugged and drank a large mouthful before handing the jug to May, who also took a long drink.

May stared out over the water toward the next island in what I bet will be a long chain of them. "I can probably reach that one after a good rest, but it is at least a third further away. I don't think you can swim long enough to outpace whatever those things are a second time."

I nodded solemnly at her words while remembering that tiny mouse and how it used its air qi to move around at speeds I can't even comprehend. "I may have an idea, but I will be skipping my experiment stage and going straight to using it in a life and death situation. Not the ideal situation, but I don't see a choice in the matter."

May smiled "all right, I trust you but make sure to meditate and get your qi back to full. I will try and take a nap since I didn't use very much on that sprint across the lake." I nodded then gave her a quick kiss before she laid her head down on my lap. I started drawing in qi a fast as my three opened meridians would allow while my earth and air qi began changing it to their elements. I still think the two different qis are somewhat aware because of how they interact and do things independently.

When I felt I had most of my reserves back, I began experimenting on releasing small bursts of air qi from the soles of my feet. It was surprisingly easy, but that might have something to do with the two opened meridians in my feet. I'm glad I listened to May when she suggested where to begin after I started building the channels. After getting the hang of releasing the short bursts of qi, I gently lay May's head down on a folded towel and got to my feet.

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I moved a few feet away, and to be safe, only letting out a small jet of air from one foot. My foot jerked up over my head, causing me to do a semi-cartwheel backflip, landing on my face barely six inches from May, who was watching me with wide, confused eyes. I tried to smile but ended up coughing up a mouthful of sand and blood. May frowned but helped me sit up and cleaned my face while I tried to understand where I went wrong.

While I was lost in thought, May had decided the leather armor was more a hindrance in this humid floor and began removing it from the two of us. Unfortunately, the leather cords tieing it in place had swelled from all the moisture, and she had to cut it away, turning it all into useless scrap that she tossed into the water. I didn't blame her. It smelled awful from all the sweat and grime we managed to accumulate these last couple of days.

I sighed in defeat, not understanding how to fix my problem in a short amount of time. I had used the smallest amount of qi I could manage at the time. I slapped my knee in frustration. Movement from May caught my eye and left my mouth agape. She was still wearing my shirt, and she was standing there fanning it up and down, trying to get some air inside. But what dumbfounded me was the fact that every time she lifted the shirt, she was exposing the fact that she was wearing nothing at all beneath. I looked around, finding her linen pants spread out in the sand like she was trying to dry them out.

I had an immediate reaction below as I watched. I stared dazed at May's body glistening with sweat. She noticed my attention, and an evil smile spread across her face making me shiver despite the heat of this place. May sauntered over, still fanning herself, and knelt in front of me. "Did you figure anything out, my dearest husband?" I shook my head, still unable to avert my gaze from her lower half.

Suddenly May sprang to her feet. She lifted her last piece of the garment over her head, dropping it down on one of the towels, never looking away from me. Then she gathered her pants and weapons, tieing them inside the same towel. After she slung the bundle over her shoulder, she looked back, smirking. "I bet I know a way to get you out of your slump." Then she was in a full sprint skimming over the water with even more speed and grace than the previous trip. May never glanced back as she headed straight for the next island off in the hazy distance.

I growled low as I adjusted my pants, then I made sure my weapons were secure. With a roar, I sprinted out over the water in pursuit of my cruel wife. The sprint was more effortless the second time as I knew the timing of my steps better and could more accurately push off on each step. I made it a little over half by my guestimate before I felt my momentum begin to slow. My mind had been busy trying to remember every detail of the little white mouse's strange movement during my run. That's how I concluded that I needed to do it and hopefully learn it quickly.

As my right foot sank into the water, I leaned forward as far as possible before letting out a burst of qi, propelling me forward at an incredible pace. A single step took me two dozen feet giving me ample time to get my left foot in position to do it again. My method was crude but worked. I had to make several course corrections during my first several minutes, but I eventually found myself heading directly toward my goal, spotting May waving and clapping from shore.

When I reached the shore, I found I still had plenty of energy and not wanting to stop. I scooped up May as I passed, ignoring the wooden chest as I headed directly for the next island chain. May was shocked at first, but once she realized how fast we were traveling, she wrapped her legs around my waist and arms around my neck, giving me complete control. I began laughing at the rush I felt. At the same time, I could feel May was equally excited by the speed we were going. She even waved at something left in our wake.

As we blew by the next island in less than half the first, I noticed two wooden chests, but I kept going. Each island sported another box until we reached the fifth, where we found our first iron-bound wood chest. Still, I didn't stop, and in fact, I sped up as the more I ran, the easier it became to control the air qi. I could even make slight course corrections by releasing slightly more or less qi the moment my foot touched the surface of the lake.

I would probably keep going longer, but May whispered into my ear that she needed to stop at the next island. I reached up, swatting her naked bottom, letting her know I understood. Sure, I could have nodded, but where is the fun in that. May decided to bite my ear in retaliation, which only made me want to punish her more. Of course, that's about when I realized I didn't know how to stop or, for that matter, slow down. I winced as the next island drew closer. At least it's a big one. I thought right before I wrapped my arm around May and did my best to guide our crash landing in such a way that I took the brunt of the hit and subsequent slide across the sandy shore.

Before we even came to a complete stop, May was already trying to remove my pants. I gave her an adoring smirk. I guess her teasing backfired seems she is even hornier than I am.