This time I luckily crashed into the tent.

Hitting fabric and wooden poles was somehow better than landing myself into the flesh of the grey animal.

I managed to land on someone though, so I was still wet again when I stood up. I shook violently in an attempt to get the guts of the enemy off me. I had to wipe my mouth, but I accidentally got some in my mouth making me gag. I sputtered attempting to spit it out.

“Just nasty!”

I shuddered reflexively then looked around. I didn’t want to repeat my last mistake and run off the side of it, so I picked my right and ran at a slower speed.

Once I saw a fabric wall in front of me that looked brighter than the ones I’d seen previously, I slowed to a stop.

I grabbed it and ripped a hole and saw that it was the side of the mount. I poked my head through the hole and saw a mount on the ground a bit of a way in front of me. I turned to my left to see the tail of the mount. I pulled my head back inside and started off in the opposite direction.

Since I was sure that I wouldn’t just run off the side I ran at full speed until I was out of the tent. I was sure if I didn’t work any faster, I’d lose.

The sight outside wasn’t overly promising. Many of the mounts to my right were already on the ground. Infront of me there was about three more. Scratch that, one just fell down. I looked to my left and saw the two I needed to get.

I ran for the head under a barrage of arrows. Once I got there, I turned and pushed off from it aiming for the head of the one next to me.

I crashed into the upper tusk. Which hurt more than falling into the ground. I felt the air forced out of me. I gasped for air to refill my lungs and rested a little before I kept going.

I got right back at it though and threw myself up its tusk. I finally managed the right strength and landed at the point where the tusk protruded from the skin. One more throw and I was on top of its head.

More arrows came my way, but I ignored them running across the top of the head and jumping at the last point towards the final mount on my side. I turned in midair and soon felt the warm wet texture of the mount encasing my back.

Landing not headfirst into it was much better but I was looking forward to washing all this off. Maybe I’d be able to get Paeris to rinse me off before we leave the floor.

I climbed up the head. Instead of jumping in a direction, I looked up and launched myself into the air.

Once I was up, I looked down to see the hole I made and watched the mount fall beneath me.

I heard the congratulatory ding and the banner appeared in front of me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations on clearing the 30th floor!

The previous record has been beaten!

17/17 mounts defeated after 1:30:20 passed.

Rewards will be calculated.

Transportation commencing in

3

2

1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

This was a lot faster than the previous teleports. The world disappeared around me but instead of the living room. We appeared in a small yard outside a house.

“So how many did you get?” Dodger asked.

I turned around.

“I think eight.”

She grinned, “woo I win, I got nine!”

“Wait how?”

I turned to look at the others and Paeris shrugged.

“We figured you guys would have more fun competing for the total amount, so we just watched. And since we didn’t do anything, we can move onto the next floor as long as you two aren’t tired.”

“I want my spoils first!” Dodger said.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but all we got was a crate of mana stones.”

“What?!”

Dodger went over to Dot who was hunched over the open chest and already sorting through the contents.

“That’s such a waste!”

“Hey, speak for yourself. I for one am quite excited to play with these.”

I was a little disappointed I didn’t win but I guess it didn’t matter too much. It was pretty close, and I got to see my new strength. But I didn’t really manage to get any control over it.

“Before we climb though, Quartz if you don’t mind, I’d like to rinse you off.”

“Please do.”

Water crashed down on me a second after a responded. It didn’t get all of it though, so he doused me a few more times and then used some air to dry me off.

“Much better,” he said.

“Dot, just take it inside you can play with them after the next floor.”

“Fiiiiine.”

She put the ones she’d taken out already and put them into her storage ring before closing the chest and lifting it up. Lefty opened the door for her, and she went inside.

Paeris dumped water onto Dodger as well but there was less to wash off.

“You could’ve warned me” she muttered swiping away some pieces of fabric that didn’t move. “Also Quartz, You shouldn’t really bother with wearing a shirt too much. It’s kind of a waste. Just stick to your leather chest guard. It’s easier to put aura on something leather than your shirt. Well, I mean metal is probably best, but you’ve only got that leather one right now, right?”

I looked over at her confused.

“Why?”

I looked down at my shirt and saw it all torn up from the spears that hit me.

“Oh, yeah, well I don’t have that leather thing anymore I lost it on the orc floor I think.”

“Dot grabbed it for you, she fixed it while we were waiting for you guys to finish,” Sailhin said.

Mezu tackled me before I could answer. He sat on my stomach and bounced beaming.

“That’s uncomfortable bud.”

I pushed him of slightly so I could sit up, but not completely. I lifted him up and placed him in my lap when I was more comfortable.

“Sorry I ran off bud, were you able to watch though?”

He nodded and Brick came over a soft smile on his face and picked Mezu up, holding a handout to me.

“He sat with Brick the whole time.” Alcoroth said.

I let him help me up and took Mezu back.

“Thanks Brick, I kind of forgot when she suggested the competition.”

He smiled and gestured for Dodger’s attention before signing.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind watching him. I’m happy you and Dodger can have fun like that.”

Dodger’s face reddened slightly, and she looked away from him.

“It’s not like we don’t have fun together.”

He signed again and I put Mezu on my shoulders.

“Well, that’s just ‘cause you haven’t been taught to use your mana well. I’m sure if you got more practice with it you could keep up just fine.”

“Yeah Brick, don’t sell yourself short. Even among the other physical enhancement manipulators at the camp you were far ahead of them,” Paeris said, “it’s just that Quartz and Dodger are aura users, mana can’t compete with that.”

He was a lot more animated than I expected him to be. Brick smiled at him and signed some more.

I noticed I was rocking back and forth but didn’t want to stop.

“I meant,” Alcoroth was now translating in my ear “while I enjoy fighting it was never to the extent that Dodger does, so I’m just glad she can have fun competing with someone that enjoys it as much. But thanks mom.”

Alcoroth chuckled at Paeris’s sign name.

Paeris blushed and muttered in Elvish, “could you not think of me as your mom.”

Brick tilted his head confused.

“Use common mom,” Dodger grinned.

“I said stop calling me mom, it’s weird.”

“Well, you and dad are the oldest and it’s not like Sailhin is the mom type.”

“I’m not that old,” he muttered looking away.

“By the way Quartz, how old are you? You’re half elf, so you’re probably older than me, right? Dodger asked.

I shrugged, “I never really paid attention to it. I think I’m at least forty something though.”

“You’re younger than me?!” Dot asked coming back out with Lefty, she stormed close and peered up at me. “Are you sure?”

“Well, I think it’s around there, I mean I stayed in Naredure around that long and I don’t think I was anywhere else before, and I didn’t spend too many years in Azmar… I think.”

“You were in Naredure? I didn’t even get to go there, what’s it like I heard that they found a new mithril vein about twenty years ago, they must have been going crazy about it.”

I hesitated, I didn’t remember much of my time there, and my uncle kept me away from the mines. But I wouldn’t’ve not known if they had found a new mithril vein.

I shrugged, “I don’t remember hearing about it. Maybe I’ve got my times wrong. Sailhin said you grabbed my leather chest thing?”

“Oh right! Almost forgot about it. I just replaced the strap. I put a durability enhancement on it so it should hold.”

She reached into her storage ring and after a little bit of searching pulled it out. She tossed it and I caught it.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, let’s get going then. No need to take a break.”