Gisele’s POV

I was getting ready for a fight, as soon as I was sure, that Zar is somewhat protecting my backs, I rushed at my enemies. I took my first step… and plate under my feet started shining. Yes, there are various traps in dungeon, also those which teleports you… BUT ON VERY 1st FLOOR DAMN IT!

In a blink on an eye light surrounded me, I felt as if my guts were being squeezed out of me, and in very next moment I found myself in yet different room. Now, teleportation traps used to transport you to hidden room within the same floor, one that can be opened only from inside. You would get ambushed, yet if you would survive you would be rewarded handsomely… It’s not the case. The air got much colder which means that I was transferred into higher floor. Much higher.

The old man’s training methods are bit extreme. I recalled as he would assault me in random time. While eating – wooden spoon would land over my head. While studying – he cared about my intellect too… even if he failed horribly, a huge fuller would fall over my hands... he told that I have to predict unpredictable. To always be ready.

His teaching saved my life multiple times… It saved my life this time too. Something inside of me twisted, I knew this feeling, wasting no time I jumped to the side avoiding huge war axe in last second. After gaining save distance I looked at my attacker – a minotaur. Creature as tall as two humans combined, with ridiculously muscled body.

“Strong one? Good…” I heard him mutter to himself.

They are yet another kind of beast kin, just far more savage and aggressive. Despite having fully grown intelligence they picked to live in dungeons and other hostile lands living like bandits, rapist and murderers.

For me, it meant two things, one – I was over 40th floor; two – where is one minotaur… there is at least one whole tribe.

The truth of my statement was proved in very next moment, when from behind the monsters back two more bull-kin came.

“Food?” 2nd asked pointing at me “No. She is strong. Strong father and strong mother gives strong offspring. We will take her to the village.”

The 1st said.

Like hell I will! They may be strong… but as long as there are only three of them, I should manage to bring them down. The only thing I fear, is that sound of battle may bring more of them.

Tsh, thinking about it will bring me nowhere, this is why into such dangerous dungeon I always take a bigger party. I am muscle of the team, I used to leave thinking to somebody else.

… But wait… there is nobody else here… nobody that I would be afraid to hurt…

Without noticing I smiled baring my row of sharp teeth. It’s been so long since I could to get some relief…

I balanced sword in my hands, playing with it from side to side, I lowered my whole body a little, and then using my tail as spring I rushed between all three of them.

They cooperation was pretty good, the one in the front raised his axe over his head to bring it down, the second tried to swing from the side. Continuing my rush forward was out of question, if I didn’t want to get cut in half, so was occupied my left side.

Beast on my right took a supportive position by moving three steps back. They wanted me to go that direction. Like hell I will!

I am a DRAGONESS! I trained my body under most cruel teacher ever living! Don’t judnge me with your own measures!

I hit the floor with my feet and jumped in the sky over their heads. As I was passing the 1st one by, I swung my blade chopping his head off. I landed with grace about two meter behind them. The head hit the floor and rolled a little about second or two after me.

“Strong woman and strong man will give a strong child? Sounds right… so… When those strong one will come?”

Monsters roared enraged.

They rushed to the sides as they wanted to strike me from both directions. I didn’t mind. I stood there smiling waiting for them to move. Swings came simultaneously. I took a step back, parried attack from the left and dodged strike from the right, I kept changing my footing stance, making pirouette after pirouette. Step back, dodge parry. Step back, parry, dodge.

With each step back I took I forced them to change their formation. With each step they were moving a little bit to the front of me. I waited for an opening… And I hoped that I would find one soon, for I am not a patient type.

My breathing turned a little shallow, my mind was slowly turning blurry.

Aaaand my patience vanished. If enemy won’t make any opening… you will have to make yourself one!

Ducking under another blow, I fell on the floor, rolled a little and jumped back on my feet. Spun another time and sunk the blade in one of the bull’s leg. The creature fell on his knee, his eyes covered in madness and pure furry.

As one of them has his mobility reduced, start moving in manner to completely shatter their teamwork. Now I could fight with one of them in same time. We were furiously trading blows, yet this time I was the one pushing him back. I was faster, stronger and my skill was highly above his level. The only advantage, that he had, and used skillfully, was his size and thus bigger range.

Yet another time, I moved step back, tricking him into using his range more. As soon as he noticed he had more room, he took a bigger swing to perform a stronger blow. In that moment I rushed in, using all my power I kicked the ground, reducing our distance. My blade penetrated his chest, blood gushed on my face.

I smiled even wider as I lost myself in familiar sensation of heat covering my body. My mind went blank as I stopped thinking and lost myself in battle rage.

Master Jericho told me over and over again, that I shouldn’t lose myself in berserking state. It made me overlook details. Details, such as leaving one of my opponent still breathing. The opponents that would move to my back and wound me.

It wasn’t that painful nor dangerous. In the his condition didn’t allow him to perform truly powerful strike. His blade barely cut my skin... yet that very cut enraged me even further.

For next five minutes I was pulverizing the dead body further into the ground. I stopped only when I heard something from the side. I turned my head in that direction only to witness four more bulls heading in my directions.

My body was exhausted, muscles stiff, with far too many and unnecessary movements the wound on my back grew bit wider… But it was ok. My blind mind didn’t register any of those. I raised my blade in their direction. I wanted to either declare, that they are about to die, or at least roar in anger… but all that escaped my mouth was a silly giggle.

Zari’s POV

Having new senses was bit awkward at first, yet very quickly I realized what a wonderful tools echolocation and heat sensing proved to be. Imagine that you were standing in the dark room. And all of my senses were pretty much mapping this dead, cold, dark room. First – mana sensing, the most treacherous sense – it made a clouds of semi-transparent gas to appear in my “sight”. The problem was, that the whole dungeon was filled with magic, so weaker monsters – like creepers, were barely visible, and as their aura wasn’t strictly attached to them, more like follow them, I often thought that they were in places, that they actually left a moment ago.

Heat sensing was far better. Especially for the monster claded in flesh. Their bodies were still a factory of rotting process, which generated small doses of heat. Within the dark room, a silhouettes painted from dark violet, through green, yellow up to red could be seen.

Finishing with wonderful echolocation. A true cherry on top of the pie. The previous senses allowed me to see only monsters, but not rocks, pillars, furniture… thanks to echolocation, each time as some movement would be done, a waves would be generated. Those wave would travel certain distance growing weaker with time, yet they would mark for a short period of time everything they touched. Every creature that moved around me… abominations that impatiently moved from one feet to another in place, also mentioned by Gisele so called Reversed. Those were standing immobile, yet despite being the zombie, they kept… breathing? Their chest kept moving slightly, just enough to make small vibration to cover their body. And creepers. They were constantly scratching the ground generating easily half of my “vision” marking even creatures that normally would stay invisible for me.

And then, they jump at me. For a moment I turned “blind” again, for the quantity of information I received merged into one agonizing cacophony. All those waves I saw turned into one insane blur before it settled down.

My mind was peaceful again. Quiet and focus.

In war and game of chess, pawns go first. So was now. Dozens of skeleton’s torsos rushed at me scratching the floor. I found my current location too dangerous, so putting force in my lower body I slid my new, huge body into the corner. New speed was extraordinary, I moved at least twice faster than usually without breaking a sweat.

The glaive danced in my hands as I kept swinging from side to side, throwing squishy targets away. One of the creature flew through the hall of the room and shattered over the pillar, after rotating the blade in my hands I attacked vertically impaling another one, leaving glaive inside of broken in half corpse. I finished rest of the creatures using my bare body, using sickles to cut through their bones, clawed hands to rip and tear, or just trample then under my new grown tail.

Few creepers climbed on my back and started scratching furiously, but their claws kept sliding of my scaly tail, and the exoskeleton was too thick for fragile blades that were lacking the force to get penetrated. The only part of my body that could be damaged by those small creatures were either my head – which was outside of their range, or bottom of my tail, which I showed them only while twisting their bodies inside of it.

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

You have slain [Shadowling Creeper Level 16]You have gained [100 exp]Because of the distance your party member will not receive any [exp]

It was one sided slaughter. If those monster would have any muscles within their body, if their attacks would held any strengths… it could be more of the fun… Fun? Yes I was having fun! Me! The one that used to be proud of killing only while necessary, or of never causing excessive pain.

Now, I was regretting, that my enemies couldn’t feel any pain, that I couldn’t hear them scram… to hear them begging for mercy…

~ … yeah sorry for that. Too many animals to keep under control… You and I will need some more time to get used to it. But fear not, eventually we will. We always do.

Wrath… do me a favor.

~Whatever you desire…

…Take your time doing that.

~Ha-ha! Guess who got into pleasure of killing? That’s my boy!

Lust, shouldn’t you be more concerned about spreading love and friendship? I always imagined personification of Lust bit more… hippie?

~As long as meat is being penetrated I will have my treat!

… You are disgusting…

“Basic combat test result is positive. We will leave you now. On every 2nd, 12nd, 22nd and so on floor you will find a warp trap, just like that, that will transport you to 11th, 21st, 31st respectively up to floor 42 which would transport you to your friend’s location, where she would be. Saying so, your test of combat abilities will begin. Good luck… for your and our sake… as well as that woman’s sake. Be quick. It’s not a game. If you would come too late, she will die.”

Their presence vanished in very next moment, as soon as they did the beast felt that they leashes was taken off and ran right away. Pulling glaive out of ground I readied myself for another combat

Gisele’s POV

The room was filled with bodies of minotaurs. I was breathing heavily, my armor was in terrible state, few chains links were cut exposing leather part, which also was tore. I was bleeding from many cuts, my right leg’s muscle was pulled, which made me drag my whole body painfully.

Pain broke through the wall of madness bringing me back to my senses. As soon as I got my mind calmed that one thought appeared in my head:

“I fucked shit up”

Damn! This is why I always have someone with me! To get me back to my senses… Ok, Gis, think! You can do this! So what that it’s hard! Do it! Just do it! Maximum! Effort!

What to do, what to do. Well, I have to get back, obviously… The warp traps are only one way… I mean, what would be the point of those traps if you could simply used it to go back…

I sat in darkened part of the room and start treating my wounds. Out of the pouch I took out dried herbs, added water and started mixing it in order to turn it into a paste that I would put on my wounds. I have lost some blood. Bit too much. This is something I won’t be able to treat on longer period of time, there indeed are potions that helps to regenerate it, but it only boost natural process, which means that I still should be in somewhat peaceful location to let it work… if I had those potions in the first place…

Another enraged roar could be heard from place not too far away. I shivered in desperation more than fear and tried to feat my body more into darkened corner behind the pillar. I heard and felt few creatures entering the room.

“Tsh… there are dead bodies here too… what a shame, those youngling could have become splendid hunters in the future. Whoever did this… he will pay… Grh, that’s Kwazish’s son…” “Should we tell him?” “…Not just yet. It would be better to find whoever did this before telling him. Or his rage may fall upon us instead of intruder… Nothing to see here, their bodies will be used by Black Hoods, as our pact says. Keep moving.”

Slowly, they marched out.

I breathe the sigh of relief. I tied another piece of bandage over my arm. It painted itself in red in no time. Using mu sword I raised up, looked in all directions from behind the pillar before walking out from my cover. I have to leave this hell hole. To leave it, I have to go down. It has been a while since the last time I have been here… but, if I am not wrong stairs to the lower floor should be somewhere in that direction. Zari, I am more than sure that you survived brawl with those weaklings there… do me a favor… leave this place, find someone and tell them to form a rescue team. I will try to slowly head into lowers floors avoiding danger. It will take some time, but I will definitely stay alive…

Yeah, he will definitely do that. He is not an idiot, he should measure his chances and threats, and find best possible solution.... yeah, there is simply no way, that he would screw this up…

Zari’s POV

Another beast fell dead… dead again, I mean… after I smashed it within my hands, only one corrupted abomination stayed alive.

It charged at me, and I charged at it, now our bodies proportions were similar and I was not afraid of being trampled.

It raised its hand holding the blade with desire to cut me down. I raised my own to lock him in semi-deadlock. His legs were being used to generate force to push me back, similar job was done with my tail. My hands held his and my face was burrowed in his rotting neck, preventing him from biting me. The smell was still an experience I wish to not repeat anytime soon.

So… you could said, we had a tie? No we didn’t. I had another pair of limbs raising from my shoulder blades. Sickles were penetrating his body from above forcing irritating squeals out of monstrosity. Slowly, steadily and methodically I was creeping to my goal, which was turning that piece of walking rotten meat into piece of NOT walking rotten meat.

“MEEEAAAAT…”

The monster kept yelling in my ear.

“M…Meeaaat…”

I could sense the magic within him leaving his body. Soon he won’t be able to keep regenerating himself.

“M…M…ea…a…t…”

Creature collapsed. I let it fell freely on the floor.

Damn, now I stink. Can’t there be any monster with vanilla smell and flavor? Nooo, rotting zombies!

Whatever. We have to stay strong, guyz! We have one fragile damsel in distress to save… Heh, funny – it is not usually a dragon that you save from the tower… does it means, that it is means, that dragon will be protected by wicked and greedy princess?

I shrug my arms, moved to the next room in which I found stairs. Without rest I kept zig-zaging into floor above.