As I awoke from a deep sleep, the first thing I became aware of was the dull ache on the top of my head. It was still sensitive where that damn Devil Goat's hoof hit me. That moment would forever be burned into my memory. The strike came out so quickly I barely had time to react. I tried to move out of the way, but at that distance it was impossible. The next thing I knew, I awoke in my bed yesterday morning.

Reaching under my bandages I felt for the spot where the attack connected. My skin didn't have any scarring, which meant that the healer did her work well, but the loss of scalp had given me a small bald spot. I was told the hair would grow back in time, but it made me feel self conscious none the less.

As I sat up in bed I looked over to see Meri still soundly asleep. The light had only just started to shine in through the window. It could barely be called morning. I looked at the small table by the bed to see a candle and the spell book Bill picked out for me. I wish I could've traveled with them and chose my own.

I lit the candle to give myself a bit more light and picked up the book. I still had no idea how to use this spell. The concepts within were completely foreign. I tried to feel my mana last night, failing multiple times. I found the meditation and visualization techniques the book covered in painstaking detail to be completely useless. Why wasn't it working? I was sure I followed every instruction perfectly.

Frustration built as I tried the techniques again and again. It wasn't like I was pushing against a heavy wall in my mind. At least I would have felt something. This was more like pushing against air and being told you failed to move it. It felt like there was absolutely nothing there. I took a breath and tried to force myself to relax. It wasn't working. I needed to let off some steam.

Rising out from under the covers I grabbed the practice sword at the side of my bed. The familiar sensation of the rough grip along with the weight of the blade never failed to calm me. If I went too long without holding a sword, I couldn't help but feel anxious. While practicing the forms I allowed my mind to clear. Visions of the past danced before my eyes as I began.

I remembered when I was alone in my room as a young girl. No slaves, servants, guards or family. Often I found myself taking a sword off the wall mount and trying to ingrained the lessons I had been taught into my very soul. Those were the times when I felt the most at peace.

It allowed an escape from the day to day pressures of being the heir of Armingtage. To let go of all my titles and responsibilities even if just for a while. Focusing everything I had on nothing but the swing of the sword cutting down the imagined enemies before me. Whenever I did, I couldn't help but think, is this what it feels like when a fish swims or birds fly? As if they were preforming the action they were meant to?

Sometimes I wondered if the Mother had made a mistake. Was there some young lady in the army or adventuring into a dungeon who felt as if her true place was as the lady of a noble house? As I grew older, I tried to banish those thoughts from my mind. What good would dwelling on them do?

I was the rightful heir of the Armingtage house. I couldn't afford to day dream about a life filled with excitement and freedom. I had to focus on my academics and doing my duty for the betterment of my honorable house. So I played my part. I attended balls and social events. I helped manage the affairs of my household.

I threw myself into doing everything I could to assure my house rised to a level of glory it had never seen before. It was difficult work, but the challenge made it interesting. It also distracted me from the feeling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling that this wasn't where I belonged.

The worst of it is when I was forced to attend the social events. The other young noble ladies often spoke about music or marriage or whatever famous designer created their dress. It was during those moments of boredom that I most strongly felt the sense of something missing. Was this what my life was truly meant for? Was this all there was for me?

As time went on, that feeling became a constant companion. I tried to grab that feeling and choke the life out of it, but no matter what I did it wouldn't die. Persisting like a ghost that would forever haunt me. In the past few years things had started to change. I was slowly but surely being pushed out of managing family affairs and pushed towards more dances and making the acquaintance of young lords.

I wasn't foolish, I knew the reason. It felt the walls were closing in. Once I took that final step there would be no going back. The first time my father announced he had found a suitable match, I couldn't manage to even get out a question. I had known it would happen eventually, but this was far too sudden. I had never even met the young lord before.

After getting over the initial shock, I begged him to reconsider. How could I marry a man I've never met? Ignoring my objections he ordered me to my room. For the first time in years, I couldn't help but sob deeply into my pillow as I tightly pushed it against my face.

Why did it have to be this way? If father allowed me to pick my own husband, not only would he be someone I could find happiness with. He would surely be a man capable of taking our house to new heights. He would also be completely devoted to me, a great swordsman and look rather dashing atop a mighty steed.

I pulled myself away from the pillow and practiced with my sword for hours on end. The familiar motions were calming. I had planned to run away that night, but where would I go? Could I really leave behind everything? Worst of all, I would be completely alone. I already felt so lonely. That paralyzing fear of being alone is what kept me from acting.

The following week, a miracle occurred. My father, who never changed his mind about anything, canceled the engagement. He never explained why. I wanted to believe that he did it for me, but in the back of my mind I couldn't fully believe he would do something against the interest of the Armingtage house to spare my feelings.

I never learned the truth of the matter. My life in the Armingtage house simply went on. The boredom and never ending prattling of those around me being all that distracted me from the dread of being forced to marry someone I hated, or the feeling that this was not where I was meant to be.

That all started to change on the day that I met Bill. He started out as merely another of my slaves. An interesting slave perhaps, but a slave none the less. A person whose purpose was nothing other than to make my life easier.

Every slave I'd ever seen before him had the same look in their eyes. The look of acceptance. While others may talk tough or display small acts of defiance, deep down in their eyes you could always see it. Bill was the first slave I'd ever met whose eyes didn't contain even a trace of acceptance. As if he was an actor putting on a show or a child playing make believe when he obeyed my orders.

Before I met Bill, I never questioned the natural order of things. Just as I could be nothing but a noble and the heir to Armingtage, a slave could be nothing but a slave. We may dislike our lot in life and wish to be something we weren't, but there was no getting around the laws of the world.

Even as I had the feeling this may not be what I was meant to do with my life, I couldn't escape my fate. It similar to the acceptance slaves showed in their eyes. We knew our place in the natural hierarchy.

That didn't mean I went out of my way to treat my slaves badly. Very much the contrary, I felt pity for them. So I always did my best to treat them fairly. Bill was the first person I met who never acknowledged his rightful place in the world. It was as if the idea of a world where your position was fixed seemed utterly preposterous.

It drew me to him. It made me want to spend more time around him. He was the first person I ever met who didn't look at me as his owner, or the heir of Armingtage or a stepping stone to use for his own ambitions. He simply saw me for the person I was. A true equal.

Our talks became much more personal and open. I found myself without even realizing it, expelling all thoughts of the master slave relationship. The idea of ordering him around as time passed started to seem ridiculous to me. I couldn't help but start to think of Bill as anything but a confidant. As if we were in on a secret that no one else new. That Bill wasn't truly a slave.

The day after my eighteenth birthday when I learned I was betrothed yet again, and this time to such a repulsive and spiteful boy, I couldn't contain my anger. Not only that, my father told me to break my word. The Armingtage house had suffered periods of decline and enjoyed periods of prosperity and power over its thousand year history. One of the only major houses that could trace its ancestry back so far.

While its condition and situation had changed over the years, there was one constant. When an Armingtage gave their word, they kept it. It was a well known fact around the empire. Our word has been the most valuable currency of our house for a millennium.

Even during our greatest periods of decline, the fact that the Armingtage house could always be a trusted partner allowed us to make it through those periods while other great houses fell and died upon the long dirt road of history, only to watch as we continue to march on during their final gasp. To tell me to break my word to a friend was to spit into the eye of the core of my identity.

I don't know when I started to think of Bill as a friend instead of anything else. I only knew that I did. To ask an Armingtage not only to betray their word, but betray it to a friend was not a possibility in my mind. I decided in that moment; if my father didn't care about doing his duty as an Armingtage, then I wouldn't care about doing my duty as his heir.

Since that night I started to question so many things I had never thought to. I had seen Meri slowly transform. She was still a long way from throwing off the shackles that had been placed on her, but I was starting to see such a thing was possible. Did that mean all the others slaves I had determined where in their proper place had the ability to change? I started to see the world as being less rigid than I had been led to believe.

At first I had thought myself foolish for not considering the possibility sooner. Then again, could a person whose seen nothing but rocks thrown into a pond all their life believe wood could float before they saw the evidence?

The thought struck me. If I had never met Bill would I ever be able to think of Meri the way I do now? Guilt filled me as the answer presented itself. Of course not. I would have done the same thing I did for over seventeen years. I would have made demands of her and saw to it she was punished if she failed to carry them out.

I had to accept the fact that I was part of a system that kept this girl, and others like her from being all they could be. It made me unsure of how to act around her. While I wanted to help her when it came to understanding the workings of the outside world, I worried that one of her former masters pushing her too hard could be counter productive.

I didn't like the idea of taking the background. I had always considered myself a natural leader. I knew more about this world than either Bill or Meri. However, in the interest of helping Meri and blending in better, I decided to let Bill take the lead. It would be considered odd to see a young woman barking orders at a man of equal station. That would only bring us attention we didn't want.

I snapped back to reality, finding myself out of breath. The tip of my sword dragging across the floor as my arms grew tired. How long had I been practicing? I looked at the window seeing substantially more light shining through. I put the sword back against the foot of my bed and decided I may as well head downstairs to get something to eat.

I descended the stairs of the inn and made my way to our usual table. I was unsurprised to find Bill already sitting there. Fully dressed and enjoying his plate of eggs as he read his spell book. I considered myself an early riser, but Bill had me beat in that regard. His eyes darted up to me. Ever since he learned about his sister, his eyes had a different look in them. They were so focused and purposeful. He closed the book and set it aside.

“How are you feeling Maddy? You look better.”

I pulled out a seat and sat beside him. “There's still a minor ache in my head, but I feel like my old self.” As the waitress approached I simply motioned to Bills plate. She nodded and made her way back to the kitchen.

Bill took another bite before continuing. “That's good to hear. Are you having any luck learning your spell?”

I gave an exasperated sigh. “Not even a little. When I try to feel my mana absolutely nothing happens. I can't figure out what I’m doing wrong.”

Bill's index finger and thumb pinch the bridge of his nose before he looked back up to meet my eyes. “I know how you feel. It would be so much easier if we could learn magic after passing the first test . I hope we get that option.”

I perked up slightly at his words. At least I wasn't the only one having trouble. “It all depends. Sometimes you get that option and sometimes you don't. No one really knows much about the nature of the test or why it offers the rewards it does.” The waitress returned with a plate of food and a cup of water

Bill quickly swallowed the final bites of his food. “Since you're feeling better, I'll go find Malik and tell him we'll be going back into the dungeon today. Make sure you don't forget to bring your book so you can read between breaks.”

I gave him a small smile. “You sure sound pretty calm about going back in there after what happened last time.”

He gave me a shrug. “I think last time was just a fluke. What were the odds a stray brick would knock Malik out of commission? Besides, we're more experienced now. It may have been only one trip into the dungeon, but I think facing a floor boss once before will make a world of difference.”

While I thought he was being a bit too blasé about the situation, I had to admit that I agreed with him for the most part. I knew I would fight better this time around. Seeing Malik and Bill hurt threw me off more than I cared to admit. As did the panic of my first life and death battle. I failed to fight to my full potential. If I was more patient and didn't recklessly attack the first opening I saw, I'm confident I would've worn down the Devil Goat.

I nodded at his words and added some of my own thoughts.. “We should teach Meri how to read during our breaks. I think the best idea is to alternate. That way we both get a time to read our books and she gets the benefit of two different perspectives.”

We quickly went over our plans for the rest of the day. After we finished, Bill went off to find Malik and buy some torches and arrows while I brought up a plate to Meri. Luckily, but the time I got up there she had just woken up. I handed her the food and told her about the plans Bill and I had discussed. She expected as much.

While Meri ate I told her that I would see about getting something to clean ourselves. It only took a few minutes to secure what i needed. By the time I was back Meri had already finished. I reprimanded myself for not telling her she didn't need to rush. I set down the tub in the room and brought in the 2 buckets, towels and soap bars. I was about to leave to give Meri some privacy. Before I could get out the door Meri had already stripped everything off and began washing herself.

I did a double take before turning to face the wall. Opening the door would be impossible now, unless I wanted to risk giving a passer by a free show. I guess she wasn't shy around other women. I sat down on my bed and grabbed my spell book and tried to focus on reading.

No matter how much I tried to focus on the book, I couldn't help but picture the image of Meri in my head. Okay, maybe everything underneath her clothes was exactly as advertised. So what if she had perfect curves, a luscious full figure and perky... well perky everything. It wasn't like that was all that mattered! I wasn't so bad myself.

Wait, why was I doing this? I hated when women compared themselves. Didn't I roll my eyes at the young noble ladies that made fun of another woman's dress or hair style behind their back to hide their insecurities?

I'd never done it before, so why start now? Maybe it bothered me that the only man we traveled with saved all his subtle glances for Meri. Why should that matter? It wasn't like I had any romantic feelings towards him. Sure, he was well built for his age. As well as brave and clearly an interesting guy.

So what? I was one of the most desirable bachelorettes in Highmar before running away. It isn't like I couldn't have my pick of any man I wanted short of the emperor. I received so much male attention that I had honestly grown sick of it. So why did I suddenly care about not getting any of it from a guy who I only saw as a friend? Was my ego so fragile?

I shook my head and tried to refocus on my reading. I needed worry about my training, not silly things like this. Even while I tried to read, it wasn't easy with Meri washing herself behind me. Thankfully she didn't take long. After drying off she quickly pulled on her clothes and armor. I had to admit It was pretty impressive how fast Meri got ready.

I wondered if I should ask her to leave while I cleaned herself. Would that be discourteous after Meri did it in front of me? I never had to find out. As soon as Meri picked up her bow and stuffed her short sword into its sheath she quickly made her way out of the room to meet up with the rest of the party. I let out a small sigh of relief.

Wait a minute, did this mean everyone would be waiting for me? I washed, dried and got dressed in record time. If anyone from my house saw the state I was in when I rushed down the stairs they would have disapproved. The very thought of the heir of Armingtage appearing in public with wet hair tied in a crude ponytail without a single trace of makeup or decoration was offensive to them.

I ran out of the inn with sword and sheild in hand to see the group had already formed. I was happy to see Malik was just finishing getting all his equipment ready. He seemed in a fairly miserable mood. I imagined that had to do with Bill's blackmail. Well, if he didn't like it then he could confess the truth and be done with it.

We were still giving him a quarter share for doing less work than the rest of us. As far as I was concerned, he needed to stop being a baby. Not only had this tentatively helped get him a girlfriend. The lack of drinking had done wonders for his complexion, health and odor. His odor most of all.

With everything prepared our group set out towards the dungeon. This time when we opened the door we were greeted by a maze of caves. We didn't find our first monster until nearly five minutes had passed. It would have been hard to keep track of where we already went if Malik didn't bring along chalk. Overall everything went much smoother this time around.

We learned to work together as a unit during our last foray and built upon that experience. Bill and I handled the front line while Maddy thinned out the big groups with her bow. Occasionally she would use her fox claw skill to dispose of opponents that got too close, but she preferred to focus on archery.

I watched her carefully to spot any signs of the warrior woman I was told about from Bill. All I saw was the normal calm and composed Meri. The only change I noticed was the occasional small smile on her face when she made a particularly good shot.

We had better luck this time in the dungeon when it came to the loot we were able to gather. We took the thick pelts off the night wolves and the sharp claws off the demon cats, along with a few more bat fangs. Malik's mood improved as he looked at the haul of goods we collected.

During our breaks we passed around some food and water. Bill took the first shift as Meri's tutor while I buried my face in my spell book. I couldn't help but noticed that Malik looked over Bill's shoulder as he instructed Meri, while he tried not to seem the least bit interested. Throughout the morning while we switched off giving Meri lessons it never escaped my notice that Malik's interest increased.

I imagined like most of the people in Highmir, he only knew the few words that he dealt with on a daily basis. At least it gave him a starting point, something Meri lacked. After I caught him looking over my shoulder during Meri's third lesson I turned to him, fed up with his antics. “Can you stop looking over my shoulder? It's weird! If you want to learn then just sit down next to Meri already!”

He didn't say anything, but slowly made his way to sit beside Meri. Well, this would require more work. But hopefully this would lead to him pouting less about being tricked by Bill. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Bill trying to hide the hint of a smile on the side of his face as he held in his laughter.

He only gave that specific laugh when I got so angry that my face started to turn red. I wanted to yell at him for laughing, but that would only cause my face to grow a deeper shade of red and make him to laugh louder. Instead I took a breath to calm myself and promised I would make him pay for that later. For now I needed to focus on the task at hand and rest. This would be our last break before we faced the boss of the first floor

Part of me hoped it would be a Devil Goat and part of me wished that it wouldn't be. I honestly wasn't sure which I felt more strongly. It didn't matter, what I felt was irrelevant. The monster would be whatever it was and nothing I hoped for would change that. We slowly made our way into a wide open cavern. This was good. There would be plenty of space to move around and no stray projectiles or objects to get in my way.

As we entered I heard the sound of something scratching against stone and dirt. The sound slowly grew closer to us. We moved fast to stick our torches into the ground and brought our weapons to the ready as the enemy drew near. The torch light reflected back as if hitting a metal shield. As I heard it drawing closer I looked to the right and left for the enemy, seeing nothing. It wasn't until I looked down that I finally saw our opponent.

“It's a Devil Snake.” Malik cried out. The fangs were worth a good amount of money. The poison if distilled enough was a valued spice. While not as intimidating as a Devil Goat, it was still very fearsome and deadly. It was over 40 feet long and as thick as a horses neck. At some parts even thicker. It's red eyes, horns and shiny dark black scales added to the intimidating aura.

Malik for the first time today yelled out orders. “Be careful of it's fangs. This snake is large and thick. It can lunge at you surprisingly quickly. The scales are hard to cut through. Try to get it on the head or neck where the scales are the thinnest.”

Meri put one arrow in each of its eyes. It made the beast flinch back in pain, but did little to stop it. After seeing a few more arrows harmlessly glance off its scales she kept her bow at the ready, waiting for the snake to open its mouth. Trying to hit its soft fleshy insides.

Bill and I used our shields to defend against the snake as it struck at us with its deadly fangs. Before it could pull back we tried to land a counter blow on it, but the snake was too fast. It put considerable forced behind each lunge but it was only enough to knock me back a few feet. This was an opponent where quickness was more important than strength.

Slowly but surely we started to get the timing of our strikes down. The sturdy scales stopped all but our most powerful and precise swings. If my angle was off even slightly, the sword would harmlessly glance off the snake, leaving nothing but a few minor scratches on the scales. Even when I hit the Devil Snake cleanly, it only managed to go about an inch deep before stopping.

If only I had the ability to do that damn weighted sword spell I was sure I could have ended this by now. My swing was too weak for a monster that had this kind of armor. I grumbled at my inability to do any real damage. I would tire out before I landed a fatal blow at this rate.

On the top of its head I noticed a small gash where Bill's sword connected a few moments ago. It wasn't deep, but it got me thinking. Could I use it as an opening? I walked forward slightly inviting the snake to lunge at my sheild. It happily complied, fangs scratching against the surface of the metal. It took every bit of skill and concentration I had, but I was able to bring my sword down right atop the gash Bill left.

My sword went 3 inches deep into the Devil Snake's head. For the first time in the entire fight, it pulled back with a hiss. It darted at me in a fit of rage. Bill tried to step in from the side with its attention drawn to me. It slapped him away using the side of its head. He was knocked off his feet for a moment but rolled with the force along the ground and quickly got himself into a crouched but defended position, ready for any follow up.. None would be coming.

When the snake turned it's attention to Bill it left it self open to me. I stabbed my sword with all the force I could muster down through the very deep cut in its head. The tip of my sword poking out through the bottom of its mouth. The snake gave a wild death spasm before it slumped on the floor. Dark black blood leaked out through its head.

[The first floor of the Dungeon has been cleared. Floor two is now open]

A door appeared in the wall not far behind the snake. I looked up to see a status box. A wide smile spread across my face.

[Level up: LVL 8]

“It says I reached level 8. I guess no matter how much we fight the enemy, only the one who delivers the killing blow gets the experience.”

Bill wiped the sweat from his brow. “Don't mind me everyone. I'll just stay level six forever while you all level up.”

I scoffed at his pity party. “Don't be such a baby. I'll let you get the next one.”

“Promises, promise.” He got to his feet and put the sword in its sheath.

“So what now? Do you want to try the second floor or call it a day?” Malik said while walking over to the snake with a knife. No doubt prepared to carefully extract the fangs.

I smiled with reassurance. Now that I had finally taken down a floor boss, I felt a boost of confidence. I fought much better this time. I was able to stay composed and didn't rush or panic. This confirmed it. I wasn't out of my depth. I could do this. Now I was curious to see just how far I could go.

Bill gave our group a look over. “I think we should do neither. Let's head back into town and get some supplies. Then we come back and repeat this floor all over again. I think that is the best idea right now. We should try to conquer the first floor multiple times a day. Until each of us is capable of beating the first floor boss alone. Only then will we move on to floor two. Then we repeat the same process.”

We were all surprised to hear this proposed. I was curious what he was thinking. Why do it that way? Wouldn't getting experience against tougher monsters be better? I walked up to him and asked. “So you want to enter the first floor over and over again? Exactly how many times do you want us to do it in a single day?”

He gave me a wide smile. “As many as we can. We all need to get to level nine as fast as possible and gain battle experience. Even after just one trip, we already did much better. If we do the usual thing and go to the next floor that would only increase the chances we'll get injured. Next time we get hurt, it might bedridden us for weeks or even months. We have to avoid that at all cost.

Malik shook his head and spoke. “I've never heard of anyone else doing it like that before. Your a pretty interesting guy Bill. A manipulative asshole, but interesting.” With the snake fangs secured, along with the rest of the spoils, we left the dungeon to sell them and resupply ourselves

We made three more trips to the dungeon day. Bill finally killed his first dungeon boss. It was a relatively unimpressive looking Devil Mole-Rat. Compared to the last two bosses we faced, this one was much less difficult. After defeating it Bill looked around expectantly for a pop up proclaiming he made level seven. None came. I doubled over in laughter as he threw his sword on the ground and kicked a small rock across the cave in frustration.

That's what you get for making fun of my red face! The rest of the day I addressed him as 'Mr. Level Six'. It may have gotten old to everyone else, but not to me, and not to Bill. We rotated who dealt the killing blow to the floor boss.

Bill wanted to go back for a fifth trip, but it was getting pretty late at that point. I knew he mostly wanted to go because spending another night at level six would annoy him to no end. He also suspected I would bring it up multiple times over dinner. Which I did.

I told him how lucky he was to be in a party with two level eight teammates looking after him. He viciously attacked the steak on his plate. Muttering to himself. “Tomorrow I’ll make level seven, definitely tomorrow.”

Overall it was a good day.