"Nate, did we just go in a circle?" Drake asks as we enter a room.

So he noticed that, huh? With how directionally-challenged he is, I'm assuming he paid attention to the strength of our scent. If so, then he'd have definitely noticed the trail suggesting we were in here not that long ago.

"I mostly wanted us to warm up our bodies," I tell him, then point at the archway to the north as I continue. "I think the boss is through that archway, and once we beat it, we're pretty much done here."

"Oh," he says. "Okay."

Drake looks at the doorway, then back at me.

"Wait," he says. "How did you know the boss was beyond that entryway? We cleared out the rest of this floor yesterday, now that I think about it."

We're on the final floor of the trial now, and we cleared out everything except the boss room yesterday, then decided to turn in for the night so that Drake could fight it fresh. I'm surprised he didn't ask me while we were going through the floor about this.

"Well," I tell him. "You know my sense ability?"

"Ah," he says. "You were sensing the danger beyond the entryway?"

"Sort of," I answer. "I mean, yeah, I can sense it, too. But I could sense it all over, and it could have been several rooms. I was thinking, if it's easier to train magic in areas where there's a lot of natural magic filling the air, maybe that extended into the Dungeons near them? I'm not sure if it does or not, though."

"I don't understand," his expression is one of confusion. "What does that have to do with this?"

"I've never tried to actively 'sense' things before," I tell him. "I've always just… sensed things. So I figured, why not try to sense things? The entire time we've been in the trial, I've been attempting to sense what's beyond an entryway. The last couple of floors, I've been right every time."

This ability doesn't take any mana to cast, either, though I hadn't expected it to, considering I've had it since birth and it's already always active. I'd just never tried to use it before because I didn't know that was even possible. Granny's discussion with us regarding my bloodline magics, however, made me think on that.

"Oh, neat," Drake says, then stretches. "Well, I'm warmed up. It's time to go."

"Yeah," I say. "It's time to go. Ready for the fight?"

"I am," he nods, then walks towards the western entry.

"Going to stretch a little bit more?" I ask, and Drake looks at me. "That's a cleared room."

"I knew that," he mutters, then waits for me to walk to the northern entry.

Drake joins me at the entryway, then steps through it before me. I step through, and just like in previous boss rooms, there are no entryways to let us out. A platform forty feet on each side fills the center of the room, with a series of stepping stones leading to it and forming a path around it. Another stepping stone path leads from the platform to the opposite wall, to the exit of the Dungeon.

Standing on the center of the platform is a creature at least thirty feet from head to tail, with a pair of talons on the back legs, and talons attached to the tips of the wings, but no forelegs. A grey-scaled body, with crimson eyes and very, very sharp teeth.

"Wyvern," Drake mutters. "Lesser cousin of the dragon. I guess some of those were put here. That, or they're just for the trial and maybe some Dungeons."

Drake draws his sword as the wyvern lunges at us, and I jump to the side, landing in the clouds as Drake defends himself. Sparks dance over me, and my body stiffens up, rendering me immobile. All I can do is watch as Drake dodges the attacks and strikes back with his sword.

Their fight devolves into the normal for Drake and flying monsters, where it flies off or tries to snap at him, and he either defends himself or leaps after it, aiming at the wings. The only real difference I can spot is that he attempts to go after its tail a few times as well.

Nearly three minutes into my paralysis, Drake manages to finish cutting off the wyvern's tail, and it snaps at him. He leaps out of the way, and the wyvern takes flight again. Rather than a smooth, clean flight, however, it's wobbly, uneven. Is the tail necessary for smooth flying?

Another two minutes pass with Drake fighting in his pattern, and I feel the paralysis wear off, then quickly return to the stepping stones. I'd sit and watch, since the monster's focused on Drake, but I need to be ready to move at a moment's notice in case their fight leads them this way.

A minute after I climb onto the stone, Drake manages to finish cutting off the wyvern's left wing, and from there, the fight remains on the ground for the most part. Drake does leap up into the air to avoid attacks or perform an aerial attack, but the wyvern itself is grounded, unable to take flight with one of its wings missing.

Drake doesn't take much longer to kill the wyvern, just a few more minutes, and once it starts to fade away, he gives me two thumbs-ups, a happy grin on his face. I make my way onto the main platform, opening up my Inventory and pulling out a tin of healing salve.

"Strip," I tell him.

"Here?" He asks. "I mean, I know I want to do it in a Dungeon, but-"

"Drake," I say. "As soon as the rush of the fight wears off, you're going to notice all of the injuries you sustained. This is salve."

Drake looks at himself, notices the cuts and scratches he sustained, then strips off his clothes. He's got a fair few bruises as well. I only pay attention to the worse injuries as I apply the ointment, since he's already a fast healer. This is mostly to help them heal even faster.

If this is what he looks like after killing the boss of the first of the Elemental Crystal Trials, then how he'll look after the later ones will probably be even worse unless he gets a fair few more Levels and at least another Class or two. Me becoming a Healer will definitely prove essential.

As I apply the ointment, I think about my feeling about having a stronger party help Drake. I've done this a few times ever since getting the feeling the first time, and so far, I haven't figured out why I have this feeling. What would happen, if he worked with more powerful adventurers, that it's better for him to not? What bad thing would happen?

"Nate," Drake says as I close the tin after finishing applying the salve, his expression and eyes full of lust, his voice a little husky. "I think you missed applying it somewhere."

I snort, then put the tin back into my Inventory.

"It was worth a try," he mutters, then pulls his clothes back on. "Having you treat me like that made me horny, though."

"After we get out of here," I tell him. "You didn't get drained of your essence?"

"Only some," he tells me. "And no. Maybe I have to go into the access ring to leave first. Let's go."

Drake and I make our way into the next chamber, and when we step into the access ring, a notification appears in my vision.

Dungeon Completed! Trial of Wind You have been awarded the Title of [Seeker of Crystals II] and the Title of [Seeker of Wind]; you are now able to enter the Wind Shrine.

I close the menu, then look at Drake, who doesn't look any different, in any way, other than the worried look on his face.

"Nate," he says. "Nothing happened. Maybe it needs a much more powerful dragon to do?"

"You said this is meant to be a temporary fix, right?" I ask, and he nods. "And that there's something else you're doing that will be a long-term fix?"

"Yeah," he nods.

"Well," I say. "Let's get the Crystals of Power charged, then we can move on to the next stage of our journey, Drake. As long as we get the other thing done, it should be fine, right? Or is the temporary fix needed for that?"

"No," he shakes his head. "I-"

He cuts off, getting a thoughtful look on his face. Then he shakes his head and the worry disappears.

"Maybe I need to be at the Wind Crystal itself?" He offers. "I think I misunderstood what was said. Let's try that. You said 'crystals', by the way. Plural. I just have one."

"Oh, uh, right," I say. "I forgot to mention, didn't I?"

"Mention what?" He asks, and I explain about receiving one as well, and my theory about his presence setting things to the maximum difficulty. "That does explain why we never have an empty room. Do you know what you're going to do with yours?"

"No," I answer. "But I figure, it doesn't hurt to charge it at each Elemental Crystal, too, right? That way, if I end up needing one much later on down the road, I'll have it ready and not need to go through the whole journey again."

"Makes sense," he nods, then places his hand on the access stone. "Let's go and see if I need to be at the actual Wind Crystal itself for this."

"Okay," I say.

A moment later, we're back in the access ring in the temple, with both doors open for us to pass through, the one leading into the true Wind Shrine showing us little other than the glow of the Wind Crystal, the pale, bluish-white light of its power reaching into here.

Drake and I walk into the next chamber, the walls, floor, and ceiling of which appear to be made out of tiles of clear crystal, the space itself sixty feet on each side. Beyond the crystal is a sea of clouds touched by dusk, glowing with oranges and pinks. The sky above matches, no sign of the sun anywhere. The clouds around us gently drift to the east, and a cool, kind breeze kisses us despite the room around us.

At the very center of the shrine, hovering above an elevated platform of more clear crystal, is the Wind Crystal itself, its forty-foot-tall glory radiating the gentle light we're bathed in.

The feel of magic in the air within this chamber is more intense than any I've ever felt before, and it threatens to suffocate me. Literally. Breathing itself has become difficult, and I find myself breathing heavily and clutching my chest, which hurts and feels as if a great pressure is pushed against it.

As I struggle to survive in here, a message appears in my vision.

You have a Crystal of Power within your Inventory that is not charged with the power of wind. Remove it from your Inventory and touch it to the Wind Crystal to charge it with the power of wind.

"I didn't think about this," Drake grabs me, helping support me so I can stand.

He leads me out of the Wind Shrine and back into the access chamber for the trial, and the pressure fades. For several minutes, we just stand here as I collect myself.

"It felt as if I was going to be torn apart," I say.

"I can imagine," Drake tells me.

"I've never felt magic that powerful before," I say.

"It's even stronger in the weakest zones on the world I'm from," he states.

"You can withstand it?" I ask. "The amount of magic here, I mean."

"Yeah," he nods. "It's a mix of Magic and Constitution that allows it, I think."

Both of which are things he has plenty of. I suppose I'll definitely need to get stronger for future Crystal Shrines.

"If you carry me," I tell Drake. "And you hurry there and back, I should be able to charge my Crystal of Power without an issue. At least, as long as the charging doesn't take too long."

"Are you sure?" He asks, eyes full of worry and concern.

"Yeah," I tell him. "I'm not that powerful, but let's do this anyway."

He seems hesitant, but after I pull out my own Crystal of Power, he allows me to climb onto his back. I take a few deep breaths, then Drake hurries into the Wind Shrine and to the altar. Struggling, I hold out the Crystal of Power and touch it to the Wind Crystal.

The Crystal of Power in my hand glows for a few seconds, then when the glow fades, a message appears in my vision.

Your Crystal of Power has been charged with the power of wind. You have earned the Title [Wind-Charged].

I barely have time to read that before Drake hurries out of the Wind Shrine, setting me down against one of the stones at the edge of the access ring. My vision is blurry, and there's a ringing in my ears. He says something, and I just gesture at him, then he heads back into the Wind Shrine.

It takes a few minutes for me to recover this time, and when I do, I spot Drake standing at the Wind Crystal, his scales and tail a pure-white in color. Am I hallucinating from the effects of being in the presence of the Wind Crystal?

The coloration for his tail and scales return to normal, then Drake staggers out of the chamber, collapsing beside me.

"I feel weak," he mumbles. "I apparently have to touch the Elemental Crystal to impart some of my essence into it. Thank goodness they're designed to only draw out ten percent of the dragon's essence, or it probably would have sucked me dry."

"Did you get your Crystal of Power charged?"

"I did that first," he tells me. "You didn't tell me you get a Title for charging it."

"I didn't know," I tell him as I put my Crystal of Power away. "I know the basics regarding the Crystals of Power, not the finer details."

"Oh."

I pull up the Title, just to see what it does, since I'm doubting it adds Class Points to me.

Wind-Charged: You have been charged with the power of wind. +5 Magic; +5 Magic to wind-based Skills

It increased my magical power? I pull up my Status, and confirm that my Magic is higher. If I ever go Wind Mage, that extra bonus to wind-based Skills will prove useful as well. The chances of me doing that are slim, but it's good to know. I'm going to assume there's one of these Titles for each Elemental Crystal.

"Well," I stand, then help Drake back to his feet. "Let's go let Macy know we're done. Jennifer and her team will probably want to go in as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Drake mumbles. "I don't think I can do stuff tonight, as much as I want to. I feel really, really weak."

"That's fine," I give him a light kiss on the lips. "As long as you're able to still participate, I'll do all the work."

"I did not need to hear that," Macy says, and I look over to find her just inside the door.

"Odd timing," I grab Drake's right arm and pull it across my shoulders, supporting him so that he can walk. "I take it you have some sort of alarm to let you know?"

"I'm alerted when the trial is completed, yes," she informs me. "Jennifer and her team are preparing now. Will he be alright?"

"Just need some rest," Drake tells her, his voice slurring as we approach her. "Maybe a couple of days' worth. Do you think you can let Nate make my breakfasts? His pancakes are more delicious."

"I won't argue with you on that!" Macy laughs. "Go on to your room, boys. Rest up, and congratulations."

"Thanks," I tell her. "Come on, Drake. It's not that far, and I can't carry you."

"I'll try to walk," he mumbles. "Though if I fall, just drag me."

"I'm not going to drag you!" I laugh.