Penelope sat with her back against the wall of the corner of the intersection with a lone
The break in action gave Penelope a chance to process what all had happened. They’d lost someone, and another party member was injured, but the first major skirmish on the second floor was over. There were four lesser Demons and one Shadow somewhere out there, but given how she’d fared against the Demons on the last run, Penelope felt confident that she could clear the floor in a straight-up fight by herself.
“You know that they aren’t going to fight you head on if they can help it.” Jeru eyed her as he spoke in her head.
Why do you look at me while you’re talking to me? Penelope kept her focus on the empty tunnel, not the Elf.
“It helps me remember who I’m talking to.” He grumbled. “Look, I know it weirds you out, but you try keeping forty-one other people straight.” Jeru motioned to his left towards the boss room. “Once you get further in, it’ll feel more natural.”
If you say so.
“Well, that didn’t work.” Frederica grumbled as she dropped against the wall opposite Penelope.
“What didn’t?” Circe chirped from Penelope’s left as she craned to look around the other woman.
“I tried adding Opal to my group to see if she could enter.” Frederica took a curved shell the size of a soup bowl full of water from the dark-skinned buffer.
The sight of the blue ring on the older woman’s bare hand sent a pang of guilt through Penelope. Judah had worn that ring on the last floor. It had been one of the ways that they’d gotten water. Seeing another person use it was a painful reminder that he hadn’t made it.
To keep from following that painful trail of memories, Penelope focused on the members of Frederica’s party. Eldri Tracy, the 35-year-old dark-skinned buffer, was the current source of their water.
“Anyone else need a drink?” Her kind eyes were still impossible to look at for more than a moment.
“I’m thirsty!” Circe jumped to her feet, then looked down at Penelope. “You want something?”
“I’m good, thanks.” Penelope shook her head. If they had been taking a break between squares, then she would have drank deeply, but there were still five Demons lurking somewhere.
“We don’t need you dehydrating.” Frederica passed the shell back to Eldri. “Everyone needs to drink before we move.”
“That’s a lot of water." Eldri glanced at her stat sheet. “Everyone is drinking a whole spell and I don’t have enough mana to—”
“Give Pea the ring.” Frederica cut her off.
The other woman flinched like she’d been slapped.
“Marlow is the only person who recovers Mana faster than her, and she can handle herself while she’s low.” Frederica motioned at Penelope. “Plus, she knows how to take a potion in a fight.” She turned back to her Buffer. “So if someone has to be low, it’s better if it’s her.”
“O-kay.” Eldri stammered as she slid the ring off, put it in the bowl, and passed it to Penelope.
“It’s okay.” Penelope forced a smile as she pulled off the glove on her right hand, then removed the ring there and replaced it with the blue one. “Burn Heal.”
A soft blue light coated the inside of the shell, leaving a layer of water that receded to the bottom of the bowl-shaped monster part.
Three Mana per cast. Penelope offered the bowl to Cerci. I might need a potion after this.
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“Thanks!” The younger woman bubbled, then gulped the water down.
“You need to take one before you hit level eleven. Once you do that, these potions will only recover 40 Mana.”
Good to know. Penelope cast the spell again once as the bowl was passed back to her. She handed it to Oakley, and while he drank, she checked out the other two people.
The oldest woman in their party was fifty-four, but still full of vigor and rage. Riva Phelps held the class of Debuffer, but her toned arms announced that she’d been a regular at the gym. Unlike the other Buffers and Debuffers, the brown-haired woman carried a large hammer that she wieled like it was a baseball bat. She didn’t say much, but her aura made it clear: she was no stranger to violence.
The Healer for this exursion laughed as he took the bowl and held it above his head. He arced back his neck as he poured the water down into his mouth.
“Ah!” Caleb McCormick wiped his mouth with the back of the sleeve of the red robe they’d pilfered from the Demons. “That’s how you do it when you’re hiking, so you don’t share germs with everyone!” His blue eyes sparkled as he winked at Cerci. “But I’m honored to share an indirect kiss with all of you lovely ladies.”
“Eww!” Circe scrunched her face. “Gross! You’re old enough to be my dad!”
“I’m only thirty-five!" Caleb protested.
Penelope glanced at the number next to his name. Why is everyone pretending they’re younger? Don’t they know we can see that they’re lying?
“The Dungeon is very physically demanding. A lot of them are afraid that they’ll be seen as too weak, then get let behind.” Jeru snorted. “But Caleb is just a player. He also goes gray before the end whenever he survives that long.”
Forty-seven is pretty young to go gray. Penelope mused, especially for another redhead.
“Like I said, the stress gets to some more than others.” Jeru snapped his fingers and pointed at the man in front of her. Robert had just finished wiping out the inside of the bowl with the inside of his shirt.
“No one is going to want to drink out of that thing now!” Circe grimaced. “That’s nasty!”
“You might be okay with drinking after other people, but I’m not!” Robert handed the bowl to Penelope.
She recast the spell and waited until he downed the water, but no one took the bowl from him.
“I’ll drink a Mana Potion if I get thirsty.” Marlow glanced at Bradley. “You want some?” He pointed at the dirtied bowl.
“I like the potion idea.” Bradley agreed.
“Okay.” Penelope passed the bowl and ring back to Eldri.
The older woman undid the cloth hood that she’d tied up like a bag. Inside was a lot of dried meat as well as a pair of daggers and two potion slings.
“I didn’t know you had food!” Robert reached for the meat only to get his hand slapped by Eldri.
She scowled at him as she wrapped everything back up. “That’s for if we can’t clear the room fast enough.
I should have thought of that. Penelope chided herself. We’re going to have to start taking supplies with us when we go on deeper floors, aren’t we?
“It’s a series of degrees on being cut off.” Jeru agreed. “But the good news is that you’ll be able to party up with more people, so you’ll have teams that are dedicated to fighting while others will take care of the camp for everyone else.” He waved his hands. “But that’s a long ways off. Focus on what’s in front of you right now.”
Right. Penelope stood up and put her ring and glove back on. “How about we go find this last group?”
“Sounds good.” Robert yawned. “I don’t know what time it is, but I’m ready for bed.”
Penelope glanced at her menu and pulled up the timer.
“We’re going to be at this for at least another square.” Penelope brushed herself off.
“Wha-?” Robert shook his head. “No, but…” He turned to look at Frederica. “You said that we would only do one room at a time until we got leveled up enough to fight!”
“We’ll do that tomorrow, but for today, we’re sticking to the teams we have.” Frederica held up her hand, silencing the debate. “Look, you already know what to expect in here, and it’ll take too long to get the next team ready.” She nodded at the unconscious man. “You can help Caleb carry the dead weight.”
“We have to take him?” Caleb frowned. “Can’t we just leave him here?”
“There’s no way to know for sure that the monsters won’t find a way around us and kill him while he’s unconscious." Frederica snapped her fingers. “Come on! We don’t have all night, unless you want to stay back here with him.”
Neither man liked that idea. Then both slung one arm over their shoulder, then dragged their unconscious party member between them.
“Alright.” Frederica motioned at her boytoy. “Lead the way, my gallant knight.”
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