Elsewhere

It was no surprise to anyone that the group followed Duke into the next chamber. The single instructor greeted them with what amounted to an agility course. Duke didn’t wait for the instructor to even begin speaking before he nodded at Elaine and the two of them tore through the course. Her stats were not on par with Duke’s but they were far beyond any baseline human at this point. She was a Tier Three Druid with specialization in animal forms – that in and of itself was enough to boost her physical stats to a phenomenal level.

Not more than five minutes after entering the chamber, the group was moving on to the next. This one was no more entertaining. It focused on building endurance by holding awkward poses for extended times. Elaine and Duke both laughed at the instructor.

“What is the hardest pose to hold?” Duke asked.

“One-handed, inverted lotus.” The instructor replied.

“Kindly demonstrate it please.” Elaine jumped in, agreeing with Duke’s approach.

“Very well.” The instructor got into a handstand, then folded his legs and lifted a single arm to hold against his stomach. After several seconds, he rolled back to his feet. “That is the one-handed, inverted lotus pose.”

“Like this?” Duke asked as he landed in the pose from a front flip. Elaine landed next to him, and a bit later assumed the pose.

“Why, yes, that is correct. You must hold that pose for a full minute to pass this chamber.”

Two minutes later, the group was on to the thirteenth chamber. “Is it me, or do these chambers seem a bit out of order to you?” Baslin asked.

Duke shrugged. “No idea, but let’s hope they stay this easy. We might actually get out of here before too long.”

Duke was interrupted by a loud slap. He spun around to see Grat holding his cheek. Again. “I didn’t say anything!” He protested.

“You rubbed off on him!” Elaine accused.

Duke chuckled and led the group into the next chamber. This one had several large and bulky objects and long poles.

“Welcome to the thirteenth chamber. Here I will test your strength and teach you how to build it up to our standard.” The instructor gestured to the objects scattered throughout the chamber.

Duke calmly stepped up to the largest loose object he could see in the chamber and casually picked it up. Or at least he tried to be casual. It turned out that even though he was impossibly strong, awkward objects were still awkward. He struggled to balance it as he lifted it but eventually managed to get it stabilized by arching his back and resting the weight against his chest. The boulder was far bigger than his entire body, but he managed to hold it steady by a pair of the numerous steel loops embedded within.

“Is this what you mean by testing my strength?” Duke asked the instructor.

The instructor stared incredulously at him and thought for a moment. “You can kindly put down the anchoring weight now. You have made your point.”

“I wasn’t supposed to pick that up?” Duke asked as he slammed the boulder down causing the whole room to shake.

“No, that was not meant to be picked up, but it was rather impressive. What is a creature like you doing in the training construct?” The instructor asked.

“Just trying to complete the dungeon and if I learn a thing or two along the way, that’s great too.” Duke replied.

“There is nothing for you to learn in this chamber.” The instructor announced to Duke. “Are any of the rest of you interested in intensive strength training?”

Baslin laughed, shaking his head. Grat simply pointed at Elaine. “She’s strong enough for the both of us.”

The instructor turned to her and then pointed to the various objects around the room. “Show me what you can do, and we’ll see how much you need to train.” She smiled in response and turned to the equipment.

Elaine managed to heft most of the items for strength training but was unable to lift the final five. She sat on the floor, gasping for breath as her exertions had pushed her to her limits. The instructor seemed to be a bit brighter as he explained, “You have done enough to pass the trial of this chamber, young lady. I can teach you the secrets of greater strength if you would like.”

Elaine looked to Duke, as if to ask permission. “He asked you, not me, Elaine. You’re a big girl. Speak for yourself.”

The fiery look he got in response chilled Duke as he realized that the only thing preventing her from punching him around the room was her complete exhaustion. As the realization dawned on his face, she turned back to the instructor. “Yes, please instruct me. And take as LONG as you think you will need.” She stared dead at Duke as she delivered the last statement.

The instructor perked up. “Then let’s begin.” He waved his hand at Elaine, and she was on her feet, looking refreshed a moment later. She bowed to the instructor, and they began.

The first thing you must realize is that almost nothing is too heavy to lift. Here, rest your arm on this large stone and lift this small stone without moving your arm, just your wrist.” Elaine managed to lift it with some strain.

“Now, lift it by keeping just your elbow in contact with the stone.” She did so far more easily. He nodded and smiled. “What was different?”

She pondered the question for a bit before answering, “I could get more of my arm muscles involved when I lifted it the second time.”

“A good answer and one I will expand upon. The key to lifting things is leverage. Your wrist and elbow both act as fulcrums to provide leverage. The longer the lever, the more force you can provide. Understand? Your forearm is a longer lever than your hand. That is the power of leverage.”

“OK, that makes sense, I suppose. I’ve never thought of it that way.” Elaine responded introspectively.

“Few do, my student. What most people do not understand is that your bones and muscles provide leverage, but they are limited. The most powerful form of leverage comes from your mind. It is your own willpower that moves things in truth. Your muscles are but an instrument of your will. In our world of magic, your willpower can focus magic to provide you extra leverage. This works in all things.”

Elaine focused on her instructor as he led her through exercise after exercise designed to focus her willpower into her physical actions. It took three days, but at the end of training, Elaine picked up the last object that she had struggled to move before. Everyone cheered for her, including the instructor who had an additional gleam in his eye.

Elaine stopped short and got the far-off look that evidenced a system message. Her eyes grew wide with shock and a broad smile spread across her face. “Thank you for your instruction!”

“It was truly my pleasure. I wish you a triumphant journey through the rest of the trials.” The instructor bowed and faded into light that quickly dissipated before their eyes.

Grat gave his wife a hug and asked. “What was the message, love?”

Her smile didn’t waver as she whispered in his ear. He exclaimed, “Really? That’s amazing! How many of these have we missed in these chambers that Duke just blasted us through?”

“Many, I suspect.” Elaine responded.

“OK, so what happened? What did I make us miss?” Duke responded.

“I now have a new Ability! It’s called STRENGTH OF THE MIND, and it allows me to effectively add my Psyche to my Strength when I focus on being stronger. A new Ability! And I didn’t even tier up! This is spectacular!” Elaine’s celebration was infectious and the whole group found themselves smiling.

Duke leaned over to Baslin. “Are Abilities that unusual and hard to get?”

Baslin looked at him suspiciously. “Yes, Duke, Abilities are exceedingly hard to get. Most classes only get one per Tier. Some, like mine, gain more, but certainly no base classes do. An extra Ability for her is monumental, especially one that dovetails so well with her current Abilities.”

“Oh.” Duke responded quietly, deciding not to bring up his own Ability list. There were only 32 on the list, after all, and he rarely used more than a third of them. Yes, he decided that sharing that with the group would bring everyone’s mood down. Instead, he jumped into congratulating Elaine.

Baslin noted Duke’s silent contemplation before he joined in the celebration but decided not to comment upon it. It would be a conversation for another time.

The next chamber struck Duke as more of a zoo than a training area. There were wild animals in each corner of the room. A tiger, a leopard, a snake, and a crane occupied the corners of the room. The center of the room, however, was dominated by a creature that Duke could only describe as a dragon.

It was long and sinuous with four short, clawed limbs – two near the head and two further back, about 2/3 of the way down its body. The head was like nothing Duke had ever seen. It had had five horns across its forehead ridge with tentacle-like whiskers around its mouth. The entire body except for the face was covered with feathers that reflected the room’s light in all the colors of a rainbow, like an oil slick.

The instructor stood in the doorway and greeted the group. “Welcome to the fourteenth chamber. Here, you shall learn to fight as the greatest creatures of nature fight. You will learn-”

Elaine interrupted. “What? These creatures?”

A moment of confusion brushed the instructor’s face. “Yes, these creatures. We will-“

Elaine interrupted him again, poking him in the chest. “Where is the fucking bear?”

“The what?”

“Let me ask you again real slow so that your tiny little magic brain can understand. Where. Is. The. Fucking. Bear? Was that clear enough for you?” Elaine punctuated each word with a poke to the chest.

Grat facepalmed but Duke added to the flabbergasted instructor’s confusion. “You had better come up with an answer right quick, my friend. She’s liable to tear your arm off if you don’t.”

Baslin, for his part, had walked around the entire confrontation and was attempting to strike up an excited conversation with the dragon and the dragon seemed to be into it.

Duke walked over to join Baslin as Grat considered restraining Elaine, but he seemed to be thinking better of the idea. She seemed to be genuinely pissed and he knew better than to stand in her way at that point.

“It seems that you have found a friend, Baslin. Hello, I am Duke.”

“A Duke? In this training dungeon? Really? That is a rather novel occurrence. Given the time I imagine has passed since anyone has made it this far into the dungeon and the cannibalization of so many other floors, I expect that any kingdom of men that I would have known has passed into dust and you are a Duke of some new kingdom. Welcome, Your Grace to the fourteenth chamber. My name for mortals is Fulong. I do not give out my true name for reasons that hopefully you already understand.”

Duke considered correcting the dragon but just didn’t have the mental energy with Elaine still loudly berating the instructor behind him. “I am pleased to meet you, Fulong. How long have you been in this dungeon? Or better yet, oh, how do I ask this without being rude? I really have no desire to offend but are you native to the dungeon or have you come from outside?”

Fulong chuckled. It was a sight to see as his feathers rippled along the length of his body and his whiskers jiggled around. “Oh, yes, that could be a rather touchy question. You could so terribly bruise my ego with such a question. How dare you, a foolish mortal, deign to ask a great and powerful dragon such a foolhardy question?” Duke tensed momentarily, ready to fight the dragon before Fulong burst out in loud peals of laughter. Duke’s tension relaxed and Baslin joined in the mirth.

“Oh my dear, Duke, that is a valid question. But the question that will warp your grey matter is this: Does it matter?” He smiled broadly showing off his half-meter fangs.

“So, what Fulong and I were discussing before you interrupted us, Duke, was-“ Baslin was interrupted by the roar of an enraged bear.

Duke and Baslin turned around in time to see the instructor attempt to dodge a swipe by an enormous bear paw. He ducked and slid sideways, pivoting at his hips in a smooth motion. It would have perfectly slipped under Elaine’s swipe if she didn’t spread her paw wide a moment beforehand. Duke TELEPORTED into the instructor’s path and caught him before he slammed into the wall.

“Tiger style? Overgrown alleycat. My ass! Nothing beats bear!” Elaine glared murder at the tiger who had been heretofore minding its own business in its corner of the room. It puffed up and leaped back. The leopard did much the same as she stared it down. By the time she got around to glaring at the rest of the room’s occupants, the snake and crane had found somewhere else to be. Fulong, for his part, was rippling with laughter and didn’t seem to notice Eliane’s glare.

“I could, perhaps, have been mistaken.” The instructor allowed as he stared back across the room at Elaine in her bear form.

Elaine immediately returned to human form and smiled warmly. “See, I knew you would come around. Now, did you have something to teach us or was that all bluster?”

“I…I can teach you the animal forms.” The instructor stammered, still keeping his distance from Elaine.

“That sounds great!” Duke said from behind him. The instructor leapt into the air with a shriek. Duke suppressed a grin. “Oh. Sorry about that. I thought you knew I was here from when, you know, I caught you in mid-air.” Duke helped straighten out the instructor’s robes with a small RESTORE. “Better now?”

The instructor looked at Duke, then back to Elaine, and then over to Baslin who seemed to be teaching the dragon how to high-five with a whisker. “Are you all insane?”

Grat called from beside his wife, “After all we have been through, we’re getting a bit insane, yes. I don’t think any one of us, well, except maybe Baslin, can sit through another drawn out class of instruction. Is there any way to speed this up?”

The instructor settled himself and donned a serious expression. “If you feel you have learned quite enough, you may proceed straight to the gauntlet but I most heartily would not recommend it.”

Fulong whispered something to Baslin. Baslin’s eyes got wide before a wide smile grew across his face. “How many have to enter and complete the gauntlet in order for the level to be complete?”

The instructor’s face fell again as he replied. “Just one is sufficient.”

“Then I nominate Duke.” Grat said immediately.

“Seconded.” Came Baslin’s reply.

“Aw, I was kinda looking forward to it, but yeah, send Duke through the gauntlet.” Elaine nodded in Duke’s direction.

“I guess, I’m going to run the gauntlet.” Duke chuckled.

The instructor grinned evilly, staring directly at Elaine. “Then, by all means, let me open the passage for you.” A passage opened up in the wall between where the crane and snake had been. The passage glowed crimson but was otherwise not different than any of the other passages in this level. “Go ahead. The way forward awaits you.”

Duke shrugged, walked over to Baslin, and pretended to hand him something as he said. “Hold my beer!” He then ran into the passage with a mad grin on his face.