Chapter 23 The harder they fall.

  As soon as Derrick had been healed enough to move he got up, we all shambled our way to the howling, crippled ogre. Jean and Derrick plunged their blades into its head while I slashed its throat. Blood gushed from its multiple wounds as it slowed down and stopped moving.

  “Let's all heal quickly before we do anything else.”

  Bones snapped back into place, wounds slid shut and blood stopped dripping from Derrick's face. Me and him had been thrashed compared to everyone else. Jean had taken a small grazing blow from the ogre, bruising him, but everyone else had made it out unscathed. After taking a moment to breathe we got up and moved to a small treasure chest which had appeared when the ogre had died.

  Opening it we found a few bags of coins and a weird looking hat. It had a wide brim and reminded me faintly of a Japanese rice farmer's hat… just bigger. An appraise let me see any extra effects it might have.

  [Sandsagoa of luck. Makes the wearer very slightly luckier.]

  We all look at each other before Jean grabs the hat and nods before placing it on his head. Me and Derek look at each other with raised eyebrows for a moment.

  “What? It looks cool!”

  Jean said, trying to defend his new questionable style.

  Ignoring him I pointed out the now exposed dungeon core. It was a crystal with a faint glow. It shifted colors as we looked at it.

  “Alright, we ready to high tail it back to the surface?”

  Derek grunted in confirmation as the others nodded, aside from Jean who was still pouting.

  “Whatever, let's just get back to the tavern. I'm itching for a real bed.”

  Jean grumbled.

  With that I slashed at the core a few times until it broke like glass, the shards disappearing before they even hit the ground. We moved at a brisk jog up each flight of steps, managing to leave in only a few hours.

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  We emerged into the night, with large piles of snow around the dungeons entrance, a blizzard howling around us.

  [Xp gained +7,500 from victory!]

  [Xp gained +10,000 from destroying the dungeon!]

  [Level up 7->10]

  +5 skill points +60 stat points

  Class skill unlocked- copy- temporarily copy a skill from another, passive skills last for 5 minutes, active skills can be used once. Cool down one day per use.

  “Damn, it couldn't have been nice when we got out?”

  Sarah complained as she shivered.

  “Well, maybe if you stopped stealing Xion's warmth at night your body would've learned to make its own heat.”

  Alice grumbled.

  They both shut up after that, and with a quick greeting with the gatekeeper we were back into town.

  As everyone else had a drink at the bar, only a few this time as by now most of us had learned our lessons, I opened up my skill shop.

  [Skill obtained- dual mind.- an active skill, requiring the users focus, doubles thought capacity when in use. Prolonged use may have detrimental side effects.]

  [Skill upgraded-advanced swordsmanship, please choose skill path.

  Double strike-strike twice quickly.

  Quick draw-draw your blade with increased speed and damage.

  I chose quick draw and continued looking through the skill lists.

  [Passive skills]

  Keen mind

  Mana font

  Focus

  Assassins grace

  The list continues, even including regen from Derek's class, but these are the most interesting by far. I choose assassin's grace and mana font.

  [Assassin's grace-a passive +5% to agility]

  [Mana font- regenerate mana 10% faster]

  I held onto my 3 remaining skill points and tuned into the conversation everyone else was having.

  “Man, Xion has some sick moves, running on a wall? Who thinks of that?”

  Jean proclaims to any who will listen, clearly already drunk. As he stumbles a bit while wearing his ridiculous hat I can't help but chortle a bit with laughter. Derek looks on in pity and the other girls are trying their best not to pay him any attention.

  “And after Derek took a blow, she was sent flying! A big crater left in the wall. Then she got up like having your bones rearranged was another Tuesday! As soon as her vocal cords healed she had the gall to tell me ‘now!’ Like I wasn't hacking away at the damn thing for 2 minutes already!”

  Jean was embellishing the tale with far too much gusto. The fight had lasted barely five minutes, most fights did when you had actual weapons. Having enough i walk over to Jean and bonk his head.

  “Jean. You said you'd learned your lesson.” I smile dangerously.

  “Do you want a special training session with your oh so glorious leader?”

  Light magic pulsed in my palm, threatening to sober him in an instant.

  After a moment he paled.

  “Xion! I was just…uh spreading the word of our good deeds!”

  “Jean, don't give me that shit. Esuna.”

  I heal his drunkenness as he looks on with a face filled with dread.

  “Jean, we're gonna train EXTRA hard so you can learn Dual cast now. Won't it be awsome casting a meteor one day with your teammates? A nice, big, complicated spell with your childhood friends?”

  He squeals as I drag him from the bar stool, his hands scrabbling and failing to find anything to grab as I drag him with me to the small back yard of the tavern.

  “Noooooooo!”

  Jean wails as I drag him by the leg through the front door and into the cold.

  A few of the bar regulars look on, some with grins, others in horror as the door shuts.