The monsters of the sixth floor weren’t worth much in the way of experience. Aris felt she was getting about a tenth as much from each one as she had received from killing the archer on Suliel’s estate.

  There were a lot more than ten of them, though. Despite taking the most direct route possible and having her only kill the ones that threatened to slip through the cracks of their defence, she could feel the experience adding up. She could feel the next level getting closer as they descended.

  It was almost a disappointment when they got to a rock wall and Anton announced that they were about to enter the boss chamber.

  “Shouldn’t we… clear out the rest first?” she asked. She gestured back to the darkness-covered vines.

  “Maybe when we get to the eighth or ninth floor,” Anton said. “The experience gain is still too low for us here—even for you two.”

  “Easy challenges are easy,” Kelsey said. “But if there’s no risk, there’s hardly any reward.”

  Aris pursed her lips. It was true that she hadn’t been challenged so far, and that she hadn’t gained a level.

  “So this boss won’t be a challenge either?” she asked.

  “It will out-level the two of you,” Anton said. “But Zaphar should even that out. Honestly, though, your guns should be more than enough to finish it.”

  “Oh, oh! That is very fine. All I have to do is hold off the biting so that she can kill it,” Zaphar said. “But how can I dodge if I must protect her?”

  “Front-line fighter is more suited to someone with more strength than you,” Anton agreed. “But you’ve got this. Just keep it distracted. Once Aris lands a few shots, it won’t be in any position to attack.”

  Zaphar looked doubtful, but he nodded. “Then we go. Go in, yes?”

  “Yes,” Aris said, hefting one of her guns. She needed the other hand to steady herself on the uneven footing.

  “I am ready,” Tyla said.

  This floor had featured more than a few snakes. Anton had named them as they appeared, using his Delver’s Discernment. Stranglefang vipers had dangled from above, waiting for an unwary delver. Veincoil serpents had twisted around existing vines, looking just like harmless plants until they struck. The Hollowroot Adder had hidden in the crevices between the roots, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  The boss of this floor, Anton had told them, was known as a Stranglefang King. Looking into the darkness of the crevice in front of them, Aris wondered how bad it would be.

  Tyla sent a light into the darkness. They had a few options, but her lights were the best for this. Kelsey could shine a light ahead of them, as long as they didn’t block her line of sight. That made a dazzling circle, which was perfect for lighting up a target, but less useful for inspecting the entire area. Lightstones needed to be carried, here, lest they fall down through a gap in the vines and be lost forever.

  That left Tyla’s floating ball of light as the best way to see what was ahead of them. The light revealed a circular, possibly spherical chamber. It was lined with vines, leaving an open space in the centre. There was no sign of the monster.

  Tyla hissed in dismay. “I see it…” she said. “But where is the head?”

  “Where?” Aris demanded. Tyla pointed at an area of the wall, but there was nothing there but vines. Vines coiled around roots around…

  Underneath a vine, something moved. It was only a glimpse, but there was something there.

  Aris cursed. “I don’t have a good shot,” she admitted. “I’ll try—stand clear!”

  Her gun rang out. She couldn’t use Sure Shot for this as there was no centre of mass for her to aim for, but she had become quite practiced at aiming. The shot hit more or less what she was aiming for, but there was only vines there.

  “The head must be behind the entrance,” Tyla speculated. “So it can attack whomever comes in.”

  Zaphar looked at her sourly. “Just—just distract it, she said. So easy.”

  “Anton can do it,” Aris offered. “He’s got a Trait for dodging.”

  “No,” Zaphar sighed. “No. I must fill my role. Gain levels. Get ready. Do not shoot me.”

  The last two commands were directed at Aris, who nodded as Zaphar braced himself. Then he dashed into the chamber.

  The snake struck as soon as he entered, dropping a part of itself down to sink its fangs into Zaphar’s neck. He didn’t wait for it to arrive, however. As soon as he was far enough into the cave to be attacked, he dived to one side. Thanks to his Agility, he moved faster than the snake could track.

  That left the head of the snake hanging right in front of Aris. Before it could turn or withdraw, she took the shot that had been set up for her. She couldn’t use Sure Shot for this, she needed something fancier.

  “Trick Shot,” she called as she squezed the trigger. Anton would tease her later about speaking her Traits, but it did make it easier to use.

  The snake twisted around as she spoke. Faster than she could believe, its jaws gaped wide and rushed at her, but she was already pulling the trigger.

  Hitting its head was too pedestrian a target for Trick Shot. Aris shot it in the brain.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  You have reached Level 9.

  Applying Benefits for Level 9

  Toughness + 1

  Agility + 1

  Dexterity + 1

  Perception + 1

  Willpower + 1

  Please allocate free Ability points

  Aris held off on selecting her Ability points because well…

  “It’s still alive!” she screamed. It was true. Even though its head had been shattered, even though she had recieved the experience, the snake was still moving, thrashing about like… well, like it had lost its head.

  Zaphar rushed in and stabbed it. His blade went right through its neck. Or body. Whichever it was, the action did not help. The snake continued to thrash, tearing the dagger right out of Zaphar’s hand. He dived out of the way before the snakes coils could entangle him.

  “Oh no, now it’s armed!” Kelsey said with amusement from behind them. She wasn’t wrong. The end of the snake was even more dangerous, now that it was thrashing about with a sharp blade on its end.

  “Is it some kind of zombie?” Aris asked.

  “Nah, it’s just twitching. You got your experience, right?”

  “I got a level,” Aris admitted. “But it’s still alive…”

  “Nah.” Kelsey looked thoughtfully at the writhing dagger-headed snake. “If you got your level, there shouldn’t be any experience for me to steal… unless one of you is nursing a Snake-Butcher class.”

  “What would that even be?” Aris asked. Kelsey ignored her, stepping up to the snake. Her hand lashed out, grabbing the snake just below the dagger. The thrashing didn’t stop, but the grabbed end was now perfectly still as if it had been trapped in a vice. Kelsey gave a pull and the whole length of the snake came crashing down from the ceiling. It was the longest animal Aris had ever seen.

  “What is going on?” Aris pleaded.

  Kelsey pulled out the knife with her other hand and tossed it to Zaphar. The snake had started to wrap around her legs, but she didn’t seem to care.

  “Snakes are simple creatures,” she said. “Brains are wasted on them, they barely need one to live.”

  Aris stared. “But it’s their brain! How can they live without it?”

  “They have a second one, further down,” Kelsey said. “This one’s so long, it might have a third. The secondary brain can keep it moving, keep the heart going… which is alive enough that I can’t just send it home.”

  She glowered at the snake.

  “It’ll run out of blood eventually, but… Tyla! Can you hear this guy's heartbeat?”

  “If it is not moving, perhaps. And if everyone was quiet.”

  Holding it in place required that Anton join in to grab the other end. He and Kelsey stretched it between them, allowing Tyla to walk the length of the snake, listening intently.

  Stretched out, Aris got a fresh impression of how large thing thing was. About fifteen yards from head to tail, which was… huge.

  “It has two hearts,” Tyla announced. “That are beating, anyway.”

  “Just stab them,” Kelsey said. “We don’t have all day to wait for it to die.”

  Tyla nodded and made two precise cuts, slipping her dagger between the scales and pushing through the flesh underneath. The snake shuddered with each wound, but it didn’t stop twitching.

  “That should be enough,” Kelsey said. “Let go, Anton.”

  Anton looked at her doubtfully but did as she said. As soon as he did, the body started lashing randomly about, but a moment later it disappeared.

  “That was way more trouble than it was worth,” Kelsey said. “Though I might get some nice snakeskin out of it. Do you need to finish up, Aris?”

  “Huh? Oh yeah.”

  Her Class was still waiting for her to assign her free points. It didn’t take much consideration before she assigned them to Agility and Dexterity. She was, she had to admit, jealous of the way that Zaphar moved. Not that her current Abilities in those areas were anything to sneeze at, but she wanted more. She looked over her status with a sense of disbelief at how far she’d come.

  Aris Lucina, Original Gunslinger (Level 9)

  Overall Level: 14

  Paths: Scullion/(broken), Original Gunslinger

  Strength: 9

  Toughness: 12

  Agility: 17

  Dex: 17

  Perception: 22

  Will: 20

  Charisma: 12

  Traits

  Eye for Freshness

  Heat Resistance

  Sonic Resistance

  Sure Shot

  Trick Shot

  Camouflaged Lurker

  There was no Trait for this level, but soon she’d reach Level 10 of Gunslinger. That meant a Capstone Trait and after that… her Tier Three Class.

  “If you’re done staring at your numbers,” Anton teased her, “You killed the boss, so you get to open the chest.”

  Oh, right, the reward. Aris had become used to Kelsey providing for her every need. At the same time, she was not yet accustomed to the lifestyle that a lord’s wife was entitled to. Tyla and Zaphar had been dutifully collecting the rewards, but Aris suspected it was only out of habit. Most of it ended up in Kelsey’s bottomless storage.

  On the boss’s death, a part of the wall had rotated, revealing a passage beyond. Anton had to cut away some vines to gain access, but he’d done that while Aris was still looking at her status. The chest was supported on a pillar in the middle of the tunnel, at about chest height.

  Aris opened the chest and took out a thin, flat, wooden box.

  “Is this an item?” she asked.

  “Open it,” Anton said.

  Inside was an elaborately crafted quill. Silver wire wound around a goose feather, ending in a carved silver tip.

  “What on earth?” Aris wondered, picking the thing up. “I thought it would be—oh!”

  The quill had trembled in her hand.

  “It’s magical,” Anton said. “It’s weak, but it’s definitely enchanted.”

  “Here,” Kelsey said, holding out a piece of paper backed by a thick wooden panel.

  “Should I just—oh! Hold this over—oh!” Aris gasped as the quill jumped out of her hand and started writing her words on the paper. Ink was flowing out of the tip and her words, stumbling and confused as they were, were being transcribed.

  “Does it work with anyone?” Kelsey said. The quill stayed still. She picked it up and said “Testing, testing.”

  The pen jumped up and wrote that.

  “Right, so it works with whoever used it last,” Kelsey said, watching her words get transcribed. “I wonder… Anton, did the records mention any magical quills coming out of this dungeon?”

  “No,” Anton said thoughtfully. “Armour and weapons, mostly. I couldn’t say if there’s never been a magical quill, but it’s not common.”

  “Huh,” Kelsey said. “I think we may have already affected the dungeon. I think she’s trying to work out how to communicate.”

  “She did say something about how you used words to get people to help you,” Tyla offered. “I suppose that she never had to think about that before?”

  “Huh,” Kelsey said. “Well, I could have told her that wouldn’t work. Aelisinne might be able to get one of these to work, but a dungeon can’t.”

  “Is that a solution, then?” Anton asked.

  Kelsey shook her head. “Then you run into the problem where your fairy won’t communicate.”

  She stared in a direction that no one happened to be. “That’s when you learn that your fairy is there to stop you from communicating. To keep you silent. She may have raised you, but she’s your jailor as much as she’s anything else.”

  “I thought you liked Mel,” Aris said.

  Kelsey shook her head. “My relationship with Mel is too complex to fit into a word,” she said. “Or an afternoon’s dissertation. We’ve come up with an arrangement that lets us work together. We’re like an old married couple in that way.”

  She shook her head again. “Anyway, this might make a nice gift for Suliel. Let’s move on.”