Chapter 8:

Life as Adventurers

I am levitating? No. I’m using wind magic beneath my feet and hands. Unconsciously, like when I’m walking. This is pretty cool. I move freely around. Wait, I am in a combat situation. Two people are below me. On top of their heads I see… cat-ears? I dash forward by blowing wind from my back. Wait! I thought I could only make magic appear from my hands? Something hits my leg! I am spinning around but quickly gain control of my movements and stabilize my body. A sound appears. A really high pitched scream. God it fucking hurts my ears! I lose all control of my body from the scream. What the fuck. I am now falling towards the ground face first. I’ll hit the ground in three, two, one, zero—

“WHAT THE FUCK!” I jump out of bed. It was just a dream. As always, I am hot and drenched in sweat.

“Arben what’s wrong?” Albana says.

I calm down. 

“Nothing. I just had that flying dream again. By the way I was thinking, let’s have tomorrow off. I haven’t seen the city yet and I also want to do some training, even try this flying technique I keep dreaming about.”

“Okay,” Albana said, “but that means we need to make more than 40 euros today. Are you sure we can manage that?”

“Yeah, about that: I think today we should go deeper into the dungeon since yesterday wasn’t challenging at all. Actually, I want you to conserve your mana points until we are at the 6th or 7th floor, and just stay behind me and let me do the brunt work. How does that sound?”

“Ehm, okay, if you are sure. But let’s stay safe though and not head farther than 7th then.”

“Okay. It’s a plan. Today is gonna be easy,” I said, having no idea what lays ahead and the mistakes I would make.

***

On the way to the dungeon, we went to a furra and ate some gjevrek and burek. 

We also stocked up on supplies since we figured we’d spend the entire day in the dungeon. 

We were now walking down to the 4th floor of the dungeon.

“Do you think it’s possible to find your parents?” I said.

“I don’t think so… When we were captured from our village in The Great Forest, the first thing the slave-catchers did was separate the children from the adults. And even if I saw them today, I would probably not remember their faces, and I don’t even remember their names. I think my father’s name was Albin, but I’m not sure. I just know that my father was human and my mother an elf. And that father had black hair and my mother blonde hair.”

“Yeah, all Shqip humans have brown hair and brown eyes. I’ve never seen a blonde haired and blue-eyed Shqip human before. When I first saw you, that was actually what shocked me, I was really amazed. I had never seen blonde hair or blue eyes, or even an elf.”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” she said and tried to hide her smile.

***

We ran into a few monsters, but I easily killed them with my Fireballs. Eventually we made our way to the 7th floor, but I thought it too easy still.

“Let’s go all the way down to the 10th floor. This is too easy,” I said.

“Ehm… I don’t know Arben, that sounds dangerous. And this is only our second time in the dungeon. Usually the 10th floor is where the middle floors begin, and they get exponentially harder. I really don’t think we should do it.”

But I thought: I really want tomorrow off, and we need at least 40 euros. 

“Come on, don’t worry. Everything’ll be fine. I’m really strong.“

“O-Okay, if you say so.  I trust you.”

We were now on the 10th floor. This floor was different from what we were used to. It was this big space with no walls. And with a lot of dead trees and mist.

“I feel scared. Can we turn back now?” Albana said.

“Okay but let’s get a little loot first then we turn back. You haven’t even cast a spell once so we should be fine, right?”

“O-Okay… but remember that we need mana to get back.”

We walked into the dead forest. And it didn’t take long before we were lost and walking in circles. And there was no visibility because of the fogginess.

“Stay right behind me,” I said.

I could hear big footsteps coming towards us. Now the outline of a big troll was coming towards us. 

As it came closer, I could see it was using a dead tree as its weapon.

“Okay, let’s fire two fireballs at the same time.”

“Okay,” Albana said.

My fireball hit the troll first and exploded upon impact, sending the monster flying in pieces. Albana’s fireball was a bit delayed and flew past the fallen troll.

“Okay, let’s go,” I said and we went over to collect the loot it dropped.

While I was bent over picking up loot, I felt something hit me.

“Aww fuck!”

I turned around and saw a group of 5 metal goblins had sneaked up on us, and one had just stabbed me in the ass. 

In the background I could hear Albana was already speed-chanting. I whipped out my machete and slashed the metal goblin in the face.

“Huh?”

I had expected its head to be cut off, but instead it just made him fall back a little but didn’t penetrate his skin. 

Suddenly I saw a huge fireball fly past me and hit the five goblins. I heard them scream as they were burnt alive.

I looked back at Albana to say good job, and then saw a huge troll about to swing its tree weapon down on her and smash her to death.

“Get behind me!” I said.

Unconsciously I had started forming a stone bullet similar to the one I had used against the boar in the forest. 

I aimed it at the troll. 

I fired and in a split second its head was blasted off and it fell over.

“Ahhhh!” Albana screamed. 

I looked behind me and there were 10 metal goblins, and one had just slashed and hit her. 

I grabbed her and put her behind me, then I sheathed my machete and stretched my arms. 

I used the Flamethrower technique I had used on Vlado and Miroslav, and burned all the goblins point blank to death.

“Arben! Look!” 

During all this fighting, I hadn’t noticed that we had started a forest fire. 

We were being surrounded in flames. And we also had no idea where we were in the forest.

“Grab all the most valuable loot, and hop on my back!” I said. 

We started picking up magic stones and other small valuables, then Albana got on my back. The forest fire was closing in and we would soon be burned alive.

“Okay think, how did I do this?”

I could feel Albana on my back shaking and holding on tightly. 

I started replaying how I had flown in the dream. 

I put my feet together and straightened my legs, stretched my arms by the sides of my hips, and took off. 

I made a big burst of wind, very uncalibrated, from under my feet, and we jumped up 20 meters above the treeline. 

The wind resistance was so strong I had to close my eyes because it hurt my face. 

Suddenly I could feel in my stomach that we were at zero velocity in the air and not moving. 

I opened my eyes.  

I could see the staircase that led up to the 9th floor. I could also feel Albana shaking and her nails sunk into my skin, holding on to me so tightly.

We were now falling down. 

“Oh shit!” 

I made another burst of wind, this time using both my hands and feet, to try to calibrate it as I had done in the dream. 

Of course, I had very little control. But we were now flying towards the exit. 

This time, even though it hurt a lot, I kept my eyes open.

“Shit it needs to be continuous and not in bursts! And how the fuck do I land!” 

I should have been thinking this instead of saying it aloud, because now Albana was sinking her nails deeper into my skin and it hurt.

I now remembered the dream where I was kind of levitating, and the body movements I was using to do so to get in a levitating position.. 

I tried recreating that position by first kicking my two feet in front of my body, and making a continuous stream of wind underneath my feet. And then keeping the balance by creating streams of wind underneath my hands.

Amazingly, it kind of worked, though it was very crude movements I used. 

But our fall to the ground was slowed. 

I landed on my feet and felt both my legs crack and extreme pain.

    “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

But two seconds later, and the pain was gone. And my legs were fine. 

I also checked on the place the goblin had stabbed me, and I was fine as well. 

Subconsciously, I had instantly regenerated the damage I had taken.

        “Huh?” I said. “Are you fine Albana?”

She was still clinging to my back and wouldn’t let go. I noticed her eyes were still closed strongly.

“I’m sorry about that, Albana. Are you hurt anywhere?”

She started opening her eyes.

“I’m fine. Though I got hit in the arm. But I’ll cast healing on myself and---”

I started kissing and sucking the wound on her arm.    

“W-What are you doing? Wait what, it is healing completely? And I am actually feeling my mana and energy going up as well. Though you can stop sucking now.”

I got up.

“I’m really sorry for putting our lives in danger. Let’s head back now,” I said.

“No, don't worry about it! It’s my fault too. I let us go farther because I wanted to make more money too. And also, thank you for saving me! And I’m sorry for being useless.”

“Hey, you also saved me with that Fireball, and told me there was a forest fire. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead now. And I never thanked you properly for helping me get to Prishtina. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be a slave right now. Please don’t call yourself useless.”

A moment of silence passed.

Albana started crying. Then she hugged me.

“Hey… it’s fine you don’t have to cry,” I said while stroking her hair.