28
Milo felt less disoriented the second time he stepped through the curtain.
This time, he simply wobbled a little on his feet as he appeared in the Dungeon Hall to the surprised gasps of a few gathered teachers.
Mistress Vizzingbelle and Master Garmstooth looked more surprised than Master Haddrow.
Especially on seeing Milo’s bare chest.
The reason for which stepped through behind him.
Tania, still coated in thick blood and gore, had his top wrapped around her body, held in place with a nonchalant grip. Barely hiding anything at all.
She gave herself a shake, spilling more blood. Her matted ponytail thumped against her shoulders and she offered the three teachers a wide grin. “Hi! Did we break the record?”
Master Garmstooth was the first to speak. “You killed the Broodmother? Already?”
“Why? Was it supposed to be hard?”
“We finished it,” Milo sighed over her. Then stepped down off the platform, wincing as his ribs creaked with every breath.
He wanted to head to the physician, but Tania’s slender fingers snatched his arm.
“Woah there, buster,” she said. “We just broke a record. Ain’t there a prize or something?”
Mistress Vizzingbelle blinked at her. “You want a prize?”
“Are you saying our time ain’t special?”
“Well, it’s a first,” Master Haddrow put in drily.
“And the messiest, I think,” Master Garmstooth offered. “What did you do to kill her? Climb down her throat?”
“Sorta,” Tania said, then she clapped Milo on the shoulder. “Milo blew her head off while I was trying to saw through her neck. You shoulda seen it! Blam! Drake brains all over the place. Whew. I tell ya. Makes a gal’s heart race just thinking about it.”
“You did what?” Master Garmstooth squinted at her. “What spell did you use?”
“Me? Nothing. I told ya. It was all Milo.”
“Milo?” Mistress Vizzingbelle peered at the two halves of his rifle still clutched in one hand.
He held them up. “I shot it.”
“Right in the face!” Tania crowed, miming an explosion with her hands. “Boom!”
“There’s no way a rifle round could make that big a detonation,” Master Garmstooth scoffed. “Tell us what you did or we’ll fail you for cheating.”
“Hey!” Tania flounced up in front of him and stabbed him in the chest with a long finger. “Don’t you dare call us a buncha cheaters, ya little mook! We rolled that dungeon fair and square!”
“I shot it while it was prepping to breathe fire,” Milo said, dabbing his ribs with his fingertips. “There’s a moment when it looks like a ball of mana builds in its throat.”
“I’m familiar with that part,” Master Garmstooth said, scowling at Tania’s finger still poking his chest.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Milo shrugged. “I figured its flame was caused by mana discharge. Like how a fire mage will do it. So, I shot the mana.”
“The round must’ve destabilized it,” Mistress Vizzingbelle said. Her lip curled slightly into a smile. “I told you there was a chance a round might cause explosive deconstruction of a spell if shot precisely at the moment of casting. It’s happened before on battlefields.”
“Never confirmed,” Master Garmstooth grunted, slapping Tania’s hand away. He squinted at Milo. “I’ll want a report on it.”
“Sure.”
“And we want a reward,” Tania said brightly. “Fastest finishers ever, right?”
Milo sighed. “I just want to see a physician.”
“No way, buster,” Tania said as she snatched his arm. “We’re gonna wait right here until Chungus returns. I wanna see his stupid face.”
“Chungus?” Mistress Vizzingbelle raised an eyebrow.
Milo rolled his eyes. “I think she means Fergus.”
“Ah.”
“Can I at least sit down?” Milo asked, trying to pull his arm out of Tania’s grip.
“Oh, sure thing, Milo.”
He slumped onto the ground, sprawling onto his back. He hurt everywhere.
Even the tips of his toes seemed to hurt.
“Err…” Master Haddrow coughed politely. “Perhaps we should get the young lady something to cover her more… Personal parts?”
It took another hour before the next group exited the dungeon.
Cerena and Belt. Both were looking a bit green and singed at the same time. Half of Belt’s scalp had been burned off. He was holding Cerena up and grinning from ear to ear, though.
“Bloody nice fight!” he let out in an explosive cheer. “Can we do it again?”
Cerena groaned.
From there groups trickled out one by one. Some looked in better condition than others.
By the time Fergus stumbled out, eyes wide and hand clutching a wand, Milo was sitting up next to Cerena, who was shooting Belt exasperated glares as he regaled Tania with their adventure.
Fergus staggered down from the platform, Jin stumbling out of the curtain behind him. The big man had a raking cut down his chest and burns formed a lacy red pattern up his arms and across his chest.
The two paused in front of their group, Fergus turning a spiteful gaze to Milo.
“Huh,” he grunted. “So, you made it out before us. Skip the Nursery and Drake Den, did you?”
“Nope.” Milo pointed at Tania. “She wiped them out.”
“Typical.” Fergus sneered, blood sliding through his teeth. “Got princess carried all the way like a normie.”
“Milo killed the Broodmother,” Tania said loud enough for everyone to hear. “All on his own! One shot right to the face and exploded its head. It was amazing!”
“Bullshit,” Fergus snorted.
“Why do you think I’m covered in yuck?” Tania stood up and showed off the filth which didn’t quite cover her body. The loose robes the teachers had brought her weren’t doing much either. “I didn’t go swimming in its blood, ya know. It’s because he blew up its head. I got brains all over me. See?”
She flicked a small sliver of meat at Fergus which she must’ve been saving just for that purpose.
He flinched as it bounced off his armored shirt.
“They were here first,” Cerena said wearily. “They even beat us by an hour and a half.”
Fergus gawped at her. “What?”
“Yeah.” Belt grinned, slapping Tania on the shoulder. “They killed it.”
“Slayed it,” Tania agreed. “Mistress Vizzingbelle’s gonna get us a reward.”
“I didn’t agree to that.” The tall teacher sighed.
“But you gotta now,” Tania said. “You gotta admit it was special.”
“It is an achievement, I suppose,” Master Haddrow said. “Perhaps we should talk to the Headmaster about it?”
Fergus flicked his gaze from Milo to the teachers, disbelief on his face.
“Are you kidding me? This normie beat us all?”
“Through a creative use of tactical options,” Master Garmstooth said. His tone had changed after hearing a more detailed version of what Milo had seen. “I have a feeling I’ll be teaching the next initiates all about it.”
“He got lucky.” Fergus scowled. “That’s what you’re saying.”
“Luck is what happens when you’re quick to adapt,” Master Garmstooth said.
Mistress Vizzingbelle cocked her head at him. “Bellingworth?”
He shook his head. “Norton. Strategies for the Tangled Coast.”
“Ah. I thought it sounded familiar.”
Milo pulled himself to his feet, feeling his ribs protest. He looked up at Tania and gave her a tight smile.
“You’ve had your fun,” he said. “Can we go now?”
“Milo!” She let out a shocked gasp as if noticing his wounds for the first time. “You’re hurt! That nasty old lizard must’ve done a real number on ya. We should get you to a physician, don’t ya think?”
He stared at her blankly.
She stared back.
“That’d be nice,” he said at last.
Cerena was helped to her feet by Belt, who put a hand around her waist to keep her steady.
The four of them shuffled slowly towards the exit. Milo was still clutching the broken rifle in his hand. Looking down at it, he realized how close he’d come to getting killed.
Even with Tania there, it had ended up being a close call.
“I need a bigger gun,” he muttered.
“Boys.” Tania sighed. “Always worried about the size of their gun. Didn’t that stinky old lizard teach ya anything, Milo?”
“Huh?”
“It ain’t the size that matters.” She grinned. “It’s how ya use it.”
Behind them, Cerena let out a snort while Belt barked a laugh.
Milo felt his own mouth twitch a little, but laughing would only hurt his ribs, so he held it in.
“I gotta say, Milo,” Tania continued airily. “You oughta have given her some warning before shooting off in her mouth like ya did. It ain’t polite to do that to a lady, ya know.”
“Stop it,” he hissed as Belt lost it. The big man’s guffaws drowned out Cerena’s shocked squeak. “Don’t make me laugh. My ribs are killing me.”
“They better not be cracked. You owe me a bath, buster. I got bits all up in my bits, if ya get me. And it’s all your fault. So, you’re gonna help me pick them out.”
Milo let out a strangled groan.
“You’re going to bathe together?” Cerena gasped.
Tania glanced over her shoulder. “Why not? How else is he gonna clean me?”
“It’s not like she’s making it sound,” Milo protested, not sure how he could explain.
“You said I’m yours, didn’t ya?” Tania grinned at him. “Take some responsibility, buster.”
A big hand slapped him on the shoulder, making him wince.
“A man shouldn’t be ashamed for loving a lady,” Belt said seriously. “I’m thinking a nice bath is actually a great idea.”
Cerena flushed bright pink.
“I don’t care what they said,” Fergus snarled from behind them all, forcing Milo to pause and look back.
“You used something you shouldn’t have, didn’t you?
I know you did, normie. It’s clear you’re Vizzingbelle’s pet.
She let you take it in, didn’t she? That’s how you got through the dungeon so fast.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Fergus.” Milo sighed. “But have you listened to yourself? You sound a little paranoid.”
“Just a bit…” Cerena agreed.
Fergus stepped up close, eyes blazing with something close to fanaticism. It was a strange expression. Hatred, Milo might have understood, but this was something weird.
Milo automatically took a step back from him.
“I don’t know who you are, normie. And I don’t care. But they shouldn’t be letting a normie like you touch the Primal Core!”
Milo went rigid. “What did you say?”
“It’s the only way someone with your pathetic mana could hope to compete here.” Fergus scowled. “And it’s wrong! Trash like you doesn’t deserve to touch it!”
Primal Core?
But before Milo could say anything else, Fergus had shoved past and Jin followed him with a gruff growl. “Outta my way, normie.”
“What was that all about?” Cerena asked.
Milo shook his head, but his heart was racing and his ribs were forgotten. “I have no idea.”
But Fed’s words resonated loudly in his head.
The Prime was the Prime.