Chapter 90 - 88: Time
Having narrowly escaped Necia's playful wrath by promising he'd be responsible for making sure the bedding got dry, thus holding up his side of the communal clothes washing, Tulland moved on to tell White what was going on. White didn't approve or disapprove, but instead just seemed to note the change in schedule as a neutral. Given the situation, that struck Tulland as just about right.
By the time he got home, he found that Necia had shot ahead of him on the drying-things-out front, building a good-sized fire in the yard and using some cast-off dead briars Tulland had around to string them up between the house and the fence. Over the heat, the bedding dried out quick, they just had to watch to make sure they didn't actually burn.
After that, they ate a very large meal heavy on the few new vegetables and grains Tulland's customers had brought in, then went to bed. Any jokes about anything more than sleep turned out to be just that when Necia fell asleep within just a few minutes of laying down, proceeding to snore peacefully loud enough that the stone walls were vibrating with the echoes.
It's funny how much that doesn't bother me. If it was my uncle or one of my friends from back home, I'd hate it.
That reaction is what I've mentioned before. The laughter. The genuine enjoyment. The trust. It's priceless here. Whatever you do, Tulland, do not let that girl get away from you unnecessarily. Keep her with everything you have.
These, Tulland decided, were the easy times to just trust the System. When it was just right.
—
"The ninth floor. Filled with plants, they say."
"Oof. That class is really getting to you." Necia stood by Tulland's side, half-laughing. "Your eyes are downright scary when you talk about getting new green things for your garden."
"I need them to survive," Tulland protested.
"We both know that's not the only thing. You look like I probably do when I think about shields." Necia's eyes flashed with gear-lust. "I do like new shields. And breastplates. And grieves, for that matter."
"I can tell. So do you feel good about this, still? We could rest longer."
"We could, but we shouldn't. What we know of this floor says that it's a good match for you. After that it's a bit variable, but… honestly, Tulland, things are closing in on us. We need to get better, fast. I'm…"
"Scared." Tulland finished the sentence for her. "Me too. It's Okay."
Necia took Tulland's hand, then leaned forward into a step towards the gate.
"Let's do it then. Together. It will be fun. Probably." Necia more or less dragged him towards the entrance. "Either way, I need to get moving. I'll get too antsy to be useful, otherwise."
"Same." Tulland squeezed her hand. "Let's go."
They stepped through the door together. In the next instant, they found themselves in a place that was lush, green, and entirely more overgrown than anything Tulland had ever seen on his home planet or in The Infinite.
It's beautiful.
"Tulland, don't drool," Necia warned.
"Was I?"
"Almost. I just wanted to head it off at the pass." Necia looked around. "Do you think this will help?"
Tulland glanced down at the level description and almost started crying. It was that good.
| Ninth Floor (Reflex Jungle) The Reflex Jungle is entirely a test of your ability to traverse treacherous, tricky floors. There are no beasts here, and no threats that do not have roots in one way or another. That is not to say this place is safe, of course. It is as deadly as any floor you are likely to have faced thus far. Each plant holds a secret here. Some are food. Some are very hard to kill. But many of them, enough that they will seem to be all of them by the end, are hiding lethal things. Some bite. Some cut. Some have venom, or even poisons and the means to make you ingest them. Insight and reaction time are absolutely vital here. What you can't avoid through wisdom, you must avoid through a developed sense of when to duck, dash, or otherwise get away. Very few of the plants here yield experience when killed. The objective is rather to get through a gauntlet of botanical terrors quite unlike anything you've ever seen before as quickly as possible, reaching the exit gate in as little time as you can manage. Be wise. Speed is to your benefit, here, but only up to the point where it kills you. Objectives: Exit the floor as quickly as possible.
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