It's been three days (by the clock, and even if the clock is broken, at least we sleep three times) since we've been in the dungeon. I'm glad that Teliara, JOATMON and I learned the basic cleaning spell. Since we're all girls in the party (except Fie, he's a boy, but a cat and that mimic... Do mimics even have a gender?), it shouldn't be a problem to just clean ourselves with spells here, but since Teacher Tiara is here and I don't want to be scolded by her about noble ettique and all, I make a partition out of earth and plants to cover us all.
A nice little cloud just above our heads, sprinkling warm water. Soap and shampoo from my item box to keep us clean. Wind magic to dry my hair. Warm fire magic just to make the wrinkles from my clothes go poof and
"I am ready to go!" [Diana]
"And she made it look so easy. I'm really jealous of those from Aru Village who have access to all the elements" [Princess Siti].
"Teliara and JOATMON did the same thing as me" [Diana].
"JOATMON can use all elements like Diana and Dana, though" [Teliara].
"Maybe I should create a golem maid just to take care of myself" [Princess Siti].
"I'd like to buy her if that's the case" [Tiara].
"Well, I have a puppet back home that specializes in that, if you want one" [Merlin]
"Master Merlin's puppets are all elegant. I'm sure it would be nice to have them clean you" [Diana].
(It's creepy... I don't want it) [Tiara, Princess Siti]
Dana is the last one to take a bath as she prefers to stand guard while the others clean themselves. I wanted to go in with her if possible, but it's okay.
After making sure we are all well rested, we enter a new floor. Floor nine. This is the first floor where the ghastly knight has been seen by adventurers and knights alike. It is also one of the last charted floors in the dungeon. Floor eleven and beyond will be uncharted territory. Well, we don't even know how many floors this dungeon will have, but since it's rich in mana and visibly huge, I assumed it must be bigger than Diana's Mirage Dungeon. The dungeon I discovered has now expanded to include a ninth floor and a secret area for the Hanging Treant to become the second World Tree.
Entering the ninth floor, Fie, Dana, and Teliara take the lead, while JOATMON, Master Merlin, and the mimic take the rear. I am in the middle of the group together with Princess Siti and Teacher Tiara. I am flexible in that I should cover both the front and the back should anything happen.
As we move steadily and deliberately, we make sure that the traps are all untouched or disarmed if necessary. We have to make sure that we don't get hit by anything, as there are no adventurers or knights to help us in case of an emergency.
"With my aura and petrifying spell, Gungnir, blast that lizard!" [Dana]
"Meow!" [Fie]
"For you earth lizard, a specially prepared bolt that will surely drop all your defenses!" [Teliara]
"To think there's a giant scale lizard in the middle of the dungeon" [Merlin].
"I'm glad there's only one so far. Even one of them can block our way" [Princess Siti].
"There's none mentioned in the guidebook, which makes sense since this floor is usually where they all meet the ghastly knight and get beaten up" [Tiara].
I'm glad Princess Siti didn't jinx it. I thought there would be another giant lizard blocking our way. Teliara examined the lizard and found that its saliva contains a powerful paralyzing poison that can be used. She quickly gathers some in a flask that she carries through her item bag. It's sticky, even stickier than the mimic's saliva. She makes quick work of it, transforming it into a projectile that is able to detonate on impact, releasing the saliva to paralyze her enemy.
"Your fighting style is becoming more and more like that of the wandering sage" [Merlin].
"Really? Where should I improve to be better than him?" [Teliara]
"Take it easy. He's called a sage for a reason. Knowledge and experience are his allies. He will usually end the fight with a single blow, blasting his opponent with all of his weaknesses at the same time. These things come with enough effort and time" [Merlin].
"He must be strong for even Master Merlin to say so" [Princess Siti].
"I never see him fight, but even I can tell he's strong. Besides, the candy he brings whenever he's back is so good!" [Diana]
"Agreed. Somehow, Grandpa Sage always brings the best candy and food when he's back" [Teliara].
As we talk about the wandering sage, a headless, Ghastly knight appears. He's not really a Dullahan, because Dullahans are always accompanied by a horse. Well, some won't, but he's called a ghastly knight because he exhibits the characteristics of a ghost. The golden armor he wears. The big sword and shield he carries. He even has a strange emblem on his chest that piques Master Merlin's interest. We're all on high alert, but surprisingly, the ghastly knight doesn't draw his weapon. Master Merlin, on the other hand, approaches the Ghastly Knight and casts a spell. The spell she casts will allow others to hear her conversation with the Ghastly Knight's soul.
"I'm surprised your soul isn't with the goddess. What causes you to awaken from your slumber?" [Merlin]
"Merlin! It really is you! The young lady with the spear looks like Aru. Even the one at the back with the wand from world tree looks like her. Is it her daughters?"
"Huh!?" [All]
"More like Aru's descendant. Oh right, where are my manners, here are my students and all of you, this is Tuah, the strongest knight of the old Emas who once helped us to subjugate the Devil King" [Merlin].