Mordecai’s and Kazue’s cores were getting to wate of the most eaining a they’d had from delving parties. Mostly because this was not a proper delving party.

  After having gotten as far as they felt they could get with Derek’s magi their first day, Shizoku’s group had iated to use the first floor as training grounds after a normal daily party had cleared it, with a promise to not attempt to get to the boss room. The three younglings from Riverbridge were the only real trainees for this area. The rest were here to tead to ensure everyone remained safe.

  The priestess Alnia roving herself petent with her spells and prayers, but a little slow to react properly in a bat situation. She also had limited stamina for her magid o rest and recover fairly often.

  Rika had proved more adept at dungeon bat, her experience hunting helping her immensely here. What she did ck was experience coordinating with people who weren’t stalkers and hunters, and she didn’t have the experiend fideo shoot a foe engaged in melee with an ally.

  Those oints were at least easy to work on. Derek oher hand…

  Shizoku looked agitated. Oh, her fad voice were calm and posed, and most of her body nguage was rexed enough. The twitches of her ears and tails oher hand, well, those were the hardest for kitsuo learn to trol perfectly, and for all that she acted older than her age, she was only thirteen. Most didn’t really, it was usually easiest to learn to keep the emotions themselves on a tight rein.

  “Derek. I know that you don’t want to hurt them because they are cute. And that’s Kazue’s fault for making cute dungeon monsters. But they *are* dungeoures. They are here to fight. If Mordecai wasn’t so hey wouldn’t be patiently waiting for you to get ready to fight them. I know we haven’t figured out what yic is, but we at least get you used to using a staff or spear and defending yourself.” She was trying to not talk down to him, but the boy was stubborn!

  The twelve-year-old frowned. “I know what they are. But they aren’t mean, and I don’t want to hurt them. I don’t care if they just e ba the m.”

  “Oh for…” Shizoku took a deep breath, then pointed imperiously at one of the spiral-horned dire rabbits. “Derek thinks you won’t hurt him. Prove him wrong. Poke holes in him until he starts defending himself. Small holes mind, but he’s tall enough you have plenty of leg to aim for. And maybe his arms.”

  After a moment of sulting, the cave their sent to the dire rabbit, telling him to follow Shizoku’s orders for now. her one of them particurly wao bully the boy, but he had e here for training, and sometimes training sucked.

  “H-hey!” Derek yelped when the dire rabbit started hopping toward him. The several minutes were something out of a edy py as the boy ran away from the rabbit, doing his best to try and dodge the horn that kept thrusting at his legs.

  They’d modified this part of the floor into more of a hedged-in arena, though the rest of the ses still required making one’s way through the hedge maze. So he had plenty of room to run and fil while the others watched. It only did him so much good, and before long Derek had colpsed to his knees with several cerations and small puncture wounds to his legs, and a few to his arms as well. The dire rabbit backed off, blood dripping from its horn, and began to calmly itself.

  Shizoku was frowning thoughtfully, then asked the ‘empty’ air, “Mordecai, did you see that?”

  He had actually, and was analyzing the anomaly right now. Several times during Derek’s flight there had been slight movements of wind and dust that did not directly correspond with physical as. More iingly from his point of view, he’d not been able to pick up any traagic or chi. But he also thought it was time to intervene and work on a couple of ideas, so he asked Kazue to try researg element abilities that did not involve magic or chi. They had gotten a lot of books retly after all, and there was a differeween having analyzed the material and actually knowing it all.

  “Alright, that’s enough for now,” his avatar said as he appeared o Shizoku. “Alnia, if you could tend to his wounds? You’ve used a fair amount of magic today, perhaps it’s time to practice your field medie instead.” Mordecai kept his core’s focus on Derek as he turo the little kitsune by his side.

  “So, kudos on spotting the elemental anomaly,” he said as he rubbed the top of her head. “But you should have teo his wounds before asking me about that.” he fihat reprimand by flig her ear. Shizoku’s iingly mixed expression as she grabbed at her ears was amusing, but just a bonus. He was more ied in Derek’s reas. The boy had flinched when Mordecai had flicked Shizoku’s ear, despite her havihe oormenting him. Horoblems could a dungeon solve with ‘oone’? He was going to find out.

  “Now Derek,” Mordecai walked over to where the boy was being tended by the elven priestess. “I need you to uand that Shizoku is correct. You o be able to fight even cute mohat aren’t mean. For ohing, training in any skill vaguely bat reted usually involves sparring, and sparring means being willing to hurt the other person within reason.”

  Mordecai crouched down in front of Derek, pretending to not notiuch Derek was trying to avoid looking at Alnnia as she applied poultices and bandaged his wounds. For her part, the young appearing 20-something-year-old elf just looked exasperated at the boy’s shy rea. “In a bit I am going to give you a direct demonstration to help you uand how much everyone is holding back for you, and being held back by you. But first I want you to look Alnia in the eyes and say thank you.”

  Derek paled a bit but gathered his will and made himself meet her gaze as he smiled weakly. “Thank you, Miss Alnnia.” The boy’s voice was strained, but he ma. While he was doing that, Mordecai stole a g Shizoku, who was frowning as she read the piece of paper she’d found tucked into her hair. Excellent.

  The priestess gave him a small smile. “You are wele, Derek.” She said before patting him on the head. “You are a good boy, but even I tell you o toughen up a bit.”

  When Derek’s wounds had been taken care of, Mordecai helped the boy to his feet and led him over to Shizoku. “Now, I want you to look Shizoku in the eye and apologize for resistitempts at tut you after she’d spent the time to eet yroup specifically to help you train.”

  The boy looked like he was going to faint, but he mao force himself to do as Mordecai asked and only stuttered slightly. “I, I am sorry to have caused you trouble, Miss Shizoku. I should have listened better to what you were telling me.” Derek’s greater difficulty meeting the kitsune’s eyes than the elf’s suggested that Mordecai’s suspis were correct.

  Shizoku accepted the apology graciously, but she looked rather fused. And a bit like she was watg a somewhat recalcitrant animal perf a rick.

  Kazue caught on to a part of what he was doing then. “Wait, she’s been so mean to him. Why does he like her? And are y to set them up?” her voice chimed in his head, and Mordecai had to keep from smirking.

  “Attra of the young follows no logid Derek is clearly smitten by her. Getting Shizoku to reciprocate will be tricky, but might be doable.” he sent back, then focused his attention ba Derek. “I am going to emphasize the lesson Shizoku was making by asking the dire rabbit to attack you like that. Here, kneel on the ground and brace against this. You’ll want to be ready to take an impact.” Mordecai jured a shield of the right size for Derek to set on the ground while kneeling behind it.

  While he was setting things up with Derek, Moriko respoo the earlier thoughts. “Mordecai is trying to set up Derek and Shizoku? You have to show this to me ter. I’m a little jealous I ’t watch.”

  Mordecai ighe ensuing versatioween his wives for the moment. He needed all of his attention here so he could be precise. “Now, this is how hard the dire rabbits on this floor hit.” It proximation, but the strike of his fist against the front of the shield made it ring with about the same force. “That’s also about how hard a well-trained but not exceptional soldier strike with a spear or sword. The dire rabbits are beile with you because you are here for training, but all of them are quite capable of beihal. And they get stronger.”

  “Sed floor.” He hit the shield again, harder. “Third floor.” This strike shoved the young teen back a couple of inches despite having the shield braced. Derek simply didn’t have the mass and strength to resist despite being protected from direct impact. “And we’ll stop there, I think my point is made.”

  Derek shakily got to his feet, rubbing his hands and wing. “And we’re supposed to be able to fight them?” he asked, bewildered.

  Mordecai chuckled. “All four of your trainers here have made it to at least the fourth floor. And with the right support, they could be part of a team that clear the fifth.” He paused and indicated all three of the trainees. “To be clear, none of you qualify as the extra support they’d need yet. Now, another demonstration. Shizoku, are you up to going solo against two of this floor’s dire rabbits?”

  The kitsune winced slightly. “I hate their death sounds. But sure, I’ll try to make it fast enough that they ’t.”

  When space had been cleared and Shizoku had indicated she was ready, two of the dire rabbits charged at her, oh a spiral horn and the other widening its mouth to show off extra long, sharp incisors. The fight didn’t st long, not with her prepared like that. Both of the rabbits fell to a single spell, an arc of electricity eg them and log up their muscles before they could scream. Not a bad choice.

  Derek looked shocked, and Mordecai patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. You are here to train, and part of that is learning how to hahings like this. As for the dire rabbits, they are satisfied to have doheir part, if a bit miffed that they weren’t even a challenge.” he smiled as the boy looked up at him in fusion. “Their spirits reside with Kazue and I right now, and they will have new bodies in the m. So we know how they feel. And being dungeon-born, their instincts are a bit different, so long as they are here they know they won’t truly die. So they aren’t afraid of death. Now, I’m going to take my leave a you get back to your normal training. Please, fight and defend yourself properly, and follow Shizoku’s instrus.” Derek nodded slowly, and Mordecai left the floor to them.

  He’d have to wait a day or two to implement the part of his idea, he couldn’t be too obvious. Hopefully, the note he’d left with Shizoku would help her not be too mad ter.

  Zagaroth