Chương 44: 1-43 What remains

Cleaning up after a fight like that was a bit of an awkward affair for Josef, though thankfully he didn't have to do any of the actual looting himself. It was Bezzo who took over that part while he waited for Regeneration to put his upper arm and shoulder back into shape. That, and some guidance from a directly applied Greater Heal, to put the fractured bones in the right spot, providing a scaffolding for the rest of the process.

Doing that was a necessity, as the slow and steady healing over time technically only boosted the body's natural recovery, and that usually ended in an ugly mess if the bones weren't set properly beforehand. The added magic provided some leeway, but it couldn't completely subvert negligent handling, especially if things got more complicated than a clean break.

Josef could have quickened the entire ordeal of taking care of everyone, but that would have meant getting extra mana by draining the dead, and outside of the lethal threat the fight itself had created, he was not willing to cross that line if there was no immediate need for it. Not that the outcome differed for those whom they had slain, as Bezzo simply dispersed their bodies just as they always did with monsters.

At least it removed the worst parts of looting, where one would have to pat down or even undress the body. This way was a lot quicker and cleaner, making it feel just that slight bit less ugly and disrespectful. Pretzel had volunteered to take over guarding the perimeter, gleefully chasing down any of the scattered Rachse that dared to get too close to their battlefield.

There were neither bodies nor magic stones left behind where the agile serpent hunted, as she swallowed the small creatures whole, as snakes usually do. The happy exclamations Pretzel made whenever she succeeded at hunting down another monster drowned out any concerns Josef had about his familiar's eating habits. However, he really hoped that feeding her was still optional instead of a requirement, because he wasn't about to fetch her rats for dinner once they were back outside.

Also, he now wondered if there were some sort of rat people in this world, and if they were on speaking terms with snake people like Zassa. Dusty had taken a brief detour back to the start of the eleventh floor, but all he brought back was bad news, as apparently not only the entrance to the dungeon was a one-way ticket downwards, but the 'checkpoint' on the tenth floor was as well.

That was how Josef interpreted his familiar's unholy screech upon returning from being sent to check, as even after the increase to his affinity he could not hear a clear voice from his first summon. At least his verbal range had increased massively, and he now reproduced some sounds from their environment, like squeaky metal doors and the snarls of Rachse. Hopefully, he would learn to imitate proper voices at some point, but for now his vocal cords remained a nightmare cabaret.

As it stood, they could no longer go back up, driving home the feeling of being trapped inside the dungeon until the whole matter was resolved. Because of that, Zippa was setting up camp for them, using the supplies they had brought, including what Vasaj had sponsored for their trip. Josef's shady benefactor had spared no expense when supplying them for their trip, preparing everything one would need to camp inside the dungeon, including magical equipment to facilitate a safe stay.

One was a crystal orb the size of a football that emanated a small amount of white mist, which disappeared only a few centimeters away from the orb. That one was supposed to keep monsters at bay, making them much more reluctant to approach one's campsite. It had to be fed with mana to keep the effect active, and the level of the supplier would dictate how well it could keep out beasts.

If it weren't for the ongoing demand on his own mana pool, Josef would have supplied the energy himself, hoping that his being a Drake would have an influence on the effectiveness, but for now Zippa would take care of that as his own reserves continued to refill after the fight.

Other than that, there were various magical tools, like one that produced a smokeless fire that burned mana, reinforced tents that could provide a temperate atmosphere even under extreme conditions, and even bedrolls that reduced the time needed for rest by elevating sleep quality. There was also an orb that apparently stored over a hundred liters of water, magically compressed and barely weighing a whole kilogram.

Josef hadn't thought water in the dungeon to be that important, considering he could make his own, but it turned out that magical water wasn't good for drinking. Water created through spells only remained stable for a while before breaking apart into raw mana, causing rapid dehydration in whoever dared to drink it. So that orb essentially just used magical means to store large amounts of perfectly mundane liquid.

He didn't know how much this entire setup would have cost for only one person, much less all three of them, and he had no desire to find out. If even a simple shirt with a self-repair enchantment had cost gold coins, then actual essentials for adventurers must have been much more expensive. Josef's eyes could not precisely gauge the value of items, but they sure triggered some kind of draconic instinct screaming "This is valuable!" in the back of his mind.

He had already felt something similar when glancing at the silver armor of those knights, and now that sensation only increased when he witnessed Zippa handling his 'precious' items. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. That was definitely a change from only a day before, implying that going to Lapis's place also brought him more in line with his inner dragon.

Hopefully, he would not start showing full-blown stereotypical behaviour, or things might get awkward once he turned sedentary on a pile of expensive camping gear. Unfortunately, he could no longer deny the influence the heartstone had on his development, as an entirely new itch on his body reminded him. He didn't have a chance to lift his shirt and check with his eyes yet, but the rough and cold spots spread out on his chest were hard to mistake for anything but scales.

How nice of the dragons, who he was supposed to save, to reward his dedication with a bit of body horror. What would happen if this… condition enveloped his whole chest? Would his nipples fall off? What if it spread further south? He shuddered before he could banish the thought from his brain. Another candidate for that drawer in the back of his mind, the one where all those unpleasant issues went that had to be compartmentalized.

Space was getting a little tight in there these days, and something told him that increasing his affinity wouldn't help with that. Currently, Josef was busy continuing the treatment of the unconscious knight, Aifreed, if he remembered the lady's words correctly, though on top of his own bodily distractions, her behaviour broke whatever concentration he had left.

"Ma'am, please stop shaking the patient while I'm trying to heal him. Also, shouting does not aid his recovery." He was really scrounging up all of his paltry Charisma points not to tell the emotional woman to shut up and give him some space. That was why no one allowed relatives in the operating theater, putting aside hygienic reasons. As he tried to continue treating the fallen knight, Josef attempted to coax some information out of her.

Regeneration would take care of most of the man's issues, but the rather large amount of blood trapped in his lungs was the cause for some concern. Destroying any amount of bodily matter with his healing magic was still an uphill battle, but he made steady progress on the congealed fluid.

"How about some proper introductions? You can call me Adam," he made use of the fake name he had already established on the last floor, "and your friend is called Aifreed, right?"

"T-that's right," she sobbed, audibly pulling up snot through her nose. There was no sign of the demanding behaviour she had shown at the start of their encounter, showing that her comrade's injury must have truly shaken her.

"You can call me Linda. That's what my friends do." She even went so far as to pull off her helmet, revealing her face to Josef. Would she have done so if she knew he was concealing his own with the help of a magic token? Either way, the face hidden under the silver helmet fulfilled just about every beauty cliche his prejudiced mind had come to expect from an elf because of popular media.

Emerald green eyes that carried the vibrancy of the forest, and golden locks that flowed like a field of wheat in the summer breeze. A single mole on her cheek improved her beauty through tactical asymmetry. If only it weren't for the nose long enough to hang a towel from. Comparing elven helmet design to what he was used to from Earth, he realized that these buckets should just as well fit on the heads of Zippa and Bezzo, even if it might get a little tight at the tip of their muzzles.

Josef nodded half-mindedly as he continued to work his magic.

"Nice to meet you, Linda. Now, not to pry, but why were you fighting your fellow knights? Isn't Sanctum supposed to be unified or something?"

"Don't lump us in with those bastards!" The sneer crossing her face was almost comical in intensity.

"If father hadn't tried to garner an alliance with these worm ridden… with these unpleasant fellows, then I wouldn't be here in this rank sinkhole. And my poor, brave Aifreed wouldn't have been injured by these uncouth brutes!" She almost slipped into an honest rant before barely catching herself, clearly trying to maintain a certain level of decorum. Considering her behaviour during the fight, Josef couldn't help but wonder if she had ever started a brawl during some noble party.

"And your father would be…?" he tried to lead on.

"None of our business." She decisively cut off his attempt, turning away with a pout. Apparently, that one was a sensitive topic for her. Josef could have attempted to get more information about her identity by using his eye-skill, but even if he was getting back into the rhythm of using them, he didn't want to make a habit of prying into the background of potential allies.

On top of that, if she was indeed from a noble house, then who knows what kind of safety measures she would have against such attempts, and getting caught might just lead to a fight, considering her temperament.

"Then what about that attack? How did it come to that?" He immediately saw her face scrunch up, preparing to make another deflection, so he pressed on.

"You owe us that much, considering how we saved you from certain death." Linda averted her eyes at that, sucking on her lip as she prepared an answer.

"You don't know for certain if we-" Aifreed interrupted her evasive maneuver, as he stirred and coughed vehemently.

"I apologize for this unbecoming display, my lady." He rasped between breaths, still showing clear signs of having trouble breathing. Before she could answer him, though, he continued.

"If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, please share our plight with them. They appear to be capable enough to aid us in this hour of peril." A complicated mix of emotions flickered over Linda's face before it settled into something akin to quiet resignation, as she placed a hand on Aifreed's shoulder.

"Fine, if that is what you think, I will trust your judgement as always. Just save your breath and rest up, alright?" Her tone became a lot softer as she addressed her knight, before finally turning to Josef with a stoic expression.

"This whole disaster started when my father tried to curry favor with Sanctum's faction, trying to build positive relations when they showed a clear disposition towards amassing further power, intending to ride the tailcoats of their ascend," her words turned bitter as she continued.

"And what's the happiness of a single daughter compared to a fresh infusion of political power…" Josef could tell that the family dynamics of her noble heritage must be a massive mess, not that hearing it had surprised him. Whenever parents decided to treat their own children as political assets, morals usually went to die in a corner.

Settling down for a long story, Josef switched over to treat his own missing hand as Linda recounted the story of how her father handed her over like cattle, only for her to almost get snuffed out by Sanctum.