85 – To be emotionally intelligent.

“Should we go to the others?” Pokora asked after an hour.

“You can go,” I replied with a sigh. “I'll stay here for a while longer.”

She nodded. “Sure”, she muttered and turned around, then walked away.

I let out a sigh and walked next to Sonya. Together we broke more of the wall and revealed the ores. I then stored as much of it as I could get my hands on. Sonya complained with a growl at seeing the snack disappear.

I took out a a fruit and a knife, then cut it and ate some while waiting.

Unfortunately, the anger remained the same.

I finished the fruit and undressed to my underwear, then sprinted towards the wall with a raised fist and punched it with all my strength.

The wall cracked and broke, making the dungeon floor shake.

Sonya backed off and stood behind me while rasping.

I pulled my left fist back and tightened my back, punching the wall the way Yolin had taught me.

The wall cracked further and split up to the ceiling, making the ground shake violently. The sand beneath my feet turned weird and sucked me down to my calves.

I clicked my tongue and freed myself with little effort. “Can't even vent,” I complained in annoyance.

Sonya approached me and licked my face.

I sighed and scratched her chin. I need something to kill time with, I thought.

The dungeon was clear and Thelea would take her time to get her third class. Continuing to punch the walls wasn't a sensible option as it could cause a cave-in.

“How about you sleep for a while?” I offered Sonya. “We'll wait for a few hours.”

She headbutted me and laid down by my side.

I sat down on the sand and stared at the wall, trying to clear my mind.

“Is that a delicious Halve I see?” Yolin's voice came from behind.

“Is that a delicious Oni I hear?” I replied with a smile.

She laughed and stood behind me. “How about some training?” she asked with a cheerful tone.

“I'm still angry,” I argued with a sigh. “I don't want to hurt you.”

She hummed and walked around me, then sat in front of me. “How about theory, then?” she tried with a smile.

I nodded. “Sure.”

“Alright,” she nodded and lifted her right arm above her head. She pointed at the toned muscles beneath her right breast and asked, “How is this called?”

I tilted my head. “Serratus anterior.”

She raised an eyebrow and frowned. “You had different names for muscles?” she asked in surprise.

I nodded. “How is that called here?” I asked back.

“Costipula,” she replied and lowered her arm.

My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Weird name,” I pointed out.

“And serratus anterior makes perfect sense,” she sarcastically retorted with a big smile.

I could only chuckle at that. I had no idea of the origin of the name.

“Do you know what that muscle does?” Yolin continued, reaching to me and running a hand over my ribs.

I shrugged and tried, “Makes people ticklish?”

“Nope,” she shook her head. “Close, though. It helps breathing, moving the shoulder blade, and much more. Look.” she showed me her ribs and took a deep breath.

The muscle turned noticeably visible and expanded along with her ribs.

“I see,” I muttered with a nod.

For the following hours we talked about anatomy, muscle function, and how to optimize them in training.

After around eight hours, Lapia approached us.

“How is it going?” she asked and hugged my neck from behind.

“Good,” Yolin replied with a nod.

I shrugged. “Less angry.”

The Elf kissed my cheek. “Thelea is done. Should we continue?”

“Yeah,” I nodded and stood up. “Let's.”

We made it back to the group and had something to eat, then went to the next floor.

I rode Sonya at the front and continued my Катюша tactics, throwing spears in quick rotations and killing the monsters the moment they entered my field of view.

***

Ten hours later we made it to the 100th floor. Surprisingly, high-tier dungeons are called that way not due to the highest leveled monster being especially powerful, but because the starting monster is a higher level than in most dungeons. That was a bit of a disappointment if I'm honest.

The last Floor Guardian was a group of jumping spiders that weren't particularly fast compared to me.

I left them to the group, however. I had considerably calmed down after clearing most of the dungeon so I let the rest take care of the last floor.

Yolin stood at the front with Bonte. Pokora and Lapia were next. Elena, Alyssa, and Bromisnar were behind them. Thelea stood at the back, protecting the rear and watching out for anything that went past the first three.

The two tanks had auras that influenced monsters and made them focus on them instead, so the party formation was covered in that regard.

Bromisnar was playing his lute and singing to buff the party.

I looked at the spiders and appraised them.

[Floor Guardian – Mag-Noyath Lvl 930]

[Floor Guardian – Mag-Noyath Lvl 927]

[Floor Guardian – Mag-Noyath Lvl 935]

Around the Demon's level, I thought while watching them fight.

Lapia activated the electric shield around everyone and encased one of the spiders in a cage of lightning, keeping it in place.

The strongest spider jumped towards the group.

Alyssa pointed her staff at it and did a few gang signs.

Thelea rushed forward and raised her new shield to intercept the spider.

Lapia blasted it with a fire ball.

The magical projectile exploded on contact, stopping the spiders' advance through the air. It landed but didn't move any further.

“I paralyzed it,” Alyssa informed the others. “We have ten seconds to kill it!”

“Guðirnir kalla!” Thelea shouted in a booming voice that shook the spider in front of her. “Saman stöndum við hátt!”

Oh? Sounds familiar... I thought with a smile.

The Goliath took a step closer to the spider that left her right in front of the monster and swung her sword downwards on its head.

The blade cut like a hot knife through butter, killing the spider instantly.

“HOLY SHIT!” the Warrior exclaimed in surprise and shock.

“Focus!” Pokora ordered and knocked her bow, then continuously shot arrows to the two remaining spiders' eyes.

Yolin had a spider locked down, using her floating arms to stretch its legs to prevent movement. The woman walked to it and grabbed the spiders chelicerae, bent over, then gave it a strong headbutt that pierced it with her horns.

I winced and shook my head.

Bonte appeared on top of the trapped spider, then transformed in a flurry of steel and shadows that slashed all over its body. After cutting all limbs and appendages off, he stabbed the head with both daggers.

After a moment of silence Pokora sighed. “Good job, everyone!” she praised and walked over to the monsters.

Thelea stood still, looking at the sword in her hand. “It's the equipment, isn't it?” she asked out loud.

“Oh, it definitely is,” Bonte replied and shifted towards her, standing on her shoulders. “The blades cut like nothing made by mortals. I have to constantly remind myself of that.”

Alyssa walked over to them and nodded. “While the equipment helps, it's the way we use it that matters most,” she reassured them. “The Chaser makes the tools, after all.”

“True,” the Tigea agreed with a nod. “A novice Shadow Chaser won't pull off Death's Waltz the same.”

We were silent for a moment.

Thelea, however, giggled. “That name is sooo cool!” she cheered her boyfriend.

Ah, well... there it is, I concluded. Another edgy-name lover.

Bonte dropped down from her shoulders.

Thelea caught him in her arms and stored her helmet.

Both looked into each others eyes with a smile, then kissed.

The body proportions made it look like an adult woman cradling a kid.

She's just tall, I reminded myself. And he's just short.

Still. I barely reached the Goliath's elbows when standing next to her. The Tigea, on the other hand, reached her hips.

Don't think too much into it, I told myself and looked away.

Alyssa walked to me and raised her scaly eyebrows. “Well?” she began, lifting her chin a little. “Calm now?”

“Yes,” I admitted with a nod.

She inspected my face for a moment and smiled. “Your eyes are back to normal,” she pointed out.

Lapia and Yolin walked to us.

The rest were a good distance away.

“Good to know,” I insipidly replied. “I'm not a fan of getting angry like that.”

“It's healthy to be angry,” Alyssa closed the distance and took my face in her scaly hands. “But if the love you offer is that violent and volatile... I don't want it,” she declared with a sad face.

My throat tightened and a frown formed on my face. “I know. I'm sorry,” I croaked. “I don't want to upset you.”

“Don't apologize for what and who you are, Natasha,” the Luzo scolded me. “If you have anger issues and you're dealing with them, that's admirable considering your species and purpose. We have to talk about it, however. Alright?”

I nodded and my eyes started stinging.

Yolin placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle smile. “Why do you have anger issues?” she asked.

I wiped my eyes and gulped. “I had a girlfriend after I finished school. She was pretty shitty with me and I ended up repressing my emotions to avoid breaking up,” I replied. “I had recently come to terms with the fact I am also attracted to women and she was my first girlfriend so I didn't want to fuck it up. It took me a while to realize I should've left her from the start.”

“Did you report her to authorities?” Lapia asked with an angry face.

I shook my head. “The country I grew up in was strongly against same-sex relationships. If I went to the... Watchers in that world, they would have ignored my claim. Plus, domestic violence wasn't as addressed as it should have.”

The three hugged me and sighed.

“I got professional help, though,” I continued, returning the hugs. “It helped me heal and move on. Now the only thing I deal with is I get angry too fast and it sometimes goes too far.”

“I apologize for what I said,” Alyssa muttered. “I didn't think things through.”

I nodded. “It's alright. I know how scary having a violent partner is,” I reassured her. “I'm sure you didn't say that with bad intentions.”

“No,” the Luzo shook her head and separated a little, looking me in the eye. “It's the first time you get that angry. I don't know how many times you've successfully controlled yourself and now I said some stupid crap like that,” she sighed. “That was uncalled for on my part, Natasha. I'm sorry.”

I giggled and wiped an escaping tear. “Okay, thank you,” I gushed. “I also apologize for making you feel like that.”

She nodded and gave me a tight hug, wrapping her tail around the four of us. “I love you, Natasha.”

“I love you too, Alyssa,” I giggled and picked the three up, then spun a few times.

“You're hot when you're angry, though,” Lapia confessed with a laugh.

We laughed and I released them.

“True,” Yolin agreed with Lapia. “Makes me want to try angry sex,” she added with a blush and a wink.

I shook my head with a sigh. “You two are too horny,” I accused them. “I like that, though.”

The Oni shrugged with a laugh. “What can I say? I had my cycle not too long ago.”

Alyssa shook her head. “A calm mind is much more attractive. Allows for more plays on the bedroom with a controlled environment.”

Lapia nodded. “I can see your point, but being all excited brings the primal side out,” she argued with a shrug. “That's a good recipe for intense, sweaty, and hot intercourse to the point of exhaustion. Just how I like it best.”

“Speaking of sex,” Yolin began, looking around the dungeon floor. “How about we look for diamonds now?”

Alyssa tilted her head. “What do diamonds and sex have to do with each other?” she inquired.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, about that... Yolin and I went to a shop that sold toys and we concluded diamond would be the best material for me,” I admitted with a blush.

The Luzo's scaly eyebrows climbed her forehead and a huge smile formed on her face. “Who are you to call others horny when you put together a dungeon delve to get materials for sex toys?” she challenged me with a giggle.

“A horny woman,” I replied with certainty. “I never claimed to not be one,” I pointed out.