NOVEL NEXT Book 3 - Chapter 17
The next few days were restful.
Despite the revelation that the objects in the Dungeon could be destroyed with <Counterspell>, it was still faster to tear them down with other skills, especially since deconstructing the trees with the spell robbed them of the wood to build other structures.
Not that they needed much wood. Patrick and Archer were proficient enough with their <Earthen Wall> skill that they were able to construct individual rooms for each person there. This was on top of the showers and latrines that were spaced in each of the squares.
With an actual nature Caster, Penelope wasn't needed to create vines to use as ropes, which gave her more time to focus on her own spells. It also gave her a new group of level one Casters to mentor. Though she wasn't alone in her teaching duties. Fae-Anna was promoted to help her since the burn squad was still helping to clear the other half of the floor.
"That was good." Penelope resummoned her <Light Torrent> to create more projectiles for the man in front of her to shoot at. Keller McDonald was only a year older than her and shared her enjoyment of a lack of conversation. The blond man had also taken the light affinity as well, which should have made her one of the better people to teach him.
Penelope focused on Speed and then Recovery as her other two stats. This allowed her to cast multiple spells at once and her focus was on being able to individually target a lot of monsters.
Keller had a secondary stat of Defense, then Aura. This gave the blond man access to spells that were more reactive and led to a more stationary fighting style where he would reflect spells back at the attackers. He also had learned <Bedazzle>, which would make a monster focus on whatever target he wanted. While they hadn't experimented with it much, he'd learned that he could set inanimate objects as the target of focus and was eager to go into combat to try to have a monster attack another monster.
They had also learned that giving the level ones <Shadow Essence> from the third floor would bring them up a whole level until they hit level eleven. This meant that for the twenty-five people who weren't actively fighting, each square they cleared could bring one of them up to level ten.
The first people to get the level-ups were the ranged group. Penelope looked over at the others who were working on their spells. There were only five Casters in this group, while Circe and Whitney were working with a lone Archer.
"When are we going to get to duel?" Virginia Cargill summoned an icicle and pierced one of the floating <Light Balls>.
Penelope sighed as she turned to the brunette in her early forties. "Virginia, we've told you, I don't know how many times, we're not going to fight each other."
"But the fighters get to." Virginia whined. "Come on, you know that it would prepare us better for when we fight against the Demons."
"The fighters are using sticks and still have to have Healers on hand to make sure people don't die." Penelope shook her head. "The answer is still no, and…" She pointed at the Spudragora tied to a post on the other side. "You're supposed to be working on hitting those, not Keller and Bonnie's targets."
Virginia snapped her fingers, sending another icicle at another <Light Ball>. Bonnie Henderson raised an <Earth Spike> out of the ground to intercept the projectile.
Both spells fizzled as Penelope canceled them both. She glared at the older woman she was working with. "Bonnie, I appreciate the attempt to enforce the rules, but I don't need your help." She shifted her gaze from the almost fifty-year-old to the other older woman. "Virginia, I get that you're bored, but you're not going to see any action if you can't follow orders." Penelope pointed from where they were in 22A down the A row towards the monsters. "Lone wolves die out there."
"Like you? Or Frederica?" Virginia snickered. "I've seen the way the two of you fight. Not a lot of teamwork going on there."
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"Frederica takes out the most dangerous Demon, then I have to go get her." Penelope folded her arms across her chest. "And I cover our people while they fight." She nodded at Fae-Anna, who was walking over. "We have to take direction from Patrick about what we're doing, so if you can't follow orders—"
"You'll what? Put me in time out?" The older woman stepped up to look down at Penelope.
Penelope was average height for a woman at five foot four inches, so she was used to having to look up at people, but Virginia had a good six inches on her, allowing the older woman to tower over her.
Jeru, options?
"Once you can get into town, you'll be able to learn how to make mage cuffs, which would ground out her magic and keep her from casting spells, but as it stands right now, the worst you can threaten her with is to keep her out of the fighting period." Jeru shook his head. "I wasn't expecting the sheer amount of infighting that happens."
So you're telling me that I have to wait until I clear the first three floors before I can start arresting the Casters that are a threat?
"No!" Jeru shook his head. "Once you learn how to make them, you'll keep that technique on all future loops."
Which means I can arrest Derek before he starts killing people. Penelope couldn't keep the joy off of her face.
"You think that's funny?" Virginia stepped closer, leaning her chin against Penelope's forehead.
"Virginia…" Fae-Anna tugged at her wand.
"It's okay." Penelope sighed. "If she wants to duel…"
"Alright!" The brunette clapped her hands and turned around, then pointed at Bonnie. "Come on Bonbon, you and—"
A pair of vines shot out of the ground, wrapping around Virginia's arms and pulling her backwards.
"HEY!" Virginia shrieked and attempted to cast a spell to free herself.
Penelope <Countered> the spell. A second set of vines grew out of the ground, one wrapped around the snared woman's waist, while the other wrapped around her mouth, muffling the string of curses on Virginia's tongue.
Penelope guided one of her <Light Balls> over the prone woman lying on the ground. "You suggested a time-out as a punishment for refusing to follow orders." She pointed at the <Light Ball> hovering over the struggling woman. "This will ensure that you don't cast any spells and stay in time-out until we get done here."
She turned to the others while pointing towards the 24-column. "What we're doing out here is dangerous. If you can't be a team player, or if you decide that you're going to actively challenge your teammates, then you are a liability at best." She turned towards the prone woman. "Another danger at worst."
Fae-Anna moved up next to Penelope and lowered her voice. "Is this really necessary?" She glanced at Virginia. "Isn't she too old to be put in time-out?"
"What would you rather me do?" Penelope motioned at the others, who hurried to focus on their target practicing. "Wait until her antics get one of them injured, or worse, killed?"
"I mean…" Fae-Anna nodded towards 21B where the close-range fighters were practicing. "We've got Healers."
"And part of their training is learning how to take a hit." Penelope shook her head. "If they and the Tanks do their job right, then those of us in the back will never get hit."
"Right, but isn't locking her up like that a little extreme?" Fae-Anna glanced at the older woman in front of them.
"Would you rather I turn her over to Frederica?" Penelope winced as she saw the fear cross Virginia's face.
"I'm not saying that we need to kill her." Fae-Anna paled. "But… I don't know."
"We don't have a good way to seal skills and spells." Penelope gestured at her floating <Light Ball>. "Right now, it requires me to babysit whoever is using this power inappropriately, which takes me out of the fight if I have to watch them long-term." She looked down at her hands. "Maybe if we could figure out how to put a spell on an object, then we could make a room that could hold them, but right now, this is the best we've got."
"It just…" Fae-Anna swallowed. "We lost a lot of people when Freddy tried to root out Derek's followers and there were a bunch who didn't join him that didn't come down here with us." She looked over at Penelope. "I just don't want us to go through that again."
"I know." Penelope looked up at the sky, then down at the woman below them. "The good news is that you won't get a sunburn from being out here, so you can stay there until we're done practicing for the day." She squatted down. "But if you ever try to fight someone again, I'll make sure you never get another point of experience." Penelope patted the woman's cheek, then stood up.
"Alright! Let's start working on hitting moving targets!"