On the thirteenth floor, paladins train intensively for possible deployment in the north. For now, there was no news, suggesting that they needed it, but their camp was one of the nearest to the border. So for now, they train. They train how to march in formation while being attacked from all sides. They learn how to coordinate their movement while mages bombard orcs with spells. It was especially crucial training while mages were using grand magic. Those spells were potent with a wide radius of effect. Friendly fire could be deadly. The other part was the cost of such spells. Mages need to pay close attention to their mana and stamina, not to collapse in the middle of the fight or even while marching.

  Sun elves, meanwhile, were training their sneaking skills inside the woods. While they weren’t amateurs in that field, at the same time, they only had a little experience doing that outside the sands of the desert. The thirteenth floor was much better than the fourth because the woods were full of enemies.

  Adventurers also have a lot to do on this floor. Throughout the entire floor, various treasures were hidden in scattered places. Precious materials for enchanters, alchemists, and artisans. Ruined watch towers, where sometimes you could find a piece of good-quality armour or weapon. Like other objects that Naomi was adding slowly to the list of rewards, they have a distinctive style involving gears braided in vines. Even the more mundane jewelry pieces become sought after. Lucky adventurers could count on selling them for double or even triple the normal worth. Adventurers kept a useful piece of armor or a sword. They become a symbol of pride and someone's achievements. In other dungeons, rewards weren’t marked, so anyone bragging about finding this or that was dismissed as a good story. Now they have proof that couldn’t be rejected.

  Dungeon Mistress didn’t forget about mages and scholars. She built a tower, now ruined, and filled it with scrolls and tools. Most of them were unridable and destroyed. However, if someone handles them carefully, they can decipher fragments of hidden or forgotten knowledge. Tools, however, can be repaired or rebuilt. Selphie became one of the main buyers of them. Her own modest tent was slowly rebuilt to become the official On Taram Library.

  Today was one month after Naomi finished her fourteen floors.

  General Serator watched his officers commanding the paladins march along the paved path through the forest on the thirteenth floor. This will be the second attempt to destroy the orc's camp. The first siege was chaotic, and they barely managed to win. All paladins and sun elves participating were unhappy with the result. Only adventurers don’t complain. Chaos was their natural element.

  This attack was going similarly to the last one. Sixty paladins, divided into three teams, were marching by the road. The plan was simple. The first team was clearing the way to the bridge over the river. The second one was tasked to lead the attack on the bridge itself, where over fifty golems were guarding it. After clearing the bridge, the third team will be marching on the front and destroying any orc patrols or barricades. Adventurers and sun elves flitted through the forests. Their task was to search for ambushes and patrols waiting for road travelers.

  They all met at the edge of the clearing surrounding the orc fort. It was shabby construction from wooden logs, but sturdy enough to protect the golems inside. The other important part was that inside were a few hundred of them. Dungeon Mistress made sure that the final fight was not easy.

  “Any changes to our initial plan, Lady?” General asked.

  “No. It’s our second attempt, so it’s too early to tell if there are some weaknesses to be exploited. Doing it the simplest way will be our safe bet. Mages will smoke them out with magic bombardments, while my people and adventurers will be waiting to attack from both sides.” The Lady Itylara answered.

  “Let’s do that. Adventurer Crall, are your men ready?”

  “Yes, General. We are waiting for the signal.” The leader of the adventurers part of the expedition confirmed.

  “Then let’s begin.” He ordered.

  An initial salvo of thirty grand mages lit the orc camp in fire and destroyed over a hundred golems in one strike. The Orcs ran out of the fort but collided with a wall of shields.

  This time, the coordination between all of them was much smoother, and the general was pleased with the overall performance of his men and cooperation with adventurers and the sun elves.

  The battlefield was hastily searched for anything worthy to be taken, and anyone who was seriously injured retreated to the surface. From the initial number of over one hundred, only seventy of them were able to go to the newest floor.

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  “General. You seem worried.” The Lady Itylara approached him. “Are you perhaps not pleased with our performance? Because I think that for our second joint training, it went well.”

  “My apologies, Lady. I’m also thinking that this siege went remarkably well.” He answered. “I was thinking about the next floor.”

  “Are you worried for some reason?”

  “Worry is a strong word. I don’t know if you, my Lady, noticed, but Dungeon Mistress is blaming herself for the recent invasion attempt in the north. And like you probably know, when she tries to help, unexpected things are happening.”

  “That explains a lot. And now I’m personally a little worried too.” The Lady Itylara agreed.

  “We adventurers also noticed this. We try to explain to Dungeon Mistress that it is something that happens every few years.” Crall interjected. “Oh, and we are ready to see what’s there.”

  “Yes. We need to go. The reset is near.” The general nodded.

  The first room they entered was a spacious dining hall carved in stone, heated by two large fireplaces. One wall has big double-glazed windows and doors. Doors were made from thick wood and were covered with animal furs. After opening them, they saw there were other thick wooden doors. When they pushed them, they were attacked by freezing air. They stepped onto a balcony covered with snow. They were a few floors above ground, and from there they saw the world covered in ice and snow.

  “Home!” Crall and a few other adventurers who were also from the north laughed.

  “It’s the north, indeed.” Serator shivered, but not from the cold, which he was familiar with, but from memories of his deployment years ago.

  “Dear gods! And I was thinking that nights in the desert are cold!” The Lady Itylara exclaimed, feeling her whole body freeze. Her lioness dematerialized, not wanting to deal with this madness.

  “That is actually nice weather. Ideal for some hunting.” Crall answered, smiling. “I hope that we could see blessed lights at night.”

  “Are you perhaps talking about lights made by the goddess of arts?” The Lady Itylara got interested.

  “Yes. We definitely need to stay here for the night. If the clouds disperse, we will see them.” Crall answered.

  “I heard a lot of them, and I’m eager to see them. However, this cold is too much for me. Excuse me.” The Lady Itylara hastily returned inside and sat next to the fireplace to fend off the cold.

  “We need to return too. We should learn more about this place. Dungeon Mistress most likely prepared basic supplies for us to travel through the snow. We need to make sure that we have all that will be needed.” The general told Crall.

  “Right. Anyone knows that you will need warm clothes, but there is so much more you need before you start hunting in the snow.” He agrees.

  The general approached Lady Itylara, who was still sitting next to the fireplace.

  “General, I will be honest with you. I don’t think sun elves will be much of use on this floor. We don’t know how to deal with cold and snow.”

  “Understood. And this is no problem. We are in a dungeon, a place where we all learn. Take your time, my Lady, and observe adventurers. Especially those from the north. I guess my worries were indeed exaggerated. Dungeon Mistress, give us just a place to train if we ever need to go to the north.”

  “My warrior and I will be ready when that day comes.” The Lady Itylara promised.

  The floor under the hall was designed as sleeping quarters, and there was also a public bath with hot water. But the next floor puzzled them. It was filled with large sacks of flour and vegetables such as potatoes and smoked meat. There were also carts on rails similar to those used in mines. There were even round turntables to ensure that there wouldn’t be any delays with moving carts.

  “How can someone haul goods through the snow? On the back?” One adventurer from the south asked.

  “Ha ha ha. We use sledges. For small things, you use dogs to pull them. For bigger things, horses or bears.” Someone from the north laughed.

  “So those doors should lead to a stable then. Let’s see.” Serator said and pushed the doors.

  On the other side, there was indeed a stable, but one that no one had ever seen before. Inside stood an eight-meter-tall elephant made from brass. Rails were going to a bridge that allowed entry through doors on the side. Inside was a spacious space to store goods or for a few passengers.

  “Are those golems?” The Lady Itylara whispered when she entered one of them, following the General.

  “Hard to say. There is a seat for a helmsman, so maybe it’s something in between golem and carriage.”

  “Why, Dungeon Mistress, build them?”

  “To help with war.” The General answered. “But how exactly, I can’t tell.”

  “It’s simple.” Crall, who appeared at the entrance, said. “Imagine this beast charging through zombies, trampling them, and destroying necromancers.”

  “That is one possibility.” The general agreed. “Anyway, I need to return and discuss this matter with Dungeon Mistress.”

  “I will stay here for a few days. Adventurer Crall, will you also stay here for some time? The Lady Itylara asked.

  “Yes, lady. I intend to look around to get a feeling of this floor.”

  “Could you and your men show us how to deal properly with cold and snow?”

  “Certainly. Basics are simple. The fighting part is what is difficult.”