The sight of adventurers or new faces who didn't look like desert natives wasn't pleasant to that group of rcenaries, and they weren't willing to chat.
"We arrived here first," one said, "This is our Oasis."
Even Damian, who knew nothing about the place he was in, knew very well that no one could go and claim an Oasis like that. If it had so buildings in it, and people living, that might be the case, but that Oasis in particular. No shot.
They were just creating excuses to stay on top of the situation. A way to make themselves believe they were the right ones in this whole ss.
Those rcenaries judged Damian by his jovial appearance; for them, he was just a boy who wouldn't have the courage to stand against them. That was quite the mistake.
Montarily, a desire to kill and rip those rcenaries surged within Damian. He tried everything to keep it in check, but it felt impossible. It was as if his whole mind shattered, and the only thought was to kill.
Then, a whisper entered his ears, "Relax. We don't have to fight."
It was the mushroom talking after sensing Damian wasn't feeling alright. The mushroom did not know the reason behind Damian's temper, but that did not matter. All it wished was to avoid bloodshed.
And apparently, it worked! Damian's eyes returned to reality, and he was thinking straight again.
With newfound resolution, Damian activated his ntal powers, aiming at all of them simultaneously, hoping to make them more accessible for chatting.
Well, Damian's ntal powers did more than that, and in no ti, all the rcenaries were eager to tell him everything he wanted to know, going as far as opening their minds for him to read it.
It worked well because of Damian's constant increase in power and because the rcenaries, despite looking fearful, had a mind with too many breaches that Damian could explore. Sotis the seasoned warriors were the ones with the most wounds.
The place they were in was called the Desert of Nahara, and it was indeed located inside the dungeon. The rcenaries had that information, but the floor level was unknown, and they also did not know about portals.
But there was sothing else worthy of Damian's attention: the location of a city within the desert, near a massive river, and there, many people lived and thrived. If Damian wished to gather more information about the desert or the floor he was on, that was the place.
After putting the rcenaries to sleep and grabbing so of their equipnt, he shared all that information with the mushroom. Before leaving, though, Damian and the mushroom enjoyed the fresh water and the tree's shadows to shove away the harshness of the desert heat.
The rcenaries had so cals tied by ropes to the palm trees. Damian could see, despite being cals, they were slightly different from the ones he knew from Earth. Evolution, perhaps?
Damian grabbed one of the said cals for himself, as these were the best allies a person would want in the desert. It would allow them to easily cover vast distances, so the idea of reaching the city he saw inside their minds wasn't that far-fetched.
"Are we heading to the city you talked about now?" the mushroom asked.
"Indeed. It will take us two days, but sothing is bugging ."
"Do share."
"The Skyfall Tower I was inside before appearing in that forest where you tried to kill ," Damian said, staring at the mushroom, who waved his tiny arms, saying, "Forget about it, please?"
Damian sighed and continued, "Like I was saying, this tower only opens for seven days, then it closes for seven more, and then it opens again."
He explained it to the mushroom, who was frozen, staring at Damian, lost for words.
"What's wrong?" Damian asked.
"What happens when the tower closes, and you're inside? We are still inside the dungeon, but the tower was the thing that teleported you to the dungeon, right?"
"Uh, yes, but I have no idea what happens. As far as I know, everyone inside the tower would get teleported back to one of the resting floors before the tower sent them outside. Why do you ask?"
The mushroom did not know how to say it but mustered the courage to say, "Well, I ssed up with your dreams for nine days. So that's already above the seven mark, and that's not considering you didn't lose more ti before eting ."
"What? Really? Are you sure you know how to count? Now, with , one, two, three..." Damian said, using his fingers to show the mushroom.
"Idiot. I know how to count!"
Damian was shocked after hearing the news. His ring, which he got from the tower, looked like it was still working, aning it believed Damian was still inside it.
But it did not teleport him back. Was he stuck there? Damian did not know the answer to such a question, and the only way to find out more was to get into the city he saw and look for clues there.
That's precisely what he did, mounted on his cal with an annoying mushroom on his shoulder, one he nad Billy, the Mushroom.
"Why Billy?" the mushroom asked.
"I want it, so that's your na now."
"But..."
"There's no but. It is as it is."
Billy accepted his fate, and the two made their way through the desert, reaching the city after two days. It was as vivid as the rcenaries' mories.
Many humans were walking on the streets, trading goods and selling their services. So weren't even humans, resembling orcs or a sub-race of trolls. There were other races there Damian had never seen before!
That was just the first glance into the city. What else would Damian find in that place? He hoped for answers.
"What business do you have here?" the guard asked Damian after he arrived at the gate on his cal.
"Eat and sleep, and maybe get laid?" Damian said, shrugging his shoulders.
He had no fucking idea what to say, but apparently, the guard liked his answer.
"Ha, these youths still have a lot of energy. Be sure to visit the Brothel Night's Horny. A fine place, that one."
Damian entered the city afterward, not knowing if he should laugh or cry. That place was strange.
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