“.” Reinhardt skidded to a stop, barely getting the shield in between the speartip and his sternum. He knew he was right-hand dominant because he was still him, his brain was intact and wired the same way. All the examples of “armed” monsters he had seen thus far had been wielding their weapons right-handed, but as this one had proven, that was likely one of those “aesthetic choices” the Dungeon

  He had faced left-handed opponents before, and always found them strange creatures. The Combat Drills instructor, one of the few Villeton, had extolled the virtues of left-handedness and ambidexterity with every new routine they practiced. He had coached them in the ways that a “cross-stanced” opponent could use their antagonistic movement pattern and “backwards” attack profile to mess up the defence of even the most experienced fighters. Whenever a right-handed fighter and a left-handed fighter traded blows, one would always end the pass out of position to the other, it was just a fact. The problem was, it was the right-handed fighter eight times out of ten. Unless, of course, they had trained for it and knew how to avoid it or recover from it. The other side of that coin was “southpaw baiting” - ending a routine in a standard manner to allow the lefty to get outside the lead foot in order to tease out an attack they can counter. It worked maybe three times out of ten - meaning two well-trained cross-stanced fighters both had an equal chance to win any given pass.

  They circled each other at first, Reinhardt testing the distance, boots clinking softly against the stone floor. The Zweihander.

  A third strike came in high, aiming for his helm. The thrill of seeing the broad head of the spear aimed at his one remaining body part caused Reinhardt to sweep his shield up with far too much vigour - especially as the strike was a feint. The Soul

  He surged forward, slamming into his opponent with the full weight of his shield, driving the Essence from the Spirit form that made up his knee, and then flooding into his SoulEssence “healing” his leg, he was able to feel the swelling the well of his energy. The increase in “size” was negligible, instead it was as if the threads and strands that made up his , connecting him to his armour, were increasing in both quantity and quality - forging new filaments, while strengthening and tightening existing bonds.

  As the process ended, he thought to look down, seeing the tell tale teal-blue glow fading from his sword. It too was progressing. It actually occurred to Reinhardt that he should be hunting down every

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  As he incorporated each piece, he tried to focus on the sensations being passed back along his into his Soulfelt accurate, but he still couldn’t determine exact properties. He left his original arms for the Dungeon Regeneration and he wanted to find the Lord’s Chambers before that happened. He was very careful to pick up his book before he left the room. Although he had only just started writing it, he didn’t want to restart just because the Dungeon

  Reinhardt jogged down each hall, but paused at each intersection, glancing around each corner to check for guards or patrols. He continued in this manner for a good long while, going as far as he could toward the northern quarters. Once he passed a certain point, he did notice the doors became a distinctly better make. The wood was lighter, the fittings made from bronze and brass that shone from polish and care. He was looking for the Solar, however. That meant seclusion and separation. “.” He almost tripped at that thought. What if the Lord had guards on his chamber door? “?” Well, Otto had not mentioned that, only that some people had taken the noble’s clothes. Reinhardt had the sneaking suspicion that there was something up there, a reward for running the length of the castle either undetected or by defeating some guards. If that were the case, he concluded, there would definitely be guards stationed at the Lord’s Chambers. They would most likely be an elite version of the AteusDungeonAnd, with each successive increase in Enemy quality, I’ve come closer to dying, and lost more in the process!”

  Racked with indecision, he decided he couldn’t continue in the manner he had been. He had said this to himself earlier, and then ran off immediately to fight the lone Dungeon. He said a was guaranteed to anyone or lower.” They were discussing the Essence as flesh and blood. ”?” He felt that it was, if only in practice. He knew specific “Boss” monsters often granted alternative rewards than simple . Now, what was the chance that the party had killed her on the way through? Pretty low. She would not have given them any But that was stopping each time there was a howl, and walking the entire time.”

  This was the largest consideration - as long as he had no “injuries” to rejuvenate, he seemed to be able to trot at a decent pace indefinitely. It was only those times he had a perforated that he noticed anything resembling fatigue. He had about three hours until , which was more time than it had taken the three boys to cross the Dark Forest. He was sure he could do it in a quarter of the time. He wanted to be inside the castle before - he didn’t want to deprive the party of any they needed from the Statues, and he didn’t want to get waylaid. As much as another Regeneration, he would just turn around and do the

  He had been trotting out of the Castle the entire time.