3rd POV
Connor and the others recovered quickly, typical of when he stayed in one of the beds in the Trial. Max got up with energy and hunger as usual. While he ate and was updated by his brother and Cali, Connor and Anna went to the meeting downstairs with the other "leaders".
After a conversation about the damage suffered, the state of the supplies, and the situation with the Baron's small army, everyone agreed to allow Connor's group to go to the second floor first. They agreed to leave the damaged supplies with them, while the others would return with the spoils, make a report for the pseudo-guild (informally headed by Anna's family), and inform the families of those who died.
Even though several had stayed inside the cabin and recovered thanks to its properties, it still wasn't the same as resting in their own beds, or the closest thing to that they had in Connor's village. Although the outside world wasn't much safer than the Trial, there was still something about it that made people not want to spend too much time there if possible.
(Kaio: That hurts a little, but I understand.)
That was the main and official reason, the secondary but equally serious reason for the village to prepare for a possible retaliation from the Baron. Even with most of the group he sent ending up dead in the pincer attack by the goblins, the shadow monster, and some of Andreas's and Piqval's companions, a portion (unfortunately mostly mages) managed to escape.
And they certainly wouldn't fail to report the events of the Trial, especially the attacks that mere mercenaries and members of a traveling troupe dared to make against the "honorable" soldiers of the great Baron. It wasn't hard to imagine who they would blame for the failure of their incursion this time; of course, they wouldn't be wrong, but not entirely right either.
As much as Anna was apprehensive about this possibility, the call of the second floor was still tempting.
So it was agreed that they would explore this second floor, but only for half an hour, regardless of what they found. And if there was any danger, they wouldn't confront it; instant return.
After all, almost all their equipment had been damaged during the fights, just ask Connor and Cali. The only one with her main weapon more intact was precisely the newest and main source of concern for everyone: Anna.
–Hmm, okay, I understand everything... But one question, how are we going to get to that floor? – Max asked between bites of food.
Anna pulled out a red stone she had received from Andreas during the meeting. Initially, except for the color, it was no different from the cores extracted from goblins, wolves, and slimes. But looking closer, several subtle differences were noticeable.
One was its shape, resembling an upright rhombus with well-cut points, unlike the "rough cuts" of the other crystals. Instead of being transparent or opaque, it was impossible to see through it; the patterns even seemed to ripple depending on how the light hit it. And the biggest difference was that, although faint, a rhythmic glow could be seen emanating from it, almost like the slow beating of a heart.
–Isn't that kind of... sinister? – Max asked, looking at the crystal and almost losing his appetite, almost.
– I don't… disagree, but from what Andreas himself verified, the crystal indicates the path to the entrance of the second floor. – Anna said, putting the crystal back in her clothes. If she were honest, she also found the way it shone disconcerting, but unless you actively thought about it, it was easy to ignore.
–If they already determined that, why didn't they go themselves? – Mav asked, somewhat suspiciously. How could he be sure the crystal showed the way to the second floor? Just because it led to a magic circle didn't mean it would definitely lead to that place. Unless they had already crossed it.
–It seems there's some kind of magic that prevented them from getting close to the place, but the crystal's glow increased as they got closer. – Anna replied.
–So it's not that they're trusting us, it's just that they have no choice. If they did, would they have explored the second floor themselves? – Cali asked with barely disguised cynicism.
–Don't be like that, Cali, you can't blame them either. – Anna replied, receiving a snort from Cali. –Between an adult and a child, who would you trust to check a potentially dangerous area in an unknown place? – Anna asked, forcing Cali to agree, even though she didn't like it.
Perhaps it was a trait acquired during the Stone Fists era, but Cali always believed that those who work should be rewarded; they were the ones who fought against the strongest goblins, so they should have the right to the speclops, in this case, the exploration of the 2nd floor. Although it should be noted that if Andreas and Yaou hadn't distracted Poh, their fight wouldn't have been as "easy" as it was.
Anna, even as the youngest, was still rational and recognized the contribution everyone had made to the success of the fight, after analyzing the situation as a whole. And honestly, it was easy to see why it would be better to send more experienced people ahead than a bunch of kids.
After all, they would have a better chance of surviving, returning, and sharing information than a bunch of kids who, even with fighting skills, couldn't be trusted to obtain useful information or return with it. But still, the other leaders decided to bet on this possibility as well, in recognition of their contribution.
–..... What do you think, Connor? – Max asked his friend, who hadn't said a word since they returned from the "strategic meeting."
Connor was finally pulled from his own thoughts after being called by Max and looked at his friends with a blank stare.
– Huh? Oh, sorry, what were you guys saying again?
–About the second floor and why you decided to let us go there instead of sending more experienced people ahead? – Max replied.
–Ahhhh, yeah... Okay, about that.....
Right after speaking, Connor fell silent again, his gaze lost in thought.
–Connor? Are you alright? – Cali asked worriedly.
–Ah! Nothing, I was just thinking about a few things...
–What kind of thiiiinn–??? – Max almost asked tactlessly, but receiving an elbow from his brother.
–Can we help with anything? – Anna asked, also worried. She had been so focused on the discussion with the others earlier, and on informing them of the plans, that she barely noticed Connor's unusual silence.
–No, everything's really fine. – Connor said, not very convincingly, and seeing the worried looks on his friends' faces, he slapped his cheeks twice with his hands to clear his thoughts. – Alright, you don't really need to worry about me, now let's think about how to proceed on the second floor.
The others weren't entirely convinced yet, but seeing that he didn't seem to be forcing himself to say it, they decided to leave the reason for his pensiveness for later, after they returned from the second floor. But they unanimously and silently decided that they would pay much closer attention to their friend, in the exact second they left the Trial.