To go solo traveling, I needed to do some preparation. The first stop, or rather, multiple stops, was locating all the dungeons with the help of the wind. They weren't ready to start clearing them yet, but I did need to find the locations to save them time.

I connected to the wind and asked for help, and this time I did so while examining my mana system to better understand how it worked. The mana didn't go down my wind affinity channels while I communicated with her, but there was increased activity in my Mind orb. The mana swirled faster in it while I communicated. I still didn't know what I could do with this information, but it was definitely interesting.

I flew from one location to the other, marking the dungeons on the Map. The towns looked pretty similar, with wooden or stone private houses set on individual plots with yards and driveways. The wooden houses were more scrap piles than actual homes, collapsed or partially collapsed to the point where I could only guess at their original shape. The stone houses had fared better. Most were two-story square boxes that, on one hand, reminded me of Earth's architecture, especially multi-floor houses, but were also different. Private houses back on Earth were usually more ornate, or at least had some personality. Here, they did not. Just square boxes with openings for windows and doors, empty and dark.

All the yards and most of the streets were overgrown with weeds, with some sections choked by trees that looked too old to have grown in just thirty years. In places, roots had cracked through stone paths and lifted chunks of pavement. The towns all had, of course, a strong ghost town vibe, but instead of feeling spooky or nostalgic, they just looked abandoned in the plainest, saddest sense.

The first two towns were empty, or mostly empty. In the first town, I met two of the question marks with the bony projectiles and electrocuted them. Remembering Mahya's comment about the crystals, I even landed and converted them. The second one was totally empty, and I passed the group while they worked on clearing the third. The monsters there were kind of boring in my opinion. I had gotten so used to seeing strange creatures that defy logic that seeing big, normal-looking black wolves was a letdown. This reaction made me shake my head at myself.

When did the weird and the bizarre become the norm?

The last two towns put everything back in its strange, rightful place. Town number four had gray creatures with six limbs that dived underground and reemerged, shooting mud. Since everything had dried out after the last hailstorm and there was no mud to be found anywhere except when the monsters shot it out, it fit the expected weirdness, and I felt like all was right in the dungeon world again.

The last town was the strangest. The monsters there were about a meter tall, with long snouts like dogs or foxes, and extra fluffy white fur with black and brown blotches. What threw me off was that the monsters wore skirts made from long, leafy branches and carried crude wooden spears. They also walked on their two hind legs and held the spears with their front ones. When I looked closely, I saw they had opposable thumbs.

For a minute, I thought they might not be monsters but some kind of intelligent life form, but then a black worm, about the size of a rolled-up carpet, came out of one of the dungeons. The fluffy guys let out angry, whiny chuffing and attacked it as a group. They killed the worm quickly, but one of them was taken out and dissipated. So, yeah, monsters. Just in case, I made a mental note to warn the gang about the tools and coordination.

The last part was the industrial area. It was larger than all the towns combined, with expansive factories spread across the area. In some of them, old broken-down production lines were still recognizable, though rusted and covered in debris. Most, however, were so badly destroyed that it was impossible to tell what they had housed previously. The monsters sure did a number on this place.

Unlike the towns that had only ruined houses, this area had a few old vehicles half-buried in the ground. These were not the magnetic fliers that interested Mahya, but regular work vehicles with four or six wheels. Their shape was different from what I was used to, but not by much. The front of the passenger compartment was more rounded, similar to the front of modern trains. The goods compartment out back was the square design I was used to, but it was wider and taller. Many of them were heavily rusted, their metal frames eaten through in places, and most had shattered windows or missing panels. Some were tilted at odd angles where the ground had shifted or where vegetation had grown up and pushed against them, or even through them, over the years. A few still had faded paint clinging to the bodywork, though whatever symbols or markings they once displayed were long gone.

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This area didn't have just one type of monster, but a variety, with each type occupying its own specific zone, much like in the ruined cities. The monsters were also bigger. I flew back to the towns, identified the monsters, and, yeah, the ones in the industrial area were higher level. The wolves, earth divers, and warrior canines were in the 7–12 range, and the monsters in the industrial area were in the 15–22 range.

The towns had an average of four dungeons each, and the industrial area had a total of nine. Altogether, there were 31 dungeons. I estimated it would take them another three to four days to clear the towns, about five days to clear the industrial area, and at least three weeks to handle the dungeons. All told, I had at least a month of vacation time, unless Mahya pushed it. My only hope was that the time skip between Zindor and Marita wasn't too big, or was in my favor.

After dinner, I leaned back in my chair, swirling the last of my drink before asking the gang, "Do you want me to leave you my house?"

Mahya and Al exchanged a glance. Mahya gave a small shake of her head. "No. We have Al's house and the trailer. We'll be fine."

Al cleared his throat and adjusted his posture. "My house might be a problem."

Mahya tilted her head toward him. "Why?"

"I do not have a spare bedroom or furniture."

"Shit," Mahya muttered. She frowned at him. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I spoke with John about my continuing to stay in his house with all of you, so I did not see the point."

Mahya drummed her fingers on the table, her gaze shifting between us. "We can sleep in the RV. It has beds. You'll still have your lab and greenhouse," she said, and leaned forward. "Would you mind if I use your spell room as my workshop?" she asked Al.

"You are welcome to it," he said with a courteous nod.

"You can take the furniture from your rooms in my house," I suggested.

Al straightened in his chair, folding his hands on the table. "That might be good for me, but I still do not have a spare bedroom," he said.

Mahya leaned back, tapping her fingers lightly against the armrest of her chair. "So sleep in your house, and I'll sleep in the RV," she said with a quick smile. "It's even better. This way, each one of us will have their own space."

That settled, they went to store whatever they wanted to move, and I sat outside on the porch. Once Al took out his house, the clearing felt crowded, and I found myself thinking again about my unrealized dream of a pond-side paradise in an expanded dungeon dimension. I sighed.

We'll find a better Magitech world, I told myself.

Rue padded over and sat beside me, his weight pressing against my leg before he rested his head in my lap. His ears twitched, and I laughed, reaching down to scratch them.

"Rue have problem."

I glanced down at him. "What?"

"Rue want levels to be more dangerous and smart."

"You're thinking about staying with Mahya and Al?" I asked, rubbing the soft fur between his ears.

"Rue need protect John. So Rue have problem."

"You know I'm going to a low mana world, right? It'll be like Shimoor. Zero danger or monsters."

"Dangerous can be everywhere."

"Yes, but I'm not helpless," I said, giving his head a gentle pat. "Half the time I'm the one helping the group, not the other way around."

"Not half. Rue help more."

I chuckled. "Whatever you say, smartass. But if you want to gain levels, you should stay. Remember, you went on that adventure with Mahya to get her sword, and I managed just fine without you. I'll manage this time too. Yes, you're my familiar, but you're also a personality in your own right. So do what makes you happy, and I'll take a brief vacation in a boring world."

He huffed and turned his head, giving me better access to his left ear.

For the next three days, I cooked up a storm. Since it was chipping away at my vacation time, I made it clear they had to take three days off in the middle of the clearing project to "pay me back" those days. The three traitors laughed at me. Including Rue!

All the preparations were done. They had a Storage full of food for about a month, plus spares for Rue that didn't fit in his Storage, and the equipment had been transferred to Al's house.

"You've got enough potions?" I asked.

"Yes, do not worry," Al said.

"Better have them in paintballs for easy access," I said.

Mahya groaned and rolled her eyes.

Al's mouth quirked upward in mild amusement. "Yes, we are set. Please do not worry."

It was strange, but I felt like I was leaving my kids alone for the first time. Al was much younger than me—only in his twenties—but Mahya was double my age, and I still felt like a parent. Shaking my head at the absurdity, I cooked us the last breakfast before leaving and made it special with pancakes, bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce on top of everything.

After breakfast, Mahya hugged me, Al gave my shoulders a side hug and a squeeze, and Rue slobbered all over my face before getting ear scratches. They left to continue clearing the fourth town, and I stored my house and took to the air, heading toward my glorious vacation.

End of book 6!

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