“More people to the entrance! We have incoming of piss poor mud draggin guests!” Borik boomed.

  Almost everyone able got to their feet, hurrying to the entrance to help. Mik noticed as Sofia hesitated, not wanting to be spotted by her former attendants as they, unlike the rest, seemed unwilling to move to the front.

  Mik caught Sofia’s eye, both seemingly at a loss at what to do. Should Sofia btantly pass them, revealing that she was still alive. Or did they try to dey the inevitable and have her stay at the back of the cave as long as possible to keep the group from fighting while monsters were on their doorstep.

  But Mik looked back over his shoulder, seeing the oncoming mob of monsters and made the decision. They needed everyone to the front. And he needed someone he could trust by his side.

  He didn’t think no one here could be trusted, however there were people here that had already tried to kill Sofia and she was the only one he had fought with before.

  Mik ran to the back, surprising Sofia by grabbing her hand and pulling her to the front.

  “You’re the only one I trust here with my life,” he whispered to her as they passed her former attendants sitting down on the caves floor.

  Mik looked directly at them as he said his next words, “And if they try it again. This time you won’t be alone.”

  Sofia didn’t say anything, only gripping onto his hand more tightly. BB and Panda trotting along behind them.

  They reached the front in no time, the monster horde headed by a Bck Deer several times rger than the ones surrounding it nearly at their doorstep.

  “What’s the pn?” Mik asked.

  “Same thing it’s always been d. I’ll take the front,” Borik ughed, smming his hammer into his shield, “The rest of ye just stay alive!”

  Mik groaned. It wasn’t a pn, it was a hope in the dark. They had no healer and no one was nice enough to share their csses or skills, making the fight even more difficult.

  From the looks of the incoming monsters chasing the group. Mik guessed there were hundreds of them and they only had twenty people within the cave. The group bringing the horde of monsters brought them up to twenty five if they weren’t swallowed up by the monsters before getting to them.

  But there was nothing they could do and compining would only make it worse.

  Mik steadied his legs, gripping his chains tightly and heard simir sounds of people drawing weapons next to him, including Sofia. He would have to trust in his only skill being strong enough and in Sofia to make it out of this.

  The group being pursued finally made it close enough to the cave they made out the rest of them at the entrance. They began waving their hands and shouting for help, only a few seconds from colliding with them.

  “Make room! As soon as the dumb bastards pass, ain’t nothing comin’ in or out, ya hear me!” Borik boomed.

  Within seconds of his command the five Climbers desperately running from the horde of monsters passed him and he smmed down the bottom of his shield into the sand.

  Several spells flew out past his head from the group. Fireballs, swirling balls of water, balls of wet dirt, some of hardened earth shaped into piercing shards.

  Several whistling arrows also shot out. The spells and projectiles took out several monsters in an instant, but it was a small drop in the bucket.

  The flood of monsters passed over the fallen like a true wave and continued on with their charge, the front line smming into Borik’s shield blocking a majority of the entranceway.

  However he couldn’t hold up the entirety of the opening and some slipped past. It was Mik and the rest of the group’s job to take care of these.

  Mik sprung into action, however his speed wasn’t fast enough compared to the Climbers who specialized in dexterity.

  Grace and Madaline covered Borik’s sides and blind spots with practiced ease. Arrows and knife thrusts taking down the several monsters that got past his guard. The F-Rank guide had also moved more quickly than Mik, his short swords beheading monsters left and right so quickly his eyes couldn’t follow.

  Mik took a step back and felt the weight on his shoulders lessen for a moment.

  Maybe we will make it through this easier than I thought. He hoped.

  But it never turned out the way you hoped in the dungeon.

  Against the flood of monsters, the melee was holding their own for the moment. But they were tiring quickly. Borik’s shield was already beginning to bend and twist against the never ending stream of monsters smming into it.

  He was being painted red, the bodies piling up in front and around him, the ground slick with blood.

  Mik shouted, “Jump back Borik!”

  He wasn’t sure if Borik heard him or would trust him, but Mik didn’t have time to wait. They were about to be overwhelmed if the mages didn’t step up soon to level the pying field.

  And Mik hadn’t forgotten the nagging feeling at the back of his head. The roaming boss hadn’t shown itself yet despite being with the charge.

  Mik’s hands donned a yellowish glow as he activated his spell, his chains cracking with electricity briefly.

  Borik seemed to have noticed and jumped backwards as Mik threw and smmed his chains down on the bodies of the fallen monsters.

  Instantly the blood and monsters went up in a steaming mess of disgusting smelling, foul air and electricity.

  Mik had cooked and cauterized anything his electricity had managed to touch. Making a makeshift wall out of the fallen monsters and sealing parts of the door to slow the flow of beasts.

  He did not hear notifications for monster kills in his head which was not a good sign.

  His spell either hadn’t reached any of them, or it had dissipated to the point it couldn’t kill any it touched, even after leveling up.

  The flood continued at a slower pace. Borik at the front, with many close behind, including Sofia, BB, and Panda. He hadn’t noticed her get into the fight, however her face had splotches of blood on it as well as her armor and swords.

  I’ll have to work on my situational awareness… I have to make sure to be ready to help her at the drop of a hat.

  Mik couldn’t help with the immediate fight like he had hoped or wanted. His chains and Static Shock spell could deal significant damage. But within the cave and with no control or manipution skill to speak of, it was simply too dangerous.

  He noticed many of the mages he saw use spells before also held back in fear of hitting the front liners.

  The entrance had long since turned into a bloodbath. But now it was quickly turning into a dangerous dance on a knife's edge. The frontliners were tiring by the second while Borik somehow stood his ground regardless of how many monsters smmed against him.

  Mik cursed that he could only do so much. Without a proper Family and a Patron to help him learn new skills, he was forced to wait impatiently for his chance to use his spell. But within the cramped space there were slim windows to do so for him and the other mage csses.

  Sofia on the other hand was showing just how valuable her css was. Her elemental beasts were currently small but they were tough. Both BB and Panda holding the line with Borik, a testament to how she survived for so long against the mass of monsters when Mik first found her.

  The fight continued for nearly an hour longer with little progress to both sides. Mik along with a fire mage charred the fallen monsters with their spells when they piled up well enough. The monsters created a pseudo wall to funnel the incoming monsters even more, which helped to stall them further.

  Mik unfortunately didn’t get to shine in the fight, killing only a few monsters with no level ups to speak of. That of course didn’t mean he wasn’t exhausted as well. Being on edge the entirety of the fight was both mentally and physically draining.

  Thankfully the monsters ceased their charge, giving up for now despite sacrificing what Mik could only guess was hundreds.

  “Is it over?” Mik asked in a ragged breath.

  “Ay d, looks like they’ve stopped for now,” Borik answered wiping his brow with a bloody leather gauntlet, “Good thing, I was on my st legs there-”

  Borik was cut off, a trail of blood dribbling from his mouth and the sharp end of something sticking out of his chest, painted in fresh crimson.

  In a grunt of pain, Borik spun around shouting, his hammer arcing wide.

  Shimmering into view as it jumped backward, a rge Bandit Squirrel manifested into existence. The same one Mik and Sofia saw on the dune before coming to the cave.

  The monster had a scarf covering half of its face, holding one bloodied knife in one hand, a fresh gleaming one in the other.

  Borik coughed, grunting, “Roaming boss!”

  The monster had nded in between the group of Climbers and they quickly jumped into action, trying to rush the monster.

  Unfortunately, most of the Climbers were lower level than the monster. Made obvious by the two daggers being swung at a speed that Mik could barely see, cutting down several climbers into a puddle of severed pieces.

  Borik fell to one knee, Madaline rushing to his side. And Mik moved to get closer to Sofia, ready to fight the boss.

  But the power packed Bandit Squirrel proved to be something indomitable for the current Climbers. And after it had just cut down a group trying to rush it. No one was in a hurry to try again so soon.

  “Borik stay down! Lissandra get the potion!” Madaline shouted to the back of the cave.

  “Don’t ya go getting that bsted thing! I’ll heal up faster than a Muck Rat’s backside. Just make sure we all don’t die while I do!” Borik roared back, “Where’s that F-Rank?!”

  Mik’s head went on a swivel, Borik’s shout finally reminding him that there was hope. But he nor anyone else could find the F-Rank guide that had come with Sofia’s assistants.

  “That coward left!”

  Mik’s head turned towards the voice. Dominick stood as far away from the fight as possible and pointed past the monster toward the cave entrance.

  “Shit!”

  Borik coughed, nursing his wound, cursing that their one sure way of defeating the boss quickly had run away with their tail between their legs.

  “We’re gonna have to do this down and dirty! Charge the bastard or you're all going to die!”

  Mik and the rest of the groups hesitated. Seeing what had just happened to the people that tried, no one was willing to step up.

  “Can you resummon BB and Panda?” he asked Sofia.

  “What? Why do you ask?”

  Mik bit down on his lip unsure he was thinking straight for the pn forming in his mind.

  “Can you or can’t you?”

  Sofia’s lips thinned but she nodded, “I can.”

  “I need you to have them rush in, I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Sofia looked to her companions and grimaced a nod.

  BB and Panda shared a look with her then ran forward.

  Mik took in a deep breath and rushed after them. He couldn’t lose his chance.

  Closing the distance, Mik trailed the elemental familiars as they barreled forward at the Bandit Squirrel. He couldn’t shout to inform the other Climbers and risk the monster somehow becoming aware of his pn.

  Mik just had to pray that they would take the opening he was hoping to give them all to survive.

  He willed his spell to activate, the metal chains in his grip sparking to life and snapping with electricity.

  BB reached the Bandit Squirrel first. The monster swung around as it turned. Catching and bisecting the four legged familiar in a single blow as the parts hit the floor, dispersinging in a burst of blue light.

  Panda ran in low immediately after, ducking a swing from the monster and grabbing it in an attempt to wrestle the monster to the ground.

  But it was no use. Panda may have been slightly rger than the power packed monster, but Panda’s stats and level were tied to Sofia’s. And they were unfortunately lower than the monster’s.

  The monster broke free of Panda’s grip, its arms going upward as it wrenched itself free. Then in one swift motion it swung down with both arms burying its knives deep into Panda’s back.

  Mik didn’t miss his moment. Right as the Bandit Squirrel swung down, he punched, rushing the monster and throwing his chains around it.

  Instantly the monster was stunned.

  “Now! Kill it!!!” Mik shouted.

  Yet no one moved.

  In the next moment the effect of Mik’s desperate pn had failed. The brief window he had given everyone was fading. The stun was wearing off quickly and the monster was beginning to move, growling in anger.

  Mik cursed and rushed forward, willing his spell to activate again.

  The monster broke free from the sudden shock, its arms breaking the flimsy chains restraining it and catching Mik in the shoulder with one knife as it swung upward.

  Mik screamed in pain, but pushed forward grabbing the monster just as his spell activated again.

  He had never tried directly applying his spell to a monster so close before and had to hope the spell wouldn’t kill him in the process.

  His arms touched the monster and it went up in yellow electricity. Thankfully Mik only felt a dull pricking on his body.

  He shouted again, louder and more desperate this time.

  “What are you waiting for?! Kill this thing!!!”

  This time two bdes dug deep into the side of the monster before he was even able to finish his sentence.

  Sofia had finally caught up to him. Her two swords buried into the monster's flesh. And a moment ter another person appeared out of nowhere, Grace. A small dagger shoved deeply into the monster's side.

  Then more and more Climbers piled on. Swords, spears, and small bdes, stabbing and piercing the monster’s flesh in seconds.

  [You have aided in killing Roaming Boss, Natto- The Nut Bandit Level 10] [Experience earned]

  [You have reached Lightning Mage Level 7] [+1 FP, +1 SP, +2 MAG]

  [You have reached Lightning Mage Level 8] [+1 FP, +1 SP, +2 MAG]

  [Title has been awarded. Thief Catcher]

  Thief Catcher

  You have stopped a rampant and dangerous thief of precious goods. Your local authorities thank you for your service.+1 to DEX, STAM, STR.