There were doubts, obviously. Who didn’t have doubts? Who wasn’t—

  Nope. Not going to happen. Siora clenched her jaw. She couldn’t let her mind spiral again. She was doing fine.

  They were doing fine.

  She took a deep breath and tried to let her shoulders drop. Her family’s sword was the only source of light in the cave. How the others would manage, she didn’t know.

  But they would.

  They obviously would.

  Why wouldn’t they?

  “Stop.” She wiped sweat from her brow.

  It was fine. They all knew there was an isolated floor. Everyone was prepared.

  A lich haunted the floor. Potilia had specifically used the word ‘haunted.’ It wasn’t a traditional boss waiting by the stairs. It drifted through the cave and would attack when it was less expected.

  Siora glanced both ways. The cave split into two and the old mine cart tracks led into both dark passages. Frail supports framed both directions in identical ways. There was no sign of which way to pick. Everything was the same.

  The best she could do was pick a direction and go. No reason to keep the others waiting on the eighth floor.

  Worst she could do was die. At least no one else would be around to see it.

  She shook her head, trying to throw the thoughts away.

  Potilia, Sylmare, Lera, Cixilo, Ernie, and Katalin all told her to be safe.

  They all said they’d see her soon.

  People were waiting on her.

  She adjusted the grip on her sword and stalked into the left cave. “Where’s this fucking lich?”

  ***

  Potilia jumped off the mine cart while it was still moving and swung with all her strength. Her kanabo smashed into the lich’s head, sending the boss flying across the room. It crumpled against the sharp points of gemstones.

  If she had a bigger bag, she would mine a few of them. Ernie and Kat were probably going to take advantage of it.

  The lich twitched as its bones reconnected. It lifted off the ground with gray mist trailing below it.

  Potilia cracked her neck. She needed to slow down a little. The others didn’t have the maps memorized like she did. Nobody probably did.

  Oops.

  “You will experience pain,” the lich said in her mind. It extended a hand.

  Potilia took a step forward and launched the kanabo. It crushed the lich’s skull and tossed the limp body into the wall with enough force to make the bones crumble.

  Her weapon bounced off and clattered to the ground. She walked over, picked it up, and brushed some dust off.

  “Alright. Now what?” She turned back and watched the minecart disappear down the pass, around a bend. “Guess I’m walking.”

  ***

  Ernie fought his instincts. There were too many gems. Each one could create a decent weapon or piece of armor. In a single vein, he could make a few thousand gold.

  Althowin would encourage it. She wouldn’t care if he made people wait.

  Kat would call him an idiot.

  He continued on. He didn’t need to do it.

  Gray mist drifted from a hole in the wall ahead. Potilia had warned against gray mist.

  Ernie dropped to one knee and flipped open the top of his pack. The best counter to undead was luminous damage. Elemental was a fine option if luminous wasn’t available.

  Of course, Althowin had been prepared. Ernie took a bottle out and started to cool the glass. He poured silver cathkabel blood into it, and followed it up with a few explosive ingredients. Kat’s would be significantly more effective, but Ernie didn’t need a big explosion. He needed a calculated bomb to fulfill a single task.

  She didn’t think like that and that was fine.

  He capped the mixture and shook it while his hands glowed orange with Mix. Casting Destabilize helped prep it to explode on contact. Unfortunately, that was when it became more difficult to handle.

  Kat and Althowin were never afraid of that part. Ernie found himself flinching everytime he shook it.

  The lich drifted into the passage. Gem light shone off its bleach-white bones. “Flesh.”

  Ernie never liked throwing things, but his dexterity was tied for his highest attribute. Precision was important in every little thing he did. He stood and launched the bottle.

  The lich only drifted closer, not even attempting to dodge.

  As soon as the glass struck the lich’s sternum, the mixture flashed with luminous light. White flames engulfed the screaming lich. It continued drifting forward, but by the time it reached Ernie, it fell to the cave floor as a pile of ash.

  ***

  Katalin stood from where she had been sitting by a fire. Sorting through the materials had taken some time. Althowin had really packed the void bag full.

  She narrowed her eyes, thinking about her own thought.

  A void bag couldn’t be full.

  She held a pill-shaped item in front of her face. As a first attempt, it was mostly successful. The earth elementals on the floor would likely survive, but they would still be damaged, making a confrontation easy enough.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “I hope everything she gave me is durable,” Katalin muttered. She shrugged. Only one way to find out.

  She finished casting Output, then held the item with both hands as her palms glowed red with Heat.

  “Let’s see what I did,” she said as the bomb exploded, sending luminous fire racing through every passage of the cave.

  Experience notifications filled her view as countless mobs died.

  “Oh. Level up. Nice.” She coughed, reached into her bag, and pulled out a health potion. The explosion was significantly dampened by her abilities and clothing, but it still felt like a solid punch to the stomach.

  She fixed her headband, brushed a single strand behind her ear, and set off down the empty floor.

  ***

  Owin slashed through a bird-looking specter. It squawked as it fell in half, engulfed in flames. The Incandescent Blade could burn for a long time with his current mana. As long as he didn’t have to keep igniting it, he could make it last.

  A luminescent warper darted. Owin pivoted and swung, chopping the flying specter in half. Before he could turn, another warper hit him in the back. A miniscule portion of mana burned away, but the world disappeared.

  It felt like someone had punched him in the face as Owin reappeared on top of the tower that still held living elven archers. The warper immediately flew to an elf, grabbed it, and vanished.

  The others all turned, aiming their arrows at Owin before they figured out what was happening. A shapeless specter had somehow made it to the corner of the floor and was crawling up the tower. The archers had all shot arrows into the goo with no effect.

  “Good luck,” Owin said. He sprinted and launched himself over the parapet. Holding a staff and a sword was making his movements a little more clunky than normal, but he could use it to his advantage.

  Athtar continuously attacked with arcane magic. All of his guards were dead or controlled by skinweave specters.

  Owin held up the staff as he flew through the air. “Electro Tempest!” He landed among the skinweaves with electric wind whipping about. The wind fueled the Incandescent Blade as Owin cut through the dead elves. He used the staff to block attacks as he twirled and slashed, cutting through black strings and elf corpses until the only thing near him and Athtar were the onyx griffins.

  “What do we do now?” Athtar said in between heavy breaths.

  “Survive another twenty seconds.” Owin tossed the staff to the elf prince.

  Athtar opened his index upon catching the staff. He nodded. “Okay.”

  Owin dashed away, cleaving the burning sword through a shapeless specter as he passed. The bird-like creatures squawked and converged as he passed halfway through the roof. They had been the most numerous, and continued to trickle out of the portal even now. They were like massive chickens with long, gnarled legs, black eyes and yellow pupils.

  Fortress Mob

  Cockatrice

  Level 23

  Owin would need to ask Potilia about the creature. It was obviously a specter since it was with the whole army, but it was a flesh and bone creature. They were fast, but Owin was faster. He planted his feet and swung horizontally like Zezog had taught him.

  He slashed over and over, piling bloodless bird bodies on the roof tiles.

  Summon the Withered Shade

  “Swap!” Shade shouted.

  Owin turned and caught the Thunderstrike Maul. At the same time, he passed the Incandescent Blade.

  Shade caught it and ignited the sword. “Go for the statues!”

  Owin wanted to question the skeleton, but Shade immediately stepped forward with a sturdy stance and chopped a cockatrice’s head clean off.

  Athtar used the staff to block a swipe from a griffin’s paw. The staff managed to stay together, but it provided little protection. The elf prince hit the tiles and cried out in pain.

  Owin skidded over the tiles with the glowing hammer. He swung just as the second griffin swiped at Athtar. The Thunderstrike Maul connected with the onyx paw.

  They stopped completely.

  Chain Lightning shot over Owin’s head, spreading out and dissipating over the griffin’s face.

  Owin pulled the hammer back, letting the griffin finish its swipe right in front of him. He pushed off the roof, shattering the tiles, and uppercutted the statue with the hammer. Cracks spread through the onyx, but it had yet to crumble.

  “It’s too much,” Athtar said. “If only my father was alive.”

  Owin grunted. The prince was right. The griffins were now side by side, approaching quickly.

  “Here we go!” Shade shouted. He activated Distraction and smacked the sword against a griffin’s tail.

  The statue fully turned to face him.

  Owin used the opening to run the opposite way. The griffin before him was focused entirely on Athtar, who continued backing away. He sent a few arcane spells out, which actually caused the cracks to grow.

  As soon as Owin was sure the griffin was too distracted to avoid the attack, he dashed back in, leapt and hit near the same spot as before.

  “Hit it again!” Owin said as he crashed back down.

  Athtar discarded the staff and thrust both hands out. “Arcane Beam!” A purple beam erupted from his hands and hit the specter directly in the jaw. The cracks Owin had created spiderwebbed through the rest of the statue’s face, into its beak. Athtar shouted and pushed, sending the arcane magic straight through the statue’s head.

  As soon as the statue crumbled, Owin drew the Darkblade and leapt as high as he could manage. The hazy form of the possessor lifted from the destroyed statue. Before it could escape, Owin electrified the blade and slashed right through the spectral form.

  0 Experience

  He slipped the knife back into his belt and landed heavily on the other side of the griffin. Onyx continued cracking and crumbling behind him.

  Nearby, Shade stood his ground, blocking the griffin’s attacks. He had weathered several and showed no sign of poofing into dust.

  Owin opened his index and found a whole long list of abilities. Soldier abilities. He swung the Thunderstrike Maul a few times until the hammer glowed brightly. Soldier abilities would be helpful, but he didn’t need any for this.

  He sprinted, jumped, and smashed the fully charged hammer into the top of the griffin’s head. Onyx exploded, sending Owin crashing back to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, reaching for the Darkblade, but Athtar sent a flurry of spells into the air to kill the possessor.

  “Incredible work,” Athtar said as he retrieved the staff.

  “Thanks. We should be able to use the portal now.”

  “Eh.” Shade kicked a piece of onyx away. “That still looks rather red to me.”

  “The statues weren’t the bosses?”

  “Something is happening,” Athtar said, gesturing to the portal.

  It flashed from red to bright green. One massive hazy form drifted out. Every specter still on the roof stopped and turned.

  A Specter Monarch has entered the floor

  Revenant

  Level 28

  “Uh,” Owin said. “Those notifications aren’t ever good.”

  “What notifications?” Shade asked.

  “It said a specter monarch entered the floor.”

  The hazy form vanished.

  Owin’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

  “Language!”

  A rumble passed through the roof as the monstrous cathkabel statue turned its head. Its bulbous eyes changed from stone-gray to spectral black.

  “Oh, shit,” Shade said. “I think we found the boss.”

  The statue slowly stood and unfolded massive stone wings. The scythe shone in the setting sun.

  “How are we meant to battle that?” Athtar asked. “Father forgive me.”

  “Oh, yes,” Shade said. “Forgiveness and your father and all of that.”

  Owin nudged the skeleton.

  “I’m just saying.”

  Revenant stopped in front of the tower. It was easy enough to see now that its outstretched wing was big enough to block the setting sun. It held out both arms. “Come, Prince of Elves.”

  “He doesn’t even want to fight you,” Shade said. “Isn’t that great?”

  “We still have to fight it,” Owin said.

  “But he doesn’t specifically want to.”

  “What do we do?” Athtar asked. “Are we able to defeat that?”

  Owin moved the Thunderstrike Maul back and forth. “We can. We’ll figure it out.”

  Revenant cocked its head and gestured with its free hand. All the specters still remaining gathered around the statue’s feet. A handful of warpers floated in the air and a dozen cockatrices stood just before the specter’s feet.

  The only other specters were the shapeless blobs, and they weren’t going to get anywhere quickly. The one that had been climbing the tower had devoured all the archers and now poured over the parapets like an overfilled barrel.

  “You both keep the other specters away from me and I’ll get the statue,” Owin said.

  “It’s so big,” Athtar said.

  “I’ve heard that before.” Shade reignited the Incandescent Blade, using some of Owin’s mana. “Get it?”

  “No,” Owin said.

  “Ah, someday.”