Upon hearing Ventus's exclamation, Ifrit's curiosity was piqued. "This is real! It's like a sea of clouds below us!" She marvelled.

A hush fell upon the group as they wandered towards the edge to take in the view. The surreal vista left them in awe.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm afraid of heights," confessed Saxum, clutching his mouth before retreating from the precipice. After steadying himself, he turned to Thorian and asked, "What is below us?"

"Death," Thorian replied nonchalantly. "No one who falls can be saved."

Thorian's chilling words caused the kobolds to scramble away from the island's edge. Watching the scene, Thorian suppressed a chuckle. He shook his head, refocusing his gaze on the distant fortress. That was their target.

"It seems you've all forgotten about the competition," Thorian observed. "Shall we commence with this dungeon clear?"

At Thorian's command, Harald bolted toward the fortress. Inspired by their king, the direwolves fell in line, leaving their companions behind.

"This isn't fair!" protested Ventus. But as he began airing his grievances, the warriors surged past him, with Mysta hot on their heels. While the warriors couldn't match the direwolves' speed, they easily outpaced Ventus and the rest of the magi.

Saxum and Aqua quickly followed the others, leaving Ventus in their wake. Grinding his teeth, the yellow kobold activated his Wind Gust spell, augmenting his speed as he dashed to catch up with the group.

"Are you not joining them?" Thorian turned to address Vigil, who didn't seem particularly bothered about the race.

Vigil flashed a smile before sauntering over to Thorian. “Well, this competition is not for me. I would rather take my time and observe.”

Thorian responded with a nod and a smile. "We'll do just that."

With that, the duo leisurely strolled towards the fortress. Their surroundings on the floating island were bereft of the vibrant greenery and signs of life one might expect on a typical island. Instead, they were met with an expanse of the same dark bluish stone that comprised the mammoth fortress. Pulsing veins of brilliant electricity sporadically sprang to life across the island's surface, tracing an unpredictable path. These sporadic flares of light provided Thorian and Vigil with much-needed illumination to guide their way.

As they neared the fortress entrance, Thorian noticed that the structure seamlessly blended with the island. It appeared to have sprouted from the ground itself, rooting deep within like a colossal tree. The distinction between the ground and the fortress was so subtle it was almost non-existent. The two structures seemed to be forged from the same dark blue stone.

Observing Vigil scrutinizing their surroundings with a cautious gaze, Thorian chuckled, "It's unsettling, isn't it?"

"Indeed, my king," the priest nodded. "This entire island feels like a dormant, sly creature. The fortress appears to be its massive maw."

In a way, it is, Thorian contemplated. But this is just the first difficulty.

"You needn't worry," Thorian reassured, dismissing Vigil's concerns. "This level is quite straightforward. I don't foresee any issues with them clearing it swiftly."

With that, the pair entered the Entrance Hall. The grandeur of the place was marred by the aftermath of the recent battle. The remnants of blue hounds and the dying embers of lightning sprites lay scattered on the ground.

"It seems you were correct, my king," Vigil remarked. "I've never seen them so dedicated to clearing a dungeon. They must truly want that first item pick."

Thorian responded to Vigil's comment with a silent smile, leading the priest through the chaotic hall. Upon reaching its end, they stepped into a corridor. In stark contrast to the previous room, this area was pristine and elegantly adorned. A red carpet stretched its length, creating a striking contrast against the dark blue stone. Various vases and pieces of artwork graced the walls and corners.

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"At least they spared this place," Vigil remarked. "It's quite beautiful."

"Indeed, it is," Thorian agreed, his eyes appreciating the displayed artwork. He paused momentarily on a piece portraying an old man with a long white beard and piercing blue eyes. The realism of the portrait was uncanny; it seemed as though the man's gaze pierced one's soul.

After studying the old man's portrait, Thorian continued his walk alongside Vigil, moving towards the end of the corridor. The cacophony of sounds and shouts in the distance signaled their imminent arrival at their destination.

Upon reaching the end of the corridor, the pair found themselves in a sprawling garden. Surprisingly, the ground was covered with grass, and there was actual dirt underfoot - what lay beneath the dirt, however, was a mystery best left unexplored.

Thorian's group of kobolds was gathered within the garden, their attention fixed on something in the distance. Following their gaze, Thorian spotted a series of floating stone steps. Some were floating horizontally, others vertically, while a few took a diagonal course. Nimbly hopping from one step to the next were two kobolds: Ventus and Ifrit.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm almost there!" Ventus cried out, landing on a step that was barely halfway through the course. The stone he landed on was on a diagonal trajectory, seemingly set to intersect with a vertically moving step on its downward course.

"That's the third time you've said that!" Ifrit retorted from her position on the other side of the course. She was standing on a horizontal step, charting a straight course far to the right. The only other step in that direction was a diagonal one, apparently on a collision course with her current step.

At Ifrit's retort, Ventus gritted his teeth and bellowed back, "This time will be the one!"

Holding his breath, he waited for the perfect moment when the vertical stone step was within jumping distance. However, just as he braced himself for the leap, the trajectory of the step he was on changed from diagonal to horizontal. Anticipating the imminent collision, Ventus took a leap of faith toward the vertical step. But to his dismay, just as he was about to reach it, that step also altered its direction to diagonal, causing Ventus to miss the jump entirely.

Thump.

Thump.

The twin crashes occurred simultaneously. Ventus and Ifrit both missed their targets, their descent somewhat softened by the grass and dirt below.

"That makes it their fourth attempt," Forlune cackled with amusement. "Those two must have bones of stone. I wouldn’t want to fall that many times myself.”

While Forlune and the warriors were laughing and joking around, Thorian surveyed the group, realizing that their companions were absent.

"Where are the direwolves?" Thorian queried. "Have they already made it through?"

"Indeed, they have," Saxum confirmed. “They just used their leap skill to skip three steps at a time. They reached the top platform before the steps started changing directions."

"We can do the same," Forlune remarked confidently, flashing a triumphant grin before addressing his band of warriors. “Alright, boys, why don’t show those two how it’s done?”

Upon uttering those words, the group of warriors approached the floating steps. Their forms radiated a shimmering red aura before they sprinted into action. Leaping across the course, they covered more than a single step with each jump. The moment their feet touched a step, they quickly identified the next one to leap onto. In less than ten seconds, the quartet reached the top.

"Those cheaters!" Thorian didn't need to look back to recognize Ventus's voice. "Ugh! I was so close this time!"

"Don't kid yourself," Saxum retorted, rolling his eyes. "You barely made it halfway."

"Why don't you give it a shot then, Mr. Genius Earth Magus," Ventus fired back. "I'm sure you'll do exceptionally well!"

While the two bickered, Ifrit vented her frustrations to Mysta. "Those steps are devious! They wait until the last moment to change direction."

"I noticed," Mysta replied, her expression empathetic as she healed Ifrit's battered bones. "Why don't you take a break before your next attempt? You might come up with a better strategy that way."

"But those fools have already charged ahead!" She grumbled. "If I wait too long, they'll slaughter everything up there and leave us with nothing but dust."

As Ventus and Ifrit geared up for another attempt, Thorian's gaze drifted to the final member of their group: Aqua. The blue kobold's eyes were locked on the floating steps as he mumbled a series of numbers under his breath.

"I've got it," Aqua announced confidently, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. "The pattern changes every fifteen seconds."

"What did you figure out?" Ventus queried, an edge of irritation in his voice.

Aqua responded with a chuckle and a nonchalant shrug. "It’s pretty simple really, but it'll be easier if I just show you. Pay close attention; I'm only doing this once."

Amidst the grumbling of the other kobolds, Aqua approached the beginning of the stone steps. Initially, he simply followed the method previously attempted by Ventus and Ifrit – merely standing on a step and allowing it to carry him along its trajectory. He did this for the first two steps, hopping from one to the next as soon as the first reached its end point. But when it came to the third step, he didn't immediately leap. He waited as the step descended before the pattern abruptly shifted, transitioning it into a horizontal path.

Adhering to this strategy, Aqua hopped across the first two steps and waited on the third as it returned to its starting position. He maintained this pattern until he reached the end of the platform.