[https://i.imgur.com/eGdSGp3.png]

Three days until the raid in Mournwood.

The Player-Support NPC was placed in the jGuardain dungeon where he would be questioned soon.

Bonifacius, Bromy, JohnWillStab, Crown, Pedecree and the Thief sat around the round table.

Light came in through one glassless window making the dust particles visible as they twirled around in the air.

At the centre, a single blood-stained goodbye letter from Foxly lay on the table.

Curstl stood by the entrance to the room.

"It was stuck to Bonifacius' back for like two days now... I didn't point it out since I thought it was a fashion thing..." she said sombrely.

In the back of the room, Jordan and Alex sat silently.

Everyone remained silent, nobody knew what to say, was Foxly really dead?

"Harem Harry's wife died... I never thought that could happen to a friend of mine for some reason..." John thought.

While JohnWillStab was filled with a deep sensation of sorrow, one person at the table was blazing with a fury previously unknown to them, it was Bonifacius.

He stood up from the table suddenly grabbing everybody's attention.

"I do not feel qualified to say much... I will be leaving for two days... I need some time to prepare for the raid..." Bonifacius said walking away from the table.

JohnWillStab also stood up, "No time to lay around and cry about this... at least yet... I'll get check the caves in Mournwood..." John said with a sigh.

"I'll come with you..." Crown sighed.

"I have a few more towns to annex... so I'm afraid I can't help," Bromy said with a cigarette in his mouth.

"I think... I'll go do some training too, I'll be taking part in the raid after all..." Pedecree said standing up from the table.

"I left boxed meals for everyone in the kitchen," he added before leaving through the door.

The Thief didn't know Foxly that well, but John was upset about someone dying for once.

"If it made John sad then he must have been a good friend..." she thought.

"I can give you guys a lift," offered the Thief.

"Thanks..." John said offering a weak smile that only served to make the Thief feel worse.

"I don't know... I don't feel the usual world-destroying-edge set in... it's weird..." John thought.

Meanwhile, Bonifacius was marching way, he cut straight-through Mournwood and into Karath where he marched north until he saw it, the massive pit in the group.

Its walls were lined with bricks larger than him, around the walls of the pit, a spiral staircase was leading down to a tiled area the size of four football fields.

Bonifacius made his way down.

On his back, he carried a sack, inside was water, Pedecrees boxed food and a sleeping bag.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Upon reaching the centre of the arena, he removed his armour leaving him in only a long, light-peach coloured tunic and grey trousers, he put his shield aside and dual-wielded his massive blade.

Like in-game, the dozen doors around him opened releasing the monsters within, The Pit of Karath was a world-dungeon of sorts, a place where melee classes around level thirty came to grind for XP.

Bonifacius looked at the first wave of monsters, twelve level-thirty trolls, massive muscular frames and clenched fists big enough to crush Bonifacius' head like a grape.

Its eyes blood red with no pupil, it's massive teeth poking out, each as thick as Bonifacius' thumb.

Their skin blood red with patches of black hide.

Like a gorilla the trolls ran at Bonifacius, each one taking little to no damage from the swordsman, they were trolls, well known for having mid-game-level hide, strong enough to be worn by non-tank classes for armour.

[https://i.imgur.com/lzXYTWi.png]

Bonifacius practised his sword skills, with their strength and his lack of armour, one hit could be game over.

Meanwhile...

John and Crown were Shining-stepped by the thief outside Mournwood.

"The trees block out too much light for me to be able to teleport around," she said looking at John and Crown.

"Alright, you should stay here, at your level a mosquito from this zone would kill you," Crown said looking at the Thief, ignoring the fact she was only a few levels higher.

"Alright..." the thief nodded.

"We'll be back soon..." John sighed as he began walking into the zone,

The two walked into the zone and slowly walked through the muddy waters that server like roads, every time they saw a cave they would walk inside, John was immune to poison and as a druid, Crown could dispel any plant-based poison, at least the environmental ones.

Eventually, they came across a cave with a collapsed entrance.

"This might be it..." said John.

JohnWillStab grabbed Crown and shadow-stepped into the cave.

Inside he was able to see perfectly.

JohnWillStab slowly walked towards the end of the cave there he saw the lifeless body of Foxly amongst the large mushrooms, reaching with his hand for his friend who now lay dead, his body coated in a thin layer of spores.

"Foxly?..." asked John to no avail.

John felt his heart sink as he saw the undeniable confirmation that his friend was dead.

He fell to his knees as the urge to break down into tears became undeniable.

"I didn't think undead could cry..." John thought.

Crown heard the sound of John being a little bitch and walked over to its source.

"I'll give it a shot..."

Crown extended her hand towards where she assumed the corpse was as green lights filled the cave.

"Resurrection!"

A green tendril of light flew into the body as it began to twitch for a second before Foxly's eyes opened for a split second before becoming glazed over once more.

"It doesn't work..." Crown remarked.

Since John told the party about XPhaxX's ability to make glass without doing the long quest chain associated with it, Crown discovered she too could perform the resurrection spell, though she did try using it before.

As such, they came to the conclusion that your confidence in your ability to cast a spell plays into it.

"His XP penalty must be too large... so he dies instantly after appearing" John speculated.

"But I did feel his soul enter his body for a second..." Crown remarked.

Meanwhile in Lorb's isekai room...

Lorb was playing a game of Funopoli with Foxly's ghost when suddenly Foxly faded out of existence.

Moments later he reappeared.

"What the hell?!" he asked.

"The undead and the frog-druid are trying to resurrect you," Lorb laughed.

Foxly looked down at the funopoli board.

"Hey, you moved your pawn while I was out!" Foxly exclaimed.

Lorb began to sweat as he grabbed a slice of pizza from the box beside the funopoli board.

"What? No!"

"You totally did! My plate of spaghetti was ahead of your tophat by two spaces!" Foxly exclaimed visibly upset.

He glanced down at his money.

"And you took all like a hundred-k from me!"

Again Foxly disappeared only to reappear a few seconds later.

Without saying anything Foxly looked down and saw the board was changed again.

"You bastard!" he exclaimed.

"Tch! Fine..." Lorb begrudgingly moved Foxly's pawn forwards and his one backwards, complete disregarding the money he took from Foxly.

Foxly sighed.

"Next time we're playing super smash hoes..." Foxly said giving Lorb a dirty look.

"Whatever...~" Lorb said rolling his eyes.

Again, Foxly disappeared for a second.

"Fuck... this is getting annoying..." Foxly sighed.

"Yeah, your soul is all over the place!" Lorb laughed.

"Though it's not like they can actually save you like this!" he added.

"I appreciate the attempt... but they're letting you cheat!" Foxly exclaimed.

Again, Foxly disappeared but he didn't return.

Lorb raised an eyebrow as he checked on what they were doing in that cave in stopped time.

JohnWillStab had his tenecirus tentacles latched onto Foxly's escaping soul.

Upon seeing this Lorb burst into laughter.

"Not bad JohnWillStab! As expected from an idiot like you!" he exclaimed wiping a tear from his eye.

"Fine... I'll let you win this one..." Lorb reached into his pocket with a wide grin.

"Every god has his favourites, I guess I'm just not going to crucify my one when I'm bored," Lorb said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card before placing it in Foxly's hand.

"That said... just resurrecting him wouldn't be all that interesting..." he said scratching his chin as a wicked grin spread across his face.

Ten minutes of frozen time later...

Foxly opened his eyes much to Crown and JohnWillStab's surprise.

"What?" he looked down and saw a card in his hand.

It was a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Foxly opened looked around and saw JohnWillStab and Crown looking at him in bewilderment.

"Why's John crying like a little bitch?" asked Foxly with a smile.

"I know right!" Crown exclaimed rushing over to give Foxly a hug but settling for a pat on the back.

"Oh damn, that's out of character for her..." Foxly though.

Foxly looked around and glance down to his hand, his XP penalty was reset to zero and his level was reset to one.

"Wait, how can you breath with all the spores?" asked Crown.

"Yeah, aren't you looking a bit pale?" asked John.

Meanwhile, in the isekai room...

Lorb giggled to himself as he took another bite of the leftover pizza.

"You brought a soul into a dead, decomposing body, John, you of all people should know what that means..."