With my mind once again focused on clearing this dungeon challenge, I walked into the left tunnel. Similar to the tunnel on the right side it was around sixty feet long. Unlike the right-hand tunnel, there was hardly any webbing to be found apart from any overspill from the entrance. The reason why quickly became clear as I entered the connected room. A massive web spanned the entire height and width of the room. Unlike the finer silk that the rest of the dungeon had used, this was a rough and thick strand. Where Krixis had been a muted brown, the spider sitting in the middle of this web was the same smoke grey the small spiders had been but super-sized. Yet another shiver went down my spine as eight red eyes focused on me. There was still plenty of range between us and the spider seemed contempt to stay in its web for now. I tried to pick up on anything I could see with the light my torch provided but nothing stood out compared to the giant spider in the giant web.

With nothing to it but to do it I took a step towards the giant web. With its eyes still focussed on me the spider took a step down its web. And like that step by step we both got into range. The battlefield tug was very light since we were already in range of one another.

Karaxis, juvenile hunter

Dungeon Guardian, Insect - Spider

Large (takes up two vanguard and two rearguard slots).

Sweep: Attacks all row spaces in front of it (will only attack a player once).

Glass armour (3): Reduce all incoming attack damage by (1). Counts down by 1 each turn it’s damaged

Attack 3 Health 12

The large tag really did it justice. This thing was big from a distance but this close it was huge. While it still had some room to spare on either side it did indeed take up four entire slots.

The sweep attack was concerning. It would negate ganging up on it from both slots and quickly bring it down that way. On the other hand, I’d only have to block with one creature of my own. The wording did make it out it would not attack me and my creature but only the row. That meant any rearguard units would be safe as long as the vanguard was covered. Unfortunately I could only create a rearguard with my token for now.

The armour buff wasn’t that concerning since I could reduce it gradually over three turns before going all in with my higher attack creatures. The armour buff might also be the reason why it only had twelve points of health. Krixis had ten points and was only half the size. Doing some quick mental math I figured

I’d need at least six rounds to bring this monster down. My commander would last two rounds due to the health upgrade. That left me with all three of my two attack cards to finish it off.

With no additional field effects in play, I drew my starting hand. I had three Skeletons (1/1), the duel-wielding Skeleton (2/1), and a knight (2/2). Perfect, with three rounds to draw my commander it was looking like a quick victory.

Playing a Skeleton it charged forward and struck Karaxis with a double-handed axe chop. Without so much as leaving a mark, the axe bounced off the spider. The bounce set the skeleton of balance and with a front leg stomp, it was reduced to bone dust. A quick inspection saw the glass armour value drop from three to two.

I drew another of my (1/1) skeletons and instantly played it. I could have played my duel-wielding skeleton but I wanted the full damage it would deal and not just half. The same fate awaited my mace-wielding skeleton.

The third turn saw me draw my second knight. That made six damage in hand and I just needed my commander to finish. Another skeleton was sent to its doom to clear the final stack of glass armour.

Turn four didn’t draw me my commander but the shield-equipped skeleton. Flush with four crystals I played both of my knights. They charge simultaneously and both left a cut on both the front legs. They huddled together after their attack and they were covered in acidic spit for their trouble.

With five dead skeletons, I had enough tokens to play my basic skeleton. I drew another of my (1/1) skeletons again. The token went in the rearguard to form an archer and I played both of my equipped skeletons in the vanguard. With the shield wielder in the front, they went on the offensive. Before they got close enough, a leg sweep knocked the shield skeleton out of the way. Using this opportunity the duel-wielding skeleton jumped over the leg and unleashed a cross-slash attack on Karaxis’s fangs. Those same fangs made short work of the skeleton as the pedipalps grabbed it. Still focused on its prey, it lost an eye from an arrow. The torso of the knocked-away skeleton had used the time to crawl forward and weakly stabbed a spider leg before its final light was stomped out.

I was feeling unlucky since my next draw was yet another (1/1) skeleton. With no other option, I played another two skeletons. Since I would draw a card per turn, running an empty hand wasn’t an issue with only one opponent. The skeletal wolf charged forward lunging towards the left leg and clamped its jaws around it. The lizardman skeleton made use of the destruction and, with a two-handed grip on its giant club, smacked it onto the other leg with an audible crack. Karaxis had tried to shake the wolf off but when that didn’t work he just slammed the wolf into the lizardmen's skeleton and ended them both. Another arrow barely missed another eye and embedded itself in the spider's thorax. And just like that it was on its last point of health.

Even in the final turn, my commander eluded my draw as I stood looking at my (2/2) mole card. I played it alongside my last skeleton and prepared for victory. The archer drew the bowstring taunt and loosed an arrow. Karaxis tilted its head high and with a wide open mouth spat out a globule of acidic spit towards my vanguard units. Arrow and globule missed each other in the air and the arrow pierced through the big spider’s mouth. It gurgled some very painful sounds before collapsing on the floor.

VICTORY!

You have cleared a fourth room.

You can claim your rewards and leave the dungeon or press on for additional rewards.

Each dungeon can only be challenged once.

Claim / Continue

With the death of Karaxis, a small cocoon fell from the middle of his giant web. It landed with a soft thud. After ripping away the webbing I stood with a red gem in my hand. Excited to see what kind of final challenge the dungeon held, I selected continue and headed back to the statue room.

Confident that inserting the gem held no traps, I slotted the gem in the empty socket. With another rumble, the second curtain of spider silk got pulled to the side. With the way no longer barred by the spider silk, I made my way inside.

The tunnel quickly ended in another room. Spider silk draped the walls near the entrance but the rest of the room was clear of it. The difference between the other rooms was that I could see tree roots sticking from some of the walls and ceiling. The last noticeable feature was another big hole in the opposing wall. Nothing stood out about the silk, walls, or the roots. As I slowly made my way further into the room my torch light reflected off something inside of the hole. I carefully crept closer as I tried to peep into the darkness beyond the light. Not wanting to be ambushed in the last room, I picked up a loose stone and threw it into the darkness. It took a bit longer than I’d expected for it to hit anything but the reaction was immediate. Out of the hole first came a massive spider leg followed by another. I initiated a duel by instinct but was surprised that I was the only one being pulled forward. The reason quickly became apparent. A massive spider head popped out of the same hole but it seemed to be too small for the entire spider to crawl out from.

Combat initiated.

Battlefield modifiers are in effect.

Battlefield extended to six lanes.

Opponent lanes two and five are disabled.

I had to take some steadying breaths as I took in the grandeur of the final fight this dungeon had to offer. Instead of the entire spider, I was facing two legs and a head. I had to suck in another breath as I took in the creature’s information. I was not facing one but three different opponents.

Right leg of Exomedia

Dungeon boss, Insect – spider

Long (takes up both vanguard and rearguard spots).

Will attack every odd turn of battle.

Attack 3 Health 3

Left leg of Exomedia

Dungeon boss, Insect – spider

Long (takes up both vanguard and rearguard spots).

Will attack every even turn of battle.

Attack 3 Health 3

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Head of Exomedia

Dungeon boss, Insect – spider

Wide (2) (takes up the mentioned number of vanguard or rearguard slots).

Venomous: Will inflict (2) stack(s) of poison when attacking.

Range: Can attack creatures with Flying.

Rearguard (can only occupy rearguard slots).

Prepared attack (Exomedia needs 1 round to prepare before each attack).

Sweep: Attacks all row spaces in front of it (will only attack a player once).

Attack 2 Health 8

Her right leg was in lane one, her left leg in lane six, and her head was the rearguard of lanes three and four. This spider was massive compared to anything I had ever seen. Even thinking about how big the rest of her non-visible body was sending unpleasant tingles down my spine.

There was no thought in my mind about disregarding the legs and only focusing on taking down the head. For one I didn’t even know if that would actually end the battle. And secondly, I did not want to lose that many points of life.

Taking stock of the information I had available I made a battle plan. I would need to at least play two creatures every even turn since that’s when both the spider and her leg would attack. The attack stagger would also let me play creatures in the turn they would not attack and chip away at their health. With a clear vision, I took a deep breath and drew my opening hand.

Three (1/1) Skeletons, a mole (2/2), and a knight (2/2). The three skeletons would handle the first two turns. As long as I drew another one I had my turn three play also in hand. Hopefully, I could kill a leg by then. Since the leg in the first lane would attack first I played a skeleton there. It held its spear ready to intercept the oncoming attack. The spider’s leg shot forward and met the spear tip head-on. The spear didn’t even last a second as it was obliterated in the collision together with its wielder.

My card for the turn was my shield-equipped skeleton (1/2). The added health wouldn’t help me but at least it was another one cost card. I played it against the leg in lane six and another skeleton in lane three opposite the head. The little goblin charged forward with its long spear in hand. It stabbed the spear into one of Exomedia’s fangs but it hardly penetrated. With the sound of a water hose, the little skeleton was engulfed in a stream of acid. The other skeleton managed to barely deflect the oncoming attack with its shield. It lashed out with its weapon and left a shallow wound. With a flick of the leg, Exomedia whipped the skeleton away and it crashed to pieces when it collided with the wall.

My skeletal commander finally made an appearance. With three avenues of play, I carefully considered my options. Using the commander in lane one was a waste of attack power since it would only get one attack in and then idle there. Either of my two attack power creatures could kill either leg but what was the optimal play? Since I needed my skeletons to die to get tokens I needed them to trade. With that in mind, I played my knight in lane one and my last skeleton in lane four.

Exomedia’s leg came rushing in and the knight tried to parry the attacks with its blade. The blade held for a second before it snapped and the knight was speared through the chest. Somehow it was still alive and furiously started stabbing what was left of the sword into the leg like it was wielding a dagger. Both the skeleton and the leg were pulled back into the darkness. Meanwhile, the other skeleton swung its axe across the massive spider fangs only leaving behind another shallow cut.

Since Exomedia would attack this round playing the commander now was loss of attack points. With the lone skeleton holding the line there was only one play left to make and I played the mole in lane six. I held the skeletal horse I drew this round in my hand.

Exomedia made the same water hose sound as before and the spray of acid almost immediately started up. It started just short of the vanguard row but quickly engulfed both slots. In a last-ditch effort, the skeleton double-gripped the axe and threw it at the spider. It embedded itself in her head but it didn’t penetrate far. The mole burrowed underground before the leg could strike. The leg suddenly sunk into the ground as the mole had burrowed underneath. It quickly pulled out of the hole and the mole came out for the ride. With claws sunk deep into the leg, it was dragged back into the darkness. A squeal in the dark could be heard before going silent.

With both legs having retreated this was the final round. Exomedia couldn´t attack but I already had enough attack power in hand. I drew another (1/1) skeleton along with my token. With five crystals to play cards with this round, I almost emptied my hand. Since I had three Vanguard cards in hand I could only play two and the token in the rearguard. Since it was the last round I played the most attack power I could muster. The horse and commander took up the vanguard slots and the token became a skeletal archer with a crossbow. The commander turned to face the horse and took a running start. With three steps the commander stood next to the horse and grabbed onto the shoulder blade and swung his leg up and over to mount the horse. The horse reared up lightly and with a flash, the commander's sword turned into a lance. The mounted horse started a charge at Exomedia with the commander holding out his lance like a jousting knight. Exomedia started up her acidic spit attack but a bolt almost took out an eye which caused her to flinch making the acid blast go wide and the horse sidestepped the massive spray. Exomedia was barely able to move her giant head to avoid it being speared by the lance. Instead, they went past her head and speared her in the thorax instead. With a screech one of the legs lashed out from the darkness and slapped both mount and rider away before her head also retreated back into the darkness.

The virtual trumpets played a more bombastic victory tune than usual before the victory screen popped into view.

VICTORY!

You have cleared the final room.

You can now claim your rewards.

You can longer challenge this dungeon.

Claim

A total of five screens popped up in front of me. Luckily these were neatly sorted in a stack like folders in an archive. Only the first one was clearly visible and since it was the summary for the first room the other tabs would each represent a room reward. I eagerly got to reading and claiming my rewards.

For clearing the first room :

Exp gained: 8 + 1 (flawless)

Coins gained: 16

Claim and close.

Only coins and experience for the first room. This wasn’t unexpected since the challenge was very low for the first room. I got experience and coins for each spawned spider I had slain so I quickly claimed my reward to see the next screen.

For clearing the second room :

Exp gained: 10

Coins gained: 17

Card(s) gained: Common card pick > selection includes uncommon card (flawless bonus)

Claim and close

While I had defeated only five creatures in the second fight, my reward was higher than for the first room. I had killed one uncommon zombie and four common ones. That should have been six experience and twelve coins. The most likely reason was that the additional four experience and five coins came from the fact that I had defeated the mummy but that was only speculation for now. The upgrade to my card rewards was very welcome. As I claimed the reward, the other three reward windows closed and were replaced by six floating cards. The first two cards were common (1/1) zombies like the mummy had used. Next up were two common zombie wolfs at (2/2). The first card was an uncommon zombie bear at (3/3) which made it exactly like my commander but it was a zombie instead of a skeleton. The sixth and final card was the (0/3) bloated zombie with the poison defence ability. I instantly discarded all the common cards. The bear would give me another heavier hitter in my deck but if it was similar to my commander it came with no abilities in the upgrade tree. The bloated zombie only cost two crystals to play and had four converted stat points similar to my knights but with one additional upgrade option. Having faced all these high health bosses the ability to apply stacks of poison would really add up over a few rounds. I reached out and grabbed the bloated zombie card from the air. The moment I did all the other cards vanished and the reward windows popped back up.

For clearing the third room :

Exp gained: 8

Coins gained: 5

Card(s) gained: Special common card > Upgraded to uncommon (flawless bonus)

Claim and close

Faced with the summary I noticed another experience anomaly. Eight points of experience did not align with the four summoned spiders and the guardian I had killed. Unless the rewards were only there for killing Krixis and not her summoned spiders. The more I thought about it the more sense it made. If summoned creatures gave rewards I could have farmed a lot of either but just killing the spawns for a while. Since Karaxis had also been a guardian fight I should just compare their rewards and make a conclusion based on that. Similar to the last card reward, the remaining reward screens vanished as a card materialised in the air in front of me. I grabbed it from the air and inspected it.

Spider egg 0

Field effect

After 2 turns end this egg will hatch a (1/1) spider in an open vanguard slot.

I stood there looking at the card for a minute. If this was an uncommon version how bad was the common version? In theory, it was a free (1/1) creature but the fact that It needed two turns to hatch didn’t seem very appealing. Drawing this card in a later turn could even be a hindrance. For now, I didn’t put the card in my deck and went on to claim my last two rewards.

For clearing the fourth room :

Exp gained: 8

Coins gained: 5

Additional reward(s): Random player equipment > Equipment pick (flawless bonus)

Claim and close

That confirmed that I only got experience and coins for defeating the guardian and not her spawns. I was pleased with seeing the reward upgrade from random to a pick option. While I couldn’t know for sure if the reward pool would be the same as the pick pool any equipment would be a blessing. It also specified player equipment so it should be something similar to my sleight of gloves. I claimed my reward with eager anticipation. Similar to the card rewards, the final reward window vanished and was replaced by two floating rings. The ring on the left was a solid band of rock and the one on the right was a transparent ring.

Minor ring of stone Player equipment – ring finger When activated this ring will grant you 1 stack of Block.

This ring has 2 charges that will refresh at the start of each day.

Minor ring of glass Player equipment – ring finger When activated this ring will grant you 1 stack of Glass armour.

This ring has 2 charges that will refresh at the start of each da

With only two options to choose from I suspected that the random reward would have given me either ring at random. The fact that I could choose was a welcome flawless bonus. Karaxis personally had the glass armour effect. It would reduce all attack damage I would receive in a turn by one. The fact that it specifically stated attack damage made me wonder what other types of damage there would be or if would it even apply to me as a player. It took me a few seconds to remember the effect of block. The pair of rabbits I had fought yesterday had that effect. Block would negate one instance of damage I would take. While on the surface the effects seemed very similar there was a subtle difference. The current maximum damage reduction from the ring of glass would be five and the potential damage from block would be higher. My commander could be upgraded to have five attack points and he was only an uncommon card. The other side was the ring of glass would only shine if I took multiple sources of damage in the same round. On the flip side the ring of stone would block one instance of damage and since the order of battle was from lane one to five it could potentially be used up by lane two if I intended to block damage from lane three. It might even be a moot point if I could activate it at any time during a round including right before I took damage. I would have to play around with the mechanics and I picked the minor ring of stone from the air.

I tried putting it on my finger but the gloves got in the way. I took off my left glove and slipped the ring onto my ring finger. The moment it sat snugly on my finger I could feel how I could activate the ring with just a thought. The gloves still easily fit around my hand with the somewhat bulky ring on my finger. With the fourth room rewards taken care of it was time to claim my final rewards.