The rest of the first boss fight didn’t take very long, after Tara and I dealt with ours. Ren and Lionel had already dealt with theirs by then, which had left one poor centipede against the entirety of our group.

The wretched bug put up a good fight, but there was little it could do against the odds. Especially with Ren on our side, who seemed to have truly settled into his position. He moved like a wraith across the battlefield, a dark shadow that cast fear into the centipede’s heart. The bug seemed to realize that Ren was its greatest threat, but there was little it could do. With six others to deal with, Ren was allowed to flit around unhindered, attacking wherever and whenever he wanted.

Before long, there wasn’t a single gap on the bug’s body that hadn’t tasted the steel of Ren’s blade, and the monster eventually slumped to the ground, bleeding from every inch of skin that wasn't armoured.

Ren came to a stop as the bug fell, a calm, content smile curving his lips. Sweat shone on his forehead, and his shoulders heaved with exertion, but he looked just about as happy as I’d ever seen him.

With the fight done, Najam once again allowed for a moment of celebration before getting back to business, taking stock of the situation again. As before, Ren and I had yet to use a single of our Potions, much to the group's amazement. It seemed our reliance on Revives wasn’t a common thing.

Everyone else in the group had taken at least one; Gyda had taken four already, leaving her with one bottle left. Lionel had three left, and the rest had four.

Najam didn’t seem as pleased with the situation as he had after the first stage, but he didn’t say anything about it. The group was seasoned, after all – they knew just as well as him how the situation looked. Well, minus Ren and I, of course, but we didn’t care much for the worries of the group. We were just happy to be there, and happier still to move on to the next stage of bashing things.

The second stage was, according to everyone, harder than the first. There wouldn’t be as many of the monsters, but they were harder to kill. Evolved Zergies were exactly that: evolved versions of the monsters in the first stage. That evolution manifested as plates of armor that coated their limbs and torso, venomous claws, and a general increase in speed and intellect.

The arena was also more challenging, I found as our group made our way in. Most of the room was copied from the first stage’s arena, but the ground was no longer the same smooth stone as before. No, now it was a murky bog, with a layer of soft and spongy moss cratered with puddles of water. The moss sank deep as we stepped into it, and clung with greedy fingers to our boots as we tried to step out.

The general dampness of the area seemed to seep into the Flux, too. It made it much harder to ignite the Flux in the atmosphere, and while I still could, the process was noticeably slower, and the flames weaker.

The place seemed to be designed specifically to annoy Ren and I, since it perfectly targeted both of our styles. Still, I wasn’t to be denied my fun, so I set myself up in my spot and planted my feet deep into the moss. With more mental effort than should have been required, I ignited a ring of flames around me and covered my pole in the same, yelling at the zergies as I did.

With the goal to stay rooted in the same spot for as long as possible, I met the hoard that descended upon us with glee colouring my face, my pole a brilliant orange streak as it weaved between the monsters. I had gotten leagues better with the pole, and was getting a handle on using my flame with it. A few times, I even managed to sharpen the tip into something solid enough to pierce through the skin of the zergies.

But as much as I’d improved, the zergies had not fallen behind. Beyond just the increased strength and reflex, their intelligence began to play a big role. In the first stage, they fought individually, like their comrades didn’t even exist. Because of that, their immense numbers were manageable. But given the brainpower to work together, both with each other and with the environment, they became far more dangerous.

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Not to mention, with their venomous claws, even a light scratch would fester and burn horribly until it was treated.

But because they were so much more dangerous, they also came in much smaller numbers. There were three waves, as with the first stage, but there were only two hundred of the monsters in each, as opposed to the two thousand of before. Because of that, the stage progressed much faster, and within two hours, the hall was fully cleared of the orange pests.

By that point, I stood in a ring five meters across of pure scorched dirt, the damp moss and water all but burnt away. Fresh blood dampened my tattered clothing, and drew a scarlet river down the side of my face, from where a lucky claw had caught me. But despite the haggard picture I painted, I was about as happy as I could be.

“It is a blessed thing,” Angel spoke suddenly as the fight ended, looking at me, “to find the place in which one is truly within their element.” She paused for a second, before continuing. “And a blessed thing to witness another find such a place.”

I smiled at that. “I’m guessing those are Galas’ words?”

Angel nodded.

“Well, he’s damn right,” I said. “I never thought I’d be the type to say this about anything, but I could honestly do this all day, every day, for the rest of my life.”

The group laughed at that, and I grinned in response. “I mean it, though. I can’t think of a single other thing I’d rather do. Constant, easy fighting with little to no real stakes – it’s honestly a dream come true. If I didn’t have bigger plans, I’d live in here.”

Gyda nodded at me while everyone else laughed again.

“Looks like you’ve finally found someone who understands you, huh?” Lionel said to Gyda, who smiled in return.

The group talked for a little while before Najam finally brought us back to business. Najam counted up our remaining Flux Potions again, and I offered to give Gyda some of mine, since I’d still yet to use them and Gyda was already out, but Najam and Gyda both refused my offer.

“It’s a matter of principle,” Najam said. “If an adventurer thinks they can rely on their teammates to supply them, they won’t be as careful with their Potions.”

I didn’t really understand, but I also hadn’t cared much either way, so I didn’t push the matter.

With the second stage cleared, we finally prepared to move on to the second boss fight. It was an important point, since it was the furthest the team had ever gotten. The team had never even set foot into the place, even the times they’d cleared the second stage, because they’d never been sure that they could win the fight. Walking in underprepared would mean death, after all.

Still, we knew what monster we would be up against, since the dungeon board displayed a boss’ information once the stage before it was cleared.

The screen that popped up when Najam touched the doors to the next arena was simple, but surprisingly informative.

********

Zergy Dungeon Mini Boss #2: Zergyll Origin

Stats:

* Strength: 25

* Agility: 23

* Mental: 7

* Toughness: 32

* Reaction Time: 103 ms

* Strike Power: 2034 fin

Resistance:

* Blade: 43

* Blunt: 38

* Fire: 20

* Electricity: 37

* Poison: 54

********

After that screen went away, another one popped up

********

Protectors:

* Zergyll Centipede

* Penultimate Zergy

********

There were stats for each of the protectors, too, but I skipped them. Partly out of disinterest, but mostly out of impatience. I was itching to go into the fight, and Najam could tell, shooting me a grim grin as he pushed the doors open.