“Good job with that spear. You will likely need to keep using it for some time. Your shield isn’t looking too good.”

“The shield and spear combination is still a bit awkward for me. I prefer being able to stand still but when Ian told me to go I just did what came naturally and felt right I guess.”

“Good. Keep relying on what your instincts tell you and they will keep you alive. Especially as we will be facing the 20th-floor boss next.”

“What should we expect?” asked Naomi.

“Another enclosed battle area. Lava and volcanic themed. We will need to be careful of the heated air vents. They can be deadly if you can’t avoid them. I will try and point them out. The boss itself will be troublesome. The lesser demon despite its name is still quite strong and human-sized. They will have the strength more than any of us and will have fire magic that can best Ian. Our best bet is to stay at range for the most part and then keep the demon on its feet with your sword and spear so that it can’t cast anything too powerful. Ian, you will be on extinguishing duty against this boss. We are down to two potions and should only have to use them if necessary. If we are ever lit on fire. Put us out as quickly as possible. I’ll try and call out what moves I can that it uses if I can remember. Good luck.”

Without another word, James stepped through the portal into floor 20. He tensed as he put his foot down on the new floor. The temperature change was sudden and uncomfortable. The spider cave had been colder and chilly a stark contrast to the temperatures of this floor. The temperature of the floor was like that of a sauna. It added to the danger of the floor if not handled properly especially if the fight was drawn out for too long.

The others react similarly when hit with the temperature change. Looking around they see the volcanic arena and the demon set to be the boss of the floor.

The ground was rocky and uneven. The area was closed off by a mix of spewing fire, steam vents, and a cliff beyond that for anyone who wanted to leave. If one was able to get beyond this the dungeon would force the adventurers who tried to reenter the arena.

The demon stood a little taller than James. It wielded long sharp claws that would not interfere with the magic it could naturally cast. Its tough leathery skin was a light red and horns jutted out from the sides of its face and jagged teeth smiled at them from the other side of the arena.

James aimed for the demon’s face and fired. The demon moved and started running. The demon didn’t quite run in a straight line towards them, and James started mapping out his expected path. Once the demon started running Naomi started firing at it as well forcing the demon to adjust its path toward them. It allowed James more time to fire arrows some of which hit the demon.

The demon was agile enough that none of the arrows hit vital areas. Flames washed over the demon causing the arrow shafts to break off and its skin resealed leaving only a little blood over its body.

“That’s one of the healing flame spells,” said James. ‘I didn’t expect to see it on this floor.’ “It won’t be able to cast that spell often. Wes and Derek get ready.”

James fired a few more charged shots before jumping back. A few missed and a few hit the demon. They weren’t able to penetrate deeply, and the demon continued after physically breaking the arrow shafts stuck in its body.

Wes stepped up and readied his shield. The demon’s hands glowed before lighting on fire. Then it leapt in the air. Wes didn’t have his spear in place in time and Wes was hit by the full force of the demon. His shield rattled and the shield started to smoke. Before more damage could be done Derek hit the demon with his sword.

A cut opened up on the demon’s forearm and it spun to face Derek. Without a shield, he was the more obvious pick for an attack. Fire swirled around its arms. The demon swiped at Derek. Derek used his sword to keep the demon back for a while. Its agility and skill broke through his defenses and cut up his arms.

The grip on his sword weakened. Before something unrecoverable occurred the demon was launched sideways and spun in the air. James’s force arrow hit the demon and it flailed in the air as the unexpected attack occurred. The air was made of pure force without much damage potential, but it kept Derek safe which was all that mattered.

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“Get up Derek. You need to handle the demon when it comes to you. You can barely handle that sword,” said Ian.

The demon was hurrying to its feet. It started brushing itself off and prepared fire attacks at range. Ian recognized the spell as a version of the flame jet.

“You know what. I will handle this myself. I am our team’s dedicated fire mage after all.”

“No! That isn’t the plan.”

“I am doing what is best. Screw your plan. I refuse to be benched.”

James released the tension on his bow when Ian jumped in front of the path between him and the demon. Naomi fired arrows at the demon, but it didn’t do quite enough to break the demon’s concentration. It did slow its casting time, however. James began rethinking his plans as Ian quite literally ran off course.

James knew at least in the back of his mind that Ian was unreliable or at the very least reckless, but he did not want to admit that to himself. He had dealt with a few problem ‘children’ over the years, and each presented a problem to be solved or passed on to the next instructor or trainer that was forced to train the student and delve with them. James did not have that luxury.

‘Ian is wasting our resources but more importantly, is not working with the team as effectively as he could be. Honestly, they all could use some work. A talk with him is definitely on the to-do list but first this fucking demon.’

James empowered his jump and reached a height twice that of his standing height. James had his bow ready and released an arrow at the apex of his jump. It was the easiest way for him to get around Ian without shoving past Derek and Naomi who stood by his sides.

The demon shot horizontal cones of flames from both hands right before James’s arrow hit. It was too distracted by the charging attack to put up much more than its natural defense. The demon turned unnaturally, and the arrow once again struck at a non-vital area. This time the arrow hit its shoulder causing one of the cones of flame to sputter.

Ian was almost to the demon when the cone of flames fired off. Ian had a shield of fire mana ready to deflect the attack and absorb it. Using his natural inclination towards flames he took on the flames as he rushed forwards and used them as fuel for his shield and his counterattack.

Ian rolled under the demon’s weak arm and pulled as much of the fire and mana into the air back into his body and redirected it into his fists. Ian stepped forward and awkwardly thrust both fisted hands forward into the side of the demon. Following his fists went the rest of his body weight as he tried to stabilize his footing.

The demon was pushed back, and new small burns covered its body. Its leathery skin cracked more and had changed to a deeper color of red.

“Derek. With me,” shouted James.

The demon grabbed Ian by his robe. The fire had died out and Ian wasn’t ready to cast more spells. James broke into a sprint with Derek following behind him. James fired off one more arrow before switching to his knives. The arrow struck the demon’s arm as it lifted Ian into the air. The shock of pain caused the demon to drop Ian. Ian hit the ground in a shock of his own as he realized some of the trouble he was in.

“Get out of the way,” James said.

Ian got his hands off the ground and covered his head in another shield as he broke into a sprint. Before he could get too far the demon grabbed his leg and Ian’s head hit the ground.

James cursed under his breath.

‘Fighting the demon is supposed to be simple but hard. It has no tricks like the spider queen or other bosses. ‘Stick to the plan’ I said, and we can go about the floors of the dungeon murdering the monsters. Endlessly in my case.’

James threw one of his two knives into the demon’s back. The demon in turn threw Ian at Derek and James. James dodged out of the way and Derek was forced to step back hastily to avoid Ian accidentally hitting his blade.

James struck the demon with his knife and activated the last of his speed skills and his motions became a blur. The demon ignored some of the cuts and grabbed James’s weapon arm. He felt a crunch as the bones in his arm shattered. James gritted his teeth and kicked the demon in response.

Before more damage could be done Derek swung down on the demon’s arm. James felt the grip loosen and he took the knife in his other hand. Half the demon’s arm hit the ground leaving a bleeding stump. James attacked again aiming for the demon’s head. It roared when it lost sight in its eye. James jumped back knowing the risk of being too close as he backed away weaponless.

The demon’s remaining eye was focused on James as it was blind-sighted by the remaining attacker next to It. Derek swung at the demon’s chest from the side. Unimpeded by an arm that was no longer there his sword went through the demon and most of its organs.

When Derek removed his sword the demon was already dead on the ground.

“Let’s get to the safe zone. We can heal up there. Help me drag him,” said James.

With his remaining good arm, James dragged Ian to the safe zone next to the exit portal. There they would be able to take advantage of the area’s natural healing abilities. As long as he reset the bones they would reconnect and the tissue around it would heal in only a few minutes. Ian’s wounds would similarly heal.

James guessed that Ian’s leg was broken and some bleeding around his head was occurring, but he would survive now that he was in the safe zone. James wanted to strangle the kid at the moment but that would accomplish nothing as Ian was still unconscious.

James dropped Ian off in the safe zone and found a spot to sit as well while the others joined him soon after.

‘He should wake up in a minute or two and then I can have another chat with him. Until then I’ve got some loot to look over.’

James stood up and went over to the exit and by its side lay a small wooden box.