Beyond the entrance to the 25th floor was a long tunnel made of rock. It was clearly wide enough that the drake could reach them here if it wanted. Luckily it was not nearby to greet them. It instead lay a little bit further away around the bend of the tunnel. Scattered around the tunnel were rusted and dented armor pieces indicative of what previous adventurers might have worn against the boss.

“The boss has been alerted to our presence now. If we don’t go around the corner in the next three to five minutes it will be obligated to start stiffing us out,” said James. He took out the vials of poisons and prepared his arrows. “The drake is much like a dragon. Or that is at least what most people have heard. For us, it will be a similarly dangerous smaller brother to a dragon. It won’t be able to fly but instead glide. But that doesn’t really change how it will fight against us. I’ve got my arrows ready. Everyone if you would.”

They each got into position and started shuffling around the corner. The drake heard them and started to unravel from its nap. It was quick to action and raised its body into the air. The novices along with James all tensed a bit with the beast’s reaction.

James already had his bow drawn and released it quickly before the drake could move. He focused on firing single shots because he didn’t want to miss and waste the poison that was running out. He considered for a moment if he could make more but quickly refocused his thoughts and energy on killing the drake.

Naomi’s arrows followed soon after James’s. The mix of arrows left small marks of little indentation along with the doses of poison they had been loaded with.

With the action starting Wes raised his shield and started pushing forward. Derek was right behind him. He kept his sword ready to make the adjustments necessary to jump in and attack the drake.

The drake let out a deafening roar as it emerged from its cave, its massive wings flapping. It stretched out and into the tunnel. Naomi quickly loaded an arrow into her bow and aimed at the beast, firing a shot that struck it in the shoulder.

Wes and Derek charged forward, their weapons at the ready as they prepared to engage the drake in close combat. Wes raised his shield and charged at the beast, using it to deflect its initial fiery breath attack as he closed in.

Derek swung his sword with focus and power. The drake deflected the sword with its scales and wing. A few chipped scales scattered but the drake did not alter course. It let out a deafening roar as it lunged at Derek, but Wes was able to block the attack again and protect Derek.

It snapped with its jaws and bellowed out a bout of fire. The heat washed over Wes. Sweat poured out of him as he choked on the smoke. Behind them, James continued to fire off his arrows. He was a bit slower than usual. Each of the attacks was more measured and precise due to their limited nature. He didn’t have an exact timeline as to when the drake would feel the effects of the poison, but he hoped it would be soon. James checked his quiver and grabbed at another poisoned arrow. He had three left. Once those were gone he could use his mana arrows. James made note of the wounds he and the others had inflicted so far and aimed to add to the damaged area.

As Wes took on more flames Ian dished them out. His focus was on attacking the drake’s wounds made by the others. Due to its scales and hide his flames were otherwise useless against the drake. When the drake used its fire breath Ian redirected the flames near him and counter-attacked.

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Derek's sword clashed against the drake's scales as he fought. Its claws and teeth left little room for him to get a hit in. He was more cautious than usual and jumped back each time the drake pushed forward. At this point in the fight, they had been successfully pushed out of the main resting place for the drake and into the winding tunnel that led back to the entrance.

James analyzed the drake watching for signs of the poison set in, but it still seemed as ferocious as usual. He reached for another poison arrow but found his quiver empty of them.

“I’m out of poison arrows. They should be affecting the drake soon. Be careful.”

The novices responded with grunts and nods as they focused on their tasks. As another of Naomi’s arrows hit the drake’s snout it roared and spun. Its tail whipped around and smacked against Wes and his shield. Wes’s body went tumbling into Derek and they collided with the tunnel wall. The drake finished its move by slamming the ground with its tail and retreating several feet into its lair.

Ian and James ran over to the slumped-over pair. Derek was stirring but Wes still wasn’t moving. The drake attacked them, and they were forced to dodge and back away as they tried to give aid.

“Give me some cover fire. They need health potions.”

“I’ll grab Derek. You grab Wes,” said Ian.

He fired off a few blasts of fire and ran back over to Derek. Naomi redoubled her attacks and focused on speed more than accuracy for the time being.

James grabbed Wes’s head and tilted it back as he poured the health potion down his throat. He had a chance to look over Wes’s equipment before taking up his bow. Wes’s armor was scuffed up and more worn out than before. As for his shield. Some of the wood had started to crack again but nothing would cause issues for now.

James brought up his bow and picked out another arrow while he waited for Wes’s body to process the healing potion. The magic swirled around him as the water mana coalesced around the arrow. Before the drake could get any closer James released the string.

His arrow hit one of the drake’s leathery wings that was already torn and burnt. Magic coursed through the drake, and it froze up. The wing seemed to shrivel up. The drake dropped its wing down and it hung limp limiting the drake’s mobility.

The drake roared and shot off a few blasts of fire. Its throat croaked with each spray of fire. James ducked under the attacks easily and moved back over to Wes. Wes’s eyes fluttered open, and his body stirred.

Hearing the drake was like an adrenaline shot to the heart for Wes. He shot up and held on to his shield. Wes held the shield weakly up and James helped him back away from the drake.

“The drake doesn’t seem much weaker. I thought the poison was supposed to end it by now,” said Naomi.

“It has slowed its breath attacks a bit, but you are right. That poison is supposed to be used on a weaker enemy and preferably a non-boss one. Drakes, dragons, and the likes are also high-vitality creatures. The poison would work better on the frost giants for example. Wes, what about you? And Derek, can you put up a fight?”

The drake swung its tail and hit Derek and Ian. Ian took the brunt of the attack for them. His staff flew from his hands and skittered away. James aimed his bow and fired at the drake’s head trying to draw its attention away from those already injured. He gave him a look of anger but ignored him after seeing that he did not have a mana arrow prepared.

James realized that as well a few moments later. The drake turned so its back was toward Naomi and James. The arrows they shot were like pricks to it as it focused on its downed enemies. James worked to correct his mistake and spun up his mana into a new arrow as soon as possible.

The drake stomped over to Ian who was closest. He was flitting in and out of consciousness as he felt the weight of his injuries on himself. The drake snapped its head down and grabbed Ian’s leg. Ian was pulled away and screamed as the drake used its teeth and claws to tear him apart.

A few seconds too late James released his second mana arrow. The water arrow once again coursed through the drake and the beast shook. Its half-finished meal was dropped from its mouth. The drake turned as quickly as it could on James. It realized he was the greatest threat to its life and used what energy it could to charge at James. The drake ran with the little energy it could left and bulldozed over James and ignored Wes’s attempts at raising a shield.

Claws tore into James. Its body weakened and James died once again as the drake’s dead body fell on him.