Day passed into night. Levi took a break to sleep, while Isa and Colin watched the lone unblocked entrance. When day came again, Levi dusted himself off and climbed to his feet. “Alright. That’s enough farming. Let’s keep moving. Go get our hands on some loot!”

“Won’t that man have taken out the first level’s floor boss already, though? The one who walked off yesterday. He had plenty of time to do it,” Isa pointed out. “It doesn’t respawn that quickly.”

Beaming, Levi pointed at her. “Exactly. One less nuisance for us to fight. The first floor boss has been beaten before, probably dozens of times. Whatever loot it drops is passe, worth a few coins at best. We’re aiming for that high class loot, the real deal. I mean, look at us. We can only carry so much. Do we want to burden ourselves with some B-tier loot? No siree! S-tier only!”

“You have a literal zombie army to carry loot for you,” Isa deadpanned.

“A literal zombie army who can carry lots of S-tier loot,” Levi returned.

She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “You know, I didn’t consider that.”

“I don’t know why not. It’s elementary, really. Pre-school, even.”

Colin stepped forward. He grinned nervously. “There’s no point worrying about it. Kai’s probably already killed the first floor boss. We can worry about the bosses that haven’t been killed yet.”

“Right. Why do I even bother talking to Levi? You’re right, Colin. Let’s press on.” Isa hefted her bag and moved for the exit.

Colin nodded at Levi, giving him a nervous grin. “Um, is that okay?”

“I don’t know. I’m not good with people. Hey, if she isn’t actively killing us, I count that as a win.” He reached into his bag and handed Colin a stack of gloves. “Let me know when you run out again. I’ll keep making more at a low burn, but if you need a lot more, I can always surge.”

“Actually, next time… will you show me how to make them?” Colin asked.

“Sure. It’s easier than you’d think. The only real trick is getting a hand on the stitching technique,” Levi said. He patted Colin’s shoulder and headed off, following Isa. As he passed the slombie, he whistled. It turned, then slogged after him one slow step at a time.

The walk to the exit was a short one. As Isa had promised, taking the slime pit was, in fact, a shortcut to the exit. If they hadn’t gotten distracted with revenge, they could have reached the final chamber in less than a minute.

The doors to the final chamber hung open. A bloodied body laid strewn on the floor, dead. Beyond it, two heavy iron doors swung inward, beckoning them deeper into the dungeon.

Isa heaved a heavy sigh. Levi deliberately ignored her. Colin glanced between the two, fretting like a small child in the middle of a divorce.

Levi squatted near the monster. He inspected it closely, lifting the ox-like beast’s legs and checking its head, then sighed. He stood. “Stats too high for me to rez, and it doesn’t have a single arm. Not even one! Let’s keep moving.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The three of them passed through the iron doors and entered the second floor of the dungeon. A hot, fetid smell filled the air. Humidity filled the halls, clinging to their skin. Liquid sloshed nearby, in a slow, thick kind of way. Ahead of them, the corridor turned sharply, so that on the far side of the door, all that greeted them was a stone wall.

Levi wrinkled his nose. “Whew. That stinks, and I’m the one saying it.”

“Dungeons are mysterious places. Anything can happen,” Isa commented. She turned along the wall, turning again to vanish out of their sight.

“Anything can happen? Isa, are you telling me not to give up?” Levi asked, following her around the corner.

His foot sunk into thick mud. Grasses swayed around his legs. Thick, slow water licked against his ankles, uncomfortably warm. Levi raised his eyes.

Somehow, he’d stepped into a swamp. Twisted old trees reached gnarled eyes toward a gray, clouded sky. Mist swirled around the space, fading the distance into an unknowable haze. That heavy, bestial scent hung on the air. It came from everywhere and nowhere. The scent mixed into the mist and rebounded off the clouds, emanated from the water itself.

“What the fuck,” Levi muttered.

Isa stepped into the water beside him. The swamp barely stirred around her ankles. “This is the second floor of the dungeon. No one knows quite where its boundaries are. You need to find the exit, or else wander here indefinitely. And that is why I didn’t kill you for letting that man ahead of us.”

“Oh, wonderful. I like not fighting my party members,” Levi commented. A moment later, he added, “Nice arms, though.”

Ignoring him, she lifted her finger and pointed ahead of them. A fragment of black cloth fluttered in the branches of a tree ahead. If she hadn’t pointed at it, Levi wouldn’t have seen it at all. It was too small, too irregular. He would have dismissed it as a leaf, or an accidental tear.

“The Death Cult has long since mapped out the path to the exit. Follow the flags, and we can quickly pass this level… as long as you don’t get distracted.”

“Me? Get distracted?” Levi shook his head.

“What kind of monsters are in here?” Colin asked, chancing a step into the murky water.

“The kind you’d expect in a swamp. Monstrous snakes and reptiles. Leeches. Fish. It gets worse the deeper the water gets. Stick to the shallows. The depths will suck you down, so deep you might never return.”

“Reptiles have arms,” Levi muttered to himself.

Isa cut him a look. “Can you stop talking about arms?”

“I’m thinking about them. My poor Armalgam is getting long in the tooth, you know? It needs a refresh. A strengthening. And you know what would give it that?” Levi asked.

“A new arm?” Isa asked.

Levi clicked his tongue. “You’re supposed to let me say that part.”

She spread her hands. “It’s a monster made up of arms. Am I supposed to not guess the obvious?”

Colin sighed. “Come on, you two. Now isn’t the time to bicker.”

“Yeah, Isa. Don’t bicker,” Levi chipped in.

Isa glared. Caught in between them, Colin ducked.

Something darted through the water. All three of their heads snapped around toward it, but by the time any of them turned, all that remained was a V-shaped ripple.

“Anyone hungry for a big fish lunch?” Levi asked, drawing his sword. The Armalgam drew its two remaining swords.

Isa snorted. Colin dropped back. The ripple faded, leaving only still water.

Levi pursed his lips. He gestured. “You. Come here.”

The slombie stumbled forward. Levi gave it a quick kick in the rear, and it jolted ahead, off the path Isa had been leading them down. It sunk to its knees in the turbid water, then stumbled another step and disappeared up to its neck. The slime, not exactly excited about being submerged, bobbled up to the skull. The skeleton’s neck creaked under the weight of the bulbous mass.

“I’m learning so much about this new world’s biology. Who would’ve thought that slimes hate water?” Levi commented cheerily.

“They aren’t fond of it. They drink…eat… take in mass via their skin, so they often struggle with being submerged in any substance. That being said, I’ve heard there are undersea slimes,” Isa commented.

“Neat. But first, let’s get some fish!” Levi snapped his fingers, and the skeleton began dancing in the water. Waves burst out from its body. Instantly, a half-dozen ripples all closed in on the skeleton. Fins poked through the surface of the water with deadly intent.

“Slombie, watch out! The sharks are coming!” Levi shouted in excited anticipation.