The skeleton groaned—a low, empty sound that sent a chill down Hel’s spine.

Then, it charged.

The skeleton’s rusted blade swung wide, its aim precise and unrelenting as it arced toward Elijah’s neck.

“No!” Hel shouted, her instincts kicking in. With a swift chant, a shimmering shield of golden light materialized over the side of Elijah’s neck, just in time to intercept the strike.

The blade slammed into the shield with a metallic screech, digging deep into its surface. For a terrifying moment, Hel thought the skeleton might actually break through. The shield crackled and strained under the force, but ultimately, the blade bounced off, leaving Elijah unharmed.

“Gods!” Hel exclaimed, her voice shaky. “It’s much stronger than the ones on the first floor!”

Elijah stumbled back, his free hand instinctively reaching for his neck.

“That was close!” he gasped, his eyes wide with adrenaline.

This wasn’t like the skeletons they’d fought before. Any creature on the lower floor would have been easily repelled by Hel’s shielding magic, their weak blows barely leaving a scratch. But this skeleton…

Hel’s heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the monster. It had managed to breach a portion of her shield, its blade cutting farther than it had any right to. Only the shield’s innate resistance had stopped the strike, absorbing the remainder of the skeleton’s momentum before it could reach flesh.

“This thing is different,” Hel muttered under her breath, gripping her staff tightly.

Elijah nodded, his expression grim as he backed away, trying to put some distance between himself and the relentless creature. But the skeleton wasn’t about to let him go.

As Elijah raised his hand to cast his blinding spell, the skeleton lunged again, its movements disturbingly fast for something that should have been slow and brittle. Its rusted blade swung toward his outstretched arm, forcing Elijah to pull back to avoid being sliced.

“Damn it!” Elijah cursed, the spell flickering and dying before it could fully form.

The skeleton pressed forward, giving him no time to recover. Every time Elijah tried to raise his hand to cast, the creature attacked, aiming for his exposed arm with uncanny precision.

“It’s thinking,” Hel realized, her stomach sinking. “It knows what you’re trying to do.”

The skeleton’s empty sockets turned toward Hel for a brief moment, as if acknowledging her words, before it lunged at Elijah again.

This time, the blow didn’t target his arm. The creature swung its blade at Elijah’s torso, putting its full, unnatural strength behind the strike. Elijah barely managed to raise his sword in time to block, the clang of metal against metal ringing through the hallway.

The force of the impact sent him staggering backward, his feet sliding against the stone floor. “It’s like fighting a brick wall!” he grunted, his arms trembling as he struggled to hold his defensive stance.

The skeleton didn’t relent. It shoved forward, its blade grinding against Elijah’s as it pushed with the kind of strength only something undead could muster. Elijah’s legs buckled slightly under the strain, his teeth clenched as he fought to hold his ground.

“Hel!” he shouted, his voice strained. “A little help here!”

Hel’s mind raced as she tried to think of a solution. Her shielding magic could block a strike or two, but it wasn’t meant to be used offensively. And while she could cast other spells, she’d need time to prepare them—time Elijah didn’t have.

The skeleton pulled back for another swing, its movements deliberate and almost mechanical. Elijah’s sword arm was already shaking, and Hel knew he couldn’t take another hit like that.

“Hold on!” she called, stepping forward and raising her staff.

With a quick chant, she summoned another shield, this one forming a glowing barrier between Elijah and the skeleton. The creature’s blade struck the barrier with a loud crack, sending sparks flying. Hel winced as the shield absorbed the blow, the strain of maintaining it already beginning to weigh on her.

“Elijah, fall back! Now!”

“But—”

“Now!”

Elijah didn’t need to be told twice. He disengaged, ducking under the shield as the skeleton reeled back for another strike. Hel stepped in front of him, her staff glowing faintly as she reinforced the barrier.

The skeleton paused, tilting its head as if assessing the situation. Then, without hesitation, it lunged at the shield, slamming its blade into it over and over again. Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the barrier, and Hel gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold it in place.

“It’s too strong,” she muttered, her arms trembling as she tightened her grip on the staff. The skeleton’s relentless assault was draining her energy far faster than she anticipated.

Elijah, now a few feet behind her, finally had enough space to act. Raising his hand, he began to chant, the faint glow of his blinding spell forming in his palm.

“Keep it off me for just a few seconds!” he called, his voice steady despite the chaos.

“I’m trying!” Hel snapped, sweat dripping down her temple as the shield flickered under another powerful blow.

The skeleton’s empty sockets seemed to focus on her now, as though realizing that the barrier was the only thing keeping it from reaching its prey. It swung again, harder this time, and the barrier cracked under the strain.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“Almost there!” Elijah said, his spell nearly complete.

Hel’s arms shook as she poured the last of her energy into the shield. “Hurry!”

The skeleton raised its blade for one final strike, and Hel knew the barrier wouldn’t hold. She braced herself, preparing to cast a desperate defensive spell—

And then Elijah’s blinding light exploded through the hallway.

The skeleton shrieked, its movements faltering as the intense light seared into its sockets. It staggered backward, swinging its blade wildly as it tried to shield itself from the glare.

“Got it!” Elijah shouted, his voice filled with triumph.

“Good!” Hel replied, her breath ragged as she let the shield collapse. “Now finish it!”

Elijah didn’t waste any time. He charged forward, his blade gleaming in the fading light of the spell. The skeleton was still disoriented, its swings clumsy and unfocused, and Elijah took full advantage.

With a powerful downward strike, he cleaved through the skeleton’s neck, severing its head in one clean motion.

The creature crumpled to the ground, its bones scattering across the floor with a hollow clatter.

Hel sagged against the wall, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. “That…” she panted, “was not a normal skeleton.”

“No kidding,” Elijah replied, wiping sweat from his brow. He glanced down at the pile of bones at his feet, his expression grim. “What the hell kind of upgrades is this dungeon hiding?”

Hel didn’t have an answer, but she had a sinking feeling that this was only the beginning.

…

After that first harrowing encounter with the skeleton, Hel and Elijah tread much more carefully. The reckless sprinting and confident strides of the first floor were a distant memory now. On this second floor, every step was deliberate, every breath quiet.

The rules of survival had changed.

Any creature that could be avoided was. If they heard the faint shuffle of bones or the guttural growl of something in the shadows, they backtracked. If a creature turned a corner ahead of them, they ducked into the nearest darkened alcove and held their breath.

The ones they couldn’t avoid were planned and executed with precision. Stealth was no longer optional—it was their lifeline. Elijah’s light spell was saved for emergencies only, and every attack they made was quick and silent. Hel kept her shielding spells on standby, ready to intervene if anything went wrong, but her focus was on keeping them hidden.

They weren’t adventurers right now—they were intruders, out of their depth in a place that wasn’t meant for them.

After three more encounters—each leaving them a little more worn, a little more drained—they’d managed to gather a handful of artifacts and some promising gear. A gleaming amulet, a silvered dagger, and a curious, rune-inscribed orb that neither of them dared to activate.

Still, the small victories weren’t enough to ease Hel’s nerves. Every clash with the dungeon’s inhabitants seemed to escalate. The skeletons were faster, stronger, and smarter than the ones on the first floor, and the longer they stayed, the more it felt like the dungeon itself was watching them.

Finally, they came to an empty hallway.

Hel stopped in her tracks, glancing around cautiously. The silence here was… different. It wasn’t the heavy, oppressive stillness they’d grown used to on this floor. It felt lighter, almost inviting.

“Elijah,” she whispered, her eyes narrowing as she stared down the long stretch of stone ahead. “Do you hear that?”

Elijah stopped a few paces ahead of her, tilting his head. “Hear what?”

“Exactly,” she said, gripping her staff tightly. “No groaning. No shuffling. Nothing.”

Elijah hesitated, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “Huh. Maybe we finally got lucky?”

Hel wasn’t so sure.

The hallway stretched ahead of them, dimly lit by flickering torches. The walls were unmarked, the floors clean—too clean, considering the rest of the floor had been littered with the aftermath of battles between adventurers and monsters.

Hel’s eyes darted to the shadows along the edges of the hall. “Stay close,” she muttered, moving cautiously forward.

They inched their way down the corridor, their footsteps barely making a sound on the smooth stone. The tension was palpable, and Hel found herself glancing over her shoulder every few steps, half-expecting something to leap out at them from behind.

But nothing came.

At the end of the hallway, they reached a large, open doorway. Beyond it lay a darkened chamber, the air within colder than the corridor they’d just left.

Elijah stopped just inside the doorway, peering into the darkness. “What do you think’s in there?” he whispered.

Hel didn’t answer right away. Her grip tightened on her staff as she scanned the room, her eyes adjusting to the faint glow coming from the center of the chamber. Slowly, the shape of the room came into focus—smooth, circular walls and an arched ceiling, with a single point of light in the middle.

It was unmistakable.

“A portal,” Hel said, her voice barely audible.

Elijah stepped forward, his eyes widening as he got a better look. “A blue, glowing portal,” he confirmed, a grin spreading across his face.

Hel stayed where she was, her gut churning with unease. “It’s… just sitting there.”

“Yeah,” Elijah replied, his tone brimming with excitement. “That’s the point, Hel. We’re at the next portal! This is it—the way to the next floor!”

Hel’s grip on her staff didn’t loosen. “Don’t you think it’s a little too convenient? There’s no traps. No monsters. Nothing guarding it. It’s just… here.”

Elijah waved her off, stepping into the room with an eager bounce in his step. “Come on, Hels! You’ve been paranoid this whole time. Sometimes a win is just a win. Let’s go before anyone else finds it!”

He was halfway to the portal before she even took a step.

Hel lingered in the doorway, her instincts screaming at her to stop, to think. But Elijah was already too far ahead, his excitement outweighing any caution.

With a resigned sigh, she moved to follow him, her eyes scanning the room for anything out of place.

The portal’s glow reflected off the stone walls, casting faint ripples of light that danced across the chamber. It looked identical to the one they’d used to reach the second floor, but there was something… off about it.

“Elijah,” she said cautiously as she approached. “What if—”

Before she could finish, Elijah stepped onto the glowing platform in front of the portal, his hand reaching toward the swirling blue light.

“Wait!” Hel snapped, her voice sharper than she intended.

Elijah froze, glancing back at her with a raised eyebrow. “What’s the problem now?”

“You’re a moron.”

Elijah blinked, utterly baffled. “What? Why? That plan’s brilliant!”

“No, it’s reckless,” Hel snapped, rubbing her temple as if the sheer stupidity of his plan was giving her a headache. “Let’s break it down, shall we? First, what if your stupid ‘harsher’ light spell doesn’t work? Second, what if the portal closes behind us and we’re trapped on the other side? And third…” She gestured wildly at him, her tone growing more exasperated with each word.

“What if it is that boss, and your light spell just pisses it off? Do you really think you can run back fast enough while it’s chasing you?”

Elijah opened his mouth to respond but closed it again when no rebuttal came to mind.

“That’s what I thought,” Hel muttered. She sighed, gripping her staff tightly. “We need to think this through, Elijah. Actually think.”

Elijah frowned, scratching the back of his head. “Well, what’s your brilliant plan, then?”

Hel hesitated, glancing at the glowing portal. The faint hum it emitted filled the room, adding to the tension hanging in the air. She didn’t have a concrete plan either, but she wasn’t about to throw herself into the unknown without some kind of precaution.

“We take it slow,” she said finally. “We prep for the worst-case scenario and assume the portal leads to something dangerous. If it’s the boss floor… we need to make sure we have a way out.”

“How do we do that?” Elijah asked, his voice softer now.

Hel paced back and forth, thinking aloud. “First, I reinforce both of us with shields before we go through. Then, as soon as we step out, we check our surroundings. If it’s safe, great. If it’s not…” She looked at Elijah pointedly. “You don’t do anything stupid. We leave. Immediately.”

Elijah raised an eyebrow. “You don’t trust me?”

Hel didn’t even dignify that with a response.

“Fine, fine,” Elijah said, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. “We’ll do it your way. But just so you know, my plan had flair.”

“Your plan was idiotic,” Hel shot back, her glare softening slightly.

“Idiotically genius,” Elijah muttered under his breath, turning back to face the portal.