Placing the final mirror Ivy stepped back and admired her work with a sense of satisfaction. All that remained was to see how delvers fared with it. For now though, the dungeon had midnight visitors and with her work done she could watch with a clear conscience.
With a thought she was standing beside Evelyn as a group of humanoids with animal features scrambled to get their bearings as they landed in Twrch’s swamp.
“So, how’re they getting on? There’s only six?”
“It’s been plenty so far, but this will be a real test.”
Swearing as Twrch stampeded into view, they dove to either side. A rat-man in a dark cloak managed to leapfrog over him, a scorpion tail darting out from beneath the cloak, pale flesh stained dark where it struck.
“He’s skilled, but poison will avail him little here,” Evelyn remarked.
A fox person swiftly unbuckled their cuisses as a vine began wrapping around their leg even as a woman with four spiderlike legs and an uncomfortable number of eyes turned the vines approaching her crystalline with a frantic gesture as she pulled herself from the mud. A four-armed kangaroo person didn’t react fast enough and started to be dragged behind Twrch only for a hairy behemoth with walrus tusks to jump forward and tear the vines apart, receiving a nasty slice across his shoulder in exchange.
With a sizzle the light went out as the final torch dropped on the ramp rolled into the blood.
“Al, get the bloody lights on would ya!” The walrus-tusked behemoth complained.
With a woosh a glorious mane of fire appeared around the neck of a cat man with wisps of flame curling from it towards the bolt loaded in his crossbow.
“Look alive lads, it’s comin’ round for another go. Spread out and hit it hard.” The lithe rat-man swiftly ordered, a feral grin appearing on his face, “Oh and Keith, try and keep yer pants on will ya.”
Chuckles rang out over the splashing.
Twang, whoosh!
As Twrch re-entered the light a crossbow bolt hammered into his side followed swiftly by a fiery echo that set some of his vines ablaze and filled the air with pungent fumes. A barrage of rubies hammered into him from the blood around the spider-woman, tearing flesh only for it to instantly knit together again. The walrus-tusked titan took a wide stance ready to receive the charge and Twrch took the challenge and accelerated to drive a tusk into his chest. Ivy had no doubt the man had a combination of levels and skills to help him confront creatures head on, but Twrch was created to charge into enemies and took the opportunity of a willing target to see what the combination of its [Bash], [Charge], [Jab] and [Momentum] skills could do. The result did not disappoint, a sickening cracking sound rang out as the beastkin flew like a ragdoll, tumbling in and out of the blood.
Gasps filled the air and the Fox-man swiftly altered his path towards the prone form of his companion rather than the boss monster. The air and flesh on one side of Twrch began to ripple as the four-armed kangaroo began shadow boxing, heavy blows landing despite being a few metres from the rampaging boar but seemingly to little lasting damage. The rat-man’s knives flashed as he dashed around severing vines as they made their way towards the ranged attackers, snapping orders as he moved, smirk distinctly absent now.
“Keith, get him out of there before yer both trampled. Lisa, try something else, blood gems aren’t working, the bastard’s healing. Al pour on the fire, smells like shit but at least it’s doin’ somethin’.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Another bolt and fiery replica embedded themselves deep into the rotting flesh meanwhile the fox beastkin had only just reached his downed companion and awkwardly slung a meaty arm over his shoulder. The fox’s eyes widened almost comically as he glanced back to see the boar just a few strides away and he flung his arms into the blood and mud. Almost instantly a stone pillar shot from the ground beneath them just barely clearing Twrch’s height before there was a deafening crash as Twrch smashed through it bringing him to almost a complete stop. The larger beastkin bounced off the burning side of the enraged boar before splashing into the bloody marsh while the exhausted fox found himself ensnared by vines, one wrapping tightly around his neck.
With a roar the rat-man’s muscles began to bulge as he seemed to go from lithe and agile to broad-shouldered bodybuilder before Ivy’s very eyes, claws tearing free of his fingers as daggers fell from his hands. Faster than she could follow he had barrelled into Twrch’s side, almost knocking him over and was savagely tearing at flesh and vine to free the fox. The others had not been idle either as the kangaroo began focusing blows on Twrch’s back leg, constant cracking indicating the healing could barely keep up with the damage inflicted. A crystal lance was being spun into existence in the air in front of the spider-woman as she prepared from some grand attack even as the muddy ground began to become visible below her. Another bolt from the cat-man hammered into the neck of the beast this time as the bolt of flame behind it set half the head ablaze.
At this point Twrch was fairly well immobilised and Ivy knew it was only a matter of time before he was brought down. The only question that remained was whether the fox-man could be rescued in time as all the remaining vines seemed to pour to that point even as hunks of plant matter and rotting flesh were torn away with furious abandon.
With a rush of air, a deafening crack and a blinding flash of greyish purple light Twrch’s body collapsed around the giant crystal lance embedded through it and the vines went slack. The still muscly rat-man quickly had the unconscious fox-person onto the damp mud and began chest compressions.
“They destroyed the mana crystal,” Eveyln commented looking pensive, “They have uncommonly good combat sense. Now they’ve gotten through the second floor with only injuries rather than losing anyone…Though I suspect that muscle enhancement ability is not without cost given the class’s poison affinity.”
“Wait, no casualties?!” Ivy’s shock bubbling up within her even as she felt a blush come to her cheeks as she realised, she forgot to check their classes. Sure enough, a glance at the walrus-tusked figure who went down at the start of the fight showed him making his way to his feet looking quite tender but not in immediate danger. A glance at his status showed he was a [Regenerating Berserker](Life). Thankfully Eveyln seemed to misinterpret her surprise.
“He only lost consciousness briefly and his companions seem familiar with…” deep gasps could be heard from where the beastkin had now gathered, “…rendering aid. This will be a formidable group.”
“They definitely seem to have experience, even if it’s a little less formal than the soldiers,” Ivy offered.
“They have less training but more experience. With life, gem and poison half have advanced affinities and clearly know how to use them in ways I couldn’t even speculate on.”
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Tommy suppressed a grimace as he felt his hands spasm and twitch as his fur became matted with sweat. His [muscle stimulant] skill had proven its worth once again but that didn’t make its side effects any more pleasant. He glared at the chuckling form of Harry, the [berserker] having casually walked off several broken ribs after accomplishing precisely nothing in the fight. It was an ill divided world. Still, they'd managed, and this dungeon had even provided a so-called safe room for them to recover. Such a quaint idea.
His stomach churned violently once more and he shifted his focus to all the money they would make to distract himself. He’d encountered quite a few groups over the years who would pay well for any information on a dungeon. Of course, they’d pay a true king’s ransom if he handed them the core, and if this dungeon was soft enough to provide a safe room, then that just might be possible.
Another glance at his companions laughing away as they distributed an odd mix of items from a chest while he writhed in misery was enough to make him consider, maybe he would cut down the shares this time. As another cramp wracked him he knew he wouldn’t go through this to save any of them again, but doing it once might just be the plausible deniability he needed for the clan.