The half-elf - as Ivy now knew he was - was back, and he brought friends. The relative uniformity of their equipment screamed soldier to Ivy as they clanked through the opening in their chainmail. Most of them had round wooden shields with a metal boss that reminded Ivy of Vikings, although they all had three trees painted on them, which she assumed was some sort of coat of arms. She could always ask Evelyn later. The notable exception, apart from the ranger, was a knight in full plate with a tall, thick rectangular shield that appeared to be made largely of metal. It should have been completely unwieldy, like running around with a fridge door strapped to one arm, but the bearer moved with a precise smoothness that had the hairs on the back of Ivy's neck rising. Something, be it magic or levels, was deeply off there. The knight could be a problem.

The group swiftly formed up and thundered down the tunnel with the lead soldier bent low and banging the ground with the edge of his shield periodically on the knight’s order. Seeing them have to duck and weave to avoid the low ceiling and stalactites would be amusing if there weren’t so damn many of them.

“I count ten,” Evelyn said with a controlled lack of inflection from beside her.

“I guess it’s time to see if the changes work,” Ivy responded, trying to convey an optimism she didn’t feel, as the lead soldier reached the first room.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The soldier slowed somewhat, pounding the ground with greater regularity. Although not as cautiously as the ranger by any means. He cracked the top of the first pit trap as the second soldier entered holding a torch high to shed light on it.

“Above!” The ranger shouted from the middle of the formation.

The soldiers had only started to shift their gaze upwards as a skeletal foot made contact between the shoulder blades of the first soldier. Loud cracking rang out as the soldier dropped into the pit, desperately trying to curl behind his shield. Meanwhile the drop-kicking skeleton clattered to the floor where the unlucky soldier had been standing. Shouts of alarm and indignation rang out from the soldiers as they pressed through. The second soldier swung the torch ineffectually at the downed skeleton, yet Ivy noticed the flames seemed to flare as it made contact, the distorted shadows adding to the sudden chaos. The skeleton made it back to its knees before a mixture of swords, shield bashes and kicks took it apart, the groans of pain from the pit behind it adding to their fury.

Suddenly the knight was there, checking on the downed soldier and barking out orders to get him out and securing the room. The lead soldier had done well letting his now shattered shield take most of the blow for his body, but his right calf was oozing blood. The knight reassured him that a healer would get it back to new, but Ivy wasn’t sure if that was a white lie given the circumstances. It would certainly have to be some kind of magic. After some quick bandaging from the ranger, he limped out leaning heavily on another soldier. Some ruthless part of Ivy couldn’t help but think two down, eight to go.