They sat in front of the doorways, regarding them like one might an ancient graveyard. They had all just taken a small break in front of the doors, eating some rations and wetting their throats. No one had talked about the bosses during the break; instead, they had just sat there enjoying the company of friends, telling jokes and stories to pass the time. But that small moment of peace was coming to an end.

“It's time, everyone. Let's go over the plan one more time,” Jura said, rising from his seat and dusting off his trousers, stretching his cramped muscles. “Camila is going to take the mantis room. She's the fastest of us all and is most likely to dodge its quick attacks. You'll need to avoid being hit, though, Camila. You won't have anyone else to absorb that damage. Use that speed and movement passive to your advantage.” Camila nodded in affirmation with grim determination.

“Zion, you will be taking the spider boss. It will be the harder of the bosses to solo, only because spider-type bosses always have additional minions,” he reminded Zion, emphasizing a point made clear during their earlier discussion. “You should be fine in that regard if you use your burst bolt effectively. With how weak the spiders were in the tunnels, I think you will face the same strength in the adds. Keep moving as you fight, and have your shield up anytime you aren't directly facing the boss. It will try to web you when you're occupied.”

Jura took a few practice swings with his sword, the blade humming with precision as he reiterated the final part of the plan. “Finally, Beth and I will take on the beetle. It's the toughest of the three and will most likely require a greater amount of time to defeat. But it's slow, and Beth has excellent abilities to increase that advantage. I'm confident we can whittle it down with time and diligence.”

“Any questions?”

“Only one, as morbid as it may be,” Zion asked after no one else spoke up. “Will we know if one of the groups fails?” It was a grim question, but they all needed to be aware of what to do in that situation.

“That has a morbid answer as well. If one of the groups fails, the barriers inside the boss rooms will not drop. Anyone left will be stuck in their room until the last boss is defeated,” Jura answered, his stress visible as his eyes glanced down at the floor. “That is why it's essential that you defeat your boss, even if you go down doing so. Otherwise, your party dies with you.”

“Right, that really was a morbid answer,” Camila said, her arms fidgeting over gear that was already checked multiple times. “We got this. We will be fine.” Her voice broke a little, betraying the worry in her words.

“Will we all come out on the next floor?” Beth asked an important question that hadn't even crossed Zion's mind.

Jura started heading for their doorway, shouting the answer back as he walked. “No, thankfully, fate isn't that cruel. Once we have finished, the barriers will recede, and then all three rooms will pour into an antechamber that will lead down to the next floor.”

Zion and Camila followed Jura's lead, making their way to their respective doors, muscles threatening to cramp from the stress of the situation. Beth joined Jura, bow out, fingers wrapped along its black string. “Be safe, everyone. We'll meet up after this and rest,” Jura stated with finality, giving the hand signal to proceed.

Zion stepped through the barrier, the translucent substance feeling like gel on his skin. It closed behind him with a pop, looking like it had never been disturbed. On the other side of the barrier lay a long tunnel with spiderwebs dotting most of the surfaces. There was nothing moving in the webs, which he was relieved about. He would have hated to fight before he even saw the boss.

He advanced with deliberate steps, navigating the labyrinth of webs with precision. Each stride was a calculated move, a dance with danger in the dimly lit tunnel. Despite the challenge of avoiding the sticky strands, he made steady progress, gradually approaching the expansive chamber that loomed ahead.

As he entered the cavernous space, his eyes widened at the sight of the monstrous spider awaiting him. Towering over him like a dark colossus, it dwarfed even the formidable knight they had faced before. Its black exoskeleton bristled with jagged spikes, and its eight crimson eyes gleamed with malevolent intelligence. But most unnerving of all was the colossal fangs protruding from its grotesque mouth, each as long as a broadsword.

A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed the floor writhing beneath him, an undulating mass of smaller spiders covering every inch of the chamber. The sheer number of additional foes sent a wave of apprehension through him, but he steeled himself for the trial ahead.

There was no gap to narrow the onslaught of monsters, no allies to rotate in when fatigue set in, and no friends to compensate for his weaknesses. The weight of the challenge rested solely on his shoulders.

Taking in a deep breath, he centered his mind once more. Then, with a steady gaze, he scanned the spider, aware that his observation would likely stir it from its guard. Yet, the information he would gain was worth the risk of alerting the creature.

Odalin’s Pest

Rank: Boss

Level: 20

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

As he scanned the spider, Zion's suspicions were confirmed: this boss was related to Odalin. He had heard that sometimes dungeons had themes, and whoever Odalin was, that was who this entire place revolved around.

His scan elicited a whining shriek from the spider, and in unison, the entire floor surged toward him. Zion didn't retreat; instead, he surged forward, casting an arcane edge over his blade as he moved. With a series of rending slashes, he cleaved through the approaching horde. Then, extending his left arm, he unleashed a barrage of burst bolts. The upgrade to mana bolt was a godsend in this fight; each cast released three bolts of mana at his enemies. These bolts were lethal, capable of instantly dispatching his foes, and he watched as bodies began to pile up.

He continued to unleash rending slashes while firing bolts, sidestepping as he maintained his assault. In frustration, he realized he had forgotten to summon his shield and quickly rectified the oversight, conjuring the shimmering blue barrier around his body.

Just in time, a glob of white web slammed into the barrier with extreme force, sliding disgustingly off his spell. He counted himself lucky this time, but he knew he needed to be more aware in the heat of battle.

The squiggling horde of spiders finally reached him, crawling over the bodies of their countless dead siblings. Zion couldn't afford to be in the middle of the mass; he knew his shield wouldn't hold up to that many attacks, no matter how weak they might be.

He activated Kinetic Dash, the spell leaving smushed husks in its wake as he rocketed toward the center of the spiders. With precision, he unleashed Aether Storm directly into the core of the mini-spiders. The orbs of magical destruction were perfectly placed, ripping through the throng of spiders and destroying them in waves. Each bursting explosion sent spider innards flying, and once again, he was thankful for his shield, this time because of the gross nature of the battle.

His main foe had finally had enough of Zion having his way with its children. It darted forward, unheeding the spiderlings that it smashed into the floor. With lightning speed, it swiped its first leg at Zion, who parried it with his arcane shield, the impact reverberating through his body. Quickly recovering, he swiped forward with Onyx, scoring a nick in its chitinous armor.

Bringing another leg down, it tried to pierce him this time, but he used his buckler to absorb the force and redirect it to his side, causing the monster to slip just a hair. Seizing the opportunity, he sent a rending slash into its thorax before hopping out of the way of descending fangs.

However, it seemed the spider anticipated his move, for he found himself hurtling through the air as another leg struck his sternum. Pain shot through his chest as something cracked, but he pushed it aside and swiftly activated his arcane shield, narrowly dodging the webbing that would have ensnared him.

Despite his efforts, some spiderlings still managed to reach his shield, gnawing at it and draining his precious mana. Swinging his blade, he dispatched them while hastily downing a mana potion from his belt, hurling the empty vial into the boss's eyes with all his might, eliciting another shrill shriek.

Using spiderlings as stepping stones for his rush, their small bodies squished with disgusting efficiency under his boots, he managed to reach the boss before it shook off the pain of the glass in its eyes. Utilizing the momentum he had built up, he slid under its stomach, holding Onyx up to slice through its less protected underbelly. Viscera fell from the wound he carved, making the spider dance in a fury of pained movement.

Trying something new, he activated Kinetic Dash during his slide. It went as one might expect. Kinetic Dash was literally that, a dash. So when he tried to cheat the skill, he did indeed move, but instead of sliding gracefully out, his skill tried to force him to his feet, resulting in him exiting the underbelly of the spider in time to faceplant unceremoniously into the floor. If not for his arcane shield, he would have most certainly broken his nose; as it was, the fall took a good portion of mana and broke his shield.

Rolling just in time to avoid a stomping foot but not in time to avoid multiple tiny fangs from piercing his legs, he let out another Aether Storm, the orbs clearing the space around him and giving him a moment of respite to gather himself. The benefit this time was his storm of mana exploded into the boss as well; one particular orb detonated under its belly, flooding the floor with more gooey gore.

He had hoped that would be enough to stop the boss, but it turned with a hiss of anger, insectoid eyes radiating a deep desire to cocoon him and drink his body fluids. A scene that Zion would then happily avoid. Backtracking, he felt his mana nearing rock bottom at this point.

There was no avoiding it this time; he absorbed nearly six hundred mana from Ki’s embrace, fully topping off his mana. This fight was too important to hold any of his reserves. He could always suggest resting a full day and refilling it.

With mana back up to the top, he dashed, meeting the boss in a headlong clash of steel and fang. Taking advantage of the head's close proximity, he slammed his buckler into its eyes, shooting spikes of mana into the sensitive organs. What he hadn't expected was for the front legs to come rushing in to cover its wound.

He was pressed roughly into its face, the force cracking something in his back. Blood spluttered from his mouth, and he felt the spider shiver in glee as it began to crush him to death. Frantically, he activated Surge, feeling the power course through him, allowing him to ignore the pain that was traveling through his nerves. The sparking arcs of mana were met by descending orbs of energy as he unleashed an Aether Storm, the area being rocked by the violent implosions of mana. The spider was tossed from the forceful attacks but held him firmly still.

He unleashed another torrent of orbs, then another, hearing the shrieks and cracks of spiderlings succumbing to the magnitude of damage. The thorax of his foe shattered repeatedly as he exerted every ounce of effort. Surge was working overtime, enhancing the power of his attacks to the point where even he started to feel mana burns from the close proximity.

Still, the spider didn't let up, knowing this was its chance to kill Zion and end the battle. Zion panicked, realizing the spider was absolutely right. He was strong but not strong enough to break free from its hold. He struggled frantically, even as he felt more bones breaking in his body.

In desperation, he dropped Onyx from his grasp and aimed it at the side of the spider's head, hilt down. Bringing the top of his boot up with all the force he could muster, he let the remnant energy of Surge course into that one attack. His foot connected perfectly with the pommel of his blade, driving it forward. Onyx's aim was true as it punctured through the side of the spider's head, falling to the floor below.

Some of the tightness around his torso relaxed as the spider began to wobble on its legs. Little by little, he felt its grasp weakening and heard the drowning shrieks as it choked on its own vile. It suddenly dropped to the floor, bringing Zion with it. He hit the ground with a jarring impact that sent shockwaves through his back.

As it released him, Zion dragged himself across the floor, husks and viscera covering every inch of his path. There was no more skittering, no more clicking of spider limbs on the rough dirt floor. Only silence. Broken by Zion's whimpering as he dragged his body towards the exit doorway.

It took him minutes to reach the shimmering barrier, tears welling up in his eyes at the sight. He was in so much pain, feeling it radiating across his entire being. His legs felt numb, and his chest felt compressed, making every breath an ordeal in itself. He drained the last mana from Ki's embrace and watched the timer tick down before he could drink another mana potion. He really needed to purchase higher-grade potions.

Looking at the doorway to freedom, he prayed. He prayed to Ki, his personal Goddess. He sent prayers to Lanza and Rime, begging them to protect their charges and give them enough to overcome this trial. Then, exhausted and broken, he passed out in front of what might be his grave.