The second floor was a maze of narrow corridors and crumbling archways, the air damp and heavy with the smell of old stone. I followed close behind Dominique, who moved like a shadow, her every step deliberate. I envied her confidence. She made it look easy, crouching to inspect a barely visible tripwire.

"Another one," she murmured, her blade slicing through the wire with precision.

"Looks like this place was built to confuse and repel intruders," Dominique said, her tone calm as she disarmed a pressure plate overhead.

Nicholas snorted from behind me. "We’re not intruders. We’re explorers."

I bit back a groan. Sure, explorers who want to enter the dungeon’s core.

Dominique didn’t even look at him. "Tell that to the traps. Anyway, the trap is disarmed," she said. "Let’s keep moving."

A grinding sound broke the quiet of the corridors. Gargoyles and Stone Knights stepped out from recesses in the walls, their glowing eyes fixed on us. The statues moved with a jerky, unnatural rhythm, and the air seemed to hum with the energy animating them.

"Animated statues," Andrew said, stepping forward with his staff glowing. "Let’s see how they handle a little disruption."

Nicholas charged ahead, his great sword clashing against a knight’s shield with a deafening clang. Sparks flew, but the knight barely reacted. Its rocky exterior was too tough.

"These things are tough!" Nicholas called, grunting as he blocked a swing with his shield.

I ducked as a gargoyle lunged at me, its stone claws scraping the air where my head had been. My blade lashed out instinctively, striking its side, but the weapon bounced harmlessly off the hardened surface. My frustration grew, but then I noticed something—a small crack in the gargoyle’s elbow as it swung again.

"Go for the joints!" I shouted, hoping the others could hear me over the chaos. My weapon shifted in my hands, the blade widening and thickening into a heavy cleaver. I swung hard, aiming for the shoulder joint of a stone knight. The impact jarred my arms, but the reward was worth it: the arm crumbled to the floor with a crash.

"Nice work," Sarah called, stepping up beside me. She adjusted her stance and struck at the neck of a gargoyle. Its head toppled to the ground and shattered. "Aim for the necks—take their heads off!"

I nodded, my breath coming fast and shallow. My arms ached, but I couldn’t stop now. Another knight moved toward me, its sword raised. My weapon shifted again, narrowing into a long, piercing point. I lunged, driving it into the neck joint. The knight shuddered, then collapsed in a heap of rubble.

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The fight was a blur of movement, shouts, and ringing metal. Andrew’s frost skills blasted across the battlefield, creating cracks in the statues’ surfaces. Dominique darted through the chaos, her daggers finding every vulnerable spot. And, as always, Nicholas kept the statues focused on him, his strength drawing their attacks.

When the last statue fell, I leaned heavily on my weapon, which had been transformed back into its normal shape before anyone could notice, struggling to catch my breath. My muscles burned, and sweat dripped down my brow. "That was tougher than I expected," I admitted, wiping my face with my sleeve.

"But effective," Sarah said, retrieving her blade from a pile of rubble. "Keep watching for weak points like that. We’ll need every advantage we can get."

Nicholas sheathed his sword with a flourish, rolling his shoulders like the fight had been nothing. "I’ll keep their attention, as always. Just make sure to land your hits."

I shot him a glare, muttering, "Always so generous with advice."

Dominique didn’t give us a chance to argue. "Let’s move. I don’t want to stick around in case there’s a second wave."

We followed her into a large chamber. At its center, a glowing crystal hovered above a stone pedestal, its faint blue light casting eerie shadows. Dominique approached cautiously, her eyes scanning for traps as she reached for the crystal.

"This looks valuable," she said, pocketing it after a moment’s inspection.

"Probably part of the dungeon’s puzzle," Andrew said, adjusting his grip on his staff. "We’ll figure it out later."

Nicholas leaned against the wall, his smirk as infuriating as ever. "Good thing Dominique found it. Wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hands."

My jaw tightened as I turned away. Why does he always have to make everything harder? I didn’t bother responding, focusing instead on the next hallway. Sarah caught up to me, giving Nicholas a sharp look but staying silent. I appreciated that. Sometimes, silence said more.

The descent to the third floor was a jarring change. The air grew stifling, and when we entered the chamber, an oppressive orange glow bathed everything. Lava flowed through channels in the floor, and the heat pressed against my skin, making my armor feel heavier with every step.

From the molten streams, fire elementals rose, their forms shifting and flickering like living flames. I swallowed hard, gripping my weapon tighter.

"Ranged attacks!" Sarah commanded, pulling the bow from her back, losing an arrow that fizzled out against one of the elementals.

Andrew moved forward, his hands radiating cold. With a sweep of his staff, he unleashed a wave of frost that struck several elementals, causing their flames to sputter. "Focus on cooling them down!" he shouted, already preparing another skill.

Nicholas charged in, using his shield to block fiery projectiles. "Keep them distracted!" he barked, slamming his shield into the ground with a resounding clang.

I circled the edge of the chamber, careful to avoid the molten channels. My weapon shifted again, this time elongating into a halberd-like form. I swung at an elemental’s core, the blade slicing cleanly through its flickering body. With a hiss, the flames dimmed and extinguished, leaving only a puddle of molten rock.

Dominique darted behind another elemental, her daggers flashing as she struck at its vulnerable points. Together, we extinguished the last of the fiery creatures. The room fell silent except for the faint bubbling of lava.

Another glowing crystal rested in a mechanism in the center of the chamber. Dominique carefully retrieved it, and a hidden doorway slid open with a click, revealing a staircase leading down.

"Two crystals," Andrew said, his voice weary but steady. "We’re making progress."