The central chamber was a swirling vortex of dark magic, the air thick with power that felt like it could rip the very fabric of reality apart. The walls of the chamber were covered in glowing runes, pulsing with each beat of the dark ritual that had nearly reached completion. The light from the pillar in the center flickered ominously, casting strange shadows across the stone floor.

Alex stood at the entrance, his heart pounding. Behind him, Betsy, Drax, Rogan, and Luke were ready for whatever came next. This was it—the moment they had been building toward since their arrival on the third floor. The battle to stop K’s ritual, to prevent his dark magic from consuming everything, had begun.

The dark sorcerer, standing at the base of the glowing pillar, watched them with a sinister smile. His eyes, glowing with the unnatural power of the ritual, were filled with confidence.

"You’re too late," he hissed, his voice reverberating through the chamber. "K’s power has already taken root. This floor, and soon the next, will belong to him. You cannot stop what has already begun."

"Watch us," Alex growled, his sword gleaming in the strange light.

Without another word, the sorcerer raised his hands, and the room erupted in chaos. The swirling energy from the ritual exploded outward, sending shockwaves through the chamber as dark tendrils of magic lashed out at the team. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the raw force of the magic.

"Spread out!" Alex shouted, diving to the side to avoid a blast of energy that scorched the ground where he had been standing. "We need to shut this thing down before it finishes!"

Betsy, already in position, fired a volley of arrows at the sorcerer, each one charged with the magical energy of the Elven mages. The arrows struck the dark barrier that surrounded the sorcerer, exploding on impact but doing little more than making the barrier flicker.

"He’s protected!" Betsy called out. "We need to break through that shield!"

Drax, never one to shy away from a fight, charged forward, his hammer glowing with the strength of the Dwarven forges. With a mighty swing, he brought it down on the sorcerer’s barrier, the impact shaking the ground and sending cracks through the stone beneath their feet. But the barrier held.

"That thing’s tougher than it looks!" Drax growled, stepping back to avoid another wave of energy.

"Luke!" Alex called, his eyes never leaving the sorcerer. "We need you!"

Luke, standing quietly at the edge of the battlefield, raised his shield, his calm demeanor never faltering. He muttered his familiar word, "Verum," and with a soft glow, a wave of protective magic enveloped the team, giving them a brief reprieve from the sorcerer’s attacks.

"We need to disrupt the ritual!" Rogan shouted, his eyes scanning the chamber for anything that could give them an advantage. "He’s drawing power from the runes on the walls! If we take those out, we might be able to weaken him!"

Alex nodded. "Take them out! Betsy, cover them!"

Rogan moved swiftly, darting toward the nearest wall where the runes pulsed with dark energy. He pulled out his daggers, slashing at the runes with precision, each strike causing the runes to flicker and dim.

Betsy fired arrows at the sorcerer, keeping his attention divided as Rogan worked. Meanwhile, Drax continued his relentless assault on the barrier, each swing of his hammer sending cracks through the magical shield. But the sorcerer wasn’t about to let them disrupt his plans so easily.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

With a snarl, the dark sorcerer unleashed a wave of energy that knocked them all back. "You cannot stop this!" he shouted, his voice filled with fury. "K’s power is absolute!"

----------------------------------------

The Power of the Shades

As the team regrouped, Alex felt a surge of determination. This wasn’t just a fight against K’s agent—it was a fight for the future of ALBEKO, for everything they had built on this floor. And Alex knew he had one weapon that could turn the tide.

His Shade Master abilities.

In a low voice, Alex began to chant the words he had discovered when first unlocking the secret power of his class. "From darkness, you are born." His voice echoed through the chamber, and in response, the shadows around him began to stir. The dark energy of the chamber fed his power, and the shades he summoned emerged more powerful than ever before.

Dozens of shades rose from the ground, their forms swirling with shadow and power. They weren’t just his servants—they were an extension of his will, ready to carry out his commands.

"Go!" Alex shouted, his eyes burning with intensity. "Destroy the runes! Break his power!"

The shades moved swiftly, gliding across the chamber like living shadows, their dark forms slicing through the air as they attacked the runes. With each strike, the glow of the runes dimmed further, and the energy fueling the sorcerer’s ritual began to wane.

The sorcerer’s eyes widened in shock as the shadows closed in. "Impossible!" he spat, raising his hands to try and repel them. But Alex’s shades were too many, too powerful.

"We’re weakening him!" Betsy called out, firing another enchanted arrow at the barrier. This time, the arrow pierced through the shield, and the sorcerer recoiled, his protective magic failing.

"This is our chance!" Drax bellowed, charging forward with renewed strength. His hammer, now glowing with the combined power of the Dwarven magic and his own brute force, slammed into the barrier again—this time, shattering it completely.

The sorcerer stumbled, his defenses crumbling as the runes that had been fueling the ritual went dark. "No... this can’t be happening!" he gasped, his eyes wild with panic.

Alex’s shades surged forward, surrounding the sorcerer, their forms swirling around him like a storm. With a final command, Alex sent them in for the kill.

"End him!" he shouted, and the shades obeyed.

The sorcerer let out a scream of pure rage and fear as the shades overwhelmed him, their dark tendrils wrapping around him, draining the last of his power. The magic that had fueled the ritual collapsed in on itself, and with a final burst of energy, the sorcerer was gone.

----------------------------------------

The Aftermath

The room fell silent. The swirling magic that had filled the chamber dissipated, and the pillar of light that had been the center of the ritual flickered out, leaving only the faint glow of the extinguished runes behind.

Alex stood in the center of the chamber, breathing heavily. Around him, his team regrouped, each one battered but standing strong.

"We did it," Betsy said quietly, lowering her bow. "We stopped the ritual."

Drax grinned, though his face was streaked with sweat and dust. "Told you we’d smash ‘em."

Rogan wiped his daggers on his cloak, his eyes scanning the room for any remaining threats. "That was too close. K’s power is stronger than we thought."

Luke, standing silently as ever, simply nodded. "Verum."

Alex closed his eyes for a moment, letting the weight of their victory sink in. They had won this battle, but the war was far from over. K was still out there, and while they had stopped this ritual, Alex knew it was only a matter of time before K made his next move.

"We need to regroup," Alex said, his voice steady. "This isn’t the end. K’s still out there, and we need to be ready for whatever comes next."

Betsy nodded. "We’ll need to plan carefully. The fourth floor is going to be even tougher than this."

Alex looked at the remnants of the ritual site, his mind racing with the possibilities of what lay ahead. They had beaten K’s forces on the third floor, but the fight was far from over. And with the fourth floor looming, the challenges were only going to grow.

"We’ve got a long way to go," Alex said quietly. "But we’ll be ready."

As they turned to leave the chamber, the ruins behind them dark and silent, Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that K was already planning his next move. The fourth floor awaited them, and with it, new dangers, new enemies, and the growing power of K.

But CODE was stronger than ever, and Alex knew they would face whatever came next—together.