William was puzzled. When Philip had said the riddle right before the last boss was hard he wasn’t joking. At least it would be hard if he didn’t know the answer after thinking what his presence might do to a dungeon. The riddle upon the slimy screen showed a peculiar message that he could only understand.

‘Two men are in a desert. They both have backpacks on. One of the guys is dead. The guy who is alive has his backpack open and the guy who is dead has his backpack closed. What is in the dead man’s backpack?’

The answer to this was a parachute. But again William was worried but also puzzled. He had only been in this region for maybe a few weeks. Thankfully it seems the dungeon had only just switched the riddles recently. Philip had been killing off the bandits one by one as he thought of possible answers.

William didn’t say the answer yet but he did tipped his working theory to Grock and Kena. His effect on the system could affect more then just classes. This didn’t bode well if he ever had to travel to anything outside of Runick. Just his presence alone was a benign virus to everything.

Until something like this happened. Where the fate of a few was decided by something they had no way of knowing. William couldn’t do anything at the moment. But if anything he could consider himself a really weak bio weapon. Which made him laugh. He walked up to slime screen and whispered parachute.

There was a loud ‘shlick’ as if something moist and slimy had moved. Then from doorway the slow steady ‘clunk…clunk…clunk’ that sounded like stone gears. The mechanism eventually bringing the door down into the ground with a loud dull ‘boom’.

Philip stood in shock then eventually straightened himself out and said “You knew the answer? Oh thank the gods my luck has changed. By chance what was the answer I must have been overthinking it.” “Sure the answer was a parachute.” William answered.

“The hells a parachute?” “It’s a mundane device made of silk. It allows the user to jump from a very high point and land with relative safety back on the ground.” “Ah, well then... there was no way I would have ever passed this door. Yet again I am in your debt. We should only have one more room. Be on your guard the bosses can be incredibly dangerous.”

As the group went single file down the constrained hallway a pale glow could be seen. As the group reached the end the next room was blocked by a wall of water. The water was held back by some unforeseen force. Looking past the door to the next room all that could be seen was water.

However if one looked up a floating platform could be seen held in place above the water by massive chains.

William quickly gave a look to Grock and asked “Grock do you think you’ll be able to swim with your armor?” “Aye, Mr Willow. It shouldn’t be a problem except in the factor of speed.” “It will have to do. Make for the platform I believe that is where we shall find our foe.”

The group nodded and filed through the gate of water taking a deep breath as they did so. The swim upwards was uneventful minus the feeling of something watching them. There was the occasional weird bump into a semi-solid bit of water. But it would disappear just as suddenly as one came into contact.

Eventually the soaked party breached the surface near the floating platform. In the middle of the platform was a majestic set of armor holding a trident. The platform was easy enough to get on top of however as the water dribbled down to the ground. The set of armor was slowly animated by water itself.

A voice tinged in a metallic ring rang out towards the party. “As per my instructions of my master I must commend you upon completing all the trials. A warrior must have a sharpened mind and quick judgement to combat your foes. May your wits and strength win yet again. Defeat me and the treasure chamber awaits you.”

The armored elemental then slammed his the butt end of its trident into the stone platform then raised the trident in a stance then said “Begin.”

And so the fight began while William did jack diddly squat. Well he was doing something. He had taken some metal from the weapons of the bandits more so for free material. While everyone was focused on doing damage to the elemental he quickly began to super cool some nitrogen into a metal bucket.

William had a plan but to enact it he would have to sacrifice time and injury to his friends for an assured victory.

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Thankfully with Philip in the mix damage was quickly healed while Grock and Kena went to town. While Grock kept it pinned Kena was using her gravity magic to slowly constrict the armored elemental but also warp the metal armor itself.

Grock needed fair commendations for his abilities. He was quick even with the half plate his size allowing him to confuse, and disorientate the elemental. However, luck does run out eventually. As Grock yet again ran around the swirling base of the elemental he got clipped with the shaft of the trident. It sent him flying to the edge of the platform.

Sprawled out on the ground Philip was quick to help. But it seemed as if this is what the elemental was waiting for as it caused ice to form on the wet clothes of the two. Slowed down the two barely dodged the full force of the elemental’s next attack. It barely missed skewering them like hot-dogs. The force of the near miss however sent the two of them tumbling off the platform.

The two of them made their best way back to the edge. But were harried along their course. A secondary force seemed to be waiting in the water. Watery pseudo-pods started flicking towards the floating goblin and human. The two dodged the best they could but were in no means making it back to the platform in good time.

Without Grock’s presence and Philip's healing Kena was wide open. Thankfully her new spells held up against the trident. Time and time again it seemed to not be able to land a good hit. However, William observed the sweaty brow of Kena it seemed as her magnetic armor spell ate the damage directly.

However as the armor was on its final legs William was finally ready. Since he had been a non combatant so far the elemental had ignored him. As William ran directly at the back of the elemental he hugged his bucket for dear life like a sports ball player.

His life depended upon the distance he closed with it. Thankfully its attention was completely upon Kena. Over the course of the battle Kena had opened up the elegant armor like a tin can. When William felt he had gotten as close as he could he gave the water elemental a liquid nitrogen bath.

As the super chilled liquid came into contact it screamed an intelligible phrase. But as the water froze solid and metal screamed William bellowed to Kena on her last bit of mana “Crush it now!” So Kena used the last bit of her mana a series of cracks could be heard within the ice. The hissed screaming of metal on ice was jarring. However, the liquid nitrogen was doing work.

Eventually the structure could no longer support its own weight. The frozen portion of the elemental shattered like glass. The rest of the unfrozen water making up the armored elemental harmlessly splashing the ground. As William looked around from his fetal position he saw a very battered Philip and Grock make their way back to the platform. A poke to William’s cheek confirmed confirmed his musings. Eventually a notification popped up.

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[ Congratulations!!! You assisted in the defeat of a Water Sentinel. The experience earned was split between all participants.

Congratulations!!! You have completed the dungeon The Wordy Catacombs please standby as you are transported to your earned treasure room and the exit! ]

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Darkness fell over William's eyes. For only seconds his world was nothing but darkness. But just as it had suddenly appeared the darkness vanished.

William found himself within a well lit room. All of them William, and his group, as well as Philip were upon a raised stone dais sitting on the bare stone. There were no piles of gold or gems. Neither was there a trove of magical items.

There was a single chest and off to one side was a side table. Upon which were a dozen small tomes stacked into a tower. William was the first to stand. He hadn't been smacked around at all. As he approached the chest a notification popped up.

[ Locked. Divine reward for Philip Ruiz. ]

Huh, predetermined loot then let's see these books.

Taking a tome in hand, William looked it over strange marks covered it. Looking inside the entire thing was illegible to him. Kena eventually joined him after seeing the chests notification.

She took another of the books and said it was a experience point book a common find in easier dungeons. They could level someone to level five fairly quickly with only a few. William then asked what the one one in his hands was.

Kena gave it a quick flip and her mouth dropped. It was an extremely rare book a runemaker multi-class.

Grock wandered over to the two and asked what all the fuss was about. Kena nonchalantly said what it was. Grock wasn’t impressed. But he was interested in helping Runick if he could.

William’s pursuit of peace while holding a sword in plain view had deeply spoken to Grock. He was the champion of the Iron Fingers tribe no longer. He was only the guard captain.

He had maxed his second martial class a long time ago. He was well into his third. Multi-classing now would be fine to him. Especially if it opened up a job within Runick for him. At least besides captain of the guard.

William nodded his approval but noticed the hesitation Kena had to hand the book over. He was quick to assure her that her class would keep her well occupied into the future. Losing focus would muddy her pursuit to study arcane magic. Kena softly agreed and handed the book to Grock.

However, a shout of questioning shock came from behind them. This broke the three of them from their collective huddle. Philip had opened his chest. In his hands he held a metal tray with an assortment of tools that William knew vividly from many a collective television show. In the middle of the tray lay a thick ginormous tome whose title William could actually read for once. The cover read Med-Student.