It didn't take us long the next morning to find the dungeon, with Fiona's guidance. The entrance was a dark hole into the ground. We needed to dispatch the cluster of scorpions outside the entrance before we could enter.

Our approach had not gone unnoticed, four of the scorpions skittered toward us. I used Identify on them.

Virulent Sand Scorpion | Level 10

Already their stingers were dripping with a vile green substance. I watched as a drop of the venom dripped off, landing in the sand. It started hissing immediately.

"Watch out, their venom is acidic!" I yelled, buffing the group.

I could have buffed us earlier but I wasn't too worried about the loss of mana until after we entered the dungeon.

Already, Martin had his magical dice rolling along the sand. It was weird watching them roll like they were on a flat hard surface. His random minion appeared to be some large animal, a cross between a bear and an owl.

It let out a roar as it swiped at the scorpions with its massive clawed hands. The scorpions retaliated by repeatedly stinging the creature with their corrosive poison.

I swung my staff, cracking one scorpion's tail as it tried to stab it in my direction. There was a cracking sound as my staff impacted the tail, sending acid and bright orange ichor splattering across the sand.

Fiona stabbed another straight in the head, causing it to flail about in agony. I whipped out a stunning gust, causing her target to freeze up, then turned my attention back to the one trying to attack me.

I dodged a sharp snapping claw and struck out with a lightning-fast thrust of my spear. I activated my weapon's enchantment as the weight of my staff cracked through the creature's hard exoskeleton. It let out an aborted screech as it collapsed to the ground.

I pulled my staff out of the leaking hole and flicked the ichor off. There were still eight more enemies and Martin's summon was taking a beating, holding off six. It had managed to kill two of those six, under its heavy strikes, so it was giving just as good as it got.

The last two were trying to get through Martin's barrier, their tails impacting with heavy blows, leaving acid to pop and spit as it ran down the shield.

The only problem with Martin's spell was that he was stuck in place. He could attack out from it but he had limited direct attacks. He was peppering the creatures with a wand of some sort.

I ran over, hitting the first with a Calcifying Strike as I maneuvered to avoid the tail strike. My gymnastics landed me near the second as I brought my staff down hard on its back. My blow smashed the creature into the sand as it spasmed from my staff's enchantment.

Martin took care of the one that was turning to stone, while Fiona helped Martin's creature. I cast a quick heal on the creature using Rejuvenate.

The battle didn't last long after the four of us attacked the remaining scorpions.

"Well..." Martin said, looking at the corpses, "that was... easy. Are all of your battles like this?"

I had to chuckle at that, "no, but then what fun would that be."

We rested and I reset the group's buffs before we entered the dungeon. Instead of waiting for my mana to top off, I used one of my mana injectors.

It probably wasn't necessary but it sped up what would be a long dungeon dive. We quickly looted the bodies and headed inside the dungeon.

You have entered The Virulent Horde: Level 11 dungeon. Recommended team size 4 people of level 14 or higher

As soon as we entered, eleven scorpions scuttled out of tunnels along the walls. We got to our bloody work. We needed to clear out the waves as quickly as possible or they would start to overwhelm us.

Martin's creature was more restrained inside the tunnel as it couldn't freely move in the tighter confines of the cave. Still, it drew most of the scorpions to it as it bellowed and ran forward.

I used Earth Fist to crush one Scorpion against the wall with a satisfying crunch. It reminded me of squeezing an m&m between my fingers as a child until the hard candy shell cracked apart. My shield flared as two scorpions sprayed their acidic venom at me.

"Shit, that's new," I said, backing away as another volley came up short, burning into the stone floor.

"Evil little shits," Martin said in reply.

I stepped forward to make sure I was clear of Martin before I stomped on the ground, activating Disruption. I hadn't imbued my staff so it was just straight damage. The scorpions were all tossed into the air as the wave of rock crashed into them. Unfortunately, I hit Martin's summon as well and it let out an angry roar, turning toward me.

"Oh shit," Martin said, "I lost control of the creature due to your attack."

"What?" I croaked.

It was clear what Martin meant, the creature was thundering toward me, squashing all the scorpions in its way. I needed to deal with it fast. I imbued my staff with electrical damage and impact. Then I added Flurry and took a deep breath before activating Blink Step.

I wasn't sure if my body could handle the boost that Blink Step gave so I didn't want to activate it if I could avoid it. But I couldn't hold back now.

My body groaned as the spell took effect but it held up. I blasted forward, shrinking my staff into the mace configuration. Everything happened in slow motion as I watched the beast swipe its massive paw down toward me. I released the shrink effect of my staff and braced for the impact.

My first strike slammed into the tough creature like a freight train, punching halfway through its body before flurry took over. I felt the blow smash into my armor's shield, shattering the remaining durability. The remaining momentum barely scratched my armor as my arm continued its deadly work, plunging my staff into the beast over and over again.

As the skill ended I leaped back, preparing for a counter-attack. I didn't need to worry, the beast collapsed to the ground and turned into colored mist as it disappeared.

I took the moment to reevaluate the battlefield. Fiona was still attacking scorpions, moving between them to disrupt their ability to swarm us. Martin was still firing his wand but the attacks were coming slower. I wondered if the weapon had a limit of charges.

Since I had a few seconds left on Blink Step I ran in, crushing three scorpions under my staff. I did get hit a few times by acidic spray, forcing me to heal and use Cleanse. The poison was just as bad as the acid, causing mild paralysis and a fiery itch. I resisted the temptation to scratch the area, that would only spread the substance around.

Martin summoned another creature, this time it was a flaming wolf. It howled, breathing out a jet of flame that washed over three scorpions.

I could hear popping sounds as their insides cooked, bursting them apart.

At least now I knew fire was effective for dealing with the creatures.

My effectiveness was reduced when having to avoid AOE attacks and fight in the tight confines. Still, I was finding out just how effective my new staff was. The imbued lightning along with the blindness and pain enchantment was a trifecta that left my targets unable to control their bodies.

It took a few waves before the three of us found a rhythm that worked. It was a bit touch and go as the second and third wave crawled out of the many tunnels before we finished off the last of the first wave.

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"We need to reduce the tunnels they can come from," Martin said, blasting another with his wand. He grimaced at the weak attack.

I was able to recharge my shield partially as I moved back toward Martin.

"Here," I said, pulling the mana pistol from my ring.

He gave it a confused look.

"It's a mana pistol, just feed it mana and it can fire off ten rounds before it has to be recharged or fire off the entire capacitor in one shot."

He had to drop his shield to accept the weapon. I had already charged the device so he aimed it and pulled the firing stud. A blue beam blasted from the gun smashing into one of the scorpions attacking his wolf. The impact pushed the scorpion to the side, leaving a large blast mark on its tan carapace.

The best part was Martin could use the pistol without any real training or skills, just aim, and fire.

I covered him while his shield skill recharged, knocking anything away that got past his shots.

Fiona was disabling the scorpions inside the tunnels to help block them. As soon as Martin was covered I concentrated on closing the entrances using Earth Fist and metamagic.

It was slow and one of the reasons we struggled for the first three waves. There were dozens of passageways, all large enough to crawl through.

To make it easier and concentrate our efforts I started from the left-most wall, closing off six of the tunnels. I timed it to kill off three scorpions, crushing them between the walls.

That was the turning point that allowed us to catch up. We managed to clear out the third wave just before the fourth wave came in.

I split my time between healing the summon and closing more tunnels. It wasn't a perfect solution as the sandstone was weak. For every three tunnels I closed, one got reopened. The scorpion's acid and claws were quite effective at digging through the blockage. Even so, it was making a noticeable difference in the combat, limiting the amount we had to fight at any given time.

We continued hacking away at the enemy until I sealed up the last tunnel. This would give us ten minutes to rest and recharge while they dug out the openings again. Already I could hear them scraping away.

Martin sat down in exhaustion, his mana spent. "Heck, this is tiring. How can you keep up?"

"Higher stats," I replied casually, keeping an eye on the tunnels.

Martin grunted, "so, how long we gotta do this?"

"What was that, wave eight?"

Martin nodded.

"Only four hundred and ninety-two more to go," I said, smiling.

The man groaned and flopped on the ground.

"That is if you want the maximum rewards. We can stop any time, every fifty waves grant a point."

"Well, as long as we can keep up with the enemy that should be fine."

"It shouldn't be too bad now that we have them concentrating on the larger tunnels. We will have to deal with a triple wave every time we rest ten minutes though. How long will your summon last?"

"Twenty minutes, then I have to banish it or it breaks free and will try to attack us."

I looked warily at the fire-breathing wolf. "Yeah, let's not have a repeat of the first one," I added.

We fought through the night, unable to stop and rest as we couldn't prevent them from breaking through the blockages for more than twenty minutes. It was exhausting in a way that my first horde experience wasn't. At least back then I could rest for a few hours. I did the math on how long this foray would take, groaning at the nearly forty-two hours that I came back with.

It now made more sense why teams of five would come down into these dungeons. We could try and speed it up by pushing into the tunnels but that sounded quite a bit more dangerous than just fighting the waves in the entry room. Eventually, we would have to push down to kill the boss, I wasn't willing to leave this dungeon around for others to make use of. Call me greedy but I don't care.

With my enhanced endurance that first twenty-four hours wasn't bad, for me. Martin had passed out near the entrance an hour ago, after banishing his most recent summons.

I had to pull out all of my skills while he slept but I still couldn't utilize my big AOE abilities. I was flitting back and forth between five open tunnels as the scorpions poured out. I even brought Bella out to help. She was having issues attacking with her clawed feet in the short tunnels but she made good use of her powerful jaws.

Regenerating rain helped wash away a bit of my exhaustion as I fought on. Fiona had buzzed down the tunnel, crippling as many scorpions as she could find to slow their advance.

I wasn't worried about being overrun, I still had Area of Denial and Eye of the Storm if things got really dicey. If I wanted to use my storm spell, Martin would need to be awake and crouched near me to be out of the effect. The room wasn't big enough for him to go anywhere else.

I managed to hold for two hours before I had to start shouting.

"Martin! Wake up, I can't keep up with the waves!"

My armor shield had just fallen, forcing me to cast Area of Denial while I spun my staff wildly at the mass of scorpions coming from ten tunnels now.

"MARTIN!" I roared, slamming my staff down and splattering a scorpion in burning rock.

That woke him up. He looked around bleary-eyed for a few seconds before scrambling to his feet.

"Shit! Sorry, how long was I out?"

"Two hours, get over here and crouch next to me, I need to use an AOE."

He ran over as I slapped another scorpion away. Luckily my Area of Denial spell had ended a few seconds prior.

"Keep them off of me while I channel," I said, wiping the sweat from my eyes.

Martin started blasting the bugs with both the mana pistol and his wand while I chanted and started spinning my staff.

"Things are going to heat up. If you got something to protect you from fire, I suggest you use it."

He nodded and produced a small bag that he hung around his neck. I didn't have time to use Elemental Defense on us as the spell took form. Bella was forced to run out of the cave to avoid the spell.

The pyroclastic winds whipped through the cavern, causing the rock to glow as the scorpions wailed in pain.

I had to drop the spell after five seconds but it had been enough to reduce the thirty-seven scorpions to ash.

A shield covered us as soon as my spell dropped, protecting the two of us from the residual heat and smoke.

"Well, shit, Paul," Martin said dryly, "could have saved a few for me."

Bella returned, giving me an indignant squawk.

Fiona arrived ten minutes later. "I located the boss room."

I nodded, flattening another scorpion before I looked around. This wave was almost dealt with.

"I don't think we're going to make it the full time," I said.

Martin nodded, tiredly. His two hours of sleep hadn't done much to revitalize him and I wasn't going to be able to fight for another fifteen hours.

"Alright, let's start pushing towards the boss room."

I had to store Bella since she wouldn't fit down the tunnels.

It took four hours to fight through the tunnels and into the boss chamber. It didn't help that the scorpions kept pouring around behind us and Martin had to rotate his summons to guarding the rear. It was a ruby red colored imp with dark red curled horns. It smelled of brimstone that tickled a memory in my mind but I ignored it. My task of keeping the scorpions in front of us at bay was consuming all of my attention.

The tunnels opened into a massive cavern with a small underground stream flowing off to one side. The center of the cavern was dominated by a scorpion the size of a large draft horse. The beast sported two wickedly curved barbed tails and massive claws that could easily snap a man in half.

I rushed out avoiding the twin jets of acid it shot at me. The rock didn't bubble it just melted.

"Martin, Fiona, stay in the tunnel, I need to use my AOE."

I heard them reply in the affirmative as I Blink Stepped across the cavern, using Identify as I got close.

Kralax | Virulent Sand Scorpion Matriarch | Level 14

Martin and Fiona would keep the other scorpions from flanking us as I brought down the matriarch.

My first blow was meant to slam down on the matriarch's head, to stun her, but she interposed her massive claw in the way with surprising speed, blocking my attack.

She screeched in rage as my staff's enchantment went off. The pain didn't appear to be enough to stun the massive creature as she swept her other claw toward me like a hammer, smashing me across the torso and sending me flying across the cavern.

My shield flickered as it absorbed the massive blow, leaving only twenty points remaining. I didn't have much time to reflect as two jets of acid came flying my way, behind that came an angry mama scorpion.

I scrambled to the side, avoiding the acid. I whipped out a Stunning Gust, hoping to slow or stun the creature. I just needed time to channel my Eye of the Storm.

My luck wasn't that good, I avoided a snapping claw that boomed as it closed, narrowly avoiding me.

I tried to maneuver behind the scorpion but it was too maneuverable with its many legs. One of the stingers flashed toward me and I barely managed to slap it aside, activating Calcifying Strike as I did.

I smiled as the spell started turning that stinger into stone, rendering it less deadly.

Knowing I wasn't fast enough on the ground, I looked up. The ceiling was approximately thirty feet up. I changed tactics and activated my wings. I avoided another snapping claw and leaped into the air, flapping hard to clear the matriarch's reach.

I heard her hiss in annoyance and saw two streams of acid shoot toward me. They were much easier to dodge in the air. I heard her scream and looked to see one of her stingers had melted from the acid. It appeared that her shell was resistant to the acid but when I turned it to stone it lost that protection.

While she was distracted I quickly pulled out a mana injector, stabbing it into my side, then activated Imbue to add fire to the spell. It had worn off long ago and I was conserving energy until now.

My staff began to spin, kicking up an inferno inside the room. I could hear the Matriarch hiss in pain as she tried to find an exit. I used my flight to keep her within the spell, burning away her sensitive bits and cooking her shell. I kept the inferno up until my mana started flagging. The matriarch was still alive but my spell had done a significant amount of damage.

I landed behind the creature before my wings faded away. Its legs were kicking about trying to get purchase to stand but the tips had been burned off from my spell. I didn't want to get close to the flailing animal so I hit it with Earth Fist from below.

There was a hollow thump that caused it to shake but the spell didn't punch through the thick chitin.

Fiona and Martin ran in, Martin firing his mana pistol at the creature as Fiona stabbed at it.

It took another four minutes to take the matriarch down and clear up the few stragglers that were trying to come in from behind us. We looted everything and made our way out of the dungeon. None of us wanted to rest here or in the desert.