Daryl looked down at the quarry and the few monsters that stood within it. Large bat-like creatures that walked on their feet and wings prowled around. They were slightly shorter than Boroclops. Each one seemed to be made of coal and wreathed in fire. “I don’t think these are as earth based as you thought they would be Badger?”

“Uhhhhh,” Cindy waffled. The monsters were plentiful and seemed aggressive to others as several were fighting over territory. “Well at least I have water damage?”

Daryl sighed as he looked at Cindy dubiously. “Yeah, and my Stone Ape armor doesn’t protect me much from water damage so you’re going to have to be pretty careful while you are aiming your water spells. Can you do that?”

Cindy nodded and held her staff tightly. “I can, trust me.”

The ramp leading down into the great empty square area didn’t have monsters blocking the way. Relieved they wouldn’t have to fight with a drop off at their side and the risk of plummeting like a rock the two started down the ramp and approached the first of the monsters. “Ok, you hit them from afar, I’ll throw a boulder at the same time and when it gets close.”

“When it’s close let you build aggro before I start with my spells. I know.” Cindy started circling her staff in the air. A massive ball of water churning with angry foam formed above her head. The spell took some time to shape before she thrust her staff forward and a jet of extremely tight powerful water shot from it and carved into the side of the first fire bat.

The creature let out a shriek that made both their ears ring and just like before they were momentarily stunned as the creature took to the air. Daryl launched his powerful boulder, smiting it out of the sky. The creature twirled and slammed into the earth. Another lance of pressurized water sliced through its wing leaving cracks of golden light bursting through the burning coal color.

This time the beast charged along the ground and was met by Daryl in a titanic clash of noise that shook the very earth beneath their feet. The sharp vicious fangs of the beast sliced into the armor but the very high defense it provided left the smallest of cracks behind from the attack. Three quick punches later Cindy came back in with a half dozen bolts of water pounding into the side of the beast.

More and more cracks spread through the beast but thankfully Daryl was able to keep the attention off his daughter thanks to his training. Something though triggered a new phase of the creature’s abilities.

It roared in an intense burst of flame that licked and shot from its skin cloaking it in a burning aura of searing damage. Cracks burst around Daryl’s front from the sudden flood of damage as his health bar started to dip down by the second. The chest of the beast started to inflate with a great breath getting ready to let loose a stream of fire.

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Daryl raised a foot and let out a quake stomp disrupting the attack. Leaping to the side he opened up the channel of attack he was blocking from Cindy as a large stream of water started to burst into the side of the beast dowsing its flames. Daryl thrust himself in slamming into the side of the monster with a series of punches disorienting the beast further before it slumped to the ground and started to disperse into motes of golden light flowing up into the sky.

Daryl nodded towards Cindy oblivious of the half step he took too close to another of the monsters catching its attention. Before he knew it the second fire bat flew down onto Daryl’s shoulders biting viciously into the side of Daryl’s neck. He let out a roar of surprise as the beast’s claws and teeth tore into his back opening up rents of golden light dropping his health bar another quarter.

Cindy cried out in alarm and started a stream of healing magic to help stabilize her dad’s health bar from dropping any faster. She watched in awe though as Daryl reached back grabbing the beast by the scruff of the neck and did a twisting throw. The ground shattered beneath the slam as the fire bat scrambled to get to its feet and wings.

“Cindy focus on damaging it.” Daryl’s body pulsed with a sudden flash of green energy as his stamina bar blanked out showing an infinite sign. Daryl let loose with a mighty combo of attacks that would burn through his stamina normally but thanks to the unending stamina ability of his new armor made it so much easier for him to unload his frustrations on the monster.

Downing a mana potion to refill her bar enough for more spells Cindy cut loose with another lance of water slicing into the fire bat. Even though she wanted to channel more healing into her father he was right and his health was climbing from a potion.

They unleashed their startled fury together onto the fire bat pinned on its back. The chest of the beast caved in from a blow unleashing a massive burst of golden motes flying into the air around them like a burst of pollen into the air.

The unlimited stamina ran out showing Daryl near a stamina crash that would have crippled him in the middle of a fight. The use of the skill must have saved him from such a moment. “My skills are so stamina hungry. I thought having double stamina would keep me from worrying about all that.”

Cindy huffed as her heart started to slow down from its hammering. “Yeah, I haven’t seen what other melee people can do. I’m sure they’re a lot less able to unload with all their abilities.” Keeping an eye out for another ambush both of them stepped back and let their stamina and mana crawl back up to full.

“Ok dad I think I see what they need us to mine from. We maybe have another two monsters to fight and then we can hit the first vein.” Cindy pointed out at a large discolored streak of stone that was glimmering with metallic shimmers. “I’ll pull and then we can unload. Good job Dad.”

Daryl nodded to his daughter and rolled his shoulders and bounced on his feet. “Being ambushed like that was quite the scare. I’m worried that I won’t feel any pain. It almost made it too easy to forget a potion. There should be like some sort of warning that pops up.”

“Well, next time I talk to the Goddess I’ll bring it up,” Joked Cindy. She would have to use her last wish if she wanted to do something like that and she was saving it for a special occasion. “Ok Dad, let’s do this!”

Two more monsters later the two of them were standing next to the massive vein of metal in the wall. Daryl pulled out his huge pickaxe and took his first mighty swing. Something seemed to take over his muscles as he swung three times before a huge glowing orb flowed into his chest.

“Well that was just a single piece of metal that we need. Do you think it can be used again? It is still glittering.” Daryl motioned towards the wall before just going with it and activating the mining once more. It was three more swings and then like a mirage the vein in the wall faded away. “Oh, looks like two uses per vein. Is it still there for you Badger?”

She shook her head and looked around at the wall for the next piece of wall they could mine at. “Looks like we are going to have plenty of fire bat materials when we are done with this. I wonder if it’ll have any new runes or skills for me.”

“Let’s focus Badger. Then it’s time to catch a chicken.”