Cyclone rubbed her hands, reaching out for the elite. But suddenly a cold shiver rand down her back.
“Ah what’s this?”
A ghostly wail sounded in the room. Like black smoke a blurry ghost rose from the body of the demon. It stopped for a moment as if branding everyone’s faces in its memory before racing through the nearest wall.
Cyclone was frozen in place, coming almost close enough to touch the ghost.
“Ok. Don’t worry, its gone.”, comforted Liam with an amused smile.
Cyclone let out a deep breath while asking with a shivering voice:
“What was that just now?”
“A ghost.”
“No sh*t sherlock.”, exclaimed Cyclone, annoyed. “But why was it there?”
“Because it possessed the demon. That’s were the change in status came from.”
“So, did we fight the demon or the ghost?”
“If you ask who was in control I’d guess the ghost.”
“Scary. I hope I never have to experience something like this.”
Suddenly Liam let out a cough, causing his friends to look at him suspiciously.
“What? I didn’t even say anything.”
Luckily the awkward atmosphere got interrupted when Cyclone received the loot, prompting her to speak up in dissatisfaction:
“And what is this supposed to be?”
She held up a small idol in the form of a demon. It was made from a red stone and had the number 4 on its forehead.
“This is the clue for this puzzle.”, explain Liam.
Silver Blade looked at the idol in Cyclone’s hand, understanding quickly.
“So, the red ring should be activated as fourth?”
“Right.”
“Doesn’t this mean others have to search the entire labyrinth, remember its layout, kill the elites, and then activate the rings?
What a waste of time!”, exclaimed Cyclone with raised eyebrows.
“We should count ourselves lucky, for we have Mirage by our side.”, commented Radiant Shield.
“Right, with the expert here there is no way for anyone to clear the dungeon before us!”
“Almost feels like cheating…”
Liam felt rather awkward with everyone talking about him in such a manner. He hastily interrupted them.
“Ok ok. Don’t exaggerate. If we stay here any longer, we might still get overtaken. Acacia, let’s leave.”
The others found it amusing seeing Liam like this. But when Silent Acacia left the room, everyone regained their seriousness, focusing on the dungeon.
Subsequently the party continued their way through the labyrinth. With Liam’s knowledge they soon arrived in a room decorated in blue. After pressing the button, a demon carrying a mighty thunder spear appeared.
It was possessed as well, its ghostly abilities threatening the mages a few times. However, the party, already back in their peak state, dealt with it steadily, killing it without casualties.
The same scene repeated a few more times. Fighting an earth demon in the red room, wood demon in the orange room, gold demon in the purple room, fire demon in the green room, and finally a wind demon in the turquoise room.
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When the last demon fell and the last ghost disappeared from the labyrinth, a rumbling noise echoed through the world. The entrance suddenly closed, cutting off the path.
The friends were confused when they suddenly felt the entire room move. After a few seconds it stopped and two openings appeared.
In both directions one could see other rooms, lined up neatly.
Suddenly a voice could be heard coming from one direction.
“Well done, adventurers. I see you figured out the mechanism at the same time as I did. Commendable.”
A hint of embarrassment could be heard in her words as Onrabell flew into the room. Without waiting for an answer, she hastily left for the other side.
“Adventurers, don’t waste time! We can’t let these infernals succeed with whatever plan they are brewing!”
Everyone felt amused as they quickly followed the major, passing the seven rooms and arriving before a large gate adorned with ominous, blood-red magic circles.
“Another puzzle?”, asked Balm, inwardly hoping for a yes.
But Onrabell’s words disappointed her:
“Adventurers, I can feel a strong power gathering behind this gate. You better take a rest. Be prepared for a tough fight.”
The party took the major’s warning seriously. Although their spells were mostly off cooldown, they rested for a few minuets to recover their mental exhaustion.
Liam slowly massaged his temples, feeling a headache creeping up. But he gritted his teeth and continued, determined to clear the dungeon.
The others glanced at him but didn’t comment. Soon, everyone felt prepared. Under Liam’s lead they pushed open the gate before them.
A spacious, unadorned hall got revealed. Its high walls reached towards the black river in the sky, allowing only a few gaps towards the side where light could shine through.
In the dark hall a scene in the center appeared rather conspicuous. One could see a large magic circle connecting seven main nodes.
The seven ghosts which escaped the labyrinth earlier sat within the nodes, surrounded by a grey-red light.
Boom!
Everyone flinched as the gate behind them suddenly slammed closed. Instantly an eerie, raspy voice could be heard, echoing through the room.
“Pesky intruders! You try to stop me? Hahaha, you walked straight into my trap.
Remain, and let my servants take over your bodies!”
Onrabell scoffed at the air:
“Coward who doesn’t dare to show their face! Come out! Those few ghosts won’t be able to stop us.”
Only a long laugh answered here, which gradually grew quiet.
At the same time a pulse of magic erupted from the circle in the center. The seven ghosts were suddenly sucked towards the center, colliding with each other. A large amount of mana was sucked form the black river in the sky.
Pressured by the mana the ghosts fused together, forming a single entity. Quickly a 3 meters tall ghost appeared in the hall. It had four arms and three faces, two of which were attached to its heavy, grey chest plate.
A black banner rose behind its head, drawing mana from the black river. Its black claws sharp like a scorpion’s spike were difficult to detect in the dark room.
With a swing of its arms, black arcs shot against the ground, leaving behind deep ruts.
Finally, the party members felt the ability to move again. Silver Blade dutifully used her [Inspect] against the boss.
[Seven-Element Ghost Servant
Rank: Sub-Boss
Level: 23
HP: 5700/5700]
“Why are it’s Hp so low?”, asked the tank puzzledly.
“That’s the tradeoff for its high physical resistance!”
“Doesn’t this mean this is our time to shine?!”, exclaimed Cyclone joyfully.
“If you manage to finish your casts, sure.”
“What do you…”
Before Cyclone could speak further, the ghost servant directly showed off its first skill. With a wave of its hand, ice spikes shot through the air.
The party members felt reminded of the ice demon. However, compared to earlier the ice spikes were not only more numerous but also faster.
“Careful!”
Silver Blade could only let out a shout as the attack arrived before her.
“You can’t block them…”
Cyclone just wanted to remind her friend when she watched the first ice spike slam into Silver Blade’s shield, breaking into hundreds of little crystals. The mage had question marks in her eyes.
However, when Radiant Shield tried to block as well, the ice turned illusionary, passing through his body. Silent Acacia behind him was surprised and received a painful blow to his chest.
[-1211!]
The hunter watched in horror as nearly a third of his HP disappeared.
Eerie laughter could be heard from the ghost servant’s three faces. They looked down on Silver Blade who appeared before its body, slamming her shield against the ghost’s legs.
The others had been waiting for the tank to take the initiative. Cyclone’s and Fortune’s magic attacks landed on the boss’s grotesque faces.
[-230!]
[-145!]
Watching the mages, Liam quickly gave them orders before they could start their casts:
“Cyclone, Fortune! Stand within the light. One to the left and the other to the right.”
The two women turned their heads towards the small areas where light fell into the hall through the gaps above. Without asking any questions they immediately complied.
Meanwhile the others began to attack the ghost. Bloody Edge suddenly appeared behind the boss, accompanied by four bright daggers, which stabbed into its back. In one smooth motion his hands flashed, cutting into the ghostly armor.
He frowned as he noticed the ghost’s leg blurring for a moment, making his attack feel as if stabbing into pudding.
[-433!]
[-29!]
[-15!]
At first Bloody Edge was happy, watching his daggers imbued with holy magic searing the ghost’s body. But looking at the damage dealt by his normal attacks he almost couldn’t believe his eyes.
“You didn’t joke when you said its physical defense if high…”, commented the thief with a forlorn voice.
Silent Acacia looked at the arrow he just released with a foreboding feeling. Out of the physical attackers he was the only one whose entire skillset didn’t contain a single different damage type.
[-118!]