The Climbers were assembled.

“I actually can’t believe there’s so many idiots with us,” Mul whispered.

“Maybe they all think like me,” Kur whispered back.

It was indeed surprising.

Nar had expected half of them or more to take the left path. Instead, it looked as though numbers were pretty evenly distributed across all three paths.

“Maybe they just want the reward,” Mul said.

“You seriously think that? What could be worth more than your life?” Tuk asked. “Everyone just realized that if we don’t work together, we’re all dying here.”

Mul sighed. “Ignore me. Just the nerves.”

“It will be okay,” Cen said, patting his back.

“Remember. We stay together. We look after each other,” Gad said.

“I’m right behind you,” Viy told her.

Nar poked Jul’s shoulder and she looked back, offering him a smile.

“And I’m right behind you,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay.”

She nodded and faced back forward.

Above the darkness, the giant white numbers continued to tick down.

30 seconds. This is it.

His health was full. His stamina, as useful or useless as it currently was, was full. His aura, his which had kept him alive from the beginning, was full as well. All 1560 points of it. And he was ready to use every single one of them to get them through alive.

“20 seconds,” Viy said.

“We got this,” Tuk said, grinning at all of them.

Rel looked back at Nar. She was tied tightly to Kur’s back, held in place by all of their remaining clothes tied together. She was too weak to run into that fight. She was too weak to even participate in it. But her bow was in her left hand, and she looked determined to use it.

“Don’t die,” she mouthed at him.

“You don’t die,” he mouthed back.

She smiled at him and looked back at the countdown above their heads.

Kur raised a hand at Row, who stood to their right with her party, and she waved back at him.

“Let’s get this done,” she said.

Nar flexed his fingers over his sword hilt.

10 seconds. The end is finally here.

Five seconds.

Four.

The floor began to rumble and shake underneath their feet.

Three.

A few Climbers looked about them, unnerved, but for the most part, people remained resigned and resolute.

Everyone there had their own story. Everyone there had their reasons to leave home. Everyone there had gone through the burning, crushing Pressure. Everyone there had fought for their lives against an untold number of guardians.

They had crossed the bridges in their paths. They would cross those last three as well.

Two.

Nar took a deep breath. This was it.

One.

Lights flooded the darkness, and from below, the two side bridges rose from the depths.

The two on either side were just as Kur had described them.

They curved outwards, away from the middle, and they were simple affairs. They were ugly, blocky things, with a wide first level and a narrower one above it.

The top level was not all flat like the first, though. It was populated by rises and falls, by towering blocks and crevices. Nar could tell it was going to be a nightmare navigating it.

The two levels were connected by numerous ladders, stairwells and staircases, with a massive, wider set of steps right at its middle. Getting up to that top level was also not going to be easy, especially once all those stairs were crawling with enemies.

As Nar watched them rise, he quickly realized how seriously he had misjudged the distance between them and the Gates. The bridges rising up to them were enormous, easily over three of four thousand feet in length.

“Crystal. How big are those gates?” Cen whispered.

“They must be over 1000-feet high,” Jul said. “They’re huge…”

Another loud bang sounded from below, and light shone on the center of the chasm. The middle bridge was rising.

Murmurs spread throughout the gathered Climbers.

Something was being hoisted up with the bridge.

“What the fuck is that?” Jaz asked in an awed tone.

Nar tightened his grip on the sword. There was only one thing that it could be.

“That’s the Raid Boss,” Row said.

“How are we going to beat that?” Cor asked, her mouth half covered by her hand.

“One way or another,” Row said. “Or else, no one’s getting out.”

The bridge slowly rose. The light from above shone only on the Raid Boss, painting the thing in a grotesque but jaw dropping, breath stopping manner.

Nar couldn’t even tell what it was.

The deformed machine must have towered at over 150-feet tall.

It stood, hunched forward, as if lifeless, on six, thick, spider-like legs. It had a torso that almost looked like a morsvar’s, heavy set and looking dumb strikingly covered in armor. And where two arms should have been, it had four oversized arm-like monstrosities instead. They were clearly weapons of some kind, and Nar, remembering the giant guardian that almost killed them, felt his fingers go sweaty at the thought of the insane damage those things were most likely capable of dishing out.

Not that the Raid Boss even needed to use them. Those legs alone would be enough to flatten the feeble gathering of Climbers that were right now regretting their choices.

“Shit,” Kur muttered.

“Too late for that now,” Mul said.

“They’ll find a way. We’re not fighting it, remember?” the party leader whispered.

Thank the Crystal, Nar thought, without a shred of shame.

Atop that enormous torso, a wide, featureless head sat, bowed down to the floor. And from behind it, from the thing’s back, two huge cylindrical somethings protruded. Each of them had several, arched, black metallic spikes attached to them, completing the Raid Boss’ terrifying look.

“Testing! Testing!” a voice rang out. “Can you all hear me?”

“That’s Juf!” Kur told the startled party.

“Alright, it looks like you all can. All fifty-four thousand of you can hear me,” she said. “Let me say that again. There are fifty-four thousand Climbers here. Climbers that have gone through guardians, cannibals, Pressure and Crystal knows what else to be here. And you know how you’ve all made it here? Because you’re strong! Yes, that thing is big, but that just means there’s no way you’re going to miss it. Yes, there is no magic, but fuck that! Our aura is going to blow that thing to pieces!”

A few shouts rang across the gathered army of Climbers.

“That Raid Boss is the last thing that stands between you and your freedom!” Juf shouted. “Remember why you left your cubeplants! Remember the struggle! The sweat! The blood! Remember those you’ve lost! Remember those you couldn’t save! Are you going to let that thing stop you now?”

“No!” Nar shouted, joining his voice to the thousands.

“Are we simply just going to die here? Now that we are so close to everything we’ve ever wanted? Freedom! Forgiveness! A new life! All ours for the taking?”

“Ours!”

Jul raised her daggers in the air, joining thousands of weapons.

“That’s what I thought. I only have one more thing to say. Stick together, fight as one! We are Climbers, and together we will earn our freedom!”

The Climbers roared as one, raising weapons and shouting at the top of their lungs at the silent, unmoving Raid Boss.

Damn! Maybe we can really do this? There has to be a shit ton of casters here! If they all…

A loud hum drowned out the sound of the Climbers.

The whole place shone light blue as the Raid Boss straightened up, red eyes blazing and rotating in all directions across its featureless face. From its back, massive columns snarling electricity rose almost to the ceiling above them

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“My Crystal have mercy!” Mul breathed. “That thing’s going to kill us…”

Nar stared at the blue electricity, stretching high above them all.

That thing is going to end this with one hit… We can’t do this.

The Raid Boss emitted a loud, garbled electronic pulse that made them all wince, and darkness climbed over the sides of the bridges.

At first, Nar didn’t know what was happening. Why were they lowering the bridges again?

Then it became clear.

Hundreds of thousands of spiders, small, medium, big and enormous, made their way to the top of those bridges, slowly covering them in dark, moving limbs and shiny shells.

“Those things are the same size as that big spider we killed!” Rel said, pointing at one of the enormous monstrosities.

“There must be hundreds of those!” Tuk cried. “Are we really supposed to make it through this alive? Do they just want us to die here?”

“Tuk, enough,” Kur said, looking around him. “Now, all we can do is fight.”

The Climbers didn’t seem so brave anymore, and many voiced the injustice and unfairness of the challenge arrayed before them.

They had fought, yes. They were strong, yes. But this? This laughed in the face of everything they had gone through.

Nar found himself wishing he had a whole lot more aura in that gray bar now.

The railings between the Climbers and the bridges sank unto the floor, and a loud klaxon shrilled mournfully over the two gathered armies.

When it went still, nobody moved, neither sentient, nor mechanical.

“Everyone,” Juf spoke again. She sounded tired. “We’ve endured enough pileshit already. We all know what we need to do, and we all know we might all die here… But if that's the case, what have we got to lose? Just go. Destroy everything. You hear me? DESTROY EVERYTHING! THE WAY FORWARD IS ALWAYS FORWARD!”

Nar shouted with everything he had and ran forward with all the other Climbers.

“The way forward is always forward! I’ve always loved that!” Row shouted.

“Yes! And I can see why they put her in charge!” Kur said.

Row laughed like a maniac. “Stay alive Kur’s party!”

“You too, Row’s party! It’d be a shame to die here, at the end of everything!”

Soon, they were on the bridge, and it shook under the weight of their furious, desperate charge.

We’ve got nothing to lose now. We’re here! We’re going to get through, or die trying!

That was just the first big fight of his life. If he wanted to be strong, truly, utterly powerful, he would find himself in much, much worse. He had to make it through that one first.

His heart roared in his chest, in both defiance and dread.

Any one of those enormous enemies could kill him with a single blow. Any of those spiders could land a lucky slash across his throat.

However, none of that mattered.

There was no hesitation left in him.

This was it.

“Listen up!” Kur shouted. “There’s a lot of stuff we’ve left out. We’re going to be given orders. When to move, when to use certain skills. Class orders, and DPS orders. Wait for those or wait for me! Don’t waste your aura or stamina. This is going to be a long fight, and we need to pace ourselves! Do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear!” Tuk shouted, his voice ringing above the chorus of yeses.

“We’re on the left, in the middle. We are neither the vanguard or the rearguard! Our job is to protect the middle from whatever may come up into this bridge! You got it?”

“Yes!” they all shouted.

Mul suddenly burst out laughing.

“What are you laughing about?” Tuk asked.

“I don’t know!” Mul said, and laughed some more. “I guess I just don’t want to cry!”

Nar smiled, then he too grinned.

There was no use for tears now. They were all Climbers. There had been plenty of those, and there would be plenty more once this was all over. But there would be none now.

Destroy everything. That's simple enough.

“Switching to bridge channels!” Juf shouted. “From now on, each Raid Leader will lead their own bridge!”

“They’re coming!” Jul shouted.

“Bahahaha! Let them come!” Mul said.

Tuk only laughed harder.

The two sides charged at each other.

“Ranged! Prepare to defend us!” Juf shouted.

“What? From what?” Tuk asked.

“Our left side! Remember?” Kur shouted. “They are going to shoot at us!”

Nar looked to his left. They were right by the edge of the middle bridge, so the curving, wide left bridge in the distance was clearly visible to them.

Some of his bravado was punched right out of him.

In the distance, he could see thousands of electric blue brilliant dots appear, and more slowly spread across the entirety of the left bridge’s top level.

“Tuk, those are too high for you. Cen, do what you can to stop those things from blowing us to pieces!”

“I can help!” Rel said.

“Wait! Save your strength. I hate to say this, but we might need it later on.”

“I… I got it. I’ll wait.”

“They’re shooting!” Jul shouted.

Thousands of electrical projectiles rose in an arc above the chasm that separated the two bridges. It was almost beautiful to look at.

Nar glanced to his right, and saw that a similar volley was coming down on them from the other bridge.

“Just focus on our side!” Kur said, also looking to their right. “We can’t do anything about anything else, other than our own job. That is all we have to do! That is all we can do!”

“Fire!” Juf shouted, as the projectiles tipped towards them.

A much smaller amount of aura arrows, bolts, projectiles and every other long-ranged attack flew up from the Climbers.

My Crystal… Nar thought, watching as the two waves inched towards each other.

The two volleys met with a ferocity he had never seen nor felt before.

Electricity and aura exploded like two enormous monsters viewing for dominance. Flashing blue snapped and whipped through the cloud of hazy and shifting gray aura that sought to devour it.

Down on the bridges, Nar was forced a step back by the shockwave of the two forces meeting head on and exploding into one another.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

Blue electrical projectiles pierced through the clouds and exploded amongst the Climbers on the bridge.

Shouts and screams rose from the middle parties and Nar grit his teeth. How many had just died? How many still stood? There was no way to know.

“Keep going!” Juf shouted. “Vanguard tanks, hold them back!”

Nar heard the impact all the way from where he was, with his normal ears.

He pulled up short before he crashed against Rel, on Kur’s back, as the two forces collided and halted one another's charge.

“Hold them! Vanguard melee DPS, fight!”

“What’s happening?” Cen asked, looking up from down below.

“No idea!” Tuk said.

“The tanks are holding the front and the vanguard melee DPS is attacking from behind or next to them! Cen, get ready, I think she’s going to…

“Middle side casters, charge projectiles! We need AOE!” Juf said. “Center parties, not yet! Wait till the vanguards open the way!”

“This is fucking insane!” Jaz shouted from next to them.

“Shut up!” Row threw back at him.

“Someone lift me up!” Cen said, “I don’t have enough space here for it!”

Tuk quickly bent down and hoisted her up, holding her in front of his face.

The ball of aura gathered above Cen’s staff was bigger than Nar had ever seen before.

“Holy shit!” someone shouted. “Look at that!”

Cor’s charged projectile, next to Cen’s, was almost nearly a third less the side of Cen’s. The two charged [Aura Projectile]s shone across the whole area, forcing people to look away.

“Casters, aim at the back of their lines! Fire!” Juf shouted.

Hundreds of [Aura Projectile]s of varying sizes rose above their heads. Nar followed their trajectory, as they flew above the Climbers, and slowly tumbled back down, over their enemy.

The horizon shone with blinding gray. The explosions shook the bridge and rose high into the air.

Nar stared up, following the height of the explosions with his stunned eyes. The power of aura was undeniable. If they were to survive that fight, it would only be thanks to it.

“Crystal Almighty!” Tuk shouted. “Well done, Cen!”

“Mine wasn’t as big as some of the others…” she said, as he brought her back down.

“Are you kidding? Yours was the biggest! I saw it!”

“Oh, Tuk.”

“Pay attention! We’re moving forward!” Kur shouted.

Those explosions must have wrecked the enemy side, for they managed to speed forward several dozens of feet.

“They’re coming up the sides!” Jul shouted.

“Gad, get ready!” Kur shouted. “Viy. Mul. With her!”

The three of them adjusted their positions, and around them, other tanks and melee did the same, clearly warned by other Climbers with high sense stats.

“Sides! Sides!” Juf shouted. “Prepare to be attacked! Don’t let them onto the bridge”

Tun and the melee from Row’s party joined Gad and the others in forming a long line along the edge of the bridge.

“Tuk, focus on those things coming up! Cen pay attention to the volleys coming from the left bridge!” Kur shouted. “Melee, don’t waste your energy with big attacks! If they’re too big, hit the legs first and bring them down to your level!”

Both their people and Row’s, and even some others within reach of Kur’s voice, shouted their yeses.

“Nar? Nar!” Kur shouted.

“I’m here!”

“Jul!”

“Also here!”

Kur reached out to them as they approached him, and grabbed onto their arms.

“You guys are going to work together to make sure nothing gets past us, or attacks us from behind. If the line looks like it's going to break, you guys are there! If something gets through, you guys are there! If anything tries to get to middle parties, you guys are there! Do you understand me?”

“Yes!” they both shouted.

“Keep us alive!”

“Will do!” Nar said.

“Ranged! Above us! Stop that volley!”

Jul grabbed his hand, just as everything went bright above them once again. As before, the defenders weren’t enough to stop every projectile, and death rained amidst the middle parties.

Crystal have mercy on them! Nar though with a grimace.

Jul pulled him along and he let her guide him, trusting in her superior senses and mysterious foresight ability. Here and there, he felt the first flashes and warnings from his [Instinct] but nothing turned into an attack.

“Over there!” Jul shouted.

A massive spider, only slightly smaller than the one Rel had destroyed with her red arrow, was trying to climb onto the bridge.

A group of desperate Climbers were doing everything they could to keep it from doing so, but they were being blocked by a moving darkness of the smaller spider variety. There were so many of the things that they threatened to swallow the Climber frontline.

“Great. Amazing!” Nar said, eyeing their first target.

“Sorry!” Jul said, and flipped positions with him. “This is where the big brother opens a path for his little sister!”

Nar shook his head and raised his sword. Aura came to his command easily, and covered the length of the blade. Perhaps even a smidge past it.

Nar briefly considered it, frowning. Had he pulled too much?

Jul pushed him forward, and Nar shoved the stray thought to the back of his mind.

“Let’s just clear the way! They can deal with that big thing once they have space!”

“Got it!”

Nar took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the heavy air, filled with smoke, screams and death.

Then he dashed forward.

[Speed], [Agility], [Reflex], [Instinct], [NPC] and [Aura]. The core stats that made his path burned into him, filling with the power he had bleed and risked his life for to get where he now stood.

He was like a blur. His sword drew bright arcs and slashes, and in his wake, he left only destroyed and smoking wrecks of what had once been their enemies.

Jul, close on his heels, impressive with her own speed and combat prowess, was a whirlwind of shining daggers, snatching up anything that Nar had missed.

Within seconds, they had cleared enough space.

“Now! Hit the big guy!” a woman shouted.

Melee and tanks surged forward, aiming for those legs that were pulling up their monstrous, heavy owner.

“Thank you!” the same woman shouted, and Nar caught a glimpse of a lengos atop a morsvar.

But Jul was already pulling him away, towards their next target.

The two of them dashed in and out of encounters, steadying the bulging lines, granting Climbers a few, all too precious moments of relief to breath and pull back together.

Nar followed Jul, blindly, from one fight into another, all along the middle section of the left flank, and then back again, past their own party.

Nar glimpsed Viy, a stunning display of light and ferocity, shredding spiders by the dozen. Raf, next to her, was just as impressive, with his massive ax cleaving and smashing through multiple enemies at once.

Tun and Gad steadied the lines around them, their aura shields a bright light in the darkness assaulting them. And behind the melee line, the center of the two parties had somehow merged, with the leaders, Tuk, Rel, the casters and archers safe.

Tuk’s rings shone through here and there, spreading devastation on a scale that it was almost too big to comprehend.

And lastly, on their right side, Mul savagely destroyed the leg of a spider even bigger than the one that Rel had felled, bringing the machine down with his aura coated fist weapons.

Somehow finding himself fighting with Mul, Teb was unstoppable, covering Mul’s back from an army of spiders intent on protecting their much bigger companion.

It seemed that despite what Kur and Row had decided, the two parties had ended up merging together after all. And from what Nar had seen, they were doing just fine at that.

But then, he was past them, and they were gone, swallowed amongst thousands.

As they helped push down another big spider, Nar wondered if they were making any difference at all. If that was one of those points that only their party could push forward on. But amongst the chaos, noise, broken enemies, slashing legs, blood and dead and dying, he felt like he wasn’t achieving anything.

There were just too many of them to make a difference.

Suddenly, a loud roar swallowed the battlefield. The same roar that Nar had heard before the battle had begun.

“Attention all bridges! We have reached the Raid Boss! I repeat! We have reached the Raid Boss! This is where the real fight begins!”

The Climbers cheered the announcement, and Nar felt some of the darkness within him recede.

“Left and right bridges, bring those shooting things down! Don’t let them destroy us!” Juf continued. “Back to the middle bridge only now! Vanguard move forward! Spread out and cover the back of the boss! The middle is going to surround it! Middle sides, advance after the vanguard! Rearguard, advance as well, cover the backs of the middle parties. We have to let them have the back of the bridge! We’ll be surrounded now! Fight with everything you have to keep the middle protected! Middle parties, all of our lives are in your hands now, so bring that damned thing down!”

Another cheer erupted around Nar and he lent his voice to it.

He felt hope as he shouted.

Maybe they could make it after all!

That’s when thousands of shrieks sounded from above them.