Bones 1 executed his eighth consecutive hit, his Red Death gleaming as it restored its durability. The blade shimmered with an eerie, dark red light that overwhelmed his body and the area around him. Each strike was more precise and deadly than the last. Each swing carved through the air with a whisper of death, culminating in a devastating critical strike that dealt significant damage.
Squawk followed up with a swift, agile attack, his feathers ruffling as he darted in to deal additional damage. Otto, their eyes glowing with intense concentration, unleashed Brain Blast after brain blast, the psychic energy crackling around them as they added to the tally.
Bone 2, calm and focused, cast Aim on GrendelKin 2, the spell wrapping around his target like an invisible net. He delivered a critical hit with precision. Bone 3's Necrotic Bolt shot forth like a dark comet, and Squawk's Lightning Strike followed, the air sizzling with energy. Squawk's critical hit caused a spectacular explosion of light
[Bones 1 has dealt an eighth consecutive hit without taking damage. The Red Death has recovered 2 points of durability damage. Potency increase +8 total: +36. Both groups deal a combined 148 damage.]
The Grendelkin morphed again, its muscles bulging grotesquely through its skin, veins pulsing visibly. Its claws grew sharper, glinting menacingly under the dim light, and its fangs elongated into razor-sharp points. With a brutal, swift swipe, Klericho vanished in a spray of red mist, the cleric's form disintegrating into nothingness. My heart pounded in my chest, a frantic drumbeat of fear and adrenaline. We were close to clearing 300 HP. Just two more rounds of attacks, and we could take it down. I prayed our defensive line, battered but resolute, would hold against the relentless onslaught.
Bones 1 executed his ninth consecutive hit without taking damage. The Red Death restored its durability, the blade humming with renewed vigor. Each swing moving fast than before leaving streaks of read like a tear in the fabric of reality behind as it move. The sword terrified me the more it was used.
Squawk, feathers flaring with electricity, darted in to deal additional damage. Otto, eyes blazing with psychic energy, unleashed a Brain Blast, adding to the tally. Bone 2, with unwavering focus, cast Aim on the GrendelKin, delivering a precise critical hit. Bone 3's Necrotic Bolt hit its mark with dark, shimmering force, followed by Squawk's Lightning Strike, which caused a burst of electrifying damage. Squawk cast another Lightning Strike with unyielding determination, while Otto, her psychic powers surging, unleashed Mind Blasts that added to the total damage inflicted on the GrendelKin. Repetitive though it may have been, the attacks were extremely affective.
[Bones 1 has dealt a ninth consecutive hit without taking damage. The Red Death has recovered 2 points of durability damage. Potency increase +9 total: +46. Both groups deal a combined 137 damage.]
The Grendelkin was a frenzied whirlwind of rage and power. It spun its massive arms around, claws tearing through the air in a wild attempt to hit everything within reach. Its furry hands, now soaked in blood, left trails of crimson as its bulging muscles strained and split its skin. Thankfully, Bones 1 remained unharmed, narrowly dodging the chaotic swipes as one of the Squawks vanished in a burst of electricity, a casualty of the fierce battle. Then, arms spread wide in the middle of its erratic spin. The Grendelkin froze. Luck was on our side as Bones managed a final critical strike. With his damage alone, the group cleared 65 damage, and the three Ottos surged forward, their combined psychic energy like a swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitoes.
Blood and gore rained down in tiny droplets while chunks of bone and muscle fell like hailstones. I cackled in victory, collapsing to the ground, mentally and physically exhausted. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid tang of burnt flesh.
Despite not engaging directly, it felt as though I had run a marathon. My limbs ached, muscles screaming for rest, but the haunting memory of the room reaper pushed me to keep moving. The weight of survival bore down on me, a relentless reminder of the high stakes of our quest.
I was alone, save for my five loyal pets, each a testament to the battles fought and companions lost. Their presence was a bittersweet comfort, a stark reminder of the price of this relentless journey. We could only handle another battle without regrouping. In future run-throughs, I would avoid the red cells like the plague. Losing momentum to an overpowered beast was not an option.
I looted the corpse, the task mechanical and detached, my mind racing with calculations and strategies. The theme of the second floor seemed to be puzzles and absurdly powerful bosses with equally powerful rewards. I came away with my third-ever necklace and immediately traded it for my current one. The new necklace, Grendel's Blessing, significantly boosted my highest and lowest stats, granting me 2 points in constitution and 4 points in wisdom. The power surge was palpable, a brief moment of triumph amidst the chaos.
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I looked at my remaining pets; they looked rough around the edges, their forms battered and worn, a reflection of the battles they had endured. I had 1 Bones, 3 Ottos, and 1 Squawk remaining. Tentatively, with a tremor of fear in my steps, I approached the first blue gate and slid the door open. I sighed in relief as a single crate was in front of me.
[You have received iron great sword.] The sword was bigger than the crate it came out of.
I proceeded to open every single one of the blue gates, each one creaking open to reveal its hidden contents. I looted four more crates: two normal rarities, three rare, and one legendary chest. The thrill of discovery was tempered by the fatigue weighing on my shoulders. I also found the room's Aerlynt orb, but I was still a little annoyed at how cavalier Thomas had been in drawing the attention of the mobs. I told them to do it, but did they listen? Nooooo. I sighed, the frustration a brief distraction from the weariness.
I left the final blue cell and went looking for the purple cells. Earlier, I thought there were six purple rooms, but I had to be mistaken, as there were only three of them when I went looking.
The first room was life-changing—or, well, changing. I thought the only way to boost stats and runs was with death boons and necklaces, but this room added a new item to my ever-growing list of items to keep track of in the dungeon. I had found a relic—three of them, although the third was clearly the tool needed to clear the floor boss.
The first relic was fantastic, but it made me facepalm in frustration. [Merchant's Coffers: Increases the chance of rare or legendary item drops by 10% and 5%, respectively, while decreasing common and uncommon drops by 5% and 10%.] If only I had found this before looting the chests. The 250 gold from the crates seemed insignificant now. The second relic, however, was much more intriguing—it was an old, dusty...
[The Merchant's Timepiece: This relic allows you to take two back-to-back turns in exchange for your opponent doing the same, or move twice or attack twice per turn.] How amazingly useful would that have been. Bones could have attacked twice per turn and fled while our team formed a wall to protect him.
The third relic was the simplest of the three: a spout, reminiscent of a watering can or oil lamp. [Spout of the Immortal: 1 of 3. This relic is a key. It can open a secret door or serve another purpose yet to be discovered. Handle with care, as it is fragile.] The spout was ornate, with gold leaf covering the tip and intricate blue and gold spirals twirling around its widening base. It appeared to be part of a larger set, likely screwing into a matching piece.
With that goal accomplished, I looked around the room. The reward for killing the boss had been excellent, but I wasn't sure if clearing the green-colored rooms would be worth it. What kind of prize would traps bring except pain and potential death?
Instead, I walked forward toward the Aerlynt orb and pressed my hand against it. In an instant, it flew around the room, absorbing all of the smoke, the iron gates, the discarded crates and chests, and the four monster corpses I failed to loot.
[Insufficient material found. Please provide]
Well, that's not good. Thomas and Klericho were stuck in the Aerlynt, and I had to find a way to get the missing organic matter. It was a horrible idea, but I immediately wondered if it could absorb my pets. I could quickly summon them back with magic.
"Bones, wait in the previous room; Ottos, sorry in advance."
As soon as my skeleton pets left the room, I asked Crystal my question,
"Hey Crystal, can I ask you a question?"
[Did you finally realize I was still here? Why do you keep forgetting me?]
"I remember; I've just been too busy to talk unless you didn't notice the run almost ended twice in the past three rooms. Look, anyway, I need to know if I can summon my pets over and over to meet the organic materials needs of this Aerlynt orb. Yes or no?"
[As if it would be that easy. They don't count as they are made of magical essence and not organic matter. Your best bet is to hope we encounter the horde room next. Managing without Klericho and Thomas might be challenging, but you can. Especially with that two-turn thing, you can quickly clear a couple of waves before they even meet up with you. I recommend summoning. Even a single extra pet will help when you only have five.]
"I know, but I don't want to be forced into an underpowered situation because I can't unsummon my pet."
[Why do you think you can’t unsummon them?]
I stared at the crystal floating above my head, its light pulsing gently.
[Didn’t you unsummon them earlier?]
"No, I had them kill themselves."
[That’s unnecessarily morbid.]
"Weren’t you there?"
[Sometimes, I just pretend I got attached to someone with a brain. It's nice in my imagination. Sometimes I imagine I'm back on earth playing a video game instead of living in one.]
“What’s a video game?”
Crystal ignored me and went silent, so I shrugged and left the room. As I walked forward into the next one, I blinked in surprise. It was indeed the horde room, the air thick with tension and the scent of impending battle. I planned to get around the fact that I'd be stuck unmoving until I summoned my third group of pets. I knew I could summon one pet, but the horde came in waves, and I could handle a single wave with just the five I had.
As soon as the battle started, five diminutive goblins came running towards us, their snarls echoing off the walls. Time seemed to freeze as they prepared to receive the first attack, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent.