The Twilight Sepulcher loomed ahead—a vast, dark realm steeped in death. The oppressive sky, cast in permanent twilight, hung low with swirling clouds of purple and black. In the distance, jagged mountains rose like teeth, framing the path that led them deeper into the cursed realm.

Yep. If this place doesn’t scream ‘Undead’, I don’t know what does…

Ethan led the group forward this time. His eight pale, spidery legs moved with eerie grace across the uneven stone path. Tara followed close behind, her cat-like eyes scanning every corner, every shadow, for threats. Klax, his massive wolfish form tense and alert, brought up the rear. Fauna, their rabbit-eared mage, walked between them, her hands occasionally flicking with small sparks of magic, ready to unleash a barrage of spells at a moment’s notice.

Dotted around the barren earth the party trod upon were the skeletal remains of humans—their bodies in their final stages of decay. Cracked skulls bore maggots writhing out the corners of their vacant eye sockets, and their blades were rusted and chipped away to nothing, just as ready to crumble to dust as their old wielders were.

“Other Delvers?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah,” Klax confirmed. “The hubris of young Argwylian humans is fed on tales of heroes like the Lightborns slaying the demons that dwell within this world’s bowels and taking their treasures for themselves. Many of them don’t know the reality of these dungeons until it is too late.”

“More loot for us,” Tara scoffed, kicking a dead Delver’s shield out of his hands and promptly breaking it apart for scrap.

“Sounds familiar,” Ethan replied, thinking again of the little boy playing hero with his dead father’s blade.

In the far distance, a single building rose impressively over the land of the dead—a castle with jagged turrets and blackened windows that gave one the distinct impression that they were being watched.

[Appraisal: Complete]

Delve Core identified: Tomb of the Damned

His new upgrades were proving useful—he couldn’t just sense the core of the Dungeon through the walls of the stronghold; he could see it in the depths of the castle, sequestered in a coffin warded by ancient magic—and a potent guardian.

“We’re close,” Ethan rasped. The singular crimson eye of his hat-form locked onto the looming shadow of the castle. “The Sepulchre’s Core is in that fortress.”

Tara, who had been moving silently beside him, nodded. “Let’s just hope this goes smoother than last time.”

Klax grunted. “Last time we weren’t up against endless waves of undead.”

As if in response to his words, the wind picked up, carrying with it the dry, bone-rattling sound of movement. They halted, weapons at the ready. From the darkness ahead, shadows began to move—skeletons, their bones clattering as they rose from the earth, drawing rusted swords and jagged spears.

“They’re here,” Fauna whispered, her staff already sparking with magical energy.

“Good,” Ethan replied darkly. “Let’s clear the way.”

The first skeleton lunged at them, its empty sockets burning with a faint purple glow. Ethan’s front leg struck out like a lance, impaling the creature through the chest and shattering it into a cloud of bone dust. Tara was already in motion, her blades a blur as she weaved between the undead, slicing through their brittle limbs with effortless precision.

Klax, ever the dexterous brute, waded into the thick of the skeletal horde, his claws ripping through bone and armor with savage ease. Every swipe sent fragments of the undead scattering across the stone path. Fauna, hanging back, raised her staff and let loose a volley of fireballs, each one exploding in a flash of light that consumed multiple enemies at once, reducing them to smoldering piles of ash.

Ethan moved through the chaos with deadly precision, his long legs slashing through the ranks of skeletons like a whirlwind of death. His venom-coated fangs found their marks in the thick of battle, injecting paralyzing venom into any enemy foolish enough to get close. As he crushed a skull beneath one of his spindly limbs, he heard Tara shout.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“More coming from the east!”

The undead surged toward them in waves. Dozens of skeletons emerged from the dark forest, along with more imposing figures—undead knights, their armor rusted but still formidable, wielding massive swords and shields.

[Enemy Identified: Warriors of the Damned]

HP: 150/150

WILL: N/A

N/A, Ethan suddenly thought. That means… they can’t be possessed.

Can’t possess that which doesn’t have a brain to begin with.

Ethan just smiled in the face of this new revelation. “Not like I need to bother with possessing small fry anymore,” he said. “This spider slayer’s more than a match for these brainless boys.”

These weren’t like the brittle skeletons they had just torn through. These were warriors, reanimated and enhanced by the foul magic that permeated the Twilight Sepulcher. Even so, Ethan couldn’t help but smirk as he watched them come. His mind had just lighted on a devilish little idea.

“Fauna, launch me!”

The Hopla girl double-blinked, trying to maintain focus on the shield she’d just summoned. “W-what?”

“Get me in the air!”

With a nod, Fauna raised her staff once more, muttering an incantation. Ethan felt his body become as weightless as a kite buffeted by the dead air of the Sepulchre, and in the next moment, shot up into the skies and activated his trump card.

[Dive]

The body of Rachneros plummeted back down to earth like a bolt of white lightning shot from the dark heavens themselves, landing slap-bang on top of the warrior brood. The impact coursed through the bodies of the warriors, sending them flying right towards Tara’s waiting twin blades. The Minxit plunged them into the gaps in their armor with lethal precision, each warrior disintegrating into dust as its HP was hacked away, its bones scattering across the ground.

But still, more were advancing, their purple-lit eyes locked on the intruders.

Klax barreled into another knight, his claws tearing through armor as if it were paper. He fought like a force of nature, a whirlwind of teeth and claws that left devastation in his wake. “Keep moving forward!” he barked, kicking the remains of the knight off the path. “We’re not stopping here!”

The group pushed onward, cutting through the horde as they made their way toward the ancient stone bridge that spanned a deep, dark chasm. The castle loomed on the other side, its towers clawing at the sky, surrounded by an aura of dread. The bridge was old and crumbling, the stones slick with moss and decay. And on the other side, more undead awaited—hulking monsters with decayed flesh hanging from their bones, and their glowing eyes filled with hate.

“We have to cross that?” Fauna asked, her voice betraying a hint of worry.

“Unless you can fly us over,” Ethan muttered grimly, eyeing the narrow bridge.

Tara sheathed her blades for a moment and tested the first few stones of the bridge. “Now ain’t the time for maybes. It’ll hold for now. Faun, concentrate on keeping those bastards off us.”

Klax wasn’t as confident but nodded. “We don’t have time to waste. Keep your eyes on the other side.”

The moment they set foot on the bridge, the undead monsters roared, charging toward them. The creatures were grotesque, a mix of reanimated flesh and bone, some wielding massive rusted weapons, others relying on sheer brute strength.

Ethan moved to the front, his massive form leading the charge. “Take the left side!” he called out to Tara. “I’ll hold the middle!”

Tara veered left, her blades cutting through the legs of one of the hulking creatures, bringing it down with a swift slash across its throat. Fauna stayed near the center, her staff glowing as she conjured a barrier of light to block an incoming attack, while Klax, ever the brute, took the right side, his claws digging into the neck of another undead abomination and tearing it apart.

But more were coming, flooding onto the bridge with unstoppable momentum. The ancient stone groaned under the weight of the battle, cracks forming in the sides as the monsters pressed forward. Ethan stabbed his fangs into another creature, sending it convulsing before tossing it over the side of the bridge.

“We’re getting overwhelmed!” Fauna shouted, blasting another monster off the edge with a powerful gust of wind.

Ethan's eye darted to the crumbling sides of the bridge. They needed to get off it—fast.

“Tara, cut the bridge!” Ethan shouted over the chaos.

Tara’s eyes widened in realization. Without hesitation, she leaped to the far side of the bridge, her blades flashing as she severed the ropes holding the structure together. Klax grabbed Fauna, and with a powerful jump, leaped to safety as the bridge began to collapse.

Ethan was the last one on the bridge, and for a brief moment, it felt like the ground was falling out from under him. His spidery legs clambered across the remaining stones, and with a final, desperate push, he hurled himself onto solid ground just as the bridge crumbled into the abyss.

The undead still on the bridge fell, their screams echoing as they plunged into the darkness below.

"Y... y'know something?" Tara asked the panting forms of her teammates. "If we could have about 40% fewer close calls every time we do this, that'd be just swell."

"What's a Delve without a few close calls," Klax chuckled, his surprisingly good humor taking the Minxit off guard for a moment.

"You're creepy when you smile like that," she murmured, turning to Fauna, who simply gave an innocent shrug of agreement.

Meanwhile, Ethan looked up at the looming castle doors. "No turning back now."

With a shared nod, they approached the massive doors. Together, they pushed against them with all their might. With a groan, the ancient wood splintered and gave way, swinging open to reveal the darkness beyond.