"The strongest foe is not the one beneath you, but the one who forgets to look up."— The Tao of Idleness, Book 7, Verse 9.

The aftermath of the Sub-Boss fight had a distinct ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ energy—everyone was catching their breath, rifling through the loot, and generally taking stock. I wasn’t quite at my witty best because a downside of Borrowed Strength appeared to be it took a massive chunk out of my Health when it expired, and the bar had only just stopped flashing red. Might have been good for that nugget to have appeared somewhere . . .

The others – minus Ivor, obviously - were beginning to finish up their looting, their inventories filling up with shiny gear and various magical baubles. Considering I had an ability that appeared to nick a bit from each of them when they looted, I’d decided it was a bit rich to actually gather anything for myself, too. Of course, the downside of that was that my apparent ‘altruism’ was just making me seem even more of an awesome hero in their eyes.

Kal looked over at me and gave me a massive two-thumbs up. “Great job, mate! The way you used Ivor’s staff to create a distraction was genius—proper old-school Rogue tactics! But how did you know he had set up a failsafe cantrip to blow it up if it was touched by someone else?”

I somehow managed to turn my frown upside down at that. “Trade secrets, dude. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. And I hate committing murder without being paid - if you know what I’m saying.”

Elise laughed at that, giving me some serious come-hither eyes that were a touch inappropriate, considering her dead mate was still cooling just a few feet from us. In fact, the whole way they were treating Ivor’s death was weird. I mean, I can dig a stoic, ‘it was his time’, energy, but this wasn’t even that. It was like he’d pretty much stopped mattering the moment he’d bought it. Brutal.

Parking that for consideration at a less stressful time, I was also finding the running gag that I was some sort of stealthy assassin-type who was all over this had moved beyond grating. Every time one of them talked me up, I felt the weight of my charade growing heavier.

Lia, though, clearly wasn’t entirely fooled. She was moving around the others, sword drawn, slapping on backs, and giving an encouraging word here and there, but I could see the wheels turning in her head when she looked my way—she knew something wasn’t quite on the level, but for now, she appeared content to let it lie. Maybe she was curious as to how it would shake out, or maybe she just liked watching me squirm.

“Alright, everyone,” Lia said, her voice cutting through the post-battle buzz, “we’re not through this dungeon yet. That’s as far as the last group made it, so we can expect what comes at us next to be even trickier. We’re down a DPS,” she looked back at Ivor’s body, “so it’s going to need even more of a team effort.” The group nodded, casting sorrowful little looks at the crumpled Mage. Apparently, we were just leaving him where he fell? Bad times. This world really didn’t have any ceremony around mourning the dead, did it?

Lia led us onward, and I was concerned that, even at her pocket size, she needed to duck down almost immediately as the ceiling lowered dramatically. As if being pretty much on our hands and needs wasn’t enough, before long, the Dungeon corridors began to twist and turn quite noticeably, becoming darker and more claustrophobic with every foot. My anxiety about this was considerable.

Something was increasingly off here.

We hadn’t seen sight nor sound of another creature since that Sub-Boss. Surely, the whole point of this phase of the Dungeon was to confront lots of other monsters on our way to the true Big Bad? That there were none of them about couldn’t mean anything good . . . Or, maybe it did? Maybe this meant there wasn’t anything else to come, we’d finished the Dungeon and were just moving towards the tea and crumpet rewards?

Yeah. I’m not fooling myself, either.

We’d been going – as best as I could figure it – for about an hour when the tight, cramped passage suddenly bloomed out into a colossal cavern. The moment we squeezed out, the temperature dropped like we’d just opened a portal to Antarctica. It could have been my imagination, but I think ‘Oh Fortuna!’ started playing in the background. Here we go . . .

The remainder of our little group shuffled into a defensive formation, weapons at the ready and my palms began to sweat. I did my best to fight the urge to turn and run and stood tall with the rest of them. My resolve was almost immediately tested by a huge, deep snarl echoing out from the far end of the room, followed by a shuffling sound of something humongous standing up forward. Kal and Lia raised their weapons, and I slunk back into the shadows a touch—an act that, to my surprise, triggered a notification.

Skill Activated: Stealth (Lvl 1)

Well, that was... unexpected. My first Skill. Hi dude! Awesome timing. Suspiciously so, really. But let’s not pick at that scab right now. I clung to the shadows at the far corner of the cavern like my life depended on it, because—let’s face it—it absolutely did. This manifestly wasn’t a place for a Level 2 cosplaying as someone with talent.

On cue, directly across from us, a hulking figure emerged from the darkness. Whatever the fuck it was, it was massive, easily three times the size of any of us, with leathery, hairy skin and eyes that glowed manically. The creature let out a loud bellow, its breath coming in gusts, and then its head finally swivelled to lock on to us.

“Fuck. I can’t get a reading on what Level it is,” Lia said, voice calmness personified, “so it’s going to be way above me. You don’t need me to tell you what that means.”

“That we get a free pass because this would be such an unfair battle?”

“Ha! Good one, mate!” Kal sniggered. “Thank fuck we’ve got you here to back us up. We wouldn’t have a chance otherwise.”

Oh, this was bad. Like, so, SO bad.

The monster – it looked like some sort of mutated, cancerous Minotaur – had obviously had enough of our jibber-jabber and let out a deafening roar that instantly added a [Terror] debuff to the party. I could barely think through the ice-cold fear that ran through me, much less move. Fortunately, Elise had her wits about her and was able to channel [Cleanse], which removed the curse before anything worse happened.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

At that point, we obviously decided attack was the best form of defence. Lia charged forward, sword raised, while the others circled around to flank the beast. I... stayed in my corner, silently congratulating myself for blending so well into the background and loving my new Stealth Skill.

From my . . . I hesitate to say, ‘hiding spot’. How about ‘observation point’? Wwell, whatever. From all the way over here, I watched agog as Lia moved with incredible speed to chop at the creature’s legs, dodging its massive, hairy arms with ease. Kal was doing his best to land hits where he could, but it was clear that Lia was the only one capable of doing any real damage. And, from the look on Elise’s face, keeping up with the minor hits our Tank was taking was quickly getting beyond her powers.

This thing was tough. Super tough. It wasn’t going down easily, and the longer the fight dragged on, the more exhausted Lia was going to become. Tired people made mistakes and, if that happened, it was wipe time. Lia was the whole ballgame here, and if – when? - it downed her, the rest of us would quickly become smears.

Then, out of nowhere, the creature stopped trying to crush Lia into dust and turned its glowing eyes directly toward me. My heart stopped. What the fuck? Why was it interested in me? And, more to the point, how was it even seeing me? I was still in Stealth mode, right?

Skill Failed: Stealth (Lvl 1)

Timing’s a bitch, ain’t it?

The Minotaur began moving towards me, and I knew I was royally screwed. Lia was slashing at its side, solid hit after solid hit, but the beast wasn’t even flinching. Instead – completely ignoring her – it charged straight at me, leaving Lia standing there, sword still raised, looking a little insulted that it had just... fucked off. She shouted something, probably a taunt to try and draw its attention back her way, but the hulking beast didn’t appear to care. It was totally, unreasonably, focused entirely on me.

I took the only option I had open to me. I ran.

As I bolted past one of the fractured pillars that seemed to be holding the roof up, narrowly avoiding claws that gouged into the stone behind me, Kal’s excited voice echoed through the chamber. “Fantastic! Here he goes! We’re going to see something really special here, guys!” Loved that enthusiasm. Worried I was about to let him down spectacularly.

The Minotaur barrelled after me, its hooves sinking into the floor, shaking the room with each of its thunderous steps. It was a monster, sure, but not just any old Big Bad—this one had clearly been hitting the gym since birth and never skipped leg day. Twenty feet tall, muscles rippling like coiled cables, and horns curving menacingly above its thick skull. Each of its movements was basically an earthquake, the ground trembling beneath its weight, cracks splintering through the walls, floor and ceiling with every stomp.

“Why’s it after me?!” I yelled, skidding behind another of the vertical columns that were offering me about as much protection as a toothpick. “I was doing literally nothing.”

The Minotaur roared in frustration at my complete lack of any attempt to engage it and swiped at my protective pillar, sending jagged shards of rock flying into my face. A golden light covered me as Elise healed the injuries, but I couldn’t help but think that was going to be all a bit redundant in about five seconds time. I dived to the left, barely dodging a massive hoof that crushed the ground behind me. The beast wasn’t just chasing me—it was trying to obliterate me. But surely it couldn’t be personal... could it?

"Hey, big guy," I wheezed, backing up slowly, sweat pouring down my face. "You sure we can’t just talk this out? Maybe a drink? My treat?"

No response. Just another earth-shattering roar and a charge that sent me diving out of the way as the Minotaur rammed its head straight into the wall behind me, splintering thw pillar in front of it into pieces.

Oh, my God, I’m going to die so hard.

The beast shook its head, snorted, and clouds of dust swirled in the air as it turned to me again, eyes blazing. This thing wasn’t just angry—it was hell-bent on flattening me into a pancake. Lia sought to intercept with another taunt, running in front of it, sword raised, but it simply swatted her to the side like an afterthought.

I had no plan, no backup, and no weapons worth a damn. All I had was a damp hoodie, a stick that had seen better days, and a growing sense that the universe had it out for me. Vans. Wolves. Monsters from Greek Mythology. The hits just kept on coming.

Then, something clicked in my panicked brain. The ceiling.

I glanced up at the cracks spreading across the stone overhead. The entire structure was becoming increasingly unstable—every hit from the minotaur’s rampage against me had weakened the support beams above us. Which felt pretty lucky, actually. Or should I say Lucky. One more good hit, and I’d bet the farm on the whole thing coming down.

It was a terrible idea. Horrible, reckless, stupid. And just about the only game in town.

I waved my arms wildly. “Come on, you overgrown steak! That all you’ve got? My grandma could hit harder than that, and she’s been dead for a decade!”

The Minotaur’s eyes turned red and it let out a snort so loud the vibrations nearly knocked me off my feet. I could see its muscles tensing, its horns lowering as it prepared for another charge. Here we fucking go—do or die.

This time, I didn’t start dodging immediately.

I waited, heart racing, until the Minotaur was so close I could smell the rancid stench of its breath. Its hooves thundered like a drumbeat of death, each one pounding closer, closer. Every point I had in Luck needed to come to the party right about . . .

Now,

At the very last moment, I dropped flat, the beast’s horns cutting through the air just inches above my head. I ducked and covered and then rolled painfully across the splintered stone as the minotaur crashed headlong into the back wall with a deafening boom.

The strike sent cracks rippling up through the stone ceiling above us. Dust rained down, and I grinned through my terror. “Yes! Come on, big boy! One more hit!”

The Minotaur staggered, shaking its head, its massive body swaying as if unsure of what had just happened. I could see it trying to recalibrate—rage clouding its senses as it snorted, steam rising from its flared nostrils.

“Come on, you walking slab of beef! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

The beast snorted again, lowering its head, preparing for another devastating charge. This time, there was no hesitation. It thundered toward me with all the speed and power of a runaway freight train, the floor collapsing beneath its hooves, the walls trembling in its wake. I positioned myself perfectly—right beneath the largest crack in the ceiling, every muscle in my body screaming to run, to get the hell out of the way. But I stood my ground, waiting for the exact moment.

The Minotaur’s charge was unstoppable. It was moving faster now, a blur of horns and fury, its eyes locked on me like I’d taken his last Rolo. At the last possible second, I dove to the ground again, rolling out of the way just as the beast slammed into the wall with the force of an avalanche. The wall exploded in a shower of stone and dust, the sound of crumbling rock echoing through the chamber. And then, the ceiling above it simply gave up trying.

I scrambled backwards, breathless, as it came crashing down. Tons of stone and rubble cascaded down, burying the Minotaur under a mountain of rocky crap Dust filled the air, choking the light and sound, until all I could hear was the deafening silence that followed.

I lay there, panting, staring at the pile of rubble atop the Minotaur’s crushed body.

Did that seriously just work?

I blinked through tears of exhaustion. The thing was dead. I was alive. The most reckless, idiotic plan I’d ever come up with had actually worked! I heard footsteps approaching. Lia’s figure loomed over me, her sword resting on her shoulder as she surveyed the destruction.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice . . . no, not ‘worried’, per se, but I’d take ‘concerned’.

I gave a weak nod, still trying to catch my breath. “Yeah... just... you know, nothing a Rogue can’t handle.”

Kal appeared beside her, the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. “You’ve got to teach me how to do that!”

“Sure,” I muttered, lying flat on my back. “Just... give me a minute.”

A notification pinged, but I was too exhausted to care. I lay there, staring at the ceiling—or what was left of it—and let out a long, relieved breath.

I was still alive. Again.

Idle Task Completed: Survive the Minotaur – 100 XP Gained

“Yeah,” I muttered, coughing through the dust. “I’ll take that.”