The air was dense with heat and humidity, the first floor of the local dungeon was thick with the scent of moss and damp earth. The entrance loomed before them, framed by vines and carved stone pillars etched with strange, glowing runes. Each rune pulsed faintly, as if alive, casting eerie shadows on the overgrown path. Lorelai, Thrax, and Aeryn stood at the threshold, their expressions a mixture of determination and trepidation.
"Ten floors," Thrax muttered, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted his gauntlets. "According to the guild, the monsters get nastier the deeper we go and the monster's levels rise sharply."
"We can level up nicely here, let's see if we can reach the fourth floor," Lorelai said, her tone steady despite the flicker of doubt in her eyes. She still couldn’t shake the unease from earlier, but she pushed it aside. "We work together and we'll make it through."
Aeryn’s sanguine rapier gleamed as she gave it a quick twirl. "And we keep an eye out for traps. This place screams danger."
The first floor greeted them with a cacophony of buzzing and chittering. The jungle seemed alive, the dense foliage teeming with oversized insects. Giant beetles with shimmering carapaces and centipedes as thick as a man’s arm skittered toward them. The air humid, the cries of unseen creatures echoing through the undergrowth.
"Let’s make quick work of this," Thrax said, stepping forward. He swung his greataxe with precision, cleaving through a cluster of beetles. The sound of crunching carapace echoed as Lorelai and Aeryn moved in tandem, their attacks fluid and practiced. Aeryn’s rapier danced, striking weak points with precision, while Lorelai swapped between her sword and spear forms, her strikes powerful enough to skewer the hard carapaces in single, well aimed thrusts.
The trio advanced cautiously through the jungle floor, though the monsters were weak comparatively, they would not lower their guard. Each fight was used to perfect their recently acquired weapon forms. Finally, they entered a clearing, and at its center loomed the first floor’s boss: a level twelve giant spider. Its bulbous body shimmered with a slick, chitinous sheen, and its multiple eyes gleamed with predatory intent.
"Spread out!" Lorelai commanded as the spider lunged. Its fangs dripped with venom as it shot webs to ensnare them. Aeryn darted to the side, her rapier slashing through the sticky strands, while Thrax charged head-on, his axe colliding with the spider’s armored legs.
Lorelai focused her sword strikes into parrying the creature's legs, practicing her counterstrike ability. She swapped to her spear instantly jabbing it into the soft mandibles each time the spider would try to bite her with its poison coated fangs. The spider reared back, screeching as Aeryn’s blade pierced one of its eyes. Thrax followed up with a mighty swing, severing two of its legs. While they fought the spider, Lorelai gleaned more from her forms, almost as an epiphany. She had moved onto the second form of each of her weapons. With insight into more advanced techniques, Lorelai used her sword to cut straight downward. The battle ended with the giant spider falling into two halves, the spider’s defenses overwhelmed. It collapsed, the trio leveled up and collected their rewards before descending to the next floor.
[Diamond Cutter: Dragonslaying Sword second form achieved!]
+2 Str
+2 Will
[Spearmanship: Spear of the Divine: Precision and Punishing second form acheived!]
+2 Agi
+2 END
[Level up!]
Lorelai decided to put both points into her agility. Both Thrax and Aeryn had already hit the first form of their techniques and were on the verge of their second form as well. Despite their quirks, both had genius aptitude for combat. Since they were both only training in one technique they definitely would progress faster than her when she had both a sword and spear technique. The reward they received from defeating the spider boss was a material component, two spider fangs. When weapons are forged with the fangs, it imbues them with the ability to inflict poison damage. These fangs in particular are more apt to be made into daggers than other weaponry.
The second floor immediately tested their reflexes. Pressure plates hidden under dense foliage, tripwires, and swinging spiked bamboo traps, similar to the ones found in Vietnam war lined the jungle paths, each trap designed to maim or kill. Aeryn’s keen eyes, and the teams quick reflexes, saved them more than once as she spotted the faint glint of wires or the subtle shift in the ground that marked a trigger.
"Watch your step," she warned, guiding Thrax and Lorelai through a particularly treacherous section. Despite her vigilance the occasional trap activated, forcing them to react quickly to avoid harm.
As they navigated the traps, they encountered steel-fur wolves stalking the jungle. Their metallic coats gleamed in the dim light, and their yellow eyes glowed with predatory hunger. The wolves attacked in coordinated packs, their claws slicing through the undergrowth with terrifying speed.
Thrax’s axe clashed with their steel-like hides, each swing precise and calculated. Aeryn darted in and out, targeting the wolves’ joints and mouths with her rapier. Lorelai’s radiant magic coated swords had a much easier time getting through their armor like fur than her other magic.
Deeper into the floor, the trio faced the second boss: a level fifteen flaming steel-fur wolf. Its fur glowed with an intense, fiery aura, and with every step, the ground beneath it scorched.
It’s stronger than the others," Lorelai observed, gripping her sword tightly. Sparks of lightning flickered along the blade of her spear, as she prepared for the battle ahead. The battle was brutal. The wolf’s fiery attacks forced the trio to stay on the move, dodging searing blasts of flame.
The wolf roared, flames bursting outward in a fiery explosion. The trio scattered, each finding their position. Thrax took point, his greataxe radiating cold energy as he infused it with his ice magic. He charged, his weapon clashing against the wolf’s burning form, ice and fire hissing as they collided. The wolf snapped at him, but he rolled away, swinging his axe in a wide arc that sent shards of ice flying.
"Keep it distracted!" Aeryn called, her rapier glowing with a crimson sheen as she weaved her blood magic. She moved like a shadow, slashing at the wolf’s legs to weaken its stance. Each cut drained a fraction of its strength, but the beast’s fiery aura forced her to retreat frequently, her skin singed despite her agility.
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Above, Lorelai soared with her wings, her spear crackling with lightning. She dived, striking the wolf’s flank with a bolt of gravity-enhanced force. The impact staggered it, leaving it open for Thrax’s next attack. He roared, delivering a massive overhead swing that struck true, frost spreading across the wolf’s fiery coat.
The wolf retaliated, releasing a wave of flames that forced them all to retreat. Lorelai landed beside Aeryn, panting. "We need to finish this quickly. Its flames are getting stronger."
"On it," Thrax growled, his body partially dragonized. His claws glinted as he charged again, his frost-covered axe cleaving into the wolf’s side. The beast howled in pain, its fiery aura flickering.
Aeryn took the opening, her rapier plunging into its chest. "Now, Lorelai!"
Lorelai leapt forward, her sword glowing with golden light and electricity. She struck the wolf’s head with a combination of gravity and lightning magic, the energy exploding outward in a brilliant display. The wolf collapsed, its flames extinguished.
The trio stood victorious, their breaths heavy. "That was… intense but not as hard as the one we fought in the forest luckily," Thrax said, his axe resting on his shoulder. The reward for this floor boss was a more crafting material called ember ore and some gold. Ember ore was quite valuable and highly sought after as it made imbuing weapons with a fire-based enchantment not only easier, but the enchantment would be stronger than using any other ore.
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The third floor’s atmosphere was suffocatingly still, broken only by the rustle of leaves or a distant growl. The towering jungle trees cast deep shadows, their canopies blotting out much of the faint light. The air was thick with tension, and every step felt like an invitation for danger.
The predators of this floor revealed themselves swiftly—sleek, muscular jungle leopards whose emerald-green coats blended perfectly with the foliage. Their glowing yellow eyes pierced the gloom, and their movements were almost imperceptible, even to Aeryn’s sharp gaze.
"They’re hunting us," Lorelai whispered, her sword drawn and crackling faintly with electricity. "Stay close, they'll pick us off one by one if we let them."
The first encounter came like a shadow erupting from the jungle. A leopard lunged at Aeryn with terrifying speed, its claws slashing through the air. She twisted away just in time, her rapier flashing as she countered with a precise strike to its flank. The beast hissed in pain but retreated into the foliage, its glowing eyes watching.
Another leopard pounced on Thrax, its claws scraping against his hard scaled forearms as he brought his greataxe around in a wide arc. The blow sheared off a small bit of its shoulder, and the sheer force sent the beast tumbling. "They’re too fast," he growled, planting his feet as another charged him. This time, his frost magic infused the axe, the chill slowing the creature just enough for him to land a decisive blow.
Lorelai found herself facing two at once, their movements coordinated and predatory. She channeled gravity magic to increase the weight of her strikes, her sword cleaving through the air with devastating force. One leopard staggered as a bolt of lightning struck its side, but the other leapt for her throat. She twisted, pulling her spear out of her spatial storage just in time, raising it in time to impale the creature mid-air, though its claws left a shallow gash on her arm.
The trio pressed onward, each encounter leaving them more battered and exhausted. The jungle cats grew bolder the deeper they ventured, their tactics shifting to ambushes and coordinated strikes. Aeryn’s blood magic began to show its worth, with each battle and greater quantities of blood to use, she was able to keep the ambush predators at bay. Thrax’s axe became heavier with each swing, his ice magic barely keeping up with the relentless assaults. Lorelai’s energy flared sporadically, her reserves dwindling as the cats’ numbers seemed endless.
Finally, they entered a safe area directly before the clearing where the floor boss awaited. At its center lounged a massive green jungle leopard, its size dwarfing the others they had faced. Its eyes gleamed with malevolent intelligence, and its claws shimmered with venomous ichor. Most unnerving of all was its tail—a viper’s head emerged from the tip, its fangs dripping with poison. The three decided to give themselves a bit of a rest before challenging the boss. Once they recovered a little, they stepped out of the safe zone and into the clearing.
"That thing’s a nightmare," Aeryn muttered, her voice tight as she tightened her grip on her rapier.
"No turning back," Thrax said, his gaze fixed on the beast. "We’ve got this."
The leopard moved with blinding speed, its tail striking like a whip as the viper’s head lunged independently. Thrax barely dodged the venomous bite, his axe coming down in a mighty swing that the leopard sidestepped with ease. Aeryn circled, looking for an opening, but the beast’s tail lashed out, forcing her back.
Lorelai took to the air, her wings carrying her above the fray. [Zakir!] She hurled bolts of lightning at the leopard, but it leapt from side to side, dodging each strike with unnatural agility. "It’s too fast," she called out, frustration mounting.
Thrax roared, dragonizing further as scales covered more than just his arms. He charged, swinging his axe in a wide arc that caught the leopard’s flank. The beast hissed, its tail striking his arm. He winced as the venom began to burn, but he fought through the pain, landing another blow.
Aeryn seized the opening, her rapier glowing with blood magic. She dashed in and out, landing numerous precise thrusts, each strike doing more damage than the last, she bobbed and weaved doing her best to stay out of its range. She managed to do some significant damage to the leopard’s shoulder. The beast snarled, its claws swiping at her. She ducked, narrowly avoiding the venom-tipped strike.
"I’ll pin it down!" Lorelai shouted, [Oppression] channeling her gravity magic. The leopard’s movements slowed as the air around it grew heavy. Thrax took the opportunity to deliver a devastating overhead swing, his axe embedding into the creature’s side.
The leopard roared, its tail lashing out wildly. The viper’s head bit at Lorelai, its fangs grazing her leg. She cried out, electricity surging from her in a reflexive burst that stunned the beast momentarily.
Aeryn moved in for the kill, her rapier piercing the leopard’s chest [Hemorrhage]. Blood erupted from the beast's nose, eyes, and ears, "Finish it, Lorelai!"
Lorelai gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain in her leg as she raised her spear. Super charging the spear with electricity, she propelled it utilizing her electromagnetism, she hurled it with all her might. The weapon struck true, impaling the leopard through its heart. Lightning crackled along the spear’s shaft, the energy exploding outward and engulfing the creature.
The jungle fell silent as the leopard collapsed, its tail twitching once before going still. The trio stood over their fallen foe, battered but victorious.
"That… was brutal, the poison...I-I can no longer move," Thrax said, his voice rough.
Lorelai landed hard on the ground, her wings retracting within her, "I-I cant move either, got bit on my leg. It seems the poison is the paralytic type. I guess I'll take care of the level up I just got while I can't move."
"It seems the third floor is our limit," Aeryn replied, shaking her head. "Let’s patch up and head out."
Lorelai nodded, though her eyes lingered on the fallen boss. "What did we get for defeating this boss?"
"Let's see," Aeryn took a step towards the fallen boss monster when laughter rang out around them.
"It could not have gotten more perfect," a cloaked figure who came out from the brush said, "Here I thought I'd lose some of the twenty men I brought in the process of capturing you, but with two of you paralyzed, well my job has been made easy."