“Vorinal,” Hiral gaped as he stared at the man in front of him. The one who was distinctly not half-encased in a tower.

“Oh good, he knows who hired him,” a woman behind Vorinal said. “A step up from the usual help, I guess.”

“No need to be like that, Bell,” Vorinal said without turning to look at who had spoken.

Bell? As in Bellina? Another Fallen…

Hiral did a quick count of the research group, and maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised, but there were eleven of them. Though, looking closer at Vorinal, the man didn’t look exactly the same as when Hiral had seen him last. No tentacle-like tattoos across his body – though maybe his clothes were hiding them – and he looked… younger.

“Now that you’re here,” Vorinal said, snapping Hiral out of his roiling thoughts. “It’s time we move.”

“That guy looks familiar…” Yanily whispered over the party chat. “Like, trying-to-crash-our-islands familiar.”

“Yeah, that’s him,” Hiral said, the group of Fallen starting to move past the party and deeper into the dungeon.

“Escort quest,” Seena reminded them.

“Are we really going to?” Seeyela asked.

“Yes,” Seena said immediately. “Form up. Romin… you’re already moving ahead. Good.”

The Bonder had positioned himself in front of the researchers, Wallop growing in size as they got closer to the metal-grate flooring. According to what they’d been told, the first enemies wouldn’t take long to show themselves. And the Fallen wouldn’t stop, even if it killed them.

But, what were the Fallen doing there? These had to be versions of them from the past, right?

“Hiral,” Seena said over the party chat. “Stop thinking so much. We’ll find out what we find out as we move. For now, this is just a normal dungeon. Don’t read too much into it.”

“Sorry,” Hiral said, forcing the lingering questions out of his head. Seena was right – which really didn’t surprise him. There was a reason she was the party leader. For now, all he had to do was focus on getting through this High-B-Rank dungeon. The rest would come naturally.

Looking around, he realized he wasn’t the only one practically frozen in place, with Gran likewise staring after the moving researchers. Hiral couldn’t see her face inside the hood, but he could practically feel her eyes drilling into their backs. She knew who they were? Then again, it sounded like she was around to become one of the first vampires Ur’Thul had created in the Squalian city, so maybe she’d lived during their time?

Did that mean she might know more about them than he’d even considered to ask? Not like she was big on sharing…

Argh, stop thinking so much. Just ask her later.

With that sentiment in mind, he reached out to the Arsenal of Amin Thett behind him… and then paused. He had three weapons left in there he wasn’t using – with the other four buffing Gran, Yanily, Seena, and Seeyela – and it occurred to him he’d never given Romin or Wallop a buff through Emperor’s Decree. He had enough weapons to do it, but quickly reviewing the abilities from them, would any of them even help against constructs?

Most of them – in fact – explicitly stated they didn’t affect constructs. Then again, they really had no idea what they’d face, and the party had just assumed it was constructs. Not like it would cost Hiral much to buff them.

“Romin,” Hiral said as he moved up with the others, the party naturally spreading around the researchers that outnumbered them. “I’m going to give you and Wallop a buff, though it looks a little strange.”

“… okay?” Romin said.

“Just don’t attack the solar smoke,” Hiral clarified… though it was still pretty vague. Easier to show than explain – Romin would’ve seen it with the others as he upgraded the weapons anyway – and Hiral activated Emperor’s Decree twice in quick succession. In front of Romin, Fitch appeared – though the Bonder wouldn’t recognize the man – while the Vassal Of Ur’Thul solidified beside Wallop.

Romin and his companion paused to look at the two apparitions, before the solar-smoke-simulacrums stepped in and dissolved around them. Barely a second later, the energy had passed into their skin, and their eyes glazed over as they read the new abilities they had access to.

Er, can Wallop read? Yet another question for later, and Hiral shook his head before using Emperor’s Decree on himself for Blight’s Mercy. As soon as that was done, he double checked on Left and Right – the doubles covering the rear of the group with Seeyela and Gran – and Hiral moved up with Yanily, Seena, and Romin.

His foot landed on the metal grate at the same time he caught up – the sound of his step reminding him all too much of the smokehouse in Splitfang Keep – and he pushed ahead with his sensory domain. The tunnel extended another forty feet before it widened into a cube-shaped room, another door on the far side. At about seventy feet in all directions, the room felt like the perfect place for an ambush. Considering the two statue-like shapes he sensed, that was probably exactly what it was.

“Forty feet and we’ll have our first fight,” Hiral said. “Doesn’t feel like they’re active yet. Probably when we enter the room.”

“No chance there’s anything behind us?” Seena asked him.

“Nothing I can sense,” Hiral said.

Seena nodded, then turned to Vorinal – who appeared to be the de facto leader of the Fallen there. “Probably enemies ahead. Can you all wait here while we deal with them?”

“We don’t have time to stop,” Vorinal said immediately.

“Can you at least… walk slower?” Seena said. “Keeping you safe is why you hired us, right? Don’t make our jobs more difficult.”

“The help has a mouth,” Bellina said.

“She also has a point,” Vorinal replied. “We won’t stop,” he said to Seena. “But we can slow down, slightly. That’s the best I can offer. We’re on a tight time limit.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Good enough,” Seena said. “Everybody move up. Not going to take these things lightly until we know what we’re up against. And, since this isn’t a lost dungeon, prioritize your own safety over the researchers. We can always exit and try again if they die. Can’t say the same about ourselves.”

“Got it, Boss,” Yanily said, the others echoing something similar.

Another few seconds for those in the back to catch up, and Seena gave Romin the shoulder tap. Then, after a look at the man, she took another step forward and gave Wallop was looked more like a slap on the ass than anything else.

The big Rune-O turned his head to the side and somehow raised an eyebrow he didn’t have.

Romin groaned. “No, she’s not going to do it again. Just… go.”

A huff from the companion, and he lumbered forward, picking up speed as he went. The metal grating under his feet clung, clung, clunging under his weight, he quickly reached a full-on charge, Romin and the rest of the party following behind.

Hiral drew his RHCs as he jogged, the circles from Piercing Shot+ appearing in front of each barrel while he pulled – and held – the triggers. Power Attack+ would be ready by the time they reached the room.

“Time to see what your new advanced class can do,” Hiral said to Yanily, the spearman running beside him.

“Oh yeah,” Yanily said. “These things – whatever they are – won’t know what hit them.”

“Get ready,” Seena interrupted over the party chat. “We’re here.”

No sooner had she said those words – Wallop making his way into the room – than the two statue-like shapes Hiral sensed immediately whistled to life with jets of steam from their joints. Each standing nearly a dozen feet tall, they were a pair of large-scale humanoids with thick arms and legs – covered in square plating – on a body like a heavy barrel, all topped with a domed head. Gears and pistons clunked to life on the outsides of their limbs, while piping along their backs spewed steam.

Inside the dome-head, a single, red eye glowed to life, sliding left and right along a track like the eye slit in a helmet. Three-fingered hands opened and closed, large holes in the palms sparking and igniting like miniature firepits.

“Romin, can Wallop get their attention?” Seena asked while flaming spears condensed into plasma in her hands. She’s not playing around – and neither should I.

“No problem,” Romin said, and energy pulsed out of the Rune-O. Runes of Rejection formed behind the companion, and it launched forward, smashing into the construct on the left with an Impact-enhanced Charge. The sheer weight of the collision made the monster take a step back – though, alarmingly, it barely dented the thick metal – before Wallop reared back. Like he somehow didn’t weigh several tons, the Runeoceros angled himself almost thirty degrees up, then slammed both feet back down to the metal floor.

The room shook as ripples rushed outward through the metal like it was water. Passing under Hiral – and the rest of the party – did nothing, but as soon as they reached the other construct, its red eye snapped in Wallop’s direction.

Infuriate effect.

That brief engagement was enough for Hiral’s View to activate, and a common name appeared above both constructs.

(Elite Construct) Tomorrow’s Sentinel – High-B-Rank

Hiral noted the name – Matches the dungeon – but didn’t pay it much more attention than that, and lifted his weapons to take aim at the enemy on the right at the same time he got the Banner of Courage buff notification. A wide barrel of hardened light extended from his paired RHCs around the circles from Piercing Shot+, and he pulled both triggers at the same time.

The kick from the blast jumped his arms into the air, and it struck the construct like a gong, forcing it back a step. A chunk vanished from the yellow health bar – almost ten percent – but Hiral had to admit he was a little disappointed in the result. Either these things had a lot of health, a lot of defence, or a lot of something else. Considering Piercing Shot+ was made to punch through high-defense targets, it had to be something else.

Damage reduction? Been seeing that on abilities since we got to B-Rank… so maybe this is what it looks like.

“Right, Left, we’re going,” Hiral said, sheathing his RHCs and igniting claws of Separation. His doubles at his side, he charged in, while on the other side of the room, Yanily activated his Aspect and attacked in tandem with Seeyela. Lightning and green venom flashed, but that was all the attention Hiral could spare them, his own target’s eye swiveling to him.

As big as it was, there was no way it would be able to keep up with him and his doubles. Right, on one side, clenched his fists inside his new gauntlets, the ‘idiot-string’ of energy flowing up his arms and meeting behind his bald head to make it look like a constant sunrise behind him. Despite the strange effect, the paired item was strong.

(Lost) Auroran Conquerors – A-Rank

Effects: Grants user access to Ability (Passive) – Auroran Haste and Ability (Passive) – Sun-Forged Body

Ability (Passive) – Auroran Haste: Move as the rays of sunlight crossing the sky – Increases movement and attack speed by 15% + 3% per additional Rank.

Note: Current hasted bonus is 24%.

Ability (Passive) – Sun-Forged Body: The sun is the source of life, and in it, you’ve found new strength – Increases all physical attributes by 15%, reduces physical damage taken by 15%, and reduces heat or fire damage taken by 50%.

Note: Sun-Forged Body stacks with other sources of protection and reinforcement.

Almost like they were made for Right, they improved just about everything he did – especially his punching – and he came in hard at their opponent. Ducking under a smashing hook from the construct – one faster than Hiral had expected – Right stopped, swiveled, then swept back around with his own rising hook. So quick the gauntlet looked like a blur, red-and-purple flames flared around the double’s Meridian line – Infernal and Entropic energies infusing his arm – and he drove his fist into the back of the Sentinel’s knee.

The punch didn’t sheer the leg off at the joint, but it did kick it up in front of the construct at the same time Left in swooped in from the other side. On Wings of Anella stained with black and red – like ink had spilled within the blue flames – Left had shaped his Touch of Night combination, covering his entire body in shadows. Coal-red eyes stared mercilessly at his target, while he stabbed down with the Dagger of Sath.

Striking the thick plating of the arm, the magic dagger wasn’t enough to cut through the metal, until the hanging stream of water behind Left caught up. Like a burning fuse, the water raced forward along the curving path of Left’s movement, then exploded when it reached where dagger met arm. A screech of tearing across metal filled the room, blasting the arm – with the hand still attached – down and to the side.

And, in between the combination of attacks, the Chord of the Primal Echo played its melody, guiding Hiral’s foot to step on the now-extended knee. From there, his next step took him to the falling arm, from which he leapt up and across, dragging his claws of Separation with him to tear at the construct’s head. More metal screeched as his claws scored across it, and Hiral continued his movement up and over the Sentinel’s shoulder.

A burst of Rejection flipped him midair while he added Expansion to his claws, raking across the construct’s back. A heartbeat later, his feet landed back on the grating, while Right and Left continued their assault, their blows ringing like hammers in a forge.

That has to…

Rejection threw Hiral out of the way, his sensory domain screaming danger, just in time to dodge a piledriver-like fist slamming into – and tearing through – the metal floor. Hiral quick-stepped away as he spun to look at their opponent, steam billowing out of the piping on the back, while the pistons pump, pump, pumped on the arm as it retracted its fist from the floor. Then, before Hiral even had a chance to be impressed by how durable, fast, and powerful the damn Sentinel was, the pistons on its legs got involved, hurling the massive, metal man right at him.