Len marked another tree, his knife cutting through the bark with practiced ease. A touch of mana made the arrow glow softly in the growing shadows. The forest had changed in the past hour, the younger trees giving way to massive trunks that stretched towards the sky.
The canopy blocked most of the light, creating a perpetual twilight beneath. Moss covered everything, dampening their footsteps. The air grew thick with the scent of decay and new growth mingled together.
Rick maintained his pace ahead, weaving between the ancient trees. Their trunks were wider than a cow, roots half as tall as a man that they had to jump up constantly.
Len glanced back at Lydia's squad. They managed to keep up, though their breathing had grown heavier. The constant pace was wearing on them, but none complained.
The forest floor changed, becoming spongier underfoot. Len's boots sank slightly with each step. He adjusted his gait to compensate, careful not to twist an ankle on the hidden roots beneath the surface or slip and plow through a tree.
Shelf fungus grew up the sides of the trees, some larger than dining tables. Len noted their locations - useful for alchemical purposes if they passed this way again.
A beam of sunlight pierced through a gap in the canopy, illuminating countless motes floating in the air. The light caught on strands of spider silk stretching between branches, creating a silver network above their heads.
Len marked another tree, having to dig deeper to penetrate the thicker bark. These old growth giants had survived centuries. Their presence spoke of untouched wilderness, far from the areas where humans regularly harvested lumber.
The space between the massive trunks grew wider, creating cathedral-like spaces that echoed with their passage. Fallen logs bigger than wagons lay scattered about, slowly being reclaimed by the forest floor.
Their root bulbs big enough one could create a home in them.
Rick paused ahead, Len crouching next to him on the precarious root that rose from the ground.
"Mana's getting denser," Rick said without opening his eyes, moving his head around.
He raised his hand. "Lets head in that direction, that's where I can feel is converging."
Len glanced back at Lydia and her squad again as Rick pushed on.
Take a pause at the dungeon before we head in.
He leapt from the root, bouncing between root and tree after Rick.
The forest changed again. Almost a border between the forest they were in and the packed grove ahead of them.
The trees here grew impossibly close, their trunks twisted around each other like lovers embracing. Barely any space existed between them to squeeze through.
The canopy above had become a solid mass of branches and leaves, blocking out nearly all light. What little filtered down took on a greenish cast, giving everything an otherworldly appearance.
A constant chorus of creaking wood filled the air as the much thinner and younger trunks swayed. The leaves rustled against each other in an endless whisper, like countless voices having conversations just beyond hearing. The sound made the hair on the back of Len's neck stand up.
"Well, guess this is it, don't know of any natural forest looking like this," Rick said.
"Creepy damn place," Len said.
Rick tapped on one of the trees studying it and then the area around them. "Dungeon must've hit, then grew in the forest really dense overtop."
Len followed his eyes to nearby giants that had been recently felled.
They didn't have to wait long before Lydia's squad emerged from between the trees. Their faces were flushed from exertion but weapons ready. They spread out in a defensive circle, eyes scanning the twisted grove around them.
"Get some food and drink into you, get some rope up and string your packs together, we'll hang them in the trees outside the grove," Rick said.
Len moved among them, checking them over, mentioning tightening shoelaces here or there or items they would and wouldn't need, a time-old pattern between him and Rick.
Packs up in the trees, Len grouped up with Lydia and Rick.
"Go around the grove, see if there's a way in, if not we make one?" Rick consulted them.
"Makes sense to me," Len said.
"This is a dungeon? I thought the area around it is supposed to be empty?" Lydia asked.
"Dungeons do all kinds of things. I'm guessing this one got influenced by the area we're in or it deals with plants in some way," Len said.
"How the troops looking?" Rick asked.
"They're good, interested more than spooked, they were joking about it," Len said.
"Good," Rick turned from the group, breaking their huddle. "Alright, we're going on an adventure round the grove and see if we can't find a way in I want you in two columns, space it out incase we get into a fight, two rows of shields, then ranged and the rest of you at the back watching our asses!"
They moved into their positions.
"Lydia you get behind the ranged and before those watching the rear. Len and I will move ahead independently," Rick said.
"Okay." She didn't look pleased with her orders but agreed anyway.
They circled the grove, coming to stop at an opening through the trees, beyond them was the center of the grove.
Two massive trees had grown together, their trunks intertwined to form a perfect arch. Beneath it, stone steps descended into darkness.
"Light crystals," Lydia said.
Everyone pulled out crystals, illuminating their faces from below as they affixed them to shields and armor straps.
The stone steps leading down were worn smooth as if from age, their edges rounded. Moss grew in the cracks between them, glistening with moisture. The air flowing up from below carried the scent of earth and decay.
The squad formed up behind them, shields ready, light crystals casting overlapping pools of blue that pushed back the darkness. Their boots scraped against stone as they adjusted positions.
Len pulled the staff from his back, casting a lightning spell and rotting spell into it before he drew his sword. He grimaced and slashed with it a few times. Not the first time I've had to work with a new sword on the fly.
They passed under the arch. The temperature dropped several degrees. The sounds of the forest - creaking wood, rustling leaves, distant bird calls - cut off abruptly, replaced by the quiet drip of water and their own breathing.
It was a long descent before the stairway curved gently to the right, leading to a landing that revealed the dungeon in all its glory.
The landing opened onto a vast circular chamber that stretched out before them. Trees as wide as houses bowed to create a domed ceiling above. Creatures of green light flittered across these trees.
The dungeon was a series of concentric rings, each level dropping down into the earth like a natural amphitheater.
Massive tree roots formed the walls between each ring, their thick coils interweaving to create natural barriers.
Each ring appeared to be its own distinct environment. The outer ring closest to them was a maze of exposed roots that twisted and turned, creating narrow pathways. The middle ring held what looked like a dense forest grove, ancient trees growing impossibly underground.
The innermost ring contained a single massive tree, its trunk wider than any Len had ever seen. Its canopy was as tall as the highest ring, leaves hanging down like a willow tree hiding the inner center from Len's sight.
"Well that is one hell of a sight," Len said.
"Trees, lots and lots of trees," Rick said.
Small crystalline formations dotted the walls between the rings, their facets catching and reflecting the pulsing light from above. Water trickled down the roots in places, collecting in small pools that glowed with an inner light of their own.
The air was thick with the scent of earth and growing things, but there was something else - a constant whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. It wasn't quite sound, more like the suggestion of voices just at the edge of hearing.
Looking down from their vantage point, Len could see clear paths leading from one ring to the next.
Len studied the layout, his eyes tracing possible paths through the rings. Rick shifted beside him, that familiar restless energy building.
"We could jump across those tree tops, get right to the heart of the dungeon," Rick said.
"Those creatures might not like that." Len gestured at the green lights flitting across the ceiling. "Worth testing what they do before we commit everyone to the ground route." He shrugged and looked at Rick.
"Why me? You're the agile quick one."
"You're the one that came up with the dumb idea," Len said.
"Its not dumb if it works," Rick said before signaling to the squad to follow.
They descended the remaining stairs to the first ring. The squad spread out in a defensive semi-circle. Roots as thick as castle walls rose around them, creating natural walls.
Rick rolled his shoulders. "Ready?"
Len nodded, gripping his staff tighter ready to provide covering fire. "Go for it."
Rick launched himself upward, enhanced muscles carrying him onto the nearest branch. The green lights immediately swarmed toward him. Bolts of energy streaked through the air - some like arrows of pure light, others crackling with electricity. Roots that made up the walls of the outer region whipped up from below, trying to snare his legs.
Rick danced between the attacks, but more creatures emerged from the canopy. The air filled with projectiles, forcing him to constantly dodge and weave. A particularly dense volley drove him back toward their position.
He dropped down behind the root wall. The attacks ceased as suddenly as they'd begun. He was barely put pf breath. "Well, that answers that question," Rick said. "They're not strong enough to punch through these roots, but there's way too many up there to fight through."
Len lowered his staff. "Ground route it is then."
Len and Rick moved into the third row behind the two rows of shield bearers.
The twisted roots formed a natural corridor ahead, their surfaces slick with moisture and covered in patches of luminescent moss. The path wound between them like a maze.
Rick tapped the ground, using his building skill to flatten the roots into a path, giving them one less thing to worry about.
"Keep watching your sides," Len called out. "These roots might look solid, but I've seen stranger things come through walls in dungeons."
The squad moved in formation. Their light crystals cast shifting shadows across the gnarled surfaces.
The whispers grew louder here, almost like words just on the edge of comprehension. Len tried to ignore them, focusing instead on watching for movement in the shadows between the roots.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
A deep rumbling vibrated through the ground. Len barely had time to shout a warning before thorny projectiles burst through gaps in the root walls on both sides. "Shields up!"
The thorns clattered against raised shields. Through gaps in the formation, Len caught glimpses of massive, bark-covered creatures. Their bodies blended almost perfectly with the root walls, only visible when they moved.
The beasts charged from both directions, using their armored bulk to try to break through the shield wall. The squad held firm, but the impact still drove them back several steps.
Len thrust his staff past the shields, lightning arced over the creatures, causing their dark-like skin to blow off.
"Hit the legs!" Len shouted, spotting joints in the natural armor near their feet. "The armor's thinner there!"
The battle devolved into a brutal close-quarters fight, with barely enough room to swing weapons properly. The creatures' thorny hides made every contact dangerous, but their size worked against them in the narrow space.
Len watched as the soldiers drove their enchanted blades deep into the bark-like hide of the creatures. The mana-infused steel cut through much easier than normal weapons would have. Chunks of wood and bark flew as they hacked the monsters down to more manageable sizes.
A shadow loomed above him. Another creature burst through the root wall, its thorny bulk bearing down on their position. Len thrust his staff forward, channeling mana through the weapon. Lightning erupted from the tip, the blast tearing through the monster's center mass. The creature's wooden body cracked and splintered, pieces of smoldering bark raining down as it collapsed.
More scratching sounds came from within the walls. Dark shapes moved behind the gaps in the roots, more creatures preparing to emerge.
"Everyone down!" Rick's voice cut through the chaos. His hammer struck the ground. Stone and earth surged upward, forming a protective barrier between them and the emerging threats.
"Ranged, target those gaps!" Lydia shouted from her position. "Don't let them through! Rear guard, keep your eyes on our backs!"
The soldiers with bows and crossbows stepped up, loosing volleys through the openings in Rick's barrier. Their arrows found marks in the creatures trying to break through. Behind them, Len heard Lydia snapping at two of the rear guards who had started to turn toward the main fight.
"Get ready to go up!" Rick yelled.
The ground lurched beneath Len's feet as Rick's power reshaped the earth. In moments, their squad stood elevated above the battle, protected by a circular stone wall that came up to their waists.
Len thrust his staff forward, dark energy crackling as his rotting spell struck the nearest wooden creature. Its bark-like armor began to decay and crumble, creating weak points for the soldiers to exploit. He repeated the process, methodically targeting each monster that emerged from the root walls.
The expedition team's time in the crystal dungeon had paid off. Shields locked together without gaps, creating an impenetrable wall. Spears thrust through the spaces between shields with practiced precision, striking vulnerable points in the creatures' deteriorating armor.
The increased stats from their training showed in every movement. Soldiers who once would have staggered under the impact of the wooden beasts' charges now held firm. Their enhanced strength let them drive their weapons deep into the monsters' bodies, splintering wood and bark with each strike.
Crossbow bolts found their marks with deadly accuracy, penetrating through the rotted sections of armor Len had created. The soldiers worked in perfect coordination - as one group reloaded, another loosed their volley, maintaining constant pressure on their attackers.
"Like we practiced!" Lydia called out, her voice carrying clearly over the sounds of combat. "Rotate positions!"
The formation shifted smoothly, fresh shields moving forward to replace those who had taken the brunt of the assault. No gaps opened during the exchange, no weakness for the creatures to exploit.
Through the gaps in the roots ahead, Len spotted movement. His heart dropped as a massive shape emerged - a towering creature formed of interwoven branches and thorns. Its "head" scraped the ceiling, green light pulsing through gaps in its wooden frame.
The ground shuddered with its footsteps as it began gathering momentum, the roots around it moving to aide it.
Four vined limbs covered in sharpened thorns grabbed onto the ground, to increase its speed, each working independently.
Len's mind raced through calculations. Its size meant even a glancing blow would scatter their formation.
Those vines were strong and their thorns sharp to hook and rend. Once their line broke, the smaller creatures would pour through...
He met Rick's eyes. His friend had reached the same conclusion. Without a word, they burst forward, breaking ranks ahead of the shield wall.
"Len! Rick!" Lydia's shout echoed behind them. Her cursing faded into rapid-fire orders to the squad.
Len spun his staff, lightning crackling as it struck a wooden beast. His sword cleaved through the weakened bark. The creature toppled, blocking the path of two more rushing toward them.
Rick's hammer slammed into the ground. The shockwave rippled outward, staggering several creatures. His shield bashed aside thorny limbs, creating openings for devastating hammer strikes that shattered wooden bodies.
They moved too quick for the creatures to find purchase, sword cleaving and hammer crushing limbs that got within range.
The giant creature's thundering steps grew closer. His sword bit deep into another wooden defender, enhanced strength letting him tear through its guard. Lightning from his staff arced between the smaller beasts, clearing their path forward.
They weaved between the roots, Rick leading slightly ahead. His hammer's impacts echoed through the chamber, each strike precise despite their headlong rush. The sound of splintering wood filled the air as more creatures tried to block their advance.
Len's boots slipped on the damp root surface. He caught himself, staff sweeping out to blast apart an attacking beast. Rick covered his recovery, shield deflecting thorny projectiles that would have caught Len exposed.
They burst through a tight cluster of roots into a wider space. The massive creature's shadow loomed behind them, but they'd gained enough ground. Len spun to face it, planting his feet as Rick took position beside him.
The giant wooden monster bore down on them, its four vine-like limbs stopped propelling it forward twisting for an attack. Green light pulsed through its frame like a heartbeat.
"Distract it but keep it on the same path!" Rick yelled.
Len sprinted forward, staff raised. Lightning burst from the crystal focus, striking the creature's wooden hide. Bark exploded outward, but the damage seemed superficial against its massive bulk. The staff vibrated in his grip, the crystal's power draining faster than he'd like.
Raw lightning leaped from his fingers, striking higher on the monster's frame. The green light pulsing through its body flickered, but it kept coming.
He kept attacking. The creature's vines lashed out, forcing Len to dive and roll. His boots slipped on the damp roots as he regained his footing. Behind him, he heard Rick doing something on the ground, but he couldn't spare a glance back.
The staff pulsed once, twice - growing weaker with each blast. Len cursed under his breath. He'd used too much power earlier against the smaller creatures.
Another lightning bolt from his hands struck the monster's center mass where the green light was coming from. It threw up its head, its roar tortured trees scraped against one another. Its libs smashed through surrounding roots, sending splinters flying at Len.
Len jumped behind a clump of roots, the splinters raining down. He took a breath, geared himself up and ran out of cover.
"Rick!" He yelled in warning, throwing lightning at the creature, hitting around that green glow.
Len's boots pounded against the damp roots as he sprinted toward Rick's position. His friend knelt on the ground, mana radiating from his body in visible waves that sank into the earth beneath them.
Lightning leapt from Len's fingers, striking the wooden giant's front limb. Bark exploded outward. Before his eyes vines and roots weaved together to heal the wound.
Len's breath came in ragged gasps. Each blast of lightning drained more of his depleted mana reserves. He targeted another limb, trying to at least slow the creature's relentless advance. The lightning struck true, blasting away chunks of wood, but like before, the damage healed almost instantly.
The monster's thundering steps grew closer. Len reached Rick's side, electricity arcing from his hands in a continuous stream now. He poured everything he had into attacking the creature's legs, trying to buy whatever time Rick needed.
Sweat ran down Len's face. His arms trembled with fatigue. The lightning grew weaker, barely scorching the creature's wooden hide. Still it came on, green light pulsing through its frame like a twisted heartbeat.
"Come to daddy," Rick said and struck the ground with his hammer.
The impact of Rick's hammer sent tremors through Len's legs. The ground before them split and crumbled, revealing a massive stone spike angled upward.
So that's what you were up to you old fox.
The giant tried to slow itself, Its vine-like limbs scrambled for purchase, but the collapsing ground gave it nothing to grip. Green light pulsed frantically through its frame as it tried to alter course.
Momentum is a bitch.
The creature's own weight and speed became its undoing. It slammed into the stone spike with devastating force. The point drove through its wooden body, erupting from its back in a shower of splintered bark and broken vines. The green light at its core flickered violently.
A horrible grinding noise filled the chamber as the monster's bulk continued to drive it further onto the spike. Wood cracked and splintered. Roots that made up its form snapped and tore. The creature thrashed, its limbs flailing wildly, but each movement only drove the spike deeper.
The wooden monster's thrashing slowed but didn't stop. Its green core still pulsed with life despite being impaled. Movement caught Len's eye - a passage had opened in the root wall to their right. More of the massive creatures emerged, their vine-like limbs propelling them forward with frightening speed.
Len's hand dove into his pouch, fingers closing around a mana core. He poured power into it, carving intricate patterns across its surface even as he drew back his arm. The core left his hand spinning end over end toward the advancing creatures.
Behind them, wood creaked and groaned. The impaled monster was slowly working its way free of the spike, using its remaining limbs to pull itself upward.
Len glanced at Rick. "Pull back?" The expedition force's shouts echoed from further back - they were having trouble with the smaller creatures.
The core he'd hastily enchanted came apart in a tornado of flames right at the new passage, burning and throwing thornback behemoths.
Rick's grin had a predatory edge. "I didn't make just a spike. I made an amplifier."
His hammer struck the ground. The impact resonated through the chamber, but instead of spreading outward, the force concentrated inward. The pit Rick had created channeled the energy, focusing it up through the stone spike.
The impaled creature's wooden body shuddered as the concentrated force tore through it. Bark and vines exploded outward as the resonating energy ripped it apart from the inside. Its green core flickered once, twice, then went dark as the creature's massive form split into pieces. Wood shaped in the expression of a beast.
===
you have earned
===
They use the experience to increase their tempering/cultivation
Lightning coursed through Len's body as the experience rushed in. His muscles tensed and bulged, bones creaking as they grew denser. The familiar agony of rapid enhancement tore through him, but he welcomed it. Each surge of pain meant more strength, more speed, more power to unleash.
Beside him, Rick's body underwent similar changes. His friend's frame expanded, muscles rippling as they absorbed the dead creature's experience. The ground cracked beneath Rick's feet from the sheer weight of his enhanced form.
Len flexed his fingers, testing his new strength. His sword felt lighter, almost delicate in his grip. The staff thrummed with amplified power, responding to his increased mana capacity.
The remaining Thornback giants charged through the burning passage, their vine-like limbs propelling them forward with terrifying speed. Len didn't wait for them to reach him. He burst into motion, meeting their charge head-on.
He threw out a mana barrier, angled to deflect the spikes hurled his way.
His sword cleaved through a thorny limb like it was made of paper. Lightning from his staff penetrated deep into the creature's wooden hide, setting it ablaze from within. He ducked under a retaliatory swing, his enhanced reflexes making the monster's movements seem almost sluggish.
Rick's hammer crushed through another behemoth's leg, sending it crashing down. Before it could recover, he leaped onto its back, each hammer blow shattering more of its wooden frame.
They moved in perfect sync, years of fighting together amplified by their newfound power. Where Len's sword opened gaps in the wooden armor, Rick's hammer shattered what remained. When Rick's strikes staggered a beast, Len's lightning finished it off.
He switched from lightning to fire and wind, storing his staff and pulling out Rick's old hammer.
They were walking destruction.
The wooden giants, for all their size and strength, couldn't match their enhanced capabilities. Len and Rick flowed between the massive creatures like water, each strike precise and devastating.
What had been a desperate battle moments ago now felt almost like a dance - albeit one punctuated by splintering wood and the smell of burning.
Len's boots crunched over splintered wood as he and Rick made their way back to the squad. His muscles ached from the enhancement, but the pain felt good - a reminder of his increased strength.
The soldiers stood atop a mound of broken thornback creatures, their weapons and armor showing signs of heavy combat. Blood trickled from cuts and scrapes, but no one appeared seriously wounded. They straightened as Len and Rick approached, eyes wide with a mix of awe and newfound respect.
"Anyone need immediate healing?" Len asked, already reaching for his medical supplies.
"Just scratches, sir," one of the soldiers replied. Others nodded in agreement.
Len let his hand fall, casting cleanse on his blade and sheathe it.
Lydia stepped forward, her dual swords covered in sap and wood chips. Lydia's eyes darted over Rick, checking for injuries, his eyes doing the same.
"Did well Lydia," Rick said, his voice soft and genuine. He patted her on the shoulder.
She lowered her head, releasing the tension she'd been holding.
"Vael, Dorn, you're on watch!" Lydia, barked orders.
Two men stood up and gathered their gear, stepping onto the dead Thornbacks to watch the surroundings.
"You stacked them up," Len said, taking it in. The thornbacks had made a mound trying to reach the expedition squad.
"Thankfully we had some people with fusing spells so we could create solid footing," Lydia said.
Rick moved through the group, checking armor and weapons while Len applied healing magic to the worst of the cuts. The soldiers remained silent as he worked, but their gazes followed his movements with new intensity. They'd witnessed what he and Rick could do at full power - something few had seen before.
"Formation held well," Len said as he finished healing a nasty gash on a soldier's arm. "Your shield work saved lives today."
"Thank you, sir." The soldier flexed his healed arm. "Though we wouldn't have lasted long against that big one."
"That's why you have us," Rick said, helping a wounded soldier sit more comfortably. "Your job was holding the line against the smaller threats. You did exactly what you needed to do."
"Don't worry with time you'll be able to fight down big fuckers like that," Rick winked.
"You're supposed to be the officer," Len said.
"Bunch of bullshit," Rick waved him off, checking on his charge.
Len noticed how the soldiers stood straighter at Rick's praise.
A quiet chuckle running through them at their byplay. Rick had always been good with troops and people, making them feel at ease.
The fear and uncertainty from earlier had been replaced by quiet confidence. They'd faced down waves of wooden monsters and held their ground. More importantly, they'd worked together as a unit, protecting each other when it mattered most.
Len took a moment to check his screens.
===
you have earned
===