The root monster charged at Maya and Sophia. Its movements were odd and jerky. With each step it seemed to struggle against the roots that comprised its body, making its advance both terrifying and yet pitiable.

Despite this, Maya leapt into the air to transform into her Wind Elemental form to allow her to maneuver with ease. Meanwhile, Sophia rolled and ducked to the side just in time to avoid the oncoming attack.

The monster slammed into the cavern's walls. The impact left the creature's antlers stuck in the wall: immobilizing it momentarily.

Sophia imbued her sword with [Smite] and ran up to one of the creature's massive legs. The Paladin's sword struck the root-made limb: cleaving through it and blowing a good chunk off. Yet, more roots rapidly reappeared and regenerated the monster's leg. In seconds, it looked like the monster had barely been injured at all.

Seeing the monster's leg regenerate, Maya flew higher and prepared to transform. A bright light enveloped her and her limbs elongated, while her skin became covered in layers of gray and white fur.

Soon, Maya had fully transformed into the Nightbringer. She took off until she reached the ceiling of the cavern and clung to it. From there, she tilted her head and watched the monster as it dislodged its antlers from the wall.

Meanwhile, Sophia had managed to move under the monster, darting out in the opposite direction. When the root monster finally dislodged its head, turned its head with a swift, jerking motion and unleashed another guttural growl. It then prepared for another charge and kicked up one of its legs.

As the root monster charged towards the Paladin, Maya descended from the ceiling with a shrill growl. The root monster raised its head upwards in response to the Shapestealer's growl.

Maya flew until she positioned herself just in front of its head and then unleashed her [Acid Spray]. A stream of sizzling acid spewed from her mouth, showering the monster's head with a corrosive torrent of acid.

The acid began to chew through the root monster's head, eliciting a shriek of pain from the creature. It swung its head around wildly in agony in an attempt to remove the painful substance.

Maya just barely managed to dodge and weave around the monster's wild throes. Afterwards, she flew further back to escape its desperate flailing.

Safely back at the ceiling, she paused to glance down at the root monster. The acid had dissolved roughly half of the creature's head completely. The monster then lowered its head to the ground as its movements became increasingly jerky.

Seeing this, Sophia ran up towards the monster's weakened head. She raised her [Smite] imbued sword and brought it down on its head.

The Paladin's attack obliterated the root creature's head almost completely. Chunks of charred roots were flung around as the divine energy tore through the monster: scattering debris across the cavern floor.

Sophia quickly backed away as smoke began to emanate from the remains of the root creature, which then slumped to the ground: seemingly defeated. But Suddenly, the root monster's body began to pulse and glow.

It stood up and rapidly regrew its head before raising itself up and unleashed another ear-splitting roar. Sophia turned to run, but the root monster had already raised its newly formed head in an attempt to bring it down upon the Paladin with crushing force.

Maya flew down from her vantage point as fast as she could. Once she got close to the monster, she swung her wings forward and unleashed [Air Slash]. The cutting winds she generated diverted the trajectory of the monster's attack, causing its massive head to slam into the ground instead of harming Sophia.

As the monster's head became stuck in the ground, Maya swooped down and grabbed Sophia with her feet. She carried the Paladin away from the monster and deeper into the cavern. Soon, she lightly threw Sophia behind a large rock.

The Shapestealer then turned and flew back towards the root monster. As she approached, she saw the creature struggling to free itself. But in a desperate attempt to dislodge its head: the monster broke off one of its own antlers.

Undeterred by this, Maya flew towards the root monster's head once more. However, the creature turned its head to the right and pivoted its entire body to face her directly. Spiked growths burst forth from its body and rapidly extended towards Maya in the form of spiked vines.

Maya unleashed [Air Slash] to cut down most of the spiked tendrils hurtling towards her. Despite this, one tendril managed to pierce her right wing, the sharp pain causing her to lose control of her flight and tumble down towards the ground.

She crashed down and snarled in pain as she fell. The root monster retracted its growths back into its body and turned its full attention towards the Shapestealer. Then, with a powerful kick against the ground: it charged towards her.

The Shapestealer forced herself to get up and raised her head to use [Sonic Screech]. A wave of high-pitched sound emanated from her: powerful enough to stop the monster in its tracks and cause the cavern around them to shake violently.

While the root monster was momentarily stunned, Maya reverted back to her human form and eyed the creature to use [Copycat]. But she soon saw a frustrating notification: [Target invalid: knowledge threshold not met].

Realizing the root monster was beginning to recover from her sonic attack, Maya drew her dagger and made a cut across her palm. Her blood ignited upon contact with the air, and her body was soon enveloped in flames as she transformed into the Blaze Knight.

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As the root monster charged towards her, Maya activated [Phantom Stride] and vanished. The monster was unable to stop its momentum and phased through her entirely before slamming its head into a wall once again.

Turning around, Maya noticed that the creature's remaining horn was now stuck in the wall. She then sprinted towards the creature while still cloaked in invisibility.

Once she was barely a foot away from the root monster, Maya materialized and activated [Overheat]. The flames enveloping her body rapidly ignited brighter and turned a brilliant bluish hue.

The root monster desperately broke off its last remaining horn to free itself. It turned towards Maya and raised one of its legs to stomp her: but it was too late.

In an instant, the flames around Maya reached a critical point and she detonated in a massive burst of bluish flames. The explosion engulfed the root monster in its entirety and incinerated the creature. The flames spread rapidly, scorching the walls and ceiling of the cavern, causing small fires to erupt and the rock to crack from the extreme temperature.

In the aftermath, Maya slumped to her knees. The world around her turned black as she struggled to maintain consciousness.

***

Maya groaned as she blinked her eyes open. Gradually, she saw a vaguely familiar figure. "Sophia?"

The Paladin turned towards Maya and gently helped her to sit up. "Glad you're alright."

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear the fog of confusion, Maya placed a hand on her temples. "What happened?"

Sophia sighed. "You killed that root monster...after you chucked me behind a rock."

Maya looked down. "Oh, sorry about that."

"It's nothing," Sophia chuckled, dismissing the concern with a wave of her hand.

"Anyway, where is the root monster?" Maya asked.

"We're a bit further away; had to drag you out so you didn't burn up like the rest of the cavern. Lucky that the flames didn't touch you at all while you were unconscious," Sophia replied.

Maya chuckled. "I always thank my lucky stars."

Sophia let out a light laugh in kind. "So, what exactly happened back there?"

"I kinda used an all-out attack."

"Ah, that explains a lot."

"Speaking of which, let me check something. I feel…off."

Maya sighed as she checked her [Transformation List].

Tier 1: Wind Elemental (requirement: transform mid-air; Subsumed Spell: Gust)

Tier 2: None

Tier 3: Nightbringer (requirement: kill a humanoid creature or a large monster; subsume spell available)

"Looks like whatever you did cost you." Sophia said.

"Yeah, it's a bit unfortunate."

"But you can always just get new forms right?"

"I can yeah, just won't know if it'll be as good as the Blaze Knight."

"I'm sure you'll find something."

"Probably."

But then, Maya suddenly fell silent and breathed out a long sigh. She looked down briefly, clearly distracted.

"Something wrong?" Sophia asked.

Maya looked up at the Paladin and shook her head. "I…was thinking about the Doctor again."

"That monster? Why bother thinking about him at all?"

"He was actually rather nice before he transformed."

"True, but that didn't really make much of a difference in the end, did it?"

"I guess part of me just wonders if things could've gone differently."

"If you didn't have your powers, he would've just turned you into those shambling root zombies we saw earlier."

"Yeah, fair enough." Maya conceded.

"Don't think about it too much, we still have another floor to explore." Sophia said.

Now feeling a bit better, Maya pushed herself to her feet, "Did a portal open back there?"

Sophia nodded as she stood up as well. "Yeah, I hope the place isn't too...fiery right now."

The two made their way back to the space where they had fought the root monster. To their relief, the flames had mostly died down, leaving behind only some hints of bluish flames that flickered weakly.

As they surveyed the aftermath, their attention was drawn to a familiar sight in the middle of the area: a glowing white portal.

***

Exiting the portal, Maya and Sophia found themselves in a large clearing surrounded by a lush forest. While there was no sun in the sky, the area was bright as day and the sky above was a serene shade of blue.

Maya looked around in awe. "This is the first time I've been somewhere not depressing in the Tower."

"I was expecting something much worse," Sophia admitted, her eyes scanning the serene forest.

"This place almost feels…pleasant."

"Which makes it all the more concerning." Maya said.

Sophia nodded. "Agreed, there has to be something wrong with this place."

"For sure, we have to keep our eyes peeled for any traps or anything like that."

"Let's hope we're not caught in an illusion already."

A set of notifications then appeared in front of Maya.

[Tribute has entered Floor 8]

[Level up awarded]

[Updating status]

Tribute Name: Maya

Level: 11 >> 12

Physique: 3

Dexterity: 6 >> 7

Divinity: 2

The Shapestealer breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, nothing weird this time."

"Uh, you might want to look at this." Sophia said, pointing towards a different set of notifications that hovered in the air.

[Welcome Tribute(s), this floor has a special rule in place]

[You and anyone in your Party must collect a total of eight golden branches that are scattered throughout the floor]

[Afterwards, the portal to the next floor will manifest as usual]

[Anyone who came with you to this floor has been automatically been grouped into the same Party as you]

[There is no limit to a Party's size, and you may add other Tributes you meet in this floor to your Party]

[The "Party Help" command will provide you with more information regarding matter related to building up your Party]

[Of course, you are also allowed to complete this floor alone]

[Good luck]