Calvin took a deep breath as he eyed the flock of harpies circling above. There were at least twenty of them, their shrill screeches echoing off the stone walls of the maze. Amy stood back, curious to see how Calvin would handle the threat on his own.
Calvin looked back at Amy and winked. He sprinted forward to build up Resonant Charge. The lightning crackled throughout the length of his spear as it reached critical mass.
His spear vibrated intensely in Calvin's hands as he focused on maintaining control over the immense energy. Just before it became too much to contain, Calvin swung the spear in a wide arc and unleashed the pent-up charge in a torrent of arcing electricity.
Chain Fury activated, and fired an intense bolt of lightning at the lead harpy. It struck the creature directly in its screaming mouth, blowing its head completely off before the bolt leaped from target to target, jumping between each harpy as they were locked in tight formation. The harpies convulsed violently as the lightning coursed through them, their wings seized up and sent them plunging to the ground. In seconds, the entire flock was obliterated, nothing remaining but charred husks scattered about the maze floor.
Amy let out an impressed whistle as Calvin dispersed the residual charge harmlessly into the air.
"Passable." she said with a smirk. Calvin just grinned in response.
They had only gone a short distance when the now familiar shrieks of harpies echoed through the corridors again. Calvin and Amy exchanged a knowing look. It was Freya's turn to shine.
The husky bounded forward, placing herself between Calvin and Amy and the approaching threats. As the harpies came into view, Freya crouched, a deep growl rumbling in her chest.
The instant one of the harpies swooped in to attack, Freya leaped skyward. Her powerful jaws clamped down on the harpy's wing, and her weight dragged the creature to the ground. Freya thrashed her head violently, her teeth tearing through flesh and splintering bone.
The remaining harpies hesitated, crying out in alarm at the savage display. Their moment of indecision cost them, as Freya abandoned the maimed harpy and launched herself at the next target. She was a blur of snapping teeth and swiping claws, moving from one harpy to the next with astonishing speed.
Within moments, the corridor was littered with the broken bodies of the harpies. Freya sat among the carnage, her tail wagging proudly. A treat popped into existence right in front of her wide-open mouth.
The dungeon so far had been quite uneventful. That was to be expected for the most part. The trio were far above the average level of anyone in Olympus. They were stronger than potentially anyone on the planet. Calvin had expected at least a little bit that the system would adjust the difficulty of the dungeon to match their power level, but it did kind of make sense that it didn't. The dungeon would continue getting more challenging as they descended deeper, and as it evolved. This created a level playing field for everyone entering the dungeon. These challenges they'd face so far might be tough for many in Olympus and would provide ample opportunity for them to train and get stronger. Meanwhile, the challenges that come later on, may be unattainable by a majority of the citizens. Calvin thought about it and it was honestly quite fun to not have to worry about life and death for the moment. He did want to get on to some harder challenges though.
Nearly an hour of fighting harpies and navigating the endless maze led them to a change in scenery. The narrow passage gave way to a wide open circular arena. Stone pillars rose out of the cround, encircling the arena and in the center was the crystal that would take them to the next floor. Calvin could see multiple passages leading into this arena and wondered if those who eentered this floor of the dungeon might start at different areas of the labyrinth and face different challenges. That was a worry for another time. As they stepped into the arena, toward the crystal pillar, a portcullis slammed into place across every passageway. They were blocked in. The silence that followed was broken by loud, powerful thumps that rattled the ground beneath their feet.
Calvin and Amy took combat stances as they scanned for the threat. It didn't take long before they found it.
The threat thundered into the arena, each heavy footstep shaking the ground. It towered over them, well over fifteen feet tall, with bulging muscles rippling under coarse fur. The beast snorted angrily through its bull-like snout, pawing at the ground with sharp, cloven hooves. In its meaty hands it hefted a gigantic great axe. It was a damned minotaur.
Calvin's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the minotaur. Level 41. It would be fast and hit like a sledgehammer. He and Amy needed to control the distance while Freya distracted it up close.
"Freya, go!" Calvin shouted. The husky charged forward, barking furiously. As the minotaur swung its great axe down toward her, Freya nimbly darted to the side. She snapped at the minotaur's leg then danced back out of range.
Enraged, the minotaur bellowed and charged after Freya. Calvin and Amy took the opening to strike. Calvin hurled a crackling spear that exploded against the minotaur's shoulder in a burst of lightning. At the same time, Amy released three toxic daggers in rapid succession. The daggers sank deep into the minotaur's back with dull thuds. The toxins spread rapidly. Thick, black thorns sprouted from the wounds, and the paralytic toxins immediately began slowing the creature.
The minotaur stumbled from the combined assault but quickly regained its footing. It whirled and threw its great axe at Calvin who barely managed to twist out of the way, the massive axe grazing his shoulder.
Amy continued peppering the minotaur with daggers while Freya harried its legs. The minotaur stomped and kicked at Freya but couldn't land a blow on the agile Aetherwolf. Calvin sent half a dozen wind blades toward the minotaur, each of them striking hard and gouging deep wounds in the creature.
The minotaur plucked a massive pillar from the ground and hurled it at Calvin like it was a small stick. Calvin rolled aside as the pillar exploded where he had stood. His fully charged spear was ready. Calvin took aim and flung it with all his enhanced might. The spear rocketed forth, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake before impacting the minotaur's chest with a concussive blast.
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The minotaur flew backward and crashed to the ground. Calvin sprinted toward the minotaur who was just barely alive and slowly rising to its feet. He gripped the spear buried deep within its chest and ripped it out sideways, nearly slicing the creature in two. The minotaur lay unmoving in a smoking crater, as dead as could be. Again, the boss dissolved into nanites, leaving behind only its Axe. Calvin guessed the system removed the bosses as they weren't meant to be harvested for materials. The Axe however seemed like it would be a decent prize for Olympus.
Great axe of the Minotaur (Gold): This axe imbues the wielder with unnatural strength. While wielding this axe, all blows are delivered with 75% more power than usual. The blade is created from a self-sharpening alloy and is nearly indestructible to normal means. (Power +5)
CONGRATULATIONS. FLOOR TWO OF THE DUNGEON OF THE UNDERWORLD: COMPLETE.
"Damn, that thing actually was a little bit challenging. From this point forward, let's be careful. It feels like the difficulty is starting to step up a bit."
They activated the pillar and in a flash of light they were transported to floor three.
Soon they arrived in a vast chamber, their footsteps echoing off the polished obsidian walls. In the center of the room towered a colossal statue of a sphinx, carved in exquisite detail from the same glossy black material.
The air hummed with power, raising the hairs on the back of Calvin's neck. This place reeked of ancient magic. Calvin tightened his grip on his spear as his eyes scanned the chamber.
Without warning, a dozen stone warriors sprang to life from their positions along the walls. Their limbs moved with unnatural smoothness as they hefted swords and shields made of the same obsidian as the chamber itself. Calvin noted the stylized armor and regal crests adorning their breastplates—these were no mindless golems, but elite guards sworn to protect the sphinx.
The guards advanced in perfect synchronization, splitting into two groups to flank the party. Calvin and Amy moved back to back, while Freya crouched low, growling.
"Ready?" Calvin murmured. Amy gave a curt nod in response.
With sudden speed, the guards charged forward to attack. Calvin deflected the first sword strike off the shaft of his spear before slamming the butt of the weapon into the guard's head, shattering its stony helmet. The guard collapsed in a heap of rubble.
Amy engaged several guards at once, her daggers little more than blurs as she slipped through their coordinated attacks with graceful spins and flips. With each pass of her blades, another guard lost an arm or a head.
Freya darted among the fray, hamstringing guards and dragging isolated ones to the ground where she could savage them without interference. Her incredible strength made short work of the magically animated soldiers.
Calvin impaled one guard through the chest then swung the body around to crash into two more, bowling them over. He leaped over their fallen forms, bringing his spear down to crack through the breastplate of another guard.
In minutes, the floor was littered with the broken remnants of a dozen guards. Calvin, Amy, and Freya regrouped, catching their breath. The sphinx statue loomed silently over them, showing no reaction to the destruction of its protectors.
Calvin eyed the statue warily. "I have a feeling that was just the warm up," he said. The magical energy thrumming through the air spiked, as if in response to his words. The obsidian sphinx's eyes began to glow and a series of runes appeared at the base of the statue.
Calvin studied the glowing hieroglyphs surrounding the base of the sphinx statue. There were five distinct runes spaced evenly apart, each one representing a different Egyptian deity. Calvin recalled from his studies that these gods governed various aspects of the natural world.
Odd, not Greek mythology this time. He thought.
"It's some kind of puzzle," Calvin murmured. "I think each rune needs to be activated in a certain order to unlock the statue."
Amy peered over Calvin's shoulder. "Be careful," she warned.
At the feet of the sphinx was a glass slate with information flowing across the screen. Calvin placed his hand on it and his mind was immediately flooded with images of the various gods and their representations. He heard the voice of the sphinx speaking to him in half riddles, explaining each of the domains these gods represented.
Calvin shook his head, freeing his mind momentarily, and cautiously approached the first rune. Ra, god of the sun. Seemed fitting to start there. He pressed his hand against the symbol.
The glow intensified for a moment, then dimmed back down. Calvin waited with bated breath, but nothing else happened.
"Well, that did something at least," Amy said.
Calvin moved clockwise to the next rune. Nut, goddess of the sky. As soon as Calvin activated the rune, the ground trembled. Stone warriors began emerging from magical portals around the chamber.
"Dammit, wrong order," Calvin cursed. He spun his spear as the nearest warriors closed in. Amy drew her daggers and Freya crouched low, growling. This battle would buy Calvin time to study the runes further while Amy and Freya handled the guards.
The sound of combat filled the chamber once more. Calvin split his attention between analyzing the runes and assisting Amy and Freya against the ever-increasing number of stone warriors. There had to be some logical pattern or hidden clue that dictated the order.
After carving through another wave of guards, Calvin tried again. Following the cycle of sun and sky, he activated Geb next, god of the earth. Again the room rumbled, but this time spikes of jagged obsidian burst out of the floor in concentric rings around the sphinx. Calvin and Amy rolled out of the way just in time, but the spikes cut off their access to parts of the chamber. More warriors emerged.
"This is getting annoying," Amy panted, flicking stone dust off her daggers. "Figure this out before we drown in soldiers."
Calvin racked his brain trying to decipher the pattern as he fended off the relentless guards. What connected sun, sky, and earth? His eyes widened with realization. The stages of creation! He just needed the symbols for the primordial waters and the process of life.
"Amy, guard me!" Calvin shouted. He sprinted along the narrow safe paths between the spikes toward the next rune. Nun, goddess of primordial waters. Calvin slapped the symbol and then dashed to the final rune, Renenutet, goddess representing the act of creation. As soon as he activated that rune, all the glyphs shone with blinding intensity. The room shook violently, disintegrating the remaining warriors. The obsidian spikes crumbled away, leaving a smooth floor once more.
A thrum of energy passed through Calvin as the last rune connected with him through the puzzle interface. Knowledge flooded his mind, an instinctual understanding of how to harness the sphinx's power if he could subdue her.
With a rumbling crack, the towering sphinx statue began to move. Stone peeled away to reveal tawny fur and lean muscle. Powerful wings unfolded from the sphinx's back as she reared up on leonine hindquarters. Her human-like face was beautiful yet cold. Twin orbs of azure flame kindled in her eyes as she fixed the trio with an imperious glare.
When the sphinx spoke, her voice echoed through the chamber with palpable force. "I am Bastet, Guardian of the Lower Depths. You have awakened me, now face my judgment!"
She leaped down from her pedestal, landing with a tremendous impact. Razor-sharp claws slid from her paws as Bastet prowled forward, ancient magics swirling around her.
Calvin planted his feet, hefting his spear. Amy's daggers glinted as she circled to Bastet's flank. Freya stalked toward Bastet's other side, muzzle wrinkled back over gleaming fangs.