Like most bad smells, my brain started to phase it out once it realized that subjecting me to the ghastly fumes was not beneficial in any way. I still kept the peg just below the bridge of my nose, despite the nagging pain and constant obstruction of my vision.

The Cavern raid team pushed forward at a gradual pace, stepping in unison and bombarding the monsters with the ease of years and years of practice.

It was an easy strategy to follow. The spider-like monsters I’d seen before — the Stink-Leggers — weren’t the most intelligent, and generally sent their projectiles straight at the closest person to them. In Cavern’s rigid formation, this was always a Tank.

Michelin Man stood front and center, relaying orders whilst taking the brunt of the attacks. He held a circular shield dotted with blue spikes that sizzled and snarled when it endured a hit — like a crowd of ravenous muzzles sucking up the damage. He led the tempo for the march, and when the guild engulfed an enemy, he stood up close and personal, gritting his teeth under each shattering blow and pushing back with the same rage.

Now that is cool.

I knew that the raid leader would be powerful, but this guy was like Superman to me. This was the first real action I’d seen, and I’ll tell ya — watching Michelin Man beat down the Stink-Leggers gave me a real urge to try out the Royal Army gig. Not because I thought it was a good financial or career plan, but because of the glory. Every fluid movement he made just crackled with skill and intensity.

I took a break from fangirling and had a go at my job. None of the front-and-center fighters were straying anywhere near the gem-filled walls, aside from the occasional swordsman who darted in to finish off a retreating enemy.

There were, however, a few Scouts skirting the edges of the battlefield as they mapped out the dungeon. Any one of these people could dash through, filling their pockets with jewels, then escape outside the Gate and stash their haul in the bushes.

The only way I could confirm otherwise would be to tag-along while they zigged and zagged through the grasping talons of monsters strong enough to flatten me with one swipe.

I think not.

I inched to the front of the pack, trying not to get lost in the sunny depths of the giant topaz sitting near my shoulder. The Scouts I’d seen before were all out of sight, which I should’ve expected — they used a combination of speed, stealth, and full-blown invisibility skills to navigate dungeons.

I tried a different method.

[Domain Thinking]

The cavern stretched out before me, and I closed my eyes to focus on the section of the dungeon I’d found. Again, there were no Scouts here, but I could see all manner of gems — there seemed to be more variation the deeper we went.

I stood transfixed by the wall of color — a twinkling night sky depicted in the depths and dangers of a Gate.

Beautiful.

The sounds of the fighters grew distant as they followed the left tunnel at a junction.

I was all alone.

For some reason, the warning bells didn’t go off in my head until I heard a rasping sound coming from my right.

Something wet clasped my ankle.

In a moment, I was off my feet and sliding along the ground. An oily, hungry beast reeled me in from its lair in the deep dark.

I screamed for help, a high-pitched squeal that echoed off the jagged walls.

Not like this. Not like this.

The wetness around my ankle spread until the coils of a tentacle covered my leg below the knee. I scrabbled for purchase on the dusty floor but found nothing. All I achieved was the collection of a small party of rocks to bring with me to my demise.

Then, a human voice.

“Spear, extend!”

A dot of light grew from the direction of the voice, then it pierced through the coils at my leg in a beam of light. I heard the frying of flesh, and the monster loosened its grip enough for me to wriggle free.

I hobbled upright. The voice continued uttering attacks, and the sound of running feet rapidly approached. Two arms linked beneath my armpits and dragged me back to the light thrown out by the braziers.

My two saviors laid me in the dirt, propped up against the wall. I had thanked them profusely from the moment they came within grabbing distance, and now two callused hands clapped onto my cheeks and a gruff voice growled at me.

“Enough! Get a grip, man.”

A second voice entered, and the man’s hands were replaced by someone else who lifted my chin and poured something in my mouth. It was sweet, and I swallowed it without a second thought.

I opened my scrunched-shut eyes and the woman in front of me was, well, beautiful.

Her friend? Not so much.

Both wore the Cavern symbol emblazoned on their chest, but the man held two light shields whilst the woman carried a spear.

“I think I love you,” I blurted out.

“I think I’m old enough to be your mom,” she replied.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Dang. He swings, he misses.

Now the shieldsman intervened.

“What the hell were you doing? That was an Orbiter that snapped you up. Few more seconds and you would’ve been dead and gone. Didn’t you think to use any magic? Or that dagger you’ve got there?”

Oooo, yep. Good point.

“I was a little bit, uh, scared.”

I was annoyed that [Calm Mind] hadn’t activated. I’d have to work on it if I wanted it to be reliable, otherwise I was stuck hoping my Earthling mind wouldn’t be freaked out by giant monsters trying to eat me.

What’s that saying? Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.

Adam would be somewhere nearby, along with the rest of the GTA people. I wasn’t overly excited about the prospect of them seeing me like this, as I knew it would just be further ammunition after the hazing incident.

I would become the boy who couldn’t handle the smell, so he threw himself into the arms of a monster.

With that in mind, I thanked my mom and dad — sorry, I meant the Cavern members that saved me — then followed them back to the main group. I had a slight limp and a bruised ankle, but I wouldn’t let that stop me.

My encounter with the Orbiter made me think the fighters were that much cooler. I had to start using this ‘affinity’ of mine to get on their level, or else I’d stay a liability forever.

The raid continued the same way as it started, as though no one knew I'd just had a brush with death.

Everyone worked in synchrony, surrounding and crushing the monsters until we’d ventured to the end of two different tunnels. Each time we had to backtrack, the whole team would complete a counterclockwise maneuver that left the Tanks at the front, the various Damage Dealers behind them, and the Supports in the back. I lumped in with the support, keeping an eagle eye out for theft. I used [Domain Thinking] when I could, and my Navigator told me I’d levelled up.

The group stood at a crossroads between tunnels when a Scout materialized next to Michelin Man and showed him a notebook. They conversed for a moment, and the Support members around me murmured about having wasted their time so far.

Michelin Man turned to us, and the group went quiet.

“The boss room has been located! Given the collector teams will still be in action, we will be attempting to hold the boss within its chamber.”

People groaned. It must’ve been easier for them to kite it along, retreating into the dungeon as they chipped away.

“I know, it’s not ideal, but it means the raid will be more efficient, and we all get more rest time after. I hear we have a GTA member amongst us — wherever you are, please understand this will be extremely dangerous, and we cannot afford to protect you, so if you are not confident of your skills, I would advise you to leave. Now follow me!”

We jogged now, following the leader as he consulted his map every now and then. We’d already cleared out a significant portion of the route but had taken a wrong turn at a critical juncture, so we corrected ourselves and cleared the enemies leading to the boss room.

When we arrived, I wished I’d taken Michelin Man’s advice and hung back with the collectors. If they stole anything, so be it. Our estimate would be materially correct.

Architecturally, the room and its entrance were nice. Whichever monstrous architect designed the place should have been proud of their work.

Visually though? Daunting.

I’m talking cages dangling above us, suspended by chains that were overgrown with some kind of moss or — nope, that’s just rats and bugs and other creepy crawlies.

Grey lanterns held forth blue flames that lit up the arena, a rectangular bluestone hall with a bedraggled purple carpet approaching a grand throne. Inscriptions lay in the stone floor, all twists and turns that probably depicted some ancient battle or maddening ritual.

Giant suits of armor stood alongside the edges, displaying their might. Most held swords with their ceramic tips dug into the floor, but others held maces or daggers or clubs, all in an upright position, ready to strike.

Adam’s dagger felt heavy at my side, willing me to draw it. I obliged, and the weight felt comfortable in my hand, as though the little blade would be able to stop a crushing swing delivered by one of those ceramic warriors.

The group was utterly silent. The clink of armor echoed around the chamber, and when two members bashed their swords together accidentally, they received death stares severe enough to wilt flowers.

The Scout reappeared and whispered to Michelin Man, who turned to us and raised an open hand.

Five. Five what?

He clenched his thumb to his palm.

Four. Oh god, let me prepare, let me prepare!

The next finger fell, then the next, and his fist closed.

Begin.

The Scout cast a dagger at the throne, I heard a ‘ka-ching’, then a set of fiery blue eyes opened. I hadn’t even noticed the figure sitting in the shadows, but now it rose, a colossus made of crumbling stone and diamonds.

The Support heroes cast their spells, rainbows of light jetting over the group or into specific warriors. The Tanks received the most, and they glowed like they were radioactive.

“Advance!”

We crept forward to the monster, and it met us in the middle. Parts of its shoulder fell in a thundering crash as it came down the steps, sending shale and dust at us. The breeze it produced whispered through the group like a thousand lost souls, and I felt cold, inside and out.

Our first attack startled me. A Damage Dealer stooped over two pieces of a staff, sweating as a ball of red energy grew between the two pieces. The team split in front of him, and when he could hold back no longer, a beam of light jettisoned out, frying the air and impacting the colossus in the center of its chest.

It was like watching Godzilla vs Kong. The colossus stumbled back at first, roaring and trying to block the laser with its hands. Then, it grabbed ahold of a broadsword leaning against the throne, and used it to block the strike, marching towards us with increasing speed as our magician lost his strength.

I watched him fall, exhausted. The healing spells constantly rejuvenating him weren’t enough, and his collapse spelled the end of our first barrage.

Now it was the boss’s turn.

It was clear this wasn’t the first time Cavern had encountered this boss, because when the colossus picked up speed and raised the sword to the ceiling, the Tanks didn’t run away like every fiber of my being screamed at me to do.

They ran forward to meet it.

The first row of Tanks slowed at the last second and activated some kind of ability that made their feet glow orange. They stood in a half squat, and as the monster’s foot crashed into them, I was prepared to see shields and mangled body parts rain down on me.

But no.

The monster’s foot clanged into the shields and didn’t move the Tanks even an inch. It roared like it had stubbed its toe, then, in anger, brought its blade arcing down on a direct path to the Tank’s heads.

Now came our second wave.

Michelin Man stood in the middle with his shield above his head. Support members took aim at the giant blade, willing it to slow its descent, and Damager Dealers sent incendiaries, lightning, pure energy and telekinetically controlled weapons at the colossus, aiming for the shoulders and head.

I stood with my jaw open and my boots shaking.

The Tanks crowded around Michelin Man, overlapping their shields and using an ability that created a blue forcefield around them. When the blade hit, fragments of energy split out across the room like a broken vase, but it dissipated before reaching us.

The team's efforts weren’t going to be enough, the Tanks would be crushed, and we would have to turn-tail and abandon the raid, calling in Cavern’s A-Team.

The colossus continued its downswing, heading for the Tanks. I wanted to get a head start, start running, but I was locked in, unable to tear my eyes from the catastrophic scene taking place in front of me.

A chorus of voices shouted from beneath the shield wall, all chanting the same word.

[REPEL!]