“Are you crazy?” I yelled as the noxious mist wafted over our group.

“I am,” Paz said with crossed arms. “And, you are not crazy enough. We’re never going to beat Byron if you cower away from every chance for growth.”

“We are not ready!”

“And, we’d never be if you don't ditch that mindset.” Paz loosened his shoulders. “Special bosses offer some of the best loot in the dungeon. I’m not giving that up.”

Ugh. He had a point.

“Fair enough," I said at length. "But, a warning would have been nice. Forcing us to fight while unprepared is practically suicide.”

“What do you need to prepare for? We’re best served thinking on our feet.”

“Um, guys,” Nicola said, clasping a hand over her mouth. “I think we’ve been poisoned.”

True enough, the Poisoned icon appeared in the upper right corner of my vision along with a [System] notification. My health meter slipped downward in tandem, by about two percent.

“I’m also low on Eros,” Nicola continued with her voice taking on a frantic pitch. “I won’t be able to help as much as I should.”

“Well, do something about it,” Paz said.

Nicola shot him a sour look.

“No, he’s right,” I said, glancing at the pair of red eyes drawing closer to us. “Empower yourself in any way you can. We’ll need your Crimson Desire in full bloom. Soon.”

The poisonous mist had thrown me off kilter, but we couldn't afford to linger any further. Since the boss monster wasn’t interested in rushing up to us, maybe we could chip away at its health from the doorway?

“Damien, don’t look at me,” Nicola said, dropping her cuirass. Her suction cups peeked out from beneath her see-through robes.

“Shouldn’t that be the opposite?” I asked. “I thought your ability works when bathed in multiple sources of lust.”

“Well, you make me feel self-conscious. I’m a little more ashamed than I want to be.” She paused. “I t-think it’s w-working! I just got a small boost in power.” Her robes tumbled to the ground.

“Woah . . . You’re not thinking of fighting in the nude, are you?”

“We’ll keep her safe,” Paz said, leveling his poleaxe. “Best get moving, Damien. We’d die of [Poison] at this rate.”

Nicola stepped out of her clothes, keeping her eyes hidden beneath her hat. I almost ordered her to clothe herself, but something about her trembling lips and the shiver in her legs told me that it wouldn't be necessary.

She enjoyed this.

“Use your regular tentacle attack,” I commanded. “Let’s see if we can deal damage from outside the door.”

Nicola acquiesced. A dim glow of light appeared within the room as a purple sigil marked her target area. The [Summon Tentacle] spell sprouted beneath the monster, then promptly disappeared.

The red eyes narrowed. However, the monster didn’t approach any faster. A health meter didn't appear over its head either—the surest sign of damage.

Drat. So, the demon boss stayed protected as long as the attacker remained outside the doorway. You couldn’t offer me an exploit just this once, [System]?

I grabbed Nana's Dagger. “Once you gather enough Eros, Nicola, start preparing your mega spell. We advance in three!”

We dashed through the doors. Pink lighting lit up our surroundings, revealing a red and black checkered floor. The activation of the lighting seemed to trigger a subsequent closing of the doors. Noise from outside the room signaled the lowering of the walls.

A guttural growl emanated from the boss monster as it finally charged to meet us. Its heavy footfalls landed with thuds that reverberated throughout the room.

“Oh, that is one powerful wanker,” Paz said.

I had to agree.

The monster closed the distance in that moment and reared its two front legs in a display of strength.

Primal Horse Snake Chimera LVL 25.

Oh, god. Not another one of these beasts.

The primal horse snake stood twice as tall as I did, covered in a luxurious haircoat that bunched up across its chest. Four, powerful legs supported a horse-shaped body, which swelled with more muscles than Paz’s did. A long, white mane flowed down its equine head, brightened by the flames that issued from its nostrils.

However, none of those features scared me as much as the snake. It was always the snake.

It rose from the horse’s rear like a fell tail, hood opened in the universal sign of aggression. Poisonous mist spewed from its mouth, bathing the entirety of the room.

The Primal Horse Snake Chimera took off at a full gallop toward us. Paz and I flowed forward, dispensing with needless words.

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A grey filter tainted my vision as I slipped from the real world into shadow cover. Paz intercepted the creature from the left, striking with the combined force of [Overpower] and [Draconic Drive].

I struck from out of the shadows on the right, winning shallow strikes in the monster’s flank.

Hey! It seems you are afraid.

+1 has been added to all stats.

Nice.

[STR] has improved from [Lesser] to [Common].

Your physical attacks now deal 2x base damage.

You have gained 10% physical resistance.

Contrary to its bulky appearance, the primal horse snake proved tremendously spry. It swung its hooves at Paz, nearly taking his head.

Paz caught the subsequent strike on his poleaxe and winced as the shaft bent inward under the blow. The force threw him onto his back, and he rolled with it to redirect momentum.

I materialized behind the monster and jammed my dagger up its hindquarters.

The horse snake kicked backward—a move I had mercifully anticipated.

I didn’t bother with blocking and flowed instead around the kick. My subsequent strikes raked with harsh intent across its tendons.

The hooded snake swiped at me from out of nowhere, nearly scoring a bite.

I scrambled for cover, right as an enormous sigil brightened the room.

The monster wasn't so lucky and took the [Bloom of Crimson Desire] to the face. The large tentacles battered it senseless and snapped around its midsection.

True to Nicola’s admission, her most damaging ability didn’t land with as much power as it could. But, it would have to do. The Primal Horse Snake’s health dipped by a little over ten percent. An impressive figure, nevertheless.

Nicola could only manage three more blooms before she ran out of MP, and that included the mana stored on the magic ring. Paz and I needed to find a way to reduce the monster’s health by about fifty percent between us.

. . . all the while keeping an eye on our Poisoned status to avoid succumbing to it.

“Think fast, Paz,” I warned, as the horse snake fought free of the tentacles and galloped for the redhead.

Paz danced around the monster, leaning into the benefits granted by his skills. He fought even better with a weapon than he did barehanded, and it showed in the ease with which he parried the monster’s attacks.

The horse snake’s hooves landed with the force of cannons behind them, but Paz stayed one step ahead. His poleaxe scythed the air, scoring multiple hits on the monster’s flank and belly.

I emerged from out of [Stealth] on interval to add my damage to the mix. [Dual Wield] meant I could hit for twice the damage, while equipped with a dagger in my offhand.

The monster neighed in frustration, torn between focusing on the slippery redhead or the shadowy elf who could hurt it just as bad. It wasted a few moments oscillating between the both of us and got blindsided multiple times for its troubles.

Paz and I leaned into the benefits of [Draconic Aura], amped up on the extra speed, strength, and defense. We took advantage of the fact that we both had hands filled with working fingers—a gap that the monster could never hope to close.

Frustrated by its inability to connect a single blow, the horse snake reared its head and bathed Paz in a stream of liquid fire. It shaved a massive amount of HP from the redhead, but he managed to roll away before he could fully be burned.

A second [Bloom of Crimson Desire] went off beneath the monster. The dungeon walls trembled from the force of the spell.

I emerged from out of [Stealth] again to take advantage of the distraction, keeping clear of the monster's powerful back kick. It bellowed beneath the viciousness of my strikes, then pivoted to kick at my face.

The horse snake pounced around me in a dizzying series of jumps. Its strong hooves blurred for my head each time it did so. I avoided the attacks with as much grace as I could muster, then ducked horizontally as the tail snake dove for my neck.

The reptile wasn't having it and returned with amazing muscular control for a second go at victory. Its long fangs seconds sank into my thigh . . . only to eat air as the [Decoy] I’d summoned vanished into nothingness.

I struck the writhing serpent thrice from its blindspot and faded back into the shadows.

“Some cover, please!” Nicola said as the horse snake switched targets and barrelled for the backline.

Paz intercepted the monster. His heavy swing connected with a blow that promised a world of hurt, but his poleaxe shrieked at impact, unable to tolerate the abuse. He straightened the weapon in preparation for a return swing and missed the tail snake lunging for his shoulder.

That had to sting.

Paz’s eyes went white in his head—the only warning we got before he dropped like a sack of potatoes. The tail snake shook him for good measure, then tossed him aside. Paz remained immobile despite retaining a fair bit of HP.

I turned away as the primal chimera trampled his skull, leaving me as the dodge tank until his Sanguine returned.

For a brief second, the thought of going it alone suffocated my lungs. But, another magic sigil flared, ensnaring the monster in a bloom of tentacles for a third freaking time.

Nicola yelled a few words of encouragement, and . . . goddammit, I couldn't have chosen a better Mage for our party. She had always been a good shot right from the onset, but her timing on her spells had gotten even more impeccable.

The attack brought the chimera’s health to around twenty percent—when had we even gotten that far? The wretched creature struggled against its bindings. But, I closed the distance in the interim.

I could do this.

I struck the tail snake across the snout, fearing no retaliation from the rest of the horse trapped in Nicola’s tentacles. The snake tried to repel me but met the side of my dagger again and again until its entire health meter emptied.

The Primal Horse Snake Chimera bellowed in pain and belched a river of flame onto the ground. The raging fire destroyed the persisting tentacles and promised to do the same to me if I didn’t get the hell out of dodge.

I shielded my face from the heat and gasped in horror as my tongue shriveled in my mouth. I needed to escape the fire . . .

But, not before I aimed a final strike at the vicious snake which overextended in attack. Toxic blood splattered the ground as its vile head separated from the rest of its body.

The primal monster screamed, a sound that came across as almost human in nature. Flames like searing torrents spewed out of its mouth.

I rolled away to escape the heat and the smoke peeling at my eyes. Twin pinpricks blossomed on my chest.

The severed snake head had leaped off the ground and, in my distraction, clamped its jaws around my torso.

Oh, hell.

The bite didn’t pierce my skin due to the protection of health armor, but whatever it did to my HP affected me all the same.

You have been envenomed by Primal Horse Snake Chimera.

You have been Poisoned!

You have been Dreadfully Poisoned!

Health regen has reduced to zero.

Stamina regen has reduced to zero.

You have been afflicted with [Paralysis]!

I tumbled face-first into the fire, limbs as heavy as lead. Nicola’s screams accompanied the other voices in my head.

It had been a good fight. But, all things came to an end.

This was mine.