The cold lake water overflowed the tub. Casios rolled his eyes, perturbed, and the dwarf let out a battle-hardened laugh. The Orquette took a step on the lip of the tub and launched herself toward her weapons. Kip was tucked in the corner, gripping to the wall right behind the waterfall. He screamed out to Zeke, “They’re coming!”

Casios was washed out of the tub. He attempted to grab his weapon but Zeke reached in with his long arm and grabbed Casios’ legs. Casios let out a harumph as he was pulled out of the room. The Orquette, who was by the weapons, tossed the rapier toward the human being pulled, “Cassie!.”

Casios stuck his hand up and the handle gracefully fit in his palm, like a team working in perfect unison, “Thank you, Raka,” He said lazily.

Zeke pulled Casios into the wider tunnel with one hand and slammed his fist down on him with the other. Casios twisted his body and pulled his legs apart, springing free from the hold Zeke had on him and having Zeke’s fist slam into the rocks.

“Ahh!”

“Zeke, I presume,” Casios said, “The third floor mob boss. How are you? A little cramped, I suppose.” Casios slid his rapier along Zeke’s arm, drawing blood from above his elbow to below his shoulder, “We thought when we slipped straight through to the fourth floor that we wouldn’t have to deal with you.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t wanna deal with me either.” Zeke launched his horns at Casios, Casios stuck his rapier, twirled and gently nudged Zeke’s horns into the rock wall, where Zeke was now stuck in the rock.

The Orquette grabbed her longsword and turned and faced Sal, but the rush of the water was helping them keep their distance.

Raka grabbed her knife and chucked it at Sal, who dodged. His throat glewed orange and he puffed a ball of fire at Raka, who stuck her longsword up. The blade shimmered orange as the ball collided with it and dispersed, backing Raka into the wall.

“Fire resistant sword!” Sal cried out to Kip.

Raka stuck her longsword up to slice at Sal but another rush of frigid ice water pushed her down to her knees. The Orc pointed at the burst pipe and said, “Baela!” She tossed the metal staff at the elven woman.

“On it.” The elven woman pointed her staff at the burst pipe, “Frios!” The beam connected with the burst pipe, covering the hole in ice.

The dwarf had not been pushed. He’d smartly buried his axe in the wall, and was right next to where Kip was.

“Well, Dark Lord,” The dwarf said, “Not quite the same as the real one, but let’s make it fun.”

He unplugged his axe from the wall and got ready to strike. Kip shouted to Sal, still inside the hot tub.

“Sal! Heat up!”

“You got it, Kip!” Sal’s entire slithering body released an intensely flammable oil. An internal organ inside of him that worked similarly to a combustion engine clicked, releasing a spark and engulfing him in flames. This protective measure was normally meant to have predators and potential dangers be scared to approach, but in a hot tub of water in an enclosed space, it had another unintended side effect. Stealth.

The heat from Sal caused the hot steam to completely cover the small room. The average person couldn't see three inches from your face.

The dwarf committed to his axe strike, but found nothing but rockwall. Kip had escaped, grabbed Sal and pulled him out.

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“Baela!” Dwarf cried.

“I’m trying,” Baela said, “not enough wind current!” Baela said through the haze, “Everyone find your way out!”

Kip and Sal slipped into the clearing, the smog pouring out and saw Casio’s blade to Zeke’s neck.

“Farther than I thought, puny Dark Lord.” Casios said. Then, to his team, said, “They’ve escaped! They’re out here!”

Kip looked at Sal then back at Zeke, who was stuck in the rock wall.

“GPW?” Sal asked Kip.

“Coming soon, I imagine!” Kip said.

“Let’s keep’em busy ‘til then!” Zeke yelled.

Zeke grabbed the edges of the wall and pulled himself out, taking out a big slab of rock still attached to his horns. He kicked backward, landing a punt right on Casios’ chest and launched him. Casios flipped and skirted along the ground, then leapt toward Zeke. Zeke turned around just in time, placing up the rockwall still mounted on his horns as a shield. Casios’ rapier sliced through it and the rock wall crumbled around Zeke.

Kip wanted to help, but the rasping sound of a sharp weapon being dragged along the hard ground distracted him. He looked over and as the fog drooled into the larger clearing, he saw a large green muscular woman, holding onto her sword. She picked it up and leapt out, slicing at Kip. Kip jumped backward and fell down.

Sal shot a big burst of flame from his mouth. A fireball hit the Orc on her back. Kip attempted to scratch but his dulled claws did nothing. Raka punched Kip in the throat. He spun backwards and gagged as he recovered his breath. The Dwarf rolled out next, Sal jumped up and skittered up the wall with his suction cups. He made it onto the ceiling when the dwarf took out a hand axe and tossed it. Sal rushed past its trajectory and it stuck to the ceiling, barely missing his tail.

He shot another fireball at the dwarf, who proudly stuck his chest out, tanking the fireball shot. The dwarf took a step back from the might of the blast but had held firm, “And I was worried this wouldn’t be fun!” Said the dwarf.

Kip, Sal, and Zeke were outnumbered and outpowered. No GPW in sight. Kip heard that same wretched word again, spoken in almost a sing-songy voice, “Frios!” A jet of pale blue light emerged from the steam. Kip jumped up with his hands up. Sal dropped his torso, still stuck to the ceiling. He grabbed Kip’s arms and pulled him upward, avoiding the beam.

“Wasn’t aiming for you.” Baela said as the blue beam hit Zeke square in the back. Zeke let out a cry of pain as his back bristled with frost burn. Chunks of ice crystalized as Zeke fell to his knees. Casios took his blade and sliced open Zeke’s belly. A clean line of red dripped down Zeke’s abdomen and Zeke fell on his hands as well.

The orc stood up, using her sword as her cane, grabbed Kip’s leg and pulled. Sal tried to resist but she was too strong. Kip let go of Sal and let the she-hulk bring him to the ground, where he let out a large ‘oof!” The salamander dropped down on Raka. Casting himself on fire again. Raka howled as she tried to get Sal off him. The dwarf whipped Sal off with the broadside of his axe.

“Come on, Raka.” he said, “Hold your own. Can’t be making yourself look bad fighting a tiny kobold and a wee gecko.

She stumbled outward, hands on her long sword. Kip grabbed a wrench from his tool kit and chucked it at her. She blocked it with a broadsword and said, “Tools?”

“Deal with the rabble, Raka,” Casios said, “If you can.”

Casios chuckled as he stuck his sword into the neck of the minotaur. The weapon dug into Zeke’s tough hide and he let out a wince as some blood poured down from the blade.

“How do you all get in here?” Kip asked.

Casios smiled and said, “The lovely Baela noticed the ripples in the water were connected to the pipe. Then she turned us into fishes and we were able to swim down. We met those nasty Dark Dwarves but they were unprepared to deal with us!” Casios flipped his hair back, “And with that, we realized we had a shortcut to the fourth floor.

“That… damn hot tub.” Kip winced.

Cassios kept his sword pressed to Zeke’s neck, “Now, do surrender so we can be on our way. We’d like a guide to show us the rest of the way”

“This is for the best child,” the dwarf said, “We’re mercenaries after all. Gold is what we want. Let us have it and we’ll be on our way.”

Kip stuck his hands up as the dwarf put the axe lightly to Kip’s neck. Raka placed her long sword at Sal’s back. The dwarf then lightly said into Kip’s ear hole, “It was a bloody valiant effort. Let’s not waste it, now.”

Kip sighed and placed his hands down. Where was it? The GPW? Just when he thought it was over, he felt it. Deep in his belly. A slight rumble inside of his stomach acid, from the vibrations coming deep in the earth.

The rumble slowly got bigger and bigger, so much so that the enemies could not ignore it.

“GPW?” Zeke asked through the pain.

“Oh, yes,” Kip said softly.

“What is that?” Said Casios, “GPW? What is it?”

“That’s the mob boss for this floor. Xyrgl. The Giant Purple Worm.”