Enya’s body jerked as the boss charged at her with terrifying speed, the same crushing anxiety flooding her senses as when the demon rat had pursued her down the hall. Each step of the skeleton knight sent vibrations coursing through the arena, its armored feet hammering the ground, locked entirely onto its target.
Her heart pounded, thumping faster and faster, cold sweat prickling her skin. With a glance at the monster, Enya turned and bolted, but her legs felt like heavy stone. She ran forward, sluggish and clumsy, while the boss took powerful, leaping strides, quickly closing the distance between them.
In just a few seconds, it was nearly upon her. Its towering bone sword lifted high above its head, preparing to deliver a fatal diagonal strike.
Enya's head snapped back toward the monster as everything around her seemed to slow to a crawl. Her eyes flared with sharp clarity, and the world came into focus as her mind kicked into overdrive. She could see Stupidface dashing toward the boss from behind, its reckless charge filled with determination, but it was too late—it wouldn’t reach her in time.
The boss’ sword, gleaming with reflected light, rose higher. Enya could see every movement, as if time itself had stretched thin. She traced the exact path the sword would follow in her mind, watching as the mana that animated the boss pulsed through its body. For a brief moment, she saw double—its physical form of layered bone and the intricate web of mana keeping it together.
In a last-ditch effort to evade, Enya forced her stiff legs to push off the ground. She launched herself into a desperate leap, arms outstretched, body flattened in the air. Her mind flashed back to the pain she'd felt the last time she tried this move, lunging onto the ground to avoid the dire zombie in the study.
Bang!
Massive chunks of rubble and debris shot into the air as the ground split behind Enya. She felt a gust of air rush past her as she tumbled forward, barely keeping ahead of the destruction. Instinctively, she crossed her arms in an X-shape over her face, bracing for impact. When she hit the ground, the shockwave from the skeleton knight’s strike amplified the force of her landing.
“Argh!” she gasped, the air knocked out of her lungs. The yellow glow in her eyes flickered erratically, waging a war between persistence and the urge to fade.
Despite the pain throbbing through her body, Enya forced herself to flip onto her back. Her gaze snapped toward the dust cloud rising from the small crater just a few meters away. Through the haze, the boss's blue soul-flames locked onto her, burning with cold, unwavering focus. Her heart plummeted as the boss yanked its bone sword from the ground, rubble scattering easily from the motion. It turned toward her, stepping forward without hesitation.
Three quick breaths. Enya held the fourth, feeling her lungs strain under the pressure. The boss took another step, closing the distance, its sword rising again, poised to strike.
But Enya’s expression hardened. Fierce determination replaced the panic as magic surged into her palm, a spell circuit flickering to life in an instant. She thrust her hand forward, all fingers spread wide and pronged, her spell ready to be unleashed.
Mana: 26/30
As the skeleton knight's third step crashed into the ground, its sword rose high—the earth beneath suddenly rumbled in response. Sensing the tremor, it instinctively shifted, raising its shield just in time. The stone floor beneath it cracked and buckled as a bone spear erupted from the ground, aiming straight for the skeleton's chest, which was now being blocked by its shield.
The spear’s tip slammed into the flat surface of the bone shield with a sharp, grinding noise. Splinters and fragments of bone flew in all directions as the spear’s point shattered, unable to pierce the impenetrable defense of the bone buckler. But the spear didn’t stop—it was only half-formed, still extending forward, now a thick, blunt pillar of force and momentum. As the attack struck, the skeleton knight was lifted off the ground, its body being forcefully propelled away several meters by sheer force of the impact.
The boss let the force carry it, relenting to its push. The bone spear continued to grow, reaching its full height and leaving the knight staggering a few meters backward, momentarily distanced from Enya. Her view was obstructed by the spear’s base, but she could just make out the boss’s shadowy figure.
With another three quick breaths, Enya jerked her head forward, trying to pull herself upright. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the boss, already preparing to follow up with another charge. But for the moment, immediate danger was averted—the spear had bought her a precious few seconds.
The boss, though unharmed, shifted its weight into a dashing stance. Its skull flicked to the left—but it was too late. It raised its shield, but not in time to fully block the incoming attack.
Squee!
Bang!
The skeleton knight blurred in Enya’s vision as it was sent flying straight into the wall. The force of the impact sent tremors through the stone, and the wall fractured with a deafening crack, bursting into chunks that vanished in a haze of dust. Two deep lines spread out from the point of collision like jagged scars. The boss was swallowed in the mist of stone debris.
Just beyond the dust cloud, Enya glimpsed a long, segmented bone tail whipping through the air.
Squeak!
It was Stupidface. It caught up quickly, using the precious seconds bought by her bone spear to land a powerful blow. Enya's breath was ragged as she forced herself to her feet, her body aching and trembling. She needed to get away from the chaos of frontline battle, but her body ached as she moved.
Within moments, Dummy D. darted in front of her, shielding her from harm, while Walnut circled around the shattered wall, closing in on the crater. Bonehead, still recovering from his earlier stumble, began hauling his massive form upright, his movements slow and cumbersome.
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The tail slam from Stupidface was brutal—far stronger than anything any of her other minions could withstand, save maybe Bonehead. But even with such strength, Enya could see the skeleton knight stirring again. Its shield had absorbed at least half of the attack.
It hopped out of the crater effortlessly, its figure emerging through the dust, standing tall and undeterred. The blue flames in its skull flickered as it scanned its enemies, its gaze zoning in on Stupidface, the one who had dared to strike it. Without hesitation, it charged forward, shield raised and sword ready to strike.
The boss's blade sliced through the air, narrowly missing Stupidface as the skeletal rat leaped back, but its wounded shoulder was slowing it down, leaving it dangerously exposed.
Enya, who ran away and gathered some distance, was now near the far side of the room, noticed the injury, and was finally able to focus. She stretched out her hand, and with a quick flicker of energy, a glowing spell frame appeared in her palm. The mana circuits linked together, and the shattered bones in Stupidface’s shoulder began to mend, regenerating under her control.
Meanwhile, the boss’s relentless strikes continued, each swing missing its mark but crashing into the floor, sending shockwaves through the ground and filling the air with the deafening clamor of destruction. Stupidface, now restored, retaliated with a few swift tail swipes, but the skeleton knight deflected every hit effortlessly with its solid bone shield.
From the boss's right, Walnut surged forward, his sword cutting through the air in a wide horizontal slash. The sound of metal meeting bone echoed as Walnut’s sword connected with the knight’s arm. However, the blow barely left a mark—a shallow graze that seemed insignificant against the boss's reinforced body.
In response, the knight brutally lashed out. It raised its arm and smashed its fist against Walnut's sword, sending a tremor through the blade. A sharp crack split the air as Walnut's weapon shattered down the middle.
Walnut stumbled back, forced to retreat as the one-sided sword now only a ghost of its former self.
The boss’s eyes locked onto the pitiful skeleton before it. Its weapon was now gone—an easy target to kill. It turned and lunged forward, sword sideways and parallel to the ground—aiming to cut the puny skeleton in half.
Enya—far away from the fight, placed her backpack down and took a sip of one of her many mana potions. She wiped away the blue liquid from her mouth and raised her hand forward.
Mana: 24/30
Just as the boss closed in on Walnut, the ground between them erupted. A bone spear jutted out once more, impaling the knight directly in its chest, striking the sternum with a heavy crack. The sharp, splintering sound echoed through the arena, but the spear, though stronger than before, still wasn’t enough to break through its dense armor.
The knight staggered, and Enya's mental command surged through her minions like a silent rallying cry: Come on, Bonehead, it’s your turn...you got this!
Bonehead didn't disappoint. With a sudden burst of power, the bone spear pushed harder, sending the skeleton boss tumbling across the stone floor in a violent spiral. As the knight finally rolled to a stop, dust swirling around its fallen form, dark, lined shadows loomed over it. They rapidly converged into one massive silhouette—the colossal form of Bonehead's fist.
The boss looked up just in time to see the impending doom above. It quickly raised its shield, but the position was weak. Flat on its back with no leverage from its legs, there was no way it could muster the same defensive force as before.
Bonehead's enormous fist descended, carrying all its weight and momentum, aimed to end the fight once and for all. His fist slammed straight onto the bone buckler, with a loud thrum.
Stupidface seized the moment, charging forward after carefully prowling around, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. With its shoulders now fully repaired, it sprinted at breakneck speed, a blur of bones and determination.
As the boss struggled to lift and deflect Bonehead’s enormous fist, a shadow approached swiftly from the side.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Bone chips exploded into the air as Stupidface’s tail lashed out, each hit targeting the knight’s arm, chipping away at its defenses while it strained against the weight of Bonehead’s attack.
Walnut was quick to follow suit, bolting forward. He discarded his shattered sword, flinging it aside without a second thought. He reached down towards his waist and unlatched a small cloth that held his spare dagger, and crouched low on the opposite side of Bonehead’s descending fist. With fierce determination, he began to stab repeatedly, each precise thrust aimed at the boss’s layered arms.
Enya’s eyes narrowed as she observed the chaos unfolding. Her gaze flicked to Dummy D., who stood beside her, a silent guard ready to spring into action.
Go! she commanded.
Without even glancing back, Dummy D. reacted instinctively, the command embedded in his very essence. He sped forward, eager to join the fight alongside Stupidface and Walnut, all of them working together to defeat the dungeon boss.
Enya refocused back on the skeletal knight. If she used a full power mana spear, there was a chance that she could even kill the boss, or atleast snap its body in half. However, if she used it right now, there was a chance its body was sturdy enough to endure the attack, and it would result in it, and Bonehead’s fist being pushed upwards. If that happened, then the boss would be free from its current struggle.
Too risky, she concluded. Instead, she opted for a different skill.
Her senses enveloped the upper arm bone supporting the knight’s shield, intent on shifting its structure just enough to create a moment of weakness. Mana surged through her, and she concentrated on shifting the bone with maximum force. While it might only cause a minor fumble at best—and the boss was far tougher than the average skeleton—every little bit of disruption counted.
Mana: 19/30
Pressure surged against the skeleton knight’s arm bones, the radius, ulna, and the layered bone protecting them, straining under the force of her magic. But as she suspected, it didn’t amount to much. She wasn’t even certain if it had any effect at all, even with her heightened senses wrapped around the boss like a tight grip.
Within moments, Dummy D. arrived beside her, mimicking Walnut’s efforts to strike at the knight’s vulnerable upper arm.
Just… a little more, she urged silently. You can do this; we’re so close!
The boss was pinned down, straining against the weight of Bonehead’s fist while all of Enya’s minions worked tirelessly to chip away at its defenses. Hope and determination surged through her as the battle unfolded. With each passing moment, the boss lost more bone mass, its armor peeling away layer by layer. Bonehead’s fist descended ever closer to the ground, and Stupidface’s tail lashes delivered the most impactful blows, each crack echoing like the sound of a bone spear shattering against stone.
A large fracture splintered down the boss’s arms, and the distance between Bonehead’s fist and the ground shrank rapidly. The knight’s arm remained intact but its internal structure was now severely weakened, teetering on the brink of being completely crushed.
Just as victory began to flash in front of her eyes like a vision, she felt an unsettling disturbance—a massive one. Waves of mana rippled out from the boss and rushed through the arena, pouring into the very ground beneath her. The intricate circular designs etched into the stone floor glowed ominously, the patterns narrowing toward the center of the room.
The entire arena shook, and Enya’s eyes burned with bright yellow light as she tried to comprehend what was unfolding around her. But no matter how fiercely she focused, something felt off. Her eyes began to deceive her. The world tilted on its axis, and the walls and ceiling began to erupt violently, sending debris cascading through the air.
Her heart sank, the situation spiraling into one far more dire than she could have imagined. She recognized this. She knew what was happening. Panic surged in her chest as the realization screamed out in her mental thoughts: the boss had somehow initiated a dungeon quake.