Soon enough the dungeon opened in front of the group of people.
The dungeon gate loomed tall and foreboding, its surface pulsing with eerie, greenish light.
Victor stood before the group, after what happened earlier he didn't feel like giving a peptalk but he gritted his teeth and went with it anyway.
"inside dungeons team work is key, you're all grown up so I am not going to order you around, but remember that you're life is within your teammates hands" Victor announced. His voice firm.
Max glanced at the others. Julio was adjusting the positioning of his floating starfishs, Nicholas's massive frame seemed to grow as he prepared for his transformation, Leandro summoned two 3m tall birds, and Jimmy just stood at the back with his short monkey pet.
The other group lead by Kane stood to the right, and Max simply ignored them.
.
"Let's move," Max said simply, his wings unfurling with a faint metallic rustle.
They stepped through the gate, the world shifting around them.
The two group emerged into a vast graveyard shrouded in a dense, unnatural mist. The air was cold and damp, the silence broken only by the faint creak of old branches and the distant sound of dirt shifting. Rows of ancient tombstones stretched as far as the eye could see, their inscriptions worn away by time.
"I don't like this," Arabelle muttered, keeping her sniper rifle close.
Kane looked at Max but before he could speak Max interrupted him. "no need to play nice, each team walk separately but not far from each other."
After a moment of thought Kane just nodded, as the two groups went forward.
Julio's starfishs floated ahead, their faint blue glow illuminating the area.
Max scanned the horizon, his sharp eyes catching faint movements in the mist. "Upcoming enemy, Stay close."
From Xrak, Max knew that the current dungeon was just above average in difficulty compared to other special types of dungeons, instead of the unbeatable set up they had before Max came into the picture.
'huh! In a way this bunch own me their lifes.'
As Max was thinking to himself, The first wave came without warning. Skeletons clawed their way out of the ground, their hollow eyes glowing with malevolent light. They rose in unison, forming a semicircle around the group, their rusted weapons gleaming dully in the mist.
Max wasted no time. He took to the air with a powerful beat of his wings, twin pistols appearing in his hands.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His shots rang out in quick succession, each one precise and deadly. Skeletons crumbled under the barrage, but more kept coming. Every fourth shot exploded in a burst of golden energy, scattering bones in all directions.
"Focus fire on the ones closest to us!" Max called out, reloading with a flick of his wrist.
Julio's starfishs sprang into action, their beams of blue light cutting through the undead ranks. He moved with fluid precision, switching places with one of his pets just as a skeleton lunged at him, narrowly avoiding its blade, while the pet had to deal with the skeleton, he kept teleporting like this in perfect coordination with his pets.
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Nicholas let out a low growl, his body shifting as he transformed into his half rhino form. His fists ignited with flames, and he charged into the fray, smashing through skeletons like a living battering ram. The ground shook with each of his steps, and flaming craters marked where his fists had landed.
"Keep pushing forward!" Nicholas roared, his voice deep and guttural.
Kane with a half tiger transformation, he impressively stood the frontline of the second group almost alone, other then some pets assisting him.
Arabelle hung back, her sniper rifle trained on the larger skeletons wielding two handed weapons. Her shots were precise, with her scanning skills.
While The protective barrier from her bracelet shimmered faintly in front of her, blocking stray attacks but doing little to steady her nerves.
...
Back to Max's side, Leandro's summons held the line with Nicholas, while Jimmy, kept casting defensive skills as a supporte with the help of his pet. He created glowing barriers to shield the group from incoming projectiles and to disrupt the skeletons' movements.
The battle was relentless. For every skeleton they destroyed, two more seemed to rise from the ground. The group fought tirelessly, their movements growing more coordinated as they adapted to the undead's unending assault.
Max easily dodged the arrows, and spears thrown at him being completely safe with the advantage of flight.
The fight kept going for hours as the two teams advanced slowly.
Among the group only Max didn't feel any strain because he didn't use any of his skill or abilities simply relying on his twin pistols.
Bang! Bang.
Max swooped low, firing another golden shot into a cluster of skeletons. The bullet penetrated a good number of skeletons before hitting the ground.
Looking at the exhausted group, and the numbers of undead, Max couldn't help but feel impressed with this dungeon, not in it's current simple straight forward form, but the layout before he came into the picture.
He asked Xrak about it, and Xrak told a little about it, and from what he heard, even while using all his Trump cards the chances of clearing it were Slim, it was a perfect cooperation between trolls, necromancers, dwarves, and Xrak's race, each bringing their expertise to to the table.
' Clearing dungeons is a dangerous business, especially considering my luck, thankfully I won't be doing that.'
With his relationship with Xrak, even if he had to go into a dungeon for some reason he won't be going completely blind unlike others who were risking their life with every dungeon.
....
As the group approached the center of the graveyard, the mist thickened, and the air grew colder. A towering mausoleum came into view, its ancient stone walls covered in glowing runes. The groans of the undead grew louder, more desperate, as if warning them to turn back.
From the shadows of the mausoleum, a figure emerged. The necromancer was tall and gaunt, his tattered robes billowing in an unseen wind. His staff, adorned with a glowing green crystal, pulsed with dark energy.
"Intruders," he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You will join my army."
With a wave of his staff, the ground erupted as dozens of armored skeletons clawed their way to the surface. These were larger and more menacing than the ones they had faced before, their movements unnervingly swift.
Max took to the air again, his pistols blazing as he targeted the armored skeletons. His golden shots created small explosions that slowed their advance but did little to stop them completely.
"Nicholas, take the big ones!" Max shouted, dodging a spear hurled in his direction.
Nicholas charged forward with a bellow, his flaming fists smashing through the armored ranks. The skeletons' enchanted armor slowed him down, but his raw strength and firepower made steady progress.
Julio's pets zipped through the battlefield, their beams of light focusing on the necromancer's staff. Each hit caused the crystal to flicker, but the necromancer retaliated with bursts of dark magic, forcing Julio to constantly switch positions to avoid being struck.
Kane's group decided to guard the perimeter, preventing the countless Undead from surrounding Max's group as they delt with the necromancer.
The necromancer raised his staff, summoning a wave of necrotic energy that swept toward the group. Jimmy reacted quickly, casting a protective barrier that absorbed the brunt of the attack but shattered under the force.
Max swooped in low, firing a golden shot directly at the necromancer's staff. The explosion cracked the crystal, sending a shockwave of energy rippling outward.
Although he could of simply ended the fight with a lightning bolt or his shotgun, but he chose not to, since he can't silence everyone on the scene afterwards.
"He's vulnerable!" Julio shouted, directing his pets to focus fire on the necromancer.
Nicholas closed the distance with a roar, delivering a fiery uppercut that sent the necromancer sprawling. The necromancer's form began to waver, his energy rapidly depleting.
"This isn't over," the necromancer rasped, his voice fading as his body dissolved into ash.
The graveyard fell silent, the remaining undead crumbling into dust. The group stood amidst the wreckage, their breaths heavy but their resolve unbroken.
In the distance, the outline of a massive building loomed, its shadow stretching across the graveyard like a sinister omen.