"What happened?" Albrot demanded as he and Elain rushed into the healer's building.

Ranus had created a large building in which numerous healers and priests worked. As they entered, they found it a hive of activity. Nimora stood in the centre of the main room as others rushed around her. She looked shocked, confused and lost. Albrot's voice caused her to focus and turn to the Guild Master. The front of her robes was covered in blood.

"I-I… W-we… It-it was too strong." She was still not thinking correctly. She was swaying on her feet, blood tricking from her eyes and nose.

"Nimora, are you injured?" Albrot asked, looking over her physical condition.

"No, she's fine. Just overwhelmed with what happened." It came from a priest of Ilinia. "She got her team out of the Dungeon and came here. I am amazed that she was able to do that."

"Mana sickness?" Ekain asked, not having taken her eyes off the other woman.

"Yes. She exhausted her mana getting here. She should have collapsed, but this was the result. It is the same as using too many skills too fast." The priest checked Nimora over.

"Came anyone tell us what happened?" Albrot asked more gently now.

"Not right now. Those who made it here are all in bad shape."

"Excluding Nimora, how many others?" Elain felt sick asking, but this was a bronze-grade team; she needed to know about anything capable of beating them hard.

The priest looked at them when he answered grimily. "Three others, all badly injured. One might not make it."

"Thank you, healer," Albrot said. "We will leave you to your duties. Come Guild Leader, we must return to the Guild."

The two walked back in silence. The Guild was chaos. The main room was packed, and the buzz of conversation and the sharpness of arguments were a near wall of noise. When they entered, it felt silent. A path opened, and they walked through the adventurers' single file, with Elian in the lead. All were watching them. Elain stopped on the third step and addressed the room.

"Team Captain Airspeaker took her team into the Dungeon this morning to explore the seventh floor. Two are now dead, and the rest are wounded. The seventh is graded silver tier as of right now. Go there at your own risk. Access is allowed again." She then went up the stairs to her office, followed by Albrot. The buzz of conversation began again. He closed the door behind them and activated his anti-scrying crystal.

"What a disaster." He sighed as he sat down across from her. Elain was looking at him sadly.

"Do you think I should have kept the Dungeon restricted?"

"No. Investigation teams are the first in, but no matter the result, the Dungeon is open as usual after they leave." He rubbed his forehead as he spoke with one hand.

"I want to send Moonborn and her team down there," Elain said while looking at the ceiling.

"They were planning on leaving, but now? They might take a crack at the floor." Albrot agreed with her. "Send word. We need to get ahead of this. Fear will only keep them back so long."

## ## ## ## ##

"I definitely made you too strong!"

I looked at the remains of the first group as the survivors were retreating. I knew that this team led by Nimora was a bronze-tier group. They had been slightly dismissive of the sixth until they met the Guardian. Now, two were dead on the carpet of moss, and the rest were running for their lives. Krag was returning to his throne wounded but victorious.

"Wrong! Krag strong. Krag win any fight!"

As we spoke, he was healing and repairing his damaged armour. Arrows were being pushed from his body as he healed, but the blood and body parts from the adventurers splattered across him were not moving. He rested his shield and mace against the throne.

"Yes, I can see that."

Fredrick, the fighter and the archer, Kyle, lay dead in the hall. He was crushed under Krag's assaults. I looted what little remained of their gear.

"Leave bodies." Krag rumbled.

"What… Why?"

"Tell enemies. Krag is strong. Make scared. Make Weak." He spoke. That was one of the most prolonged bouts of conversation yet from him.

"Ok. I will leave them."

In time, the most would grow over them, accelerating the flesh decomposition. I added a bit of moss to each body to speed this up. Calling them bodies were generous. They were more squashed piles of blood-soaked moss, crushed flesh and bone. Heavy mace backed with Krag's strength was no joke when it hit.

I sensed the group was gone from the Dungeon.

"I wonder how they will react to this?"

## ## ## ## ##

"We go in and clear the seventh floor. Then we are out." Sliva spoke in clipped tones to her team. This was a rush job, and they were unhappy to be called on. It would give them another boon token, but they hoped to have left today. Thankfully, the ship they were to go on was one of their people, and the captain had agreed to delay.

"No heroics. No foolish moves. I want to be gone on the morrow with you all. Understand?" She looked hardest at Asta when she said this.

"Understood." They all said.

"A bronze-tier group just got broken on the floor. We will not follow them to that fate." Asta went to say something, but Silva's look ended the words in her mouth.

She turned and led the team into the Dungeon again. They went through the entry room, ignoring the sharoon in the rafters watching them. They started down the stairs again, ignoring the floors as they walked down the spiral staircase. Deeper they went, their path lit by the soft blue light of the moss growing on the walls. They were silent, with tension in the group. They knew they were going into a dangerous new floor of the Dungeon. In Dungeons, the unknown is the greatest killer.

They reached the bottom of the stairwell. The room was the same as it was on the last floor. Stone slabs were littered around and stacked like they were ready to be used for further construction. On this floor, there was a pair of large doors. These are new for the Dungeon. Each door was a larger version of the doors found in other parts of the Dungeon.

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"We open the doors and look to see what we are dealing with." Sliva motioned for her group to move into a position facing west, where the doors were on that wall. With a nod to Dayon, he opened the doors. They swung open with no sound, as the doors were well balanced.

Looking into the room, they found yet another different environment. Torches lighted the room, and shields and crossed swords were on the walls to the north and south. Eight pillars, four on each side, ran up the room's length. The floor was carpeted with green moss that was growing thick and seemed healthy. What drew all their attention was the giant figure standing on the other side of the room.

"Ogre. Armour, mace and shield. Hit and run. Do not allow it to get too close." Sliva spoke her orders in their native language. "Keep moving and stay safe. Asta stay close. Engage."

Nothing else was said as they moved in and attacked. Sliva and Elron fired arrows at the ogre, who was not waiting and was advancing up the room to them. The shield was a door like they found in the surface building. It was tall and wide, even with it narrowing at the top. The first arrows hit it with a loud thunk, digging in and did no more.

Dayon was moving along the northern side of the room while Halo was to the south. The torches gave no deep shadows to help the [Thief], so she used the pillars as cover. Sliva noticed the ogre's head turning, tracking the two elves' locations.

"Aim for the head, Elron. Asta, be ready. We will need your magic. Target its head, elbows and knees." Sliva spoke as she drew her bow, aimed and sent another arrow at the ogre. It moved just as the arrow reached it, causing the arrow to strike its heavy iron helmet, deflecting it away. The shield stops Elron's arrow.

Dayon and Halo were looking for an opening. The ogre was striding forward, aware of them but concentrating on the archers. It seemed to see them as the more significant threat. It was tall and was closing the distance between them fast. Sliva and Elron kept losing arrows.

"Asta, now!" Sliva called out.

Asta gathered her magic and cast a spell at the ogre marching towards them. The [Arrow of Light] shot forth from her wand. The distance was not far, and the ogre had no time to respond. The spell hit it in the shoulder, but the ogre ignored it, continuing on. There was damage to the armour.

"The face Asta! The face!" Sliva yelled. "Dayon, we need an opening!"

He acted at her order. He was on the ogre shield side but was now slightly behind it.

"I am here, beast!" The ait ripples as he triggers a [Taunt]. The ogre stops trying to resist but is unable to do so. It turns and charges him with a roar. It was glowing slightly as the [Charge] skill was activated. This surprises Dayon, but he can avoid the mace swinging at him with [Sidestep Blow], one of his higher Path skills, but it stresses him.

Silva and Elron, in rapid succession, put arrows into the ogre's exposed back. The ogre did not slow as he continued to attack Dayon. Halo runs at the ogre's back. She has her blades out, short but wickedly sharp. She aims for the legs as arrows continue to hit the beast's back. Slowing the beast would be a significant boon. The blades slice at the armoured legs, aimed for the weak spots in the joints, causing the ogre to grunt in pain.

It stops and turns to look at Halo. She looks back at the face enclosed in the helmet and, in fear, realises the ogre is smiling. She tries to get back, but the ogre glows a deep purple, almost black.

"Magic!" She warns, but it is too late. Black tentacle arms erupt from her shadow on the ground, ensnaring her. The ogre swings its mace around, hitting her in her torso. This knocks her back through the air. Sliva saw this and was thankful the shaft of the mace hit her and not its head. That could have killed her.

"Asta, check on Halo! Dayon, keep it occupied!" Sliva kept issuing orders as she loosed arrows. "Elron, piercing attacks it's too tough for normal arrows."

Her team reacted, and the fight continued. Dayon attacked the ogre, hoping to keep it distracted as the archers wore it down. The ogre stepped into his attack, body-slamming him into the door/shield it was carrying. The impact knocked the [Vanguard] from his feet. Turning with speed, it had not shown before it was advancing on the archers again using its [Charge] skill.

The mace head collided with the ground where Sliva had been standing. Her [Enhanced Reflex's] saving her life. She was rolling away as Elron moved to give him distance to keep up the arrow attack.

Halo rejoined the fight. Pale-faced but attacked with a spell from Asta as cover. The [Arrow of Fire] hit its shield but was enough of a distraction to allow Halo to use [Multi thrust- 2 strikes] with each blade. Sliva could just make out her comrade's face and, combined with her injuries, utilising this skill so aggressively was causing her much pain.

The ogre grunted again in pain and tried to hit the thief again, but this time missed. Halo was moving as it swung. Dayon then moved in, but the ogre glowed purple again, and the tentacles ensnared him.

"Sliva! How in the name of the trees and stars is this ogre able to keep this up!" Asta called out panic, hinting at in her voice. The number of skills and spells being used almost back-to-back was beginning to frighten her, too.

"It's endurance must be massive. Keep attacking it!" Sliva replied. She was contemplating the order to retreat. This was more than they were expecting or ready for. It was a silver-tier monster that she was sure of.

An arrow enhanced with piercing skills and more spells hit the beasts. They wound it, but it was not slowing. The shield was saving it from much, but it was showing signs of the battle, as was the crude armour it was clad in.

Dayon was in front of it again but was body-slammed by another charge, knocking him back hard onto his back. The ogre was above him now with mace raised high to crush him.

“[Multi fire – 3 arrows], [Piercing Strike].” She heard as Elron unleashed a barrage of arrows. Using these skills on top of each other had a cost, which he knew and was willing to pay. The three arrows hit the armpit, exposed, digging in deep, causing a bellow of pain. Elron collapsed with blood flowing from his nose and eyes.

“Asta, get to Elron!” Sliva readied to use her attack skills and accept the cost. The ogre was using its other hand to pull the arrows from its armpit. They did not have long. “[Death Touched Arrow].”

A familiar dark energy surrounded her arrow as she sent it at her target. The ogre sensed the danger, turning but not fast enough as the arrow struck true and struck deep. It hit the ogre in its upper chest where its heart was, and the ogre staggered and then collapsed onto one knee. It coughed up blood as it bent forward.

"Hit it with everything you have now!" Sliva yelled, fighting back the pain and exhaustion of using that skill. Dayon, Halo and Asta did just that. Sliva fired arrows and was joined by Elron after finishing several potions he needed to get back on his feet.

Potions were far more potent than tonics and cost far more. They need every advantage in this fight, and she would not hold using them against him. The barrage of blows was getting to the ogre, but the fight was not yet over.

Tentacles ensnared Elron and Halo, who were introduced face-first to the ogre's shield. Dayon blocked a glancing blow from the mace on his shield, and Sliva heard his arm break, and he screamed in pain. Things were looking bad. She was about to order the retreat.

Asta made her move.

“[Greater Arrow of Light].” She yelled as the magic shot from her wand. The stress of that spell made her collapse. Sliva never knew that the young elf knew such a spell. Her aim was true this time, and the impact caused a bright flash of light. A bellow of pain was cut short as the ogre was knocked back and collapsed onto its back. Its face is a ruined mess of blood and burned flesh.

For a few moments, there was silence as they cleared their vision. They quickly came to the same conclusion about the ogre's status: dead.

The clatter of the reward appearing confirmed this.

"Check yourself over," Sliva ordered. She reached into a pouch and drank down a tonic. She was in rough shape, but it did not demand a potion.

"I am alive." Elron groaned.

"My arm is shattered, I believe." Reported Dayon.

"Multiple cracked ribs," Halo said.

“Mana backlash.” Ata said weakly.

They were done, and Sliva knew they could not go any further. Elron was up and slowly walking around the hall; it was too big to call it a room.

"Eighty silver coins." It took him time to recover the money, as bending over was a slow and taxing process at that moment. He continued to look around. "No other exits, it seems that…"

"What is it?" Sliva asked, concerned. Elron was standing next to the throne, looking at something behind it.

"Sliva, I need you to see this and ensure I have not taken a blow to the head." His tone was strange.

Sliva slowly went over to him. It was not a quick walk, but she made it. Looking behind the throne, she saw ……

"A Moonlight Rose, " she whispered. The other elves heard it nonetheless and looked around at her.

They soon stood beside the throne, looking at what was hidden behind it. The flower was sitting in a raised area, happily growing. To see one not under the light of the full moons was a strange feeling, but they were all ecstatic.

"Gods forgive us!" Sliva suddenly exclaimed. Causing others to look at her with concern. All apart from Asta soon understood why.

"What is wrong? This is an incredible find!"

"When we report it to the Guild, it will lead to a slaughter." Sliva sighed. "How much, Halo?"

"Fifty to seventy gold at least." The woman replied.

"Collect it, and let's go." Sliva was a middle-aged elf who was wearying of the adventurer's life, and her tone as she spoke reflected this.