The fight with the Hellhounds was brutal. Mikal was only able to heal everyone's burns and injuries just enough so that they wouldn't die or get infected. The Healer collapsed to his knees, completely exhausted, and his Will fully spent. Jeze assisted and was panting beside him. She looked around at the tunnel littered with the corpses of Hellhounds. A smile formed on her face.

"Frostsworn!" Dunar cried.

"Hurrah!" The others cheered back.

"Death called for us, and how did we answer?" The Leader roared.

"Oh, ho! Not today!" Helga shouted.

"Hurrah!" The Proven cheered.

"This type of achievement, where we push ourselves to our limits and succeed, leaves a mark upon our souls. It provides us with a key that will allow us to unlock even greater challenges!" Dunar stated.

"For Glory!" Rolfe roared.

"Hurrah!" The others cheered.

They each grimaced in pain from the injuries and burns along their bodies. Ziplocke enjoyed watching that.

"Knuckleheads!" The Goblin screeched.

Scorch marks lined the walls and their armor. Helga, Dunar, and Rolfe's shields were heavily damaged from fiery claw and bite attacks. Jeze's armor, even with her enchantment activated, was torn with reduced effectiveness. In addition, her long knife was warped from the flaming blood of the Hellhounds. True to Dunar's claim, only the Frostsworn weapons held up without damage. The battleaxe that Carl Jorgenson had gifted Jeze was unblemished.

"We rest here. Jeze scout ahead to make sure we won't have any trouble. Rolfe, watch the entrance, Helga, stay close to Jeze," Dunar ordered. When he saw that the Healer was asleep, he added, "Mikal, get some rest."

Jeze traveled down the tunnel with Helga close behind. The Scout saw no traps, and she dared not activate her glow globe in the darkness for fear of attracting attention.

"Oh, ho! It is dark," Helga whispered.

Jeze nodded and squinted into the inky black. She thought she saw something.

"Wait here," the Scout said.

Jeze proceeded quietly as a stalking wolf through the darkness, and she confirmed what she saw. A faint light was ahead and grew as she neared it. The tunnel opened into another cavern, and the light was coming from the flowing lava. Jeze crouched in the shadows and listened. She heard nothing but the hiss of the magma streams. The tunnel was not an ideal place to camp, but for now, it should be fine. Besides, they didn't have a choice. The team needed to rest and recover. Jeze and Helga returned and reported their findings to the others.

Rolfe was using spare hides and glue to repair the shields while Dunar hammered away at the torn and bent steel plates on their armor. Mikal napped and Ziplocke was about to throw a pebble at the Healer. Jeze glared at her familiar, and the Goblin stopped mid-throw.

"No fun," Ziplocke groaned as he sulked and disappeared into the shadows.

Jeze handed out recovery potions. She even nudged Mikal awake. The Healer scowled at her, and Jeze shoved the broth into his hands. Mikal slurped it up without further complaint.

"Jeze, since we repurposed the Floor Portal on the first level, will the Communication Scrolls work?" Dunar asked. The Leader retrieved his Scroll.

"No, I don't think so. We will need to establish an exit portal first. Give it a try, though," Jeze said.

Dunar shook his head. "The Scroll was burned."

"Along with everything else!" Mikal snapped. He was cranky.

Jeze motioned for the scroll and Dunar handed it to her. "I can repair this," she said and opened her pack to take out her Runic tools.

"I do not know if our armor will hold up after another encounter like this one," Rolfe stated as he handed Helga back her shield.

"This is fine work!" Helga exclaimed as she tested it out.

"Rolfe is right. We will need to purchase Devil Steel equipment," Dunar said.

Jeze repaired the Communication Scroll and gave it a try. Nothing. "No luck, team. There is no established Safe Zone yet on this level."

"Or maybe you didn't repair it correctly?" Mikal said.

Jeze glared at the Healer. Her hands balled into fists at her side. Dunar stepped in between the two and gently took the scroll from Jeze's hands.

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"Then we have no choice but to continue moving. Let us drink the recovery potions and rest. On the bright side, our weapons work, and our armor is repaired. We can fight!" The Leader said.

"Yes!" Helga cheered.

Rolfe banged his shield. Jeze let out a whoop.

"You three will alert every Hellhound and beast to our location," Mikal snapped.

"Knuckleheads!" Ziplocke spat.

"Relax, Micky. That would make our jobs easier, no?" Helga said and tussled the Healer's dark, curly hair.

"It is so hot in here! Never mind our gear. We may run out of water soon!" Rolfe said as he took a deep swig from his water skin.

The giant Protector removed his helm and wiped his sweaty blonde hair. Mikal activated an enchanted water brick they purchased earlier and filled up a bucket. The Proven each refilled their waterskins.

"At this rate, we have enough water for three days tops," the Healer observed.

Dunar nodded and said, "The plan remains the same. We rest, and when we are recovered we will continue on. Jeze, can you track where these Hellhounds came from? Perhaps it will lead us to a monster portal."

Jeze agreed. That was a good plan. Helga removed her helmet to wipe her sweaty brow. The warrior maiden looked around at the pile of dead Hellhounds.

"Oh, ho! Too bad none of us know how to skin these beasties. I wager we can fetch a pretty coin, no?" The Frostsworn Maiden observed.

"Typically, it is the Scout that does that," Mikal grumbled.

"Oh yeah? Well, let me see if I can add that to the list of skills that I already bring," Jeze snapped.

"That's enough, you two!" Dunar barked.

"A scavenger team will pay us for this, I'm sure," Helga said with a shrug of her broad shoulders.

"I wonder what can be done with Hellhounds?" Rolfe pondered.

"Many things! Their organs and hides are used for many enchantments! Their meat is supposedly very toxic unless prepared correctly. Then it can provide valuable nutritional benefits!" Ziplocke screeched.

The others arched their eyebrows. The Goblin gave information without receiving paste. That was rare. Jonah would have known what to do, Jeze reflected with sadness as she recalled her deceased friend. The Proven returned to resting. They finished their recovery broths, and Mikal checked on their injuries.

"Between my Life magic and Jeze's potions, we should be good enough to continue in an hour," Mikal noted.

"We will get a half-hour break, then," Dunar responded.

The Healer scowled and sat back down to sip on his recovery potion. Rolfe scratched his head.

"Jeze, you can create an exit portal from a monster portal? In the last level, you said you had to do the Floor Portal first. Why is that?" Rolfe asked.

"Like you would understand. Stick with being the Protector," Mikal muttered.

Rolfe looked at the floor. Jeze glared at Mikal as she rubbed the large man's shoulder.

"I traveled a dungeon before the Spire," Jeze said.

"Oh ya?" Helga asked, her attention captured.

"In it I discovered this tome," Jeze replied and pulled out the book she retrieved from the Pyramid.

"What does it say?" Dunar asked.

Mikal snorted, "Like any of you would know the intricacies of Rune magic."

"I bet you can't read it," Jeze wagered.

Mikal came over and flipped through the book. "I can read in three languages, but I can not read this. Is it written in gibberish? Wait, I recognize some of the Rune patterns. Is that the Light aspect? Fire?" The Healer looked up, his finger still on a page, and he asked, "Is this a holy book?"

"Sort of," Jeze said and shared with the Proven her encounter with Archon and her adventurers in the Pyramid.

Rolfe scrunched his eyebrows and scratched his head. "Does that mean there is no gift of immortality at the top?"

"There is no proof that there isn't," Mikal said.

Jeze rolled her eyes. She didn't want to have that argument again. Jeze also gave a silent prayer for Seb's soul, wherever it may be.

"These ancient Rune casters, the Ones from Before, they wrote this tome? Created the Rune patterns to corrupt the magical defenses of this Spire?" Dunar asked.

"Yes, that is why it is important that we get stronger so that we can finish what they started before it's too late. We need to make it all the way to the top! The fate of the world depends upon it," Jeze replied.

"Yes!" Helga roared, her eyes wide.

"We will be victorious!" Rolfe cried.

Mikal shook his head, dismayed. The Healer turned to Jeze and said, "Us Frostsworn also have similar stories. What you call the Ones from Before are known as the First Kings. The Frozen All Father's first sons. They were our ancestors, and they protected our realm."

"Frozen All Father? First Sons? Kings? Are there no women in your tales? Jeze asked.

Helga laughed out loud.

Mikal blinked and replied, "There are queens, and the All-Father had daughters that help with fertility and farming."

"Would be nice to have a tale about a warrior queen. Oh ho! Maybe I will become a legend, and stories can be written about me!" Helga boasted.

"I would enjoy such a tale," Rolfe added softly.

Helga punched him gently on his broad chest.

"I can't picture Helga farming or having kids," Mikal joked.

Helga's face became serious and she growled, "My kids would be strong as oxes."

"Proud warriors too, I wager," Rolfe added. "One that their father would be proud of."

Mikal's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the two. Helga blushed, and Rolfe coughed to clear his throat.

Ziplocke snickered, "Such fools you mortals can be!"

"Break time is over! Proven, form up!" Dunar barked.

The combination of discipline and a strong passion to succeed the team was able to quickly gather their gear and were prepared to leave without a single grumble or word of complaint. They had roughly three days to find and secure a Safe Zone before they ran out of water. Three days on the treacherous second level that was filled with lava and dangerous monsters.

"We move!" Dunar ordered.

The Proven marched down the tunnel toward the next cavern and toward untold danger.