The atmosphere within the dungeon was tense yet oddly srizing. Each floor they descended revealed new challenges, from increasingly formidable enemies to intricate traps.
The group had been at it for hours, and despite the exhaustion settling into their bones, none of them was willing to quit.
The sixteenth floor had high stone walls carved with ancient runes that glowed blue. Dust floated lazily in the air, disturbed only by their movents. Pieces of broken armor and discarded weapons littered the ground.
[ Trap Activated ]
A net of sharp wires suddenly sprang out from the wall as the group moved forward. August reacted swiftly, using his Dash skill to leap out of its path.
"Watch out!" he called while grabbing Viora's arm and yanking her out of harm's way.
Gareth managed to slice through part of the trap with his sword, while Drask braced himself against the wires, breaking them with sheer force.
"Close one," Torin muttered while dusting off his armor. "This dungeon is worse than any I've seen before."
As they pressed forward, the group ca across a series of hidden treasure chests. Aria, ever cautious, warned, "These could be mimics. Let check first."
She cast a Detection Aura, revealing three normal chests and one mimic.
"Figures," Drask said while hefting his axe. "I'll deal with it."
The mimic burst out of its disguise, gnashing its sharp teeth and lunging at Drask. August swooped in, striking at its flank with his Hidden Strike skill. Gareth finished it off with a crushing blow from his shield, sending loot scattering across the ground.
---
[ System Notification: Loot Acquired ]
[ Item: Reflective Ring ]
[ Effect: 10% chance to reflect damage back to the attacker. ]
[ Common Item: Gold Coins (x50) ]
[ Uncommon Item: Enchanted Chainmail Fragnt ]
[ Effect: Slightly increases defense when combined with matching armor. ]
The group divided the spoils, with August receiving the Reflective Ring. "Guess I'll take this one," he said before slipping it onto his finger.
"Careful," Torin quipped. "You're starting to look like a loot goblin."
"Better a loot goblin than an arrogant ranger," August shot back, earning a round of chuckles from the group.
Despite their earlier reservations about him, Torin and Drask were beginning to warm up to August. The latter slapped August on the back after another fight with a group of knights.
"You know," Drask voiced while grinning, "for soone who ca in under-leveled, you're holding your own pretty damn well."
Torin, ever the critic, nodded begrudgingly. "You're not bad. If Aria hadn't vouched for you, I'd have kicked you out by now, but I can see why she trusts you."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," August replied dryly, earning more laughter.
Even Viora, usually shy and reserved, chid in softly. "You're really not bad August. Thanks for the help earlier."
Aria added with a sly smile, "I told you all, didn't I? He's got potential. If you ever feel like joining Phoenix Celestial, let know."
August shook his head. "Guilds aren't really my thing, but maybe I'll do business with you all soday. Who knows?"
The group finally reached a massive set of doors at the end of the hallway. The doors were embossed with the image of a towering figure wielding two swords. Its eyes glowed faintly as if watching them.
"Boss room," Aria announced with a firm tone. "Sa deal as always—focus, work together, and don't get cocky."
Gareth tested the doors, pushing them open with a heavy creak. A gust of cold air rushed out, sending chills down their spines.
[ System Notification: Boss Encounter ]
[ Warning: You are entering a Boss Room! ]
[ Boss Detected: Ancient Guardian Soralak (Level 22) ]
[ HP: 12,000 ]
[ Skills: Fiery Strike, Ground Pound, Frenzied Spin ]
The room was enormous with its ceiling stretching impossibly high. Treasures glimred in the corners, though the centerpiece was the beast standing before them.
Soralak was a massive, furry creature, its twin swords glinting ominously in the faint light.
"Holy hell," Drask muttered. "That thing's got muscles on its muscles."
"I'm guessing diplomacy isn't an option?" August quipped while gripping his dagger.
Aria smirked. "Not unless you can speak 'angry monstrosity.' Let's take it down."
"Why do they always have swords?" Torin questioned with a bothered look.
"Ancient SWORDKING dungeon an anything to you?" August responded sarcastically.
The boss roared before slamming one of its swords into the ground. The impact sent fiery shockwaves rippling through the room, forcing the group to scatter.
"Drask, take aggro!" Aria commanded. "Torin, cover the backline. Viora, keep us healed. Gareth, August, stay mobile and flank it when you can!"
Drask charged in with a yell while swinging his axe forward. It clashed against one of the beast's swords. Sparks flew as Soralak roared and swung its other blade toward him. Gareth intercepted with his shield but the blow still sent him sliding backward.
August circled around, using Dash to get close before landing a precise hit with Hidden Strike on the creature's exposed flank.
---
[ System Notification: Critical Hit! ]
[ Soralak HP: -800 ]
"Nice shot, Aleman!" Aria called before unleashing a Frost Nova that temporarily slowed the boss's movents.
The battle raged on as the group worked together to whittle down the beast's HP.
At one point, Soralak activated Frenzied Spin, forcing everyone to retreat as it whirled its swords around in a deadly arc.
"Keep your distance!" Aria shouted. "Wait for it to stop!"
As the boss slowed, August spotted an opening and darted in, landing another critical hit before retreating.
When the boss turned toward August, Torin opened a volley of glowing arrows on its back, chipping so of its HP.
The others continuously attacked in synergy and even when they got hit sotis, Viora always cast restoration spells to heal them.
When the boss's HP finally reached zero, it let out a deafening roar before collapsing.
They were fortunate enough that this boss didn't have a frenzy mode or things would have gotten much more difficult.
---
[ System Notification: Boss Defeated! ]
[ Rewards Unlocked: Access to Floor 17 ]
[ Loot: Soralak's Blade (Unbound) ]
[ Uncommon Loot: Reinforced Armor Plating ]
[ Gold Coins: 150 ]
---
The group quickly divided the spoils with Gareth getting the Blade since he was a warrior while they shared the rest amongst each other.
"Well," Aria said with a grin, "Sixteen floors down, only eighty-five to go."
The group descended onto the seventeenth floor, finding themselves in a very different space.
Their boots crunched softly against the oddly floral ground as they stepped forward. Unlike the previous floors, which were either barren or ominous, this one felt almost serene.
The air was fragrant, filled with the scent of blooming flowers that dotted the landscape ahead. Glowing crystals phased gently in and out of the walls, pulsing like faint heartbeats. Their shimring light painted the cavern in a surreal hue, making the surroundings appear ethereal.
"Well, this is... different," Aria remarked with a cautious tone cautious as she scanned the area. "I don't trust it."
Drask smirked, gripping his axe tightly. "Too peaceful. Bet it's just the calm before so giant monster cos roaring out."
[ System Notification: New Event Activated - The Mischievous Spirit ]
[ Instructions: Follow the spirit and mimic its actions. ]
---
Before the group could react to the notification, a childish laugh echoed through the cavern.
It seed to co from every direction, bouncing off the crystalline walls. The laughter was sweet but had an unsettling, hollow quality that made their skin crawl.
Gareth raised his sword as his eyes darted around. "That's... unsettling."
"Agreed," Viora whispered while stepping closer to Aria for reassurance.
The group advanced cautiously with their weapons drawn. Just ahead, a figure erged. It was a young girl, seemingly no older than eight. Explore more at empire
Her translucent form shimred with a faint blue glow, and she skipped around the flowers, giggling as if completely oblivious to the intruders.
"That's no ordinary NPC," August muttered while resting his hands on his dagger. "She's glowing."
"Look at the system notification," Aria said. "We're supposed to mimic her. That ans no attacking."
Drask raised an eyebrow. "You want us to play follow-the-leader with a glowing ghost child? This dungeon's getting weirder by the floor."
"Just do it," Aria ordered. "I'm not in the mood for 'consequences.'
Reviews
All reviews (0)