Nyx wasn’t joking when he said he’d killed all the most annoying zombies.
On the way to Seraphine, we don’t encounter a single Rogue, Ranger, or Mage. Just Fighters and fodder. Clearing our way through them is made all the easier with Nyx running constant interference.
I’m not sure what all his Skills are, but it’s got something to do with thread or wire manipulation of some kind. As we progress, each group we ran into would suddenly start tripping over themselves, as if their feet were tied together.
Turns out they were.
Dozens of thin black thread ran along the ground, snaking through each group and causing absolute chaos wherever possible. At the same time, Nyx himself dashes through the battlefield with a hand-held crossbow in one hand and a dagger in the other, reaping unlives with expert precision.
He clearly isn’t very good at taking out large crowds, but he seems adept at disrupting them and buying time for Bella and I to do the rest.
What was a three minute walk for him to go from Seraphine to us turns into a half-hour long slog through stench and foul viscera. Only by the miracle of my choker do I keep myself clean.
It does nothing for the stench, though.
When we finally arrive, it’s to find Seraphine leaning against the wall, her eyes closed as if in meditation, spear resting beside her. Piles of dust lay scattered about the space, showing clear signs of a fight that she’d already won.
One eye slips open to peer at us from across the room, and upon recognizing us, she opens the other and gives us her full attention and meets us halfway, favoring Nyx with a smile.
“Took you long enough,” she says, her tone soft.
“Any issues while I was away?” Nyx asks.
I can’t see his face, but I swear I hear the smile in his voice.
“Nothing,” she says. “Doesn’t seem like the undead roam very much, or if they do it’s very slowly.”
Then they both look at me expectantly. I glance at Bella, only to find her doing the same.
“Yeah, alright,” I sigh. Then I point the direction that would lead us further down. “Do we know if the way forward is clear?”
Nobody answers, so I shrug. “Well, first order of business then—Nyx?”
“On it,” he says, then vanishes.
It only takes a couple of minutes for him to return, and I’m surprised to see him wearing a smile.
“Found the Dungeon.”
My tail swishes with excitement. “Any obstacles?”
“No traps I can detect, just the usual hordes of undead. Seems like they’re just the ones that leaked out.”
I nod along, tail swishing languidly behind me as I absorb the information.
One of the few things that didn’t change with the Update was that monsters could overflow from wild magic zones, even after being turned into Dungeons. The way to prevent it is also simple and straightforward:
Clear them out regularly.
One of the core functions of the Delvers Guild is to record how long each Dungeon takes to begin overfilling again and organize such clearings.
But the Academy’s Tunnels are completely closed off, instead using those strange teleportation platforms to get students into the tunnels. Given we have no way of knowing exactly how far they sent us, it’s no surprise that we’re facing an overflowing Dungeon.
I take a deep breath and organize my thoughts. “Right, let’s plan a little. I’ll lead the way, just in case there’s a trap Nyx couldn’t spot. I should be able to bounce back from just about anything.”
They all nod, so I continue.
“Nyx, you’re on assassination and disruption. If, heavens forbid, there are Healers at any point, take them out at all costs before anything else. Then the Mages, Rangers, and Rogues—in that order.”
He nods and begins fiddling with his hand crossbow, seemingly preparing for what’s next.
I turn to Seraphine. “I want you between me and Bella, picking off anything that gets past me. Otherwise, do as you see fit—so long as you’re able to defend Bella at all times.”
She nods. “I can do that.”
Then I look at Bella. She smirks, scarlet eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.
“Crowd control?” she asks before I can even say it.
I give her a fang-filled smile. “Crowd control.”
She nods.
“Should I worry about getting frozen?” Seraphine asks suddenly.
I pause at that and tilt my head at Bella curiously.
I’ve yet to be affected by any of her abilities, but would that hold true in every situation?
“Ah, no. I’m fully capable of controlling my ice in such a way as to avoid harming you. Emilia’s explosions, on the other hand…”
“Hey!”
“Really?” Seraphine asks, ignoring my protests and opting to eye me cautiously.
“Okay, maybe. But I only use them to deal with the dense packs,” I huff, then spare Bella a narrow eyed glare. “Or especially pesky Mages.”
She has the good grace to act chagrined, but has to look away in order to hide her smile.
Oh, I’m gonna get you for—
“Are there any other Skills we should all be wary of from one another?” Seraphine asks, scanning our group.
The question freezes me in my tracks mid-vow of entirely reasonable vengeance.
Because Mana Surge is exactly that kind of Skill, and its range is more than anyone in the party can avoid while actively fighting.
Of course, Seraphine notices me lock up suddenly and turns her full attention on me, one sculpted eyebrow raised expectantly.
“W-well, there is one more…” I start sheepishly, idly wrapping my tail around myself to groom it.
“Mhm…” she hums, folding her arms.
With a sigh, I explain Mana surge to them. Thankfully it only takes a couple more minutes to figure out what Skills we each have and need to avoid or be careful with.
The results were… disappointing. Out of all of us, only my Skills would pose any real danger to the team.
Bella’s control over her magic is impeccable. Nyx’s tripping wires are fast enough that it’s unlikely any of us will run into them, even accidentally. And Seraphine’s a one-on-one fighter outright, so almost nothing she can do would harm anyone or anything that isn’t her target.
While mildly depressing, being the apparent loose cannon, it doesn’t bother me overmuch. I know my control is lacking overall, but it’s something that can be fixed.
Though maybe not Mana Surge… I can’t seem to regulate how much mana I put into that at all.
Once we start moving again, clearing through the fodder is even easier. With Seraphine at my back, I don’t have to split my focus on anything that manages to get past me. With Nyx taking out the back-line at the same time, most of the mana I would have spent on shielding can go to more Blood Bursts instead.
And then there’s Bella, wreaking absolute devastation with such perfect precision that I can’t help but be a bit envious.
Gods I can’t wait to start classes.
Each section we turn into is shorter than the last, leading us inexorably towards the bottom of this space.
Another half hour later, we finally turn the last corner, entering a small square chamber lit by the now familiar enchanted torches. Across from the entrance, less than ten paces from us, is a door similar to the one I stepped through on my way to finding Bella.
Except it’s the telltale all-consuming black of a Dungeon’s entrance.
Dungeon Discovered!Temple of Sleepless VigilDifficulty: HighParticipants: 2 to 4Restrictions: Level 60+ (Overridden)
No undead stand between us and the entrance, so I move forward slowly, wary of any last second surprises.
Nothing stops me, and when I touch the entrance, the prompt to enter appears.
Enter the Dungeon?Y / N
I grin, slow and sharp, then turn to the rest of my party.
“Well, final checks. Everyone good on supplies? Can’t have one of us starve if we get split up again after entering.”
After getting a nod from each of them, I turn back to the Dungeon entrance.
“In that case, let’s get in there and get this done. I’m tired of not getting any loot.”
Bella giggles, then taps the entrance with a hand. Nyx and Seraphine quickly follow, and I select ‘Yes’ on the waiting prompt.
In a blink, we’re somewhere else entirely.
My breath catches at the sight of the space before us.
We stand on an ancient stone bridge suspended in the air at the center of a vast, square chamber. While I’m not afraid of heights, my hackles immediately rise at the lack of any kind of rails or supports to hold the bridge up.
Stone walls rise at precise angles around us, tier upon tier, forming the unmistakable interior structure of an inverted pyramid. Intricate carvings cover every surface, each large enough to be seen clearly despite the distance between us.
I force myself to ignore them for now.
Two silent armored figures stand across the bridge from us like statues. Before each is a narrow stone pillar that reaches up to their waist. At their backs is a large stone door, similar in shape to the ones I saw outside the dungeon, but much, much larger.
Undead FighterLevel 68
Undead FighterLevel 72
The moment I check their tags, their eye sockets of their helmets suddenly ignite with a foul green flame. In perfect synchrony, they each place a hand on the small pillars before them.
The sound of grinding stone suddenly fills the air, chasing away the sombre quiet that once overwhelmed the space.
Then my gaze snaps to the bridge as it begins to crumble from the center outward.
Thankfully, the platform we stand on is unaffected by whatever trigger they just activated, but before I can count our blessings, a loud gong-like thump-thump begins, echoing through the entire structure like an alarm bell.
“Oh, come on…” I groan.
When my eyes snap back to the knights, they’ve already passed through the gate and are in the middle of closing it behind them.
Stone slams against stone, adding to the already mind-numbing rhythm of whatever alarm they just triggered.
For a heartbeat, none of us move.
Then the bridge finishes its collapse, chunks of ancient masonry shearing away from our platform, dropping into the endless darkness below with distant, hollow crashes.
“Well,” Seraphine says flatly. “That seems… intentional.”
“No kidding,” I mutter, stepping cautiously toward the broken edge.
The drop vanishes into shadow. Even with my enhanced vision, and the torches lining most of this space, I can’t see a bottom.
Lovely.
All around us, the alarm continues its relentless thumping rhythm, vibrating through the soles of my boots and straight into my bones.
I glance toward the far side again. The massive stone gate is sealed shut, uncaring of our current plight, and the small stone pillars are too far for any of us to reach reasonably.
“Options?” I ask.
Seraphine kneels over the edge, eying the distance to the gate. “Too far to jump safely. Even if one of us could make it, the rest couldn’t follow.”
Nyx crouches beside her, studying the fractured stone. Thin black wires slip from his sleeve and creep forward like curious insects before vanishing into the darkness below.
He waits a moment… then shakes his head.
“No anchor points beneath us. Seems the platform is literally floating, somehow.”
I click my tongue. “Well that’s annoyingly thorough.”
For a brief moment, silence settles over us again, and I glance at Bella for her opinion.
She steps forward without hesitation, approaching the edge of the broken bridge, leather pants whispering softly against one another.
“I believe,” she says calmly, “you’re all over-thinking this.”
Ice blossoms outward from beneath her heel as she takes her last step, standing right at the edge.
It spreads like breath across glass on a winter morning, crystal-clear frost crawling across the empty air where the bridge once stood and thickening as it goes. Layer upon layer forms in perfect symmetry, reinforcing itself until a broad span of pale blue ice stretches toward the far platform.
She finishes shaping the last bit with a casual flick of her wrist.
A bridge.
Perfectly smooth. Perfectly solid. And it even has railings.
Just like that.
She turns back toward us, one brow lifting ever so slightly.
“Shall we?”
For a second, I forget how to speak.
It isn’t the magic itself… I’ve seen her do incredible things already.
It was the ease of it. No hesitation. No strain. Just… quiet confidence, like this was the simplest thing in the world.
Something warm settles low in my chest before I can stop it.
I cough and look away quickly.
“Right,” I mutter. “Yeah. Obviously. Ice bridge.”
Nyx walks past me first without comment, testing the surface with one boot before continuing across.
Seraphine follows with an approving hum.
Bella lingers just long enough to catch my eye.
There’s amusement there, but I pretend not to notice and take a step.
The ice bridge doesn’t so much as creak beneath us as we cross. Cold mist curls upward from its surface as it fights to keep its cold.
After reaching the other side, Nyx already stands next to the door, his wires snaking along the edges of the door before vanishing into unseen gaps in the stone.
He closes his eyes, brows furrowed with concentration.
Somewhere behind the door, stone scrapes as whatever bars its opening is moved.
Nyx exhales slowly. “It’s open.”
I whistle appreciatively, then step forward and push it open slowly, peeking to make sure there aren’t any surprises waiting for us on the other side.
Nothing pops out to stop us, so we slip through once its wide enough. Beyond lies a narrow corridor descending slightly downward, torchlight flickering against carved walls covered in even more ancient depictions.
All the while, the alarm never stops.
After a nod from Nyx, I step forward cautiously, keeping to our earlier formation with me in the lead.
I move quickly, my hackles refusing to settle, and everyone keeps pace. At the end of the passage, the corridor opens into a large open space.
I step through—and stop immediately, frozen with a mix of shock and horror.
The room descends further, hinting that we’re going even deeper into this strange ancient structure, but that’s not what catches my attention.
A swarm of glowing sockets awaits us below.
For a heartbeat, my mind insists it’s just another horde.
Then the ranks shift. Shields align.
And I realize the truth.
This isn’t a horde.
It’s a gods damned army.
Ranks of undead stand shoulder to shoulder across the stony expanse, weapons held in disciplined silence. Fighters form the front line, battered shields overlapping into a jagged wall of steel. Behind them, robed figures glow faintly with sickly mana as spells gather between rotting fingers.
Archers kneel between gaps in the formation, aiming up towards us. If there are Rogues, they linger along the edges like shadows, unseen aside from an occasional flicker that could be disguised as movement from their fellows.
And near the rear, I find something that makes my stomach drop.
Undead HealerLevel 74
Undead HealerLevel 77
Two healers. Each protected by towering Fighters standing beside them like statues.
“Well,” I mutter, my tail slowly drooping behind me. “That’s… really not good.”
One of the undead near the front raises its hand, and the entire formation moves at once.
Shields slam down, forming an impenetrable barrier between us.
Then the bows rise.
******
Authors Note:Thank you all so much for your patience <3
Here's an update for my ankle injury:I'm still on the mend, though I don't have as much free time as I was hoping for. I've been set up handling phone calls from home, which... bleh.
I will have more time than before to write, but nowhere near as much as I was hoping for. I'll probably spend most of that extra time editing Book One, honestly. If I have time even after that, then... well, we'll see.
Anyways... long story short, I'm healing very nicely. I can even hobble around my house without much trouble! (Thank you Emmi for the black magic! <3)
Lol, jokes aside, I'm glad to get back into the groove of my writing schedule. Tomorrow's chapter is going to be hectic! I hope you look forward to it! :D