374 days until the Arkon Shield falls

9 hours until Dungeon Purge

There is an old saying. A dragon’s fire is nearly as deadly as the dragon itself. Truer words have never been spoken.

—Anonymous player.

There were three traps, not one.

The first was a fan of flames that roared out of the tiny nozzles that extended down from the roof above. I waded through them unharmed.

The second was a brace of spinning blades. They launched out of cleverly disguised slits from the passage’s left and right walls. The blades struck the hardened shell of invincible and bounced off harmlessly.

The last trap was on the door itself. Placing my hand on the handle, I twisted it, only for needle-like spikes to spring out and try to bury themselves in my palm. They, too, failed to hurt me.

With my hand still on the handle, I breathed in deeply and took a moment to compose myself. I’d made it. I’d triggered all the traps and survived.

Now to see what lies within.

Moving with deliberate care, I pushed the door open a smidge and released the handle. Eyes fixed on the thin sliver of light shining through, I stepped back warily. When nothing appeared after a few heartbeats, I turned around and motioned the party forward.

They came silently.

Liyanda was in the lead. The rest of the group stopped a few yards short, but she came onwards, “Good job,” she whispered as she brushed past me. Saying nothing else, the fighter drew up against the door, right hand outstretched and ready to slap a control ward across the threshold in case any threat emerged.

With Liyanda in place protecting the entrance, Jain motioned me to join the others. “Did you glimpse what’s inside?” he asked tersely.

I shook my head.

“Stand formation then,” he said and hurried forward to join the fighter.

Pierre drew his bow, and Cedric and I raised our staffs. When we were ready, the ranger signaled Jain. The rogue nodded and pushed on the door.

It swung open silently. I tensed, and from beside me, I sensed Cedric and Pierre do likewise as we waited to see what foe we’d face this time.

The room was empty.

I frowned and darted a glance at the others, but they looked similarly confused. Turning back to the chamber, I took a second longer look.

Again, nothing.

Jain waved us forward. We hurried along until all five of us were crouched at the door. “What is it?” Cedric whispered. “What do we face this time?”

“Don’t know,” Liyanda admitted. “The room seems empty.”

“That can’t be,” Pierre hissed.

“Look up,” Jain said quietly.

I craned my neck upwards, only now noticing that the room’s roof was elevated.

Circling it was a winged humanoid.

I sighed as I realized the form our foe had taken this time. For confirmation, I cast analyze.

The target is a level 163 winged horror. It has no Magic, no Craft, and is gifted with Resilience and Might. Additional information revealed by anatomy: this is a creature champion.

“A winged horror,” Liyanda groaned. “Why couldn’t it be something simple?” she complained. “Like an old-fashioned knight?”

I eyed the silently gliding figure. The horror was twice as large as any of the others we’d faced. Its leathery wings alone were terrifying. They were wide enough to envelop the entire party and looked strong enough to knock even Liyanda off her feet. They were stretched taut over a fine network of bones and grew out from its broad back.

The rest of the creature wasn’t all that reassuring either. Its chests, arms, and legs were ribboned with ropy muscles, and both its feet and hands were tipped with curved talons. By my count, that gave the creature six limbs to attack with—seven if you counted its mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.

“This won’t be easy,” I murmured.

The horror had seen us, but it still hadn’t made any attempt to attack. With good reason, I suspected. In the confined spaces of the corridor, the creature would be crowded and lose its greatest asset: its maneuverability.

Jain bobbed his head. “It is bigger, stronger, and faster than the others. And this time, we don’t have a pet to tank it, not that I think this horror will let itself be pinned down by one.” His eyes roved over the party. “Ideas, people?”

None of the others spoke up immediately. I rubbed my chin. “I have one.”

✽✽✽

The plan was simple.

The horror’s wings were both its strength and weakness.

With them, the monster could swoop down on the party from above and literally fly circles around us. Without them, the creature would be helpless. Well, maybe not helpless. But as large as its wings were, I imagined they would prove cumbersome once the horror was landbound.

After our preparations were completed, we entered the chamber. Liyanda and I were at the fore. The fighter had her tower shield braced out in front to protect both herself and the group huddled behind.

I strode at her side, a step away and staff in hand.

The moment we crossed the threshold, the winged horror ceased its circling and skimmed across the roof towards us. “Incoming,” Liyanda warned. Crouching down, she raised her shield to ward off the expected attack.

Our foe closed the distance rapidly. When it was less than a couple yards away, the horror folded its wings and dived, plummeting almost straight down. The creature’s eyes were fixed on me, and its arms were outstretched, talons at the ready. Slightly apart and unprotected, I made for a tempting target, and I suspected the creature had already singled me out for its first kill.

Excellent.

Ignoring the sudden sweat beading my forehead, I locked eyes with the horror and waited. I would retain the advantage of surprise only for the opening assault, and I had to time my response flawlessly. The creature dropped down another dozen feet.

Now!

Flinging my left arm aloft, I flared. Dragonfire roared out, flames ballooning two yards upwards. From beside me, I felt the party shrink lower and away from the raging heat.

My foe’s reaction was more extreme.

The horror’s eyes widened, and in a blink, it flipped over to point its feet downwards. Wings snapped open and beat frantically, trying to halt the creatures’ descent.

It availed it little.

The creature’s dive had too much momentum for even its massive wings to overcome instantly. The horror kept dropping. With each passing heartbeat, it slowed rapidly and soon, I knew, it would reverse course entirely—well before it felt the bite of the flames.

But that was part of the plan too.

With its wings outstretched, and hovering nearly motionless, the creature painted a perfect target. “Now!” I yelled.

The party reacted swiftly. Pierre raised his bow, and in an eyeblink, a flight of arrows was racing towards his target—the horror’s right-wing.

The sharpened steel arrowheads struck together in a close grouping. The first projectile sheared off entirely. The second pierced less than an inch through the leathery hide protecting the horror’s wings and fell away. The third bit deep. And the fourth, hitting skin already weakened, punched all the way through.

Cedric was a fraction slower in reacting, but his assault was equally devastating. Raising his staff—already lit with the black miasma of death—the mage struck the horror in the selfsame wing. Cloying tendrils of decay sucked at the creature, widening the small tear Pierre had made.

I didn’t stand idly by either. Taking my staff in a two-handed grip, I hurled fire rays at our foe, causing the tear in its right wing to grow.

The horror shrieked as it felt the repeated bites of steel, death, and fire. With an injured wing impairing its balance, the creature tilted askew and appeared in imminent danger of falling.

Liyanda bellowed in triumph, and I smiled in satisfaction too. Our opening salvo was a success. “Don’t let up,” Jain yelled. “Pile on as much damage as you can.”

Visibly struggling, the horror wrenched itself around and flapped desperately, gaining a few feet in altitude. I growled in frustration. Somehow despite the tear in its wing, our foe was still managing to remain aloft.

Limping through the air, the horror weaved an erratic flight path away from us. Cedric, Pierre, and I kept up our assault but failed to land any more blows as devastating as our opening foray while the creature made its escape.

“Stop,” Jain ordered when the horror was half a room-length away. “Save your energy for when it returns.”

I nodded grimly and lowered my staff. I had no doubt he was right. This fight was far from done. Our foe would be back.

✽✽✽

The horror retreated all the way to the roof to lick its wounds. We were content to let it do so. Every minute the creature spent airborne would only further stress its injured wing.

While we waited at the door, we surveyed the chamber. “Pierre, can you see the exit to the next leg?” Jain asked.

The ranger shook his head. “No, I can’t,” he answered, sounding worried.

“Maybe, it’s hidden,” Cedric suggested.

“Or perhaps we’ve reached the end of the dungeon,” I added quietly.

Jain glanced at me sideways. “What makes you say that?”

“Every chamber exit we’ve found has been on the right,” I said. “And all four passages we’ve ventured through have been roughly the same length. By my reckoning, we’ve traversed a full square. This chamber should be adjacent to the starting one. The dungeon could be spiraling inwards, but I don’t think so. We’ve already taken on four champions, how many more can a party of Trainees be expected to handle in one day?” I shrugged. “If there is nowhere else to go, it could just be that we’ve reached the end.”

Jain’s eyes darted to Pierre. “What do you think? Is he right?”

The ranger pursed his lips. “Could be…” he muttered. “The dungeon’s elevation has been constant the entire time, and Jamie is right about the corridors. They are nearly identical in length.”

“Look sharp,” Liyanda said suddenly. “The horror’s coming back.” She paused. “And he doesn’t look happy.”

Our’s gaze flew across the chamber to track our foe. Flapping hard, the horror was limping back towards us. Its approach this time was more cautious. We’d hurt it badly, and it was wary. I judged we had about a minute before the battle resumed.

Jain spun back to the ranger. “Pierre, tell me straight. If you had to bet on it, would you say we’ve reached the end of the dungeon?”

The hazel-eyed man hesitated for only a second before nodding. “Yes,” he said firmly.

The rogue glanced at the mage. “Cedric?”

“I agree,” he replied.

Jain bobbed his head in acknowledgment and swept his gaze across the party. “Alright, people. This is it. Ready yourself and hold nothing back. One way or the other, this will be our last battle today.”