The roar of pursuit faded as Owen and his group stumbled through a heavy stone archway swallowed by ivy and cracked with age. The howls of the red-furred wolves echoed behind them, distant now, muffled by the sudden silence that blanketed the space they had entered. It took them a moment to realize—they had stepped into a dungeon.
The air was damp and cold, tinged with the metallic scent of moss and ancient stone. Their boots echoed on smooth, worn tiles carved with old, undecipherable runes. Torches flickered along the walls, though no hand had lit them. They burned with greenish-blue flame, casting long shadows that slithered across the jagged walls like spirits watching from the dark.
"Finally we escaped" Leon muttered and sighed
"You're the one who provoked the damn wolf," Lucy snapped, swatting the back of his head.
"Technically, I ended it with style," Leon grinned.
Connor sighed. "You call getting chased by a pack 'style'? You really are hopeless."
They laughed lightly, the tension breaking for a moment—until Owen raised a hand. "Guys... We got company."
A creaking, clattering sound filled the corridor ahead. From the gloom, a row of skeletal figures began to emerge, bones yellowed with age, armored in rusted iron and gripping chipped weapons. Empty sockets glowed faintly blue.
The senior accompanying them stepped forward calmly raising and using a wind spell. His long, white covering his moved shifted as he moved, still covering most of his eyes. "Skeletons," he murmured. "Undead foot soldiers. Not difficult, unless..."
Connor glanced sideways. "Unless what?"
"Unless a necromancer is near. Then they don't stay down."
That was all they needed. As the skeletons charged, Owen and the others met them head-on. Metal clashed. Lucy conjured a small flame bolt that singed one to ash. Connor slashed with clean precision, taking two down in one motion. Leon's hammer shattered bone with thunderous crashes. Owen moved with focus, dodging and slicing with growing confidence.
When the last skeleton clattered into a heap, silence returned.
"No necromancer," said the senior, kicking a skull aside. "We're lucky. For now."
Further down the hallway, they came upon a massive stone door. The senior slowed his pace.
"Boss room," he said, eyes narrowing. Leon
leaning on his hammer. "From wolves and skeletons to crypts. Can't we ever catch a break?"
"Be ready" the senior alarmed
Before they could step forward, a sharp hiss broke the air.
From above, a massive snake—its scales like armor, colored in tarnished bronze and deep crimson—lunged down from a hidden alcove. Its eyes glowed like molten coals. As they move toward towards the snake. It got opened it's eyes with roar; with a whip of its tail, it smashed Owen into the wall.
Lucy attempted a spell, but her focus faltered. Connor shielded her, just in time to parry the snake's bite. His sword scraped the beast's snout, leaving a faint gash. Leon charged in with wild strength, hammer raised, but the snake's fangs nearly grazed him. The senior unleashed a gust of wind that diverted the snake's head.
"MOVE BACK!" he shouted.
Leon paused. The way the snake moved... the way his heart raced... it was just like his dream.
"I can't lose control," he whispered, clenching his fists. "Not again."
Mana surged from his palm into his sword, the blade glowing deep purple. With a fierce cry, he leapt at the snake, stabbing into it's center. The beast recoiled in agony.
The senior slashed with a wind blade, tearing away a chunk of scale. Connor followed up, his blade plunging deep. Then Owen rose, power swirling around him. With one final strike, he brought his sword down and severed the snake's head. Blood sprayed in an arc before stilling.
The beast fell.
The senior stepped forward and extracted the glowing core from its remains. But as they turned to the exit, the portal did not respond.
"Something's wrong," the senior murmured.
Then, a wall shifted with a grinding moan, revealing a staircase leading up. Slowly, they climbed. Dust swirled in the air, and at the top, they stood before an enormous door etched with golden lines pulsing faintly.
When the opened the enormous door.
Leon stared in awe. "What the—"