Miss Heng and the Spirit Walkers scrambled out of the way to avoid the enormous spear-like limbs of the RimeWyrm as it entered the battlefield. It’s screech deafened their ears. The colossal beast towered over them, and much of its worm-like body remained on the other side of the Portal. To make matters worse, the monster Summoned and Shaped enormous walls of ice that trapped them. Miss Heng gritted her teeth as she Shaped a hole through the walls for them to escape through. It was hard! The RimeWyrm’s Will was extraordinarily strong!


    “Melting the ice with the Fire aspect may be easier,” Lady Kalina observed.


    Miss Heng nodded in agreement and pointed at the hole she made. “Everyone move!” She ordered.


    The two teams escaped just as the Rimewrym’s jagged legs churned up the frozen Tundra where they were just standing. Miss Heng ordered the Rune casters to use the Fire Aspect, and together with Lady Kalina, they got to work melting the walls.


    “How do we fight that thing?” Ahanu asked. His eyes wide as he looked up. They still were able to see the beast as it screeched and clambered out through the Portal.


    “We don’t. We leave this to the Elites,” Miss Heng responded.


    Cris, one of the Templars from the Ironfist team, asked, “Where is High Cleric Manfeld? He is our only hope in defeating this monster.”


    At that moment, they saw Prince Rodger soar through the air, and he landed on the RimeWyrm’s body. The creature squirmed and shook hard in an attempt to dislodge the Elite rank, Adventurer. Its legs smashed through the ice walls, and the two teams were nearly trampled.


    “We have to circle around toward the portal,” Miss Heng stated.


    Rainia nodded grimly. “That will be very dangerous,” she said.


    Miss Heng’s eyes narrowed and she replied, “If we don’t. Another Rimewyrm may come through.”


    Lady Kalina surveyed their surroundings and visibility was still difficult due to the Winter Wolves. “The Ice Giants fell back to guard the Portal.”


    “Then we have a lot of work to do,” Miss Heng responded.


    *****


    The Proven was the team closest to the shimmering red Threshold. Jeze felt that if she could repurpose the Runes, they could kill the Rimewyrm, as it was still halfway through the Floor Portal. There was one problem, and that was a small army of Ice Giants standing in their way.


    “Focus Jeze!” Dunar snapped.


    The Leader sidestepped a crashing club that kicked up ice and snow. Dunar hacked off the attacking Ice Giant’s hand with his axe and he rolled out of the way as a second Ice Giant slammed its club at him. Jeze’s attention returned to the combat in an instant. She Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled a boulder to slam into the injured Ice Giant and knocked it on its back.


    “Die!” Helga roared as she leaped at another Ice Giant.


    The warrior maiden buried her Dane Axe in its skull and followed it to the ground with a loud crash. Rolfe was at her side, and the Protector deflected another Ice Giant’s club attack with his shield and stabbed upwards with his spear to pierce the monster’s thick ice-like hide. More Ice Giants kept coming!


    “Jeze, we need walls!” Dunar roared.


    The Leader scrambled and weaved in between the smashing clubs as four towering Ice Giants pursued him. Dunar sliced one of his attackers behind the knee and removed the hand of another with his axe before he got away and joined the Proven. Jeze gritted her teeth and formed the glyphs with her hands. A wall of stone blocked the Ice Giants and gave the team a moment of reprieve before it started to crack as the Ice Giants slammed their heavy mauls against it. Up above them, the two Elites, Rodger and Manfeld, fought the giant Leviathan. Rodger hacked and stabbed as he ran along the Rimewyrm’s carapace-covered back. Manfeld smashed his two handed hammer with thunderous power against the creature’s legs and prevented the behemoth from fully exiting the Portal.


    “If I can repurpose the Portal, we can kill the Rimewyrm!” Jeze cried.


    Mikal snorted. “Great idea! Except we have an army of Ice Giants in our way.”


    Swordslayer scowled at the healer while nursing his wounded chest. “Wise remarks never achieved anything,” the sword fighter hissed.


    Jeze’s stone wall crumbled, and six Ice Giants lumbered through. Swordslayer growled low, and his body tensed before he ran into the fray. Mikal’s eyes were wide as he watched the wounded sword fighter elegantly dodge attacks while slashing with his blade. Each stroke was well placed with impeccable accuracy. Swordslayer removed hands at the wrists and feet at the ankles. In moments, four Ice Giants were maimed and wounded. The final two were entangled by thorny vines that burst from the ground. Mikal snapped out of it and Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled spears of ice that impaled the final two Ice Giants.


    “Proven! Press forward!” Dunar commanded.


    The team moved into formation and marched ahead as a blizzard of Winter Wolves engulfed them. The gaunt, pale blue beasts phased all around and snapped at them with sharp, cold fangs. Jeze took a bite on her shoulder before she split the wolf’s head with her axe. No soul sucking pain! The silver potion Rainia had provided them worked! The team accumulated gashes and cuts all from the fast-moving ghost-like Winter Wolves, but they each timed their attacks well, and soon, the ground was littered with twitching and dying bodies. All the non-Elite-ranked adventurers were heading toward the red Floor Portal. When the Proven emerged from the blizzard, they spotted Swordslayer and Rainbow’s Amber Guard teammates.


    “Took you long enough,” Swordslayer growled.


    Tara, the red-haired lady, snorted, “You look like shit.”


    Aaron nodded in agreement. “Brother, slow and steady is how we stay alive.”


    Swordslayer growled, “I’m not your brother.”


    Aaron grinned widely, and his head tilted back to let loose a hearty laugh. Zabo, the bald-headed teammate, simply nodded. Jeze had to agree with them. They looked fresh, and the trail of bodies they left indicated that they did not have an easy run. Another storm of Winter Wolves swarmed them, and this gave Jeze an opportunity to see how Adept-rank adventurers fight as a team. The three weaved and lashed out with precise timing that caught the Winter Wolves just as they materialized. Jeze felt clumsy compared to them. An Ice wall melted to their side, and the Spirit Walker and Ironfist teams emerged.


    Miss Heng stepped forward and ordered in a loud, piercing voice, “Rune casters to me. We will melt these icewalls! The rest of you form a battle line. We will march and reclaim the floor portal!” This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The ground shook as Rodger bounced and skidded along the frozen Tundra. He was knocked out of the sky by the Rimewyrm, and the adventurers had to move out of his way as he skidded to a halt. The Prince emerged from the crater with a growl. He looked battered, but Jeze saw his wounds closed and mended on their own. He healed nearly as fast as Viel, she realized. The Elite crouched, and the air shimmered around him. Then, he leaped into the air to rejoin the battle with the Rimewyrm.


    Jeze watched the two Elites fight and discovered their patterns. From what she saw, they were definitely fast, skilled, and tough, but what separated them from the Adept rank was their incredible bursts of superhuman power. But it was not constant, and Jeze realized there was a delay as the abilities needed to be charged. She tucked that away in her memory in case she ever needed to fight an Elite. The knowledge that they need to charge their abilities and that they only last for a short amount of time could come in handy. Swordslayer shook his head.


    “They grow dependent upon that power, and that makes them soft,” he said to Rainbow and Jeze. Swordslayer added, “I could have beaten the Prince.”


    “Keep dreaming!” Rainbow said, and she and Jeze laughed.


    But, Jeze reflected to herself, Swordslayer was on to something. The Elites did possess tremendous power, but it had its limitations. Both the Prince and Manfeld’s powers granted them superhuman strength, durability, and healing. There were some key differences. Raynor’s burst of power tremendously enhanced his speed. For a few seconds the Prince appeared as a blur as he moved so fast. Manfeld did not have that intense speed, but he did have explosive power. When he charged up his ability and struck with his hammer, it created a massive shock wave that was strong enough to force the enormous castle-sized Rimewrym back.


    “See?” Swordslayer said and pointed at the two Elites fighting above with his sword. “Their bodies can not handle the power, and they need to rest. Their abilities come in bursts. All you need to do is wait them out and strike when they are tired!”


    Rainbow rubbed her face and said, “You can’t beat him. Stop pretending otherwise.” She sounded tired.


    “Miss Zanchi!” Heng barked and continued, “You know the Fire aspect, correct? Stop wasting time and help with melting these walls.”


    Jeze scowled, but Miss Heng was right. Time was of the essence, and she hurried over to join the other Rune casters in melting the wall. Lady Kalina spoke up next.


    “Adventures, use this time to charge your equipment. Once this wall is taken down, the Ice Giants will throw everything they have against us.”


    Ahanu was resting on the ground. With a deep sigh, he rose to his feet and began the process of Summoning and Shaping the glyphs to recharge his equipment. Helga, Dunar, and Rolfe did the same. They were exhausted, but this was it. The final push and they will reclaim the Floor Portal. Jeze gritted her teeth as she Summoned and Shaped flames to melt the wall. Through the opaqueness, she saw the blurry forms of many Ice Giants. The large forms paced back and forth as they prepared for a fight. Beyond them was the Floor Portal, where Rodger and Manfeld fought the enormous Rimewyrm. Their battle thundered and echoed all around. Such power! Jeze thought, and for a moment, she felt some despair that she could never achieve that level. Miss Heng shouted commands and they snapped Jeze out of her thoughts.


    “Fighters to the front! Rune casters, Healers, and Archers to the back! This is it!”


    Rolfe banged his spear against his shield, and Helga roared to the heavens, “For glory!”


    “Hurrah!” Jeze and the other Proven chanted back.


    The ice wall melted, and the final horde of Ice Giants swarmed through. The two sides met in a thunderous clash. The battle raged all around. Rune magic exploded through the air as fighters screamed in victory and in pain. The Rimewyrm’s piercing screech echoed for miles all around as it tried to kill the two smaller and annoying Elites. Manfeld and Rodger leaped and struck the behemoth and kept it trapped within the Portal. The giant beast would step forward and then be forced back. However, the two Elites were getting tired, and their powers waned. It would be only a matter of time before the Rimewyrm escaped fully. The epic battle could be heard all through the frozen Tundra of the Fourth Floor.


    “Keep pushing!” Miss Heng roared.


    The teams cleared the ice wall, and the shimmering red Portal was in view. They were so close that Jeze could see the runes etched along the Threshold. The Proven stumbled forward. Each step was paid in blood. Their bodies were battered and bleeding. Their armor was torn and tattered. But the adventures kept pressing forward and pushed against the tall lumbering Ice Giants. They had to avoid clubs and the massive stomping chitinous legs of the Rimewyrm. The enormous beast did not even notice them as it focused on the two Elites.


    “Jeze, Lady Kalina and Rainbow!” Miss Heng called out. “You three seal the Portal. Everyone else, cover them!”


    Ice Giants were slain from a barrage of range attacks, and the fighters forced a narrow wedge for the three Rune casters to run through. Up ahead was the shimmering Portal and the enormous tree-sized legs of the Rimewyrm. Jeze and the others dodged and weaved to avoid being crushed by the massive spear-like limbs that dug fissures into the frozen ground. The base of the Threshold was in range. Jeze frantically dug through her pack for the Portal aspect Channeling tools when a tall figure cloaked in black emerged from the Portal.


    It looked like a woman with coal-black skin, flame-colored eyes, and matching red hair that fell to her shoulders. Two curved horns protruded from her forehead, and a sneer played along her lips that showed the hint of fangs underneath. She was as tall as Helga and towered over Jeze. The three rune casters skidded to a halt.


    “A Fiend!” Lady Kalina cried.


    Jeze had to scramble back away, and she tilted her head as she studied the Fiend. Viel said that they were bigger. What Jeze initially thought was a black cloak were actually wings that the Fiend unfurled with a snarling hiss, and they expanded outwards to each side. The Demon drew a wide-bladed curved sword that it gripped in two hands.


    “I thought they were bigger,” Jeze said.


    “Demons come in ranks. Lessar, Regular, Greater, and Lord. This is a Regular Fiend,” Rainbow replied. The multi-colored-haired Adventurer began to Shape Glyphs.


    “Shouldn’t be too bad, right?” Jeze asked as she readied her weapons.


    “Don’t underestimate it. In terms of skills, a Regular Fiend can be equal to an Adept rank,” Lady Kalina warned.


    Jeze nodded in understanding. The Fiend made a simple gesture and the entire area was plunged into Darkness. Jeze was impressed with how fast the Demon manipulated the Darkness aspect. She tapped her Channeling tool and gritted her teeth as she Shaped the spell away. It took a tremendous amount of effort, and there was a moment where Jeze worried she would black out, but in the end she managed to dispel the Darkness.


    Lady Kalina rushed in right after with her sword, and the two exchanged a flurry of blows. Rainbow Summoned and Shaped Vines and she Controlled them to entangle the Fiend, but failed as the Demon sliced the vines apart and still managed to fight Lady Kalina without breaking an effort. The combatants had to break apart in order to avoid being stepped on by the Rimewyrm and re-engaged when the behemoth’s enormous limbs passed by. Jeze’s eyes darted back and forth at how fast the three fought, and she couldn’t find an opening. She growled in frustration.


    “Jeze, repurpose the Portal! We will hold the Fiend at bay,” Lady Kalina called out.


    The Fiend hissed and leaped straight into the air while it flapped its wings. It soared around and dove right at Jeze.


    “Change in plans. You repurpose the Portal instead!” Jeze cried, and she narrowly evaded a sword swipe that was aimed at her head.


    Jeze attacked with sword and axe, and the Fiend fluidly parried, evaded, and countered. The blade’s edge nicked Jeze on her cheek. Rainbow’s vines entangled the Fiend by the legs and prevented it from flying away. Jeze chopped high with her axe and the Fiend batted the attack away and then sliced at the vines holding it. Jeze lunged with her sword, and the Fiend whipped her sword back in a flash to deflect the attack.


    “She’s good!” Jeze commented, a wide grin on her face.


    The Fiend snapped its blade around, and Jeze narrowly avoided the edge while countering low with her axe. The Fiend lifted their leg, and the axe struck nothing but air. Jeze twirled her sword high and then struck low and nicked the Demon’s hand. It howled in pain and shot fire from its mouth. Jeze rolled out of the way with her armor getting singed. Rainbow Controlled Vines that whipped the Fiend hard and sent the Demon skidding along the Tundra. Jeze and Rainbow circled around the tree-sized limb of the Rimewyrm and pursued the Fiend. A quick glance up them that Lady Kalina was nearly finished. The Fiend sneered at them.


    “Until next time,” it hissed, and it soared through the Portal right before it snapped and turned blue.


    The entire fourth floor rumbled as the Rimewyrm let loose a deafening screech as it its body was sliced in half from the Portal being repurposed. Instead of spraying blood the Rimewyrm unleashed a frigid blizzard that blasted wind so fast that it knocked Jeze and the others clear off their feet. Jeze remained on her back and laughed and she howled up at the sky like a wolf. She heard her teammates howl back.


    “For glory!” Jeze shouted with a raised fist in the air.


    “Hurrah!” She heard her teammates shout back.