ã€ŠHealing Incorporatedã€‹


 Chapter 1: Not a Secretary!

    "For the last time, Mom, I''m not a secretary, I''m an administrative assistant!"

    His voice grew a little too loud at the end there, and Eli looked around to see half the bus glancing in his direction. A few rows ahead, some girl giggled. His face grew warm and his hands began to sweat.

    "I''ll talk to you later," he whispered into the phone.

    "Love you!" his mom replied just before he ended the call.

    The phone resting on his leg dinged, but when he picked it back up, no notification waited for him. Sighing, he opened his old, beaten up messenger bag and there it was. The Dragon, Mr. Thomas, his boss, and the last person he wanted to hear from.

    WHERE ARE YOU? S.O.S. NEED YOU NOW!

    Eli immediately replied: Be there in five.

    COME SEE ME, ELIJAH. THIS IS A SERIOUS BREACH OF MY TRUST!!!

    All caps and three exclamation marks before even getting there on a Monday morning. This week was already looking promising.

    The bus stopped, and he stood to exit, waiting behind an old lady who was taking forever to collect her bag and gloves. Deep breaths. Who even wears gloves in the middle of summer?

    "Get the fuck out of my way!" a tall, younger guy in a white tank-top barked as he pushed his way past Eli, shoving him to the side and into some poor woman who was working with her laptop on her knees. Stumbling, he accidentally closed the laptop''s lid as he half-fell into her lap.

    "Get off me!" the woman shouted, her head drawn back and her eyes wide with shock.

    Eli mumbled an apology and stood.

    By the time he''d made it off the bus, the shover was long gone. Anger simmered in his chest, more at himself than the assailant. He really needed to stop being such a pushover.

    With the bus stopping right in front of the massive building that housed the company he worked for, Infinite Innovation Solutions, it didn''t take long to reach his tiny cubicle outside of Mr. Thomas''s office. He considered running to get a cup of coffee, but The Dragon rumbled in its lair he had the chance.

    "ELIJAH, IS THAT YOU?"

    He sighed and checked his fake smile in the small mirror he kept next to his computer, just for this purpose. The deferent, placid but pleasant expression was like a mask, one he donned to keep professional and hide his real self. Though, if he wanted to look the part, he really needed to get his mop of wild, light-brown hair to a barber. His eyes also betrayed how little he''d been sleeping lately, with dark rings showing. Perhaps after work, if he could muster the energy to give a crap.

    "It''s me, Mr. Thomas," Eli chirped, opening the closed door and heading into the office of the man hell-bent on making Eli''s existence as miserable as humanly possible. Well, that wasn''t entirely fair. The Dragon was generally not all bad, but in his mind, Mr. Thomas had grown into the embodiment of all that was wrong with the office culture Eli so despised, and wanted to escape from.

    Mr. Thomas waved for him to join him up by the line of windows right behind his massive mahogany desk. They reached from ceiling to floor, giving the otherwise dark room some much needed sunlight. He wore a black, tailored suit with a matching tie, like always, and kept his beard with gray specks trimmed short. His expression was stern but not unfriendly when he turned to Eli and then nodded down to the front of the building.

    "What is happening down there?"

    A massive crowd was gathering around the entrance to the building across the street. Flashes from cameras were visible despite Eli and Mr. Thomas standing on the fifteenth floor. People waved signs in protest on one side, surrounded by a contingency of police and security guards in bright neon vests.

    "It''s the launch today, isn''t it?" Eli said.

    "The what?"

    In his rush to get to work, he''d forgotten all about it himself. A historical moment not just for the country, but for the entire world. If everything went as planned, the small startup, Event Horizon Dynamics, that''d grown to a massive research company in a few short years, would change the world by creating a new type of everlasting energy source, clean and safe without dangerous byproducts.

    "They finished the prototype," Eli said. "And they plan to run the first test today. I think there''s, like, five versions of their generator set to launch at the same time. One here, one in China, one in Germany, one in Norway, and one more that I can''t remember where they built. South America, maybe."

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Mr. Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Test run of what, Elijah?"

    "Sir, it''s Event Horizon Dynamics. They''re going to create a black hole today and safely harness the energy it generates!"

    Now there was a company Eli wouldn''t say no to working for. True innovation. The creation of something which would serve all of humanity forever.

    "Black holes," Mr. Thomas scoffed, turning from the window. "Elijah, when I asked for a male secretary, it was because I wanted to avoid such hysterics. I require logic and efficiency, not flighty fancy and tardiness."

    "Administrative assistant," Eli mumbled, dreaming of the day he''d quit this job and find something that mattered.

    "What''s that?"

    "Nothing, sir," Eli said, stepping away from the window. "You have a meeting scheduled with Mr. Deere this morning. Will you need my services?"

    "No. I can handle Jim. You are needed here. IT phoned right before you arrived," Mr. Thomas said, narrowing his eyes at Eli. "Elijah, I do not enjoy answering my own phone."

    "It won''t happen again, sir."

    "You should be here before I arrive."

    "Yes, sir," Eli said smoothly. "What, er, did IT want?"

    "The boy who phoned was erratic and certainly condescending about my need for a new computer."

    Eli''s head was throbbing now. Coffee, he needed coffee. Before being assigned to Mr. Thomas directly, he''d worked in the pool, assisting whoever needed him most that week. Reporting directly to Mr. Thomas was technically a promotion, but Eli hated it. The man wasn''t even that old, but sounded like some time traveler from the eighteen hundreds who thought emails were the height of innovation. It was Eli who''d taught him to text a few weeks back, a decision he''d come to regret several times over already.

    "I''ll talk to him."

    "Please do."

    "What was the emergency you texted me about?"

    "We''ve already discussed this, Elijah. Tardiness," Mr. Thomas said, turning to leave. "Tell Jim''s secretary I''m on my way down."

    Back at his desk, Eli picked up the phone and used the speed-dial for Mr. Deere''s administrative assistant.

    "Jimbob''s desk."

    Eli chuckled. "You shouldn''t answer like that, Amy."

    "I''ll answer however I damn well please. What are they going to do, fire me?"

    "Yes. They''ll definitively fire you."

    "Bah," she said, "Good luck to them. Firing a blind person, and a woman of color no less, they''d have a hundred activist groups so far up their asses with lawsuits they''d cry themselves to sleep."

    "I''m not sure how to tell you this, Amy, but you''re not black."

    She gasped in mock horror. "I''m not?!"

    He couldn''t help but laugh, and she joined in, speaking in between giggling. "Why''re you calling, anyway?"

    "The Dragon is coming down to meet with Jimbob."

    He could hear her frown through the phone-line. "Yes, I know. It''s in the calendar."

    "He wanted me to call ahead."

    "And you just wiggled your pretty fingers and called, like a good little secretary."

    "Administrative assistant."

    "Administrative assistant," she mimicked at the same time, clearly mocking him.

    Rufus, her seeing-eye dog, let out a low bark in the background.

    "I know, right?" she asked, clearly talking with her face turned away from the phone by the muted sound of her voice. "Rufus agrees. You don''t have to do everything they tell you to, Eli. They don''t give a fuck about you."

    The IT-guy sauntered out of the elevator with a laptop under his arm, wearing a black band hoodie with the undecipherable letters of some metal band, and sandals without socks.

    "I''ll file that in my drawer for amazing ideas," Eli said, slamming an empty drawer.

    "I can hear The Dragon''s ponderous approach," Amy hissed. "Catch you later."

    Click.

    "Who were you talking to?" the IT guy asked.

    "What kind of question is that?" Eli said, looking up. "Who are you? Derek usually delivers the laptops when Mr. Thomas breaks them."

    "Quit to pursue his passion for basket weaving. I''m Janus, the new guy, I guess. Started a couple of weeks ago." Janus held out the laptop. "So, do you want it?"

    Eli shook his head. "Why don''t you go inside and change it out for the old one? And I''ll go get some coffee. You want one?"

    "Coffee!" Janus shouted, pulling long, stripy, black hair from out of his face, almost dropping the laptop. "Yeah, coffee sounds good."

    Eli headed off. One of the few perks of a soul-crushing corporate job like the one he''d ''lucked'' into a couple of years ago was that the coffee was surprisingly excellent.

    He soon returned with two steaming cups, hand-crafted by a barista employed by the company. Even with the company cutting fifteen jobs just last quarter for budgetary reasons, they''d kept the barista. Eli found himself agreeing with that decision. When he returned to The Dragon''s Den, he found Janus staring out the window. Eli offered the coffee, and Janus accepted it with another thanks.

    "So, what do you think?" Janus asked, gesturing to the same building Eli had been staring at earlier.

    "What do you mean?"

    Janus looked up into Eli¡¯s face, his bright blue eyes regarding him with an intense interest. "Do you think it will be the end of the world?"

    "End of the world? What? No. Why? It¡¯s supposed to solve world''s energy needs."

    Janus chuckled. "Sure. That¡¯s not what I heard."

    "What did you hear?" Eli asked, feeling a pang of anger in his chest at this IT guy doubting the revolutionary company he''d been following with bated breath for so long.

    "I hear things, here and there. Online. I saw this video of a guy making the argument that they¡¯re about to break physics," Janus said, looking at his watch. "In about an hour," he added, "they could tear the fabric of existence apart, killing everyone on earth instantly."

    "Oh yeah? Was the guy sitting in his mom''s basement with a tinfoil hat on?" Eli asked.

    Janus looked from the other building back to Eli. "Maybe."

    "It''s bullshit," Eli said. "The science is sound. They''re using AI!"

    "Oh?" Janus asked, raising an eyebrow. "You understand the science?"

    "Well... no," Eli admitted. "Whatever. Can I just get the computer swapped, please?"

    "Sure, sure," Janus said with a smile. "I''ll see you again in a few weeks when he breaks this one. If we''re still alive, then."

    Eli let Janus work alone and went back to his desk to enjoy the coffee in peace. Emails were pouring in, filling up his inbox faster than he could delete them. HR wanted what they called a pow-wow with upper management to go over hiring practices using their new system. It was supposed to be inclusive and responsible, while ethical and synergistic.

    The corporate buzzwords made his head spin. One of the sales team managers sent an email asking for quarterly goals. The same ones Eli had sent out the previous week on behalf of his boss. Sighing, he sent it again, dreaming of another life.

    Any other life.

 Chapter 2: Black Holes

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 Chapter 3: A New World

    A sensation like falling off his bed in the middle of the night startled Eli awake. He blinked several times, looking up at a clear blue sky with the occasional fluffy cloud.

    For some reason, he was lying on his back in a field of tall grass. A gentle breeze brushed up against him and only then did he realize he was naked.

    Eli sat up with a yelp and covered himself, realizing that no, he was not naked. He wore a weird kind of cloth around his hips and privates, like some medieval style of underpants, or perhaps adult cloth diapers.

    "What the?" he asked no one in particular as he looked out across the field of grass. A bunch of people were waking up all around him. Most of them he recognized from Infinite Innovation Solutions.

    Looking past the people, to his left, Eli saw a massive expanse of forest stretching as far as the eye could see into the distance, and to his right were more open fields, with mountains far off enough to look hazy. Straight ahead stood the corporate building of Infinite Innovation Solutions, towering over him and standing out like a sore thumb against the otherwise untouched nature.

    "Am I dead?" Eli asked. "And if I am, is this heaven or hell?"

    Someone groaned nearby and sat up. Eli didn''t recognize her but apparently women got a second cloth, this one wrapped around their chest. People sat up all around him, and he was about to call out when something incredibly strange happened.

    A pop-up appeared, kind of like an ad on a website, except he wasn''t looking at a computer screen. It just appeared right in his vision, blurring everything else.

    White text hovered in front of his vision:

    Welcome to the world of Aryxia, adventurer!

    Eli turned his head and the pop-up followed. Closing his eyes didn''t change a thing

    "Did someone stick a microchip in me or something?"

    "How do I get this off of me?" a woman cried out.

    A deep, annoyed voice answered, "Just tell it to go away by thinking it."

    Think the window away. Eli attempted to do just that by waving his hands in front of him, but they clipped through the pop-up without doing a thing. Instead, he concentrated and sent a thought, that he wanted the pop-up to disappear.

    "You have to close it with your mind," Eli whispered to himself. "What sort of technology is this?"

    "Aliens!" a voice called out. This one, he recognized. Barbara the HR-lady.

    "The Deep State!" someone else shouted.

    "Pigeons aren''t real. Wake up, people!" a third added.

    Eli did his best to shut them out, focusing on the new pop-up in front of him.

    Your main quest is to solve the riddle and find your way.

    Once he clicked past the quest, a screen appeared. The top read: Character Sheet.

    General

    Name: Elijah "Eli" Davis

    Race: Human

    Class: N/A

    Guild: N/A

    Party: N/A

    Level: 1

    Status

    HP: 20

    MP: 10

    Stamina: 10

    Attributes

    Strength: 4

    Dexterity: 6

    Intelligence: 8

    Wisdom: 3

    Constitution: 6

    Charisma: 2

    This was a lot to take in, to say the least, but his eyes immediately went to his attribute points. "Two in charisma and three in wisdom? That has to be some sort of mistake!"

    Someone chuckled, a voice Eli thought he recognized. "Who is that?"

    "It''s Janus. Just think Minimize at the thing."

    Eli concentrated and the window minimized. It was still there, in his periphery. Close. It went away entirely.

    "That''s better," he breathed. "Hey. Where did you get clothes?"

    Janus wore a cloth tunic with what looked like leather belts going from his shoulder to his midsection. It held a bunch of different pockets and they all bulged, like they were full to the brim. He held a short wooden stick, almost like a cudgel, and a round wooden shield was stuck to his back. A pair of brown shorts covered his legs and his feet were clad in some sort of sandal-like leather shoe.

    Janus reached out a hand and helped Eli to his feet. "Got them from choosing a class. Me and the rest of the guys from IT are heading out. You want to come?"

    "Class?" Eli asked. "Wait. Out? To where?"

    "I mean," Janus began, scratching at the back of his head as he turned to look in the different directions. "Either the woods or the field, I think. Office building over there," he said, pointing with his stick, "and active volcano that way," he gestured over his shoulder. "Neither feels like the best options."

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    "Do you know what''s going on?" Eli asked.

    "Infinite Innovation Solutions personnel, listen up!" someone bellowed. It was Mr. Harn, Eli realized. The CEO. He wore what looked like a white toga, the kind of thing you''d see in a movie about the roman senate.

    A bunch of HR ladies stood around him, cowering and hugging themselves to hide the bare skin not shielded by the two pieces of cloth.

    Janus ignored the CEO. "It''s obvious, isn''t it?"

    "What is?"

    "The world ended."

    Eli raised an eyebrow and gestured at everyone around them, hundreds of people that''d now gathered upon the field of grass. "Obviously it didn''t."

    "Because real life has pop-ups with stats and classes, and quests."

    "So, what? This is the afterlife?"

    Janus shrugged. "It''s what''s after, that''s all I know, and I''m going to enjoy it. You coming or what?"

    "Gather, everyone!" Mr. Harn shouted, gesturing wildly. The rest of management had already joined him and were shouting encouragement for the staff to approach. Most of them wore the togas. Mr. Thomas was still in the white cloth, his hairy stomach protruding.

    "Shouldn''t we stick together until we figure out more about this place?"

    Janus snorted and pointed to the corporate office building. "They''ll want to go in there and continue like nothing has changed. Wake up, secretary guy. Everything has changed! The afterlife is a goddamn video game!"

    "A what?"

    "Where else do you get stats and skills?"

    Eli shrugged, considering. He wasn''t much of a gamer these days but had played his fair share growing up, and the concepts weren''t foreign to him. But the idea was absurd. He tried to remember what''d happened right before he woke up, and then it hit him.

    "We''re in the black hole! This has to be some other dimension or something!"

    "Again with the science? It doesn''t matter, man. It isn''t rocket surgery! All that matters is what''s in front of you and right now, that''s your level. IT is going out there to conquer this place. Last chance, and I''m only offering since you got me that coffee, and I might be feeling kind of bad for messing with your boss''s computer. In my defense, though, I thought the world was ending, which, it turns out, I was right about! Also, he was being a dick to me on the phone."

    "You two, stop talking!" Mr. Harn shouted, pointing right at Eli and Janus.

    Eli shrank back, but Janus gave him the finger. "Fuck off, sir!"

    "You''re fired!" Mr. Harn shouted, his face red and voice booming.

    "Oooh!" Janus said, waving his hands in mock-fright.

    Janus nudged Eli and gestured to the clump of guys and a few girls waiting a little farther down the field, away from the corporate building.

    ¡°Last chance.¡±

    Eli shook his head, wilting under the attention of so many people.

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Janus said. He leaned in. ¡°A final tip for you. Use inspect to learn about stuff.¡±

    "Inspect," Eli repeated.

    ¡°Yeah. Well, alright, see ya,¡± Janus said, before waving his arms in the air to get everyone''s attention. ¡°Hey everyone, go fuck yourselves!¡±

    Then he jogged off without looking back. The group of perhaps thirty moved away. Even from a distance, Eli saw them talking and showing off their gear excitedly, and he realized they were all happy to be here, in this strange world.

    The same couldn¡¯t be said for the rest of the large contingent of Infinite Innovative Solutions. Everyone huddled together but still kept space between each other in their half-naked state. A few, wore different clothing. They must have already selected their classes. As he looked out into the crowd, Eli noticed a more people approaching from all directions.

    ¡°Now, with that unpleasantness behind us, we all need to come together and figure this out. First thing first,¡± the CEO said, ¡°you will be divided into groups, with someone from management at the top of each group. We will head to our home building and use that as a base until we figure out more. I ask that none of you select a class yet. I know it must be uncomfortable without proper clothing, but HR feels strongly, as do I, that the classes you pick will be of the utmost importance. As such, corporate must have a say. We need balance, and to cover our bases if we are to create synergy and maximize our potential.¡±

    He paused, then added, ¡°I leave you in the hands of your managers. There is no need to be afraid. We will all get through this together.¡±

    People started milling about, forming groups with those they had been working with before. The Dragon stood alone, without a group assigned to him yet.

    Eli walked over. ¡°Am I supposed to be with you?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Elijah, of course,¡± Mr. Thomas said, smiling. ¡°Glad to have you here. It seems we have lost many, but we should be grateful for those who have joined us. Who was that man you spoke with?¡±

    ¡°Him? That¡¯s the IT guy,¡± Eli said, looking back over his shoulder at the disappearing speck that was the group leaving.

    When he looked back, he saw rage on his. ¡°That was the man who defiled my office?¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Eli replied, wincing.

    Someone came up to Mr. Thomas and whispered in his ear. He nodded and said, ¡°Come on, Elijah, we are heading over to the building. We¡¯ll find my office and get this sorted. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a way out of this strange occurrence.¡±

    A dog came running across the field from the woods.

    ¡°Rufus!¡± Eli exclaimed.

    Rufus beelined for Eli, stopping right before him, panting happily and wagging his tail.

    ¡°Rufus?¡± Eli asked. ¡°Where¡¯s Amy?¡±

    He didn¡¯t see her anywhere in the crowd.

    "We are leaving, Elijah," Mr. Thomas said.

    Eli gestured to Rufus, ¡°I have to go find my friend. I¡¯ll join you later.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going off on your own?¡± Mr. Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be fine. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    The crowd of gathered people started moving slowly toward the looming corporate office building in the distance.

    ¡°Very well, Elijah,¡± Mr. Thomas said. ¡°Just don¡¯t be tardy.¡±

    Eli knelt down to hug Rufus. Normally, you weren¡¯t supposed to do that sort of thing with service animals, but Amy had given him the go-ahead over a year ago. ¡°Rufus, where¡¯s Amy? Go find Amy!¡±

    Rufus barked happily and wagged his tail before setting off toward the forest at a blazing speed. Such happy dogs, labradors. His fur, with its mix of white and bright yellow hues, stood out against the sea of green grass.

    Eli followed, though Rufus needed to double back repeatedly because Eli couldn¡¯t keep up. As he power-walked, Eli tried Janus¡¯s Inspect tip and found that it did indeed work. He picked up a small stick, narrowed his eyes, and thought, Inspect. A small pop-up window appeared, saying: Small stick: Item, rarity: common.

    Eli willed the screen away and tried another thought: Map.

    A map filled his entire field of vision. The map itself was useless. He¡¯d played real-time strategy games before, and this map only showed places he¡¯d already been. Fog of war, if he remembered the term correctly. It showed a small area on the field and then a thin line where he had walked.

    They were nearing the forest now, and Rufus¡¯s excitement grew. Eli hurried as best he could, but he was already getting winded, breathing hard. He opened up his inventory and found it empty. The skills tab was empty as well, but under the talent tab, he did have one single talent:

    Human racial benefit: 10% extra experience gained.

    That wasn''t terrible. They were all humans, though, so everyone must have that. Strange.

    A chime sounded, followed by another pop-up. A new quest.

    Side Quest: Rescue Amy.

    When he inspected the quest, he got additional info:

    Your friend is in distress. Find her, then defeat the monstrous beast and bring her to safety.

 Chapter 4: Rescue Amy

    His eyes widened. Monstrous beast? He glanced around nervously as he entered the forest. Rufus bounded ahead happily through the trees, and Eli bent down to pick up a sturdy-looking stick with some weight to it. It didn¡¯t have a pointed end or anything, but maybe he could use it to bash whatever his opponent turned out to be.

    What he really wanted was to turn around and run back to the group. He felt very alone, even with Rufus as his companion. It made his chest feel tight. The mention of a beast in the quest made the hair on his neck stand on end, and he scanned the forest floor, searching for any signs of danger. Running wasn¡¯t an option. He couldn¡¯t just abandon Amy out there. She¡¯d never find her way back.

    He heard someone utter a very loud, "Ew!" and thought he recognized the voice. At the same time, part of the quest text changed.

    Your friend is in distress. Find her, then defeat the monstrous beast and bring her to safety.

    That was strange.

    ¡°Amy?¡± he shouted, running in the direction he thought he¡¯d heard her voice. Rufus eagerly sped ahead.

    ¡°I¡¯m over here! I¡¯m stuck!¡± came Amy¡¯s voice, faint but clear, from somewhere off to his left, deeper into the woods.

    He found her in a small, grassy clearing covered in fragrant flowers in white and pink. Tall, leafy trees surrounded the spot, reaching far into the sky. Amy sat on the grass, one leg stretched out before her. Most of her bright-red colored hair had fallen forward into her face, and she was breathing hard, frightened.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Eli asked, kneeling.

    ¡°God, am I glad to hear your stupid little voice,¡± Amy said, brushing the hair out of her face with a relieved chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I stepped on something, and now I can¡¯t move my leg. Some critter tried to nibble me, but I think I got it.¡±

    Eli¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the squished, large rat lying beside her, obviously dead.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± he said, impressed. ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± she replied, running her hand along something in the grass, a long staff with a hook at the top.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°The description says it''s a shepherd''s crook. That''s my class, shepherd,¡± Amy said, her unseeing eyes turned toward him. Tears welled up in them. ¡°I can¡¯t move, Eli. My leg, I mean.¡±

    The leg looked fine, but it was sitting on top of something. "Don''t worry, we''ll get you out. Stay brave, like when you bashed that rat."

    ¡°I didn¡¯t bash the rat,¡± she corrected. ¡°I think I tamed it, but it was so disgusting that I told it to die. It just sort of... popped. I got a level out of it.¡±

    Eli inspected her. She was indeed level two now. Human Shepherd.

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± he breathed.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re telling me. What''s your class?"

    "Haven¡¯t picked a class yet,¡± Eli said. ¡°They told me not to.¡±

    ¡°Who are ''they''?¡± she asked, her eyebrows raised.

    "Mr. Harn. They''re all here, Amy. Well, maybe not everyone, but most of the corporate office is here. Jimbob and Dragon both made it.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s good, maybe? Power in numbers and all that.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Eli agreed, ¡°but it¡¯s kinda strange to be in a game world, or whatever this is, and still have to listen to your boss. As far as power fantasies go, this is a bit lackluster.¡±

    Amy chuckled. ¡°Maybe, but at least we¡¯re not dead. I was really scared, Eli, seeing my body just sitting there.¡±

    ¡°You saw it?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°Well, yeah. I did. For a moment there, I could see. Not anymore, though," she said, the words dripping with sadness. "The blindness even shows up as an ailment."

    Eli inspected her. A screen popped up, confirming her ailment: Blindness.

    ¡°Yeah, I see it."

    ¡°Way to rub it in,¡± she teased.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Eli stammered.

    Amy laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you.¡±

    ¡°So, why did you pick Shepherd?¡± Eli asked, changing the subject.

    ¡°The screen thing said I had to pick a pet class, or Rufus would disappear. The only ones available were Shepherd and Beastmaster. I think that¡¯s some sort of ranger type. Pretty sure Rufus doesn''t count as a beast."

    ¡°Yeah, maybe you¡¯re right,¡± Eli said, inspecting Rufus. The dog¡¯s description popped up: Rufus. Dog. Level 1.

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    ¡°So, Shepherd it is,¡± Amy continued. ¡°What kind of class are you leaning toward?¡±

    ¡°But my stats kind of lean towards intelligence, so maybe a spellcaster of some sort? Throwing fireballs sounds cool, no?¡±

    Amy nodded. ¡°Sure, why not? But I think you should give it some thought. Whatever class you choose will probably reflect the kind of person you can be here, to an extent.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I fit the dashing knight type,¡± Eli said thoughtfully. ¡°But I¡¯ll think about it. You¡¯re taking this whole waking-up-in-a-new-world-stuck-in-a-trap-thing pretty casually, Amy. You didn¡¯t hit your head or anything, did you?¡±

    Amy shrugged. ¡°Right back at you. You''re awfully calm. Also, I¡¯ve been through stuff. This doesn¡¯t even rank in my top ten."

    "Maybe it hasn''t sunk in yet. Like we''re in shock?" Eli said.

    "If that''s it, then I''d like to get my leg unstuck before I start to panic."

    ¡°Right, sorry.¡±

    Leaning over to inspect whatever she''d been trapped with, he saw that it was a plate. It was rectangular and made with some gray-ish material that almost looked like rock, but with the sort of lines you''d expect to see in a piece of wood. Markings covered much of the front, but Amy''s leg made it impossible to see.

    Inspect.

    Trap.

    "It just says trap."

    "What do you mean?" Amy asked.

    "If you focus on something and think Inspect, a window pops up and gives you some information. So far, it''s been pretty useless."

    "Oh. I don''t think that''ll work for me."

    He looked up at her face and saw her eyes again. They looked like any other person''s eyes, blue and quite pretty, but there was something about them that made you just know Amy couldn''t see. Perhaps it was the way she never quite met your eyes when you spoke with her.

    "So how did you manage to pick a class, anyway?" he asked, putting his head down closer to the trap to see if he could spot some way of disarming it.

    "It''s pretty strange. There''s something in front of me, calling my attention to it."

    "That''ll be the pop-up windows."

    "Yeah, but I''m not actually seeing them, you know? Instead, there''s braille in the air that my fingers can''t touch, but my thoughts can, if that makes sense? When my mind sort of rubs up against the bumps, I understand them."

    "That''s cool, like accessibility options."

    "Something like that. Maybe this won''t be so bad, after all? If I can get out of this stupid trap, that is. Haven''t played a game in years, not since I lost my sight."

    Eli didn''t see any obvious way of disarming the rune but he did find it a little awkward, being so close to her pale, bare leg. The rough, brown shepherd''s dress with dark gray details, she wore didn''t go past her knees. "So you weren''t born, uh, blind?"

    "No," she answered, her voice low. "Been this way half my life now, though. Lost my sight at fourteen."

    "I''m sorry," he said, unsure if he was supposed to ask about specifics.

    She sighed. "It''s fine. By now, I''ve almost forgotten what it was like to see. Well, until I was floating in the air, that I guess. I''m not going to lie. It''s hurting more than usual now after being reminded of what it was like."

    Eli swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. "I''m going to try something with the trap."

    "Thank you," she said, wiping at her eyes with the long, fluffy sleeve of her dress. "Sorry for getting all weepy on you, dude."

    "No worries," he said, getting his trusty stick. "Let''s get you out of this trap."

    "What are you going to do, exactly?" Amy asked.

    "I''m going to break it. That should free you."

    "All right, careful not to hit my leg."

    He drove the end of the stick down onto the plate. It shattered, and an explosion erupted, throwing him backward with a sharp yell of pain. Amy screamed as well, her leg burned by the flames. Everything hurt.

    His face and arms felt like he was still standing in the middle of a fire. They were both throbbing and surging with pain. His ears were ringing, but he still heard screams nearby. His lungs hurt, and he could barely draw a breath, coughing violently after each attempt, worsening the effect.

    "Eli!" Amy shouted, but he couldn''t reply. He couldn''t speak. His lips were cracked and his tongue useless.

    He felt something pressed into his fingers and he numbly grabbed it. His hands were too big, swollen, horribly deformed.

    "Drink," Amy said, sounding a thousand leagues away. He didn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t see. Oh god, he couldn¡¯t see. She pushed his hands to his face, and a cool liquid splashed over his face and mouth, with most of it going down into his throat. Eli swallowed, gasped and coughed again, this time able to breathe. He felt his skin regenerating and even his hair growing back. Tears rolled down his face as his vision was restored, and he sat there panting. The pain was gone.

    "What happened?" he asked, looking around wildly, breathing so fast and hard he couldn¡¯t think straight.

    Amy wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair. "You''re okay, Eli, you''re okay. I gave you a health potion. You''re fine now."

    "What health potion?"

    "From my inventory. I got a few when I picked my class. Just breathe, okay? Calm down."

    He sat there in her arms for a moment, steadying his breathing. "The trap... It was a trap," he finally said. "Either that, or all traps work that way, blowing up in your face. We have to be careful."

    His eyes widened, and he looked down. "Your leg!"

    "It''s fine," she said. "I drank a potion, too."

    "What kind of fucked up place is this?" he asked, unwrapping his arms from around her shoulders.

    "We¡¯ve been dropped inside a game, Eli, or a game-like world. I don¡¯t know why or how, but I intend to find out.

    "A black hole pulled us in. Something went wrong at the Event Horizon Dynamics," Eli said. "It''s probably not just us. I saw people from all around the plaza. Other buildings."

    She squeezed his shoulder. "We''ll find everyone. But first, maybe we should get out of here now. We don''t know who put that trap there, or if they were alerted when it was triggered, or when you broke it."

    "You''re right," he said. Rufus was lying across both their legs, and Eli hadn¡¯t even noticed. He scratched the dog''s head gratefully. "Good boy. Okay, let''s go."

    "Shouldn''t you pick a class?" Amy said.

    Eli looked down at himself, at his lack of clothes. The wrappings around his waist were blackened somewhat. "I will. Soon. Let¡¯s just get back to the building first. You know, safety in numbers."

    A sound broke through the trees, a low animal grunt.

    "What now?" Eli asked, looking around for his stick. But no, that had been blown to splinters in the explosion.

    "What was that?" Amy asked.

    "I don¡¯t know, but I don''t like it. Let¡¯s go."

    Rufus didn¡¯t seem too concerned, panting happily at Amy''s side. Thankfully, his harness had stayed on him when going through the black hole. Curious that. With Rufus at her side and Amy was confident enough to just walk while holding onto her seeing-eye dog. With the shepherd¡¯s crook for extra support, she trudged through the underbrush, almost matching Eli''s speed.

    They heard more animal sounds. Birds chirped in the trees. A hind''s eerie cry somewhere deep inside the forest. He hadn¡¯t picked up on the sounds before, but he¡¯d probably been too concerned about Amy to listen properly. Squirrels scurried up the tree trunks and startled rabbits sped away at their approach. The sun was still out, and it was a beautiful day. With the grunting sound not repeating, the forest didn¡¯t seem quite as dangerous anymore.

    All this wildlife made Eli hopeful. They''d need to hunt for food and even start in on crops and the like if they wanted to survive in this new world. They were settlers in Aryxia now. Could they be successful ones?

 Chapter 5: Goblins

    Growl, which gives the Intimidated status, and he has Fetch Help, which is what I used to get him to run to you. Also, a passive skill called Good Boy, but as far as I can tell, it doesn¡¯t grant anything."

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    Solomon, Goblin, level 22.

    Marsch. Human. Level 1 Fighter (Spearman).

    Daniel. Human. Level 1 Fighter (Swordsman).

 Chapter 6: Class Selection

    Quest Complete: Rescue Amy

    Level 2. A new pop-up layered over it:

    Attribute allocation unlocks upon choosing a class.

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    Cold Mage. How fitting.

    Conjurer, though he had no idea what that meant. Everyone, except for the conjurer, had some sort of elemental affinity. Fire, water, lightning, earth, or wind. They were all level one.

    Crafter class.

 Chapter 7: The Shouting Woman

    Elijah Davis

    Class: Healer (Level 2)

    Unallocated Stat Points: 5

    Strength: Determines melee weapon damage, increases physical power and carrying capacity.

    Dexterity: Determines ranged weapon damage, increases agility, speed and reflexes.

    Intelligence: Boosts magic damage and increases maximum mana points.

    Wisdom: Improves mana regeneration, increases experience gain, and enhances some skills and spells.

    Constitution: Increases health points, health regeneration and damage reduction.

    Charisma: Influences interactions, lowers purchase prices, and enhances some skills and spells.

    Skills and spells improved by wisdom include healing type spells, charm spells and most buffs. For more information regarding stat scaling, read the description of specific skills and spells.

    Pitiful Heal (Level 1):

    Mana Cost: 5

    Cast time: 1s

    Cooldown: 0s

    Description: Heal your target for a tiny amount of HP and close minor wounds. Undead type beings are vulnerable to this spell and take double damage. Scales with Wisdom.

    Light in the Dark (Level 1):

    Mana Cost: 5 per minute (toggle)

    Cast time: 1s

    Cooldown: 10s

    Description: Summon an orb of pure light to illuminate your surroundings.

    Lesser Cure (Level 1):

    Mana Cost: 10

    Cast time: 2s

    Cooldown: 10s

    Description: Removes lesser ailments, curses and conditions from target.

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    Creature of Life. It provided extra maximum HP, an experience bonus for killing the undead, and proficiency with cloth armor and staff weapons.

    Staff - Item Rarity: Common

    Damage: 4-7 (Bludgeoning)

    Find and rally other humans from Earth (0/5).

    Find your sister.

 Chapter 8: Graveyard Shenanigans

    Ailment: Mild Confusion.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Church of The Dying Light.

    Zombie. Level 5, shuffled right up to the metal bars, turning its unseeing eyes in their direction as it moaned again. Its face was bloated and its arm stood out at an angle, like it''d been broken.

    Ding! You have reached level 4.

    Ding! You have reached level 5.

    Ding! You have reached level 6.

    Barbarian¡¯s Rage.

 Chapter 9: Return

    Barbarian''s Rage, but he didn¡¯t need to. From the intense, murderous look on her face, he could tell it was some sort of berserker skill. Charlotte flung herself at the enemy again and again, no longer caring about protecting herself. The zombies kept digging their nails into her, and one even bit down on her upper left arm. Eli healed her. He hoped these zombies didn''t infect people like in the movies. Dealing with a zombiefied Barbarian would not be a fun way to end their first day.

    Ding! You have reached level 7.

    Barbarian¡¯s Rage status flickered and disappeared as another ailment took its place. Confusion, the same one that had affected Zack. Eli cured Charlotte, then grabbed one of the leather straps she used to hold her sword and pulled as hard as he could, screaming, "Charlotte, we have to get out of here now!"

    New skill learned:

    Meditation - Sitting or lying down increases mana regeneration by 300% after 5 seconds.

    Ding! You have reached level 8.

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    Destroy the Corrupted Lord in his lair and uncover his secrets.

    . An orb of light almost blinded them all, and he dimmed the brightness so they, at least, could see where they placed their feet.

    Charlotte: We can send messages to each other.

    Eli: That''s neat.

    Amy: This is amazing!

    Amy: Now we can chat without phones and computers.

    Zack: Oh, this is actually helps a lot. I''ll take the ninth floor.

    Amy: You can whisper to people too, like in an MMO.

    Zack: A bunch of people keep giving me ingredients.

    Zack: I''ll be able to make a lot of potions for tomorrow.

    Charlotte: We¡¯re not going back to the graveyard tomorrow, right?

    Eli: I think we''re going into the forest to find some better pets for Amy.

    Zack: Amy, can you control those rats any way you want?

    Amy: Sure. Why?

    Zack: No reason.

 Chapter 10: Level Up

    Injury: Bleeding.

    Lesser Cure, but that didn''t help.

    James. Human. Level 4 Fighter (Warden).

    Pitiful Heal leveled up and transformed into Minor Heal.

    Minor Heal (Rank 3):

    Mana Cost: 10

    Cast time: 1s

    Cooldown: 0s

    Description: Heal your target for a small amount of HP, close minor wounds, and mend injuries. Undead type beings are vulnerable to this spell and take double damage. Scales with Wisdom.

    Mend Injuries.

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    Amy: What''s the commotion?

    Eli: Dana was out with a party. Don''t know what happened, but only Dana and a Fighter named Russel returned.

    Amy: Oh no.

    Eli: I invited Dana to the party. She''ll guide us to the cave in the forest tomorrow. Whatever attacked her group is in there.

    Charlotte: As long as it''s not undead.

    Dana: Hi guys. Thanks for helping me out with this.

    Amy: Of course. How is Russel?

    Dana: Going to check on him now. Your boy Eli just saved his life. And mine.

    level 8. He''d leveled up six times and had 30 attribute points to distribute.

    Constitution to reach an even 10, upped Intelligence to 15, and then dumped the rest into Wisdom.

    Improved mana regeneration: The mana regeneration for Meditation now applies to all mana regeneration.

    Skills window first and saw his new sitting there. Now that his healing spell had leveled up, he saw small bars under each skill, indicating they would level up with use. Interesting.

    Select New Skills (2).

    Warp: Teleport yourself to a previously marked location.

    Increase Max Mana: Maximum MP increased.

    Bless: Increase a target''s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution by 15 points.

    Cure Poison: Cures Poisoned status.

    Sigil of Light: Place a sigil on the ground. All party members within its bounds are continuously healed for a small amount.

    Burning Light: Light in The Dark now damages targets on contact and has physical mass. Has a chance to apply status: Blind. Required skill: Light in The Dark

    Burning Light for his second spell. Their current party lacked in damage and would be even more hard-pressed when fighting anything not undead. Bless was an interesting choice, but fixed attribute bonuses never amounted to much in the long run. Cure Poison was another important one, but he figured Zack might be able to brew up a potion for that. Sigil of Light would ultimately end up being a mandatory spell, he figured, but for now he could rely on his trusty old single target Minor Heal. Increase Max Mana was wholly unnecessary at this point.

    Skills window, his two skill points were gone.

    Warp. A blank list showed up before his inner eye. The list was empty, but from it, he was able to mark a place. Eli marked the couch, then got up and re-cast the skill. This time, the list wasn''t empty:

    Infinite Innovation Solutions, Floor 13.

    Amy: What just happened?

    Eli: ?

    Amy: Your name just blinked on the party screen.

    Eli: We have a party screen?

    Eli: You won¡¯t believe this, but I just teleported!

    Amy: Healers get teleport? So unfair. Where did you teleport?

    Eli: From my floor to the couch. I can only go to locations I''ve marked.

    Charlotte: But you¡¯ll lose the glory of speeding toward your goal, adrenaline pumping!

    Zack: Can you teleport us too?

    Eli: Don''t think so.

    Amy: Boo.

    Zack: Boo.

    Charlotte: Boo.

    Dana: Boo.

    Eli: Boo-hoo. Going to sleep now. See you tomorrow.

    Amy: Don¡¯t forget to pick a talent! I think we all got one at level five.

    Amy: There¡¯s some interesting stuff in there that can change your class quite a bit.

    Eli: I''ll check it out. Good night.

    Zack: Night.

    Amy: Nighty-night.

    Dana: Cu.

    Charlotte: SLEEP WELL FELLOW BARBARIANS.

    Charlotte: Dammit. I meant to say goodnight.

 Chapter 11: Talents

    Experienced: Gain 10% additional experience per rank.

    Executioner: Recover 10% of max HP and MP when a target is killed.

    Harming Healer: Toggleable talent. When active, healing spells deal damage rather than restore HP.

    Burning Light. Rookie mistake. This one sounded like a fantastic option. Next time, he''d need to consider all options before making his choices.

    Animal Friend: You understand animals and they understand you. Improves success rate of Animal Taming.

    Amy: Come on, sleepyhead, we¡¯re waiting outside. Dana is here too.

    Experienced already selected and confirmed. As he focused on it, all the other options disappeared, leaving only that one, along with his previous talent from being human. 20% extra experience already was nothing to scoff at. Eli didn''t remember picking it, but must''ve just as he was falling asleep.

    Crafter with Farmer as my subclass,¡± Stu said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m not good with fighting, you see, and I figured we¡¯d need food, right?¡±

    He was part of the crew working the cafe down on the third floor. Eli had bought breakfast from him a few times, but it had been a while.

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 Chapter 12: The Cave

Ding! You have reached level 9.

    Open at the corpse, and you get a small inventory-type thing in with a grid."

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    Bear. Animal. Level 24.

 Chapter 13: The Bear

    Light in the Dark spell. As the bear approached Amy, he willed the orb down from the ceiling. It was time to test its new effect.

    Blindness.

    Fear.

    Eli: Do not disturb Amy. We can¡¯t attack it now. It¡¯s up to her.

    Blind status start to blink. The bear was getting its sight back. Just as the icon disappeared, a green light shimmered across the shaggy fur, and it jerked back, starting to change.

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    Bear. Animal. Level 12.

    Amy: I''ll talk to her later.

 Chapter 14: Farmers

    They approached the building and found that it was indeed a small wooden house, a section of free-standing wall in front of the building, and even a cultivated field nearby.

    Two groups of people were standing opposite each other, arguing.

    "I want no part of that," Amy muttered. "I''m going inside."

    Charlotte ignored the group entirely and went around, heading to the field without a word.

    Meanwhile, Zack was scratching at his own arm. "I don''t like crowds either, so yeah."

    That left Eli alone. He wondered if he should just go inside as well to avoid the headache, but then people began pointing in his direction and shouting. Sighing, he walked over. The smaller group consisted of one of the HR women, Linda, a man from management who was a level or two beneath The Dragon, and some few others who looked decidedly unhappy about being there. The larger crowd that had gathered in front of them was spearheaded by George, the administrative assistant who''d chosen to become a Crafter.

    "There he is!" a voice shouted as Eli approached.

    "What''s happening here?" Eli asked.

    "These employees," Linda started, gesturing to the crowd with an outstretched hand, "have taken it upon themselves to leave the safe confines of our office building to start building out here."

    "I can see that," Eli said. "Looks nice. Is the wall going to surround the entire building?"

    "That''s the idea," George said, grinning. "Heard something about goblins, so I figured we''d need a wall."

    "That''s cool," Eli said.

    "That is decidedly not ''cool''," Linda snapped. "We have several farmers who have taken to sowing crops."

    "What does this have to do with me?"

    Linda shook her head, like she was talking to an idiot. "You''re responsible, Mr. Davis."

    "I am?"

    "Potatoes!" Stu shouted, piping up from the crowd. "I''m growing potatoes!"

    Stu''s appearance settled it. This was why they''d called for Eli.

    "These people are saying you gave them permission, Mr. Davis. Is that so? And on whose authority?"

    "We consulted Mr. Thomas, but he has given no such orders," she added, glaring at Stu.

    Stu just grinned back, happy as can be.

    "I haven''t been given the authority by anyone," Eli said, "but we need food, Linda. Stu here asked me if I thought it was a good idea, and I said yes, because it is a good idea. I don''t see how we would survive otherwise."

    "Of course, it''s a good idea to grow food, Mr. Davis," Linda said, clearly frustrated. "The problem is, now our plans have to be revised to take these new developments into calculation. We will have to start all over again!"

    "Everyone will have to follow me back to the building," she continued. "You can stay on the second floor until we have decided on your punishments."

    "Punishments?" the crowd roared.

    "This is getting ridiculous," Eli said, inspecting Linda for the first time. She was a lightning Mage, and had reached level 5. Strange for someone who had barely left the building.

    The man from management, who was level 4, seemed content to let Linda do all the talking. He was a young, nervous looking guy.

    "We need to level up," Eli said. "I''m sure you understand, seeing your levels. I''m not sure how you reached that high without leaving the building, but we need action now, not planning. And I don''t see how you can punish these people¡ªyour authority did not transfer over to this new place."

    The man from management, Liam, finally piped up. "The building is ours."

    "Mr. Miller is right," the HR lady replied. "The building belongs to the corporation, and management embodies that. Which means, if you wish to stay here, you do as we say."

    Lightning crackled in her eyes.

    A murmur of fear ran through the crowd, but Eli merely sighed.

    "No," Eli said.

    "No?" Mr. Miller asked.

    "First of all, I''m not so sure this is actually our building," Eli said with a rough chuckle. "Do you remember? Our building crumbled. Either way, you have no claim to this place. No more than us. We need to work together here to create something sustainable. Let these people be."

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    "Or what?" Linda challenged.

    "Nothing," Eli said calmly. "It wasn''t a threat. We need a wall. We need food. We need whatever else everyone can provide. Those who aren''t crafters and the like need to go out there," he pointed across the field. "And fight to level up."

    Linda sniffed and turned. "We''ll take this up with management."

    As they walked off, Eli called after them. "One more thing! Marsch and Daniel need help. You should set up a rotation so the guards are not asleep on their feet."

    The small group left, and Eli turned to the larger group. "Don''t keep pointing HR in my direction. I''m not interested in micromanaging. I don''t need the headache. You can talk to them yourselves."

    "Thanks, boss!" Stu shouted.

    Eli sighed. "So, when will the potatoes be ready?"

    "About two days, I think," Stu replied. "I have a rapid-growth skill, and I found a few other farmers to cultivate more fields. We''ll get this food operation up and running in no time."

    "Well done," Eli said, his eyes narrowing. Stu was level 6 already.

    "You get a lot of experience from doing this stuff?"

    "Tons," Stu said. "I don''t think my class is supposed to fight monsters, so we get more from growing potatoes and the like."

    "That''s cool," Eli said. "Just make sure you post lookouts in case any goblins show up, so you can retreat back into the building."

    Everyone nodded, and George added, "I''ll have this place surrounded soon. With a wall, I mean."

    "Great," Eli said. "Well, I''m off. Keep up the good work, I guess."

    "Sure, boss!" Stu shouted again.

    Eli sighed and headed back into the building. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlotte sitting by the edge of the field, her hands gently patting the soil. He thought of going over there, but decided it was best to leave her to Amy.

    Inside, the exhausted guards were slumped in chairs by the side of the doors, and Eli didn¡¯t blame them. Not wanting to ascend all those stairs, Eli thought about crashing on the couch, but then realized he could just use Warp. He selected the 13th floor.

    With a pop, he appeared on the couch in the office, lying down. The place was empty. He wanted to sleep, but couldn¡¯t waste that much time. He, too, needed to grow stronger. Pulling up his status screen, he added five new attribute points to Wisdom and happily watched his mana bar fill up.

    Though he didn¡¯t have a new talent, he did receive a skill point from leveling up, and he went in to pick a new one.

    Sigil of Light: Place a sigil on the ground for thirty seconds. All party members within its bounds are continously healed for a small amount.

    It would¡¯ve been great when fighting with the bear, and he could think of plenty of more situations where it would be useful, one of which he had already decided to try before night came. The mana cost was high, but with Meditation''s added mana regeneration, it was still a useful spell.

    Eli: I''m going out a bit. Anyone want to come with?

    Amy: I''m getting acquainted with Princess, maybe later.

    Zack: I can combine different ingredients to discover recipes. I''m going to stay here for a little while and see if I can¡¯t make something more useful than those lackluster explosion potions.

    Eli: Charlotte?

    No reply.

    Eli: Dana?

    Dana has left the party.

    "Well," Eli sighed, talking out loud. "Looks like I''m on my own then."

    Heading out a little later, Eli spotted someone familiar. James stopped when he saw Eli. His face was still pale, with dark circles under his eyes.

    "Eli! I heard you were outside," he said, breathing hard. Clearly, the exertion of going down the stairs had taken its toll.

    "I was," Eli said. "How are you doing?"

    "Much better, thank you. Thank you for saving me."

    "You''re welcome," Eli said. "Sorry about your friends."

    "Yeah," James said, his shoulders slumping. "Dana made it out, though. Just talked with her. She''s pissed and kept ranting about how you didn¡¯t want to kill the bear."

    Eli was about to defend himself, but James held up his palms. "But I understand the reasons. We need strength and power, any way we can get it."

    "Good," Eli said. "Also, it would have killed us. We weren¡¯t strong enough."

    "She didn¡¯t mention that part." James chuckled weakly. "So where are you heading out to?"

    "The graveyard," Eli said. "Like you said, we have to get stronger."

    James nodded. "I¡¯d go with you, but I¡¯m fairly worn out as it is. Maybe once I recover a little, if you haven¡¯t leveled too far ahead of me."

    "Sure," Eli said. "I¡¯d like that. You¡¯re a Warden?"

    James knocked on his round metal shield twice. "Defense."

    "Could use some of that," Eli said, smiling.

    "Later, then," James said.

    "Later."

    Having left the building, he continued on alone, heading for the graveyard. It was time to see just how well his healing powers worked against the undead.

    Rather than clear skies, clouds were moving in now for the first time since he arrived in this new world of Aryxia. The shade brought an enjoyable coolness to the air. Eli drew in a deep breath, savoring his alone time. He generally wasn¡¯t much of a people person and would often spend long periods of time by himself to recharge his internal batteries after grueling hours of social interaction at work.

    Now that he thought about it, he hadn''t felt that same drain once he got here to this new place. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but maybe it had something to do with all of society''s expectations no longer being relevant. In this place, his role had changed, or he''d been given a chance to create a new role for himself. His mission was clear: heal people, keep them fighting, and help them grow stronger while improving his own level and skills.

    The Ravenous Barbarians were at least doing that much, improving. Most of the others, not so much. If he didn¡¯t want to leave everyone behind, Eli would have to do more to get people out and fighting. At least the crafters were leveling up nicely, while being extremely useful to the group.

    Not wanting to be taken unaware, he rounded the small cluster of trees where he and Amy found Zack.

    ¡°Little green men,¡± Eli muttered. In his delirious state, Zack might''ve seen goblins. He didn¡¯t want to take any chances, even with his get-out-of-jail-free card.

    Warp wasn¡¯t just a way to get to places, it was also a fantastic way of getting away from threats. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t find anything. Just more grass and a few other small clusters of trees.

    The road to the graveyard stretched out into the distance, and he wondered how long he¡¯d have to walk on it to find civilization. He desperately wanted knowledge of the world they found themselves in, but answers eluded him. Once they were able to fortify the Infinite Innovation Solutions building, that would go a long way in easing his mind. Perhaps then, he could quest outward into the larger world and find other humans.

    The graveyard looked tranquil in daylight, despite the overcast sky. Still, Eli approached carefully. Monsters lurked within. The entrance was closed now. Did it reset, like the respawning enemies, or had someone else been there?

    Yet another question with no answer.

 Chapter 15: Sigil of Light

    Zack: Why did I just level up?

    Eli: I¡¯m at the graveyard, killing things.

    Wow, we get shared experience this far away? That¡¯s not a bad bonus.

    Amy: Hell yeah!

    Congratulations! You have reached level 10. Multiclass options and specializations are available.

    Character Sheet and saw a plus sign by his normal class and a small button saying Add Class. Another button was placed right next to it, reading: Select Specialization.

    Character Status and saw a skeleton, taller and more solid-looking than the other ones, knocking another arrow to a small bow.

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    Ding! You have reached level 11.

    Ding! You have reached level 12.

    Ding! You have reached level 13.

    Zach: I''m leveling like crazy!

    Ding! You have reached level 14.

    Amy: Just reached level 10!

    Zack: Me too.

    Eli: Not all experience was shared, then. I just reached level 14.

    Amy: Really?! I''m coming with you tomorrow.

    Zack: Sounds like a good plan. I actually found some interesting recipes I want to test out.

    Eli: Sounds good. We''ll need at least two frontliners if we''re going inside. And I think we should.

    Eli: I think I just saw the Corrupted Lord from the quest. The church doors opened.

    Zack: Scary. Are you safe?

    Eli: I ran. Let''s go back tomorrow and fight that thing. With some more help.

    Amy: Let''s! For now, I''m going to check out the multi-classing and specialization options.

    Eli: Same.

    Eli: Can you talk with Charlotte before tomorrow? See if she wants to come. I was thinking of asking James to join us, too.

    Amy: I''ll talk to her.

    Add Class.

    Cancel. So he wasn''t forced to pick another class. Good to know. He read the brief description of each class and found an interesting connection in the Healer class. Among the usual stuff about supporting and healing you''d expect, a mention stood out in the description for Healer. A Champion of the Dying Light. Dying Light, like the name of the graveyard.

    Cancel again and opened the Specialization window, his mouth full of fries.

    Crusader of The Dying Light. Its skills and abilities involved the use of heavy armor and a great boost in health and mana. As far as he could tell, it was like a paladin class. A strong option, definitely, but a brief, red text told him all his spells would be converted to skills befitting a crusader. That was a risk. A big risk. Losing Warp and Sigil of Light would hurt a lot.

    Scholar of The Dying Light. That specialization also came with an increase in health, but not nearly as much as the Crusader, and some added maximum mana. It was some sort of damage dealing specialization, Eli figured. The short description read:

    The Scholar finds great power in their meditation into the nature of The Dying Light. Power is often found in the quiet places. Use your mind to destroy those who would see The Dying Light winked out to bring about eternal night.

    Priest of The Dying Light. It did not receive as much of a health boost, but the mana pool was greatly increased. The specialization allowed him to wield tomes in addition to staves. The short description read:

    Stand as a beacon for The Dying Light to shine down upon. Stand tall and give aid to those who suffer, and salvation to the damned creations of night.

    Priest of The Dying Light. The multi-class option did not go away, but he''d already decided he wouldn''t add on any more classes, at least not yet. Not before he knew more about this world of Aryxia. It was time to take a good long look at what this new specialization offered him.

    Amy: Goblins!

 Chapter 16: Under Siege

    Eli: Goblins?

    Amy: Look outside, they are already in the building! How did they get here so fast, without anyone noticing?

    Eli: Did we have scouts out?

    Amy: How should I know?

    Eli: Where are you?

    Amy: Down on 12th. There are sounds of fighting in the stairwell!

    Zach: What do we do? I''m on the 5th floor, but they aren''t up here yet.

    Eli: I''m heading up to 14th to see if I can find HR. Linda was level 5 yesterday. We''ll need them.

    Eli: Zack, do you have people fighting below you?

    Zach: Uh-huh.

    Eli: Don''t throw potions down then. Can you toss them out the window? There must be hundreds of goblins down there.

    Zach: Way ahead of you!

    Amy: I think Princess will be needed on the stairs. Most people are way too low level to handle anything like this.

    Eli: If they''re the same level as Solomon, we might be screwed either way.

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    Eli: Amy, are you down there yet?

    Amy: Not yet. There are a lot of people running the other way, climbing the stairs.

    Eli: Zack?

    Zack: My potions aren''t doing much to thin the ranks down there, but I think a bunch of mages are helping from somewhere up town. I''m going to start handing out health potions instead and save my supply of explosion potions for later.

    Eli: Good idea. I¡¯m coming down. Remind me later that we have to kick HR¡¯s ass.

    Amy: Totally up for that.

    Eli: Samantha will help out with healing.

    Amy: Hi Sam.

    Zack: Samantha.

    Samantha: Uh. Hello.

    Bulwark. 24% Added defense.

    Eli: Amy, do you have Princess ready?

    Amy: Sure do.

    Samantha: Princess?

    Eli: I think it''s time to release her.

    Eli: There are too many goblins. Princess is hurting too much.

    Amy: Why aren''t you healing her?

    Eli: We are! I''m going to try something.

    Talents tab, and scrolled down until he found what he was looking for.

    Harming Healer: Toggleable talent. When active, healing spells deal damage rather than restore HP.

    Harming Healer and confirmed, then threw down a Sigil of Light. Changing the effect to do damage, rather than restore health.

    Eli: Pull Princess back!

 Chapter 17: Mages

    Rallied.

    Ding! You have reached level 15.

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    Eli: Samantha. Are you with James?

    Samantha: Yes.

    Eli: Good. You should stay with them. If something happens, James is our best shot at keeping the goblins at bay.

    Samantha: That''s the plan.

    Zack: Eli, look out the window.

    Eli: One second.

    Eli: What should I be seeing?

    Zack: Any moment now.

    Amy: My poor rats.

    Eli: ?

    Zack: Now!

    Zack: Haha!

    Eli: What am I watching?

    Zack: Suicide rats!

    Zack: They were carrying potions of Liquid Fire. Their cannons are toast!

    Amy: You owe me new rats, Zack.

 Chapter 18: Elevators

    Eli: That''s really clever.

    The fire down below kept growing, each of them now easily three times as big as the initial detonation.

    Zack: I''m getting so much experience from this. I''m level 12 already.

    Amy: Me too.

    Eli: How large are those fires going to get?

    Zack: I don''t know. The info just says it spreads.

    Eli hurried back to the stairs, feeling a little safer now with so many cannons gone, and the building hadn''t been struck in quite a while. He resumed climbing the stairs. When Eli finally made it up the stairs to the 22nd floor, the damn door to the roof was locked.

    Banging on it to draw Mr. Thomas''s attention didn''t work. Desperate, he pressed himself tight against the door before casting Warp and marking his location. He stepped back a few steps and then cast Warp, selecting the spot he just marked. A bright flash later, he stood with his face pressed against the cold metal of the door. Frustrated, he banged on the door again. He''d hoped the spell would allow him to glitch through the wall. Apparently, this wasn''t that sort of game-like world.

    After another minute of banging, Eli gave up and walked down a few steps. Dejectedly, he headed into the office on the top floor and sat down in an office chair, swiveling around. Once his breathing had settled down somewhat, he sent a message down to his party.

    Eli: I can''t get through the door to reach The Dragon.

    Amy: That''s not good.

    Zack: Level 13. These liquid fire potions are amazing. Why don''t we throw them down the elevator shaft?

    Eli: I''m pretty sure that would burn the whole building down.

    He stood and walked over to the window, where he saw the fire spreading even more throughout the grass. Goblins were running back and forth everywhere, desperate to get it under control.

    What Zack said did make some sense. Not using potions, but perhaps something else would work just as well, if not better. He smashed the glass encasement for the fire extinguisher, then removed it and put it aside. It was the other item in that little cabinet that he was after. The crowbar.

    The elevator doors protested, but once he finally got the crowbar deeper between the doors, they opened, groaning. Light in the Dark produced an orb of light, and he willed it to descend. Faster and faster it went. In the meantime, he cast Sigil of Light at the bottom. The goblins still on the bottom died.

    This orb of light collided with something and went out. Eli gained some experience and realized he must have killed a climbing goblin. They were in the elevator shaft, and at this incredible height, he didn''t need weapons to kill them.

    Going back into the office, he grabbed the office chair he had been sitting in and rolled it over. It made a terrible noise going down, bouncing against the walls over and over again. He didn''t wait for it to reach the bottom before finding a heavy table to toss in.

    Goblins screamed in terror as they hurtled to the floor. If one of them survived, the Sigil of Light would finish them off.

    Eli moved over to the second set of elevators and pried the doors open, repeating the procedure.

    Ding! You have reached level 16.

    Wondering what sort of skills and talents his new class awarded him, Eli wanted some peace and quiet to research. Going over to the window, he saw the fire spreading out of control.

    Eli: Zack?

    Zack: Was that you with the elevators? The sound made the Mage-ladies jump and scream. It was fun.

    Eli: It was me. The fire?

    Amy: Is it bad?

    Eli: Let''s just hope the wind doesn''t start blowing in this direction, or we''ll be in real trouble.

    Zack: At least the goblins are gone.

    Eli: I''m coming back down.

    He warped to the 13th floor, and continued down the stairs. People were starting to gather in the stairwell now, which probably meant the imminent threat was gone. Eli told those who asked he didn''t know what was happening. When he made it to the second floor, Barbara and others were gone.

    "Where did they go?" he asked.

    Zack shrugged. "I don''t know. But look," he pointed out the window. "The fires are dying away. We should be safe."

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    "Guys..." Amy breathed.

    They both turned to her. "What?"

    "Just found a new skill," Amy said, her voice soft. "It''s called ''See Through Their Eyes''"

    She pointed down at Rufus by her side. She looked pale, despite a smile spreading across her face. "I can see."

    "You can see?" Eli asked.

    Tears ran down her cheeks. "I can see through Rufus''s eyes."

    "You''re really pale," Zack said.

    She gestured to a waste basket underneath a desk, her aim off by quite a bit. "Can you please get me that bin over there?"

    Eli rushed over to grab the wastebasket and handed it to her. She promptly vomited into it. A moment later, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve. Sweat was pouring down her face, and she looked terrible, but that smile was still there.

    "What''s wrong?" Eli asked.

    "It''s the change of perspective," she breathed. "It''s messing with my brain."

    Eli got down to his knees in front of Rufus. "Is this better?"

    She laughed, a sound full of joy. "You''ve got to¡ª"

    Then she vomited again.

    "That''s cool," Zack said.

    "It is cool," she agreed. "Very cool."

    She paled again. "I''m going to go sit down."

    Amy wandered off and Eli turned to Zack. "What happened to the goblins?"

    "The fire spooked them, I think," Zack said.

    "Did you see where they were going?"

    "Nope."

    "Great," Eli sighed. The goblins would return unless they did something to stop them. Eli was sure of it.

    James wandered in and looked around. "So that''s it? We won?"

    "For now," Eli said. "Did you see where they went?"

    "Nuh-uh."

    Feeling very tired all of a sudden, Eli readied himself to warp back up the stairs. "James, how about joining our party?"

    "The Ravenous Barbarians?" he chuckled. "Thanks, but no. I''m with Dana. And I wanted to ask you about Sam."

    "What about Samantha?" Eli asked.

    "She hasn''t said anything, but I think she wants to join our party. You don''t mind, do you?"

    "No, of course not," Eli said. "It''s not up to me to decide for her. It''s her decision. And besides, there are only two healers that I know of. It wouldn''t make sense to keep them both in the same party."

    "Great," James said. He nodded to Zack before walking back to the stairwell. As he left, he spoke over his shoulder. "By the way, we are heading to the graveyard tomorrow. I thought you should know."

    "Bring as many people as you can. Everyone needs to level up."

    James waved without looking back, and then he was gone.

    "So what now?" Zack asked. "It''s just going to be me, you, and Amy?"

    "We have Charlotte."

    "Do we?"

    Eli shook his head. "I don''t know. Amy was going to talk to her. We''ll head to the graveyard too once it gets light out. Let''s just try to get some rest for now."

    Zack nodded over to Amy, who was just sitting there, tears streaming down her face.

    "I don''t think she''s going to get much rest tonight."

    "No, I think you''re right," Eli said.

    After saying their goodnights, Eli went and sat by Amy. "Are you okay?"

    She turned to him, her eyes still full of tears and still just as unseeing, but they glittered with joy.

    "I''m great, Eli. Thanks for asking. I''m going to sit here for a while before I head up. You go on ahead."

    "Okay, I will talk to you tomorrow."

    "Tomorrow."

    Eli headed down to the first to check on the damage. Four wooden planks with names burned into the wood waited for him at the bottom of the stairs, poking out through the floor. Eight more flanked the main entrance to the building, making the total death count thirteen. Now that the fire was dying down, people were milling around outside looting the hundreds of dead goblins.

    Daniel and Marsh were back at their posts. Both of them were level 6 now. Eli healed them, topping up their health bars. They nodded to him in thanks.

    "Do you know if anyone followed the goblins to see where they went?"

    "No," Daniel said.

    "Figured," Eli said. "Do you at least have someone to relieve you?"

    "No," Marsh said.

    Eli sighed again. Management was not managing very much at all. He''d have to talk to Mr. Thomas. Perhaps he was back down from the roof now.

    "I''ll see what I can do," Eli said, heading back inside before using Warp to end up on the 13th floor.

    "Elijah," Mr. Thomas said. "I didn''t see you come in."

    He was standing by the windows, looking out across the field.

    "Mr. Thomas," Eli said. "You reached level 8."

    "I have indeed, Elijah. Goblins made for excellent target practice, and the range of my spells from up here is impressive."

    Eli got up to stand beside him, looking out the window.

    "I have heard from management that there was some discussion of how to best repel this cowardly attack."

    "Discussions are the only thing we''re having," Eli said, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. "No one is leading, and we need leadership." He gave the dragon a meaningful look, but Mr. Thomas shook his head.

    "I have come to enjoy the freedom of not making decisions for others, Elijah."

    "The rest of management are just following Barbara around. Where is Mr. Harn?"

    "I don''t know. But Barbara has excellent leadership skills. I''m sure she''ll do a fine job. It would go a long way if you helped, rather than put yourself in opposition at all times, Elijah."

    "Did you know she and the rest of HR, along with a bunch of the managers, Mr. Deere included, were using employees for target practice?"

    His face darkened. "I did not know that. That is a crime most foul, to use employees in such a manner against their will."

    "It wasn''t against their will, not exactly."

    Mr. Thomas raised a questioning eyebrow.

    "No. They were apparently willing. Barbara promised them promotions when we return home to Earth, our dimension, whatever."

    "I''m not so sure a return is in our future, Elijah. But two consenting adults are allowed to do whatever they wish to each other as far as I know."

    Eli shuddered from the cold air streaming in through the glassless windows. "If Barbara wants to lead, let her lead. I don''t care. I just want everyone here to be safe, and for them to get stronger. The goblins that attacked us were low level. Solomon was level 22. The difference makes me uneasy."

    "While I am longer a part of the circle of leadership, Elijah. I will do my best to provide sage advice to those in power here. Rest easy. We will come together in the end."

    They said their goodnight, and Eli returned to his couch and put his head down. Opening the Character status window, he saw all the attributes he hadn''t distributed. He needed to get better about adding points whenever he leveled up, or he''d always be weaker than necessary.

    Pursing his lips, Eli began perusing the many options for his attributes and skill points. The attributes were easy enough.

    Adding points 10 to constitution barely increased his maximum health. At 829, it was a lot higher now after the class specialization, but adding more in the stat barely added more health. It would be useless to increase it any further.

    Instead, he distributed everything between his intelligence and his wisdom, hugely increasing his already big mana pool and mana regeneration. He had two talent points remaining. Not wanting to scroll through the entire list again, he added them both to Experienced for a total of 30% added experience from that talent alone.

    Skills were another matter. This would take a while.

 Chapter 19: Priest of The Dying Light

    Aegis of the Dying Light:

    Mana cost: 75

    Cast time: N/A

    Cooldown: 200s

    Description: Surround yourself in a protective layer of light that will absorb damage from physical attacks.

    Feast of the Dying Light:

    Mana cost: 15

    Cast time: 2s

    Cooldown: 10s

    Description: Create food and water for the hungry to stoke the dying light.

    Turn Undead:

    Mana cost: 80

    Cast time: 4s

    Cooldown: N/A

    Description: Provides a small chance of instantly killing undead and demonic creatures.

    Skills window, he thought he saw a shimmer run across his field of vision, focused around the spells he''d selected. Concentrating, he thought Open, not really expecting anything.

    Skill Tree.

    Eli: Guys. I just found something I think you''ll find interesting. Open up Skills window and then focus on a skill and think Open.

    Amy: Holy shit.

    Eli: This is going to get very complicated.

    Zack: This is going to be so much fun.

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    Eli: I can Warp the whole party now.

    Zack: That''s nice.

    Eli: Tomorrow we''re going to have to tell people about the skill trees. We should find some way of spreading information to the whole group. Also, I want to see how many people we can keep in a party, if there''s a limit. We have to send out scouts too, so we''re prepared if the goblins return. I don''t think Barbara is ever going to get her act together.

    Zack: Aye aye, captain.

    Amy: We should go back to the graveyard.

    Eli: Agreed.

    Eli: Welcome everyone. You can send party messages with a thought. Give it a try.

    Eli: We need two volunteers for scouting, in case the goblins return. You will get free experience just from being in our party while we go kill things at the graveyard nearby.

    Bob: Testing, testing, one, two, three.

    Bob: That¡¯s convenient.

    Sheila: Hello?

    Zack: This is a lot of people.

    Eli: We have to help people to level up, Zack.

    Zack: Yeah, yeah.

    Amy: I talked to Charlotte. She¡¯s not coming.

    Eli: I figured as much when she wasn¡¯t in the party anymore when I woke up.

    Eli: So. Any volunteers?

    Hannah: Hello? What was that about a graveyard?

    Eli: That¡¯s right. We''re going to kill zombies.

    Hannah: But I''m a Blacksmith.

    Frey: And I''m a Farmer.

    Eli: Oh. You two should head off and focus on other stuff then. See if you can find Stu and George.

    Inspect.

    Cruella. Human. Level 1 Mage (Enchanter).

    Eli: Like I said, I need volunteers to go keep watch.

    Bob: I''ll go.

    Frick: Me too. I¡¯m pretty quick, so I think it would work out.

    Eli: Great. One of you should head out across the grassy field. I think that''s where they''re coming from. Just to be safe, we should have a lookout in the direction of the volcano, too. You never know.

    Frick: I call volcano.

    Bob: Dangit.

    Amy: Hey everyone, if you see a bear, don¡¯t freak out. Her name is Princess, and she¡¯s really nice.

    Cruella: A bear? I want a bear.

    Ravenous Barbarians now consisted of the following people:

 Chapter 20: Party of 8

    Eli: What did Charlotte say?

    Amy: Not much. She doesn''t want to fight, and I don''t blame her.

    Amy: Standing up front and being attacked again and again, not a fun time.

    Eli: No, you''re right.

    Amy: She reached level 10 before leaving the party, so she''s thinking of multi-classing.

    Eli: Well. She''ll always have a spot with us if she wants it. She''s a Ravenous Barbarian after all!

    Amy: Roar!

    Eli: Cruella wants to stay on. Everyone OK with that?

    Amy: Of course! Princess liked her. I''m heading to the roof if anyone wants me.

    Zack: Sure. I''m adding Irene back in again as well.

    Amy: Oooh, Zack has a giiirlfrieeeeend!

    Zack: Shut up.

    Eli: We still have hours of daylight left. What do you say about going into the church? I think we''re ready.

    Zack: Welcome to the party, Cruella!

    Cruella: Thanks for the invite.

    Irene: Hi again.

    Amy: We should fill out the last spots if we''re going for the boss.

    Eli: I was thinking of asking James. They''re still at the graveyard.

    Amy: I''m not sure Dana will want to join, but we can ask them.

    Eli: Let''s gather downstairs. I''ll need to mark the location so we can return without going all the way up to the 13th floor every time. I think it''s time to settle somewhere on the lower levels.

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    Ding! You have reached level 17.

    Alchemist.

    Shepherd (14) / Bard (1).

    Amy: Guys. You can multi-class with more than one class. The Add Class button still appears in my Character Window.

    Cruella: I like the sound of that.

 Chapter 21: Corrupted

    Eli: Are you with us, Zack and Irene?

    Zack: Stealth is really awesome. We¡¯re walking on the other side of the pillars. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re following.

    ???. Corrupted Priest. Level 28.

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    James: Do we attack?

    Eli: Let¡¯s talk first. Perhaps we don¡¯t need to fight.

 Chapter 22: The Dying Light

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    Ding! You have reached level 18.

    Ding! You have reached level 19.

    Ding! You have reached level 20.

    You have been granted a talent: Champion of Light.

    The Corrupted Lord is Slain. Uncover his secrets.

 Chapter 23: Finally Some Loot

    Tome of the Dying Light. Tome. Unique Item: Holds knowledge of the Dying Light and its mysteries.

    +50% Amount healed with spells

    +20% Experience gained

    +15% Wisdom

    +5% Intelligence

    +500 Mana

    Class requirement: Priest of The Dying Light

    Samantha. Human. Level 10 Scholar of The Dying Light.

    Samantha: I''d rather be dead than a priest. I want the wand.

    Eli: Deal.

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    Quest Complete: The Corrupted Lord is Slain. Uncover his secrets.

    Reward: +3 skill points, +1 talent points.

    Only accessible to followers of The Dying Light.

    Zack: Eli? What the hell are you doing?

    Amy: That''s not safe!

    Eli: Don''t follow. I''ll be fine. Light said this might be resolved without violence and I want to try it. If they all attack me, I''ll just Warp back. Hold the stairs and make sure Barbara and her cronies don''t start bombing the goblins from above.

    Irene: No one has seen HR. Most of the management is gone too, apparently.

    Eli: Since when?

    Zack: Since this morning.

    Eli: Damn it. Well, I''ll be back as soon as I can. Make sure the elevators are clear.

    James: Be careful.

    Dana: If he dies, I call dibs on that book.

 Chapter 24: Arti the Goblin King

    Arti. Goblin. Level 13.

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    Jebediah. Goblin. Level 17.

    Suzie. Goblin. Level 4.

    Wanting to speed up the process, Eli cast Sigil of Light, which covered almost the entire line of goblins. At first, there were screams, but when they realized they weren¡¯t taking any damage, the screams turned to gasps as their wounds, injuries, and diseases were healed.

    Sameno. Goblin. Level 23.

 Chapter 25: Peace

    Rasmunda. Goblin. Level 8.

    Leil. Goblin. Level 18.

    Umunda. Goblin. Level 21.

    Halifax. Goblin. Level 7.

    Peter. Goblin. Level 29.

    Kalina. Goblin. Level 14.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Find Solomon the goblin and deal with him.

    Eli: Hey. Ready to go?

    Samantha: You survived the goblins?

    Eli: Disappointed?

    Samantha: Maybe. I''ll be down soon.

    Eli: Scholar of the Dying Light give you the Warp spell?

    Samantha: No.

    Eli: Still no sign of HR or management?

    Dana: Nope.

    James: Your boss is still here, Eli. Guy Thomas, that''s your guy, right?

    Amy: The Dragon!

    Eli: So, he didn''t go with the others?

    Dana: Guess not.

    James: Last I saw, he was stewing in his office, not looking very pleased with HR''s departure.

    Eli: Do we know if HR is coming back?

    Cruella: If anyone knows, it''ll be him.

    Amy: They found Mr. Harn in his office, frozen to death.

    Eli: Barbara?

    Dana: Who else?

    Eli: Samantha, I''ll just go have a quick talk with Mr. Thomas, then we can go.

    Samantha: Fine. Whatever.

    Potion of Experience. +10% experience gained for 10 minutes.

 Chapter 26: Beneath the Church

    Guy Thomas. Human. Level 12 Mage (Fire).

    Eli: You ready, Samantha? Can I call you Sam?

    Samantha: Already told you I''m ready. And no, you can''t.

    Eli: Alright, alright. Let''s get going then.

    Ding! You have reached level 21.

    Experienced," Samantha said, going up the stairs. "I''ll be adding plenty of points to that one."

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Eli: Hello?

    Samantha: That''s freaky.

    Samantha: Messaging doesn''t work either.

    Skeleton. Level 18. Undead.

    Ding! You have reached level 22.

    Skeletal Hound. Level 24. Undead.

    it turned up. How could he have forgotten about this one?

 Chapter 27: Bone Hound

    He threw 5 skill points into Turn Undead to hopefully up his chances of success.

    Before he had the chance to cast the new skill, however, the hound body-checked him with so much force, Eli was thrown into the wall, breaking one of the many bookcases on impact. He groaned, falling to the ground. The Aegis had not absorbed the impact fully Everything in his body either creaked or throbbed.

    Eli felt himself getting healed and his injuries knitted themselves back together in an instant. It gave him enough time to cast Aegis again as the skeletal hound charged him. This time, its massive jaw hung open, like it was planning to devour him. Eli''s eyes widened, and he rolled forward to avoid its teeth, which resulted in him being trampled instead. Aegis blocked the first stomp, but no such protection was applied to his arm as it was crushed between a massive foot, made out of bone, and the floor.

    A crunch sounded, and to Eli''s horror, his arm was so thoroughly smashed, it looked flat. One breath later, the pain caught up with him. He wailed, the underground chamber spinning around him, but Eli managed to roll away from another strike. Another heal restored his arm. Getting up on hands and feet, trying to crawl away from the hound, resulted in a powerful horse-like kick into his midsection. Something burst inside him and his breath just would not come. Air did not travel down into his lungs. Eli couldn''t even scream.

    From somewhere hidden out of the way, Samantha healed him again and again, keeping him alive while Eli struggled. Finally, having created some distance between himself and the monster, Eli cast Turn Undead for the first time. A scythe formed out of light and chopped into the skeleton. The spell failed to proc and kill the hound, but it whittled away about a tenth of its HP.

    Eli gritted his teeth, casting against while standing hunched over, hugging his own belly. While healed, the memory of his body crushed and broken remained.

    The scythe returned, taking another chunk of HP.

    "You''re supposed to die right away," Eli hissed, casting Turn Undead again and again as the creature turned and glared at him with its red little eyes.

    The hound charged, and Eli couldn''t find it in himself to move. Instead, he spammed Turn Undead for all he was worth.

    Finally, just as the skeletal hound was about to trample him again, the scythe of light cutting into the bones of the hound produced a sound, like a blade cutting through grass. The skeletal hound immediately lost its form and all the individual pieces of bone tumbled forward and down, due to the monster''s momentum. It all showered over Eli, who ended up under a huge pile of bones..

    Ding! You have reached level 23.

    Ding! You have reached level 24.

    Eli sat there, straining under the weight. Perhaps adding a few points of strength wouldn''t be such a bad thing.

    "Are you alive under there?"

    "I think so," Eli groaned, trying to move. "I''m stuck. Can you dig me out?"

    She slowly but surely kicked pieces of bone to the side until she grabbed his hands, pulling him out. "That was close."

    "It was," Eli agreed, stretching his limbs. "Do you think it was a boss?"

    She shook her head. "I wish. It looked like any other monster to me. Didn''t have that thing around its health bar."

    "Thing?" Eli frowned.

    "Ephraim''s health bar had a sort of frame around it.

    "Huh. Didn''t notice that."

    Standing, Eli opened the corpse to loot. "There''s some interesting gear in here. An armor of leather combined with parts of chain-mail obviously meant for a crusader, judging by the name Medium Armor of The Dying Light, as well as a sharp-looking blade and a shield that gave the wearer a bonus to Aegis."

    He got an inkling, but didn''t say anything as he looted. The next item was a robe granting extra spell damage based on a combination of Willpower and Intelligence. It was clearly cut to fit a woman, and she equipped it immediately, her form flashing for a brief moment during the switch. It was of a finer material than Eli''s, but not by much. It was a little whiter too, rather than the grayish tone of his own, and Samantha''s new robe was embroidered with swirling patterns around the bottom. Taken in at the waist, it looked more like a dress than a robe.

    She raised an eyebrow. "Twenty-five percent more spell damage total? Not bad."

    They split the gold coins and some health potions from the corpse. Eli grabbed the last item. It was a simple ring giving him +10% HP. He slipped it onto a finger. "Not a bad haul."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Well, we did almost die," she pointed out.

    "Good thing it wasn''t for nothing."

    "It was pretty crazy," she said, smiling. It was the first smile he''d seen from her, at least the first one he could recollect. It suited her.

    "Should we head back?" he asked.

    She tilted her head. "What? No. We have to continue." She pointed to the demolished doorway. "You said there were people to save."

    "Just checking," Eli said, following her as they headed over to the hallway where they encountered the Skeletal Hound. It was lined with doors on both sides. Each door they checked revealed an empty cell with either piles of bones or decomposing corpses.

    Eli wondered how long they''d been there and why. When he attempted to loot a few just to check, he found them all empty. He looked down at his new ring, wondering if perhaps it had been worn by one of these poor, lost people. They pressed forward, opening up at least twenty doors each down the corridor, looking for the supposed prisoners and not finding anyone alive.

    He closed the last door on the left. "Do you think we''re too late?"

    "No," she shook her head. "These have been dead a long time. If we''re supposed to rescue anyone, they should at least be fresh corpses by now, after you spent all day playing with goblins."

    "I averted a war!" Eli protested.

    "Still."

    The sprawling place didn''t end there, and when they opened the next door, they were greeted by a horde of skeletal archers and warriors. These mobs were level twelve, so a lot easier to handle than the hound. Eli''s Aegis could take quite a few hits before having to be recast, and Samantha''s new robe affected her spells quite a bit, allowing her to damage the mobs at a good rate. Eli''s Sigil of Light covered almost half the floor, cutting off the threats coming from that part of the room.

    The stone floor here was covered in moss in patches, and the tombs in the floor were open, with skeletons continuously rising out of them until Samantha did enough damage to the structures to break them, like in a video game with spawning enemies. With the skeletons dead, and the room cleared, Samantha had gained another three levels, and Eli one.

    Ding! You have reached level 25.

    He added another talent point to Experienced, thinking that next time he''d take a moment to look through the list of talents and see what else he wanted to spend points on.

    Turn Undead, it turned out, worked a lot better on enemies below his level. He took out most mobs on the first try, with very few requiring more than three casts. Since it was a single-target skill, it wasn''t as efficient as Sigil of Light on large crowds, but these mobs took too long to kill the old-fashioned way. Also, it was nice to do something other than just cast heals on these monsters.

    Once they had cleared the next room, Eli went over to one of the bookshelves and grabbed a book at random, opening it. The lower portion of each page was blackened with something that looked eerily similar to the inky black goop Ephraim turned into, and the language was not one he understood anyway, so he put it back.

    After another corridor, thankfully without a hound, and a smaller room filled with skeletal mages¡ªwhich were a pain to kill, since his Aegis didn''t absorb all magic damage yet, he looked around the corpses, seeing what sort of items they dropped. Eli''s robe was scorched in places and a frost bolt left a lingering pain on his right arm that didn''t quite subside after healing it.

    Looting the skeleton mages, they mostly found caster gear, which wasn''t that much of a surprise. Unfortunately, they couldn''t use any of it due to class restrictions. "This stuff is for different mage specializations," he mused, "or particular mage subclasses," he added thoughtfully. All of them offered bonuses to intelligence and spell damage, along with some other interesting effects like each kill granting a buff to damage done for a brief duration. Such an effect would be amazing against the waves of enemies they were facing.

    It didn¡¯t matter much that couldn''t use the stuff themselves. There were plenty of mages back at Infinite Innovation Solutions, even with HR having left. Cruella might find some of the stuff useful.

    Samantha held up another ring. "Hey, maybe you can use this."

    Ring of the Blessed: +10 Wisdom, +10 Constitution. increased duration of buffs granted by the caster.

    He accepted it. "I don''t have many buffs yet, but yeah, this looks great. Thank you."

    "Don''t mention it," she said, straightening. "Ready to go?"

    "Let''s do it. Do you have any mana potions?"

    She shook her head, and he handed over a few of the ones Zack had gifted him.

    Samantha downed one instantly, and her eyes widened. "This tastes like coffee!"

    "Zack made them."

    "Compliments to the chef," she said, shaking the bottle above her face to get the last few drops out. She licked her lips and eyed a second one before putting it back into her inventory. "Or compliments to the barista, I suppose."

    The mention of coffee made something inside Eli twinge. Did people here drink coffee? It was the first thing he¡¯d ask once they found civilization. He almost wanted to drink one of the mana potions just to get a taste, but it would be a waste. He didn¡¯t need it, as his meditation replenished mana quickly enough on its own, outside of combat.

    In the next room, which was at least the size of a football field, they killed more skeletal mages, warriors, and a tougher zombie version called Shamblers. Samantha grinned. "I''m gaining so much experience here. Those ugly, new zombies dropped silver."

    "They¡¯re pretty easy," Eli noted.

    "Yeah," she replied, "and they¡¯re worth way more experience than the skeletons." She held up a shiny new wand, her face lighting up. "It¡¯s rare, +10% Intelligence bonus and +10% faster casting speed. Not bad."

    "That¡¯s a good one," Eli replied admiringly.

    She smirked, holding her old wand in her left hand, the new in her right. "Do you think it would work?"

    "You¡¯re going to dual wield wands?"

    "Yeah, why not? I¡¯m not getting the bonus now, but there¡¯s that talent, right?"

    "Which one?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°Dual Wielder. It allows you to get the bonuses from two weapons.¡±

    They quickly found the talent in question, and Eli frowned. "It says two weapons, though. Are wands weapons?"

    "I don¡¯t know,¡± she shrugged. ¡°Should I risk it?¡±

    Eli gave her a look. "Don''t risk it."

    "I''m gonna risk it."

    A brief flash of light passed over her. Eli saw her face wide with excitement, along with her smile.

    She laughed. "It works!"

    Samantha raised both to the low ceiling, bellowing, "I am the master of wands!"

 Chapter 28: Shadow Rogues and The Magnanimous Ruler

    A bunch more skeletons followed, varying in size and level. Eli¡¯s heal bombing and Sigil of Light spells lost some of their efficiency as the mobs'' health pools grew larger. Samantha wasn¡¯t doing much damage at all, despite having leveled up a few more times. Thankfully, Turn Undead proved to be a valuable tool in Eli¡¯s growing toolbox.

    "Dammit," Samantha said after a particularly long fight, where she mostly just used her beam to tickle the monsters, buying time for Eli¡¯s Turn Undead procs to kick in. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need to pick Turn Undead, but I guess I was wrong.¡±

    "You have the Turn Undead spell?" Eli asked, casually looting some decent melee weapons and a bow Dana might be able to use.

    ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t want it since it¡¯s only for undead, but I guess I¡¯ll need it.¡±

    A brief shimmer ran across her, and she nodded to herself before turning back to him. ¡°What skill nodes have you picked for Turn Undead?¡±

    He stared at her blankly. ¡°Didn''t have time before when we fought the Hound. Then, I kind of forgot about it.¡±

    Opening the Skill list to take a look, Eli immediately found a fantastic node. ¡°There¡¯s one here that gives an increased success rate. Looks great.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s only 5%¡± Samantha argued.

    ¡°Per level,¡± Eli countered. ¡°At max node level. It¡¯s 25% increased rate. That has to be a lot.¡±

    He maxed the node out, then found a second interesting node, which added a brief stun to each cast that failed to proc the outright execution of the mobs. ¡°I¡¯m going with the stun one, too."

    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough points for that,¡± Samantha muttered. ¡°But I picked the stupid increased chance node for this stupid skill.¡±

    A grayish skeleton wearing plate armor shambled out of one of the open catacombs in the floor, and she turned around and cast Turn Undead on it, jumping a little in joy when she succeeded on the first cast. ¡°Okay, maybe this isn¡¯t so bad after all. Let¡¯s just hope we¡¯re going to be fighting a lot of undead in this world.¡±

    She skipped, rather than walked, over to the fresh kill and bent over to claim her loot. Suddenly, Samantha screamed in pain.

    Eli watched in horror as wounds opened up in her back, cutting through the cloth of her dress and then into her muscles and flesh. He healed her immediately, barely saving her life before another stab struck her shoulder. Eli healed her again, cursing as she cried out for him, collapsing to the floor. Eli cast Sigil of Light on the ground, and two previously invisible skeletons in black robes carrying wicked looking bone daggers appeared when the Sigil damaged them.

    He cast Turn Undead on one and immediately killed it, gaining a level.

    Ding! You have reached level 26.

    The other, however, disappeared in a puff of shadows, leaving no trace behind and no sign of where it had gone. Eli charged forward to Samantha, both to check on her and to enter the Sigil of Light¡¯s area of effect. That stealth rogue skeleton was still in this room. The only safe place was inside his spell.

    Are you okay?¡± he asked, kneeling down to make sure she was still conscious.

    Her pale back shone through the rips in her clothing, but only thin, white scars remained where the wounds had been inflicted before he healed her. She was panting, and when she turned to him, tears were running down her cheeks. ¡°What the fuck happened, Eli?"

    "Stealth skeletons,¡± he whispered, helping Samantha to her feet. "I killed one of them, but the second one had some sort of shadow teleport thing. It¡¯s still around here somewhere.¡±

    Eli¡¯s Sigil of Light timed out, and he cast another one.

    ¡°How did you kill it if you couldn¡¯t see it?¡±

    He pointed to the tree-like symbol in his Sigil. ¡°It showed up when the spell damaged them.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, I should''ve picked Sigil of Light too,¡± Samantha grumbled. ¡°There are too many good skills.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eli asked as she raised her palms in front of her.

    ¡°Watch this,¡± she said, firing her beam of light. She spun, and the other end of the beam traversed across the wall as she slowly circled, making sure to touch every inch of the room. Yet, the skeleton did not appear. She stomped her foot and deactivated her channeled beam. ¡°Damn it! Stupid skeletons.¡±

    ¡°So what now? Do we need to find some sort of see-invisibility spell or something?"

    Eli shook his head, re-casting Sigil of Light again. ¡°Do you think it ran back down the corridor?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just keep heal handy, all right?¡± Samantha said. ¡°You have your stupid Aegis¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± she interrupted herself, holding up a finger. ¡°Now, hold on a minute. I think I have something here.¡±

    A light flashed over her eyes, a sign Eli had come to associate with others checking their Character Sheet. She soon let out an evil little laugh, then cast that light mist spell of hers. Twinkling lights hovered in the air for a moment, then, as one, they shot through the room to a part of the ceiling, slamming into the hidden rogue that had somehow stuck itself to the stone ceiling. Its empty, skeletal face still somehow managed to express surprise as it fell down to land on the floor with a thud.

    Eli and Samantha both cast Turn Undead on it, immediately killing the bastard.

    ¡°Homing stars,¡± Samantha said. ¡°Some skill nodes are better than others.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with those results,¡± Eli agreed.

    Samantha dropping some of her reserved front was a welcome change in the young woman who''d always seemed shy before being transferred to this new world. Her mad glee at having bested the Skeletal Rogue did not make him think of timidness. Definitely not.

    She stomped over to the corpse and looted it. ¡°There¡¯s a bone knife here,¡± she said. "It adds stealth, and those dark cloaks these bastards wore can be looted too.¡±

    Eli checked the one he''d killed and found a rare shadow dagger, which did indeed decrease the risk of being discovered when in Stealth, but the cloak was the more interesting piece of equipment. ¡°This must be what they used to stick to the ceiling."

    Cloak of Shadows. Cloak. Rare Item: Standard wear for one who is a friend of shadows.

    +10% Increased chance of successfully entering Stealth

    Grants skill: Shadow Cling: Touch a surface and activate the skill to remove gravitational pull on the user.

    Class requirement: Rogue

    ¡°I am getting some major FOMO here,¡± Samantha said, holding up the identical loot from the other skeleton rogue. ¡°Stealth is overpowered as hell. Maybe I should multi-class.¡±

    ¡°A Scholar/Rogue?¡± Eli asked, his face betraying what he thought of that idea.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± she sighed. ¡°The synergies would be terrible. Probably multi-classing with Mage or something would make more sense.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve decided to multi-class, then?¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t decided on anything yet,¡± Samantha said, walking back over to him. ¡°Just keeping my options open. We haven¡¯t even seen what most other classes provide, you know, skill-wise? I think there are plenty more mage sub-classes than the stupid elemental ones most of HR chose. Also, what are Peddlers about? And Tinkers?"

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot to be discovered,¡± Eli agreed. ¡°Just have to be careful about the classes we pick. I kind of doubt there¡¯s a potion of reset or something like that, like you find in some games.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Samantha said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that whatever we pick, that¡¯s what we¡¯re stuck with.¡±

    ¡°Ready to continue?¡± Eli asked. "Or do you want to take a moment?"

    "Let''s go," she said, grabbing one of the holes through the fabric of her dress. "I''ll need to find one of the Tailors after this."

    After clearing another room and Samantha gaining yet another level, they found another spiral staircase heading down. They exchanged a look before heading down. The mobs would surely get tougher as they descended deeper into the belly of the church.

    The new level was eerily silent and looked even more overgrown than the last, with bits of the wall ruined, and soil and dirt peeking through, along with the occasional bone. The chamber smelled of earth mixed with an almost rotting scent, like the one you get after raking together leaves and then letting them sit in that pile for far too long.

    At first, they didn¡¯t see a single enemy. Then, as they continued deeper into the chamber, their light orbs illuminated an ornamented chair in gold and red, with plush cushions like a throne.

    ¡°Is that... a throne?¡± Samantha whispered, pointing.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Eli replied, eyeing it warily, ¡°considering what''s sitting in it.¡±

    A regal-looking skeleton sat in the chair. It looked like a human skeleton, only far taller and wider. An imposing figure, to be sure. It wore a cloak in the same deep red as the chair, with golden swirly patterns and sunbursts. On its head was a crown that glittered in the light from their orbs. One of its hands rested on the armrest of the throne, while the other held a long metal staff studded with emeralds and rubies.

    Hannes the Magnanimous. Level 36. Undead. Skeleton Ruler.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting a bad feeling about this,¡± Samantha whispered. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it moving? Why is it alone?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Eli answered. ¡°Do you want to try speaking with it?¡±

    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we can go around it?¡± Eli suggested.

    Just then, the skeleton ruler lifted its heavy staff and slammed the butt into the floor with a loud, heavy clunk. It rose to its feet slowly, as if its bones were weighed down by age, and spread its arms. The jaw of the skeleton moved as it stepped forward, towered over them, teeth chattering as it gestured this way and that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think of this,¡± Eli said, observing the strange skeleton. He cleared his throat. ¡°Hello?¡±

    The skeleton ruler stopped, then leaned forward toward him.

    ¡°Do you think it''s trying to speak?¡± Samantha asked.

    ¡°Yeah, except the doesn¡¯t have a tongue or a throat or anything,¡± Eli replied. ¡°It¡¯s almost making me feel sorry for it.¡±

    ¡°Make it stop,¡± Samantha muttered.

    As if on cue, the skeleton reached out with a long hand and backhanded Eli across the face. The Aegis absorbed most of the damage, but it was still enough to push him to the side, nearly causing him to lose his footing. Eli grimaced, stepping away from a swing of the staff.

    ¡°It¡¯s slow and clumsy,¡± he noted, dodging as it waved its fist in the air, like an old man yelling at children playing in his yard.

    Eli healed himself as the skeleton¡¯s hand swung past his head. The creature was massive but slow, almost goofy in its impotent assault. Then the Skeleton Ruler grabbed its staff in both hands and held it out in front of him. Small flames flickered into existence in an arc around the back of its head¡ªeight in total, glowing ominously.

    ¡°Okay, the fight is starting for real!¡± Eli shouted, placing a Sigil of Light to encompass both himself and Samantha, as well as Hannes the Magnanimous. Together, they both cast Turn Undead. The skeleton¡¯s fires moved through the air, coming for them. All around them, skeletal mages and warriors in plate mail had begun to rise from graves or emerge from the bare walls¡ªhundreds of them stepping into the chamber.

    Fortunately, one of their Turn Undead spells worked on the first try, killing the boss instantly. The skeleton fell into a pile, along with all the other skeletons that had been in the middle of being summoned by the ruler.

    Ding! You have reached level 27.

    Ding! You have reached level 28.

    Samantha scratched her arm and looked around the now empty chamber. ¡°Well, that was anticlimactic."

 Chapter 29: Corruption

    The Ruler''s Crown (Rare): A true ruler lifts all those around him. Increases effectiveness of all buffs and inspires the wearer''s subjects.

    +10% Wisdom

    +10% Experience gained by those near the wearer

    Level requirement: Level 25

    need on the item. Only bosses gave the option to select if you needed an item or not, and he decided he liked the mechanic. It was especially useful in bigger groups, like with the full Ravenous Barbarians party. Putting it on, the crown turned into a simple hat to go with his gray Priest robes. He breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, it would have looked out of place to walk around with a crown on his head.

    The Ruler¡¯s Mantle (Rare): A true ruler must be able to summon aid. Increases the strength of all summons conjured by the wearer.

    +10% Intelligence

    +10% Strength to summoned creatures

    Level requirement: 25

    The Ruler''s Staff (Rare): A true ruler must inspire his subjects. Increases buff duration and effects.

    Level Requirement: Level 25.

    Book of Professions: Weakness

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Skeletal Warrior. Level 18. Corrupted.

    Skeletal Warrior. Level 18. Undead.

    Ding! You have reached level 29

    Ding! You have reached level 30.

 Chapter 30: The Pits

    After preparing themselves by drinking Potions of Experience, with Samantha having received one too, they descended partway down the stairs to get a better viewpoint. They were still far above the floor when the quest changed again.

    Rescue the prisoners and let Light burn away the corruption in the Church of The Dying Light.

    Eli began, as he often did, with a Sigil of Light from high up above. The casting range of his spells that far up was incredible. If he wanted to, he could have reached the other side of the massive chamber. Instead, he placed it straight below them, right at the bottom of the stairs. No torches lit the chamber that close to the stairs, but just as he''d figured, plenty of robed figures congregated in the spot. The entire room was filled with them, as far as he could tell

    Dropping bottles of Liquid Fire at the same part of the floor, they stacked two different sources of damage and created a large area of effect. The robed figures below reacted instantly, surging toward the stairs without making a single sound. When they entered the area of destruction, it became clear they were indeed skeletons¡ªmost of them, though some were zombies, and relatively fresh-looking ones, like they''d just been killed and risen again. They shuffled while the skeletons creaked and clattered.

    These must''ve been a higher level, because they didn''t die instantly, even with two sources of damage. Most didn''t make it through, especially when skeletons started dying, their bones creating a natural barrier. Eli and Samantha threw more bottles of Liquid Fire deep into the crowd, to spread the fire around, as well as and Explosions. They''d have to thank Zack later, because his potions were really helping a lot in thinning the horde of undead creatures coming their way.

    Arrows flew through the air, but none reached their position high up on the stairs. Spells from Skeletal Mages did reach but rarely hit. Bolts of ice and fire struck the stairs below them, whizzed past, and sometimes struck Eli, who shielded Samantha with his body, unsure what her new defensive skill actually did. Aegis tanked the damage easily.

    Through it all, they both cast heal to remove the mages'' and archers'' corruption, then Turn Undead for the instant kill while the flames from Liquid Fire spread across the floor. Samantha cast her Spreading Light, but the twinkling stars found no hidden rogue targets.

    Funneling into the Sigil of Light below, skeletons died in droves. Many of them were corrupted, but with Harming Healer activated, the Sigil of Light damaged them, nonetheless.

    Ding! You have reached level 31.

    Ding! You have reached level 32.

    "The experience gain here is massive," Samantha said excitedly.

    Eli inspected her: Samantha. Human. Level 20 Scholar of The Dying Light.

    "Other than me, you¡¯re the highest leveled person with Infinite Innovation Solutions," he noted.

    Some skeletons slowly made it through their area of death below, reaching the stairs and disappearing from Eli''s field of vision. The incredibly large group of monsters was slowly thinning out. However, the ones near the pits of darkness had not moved. They would not be shaken from their ritual.

    While Eli was unable to inspect the ritualists, he did have the range to attack them, even at that great distance. Unfortunately, the spells would not allow the ritualists to be targeted.

    "I don''t like this," he said. "If we can''t target them from here, that probably means they''re a boss of some kind."

    Samantha glanced his way as she dropped another Explosion Potion over the edge of the stairs. "We''ll just have to kill them once we''ve dealt with everything else."

    Ding! You have reached level 33.

    Finally, after almost 15 minutes of skeleton and zombie murder, some of them began reaching Eli and Samantha on the stairs. The first one barely had any health left at all, so Eli did something he''d never done before: he raised his new staff and thumped it over the head, killing a skeletal warrior. The mob was surprisingly solid, and pain shot up his hands, almost making him drop the staff.

    Rather than striking the next one, he simply pushed it with the butt of his staff. The skeleton warrior fell without a sound, crashing to the stone floor far below. Dropping a few more explosion potions and a new Sigil of Light at the base of the stairs, the two of them began to make their way down through an endless line of damaged skeletons and zombies on the stairs. While they were many, the narrow stairs meant only one could attack them at a time. Eli''s trusty old Heal spell easily dealt with them.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    When the skeletons stopped coming, Eli peered down over the edge of the stairs. The choke point was empty. No more enemies pressed forward, they were all dead. A tense silence hung over the massacres piles of bones. Eli and Samantha sat down for a moment, and Eli felt sweat trickling down the small of his back, thankful for a moment to rest.

    Eli found his Stamina bar almost empty. Casting spells didn''t drain stamina, but the stairs did. Not having slept in quite a while probably played a part in the drain on his dangerously low stamina level. Even if he didn''t feel the exhaustion as acutely as he would''ve staying up a whole night back home, he was still clearly affected. Not having fought with weapons at all, he didn''t keep a close eye on his stamina like he did with health and mana. Another rookie move he''d need to improve on. His low physical attributes didn''t help either, leaving his maximum stamina pitifully low. Perhaps he ought to change that.

    "That went well," Samantha said, as they sat.

    Eli looked down over the edge of the stairs to the enormous pile of skeletal remains. "Didn¡¯t expect it to be this easy, actually," he agreed. "Just keep your mist thing up in case any rogues are hiding down there."

    "I will. So, are you picking any skills or attributes or anything before we descend?" Samantha asked.

    "I don¡¯t think we have time," he replied.

    "Why not? We''re just sitting here, waiting for mana to replenish," she prodded. "The ritualists are just standing here stupidly with their hands in the air."

    The quest description, as if on cue, changed again.

    Rescue the prisoners and let Light burn away the corruption in the Church of The Dying Light. Time remaining 00:30:00.

    Rescue the prisoners and let Light burn away the corruption in the Church of The Dying Light. Time remaining 00:29:59.

    Samantha laughed. "That was so your fault."

    "Don''t blame me!" Eli protested. "Blame the system!"

    He didn''t have time to look at Skills or Talents, but Attributes was another matter. Adding those was quick. After spreading out his points so each Attribute reached at least 20, not including Charisma, he divided the rest between Intelligence and Wisdom. The added Strength and Dexterity did make him feel a little lighter and even if he didn''t gain much maximum health from Constitution, it did almost double his maximum stamina points.

    "Do you have any potions left?" he asked.

    "Some explosions and a single fire."

    "I''m all out. Guess we''ll have to do this the old-fashioned way," he said as they walked across the empty floor after having vacuumed up a mountain of items from the huge pile of skeletal remains at the bottom of the stairs. The loot was mostly normal weapons, with some magic items mixed in, but nothing fancy, along with some random bits and bobs, like a piece of old cheese that didn''t look very appetizing at all. Apparently, his Inventory had no limit, because it just kept filling up with hundreds of swords, bows, daggers, and pieces of armor. Pages and pages of stuff.

    "Sigil of Light, Sigil of Light, Sigil of Light?" Samantha smirked. "Well, I at least picked up a few new skills, so don¡¯t pass out from amazement when I bring home the victory for us."

    "All right, I¡¯ll try to contain myself," Eli said with a grin. "What are the skills?"

    "Check your buffs."

    Invigorating Light was the first one. It made the entire party slowly regenerate health and mana both in and out of combat. The second buff was called Focused Light and increased damage from all Light based attacks by 15%

    "Not bad," Eli said approvingly. "It''s good that you¡¯re branching out from pure damage-based spells."

    "They''re not spells I have to cast. They just kind of work all the time."

    "That''s really great, like an aura."

    "No, not like an aura. Do you see an aura around me?" she asked. "They''re just passive skills. I''m no Commander!"

    "Commander?" he asked.

    "Yeah. They get a bunch of auras, apparently."

    "Oh. That''s interesting."

    "Super-duper interesting," Samantha replied, casting Turn Undead to kill a Skeletal Warrior that was left standing. "Can we focus a little on what''s in front of us, please?"

    Eli attempted to cast Warp again just to see if it would work. It did not. There would be no escaping whatever was waiting for them up ahead. Walking up to them, an ominous feeling spread in his chest. This was it. This was what they''d come here for. Could they do this alone, just the two of them? His throat suddenly felt dry and brought out two bottles of water, holding one out for Samantha to grab.

    "We should probably drink something," he suggested.

    "Now that you mention it, I¡¯m parched," she said. They emptied the bottles immediately, and Eli felt the water slush around in his belly. It made him feel a little better.

    No rogues emerged from the shadows to attack them as the group of two approached what had to be a boss battle. Eli''s mana regenerated a little faster than before, thanks to the buff from Samantha. It wasn¡¯t much, but with some level in that spell, it could become quite powerful. He decided to take a closer look to see if he had any passive skills available as well once they were through this. Stacking buffs in a party would be incredible in the long run, Eli figured.

    "How long have we been down here?" Samantha asked. "Has to be morning by now."

    "That it does," Eli muttered, stifling a yawn despite the tense situation they found themselves in. They¡¯d lost 15 minutes, half their remaining time, just walking across the floor. "We should hurry, but I¡¯m really going to need a nap after this."

    "Ready?" Samantha asked, emulating Eli''s voice. It was indeed annoying.

    Eli ignored her, unequipped his staff to form a funnel with his hands in front of his mouth, shouting, "Hey!"

    The ritualists didn¡¯t turn, so Samantha simply blasted one of them in the back with a beam of light. Debuffs appeared on the ritualist and it stumbled forward, knocked off his feet by Samantha¡¯s spell. She''d leveled it and added some new skill nodes, it seemed.

    As one, the seven corrupted ritualists still standing, let down their hands and turned to face Eli and Samantha. The first one got to his feet as well, barely having lost any health at all. This was about to turn ugly.

 Chapter 31: The Crusader

Sebastian. ??? Level 28.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Champion of Light: The dark cannot reach you.

    Simon d''Lear. Human. Level 10 Crusader of The Dying Light.

    Hellion. Corrupted Human. Level 23.

 Chapter 32: The only good ritualist is a dead ritualist

    Unable to wield weapon type: Daggers

    Ding! You have reached level 34.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Enter portal? Yes/No.

    You have rescued the prisoners and burned away the corruption in the Church of The Dying Light.

    Find and rally other humans from Earth (1/5).

    Rewards:

    1 talent point

    5 skill points

    Ding! You have reached level 35.

 Chapter 33: Progression

    James blinked and looked around. "What happened to the graveyard?"

    Eli shrugged. "I think it¡¯s our fault. We beat the dungeon, I think, so it¡¯s gone now."

    The party chat came alive as they returned.

    Amy: Eli! Where have you been? Well, I know where you''ve been, but what happened?

    Eli: We were cut off when we entered the dungeon, but we rescued Simon here.

    Simon: Hi, I''m Simon. I work in Finance.

    Amy: Yeah, I think I remember you. You''re the one who speaks like he''s in the military, right?

    Simon. Heh. Yeah, I guess.

    Cruella: Welcome back buttholes. Way to leave us hanging.

    Amy: Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be a second prisoner?

    Samantha: There was another boy, but he ran off. Didn''t like us much.

    Eli: The graveyard is gone now.

    Amy: Oh. The cave dungeon is going to get really crowded.

    Eli: So you found it?

    Amy: Sure. It wasn¡¯t hard when we knew where to look.

    Eli: Great. We''ll be back in a minute.

    "Why aren''t you in the party?" Eli asked James and Dana. "Juggling conversation and party-chat is a headache."

    "We wanted to do different things, so we decided to split up," Dana said. "After we found that we couldn''t follow you down into the basement, we''ve just been killing zombies and skeletons."

    "You tried to follow?" Eli asked.

    "Sure. The door was open, so we figured it was worth a shot."

    "But it didn''t work?" Samantha asked.

    "It didn''t work," James confirmed. "It was like an invisible barrier."

    "Amy says you found the cave," Eli said.

    "Yeah. The goblins showed us," Dana said.

    "The goblins are back?"

    "Well, with the peace established, a bunch of them showed up, actually. They hang out on the bottom floor and the first floor, selling stuff to us and buying items we find. It''s pretty good," Dana said.

    "I''m spending most of my money on health potions," James grumbled.

    "I wanted to go past the easy part of the cave where everyone is leveling," Dana said, pointing at James. "But Mr. I-need-health-potions here didn''t want to go without a healer or more potions."

    The mention of health potions made Eli notice Zack was no longer in the party, nor was Irene.

    "Where are Zack and Irene?"

    "They wanted to go on and do their own thing. Both of them seem to have a real problem with crowds," James said.

    "They left? Permanently?" Eli asked.

    "Not permanently, I don''t think," Dana said. "But they didn''t return to sleep."

    "What do you mean, sleep?" Eli asked.

    "You''ve been gone for two days," James said.

    "Two days? I thought it was just a few hours."

    "It didn''t feel that long," Samantha added.

    "So, you want to join Ravenous Barbarians again now that we''re back?"

    James looked to Dana, and the two slowly shook their heads. "I don''t think so," James replied. "We''re going to do our own thing a little. Being in a party with a healer is pretty amazing, but we have to learn to fend for ourselves too. Found one of those books that gives you a profession. This one was called Healer. It isn''t like what you guys can do with spells, but more of a field medic type thing. Just got to practice it and then we should be good to go."

    "Cool," Eli said, looking back over at the Infinite Innovation Solutions building. "Alright then, you want a lift back at least?".

    "Sure, thanks," James said.

    Eli added them to Ravenous Barbarians before warping back to the office building with all of them. Dana immediately left the party once they returned, and James followed soon after.

    Cruella: I''m really crushing the second level of this dungeon, guys.

    Eli: That''s great, Cruella. Can''t wait to see the place later.

    He turned to Samantha. "So, are you staying in this party, or are you going with James and Dana?"

    Samantha looked at the backs of those two as they headed for the stairs, bit her lip slightly, and then shook her head. "They asked me over a message, but I said I''m going to stay here for now. That voice told me we should stick together. I don''t give a crap about her or whatever, but I get a lot of experience staying here and Dana is kind of an asshole."

    "Well, glad to have you," Eli said. "What about you, Simon? You want to stay too, or are you dying to get back to the finance bros?"

    "Working in finance and being a finance bro are two very different things," Simon admonished. "But I think I''m going to stay here too, for now at least. The woman said I should protect you two, and I got the feeling she won¡¯t be pleased if something happens to you. The significance of us each being a different healer specialization isn¡¯t lost on me either, so I¡¯m going to stick around and get stronger. I got three levels just from those ritualists, so I¡¯m going to read up on how all this works."

    "Pick Experienced as a talent. It''s too good to pass up," Samantha said helpfully.

    Simon nodded. "Thank you for the tip. I''ll see you people later."

    "See you later," Eli said.

    Amy: Looks like you''ve leveled up quite a bit.

    Checking the Party screen, he found Amy had reached level 20.

    Eli: Same to you. Did you go into the cave with Cruella?

    Cruella: She''s been out hugging trees.

    Eli: ?

    Amy: I''ve been in the forest, taming animals and practicing my violin. It''s pretty good experience and I have a lot of pets now. You told us to search for Solomon, remember? Zack was out here somewhere too with Irene, but he wanted to be left alone.

    Eli: Right. Have you found him?

    Amy: Not exactly, but my birds keep disappearing in a particular part of the forest, and I found more of those traps¡ªyou know, like the first one I got stuck in. Keeping my eyes open.

    Eli: Oh, that''s interesting, but should you really be out there by yourself?

    Amy: I''m not by myself. I have plenty of animal friends here with me. Got a little hut and everything. It¡¯s very calming.

    Eli: You know that place better than me, just be careful. I''m heading to sleep. I feel like I''m dead standing on my feet.

    Samantha: Same.

    Simon: Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired.

    Amy: Glad to have you back. And welcome, Simon. I''ll talk to you later. Go grab some sleep.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Eli glanced over to a part of the bottom floor where a large clump of people were arguing and haggling with goblins, who had set up little stalls filled with items. He wanted to take a look, but was just too tired. First, he''d check on his progression, make sure he assigned all his available points, and then sleep for a week. Only then could he go back to exploring.

    Warping back up to the 13th floor, he found his trusty old couch empty, but he didn¡¯t dare lie down just yet. As tired as he was, he¡¯d probably go to sleep and pick something without really thinking again.

    He¡¯d been mulling an important question over, but decided to keep that one for last. Instead, he checked his stats, happy to see them having gone up quite a bit from when he started. It was time to finally look at the skills available to him in a calm environment, rather than the middle of combat. He had quite a few skill points to distribute, too.

    The skills from earlier showed up showed up first:

    Increase Max Mana: Maximum MP increased.

    Bless: Increase a target''s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution by 15 points.

    Cure Poison: Cures Poisoned status.

    Cleanse: Remove all ailments, poisons, and curses from a friendly target.

    Plenty of new one had appeared as well:

    Agility Up: Increase target speed and reaction time.

    Embrace the Dying Light: Add light damage to target¡¯s weapon equal to caster''s Wisdom.

    Flames of Judgment: Burn your target from within, bypassing external shields.

    That last one was interesting. Other than using Light in The Dark to slam the orb into monsters, this was his first offensive spell not dealing light damage. Perhaps he needed it, but Eli decided against picking it. With the Harming Healer talent, that would have to be enough damage dealing capability for the moment.

    He''d decided to embrace his support role. In the last fight, he hadn¡¯t been able to do much. Despite having skills that could harm, it was obvious to him that Priest of the Dying Light was not meant to be a damage dealer. With everything happening around him, all these people needing his help, Eli wanted to pick skills that would allow him to help others and keep them in the fight longer.

    Scrolling, he found a few more available skills:

    Beacon of Light: Increased effectiveness of all buffs in an area around the caster.

    Sacred Ground: Target ground to create area where Dark-based area of effect spells are nullified.

    Pillar of Light: For the spell''s duration (30s) the caster''s spells no longer require mana to cast.

    Active Meditation: Increased Health, Mana, and Stamina regeneration of everyone around the caster while the spell is channeled.

    Light''s Seal: Hold the target firm, keeping it from moving while the spell is channeled.

    Silence: Remove target''s ability to cast spells for the duration of this debuff (30s).

    Plenty of interesting ones to choose from. Ultimately, he wanted to keep the ones finally having dared to leave the building going for longer. Helping everyone level up would ultimately lead to increasing everyone''s chances of success.

    To that end, he picked up quite a few new buff skills: Bless, Agility Up, Beacon of Light, Embrace the Dying Light, and finally Cleanse.

    After that, he added Light''s Seal and Silence. Both would''ve been life-savers several times already, and he saw many uses for them going forward. If he couldn''t kill some mobs by himself, he could at least hold them and allow others to do the killing for him.

    Eli kept some unassigned skill points, though, because he wanted to check the available talents list again before making his final decisions.

    Two talent points were available to him and he selected Executioner with the first one.

    Executioner: Recover 10% of max HP and MP when a target is killed.

    Gaining Health and Mana whenever a mob was killed would greatly benefit him going forward. Eli figured there''d be a lot of extended sessions going forward. He just hoped he didn''t need to do the killing himself. The description wasn''t entirely clear on that point. Depending on Zack''s availability, mana potions might become scarce too. Sitting around meditating all the time did not sound like a good way of spending one''s time, he thought.

    Scrolling the list of Talents, he found several interesting picks for his final talent point but landed on two options:

    Buff Maestro: Increases effectiveness of all buffs.

    Aura Master: Increases the maximum number of active auras by 1.

    Eli did not have any auras whatsoever, but that was about to change. During his sessions on the couch, he found himself leaning more and more into wanting the multi-class option. Adding auras to his arsenal of available buffs would be a boon, to be sure. He''d seen how buffs from Dana''s Bard skills stacked with others, working off each other in interesting ways. This would be his path to more power, more power for everyone.

    After picking Aura Master with his second talent point, he went back to his Character Sheet and selected Add Class.

    "You won¡¯t mind, will you?" he asked, lifting his gaze, as if speaking to God.

    In reality, he was addressing Light, but he got no reply from the mysterious woman who spoke into his head and created tutorial dungeons for him. "Didn¡¯t think so," he murmured, turning back to his Character Sheet.

    He skimmed through the classes again:

    Healer

    Bard

    Mage

    Crafter

    Apothecary

    Barbarian

    Shepherd

    Fighter

    Peddler

    Tinker

    Rogue

    Beastmaster

    Commander

    He briefly considered the Mage class for versatility, before selecting Commander and pressing Confirm. Nothing much happened, really, except his Character Sheet now read Priest of the Dying Light (35) / Commander (1). A few starting items showed up in his inventory, but Eli ignored them. His health increased a little, and he noticed the primary attributes for Commander were Wisdom and Constitution. Perhaps that''d help with his small health pool.

    "Not really in the mood to wear a toga," he chuckled.

    Three Commander skills were available to him at level 1:

    Rallying Order: Passive skill making it more likely that those around you will listen to your commands.

    Commandeer: Select one of the target''s skills and use it for yourself.

    This was the one they''d used on Samantha to force heals out of her. He wondered if it was possible to use it on monsters. That thought made the Skill Tree pop up, and he perused the different nodes to find some of them buffing the ability to do just that, answering his question. That would be quite powerful, he guessed.

    The third skill in the list caught his eye:

    Aura of Defense: Aura increases defense, toughness, and resistances of all those within its reach.

    Just what Eli was looking for. Unfortunately, with only one aura available, the talent he''d just picked wouldn''t be much use just yet, but that was sure to change once he leveled up a few times. He picked Aura of Defense, then attempted to select Commandeer as well, finding he couldn''t.

    Frowning, he tried to deduce the reason. "Oh, of course," he muttered, realizing. He was only level 1 Commander, so he could only use the one skill point. Perhaps one point per level was the maximum. But no, that didn''t work either, since you were able to level up skills just by using them. Perhaps the skills were capped so they couldn''t go higher than your class level?

    Maybe that was it. Time would tell.

    Before going back to sleep, Eli recast Aegis of the Dying Light on himself, then activated Aura of Defense. He didn¡¯t see any visual change around him. It was a little disappointing, but the buff appeared in his status window, confirming it was active. You had to toggle the aura on and off, but it ran passively once activated without draining any mana or stamina. How convenient. Eli used the Book of Professions: Enchantments but didn''t have the energy to read about what it did.

    Character Sheet

    Name: Elijah "Eli" Davis

    Race: Human

    Class: Priest of the Dying Light (35) / Commander (1)

    Profession: Enchanter

    Guild: N/A

    Party: Ravenous Barbarians

    Level: 35 (+70-82% Experience gained from Talents and Items)

    Status:

    HP: 2608 (2174 + 434 from items)

    MP: 1794 (1294 + 500 from items)

    Stamina: 39

    Attributes:

    Strength: 20

    Dexterity: 20

    Intelligence: 66 (63 + 3 from items)

    Wisdom: 90 (65 + 25 from items)

    Constitution: 30 (20 + 10 from items)

    Charisma: 2

    Skills:

    Heal (Level 5): Heal your target a moderate amount of health. Undead type beings take double damage. Scales with Wisdom.

    Light in the Dark (Rank 2): Summon an orb of pure light to illuminate your surroundings.

    Lesser Cure (Rank 1): Removes lesser ailments, curses and conditions from target.

    Meditation (Rank 3): Sitting or lying down increases mana regeneration by 300% after 5 seconds.

    Sigil of Light (Rank 5): Place a sigil on the ground that lasts thirty seconds. All party members within its bounds are healed for a small amount.

    Harming Light (Rank 2): Light in The Dark now damages targets on contact. Has a chance to apply status: Blind. Required skill: Light in The Dark.

    Warp (Rank 3): Teleport yourself to a previously marked location.

    Aegis of the Dying Light (Rank 5): Surround yourself in a protective layer of light that will absorb damage from physical and attacks.

    Feast of the Dying Light (Rank 1): Create food and water for the hungry to stoke the dying light.

    Turn Undead (Rank 6): Provides a small chance of instantly killing undead and demonic creatures.

    Agility (Rank 1): Increase target¡¯s speed and reaction time.

    Embrace the Dying Light (Rank 1): Add light damage to target¡¯s weapon equal to casters Wisdom.

    Bless (Rank 1): Increase a target''s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution by 15 points.

    Cleanse (Rank 1): Remove all ailments, poisons, and curses from friendly target.

    Light''s Seal (Rank 1): Hold the target firm, keeping it from moving while the spell is channeled.

    Silence (Rank 1): Remove target''s ability to cast spells for the duration of this debuff (30s).

    Aura of Defense (Rank 1): Aura increases defense, toughness, and resistances of all those within its reach.

    Talents:

    Creature of Life: Max HP +100, Max MP +20, +12% Experience gained from undead + 12%, Proficiency: Staves, Proficiency: Cloth

    Human Racial Benefit: 10% extra experience gain.

    Experienced (Rank 4): 10% extra experience gain per rank (40%).

    Harming Healer: Damage with healing spells (Toggleable).

    Executioner: Recover 10% of max HP and MP when a target is killed.

    Aura Master: Increases the maximum number of active auras by 1.

    Equipment:

    Tome of the Dying Light (+50% healed, +20% experience gained, +15% wisdom, +5% intelligence)

    Simple Ring (+10% HP)

    Ring of the Blessed (+10 Wisdom, +10 Constitution, Increased buff duration)

    The Ruler''s Crown (+10% Wisdom, +10% Experience gained)

    The Ruler''s Mantle (+10% Intelligence, +10% Strength to summoned creatures)

    The Ruler''s Staff (+10% HP, +15% all buff effects, +10% buff duration)

    Quests:

    Find and rally other humans from Earth (1/5).

    Solve the riddle and find your way.

    Find Solomon the goblin and deal with him.

 Chapter 34: Progress

    Eli: I''m up. What''s going on?

    Amy: That was quick.

    Eli: Yeah, apparently I don¡¯t have to sleep much anymore.

    Cruella: Same. Sleep is badass. You should join me in the dungeon, Eli. All three of you Dying Lighters should.

    Eli: Sure. Samantha? Simon?

    Amelia. Human. Level 4 Peddler.

    Jim. Human. Level 4 Fighter (Mace fighter).

    Keith. Human. Level 5 Fighter (Archer).

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Eli: Cruella. You''re the one who finally got people outside the building?

    Cruella: There might have been some light threats of violence.

    Amy: She did great.

    Eli: Good job!

    Cruella: I need these people to level up so I''ll have some people to party with.

    Eli: We''re not going anywhere.

    Cruella: We''ll see.

    Amy: I think HR and management leaving helped. People aren¡¯t as tense.

    Eli: That''s a good thing. Hey Amy, I have some gear for you. A cloak that adds +10% pet handling, whatever that does.

    Amy: Pet handling makes my pets more likely to listen to my orders.

    Eli: They usually don''t want to listen?

    Amy: Some do. Most don''t. Turns out, animals can be pretty stubborn.

    Eli: I''ll bring it over. Are you in the dungeon too?

    Amy: No, I¡¯m in the forest. Following some tracks I think might lead me to something I can use for a mount. Been a long while since I sat in a saddle.

    Eli: Cruella, I''ll be over by the dungeon soon. Just have to check on something here first.

    Cruella: Be seeing you.

    Charlotte. Human. Barbarian (10) / Crafter (Farmer) (4).

    Eli: Hey, Zack. I have a stealth cloak for you, if you want it.

    Zack: Thanks, we¡¯re, uh, quite far away right now. I¡¯ll let you know if we get closer, alright?

    Eli: If?

 Chapter 35: The Temple of Rizari

    Arti waved as he turned around and headed back to the office building. Eli continued alone. The speed buff had run out at this point, and he didn¡¯t feel confident he could keep up with quick movements in the underbrush without falling and making a fool of himself. He also wanted to be wary, given there could be traps in the area. Amy hadn¡¯t been specific about where she found them.

    Continuing on in what he hoped was a straight line, Eli put his staff to use as a walking stick. It didn¡¯t take long for the soft sound of drifting voices to reach him. About a minute later, he saw people between the trees and a surprisingly vast cave opening that looked like an arch of stone, with a poorly lit chamber beyond. He¡¯d expected a cave like the ones they found while taming Princess¡ªthis was something entirely different. This looked man made. Or well, made by something, at least.

    Twenty or so people were sitting outside, most with their eyes closed, probably meditating. A few chatted with each other. All their health bars were low, but their spirits didn¡¯t seem down. He waved to the first people to spot his approach.

    ¡°This is the dungeon?¡± Eli asked. Perhaps a redundant question, but he didn¡¯t know how else to begin the conversation.

    The group looked at the entrance, then back at him. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s the dungeon, all right.¡±

    ¡°Mind if I heal you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Please do,¡± an older woman said. She was in her 60s, perhaps, with gray, long hair up in a tight bun. She was a mage, like many of the people around her. Fighters or mages were popular classes, apparently.

    Two barbarians, young guys, sat by themselves near the main group. They were taller than average and a little bulkier, but not insanely so, like Charlotte. Their armor, like hers, consisted of loincloths and several leather straps across their chests.

    Eli cast Sigil of Light on the ground. ¡°Step into the spell and you¡¯ll be healed in no time."

    They all complied, and white light flashed as each of them immediately returned to full HP. Their levels were low¡ªmost at 4, with a few at 5 and a single level 3. Still, it was a big improvement from just the day before. Then, only those who¡¯d fought against the goblins were above level 1. When he walked closer, he saw the Aura of Defense buff applying to them, estimating the distance at about ten yards, which wasn¡¯t bad, to be honest.

    ¡°Want buffs?¡± he asked, smiling.

    ¡°That would be lovely,¡± the old woman said.

    Yvonne. Human. Level 5 Mage (Affliction).

    He hadn¡¯t seen that subclass before. He began with Bless, casting it on each of them in turn before continuing with Agility and finishing with Embrace the Dying Light. Their eyes widened as buffs started appearing by their health bars.

    ¡°They won¡¯t last long, but I¡¯ll try to keep them active as best I can. Are there any people still inside?¡±

    A man in his forties, with short clipped hair and a massive beard resting a double-bladed axe with a long wooden handle over his shoulder, laughed. ¡°Oh, there are people inside, alright. A lot.¡±

    Byrd. Human. Level 5 Crafter (Smith).

    Eli nodded at the axe. "Did you make that yourself?"

    Byrd''s face shone in a big smile. "Sure did!"

    ¡°Cool. So, are you divided into parties?¡±

    "What do you mean?" one of the Barbarians, Angelo, asked, his voice surprisingly deep.

    ¡°You can create actual parties,¡± Eli said. ¡°No one taught you?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± the young barbarian said.

    ¡°Just think it¡ªCreate Party,¡± Eli said, figuring that had to be the way to do it. ¡°Then you just think Invite, like you do with all your other stuff, character sheet, skills, talents, et cetera.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a talent?¡± the deep-voiced barbarian asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get to pick one soon,¡± Eli said. ¡°You get one each time you reach a level multiple of five, as far as I¡¯ve been able to tell.¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± the barbarian replied.

    Eli decided to check in with Cruella, messaging her.

    Eli: You haven¡¯t taught these people how to make parties?

    Cruella: I can¡¯t teach everyone every little thing. Just getting them here was struggle enough for me. You here yet?If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Eli: Yeah. Just arrived. Healing some people outside.

    Cruella: I¡¯m down on the third floor, if you want to join me.

    Eli: I¡¯ll make my way down after I make sure people are up and running here. How many floors are there?

    Cruella: Who knows? I''m on three and there are stairs down to a fourth floor. So, at least four. The monsters get quite a bit harder once you go down the stairs, but there are a few people who venture past the first floor.

    He continued in the party chat instead.

    Eli: Amy, did you get that mount yet?

    Amy: Not yet. Getting close. Sasha found one of those books that gives you a profession, leatherworking, and made me a set of leather armor to blend into the forest. I''m looking really cool right now.

    Eli: Sasha?

    Amy: She''s out here with me. Used to work in PR, but she''s not terrible. Promise. Actually, I wanted to ask you about letting her join Ravenous Barbarians.

    Eli: Sure, of course. You don''t need my permission, you know.

    Amy: I know.

    Sasha: Hello?

    Eli: Welcome Sasha!

    Sasha: Thanks!

    Cruella: Amy and Sasha sitting in a tree...

    Amy: Don''t make me tame some dalmatians and have them eat you.

    Eli shook his head but couldn''t help smiling as he stepped through the stone arch, entering the dungeon.

    The Temple of Rizari.

    A pop-up appeared to announce the name of the place. It hadn''t done that for the church. Was that because Light created it? He''d have to ask her at some point. Eli stepped inside, surprised by the dungeon''s layout.

    The cave inside was not a cave at all, but a man-made chamber in a square form with a huge single room and platforms going down further towards the center, with stairs interspersed at regular intervals, almost like an inverted pyramid. At the bottom, in the center of the room, was a staircase leading down, probably to the second floor. Braziers were lit all around the walls, giving enough light to show imagery painted directly on the stone, with what looked like giant lizards forming some sort of society.

    Each platform was perhaps ten feet wide, going all around the room, with about a five-foot drop to the next platform below. People battled frog-like creatures on every single platform. All in all, there were perhaps a total of a hundred people in the room, and an overwhelming majority of them had lost a lot of health.

    As Eli watched a nearby fight, he saw that the frogs did indeed fight back, if clumsily so. The fighter got struck by a tongue snapping out of the frog''s mouth with quite a bit of force behind it. He yelled out in pain and stepped back, holding his sword in front of him like a shield.

    Eli healed him.

    The fighter''s eyes grew wide. "You''re a healer?"

    "He sure is," one of those he''d greeted outside said as they came in behind Eli.

    "I''ll heal anyone who needs it," Eli nodded to the stairs down. "I''ll post myself down there and heal everyone I can reach. Spread the word."

    He walked over to the closest set of stairs and began walking down them, encountering one of the frogs.

    Frog. Level 3.

    Enlightening.

    It was only level three, but it attacked him nonetheless. It reached up to his thigh but was able to jump high enough to reach Eli''s stomach, and the tongue shot up toward his face with surprising speed.

    Thankfully, he didn''t need to react himself, as Aegis of the Dying Light easily dealt with the attack, deflecting it. Eli brought down his staff on the frog''s head, but it dodged away again way quicker than he anticipated. Instead, he toggled Harming Healer and killed it with one spell.

    Even with all the braziers, the room was a little too dark for Eli''s taste, so he summoned his orb of light, willing it high into air before increasing its brightness as far up as it would go. The white light made it easier to see, and many turned to it, shielding their eyes from the new, unfamiliar source.

    Naturally, the next thing to draw their attention was Eli himself, and he waved awkwardly in an exaggerated gesture so those farther away could see. He healed quite a few people on the way down, and many received the buff from his Aura of Defense, meaning he didn''t have to be in a party with them to receive the effect.

    Eli noticed his experience steadily ticking up at a slow rate.

    Eli: I''m near the stairs down to the second floor of the dungeon. Are you killing things down there?

    Cruella: Things are dying, yes. Coming down?

    Eli: Just want to make sure everyone here is doing okay first.

    Cruella: Boring.

    Eli: You wanted them to level up.

    Cruella: Still. Boring.

    People were approaching now, and Eli began healing them all as quickly as he could, but soon found it was a really inefficient way of doing things. Instead, he cast Sigil of Light, directing people to stand in the light.

    Instead, he began buffing people. Eli was able to cast Bless and Agility on a lot of people since the mana cost of the spells were low, but Embrace the Dying Light was a little costlier. Together, the three spells quickly drained his considerable mana pool since the durations of Bless and Agility were quite low at 60 and 120 seconds, respectively.

    People were thanking him and laughing even as they fought the frogs. The speed buff and the defensive aura protected them from harm and Bless allowed them to do more damage, but Eli soon found it tedious to keep casting the buffs. Going into Skills, he checked the nodes of both Agility and Bless and found the nodes he was looking for. Plenty of available options appeared. Some increases the bonuses offered by the spells, while others added new bonuses, or even transformed the buffs into debuffs to cast on monsters instead.

    For now, Eli wanted the buffs to last longer, and with that, he leveled both Bless and Agility to rank 5, to max out the duration nodes for both spells. Funnily enough¡ªor, well, conveniently enough¡ªthe duration for both of them maxed out at three minutes, same as Embrace the Dying Light, which was a lot more manageable, even with the increased cost of mana.

    Even with that, it felt like he was casting them a lot and he soon had to sit and meditate to regenerate mana. People drew closer to him, wanting to stay within the aura''s effect area. Increasing the aura¡¯s area of effect was possible. He''d checked the nodes. But to do that, Eli needed more Commander levels.

    Thankfully, it seemed his aura leveled up faster with a lot of people fighting while under their effects, and in about half an hour, it reached 99% of rank 1. But it stopped there, pretty much cementing the idea that skill ranks couldn''t reach above the class level.

    Eli would have to level up his Commander class or stay stuck at rank one. With everyone now easily killing the frog monsters, Eli formed a funnel around his mouth with his hands and shouted, "Let''s go down to the second floor!"

 Chapter 36: Heal Thyself, stupid

    Eli: On the second floor now.

    Cruella: The mages can be a bitch. Be careful.

    Leonardo. Human. Level 6 Fighter (Swordsman).

    Luca. Human. Level 6 Rogue.

    Helen. Human. Level 5 Tinker.

    Agnes. Human. Level 6 Mage (Cold Mage).

    Wooden staff of Might: +5 Strength.

    Aleksy. Human. Level 7 Fighter (Archer).

    Gustavo. Human. Level 7 Fighter (Swordsman).

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Eli: Cruella, do Mages have any sort of self-healing?

    Cruella: Not exactly. There¡¯s a Mana Shield. Makes you lose mana and not health if something hits you. I think some sub-classes get barriers and stuff, but not Enchanter. There''s always the Leecher talent. Gives you health when you hit stuff, but it doesn''t work for me.

    Eli: Why not?

    Cruella: It''s just for physical damage. Physical damage is boring.

    Eli: Amy. What about you? Any self-healing skills?

    Amy: Nope, but I have Rufus.

    Eli: Rufus?

    Amy: Yeah. He has a Heal skill. It doesn''t give much, but it does up regeneration by quite a bit. Also, I rarely lose health since my pets do all the fighting for me.

    Samantha: I have Heal.

    Simon: My heal is just self-cast now.

    Eli: Hey guys. Coming to the dungeon?

    Samantha: OK.

    Eli: What about Sasha?

    Sasha: Depends on what familiar I use. One of them has a skill that heals me.

    Eli: Familiar? What class are you?

    Sasha: Beastmaster.

    Samantha: You get pets too?

    Sasha: Can''t tame anything, but I summon a familiar.

    Eli: A lot of the people down here in the dungeon are very vulnerable.

    Amy: Their levels are low. You should power-level them.

    Eli: I can only do that with seven people at a time. There¡¯s like a hundred down here. They need better ways of healing themselves.

    Samantha: Force them to pick healer at level 10.

    Eli: That would probably not be such a bad thing. Not forcing them, I mean, but more people picking Healer.

    Eli: You haven¡¯t made any reset class potions or anything, have you?

    Zack: Nope.

    Eli: I''m leaving the party for a little while to help some people level up. Need to get the ball rolling here.

    Amy: See you in a while.

    Simon: I''ll help out when I get there.

    Samantha: Blech.

    Agnes. Human. Level 6 Mage (Cold Mage).

    Yvonne. Human. Level 5 Mage (Affliction).

    Hikari. Human. Level 5 Mage (Conjurer).

    Widelene. Human. Level 4 Mage (Lightning Mage).

    Lenoardo. Human. Level 6 Fighter (Swordsman).

    Luca. Human. Level 6 Rogue.

    Trent. Human. Level 4 Barbarian.

 Chapter 37: Teamwork makes the dream work

    Perhaps some of those left behind thought it unfair of Eli to pick a team with members who were already somewhat proficient. Eli thought these people had proven themselves, given their levels, and he needed people who could level up quickly, so that they, in turn, could help others as well.

    He messaged Samantha.

    Eli: Once you get to the dungeon, why don''t you and Simon grab some lower-level people and help them level up?

    Samantha: Sure, I guess.

    Eli: Remember. Simon hasn¡¯t fought much, so make sure you keep an eye on him.

    Samantha: He''ll do fine. Military, remember?

    "Yeah, sure," Eli murmured. Being in the military wasn''t the same thing as being here, but he supposed there was some overlap in dealing with fear of combat, at least.

    Continuing down the hallway with the martial classes up front, they soon bumped into more lizardlings. Eli quickly realized the party members had no sense of coordination whatsoever. They got in each other''s way a lot, despite the corridor being wide enough for everyone to fit abreast. Standing behind the melee classes, the mages couldn''t help much without hurting those in front, except for the Conjurer, Hikari. He created some sort of pet slime that absorbed one of the lizardlings. From the look of it thrashing inside the translucent slime, it did not die a pleasant death. Hikari observed the lizardling''s death with great interest, and he muttered something about reactive agents.

    Thankfully, it wasn''t all corridors. Rooms opened up to the sides. Some were fully empty while others were made up to look like fancy sitting rooms or libraries, except the books and shelves were blank, and the windows just looked out onto more stone. Eli didn''t understand it, but then again, he didn''t have to. They were here to level up. That was enough.

    All rooms, empty or otherwise, were filled with lizardlings of an increasingly high level. Soon, they carried bows, and a few mages appeared as well, spread out into the groups. It was easier for the group to keep some space between them in the rooms, with the mages in the back using spells to get the job done. The Affliction Mage, Yvonne, couldn''t do much in the way of quick damage since her spells took some time to stack up with bleeding, poison, and curses, and the lizardlings died a little too quickly for them to get going. At least her curses made them weak to other types of damage, allowing the Fighter, Rogue, and Barbarian to more easily hack them to pieces.

    In the corridor, the mages only followed, content with having Leonardo the Fighter, Luca the Rogue, and Trent the Barbarian do the bulk of the killing, while Eli kept everyone''s health topped up. With Aura of Defense, the strikes from the lizardlings barely did any damage, anyway. With the Agility buff, the party moved more quickly and killed faster. Embrace the Dying Light, which added light damage to weapons, made the wounds on the lizardlings glow white. The effect made them squeal in pain no matter how small the injury, if they did not instantly die.

    A few times, they were ambushed by groups of lizardlings coming up from behind them. Thankfully, they were smart enough to stay away from Eli''s Sigil of Light, meaning they stood around waiting for their turn to get killed once the group of enemies up front was dealt with, and the Sigil of Light spell expired.

    Levels were steadily gained by everyone except Eli, who barely got any experience points at all from these low-level monsters. The place was almost maze-like in layout, forcing them to backtrack several times when they came upon blank stone walls barring their way. Eli grew increasingly frustrated with the long stretches of corridor without anything to kill. It was everything but effective leveling.

    Eli: Cruella, is there some trick to the second level? We''re not getting anywhere.

    Cruella: Hell if I know. I just kept walking and killing until I found some stairs. Hug the right wall. Isn''t that what they say to do if you find yourself in a labyrinth? Follow the wall.

    Eli: Thanks, I''ll try that.

    Cruella: Found any lizardling mages yet?

    Eli: A few. They haven''t been a problem.

    Cruella: Good. Then you''re going the right way, probably. If you find any traps, that means you''re almost there. The next level is more fun.

    He didn''t know what she meant by fun, but as he walked and messaged Cruella, the group did find their first trap. Trent bellowed in pain as wooden spikes shot up from holes in the floor, straight into his feet and legs, piercing him in multiple places, drawing blood, and forcing him into place.

    Eli immediately healed the damage, but the Barbarian''s health kept dropping since the spikes were already embedded into his body and showed no signs of retracting back into the floor. The screaming continued. Eli''s heals did nothing against the pain, after all.

    "You have to pull him off!" Eli shouted.

    "What if we get spiked?" Luca asked, his voice shrill and panicked.

    Trent''s health was dropping quicker and quicker, and he looked pale. Eli healed him again, then placed a Sigil of Light on the ground to mitigate the bleeding damage. Not sure what else to do, he stepped forward himself, hoping that his Aegis would protect him. No second trap appeared as Eli got down next to Trent. He breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned forward, grabbed the barbarian''s left leg, and pulled upward, trying to use his legs to lift rather than his back, remembering the harsh admonishment from his old gym teacher back in high school when Eli messed up some exercise. The foot and leg came free of the wooden spikes, but it was a mess of flapping flesh and gorged muscle.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The Barbarian fell unconscious. This left one leg full of spikes still stuck while his body slumped to the floor, pulling on them with enough force to break the wood. Others gathered around in an instant, pulling the thick stakes out of the Barbarian''s other leg while Eli''s healing closed the wounds. Trent remained unconscious.

    Sprays of blood covered the floor and wall, with a large puddle around the fallen Barbarian. Luca''s foot slipped from under him and tumbled into the mess, staining his clothes red. Leonardo offered him a hand and managed to get Luca back up on his feet. The resemblance between them made Eli suspect they might be father and son.

    "What do we do?" Agnes, the Cold Mage, asked. "We can''t just leave him here."

    "Let me try something," the Widelene, Lightning Mage said in a heavily accented Creole-English, rolling up her sleeves to show a surprising amount of muscle. She stepped up and leaned over to put her hands on the Barbarian''s chest. Then she closed her eyes as if concentrating, readying herself to cast a spell. Rather than cast a spell, she drew back her hand and slapped Trent across his face so hard the sound rang out in the stone corridor.

    The Lightning Mage stood, waving her hand in pain, jumping around and blowing on it. "Stupid hard face," she muttered.

    The Barbarian came to. "What happened?"

    Then he looked down at his legs and let out a quick shriek that ended as abruptly as it''d come when he saw the spikes were gone from his flesh.

    "Can you stand?" Eli asked.

    "I think so," Trent said. His knees were weak, and his legs shook, but he did stand in the end.

    Backtracking a little to find one of the blank books, they removed a page, writing out a warning to be extra careful in case the traps reset. Writing in Trent''s blood was macabre, but they didn''t have much choice.

    It took the Barbarian a while to walk steadily again, and Eli took the front to make sure there weren''t any more traps.

    More traps did appear. Aegis of The Dying Light protected Eli from a multitude of arrows, poisoned darts, and even more spikes. Once the group knew what they were looking for, the triggers were easy enough to spot. Faint marks on the stones on the floor made the traps activate when someone stepped on them, and the more advanced sort reacted when someone walked past a mark on the wall.

    The enemies changed a little after that, becoming higher level, bigger and stronger. They were still called lizardlings, but they now reached up to about Eli''s shoulder and fought with cohesion, helping each other and even retreating when things didn¡¯t go their way. When that happened, rather than chasing after the lizardlings, the party''s mages finished them off as the enemies fled.

    ¡°More of them are using spells and skills now,¡± Eli said, noting the difference.

    The melee fighters found it difficult to deal with at first. Rather than just hacking away, they needed to up their game as well, stepping out of harm''s or actually batting the enemy weapons or shields aside to get a good blow in. It was nothing the party couldn''t handle, though. Not with Eli helping them along.

    His buffs helped a lot with the increased danger, especially Agility, which he refreshed on each of them every time they fought a new group of monsters. That extra speed and reaction time allowed them to dodge and strike far faster than they would have been able to without it, and the lizardlings never really found an answer to it.

    They made it to a room that looked an awful lot like a church, with benches on both sides, placed in rows all the way to the front of the room where a sort of altar had been erected. There was no cross, of course, or Symbol of The Dying Light, but there was something¡ªa painting depicting a lizardling, one which stood tall like a man. It towered over humans with its hands up in the air as if celebrating. When Eli looked closer, he saw that the humans in the painting were down on their knees, either praying to the huge lizard man or begging for mercy. Looking at that painting, Eli got a new quest:

    Banish the Lizard God Rizari and free humanity from his terror.

    In the gloom, Eli didn¡¯t notice the five lizardlings kneeling in front of the depiction at first. The Barbarian let out a shout that increased his speed further and then rushed in, cleaving the four lizardlings in one huge swipe of his two-handed sword. They died immediately, and Eli almost felt kind of bad for them¡ªthey hadn¡¯t even fought back.

    Eli: Cruella. Did you get a quest down here?

    Cruella: Nope. Anything interesting?

    Eli: It wants me to banish Rizari.

    Cruella: Isn''t that the name of this temple?

    Eli: Yeah. It''s the lizards'' god.

    Cruella: Heh, like in JRPGS.

    Eli: Huh?

    Cruella: The first quest is always like fetch ten feathers, and in the end you always kill a god.

    Eli: We''re just getting started.

    Cruella: True.

    "Did you guys get a quest?" Eli asked the party. Everyone nodded. Several members of the group looked pale.

    Eli gave each of them a look, then nodded. "Let''s be careful."

    The next room had heavy gilded frames with actual paintings, expertly crafted to show the huge walking lizard taking over a city by razing its walls. Another painting showed it sitting in a hilariously undersized throne, ruling over its new subjects.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± the Affliction Mage, Yvonne said after they had cleared a room of three warrior lizardlings. This had taken quite a while, with Eli having to heal repeatedly and block one from approaching the mages.

    ¡°They¡¯re getting stronger,¡± Leonardo panted, his face red with exhaustion. ¡°These were level 12.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown stronger as well,¡± Eli reassured him. ¡°I doubt you would have been able to deal with them before.¡±

    They looted the warrior lizardlings clean, then left the room.

    Cruella to Eli: By the way, there¡¯s a boss at the end of the second floor. Don¡¯t worry though, it¡¯s easy. Just kill it quickly.

    ¡°There¡¯s a boss somewhere nearby,¡± Eli said to the group. ¡°Keep your wits about you."

    The mention of a boss made the three martial classes slow down considerably, clearly not wanting to get too far ahead of the rest of the group. Agnes cast a spell, enveloping everyone in what looked like a thin sheet of ice which soon disappeared, leaving a defense buff. The group continued through the rooms, killing the higher-level lizardlings until a wooden gate appeared. None of the other rooms so far used doors. Openings just appeared in the stone walls. Here, though, it looked like they¡¯d taken great care in creating something to keep people out.

    ¡°Looks heavy,¡± Yvonne said.

    The Rogue walked up to it with perhaps a little too much confidence and reached out for a metal ring set into the wood. The second he touched it, a pop-up appeared.

    Proceed into the High Priest''s chamber? Yes/No.

    Luca looked back at Eli, who nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill the boss,¡± Eli said. ¡°That should hopefully put you over to level 10. Be careful, everyone.¡±

 Chapter 38: Specialization

    After selecting yes, the group found themselves transported past the door. It remained firmly closed behind them as they appeared in a grand hall. It wasn¡¯t as big as the inside of the Church of The Dying Light or the first level of the dungeon, but it was the biggest room on this floor by far, with a higher ceiling that made it feel a little less claustrophobic. Though there were no windows, tapestries covered parts of the walls in bright colors, and the entire floor was covered in a massive, dark red rug. There was little furniture, except at the other end of the room, where a raised platform held a throne-like chair. In it sat... something.

    High Priest of Rizari. Failed Lizard Man. Level 18.

    Lizardlings kneeled in front of the throne. The glowstones on the walls and ceiling gave ample light to see by, and even at that distance, Eli could tell this high priest was not like the other lizardlings. It looked almost human¡ªits proportions were close, except its shoulders were wider and bigger, and its arms were longer. A robe covered much of its twisted body. In patches, it still looked like the priest''s skin was human, only discolored in different shades of green. Other parts of its body were scaled, like the lizardlings''. Its head looked like a person¡¯s face melding into something else. One ear was gone, while the other was much too large, with spiked protrusions. Its eyes looked human too but were large and yellow, and at this distance, they looked to be glowing when the light caught them.

    ¡°You have trespassed, humans,¡± the high priest said.

    Its speech was slow, and a little slurred, like it couldn¡¯t quite form the words right with its thin lips and sharp teeth. It fell silent, as if waiting for a response.

    ¡°We are looking for the stairs down to level 3,¡± Eli said, speaking loudly and enunciating each word.

    ¡°It is sacrilege for you to even be here. Turn around now if you want to live.¡±

    Eli refreshed the party¡¯s buffs, which got the priest''s attention. ¡°The Dying Light¡­ How sweet to see you still struggling to keep the flame alive.¡± It lifted the wooden staff it held in its misshapen hand. ¡°Perhaps we have found our willing sacrifice for the ritual of ascension. But to reach it, you must bathe in my blood, humans.¡± Its face twisted, and Eli thought it looked amused, though that couldn¡¯t be right.

    ¡°Kill them!¡± the high priest commanded, and those kneeling in front of him¡ªtwelve in total¡ªstood and turned around. They were normal lizardlings, but at a higher level than the ones they¡¯d fought before. At level fourteen, this would prove quite a challenge for Eli''s group.

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Eli shouted to his party.

    The warrior lizardlings wore armor, light but sturdy-looking leather, and even old-looking metal helmets with visors open to see. They were a little bulkier, too, than those they''d previously met, but they still moved with grace as they drew swords, daggers, wands, and bows.

    The high priest began chanting. Eli assumed the boss was preparing some sort of spell and realized he now possessed a way of stopping that sort of thing. He cast Silence. The spell died on the high priest''s lips. The half-lizard, half-man-looking thing''s eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to Eli, shaking his fists as the others began to fight.

    Leonardo, the Fighter, struck out for the nearest lizardling, but found himself blocked by a shield. The counter-thrust took him in the shoulder, and he cried out and dropped his shield as his health plummeted. The Rogue, Luca was there in an instant and swiped at the lizardling''s neck. That, too, failed as the lizardling spun and slammed an elbow into Luca''s gut. Eli quickly healed them both, then briefly cast Light''s Seal to allow Trent, the Barbarian, to make short work of one of the two lizardling warriors he was facing.

    In a matter of seconds, though, Trent got a long gash along his side, leaving all three melee fighters injured. Eli healed them as best he could and had to step between one of the enemies and the affliction mage, Yvonne, who¡¯d come under attack. Tanking the blows on Aegis, Eli healed-bombed the lizardling to death.

    Meanwhile, the conjurer¡¯s slime was eating into the leg of one of the lizardlings, dissolving it and causing the thing to shriek in terror. The Cold Mage was busy launching shards of ice to penetrate one of the enemies'' leather armors, killing it instantly. Leonardo was on his feet again, holding his blade with both hands, unable to pick his shield back up for fear of being struck. He fought like a madman, protecting Luca, who was still on the floor, coughing and trying to draw breath.

    Silence timed out on the high priest, who immediately cast a heal on one of the lizardlings, restoring it to full health. "Damn it," Eli swore and silenced the priest again. After healing Trent, he began heal-bombing the priest, taking down its health quickly. The light from Eli''s heal seared into the high priest. Death by Light.

    With the high priest dead, Eli turned back to heal the Lightning Mage, Widelene, to help her fend off one of the warriors. He needn''t have bothered. Wide-eyed, he saw her body erupt with lightning in a small area around her, enveloping the lizardling who¡¯d chosen to attack her. The health bar of the lizardling dropped almost instantly as lightning surged through its body, burning it up from the inside. It was the first attack he¡¯d seen from her, and he noted the strength of her attack.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Several lizardling warriors were now dead, which made the fight a little more manageable and less chaotic. Luca finally got to his feet and entered stealth to sneak up behind a lizardling who was slowly but surely beating Leonardo. This time, Luca¡¯s dagger ended up in the lizardling¡¯s neck. The puncture wound left a large hole that spewed dark blood as the monster crumpled onto the floor.

    Trent suffered a lot of injuries fighting the last of the lizardlings. They were mostly superficial gashes, and from the look of things, he was able to shrug them off well enough, even if Eli hadn¡¯t healed him. But what the Barbarian lacked in finesse, he made up for in sheer strength. Eventually, he tired of trying to feint and jab and just turned in a circle, swinging his sword with all the power he could muster, ignoring the many slashes across his back and shoulders from his opponent. Completing that swing left the final lizardling warrior on the floor, his upper body separated from its lower.

    Everyone stood panting for a while, just looking at the mess. Blood from the lizardling warriors covered the floor and the fighters. Even Eli found a few spatters on his robe. The wall to the left of the room rumbled and then slid to the side, opening up into a stairwell down to the next floor.

    Luca left stealth and carefully made his way to the high priest, not wanting to slip in blood again. When he touched the body, a bunch of items appeared before Eli¡¯s eyes. A quick glance told him none were as powerful as the equipment he was already wearing, so he dismissed the list and messaged Cruella.

    Eli: You took down the boss by yourself? That''s impressive.

    Cruella: It was a bit of a challenge. I¡¯m not going to lie. At least the first time.

    Eli: You¡¯ve done it multiple times?

    Cruella: Sure, it respawns every 15 minutes. It gives some decent loot and experience.

    Cruella: Are you almost down on the third floor? I could actually use a little help. I¡¯m kind of stuck.

    Eli: Stuck?

    Cruella: The next floor is this huge open cave filled with a whole lot of lizardmen. They¡¯re sturdy, but slow. You can kill a bunch as long as you keep moving. Unfortunately, I moved into what turned out to be a cell, and they¡¯re trying to get in. Meaning I can¡¯t really get out.

    Eli: Hold on. We¡¯re coming.

    Eli found the party chatting excitedly and soon found the reason for it. They¡¯d all reached level 10 after killing the boss. The Lightning Mage, Widelene, had already picked Healer as her multiclass option and was casting the spell on herself, nodding as if very pleased with the result. The Cold Mage, Agnes, did the same a moment later.

    Widelene. Human. Mage (Lightning) (10) / Healer (1).

    Agnes. Human. Mage (Cold) (10) / Healer (1).

    Eli turned to the other two. "Are you picking Healer?"

    The Affliction Mage''s face soured and shook her head. "Affliction and healing do not go well together."

    "Of course it does," Eli countered. "You can stand back and heal your party while adding effects and damage-over-time spells to whatever you¡¯re fighting. It¡¯s the perfect combo."

    "Fine," Yvonne grumbled.

    Yvonne. Human. Mage (Affliction) (10) / Healer (1).

    Hikari refused. "I don¡¯t want it."

    "It was a condition of you joining this party. You made a promise," Eli reminded him.

    "So, what are you going to do? Force me? You going to kill me?"

    "I¡¯m not going to kill you, Hikari," Eli said, "but I¡¯m not going to trust you, either."

    "Well, I¡¯m not doing it," the Conjurer stated firmly.

    Eli shook his head and made an attempt to cast Warp, not really expecting it to work. To his surprise, it did work. He marked the spot where he was standing, overwriting the now useless place where the graveyard had been standing. Then he Warped back to the first floor of Infinite Innovation Solutions, taking only the Hikari with him. Once back, he booted him from the party.

    He called out in a loud voice, "Any mage here who wants to be power-leveled? You have to pick Healer as a multiclass option when you reach level 10."

    Unfortunately, he saw no Mages in the crowd, but he did see a Commander who raised his arm.

    Alcott. Human. Level 3 Commander.

    Eli added him to the party, then cast Warp again, returning to the dungeon. "Since you¡¯re only level 3, I want you to stay near me so I can protect you, right?"

    Alcott nodded with a quick jerk of his head. "Sure."

    He was a little older, maybe in his 50s, but Eli didn¡¯t recognize him as one of the managers. Just like quite a few people picked Mage without being in HR, it stood to reason that some picked Commander without being management.

    Now, it didn¡¯t really matter where you used to work.

    "What was that skill?" Agnes asked.

    "Which one?"

    "You just took her and disappeared," the Cold Mage explained.

    "It¡¯s Warp," Eli said. "I can teleport myself and my party."

    "That... is just crazy good," Luca said.

    "If you get Healer to level 10 and specialize with Priest of the Dying Light, you can get it too. Also, there¡¯s a talent called Harming Healer that allows you to, well, harm with your heals rather than heal whenever you want."

    "What do you want us to pick?" Luca asked.

    "Whatever you want," Eli said. "Leonardo, if you can pick something that can act as a tank, that¡¯s probably good, since you¡¯re going to be helping others."

    The Fighter shook his head. "The plain Swordsman is not a defensive sub-class. But perhaps I can do some sort of hybrid."

    Light shone across him.

    Leonardo. Human, Level 10 Knight.

    The light flashed across Luca as well.

    Luca. Human. Level 10 Assassin.

    "Dad wanted me to specialize in stealth so I can be safe, you know? So we worked together and settled on Assassin."

    "You two worked together before this?" Widelene asked, throwing a sorrowful glance over to Leonardo.

    Leonardo''s face fell. "No... He was visiting me. Luca¡¯s high school was closed, and I didn¡¯t want him to stay on his own."

    Having your child come to this place with you would surely be a terrible feeling. Or perhaps a great thing, considering they didn''t know what''d happened to the rest of the world.

    Light shimmered across the Barbarian as well, as everyone''s eyes turned to Trent.

    Trent. Human. Level 10 Warchanter.

    "What does specialization do, Trent?" Agnes asked.

    "Focuses on war cries and shouts. That''s good, right?" Trent said, glancing at Eli.

    "I mean, if you¡¯re going to help people, that¡¯s really good, Trent. Nice pick!"

    The approval made Trent brighten.

    "So," Eli began. "Everyone ready for the third floor?"

 Chapter 39: City of Lizards

    Eli: Okay. We''re down on the third floor now, and I can see a whole lot of lizardmen falling all over a building. I''m guessing you''re inside?

    Cruella: Yeah. It''s getting a little claustrophobic in here, but yeah, that''s me, I think. I''m just meditating to get my mana up, but I did not look forward to staging my own jailbreak.

    Eli: Why is there a town here?

    Cruella: How would I know? Maybe the lizards need a place to live? They just keep spawning forever, and their level is pretty high. This is a great grind spot. The Dragon was down here earlier, but I haven''t seen him in a while.

    Eli: Mr. Thomas?

    Cruella: Yep. He''s a beast. Maybe he went down to the 4th floor.

    Cruella: Please save me, my white knight in shining armor. I''m a damsel. In distress, and such.

    Ding! You have reached level 36.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Cruella: I am hearing a lot of screams of pain and dying over here. You getting close?

    Eli: Not close. We''re killing them from afar.

    Alcott. Human. Commander (10) / Healer (2).

    Ding! You''ve reached level 37.

    Agnes. Human. Mage (Cold Mage) (10) / Priest (10).

    Cruella. Human. Artificer (10) / Duelist (10) / Scout (10).

    Runeforged Two-handed sword (Common): +20% physical damage. +10% Strength.

    Runeforged Longsword (Common): +15% percent defense. +10% Constitution.

    Runeforged Dagger (Common): First attack out of stealth deals +100% damage.

    Runeforged Wooden Staff (Common): +20% mana regeneration. +10% spell damage.

    Amy: Sasha is gone! I think Solomon took her! Please, I need help!

 Chapter 40: A Druid?

    "I''m going to have to leave now," Eli told the party. "Do you want to stay here, or should I take you back to Infinite Innovation Solutions? Or I could dump you outside the dungeon?"

    They looked at each other nervously before Agnes spoke. "I think it''s better if you take us to the entrance. Perhaps that way we can either go back inside or walk back to the office building."

    "Works for me," Leonardo said.

    "Me too," Trent agreed.

    Widelene nodded, and the other two didn¡¯t speak up to disagree.

    Eli marked the spot where he was standing, overriding the one on the floor above, then brought everyone back to the entrance where he had marked the spot earlier in the day. The sun was still up, but it was clear that the day was coming to a close, with the sky turning orange from the sun beginning to set.

    "Goodbye," Eli said, leaving the party. He then walked back down to fetch Cruella, who added him back to the Ravenous Barbarians.

    Eli: Sasha isn¡¯t in the party anymore.

    Amy: She disappeared. Are you in the forest?

    Eli: Outside the dungeon. Where do we go?

    Amy gave them some directions that weren¡¯t exactly easy to follow, but they set off deeper into the forest. As Eli and Cruella were leaving the clearing outside the entrance, Samantha and Simon came through the underbrush, both looking tired and flustered.

    "You staying or coming?" Cruella asked.

    "I guess we¡¯re coming," Samantha sighed, obviously not looking forward to continuing her trek.

    Simon was panting hard. "Did you know plate armor is heavy?" he asked, downing a bottle of water. "Because it is."

    "Why don¡¯t you take it off while you run?" Eli asked.

    Simon¡¯s face turned blank as he looked down at himself, then at Samantha. "Why didn¡¯t you tell me?"

    "Tell you what?" she replied, sounding a bit annoyed. "That you didn¡¯t have to wear the stupid armor all this way? I thought maybe you were a never-nude or something. I don¡¯t know what you have under there."

    "A what?" Simon asked, confused.

    Eli put up a hand to stop their bickering. "We don¡¯t have time for this. Let¡¯s go. I think we¡¯re going this way."

    The forest was rather untouched, making it difficult to navigate. There were no paths made by humans, only faint trails where animals liked to run. This forced them to go single file, and it didn¡¯t take them long to get hopelessly lost.

    Eli looked left, then right, scratching his head as his heart pounded, both from the exertion and the stress of knowing one of their new friends was missing.

    Eli: Amy. Where do we go?

    Amy: Hold on, I¡¯m sending some help. Just continue deeper into the forest, and my friend Charlie will find you.

    "Who the hell is Charlie?" Cruella asked.

    No one knew, so they kept moving forward as Amy instructed. Soon, the sound of an animal reached them¡ªa low, growling bark from their left made Eli stop and turn. His eyes widened when he saw a massive wolf standing between two fir trees, calmly regarding them.

    Eli: That''s Charlie?

    Amy: Follow him.

    The wolf, Charlie, trotted away, and the group followed, trying, and spectacularly failing, to keep up. Charlie had to stop several times to wait for them, but he kept his calm expression, almost as if he found it amusing to have humans following him.

    "I get the sense that Charlie¡¯s enjoying this," Simon muttered, still panting hard despite having removed his plate armor and unequipped his shield and weapon.

    "Stupid wolf," Cruella muttered irritably, even though she was moving through the forest with far more speed and grace than the others. She navigated the underbrush effortlessly, not stumbling or getting caught on jagged branches or thorny bushes. Her increased attributes and new classes must''ve been altering her agility.

    Even with the wolf guiding them, it took Eli and the rest of the Ravenous Barbarians over half an hour to reach their destination: a small hut built from wood, obscured by branches and leaves. Even the entrance was hard to see, but the huge moose standing next to it, casually nibbling on a tree branch, was impossible to miss.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    They all stopped short, barely daring to breathe. Eli had never seen a moose in real life before and had never appreciated just how enormous they were. This one was much bigger than a horse, with antlers stretching up into the trees¡ªhuge and sturdy-looking. Getting rammed by that thing would put you in the ground permanently.

    Charlie the wolf ran up to Amy, who was standing near the hut, barely able to contain her worry. An owl casually rested on her left shoulder. She shifted from foot to foot, bending her knees and peering into the woods, searching for Charlie as the group arrived. When she caught sight of them, she waved a hand.

    "That¡¯s just Bill. Don¡¯t mind him," she said, nodding to the moose, visibly distraught.

    "Is that the mount you were trying to tame earlier?" Eli asked.

    "It was, but that¡¯s not important now." Amy said.

    Cruella looked Amy up and down. "What the hell are you wearing?"

    Amy wore leather armor and a crown of what looked like twigs, with leaves caught in her hair. Her clothes were dyed dark green and brown, blending seamlessly into the forest. ''Druid'' was the word that came to mind. She looked like some druid out of a fantasy game, like she was one with the forest.

    "Come on, quick," she said. "We have to find Sasha."

    Eli nodded sharply. "Show us."

    They set off into the forest again once Amy had put both Charlie and Bill into her internal stables. The owl on her shoulder stayed put, even as she walked, and if Eli wasn''t mistaken, he thought he heard the squeaking of rats scurrying around in the surrounding underbrush.

    "Tell us what happened," he said as they half-walked, half-ran.

    "Well," Amy began, talking hurriedly. "We''ve only been out here for a short while, but I have some experience with woodcraft from when I was a kid. I haven''t been out much lately for obvious reasons, but I still remember, so I know my way around the forest, you know? Sasha is a city kid, so she hasn¡¯t been out much in nature at all, but she still wanted to go scouting. Even after I told her how dangerous it would be if she encountered Solomon, or one of his allies, or even one of his traps, she still wanted to go."

    "I understand," Eli said. He was about to tell her to calm down after that onslaught of words, but thought better of it. Doing so would likely have the opposite effect at this point, he figured. "What happened then?"

    Amy sighed. "Well, she snuck out when I took a nap. I got a sort of alarm, you could say, from one of my pets. I figured, what''s the harm? She''s not stupid, so she knows to be careful. I thought it would be enough if I just had Lovely follow her around to make sure she was all right. I wasn''t spying, you know, just making sure nothing happened to her."

    "I understand," Eli replied, keeping his voice neutral.

    "Well, it wasn¡¯t all right. It wasn¡¯t all right at all, actually." Amy¡¯s voice shook. "Lovely¡ªshe''s a wren ¡ª followed her, and that stupid, hard-headed woman went past where we¡¯d agreed was the outer limit of where we could safely go. I think she wanted to prove her usefulness," Amy said, shaking her head as they jumped over a fallen log and went down a short slope. She glanced back to make sure everyone was keeping up. "She made it to the area where my birds have been disappearing, even high up in the sky, and then," she stopped talking for a moment to let out a long, defeated breath, "she stepped on a trap."

    Eli winced. "The same kind that you got stuck in?"

    Amy shook her head. "No, this was worse." Her voice trembled as she drew in a shuddering breath. "A gas came out of the trap, and Sasha breathed it in, I think. She fell down and didn¡¯t move. She wasn¡¯t moving at all. Eli, she wasn''t moving!"

    "Then what happened?"

    "I don¡¯t know," Amy said, her voice tight. "Lovely went dark."

    "Went dark?" Simon asked, pushing a branch out of his face.

    "It¡¯s like what happened to the other birds. I don¡¯t know what happens to them. They just go dark and disappear from my pet slots. I assume it means they¡¯re dead."

    "If it were me, I would have been out there immediately. Why did you wait for us?" Cruella asked, her voice sharp.

    "Cruella," Eli warned.

    Amy glared back. "I was out there! I only came back so you could find me! When I tame a bird, their natural instincts are dampened somewhat, which means their sense of location isn¡¯t as strong. But I still knew the general area where they went, so I rode out there really quickly. Sasha was gone. I found the trap, but she wasn¡¯t there anymore. I think Solomon took her. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s dead because there was no blood¡ªthere was no blood there. You see? So I think she¡¯s still alive. But Solomon has her. That has to be it. I don¡¯t know who else could have done this. I searched the area with almost all my pets, but there was nothing. Just empty forest. I don¡¯t get it." Her voice broke. "And now Sasha isn¡¯t in the party anymore. She went dark."

    "I noticed," Eli said. "Do you know why?"

    "She was booted the second she stepped on the trap," Amy replied, frustration in her voice. "I have no idea how this works. Why would a trap throw her out of the party? It makes no sense."

    "What about messages?" Samantha asked.

    "No messages. I can send them to her, but I¡¯m not getting any replies. There are more traps in the area, too. You have to be really careful where you step. Some are old, but some are new, and I don¡¯t know what they do." Amy looked down, clenching her fists. "I even considered stepping on one myself to see if I would fall unconscious, too, and then maybe Solomon would take me, and I could rescue Sasha. But what if it¡¯s a different kind of trap? What if I get stuck and can¡¯t move? You¡¯d never find me out here." She took a deep breath. "I mean, I guess I could destroy it or drink a potion if it does something, like, burn my face off like yours did, but... I don¡¯t know."

    "It¡¯s going to be fine, Amy," Eli said firmly. "We¡¯re going to get Sasha back."

    He quickly sent a message to Zach.

    Eli: Are you in the forest nearby?

    Zach¡¯s response came after a moment.

    Zach: No.

    Eli: We¡¯re having a bit of an emergency here. Where have you gone off to?

    There was another long pause, and then Zach replied.

    Zach: I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t stay with all those people. It¡¯s too much. I tried. Look, I really did try. But I can¡¯t do it. When it was my job, that was fine¡ªI could put on a mask. But I can¡¯t do that here. I have to be myself, and I can¡¯t be myself with all those people. I¡¯m sorry, Eli, but we¡¯re leaving. We¡¯ll meet again sometime later, right?

    Eli didn¡¯t know what to say. He had wanted to ask Zach if rogues learned any trap-detection skills that could help, but there was no point if Zach couldn¡¯t come to help, anyway.

    "Damn it," he muttered.

    "What?" Amy asked, worry thick in her voice.

    "Nothing," Eli said. "Don¡¯t worry." He looked ahead. "Are we getting close?"

    She nodded, glancing forward. "Yeah, it¡¯s just up ahead."

 Chapter 41: Minefield

    Amy soon guided them to the spot she had described.

    ¡°This is it,¡± she said.

    ¡°It looks like every other part of the forest we¡¯ve just seen,¡± Simon said.

    ¡°This is the place. The traps are well hidden, so be very careful.¡±

    "I''m pretty quick. Maybe I should go first," Cruella said, taking a few huge strides ahead of the rest of the group.

    "Wait!" Amy called, but it was too late.

    Eli could only watch as Cruella''s foot struck against something hidden in the underbrush. A low clicking was all the warning they got. A huge explosion rocked the forest. It was powerful enough to fell the two nearest trees and burn the surrounding bushes.

    Everyone else was thrown back by the blast. Cruella, though, reacted quickly. As the explosion went off, she became a streak of red-tinted lightning, using her movement skill to escape the blast.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Cruella said, catching her breath. ¡°Maybe that wasn¡¯t the best idea.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Samantha groaned, struggling to get back on her feet.

    ¡°At least now we know we¡¯re in the right place,¡± Eli said. ¡°Also... I''m stuck in a trap.¡±

    He brushed grass and twigs aside to reveal a plate similar to the one Amy had gotten stuck in when they arrived in Aryxia.

    ¡°Everyone stand back!¡± Eli warned.

    ¡°Is it the same type?¡± Amy asked.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Eli replied. Since it was only his foot caught, he was able to stand back up. He waited for everyone to move back, then raised his staff, aiming to slam it down on the plate to break it.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Amy shouted. ¡°Do you remember what happened last time?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got Aegis now,¡± Eli assured her. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± But after a moment¡¯s thought, he put his staff into his inventory and pulled out a less valuable one he wouldn¡¯t mind damaging.

    He looked at the others, his gaze lingering on Samantha. ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, make sure to heal me.¡±

    With a nod from Samantha, Eli brought the staff down hard on the plate, shattering it. Flames engulfed him, but his Aegis absorbed the brunt of the blast. A blue flash at the end, however, swept the Aegis away, removing the shield rather than overpowering it. The flames were gone, and he wasn''t hurt, but almost half his mana vanished in an instant.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Simon asked.

    ¡°The blue flash,¡± Amy said. ¡°That didn¡¯t happen last time.¡±

    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t,¡± Eli agreed. ¡°It stripped my Aegis and a lot of mana. Whoever set this trap has improved it since the first one back in that clearing.¡±

    They all looked out into the forest. Simon was the first to speak, ¡°So, what now?¡±

    Eli cast Aegis of the Dying Light, then stepped up in front of everyone. ¡°I should go first. I have the highest level and the most protection. You all should follow single file behind me.¡±

    The owl on Amy¡¯s shoulder flapped its wings and let out a short screech. Amy nodded. ¡°I agree, Leila. That is a stupid idea."

    ¡°You got a better one?¡± Eli challenged, glaring at the owl.

    ¡°No,¡± Amy admitted, ¡°but we¡¯d better hurry.¡±

    ¡°All right, then,¡± Eli said. ¡°Follow my exact path, but keep a little space between each of you and me, okay?¡±

    They all nodded.

    ¡°Great,¡± Eli said. ¡°Let¡¯s go find Sasha.¡±

    With nothing in front of him and his friends behind him, Eli suddenly found it hard to take another step. His mana had already regenerated thanks to his Meditation skill, but he hadn¡¯t liked the effect of that last trap, stripping his defenses so easily. At least his aura hadn¡¯t deactivated. That was a good sign.

    Quickly, Eli opened his Character Sheet and added his available attribute points to Constitution, gratified to see his health increase quite a bit more than when he added points before picking the Commander class. With items adding +20%, he ended up at a whopping 3397 health after adding the ten points to the Constitution stat. Eli also added the 2 levels he¡¯d gained in the Temple of Rizari to his Commander class, reaching Priest (35) / Commander (3). Though he didn¡¯t have time to review the talent list, he added a skill point to activate a second aura.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Aura of Victory: Aura increases the Strength, Dexterity, and physical damage of all those within its reach.

    Finally, his Aura Master talent would become useful, allowing him to use two auras at the same time.

    ¡°What¡¯s the hold-up?¡± Cruella called from the back of the group.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Eli said. ¡°Just added another aura.¡±

    ¡°I should be up front,¡± Cruella grumbled.

    Eli ignored her and pressed forward, stepping carefully into what turned out to be a literal minefield of traps. He called them out as he spotted them, veering slightly to either side of the narrow path he was on.

    Then Eli got down on one knee beside a trap directly in front of him. He dug his hands into the spongy soil, managing to get his fingers beneath the plate. When he touched it from below, it did not trigger. With a bit of hesitation, Eli decided to put the trap into his inventory. To his surprise, it worked. Once inside his inventory, he could inspect it.

    Concealed Trap of Paralysis.

    It was the same type he had stepped on earlier.

    Eli: We should probably stay as quiet as possible from here on out. Solomon and his cronies might be listening. Also, turns out you can store traps in your inventory if you don¡¯t trigger them.

    Simon: What¡¯s the point of taking them into your inventory?

    Amy: I agree with Simon. But let''s just hurry up.

    Eli: You never know what might be useful later.

    He got back on his feet and moved forward. They spotted a few traps off to the sides, but nothing in their direct path. At first, this made Eli suspicious, but soon he found himself relaxing. Maybe they were through the worst of it. It was only later that he realized the trapper had probably planned this to lull them into a false sense of security.

    The forest spread out around them, and Eli saw nothing in any direction but trees, bushes, patches of grass, and small clearings. Signs of life were rare, save for the occasional squirrel, forest bird, or, in the distance, a stag. Seeing the majestic animal made his attention drift from the path ahead of him.

    Then he heard a distinct click as his boot stepped right on top of a hidden plate.

    ¡°Crap,¡± Eli muttered as an orange light swirled around his foot. A bright mote circled his leg, winding faster and faster up his body until he was fully enveloped.

    ¡°Get off it!¡± Amy shouted, but Eli couldn¡¯t move. He was as immobilized as if caught in a paralysis trap, and the world around him blurred.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Eli whispered, feeling strangely calm. His health didn¡¯t decrease, nor did his mana. His Aegis didn¡¯t register it as an attack. But everything around him grew opaque, fading until it disappeared entirely.

    An orange flash filled his vision, and then Eli found himself standing in a small village.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Eli gasped, looking around. The ground was muddy, and the houses were rough log structures with thatched roofs. They were all one-story buildings, and clusters of humans of all ages were gathered nearby. They wore what looked like uncolored wool shirts and brown cloth pants, both speckled with mud. Fear filled their eyes as they stared at him, huddling together.

    Eli waved awkwardly, then opened his party screen, only to find that everyone else was gone. Ravenous Barbarians were down to only himself. With a rush of relief, he found the list of available places when he cast Warp. That spell meant he wasn''t lost.

    As he looked around the village and focused, a whole lot of health bars popped up. None were at full health, and many were below the half-way point. Some people were clearly sick or injured. He couldn¡¯t leave them like that. Taking a deep breath, he quickly healed everyone nearby. Eyes widened in surprise, some filling with tears as confusion washed over the crowd.

    He cast Sigil of Light and set it in the village¡¯s center. ¡°I have to go!¡± he shouted. ¡°Bring your injured into that light. It will heal them!¡±

    With that, he activated the Warp spell, selecting the entrance of the Temple of Rizari. It was the closest spot available. Just as he warped away, he realized he hadn¡¯t marked the village as a warp point. Swearing under his breath, he accepted that he might never be able to return. Those villagers would have been an invaluable source of information.

    The outside of the Temple of Rizari was empty. It wasn''t a surprise, really, given how late it was getting. It would soon be fully dark. Most people wanted to be back in the office building by then, Eli figured.

    The rest of his party reappeared in his party screen.

    Eli: I''m back. What happened?

    Amy: That''s what we were wondering. You just disappeared and dropped out of the party.

    Eli: I was teleported away to a village somewhere, but I was able to warp back. I''m outside the Temple of Rizari now.

    He opened the map for the first time in a while and saw the path they''d taken to Amy''s hut in the forest and then to the field of traps. He realized he could take a more direct route back, but it was still quite far away.

    Eli: Are you guys okay? It''ll take me a little while to get back... well, quite a while, if I''m being honest.

    Amy: I''ve sent someone to come get you. Just hang on.

    Simon: We¡¯re fine. Haven¡¯t moved at all since you left.

    Samantha: What happens if someone else in the group steps on one of those traps? We won¡¯t all be able to warp back like you, Eli.

    Cruella: The solution is simple. Just don¡¯t step on one of those traps.

    Eli: I¡¯ll go first again. Next time, I¡¯ll mark our location at regular intervals, so I don¡¯t have to go all the way back to the Temple of Rizari if something happens.

    Amy: Do you think this is what happened to Sasha? Is this why she¡¯s gone from the party screen?

    Eli: I think so. Yes, probably. We¡¯ll have to ask Solomon when we find him. If she was teleported away, at least she¡¯s likely safe.

    Cruella: Unless she was teleported into that volcano.

    Simon: That was unnecessarily cruel, Cruella.

    Samantha: Did you grow into this because of your name, or did your parents sense the sort of person you''d become?

    Cruella: A little bit of both, I¡¯d say.

    Sounds drifted through the forest. Wood snapping, leaves rustling. Eli cast Light in the Dark, creating an orb of light that hovered in the direction of the sounds. He tensed, thinking he was about to be attacked. When a massive moose crashed through the foliage, Eli let out a panicked shriek, then quickly realized this was who Amy had sent. The moose towered over him with an expression of utter disinterest.

    Eli: You mean for me to... ride your moose?

    Amy: It¡¯ll get you here much faster than walking. Just hold on to his neck and put something between you and Bill¡¯s back, or you¡¯ll be in quite a lot of pain by the time you get back here.

    Swallowing hard, Eli reached up, realizing he could barely touch the moose¡¯s back, let alone climb onto it. There was no way he¡¯d be able to get up without help, and he imagined that a kick from the moose¡¯s huge hooves would shatter him.

    "Uh... could you maybe... get down for me?" he asked, his voice small, feeling dwarfed in the presence of this enormous animal.

 Chapter 42: The Pit

This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    You do not meet the prerequisites to use item: Axe.

 Chapter 43: A Mountain Of Items

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Companion: Trap Deactivator.

 Chapter 44: Affordable Housing

    The small inscribed metal tag grew warm in Eli''s hand as they approached the collection of huts. This time, they came from the north¡ªunexplored territory¡ªwhereas they had approached from the southwest before. Every single trap was still active. Thankfully, the tag worked, rendering every trap inactive within an area around Eli. The party clustered close to him, moving through the darkness without light sources. If Solomon saw any orbs of light, he would surely flee¡ªand that could not be allowed to happen.

    As their feet touched the grass, they moved with even more apprehension, the memory of the net trap still fresh in their minds. That trap, too, lay dormant, and they passed through the safety perimeter and into the middle of the houses. All four huts faced the center, and tools outside two of them suggested dedicated workshops.

    ¡°We need two people behind the houses in case they try to run,¡± Eli whispered. ¡°Maybe Cruella and Simon.¡±

    ¡°We need everyone we can gather here,¡± Amy said quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got the back covered.¡±

    With a silent command, Bill the Moose, a group of four wolves, a trio of birds, Princess the enormous bear, and a host of other animals appeared out of thin air, summoned from Amy¡¯s stables.

    ¡°Can you control all of them at the same time?¡± Eli asked, his voice low but tinged with awe.

    Amy smiled. ¡°Once they¡¯re my friends, yes. Taming them isn¡¯t enough, though. You have to build a relationship with each one.¡± She patted a wolf¡¯s head.

    Suddenly, a loud blaring sound echoed from one of the huts, and glowing lights bathed the entire area. The female goblin appeared at the edge of the clearing, cupping her hands around her mouth to shout, ¡°Intruders! Intruders!¡± She paused, caught sight of Eli, stuck out her tongue, then turned to run.

    ¡°Should I send a wolf after her?¡± Amy asked.

    Eli shook his head. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. She¡¯s a researcher, specialized in agriculture, not some evil maniac. Let her be.¡±

    Amy nodded, and her animals fanned out, surrounding the houses. Four goblins of varying ages stepped out of one hut, while a single goblin exited the other. It was Solomon. He walked toward them with a casual ease, like he was out on a pleasant stroll.

    ¡°Eli and Amy, was it?¡± Solomon asked, glancing around at the members of the party.

    Amy¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Where¡¯s Sasha?¡± she barked, skipping the niceties.

    ¡°Who?¡± Solomon replied, his goblin face showing honest confusion.

    ¡°The woman you took,¡± Eli said. ¡°The one who stepped on one of your traps.¡±

    Recognition flashed in Solomon¡¯s small, yellowish eyes. ¡°She is safe. What brings you here, Eli? I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s not just about her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Eli confirmed, glancing at the rest of the goblins. They looked like any group roused from sleep: disoriented and wary, surrounded by people with hostile glares and wolves in clear view. They hadn¡¯t yet spotted Priscilla or Bill. If they had, they might have fainted on the spot.

    ¡°You¡¯ve manipulated us humans and your fellow goblins into attacking and destroying each other,¡± Eli said. ¡°Why?¡±

    Amy¡¯s owl tilted its head toward Eli as if listening, just like the rest of the party. Solomon chuckled, then mockingly clapped a few times.

    ¡°So, you figured it out, did you? Well done, Eli. Not just the bumbling fool I met before.¡±

    ¡°No, still a bumbling fool,¡± Samantha muttered, butting in.

    Eli gave her a look, then turned back to Solomon. ¡°You killed your own kind and blamed us, ensuring they¡¯d attack us. Then you warned us, so we¡¯d be prepared¡ªbarely. A lot of humans and goblins are dead, and I want to know why.¡±

    ¡°I did not kill those scouts. I merely found them. As to why I made the choices I''ve made? Research,¡± Solomon said simply, gesturing to his fellow goblins. ¡°My colleagues here have nothing to do with any of that. They joined me to further their research. They hold no blame in anything else.¡±

    ¡°How noble,¡± Cruella sneered. Everyone in the party had their weapons out, while the goblins stood unarmed, looking anxious and confused. Solomon¡¯s words seemed to ring true. These goblins appeared unaware of their leader¡¯s schemes.

    ¡°I want to know why,¡± Eli repeated firmly.

    Solomon sighed. ¡°It¡¯s simple. I did it in the name of research. To fight against stagnation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be a lot clearer than that,¡± Simon said darkly. ¡°Someone¡¯s going to pay for putting me in a cage.¡±

    Eli glanced at his friend, the Crusader, to ensure he wouldn¡¯t act rashly. Then he asked, ¡°Research into what? War? Battle?¡±

    ¡°Nothing so crude.¡± Solomon waved a hand dismissively. ¡°This group, with me at its head, stands at the forefront of goblin research and knowledge. We each have our own specializations, but all our expertise shares one thing in common. It¡¯s prohibited by the greater goblin council. Not just here, but everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Prohibited?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°It means it¡¯s not allowed.¡±

    ¡°I know what ''prohibited'' means,¡± Eli snapped.

    "Then don¡¯t interrupt me, boy,¡± Solomon shot back. ¡°The council is merely an extension of the goblins¡¯ reluctance to embrace change in any form. Humans, on the other hand, accept the world as it is, but long for what it could be. My use of shaping, melding goblin ingenuity with latent mana is seen as obscene among my fellow goblins.¡± He gestured toward his goblin friends again. ¡°We believe the way forward is to meld the mundane with the arcane, creating something new, something beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Eli interrupted. ¡°Your entire city was powered by mana.¡±

    Solomon snorted derisively. ¡°Simple railcars and lights. They¡¯ve had those for a thousand years, but dare not take another step forward.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough for me,¡± Solomon continued. ¡°I ignored their warnings until they forced me out.¡±

    ¡°They kicked you out?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°They might as well have.¡± Solomon¡¯s eyes glinted with anger. ¡°They forbade my research. My research is my life. They may as well have asked me to destroy myself. So, I left. Some of my fellow academics chose to join me. Our plan was to perfect our areas of study and defy all sense of goblin ¡®propriety,¡¯ and to share our vision with a larger human society.¡±

    Eli frowned. ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but it doesn¡¯t explain why you manipulated goblins and humans into war. If anything, shouldn¡¯t you have wanted to join us?¡±

    Solomon shook his head. ¡°You are not from here. I know not from where you have come, but we have observed you well enough and know you are foreign to this land. You change too quickly, grow stronger too easily. You are not regular humans. You are... unpredictable.¡±

    "You want to change society while you''re afraid of us growing and changing?" Eli asked, befuddled.

    "Too many factors to predict."

    ¡°In time, we could have come to an understanding,¡± Eli argued.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Solomon allowed.

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered the question,¡± Simon said, his tone dark. ¡°I still haven¡¯t heard a good reason for all this death.¡±

    ¡°What would you consider a good reason for all this death?¡± Solomon retorted bitterly. ¡°Look around you. This place is no proper workshop. The ambient mana here is tainted with nature itself, making research arduous. We needed to return to our true homes and places of study, but the council would never allow it. So, I created a situation¡ªwhere we would either find an empty settlement to rebuild properly or a council so weakened we could step in and take over.¡±

    Simon took a step forward, his hand clenched around his sword. ¡°Do you know how many are dead, you little green parasite?¡±

    Solomon shrugged.

    ¡°The council wants you returned,¡± Eli interjected. ¡°For trial, I imagine. If we''ve figured this all out by now, the council must''ve done the same.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going back,¡± Solomon said. ¡°You are free to go, and you can deliver my message: every mana-powered device in the entire city will fail within the next year. None of those incompetent engineers will fix it. The cavern will become inhospitable¡ªits air toxic without ventilation. Either the council steps down, or they¡¯ll have to abandon the city.¡±

    ¡°I don''t care about any of this!" Amy suddenly shouted. "Where is Sasha?!¡±

    Solomon pursed his lips, giving her a long look before replying. ¡°I needed a test subject. She¡¯s safe in a separate place, but I cannot bring her back just yet.¡±

    ¡°But with the right conditions and more time,¡± Solomon continued, a glint in his eyes, ¡°I would master travel beyond space. True, stable teleportation would be in my grasp..¡±

    Eli frowned. ¡°You made Sasha travel somewhere else, like with the trap?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The one you triggered must''ve been a dud, unfortunately, but that is what I''m working on. Conquering space itself."

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dud,¡± Eli said. ¡°I teleported somewhere else.¡±

    Solomon¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I have a spell that lets me teleport,¡± Eli explained.

    ¡°Fish heads you do,¡± Solomon sneered.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± Eli said, stepping forward.

    ¡°Then prove it.¡± Solomon extended his hand, revealing a device in the palm of his hand. The same orange glow as before enveloped Eli, and the world around him fell in on itself. Eli once again found himself in a different place, but this one was unlike the village. It was a cube of light floating on an endless sea of darkness. The space was about the size of a room, or perhaps a cell¡ªand he wasn¡¯t the only person in it.

    "Sasha?" he called softly.

    A woman was sitting in the corner, her legs pulled up with her arms resting on her knees. Her head was tilted forward, hiding her face behind a veil of hair. She blinked, then slowly raised her head.

    "Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

    "I¡¯m Eli," he replied gently. "I¡¯ve come to bring you back to Amy."

    She blinked away a tear, rubbing at her eye as she clumsily got to her feet. "Amy¡¯s going to kill me for going off alone."

    "Something tells me she won¡¯t," Eli said, smiling as he extended a party invite to her, which she immediately accepted.

    Together, they warped back to the clearing.

    "Sasha!" Amy cried out, throwing her arms around the woman.

    While the two hugged, Eli turned a sharp glare on Solomon. "You kept her in a little box?" he demanded. "Is that the enlightened future you want for the goblins?"

    Solomon''s eyes widened, and he licked his lips nervously. "You really can teleport. Long range magic teleportation is unheard of! This changes everything! You have to let me study you, Eli."

    "Why was she in a cell?" Eli''s voice was tight with anger.

    "It''s what happens if I don¡¯t set a destination. I''m not quite sure why."

    Solomon tugged at one of his long ears, looking flustered as he fell into his own thoughts. "This changes everything," he muttered again, almost to himself. "If we can bring them back¡ª"

    "So you knew you couldn¡¯t bring her back?" Eli interrupted.

    "I couldn''t bring her back yet!" Solomon argued, raising his hands defensively. "If you help me, I¡¯ll be able to bring them all back."

    "Cruella?" Eli''s voice was laced with barely restrained violence. "Maybe we should show the goblin what we''re capable of?"

    Solomon took a step back, looking wary. "Look," he said, his hands still raised, "I might have done some things a researcher shouldn¡¯t be proud of, but my teleportation will revolutionize travel! And if everything goes according to plan, I¡¯ll be able to offer housing for almost no cost at all. People could live in those rooms. I should know, I''ve spent plenty of time in one myself!"

    Eli¡¯s eyes narrowed. "Housing?"

    Solomon¡¯s face twitched with excitement. "A room just for you where time does not flow!"

    "Why should I help you after everything you¡¯ve done?" Eli continued, crossing his arms.

    "To further goblinkind, of course," Solomon answered eagerly. "And humans, I suppose. Maybe even the elves."

    "Elves?" Cruella asked, her interest piqued.

    "Probably not the elves," Solomon admitted, shaking his head. "They don¡¯t trust anyone. But there are others who would benefit¡ªmany others! Think about it. You could travel from city to city in an instant, without risk. You could have houses built in the endlessness of space! The possibilities rise above the puny cost of a few lives!"

    "Not if we put you in a cell back in the goblin city," Eli retorted coldly.

    "If you do that," Solomon replied smugly, "the goblins will have to vacate the city soon. Like I said, they need me more than I need them. Why do you think they actually sent you after me?"

    Eli was about to respond when Solomon raised a finger. "How about we sweeten the deal? We help each other," he suggested. "You convince the council to take us all back and allow us to continue our research¡ªall of us¡ªand you¡¯ll help me with said research."

    "I''m not tasting anything sweet in those words," Eli said, eyeing him suspiciously.

    Solomon chuckled. "Perhaps sour would be a more apt description. If you don''t help, I¡¯ll scatter everyone in your wizard tower to the winds."

    "What are you talking about?" Samantha asked, frowning.

    "You all like to stick together," Solomon said, his voice oozing satisfaction. "I took the liberty of rigging your tower, just in case. With the press of a button, you¡¯d all be sent to different locations all throughout the world."

    "He''s bluffing," Cruella said, her voice hard. "Eli, we should kill him."

    "Am I?" Solomon taunted, a gleam in his eye. He removed something from his coat pocket, squeezed it, and a shimmer ran across the entirety of his body. When it disappeared, he suddenly stood almost five feet tall and looked human. "Humans, like I assumed, have a knack of ignoring each other in a crowd." Even his voice sounded human, without that rasp Eli had come to associate with goblinkind. The shimmer came back and a second later, he''d returned to his old self.

    "The bastard is a shapeshifter!" Cruella shouted.

    Solomon shook his head slowly, looking at Cruella like she was a child. "So simple minded. It''s just an illusion. Crude, yes, but it''s all that''s necessary when dealing with you people."

    "I still say we kill him," Cruella said under her breath but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

    "If my heart stops beating, your friends will be gone in a matter of seconds. The beauty of mana sensors, you see."

    Eli''s first instinct had been to use Light''s Seal to keep Solomon from doing anything at all, because Silence probably wouldn''t help. His mention of whatever device he''d concocted going off if he died, though, made Eli reconsider. That sort of solution would not work in the long term. Instead, he glared down at Solomon for a long moment before finally relenting. "I''ll be back soon, Solomon. Don¡¯t think this is over."

    With those words, he cast Warp and brought the entire party to the entrance of the Temple of Rizari.

 Chapter 45: Numb Your Pain

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    teleport, and Eli thought he heard a hidden meaning. Arti knew, and he wanted Eli to understand that he did. The small goblin left through the entrance, whistling a rather melancholic tune with long, lingering notes.

    Light.

    Profession. He opened it and read a brief description of the profession he¡¯d received when using the tome they¡¯d found on Ephraim¡¯s corpse.

    Enchantment: Magically enchant equipment to bring more power into the world.

    Life Enchantment: Increase maximum health points.

    Mana Enchantment: Increase maximum mana.

    Defense Enchantment: Increase defense.

    common enchantment materials. When he concentrated on the words, a small description popped up, telling him that common enchantment materials could be looted from monsters or obtained through scrapping items. That wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d seen before, but Eli found himself intrigued.

    Scrap. The sword disappeared, and he received common enchantment materials x3.

    : (+10% HP, +15% Defense).

    Numbed Pain Enchantment. Eli¡¯s eyes widened as he read the item description.

    Numbed Pain Enchantment: Numbs the sensation of pain.

    Item already enchanted. So, he couldn¡¯t enchant an item more than once, but he could upgrade the enchantment already added to it.

 Chapter 46: Guest

Raxi. Goblin. Level 18.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Quest Complete: You have found Solomon the goblin and dealt with him.

    Reward: 100 Gold Coins. Experience.

    Ding! You have reached level 38.

 Chapter 47: Simons Shield, Elis Heals

    Eli: Amy, Sasha, do you want to come to the Temple of Rizari?

    Amy: I¡¯ll come.

    Sasha: Me too.

    Amy: See you outside the dungeon. We can be there in a few minutes.

    Eli: Sounds good.

    Cruella: No, these buffs of yours are pretty great. I was much closer to death before, fighting by myself.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Eli. Human. Priest of The Dying Light (36) / Commander (2).

    Cruella. Human. Artificer (11) / Duelist (11) / Scout (11).

    Samantha. Human. Level 29 Scholar of The Dying Light.

    Amy. Human. Shepherd (14) / Bard (8).

    Sasha. Human. Level 16 Beastmaster.

    Simon. Human. Level 19 Crusader of The Dying Light.

 Chapter 48: Goliath

    Lightxis SHOUTOUT!!!

    Lizardman Goliath. Level 32.

    Ding! You have reached level 39.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Ding! You have reached level 40.

    Guy Thomas. Human. Level 34 Pyromancer.

    Lizardman Warrior. Level 22.

    Lizardman Warrior. Level 22.

    Cursed Lizardman Rogue. Level 28.

 Chapter 49: The Fourth Floor

Ding! You have reached level 41.

    Projected Bulwark of Light: Burden yourself with the wounds of others. Transfers some damage from the targeted ally to the caster.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

 Chapter 50: Cursed Hybrid

    Had someone else¡ªanother group¡ªcome down here? It was possible, since there were many diverging paths. But Eli felt something in his bones, a gut instinct, telling him that this sound didn''t come from someone out of Infinite Innovation Solutions. As they turned and entered a building that looked like a large library from the outside, another scream rocked the silence, sharper this time.

    ¡°Help!¡±

    After taking several twists and turns down similar-looking corridors, the group finally came upon the source of the commotion. There, a small group of cursed lizardmen. Two knights, specialized fighters, and a cursed lizardman mage had captured a human. The man, dressed in tattered rags, looked slightly older than Eli, with sun-darkened skin and red hair. No, Eli realized¡ªthe color wasn¡¯t red. It was reddened by blood from a huge gash on the side of his skull.

    His bare arms showed faint hints of scales, and his face looked wrong¡ªelongated, with oversized teeth and murky eyes, as if he were going blind.

    Cruella and Simon charged forward. Samantha¡¯s spells caught the enemies first, applying debuffs and damage-over-time effects that steadily whittled away their health while her beam of light ate into one of the warriors. Eli buffed his small party. The mage held the human by the neck. It took the lizardman a moment to recognize the attack and another moment longer to begin chanting a spell. Eli silenced it, then cast Light''s Seal on one of the knights, allowing Cruella to strike between the gaps in its armor.

    The second cursed lizardman knight fixed its eyes on Eli, correctly identifying him as the healer. It charged, but Simon stepped in, planting himself firmly in its path. His shield absorbed the brunt of the charge, and the lizardman, despite its considerable weight and size, bounced off Simon like the Crusader was made of stone. Off-balance, the knight only managed to parry one thrust before Simon plunged his blade into its throat, killing it instantly.

    Cruella turned her attention to the mage, but it did an admirable job keeping her at bay with its wooden staff, all while refusing to release the wounded human. The Silence effect timed out, but Eli reapplied it, advancing while trying to heal the injured man. Strangely, the healing didn¡¯t work. Instead, it seemed to double the cursed affliction, adding another stack of it. The man¡¯s health continued to drop.

    Damage from Samantha''s heal-bombing disrupted the mage''s concentration, giving Cruella the opening she needed to finish it off with a flurry of attacks, her blades covered by raging fire that lashed out and around the lizardman mage''s staff.

    Eli knelt by the captured human, helping him sit up. The man¡¯s eyes seemed dimmer than before the fight, and the scales on his neck were spreading.

    ¡°Are you with Infinite Innovation Solutions?¡± Eli asked gently.

    The only reply was a wheezing cough.

    Eli inspected the curse. ¡°I can cleanse it,¡± he muttered, concentrating as he cast the spell.

    The man¡¯s breathing eased slightly, but then his breath caught as the curse reasserted itself. ¡°It¡¯s too late for me,¡± he said, his voice a strained hiss. ¡°Please... you have to save my wife.¡±

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Eli asked, his tone soft.

    ¡°They took us from our farm,¡± the man replied, his voice growing thick with emotion. ¡°There were others too. They... they did things to us. Unspeakable things. Oh, mercy... such terrible things.¡± He groaned, his voice turning guttural. ¡°My wife, Trina... please, you have to find her.¡±

    The man¡¯s voice dropped lower, his words slurring as though his tongue had grown too large for his mouth. ¡°Please...¡± He collapsed as his health dropped to zero, life leaving his body. Predictably, a pop-up appeared:

    New Quest: Find and release the human captives.

    ¡°That¡¯s ominous,¡± Cruella muttered.

    The man¡¯s body began convulsing. His health spiked up as he underwent terrible changes. His arms and legs thickened, scales spread across his body, and his head grew long and misshapen. Worst of all, his eyes turned a milky white.

    Cursed Hybrid. Level 26.

    Without hesitation, Simon and Samantha stabbed the creature that was no longer human, killing it instantly.

    ¡°We should look around,¡± Eli said, getting to his feet with a grunt. "Complete the quest."

    ¡°You think?¡± Samantha asked sarcastically. ¡°Did any of you recognize him?¡±

    No one answered, which was answer enough.

    ¡°He said he was from a farm,¡± Samantha offered. ¡°That means he wasn¡¯t one of us.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t get his name when I inspected him,¡± Simon added. ¡°I always get names with others.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°He probably didn¡¯t come to Aryxia with us,¡± Eli agreed. ¡°But we still have to find out what happened.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯d better start looking,¡± Simon said.

    From down the hallway, new sounds began drifting toward them. All four turned to face the approaching arrivals. James popped up first, with Dana following, and then an entire party of eight. They slowed when they noticed Eli and the others finally coming to a stop right in front of them.

    ¡°You decided to come too, huh?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°We did,¡± Dana replied. ¡°But there¡¯s only four of you. Where¡¯s Amy?¡±

    ¡°She decided to go back,¡± Eli said.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that thing?¡± an archer asked, pointing with his bow at the corpse of the cursed hybrid.

    ¡°We got a quest,¡± Eli explained. ¡°Sounds like the lizardman are taking people and doing terrible things to them.¡±

    ¡°That''s terrible,¡± James breathed, his expression darkening. He paused for a moment, his eyes going unfocused, then nodded. ¡°We just got it too.¡±

    ¡°We should split up and search,¡± Eli suggested.

    ¡°Yes,¡± James agreed. He looked formidable in slick metal armor, the shield at his side almost as large as Simon¡¯s. He radiated strength and solidness, the kind of qualities you wanted in a tank.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Eli warned. ¡°There are some powerful bosses down here.¡±

    ¡°We ran into some cursed lizardman,¡± Dana said. ¡°They¡¯re a pain to kill, and their healers really mess things up.¡±

    ¡°Good thing you have a healer of your own,¡± Eli said, gesturing toward Agnes, who stood at the back of their group. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have made it far without her.¡±

    ¡°These cursed lizardmen are far more clever than their counterparts,¡± James added, gesturing over his shoulder. ¡°Back there, they tried to go around me and target our casters.¡±

    ¡°You had some difficulty fighting in these corridors too, didn¡¯t you? They¡¯re like a maze,¡± Dana said.

    Cruella pointed with her short sword back to where they had come, then gestured left. ¡°If you go out that way, you can leave the building.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± James said. ¡°We went down a set of stairs, not to the fifth floor, mind you, but to a basement that connects buildings, I think. We walked up another set of stairs and ended up right here.¡±

    ¡°There are many buildings,¡± Eli confirmed. ¡°Head outside. It might suit your larger group better for fighting. Just check some buildings and see if you can find anything regarding the quest.¡±

    James stepped forward and shook Eli¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯ll keep our eyes open and message you the moment we find anything. You do the same. Let¡¯s make sure we¡¯re all together for the end of the quest.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Eli said, squeezing James¡¯ hand.

    With that, the other party was off.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind some more people in this party,¡± Cruella said. ¡°I wonder if we should be recruiting. With Zack and Irene leaving, we''re down a couple."

    "I¡¯m getting the sense that Amy and Sasha will go off on their own, too. I hope I¡¯m mistaken,¡± Eli said.

    ¡°More people means less experience, though,¡± Cruella mused.

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± Samantha interjected. ¡°More people means killing faster and not getting injured as much. We could keep going longer and kill things faster. In the end, that gives us more experience.¡±

    Cruella tilted her head from side to side, considering, and finally nodded. ¡°Perhaps we should fill up the slots and boot the druid and her girlfriend if they¡¯re not going to partake.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a Shepherd,¡± Eli corrected her. ¡°And we¡¯re not going to kick her out unless she wants to leave. We still have two more slots we can fill, even with them in the party. Six people should be a good middle ground for now.¡±

    Simon nodded in agreement. ¡°Do you want to go find more people now?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Eli said. ¡°The quest text doesn¡¯t say anything about time, but maybe there is an actual time limit."

    "Captured people and sick experiments do give me a sense of urgency," Simon agreed. "Even if they''re maybe not real."

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re not with us, they¡¯re still people,¡± Eli said. ¡°And they¡¯ll have information about this world.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s information you want, not just altruism in saving these poor little humans?¡± Samantha teased, her gentle smile softening the edge of her words.

    Eli responded without heat in his words. ¡°I don¡¯t see why both can¡¯t be important. We¡¯ll save them, and we¡¯ll get the information.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Samantha said with a nod.

    Simon leveled up quickly. Usually at least once every fight. Even with Eli''s many talents and other ways of gaining bonus experience, the gap was closing. That wasn''t a bad thing, though. Their tank needed the added strength to fight against these increasingly difficult lizardmen. Still, Eli wished he could gain a few more levels himself. That ding sound always made him feel a little better. At the same time, he had to acknowledge his own high level and the advantage he¡¯d been given with the undead creatures placed there in the church for his convenience by the being calling herself Light.

    After they¡¯d put down a particularly large group of cursed lizardmen, including several mages, that lovely chime returned.

    Ding! You have reached level 42.

    He quickly allocated levels to his Commander class and poured all available attribute points into Constitution, boosting his maximum health to a total of 4377. He paused over the four still unassigned skill points and the single remaining talent point. Not now. The fighting was growing more intense. He¡¯d have to wait to distribute them.

    Groups of roaming cursed lizardmen often found their ragged band of Ravenous Barbarians before they¡¯d had a chance to fully recover from the previous fight. Eli discovered that Light''s Seal worked on only one target at a time, but his Silence spell could be cast on multiple monsters, cutting off their ability to cast spells by silencing them. Without that one crucial spell from his Priest of the Dying Light arsenal, Eli knew they never would have made it this far, this quickly.

    Effectively disabling any heals, debuffs, or magical attacks from the enemy meant they could dismantle the fighters with relative ease. Melee attacks infused with light, elemental magic, or sheer force tore through the opposition. The combined damage from Eli''s and Samantha''s spells added the finishing touches to their victories.

    Moving on, they too found stairs leading down, with tunnels letting them emerge into other houses. All the houses were built with the same sort of yellowish bricks, and many rooms were furnished with chairs, tables, and even couches. The recurring theme of horrible paintings showing the demise of humans continued throughout the different buildings. Each painting was slightly different from the last, but all contained depictions of humans dying, screaming, or being conquered. A few showed what Eli suspected they were searching for¡ªrooms that looked eerily like laboratories, with humans strapped to tables. Some had tails like lizardmen, while others were clearly painted to look like their skin was scaled.

    A group of four cursed lizardmen approached. This was not the time to consider art.

 Chapter 51: A Necessary Change

    Eli cast Light''s Seal on one of the approaching cursed lizardmen, immobilizing it and allowing Cruella and Simon to surge forward to attack. Unfortunately, the remaining three lizardmen ignored the two melee classes entirely, dodging lithely to the side before charging toward Samantha and Eli at the back.

    Samantha let out a short shriek as two blades were thrust at her. While Eli was busy blocking the attack of the third lizardman, he saw steel graze Samantha¡¯s arm. Suddenly, a blinding light engulfed her, and the weapon passed straight through where she had stood. The light whizzed away toward Simon and Cruella, who had just finished off the immobilized lizardman.

    Then, the light took shape again, revealing Samantha, unharmed. The glow faded, leaving her with a quizzical but immensely gratified expression.

    "It worked!" she shouted triumphantly.

    Eli remembered her mentioning a defensive spell beneath the church. Light Mirage. So this was it. Not bad. This, however, presented a problem as all three lizardmen turned their focus on him.

    His Aegis absorbed a few strikes, but shattered before anyone else could make it halfway to him. Eli threw himself back as gracefully as possible, but one slashing attack caught his arm, leaving a deep gash. Blood poured out, and even as Eli healed himself, one of the lizardmen moved far faster than he anticipated, thrusting its crude sword into his gut. The metal felt cold against his pierced insides.

    Eli groaned and whimpered as he stumbled back, pressing his hands to his stomach, fighting to stay conscious long enough to heal himself. He turned to retreat, but another strike hit his back. Pain flared as he desperately realized he could cast Aegis again. He did so, healing himself while using his staff to create some distance.

    The attackers fully ignored his strikes and stepped forward as one, cutting into him again. Just as Aegis failed a second time, one of the lizardmen collapsed with Cruella¡¯s dagger jutting out from the back of its neck.

    Even so, Eli took several more slashes. One struck his arms as he held them up to protect his face. Another drove clean through his thigh. The numbing pain enchantments dulled the sensation, but Eli cried out, feeling sluggish and weak as blood continued pouring from his wounds.

    Samantha healed him, but the damage was overwhelming. Even with all the spells at his disposal, Eli couldn¡¯t do a damn thing to save himself from the relentless assault from the two remaining lizardmen. The many cuts on his arms and even his face made Eli despair. He thought he was doomed. Then, finally, his friends saved him from certain death. Simon and Cruella cut down the last two lizardmen quickly, since their focus was entirely on Eli.

    Samantha''s magic knitted his flesh back together and the sensation of his wounds being forced closed was enough to make him want to hurl. Now he understood what Charlotte had experienced when she stood at the forefront, taking the brunt of the damage. It was debilitating. Eli''s damn hands wouldn''t stop shaking, even after Simon pulled him to his feet.

    "I couldn''t do anything," Eli muttered, his voice trembling. "I''m sorry, Samantha. I should have protected you better."

    Simon towered over him, looking down with a mix of concern and frustration. "That''s not how this works," he said firmly.

    Eli shook his head, his voice steadying. "I need to be able to defend myself."

    "You''re a healer," Cruella interjected, crossing her arms. "You''re not supposed to be able to stand up against enemies all by yourself. That''s what Simon and I are for¡ªor even Samantha with her badass teleport spell."

    The three of them stared at Eli, waiting for his response. He nodded reluctantly, even though he didn''t fully agree. Sure, healers in games weren''t supposed to handle combat alone, but this wasn¡¯t a damn game. Here, death was permanent.

    It was becoming clear to him that heal-bombing monsters while healing himself and tanking damage wouldn¡¯t work in the long term. He needed more tools to deal with threats, something to disrupt enemies or even eliminate them outright. Priest of the Dying Light was a class with little offensive potential unless it was fighting undead monsters, and he had no clue how prevalent those would be in Aryxia.

    No, he needed something more.

    He resolved to take another long look at his skills to figure out what tools he hadn¡¯t yet acquired. One couldn''t always rely on others to save oneself. He was the person supposed to save others¡ªnot the other way around.

    With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Eli followed behind Simon and Cruella, walking beside Samantha.

    "Did you see that spell?" Samantha asked, excitement lighting up her face.

    "It was pretty badass," Eli admitted. "Can you teleport whenever you want, or is it just when someone touches you?"

    "Hold on." Samantha grinned, turning into a pulsing light that turned into a thousand motes as she swirled away up the corridor to reappear at the front of the group. "I can make it work without someone touching me, but before, it triggered on its own."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    "That''s a good skill," Eli said as she fell back into step with him. "I wish Priests had something similar."

    "You have Warp, dummy," Samantha teased, using one of Amy''s usual jabs.

    Eli blinked, her words registering. Slowly, he nodded. "You''re right. I do get Warp."

    There was no reason he couldn¡¯t use it for shorter distances. Maybe he¡¯d been thinking about it all wrong. It wasn¡¯t just a convenience or transportation skill¡ªit had tactical potential. He¡¯d need to explore that further.

    Ahead, the next group of enemies came into view.

    Cursed Lizardman Mage. Level 26.

    Cursed Lizardman Mage. Level 26.

    Cursed Lizardman Mage. Level 27.

    Eli immediately cast Silence on the highest-leveled one, cutting off its ability to use spells. A second mage, lower-leveled, erected a barrier that blocked his spell, while the third reacted too quickly. It countered with its own Silence, robbing Eli of his ability to cast spells.

    The Silenced debuff appeared beside his health bar, ticking down. Samantha started to cast, but was silenced as well, her eyes widening in shock.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Eli growled, frustration boiling over.

    Thankfully, Cruella and Simon arrived just in time. She struck the first mage down almost instantly, while Simon bashed the one who had cast Silence. The third mage, the one who had erected the barrier, retaliated by hurling a bolt of lightning. It struck Cruella, slamming her against the wall and dropping her to the floor. She convulsed, her health plummeting as a debuff appeared: Electrocuted (Stunned).

    Her health was dropping fast, and all Eli could do was stand helplessly, waiting for his Silence to wear off.

    Simon roared in anger, slamming his shield into the mage. His crushing force shattered the barrier, forcing the monster to focus its remaining mana on re-casting it. The moment its mana ran out, Simon delivered the final blow, putting the bastard down.

    He then rushed to Cruella''s side, panic lacing his voice. "I''m sorry! I didn¡¯t activate my skills in time¡ªI didn¡¯t think it would act so fast."

    Thankfully, Eli¡¯s Silence wore off just before Cruella¡¯s condition worsened further. He quickly cast a Heal, stabilizing her until her debuff timed out. There was nothing Eli could do to remove them, but at least she was out of immediate danger.

    After that second disastrous fight, Eli had enough and figured it couldn''t wait anymore. He had often berated himself for not going through the skill list until much later. Finding solutions to problems already behind him rather than pre-empting them with already available spells because he couldn''t spare a moment to check his Character Sheet was now unacceptable considering the danger they were in.

    To that end, he opened his Character Sheet while Cruella recovered, and opened up the list of available skills. Heal had ranked up again and had changed name to Greater Heal. He opened the skill tree but didn''t find anything interesting, so he maxed out the node, adding more health to each cast of the spell, at the cost of increased mana drain.

    Warp had ranked up on its own, and he selected a node adding more available locations to his list.

    Lastly, having spammed both Agility, Bless and Embrace The Dying Light over and over again in the dungeon, all three of them had reached rank 3. The nodes in the Agility skill tree weren''t all that exciting, but he did find one that made it so his spell applied to the entire party right away rather than him having to cast it over and over again.

    He also picked a node that increased the buffed person''s reflexes before heading over to the skill tree of Embrace The Dying Light. There was a node adding the same damage-over-time effect that many of Samantha''s spells inflicted on the target. Picking that one, he also chose a node that made the damage scale with the target''s Strength, as well as his own Wisdom. That''d increase its effectiveness by quite a bit. This tree, too, had the option to cast on the entire party at the same time, and he gratefully picked that node with the last point, since it would ease the level of micromanagement he needed.

    Bless has a similar one, allowing him to buff everyone in an area around the target. A separate node changed the buff from adding 15 points in Strength, Agility, and Constitution to adding a percentage instead. With two points, he reached 6% stat gain, but it would top out at 9% once he gained a few more ranks in the skill. It was a toss up whether or not the skill improved right away or not, but it would be an unbeatable change in the long run.

    Light''s Seal and Silence had both reached rank 2, with Silence having very few nodes in its tree. Finding nothing more interesting, he picked the node that added time to the debuff, upping it to 30s.

    Aura of Defense had reached rank 3, and Aura of Victory rank 2. With the auras, he could either go with a bigger radius to the effect or increase the effectiveness of the buff overall. Neither node had any numbers associated with them, so it was difficult to tell how much better they became, but any increase was a good increase.

    Then it¡¯s finally time to pick out new skills.

    He''d already leveled up his Commander class, which thankfully gave him more skills to choose from. The list wasn''t very long, though, but two skills stood out to Eli as useful right away:

    Aura of Suppression: Aura slows enemies around the Commander.

    Aura of Disruption: Aura increases cast time of spells and saps mana from hostile casters around the Commander.

    It was time to move beyond simply buffing and healing, he decided. He selected the auras. They were just the thing he was looking for. He¡¯d noticed that even while silenced, his auras had still been active, meaning they didn''t count as spells.

    ¡°You¡¯re taking too much time,¡± Cruella complained.

    Eli waved her off. ¡°I want to go over the list of possible available talents too."

    He¡¯d found one talent useful for auras, Aura Master, which allowed him to use two auras at the same time. Up until now, he¡¯d run with Aura of Defense and Aura of Victory, but with his arsenal now up to four different auras, he would have to activate and deactivate auras depending on the situation. There had to be more talents related to auras. That would be the key in making him, and the party, more well-rounded.

    Scanning every row in the list for any mention of auras, Eli found a few, but none that really fit his needs. Small general increases in efficiency or strength of the auras were not enough. Neither was the ability to project his aura on someone else, making them the focal point of the area of effect. That might be useful, sure, but he didn''t see how that would help shore up his weaknesses.

    Then he found it.

    Aura Overload: Allows the wielder to trigger an active aura. Triggering an aura produces a shockwave around the wielder and greatly increases the effect of the aura for a brief moment. Afterwards, the aura is disabled for a cooldown of 2 minutes.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± he said, grinning as he selected the new talent.

    As he toggled his new auras of Suppression and Disruption, Cruella spoke up. ¡°What happened to the buffs?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying something new,¡± Eli replied. ¡°Please bear with me."

 Chapter 52: Aura Overload

    With his new auras active, the group continued and soon found a good group of monsters to test them out on.

    Eli stood back at first while Simon and Cruella moved forward to attack a pair of cursed lizardmen fighters. Like with their last encounter, Eli cast Silence on the one cursed lizardman mage. Despite the misty film over its eyes, the mage managed to look surprised at having its spells cut off.

    That done, he cast Agility, Bless, and Embrace The Dying Light, buffing the entire party with one cast for each buff. Thoroughly enjoying the quality of life feature, he walked forward as the melee classes fought.

    The range of the offensive auras wasn¡¯t as long as his defensive ones, but they soon reached the monsters, making the two lizardman fighters move slower. It wasn''t by much, but still enough that Eli could visibly tell the difference. The melee combat shifted from being almost evenly matched to Simon and Cruella having a definite edge. They scored more hits and deflected incoming attacks with ease.

    Not entirely satisfied, Eli moved closer still before triggering his newly acquired talent to make his auras overload. The shockwave pushed all three monsters back, slamming them into the wall and the floor. All three immediately moved to get up, but they were laughably slow.

    ¡°They¡¯re sluggish,¡± Simon observed, glancing at Eli.

    ¡°Like they''re walking through syrup,¡± Eli agreed as Simon and Cruella bent down and slit the throats of the lizardman fighters, killing them before they could react.

    The mage remained alive for the moment, and Eli counted the seconds until the effect wore off. ¡°Two¡­ three... four.¡±

    The mage resumed full speed but looked confused.

    ¡°Out of mana?¡± Eli guessed, seeing the mage fumble.

    Unable to cast a spell, the mage turned to flee.

    ¡°Not today,¡± Cruella said with, plunging a short sword through its back.

    Samantha stood there, stunned, looking at Eli. ¡°Good thing you¡¯re on our side. Maybe I pick have Commander as my second class, after all.¡±

    Eli finally felt he was coming into his own and becoming powerful in his own right. His damage output was still lacking, but utility-wise, things were looking up.

    They were about to set out when Eli got a message from James.

    James: I think we need help, Eli. Think we found the place.

    Eli: Where?

    James: Go out the way we exited the building. Follow the street up to a place that looks like whoever designed it was a lover of Russian brutalism. Looks almost like a prison. There¡¯s a basement. Hurry, we are getting royally screwed over here, and Agnes can¡¯t keep up.

    Eli: We¡¯re coming.

    The rest of his party looked at him.

    ¡°A message?¡± Simon asked.

    Eli nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the other guys. They need help.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Back the way we came,¡± Eli said. ¡°We have to hurry.¡±

    They made it outside without issue, but plenty of groups of enemies still roamed the streets. At first, they tried walking around to avoid attracting attention, but soon gave it up.

    ¡°There are too many of them,¡± Simon said. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    Eli looked around, noticing several groups approaching. He made a split decision and pointed up the street to a towering building.

    ¡°We run,¡± he said.

    The four of them set off running. The lizardmen turned their heads in the group¡¯s direction. Some followed at a slow pace at first, then matched their speed.

    ¡°There are more and more of them,¡± Simon panted, still keeping his armor on.

    ¡°Think they¡¯ll lose interest, like in games?¡± Samantha asked.

    ¡°I really hope so,¡± Cruella muttered as they spotted the building James mentioned.

    It did indeed look like a prison, complete with a tall metal fence surrounding the entire structure with an open gate at the front.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get inside the building and see what happens,¡± Eli said, pointing while running.

    Many lizardmen followed, but Eli noticed the healers and mages lagging far behind. Some were even losing interest in the pursuit, while cursed lizardmen fighters and rogues kept coming.

    Eli pointed to the front doors. ¡°Inside!¡±

    The metal door to the building stood wide open, welcoming them in.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to turn and fight once we¡¯re inside,¡± Eli said. ¡°The door can be a choke point.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s like 30 of them!¡± Samantha shouted.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Eli replied.

    ¡°I say let¡¯s do it!¡± Cruella laughed¡ªa mad, wild laugh.

    ¡°I vote we close the doors!¡± Samantha protested.

    ¡°I¡¯m with Samantha,¡± Simon said, as they came to a stop inside.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Doors! Right!¡± Eli said, nodding. ¡°Good idea.¡±

    Unfortunately, the doors didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Eli screamed, turning to face the wave of lizardmen.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Simon shouted. ¡°Get behind me!¡±

    It was Eli''s turn to laugh. ¡°No, I¡¯ll get them with the auras, then you hit them with spells. You have 4 seconds from my shockwave! Everyone ready?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I have a new one to try,¡± Simon said, sounding almost excited.

    The lizardmen threw themselves toward Eli. He waited until the last moment to activate his new skill. The shockwave pushed those at the front back and the large group of monsters clumped up even more as the slowing effect hit them.

    He threw down the Sigil of Light after toggling Harming Healer. The area of the spell was large enough to damage all of them, and it did a surprising amount of damage. Samantha released an orb of light¡ªnot Light in the Dark, but a new spell. It burned brightly, arcing over Eli¡¯s head into the crowd of lizardmen before exploding with terrible force.

    The lizardmen wheezed as pure light, rather than fire, burned them alive. Damage-over-time effects and debuffs built off each other, creating a chain that ravaged the enemy lines.

    ¡°Hammer of Light!¡± Simon shouted, holding up his sword over his head.

    An enormous hammer crafted from light formed above his head before slamming into the lizardmen when he brought his hand down. It crushed a good number of them in an instant and injured many more. Explosions wrecked the remaining lizardmen as spells flew from Cruella, who¡¯d opted to stay back and use the Mage part of her classes. It drained all her mana but after 3 seconds, few lizardmen remained standing.

    Eli used his Heal spell to take chunks of health from single targets, while Simon and Cruella rushed in with their weapons, thrusting, slashing, stabbing, and gouging.

    Ding! You have reached level 42.

    All of them stood around, panting, surprised at their damage output.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Cruella shouted, throwing her fists into the air. ¡°Get wrecked, lizardmen!¡±

    They looted the whole bunch in a hurry without really checking the items, then headed through an inner gate and down a set of stairs.

    Sounds of fighting reached them before they saw anything. Clashes of metal, people screaming at each other, and the hissing sound of lizardmen echoed down the hall. Simon entered the room first, followed by Cruella and Samantha, with Eli bringing up the rear.

    Making sure his auras were active again, Eli focused on the first health bar he saw. Dana was at about a quarter health, struggling to fend off attacks from two lizardmen. He healed her and moved to the middle of the large room so his aura would affect all enemies. The room was filled with tables and chairs, almost like a cafeteria. The floor was covered in the same red carpet as the corridor they had passed through, but parts of it were now soaked in blood. Eli buffed and healed, looking around for Agnes. He found her in a heap on the floor, her health dangerously low.

    He healed her and rushed up to his former party member, shaking her awake without taking his eyes off the action.

    Chaos reigned. Small groups of people fought cursed lizardmen everywhere. Chairs and tables were being pushed around or even flying in the air as James and his new party battled with no sense of cohesion.

    "Invisible!" James shouted.

    Samantha groaned. "Not again."

    She cast Spreading Light, and it revealed two enemies who were unseen and carefully approaching Eli. He healed-bombed them a few times, trying to force them to change targets. They did not.

    Simon and Cruella came in and brought some order to the fight, picking off one cursed lizardman at a time. Cruella threw herself into a dance with the two monster rogues, ignoring many of the wounds she received, knowing Eli would heal her.

    Without much of a choice, Eli spammed heal on her. It forced him to forego healing everyone else, but then he remembered the node he''d picked in the Heal skill tree. Focusing, he made the healing spread out across the entire group, which at least let him heal everyone in his party at the same time. To further mitigate damage, he triggered his auras, slowing the lizardmen¡¯s movements to a crawl.

    There were no lizardman healers or mages in the room, so the second aura didn¡¯t do much. Eli quickly switched over to Aura of Defense and Aura of Victory, realizing the cooldown only applied to active auras. With a little micromanagement, he could cycle through his auras.

    He activated his second set of auras. No lizardmen were caught in the shockwave, but it did give the overwhelmed people some time to breathe when attacks barely damaged them at all and their attributes were greatly enhanced. With Eli''s support and the damage from the rest of the Ravenous Barbarians, the remaining cursed lizardmen soon fell.

    With the death of the last lizardman, silence fell over the room. The only sound came from Eli as he healed everyone back to full health. "What happened?" he asked.

    James gestured up at the glowstones where the wall met the ceiling. "It was dark in here when we entered. In the middle of the room, the lights turned on, revealing a room full of lizardmen. We focused on healers and mages to kill them quickly, but one of them cast some sort of spell on Agnes."

    "I could not use my spells," Agnes said, finally standing after being healed with a helping hand from Simon. In that state, the old woman looked frail and shaken.

    "Silence," Eli said.

    She nodded, dry-washing her hands. "It was terrible."

    The air in the room felt heavy. At first, Eli didn¡¯t see why. Then he saw them. Two wooden planks sticking out of the ground behind a fallen table. He tried to summon an image of the fallen group they¡¯d met back in the corridor, but their faces were muddled.

    "Who did you lose?" Eli asked.

    "Marsh and a woman called Veronica," James replied.

    "The security guard?" Eli asked.

    James nodded.

    "Damn," Samantha said.

    Silence reigned for another brief moment.

    "So¡­ do you want to continue?" Eli asked.

    "I think the room behind that door is where the quest wants us to go," James confirmed, nodding to a closed door on the opposite side from where they¡¯d entered. "One of the mages in here escaped through there. From the glimpse I got, it didn''t look like a fun time."

    "Let¡¯s go," Dana said.

    "No, I don¡¯t think so," Agnes replied.

    "What?" James asked.

    Agnes shook his head. "This floor is too difficult. Two people have already died because I couldn¡¯t heal them."

    "That wasn¡¯t your fault," Dana said.

    "We share responsibility," Agnes added. "Me for being unable to heal them, and the rest of you for charging into the unknown like young bucks. We are returning to the third floor¡ªor I am, at least."

    "We can¡¯t just leave those people!" James argued.

    "And how many more in our party need to die?" Agnes retorted. "You may stay if you like, but I¡¯m going back."

    "Me too," one of the members said¡ªa burly man with thick arms, carrying an axe. The rest, other than James and Dana, nodded their agreement.

    Eli turned to the two of them. "We have two spots available if you want to come."

    James and Dana looked at each other, then agreed. Eli added them to Ravenous Barbarians. Without another word, Agnes cast a Warp, teleporting herself and three others out to the 4 floor.

    "We should continue," James said.

    "We should," Simon agreed. "You¡¯re a tank, I take it?"

    James tapped his shield with the flat of his sword. "Sure am."

    "You and I should stay up front, then."

    Eli sent a message to Dana privately, not wanting to have the conversation in public.

    Eli: Are you good with this, or do you still harbor an intense dislike for me?

    Dana: I¡¯m not your greatest fan, but I can see why you made the choices you made.

    Eli: That¡¯s good. I¡¯m sorry. I should have talked it out beforehand.

    Dana: It was chaotic. Let¡¯s just drop it.

    Eli spoke out loud. "So, Dana, you decided to multi-class?"

    She nodded from where she was sitting on one of the tables, her legs crossed in the lotus position. "The arrows stopped being effective, and the Bard class doesn''t provide much damage-wise."

    She raised her hands. "So, mage it is."

    Dana. Human. Skald (12) / Surge (9).

    "What¡¯s ''Surge''?" Simon asked.

    "And ''Skald''?" Samantha added.

    "It¡¯s one of the lightning mage specializations," Dana explained. "And Bard, respectively. Lightning and combat buffs, pretty much."

    "Cool," Cruella said, getting up from one of the chairs near the other end of the room.

    "Okay," Eli said, nodding to the closed door. "We¡¯re ready to continue?"

    Cruella grinned and threw open the door.

 Chapter 53: Acolyte

    With two new members in their party, they charged into a scene out of some twisted horror movie.

    Cursed lizardman mages flanked three elevated platforms in the middle of the room, upon which two humans and one goblin were placed. It was a man and a woman, and they were writhing in pain, shouting and groaning, tugging on some invisible restraints.

    He recognized the goblin. ¡°Arti!¡± he called, but his little goblin friend was unconscious and didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Those symbols¡­¡± Eli muttered, eyes narrowing.

    Symbols had been painted on the captives, and the patterns glowed, as did similar symbols on the platforms themselves, and lines going from them to a single lizardman standing at the back of the room. Many pairs of murky, almost blank eyes turned to regard the party, who, for a moment, just stood there, frozen as they took in the scene in front of them.

    Cursed lizardman warriors stood arranged around the walls, their arms and faces turned up toward the ceiling in some sort of silent prayer.

    ¡°In front of the raised platforms¡­¡± Cruella whispered, pointing.

    In front of the woman in the center and a goblin to the right stood a robed figure that only turned when the cursed lizardman mages around it stopped chanting to regard the intruders.

    ¡°Please!¡± the woman shouted, having spotted them. Her face broke out in relief, and hope shone through the fear for a brief moment. Then she began to change. The man¡¯s and the woman¡¯s bodies undulated, their flesh slowly expanding and growing bulkier. Their skin showed faint hints of scales and their jaws began to elongate to accommodate a much larger mouth. Even their noses changed, falling into their faces and becoming smaller.

    Eli tore his eyes from the unfortunate victims to the one that was obviously in charge. The boss.

    Cursed Lizardman Acolyte. Level 42.

    The thing opened its mouth and actually formed guttural words, wheezing. ¡°More pink-skinned human meat for our lord."

    Eli frowned. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How interesting¡­¡± the Acolyte hissed. Its voice made Eli think of a snake, but that was all the time he had to consider it before a disturbingly human-looking arm poked out from under the Acolyte''s robes when he raised his hands into the air and the cloak he wore fell back.

    Without the Acolyte having uttered the order, the lizardmen let down their arms and drew their weapons. All pandemonium broke out.

    ¡°Focus on the mages!¡± Eli shouted, charging forward to meet the warriors. He triggered his two offensive auras, blasting monsters away from himself and slowing their movements to a crawl while hindering the spellcasters from readying their attacks while simultaneously casting Silence on the Acolyte.

    The spell failed.

    The rest of his party spread out, with James heading forward and to the left toward Eli, and Simon to the right to intercept the other charging lizardmen knights. Cruella charged straight ahead toward the mages, while Samantha stayed back by the door to cast her spells of light to damage and debuff the large group of monsters.

    Dana cast debuffs of her own, tinged with lightning that stunned and confused the enemy before bringing out her lute to play a melody they''d heard before, the same one Amy had used to turn enemies to their cause.

    Eli switched over to his defensive auras while continuing to cast Silence on the mages, since the Acolyte resisted all attempts at silencing it. By the end of the effect of Eli''s offensive auras being triggered, they¡¯d slain two mages and four warriors, but they were still outnumbered by quite a wide margin, and the Acolyte hadn¡¯t even come under attack yet.

    It, again, raised both hands over its head, showing one hand with five fingers and another with only three, before going down to its knees. The cowl of its robe fell forward and hid its face as it began chanting.

    The humans were still slowly transforming, their bones breaking and reforming, their flesh rearranging itself, bringing incredible pain, judging by the continuous screams and wails.

    Cruella was laying into the mages, but they were quickly regrouping, and she soon flew through the air to once again crash into one of the stone walls.

    ¡°Cruella!¡± Eli cried.

    She did not let that deter her, and she turned into red-tinged lightning, surging forward again to continue her relentless assault on the enemy mages.

    Eli found the time to silence two of them, but missed a knight approaching from his blind spot. It cut into his side, steel sliding into him. He grunted, surprised. Aegis of The Dying Light was gone without him having taken a single blow.

    All his other buffs were gone as well, he realized, including his auras. They''d been deactivated somehow. Eli fell back, holding his side to staunch the bleeding while healing himself.

    "The buffs are gone!" he called out.

    Debuffs began popping around his health bar, lowering his stats, his resistances, and even slowly draining his life. Eli healed himself again and threw an eye on the Party Screen, seeing the same afflictions touching all party members.

    Cruella cried out as a spike of ice penetrated her shoulder.

    ¡°I got you!¡± Eli said, healing her.

    Samantha took a bolt of fire to her leg, burning through the cloth of her dress-like robe and ravaging her skin. Light Mirage didn''t activate to save her.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Acolyte!¡± Eli roared. ¡°It¡¯s messing with our buffs!¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Eli cast Warp, marking his place in the room, then charged the Acolyte. He brought down his wooden staff as hard as he could on the boss¡¯s head. It was like striking solid stone. Pain shot up his hands as Samantha screamed in renewed pain. Another spell from the mages had caught her by surprise. This time, she healed herself.

    Simon''s Hammer of Light slammed into the Acolyte and finally threw it off balance. The mumbling chant stopped, but its health barely dropped.

    Eli turned and healed James, then Dana, who had been forced to stop playing to dodge away and put distance between herself and one of the knights who had broken away once Simon turned to focus on the Acolyte.

    Simon returned to his position to protect Dana, and Eli''s eyes widened when the Acolyte turned to him, bracing its staff to chant a spell. He cast Warp before the acolyte had time to finish, going directly to the spot in the middle of the room. The move utterly confused the Acolyte, and its chanting stopped. Its vacant eyes stared at him for a moment, then it turned its attention to a different target.

    The screams from the man and the woman stuck in the middle of the room made it difficult to communicate within the party, and no one had time to read the messages.

    "The mages!" Eli bellowed desperately, casting silence again while healing the party. He was running low on mana.

    Everyone was taking damage now¡ªtoo much for Eli to keep up with. Even with the occasional help from Samantha, who was spending most of her mana on attacks. He deactivated Aura of Victory, to keep it from going on cooldown, and triggered Aura of Defense. The shockwave struck two of the cursed lizardman knights and threw them against the wall, giving Eli some breathing room, while James fought a third.

    He immediately activated Aura of Victory again. Cruella finally killed the last mage, her chest heaving with exhaustion. Sweat poured down her face, and she was covered in burns, frostbite, and even strange scarring that looked like a tree. Lightning damage. Had to be.

    A nova of lightning spread out in a ring around Dana, who had finally gotten a moment to breathe. The spell didn''t harm the party members but damaged the lizardman knights and the Acolyte, interrupting their attacks briefly as their bodies locked up for a second, mid-swing or mid-chant. Lightning buzzed around Dana, who cast another spell that latched onto the cursed lizardman Acolyte, writhing around it like a snake. Eli couldn''t see what it did until a debuff appeared by the monster''s health bar.

    Shocked: While debuff is active, the target cannot move.

    Steel cut deeply into Eli''s arm out of nowhere. He pulled back and stumbled in shock as his limb hung limp, even the bone severed. The lizardman followed faster than he could react, and its dead little eyes never left Eli''s face as it raised its arm to attack.

    Eli warped again, ending up behind the lizardman. Holding his limp arm up to keep it in place while he healed himself. Finally, Simon caught up to the monster as it spun to face Eli again. A powerful swing took its head clean off.

    Samantha whisked through the room as a glimmer of light after being attacked, ending up right next to the lizardman with all the symbols painted on it, at the back of the room. The lizardman just stood there, ignoring her, so she didn''t pay it any mind. Instead, she directed her spells to the Acolyte, slowly but surely adding debuffs and damage-over-time effects.

    Eli''s offensive auras finally came off cooldown. He switched to only having Aura of Suppression active and triggered it. The only monster with mana in the room was the Acolyte, but apparently, he hadn''t been able to drain all of it, even with the second overload. The damn thing kept up its mumbling chants.

    The air in the room felt heavy, and he suddenly found it difficult to take deep breaths. James was getting blue around the lips, and Simon''s skin looked ashen. Cruella was most affected of all. She stood panting, barely able to lift her arms to fight against one of the few remaining lizardman knights.

    "The air!" Eli groaned, triggering all his remaining auras. "We have to kill the Acolyte!"

    No one heard him over the cacophony of sound. Metal clashing against metal, screams, and hissing filled the enclosed space. Eli coughed.

    Eli: We have to kill the Acolyte before it takes all the breath from the room!

    Luckily, the last of the lizardman knights died just then, leaving only the acolyte and the motionless figure at the back of the room. The Acolyte raised its hands over its head again.

    Eli shuddered. Those pale, skinny, all-too-human arms... The cloak fell back to reveal its sickly skin.

    James reached the boss first, stabbing into its side. In the newfound silence, Eli heard steel ripping into flesh, but the Acolyte barely lost any health.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t even notice that wound,¡± Eli whispered, panic creeping into his voice.

    Desperately, he cast Silence. The room spun around him as breathing became harder. Samantha was slowly adding stacks of damage-over-time effects, and Cruella slashed into the acolyte again and again.

    Red-tinged darkness was building in the palms of the Acolyte¡¯s hands.

    Eli¡¯s vision darkened at the edges, and he clawed at his throat. He glanced around. Simon was on his knees. James was steadying himself against the bulk of the Acolyte with one hand, barely holding on to his sword with the other.

    Cruella stumbled to the side and brushed against the Acolyte¡¯s robes. Eli spotted something. Glowing markings on the floor around the Acolyte¡¯s feet.

    ¡°The markings,¡± he rasped. But of course, no one heard a word of his barely audible whisper.

    Eli: The markings! They lead from the boss, to the man and woman, and that lizardman at the back of the room!

    Eli: Kill the marked lizardman!

    Samantha¡¯s half-closed eyes flickered to Eli, then to the lizardman beside her. Without hesitation, she used her new spell, the exploding orb of light. It blew up the instant it fully formed, already touching the lizardman, which was torn apart. Samantha was thrown back, much of her arm burned cleaned off in a single instant.

    Eli choked out a wild laugh. "It worked!"

    As he¡¯d hoped, the severed connection to the lizardman interrupted the Acolyte¡¯s horrifying ritual. It let out a guttural grunt, stumbled, and the symbols around the room went out.

    Breath returned to Eli. He drew in choking, ragged gasps, coughing wildly but forcing himself to his feet.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Samantha?¡± he croaked. Spotting her fallen behind the raised platforms, he healed her. The missing chunk in her arm regrew, forming new pink flesh, muscle, and skin.

    It felt like it''d been hours without breath, but the aura cooldowns just now coming off told Eli it had been less than two minutes.

    The party moved in to strike at the Acolyte, but the red darkness in its hands expanded in a flash, throwing everyone back.

    Screams echoed as the darkness seared into them. Eli almost blacked out from the pain as the sticky darkness covered his face and even going down into his mouth and throat. He reflexively healed himself, then spammed the group heal, not caring about the mana cost when the entire party was being burned alive.

    Slowly, the darkness clinging to his friends fell away and their ruined bodies began to heal. Seared faces and missing features reformed. Heal truly was miraculous. Dana, Samantha, and Cruella reached full HP, but Simon and James were still missing about a third when Eli¡¯s mana ran out.

    Pulling out a mana potion, he gulped it down. ¡°It¡¯s not enough,¡± he gasped in despair.

    The Acolyte was readying another attack. In desperation, Eli cast Light''s Seal. To his immense relief, it succeeded¡ªthe Acolyte froze, its chanting silenced.

    ¡°Kill it!¡± he croaked. ¡°Kill it now!¡±

    James and Simon staggered forward, slashing into the acolyte¡¯s throat and chest. Cruella used her knife, plunging it into the Acolyte¡¯s neck.

    Eli¡¯s hold on the Acolyte was slipping, and he cast Silence just before the seal broke. He got no message about the boss resisting the effect, nor one of the spell working, but it did apply the debuff. Apparently, you couldn''t fail when Light''s Seal was active.

    ¡°Now! Finish it!¡± he shouted.

    The entire party spent every ounce of strength they had. Their steel in their hands and the almost fully spent mana tore the boss to pieces. Even as it died, coughing blood, the Acolyte raised its arms to draw health from the fallen lizardmen. But this time, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    The Acolyte finally died.

 Chapter 54: Regroup

    Quest updated: You failed to save these humans, but more remain, waiting to be rescued.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Linnie. Human. Level 19 Technologist.

    Jeff. Human. Level 14 Shaper.

    Michelle. Human. Level 16 Shaper.

    Atharv. Human. Level 12 Mechwright.

 Chapter 55: Vermin

    Eli: Have you spread the word that we need people to make a push for the fourth floor? We need everyone if we want to save the captives.

    Simon: Yeah. That Acolyte was something else.

    Cruella: On it.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Rinks. Goblin. Level 14.

    Felix. Goblin. Level 12.

    "This here is my apprentice. He''s a big lover of rocks¡ªanything in the ground, really, and he''s quick on his feet."

    Eli: Glimmer Bastion is under attack from lizardmen. It''s gone past the point where they can contain it. Evacuation is hopefully underway. Some lizardmen might be coming over land toward you. Can you alert people to keep an eye out for any who make it to the office building?

    James: I can do that.

    Dana: Most people have headed off to the dungeon. They''re eager to get down to the fourth floor after we told them about humans being held captive. Apparently, some people¡¯s coworkers here never turned up. They''re thinking maybe they''re in cages underground.

    Amy: That''s awful.

    Eli: Agreed. We''ll free them soon.

    Eli: What about you guys? Can you come here and help?

    Simon: Of course we''re coming.

    Amy: We''re coming too.

    Cruella: I''m not running all that way. You better come and get us.

    Eli: I''ll pick you up. Amy, head to The Temple of Rizari and I''ll gather you up first.

    Amy: I do love being gathered up like a sack of potatoes.

    Cruella: Let''s kill some goblins!

    Simon: We''re trying to save the goblins.

    Cruella: Let''s save some goblins!

 Chapter 56: Evacuation

    Eli: Everyone ready? We''re heading out. We''ll provide whatever help we can while the goblins evacuate."

    Cruella: Aye, aye, Capitan.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Eli: We''ll have to use the chat.

    Cruella: These guys are so weak.

    Cruella: I can take these guys myself. Why don''t you spread out and help in other places?

    Amy: My birds are seeing lizardmen in several places. Far to our left, and nearby to the right. Even behind us, coming up a wide set of stairs.

    Eli: The stairs are probably the rail station. That means they''ve spread far on the tracks. Maybe Cruella is right. We do need to split up to get control of this.

    Cruella: I''m always right.

    Eli: Just be careful if I''m not here healing you.

    Cruella: I''ve picked up some defensive skills in my last couple of levels. Don''t you worry yourself.

    Eli wasn''t so sure. The lizardmen were low level now, but he had seen higher-level ones coming up behind. No cursed ones yet, but he was certain they wouldn''t be far behind.

    James: Just got a message from someone called Leonardo saying they''re making a push from the third to the fourth floor now.

    Eli: We''ll meet them when we''re done here. Cruella, James, Dana, why don''t you stay here? Sasha and Amy head up the tunnel together with Samantha. Simon and I will handle the rail station.

    Samantha: Works for me.

    Amy: Yes. As long as Samantha is ready to run over to Cruella, James, and Dana''s group with heals if things start to go south.

    Samantha: My heels are rather lackluster compared to priest boy over there, but yeah, sure.

    Eli: OK. Let''s go!

    James: Cruella, don''t!

    Amy: What''s going on?

    Dana: That suicidal bitch is pushing into the crowd of lizardmen.

    Eli: Is she hurt?

    Cruella: These puny little lizards are too low level to hurt me!

    James: She seems fine for now. She''s killing and regenerating health and mana quicker than they can hurt her. She''s kind of frightening to watch.

    Rejuvenation: Gradually regenerate HP at an accelerated rate.

    Eli: We''ve just spotted cursed lizardmen. They''re taking goblins back, just like with Arti. We''re going to have to follow along the tracks. Maybe we can follow them through the breach.

    James: Damn it, Cruella, don''t push into the tunnel!

 Chapter 57: A mountain of potatoes

    Eli and Simon pressed on. The lizardmen paid the two of them no mind and only kept pushing to escape with their victims. Those closest to Eli didn''t even carry anything, yet they did not turn around even as Simon tore into them with his blade, slicing into their backs and severing their spines.

    Finally, after more than ten of them lay dead or dying on the tracks, the lizardmen realized their error and ponderously turned around to face the threat. The tunnel wasn''t much wider than the carts that ran in them, and the ground was treacherous, with the rails resting on gravel. Simon almost tripped several times. It took them far longer to push forward than Eli wanted, especially after some lizardmen decided to fight, and they saw goblins disappearing into the murky darkness in the distance. There was nothing they could do to stop the monsters.

    Even with his increasingly high level from going through the levels in the temple of Rizari, Simon was getting tired, and his stamina kept draining to reflect this exhaustion. Or perhaps it was the other way around¡ªhis stamina drained, therefore he was exhausted. In practical terms, it didn''t matter which, just that Simon couldn''t go on forever. And the store of stamina potions wasn''t endless either.

    Dana: Come back, Cruella! We can''t even see where you went!

    James: Cruella, come on now.

    Cruella: I''ll be back in a moment. I''m thinking maybe I can collapse the tunnel to stem the flow.

    Eli: That wasn''t part of the plan. We should be pulling back.

    Cruella: Oh, is that what you''re doing?

    Eli looked at the tired Simon and then at the silhouettes of a seemingly endless line of lizardmen in front of them. He nodded to himself.

    Eli: Yes, that''s what we''re doing.

    "Come on, Simon, we have to back off."

    There wasn''t anything they could do about the kidnapped goblins. Not from here. They knew where the prisoners were going. That would have to be enough. Once they''d helped with the evacuation, they would join the others on the fourth floor of the Temple of Rizari and put things right.

    Simon backed away slowly at first, but the lizardmen did not follow. Instead, they turned around again and kept going down the tunnel. Apparently, their task in Glimmer Bastion was completed.

    Eli cast Warp, sending them both to the goblin hospital. It would be faster than walking back, and Eli figured Simon deserved a shortcut.

    The streets were full of goblins¡ªgoing, pushing, screaming, forcing their way forward to reach the large cavern exit. Lizardmen were mixed in among them. Killing and taking. Their presence proved the party''s attempt at stemming the flow had failed. Simon heaved a giant breath, then set off down the street to help the closest goblins from the being taken. Eli hurried to follow.

    Eli: Lizardmen are out. You should pull back now and help back here.

    Amy: I left Princess to hold the line. We''re on our way to James and Dana.

    Samantha: Can''t back away from here or Cruella won''t be able to make it back.

    Cruella: Actually, I''m a little turned around in here. I''m not entirely sure which way is back.

    Eli: Cruella¡­

    Cruella: I''m joking, I''m joking.

    James: So you are on the way back?

    Cruella: Yes, but actually, no.

    Dana: I swear I''m going to leave you here if you keep messing around.

    Cruella: Hold on. There is suddenly a shit ton of cursed lizardmen around here.

    Eli and Simon arrived at the entrance James, Dana, and Cruella were supposed to guard, but it was empty. They pushed in and soon caught up to Amy and Sasha. A little while later, they found James and Dana back where Eli had met the mining foreman.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Which way did she go?" Eli asked.

    James used some type of area-of-effect skill, and a bunch of shields materialized in the air, slamming into a group of lizardmen and crushing them. He turned around, obviously tired and more than a little exasperated. "I don''t know. She just left. I don¡¯t know where she is."

    "She could be in any of these tunnels," Dana added.

    Cruella: Guys, I''m in trouble.

    Eli: What kind of trouble?

    (Silence.)

    James: Cruella?

    (More silence.)

    Dana: Cruella, I swear to god.

    Cruella has left the party.

    Samantha obliterated a large group of lizardmen with her new bomb-like area of effect spell, then slumped down in the foreman''s chair. "What do we do?"

    Eli attempted to message her, but found that he could not. "She wouldn''t have left the party of her own volition. Something must have happened to her."

    "Do we go in after her?" Simon asked, a resigned look on his face.

    "No," Eli said, rubbing at his eyes, immediately regretting it as his fingers were dirty with blood from some unknown source. "We won''t find her here. They''ll take her to the same place as the others. The Temple of Rizari."

    "What if these ones weren''t taking prisoners?" Amy asked.

    "Then that notification means she¡¯s already dead, and there¡¯s nothing we can do anyway."

    "More of them are coming," Samantha said. "Hold on. I think I have a skill for this. Just let me pick it." Her eyes went blank for a moment, and when her gaze focused again, walls of light appeared, blocking the three tunnel exits.

    James, who was standing right by them, poked at the light with a finger, then gently slashed at it with his sword. It didn¡¯t make a single sound, but it held solid. "Neat," he said. "How long does it last?"

    "If no one breaks it," Samantha said pointedly, "it can last almost a full hour at rank 1."

    "That skill would have been pretty nice to know about an hour ago," Dana muttered.

    Samantha shrugged. "I¡¯m not exactly getting a lot of time to peruse my skill list, and I forgot this one existed."

    "Eli should have it too," Samantha said.

    "I don¡¯t, unfortunately," Eli replied. "What¡¯s it called? Let me guess," he added dryly. "Wall of Light?"

    Samantha nodded. "Imaginative."

    Eli pointed back the way they''d come. "Samantha, why don¡¯t you take James and Dana with you and go put up barriers at the other entrances? The rest of us will go to the cavern entrance and help however we can on the way."

    Samantha shook her head. "Three is my maximum at rank 1. Can¡¯t put up any more."

    "Figures," Eli said. "Oh well. Let¡¯s just move out, everyone. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get to Cruella and kick her ass for being so stupid."

    The entrance to the mining operations was at the back of the cavern, almost at the furthest point away from the entrance. But there were still goblins hurrying about right outside. The party pushed them toward the entrance, moving forward and helping as they went. Plenty of lizardmen were still roaming the streets, and those met with hasty ends. Thankfully, the lizardmen hadn¡¯t reached the cavern entrance and the part of town out in the open, which meant they could set up a post there to make sure no monsters made it beyond, while still sending some of the party back into the cavern to scout for more goblins in need of rescue.

    More than an hour later, they''d seen neither goblin nor lizardman inside the cavern for almost 20 minutes. Outside, in the distance, at the other side of the town near where the field of grass began, a sea of goblins hurried away from their home and toward the unknown. Newly minted refugees.

    The party of seven warped back to the office building and Eli headed outside. He was glad to see Stu tending his fields, a mountain of potatoes sitting in the grass while one of the crafters was building what looked like some kind of food cellar next to them.

    "Hey Stu, got a minute?"

    "Eli," Stu replied. "Of course, of course."

    "Pretty much every goblin from the goblin city is heading over here," Eli began, before he noticed Stu immediately going pale. "No, they''re not coming to attack us," Eli clarified. "They have been attacked by lizardmen. They''re coming here as refugees. Can you please see to it that they are situated? It will probably be several hours before they arrive, so maybe you can find them some floors¡ªwell, quite a few floors¡ªwhere they can stay until we figure this out?"

    Stu''s face recovered some of its color, and he nodded. "Sounds like the decent thing to do."

    Eli looked around. "Where''s Charlotte?"

    "She decided she couldn''t sit idly by when everyone was off fighting in the dungeon. So, she headed over there with everyone else," Stu explained.

    Eli nodded. "Good for her," he said, though he found himself a little worried. If Charlotte lost her calm again, it could mean people dying when the stakes were this high. He decided that he''d trust Charlotte to handle herself. Mostly because what else was he supposed to do? She was already gone. But also because the Barbarian made a choice that showed determination and grit¡ªboth of which she''d lacked before. It was a good sign. Time would tell the outcome, but Eli had an inkling it would all work out in the end for the one who named the Ravenous Barbarians.

    When Eli returned to the foyer, having briefed Stu with all the information he could think of, the others were just coming down the stairs.

    "Everyone has gone," Samantha said. "Even the apothecaries. Only a few are still handing around here. Crafters, most of them, and the cowards who are still level 1. They just sit around here and cry."

    Simon gave Samantha a look. "You shouldn''t chide them. It isn''t strange for people to fold under the sort of pressure we find ourselves under. I have seen grown men cry for less."

    "Is that the way you want to tell us that you''re a giant crybaby?" Dana asked, a smile on her face turning the needling comment into a teasing one.

    Simon pretended not to have heard her.

    "So that''s it then?" James asked. "We''re going back to the temple?"

    Eli nodded. "It''s time we root out the lizardmen scourge once and for all."

    "And rescue Cruella," Simon said.

    "And banish a god," Sasha added.

    Amy nodded sagely. "Let''s kick some god butt."

    "Everyone ready?" Eli asked.

    "Ready!" everyone shouted in unison.

 Chapter 58: The First Proper Raid

    Before casting Warp to take the group to the Temple of Rizari, Eli made sure to buff each and every one with Agility, Bless, and Embrace the Dying Light. On top of that, he triggered Aura of Defense by using his Aura Overload talent, giving the group an immense boost to defense, toughness, and all resistances. The preparation was for one simple question.

    Did the Cursed Lizardman Acolyte boss respawn?

    Thankfully, it did not.

    Neither did the mages by the raised platforms, but the cursed lizardmen knights were arrayed around the walls, just like in their previous encounter, and the rogues lurked in the shadows. The incredible DPS from Cruella was sorely missed and, having only fought weaker monsters earlier in Glimmer Bastion, the expertly fighting cursed lizardmen provided more of a challenge. Still, without support from the lizardman mages and the Acolyte, and with the fresh buffs from Eli, the Ravenous Barbarians made short work of the opposition.

    Ding! You have reached level 43.

    Exiting the prison-like structure, they were surprised to find it just as they''d left it, meaning no other humans around anywhere.

    "Where is everyone?" Sasha asked, peeking out from behind Amy''s back.

    "I guess this floor is much more difficult than the third one. Maybe they are closer to the stairs," Eli said, sighing. "I was sort of hoping they''d be down here already and that they''d found the way to the fifth floor."

    Since standing around provided no answers, Simon and James took up the front with their heavy shields as the party made its way toward the stairwell. Many groups of cursed lizardmen barred their way, all of them a mix of knights, mages, and rogues. Each time they encountered a cursed lizardman mage, they all grinned as Eli cast Silence. Without the monsters'' spells, those fights were a walk in the park.

    Silence has ranked up. Rank 1 -> Rank 2.

    Checking his Skills-list, Eli found that the description hadn''t changed, except for the duration increasing by a whopping 50%, from 30 seconds to 45 seconds. Not bad.

    Silence (Rank 2): Remove target''s ability to cast spells for the duration of this debuff (45s).

    Not wanting to repeat his previous mistakes of waiting to add Attributes, Skills, and Talents, he dove into the Skill Tree for Silence and found an interesting node to put a point in.

    Silence of Crowds (1/1): If the silenced target is killed, the effect spreads to nearby enemies.

    That was sure to have some interesting applications. Eli also added his available Attributes to Wisdom for the added mana regeneration, bigger mana pool, and minor added experience gain. He still wasn''t sure exactly how the attribute worked, but experimentation with that was better left for more calm days.

    The level, he added to Commander, hoping to get another aura to choose from the available list of skills. Unfortunately, none appeared. Not wanting to waste the point when his auras were near ranking up by themselves, from just having them active at all times and affecting his allies, he made the decision to keep it in reserve.

    Many cursed lizardmen fell to Simon''s and James''s blades, with support from Samantha, and Sasha providing damage from afar, and Amy''s wolves and bear adding numbers to their already large party. Eli kept everyone healthy and made sure their buffs were active at all times while toggling his auras as needed. Dana mostly used her instrument and conserved mana in case her lightning spells would prove necessary at some point.

    They kept mostly outside the houses since the hallways were too tight to fight in properly with so many people and animals around.

    By the time they made it back to the small separate house where the first boss lurked, Eli was confident they could defeat it. After winning over the Acolyte and getting a few more levels between them, the threat should be manageable. But fighting that thing was low on the list of priorities. With Cruella and so many others needing to be rescued, they couldn''t linger. Instead, they turned and entered the church-like building. This place, too, was empty.

    Rather than wait around, they entered the stairs. They emerged onto the third floor, and absolute pandemonium waited for them. The humans of Infinite Innovation Solutions were fighting a veritable army of lizardmen. Most of the monsters were the regular kind, but the sheer number of them, far more than they''d fought before, made for a difficult time reaching the stairs. Among the normal lizardmen, cursed lizardmen roamed. Knights and mages both aided their weaker counterparts, with several lizardman goliaths having joined the fray. Altogether, the lizardmen held even the impressive combined power of the humans back.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    As Eli watched in horror, he saw someone being grabbed and carried away, screaming as she uselessly hammered her fists against the cursed lizardmen knight.

    "We''re going to need a lot of healing spells for this," Simon said grimly.

    James drew his sword. "Cruella is going to be so pissed she missed this."

    Eli began by casting Sigil of Light, placing it at the front where human melee classes were struggling to keep the monsters back, much less push forward themselves. After that, he methodically silenced every mage he could find while healing those who''d lost more than half their health. Many lizardmen turned to face the Ravenous Barbarians, but Simon and James, helped by Samantha''s Walls of Light, funneled them into a killing field where Amy''s animals waited. The wolves tore into lizardmen while Princess bellowed, using a skill that forced the monsters to attack the bear rather than the more fragile and damage oriented wolves.

    While Amy, Sasha, Simon, and James focused on keeping the brunt of the monsters from attacking everyone else, Dana''s music provided a speed buff and Eli found that she was able to cast spells while playing. Lightning surged out from her, striking the nearest lizardman, then jumped to another, and another, chaining outward to great effect, killing whole groups with each cast. Samantha''s slow-moving pulsing bombs of light arched through the air and exploded over and over again, taking large chunks of health from even the cursed lizardmen while also applying damage-over-time effects. When she used the beam of light she''d been so fond of when she and Eli rescued Simon, it no longer hit a single enemy, then stopped. Instead, it continued unhindered in a straight line, passing through a whole slew of monsters. The damage was somewhat diminished from before, but the way it added debuffs and DOTs more than made up for it.

    The arrival of the Ravenous Barbarians marked a change in the tide of battle. By themselves, they weren''t enough to outright win over the masses of lizardmen, but they pulled attention away from the front. With Eli and his friends attacking from the rear and many monsters turning to face the new threat, the front where everyone else was fighting began to crumble.

    Walls of fire from someone unseen mage, though Eli could guess who it was, roared into life. The flames cut the battlefield into smaller, more manageable sections, and that allowed the melee fighters to press forward, spurred by the sudden change in the way the battle was going.

    The lizardmen lines crumbled. Eventually, only the goliaths remained. They flailed wildly as hundreds of ranged attacks slammed into them. In a matter of seconds, they, too, were slain. Victory and dominion over the third floor belonged to the humans. A few had been lost in the fighting, with wooden markers sticking out of the ground to show their passing. More still had been carried away, leaving gaping holes in the many parties formed in the assault of The Temple of Rizari.

    In the middle of piles of lizardmen, where the fighting had been the most intense, Eli found Charlotte covered in blood but standing tall, with her two-handed sword, the same weapon she''d started out with, still gripped in both hands.

    "I killed them, Eli," she whispered when he approached.

    Eli healed her as he put a hand on her hugely muscular arm. "You weren''t afraid?"

    "Terrified," she said simply, "but I did it, anyway."

    "That''s real bravery," Eli said. "You did well, Charlotte."

    She blinked, and her unfocused gaze settled on Eli''s face. "I still think I prefer farming."

    He nodded seriously. "Do you want to continue down to the fourth floor?"

    She nodded. "We have to save them."

    "There''s a spot open in Ravenous Barbarians if you''re looking for a party."

    She grinned down at him, raised her hands above her head, and shouted, "Ravenous Barbarians, whoop!"

    After adding her to the party and regrouping, everyone gathered by the stairs down to the fourth floor. After killing all the lizardmen, none had respawned. Eli wasn''t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one, but he did know it was time to continue. This was the first time the entire fighting force of Infinite Innovation Solutions had been gathered like, joined in purpose.

    Many were present. All in all, it had to be more than forty parties of eight or less. Everyone gathered in a large crowd by the stairs, with Ravenous Barbarians at the center. People were talking excitedly. Some were scared, others were looking forward to what was coming. As Eli peered out across the field of people, more than anything, he saw looks of determination.

    The people Eli had fought with before stood out with their slightly higher level, and he was gratified to see a few new faces with the Healer class. Off to the side, The Dragon leaned against the wall of a stone building. The red and funny-looking wizard''s hat Eli gave him sat crooked on the top of his head.

    Leonardo was clad in heavy armor, standing slightly in front of his son, Luca, who wore a dark cloak and almost seemed to blend into the background.

    The mages turned healer-mages from the party he''d helped were busy buffing people or otherwise preparing.

    Many, many people of every age, class, and level had joined the Ravenous Barbarians in their quest to free the captive humans and goblins. From the looks of it, this would be their first proper raid.

    Somewhere far in the back, someone shouted, "The Deep State is run by lizard people!" After a brief pause for effect, the unseen man continued. "Or is it... Lizard MEN? It''s time to wake up, sheeple!"

    Eli cleared his throat. "Yes.. anyway, let''s get started."

 Chapter 59: Elusive Stairs

    The cursed lizardmen on the fourth floor didn''t stand a chance against the combined might of the newly arrived humans. The many parties moved together at first to give everyone a sense of the layout. After a while, they spread out to cover more ground, but were never fewer than two parties together so that they could overwhelm any opposition.

    Charlotte had gained quite a few levels on the third floor already, but was still hopelessly under-leveled. Despite that, she showed them the difference between a melee tank like James and Simon and melee DPS, as her huge sword tore the lizardmen apart.

    Before heading out, they had taken a quick break so Eli could assemble some enchanted gear, allowing her to reach 40% in the numbed pain buff, for which she was grateful. He also made sure to keep all of her buffs up at all times and heal as needed, as well as keeping Aura of Defense active. All in all, with the right mindset, she turned into a powerhouse despite having put several levels into her crafter class. There was still some hesitation there, and quite a bit of flinching, but that was to be expected. You didn''t just turn from scared farmer to murder-machine in a matter of moments.

    Eli''s party worked with Yvonne¡¯s, which was heavily DPS-focused, with archers, mages, and rogues. Together, they took down the boss near the entrance with ease. Unfortunately, there were no stairs down to the fifth floor in that room either, but the boss dropped a decent bow for one of Yvonne''s people and an amazing new sword for Charlotte to wield.

    Powerful Greatsword of Lizardman Slaying: +30% damage to Lizardmen, +15 Strength, +10% damage.

    ¡°Isn''t it a little strange that a lizardman boss carries a sword that does more damage to lizardmen?¡± Dana asked.

    "Maybe the lizardman carried a lot of internalized self-hatred with it?" Amy asked.

    Everyone turned to look at her, but she just shrugged. "Or maybe not?"

    With increasing frustration, the humans searched for the path forward. One party even returned to the third floor to see if they could find whatever path the cursed lizardmen who¡¯d kidnapped humans had used. They found nothing. Every single lizardman on the fourth floor was dead, but the ever elusive stairs did not appear.

    The cursed lizardmen stopped spawning on the fourth floor as well, and everyone gathered in front of the prison-like structure.

    ¡°Did anyone find anything?¡± Simon shouted, using his tall build to great effect.

    No one found a thing.

    Eli furrowed his brow and Amy¡¯s owl turned its head to face him, then tilted it as Amy turned to him. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There might be another path forward,¡± Eli said.

    ¡°Do share,¡± Sasha prompted, her eyes fixed on him.

    ¡°Remember where Arti was taken, and where Simon and I had to retreat back in Glimmer Bastion?¡± he asked. ¡°We could go there, see if we can find an entrance. I''m guessing that would lead to the fifth floor. We could go up from there and see where we emerge.¡±

    James, who stood a little off to the side, walked up to them. ¡°Sounds better than standing around here. Do we bring everyone?¡±

    Eli shook his head. ¡°No, that''s impossible. The area¡¯s too small.¡±

    He raised his hands over his head and addressed the crowd. ¡°We¡¯re going to find a different way in from the goblin town. You stay here, and we¡¯ll come for you.¡±

    There was a murmur in the crowd, but Yvonne was the only one to address him directly. ¡°We¡¯re coming too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that''s a great idea,¡± Eli responded.

    She regarded him and his party. ¡°You lack damage output in your party. Bringing us would rectify that. We are missing proper tanks in ours, but you have two. If you go to the fifth floor by yourselves, you¡¯re going to need a lot of power.¡±

    Eli gave it some thought, then nodded. She had a point.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Eli admitted. ¡°Just make sure you stand behind the tanks.¡±

    Yvonne let through a weak smile. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t want to take any damage.¡±

    It took some doing for Eli to bring Yvonne with him to Glimmer Bastion so she could mark the location and then return to the fourth floor to bring the rest of the parties. Glimmer Bastion was empty, and it was almost eerie running through the streets that had been so full of goblins before, their boots echoing against the paved ground as they ran to the stairs leading down to the rail station and then the tracks.

    They didn¡¯t see a single lizardman as they made it down onto the tracks. Then, they moved toward the direction Eli and Simon had been chasing the lizardman who had kidnapped the goblins. James and Simon were up front, moving forward carefully, when one of the archers voiced her displeasure at their slow pace.

    ¡°Come on, you hulking mountains of metal, move this along,¡± she called out.

    Trish. Human. Level 24 Hunter.

    Trish was a diminutive woman in her thirties with bleach-blond hair and a very narrow frame. The bow she carried looked much too big for her. Eli idly thought neither he nor she would have been able to pull back that string before coming into this world.

    ¡°We have to be careful,¡± Eli countered.

    "There are no monsters here."

    Yvonne, the Affliction Mage turned healer, jumped in to explain. ¡°She has a tracking skill, and one of its functions is to detect any nearby monsters close to her level. Trish should be able to tell us when we¡¯re getting close.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°That sounds convenient,¡± Sasha said. ¡°Maybe I should pick up a tracking skill, too.¡±

    Amy gave Sasha a warm smile and patted her hand. ¡°Sounds like a good idea to me.¡±

    No longer needing caution, the group moved forward at a much greater speed, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to discover a new problem. They entered a room with multiple exits. Trish squeezed up in front, between Simon and James, and hunkered down near the ground. Eli hovered his orb of light near the ceiling, giving her ample light to see by. She threw him a grateful look, then put her hand down on the ground.

    ¡°What is she doing now?¡± Dana muttered.

    The hunter answered, obviously having heard the words despite Dana''s low voice. ¡°I am checking for footprints from lizardmen in the gravel, trying to catch their scent, and sensing disturbances in the mana.¡±

    ¡°You can do all that?¡± Eli asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s what hunters do,¡± she said, not sounding too pleased despite the awesome sounding abilities.

    "She thought she would get a pet like hunters in MMOs," Yvonne said.

    Trish stood with a grunt and sighed, eyeing Amy while pointing down one of the tunnels. ¡°I wanted a bear. Maybe I¡¯ll multi-class to Shepherd. Anyway, they went this way.¡±

    The group hurried forward.

    The many tunnels made for quite the maze as they navigated underground, running far farther than Eli knew the place extended. Each time, Trish''s skills shone. Each time, she looked and sounded sure of where she was pointing them. The group soon grew annoyed at only seeing similar tunnels again and again without getting any closer to their destination. Then, finally, they found it.

    Eli walked up to a wall¡ªnot the wall of the dugout mountain, but an actual brick wall. ¡°The mountain opened up,¡± he said, pointing to the passage. Old bricks covered it, with an area in the middle looking much more recent.

    ¡°Through here,¡± Trish said.

    ¡°Good work,¡± Eli commended. He put an ear to the wall and heard a faint scraping on the other side, but that was all. He looked out at the group in front of him. ¡°How do we break through?¡±

    ¡°I could bash it,¡± Simon said.

    ¡°I could probably blow it up,¡± Samantha suggested.

    ¡°It''s going to make a lot of sound no matter what we try, so there is no reason to be stealthy, I think,¡± Yvonne said. gesturing to one of her mages. "My new friend Enno here can probably blast it, can''t you, Enno?¡±

    Enno. Human. Level 23 Thunderslinger.

    Enno nodded but did not speak.

    ¡°What''s a Thunderslinger?¡± Eli asked.

    Despite him clearly asking Enno, it was Yvonne who answered. ¡°It''s a specialization of the Lighting Mage subclass. Sound and shockwaves are his thing. Enno doesn''t talk much.¡±

    Enno nodded again and moved into position in front of the brick wall while everyone else cleared away. Enno waved for them to step back a little more. Then he spread his arms, facing the wall. A shockwave blasted out from Enno''s center, smashing into the brick wall with enough force to send the entire thing crumbling inwards. Shouts of alarm sounded from within as Simon and James pushed forward. Eli and Samantha followed close behind, with everyone else following through the torn down brick wall.

    When the dust cleared, they found themselves in some sort of storage room. It was sizeable, with large kegs lying down in a rack along one wall. The kegs were obviously empty, given the age-fraying wood and the holes where the taps should be. Two cursed lizardmen lay dead, having been thrown against the opposite wall and smashed against the stone. They had not been alone in that room.

    Four humans dressed in rags huddled in a corner. All of them were injured, so Eli healed them. That made them gasp and look at him with wide eyes filled with something that made Eli a little uncomfortable. It looked a little too close to reverence for his taste.

    Jorren. Human. Level 17.

    Kara. Human. Level 19.

    Roy. Human. Level 1 Fighter (Swordsman).

    Marlen. Human. Level 14.

    One of them stood out with only level 1 but a class attached to him. Roy stood, frowning before he spotted someone in Yvonne''s group he apparently recognized. "I know you!"

    They all turned to one of the mages, who was looking just as wide-eyed. "Holy shit, Roy? You''re alive!"

    After securing the rest of the rather large house that once might''ve been an inn of some sort, and giving the small group of captives some more decent clothes, they gave Roy some room to explain what''d happened. Practically in the moment he''d woken up in Aryxia, somewhere in the forest, he had been taken and carried into the dungeon. The lizardmen had then kept him, and many others, in cages. The only times they were allowed out was to perform manual labor.

    The other three were not from Infinite Innovation Solutions, and they had no idea what Eli and the others were talking about regarding Earth and black holes. Like with the goblins, they didn''t have classes, but had still leveled up. How all that worked was a mystery best left for another day.

    Two out of the three were villagers from some place called Vinespring, that was located near the forest. Exactly where was anyone''s guess. They''d been out hunting when they were attacked by the lizardmen and dragged back to the Temple of Rizari. The final one, Marlen, had been a prisoner. Originally, he was from a larger town called Stonehearth, where he''d been imprisoned for brawling one too many times. Somehow, his prison sentence had been sold to someone who passed Marlen on to a third party. He had then traveled far in a covered, horse-drawn cart, along with other prisoners. They''d all been taken to this place. Eli listened with growing disgust to Marlen''s story. It meant some human was working with the lizardmen on some level. Troubling, to say the least.

    When their explanation was finished, the party knew more about where they''d ended up. The prisoners couldn''t tell them what floor they were on, but it was a large town with hundreds of houses. A large set of stairs, practically in the middle of the city next to a church-like structure, led down, but none of them had ever been down on the next floor. Many who went down there never returned, and those who did became withdrawn and refused to speak of what they''d seen.

    ¡°The lizardmen never say a damn thing, but they love to punish you if you step out of line,¡± Roy said. ¡°Some people tried to make a run for it."

    "Did they make it?" Simon asked.

    Roy shrugged. "Who can tell? They never came back here, anyway."

    When asked about what levels the lizardmen were, only Roy could answer. The other three looked at them like they were talking nonsense.

    "A lot of them are level 35, with some even higher than that," Roy said. "The highest leveled ones are priests. I''m pretty sure they''re in charge. I''ve got to tell you, I thought everyone not here was dead. It''s good to see you guys, real good."

    Eli endured a rough hug from the man, then cleared his throat before addressing all the rescued captives. "We''re going to bring you back to our.. Tower, where you''ll be fed and kept safe. Once we''ve rescued everyone, we''ll see about getting you home."

    "Have you seen any new arrivals?" Simon asked Roy. "Like an angry, dark-haired woman with a high level?"

    "Nah. Just some goblins. Can you believe it? Little green people. So weird."

    Yvonne turned to Eli. "How do you want to do this? Search for the stairs?"

    "No," Eli decided. "It''s too risky. With how big this place sounds from their description, it could take us days, and we''re not very sneaky. We''ll bring everyone in through here. It''ll take a little while, but it''ll still be quicker than the original plan."

    Eli turned to the rescued prisoners, noticing matching tattoos on their forearms. "What are those?"

    "Everyone got one," Roy said. "They didn''t do it with ink and needles, but some sorta spell."

    The explanation made Eli wary, but there was nothing they could do about it until they knew more. Instead, he turned to the group. "What about you? Do you want to stay with us and fight, or I could take you back to our tower where you''ll be safe."

    Four sets of intense eyes stared back at him. They all wanted vengeance.

 Chapter 60: The Adventurer and The Mage

    Having exhausted the rescued prisoner''s knowledge about where other prisoners were kept, Eli and Yvonne warped back to the fourth floor and briefed everyone about the situation. They formulated a simple plan, since a more complex one more than likely would fall apart the moment fighting broke out.

    Step one: Find and free the prisoners.

    Step two: Kill every lizardman on the floor.

    Step three: Descend the enormous stairs.

    Little by little, they began warping people back, starting with the priests, so they then could return and fetch more people, speeding up the process. Unfortunately, they hadn¡¯t even made it halfway through the troops before they were spotted. A few lizardmen entered the building, perhaps wondering where their brethren had gone with the prisoners.

    The battle spilled out onto the street. Eli only caught glimpses as he went back and forth, gathering everyone. True to his word, Roy fought next to James and Simon, who used his bulwark skill to keep Roy safe while his pitiful strikes barely punctured the skin of their enemies. They''d all been given weapons as soon as they decided to join in the fight.

    Once everyone was pulled through with Warp, Eli could finally join the battle and use his auras, buffs, and heals to overcome the chaos. With everyone pulled through, their conquest of the floor could begin in earnest. To cover more, they divided into smaller groups with two parties in each group. Sneaking proved difficult, and the mission soon turned into them fighting their way to where Roy indicated the first prisoners were held.

    Eli¡¯s Ravenous Barbarians were paired with a different party to spread out the available healers, as the new group had none. Instead, it was full of archers who''d all decided to select the same skills, and they specialized in powerful shots.

    It turned out to be an efficient strategy. Since Ravenous Barbarians lacked for damage with Cruella gone, even with Charlotte filling the spot, the added ranged damage was welcome.

    Simon, James, and now Roy, together with Charlotte, fought up front along with Princess and the wolves. Meanwhile, the group of eight archers kept to the rooftops, using jumping and climbing skills to find elevation. They rained down death each time the group attracted attention from roaming lizardmen. Some of those lizardmen walked with prisoners, going to or from some sort of manual labor. Those times, the archers held back, letting Eli''s group do most of the fighting to keep the humans somewhat safe. Light''s Seal, where Eli paralyzed the monsters for a time, worked wonders in what was essentially hostage situations.

    Even with such a large group, the fighting proved challenging. The lizardmen were higher-leveled and all of them were specialized. Knights, rather than fighters, specific elemental mages, and even archers that moved behind the fighting lines or above them. Each individual monster was more skillful as well, requiring a heavier use of skills and many more wounds for Eli to heal.

    In front of the building, a larger group of enemies waited for them, apparently already having figured out the objective. Among those, a cursed lizardman priest waited. At level 39, they could tell it would be tough to kill even before the fighting started.

    Eli began by casting Silence, but it did not take hold. Neither did Light''s Seal. This left the priest free to heal the other cursed lizardmen under its command, turning the fight into a drawn out slugfest. Where Eli desperately tried keeping the many lizardman mages silenced while the archers picked them off one by one. They didn''t die fast enough for the new skill node for Silence, where it would spread when the target died, to be effective.

    One of the mages resisted the spell, just like the priest, and a single bolt of lightning crashed into one of the archers up on the roof overlooking the battle. The unfortunate archer''s body was blown apart in an instant, and Eli could do nothing about it. The archers retaliated and the mages soon looked like pincushions, with arrows sticking out everywhere. Even then, they took a long while to die.

    Even in the middle of battle, the archers added Roy to their party. The fighter leveled up with each kill, sometimes more than once.

    An arrow dinged off Eli''s Aegis of The Dying Light, and he repositioned to keep whatever archer had fired it from trying to repeat the attack. If the enemies focused him, Eli wouldn''t be able to keep standing for long. In a final push, Eli triggered all his auras, allowing the group to finally overwhelm the priest. Once it was cut to pieces, all that remained was to destroy the remaining foes.

    Eli entered the building with Simon while the rest of their party kept watch outside. A group of eight humans and three goblins were stuck behind bars. None of the humans had a class associated with them, meaning they probably weren''t part of Infinite Innovation Solutions. Cruella was not among them.

    All of them were branded, and they cowered when Eli and Simon entered. But as soon as they saw they weren¡¯t lizardmen, they pushed forward, pressing against the wall crafted from metal rods. The gaps were large enough to see through, but too small to squeeze past.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    "Keep back!" Simon roared, swinging down a hammer of light on the door. It twisted and blew off its hinges with a single strike.

    "Have you come to rescue us?" one of the prisoners asked.

    "Obviously," Simon said. "We don''t look like lizardmen, do we?"

    "Humans aren''t always much better," someone behind the first line of people muttered.

    Sounds of fighting could be heard outside again.

    "Eli!" Samantha¡¯s voice called. "We need you! Simon too!"

    Eli took a look at the prisoners and spoke up. "Either you stay in here for now or join us and fight back against those who took you."

    He dumped a large portion of the equipment he¡¯d gathered onto the floor before turning and running back out. As paused right outside the exit, humans and goblins both streamed past him, screaming with weapons raised over their heads or held before them. Their rage had overcome their fear.

    A contingent of about twenty lizardmen had appeared to reinforce the ones already slain. Ten of them were knights, with the others divided between mages and rogues.

    Ding! You have reached level 44.

    More Wisdom was all he had time to add, or he''d lose focus in the middle of battle. By the time the reinforcements were dead, they had lost one of the rescued goblins and two of the humans.

    One of the surviving humans, a man of an age with Eli, with short and curly black hair and a darker complexion, stepped up and offered his hand.

    Emir. Human. Level 42.

    Eli raised an eyebrow while taking the newcomer¡¯s hand. "Your level is high."

    "I am quite an expert in the art of combat, yes, my friend," Emir replied. "May I inquire as to your name?"

    "I¡¯m Eli."

    Emir squeezed Eli¡¯s hand, then let go and bowed with a flourish. "I¡¯m Emir Mulanienicz. At your service. Adventurer and seeker of truth extraordinaire."

    "You¡¯re quite something," Simon muttered.

    Emir continued, "You appear to be carrying an entire arsenal with you. Do you perhaps have a spear in your possession?"

    Eli searched his inventory and found one. He brought the spear out and handed it over. Emir, in turn, held out the sword he¡¯d been using to one of the humans still without a weapon. Then Emir weighed the spear in his hand and inspected the metal head.

    "Not the greatest craftsmanship I¡¯ve seen," he said, frowning. "But I suppose beggars cannot be choosers in times such as these. Now, onwards!" he shouted, raising his spear and racing down the street.

    Everyone looked on in confusion, then turned to Eli, who shrugged. "The next batch of prisoners should be down that way. Right, Roy?"

    "Sure," Roy said, heaving with exhaustion. Pointing while panting. "They kept moving us around. I''ve been in five different cages since coming here. Then his eyes glazed over, showing he was looking over his character sheet. Fighting high-leveled monsters like these had brought him up to level 19 already. Roy had come awfully close to death several times, and it was honestly a miracle Simon and James had been able to keep the man alive, with a little help from Eli.

    They set off after Emir.

    As they hurried along the street trying to catch up to the foolhardy adventurer, whatever that title meant, a woman came up to run beside Eli. Her hair was short and tousled, and stood in all directions and looked roughly cut, like someone had sheered it off with a knife.

    "That magic you were using," she said, looking straight ahead rather than at him. "I have never seen that before."

    Halena. Human. Level 38.

    Her level was high. Interesting.

    "What about it?"

    "I have never seen healing like that. Who taught you?"

    "I don''t know. No one," Eli replied. "You know magic?"

    A flash of irritation swept across her face, and she was about to say something more when their large group came under assault.

    Mages stood arrayed inside two buildings overlooking the street, peering out through windows. Frost bloomed out in novas around the first line of attackers in Eli''s group, and explosions rocked those in the middle before bolts of different elements assaulted anyone who hadn''t already come under attack. Screams of pain and confusion erupted as Eli struggled to keep everyone alive. Only a triggered Aura of Defense allowed them to suffer through a second barrage without any more deaths.

    After that, Eli had the time to trigger Aura of Suppression then finally silence some of the mages. At that point, the humans had collected themselves enough to strike back. One of Samantha''s orbs of light soared through the air and struck the wall up on the second floor where the mages hid, utterly obliterating it. The cursed lizardman mages who survived the roof caving in on them were quickly picked off by the mages. Almost all the rescued humans raced into the other building and were soon tearing the remaining mages apart, while Eli kept them silenced.

    Having survived yet another close call, Eli turned to the woman who''d been standing next to him, silently regarding the battle. She was gone. That guy, Emir, was gone without a trace as well. Even as they ran into that group of monsters, Eli had seen no sign of the high-leveled adventurer.

    They had just made it to the second location Roy indicated to find another group of human prisoners kept in cages like animals, when Eli received a message.

    Yvonne: We need help. It''s urgent.

    Eli: Where? What''s happening?

    Yvonne: See the tower that looks kind of like Big Ben?

    Eli looked out across the city and laid eyes on it.

    Eli: I see it.

    Yvonne: We were pushed into a large building right next to it. There are two cursed goliaths trying to get in, and they¡¯re using huge weapons. We''ve had deaths already.

    Eli: We''re coming.

    Just as he was about to tell the others they needed to hurry to help Yvonne and her group, another message arrived.

    Guy: Elijah. I have found a vantage point with a view of the city below, and I can see several groups in the western corner of the city struggling.

    Eli: Can you help them? We are on our way to help a different group.

    It was silent for a moment before a reply came.

    Guy: The outlook is grim, but I will make my best attempt, Elijah.

    Dammit.

    Eli: I¡¯ll try to divert some people as well.

    Guy: Any aid will be most welcome.

    Eli turned to his ever-growing group as the new prisoners donned weapons and armor.

    "Listen up," Eli shouted. "We have a bit of a situation on our hands, and we need to split up."

    "That''s the stupidest thing you''ve said today," Samantha said.

    Amy nodded. "That does sound stupid." She paused for a moment, then added, "Dummy."

 Chapter 61: A slap

    Eli looked at the small party of people around him and then the much larger group beyond. "There are two, if not more, groups who need help," he said.

    Amy had Rufus out and was on her knees, patting the dog. "We are having a difficult enough time as it is."

    "Eli, if we split up, we are going to be in trouble too," Samantha added.

    "Yeah," Simon agreed. "We won''t even be able to get there before being attacked again. If you haven''t noticed, people are dying fighting down here to rescue people who may or may not be former co-workers. You are asking a lot of them, Eli."

    James walked up and said, "I agree, splitting up is too risky."

    They all looked to him for the final say, and Eli couldn''t fault their logic. "You are right," he conceded. "We go to those closest and then continue together to the other locations." He pointed in the direction The Dragon had indicated.

    He sent a message to Mr. Thomas, letting him know they would need time to reach him.

    Before they even properly set off, they were attacked again, but by a smaller group this time. It still managed to hurt some of the rescued prisoners quite badly. With Eli near the front, he couldn''t see over the large group of people, but he was able to target their health bars. Being almost exactly six feet tall, Eli usually didn''t have too much trouble seeing over people, but with all the weapons and a lot of his allies seemingly having grown taller when choosing their classes and leveling up, he found it difficult in these circumstances to get a proper line of sight.

    He couldn''t exactly go up on a roof either to heal people from above, either. That would be a surefire way of drawing unwanted attention to himself. This meant positioning was of the utmost importance, but it was something Eli struggled with when battle raged all around him.

    Being hurt then returned to health so quickly made those not from Infinite Innovation Solutions peer at Eli strangely when they didn''t think he was looking. There was gratitude in their expressions, but not only that. He thought he saw hints of suspicion as well, and apprehension.

    Either way, he didn''t have the time to focus on them for too long. The Ravenous Barbarians were at the front of every fight and while they didn''t need quite as much attention, he couldn''t leave them without buffs and heals for too long.

    Amy''s birds kept watch from above and notified them of impending attacks. They also scouted ahead, showing them exactly where to find Yvonnene and her people.

    The Goliaths were half again as big as the ones on the third floor, towering over even some of the buildings, and the swords they wielded would have been laughable for their size, if not for the destruction they could wreak. Eli watched as one of them swung, almost toppling an entire building. The monsters didn''t know where Yvonnene and the others hid from the look of things.

    "Eli, buffs!" Simon shouted as they charged ahead to meet the new threat.

    Eli applied Agility, Bless, and Embrace the Dying Light to James, Simon, Charlotte, Roy, and a bunch of other melee fighters who were all brave enough to rush ahead. The street was wide, but not wide enough for both Goliaths to fight side by side without damaging each other. Out on an open field, things would have looked very different, but here, Simon was able to close the distance after throwing himself to the side to avoid a chopping swing crashing down onto the cobbled street with enough force to throw stones in all directions.

    None of those charging forward were struck by the initial attack, and they closed in on the frontmost goliath''s legs while the archers climbed buildings to get a vantage point from which they could rain arrows down upon the massive foes.

    Yvonnene and her group exited a couple of buildings up ahead and began their assault on the second goliath. They looked like a ragged group, with much fewer members than when they''d seen each other last¡ªnot a good sign. She pointed at Eli from a distance, but he couldn''t understand why.

    "Behind us!" Amy shouted.

    Eli turned to see that the goliaths weren''t alone.

    Cursed lizardmen warriors, knights, and rogues streamed down the street from where Eli and his group had just come, while lizardmen archers followed the human archers'' lead and climbed buildings. Among all those enemies, two cursed lizardmen priests walked, each holding a staff of aged wood and wearing the gray torn robes indicating their class.

    With most of the melee fighters gone to fight the goliaths and their archers on the roofs, Those around Eli mostly consisted of mages, freed human prisoners, Amy, Sasha, Samantha, and a few others. Eli''s eyes flitted around, then he made a split decision and pointed to the goliaths. "We have to join in with the others," he shouted. "Run!"

    He triggered Aura of Defense, giving them a chance to focus on fleeing rather than fighting.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    The concept of hurrying toward a pair of massive monsters was a strange one, but staying where they''d been meant death. In the end, though, they couldn''t get too close to the goliaths'' massive reach, since one strike of that weapon would be enough to end lives.

    Now, Yvonne''s troops were farthest down the street, with the pair of goliaths pressed from both sides by Yvonne''s melee fighters and Simon''s small group. Eli and the others stood beyond, and past them, a small army of lizardman pushed forward while the human archers scrambled along the rooftops to get away.

    Even as they watched, the cursed lizardman rogues disappeared into thin air. "Damn it!" Samantha cursed, summoning her mist full of twinkling stars. It was the only spell they''d found so far that could track the invisible rogues and reveal their locations. None were near enough for the stars to react.

    "We''ll be crushed if we stay here," Eli said. "Crushed between the goliaths and all those lizardman. We have to go past, so we''re all fighting from the same side."

    "How are we supposed to do that?" Amy asked.

    "You," Eli said, pointing at her. "You can make monsters attack each other. Make the two goliaths fight one another!"

    Amy shook her head, and the owl on her shoulder mirrored the motion. It looked very peculiar. "Even if I succeed¡ªthat''s a big if¡ªit won''t last more than a few seconds."

    "Then that''ll have to be enough!"

    Dana was up on the rooftops with the archers, and tones from her lute suddenly drifted through the air, blending in with the sounds of shouting, cursing, and screams of pain. A few cursed lizardmen from the approaching group turned and struck out against the lizardmen priests. One got a blow in, Eli thought, but they were quickly torn to shreds by their fellow monsters without a moment of hesitation.

    Throughout their conversation, Eli had to keep an eye on Simon, James, and the others. He needed to keep them buffed and make sure to heal them if they took one of those massive blows and actually survived it.

    Amy looked to Sasha and said, "Sasha, you''re familiar¡ª"

    "But it''s so gross!" Sasha protested.

    "We need it now," Amy insisted.

    "Fine," Sasha relented.

    A purplish gelatinous blob formed in the middle of the street in front of the lizardmen. One of the knights struck it, but that only made it separate into two smaller blobs. Both retaliated, stretching to touch the lizardman who attacked it. The lizardman''s arm was sucked into the blow and immediately began dissolving, like it had been touched by a powerful acid. The lizardman let out a horrific wheeze and pulled back, but its arm was already too far gone. Trying to pull it free only made the limb come off instead. Blood sprayed from the stump, and Eli watched in horror as the arm fully dissolved inside Sasha''s familiar, adding to its mass.

    "You had that all along?" Eli asked.

    Sasha winced. "Sorry."

    Eli ignored her and turned to Amy. "Play!"

    The lizardman priests and their personal army were quickly approaching. Simon, James, and the others had seen them too, but they couldn''t take their attention away from the goliaths¡ªor they''d be crushed beneath giant fists, feet, or torn apart by the sword that was taller than three people standing on each other''s shoulders.

    "Now!" Eli shouted.

    Amy assumed the pose of someone playing the violin, and the instrument materialized in her arms. Screeching tunes shot through the air.

    Eli cast Light¡¯s Seal on the closest goliath. It had lost about a fifth of its HP from the human fighters'' attacks. Light''s Seal was successful, but only lasted a few heartbeats. He didn¡¯t know if it helped Amy¡¯s chances at all, but her song succeeded as well. The two goliaths froze for a moment and turned to face each other, their blank eyes empty of all emotion. They swung at one another, not bothering to protect themselves. One hit the other''s shoulder, while the one Simon and his gang had been fighting took a blow to its side. Both lost massive amounts of health, but more importantly, it gave them an opening.

    "Run!" Eli shouted, pushing people into motion just in time to escape the cursed lizardman fighters as they charged, most of them ignoring Sasha''s familiar and going around it.

    Eli triggered Aura of Suppression and noticed it had ranked up to rank 3 already. The lizardmen were slowed, and Eli ran to catch up with the rest of his friends.

    One blow. That was all the respite they were given. Then the goliaths came to their senses and turned back to fight the humans. They had cleared the first goliath''s legs, but the second kicked at a group of freed human prisoners fighting by Eli''s side.

    Eli watched in horror as they crashed into the stone wall of a building right next to them. None died, but they were all grievously injured. He healed all of them as he ran, keeping an eye on his mana. Still almost full, so not a problem, but this would prove to be an extended fight, he knew. With the two massive goliaths, the many lizardmen, and the two lizardman priests, it would take forever to kill them all. And that was if they were even able to. Looking around, he wasn''t certain.

    A second kick came as a follow-up to the first. This time, Eli was quick enough to put himself between the lizardman goliath and its victims. Aegis of the Dying Light tanked most of the damage, but shattered under the force of the kick. Eli joined the others on the ground near the wall, his ears ringing after his head struck stone.

    His health plummeted to about two-thirds, and he healed himself, while simultaneously switching to Aura of Victory and Aura of Defense that''d now come off cooldown. Scrambling to his feet, he pulled the others up and forcefully pushed them out of the goliath''s immediate reach, then rolled to the side to just barely dodge another downward slash from the brute''s heavy sword.

    "Eli!" James called out.

    Eli looked up as James pulled his sword free from the goliath''s leg and ran toward him. With a leap, James slashed at the goliath''s arm. A loud snap echoed as something inside the limb gave way, and the huge lizardman''s hand opened, dropping the massive sword. Eli, breathing hard, reached out and touched the sword. A grin spread across his face as he realized he could take it into his inventory. The weapon vanished in an instant¡ªbefore the goliath could grab it with its other hand.

    James struck out again but missed and fell forward, off balance. The goliath''s limp arm dangled, and the monster swung it at James in the world''s heaviest slap. The Warden was thrown off his feet with enough force to crash into the lip of the roof of the closest building. He disappeared out of sight, but Eli had caught a glimpse of his armor, and it''d been a broken mess.

    Through the party screen, Eli saw that his friend was still alive, if barely.

    Enemies were closing in. The fight was growing desperate.

    At that moment, the lizardman priests began buffing and healing the goliaths.

 Chapter 62: Through the Eyes of a Healer

    There was no way for Eli to reach James up on the roof at that moment, and a second later, Simon took the full force of a goliath sword against his own shield. It pushed Simon down to his knees, draining an incredible amount of health and stamina from the crusader.

    ¡°Eli!¡± Simon called, gritting his teeth.

    Eli healed him, and then healed one of the rescued prisoners, who was hit in the leg by an arrow. The chaos only grew, and Eli''s attempt at getting a clear sense of the battle while healing the large group of people was growing ever more difficult.

    Aura of Suppression came off cooldown, and he triggered it immediately, giving those around him a moment''s respite¡ªa few seconds to breathe and overcome whatever challenge stood in front of them. Right then and there, he saw Yvonne trying to direct the fighting from her side, struggling just like he was.

    He healed using the skill node to spread his healing through larger groups as he shouted for Amy and Sasha to help the archers get the upper hand up on the rooftops so that they could reach James.

    Something stung in his arm. He turned to look, and a cursed lizardman rogue stood there, having come out of nowhere. Its eyes were empty and Eli blinked, looking down at a dagger embedded in his own arm. He pulled away with a yelp and scrambled back, healing himself and thanking his lucky stars for the numb pain enchantment he''d discovered.

    Charlotte came to his aid and disposed of the lizardman, then reached down and gave Eli a hand, helping him to his feet. ¡°You have to be careful, Eli! Without your heals, we''re done for!¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, casting Agility, Bless and Embrace the Dying Light on her. The buffs made her movements smoother and gave her deadly grace along with the bright light enveloping her sword, and the glowing metal made her look ready to smite her foes.

    They needed Eli''s healing. They needed his support. For him to provide what was necessary, Eli needed to step back. He could not command the battle if he wanted to embrace his true role. Dividing his attention between the two tasks made him subpar at both. The difficulties he''d been experiencing finally made sense as the answer clicked into place, the pieces of the puzzle coming together. Between commanding their forces and keeping them alive, the decision was no decision at all. Eli mentally stepped back.

    Eli: Simon, Yvonne, and everyone else. I need you to take charge of the fighting so I can focus on keeping you alive.

    Simon: Roger that!

    The crusader roared his defiance against the much larger lizardman goliath, and his shield began to glow with the same light Eli used to buff their weapons. He let out a wordless cry and drove the shield down onto the lizardman goliath''s foot, crushing the bones within. The monster fell like a tree, landing on top of a cluster of cursed lizardmen knights who''d caught up to the goliath.

    Sasha: Blubber is slow, but he''ll catch up soon enough.

    Samantha: You named that thing blubber?

    Sasha: Or course I did.

    Samantha: But it isn''t even green!

    Eli caught a glimpse of purple moving towards them behind the small army of lizardmen. Wolves sprang into action, appearing from out of nowhere right in front of Amy, and Princess charged one of the cursed lizardman mages, mauling it and using enormous claws to scour its scaled hide before it was forced to retreat after taking several wounds in its heaving sides.

    James: Ouch.

    Dana: You''re a live!

    James: Of course I''m alive! My armor is sort of broken, though.

    James appeared on the rooftop, and Eli healed him, keeping a careful eye on the closest lizardmen. Eli positioned himself near the falling lizardman goliath as it was trying¡ªand failing¡ªto get up on its feet. The auras reached far enough to help Yvonne''s troops and Simon and Charlotte as they thrust their weapons into the unprotected neck of the cursed lizardman goliath, finally taking it down for good despite the healing it was receiving.

    Arrows struck the ground near Eli, and it reminded him to cast Aegis of the Dying Light, giving himself some protection. The lizardman archers were pushing the human archers back, and Eli was about to ask Samantha to help them, but he held back, focusing instead on keeping the archers alive. Soon, Samantha and Dana both were attacking the archers on the rooftops, a beam of light springing from the scholar''s hands and the discordant tunes of Dana''s lute, bending the will of the monsters to force them into combat with each other.

    Eli barely caught glances of the combat up ahead as the second, still-living goliath turned its attention to him. The sword came down with a thunderous crash. Eli was quicker and threw inside the nearest stone building before the blow could land. Even with Aegis, he would not have been able to withstand a direct attack like that.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    He got a glimpse of James jumping down from the rooftop to strike at a cursed lizardman mage, but the Warden disappeared in the chaos. Eli''s attention drifted to the party screen and James''s health bar. With that, he could heal his friend without having direct line of sight. It wouldn''t work from behind a wall, he knew, having tested that strategy, but it would work through other humans and monsters.

    From his window, he saw the small army of lizardmen advance, and the humans fall back. Soon, he realized he''d need to leave his little outpost or be left behind. Just as he was about to exit the building, the entrance darkened as a cursed lizardman knight stepped inside.

    "Why now?" Eli muttered under his breath.

    The first lizardman was soon followed by another, and Eli found himself blocked in with no means of escape. All he could do was throw himself to the side when they came for him, but he wasn''t quick enough. Aegis blocked the first two strikes, but the third took him in the side, and biting pain flared as he scrabbled to get away. Pushing to his feet, Eli ran for the door, where a third monster appeared¡ªa mage this time.

    Silencing it just before it unleashed a spell in his direction, Eli spun, trying to find a way out of this mess. He avoided an attack and healed himself from the previous blow, his robe already wet with blood. Casting Light''s Seal stopped one of the lizardmen in its tracks for a moment, and he toggled Harming Healer as he backed away. His heals barely damaged the lizardmen. Perhaps picking the talent at all had been a waste. With the large health pools of monsters, his healing spell didn''t scale well enough to keep up.

    The Silence debuff on the mage timed out, but Eli managed to re-apply it just as Light''s Seal ran out. Both cursed lizardman knights came for him. Eli triggered Aura of Suppression, slowing them just long enough for him to push past and bum-rush the mage, who just stood there, confused at not being able to cast its spells. Eli threw himself at the monster standing in the doorway and both of them fell outward and onto the street. Breathing hard with adrenaline pumping through his system, Eli stood. He realized he was surrounded by monsters.

    This whole ''staying back and healing'' thing hadn''t gotten off to a great start. The humans had retreated a few steps. The still very much alive goliath stood with its back to Eli. The two lizardman priests regarded him with their empty stares. Eli cycled through all his available auras, triggering them one by one, looking desperately for a way to escape.

    A cannonball of force struck the monsters right next to him. Throwing most of them away in all directions.

    "What was that?" Eli exclaimed, startled.

    At first, he thought it was one of Samantha¡¯s bombs, but no¡ªit was a person, the entirety of him shining, enveloped by a very familiar light. Simon. It was Simon! His bulwark skill enveloped Eli, saving him from a few blows, not unlike Aegis would''ve if it wasn''t on cooldown.

    "Run!" the crusader shouted.

    Eli ran as Simon quickly followed behind, having pushed most of the enemies back and down onto the ground. The goliath barely noticed when Eli ran under its legs, where Charlotte, James, and Roy were busy trying to hack it to pieces. It kicked, but missed everyone. Looking up, Eli saw its massive sword, too unwieldy to attack those closest to it.

    Eli continued across the first line of humans while Simon stopped by the goliath, joining the others in holding it back. Not wanting to waste any time, Eli threw down a Sigil of Light after turning it back to a healing spell, positioning it so the retreating humans walked over it. Their health pools slowly filled up.

    "Where did you run off to?" Amy asked.

    "Just because you¡¯re not directing the fighting doesn¡¯t mean you have to run away and slack off," Dana said.

    "Har-de-har," Eli replied, buffing everyone around him.

    The auras came off cooldown, and he made sure Aura of Defense and Aura of Suppression were active, slowing the movement of the goliath slightly while keeping the party''s defenses high. Simon¡¯s bulwark disappeared from him, reapplied instead to Roy. A good choice.

    "This is never going to work," Dana said, exasperated.

    "What isn¡¯t?" Eli asked.

    She pointed to the goliath. "That thing is gaining health as fast as we¡¯re hurting it. We need to kill the priests."

    "How do we do that?" Yvonne asked, walking up to join the conversation. "They''ll just heal each other."

    A sudden rain of arrows took Eli''s attention away from the conversation as he cast Aegis of The Dying Light on himself while healing those struck. Moving away from the discussion on tactics to focus on healing, he swapped to Aura of Victory and triggered it before swapping back, giving everyone an extra boost.

    Amy: The priests. Focus.

    Helping those who''d fallen to their feet, pulling arrows from them and healing, he heard Amy shout something back in the distance, at the same time as she wrote in party chat. "Now!"

    Amy: Now!

    Eli scrambled to heal Simon, Charlotte, James, and Roy through his party screen as they all began taking heavy damage. Pushing back through the crowd, he saw that the four of them were charging straight through the crowd of monsters, entirely ignoring the goliath to reach the two priests. Simon shone with light that seemed to burn their enemies, and many pulled away from him, giving the humans a window of opportunity.

    Despite keeping up with the heals, he managed to cast Silence a few times, but all of his attempts failed. The leftmost priest''s health bar slowly filled up with afflictions, curses and debuffs. On a whim, he switched target to that one, and found his Silence actually succeeding. That was all he had time for, because another volley of arrows rained down in the middle of the group, and some knights approached those who''d remained back, staying out of the goliath''s reach.

    Everyone up front turned on the non-silenced priests, unleashing a storm of skills and spells upon it, utterly breaking the monster before its friend had a chance to cast spells again.

    Charlotte let out a cry that echoed back to Eli. No, not a cry, a shout!

    Every lizardman attacking the front liners fell back a step, dazed for a moment before resuming their attacks. Amy¡¯s birds swooped down from the sky to claw at the faces of several lizardman mages, keeping them busy. The tactic worked, and soon one priest was dead.

    A cheer erupted as they turned to the other priest.

    "The goliath is going after the archers!" someone shouted.

    Eli watched in horror as the goliath¡¯s sword came down on a building, demolishing it with an archer still on top. The man fell with a yelp, lost in the rubble. Then the goliath turned its attention to the clumped-together mages and other support classes clustered around Eli, and the rescued prisoners in front, shaking in their boots.

 Chapter 63: The Might of a Scholar Overshadowed by an Egg

    Dust from the fallen building rose like a cloud into the air as the cursed lizardman goliath raised its arm and turned to face the crowd of humans straight on. Just as it was about to begin its powerful downward swing, a wall of light appeared right below its elbow, blocking the arm''s momentum.

    "Nice! Eli shouted, looking around for, and finding, Samantha in the gloom, near the debris from the smashed house. The sound of hoofs rapping against stone reached their ears as something massive raced by them, followed by something even heavier with claws scraping against the street. Amy''s moose, Bill, and Princess, charged the goliath''s leg as Samantha lobbed a large bomb of light at the monster''s head. The moose slamming into the goliath with primal force sent a shiver down Eli''s spine, and he watched as the monster''s knee buckled under its own weight.

    A mist of light sprung up around Samantha and Eli saw the twinkling stars race into the crowd of humans, revealing invisible rogues waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Only one managed to sink its blades into a lone victim before Eli triggered Aura of Suppression, slowing them down before turning to the party screen and finding the members in dire need of healing.

    It was the others'' job to deal with the revealed enemies. They had the tools to do so, and Eli needed to let them figure out a way. He''d merely bought them some time. Samantha focused on applying as many damage-over-time stacks of her light affliction as possible, casting the beam of light with one hand while lobbing bombs with her other. He hadn''t even known such a thing was possible, but here she was, doing it.

    The lizardman goliath dropped its enormous sword and fell to the ground with a heavy thud, then immediately pushed up with its hands, trying to get up. Another wall of light appeared at its back, blocking the monster''s movement.

    In the distance, the rest of their group finally killed the second priest, but they were now stuck in the middle of a huge mass of cursed lizardman knights and mages.

    Eli healed them as best he could, while Yvonne''s less effective heals were used to top off everyone else who was hurt.

    Samantha: I just got a new spell. I think you might want to close your eyes.

    Eli raised his arm to block his own vision as blinding light erupted from the still-prone lizardman goliath. It let out a wheezing cough as all stacks of the damage-over-time effects Samantha had added to its health bar were consumed into one massive burst of damage. Damage on the primary target wasn''t all. Motes of light drifted in all directions. Whenever they struck an enemy, the mote did some damage and applied a blind debuff, and when a one landed on an ally, they regained a small measure of health.

    Eli: That was awesome. What is it called?

    Samantha: Blinding Fountain of Light.

    Samantha: This class is finally starting to get some good skills and synergies.

    Yvonne''s still-active afflictions on the cursed lizardman goliath, along with Amy''s animal companions furiously attacking the injured monster, and many other mages turning their attention from blocking and attacking the lizardman archers on the rooftops to finishing off the goliath, it finally met its demise under their combined efforts.

    Ding! You have reached level 45.

    Eli looked at the small group of people still fighting for their lives in the middle of a crowd of lizardmen and got an idea.

    Eli: Samantha, I''m kicking you out of the party temporarily.

    Samantha; What did I do?

    Eli messaged Roy.

    Eli: Leave your party now.

    A second later, he was able to invite Roy to the Ravenous Barbarians. Then he made sure Aegis of the Dying Light was still active and rushed into the mass of lizardmen.

    He avoided one blow from a mace, ducked under the swing of a sword, and finally, his Aegis blocked a second strike before he judged the distance was short enough. Eli cast Warp, choosing only to bring along those in the group ahead. They warped back to Amy and the others by the goliath, where he''d marked the location before rushing off to save their friends. Panting from the exhilaration, he kicked Roy out and invited Samantha back in.

    ¡°That was outright inspiring,¡± Dana said.

    ¡°And dangerously stupid,¡± Amy added.

    ¡°I have been known to do dangerous, stupid things,¡± Eli said.

    ¡°You have?¡± Samantha asked.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The death of the lizardman priests and goliaths marked a turn in the battle, and they focused on holding the rest of the troops back through a combination of Simon and James being unmovable obstacles and Samantha''s walls of light cutting off the area between them and the houses.

    They focused and finally killed the lizardman archers. Then, on Sasha''s instruction, they waited as the inevitable, though irritatingly slow, doom that was her familiar made its way to the small army of lizardmen. Its acid, gelatinous form slowly but surely made its way into the lizardman lines, taking their bodies into itself and dissolving them in acid while they flailed, still alive. Each lizardman it consumed made Sasha''s familiar larger and more effective at digesting its prey.

    ¡°You can make that thing stop, right?¡± Yvonne asked Sasha.

    ¡°Of course she can,¡± Amy said, before turning to Sasha herself. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°We are working on that,¡± Sasha said with a forced smile.

    In the end, she had to unsummon the familiar to make it stop. By then, it''d grown to almost the size of one of the goliaths. Finally, the battle ended. Even with all that chaos and desperation, they''d lost only two archers since joining Yvonne and her group, who by themselves had unfortunately lost almost a third of the two parties making up their ranks.

    ¡°Now what?¡± Dana asked after they''d stood around in silence for a moment, after the last of the lizardmen died.

    Eli messaged Guy.

    Eli: Are you holding up? We''re on our way.

    No reply came.

    ¡°We need to hurry and help the others,¡± Eli said, pointing west.

    Simon sheathed his sword, but kept his shield on his arm. ¡°Eli''s right, we should move out right away.¡±

    ¡°Hold on a moment now,¡± Yvonne said. ¡°Do you mean to say we should rush into another fight?¡±

    "Yes. Like Eli said, they need our help. What if we hadn''t come here?" Simon asked. "We don''t leave anyone behind."

    "I understand that," Yvonne said, as everyone gathered around, everyone except for the rescued prisoners.

    They stood off to the side, talking amongst themselves. Eli was about to reply to Yvonne again when he saw one of them approach, a man in his forties with light hair, intense eyes, and an air of competence around him. "Gratitude flows through our very souls for the help you have provided when coming to our aid. Taking up arms to fight against the lizardman scourge is a matter of honor, but many of our friends and family are still held captive. The wish to continue burns in my chest. Please, we must go on!"

    Eli coughed awkwardly, then shifted on his feet as he turned to glance over at Simon, who just shrugged and nodded.

    "Of course we''ll go on," Eli said.

    Yvonne was about to raise her voice again but stopped, an orange light accompanying a look of wide-eyed surprise as her gaze fixed over Eli''s shoulder. He turned and saw what''d prompted the reaction. A massive, fiery blaze raged in the western corner of the underground lizardman city. Flames billowed outward from an epicenter, powerful enough to heat the air all the way over to where they were standing.

    Amy mouthed a single word. "Dragon."

    None present had seen such a powerful attack over such a large area before. The only reason Eli could think of to cast such as a spell was out of desperation. Not good. The rushing flames must''ve traveled several blocks before finally dying out. Only silence was left in its wake.

    "We''re going," Eli said, not giving Yvonne the chance to complain before he set off running.

    Several smaller, roaming groups of lizardmen stood in their way, but the increasingly large group of humans crushed them with overwhelming force.

    The epicenter of the torrent of flames was easy enough to find. Every single surface was blackened by the fire and anything not made out of stone was either on fire or smoldering. The air itself carried the lingering sense that a massive amount of mana had been used in that single spell. Following the bodies of dead lizardmen, they soon encountered the building they were looking for.

    With only a single story, it wasn''t tall. The building did, however, cover quite a bit of ground, and it looked like a storage facility of some sort. Piles of dead, blackened, and sometimes still smoking lizardmen could be found everywhere. The street was full of them, and from the look of things, they''d been trying to climb the walls and get up on the roof, because they lay in droves along the walls. All in all, there had to be more than a hundred of them.

    "Whoa," James whispered as everyone gathered around.

    Eli pointed. "Up there. They were trying to get up."

    Just as they were about to climb up, the door to the building opened, and a whole lot of frightened looking humans poured out. Quite a few of them were prisoners that ran into the arms of those brought by Eli and his group, but most were from Infinite Innovation Solutions. They''d taken shelter on Guy''s orders while he himself had stood against the horde of lizardmen. No one knew what''d become of The Dragon.

    Eli climbed the next building over, then was able to leap to the roof. Even up there, he had to step over and around dead lizardmen. Amy and Sasha joined him, lifted over the lip of the roof by Bill the moose.

    In the middle of the roof, the stone itself was half-way melted from what had to have been incredible warmth.

    He moved in closer, having spotted something. "What is that?"

    It wasn''t a corpse. Eli could see that much. His eyes told him what he was looking at, but he didn''t believe it. Not until he stood over it.

    "Is that an egg?" Amy asked.

    Phoenix Egg.

    "It is," Eli said, getting down to half-sit on the back of his heels in an awkward squat. He touched the egg carefully, then pulled back. "It''s hot."

    The egg was larger than a basketball and was a solid, matte black with red lines running across its surface, almost like lava pouring down an active volcano.

    Amy joined him, saying nothing.

    Eli stood and looked around again, finding no other trace of Guy. He returned to the egg. "Mr. Thomas, are you in there?"

    "You think your old boss turned into an egg?" Sasha asked.

    "It wouldn''t be the strangest thing that''d happened to us since coming to Aryxia," Eli replied, touching the egg again. It was still warm, but he could hold his hand against it now without burning himself.

    Unsure what else to do, he picked it up, straining a little against the surprising weight of it, then put it into his inventory. "I''m bringing it," said, looking over at Amy, who was frowning. The head of the owl on her shoulder kept looking around, up into the air.

    "What?" Eli asked.

    Amy sighed heavily and shook her head. "My birds. More lizardmen are coming. A lot of lizardmen."

    "How many?" Sasha asked, coming over to stand next to her.

    "As far as I can tell, every single one in this entire city."

 Chapter 64: Shockwave

    Amy''s report of a massive number of lizardmen converging on their position reignited the arguments from before they''d spotted the waves of powerful flames. Cruella hadn''t been among the new batch of freed prisoners liberated by the groups they found in the building beneath the phoenix egg, but another person from Infinite Innovation Solutions had been, proving that there were more of them out there.

    "We should run," Yvonne said.

    "I agree. We can''t stay here," Eli said, "but we should not be running away. We should be going down the giant set of stairs."

    "Go down? Are you insane?" someone in the group shouted.

    "The monsters are going to be even stronger if we go down. We''re barely surviving on this floor," Yvonne countered.

    "We have to rescue Cruella," Eli said. "She has to be around here somewhere."

    Yvonne stood still, getting a faraway look for a moment, before she blinked and refocused. "I just received messages. Two of the other groups were asking me what to do. I messaged the third, but I''m not getting a reply."

    "Where are they?" Eli asked.

    "Somewhere a little closer to the staircase," Yvonne said. "Not far from where we fought the goliaths."

    "I say we go down," Eli repeated, then stepped away. They all knew his position, but he could not decide for all of them. The others would need to make their voices heard as well, but they had to do it quickly.

    Eli received a message himself.

    Stu: Uh, hello?

    Eli: Stu? You OK?

    Stu: Eli! This is so strange. Sending texts by thinking them.

    Eli: We''re sort of in the middle of something here, Stu. Are things well at the office building?

    Stu: Well, yes and no. Mostly yes. Or no, maybe.

    Eli: Stu...

    Stu: Okay. So we have a lot of goblins here already and more are arriving all the time. We''ve given them a couple of floors and the small ones are having fun with the elevators.

    Stu: But we''re seeing these monsters in the distance too. I think they''re the lizardmen from the dungeon people are talking about?

    So he''d been right. The lizardmen were reaching the surface from the tunnels beneath Glimmer Bastion.

    Eli: How many? Can you hold them off?

    Stu: Not really. We don''t have very many people who can fight. They''re all with you. Can you have some return here? I really don''t want my crops destroyed again.

    Stu: Wow, that was quick!

    Eli: What?

    Stu: A bunch of people just arrived here. They''re looking a little worse for wear, but they''ll do!

    Eli sighed. That meant people had run away from the Temple of Rizari, and their own forces down there had just diminished. At least the building wouldn''t stand undefended now.

    Eli: Tell them about the lizardmen and have them guard the building.

    Stu: Thanks, boss!

    Eli tuned back into the increasingly heated argument between those who wanted to fight and those who wanted to return to the surface. He understood their apprehension at continuing on. People had died. It was a miracle really that more hadn''t fallen in the dungeon, with how ferocious and sturdy the higher-level monsters turned out to be.

    The loudest contingent of those who wanted to fight on were the prisoners they''d already rescued¡ªpeople, humans from this world, and a few goblins. The goblins were mostly quiet and kept to themselves, but the humans desperately argued for continuing the search for their loved ones.

    Eli wished he had more time to speak to them, to learn from them about the world in which they found themselves.

    Amy''s clear, loud voice rang through the din of raised voices. "They will be here in one minute. Maybe less!"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "We move," Simon barked, speaking over Yvonne''s protestations. "Everyone toward the staircase."

    Yvonne''s face turned red from what Eli assumed was anger, and as people began streaming out of the building, he walked up next to her. "We need you. We can''t do this with only one healer."

    She shook her head. "We can''t do this with two healers, either."

    Those words hung in the air as she fell back, but continued walking with everyone else. She and her group, at least, hadn''t fled to save themselves. They could see the lizardmen coming down a long, straight boulevard¡ªa great big number of them¡ªand Eli felt his knees weaken a bit when he spotted several goliaths towering over all the other lizardman types.

    They could do this, couldn''t they?

    Simon walked at the front with people streaming out of the surrounding buildings.. The Crusader''s shoulders were squared, his back straight, his head held high, and his hand firmly clasped around the leather strap of his shield as he unsheathed his sword.

    He, at least, was determined to see this through. Eli cast Sigil of Light, placing it right behind Simon, healing everyone who passed through. All in all, there had to be over a hundred of them in this one group at this point, with more spread out through this floor of the dungeon¡ªstill a drop of humanity in an ocean of monsters.

    As the distance between lizardman and human went from short to none, arrows flew over Eli''s head, raining down upon the lizardmen. Spells joined in, doing massive damage and killing plenty, but each hole left by a dead lizardman was quickly filled with another.

    Simon, James, Charlotte, and even Roy, along with a host of other human fighters, locked blades with the monsters.

    A wave of power¡ªfor that was the only way Eli could describe it¡ªan invisible force running through physical space without affecting it or ruining anything, came cascading out from a spot in the center of the city. He could see it approaching, but it was too quick for him to react at all. It touching everything and everyone, but left no mark. Eli knew where it had come from¡ªit had come from the staircase.

    The fighting stopped, not because of the humans ceasing their attacks, but because the lizardmen did. They dropped their weapons as soon as the shockwave touched them and turned toward its origin.

    "Hey! Where are you going?" someone shouted behind him, and Eli turned.

    The rescued prisoners had all turned toward the source of the wave of power. Their eyes looked blank, like the light was on, but no one was home. A dark green light glowed on the arm of each of them, and Eli realized it was the tattoos. As one, they dropped their weapons and walked off, just like the lizardmen.

    Before Eli had a chance to ask what the hell was going on, another message arrived.

    Cruella: Eli, I think I''m in trouble.

    Eli: Cruella? Where are you? Are you OK?

    Cruella: I don''t know. And no, I''m pretty fucking far from OK.

    Eli: We are in the dungeon and trying to find you. There are a lot of cells on the fifth floor. I think we''re on the fifth floor, but something strange just happened. You''re not mindlessly walking, are you?

    Cruella: I''m on my back on one of those raised ritual platforms. There are a bunch of those acolyte bastards around, and a bunch of other people stuck here like me. I really need you to get me out of here before I lose my shit.

    Eli: Can''t you blink? That lightning thing?

    Cruella: I can cast it, but it won''t let me move. I have another escape skill, but everyone is out of range.

    Eli: Out of range?

    Cruella: Eli, I''m in the middle of some huge ritual. I don''t want to turn into a lizardman, Eli. Please come.

    Eli: I will! We will!

    Cruella: I think they''re starting. Hurry! I see a stupidly huge set of stairs in the far distance.

    Rather than shout, Eli turned to their party chat.

    Eli: Cruella just message me. She''s fine for the moment, but she''s in one of those ritual turning people into lizardmen. We have to hurry.

    Amy: Oh no.

    Simon: Where is she?

    Eli: Downstairs. We have to hurry. She said it''s starting already.

    James. Then we hurry. At least we won''t have to battle our way there.

    Dana: Just walk among the zombie lizardmen.

    Simon raised his voice and bellowed out an order so everyone heard him.

    "Move out! To the stairs!"

    The group of humans was much smaller now that all the rescued prisoners had wandered off. Some had tried to hold them back to keep them from leaving with the lizardmen. In those cases, they''d just stood there until whoever held them let go, and then they''d walked off. The immense crowding in the street from all those lizardmen trying to leave at the same time meant plenty still remained. James poked a cursed lizardman mage in its side with his word, but it didn''t react at all. When he swung and lopped its head off without any resistance, no other lizardmen retaliated.

    "I''''ll catch up," James said. "This is a good opportunity to cull the priests and mages, so we don''t have to face them later."

    "I''ll come," Dana said, drawing a short blade.

    He looked her up and down, then smiled gently. "Let''s go."

    "Don''t go too far, and meet us by the stairs," Simon said.

    With that, they all set off running, going around the army of lizardmen rather than trying to squeeze past. It didn''t take them long to reach the massive spiral stairs down.

    Light''s voice suddenly thrummed in his head.

    You should not go down there.

    Eli glanced at Simon and Samantha, who were both looking over at him. They''d heard it too.

    You''re watching us? Eli thought the words back, rather than say them.

    You are my champions. Naturally, I am watching you. That which is waiting for you below is beyond your strength to handle. This is not the purpose I tasked you with. Leave. Now.

    There was a forcefulness behind those words, an expectation for the command to be followed.

    No.

    He was not going to just let all these people wander off and probably end up as lizardmen, and he was not about to abandon a member of his party. That was not what he signed up for. A general sense of frustration and perplexed confusion emanated through the strange bond he''d formed with Light, but she made no further attempts at swaying his decision. From the look of Simon and Samantha, they, too, had refused Light''s order to leave. Grim determination set Simon''s expression and a sort of amused rebelliousness painted a toothy smile on Samantha''s face.

    The three of them, along with everyone else, would see this through, no matter what.

    Together, they raced toward the stairs.

    Eli: Hold on, Cruella. We''re coming.

 Announcement: Healing Incorporated is ending

    Healing Incorporated Story

    Book 1

    Cruella is turned into the god Rizari through a ritual and absolutely destroys everyone. The humans flee back to Infinite Innovation Solutions but are followed by the lizardmen and their god. In the end, Simon kills Solomon, who refuses to activate the teleporters. The dead man¡¯s switch is activated, and everyone is scattered across the world. The final line is Simon telling Eli to stop being so indecisive and naive. Eli ends up all alone.

    Book 2

    Light scolds Eli but gives him an ability to sense the direction of Samantha and Simon without knowing which is which. He travels in one direction, learning more of the world and its peoples. People are wary of him since last time healers walked the world, they were not so nice. He bumps into people from Event Horizon Dynamics who are actively trying to create a new black hole to return home using magical means. They need him to gather everyone from earth and let them know where to go. Dungeons appeared a few years back and this is not the first time. People have appeared before but they¡¯re all gone now, or have ascended into godhood. A fledgling adventurer¡¯s guild has been established, rewarding those who hunt monsters and keep others safe. In the end, Eli finds Simon who has surpassed him in levels and is now battle-hardened and fully focused on fighting the corruption (monsters).

    Monster fighting and whispers of war brewing between humans and elves. Rumors of witchy ladies taking over a town reach Eli and Simon who investigate. HR ladies are main antagonists of this book.

    Book 3

    Haven¡¯t planned much but Janus/IT would be the main antagonists. War has broken out and they support the other side, mostly to gain experience and power. IT, just like HR, end sup defeated. They briefly meet Amy who has heard of dragon¡¯s roosting at a nearby mountain. She aims to go there and learn to fly one.

    Book 4

    War breaks out for real between humans and elves, with monsters becoming their own faction. Light grows increasingly¡­ weird. Not nice. Samantha finally finds them, and she is not amused at having had to walk for months.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Book 5

    The three-faction war turns to two factions when the elves are mostly destroyed by the monsters, with many joining the beasts. Light commands the three of them to join the monsters because humanity and the other gods are the blight on Aryxia (a lot more work up to this). Simon agrees and switches side, Eli and Samantha does not. Light rescinds her blessing, meaning Eli is no longer her champion. The title ¡®of the Dying Light¡¯ is taken as well, leaving him weaker.

    Book 6

    Last book. Simon and his horde are defeated but Eli is finally forced to kill Simon. In the end, Light was just a person who¡¯d previously ended up on Aryxia. She¡¯d reached godhood and finally attempted to dominated the entire planet, but failed. With Simon dead and the monsters defeated, she withers away. The humans from Earth are able to return home through a portal/black hole.

    Triggering the black hole led to other species in the universe finding Earth and immediately attacking. Being pulled in and made to grow stronger was a way for Earthlings to face this new threat. They fight back aliens and win, keeping earth safe (this might¡¯ve been a book 7). Who pulled them into Aryxia and why is a mystery left for a second series.

    Characters

    Zack: Becomes an assassin and works for a shadows¡¯ guild. Stays in Aryxia.

    Irene: DIdn¡¯t have a plan in place for her.

    Amy: Tames and rides a dragon into battle to defend Earth while playing badass tunes on her violin.

    Sasha: Didn¡¯t have a plan in place for her.

    The Dragon: Becomes somewhat of a hermit powerhouse who helps Eli at some point. Returns to Earth to fight then retires to Aryxia.

    Charlotte: Enjoys farming. Stays in Aryxia.

    James: Leads a big portion of the human armies against the elves and monsters but does not suvive to the end.

    Dana: Ends up not hating Eli in the end but has no big impact to the story.

    Cruella: Dead. DPS should listen to healers and tanks.

    Samantha: Defeats Simon and the big bad in the end together with Eli. Never selects a second class but Scholar turns out to be real powerful.

    Guy who shoved Eli on the bus in chapter 1: Died almost right away in Aryxia. Asshole.

    Janus: Dies due to his overconfidence and the strange thought that he should¡¯ve been the protagonist of the story. This was obviously incorrect.

    Stu: Finally gets to eat some potatoes. Does not enjoy the taste.

    Eli: Grows a pair. Returns to Aryxia and sets out to find who or what actually pulled them into this new world, and why.

    Thank you for reading. I hope to see you in my next story.

    / Oskar Soderberg

 New story: The Lost Runes Saga

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    </a>

    The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]</a>

    In the frozen streets of Halmstadt, Vidar¡ªa disgraced young scribe¡ªfinds himself cast out, with no allies and nowhere left to turn. Forced into the city¡¯s impoverished depths, where desperation runs as deep as hunger, Vidar experiences a bleak existence. Then, everything changes in a single, desperate moment when he taps into the forbidden power of a rune.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    This one act sets off a chain of events that might alter his fate forever.

    Rune work is the realm of the rune scribes'' guild. Only trained scribes know their secrets, and for anyone else, using them is a death sentence. But what power do such laws hold over a man with nothing left to lose?

    When an ancient beast from legend spreads its wings and rains fire over the city, Vidar realizes that his forbidden discovery may be the key to saving Halmstadt. With only the knowledge he¡¯s scraped together and an unbreakable determination, he must master the runes and unlock their power to bring the city back from the edge of ruin.

    Can Vidar uncover the truth behind the runes and forge his own destiny, or will he become just another forgotten name in Halmstadt¡¯s bloody history?

    The Lost Runes Saga weaves thrilling magic, unexpected revelations, and a pulse-pounding journey, perfect for readers craving epic battles, rich mysteries, and a hero who risks it all.

    Releases Mon-Wed-Fri.

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