From Real to Realm

Val didn’t have time to look for anyone else. The Ashen King’s gaze was still heavily fixated on her. She wasn’t alone in this fight, but he wasn’t making it easy on any of them.

“You’re really giving us hell,” she mumbled, chuckling. “Guess that’s why it’s so hot down here.”

Amarisse stepped up next to her in the next second. “Cera and Tessa are busy checking on everyone. Mina’s still behind him, too.”

Val gripped her halberd tight. “Then it sounds like we might as well keep him busy.”

Amarisse glanced at Val. “Be careful.”

“You too.”

Neither said another word as they rushed forward. The Ashen King was being defensive, but obviously still was dangerous when he wanted to be. Giving him too much time or too much room would allow him time to blind them again, or worse. Val knew what to attack, but the hard part was getting close again. The last hit came at the cost of three comrades getting hurt.

The Ashen King was holding his blade with both hands again. His glowing eyes flickered toward them as they approached. For the first time in the fight, Val could’ve sworn he was… smiling? He lacked any real facial features, but something about his expression and body language unsettled her.

Val let Amarisse get there first. As soon as she was close enough, the Ashen King lunged at her. Instead of an overhead attack like before, he opted for a direct piercing attack. By the time it reached Amarisse’s shield, Mina was already moving in.

Crack!

Amarisse pivoted her body as soon as the attack landed. The blow glanced, but still dug a large groove in her shield. It was enough to open him up, somewhat. Mina was the first to capitalize on it, slipping beneath his stance to attack his ankles. She lacked enough reach to hit his core, but she didn’t hesitate to do damage where she could.

“Back off!” Amarisse yelled, jumping back a few feet.

Mina did as she was told just as the Ashen King blew a puff of ash directly at his feet. It wasn’t anything compared to the opener he did, but it was enough to force them all to back off again.

“Fuck, his defense is strong,” Amarisse said, panting heavily.

Val hadn’t gotten close enough to capitalize on the opening. It didn’t help that blood and sweat were getting in her eye again. She used the back of her hand to wipe it away. When her eye refocused, she noticed something had changed. Her perception felt… different. Small cues were beginning to stand out a bit more than usual to her. The King was favoring the less damaged leg more. His stance was also in favor of her side, as if he was afraid to give her an opening. While he lacked any definition in his eyes, he almost seemed to constantly refocus on her.

“I think he’s worried,” Val mumbled.

Amarisse raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“He’s favoring his right leg, the one that hasn’t been attacked much. His stance, too, he’s watching out for me.”

Amarisse focused on him for a few seconds, then shook her head. “I don’t really see what you’re seeing. Do you think it’ll give us a way to win?”

Val lowered in her stance a bit more. “Oh yeah, I think I see it now.”

The Ashen King took a few steps to his right, Val’s left. When he stopped moving, everyone else started.

Amarisse led the charge again. This time, a volley of arrows and magical purple bolts pelted him before they got close enough. Nothing hit his core directly, so he ignored most of it as he prepared to engage. As they got closer, Val noticed a shift in his stance. She couldn’t read enough to know exactly what was coming, but she knew he was about to do something.

“Incoming!” she warned.

A second later, he twisted his body in time with an overarching attack aimed at Amarisse. It had enough power behind it that even a glancing blow could be risky. It was also angled just right to force space between Val and Amarisse. Mina, of course, was already on his heels, literally.

BOOM!

Val cut her heels in deep to alter her path just as Amarisse burst forward to avoid the attack. It did just what he aimed for: split them up. However, it also knocked a huge cloud of ash and soot into the air around them. Thanks to the glow his body gave off, it was enough for Val and Amarisse to track him through the cloud of debris. His eyes tracked Val, even though his back was turned to her.

You really don’t like me.

A familiar shimmering barrier snapped to her body the next second. She needed to commit. Now was the time to take him down.

Ahead of her, Val could barely make out Mina in the ash around them. She was rapidly attacking the same ankle from before. Her attacks weren’t digging in very deep, but she kept up the flurry of slashes and stabs. Suddenly, it felt like something serious had been cut. The Ashen King shuddered as he fell to one knee, all stability severed from that leg.

His Achilles?

Whatever Mina did, it was more than enough. Val pushed through the ash, sliding beneath the Ashen King’s outstretched arm. When she was in front of him, she used the side of her foot to kick back up on both feet. She only had a split second to lock eyes with him. In that split second, she recognized a few emotions.

“Down with the king!” she yelled.

With every ounce of her strength, she slammed her blade against the core. Her arms ached as the attack rang down the haft, but the core was still intact.

Crunch!

Val glanced to her left in time to see Amarisse put herself between Val and the Ashen King’s latest punch. It didn’t have the force of the one that took out Cain, but it still crushed Amarisse’s shield. It did the job, though. It stopped him from getting Val. In the next second, Val noticed his chest expanding.

Oh fuck! Another ash cloud?!

Val yanked her halberd free from the large gash in his core. A few arrows pelted his face, forcing him to look away.

Thank you, Scott!

With a yell that emptied every bit of breath from her, she slammed once more.

CRKKKK!

Instead of being stopped by the core this time, Val’s halberd dug deep into the chest cavity of the Ashen King. Multiple shards of orange core showered her and the ground around her as the core finally shattered.

With the last of her strength, Val pushed hard. There was no noise, no gurgling, no begging, nothing. Instead, the last thing she heard was his body slamming to the ground motionless. No cheering, no big system notification. The only noise she heard was the panting of multiple people and the slight rumble of magma moving beneath the surface.

“W—we did it…”

Val glanced over at Mina, who promptly fell on her butt.

“Yeah,” Val said, smiling, “we did it.”

Val turned to Amarisse, only to realize she was probably hurt. “Fuck, are you okay?”

Amarisse shook her head. “Fuck no. Pretty sure my arm is fucked.”

Without waiting, Val slipped under Amarisse’s good arm to help her move.

“Pretty sure you’re needing a new shield, too,” Val said, chuckling.

Amarisse nodded. “I’m thinking something iron, like Cain’s.”

Cera rushed around the Ashen King’s body, quickly honing in on Val and Amarisse.

“Cera?” Val asked, surprised to see her. “I thought you were helping the others?”

“Cyrus’ group is handling that now,” she said, rushing up to them. “Oh gods, Amarisse, your arm is really messed up.”

Amarisse chuckled through the pain. “I had no clue.”

Creeeeeak.

Everyone turned to look at the back of the room. On their own, both doors slowly opened up back into the area before the arena. Around the same moment, the oppressive heat lessened by a drastic amount. It was still warm in the room, but it didn’t feel like it was actively sapping their strength anymore.

“I guess he’s really dead then,” Val said, sighing. “Thank god.”

The four of them made their way to the outcropping that Cyrus’ group used as cover to help the others. When they rounded the corner, they saw Braun and Cain lying on the ground, both unconscious. Celina was awake and aware of her surroundings, but she was definitely still in pain.

“I’m out,” Zennia said, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Me too,” Tessa said, sitting on her haunches. “No one’s in danger, but we need to get them back to the guild. They need more healing.”

Madeline, Scott, and Lynesia were already standing next to them. Unsure what to do, or if they could even do anything to help. As soon as Val rounded the corner, Lynesia jumped into her arms, clinging to her.

“I was so scared,” she said, muffled in Val’s collar.

Val held her, not really sure what to say.

“We need to move forward,” Lyon said, standing up from where he was crouched next to Braun. “There’s a floorgate between this arena and the staircase to floor five. We can use it.”

“Do we need to worry about anything else showing up?” Val asked, still holding Lynesia.

Lyon shook his head. “The gap between this arena and the staircase is a safe zone. It was used a lot in the past to take a breather before heading deeper.”

Cyrus scooped Cain up in his arms. “Let’s go. No time to waste.”

Lyon scooped Braun up while Dolf let Celina lean on him.

The group moved deeper into the arena. Behind the throne was a double door that mirrored the one leading into the arena. It was also already open after the fight ended. The corridor beyond it surprised Val. All along the walls were names carved into the rock, some crossed out as well.

“What are all of these names?” she asked.

“In the early days of the dungeon, before the guild was even a thing, groups carved their names into the wall when they beat the Ashen King. Those who fell during the battle had a line carved through their name,” Lyon said, not stopping to look around them. “There’s a lot of history in this dungeon.”

The rest of the trek to the floorgate didn’t take much longer. As Lyon had said, nothing else showed up or tried to attack them on the way there. Occasionally, they’d pass long burnt-out shrines dedicated to the gods or memoirs of fallen comrades. When they finally reached the floorgate, Lyon pulled out his badge.

“Everyone on,” he said, pulling out a small trinket.

Along the floor was an intricately carved sigil. Three pylons were positioned at the cardinal directions with the sigil carving weaving up the faces of each. When Lyon stepped onto the large sigil, it pulsed with a soft blue glow that only followed the lines within the sigil. After the pulse, it held a very soft glow as if waiting to be activated. One by one, everyone stepped on.

Val felt the air leave her lungs and her stomach do flips all of a sudden. It lasted only a couple of seconds, but when the world returned to normal, she was standing in a large room. They weren’t in the dungeon anymore. It almost looked like the inside of the guild.

“I need channelers!” Lyon yelled.

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