The Flying Emporium

With how well the group had prepared for this dive beforehand, with a vast variety of consumables at their disposal, even this short amount of time was more than enough for them to fully replenish all the health and mana they had spent or otherwise lost in their previous fight. It certainly helped that there wasn’t much to replenish to begin with; the fight had been a pretty one-sided one after all, with the Society’s exploration force greatly outmatching the skeleton boss that had caused so much grievances for the previous two groups.

But the same could not be said for the group’s spirits, which were in great disarray. In their minds, they had already successfully conquered the dungeon and were already counting their proverbial chickens.

Now it seemed the dungeon was mocking them and not everyone was able to quickly switch gears.

The constant grinding noises made for an oppressive atmosphere, while the slowly rising walls put pressure on everyone and evoked a deep fear of the unknown that hid behind them.

The unknown had always been an adventurer’s worst enemy. Ironically, this was especially true for the more senior ones, as it was they who most relied on years of experiences to quickly and accurately assess every situation they found themselves in. Whereas for newbies, on the other hand, anything they encountered was a completely new and foreign, anyway.

The people watching from the safety of Magda’s branch were acutely aware of their companions’ wavering spirits, their uncertainty, and the sheer mental exhaustion that came with it. More so than the people themselves probably realized.

Still, there was not much they could do, but helplessly continue to watch and pray. No amount of encouragements or reprimands or clever tips could possibly do any good in such a situation.

But initially, it appeared like their prayers were heard.

The speed at which the walls were moving upward was slow. So slow that by the time they were completely raised, more than enough time would have passed for them to prepare for any eventuality, to come up with a battle plan to face whatever it was that awaited them behind those walls. This realization in itself allowed them to somewhat relax, to find their bearings, and to adjust their mindset.

Only to soon realize that the speed of those rising walls was, in fact, steadily picking up. With that realization, every thought of calm and order went directly through the window. Suddenly, the tension in the room increased manifold and become even worse than it had been originally.

Accordingly, the grating sound of stone scraping against stone, picked up as well. It became almost impossible for the group to focus on anything else.

It was then that one of the group members pointed towards one of the four slowly revealed chambers and said,

“Look! It’s hard to see anything without light, but… don’t they seem empty? Maybe-”

“Maybe what?” an especially restless man holding tightly onto his bow interrupted with an eager tone. “Do you know what’s going on?”

The woman ruefully shook her head and explained, “It just reminded me of the recording of the first group. The trap they encountered. Remember?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Just a speculation. Maybe that one is also just a dud. Maybe it's all just meant to be a psychological trap. To unnerve us. Otherwise, someone or something should be inside. No?”

For a moment, everyone had been hopeful. They wanted to be convinced. After all, they had seen the recordings of what happened when the dungeon went all-out and threw something new and unexpected at its invaders.

All the greater was the disappointment when they realized their companion was spouting nonsense and indulging in wishful thinking.

Everyone knew that psychological attacks such as this one would only be employed if they were followed up by an actual, physical attack.

Because, where was the sense of unsettling someone if the next moment they were to be let off the hook?

The more they thought about it, the more annoyed but also apprehensive they became. With the ever faster rising walls which, in their minds, but them on some sort of timer, time was of the essence. Time they couldn’t afford to waste with silly thoughts.

That was when the walls reached the halfway mark. And suddenly, everything happened very quickly.

Without anyone’s notice, from behind each of the four rising walls, a creature fell to the ground.

klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack klack

Without giving the invaders any time to adjust, thirty-two long legs squeezed through the openings of their respective chambers and rushed towards the blindsided group, who were stumbling over themselves and didn’t know which way to face.

Before the group could form anything even remotely resembling a combat formation, four pairs of chelicerae were already upon them. Only their trained instincts kicking in prevented the group from being wiped out right there and then.

“Gather at the entrance! I’ll tank them in the middle”, their leader finally instructed after his [Taunting Shout] had attracted the attention of the four disgustingly oversized spiders.

“Focus them down one-by-one. Start with that thing on the left. Just wait until I- No! Not yet. What are you-?!” The shouts turned into desperation.

Just when Rob had barely prevented a massacre using his longest cooldown to bind the four enemies to himself, guaranteeing the safety of his four companions, a prematurely fired arrow connecting with one of their enemy’s numerous eyes instantly undone most of his efforts.

The wounded specimen immediately changed its target.

Luckily, the offender realized his mistake and ceased his attacks, but the damage was already done. The hairy araneae angrily skittered towards him and all he could do was stand still and put his trust in his teammates; in this situation, actively trying to put distance between the two of them without first having received the explicit order to do so would only make things even worse and put everyone at risk.

Luckily, though a stupid mistake, it wasn’t a devastating one and easy enough to rectify.

A single hit of a qualified tank would be more than enough to account for the aggro generated by a single regular attack of a similarly leveled damage dealer. The most difficult part in all of this was for the tank to actually connect his attack without opening himself up to the numerous legs and jaws aiming for him.

But it was still doable.

Rob waited for the perfect moment, just when his target was about to leave his range of attack and swung.

thud

The [Taunting Strike] did connect. But its effect was almost entirely negated by the thin but surprisingly durable chitin armor of his target. For an instant, the spider stopped its tracks and threateningly raised its bulging abdomen. Only to, moments later, continue its chase undeterred.

And thus the situation was about to derail.

Turning around for a single attack was one thing.

Turning his entire back, and for a prolonged time, towards the remaining three enemies while chasing the other one, was a whole different matter.

It certainly was not a valid option.

Rob had to rack his brain. And quickly.

Several options came to mind.

First was to have Jesse, their [Bowman], directly make up for his mistake and have the spider chase him into the middle of the room and in position for Rob to once again try to take the enemy off of him.

This option was quickly dismissed. It involved too many legs in too narrow a space. Things would turn only even more chaotic than they already were and put both Jesse and him at unnecessary risk.

The second option was somewhat similar in that it involved Jesse luring the enemy. Specifically, it was to have him kite the spider for the entire duration of the fight. Meaning he would have to run circles around the room while making sure the eight-legged monstrosity was still following him, keeping it preoccupied until its brethren were defeated. Only then would they dispose of this last remaining enemy.

But this approach was also war from ideal.

The room was simply too small.

Also, this plan would mean that Jesse could not actively participate in the battle.

Most importantly, however, these were unfamiliar enemies with unfamiliar skill-sets. Who was to say they didn’t have the ability to web their enemies in place and directly prevent such strategies? In that case, Jesse’s death would be all but certain.

Not a gamble Rob was willing to make.

With just split seconds to analyze the situation, Rob grit his teeth and made a decision; the third option.

“Styr,” he called out.

“Boss,” a guy in heavy armor, carrying a sword but no shield, answered.

“You try to tank it! Once you got it under control, everyone burst it down. Use everything you’ve got. I can manage for some time, just try to be quick. And don’t forget to throw me some heals every now and then, Jill.”

It was an unconventional strategy, but with Rob already cornered by two dozen stabby legs and three potentially venomous jaws, no one dared arguing with him.

“Aye!” came the unanimous acknowledgement.

What ensued was messy and uncoordinated carnage that, looking at it from the outside, made the group appear like a bunch of beginners. But again, there was nothing the observers could do but discuss amongst themselves.

When with a sudden Bang, the front door of the Society flew open.

“Who dares to-?!” Magda flared up in a fit of anger. Just in time did she recognize Jasmine’s coat of arms on the intruder to stop herself from hurling threats and insults at the man.

huff puff

The uninvited guest was breathing hard and visibly struggled to close the door behind himself only barely managing to prevent the outside mob from squeezing in as well. Clearly, whatever this was about, it was important.

More important though than another group of the Society’s reconnaissance force being on the verge of being wiped out?

At that thought, Magda’s expression became ugly again. Seeing this, the man didn’t dare delay any further.

“Excuse my sudden intrusion,” he took another deep breath. “We just found a new clue regarding the dungeon.”

“What?!” That got everyone’s attention, not just Magda’s. Every head in the room immediately snapped towards him, making him feel very uncomfortable.

“I don’t know how any of us could’ve missed it for so long. But we found an inscription, outside the crypt, just above its door. Her highness figured you would want to hear of this immediately, so-”

“Alright, alright we get it,” a man sitting next to Magda interrupted impatiently. “Just out with it.”

Uncertain, the messenger turned towards a just as impatient Magda. “Please,” she nodded.

Ahem

“It just said, overcome yourself, or be overcome by death.”