Book 2: Chapter 31 (Patreon)

Daniel was sweating. His metal doppelganger was his match in every way. If it weren’t for Orrin’s buffs to his dexterity and strength, he might not have lasted as long as he had.

Orrin increased everybody’s stats in a last-ditch attempt to make some difference but no matter the spell cast or the arrow launched, nothing struck the Metal Daniel. The only damage it took was from the rare hit Daniel was able to make.

He had used his skills only to find Metal Daniel could replicate them. [Gravity Strike] met [Gravity Strike]. When he tried [Shooting Star], Orrin watched in amazement as the two copies of his friend bounced off each other so fast he couldn’t tell which was which.

Garret’s arrow cages gave Daniel some reprieve but Metal Daniel would eventually hammer the metal or stone down. The [Hero] signaled for another such break and Garret masterfully landed a dozen pillars of metal around the enemy.

“Daniel, do you need a potion?” Orrin asked, taking a step toward his friend.

Daniel held up his hand to stop him but didn’t look. He was concentrating on his status screen. “No. I’m trying something. Give me a minute.”

Garret took a mana potion and loaded up another arrow. Metal Daniel was already breaking free. “I can only do this another two times,” the archer yelled while aiming into the air. Two of the metal pillars cracked as the Metal Daniel slammed his fist into them over and over. It pushed one until it snapped, stepping over the obstacle. It took two steps and Garret released, sealing it in again. The metal copy showed no emotion and started wailing on the stone arrows this time.

“Almost done,” Daniel muttered. He had put Gertrude on his back and was holding his hands together. His muscles clenched as he squeezed something.

Did he just buy a new skill halfway through a fight?

Orrin’s guess proved right as Metal Daniel broke through the arrow cage. Before Garret loosed his already prepared arrow, Daniel shouted something and turned his closely grasped hands toward the monster. A beam of light brighter than any spell Orrin had seen burned into his vision. The entire party blinked over and over to clear the fading after-image.

Metal Daniel’s feet and shins were all that remained. The entire top half of the monster, down to the knees had been incinerated.

“You did it!” Orrin cheered. Then he noticed Daniel toppling, falling slowly. He bounced once as he smacked his head against the ground.

Orrin was next to his friend in an instant, pouring healing spells into him as he searched him with [Identify]. His health was fine but his mana was zeroed out. Orrin boosted his friend’s will, giving him enough mana to groggily come to.

“Is it dead?” Daniel’s eyes were slightly crossed but he focused them on the still burning feet.

“You did it, buddy. Just relax.”

“Orrin!” Madi’s voice did not sound relaxed.

Orrin turned and saw the metal legs melt into a puddle. The massively depleted pool of liquid pulled its way to the pedestal.

Orrin threw a [Lightstrike] at the liquid. It hit.

“Kill it, quick,” he demanded. Flashes of fire, light, and even an arrow hit the puddle, burning it out of existence.

Once Daniel was half-revived, the party stood dozens of feet away from the pedestal of liquid death, discussing their options. The theory was the metal would copy anyone that touched it, creating a perfect replica with all their skills and spells. Daniel had had a stroke of insight and bought a spell [Starfire] in an attempt to damage his metal self. His reasoning that the metal-him wouldn’t have a way to copy a newly-purchased spell had been right on the money. The genius was undercut by his terrible math skills, as he held the spell going for a second longer than he had mana to maintain the flow.

“I killed it though,” Daniel said with a smirk. He was still sitting, with the telltale half-closed eyes of someone with a mana headache.

“You defeated the copy but we killed it,” Emily corrected him. After Daniel had destroyed enough of the creature that it lost its shape, the rest of them had finally been able to do damage to the thing.

Orrin pulled up his status, checking his experience again.

Orrin

Utility Warder Level 14   (1,692 /5,000)

AP: 19

The creature had rewarded almost 1,000 experience. If there was an easier way to kill the metal monster, he would have suggested farming some easy levels.

“Does anyone have any idea of what to do?” Madi said. She kept the frustration out of her voice but she was pacing.

Nobody answered.

After a minute, Daniel brushed the ground and lay back, stretching out. “I don’t think we are supposed to keep fighting our copies. I mean, I had to spend a lot of ability points on that spell. There should be a way through the floor without us all having to take on our own self, right?”

Emily nodded in agreement. “Yes. Dungeon floors are never undefeatable. Sometimes it does take a few months for somebody to think of a way through, but even the biggest dungeons are usually only not defeated because it requires higher levels to defeat the enemies on the later floors. There is something we are missing here.”

“We’re missing the door off this floor,” Daniel complained. “Wake me when you figure it out.”

Emily stared at Daniel for a full ten seconds before shouting. “That’s it! You’re a genius. We’re missing the door.”

Daniel opened one eye. “What? I mean, of course I am… but what?”

Emily twirled, grabbing Orrin’s arm. “Do you have a cup or a big spoon?”

Orrin pulled away, rubbing his arm as he dug into his [Dimension Hole]. He found a ladle and held it up. Emily snatched it and stormed toward the pedestal, everybody shouting in caution.

Ignoring them, Emily carefully lowered the soup spoon into the metal. She took a large helping of the mercurial liquid and gingerly walked toward the entrance door.

Whenever they entered a new floor, the doorway they entered through remained. It was an escape they wouldn’t use except in the most dire of circumstances, as it would make them exit the dungeon. Usually, they completely ignored the door. On this floor, the frame was against the wall but on some floors, it would be a free-floating doorframe.

Reaching up to the top of the frame, Emily poured the metal on the stone outcropping that encased the wooden door.

The metal cooled instantly, hardening but covering a large portion of the door. Emily eyed the growth and returned for another scoop of the metal.

“Is this a good idea?” Madi questioned. “What if we get stuck in here and can’t use the door?”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Orrin responded. “It does look like it’s doing something.”

Emily had to return for ten full cups of the pedestal metal before the door was covered from the top to the floor. As the last drops spread over the small circular handle, the entire metal door shivered. A low groaning sound came from the door and Emily stepped back, raising her hand to cast a spell. Daniel was on his feet, with Gertrude already pointed toward the door.

The metal wobbled and rippled. Then the entire doorframe moved. It started slowly, only a few inches before taking off like a shot. The metal frame rocketed around the edge of the room, coming to a stop on the complete opposite end.

Everybody waited. Emily clapped her hands in joy and strolled across the room, completely unfazed. She turned back when she reached the metal door. “Well, come on then.”

Other than Daniel drinking a mana potion in the room between floors, the party continued right to the ninth level. They all sighed in relief as they stepped into the large expanse. Fields rolled into the distance and a sun beat down from above. After the maze and small rooms they’d been encountering over the last few days, even the fake daylight of a dungeon floor was a welcome change.

Daniel was happiest of all when they found the monsters in the distance. He let Orrin sneak close enough to use [Identify], making sure to keep his [Camouflage] up the entire time. The six-legged creatures were a cross between an antelope and a really large weasel. The beast had the slick coat of a weasel but the body and long, twirly horns of an antelope.

“They’re called Spurndeeks,” Orrin said, as he canceled the skill. He’d been tempted to mess with Daniel but everybody was too on edge.

“I know them,” Garret announced. “They’re tough and have nasty teeth and claws covered in disease but shouldn’t be too much of a challenge if we play it slow and smart.”

“Slow sounds like Daniel’s speed,” Orrin said with a smirk.

Madi hit him in the back of the head.

“Hey!”

“Anyways,” Garret continued. “Deeks are fast and slippery. The trick is to hit them on land from the side while somebody distracts them. How many are there?”

Orrin pulled up his [Map]. “More than thirty, less than fifty. They keep moving and these plains are pretty big. I can’t see the entire thing.”

“Looks like we have a choice then,” Madi said, letting her spear hang from her side. “Fight through or try to sneak?”

“Deeks have a so-so ability to track by scent,” Garret contributed. “Are you seriously double-checking what I said? Where’s the trust?”

Orrin was trying to be subtle but the beast compendium was too big to hide. “Trust but verify. Sorry. Everything he said is right but they’re also really good swimmers. I didn’t see any water around here though.”

Garret shook his head.

They decided to fight whatever they came across naturally as they searched for the next door. The Spurndeeks or ‘Deeks’ as Garret called them, gave a good fight but between Daniel’s attacks, Garret’s arrows, Madi’s stun spells, and Emily’s fire, even groups of four went down in a relatively quick fashion.

Orrin kept an eye on his [Map] and was able to point the group away from the large lake with dozens of the Deeks. Despite Garret’s assurance of taking the monsters out on the dry land, he gave them much worse odds in the water. The Spurndeeks could transition between water and land quickly. While swimming, they used their powerful tail to churn the water and move faster. Orrin’s book also warned they had some manner of water magic, so investigating the lake would be a last resort.

The party spent four hours exploring the floor. Madi was the first to figure out the unique aspect of the ninth floor.

“We’re going in a circle.”

Orrin checked his [Map]. “No, we’re still moving past the lake. It’s behind us that way.”

Madi’s gaze followed Orrin’s finger but she still shook her head. “That’s not possible. Look ahead. Right there. Do you see the two dead Deeks by that rock? Those are the first ones we attacked. I sat on that rock to rest after.”

Orrin looked in the direction they were walking. Two dead monsters were torn up and burnt. He checked his [Map] again and tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The only explanation…

“The entire floor is a sphere. We’re traversing the entire world in a few hours.”

Daniel slammed Gertrude into the ground. “Then where’s the door?”

Orrin held up a finger and twisted, trying to pinpoint the angle they’d been walking and where they’d been. “The old door should be… over there.”

Garret took off at a light jog. He slowed after a few hundred yards and walked back.

“The door is over there.”

“You’re sure it’s not the way out?” Emily queried.

Garret shook his head.

Emily and Madi exchanged a dispirited look.

“The lake?”

“The lake.”

Orrin groaned. They’d spent an hour trekking around the water. The last time he’d counted, there were still about twenty Deeks playing around the water.

Daniel lifted his sword out of the dirt and slapped it on his back. “Let’s get to it.”

Three more hours passed of drawing the slippery hexa-legged beasts in groups of two to four. The last half-dozen charged as one group but some quick instructions from Madi and a few well-placed [Shimmersight] spells culled the attack enough that the party had no trouble taking them all down. Garret brought an extra-large arrow down through the head of the last Deek.

Directly in the middle of the lake, a small arch appeared.

“Only one floor left,” Daniel bragged. “Good job, team.”