On the periphery of the unfolding scene, Thorian watched with intense curiosity as his comrades readied themselves for the oncoming onslaught. However, doubt did not cloud his thoughts; he held faith in their ability to overcome the formidable adversaries.
Vigil and Mysta, like a pair of celestial smiths, worked in tandem to layer their comrades with blessings, multiplying their already monstrous capabilities exponentially. To the stone goliaths, their assailants moved with the celerity of wolves, appearing like ghostly blurs against the backdrop of the battlefield. Unleashed upon the statues, the direwolves and kobold warriors swiftly overwhelmed their monolithic foes with a devastating fusion of speed and brute force.
Ventus and Ifrit, too, played their lethal symphony. Ventus, the yellow kobold, dispatched two of the stone behemoths with his Gale Slash, cleaving through them as if they were spun from gossamer. Ifrit, the fiery maiden, entered the melee fray, brandishing her Lava Whip like a seasoned warrior. Each strike from her whip, crackling with incandescent energy, melted the cobalt statues as though they were mere wax figures.
In contrast to the melee maelstrom, Aqua stood apart, employing his deadliest spell - the Triple Jet Stream - with surgical precision. Despite being unable to utilize a diverse array of spells in this particular situation, his solitary water spell proved more than sufficient, continuously decimating any adversary foolish enough to cross his path.
Amidst the tempest of the battle that raged around him, Thorian's mind began to wander into the shadowy recesses of his memory. His brow furrowed in deep concentration, wrestling with elusive fragments of memories that stubbornly refused to surface.
Damn it, why can't I remember? He was convinced that there was something unique about this place.
From the outset of their dungeon expedition, an instinctive sensation had hinted at the significance of the location. The further he ventured into its depths, the more palpable this feeling grew. Regardless of his strenuous mental exertions, the elusive memory remained stubbornly shrouded in a haze. It was a will-o'-the-wisp that grew ever more ethereal the harder he pursued it.
The cacophony of the battlefield yanked Thorian from his introspective maze, back to the harsh reality of the present. Only a single stone statue remained. It towered above the fallen, brandishing a massive flail that crackled with violent electricity.
But despite its impressive stature and weapon, it was no swifter than its fallen brethren. Harald swiftly laid it low with a devastating Dire Rend. The massive statue of stone crumbled, joining its fallen comrades in defeat.
Level up!
Thorian's lips curled into a satisfied smile as he looked at the new notifications. This latest wave of level-ups was a significant part of the thrill of progressing his class, and the double experience reward was the perfect finishing touch. Securing such an abundance of first clear bonuses had been a windfall, both for him and his team.
With the once animate statues now reduced to inert rubble, Thorian's group resumed their journey, trekking through the labyrinthine corridor. But despite the camaraderie and the thrill of exploration, Thorian's mind was held captive by the elusive memory. It danced tantalizingly at the edges of his consciousness, temptingly close yet frustratingly out of reach.
"My king, is everything alright?" Vigil's voice sliced through Thorian's musing, pulling him back to reality. "You seem troubled."
"No, it's nothing," Thorian reassured him, shaking off his concerns. Yet, as he turned to rejoin his group, his eyes snagged on a peculiar detail: a slender line that traversed the wall's height.
His gaze trailed the anomaly, observing it extend beyond the wall, bisecting the floor and ceiling alike. It appeared to demarcate the end of one section, suggesting an unseen boundary within the stone structure.
Oh, I remember now.
Thorian's initial astonishment gradually settled into a knowing grin as the memories suddenly fell into alignment like the intricate pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
"Halt," he commanded, his voice arresting the forward momentum of the group. "Do not venture further."
Forlune, puzzled by the abrupt instruction, nonetheless complied. He retreated, leading the rest of the group back to Thorian. "Why have we stopped? Are we stopping the competition?"
Ventus' eyes widened in dismay. "What?" His gaze darted to Thorian, a pleading look etched onto his face. "We're not abandoning the competition, are we?"
"Stop with your useless speculations," Thorian reprimanded, surveying the rumor mill churning before him. "This is not about the competition. Rather, I wish to share my understanding of this part of the dungeon. Without it, you could spend countless hours here with nothing to show for it."
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Thorian's cryptic words only served to stir a whirlpool of queries amongst his companions. Their gazes, brimming with curiosity, were keenly fixed on him. Seizing their rapt attention, he gestured towards the slender line that snaked across the floor.
"This line signifies the boundary between this section of the dungeon and the next," Thorian began. "This part of the dungeon is a labyrinthine series of corridors, riddled with dead ends, roving monsters, and traps. Yet, its complexity doesn't stop there. The maze is divided into multiple sections, demarcated by this line, and these sections shuffle around after a fixed period."
A hushed silence fell over Thorian's men as they absorbed his explanation. It was Aqua who broke the quiet, querying, "Is there a pattern to the shifting? If there is, we could couple it with some exploration to grasp the layout of the maze and devise a strategy to find the exit."
Upon hearing Aqua voice his thoughts aloud, Thorian offered a nod of approval, his smile proud. "Your reasoning is sound, but it's unnecessary in this case, for I already know the way out. Our course of action is simple: we wait for a section to shift, take a right turn, wait for the next shift, and then repeat. After executing this five times, we should arrive at the exit without trouble."
His explanation was met with stunned silence as everyone absorbed the simplicity of his solution. Ventus broke the silence, exclaiming,“Oh, that’s it? That’s easy then. This part of the dungeon is going to be a joke!”
Forlune clicked his tongue at Ventus’s antics, “Talk about easy when you start racking up kills. At this point you’re never going to catch up.”
As the rest of the group engaged in the playful banter, Vigil maintained his reverent gaze on Thorian. "My king, your knowledge never ceases to amaze me. Ulvaskye has truly blessed us in allowing us to serve under your leadership."
Thorian simply shrugged in response. "What good is my knowledge if I do not share it? My deepest desire is for those who serve me, those who stand by my side, to lead fulfilling lives and possess the strength and intellect to protect what they cherish."
Thorian cast an amused glance at Ventus and Forlune locked in their jovial squabble, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Some certainly possess the former but may be found wanting in the latter."
As moments ticked by, the raid party lapsed into casual banter, forming huddles of jovial camaraderie. Suddenly, a low rumble, seemingly originating from a great distance, began to crescendo into a deafening thunderclap that reverberated through them all.
As the residual ringing in Thorian's ears gradually dissipated, he could discern the grating noise of stone grinding against stone. The corridor before them began to transform, shifting its configuration. When the movement finally subsided, they found themselves at a crossroads, one path veering to the right, the other to the left.
“Hearing it explained is one thing, but seeing it is another,” Forlune cackled, already moving towards the right passage. “I’m sure there are monsters waiting for us there. We should move now.”
Just as the Moon Kobold prepared to rush forward along with the rest of the group, Thorian stepped up to the fore, halting their advance. "Yes, you should proceed. But allow me to clarify one thing first."
His gaze swept across the assembled ranks of kobolds and direwolves before he gestured backward with his thumb. "All of you will venture to the right. I, however, will be taking the left. I could elaborate on the reasons, but the crux of the matter is that the place I'm headed to is a solitary endeavor. By the time I conclude my business there, you should already be engaged in battle with the guardian, if not having defeated it already."
His unexpected announcement stirred murmurs amongst the group. Harald, massive in his form, stepped forward, a note of concern in his voice. "Will you be alright?"
Thorian offered a reassuring smile at his comrade's concern. "Worry not. I am a cautious man."
“You have heard your king,” Harald turned to the rest of the kobolds and his direwolf companions. "We should trust his judgment and proceed according to his orders."
With that, Harald strode past Thorian, the rest of the direwolves close on his heels. Forlune's band of warriors followed suit, eager not to be left behind, and the rest of the group gradually fell into step behind them.
"Good luck, king!" Ventus darted forward to give Thorian a supportive pat on the shoulder before joining the retreating group.
Vigil, the last to depart, offered Thorian a respectful bow. "May fortune favor you, my king, in whatever quest you undertake."
Thorian responded with a nod and a smile. "And I wish you luck as well, my friend."
And so, the group carried on their chosen path to the right, while Thorian ventured leftward. The labyrinth of corridors posed no challenge for him; he was not only familiar with the layout, but his robust stats and abilities allowed him to disregard most of the monsters and traps that were strewn in his path. The only caution he had to exercise was in avoiding certain tiles made of blue stone. Their hue was a slight shade lighter than the regular ones, but if he were to mistakenly tread on them, he would be struck by a bolt of lightning.
Thorian adhered to a strategy that was the mirror opposite of what he'd advised his group to follow. He would bide his time until a section shifted before venturing along the farthest left passage.
After about fifteen minutes of navigating the maze and combating monsters, he found himself facing what appeared to be a dead end. However, a faint line separated a small cubicle-like section at the far end. It was there that Thorian positioned himself, just beyond the line.
A few moments later, the sections began their customary shift, the looming blue wall rapidly advancing in front of Thorian. When the shifting ceased, he found himself standing before a narrow corridor, a pedestal situated at its far end. This pedestal bore a striking resemblance to the one they had used on the platform outside the building, save for a sizable handprint carved into its center.
With little ado, Thorian advanced towards the pedestal and pressed his hand against the imprinted shape. Congratulations! You have discovered the room of the Hidden Boss: The Undead Mage Tza’har. Do you wish to enter?
Yes, I wish.