Josh stood there, panting, sword lowered, staring down at the troll’s smoking corpse. His arms trembled from exertion, but his legs held steady. He’d faced his nightmare and won.
“Everyone alright?” he asked, glancing around.
Bhel wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “Still in one piece.”
“Smelled worse than it fought,” Brett said, grinning, flames still faintly dancing on his fingertips.
Carcan gave a small, teary laugh, shaking her head. “You did it, Josh. We all did.”
Josh looked at her, then down at the troll’s smouldering form. He exhaled slowly, relief flooding through him, mixing with pride. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “We did.”
The fear that had haunted him since their first encounter felt lighter now. The troll had fallen, and this time, they were still standing.
Bhel gave the troll’s corpse a sharp kick, then leaned on his axe with a grin. “Well,” he said, “that went a hell of a lot better than your last meeting with a troll from the sound o’ it.”
Perberos chuckled, retrieving one of his arrows from the troll’s neck. “You mean the last time when we nearly got turned into jam on the cave floor? Yeah, I’d say improvement’s an understatement.”
Brett was still breathing hard, but the wide grin on his face was unmistakable. “Did you see that flame chain? It actually worked the way I imagined it would work! I think I might be starting to get the hang of all this magic.”
Josh laughed under his breath, lowering his shield and finally relaxing his shoulders. “You nearly roasted me twice,” he said, half-smiling. “But I’ll admit, it looked impressive.”
Carcan wiped a bit of sweat from her temple, her expression soft but proud. “We worked together,” she said. “Everyone did their part. That’s what made the difference.”
Josh nodded, looking around at them all, at the soot-streaked faces, the small smiles, the exhaustion. A few hours ago, the sight of a troll would have sent him running, heart pounding with fear. But now? He felt steady. Strong. The nervous tremor that had once lived in his chest was gone, replaced by something firmer. Confidence.
Still… he wasn’t foolish enough to think they were invincible. He’d learned that lesson before. “We’re doing better,” he said quietly, “but let’s not get cocky. These things can still crush us if we get sloppy.”
Bhel clapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him forward. “Fair point,” he said with a grin. “But come on, admit it, you’re feeling good right now.”
Josh couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah,” he said. “I really am.”
A soft chime sounded in all their minds at once, the system notification appearing before their eyes.
[You have levelled up to Level 8!]
Perberos gave a low whistle. “Not bad for a morning’s work.”
Brett laughed, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Another level already! Oh, this is going to be so good.” He swiped open his stat sheet immediately, muttering to himself. “Okay, wisdom up by two… intelligence by two… and maybe just one into dexterity so I stop tripping over my own feet.”
Bhel was already doing the same. “All into strength,” he said without hesitation. “More damage. Bigger hits.”
Carcan sighed fondly. “You’re going to break your axe if you keep that up.”
Josh took a deep breath and pulled up his own stat screen. His progress looked good, stronger than he’d ever imagined he could be. He dropped three more points into constitution, two into strength, feeling that familiar, subtle rush of energy pulse through his muscles. It wasn’t dramatic, no bright light or swelling music, but it felt real. Like the ground itself recognized his growth.
“Feels good,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” Brett said beside him, his grin still wide. “Feels really good!” As a trickle of fire radiated around his hand.
The party gathered around the troll’s remains, the stench of its blood thick in the air even as it started to burn into golden dust. Josh crouched beside the body, picking up the items that appeared on the ground next to the golden light. He found a handful of coins stuck together with grime, a dented steel ring that might once have been valuable, and, much to Bheldur’s delight, a small flask sealed with wax.
“Finally, something worth keepin’,” the dwarf muttered, giving it a shake. The faint slosh inside made him grin.
Brett raised an eyebrow. “There is so much that I need to ask you about dwarven culture.” Concern becoming evident upon his face.
Bhel laughed at this “Naw, don’t worry, unsurprisingly dungeons are known for dropping quite useful items, but they also drop consumable items like this, it’s likely a draught that will increase a stat for a period of time. They can be worth quite a lot of money depending on the potency and the stat they increase.”
Perberos, already scanning the dark corridor ahead, smirked. “Less talking, more moving. The longer we linger, the more likely something smells us and comes to find us, whereas I’d rather be the one dropping in.”
With a shrug, they pressed on, boots crunching over gravel and broken bone. The next stretch of tunnels was a gauntlet of narrow choke points and echoing caverns, each filled with the foul stink of orcs and the distant growls of more trolls. Yet, unlike before, the group moved with rhythm and confidence.
Josh took the lead, his blade flashing in the gloom as he drove back a group of lunging orcs, his new shield wall skill blocking attacks that Josh never thought he would have been able to reach before. All the while, Brett’s magic flared bright behind him, bursts of flame and shimmering bolts lighting the stone walls. Carcan moved gracefully between them, muttering quick blessings and healing any injuries whenever a blow landed too hard.
Perberos and Bheldur covered their flanks with deadly precision. The elf’s arrows found eyes and throats before the orcs could even close the distance, while the dwarf’s twin axes spun in brutal arcs, hacking through anything that came too close.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
By the time the last orc fell, the group stood breathing hard but smiling. Their gear was scuffed, armour scratched, but their spirits were high.
“Not bad,” Josh said, wiping blood from his sword. “I think we’re getting the hang of this.”
Brett gave a tired grin. “Either that or we’re getting too numb to care.”
Bheldur chuckled, slinging one axe over his shoulder. “Aye, that’s the spirit, lad.”
Carcan glanced toward the next hallway, where faint torchlight flickered deeper in the dungeon’s heart. “Confidence is good,” she said quietly, “but let’s not mistake it for safety.”
They slowly marches down the tight passageway for some time after this, their nerves grating after not seeing anything for so long. Suddenly a roar hit them from the darkness, a deep, guttural, and angry enough to rattle dust from the cavern’s ceiling.
“That sounds like it’s big,” Bheldur added, already tightening his grip on his axes. “And smells like old meat.”
Josh stepped forward, sword raised. “Eyes sharp. Something’s coming.”
The ground trembled as a hulking troll lumbered around the corner, its mottled skin sagging like wet clay, its jaw lined with jagged teeth. Behind it, three orcs in crude, iron-studded armour emerged, their tusks gleaming in the torchlight.
“Oh good,” Carcan muttered, pulling her staff free. “Friends.”
The troll bellowed, and the orcs charged with it.
“Left orcs are mine!” Perberos snarled, darting forward in a blur.
Josh met the troll head-on. The creature swung a log-sized arm at him, and he ducked under it, the wind of the strike ruffling his hair. He drove his sword upward into the troll’s ribs, only for it to sink like cutting into thick mud.
“Ugh, that’s disgusting,” Josh groaned, yanking it free as steaming green blood oozed out.
Bheldur barrelled past him. “Hit harder!” he shouted, leaping at the troll and burying both axes into its shoulder. The troll roared and flung him off like a ragdoll, sending him skidding across the stone floor.
Carcan planted her feet. “Focus! Josh, distract it and try and draw in some of the orcs!!”
One of the orcs was already down, an arrow protruding from deep within it’s eye. The other two were trying to shield themselves from the arrows peppering into them, soon followed by Brett’s flame chain bouncing between them, the pair turning as if to flee.
Bheldur seized the opening, pouncing onto another orc’s back. “Down you go!” he snarled, driving his axe head into its neck. The orc gurgled and collapsed.
The third orc swung wildly at him. Bheldur ducked under the blow, pivoted, and sliced its thigh. The monster threw its head back and let out a roar of pain, only to be met by an arrow entering the back of its mouth and severing it’s spine. The orc dropped without any further noise.
Meanwhile, the troll had set its sights on Josh again. It slammed its fists into the ground, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward. Josh staggered but didn’t fall.
“Come on then!” Josh shouted, raising his sword. “Let’s dance!”
The troll lunged. Josh rolled aside, slashing across its knee. The troll stumbled and roared in fury. Josh darted back just in time, dodging and blocking attacks as they came in, weathering the beasts attacks whilst his party cleared out the other monsters. Finally Josh heard his party mates coming in to finish off the troll.
“MOVE!”
Josh dove aside as Bheldur launched himself upward, planting both axes deep into the troll’s skull. The creature swayed, arms twitching, then toppled like a falling tree.
Josh exhaled shakily. “Nice… hit.”
Bheldur grinned down from atop the troll’s corpse. “I do try.”
Carcan joined them, wiping sweat from her brow. “That’s the last of the orcs. Perberos?”
The elven ranger walked closer to his sister after staring into the darkness around the bend, “Clear.”
“Everyone intact?” Josh asked.
“My ribs are complaining,” Bheldur said cheerfully. “But they’ll live.”
Carcan tapped his shoulder with a soft glow of healing. “Not if you keep taking hits like that.”
He shrugged. “Someone’s gotta make the troll feel loved.”
Josh shook his head with a laugh. “Alright. Let’s loot and move. If this is what the dungeon’s throwing at us now, we’re in for a long day.
The party rounded the corner the troll and orcs had come from and the atmosphere around them suddenly changed. The air ahead felt heavier, the faint vibration of something powerful waiting in the depths guiding their steps forward.
They followed the flickering torchlight down a wide corridor that felt different from the rest. The air grew thicker, almost oppressive, and the faint hum of magic seemed to press against their skin. The stone walls here were smoother, carved rather than rough-hewn, and lined with deep grooves that glowed faintly with blue light.
Josh slowed as the passage opened up into a vast antechamber. At the far end stood a pair of enormous doors, ten feet high, blackened bronze etched with scenes of battle and beasts. The craftsmanship was ancient, the kind of work that looked like it had been forged by something that understood both artistry and war. Across the metal surface, runes pulsed with faint light, and a single line of crimson energy traced the join where the doors met.
Bheldur gave a low whistle. “That’s no ordinary doorway. Bet my beard there’s somethin’ nasty behind it.”
Perberos stepped forward, studying the markings with a frown. “Old elvish runes. Warnings… or perhaps seals. Either way, whatever’s inside was meant to be contained.”
Brett’s eyes were fixed on the faint shimmer of mana that drifted from the seam. “It feels alive. Like it’s… waiting.”
Josh rested his sword against his shoulder and exhaled slowly. “Then we’d better not keep it waiting.”
Carcan glanced around at each of them, her tone calm but firm. “That’s the boss room,” she whispered, lifting the map slightly as if hoping it would somehow change. “So… are you all ready for this? Or should we take another break?”
Perberos rolled his shoulders, sniffing the air again. “Another break and I might actually fall asleep,” he muttered. “Let’s get it over with before my nerves get bored.”
Bheldur snorted. “Speak for yourself. My nerves have been dancing a jig since that portal experience." He spun one of his axes in a loose circle. “But aye, I’m ready. Been ready for a while.”
Carcan raised an eyebrow. “And your heartbeat isn’t going wild this time?”
“It is,” Bheldur admitted. “But I’m choosing to ignore it.”
Josh smirked and tapped the pommel of his sword. “That’s the spirit.”
Carcan looked to Josh last, her eyes searching. “And you? You’ve been quieter for the last stretch.”
“Just thinking,” Josh said. He rested his palm against one of the bronze doors, feeling the vibration of power thrumming beneath the metal. “Whatever’s in there… it’s strong. I can feel it.”
“That makes two of us,” Perberos said, ears twitching. “Three if we count Bhel’s heartbeat.”
“Oh, shut it,” Bheldur grumbled, but there was a grin behind it.
Carcan took a steadying breath. “Right. Then we go in together. No rushing, no splitting up, and no heroic leaps unless absolutely necessary.”
Josh huffed a quiet laugh. “I’ll try to restrain myself.”
“Please do,” she replied, though her lips curved slightly.
With one more shared nod between them, Josh pressed harder against the door. “Ready?” he murmured.
The group murmured back in unison.
And with a deep breath, he pushed.
The runes flared brighter, the crimson seam splitting open with a sound like cracking stone. The doors swung inward, revealing a massive circular chamber beyond.
It was lit by faint shafts of light spilling through cracks in the ceiling far above, and at its centre stood an altar of black stone surrounded by jagged pillars. The air shimmered with mana, swirling in lazy spirals. Bones littered the floor, orcs, goblins, even the hulking skeletons of trolls, all piled like offerings around the dais.
And atop that dais, motionless for now, was a hulking creature, the final hurdle the party would have to overcome. Josh swallowed, tightening his grip on his sword. “Well,” he muttered, “guess we found the boss.”
