Snow crunched beneath Sam’s boots as he raced through along the bottom of the gorge, narrowly avoiding shards of ice flung at him from above. Some smaller shrapnel found its mark, but it was easily rebuffed by his runic armour.

  Molly had finally been ground to a halt, and he gritted his teeth as he saw her slowly penned in by a veritable wall of ice and sleet. Her magical defences were limited, but her hardy constitution meant she could endure a wide array of attacks without suffering significant damage.

  Siel, on the other hand, had been targeted by some of the new arrivals, which Sam quickly identified as [Frost Roc Judicators]. He watched in horror as she narrowly avoided being dive-bombed by the massive adult rocs. Her speed and agility were impressive, and he watched her run along the top of the gorge, firing her new [Creeping Arrows] through the gaps between the Judicators’ wings.

  The arrows exploded on contact, releasing balls of sharp creepers that burrowed into their victim’s flesh. The frigid temperature slowed them, but Sam was pleased to see that they still took root. Over time, they could completely consume the host, embedding the victim with a web of thorny vines.

  Sam needed to try to level the playing field, which meant dealing with the remains of the lesser monsters. The [Frost Archon] was still observing the battle from its perch on the side of the cliff, but Sam knew it could join the battle at any moment.

  He used his additional levels in [Kinetic Discipline] to dash along the canyon walls, closing the gap between the snapping rocs. His spear flashed in the dim light as he brute-forced his way through their lines. Clouds of feathers fell around him, and he heard cries of outrage from the larger birds circling overhead.

  While not as coordinated as the Draug forces had been, there was a pattern to how the monsters moved. It was clear their aim was to separate the party, isolating them so they could be dealt with individually. While Sam was loath to lose the advantage of the high ground, he also couldn’t focus on attacking while constantly checking to make sure the others were alright.

  “Siel, come down and help out Molly. I can’t get at the bigger rocs while they’re up there chasing you.”

  “I’ll be alright, I just give my arrows time to work.”

  Sam grunted as he hammered his way through another ice fence, legs slowed by a bank of snow that reached almost to his waist. “It’s not just you. Molly is pinned down. This is a bad matchup for her.” Arther’s words about familiars rang in his mind as he watched the massive pig slowly get buried under a dome of ice.

  He glanced up to see Siel peering over the edge, eyes going wide as she realized the extent of the War Boar’s predicament.

  “Understood, I’m coming down.” She leapt from the top of the gorge, and Sam’s heart nearly stopped. Her lithe form twisted in the air as she shot an arrow into the rock, giving herself an anchor as she swung down on a vine rope.

  The largest [Frost Roc Judicator] chose that exact moment to strike.

  The colossal sapphire bird tucked its wings tight to its body, dropping faster than Sam would have believed possible for something so large.

  He didn’t even have a chance to cry out before the talons shot outwards and grabbed the sylvan out of the air. Its wings snapped back, slowing its fall as it raised its great beak and let out a triumphant cry.

  Its victory was short-lived.

  A line of silver energy shot out in an arc, turning the bird’s screech into a choking retch. Siel grinned as she struck again with her curved, long-handled knife, extending its reach with her [Lunar Blade].

  While Siel preferred to fight at range, they’d both agreed that she needed to start building out her close-range options. Her Class gave her three primary disciplines, and while the Lunar element was primarily built around providing buffs and blessings, it did also have some vicious offensive magic.

  A pale crescent slid over the burnished metal of her dagger, the magic slicing through the vulnerable points in the roc’s throat. The two were still entangled, blue blood trailing behind them as the beast spiralled towards the earth. The light in its eyes went out, yet the damage was done.

  He watched as Siel desperately hacked at the rugged talons, unable to free herself. The roc’s corpse had her locked in a death grip as the ground rose to meet them.

  He moved without thinking, pivoting to match the angle of their descent. His entire body thrummed as the [Prototype Cor] slammed in his chest. His muscles tensed as he drove his foot down on the butt of his spear, bending the nearly indestructible metal. If he hadn’t already been channelling mana through it, he doubted he would have been able to accomplish it. The ancient weapon seemed to sense his intention and allowed him to shape it to his will.

  “HOLD ON!” he yelled, grabbing the spear at its center and dashing forward, blasting away the snow with the speed of the movement. He launched the spear like a javelin, despite that being far from its intended purpose. The heavy iron weapon wobbled in the air, but his aim was true.

  It took the dead roc clean in the chest, the hook catching on its icy feathers. The force of the throw completely arrested its fall, driving it horizontally into the wall of the ravine. The hook stopped the spear from punching clean through, and Sam let out a whoop as it pinned the corpse to the wall, leaving it hanging twenty feet off the ground.

  No longer in freefall, Siel managed to cut herself free. She dropped to the stony ground, landing in a graceful crouch. Blood stained her clothes, and there were deep gashes in her armour, but there was a fierce grin on her face. They locked eyes before turning and running towards the steadily growing mound of snow that obscured the raging boar.

  Above, the cries of the remaining rocs began to fade. Sam caught a glimpse of the two that had been on the receiving end of Siel’s [Creeping Arrows]. Their wings crumpled as they fought to remain upright, the thorny vines wrapping around the joints and tightening around their throats.

  Soft chimes rang in his ear as they fell out of the sky.

  A single Judicator remained, surrounded by a small handful of fledglings. They circled wearily, not wanting to get in range of the sylvan’s magical arrows.

  Another mournful moan rang through the valley as the [Frost Archon] moved for the first time since crawling out of its cave. Sam glanced up nervously as one of its many taloned arms reached out, claws grasping as it called to the surviving birds. A twisting vortex of snow erupted from its outstretched hand, pulling in the lesser beasts with ease. They fought, seemingly surprised by the demigod’s betrayal.

  The force of their flapping wings battered Sam as he broke open the thick cocoon of ice that encircled the boar. Molly–to her credit–was more angry than injured. Her disgruntled huff brought a smile to his lips as they desperately tried to dig her out from the mountain of snow.

  Sam had read about the [Frost Roc]’s tactics in the book Arther had given him. Supposedly, they preferred to encase their prey in ice, freezing them to death, then shattering them and enjoying the frozen remains. Sam hated that, as one of the many ways to die on the Spire, it was actually one of the more humane.

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  Babbling screeches rang against the stone as the rocs were finally captured by the Archon. It pulled them into one of the many beaks that snapped from its torso and shoulders. A river of blood flowed down the rocks, and Sam watched, disgusted, as it ate them alive.

  Its body rippled, tremors going out through its too many limbs. Arms, claws, and wings thrashed in a macabre dance as it pulled in the frigid air around it. The gorge grew very still, as if the entire world had suddenly breathed in and forgot to exhale.

  Sam’s body trembled, fear coursing through him. We shouldn’t have let it do that, he berated himself, watching as the boss grew tangibly in size. He was reminded of the few times he’d dabbled in MMOs in his youth. Clearly, they’d been under some sort of timer to kill the smaller monsters before the boss used it to power up.

  It was a complete contrast to the [Elder Cliff Adder], which had simply used its incredible bulk and not insubstantial magic to get the job done. Sam hoped that they’d managed to kill enough of the rocs that it wouldn’t receive too much of a boost.

  Siel healed the worst of Molly’s injuries, and the three regrouped in the center of the gorge. They’d discussed various scenarios for dealing with large, singular monsters, but the terrain wasn’t working in their favour.

  “Unfortunate about the adds, but it couldn’t be helped,” Siel said calmly, checking the string on her bow.

  Sam cocked an eyebrow at the terminology, but nodded his head in agreement. “Hopefully, we did enough. At this point, we treat it like every big boy.”

  “Choke it out?”

  “Choke it out,” he agreed, adjusting the strap on his shield. “Do you think you can get back up the walls?”

  Siel did a quick three-sixty before shaking her head. “Too much ice. Even with a vine grapple, it would take too long.”

  Sam bit his lip and gestured at one of the dark holes in the rock. “Think you can get to one of those caves? It’s not ideal, but I don’t like the idea of you having to fire through us.”

  “What, worried I’ll miss?” she said with a smirk.

  “Worried I’ll get in the way,” he said tactfully, not meeting her eye.

  She snorted, but took off at a sprint, shooting an arrow up the wall and hauling herself up the trailing vine.

  “Well, it’s just you and me, girl,” Sam said fondly, giving Molly a slap on the flank.

  The boar grunted amiably, but her eyes were fixed on the twitching monster, which still hadn’t moved from its position halfway up the cliff.

  “Yeah, I’m not a huge fan of that either. Why don’t we go see if we can’t shake it loose?”

  The boar gave a loud squeal and sped off towards the canyon wall.

  Sam couldn’t help but grin as a wave of force built up in front of her, and she slammed directly into the frost-covered stone. An audible crack rippled up the wall, and the thin lip supporting the [Frost Archon] groaned, shuddered, and gave way.

  The beast let out an unearthly shriek as it tumbled towards the ground, its disjointed collection of wings flapping haphazardly in an attempt to keep it upright.

  Molly smartly backed away before it crashed at the bottom of the gorge, and Sam was pleased to see a few of its many limbs bent at odd angles.

  “Are you in position?” he thought at Siel, eyes fixed on the Boss.

  “Ten seconds, just priming the arrows.”

  “Alright,” he replied. “Let’s get to work.”

  He took a deep breath and launched himself forward, some small part of him still shocked by the speed of his body. He was running at a pace that would have put Olympic sprinters to shame, and he was doing so in full armour. In what was quickly becoming a habit, he consciously cycled mana into his Root Chakra. The pulsing well of energy at the base of his spine flared to life, pushing even more mana through his arms and legs.

  He quickly drew level with Molly, who was already circling back for another charge. She was breathing heavily, but he could sense the excitement in the way she reared her head. Her metal-capped tusks glinted in the half-light, and together they mounted an all-out assault on the downed Boss.

  Wind whipped past Sam’s face as he cleared the final hundred meters, the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears. All at once, the wind reversed course, nearly throwing him off balance.

  The Boss had managed to get to one of its many sets of feet and was using the same spell it had used on the birds to pull them towards it.

  Now, why is it doing that? Sam thought to himself, danger sense flaring to life.

  “Molly, abort!” he yelled, trying to slow himself down, only to find he was a slave to his own momentum. The boar managed to dig in its hooves, but he was left careening forward at a breakneck pace.

  In front of the Boss, a wall of jagged spikes arose. The wickedly sharp needles were nearly ten feet in length, and Sam could see himself reflected in the solid wall behind them. The stone beneath him was slick with ice, his boots unable to find purchase as he slid into Boss’s trap.

  Time slowed as he watched the largest of the spikes hurtle towards him. His limbs moved, mana flowing outwards in a violent wave.

  Shatter, he commanded, his hammer descending like a vengeful comet. [Platebreaker] landed with the sound of a ringing bell, the cracks blasting through the structure in an instant. The Boss’s construct exploded in a flurry of ice and snow as Sam continued his uncontrolled charge directly into the monster’s exposed chest.

  The past week, he’d made a concerted effort to get his [Hammer Mastery] skill to Tier 5, allowing him to purchase his first dedicated skill for the weapon. He hadn’t been disappointed.

  [Platebreaker - Iron - Rare - Upgradable]

  A strike that disrupts the magical constructs of the Divine. Shatter the armour of the Heavens, and those who would seek to defend them.

  Bonus: Magic penetration scales with [Apostate].

  Cost: 4,000 Spira

  While [Longinus Strike] was specifically aimed at dismantling and disrupting the natural flow of mana and spells, [Platebreaker] was its complement. It was designed to rip through magical constructs and armour.

  Combined, he’d become the perfect disruptor. He now had an answer to defences both physical and ethereal. As he levelled the skills, he knew his damage potential would only continue to ramp. He was a threat that had to be answered. A foe you couldn’t just ignore.

  He laughed as he began raining blows on the stunned Boss. Bones cracked beneath his hammer, and he managed to break one of its many beaks before being forced back by its swiping talons.

  Molly collided with it from the other side, knocking it off balance as it struggled to orient itself against multiple targets.

  In the distance, the true battle began.

  The twang of Siel’s bow became a steady rhythm as she launched arrow after arrow into the Boss’s exposed flesh. Over and over, it attempted to summon ice barriers to deflect the shots. And over and over, Sam tore them down. He was a one-man wrecking crew, not bothering to go in for hits of his own, as he watched the ever-expanding lattice of thorns slowly consume the mutant.

  It died a slow death.

  Unlike the Adder, whose life had ended in an instant, the Archon was dragged down with a systemic application of force.

  Siel was forced to reposition twice as it sent out shards of ice to dislodge her, but each attempt to dispel the magic already eating at its body was thwarted by Sam and Molly’s constant aggression.

  It resorted to tearing off its own flesh in an attempt to extract the thorns, but that only hastened its downfall. In the end, it took almost ten minutes to slowly whittle down the monster. It took Sam hitting it three times in the chest with no response to realize it was no longer fighting back. The chime had been lost over the steady pounding of his hearts.

  It collapsed, body absolutely broken.

  A second Iron Tier Boss had been felled by their hands. They’d overcome one of the most vicious tyrants of the frozen north.

  Sam smiled as he reached out a vial to collect the blood pouring from one of the Boss’s many wounds. More than just the victory, more than just the spira; they’d done something he was confident no other Warrior had been able to do.

  They’d collected the ingredients for a [Divine Core].