Riftside - Chapter 53

The second platform looked exactly as we'd left it, except Edwin's party had beat us back. Dean's scavengers huddled near the center. No fresh monster corpses meant nothing had tried to push through while we were out exploring.

Edwin walked over to meet me.

“Report.”

“Dead end,” I said, keeping it brief. “Blightpedes, Ring Beetles, Sap Seekers. Nothing special. No passages up.”

He nodded.

“Same here. Richard and Shay should finish downstairs soon.” His fingers drummed against his shield, staring at the remaining tunnel. “Our priority now is to hold this position, Aldrich. We cannot afford to get pushed back out.”

“If you let them relegate us to backup duty, I will NEVER forgive you,” Roq growled. “I mean it! I'll sing vulgar tavern songs in your head. ALL. DAY. LONG.”

“Agreed,” I said, addressing both Edwin and Roq. “But we need to push forward fast. The longer we wait, the more time the dungeon has to come up with something nasty like last time.”

“You have a valid point,” Edwin said.

“You can go with our party and we’ll hold the next point. Give you extra time to explore further.”

Alex stepped forward, frowning across his silver beard.

“Commander, with respect — Ash's group is untested. He only just reached level ten.” He gestured at our party. “They should keep our rear safe.”

“They will be at the rear,” Edwin said. “But they will also move with us as we advance.”

“Sir, that's—”

“Enough,” Edwin said, cutting him off. “We press on. These tunnels are clear, which means up is our only option.”

He raised his hand, silencing any further protest.

“Dean,” he called to his scavenger leader. “Your group holds here until the next adventuring party arrives. When they do, send them after us. The last adventuring group to come up is to hold this point. Once they’re in place, catch up with us.”

Dean saluted sharply.

“Understood, Commander.”

Edwin hefted his tower shield and started toward the unexplored branch. His team fell in behind him.

We followed them into the new tunnel, Knut matching my stride.

“Watch them,” he murmured, nodding ahead.

I did. And what I saw was... humbling.

Edwin's party moved with efficient destruction. Sure, the monsters were far below their power levels, but they fought in a way that conserved energy. No wasted movements. No flashy displays. Just clean, economic kills to preserve stamina and mana.

“Now that's what I call professional violence!” Roq said appreciatively. “Though it could use more flair. Maybe some dramatic poses? Battle cries? Corpse explosions? Oh, yes, that would do nicely!”

“Status check,” I said softly.

“Full mana,” Nabeeh said. “Ready to light this place up.”

“Eighty percent,” Benedict added.

He'd wasted a lot of mana in the previous room and had yet to regenerate fully.

I nodded, watching Edwin's group dispatch another cluster of beetles without breaking stride.

“Well, look at it this way,” Roq mused. “At least we get to learn from the best before a big bad monster tries to eat us. That's... something, right?”

“Let's hope we're quick studies. I’m not that keen on becoming fertilizer in this rift rotted place.”

After a while, the passage opened into a massive chamber with four tunnels leading out, in addition to the one we entered through.

“Now this,” Roq said, “Is more like it!”

The chamber dwarfed anything we'd seen so far. Smooth stone made up the floor, though parts were marred with spider-webbing cracks. The walls curved inward slightly, creating an unsettling sense of being watched from all angles. Far above, the ceiling arched into darkness where roots and stone formations hung like teeth waiting to drop.

“Dramatic! Though it could use blood spatters. Rivers of blood. And maybe a few impaled corpses? Or a bit more than a few…like, a whole lot!”

Along the wall across from where we’d entered, a steep stone ramp wound clockwise upward, running around the entire room, ending at a circular opening large enough for two men to walk through side by side. Or for something as large as two grown men to squeeze down.

Edwin walked a circle, peering down each tunnel, all lit by luminescent mushrooms.

“Good sight lines down each tunnel, though I can't see the end,” he muttered to himself, before turning to look at the walkway, following it with his eyes all the way up to the ceiling.

His shield clinked against the stone as he turned to face me.

“Aldrich. Defend this chamber as we clear the first branch,” he said, his voice carrying in the dead silence. “If anything comes down that ramp or through these tunnels, you hold until we return. If you're about to be overwhelmed, fall back to the previous platform. Do not get your party killed because you thought you could stop something overwhelming. Understood?”

I nodded, already studying the room's layout. 

“Understood, Commander.”

“And Aldrich?” Edwin's scarred face was grim in the sword-light. “Don't try to be a hero. Your job is to keep your people alive.”

With that, he led his team into the tunnel to our direct left. I stepped into the chamber's center.

“Everyone, gather round,” I said. My voice bounced softly off the curved walls. “We need to establish some clarity in case of battle.”

My adventuring party moved closer, while the scavengers remained near the entry point. I motioned for the massive tunnel directly across from us.

“We'll call that North.”

“It's got gouges near the entrance! Maybe something big has made that place its home! What if it’s something deliciously violent? Now that would be something!”

I indicated the closest right-hand tunnel next to where we entered. “That is South. East is that narrow one by the ramp, and finally,” I gestured to where Edwin had disappeared, “west is where the Commander went.” I smelled the air. “What in the rift cursed monster arse could make such a smell? I don’t see any of those Blightpedes around.”

“What about up there?” Enar asked, pointing to the ramp with his spear.

I couldn't help chuckling. 

“That would be 'up.'“

Enar's face reddened. 

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“Hey, no apologies needed,” I said. “There are no stupid questions in a dungeon. Only dead people who didn't ask enough of them.”

He brightened at that and smiled. 

“Then, what do we call the tunnel we came through?”

“That's 'home.'“

Turning to the scavengers, I pointed to the entrance tunnel.

“Garret, you guys guard that tunnel, but Edwin’s order goes double for you. Don’t join in the battle and no heroics. You’ll only get in the way.”

“Got it,” he said and they took up positions.

I walked around the room, peering down each tunnel. Wade crouched at the dead center of the room, staring up at the opening in the ceiling. Benedict and Nabeeh stayed near the center, too, both looking bored but alert as they scanned the tunnels.

“Feels wrong,” Wade muttered as I completed my second round, unable to stand still. Edwin and his party had disappeared around a bend in the tunnel and were out of sight. “Less like fighting through a dungeon and more like breaking into one. It’s like the monsters are waiting for us to do something, or maybe waiting for us to separate from other groups.”

Before I could respond, muted sounds echoed from the West tunnel and we all froze, listening intently.

“Is that metal clanking off chitin?”

“Beats me. Why? What did you expect to find here? Blobs of water?”

The crackle of lightning that followed a moment later was unmistakable, as was the shriek of a dying monster.

“Commander's found some playmates,” Nabeeh said. “Maybe he lets some through for us?”

“Focus on the other three tunnels,” I said, my eyes sweeping over the northern entrance. “Edwin can handle whatever the dungeon throws at him.”

“Ahh! ASH! GET READY! IT'S HERE!” Roq's voice thundered in my skull. “The voice! The one that wants us dead!”

“You mean the—”

“Come at me, enemies of violence!” Roq's laughter filled my head. “Feel my power! Be crushed beneath my might! Actually, wait — be crushed beneath OUR might! No, MY might! BLOOD FOR THE... umm... FOR ME!”

“Everyone!” I shouted. “We've got company!”

Benedict, Wade, and Nabeeh didn’t take me seriously right away and just stood about, but then the Ring Beetles appeared down the north tunnel, the knee high monsters' claws clicking against stone. At first there were just a few, then more and more poured out until the tunnel writhed with their steelhusk-covered bodies.

“Rift-cursed monster balls,” Wade muttered and spat. “That's a lot of bugs.”

“They're the least of our problems,” Benedict said. “Look east.”

I touched my sigil and did as he said. Deep within the tunnel, a mass of creatures surged forward. The sigil named them Riftcrowns, each the size of a human head, but there were so many. A flood. The creatures had long claws, and their mandibles opened like a snake's as they shrieked.

“That's a sand dune’s worth of bugs,” Nabeeh said, flames dancing between her fingers. “There's enough of them to clean all our bones in minutes!”

“Real targets,” Roq said. “No, wait, they’re not real. Just look at their puny size! I'd prefer something bigger. You know, worthy of my magnificence!”

A deep rumble was the dungeon’s reply to his wish. The ground trembled and then vibrations moved up through my boots, and a sound of grinding on stone resounded from inside one of the tunnels. It was as if something massive pushed its way from the ‘south’.

“Oh no,” Benedict said. “Oh no, no, and no!”

A massive head appeared deep within and it was outlined in dark yellow, wider than three men standing shoulder to shoulder and tall enough to fill the tunnel. It was a monstrous worm the sigil called a Titanfang. The monster had no eyes or mouth, just a horrible shovel-like face plate, a wedge that would uproot anything in its path.

“Good,” Knut said with forced cheer. “Now know what made gouges in floor!”

I spun to face my party, mind racing through options as the monsters closed in.

“Wade, Knut! Take the North tunnel and stop those beetles!”

Knut gave a sharp nod as he and Wade ran across the room.

“Nabeeh, Benedict! West tunnel — deal with those Riftcrowns! Don't let them reach the chamber or they’ll swarm right over us!”

“My pleasure,” Nabeeh said, hurrying off towards the tunnel. “Time you learned why there is no ice in the desert.”

Benedict scoffed, following after her and shaking his head. 

I caught Eryn's eye before heading down the tunnel towards the worm. Wade and Knut were already deciding on how to take on the monsters in their own tunnel, and that actually filled me with a sense of calm. Wade maybe wasn’t even that bad if he could adapt so quickly and might even be useful.

“That's what I call a target-rich environment,” he said, loading a bolt.

“Only good bug is dead bug. They make mace sticky,” Knut replied, clanking his weapon against the shield.

“Don't worry. Just watch this. Bet you’ve never seen anything like it,” Wade said and tapped Knut on the back.

I turned toward my own tunnel and cursed under my breath. The Titanfang was slow, only moving at a man's leisurely pace, but I was sure it could attack fast if needed.

“FINALLY!” Roq's laughter echoed through my mind. “Something big enough to be WORTHY of violence! Though I still think it could use more teeth. Or maybe some spikes on the front? What do you think? Would Pa make me a weapon rack out of its head? You could keep it in your storage for when I don’t want to sit on my satin pillow.”

“Let's see if we can break its face plate first, buddy.”

“Fire in the hole!” Wade called and a sharp whistling noise followed. A second later, a massive explosion shook the entire floor. I stopped, turning to see Knut whooping as burning beetle parts pinged off his shield. Flames and smoke filled the northern tunnel.

“Now THAT was impressive!” Roq said. “I take back everything bad I ever said about Wade. Well, most of it. Some of it? He has at least one thing going for him: explosions!”

“Let me know if the monsters get past them. You can do that, right?”

“Of course! What do you think I am? A mere ordinary hammer? Have some faith!”

I charged the Titanfang, watching its massive head grind against the tunnel walls as if trying to punch through with its sheer weight.

“How in the rift's backside are we supposed to even fight this?”

“Violence! Lots of it!”

The scraping sound filled my helmet as the monster ground against the tunnel walls.

“Just look at those lower armor plates. Imagine what we could forge with its carcass!”

“I'm not sure it'll fit in my spatial storage, Roq. Kind of big.”

The creature's wedge-shaped head swung back and forth as it advanced, a few inches off the ground, each time it hit the wall it carved a new gouge. No eyes, no mouth — just the wedge-like faceplate and a whole lot of mass.

I channeled energy into Roq, feeling Armor Break surge through the hammer's head. Time to test just how tough the monster’s defences really were. I swung with all my strength, slamming Roq against the creature's slanted faceplate. The impact rang out like striking a steel slab, the sound echoing down the tunnel. To my great surprise, the Titanfang didn't even flinch. 

I jumped back, dodging a lazy swipe of its head. There was very little momentum to its attack as it had no space to properly move around in.

“That's a problem.”

“No, that's an OPPORTUNITY!” Roq said. “You just have to hit it harder!”

“Harder than Armor Break?”

But I activated my Smash ability anyway. It'd do more damage, even if it wasn't made for dealing with armor. Energy channeled into Roq and golden light blazed along his surface as I slammed him onto the Titanfang's nose. Or where it would have been if it had one.

The monster didn't seem to care at all.

“This is boring,” Roq complained. “You should see what's happening behind us! Nabeeh and Benedict are having a competition to see who can slaughter the most bugs! She's winning right now — those fireballs take out multiple targets while his ice bolts only hit one at a time. But just wait until those bugs get in range of their other spells! Now THAT will be entertaining!”

I walked backward, hammering at the Titanfang again and again.

“Focus on our own fight. Any ideas on how to kill this thing? Or even damage it?”

“We could always try asking it nicely to die? No? Fine, keep hitting it. Maybe if we're lucky it will get bored and leave.”

I did just that and to my surprise, energy tingled inside me and the creature shuddered, its forward movement slowing.

“Stagger activated!”

Its defenses and speed would be reduced by ten percent for the next thirty seconds.

“Big whoop!”

I stopped trying to hit it hard and just hammered Roq against the monster as fast as I could while dodging its swipes. A few hits later and Stagger triggered again, slowing the worm's movement even further.

“Oh great, now we're missing out on even MORE experience!” Roq whined. “Look! There are Rotmasks charging down the northern tunnel!”

“Rot—never mind. What are they? Describe.”

“Umm… four-legged beetles with wolf heads and scything arms! Think that’s about as good a comparison as any. Oh, and we're stuck here playing pat-a-cake with this oversized dirt-eater while everyone else is having fun!”

“Maybe if we can get Stagger to trigger enough times, its defenses will go down enough that Armor Break will be effective. What do you think?”

I attacked and stepped back again, glancing around. We'd covered half the distance back to the main chamber and the worm was still coming.

“Yes.” Roq's tone grew interested. “YES! Stack the defense reduction until that plate is soft as butter, then CRACK IT WIDE OPEN!”

“Let's buy more time. Forge Anchor.”

I lifted Roq high, then slammed him into the ground. Steelhusk bindings erupted from the stone under the worm, twisting between its segments. The monster let out a deep, grinding rumble, its bulk thrashing and then stopped.

“Roq,” I said out loud, hammering rapidly on the faceplate as if trying to heat metal by beating it. “Can we activate both Smash and Armor Break at the same time? Will they stack?”

“Hmm,” Roq muttered, but went silent for a moment, which was rare enough to be concerning. “It should be possible. Though we've never tried it before, so who knows. Could be interesting! Or fatal. Probably both!”

“How's everyone doing?” I called, hammering the Titanfang's faceplate as rapidly as I could, working to trigger additional stacks of Stagger, though with three stacks, the chance was now low.

But at least we had a plan to deal with the giant worm, though I needed to buy enough time for Smash and Armour Break to come off cooldown, and then I needed at least two more stacks of Stagger.

“North tunnel clear-ish!” Wade shouted from the chamber. “Working on some wolf-faced pig-bugs now!”

The sound of Benedict's ice spells filtered down the tunnel, followed by the sound of crackling flames. Or was that the ice crackling? As long as they dealt with the swarm I didn’t care either way.

“Got the last of them!” Nabeeh called. “And Benedict owes me dinner!”

“I most certainly do not!” the ice mage protested. “That last group was clearly—”

“Incoming from overhead!” Eryn's shout echoed through the chamber. “Multiple monsters!”

“I still haven't tasted ANY blood yet,” Roq said. “This is TORTURE! How am I supposed to maintain my reputation as a weapon of mass destruction if we keep playing with this overgrown earthworm?”

I kept hammering at the Titanfang's faceplate, trying to trigger another Stagger stack, but it just wasn’t working.

“What do you see up there, Roq?”

Benedict's voice cut through the chamber. 

“Everyone stand clear of the ramp!”

I stepped back, looking away from the Titanfang and through the south tunnel's mouth. Across the chamber, I could see where the stone ramp met the floor near the north tunnel. A thick wall of ice materialized, blocking access from the ramp.

“Oh, this is going to be GOOD!” Roq said. “Bramblebacks! Three of them! Maybe four, or more? Hard to tell what is up above. Hmm, damn it. I hate them!”

“Hate in particular? Why?”

“They are big, four-legged, covered in plate, and have thick forelimbs ending in hammer-like hands. Now, you tell me why we hate them!”

I groaned, trying not to say anything stupid.

“No, they’re definitely not as powerful as you or your monster form, Roq.”

“You mean it?”

A thunderous crash cut off Roq's question as something heavy slammed into Benedict's ice wall, once, twice, and then three times.

“How can you even see those things so clearly from inside the tunnel?”

“My senses aren’t as poor as your puny ones, I thought you knew that,” Roq said as I swung him again at the Titanfang, desperate for another Stagger, but nothing triggered. 

The existing stacks faded away, the timer running out without a refresh.

“Shit-eating son of a rift-spawned whore!” Benedict yelled, ice exploding somewhere in the chamber behind me.

I turned to see Knut moving to meet the three Bramblebacks that had shattered the ice wall. They stood, having been tucked into a ball form to roll down the ramp, and before Knut could brace properly, the first struck his shield with one hammer-like limb. The impact lifted our tank off his feet and sent him stumbling backward.

A fireball from Nabeeh exploded against the second monster's side while Benedict's ice bolt struck the third's back and it stumbled forward, growling. Wade's crossbow bolt hit the first in the front, the metal tip sparking as it deflected off the creature's plating.

“Ash!” Wade called out. “We could use some help here!”

The Titanfang's slow. The biggest threat are the Bramblebacks for now. Keep my party alive.

“Coming!”

I turned and ran for the chamber just as a fourth Brambleback rolled down the ramp, colliding with the first one. The fourth bounced into the chamber, while the first was sent stumbling past Knut and went sprawling.

Behind me, the Titanfang ripped free of the steelhusk bindings and started moving. That didn’t matter now as we couldn’t fight it in the tunnel anyway. The face was just too armored until my skills reset. If it had to exit the chamber before we engaged it, then so be it. 

Benedict and Nabeeh stood together by the east tunnel, the two monsters they'd attacked moving towards them.

Knut and the first Brambleback were picking themselves up, west of the north tunnel entrance. Wade backed towards 'home' and the scavengers, away from the fourth beast. He sighed heavily and then pulled an absolutely gigantic crossbow from his spatial storage. The weapon was longer than he was tall, and two legs dropped from below to support its weight. It had big limbs and the string was as thick as my thumb. 

“Looks like the man still has an ace up his sleeve.”

“Ohh, I want to see what he does with it.”

“You magnificent bastard,” Nabeeh said as she cast Fire Trap on the ground between her and the monsters. “Been holding out on us.”

Wade braced the weapon against his shoulder, aimed center mass on the fourth Brambleback and triggered the release. The string thrummed, sending the arm-sized bolt clean through the monster's armored chest, killing it instantly.

“Well,” Roq said, “I guess size does matter.”

“Then grow bigger, you fruitcake!”

“Fruitcake? Oh, that sounds delicious! Next time we are at the Timberline, place a piece on me, will you? Any fruit will do.”

I rolled my eyes at him as I ran for the nearest Brambleback. Benedict raised his staff and unleashed a wave of frost catching both monsters advancing toward him and Nabeeh. Ice crackled over their limbs, freezing them in place, but only for a short moment.

Nabeeh didn't waste the opening. She darted around the trapped beasts and held her staff out, red glowing sigils appearing on the ground beneath their feet.

“Heads up, frosty!” she called, then angled her staff forward and cast a cone of blazing fire that washed over both monsters from behind, where they looked less armored, and would have singed Benedict if he hadn’t thrown himself to the ground.

The Bramblebacks roared as flames engulfed their bodies, armor blackening and cracking under the intense heat.

I stopped running and watched Knut as he engaged his opponent. He feinted with his shield, drawing an attack from one hammer-like limb, then spun inside the creature's reach. His mace struck the gap between armor plates on its neck with crushing force and it dropped dead.

“Weak spot!” he yelled. “Between plates on neck!”

“Got it!” I shot back. “Nabeeh! Benedict? Need help?”

“Yes! They’re too tough to kill just by magic!” Nabeeh said, shooting another fireball at the nearest monster.

“Not if you focused your damage properly!” Benedict said, casting an ice bolt that smashed against the face of one Brambleback.

I rushed to join the fight, Roq already held high and now only about ten steps away. The two burning monsters got back to their feet and skittered toward the mages again. 

“Quick! Kill both before anyone else does,” Roq said. “I'm SO close to leveling up!”

The first Brambleback's armor had been weakened by the heat, I could see it even with a glance. It was almost gooey. I brought Roq down hard on the exposed neck joint Knut had identified, feeling just enough resistance that I knew I’d struck home, and then the creature's legs buckled and it fell to the floor.

“Oh YES! More! Give me a DOUBLE!”

I obliged, wheeling to face the second beast. Its armor glowed cherry-red from Nabeeh's flames and had cracked in several places, while one of the legs was damaged by frostbite and even partially missing. One solid hit was all it took.

The grinding sound grew louder and drew everyone's attention back to the south tunnel. I knew the damned Titanfang was about to enter the chamber, but what I didn’t know was whether my plan would work.

“Well,” Wade said. “Any ideas how to kill it? I don’t think my bolts will help here!”

“I might have,” I said. What they needed to hear was, well, anything but that it was all a gamble on something I’d never done before and didn’t know whether worked or not. “Nabeeh, light me up?”

“Empower Fire coming up,” she said and touched my shoulder. 

Roq's head burst into flames.

“Knut! Get the buff, too, and help me keep it busy!” I yelled and ran for the worm as its head entered the room. Just before reaching it, I pulled Roq back, and hammered its faceplate with all my power. 

Not a damn thing happened.

“This is either going to be SPECTACULAR or CATASTROPHIC!” Roq's voice rang out with glee. “Either way, I approve! Maybe throw in an explosion and yell ‘kaboom’?”

“What in the frozen monster guts?” Benedict asked.

“Hammer stacks defense reduction,” Knut said.

I’d told him Roq’s stats after our fight with Arclight.

I kept swinging, and energy surged through me as Stagger triggered. The monster's movement slowed slightly, making it easier for me to stay away from its shovel face. After sidestepping another swipe I brought the hammer down and a second stagger activated.

It would have to do, and I grinned within my helmet, channeling mana into Smash while Roq activated Armor Break. The surge of power made my arms tingle and Roq's surface blazed with fire, golden, and red light, looking like something out of a storybook.

“BLOOD FOR ME!”

I swung Roq at the center of the worm's faceplate, and with a sound like shattered iron, its face broke. As the armor fell away, it exposed pink flesh with a dark hole down the center filled with polyps, like the yucky brown things I'd seen fishmongers selling when I was growing up.

The Titanfang thrashed wildly and even spun around on the ground, twisting away from me. If it was any faster, I’d probably get rolled over.

“Now that is one angry worm!” Wade laughed. I could hear him nearby, and multiple clicks followed. He was probably reloading bolts.

“Hit the pinkish flesh! Everything you got!” I said.

Nabeeh's Fireball seared past me and slammed right on target, flames engulfing the pink spot and turning it black almost immediately. Benedict's ice bolt hit next, and dug into the monster’s flesh, then started spreading in all directions. Oddly, the flames didn’t go out and only grew larger as Nabeeh cast another spell, one I’d never seen before. Darker red flames ate away at the creature from within.

“Might want to step back,” Wade said as his crossbow started to glow. “Fire in the hole!”

“What? No! That's his explosive skill! He's trying to steal our kill! After all our hard work! STOP HIM!”

I got my shield up just in time as the bolt disappeared down the creature’s facehole and exploded within. Smoke, goo, and fleshy bits shot out, as if the monster had thrown up. It shook its heavily armored body, and turned toward him. 

“Damn it! That should have killed the thing!” Wade yelled, backing away from it and already reloading.

“How does it yet live?” Nabeeh asked, lowering her staff. “Why didn’t it die? Makes no sense!”

“The brain!” Roq said. “Hit the brain! Everything dies if you destroy its brain!”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do, smartass?”

“Maybe it’s in the… you know… Just get in there!”

The Titanfang's massive body whipped sideways, its injured front sweeping through the chamber like a mortar seeking to squash berries in a pestle. I threw myself back, my armor scraping against stone as the monster's bulk passed in front of me. Knut wasn't as lucky. The worm caught his shield and sent him flying, smashing the tank into the wall.

“Imagine how hard I'd hit if I was that size! What do you think? Will I ever grow that big?”

“I sure hope not. And can we focus please?”

“You need to upgrade me.”

“Watch o—!” Garret's shout turned into a yelp of pain as the worm slammed against the leftside of the room, its body completely covering 'home'. Garret must have been peeking out and gotten smacked in the face.

I scrambled to my feet and walked backwards towards the north tunnel. 

“Everyone back!”

Rusted ruin!

The Titanfang hadn't been slow, it’s just that the tunnel had been trapping it. The part of it now free in the chamber whipped back and forth with crushing speed.

“Don't let it pin you!” I shouted. “Stay away from it!”

The others didn’t need be told. Nabeeh and Benedict had retreated to the east wall while Wade had gone west, standing next to Knut as the tank picked himself up. If he hadn't been the tank, he'd probably have been killed or at least wounded badly by such a hit.

“Plan?” Knut shouted over the sound of the monster's thrashing. “Can’t close. Can’t hit!”

“Care to change shape and kill the worm?”

“I relish the thought of carving this sausage into tiny little pieces, but,” Roq said and then released a sound that reminded me of a human sigh. “It is still too soon for me to transform.”

“You have no idea how to do it, do you?”

“That too, yes.”

The worm whipped back towards the west, narrowly missing Knut and Wade. Nabeeh threw a fireball at its side, and flames washed over its armored segments, turning its white armor a hint of charred red, but doing no real damage.

Benedict's ice bolt fared no better, exploding harmlessly against its tough exterior.

“But I can provide tactical advice. Like, you know, smack its brain with me. I'm sure it'll die if you do that!”

“We need to find its brain!” I called out. “Smack that and it'll die!”

“Where brain?” Knut asked, moving even further away from the worm, flinching as the monster's head swept past again.

With each swipe, the Titanfang slid further into the room. Stone cracked where its armored bulk slammed into walls, and the chamber felt smaller with each passing second.

“I've dissected Azbaran death worms,” Nabeeh shouted, casting a new Fireball at its pink, fleshy innard as it cracked past her. “Their brains are in the third body segment.”

“How big are those worms?” Benedict asked, casting a cone of cold across the worm's side.

“Seven feet,” she said.

“This thing must be at least a hundred long!” Benedict said. “It’s not remotely the same!”

“What is your idea then, frosty?”

My back was pressed up against the wall as the worm tried to get to me.

“Third body segment's as good as anywhere!” Wade called as he and Knut rushed along the wall towards North. Wade took aim at the monster's side as it swung past, striking the wall not far from where they'd just stood. His bolt sparked off its armor plating without effect. 

“Damn it! Thing’s tougher than plate,” he said.

“Hmm, okay. I think it’s time for us to break some armor. I’m ready!” Roq said.

“How? Even with my new stats that thing will whack me across the room!”

“Simple solution — we climb on top!”

“We what?”

“Either that or you have to retreat into the tunnels,” Roq said. “Then it can push in and squash you, or you get eaten by other monsters.”

“Or we head up and wait for Edwin to come back. Even if I could get on top of it, we'd be thrown—” I broke off, staring at where the Titanfang emerged from the south tunnel. That section of the worm barely moved, held in place by the narrow passage. If we could reach it...

My eyes tracked up to the stone ramp circling the chamber. It passed directly over where the worm was stuck.

“Three bells, Roq. I hate you!”

I swiped a Brambleback carcass into my spatial storage, as Roq would need fuel soon enough, and ran up the ramp. After placing my shield into storage, I gripped Roq in both hands. My feet felt as if they were full of lead, but I pushed the fear aside. It quickly turned into anger and then rage. 

Why? 

Why would we have to be afraid all the damned time? 

It’s time the damn monsters feel fear!

I followed the ramp’s upward curve around the chamber wall, ignoring all the protests from the others.

“Worm smashin’ time!”

Below, Nabeeh laughed, clapping her hands. 

“Oh, I know what he’s doing! This is going to be good! I’ll take wagers on our boss smiting that worm in ten—no, seven hits!”

I looked down into the chamber and saw the others moving towards the ramp's base as I reached the point above the Titanfang. The monster's armored back was directly beneath me, its front still thrashing wildly.

“Here goes nothing.”

I jumped, both hands tight on Roq, flames flapping in the air, and landed hard on its back, driving Roq's haft down. The Woodweaver leg-tip at the bottom punched through the worm's armor, anchoring me in place.

Despite the tunnel opening keeping this part trapped, I had to hold on for dear life.

“WHEEEE! THIS IS AMAZING!” Roq cried with joy. “Jump off and let's go again!”

“Roq! Can you activate the cloak's spikes?”

“Yes. But don't you dare let it steal my kill!”

Five poisoned spikes shot from my cloak one after another. As with Roq's haft-tip, they punched into the worm's armor. The magical garment understood what I wanted, and pulled tight, effectively strapping me to the Titanfang's back.

“What manner of ability is that?” Benedict demanded from the ramp above.

“Shut up! Attack! Distract it!” Knut ordered.

I yanked Roq free and raised him high above me.

“Armor break!”

Roq glowed red beneath his flames and I smashed him onto the plate I'd damaged. The impact broke the armor, cracks spiderwebbing from the hole. I grabbed an edge and heaved. 

Before my breakthrough I'd never be able to succeed in something like that, but now the sound of tearing flesh brought a smile to my face as I ripped the plate free, tossing it to the floor.

Underneath was a layer of yellow blubber, shot through with pulsing purple veins. The smell that rose from the wound made me gag inside my helmet, wiping the smile from my face.

“Maybe this is the papa Blightpede?”

“Lean back!” Nabeeh called.

I did, and a fireball streaked past, missing me narrowly as it lit the blubber on fire. It did absolutely nothing to help with the smell. Benedict's ice bolt followed, hitting the edge of the hole, and shards fell inside, freezing what fleshy veins remained.

I brought Roq down again and again, crushing through the burned and frozen tissue. 

There, beneath the flesh lay a grey, glistening, wrinkled mass.

“BRAIN! That has GOT to be brain.” Roq said. “Introduce us! Tis’ a date with DEATH!”

I channeled mana into Smash and Roq's surface blazed with golden light. Nabeeh's fire enchantment was still active as I struck with every ounce of strength I possessed.

Roq's burning head sank into the grey matter with a wet squelch and gore shot up, splashing across my armor.

The Titanfang tensed below me, its front rising into the air and letting out a dying wail.

“YES! Oh sweet VIOLENCE, yes! I can feel its life, Ash! Shove me inside that worm! Please! Leave me there until I’ve absorbed all of it!”

A loud farting sound belched from its front as the worm shuddered once more and deflated, falling back down to the floor.

“Finally, Ash! I have caught up!” Roq's voice rose to a crescendo. “DING! LEVEL TE— No, wait... what in the CURSED BLOODBATH IS THIS!? WHERE IS MY LEVEL UP!”