I suppose everyone has, at some point in their life, been feeling giddy with anticipation for something, be it a specific event or maybe even just a friend coming over. Well, that was the feeling I had as I descended the stairs to the 2nd floor of my dungeon, I was... Disappointed.

The first thing I noticed as I entered the 2nd floor was that the walls here were utterly devoid of any decor whatsoever, no murals, no hieroglyphs or anything. That was unusual as I would have expected there to be some form of decoration down here. Then I tried to place a hallway... And nothing happened, I double-checked my Essence, yep still plenty, so what in the world was going on?

That’s when I noticed the new sub menu in construction that hadn’t been there until now, one that made my currently non-existent heart skip a beat. A blinking red marker named Biomes. It didn’t take a genius to understand what that meant.

I had to select a biome for each floor. What madness was this? This crap wasn’t in the game because it was possible to utterly break the system with it and here it’s a requirement to build anything on deeper floors? Sign me up! I opened the biome menu and instantaneously had a severe case of choice paralysis.

There was an option for practically every conceivable environment out there in this menu. Including obviously fantastical ones like a Flying Castle, although I did not meet the requirements for most of these. Shaking myself out of my shocked state, I looked around the menu to see if there was any way to sort this thing to make it more readable.

With this many options there had to be, right? Luckily for me, that turned out to be correct. Within moments, I had filtered out every biome I didn’t meet the requirement to build, leaving me with only... A few dozen to choose from.

Let’s see, Great Mushroom Forest, hybrid cave and forest biome, cute but hybrid biomes was a terrible idea.

The stuff in them was always more expensive and had a penalty to upkeep if you didn’t have both the base biomes already. In this case, I would need both a Cave and a Forest biome. Unless I wanted to pay 2 times the upkeep for every base biome I was missing.

Since I was missing both Cave and Forest, that would be 4 times the upkeep total, no thanks. Hmm, so many choices, no, no, no, HELL NO! Hmm? I noticed that partially through the list of biomes was an extra header called “Special Biomes”. That sounded promising.

The first one was Underground Hive, and it was a dual Hive and Cavern biome, dual biome? . Hmm, so this Underground Hive was self expanding and would generate minions on its own without me having to buy anything.

That was neat, except for the minor issue of upkeep. The description said it had no support buildings. Those minions had a damn expensive upkeep, and I had no access to upkeep reducers in this biome at all. It might be of interest later on when I have a huge surplus of Essence gain. But for now, I better not subject myself to that.

The next two were instant rejections, the first was a Crystal Mine Biome. I remembered that one from the game. All that would do would make me a target for every Magic user and craftsman for leagues around. Sure, it would draw in more people to die in my dungeon, but right now, that was not something I wanted.

Problem was that aside from me and my few traps, the lethality of my dungeon was damn low. That biome had only passive monsters, I could not take it and expect to live for long. Or more likely I would end up as a tamed crystal fabricator for some hotshot adventurer, no thanks.

The other was the Sludge Pit. The entire biome was essentially a toxic bog where even the air itself was poisonous. It also released a poisonous gas that was lighter than air, so it would drift to higher floors. The problem was that neither me nor any of my available monsters, with exception to the basic Oozes, had immunity or resistance to poison. Meaning I would kill everything on the first floor and probably everything a good distance from the Dungeon entrance, myself included. This floor would go on the “Ignore” list if there was one, as it was utterly worthless to me.

I kept rifling through the list, rejecting biome after biome for various reasons. Man, these sucked. Was there no Special Biome worth having out there? Then, almost at the bottom of the list, I saw it.

A Biome I could pick, a Biome I hunted for in the game like an absolute madwoman because of the synergy with the Maze biome. It was a biome from the game itself called “The Depths” a biome that was a giant cavernous subterranean cave network, a Mutated Biome. A biome that replaced a Biome you already had on a floor, provided certain requirements were met.

I had literally tried for months upon months to mutate one of my Maze layers into this one, to no avail. Not only did “The Depths'' biome feature some nasty and cheap critters. In fact, all mutated biomes had overstated, under costed creatures and hazards. But it would also unlock access to the “Deep Labyrinth” and the “Underworld Maze” Special Biomes. These two Biomes featured some of the most powerful monsters the game offered for my base Biome type. Though at insane costs.

And here this holy grail I had searched for so long was right in front of me. Available for unlocking and waiting for me. There was no hesitation. I could not allow myself to hesitate, I NEEDED this biome. This was the defensive layer I needed to survive serious raids from seasoned adventurers.

The moment I picked it, the staircase room changed drastically. Instead of being a simple stone staircase along the wall with featureless walls, roof and floor. The room darkened and took on a more cavernous look. The stairs seemed to be a natural occurrence made from obsidian, with the walls now jet black obsidian as well, with glowing orange veins here and there simulating volcanic activity.

This, I decided, would be where I would place my first few support rooms, to help the critters I could spawn here, speaking of... I opened the Bestiary, time to spend some EP to unlock more stuff, lets see what this biome has to offer.

I was not disappointed, not by a long shot. The base 1 EP creature. With an upkeep of a measly 0.5e/d was the Strider. A giant insectoid that would shoot venomous spines at intruders. These things were not small either, each one the size of a grizzly and look at those stats, hallelujah.

Monster: Strider(Basic)

Genus: Insectoid

Biome: The Depth

HP: 150/150

MP: 0/0

Attack: 55

Defense: 50

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 75

Strength: 20

Dexterity: 19

Endurance: 28

Intelligence: -

Wisdom: -

Charisma: -

Upkeep: 0.5e/d

Skills: Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Pack Hunter(Racial), Ambush Tactics(Racial), Mirror Carapace(Racial), Poison Blood(Racial), Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Apex Predator(Racial), Poison Attack(Racial), Untameable(Racial), Mindless(Racial)

These things had no business being this powerful. And that was the only basic creature in the entire Depths lineup, meaning I now had the run of the intermediate line. Of which only needed 1 unlock to gain access to the Advanced creatures. That’s how broken Mutated Biomes were.

I went into mastery and started to look for the Strider Support; I knew it was in there somewhere, and I was determined to find and unlock it; it didn’t take that long, given the flashing icons showing them to be new unlocks.

Strider Den, Cost 1M

Increased movement speed and lowered upkeep for Striders. Also gives a slight chance that a Strider will spawn as a “Winged Strider” Variant. This variant can fly and has paralytic attacks rather than venomous ones.

Interesting, it was only 1 Mastery to unlock, so sure, that looked useful enough, I kept looking.

Strider Hatchery, Cost 1M

2 Swarmlings will accompany Strider packs for each Strider in the pack. Increases base Strider Pack size to 5 Striders (up from 4). If a Strider becomes a Flying Variant, it’s accompanying Swarmlings will also be flying variants.

Monster: Swarmling(Special)

Genus: Insectoid

Biome: The Depth

HP: 30/30

MP: 0/0

Attack: 15

Defense: 10

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 5

Strength: 12

Dexterity: 29

Endurance: 11

Intelligence: -

Wisdom: -

Charisma: -

Upkeep: -

Skills: Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Pack Hunter(Racial), Ambush Tactics(Racial), Poison Blood(Racial), Scything Talons(Racial), Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Poison Attack(Racial), Untameable(Racial) Swarm(Racial), Mindless(Racial)

Um... WHY in the nine hells, would I NOT pick this? Free German Shepherd sized screening units for my Striders that also worked together with them? Yes, please. I didn’t even need to think of that one; it was way too awesome to not grab.

I still had three more Masteries, lets see if I could find an excellent one, I started looking but it seemed that was it; I looked and looked and looked. But could not find anything until finally, near the bottom of the list. I found something that blew the rest of the finds out of the park.

Strider Queen: Cost 3M

Monster: Strider Hive Queen (Unique Boss Variant)

Genus: Insectoid

Biome: The Depth

HP: 1150/1150

MP: 0/0

Attack: 155

Defense: 150

Magic Attack: 200

Magic Defense: 275

Strength: 30

Dexterity: 39

Endurance: 38

Intelligence: 43

Wisdom: 44

Charisma: 34

Upkeep: 25e/d, if both Strider Den and Strider Hatchery is present, Upkeep: -25e/d

Skills: Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Mirror Carapace(Racial), Poison Blood(Racial), Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Apex Predator(Racial), Poison Attack(Racial), Untameable(Racial), Scything Talons(Racial), Royal Pheromones(Racial), Strider Spawning(Unique Racial), Swarmling Spawning(Unique Racial), Strider Royal Guard(Unique Racial)(5), Attack Pheromones(Unique), Searing Spittle(Unique), Strider Hive Cocoon(Unique Racial), Strider Hive Infestation(Unique Racial), Hive Reinforcements(Unique Racial), Aura of Fear(Special), Seal Intruders(Boss)

Monster: Strider Royal Guard (Unique Special Variant)

Genus: Insectoid

Biome: The Depth

HP: 300/300

MP: 0/0

Attack: 110

Defense: 100

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 150

Strength: 40

Dexterity: 38

Endurance: 56

Intelligence: -

Wisdom: -

Charisma: -

Upkeep: -

Skills: Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Pack Hunter(Racial), Ambush Tactics(Racial), Mirror Carapace(Racial), Poison Blood(Racial), Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Apex Predator(Racial), Scything Talons(Racial), Poison Attack(Racial), Untameable(Racial), Mindless(Racial), Regeneration(Special), Flight(Special), Strider Honor Guard(Special)(5), Strider Queen Guardian(Unique)

I knew Mutated Biomes was supposed to be THE game breaker. But this was beyond even my wildest dreams. That Mastery alone was just bullshit strong. I could see why that particular Mutated biome had eluded me for over 7 years of game play.

This level of power could make a dungeon unassailable by all but the strongest of adversaries just by sheer weight of numbers. The Queen would continually spawn Striders and Swarmlings. She would also start with a Royal Guard of 5 Unique Special Variant royal guards. That each had an honor guard of 5 Winged Striders, who each would be accompanied by 2 Winged Swarmlings if I had the Den.

Then there was the queen herself, not a slouch in combat by any stretch. In fact, she would be absolutely terrifying to deal with. Seriously, she would be considered Raid Tier back home, and she was Mine. There was no way I wouldn’t have her guard the room leading to my core from now on. At least until I got Minos back.

With that decided, I dug my new floor with gusto, though the layout would differ greatly from the floor above. The floor above had just been a mess of connecting corridors snaking here and there to make a nasty Maze. Something I could do only because of my Maze biome. If anyone else had tried that, the hallways would have disappeared within 24 hours of no room being connected to it.

This I decided to make more like a natural cavern. With large tunnels leading into vast chambers with enough clearing upwards for me to allow even me to fly. And with several layers of flat ground creating elevation and even waterfalls for subterranean rivers when I ran into underground water reserves.

I realized more than once that by all rights I should hit the maze above or even the surface itself with several of these rooms. But there were no cave-ins or abrupt changes to the scenery. It had been the same in the game as well. Another “coincidence”?

I was not at all surprised by the Records total silence on the subject.

Just before the room I had decided to make my new Core Room, I placed the Royal Chamber containing the Queen. It was linked directly to the Strider den on the left and the Strider Hatchery on the right. This was frankly just cruel on my side.

The Den was the respawn point of killed Striders and the Hatchery was the respawn point of killed Swarmlings. Meaning during the boss fight there would also be a continuous stream of reinforcements from both rooms. Because “Hive Reinforcements” allowed Striders and Swarmlings, and their variants to enter through the exit seals to those rooms unhindered. While the adventurers would be stuck inside, unable to attack into those rooms in any way.

This would also mean it would be impossible for intruders to damage those rooms to temporarily stop respawns. They would have to defeat the Queen first. If this had been in the game, the dev’s would have to nerf that within a few hours tops. This would quickly become a one sided war of attrition.

With the last details taken care of, I transported my Core Pillar to its new room. Leaving the room on the floor above empty, I could probably find a use for it later down the line.

.

Well, that was a rapid-fire string of information I just got hit with. What in the world was... was? Whoa... Suddenly... I suddenly felt so dizzy. The last thing I remember before everything went black was another notification. .

I was dreaming again; I realized, as I was once again back in the white void. In front of me was my Sphinx-self no, that wasn’t right. In front of me wasn’t someone else. It was a mirror; I was looking at myself.

Strange, I would have thought the transition would have been more dramatic. Yet I felt no more different now than I did yesterday. I looked around for a hint of my human self, but found nothing. Then again, why bother looking when I had all the important parts of my human past in my head.

This was decidedly for the better if it would improve my chances of survival. I looked into the mirror one last time, smiled at myself. Then I spread my wings and flew upwards into the white light and back to the waking world.

Blugh, everything hurt. I blame having blacked out in such an exceedingly uncomfortable position. With both my front legs lying flat on the ground, pointing backwards. My hind legs spread eagle as far as they could, and the only thing keeping me balanced was my left wing. Hopefully, this would not happen again.

I stood up and shook myself and stretched; I felt strangely energized, as if it had lifted a burden I had not noticed before. Well then, let’s check my stats to see what the titles have done for me and what other things might have changed now.

Dungeon Name: Labyrinthia

Dungeon Biomes: Magical Maze, The Depths

Dungeon Level: 2

DEXP: 2/30

Depth: 2/2

Rooms: 24

Essence: 27/600

EP: 2

TP: 3

M: 0

Avatar Attributes

Avatar Race: Sage Sphinx (Legendary Unique Variant)

Avatar Gender: Female

Avatar Level: 2

EXP: 10/300

HP: 3500/3500

MP: 5750/5750

Attack: 555

Defense: 550

Magic Attack: 950

Magic Defense: 950

Strength: 57

Dexterity: 59

Endurance: 100

Intelligence: 205

Wisdom: 200

Charisma: 195

Synchronization: ∞

Titles: “Taken from an Other World”, “Cult Hater”, “Bringer of Justice”, “Helpful”, “Riddle Smith”, “Merciful”, “Mastermind”, “Fisherwoman”, “Dominatrix”, “Devious”, “Taboo Breaker” “Mistress of the Depths” “A True Sphinx”

Skills: Unbreakable Will(Racial), Labyrinth Sense(Racial), Flight LvMAX(Racial), Cleaving Swipe Lv2(Racial), Roar Lv2(Racial), Telepathy LvMAX(Racial), Akashic Records(Unique), Magical Labyrinth(Unique), Core Master (Compound), Blessing of Inlas(Mythical), Will Binder LvMAX(Special), Mind Reader Lv1(Racial), Enigmatic Mind Lv3(Racial), Forbidden Knowledge Lv1(Demonic), Babel(Unique).

Well, that was delightful. The synchronization had improved my power far beyond what I had dared to hope. Not bad at all, I was curious about what the title “A True Sphinx” was, though. I was supposed to be notified when they are gained, so I must have gotten it while unconscious.

.

That sounded far more ominous than I liked. Did that... Oh, so that’s why she had worded her promise that way. My sphinx side knew once I had completely turned into a sphinx. I wouldn’t need to force myself into eating people, I would likely do so by my own free will, if I felt it necessary.

Had I still had a single sliver of my human self left, the idea would have probably made me sick. As it was, it was just a fact that was there, nothing more nothing less, I felt... not exactly betrayed but...

Indignant, yes, that was the word. I felt so indignant I would refuse myself the taste of the flesh of any sentient being. If nothing more than to prove a point to the side of me that had thought to trick me so. No sentient on my menu. Unless I had no other choice to survive, there was a difference between proving a point and survival, after all.

Feeling properly self-satisfied with that logic, I was about to further explore the things the Records had stated, when I was interrupted by the Records. . That was new. Usually, the records would not do stuff like that. What had changed? Silence... OK then, stupid Records, be that way. If the Records deemed these guys dangerous, it was better to go and see what was going on.

Dispersing myself, I willed myself to the room the intruders had just entered. And poof, there I was, “Core Master” was so damn handy. What I saw, however, made me doubt my senses for a moment. This was not a newbie group of adventurers by ANY means. First it was a Full Party of 12, also known as a Raid Party. 3 tanks, 3 healers, 6 damage dealers, 4 of which likely specialized in Area of Effect damage.

Their gear was top quality, frighteningly top quality at that. And the way they moved in perfect sync suggested they had hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of practice fighting alongside one another. If I hadn’t finished my 2nd floor, I would have been doomed beyond all shadow of doubt. Heck, my second floor might not be enough to stop these guys, even with the broken strategy I used earlier.

Just to check how good they were, I sent half of my worms after them in the same fashion I had attacked the rag-tag band from earlier. Before they even finished arriving, one of their Clerics was casting something. And as they popped out of the ground, walls and roof, my poor worms were met with a barrier of ethereal blades that cut them to ribbons.

The adventurers didn’t even slow down to collect the drops; they had a bigger target in mind; it seemed. And since the only thing bigger in the dungeon that anyone outside it knew about was me. Yeah, best to make myself scarce. These guys were a tad too well in sync for me to like my odds in a 1-on-12 with them.

Just then a shudder went through my beloved maze, and its appearance changed drastically. Obsidian cave walls now suddenly replaced the spaces where there were no murals or hieroglyphs. What was going on?

Before the records could even answer, one tank cursed something fierce. At least I think it was cursing because one cleric shot him one hell of a dirty look. One of the damage dealers. A spindly young mage that couldn’t be more than a few days out of his teens, looked at the swearing tank “What’s wrong, Boss?” he asked. “Biome Influence. This floor just became Variant Central. Keep on your toes everyone this “Easy Payday” might have turned sour on us in the worst way possible”

This was the moment the Records stepped in . That was nice, and all, but told me relatively little, so I looked up the basic and evolved version to see the difference.

Monster: Giant Rat(Basic)

Genus: Beast

Biome: Maze

HP: 10/10

MP: 0/0

Attack: 5

Defense: 2

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 0

Strength: 3

Dexterity: 9

Endurance: 6

Intelligence: 2

Wisdom: 1

Charisma: 1

Upkeep: 1

Skills: Gnaw(Racial), Darkvision(Racial)

About as bad as I remembered it being, now what about it’s evolved form...

Monster: Typhoid Rat(Depths Influence Variant)

Genus: Beast

Biome: Depths Influenced

HP: 230/230

MP: 0/0

Attack: 35

Defense: 30

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 25

Strength: 22

Dexterity: 39

Endurance: 21

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 12

Upkeep: 1

Skills: Rapid Gnaw(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Pack Hunter(Racial), Evasion(Special), Deathtouch(Special) Rapid Respawn(Special) Aggressive(Special), Strength of Numbers(Special) Small(Special) Swarm(Special)

Deathtouch, the thing had Deathtouch. My first floor now had a monster capable of inflicting instant death if its attacks landed. This Influence thing was GOOD, and the stats it had was nothing to scoff at either. Wonder how the other Variant Evolutions stack up?

Monster: Dungeon Worm(Basic)

Genus: Tunnel Worm

Biome: Depths Influenced

HP: 40/40

MP: 0/0

Attack: 5

Defense: 3

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 2

Strength: 12

Dexterity: 12

Endurance: 11

Intelligence: 1

Wisdom: 1

Charisma: 1

Upkeep: 1

Skills: Burrow(Racial) Worm Bite(Racial) Bind(Racial) Tremor Sense(Racial) Darkvision(Racial)

Stronger than the rat, but dumb as a doorknob, just as I remembered it to be. Now how did the Depths Worm stack up...

Monster: Depths Worm(Depths Influence Variant)

Genus: Tunnel Worm

Biome: Depths Influenced

HP: 840/840

MP: 0/0

Attack: 55

Defense: 53

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 42

Strength: 72

Dexterity: 62

Endurance: 81

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 12

Upkeep: 1

Skills: Huge(Racial), Quaking Burrow(Racial), Swallow(Racial), Acid Attack(Racial), Anything Eater(Racial), Touch of Corrosion(Racial), Tremor Sense(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Tunnel Digger(Special), Arrow Eater(Special)

Was this even legal? Touch of corrosion was a skill that as far as I knew was only given to Rust Monsters. Monsters that had virtually nothing else going for them other than that one skill. And that on a monster like this. Apparently the variant also became Huge. That meant it could crawl down the passage the adventurers were in with its mouth open and cover the entire damn thing from wall to wall. Not to mention Arrow Eater, which rendered it literally immune to ranged physical attacks, in fact, hitting it with such would temporarily increase its damage instead of hurting it.

I was almost scared to look up what might have happened to the “useless” Oozes

Monster: Ooze(Basic)

Genus: Ooze

Biome: Maze

HP: 10/10

MP: 0/0

Attack: 1

Defense: 1

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 1

Strength: 1

Dexterity: 1

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: -

Wisdom: -

Charisma: -

Upkeep: 1

Skills: Ooze(Racial) Mindless(Racial) Acidic Touch(Racial) Blindsight(Racial)

That thing, even with the resistances granted to it by its Ooze skill, would lose to a Giant Rat, that’s how weak it was. How in the world would the Influence twist the Ooze, whose Variants were some most feared back in the game?

Monster: Black Ooze(Depths Influence Variant)

Genus: Ooze

Biome: Depths Influenced

HP: 1240/1240

MP: 0/0

Attack: 352

Defense: 353

Magic Attack: 0

Magic Defense: 342

Strength: 172

Dexterity: 2

Endurance: 381

Intelligence: -

Wisdom: -

Charisma: -

Upkeep: 0.1

Skills: Ooze(Racial), Deathtouch(Racial) Mindless(Racial) Implant Ooze(Racial Unique) Spawn Black Ooze(Racial Unique), Magic Mitosis(Unique), Truesense(Special), Hunter-Killer(Special), Ambush Specialist(Special), Master Ambusher(Special), Cooperation(Special)

That thing was without a doubt scarier than the Queen down below. Truesense meant it would know where anything was, regardless of what it did to conceal itself. Provided the target was within range of the ability, which was...

practically the entire dungeon and it had Hunter-Killer. Meaning it would seek and destroy intruders on its own. On top of the 2 best skills for aiding in doing surprise attacks, and the ability to cooperate with other monsters. It had Deathtouch because it needed just another tool to be an absolute tool of horror and death; I didn’t know what Magic Mitosis was, but I had a terrible suspicion.

.

This thing was Boss material, not a bloody random encounter on the 1st floor of a Dungeon. Although with Hunter-Killer it wouldn’t be much randomness in it. Given how every single Black Ooze on the floor were now making a beeline for the adventurers as fast as they could go. And that was fast quite fast indeed. This would get nasty.

I realized the cleric with the Barrier from earlier had some sort of ability that allowed him to detect threats. As he tensed up. Causing the entire group to go on guard instantly. The lead tank looked at him, “More worms?” he asked. “No, this is something else. Something I have not encountered before. Be on your guard. This is undoubtedly a Variant Species”

As he finished speaking the first Ooze rounded the corner and moved towards them like a wall of inky blackness. One of the Mages shot it with a fireball. On the good side for the Adventurers, the Ooze stopped and turned back into its 2x2 meter ball of slime. On the unpleasant side, a few moments later there were 2 of them side by side in the corridor.

“What in the-” The mage looked utterly crestfallen. “Magic Mitosis, no magical attacks!” yelled another party member. This one looked like a bookworm with his enormous glasses and strange misfitting habit, that looked a lot like the gear that Sages used back in the game. He was flipping through a large tome like mad. “Found it! Black Ooze... oh hell, we need to retreat, NOW!” the party started a coordinated retreat “More info on why, please” demanded the Tank from before.

“Black Oozes are an Ooze Variant, they are Hunter-Killers with Deathtouch and Truesense. On top of the Magical Mitosis and the ability to transform those they kill into more Black Oozes. They also have the Ambush Specialist, Master of Ambush, and can Cooperate with other monsters, including each other. We are not equipped to deal with this, Sir” The bookworm concluded.

The tank that clearly was the leader nodded. “I concur any weaknesses listed in that book of yours?” “Standard Ooze weaknesses. Except those that pertain to attempting to conceal your presence and damage from magic, Sir” The bookworm answered almost instantly.

The two oozes had not advanced. They were waiting for something. Waiting for what became obvious a few moments later. When the entire maze quaked once more and behind the retreating adventurers burst a huge worm.

“WHAT IN RUBOLGS NAME IS THAT THING?” screamed the mage that had shot the fireball. More desperate flapping of pages even as the mages forced the charging worm back under a barrage of magic. The Oozes, which until now had been passive, attacked the lead tank.

“Depths Worm, believe it or not, it’s a Variant version of the small worms you killed with your Blade Barrier earlier. Also, don’t hit them with physical ranged attacks. It will only make it deadlier” The bookworm seemed more than a wee bit panicked. “HOW CAN THOSE SMALL THINGS GET THAT BIG?” yelled the Mage in response. Even as she chucked another fireball at the worm.

“It has the Huge Skill, increasing its size several times over” The battle was now joined, though I had yet to see any of the Typhoid rats join the fray. The Tanks had their hands full warding off the Oozes while the Healers were busy casting blessings to ward off the Deathtouch of the Oozes and keeping the tanks healed.

The worm suddenly gave a pained noise and burrowed into the wall to the party’s left. It was not badly hurt, so something was up. From my view I could see that it was currently “Using Cooperation”. Meaning this was an instinctual plan hatched by the Oozes that the worm was acting on. Exactly what became apparent just as the retreating party got to the tunnel the Worm had left behind.

A myriad of small jet black, red-eyed shapes exploded out from it in a small tidal wave. The rats had arrived. And 2 of the Mages and one Archer paid dearly for not monitoring the tunnel. They had been bitten several times in rapid succession. More than enough to succumb to the Deathtouch, even if the damage was not enough to kill them.

“T-TYPHOID RATS!!!” the remaining Archer screamed and all semblance of order evaporated as the party broke into full flight. Can’t say I blame them. It was quite the sight to see a minor river of rats that were following them. It was as if every Giant Rat on the floor had split into 10 upon evolving, and they were now following the party with a singular purpose.

Unfortunately, for the party not a single one of them would escape. The hallway in front of them was pitch black. But not because of the darkness of the Maze, but because of the trio of Black Oozes waiting for them. “OOZES IN FRONT OF US” “MORDRED, RECALL US NOW” Yelled the Cleric. “ON IT!” Responded another Mage. Huh, color me surprised, Recall, eh? Well, it was not like I could stop them.

Well, I could if I materialized, but given the small amount of space I would just impede my Anti-Adventurer Kill Squad. I could not call them anything else, Cooperation had all my monsters work together flawlessly. Just before it would doom the adventurers, there was a flash of light and all that remained was me and my monsters. The spell had taken even the dead adventurers.

I suspected that when that party returned, they would be prepared to deal with everything they had seen. My only solace was Magical Labyrinth, as the Maze changed and reform to alter the path through the depths and to my 2nd floor. Likewise, the tunnels left by the Depths Worm closed as the dungeon repaired itself.

Hopefully, my 2nd floor would be ready to deal with them when they returned, I looked at my Essence, EP and TP, I had to strengthen the 2nd floor ASAP.