A soft, crystalline clink sounded throughout the chamber like a dropped marble hitting the floor following Kendra’s strike. At the same moment, the light of the room began to hemorrhage and bleed out at a steady rate. No sooner than it had started, the light became a low, moonlit night, and a single sentence of information flashed into the edge of Myles’s vision.

Rising Star member Kendra Kessa, assisted by leader Myles Chase, has landed the final blow against The Broken King.

Then, the rest of the missing information fell into place.

Raid Update

The Broken King

Phase Two - Complete

Defeat the Broken King

Phase Three has begun.

The Broken King

Phrase Three

Survive

Phase two?

Myles smiled sadly as he looked where the golem core rested on the floor nearby. He may not have been familiar with each stage of Shardking’s progression, but he already knew what phase three was going to entail once the opening to Shardking’s chest sealed itself.

It wouldn’t be pretty when Shardstorm triggered. At least they still had an ace in the hole.

Ashra, what’s the situation out there?

After a few more moments, there was no reply. That was strange enough, but the further he pushed into the familiar connection, the more he went searching for her at the other end of it, the darkness began trying to pull at his consciousness.

Ashra?

It was a familiar feeling, something from so long away…

Ashra was sleeping. Then he remembered what had gotten them into that chamber. Ashra was so concerned with them that she probably wasn’t watching out for herself. Myles sighed, she wasn’t hurt or dead, just likely knocked unconscious from the barrage of stone. Against all the luck he had so far, Myles hoped she was safe wherever she landed.

But that led to another issue.

How were they going to get out? They hadn’t had time to plan for this part.

“Hey.” Kendra’s voice broke his gloom’s silence as she approached, holding out the core for him that she’s hefted from its place with surprising grace. “Another toy for the bag?”

He’d have been lying to say it wasn’t something he wanted to try, adding it to his inventory as the walls began to shake. It wasn’t as violent as he’d expected of a falling golem, but he’d seen the fight enough times to know they’d be on the ground soon as Shardking began to compress like a spined hog. “If we get out of this.”

“We will.” Kendra gave him the same smile. “Where’s our help?” Myles didn’t answer for a moment, letting the silence give all the answer she needed. ”Oh. Well, we’ve gotten out of worse.”

That got his attention. “We have?”

She made a dismissive noise as the aetheric pressure began to drop as the lines of power began to darken further, bleeding into other parts of the creature for its final attack. “You fighting Ashra was pretty intense. You came closer to beating her than any of us thought.”

“Thanks.”

“Then there was the mimic that almost wiped us out.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me about that.”

“Oh, don’t forget about falling into the mana vent in the dungeon after.”

“That you pushed me into,” he reminded her, before quickly checking to see if that Toss of a Coin Skill was still on cooldown.

It was, and another hope died with that grayed-out lettering.

“I don’t seem to recall that.”

Myles scoffed. “You know, it’s convenient how much you forget under the effects of Rage.”

She laughed, filling the small chamber with her mirth as the roof got closer. Then, she slumped down, resting her back against the wall that writhed like pained flesh. “Come on, Myles. I don’t know how much time we’ve got left, and I’ve got some of the good stuff.”

Myles, pained as he was, joined her. It took him a moment to get comfortable as the world around them quaked, and his weapon vanished. A quick look at Medic told him the wound wasn’t getting worse, but it still hurt like death. Deciding he’d rather kill the pain right now, he took the offered bottle of dark liquid, read the label marked Liquid Courage, shrugged, and swigged it.

He gagged as the liquid touched his tongue, burning like burning, liquified trash. It took all he had to swallow and not through up, much to Kendra’s amusement. “Gods and goddesses, you drink this?”

“It’s Dwarven. They really know how to brew,” she laughed, taking the bottle back and taking another swig. Myles didn’t miss how she winced as she drank in the dying light. “Mostly keep it for when I get deep cuts and Will’s not around. You get smashed pretty quick on it though.”

Myles wanted to take his tongue from his head and wring it out. Denying another swig as Kendra offered it. “I like my taste buds, thanks.”

“If I cooked like you, I’d take better care of mine too.” She nodded and took a third swig before the bottle was corked and vanished. The blue light around them began to enter its death spiral, leaving them in a growing darkness that began to steal what was left of their sight. The last thing that Myles caught from the [Berserker] was the faintest ghost of a smile as Kendra eyed him. “So, Myles, you wanted to know what’s been bothering me.”

Myles slumped back and nodded. “Now does seem to be the time to get stuff off your chest, but I’m no [Priest].”

She laughed as the last of the light faded. “I don’t need a holy man for this, Bright Eyes.”

***

Rising Star member Kendra Kessa, assisted by leader Myles Chase, has landed the final blow against The Broken King.

Sindra watched as the glowing form of the Broken King’s light died before the eyes of hundreds of Runners as if it were just a candle in the wind. No one dared move. They were all well aware there might be more, a new phase of a new Skill that would trigger before everything went back to the Mists.

But it never did.

In a matter of moments, whispers turned to cheers as the creature’s limbs fell to its side and refused to rise again. Most tell and more than likely the source of the cheers, began when the eye of the golem faded and died with no more than a silent blip of light.

There were no explosions.

No collapsing body.

Just blessed, holy silence as the cacophony of chaos against the night died.

Sindra lingered on that sight as the darkness reclaimed the ruins. A single thought boiling into reality.

They actually did it.

Her [Paladin] echoed her thoughts a moment later.

“Sindra,” Micha began. “I can’t believe this.”

It gave the leader of the Seekers something to chew on.

She’d held out hope, given them all she could, and as low as their odds had been, somehow, they’d managed it. There was no doubt as a new update to their quest appeared in her vision, tucked away on the right-hand side as it begged for her attention.

Raid Update

The Broken King

Phase Two - Complete

Defeat the Broken King

Phase Three has begun.

The Broken King

Phrase Three

Survive

Well, they’d done their part. Now, it was her turn. She and the others knew what was coming next and took the most prudent action of the night as the sounds of falling stone began to reverberate throughout the opened ruins. Shardking wasn’t going to go alone if it had its way.

Despite it all, Sindra smiled as the world shook.

“Micha, position.”

“Yes, Sindra!”

They were ready for this, at least.

“Fall back!”

Sindra’s voice radiated through the area, calling the teams back to her and into an area suddenly marked by a glowing boundary line. They had time now. A few minutes at most, but they had it.

“Rinas, Enhance the shell.”

“Got it,” Rinas acknowledged, placing his hands on the shoulders of the [Paladin]. As he began chanting, Golden energy began to glow from Rinas and flow into Micha. With the boon, the radius of the golden lines exploded outward.

Within moments, the entirety of the remaining Runners were within the lines, and Sindra felt the stress melt from her shoulders. It was over.

“Micha.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Micha said. “Divine Barrier!”

The world became gold as the Enhanced Divine Barrier rose around them a moment later. The ultimate defensive Skill for a [Paladin] of Talia would last for five minutes as long as no one took a hostile action, and, as the Broken King exploded, it held despite the shrapnel of his final skill, Shardstorm.

***

Mitchel, holding the limp form of Ashra, Tail, Lyna, and Will watched from the safety of the Divine Barrier as Shardstorm triggered. Stone after stone pelted the area, erupting outward from the chaos that had been the amassed form of the first floor’s guardian. No one said a word about it as they waited for the storm of chaos to end. Shardstorm historically lasted between two and five minutes, and with how fine the stones were honed, they didn’t believe it would let up sooner than that. Then, they had to wait until the divine bubble popped and be wary of any residual damage that wasn’t absorbed and used by the golem’s final ability.

It was a waiting game.

“Mists,” Lyna cursed finally.

“Yeah,” Agreed Mitchel as the storm of stone continued and a nearby building collapsed in on itself and slid off the barrier.

“Someone had to,” Will said finally. “They saved a lot of lives.”

“They did,” Tail agreed. “Ashra won’t be happy though.”

“Neither am I,” Lyna pointed out. Her helmet was off now, and her face was nearly unreadable. Tears streaked the caked-on dust and rot that had slipped under her visor, but she still looked… proud? “Who else is going to take a bunch of misfits like us on?”

“Myles wouldn’t want us talking like that yet,” Tail pointed out.

“And Kendra would kick your ass for thinking she wouldn’t survive somehow,” Will added. “If anyone survived that, it’s them.”

Mitchel wore a somber smile as the group agreed to that, and a silent agreement was struck while the storm died down and the dust settled. They’d have a chance to prove that soon as each person saw the latest update.

Raid Update

The Broken King

Phase Three - Complete

Survive

Congratulations! You’ve survived the first floor of the Grand Dungeon of Kess. Proceed to the second floor for your completion reward.

Processing Unique Individual Rewards…

The moment the domed dropped and Ashra awoke in a frenzy of phantom pain, the Rising Star team bolted as fast as they could move towards the center of the carnage. No one cared for the speech Sindra was making, the cheers, or the congratulations that came with their team’s efforts. There was still more to be done.

They were still two men down.

The stars glimmered above the chaotic, damage-struck world. Little more than rubble remained throughout the area where Shardstorm had triggered. The fine stone shards shattering on impact or impaling everywhere they didn’t shatter like the quills of some elemental hedgehog, but they navigated it like a minotaur navigated in a labyrinth. Ashra only added to their speed despite Mitchel’s insistence she slow down from the head injury. Though she was strong, she had spent herself taking care of her charges and surviving the fall using one of her Skills. What worried her was the fact she couldn’t communicate with him.

“He is not listening,” Ashra said as she pressed forward. “He is always listening.”

No one understood the meaning behind her words, but Myles had explained how his Skills worked before. If he wasn’t listening…

“We’ll see when we get there,” Mitchel assured, and only Ashra’s respect for him made her swallow her tongue.

The stone density was higher the deeper toward the golem they got, and they prepared for the worst. Whatever they found, they’d make sure respect was paid.

“By the grace of the gods and goddesses of the Pantheon above…” Lyna cursed.

No one was prepared for what they found.

“What in the Mists is wrong with you!” Will fumed.

“I…” Tail began before the words were lost on their lips.

Ashra watched, fascinated at the scene before her.

Mitchel laughed.

***

Myles looked at Kendra, surprised almost as much as if his face had melted off and been used to decorate a cake. She couldn’t be telling the truth. There was no way that was what had been bothering her.

“You’re joking?”

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” Kendra explained as she shook her head. She was talking louder than she needed to, but Tipsy Kendra wanted to make sure she was heard loud and clear. “You can cook, you’re a good guy, you put yourself on the line and always try to deliver even if it’s a stupid thing that no one expects from you.” She paused for a moment, seemingly recalling some ancient fact. “Oh, and you’ve got that whole hero-to-be thing going for you with the messy hair and tattered clothes. What woman isn’t interested in that?”

He paused to consider that. He wasn’t the best in his eyes, but he had a lot to live up to. Mitchel was by far more attractive, even Will, if he wasn’t her grandfather, had a roguish charm about him. Myles was just… Myles.

How did he feel about it though?

Since Sellia….

Since Sellia went comatose almost two years ago, he’d never really gone looking for romance. He hadn’t gone looking though. It’d found him. With Kendra in front of him, professing her interest, could he just ignore that?

Taking a breath, he thought about what he wanted and felt.

Kendra was attractive to be sure, beautiful really in her own way, not that he’d ever really stopped to appreciate that with death constantly on the line. Her other qualities were always so much more pressing when they were together. She was bull-headed, could be selfish, had a good sense of humor even if it was teasing him, but cared for others so much that she was willing to put herself at risk to make sure her team had sponsors and items coming in.

Then the glaringly obvious advances she’d made on him fell into place.

Her nickname for him.

The constant teasing like they were ten.

Oh Pantheon, last night! That was perfume! She’d been wearing a dress and had tried to get him to notice her! She’d even talked about his bed, and he’d talked about its self-cleaning function…

Was he really that dense?

His face flushed, but he had been so focused on his monsters…

Then, he realized something as his cheeks burned and embarrassment gnawed at his rear end.

Though he didn’t know enough about her past, there was enough in their shared present that he couldn’t deny the thought once it was put out there. She was an ally, a friend, and… sparked a long-lost feeling in his chest.

Was it a good idea though?

Was it a risk to the team?

Did it matter if it’s what they wanted?

So, when she moved closer, when he felt her breath on his cheek, when she waited for an answer, he gave her one.

He nudged his head forward.

His lips met hers, and as they shared their first, and possibly last kiss, the remains of Shardking cracked violently around them. Blue light surged in a final trigger as the shell of the golem exploded around them.

Their eyes were closed as they moved to brace one another at the same instant.

Kendra pulled Myles to the ground first, hoping the two could get low enough as the core’s residual magic exploded outward, filling the chamber with a pressure neither had felt before. Myles’s arm ached under the pressure, and he screamed as the bones began to shift again. Topoff thrummed from the power, and Medic worked to keep Myles’s fracture from getting any worse as the weight of the other held them down.

Minutes passed as the world was deafened by the shrieking of stone impaling stone, soil, and whatever else dared to move, but there, in the center of the storm of stone, the two lay untouched by the world until the noise stopped and only starlight and the crisp smell of autumn air remained.

Raid Update

The Broken King

Phase Three - Complete

Survive

Congratulations! You’ve survived the first floor of the Grand Dungeon of Kess. Proceed to the second floor for your completion reward.

Processing Unique Individual Rewards…

Only then, did they open their eyes and look into the night sky.

“Sket,” Kendra cursed, breathing heavily as she lay next to Myles. “Some kiss.”

Myles laughed, looking out into forever, and smiled. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, not wanting to jinx their survival by pointing it out. When it was clear they weren’t going to die, Myles sat up and looked at Kendra.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?” Kendra asked.

“Yeah,” Myles confirmed.

Kendra smiled, pulling him back down and confirming what she’d hoped he meant. Nothing was going to ruin this moment as he blocked himself off from the world and just let himself have this one moment, to take a risk on something he’d been holding off on for a long time.

And for a while, nothing dared to interrupt them until a set of familiar voices began to heckle them, anyway.

***

“Here we are worried about you two, and you’re pissing around making out!” Lyna cursed. “What in the Mists, guys! I mean, sket. Really?”

“This is why you couldn’t tell Ashra you were okay?” Will continued to fume, but it died quickly as he caught sight of Ashra who looked as though she were trying her best not to be smug. “And you knew?”

All eyes turned to her, and she composed herself, returning much to the same state she’d normally been known for. “I did not, but it makes sense to want privacy in a moment like this,” She explained, taking it much better than the others were. “Many find comfort in another who understands them. They are both rash, both care deeply for their friends, and are fiercely loyal. I approve.”

Myles felt Ashra then, pressing her thoughts to him across their connection. He opened himself back up and smiled as he knew what was coming.

“She will be good for you, and you for her if you survive one another.”

He sighed, then winced as his arm flared with pain again as Medic sloshed away, less than a third of his size remaining as he cooed to Myles with disappointment.

“Will,” he asked, pain flaring. “Could you help with this?”

“With…” Will began calming then noticed the bleeding injury as bone punctured the skin once more. The mess of reds and purples and other, more sickly colors erased everything else from Will’s mind. “Mists, hold on! This is going to hurt like nothing else, Myles. Someone hold him steady.”

The advice was much needed as Ashra, Kendra, and Mitchel held him steady.

Myles screams echoed across the ruins as bones were rebroken by Will’s magic only to be set right and returned to their previous state as a healing potion was force-fed down his throat to help the pain and his body restore the missing fluids. He’d felt something similar through Ashra the night Will had healed her, but it failed to connect the reception of pain to his own. Hers had been tenfold, but his pain was his own, fresh and raw as injuries came despite Medic’s help. The little slime just wasn’t strong enough to mend bone and flesh.

Soon, everything was set right, and Myles flexed the limb again. He was cautious at first, but as muscle and sinew moved with the bone and skin, all was right with the world as a new cheer broke out across the ruins. As his team began to cheer, Myles got to see just why that was.

Experience has been released from holding.

Unique Individual Rewards have been calculated.

The Broken King has been completed

The First Floor of the Grand Dungeon of Kess has been cleared of its guardian.

Combat Analyzed - Bonuses Awarded: Enhanced Reward (Rising Star)

Treasure Distribution has been set to Unique.

Assigned Treasure:

Myles Chase

Skill Stone (Epic) Skill Stone (Epic) Soul Dew (Monster Tamer) Soul Dew (Succulent Magician) Time-Lost Trappings 1 Platinum Coin

Lyna Hugea

Skill Stone (Epic) Soul Dew (Master of Arms) Buster Boots Time-Lost Trappings 1 Platinum Coin

Tail

Skill Stone (Epic) Soul Dew (Lunar Illusionist) Pantheon’s Boon Time Lost Trappings 1 Platinum Coin

Kendra Kessa

Skill Stone (Mythic) Soul Dew (Berserker) Force of Stone Time Lost Trappings 3 Platinum Coins

Will Rigs

Skill Stone (Epic) Soul Dew (Distortion Mage) Time Lost Trappings Paradoxes and You 1 Platinum Coin

Mitchel Hedgelore

Skill Stone (Epic) Soul Dew (Armored Wall) Wall of the Titan Time Lost Trappings 1 Platinum Coin

Class Complexity Increased!

Apprentice’s Item Lore has become Item Lore.

Trait - Exotic Weapon Mastery (Baked Goods) has been acquired.

[Succulent Magician] Class increased to Proficient!

Glutenmancy’s channel cost has been decreased.

Phantom Oven’s operational cost has been decreased.

Your Dough reserve has increased by 50%.

New Skill obtained - Sift

A New Enchantment has been unlocked - Twice Baked

Your Base Stats have increased.

[Monster Tamer] Class increased to Proficient 1!

Stasis Gem Limit has increased by one

Stasis Gem has been Mastered

A new Skill Line has opened for Stasis Gem.

Your Base Stats have increased.

Myles felt amazing as the experience of the last few hours solidified into a singular, monumental event. His muscles tightened but felt lighter at the same time as the armor’s weight seemed to vanish. Just what had changed?

“Interface.”

Name: Myles Chase

Age: 18

Sex: Male

Race: Human

Patron: Unaligned

Primary Class:

Monster Tamer

Proficient

Secondary Class:

Succulent Magician

Proficient

Attributes:

Brawn - 21 (18+3)

Dexterity - 25 (21+4)

Will - 24 (21+2)

Influence - 22

Resources:

Soul Energy: 150/150

Mana: 110/110

Dough: 0/150

Elemental Alignment:

None

Talents:

None

Titles Available: 5

Active Title: Leader (Rising Star)

Trust: 140/160

Active Title Synergy abilities: Empathic Link, Shared Moment

Monster Tamer

Skills

Traits

Essence Bond

Bait

Stasis Gem Creation

Monster Lore

Species Nutritional Lore

Monster Tamer’s Avatar

Sense Partner (Ashra Snowpelt)

Essence Bond

Monster Husbandry

Succulent Magician

Skills

Traits

Enchant Dough

Glutenmancy

Phantom Oven

Food Lore

Sift

Taste Test

Ingredient Reference

Baking

Magical Cooking

Deft Hands

Resourceful

General

Skills

Traits

Keen Eye

Item Lore

Aetheric Translation

Dagger Mastery

Mana Efficiency

Exotic Weapon Mastery (Baked Goods)

Resourceful

Mind over Matter

Toss of a Coin

Minion interfaces Available:

Ashra Snowpelt, Silpha, Medic, Topoff, Doughnut, Squishy

No wonder he felt so good!

All of his attributes passed the twenty threshold! He was not as strong, as fast, and as quick thinking as any warrior on the continent! He felt like he could crush rocks with his bare hands, but right now, as he looked at his allies, all he wanted to do was go to bed.

Giving them the best smile he could, he prepared them for the worst. “Let’s go check in with Sindra. I have a promise to keep, and I want to be there when we see what the second floor is.”