Veraform had changed the layout of the lost woods so that there was only one door to the fairy tree. As he did, it began shifting and more connections between the lost woods rooms formed. He couldn’t be certain how disorienting the rooms would be until someone came in, but if he added more rooms he was sure anyone would struggle to make it through.

He has remembered that he wouldn’t actually be charged for having more rooms until he exceeded 10 and so he added 5 more chambers. As he created the rooms they automatically formed into lost forests. Experimentally he attempted to stop the forming of the forest and once he could feel himself succeeding he released the room and allowed it to take form. One room he made was much larger than the others. Veraform’s intent was to make that a boss room eventually.

He attached a long room to it and promptly moved his core there. He prevented this room from becoming a lost forest so that he could make sure the only entrance was connected directly to the currently vacant boss room.

When it was all done there were a total of 7 lost wood rooms. They were all connected but which rooms were connected to which would change suddenly and randomly. The only consistency appeared to be that straight boundaries always connected to straight boundaries while cornered boundaries always led to other cornered boundaries. It wasn’t enough information for an adventurer to use, veriform decided.

This was the safest Veraform had been since he had come into this world. Now all there was to do was gain mana and kill giant rats for KP. He’d hope for some adventures to show up as well but he knew that wasn’t a reliable source of KP. He could expand his first floor and add more rooms so that he could increase his mana regen. That would certainly increase how quickly he could produce KP. Also the KP would be useless until he could get a third floor so that he could use the demon specialization. Making a third floor would drop his mana regen once again so he might as well get the mana regen first.

It certainly seemed like expanding was the best decision here. He was fine with that since he felt secure with his core in its current position. He would wait and gain mana to spend on expansion.

As Veraform allowed time to pass him by he watched his minions. Zelphy floated through the woods, endlessly entertained by its shifting states, while Leo and Sett seemed to distract themselves with a crude target practice using the lids from the rotten pantry as targets. Veraform informed them that they could simply use the rats, as they were free to replace and the imps went wild. They would run in and grab a couple to release in the long room before the other would take shots at it.They attempted to keep score but quickly lost track.

Mechamputax simply stood with his double. He remained motionless. It would have been hard to tell which body mechamputax was inhabiting had Veraform not been able to sense it.

Suddenly he heard voices. They were coming from outside his entrance.

“Alright boys, first things first, let's figure out the party limit on this guy. As soon as we know, come on out and we’ll plan up who’s going in.”

As Veraform felt the familiar alert -INTRUDER!-, a man came into his zone of perception. He wore heavy armor and a shield in his right hand. He had no weapon on his hip but nor did he wield one. He had a beard long enough to rest over his chest and it had more grey hairs then a man in a suit of armor should have, though he wasn’t as wrinkled as the hair would suggest. His age was somewhat hard to pinpoint. Second came a more recognizably young man with a leather tunic as well as a bow and quiver. The boy's hair was short and blonde. His left ear held a piercing that dangled and ended with a red crystal that Veraform could sense held some reserve of mana.

Following the boy was a woman with a glaive. She also wore leather but hers was dyed and held a crest of some kind on its back. The crest was some long beaked bird standing atop a crown with 4 roses held within it. “The place is kinda cramped” she said as she looked towards the bowman. As she did Veraform felt a change and his entrance suddenly developed a barrier. It was clear and thin with a shimmering quality.

“All right looks like that's it then” a man outside said.

The people left Veraform, but he could still hear them discussing who was to be let in.

“The rooms seem a little too small for me to be productive” the bowman said disappointedly.

“And if the party limit is 3 then odds are the place isn’t going to have bigger rooms so yea you’re out. I’d feel bad taking up a slot when i’m pretty sure you guys can handle a dungeon this small so the rest of you are up.” This came from the man who had been calling the shots but never entered the dungeon.

“Morello, you'll be vanguard obviously. Sam, hold flanks and Thant you’ll be taking lead. Find out where the second floor is then pull back and pick up whatever loot you find. Map the place on your way out. We’ll be out here when you're done.”

“Sick. This place will probably have a boss, yea?” the woman asked.

“might , might not” this voice was older and gruffer. “Only one way to find out.”

INTRUDER!

The armoured man entered the dungeon, followed by the woman, Sam, and finally a new face.

The last to enter was a man wearing very little in the way of armor, and held several daggers and vials on his hip. His hair was short and black and he wore a necklace with a thick block on the end. The block had runes on it that Veraform could tell held some magic.

“Left hand rule” the man told the others as he pointed to the pathway that led to the rotten pantry. “Most likely has loot behind the more well guarded areas.”

He was referring to the pantry as guarded. HA, Veraform thought to himself. If they thought some rats meant guarded then wait until they saw what this dungeon really held.

The armoured man, Morello, made his way through the door and as he did Veraform commanded a few rats to leave their hiding spots and attack the man. Veraform knew he could take whatever risks he wanted since they weren’t going to attempt his second floor and so he also called his second floor minions to rise to meet the first floor intruders though most were slow or simply refused to leave the lost woods. Only Zelphy actually made it up.

The rats leapt onto the man's armour but could do little to actually get inside.

“Retched things” Morello grumbled as he reached down with his left hand and suddenly a burst of flames sprouted from his hand, killing the rats.

“Ugh, what a smell” Sam made a face, more for show than for the actual stench.

Their frontline casted fire magic? Veraform wondered how his imps would fare if caught in the blast. He supposed he would learn soon. The party progressed forward. This path held no chances to choose a direction. It simply wound about to different rooms that all held nothing. Veraform had his minions get into position as the explorers carefully walked through the place.

“Lots of empty rooms” the armorless man spoke.

Once they came to a room with a split in the path they were met with a choice. “I know we can see the chest right there but we’re keeping to the left hand rule. We’ll come back for it” Sam was visibly disappointed. “Ah man,” she pouted. The chest was visibly two rooms over, but they'd have to turn right to get to it.

They continued forward and as they entered the room they saw that the next one contained Zelphy. She floated near the ceiling with her arms raised and a bubble around her.

“Not what I'd expect with these rats around” Morello commented. As he did, Veraform had the rats he had hidden down the other path make their attempt at flanking the group. Their skittering wasn’t silent and Sam turned to face them. She swung her glaive low to clear the rats but Leo and Sett appeared from behind a wall behind the rats to blast the girl.

Thinking fast she Changed the momentum of her swing to block one of the blasts while moving out of the way of the other. The one that missed should have hit Thant, but he was gone. When had he vanished? Veraform wondered. Then he appeared behind the Imps. They were surprised and couldn’t react before knives were sent through them. Being so small meant there was no chance of the minions surviving such a wound.

Sam had seen this and pulled her attention from the rats, leaving them to one of the others. She moved past Morello and into the room with Zelphy. She swung her glaive at the bubbled creature and it vanished before the blade could hit. From behind her, Sam could feel the heat of Morello burning the room the rats occupied. She spun, trying to find where the creature had teleported to but couldn’t find it.

Veraform decided the creature would better serve at Mechamputax’s side. This fight was lost.

The adventurers regrouped. “Imps and fairies? What a combo.” Thant eyed sam. “You didn’t kill it?” “No, I took one swing at the bug and it vanished. It seems it’s not particularly interested in a fight now that its friends are dead.”

“Well keep an eye out. It’ll probably try to get the jump on us and you’ll be much more effective against it than either of us.” He paused for a moment then looked to Morello. “After you” he said as he gestured to the doorway.

They moved forward and came to another crossroad.

“Hey, it's the same chest,” Sam pointed, as if the others weren’t already looking.

“All right, since it’s right there and we’ll likely never reach it sticking to the left walls you can check it.”

Sam smiled and went to open it. “Nice” She said under her breath as she knelt down to open the container. As she did Veraform felt strange. He suddenly got a little hungrier. His mana had been rising as he fought the intruders, but just now when she opened the chest he lost mana.

“Aww, it’s just a crummy knife” the girl sighed and slipped it into a slot on her belt.

“We can see if it’s got any enchantments when we leave. Let's get a move on,” Thant told her.

They moved on to the next room and Morello spoke quietly, “Guard up everyone. This could get hairy.” Sam's eyes widened as she entered and Thant let out a small “shit” when he saw.

They had entered Mechamputax’s chamber. The lone skeleton stood in the far corner and swayed slowly.

“Some poor sod already died in here, and what's more it was probably just a kid,” Morello bemoaned.

“How can you tell?” Sam asked. “This type of creature comes from the death of students. People being taught how to be adventurers. People who’s teachers failed to protect them. A sad thing to have to fight,” Morello explained.

Morello stepped toward the creature with his shield raised and his hand coated in small flames.

Sam followed and stood behind and off to the left of the man. Thant tossed a small glass orb over Morello’s head and the older man blasted it with a stream of flames. It bursted and lit up, causing a curtain of fire to rain down on the Monstrosity. In the moments that he couldn’t be seen Mechamputax fled into a portal and began controlling his other body, which was in the long room adjacent to its chamber. He lunged through the doorway at the girl with the galive and yelled out, “Rhoaaaaam.” Morello was paralyzed by the magical screech of the abomination.

Sam spun and pierced the flesh of Mechamputax but no bones were hit and he simply slid down the shaft of the spear. Ribs jutted out of his flesh to pierce the girl and his long arms and legs wrapped around her so that when she jumped back she stumbled and pulled him with her.

Once he was around her he took control of his other body which had emerged awkwardly from the Sigil rooms portal. Zelphy waited in the room as he left. He came into the room to see Thant and Morrello breaking the bones in an attempt to get the girl out. He could see the blood pooling underneath her, but to her credit she did not scream. Mechamputax swung his great arm and launched bones toward the unsuspecting group. They landed in a loose circle around Thant and before he could react, a portal opened beneath him. Morello reached out to grab him but Thant disappeared before fully submerging in the portal. He hadn’t gone through. He had teleported like he did when he killed the imps.

Veraform looked for the man while Mechamputaxt lunged at Morello. Morello Raised his shield and shouted something before a burst of mana caused a shimmering transparent double of his shield to appear in front of the man, this one was much larger. Mechamputax was stopped by it and Thant materialized behind him. Zelphy rounded the corner and shot a blast of some sparkling energy at the man. It struck with the sound of glass shattering and Mechamputax spun, his arm reaching far out and lashing the man across his face. He fell and grasped at the amulet at his neck and disappeared again. This time was different though. The barrier at Veraform’s entrance vanished.

“Left hand rule, two skeletons, Sams bleeding out!” Thants voice rang out from outside the dungeon. Before he’d finished yelling it, a new man, thin with long white hair, had entered the dungeon and rounded the corner to make his way to the injured party.

Veraform would have to speed this up.

“Kill them” He commanded Mechamputax, Who surrendered control of his body to shift to the one around the girl. It was broken and battered, but he could still squeeze tighter. This time the girl let out a scream.

“Hold on Sam” Morello yelled as he appeared to conjure a great fireball between his hands. As he did the ethereal shield faded and he launched the fire at the bone prison that the girl was trapped in. Try as she might, she couldn’t conjure enough mana to not be scorched by the attack. The creature that had imprisoned her reeled from the pain and released her. Some of her wounds had been cauterized by the fire but some were torn open when the creature ripped away from her.

At this point the long haired man had made it to just before the room and Zelphy had moved to intercept him. The man ran with a single sword in his hand and raised it to meet the floating creature, which could do little against a weapon. It teleported to avoid the hit and the man continued on into the bloodied chamber.

Mechamputax Swapped to his other body to avoid the pain of the fire licking his bones. As he did the man leapt toward the flaming body and struck it with a slash that scattered the bones making up its legs.

“Grab her and flee!” the man commanded.

Morello lifted the girl and ran the way the new man had come from.

“Noooo-” Mechamputax began to yell before being interrupted by a strike to his short arm from the man. Everytime he moved it was with a burst of mana that propelled him forward at unantural speeds.

When the man landed his eyes widened as he remembered the fairy dragon. He hadn’t killed it and Morello wouldn’t be able to strike it. He couldn’t leave the monster to go help them. He had to trust that Morello could handle himself.

As Morello moved through the rooms of the dungeon Zelphy followed behind and a Giant rat moved to intercept him. When he saw the rat he stopped and raised a foot before slamming it back down. A wave of rocks shot out of the ground and pelted the rat. As he made the attack Zelphy Launched her own bolt of energy at the man. Unable to dodge he took the blast to his back and the sound of shattering glass rang again. His armour had taken the blow and he maintained his balance. He continued to run, passing the now dead rat.

Zelphy fired another blast when she could but the attacks did little to his armoured body. As he rounded the corner to the final room Zelphy took one last shot that hit the man square in the back of the head. He stumbled and fell to the ground, the girl falling out of his arms. Zelphy flapped slowly past the man and he charged some fire in his hand. The little lizard raised its arms and the bubble formed around it. The man realized he couldn’t attack and stopped the spell.

As he began to shift to get up Zelphy fired another blast and hit the man's face.

Veraform heard a pounding, and felt it too, as Thant slammed his hands against the barrier that limited the party size. “SAM! MORELLO! GET UP!” He screamed at the unconscious pair. He was helpless behind the barrier.

Meanwhile the white haired man had been fighting Mechamputax. The scorched and legless body had opened a portal and gone through, while the other body had continued to fight. The creature was struggling to keep up with the man. It would stutter as if it simply froze, and the man would get hits off on the creature.

Suddenly the man realized what was happening. “You’re stalling” He turned and ran back the way he’d come, unfortunately for him, that was the long way. Mechamputax’s scorched body was already nearing the others. When the man left Mechamputax, he focused his full control on the other body. He rounded the corner to the entrance room. Thant screamed. “NOOO! SAM! MORELLO! PLEASE WAKE UP!” but it was too late. Mechamputax slammed his long arm down and split the skull of the girl in a single swing.

Her head was destroyed and the barrier faded. As it did Thant nearly fell through. Mechamputax glanced at the boy and prepared to pull him in if he would just enter slightly. As his attention was on the boy, the long haired man made it back and slashed through Zelphy and at the monstrosity's head. His bones scattered and the man grabbed Morello. As Mechamputax’s body failed and he lost control he let out one last paralyzing shout. “Hahahaaaa” They froze for only a moment. After Morello was out Thant tried to grab Sam but she had already started dissolving beyond being salvageable.

He let out a yell as the other man pulled him out of the dungeon.

Yet again, Veraform had won.