Rana and Taye dodged out of the way based on pure instinct. They were on the edge of the large platform, but the monster’s descent was furious and sudden, giving them little time to consider their best course of action. They made it out, but it was luck that saved them.

The Chrysalis Abominations consumed the entire center platform, a space large enough to fit an entire army was gone in an instant. What appeared in its place was a deep abyss leading into a web of red strands that the behemoth disappeared into.

The other stone pillars and platforms collapsed into the crater, but none of them fell apart. They rode the red strands below, rising and falling as an invisible tide scrambled them like debris in a raging storm.

The initial attack was not started blindly. It was the bell that rang the beginning of the fight, the preparation for the intruders. This was the guardian’s den, its arena, and the humans would have to fight it in an invisible ocean by riding tides of stone.

Rana and Taye stumbled as the platforms they stood on swayed. The floor tilted to the rhythm of the invisible waves, and every crash it had with another shook the ground and caused them to lose their balance.

The situation was dire, but not hopeless. Rana did not believe so out of blind confidence. She was not conceited enough to think she could take on the monster one on one, or even with the aid of Taye. The challenge was possible precisely because it was a challenge created by the core. The rules of Dungeon creation and the System still applied. The monster’s power was limited by its Stat, and having a health pool meant that its health could be reduced to zero. Lastly, the System forbade the impossible when it came to accessing the core.

The monster could be defeated, but not by them alone.

“We need to contact Hamilton and have him lead the others here,” Rana said as Taye helped her up. “Until then, we have to survive and acquire as much information as possible.”

“I’ve already done so,” Taye said. She fastened her shield and unsheathed her sword. “However, due to the stone walls surrounding the arena, it would take them some time to ascend to the top. We have the equipment to do so, but not in such large numbers.”

“Do you know the mage-class and rogue-class make-up of the expedition?” Rana asked.

“If you are wondering about bombardment options, then the answer is no,” Taye said, already understanding why Rana asked. “Our guild is famed for a more direct approach to combat, and the guild master inherited warrior-class Skills. People like Hamilton are a rare oddity, especially to have risen to his position being a rogue-class. Even then, he is far from an ordinary one, favoring direct combat over hit-and-run tactics.”

“How about the others?”

“Our guild’s monopoly over jobs in the Nye territory made us the dominating marked one force. There are those who heard of the expedition and joined, but they are not orderly and operate in their own groups. Hamilton simply treats them as separate units and plans to only order them where to go and what to do so he did not bother to know what they are capable of. We’ve crossed swords with those not of Nye, but from what I’ve seen they won’t be useful in your plan,” Taye said. She then looked at Rana pointedly. “The duke has his marked ones, but as you can see they are nowhere to be found. So I guess we just wait and try to survive.”

Rana nodded her agreement. She would’ve liked to discuss more on what tactics they should employ and how they should cooperate, but it seemed like the monster had enough of their idle chatter, or that the monster was simply savoring a moment before it attacked.

Rana tensed as the hostility below roared. Where was it headed? It was not beneath them, it circled the arena from below, gaining speed and momentum.

“Steady!” Taye yelled.

The monster rose and burst apart the platforms. It soared into the air as stone and debris splashed around it. The platforms below swayed and quaked as it tried to throw the two marked ones off. The monster smiled and twisted its fin, slamming the pillars back into the area like large nails being driven into the abyss. The monster then dove back into the abyss.

Rana clicked her tongue as she steadied herself with her crescent bladed staff. She stood still for a moment. It was better to analyze the stones and predict where they would fall, rather than blindly running around.

There!

Rana dashed to the left and hopped down to another platform just as the one she was on about to flip over. She then fired off a Mana Blast and struck one of the falling pillars, breaking it apart and using Support Attack to get herself onto a safer platform. She quickly turned to Taye, who gave her a gesture she understood. Rana raised her arm and stepped slightly to the side, allowing a boulder to graze her. Taye then used Support Defend and appeared to her side.

“I don’t think this is sustainable,” Taye said as the raging stone ocean calmed and the platforms slowed and swayed back and forth. “The dire situation is raising our Focus significantly faster, but the cooldown of Support Attack and Support Defend is not exactly short and their Focus cost is also not cheap, and I rather not be low on the resource when the true fight begins.

“It seems to be the case, but so far it seems to be our only option,” Rana said after nodding her agreement. “I rather be low on mana and focus than dead.”

The monster did not continue its attack, but instead, the platforms rumbled as something from below approached. There were dozens of tendrils rising from the space between platforms, some big, some small, but all of them were attacking.

Taye stepped forward and raised her shield as the large slammed down towards the two of them. The impact pushed the platform down and caused it to crash against other platforms. The large ones in the distance did the same as they slammed against the stone and created a fierce current. The smaller ones flipped over and tossed boulders scattered throughout and aimed them towards the two of them. One of the tendrils sneaked behind them, but Rana slashed it away as Taye defended their front. The tendrils eventually ceased their attacks and returned to the depths below.

The two of them managed to repel the onslaught, but it was far from over.

“This is definitely not sustainable,” Taye said as she chugged down a potion. Rana knew the woman still had quite a bit of health, but in such a scenario, she agreed with the precaution taken. “This guardian is meant to be a raid fight and its Stats are no doubt to be in that range. I believe there is only one option left.”

Rana looked at Taye and nodded, both agreeing on what they need to do.

It was a skill that most children had learned and mastered.

“Yes, I guess we must play a game of tag.”