“What the…” Lukas was just about to ask when another crash thundered through the hall, jolting their hearts a standstill. His face paled even further as he felt the backlash of the spell on his mind, body and psyche. The sigil needed to be continuously channeled with mana during its duration and if anything happened to the shield he was bound to get hit by the spell's recoil.

“Can someone tell me what's happening?” Rexsi snapped.

The dome by now looked like a web of cracked glass; almost as if it only needed a single touch for it to all fall down. Lukas furiously swept his freed hand, further instigating his mana to repair the fractured surface. In a soft light the fissures mended, the splits and cracks on the surface slowly disappearing rescinding into its previous state. Under a quick thought, Lukas willed for the dome to get smaller, further increasing its metallic shine. After shrinking in size, the dome defense's more than doubled though it barely left enough space for them to wiggle in.

Renesme's clear jade eyes shone as she eyed a particular corner the moment another crash came. “Impossible!” she muttered under her breath, her eyes flickered even brighter trying to pierce through large mass that surrounded them like a heavy blanket.

“What is it?” Geoffrey asked, in hopes that she finally had an idea on what was going on.

Renesme's face twitched when she fully realized. “It seems this dungeon has finally conceived... a Rat King.” She lightly announced.

“What?” Rexsi turned, perfectly mirroring everyone expressions at the very moment.

“No, that can’t be…” Mira exclaimed.

“It should have been impossible,” Renesme whispered, almost to herself, “But as it seems that’s the very truth. This horde has indeed birthed a beast king.”

“A beast king?” Geoff asked incredulously, “as in the ruler of these vermin?"

Renesme nodded. “The odds for such a thing to happen are not worthy mentioning but the fact that we happened to stumble upon it...” Seeing their confused gazes, she further explained.

“It seems that these underground rats like many other bottommost beasts are tied to the foundational stages. A normal underground rat can only be as strong as an early mortal warrior at most hence they are deemed weak. What they do rely on are their numbers. With their ability to procreate countless of times faster, their numbers can overwhelm other beasts more than twice their strength.”

She continued. “For this horde to bear a rat king then special circumstances must have risen. With its ability to lead these mindless beasts they have become more than worth the trouble.”

“You don't say,” Lukas snapped for the first time since he had first entered the dungeon. “Forget about the rest, I just want to know how we can kill it.”

Another crash was heard, this time muted under the thickness of the dome. Renesme shone her jade eyes over to the direction before she calmly observed.

“The rat king's strength seems to range from Late to Peak Mortal Ranked Warrior. I can cast a volley of arrows in the general direction it is hiding but I'm not too sure I will be able to claim its life in one stroke.” She threw a quick glance at Lukas, silently impressed by the fact that he could withstand the strength of a late or even a peak mortal beast with his mid mortal cultivation.

Lukas vehemently shook his head. “It's not enough. We have to make sure we kill it and the rest of its minions at a go else we might get besieged by more rats if it gets the chance to escape.”

He took a glance around before he seemingly had an idea. Pulling a haggard breath and with a deft move of his free hand, he took out a small plain blue potion from his belt, uncorked it and then spilled the contents into his mouth. The potion tasted like an iced liquid quickly spreading throughout his whole body, giving life to his nearly dried up mana.

Rexsi could only watch in envy. Mana potions were profoundly expensive in the Continent of Lush and basically only nobles could mostly afford a bottle or two. They are mostly usually used as life savers and although it stung Lukas a little, he couldn't care less seeing as he needed it now more than ever to make sure they even stay alive.

After a certain modicum of strength returned to his body, he eyed Mira and Renesme clearly before he asked. “Do both of you have any trump spells that can kill this entire nest of rats within a single cast?”

They had only one chance to clear the beasts and its leader and the spells had to be strong enough to make sure none of them live lest the rat king survives and summons even a bigger mob landing them in more danger than they were already in.

Mira bit her lips before she slowly nodded. “I do have such a spell but it will take a few breaths of time to collect enough mana for it.”

Renesme gave her nod too. "I do posses such a spell but it will take a moment also."

After getting their assurances, Lukas settled in a battle pose. "Then prepare them as quickly as you can. I can only promise to hold down the dome for as long as I can."

Mira then took a deep breath and without hesitation, took out an exquisite small blue bottle which looked and felt more expensive than Lukas's, uncorked it and then emptied its contents in one graceful move.

"For the spell I am about to cast, I will need all the mana I can get." She told them as she closed her eyes, determined. She held her amber staff gently almost like a lover before she started muttering under breath, chanting and collecting mana, tuning out all of the surrounding distractions. Her fiery robe danced under the golden sheen, the only proof of her accumulating power.

Renesme also settled herself in a pose, the bow held across her chest as she also closed her eyes, collecting her strength and chanting soft words under her breath.

Lukas eyes flashed towards Geoffrey. “You will play the most dangerous role. You have to attract the rat king’s attention the moment they are done with their spells. This is to make sure the damn beast doesn't escape at the most inopportune moment.”

Even as they stared at each other with Lukas's pale hair casually dancing, his white robe flapping in the air while Geoffrey looked chaffed and rough, streaks of blood all over his armor, he instantly understood the underlying meaning. He had to risk himself and pin the beast an instant before the spells start flying. It was also at that precise moment where he would be most vulnerable as he would have to face and survive the furious onslaught of countless rats all vying for a piece of him.

He hefted his shield, his silver eyes under his helmet filled with resolve. “You can count on me.” he said as he moved just a little further from Lukas, nearer to the dome, keeping track of the rat king's movement who kept crashing into curved wall with the hopes of destroying it.

Lukas turned to Rexsi. Despite their differences from the moment they had met until they arrived in this dungeon, both of them knew that this was not a time to be holding on to grudges. Ultimately Rexsi was clearly aware who was most provocative between the two of them.

“You will be his lifeline.” Lukas solemnly told him, his head slightly dipped to Geoffrey standing a little further from them. “Make sure you pull him back in time; away from the rats but especially away from the ensuing spells.” He gave glance at the visible accumulating mana from Mira's staff and Renesme's bow as he added, “We definitely don't want one of us caught up by our own spells.”

Rexsi assured him with a nod. “You have nothing to fear.” He half grinned, despite the despair that surrounded them. “No one will be allowed to die under my watch.”

With that, he swiftly stood beside Geoffrey, preparing himself.

“Why are you here?” Geoffrey asked the moment he arrived.

“I'm here to make sure you don't die that easily.” Rexsi quipped.

Geoff nodded in appreciation. “I am glad to have you watch over me.”

Rexsi smirked, “Let's survive this first before you make any promises.”

Geoffrey scoffed in response. “You wish” he as he calmed his mental state, fully focusing on the recurring bangs.

Within seconds the metallic shield slowly started to accumulate countless small hairline cracks and despite the visible efforts at mending them, the Rat King increased its ire, smashing into it and further instigating countless more rats under its control to butt their heads against it, unconcerned for their own lives. Soon deep crimson blood smeared against the dome making a gruesome scene as the rats went even more berserk, increasing their efforts by bashing their heads again and again until their brains went mush and their innards were split open, trampled upon by other rats who replaced them almost immediately. It didn't take long for the cracks to add up, sprayed across the glass surface like streaks of lightning.

Within a single breath, both Mira and Renesme opened their eyes.

“I'm ready.” Mira whispered now bathed in strongest hue of orange further accentuated by her crimson robe.

“My arrow is locked.” Renesme announced, her clear jade eyes focused and her green cape wildly flailing behind, as the striking bow in her hand shone like the greatest star aimed directly at the daring beasts.

In a second after, almost like a ripple everyone moved.