I was not so lucky with either things that I needed to happen. I wanted to enter the area last, but Allen pushed me in before him. My presence did prevent the statue from coming to life. The ball of dark in its hand spun angrily but malignantly. No Blight spawned.

Liam’s terrible party did just what he said, they burned the room down. The caster had a fire spell that was similar to Jun’s wind spell. He couldn’t cast it as often, but once a tree was good and on fire, the other party members took branches that were on fire to start assaulting the bushes of the maze.

It didn’t take long for the pit to start to fill with smoke. Allen stayed along the edge of the pit, near the exit, and so I was kept there as well. He still held my rope tightly as if his life depended on it. The smoke, it seemed, was getting to Allen.

It started with his eyes watering and becoming red. Then he began to cough and wheeze. Soon, he was doubled over and could hardly hold onto the rope. I stood in front of him and whispered hoarsely as the smoke was making it difficult for me to breathe as well.

“If you’ll get me out of here, I’ll heal you. You shouldn't stay in here a moment longer, you’re going to pass out and I’ll still get free. They aren’t going to activate the boss, you don’t have to do this with them.” I pleaded. I didn’t think Allen would be taken out by the smoke, it was a bluff. “You deserve a better party.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Allen coughed out. “I’ll take you out of the canyon, but you aren’t going free.”

He stumbled a bit and turned towards the canyon entrance when the fire caster shouted in alarm.

“It’s moving! The statue is the boss!”

Allen and I turned to see the giant statue step down from the building with the golden door. The shadow in it’s hand fired magic at the burning trees, or at least what was left of them. The blighting magic still worked on the trees. Rather than be the generic wood Blight, this created burning Blight I later learned it was called. They looked much like the wood Blight, but they were on fire. Rather than strike with a stick or needles, they threw fire. Liam’s party scattered, one tumbling into the stream to put out his back that had received a direct hit of flame.

A bolt of air hit Allen and he went down hard. He didn’t burst into red pixelated light, but he stopped moving. The rope was dropped and I was free.

“Jun!” I stood and looked around. Jun was racing along the side of the pit away from me and towards Liam’s party. Clint was already running towards the boss.

“!” I heard him shout and a flash of red light emitted from him and landed on the boss for a moment.

The statue had, moments before, focused on Liam himself and was striking him with black shadow magic. Once the red light washed over it, the boss’ attention shifted to Clint. The black bolts flew at Clint and I was amazed to see him duck, dodge and weave out of the way. He dodged six attacks, but the seventh hit him. Once it hit him, he dashed forward in his key attack and managed to shatter the ankle of the statue. One hit, that is all it took. The statue crumbled and I threw a spell at him.

Knowing he had that handled, I looked after Jun. Jun wasn’t have the same kind of luck. She was struggling with the flaming mobs and Liam’s party, who were attacking her and the monsters. Slyly, she stayed standing in the water of the blessed stream. Whenever she was hit with fire, she was able to quickly put it out. I healed her twice and backed away to stay on the opposite side of the water from the Blight for protection.

I aided Jun heavily, healing Clint now and again as he was starting to take serious damage from the boss. My arms were still tied, so there wasn’t much else I could do but dance behind the running water and fling little bits of support. Jun was about to be overtaken by Liam’s lackeys, I shouted to try to warn her, but the fire, the screaming from the fire user who had set himself on fire and apparently never learned to stop-drop-and-roll, and the deafening slamming of the statue’s hand on the ground as it missed squashing my party mate was just too much for me to shout over. It was risky, but I decided to use my other spell on the advancing thugs.

“!”

One of them stopped in his tracks and rubbed his eyes. The spell didn’t drain me very much, thankfully. It did seem to have a decent cool down as I couldn’t cast it again until the other two were swinging their blades at Jun. Once I was able to blind another, Jun could focus on one and quickly took him out. The man turned red as his body hit the ground and that light trickled into the sky. I hoped player killing did not come with a heavy penalty when you were defending yourself or party mate.

Blind had warn off the first man and he got to see his friend’s red pixels trailing off into the sky. As Jun would say, he noped it the hell out of the pit. Jun took out the third before the blind effect could ware off him. She was safe and able to turn back to fighting the flaming Blight.

I had been too preoccupied with Jun’s plight that I had missed that Clint was losing his battle against the boss. I tried to heal him, but the spell did not initiate. He had been pushed back towards the other end of the pit, so I assumed he was out of range.

I was in mid step when pain and a blade burst through my chest. It was Liam. He had managed to get all the way over to me, grab hold of the rope, and plunge his sword through my back. He was laughing maniacally.

“Heal me and I’ll remove my blade.” He said into my ear as he leaned on me. He smelled of burned hair and flesh.

“I’d rather die.” I wheezed out and leaned back onto his blade.

“Oh no, you won’t be dying. I’ve done worse to people here. Being stabbed once won’t kill you, but it will hurt.” He ground his teeth as he spoke, clearly in pain himself.

The blade protruding from my chest slid back and that was the most disturbing sensation I have ever felt. It was painful, but it was also sickening. The sensation continued as he pressed the blade back. I couldn’t hold back a gurgling groan as one of my lungs filled with fluid.

“Just one heal and it stops.” He promised.

As he was focused on me, I was focused on my party. Jun had found a way to aim her wind spell to cause the blessed water to splash on the flaming Blight. The creatures melted away like sugarcubes in hot tea. She had not noticed my plight and was aiming her attack to do the same to the statue. The white stone melted just the same as the Blight did under the blessed water, which was expected as the hand had melted when we first fought the boss. It was great thinking on her part.

Clint shouted something to Jun which caused her to look over at me. Finally. I had to keep Liam’s attention on me so my friends could get here. I am certain that if he noticed them, he would kill me and run. I decided to attack a little myself. Though it hurt, I slammed myself back against his blade and jerked my head back with all my might. Stars danced in my vision as my skull connected with his face.

Liam let go of the sword and the rope to clutch his face. I bolted. Well, that is a lie as running with both arms tied behind your back and a sword plunged through you is not possible. I moved as quickly as I could manage away from Liam but in the opposite direction of my party, hoping to keep his attention on me so they could surprise and finish him off. It was working as I heard him shout and swear at me, demanding I come back. Like hell I was going to.

I stumbled and went down on one knee in the creek. I struggled but I couldn’t get up. I heard footsteps splash behind me as Liam had caught up and was stalking to where I had fallen. I also heard the roaring voice of a very angry half bull man has he ed at my attacker. With the last bits of energy I could muster, I turned just in time to see Clint’s blade slide through Liam’s body as his blade was stuck in mine.

The difference here is that Liam was still level one or two, which meant he did not have the health to spare. Clint was a higher level with a higher tier sword. It was no surprise to me when Liam’s body turned red and started to pixelate into the sky.

Jun was right behind Clint. She couldn’t dash as quickly as Clint could in his attack, but she was very swift on her feet. She yanked the sword out of my back and I screamed. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Sorry, sorry, I had to. Oh hell, sorry.” Jun said quickly and pushing her hand on by back as I bled from the sword wound.

“.” I used the spell on myself and all of my wounds faded, but so did the last of my energy. I slumped into Jun’s arms as Clint joined her. “Been a long time since I collapsed from a healing spell. You both have great timing.”

“This all was quite the mess, Alice. What happened?” Clint asked as he took me from Jun. His large arms gently picked me up and then moved us all to a cozy spot in the grass.

“I entered the floor a little early and they were waiting here.” I said, closing my eyes as the low mana made me dizzy.

“Those were the same fellas that gave us trouble before, right?” He slipped his blade back into his pack.

“The same ass hats that gave her trouble when she was trying to help the town.” Jun added. “Wonder how many times we will have to kill them before they learn their lesson.”

“At least five or six more times,” Allen coughed.

The three of us jumped, or I would have if I had not been unable to move. The feline eared man had snuck up on us. He had his hands raised, but that didn’t stop Jun from pointing her wand at him and Clint from drawing his sword again.

“Liam doesn’t learn and has a stupid grudge against those of us who have and altered appearance. The man’s psychotic.” He stopped moving towards us. “Truce?”

“I think it is a lot more psychotic to follow a man like that.” I said, now able to sit up.

Allen’s eyes darkened and he looked to the ground, unable to keep eye contact. “I have reasons that I don’t wish to discuss.”

“Yeeeah, you don’t get to keep secrets and live right now.” Jun said as she took a step forward.

Allen took several steps back and looked properly frightened. Jun was a force of nature that no one should want to contend with. I couldn’t understand his angle. Why would he surrender to us? Why not just run off?

“I’ll need your help soon due to that secret, but right now it is too dangerous to divulge.” He seemed apologetic. “I want nothing from you now other than to be allowed to go to the second floor. It will give me some distance from Liam and an excuse to be unable to return to the floor with them.”

“I don’t think I care what you want. I wanted to not be beaten while tied up. You didn’t exactly assist me with that.” I stormed up to Allen as I spoke, my anger bubbling out through my words. “We are both animals in his eyes, yet you choose to do his dirty work. You are worse than he is because you know better.”

I was jabbing my finger against his chest with my last words. Quickly, he grabbed my finger, twisted me around and held a knife to my throat. It happened so quickly that none of us had the time to react before he let me go with a little push and threw the knife at Clint’s feet.

“Think what you will. You don’t know the story of everyone and the struggles they have.” His voice was soft, fragile in a way as if the slightest breeze would shatter them before they were able to pass his lips. If it was acting, it was a very good act as I could almost touch the sadness in the air that he left as he turned away from us.

Clint bent over to pick up the discarded knife. He considered it silently for a moment before taking a few large steps to catch up with Allen’s retreating form. Clint’s hand grasped Allen’s shoulder and turned him firmly.

“When you’re ready to be a real man, we’ll help yah then. Staying with the swine you’re with ain’t gonna get you a damn thing. You kept Alice away from danger, means you can be decent. I’ll party with someone who is ready to be decent all the time.” Clint pressed the dagger back into Allen’s hand and returned to us.

Allen looked conflicted. His eyes stayed on the dagger in his hand and we all waited to see what he would choose. Clint sighed in disappointment when the lion eared man turned and walked away.

“I won’t party with him.” Jun said once Allen was far enough away that he probably could not hear her.

“Well, it ain’t really up to us. We picked a party leader for that.” Clint reached over to mess up my hair with his hand. “I jus’ don’t want someone who could be good tah think they got no choice but to be bad.”

“He’ll have to work to earn my forgiveness. He stood there and let Liam beat me. Didn’t say a word.” I said, pushing Clint’s hand away. “That is something I can’t easily forgive.”

“An’ yah shouldn’t.” Clint agreed.

“Fine. Let’s just get our sick loot and get out of here.” Jun said, turning towards the center of the mostly burned down maze.

“Don’t get too disappointed, there was no chest when I arrived.” I warned her.

My warning caused her to take flight. She ran towards the center of the maze. Clint and I lagged behind, taking our time. The boss wasn’t going to respawn for 24 hours with us in there, we were the strongest things on the floor, we could afford to take it slow and easy right now.

Jun let out a loud cheer and I guessed that the treasure had spawned after the boss had been eliminated. There was a patch, then, this was great news. I was worried that loot would be a one time thing and that could make boss fights less rewarding if one was to help others through them. The point of a guild re-running boss fights was not just to get its members through them, but to gain wealth from loot and to search for rare drops. If bosses didn’t have rare drops, the game could become stale when we hit power plateaus.

“Oh my god, you guys! I think the gave loot for two parties! There is so much here.” Jun called out, causing Clint and I to speed up.

She was right. This was much more loot than there was when I had been through the first time. There were 399 copper, 272 silver and 385 gold coins. We were well on our way to buying the guild licence with that alone. Along with the coin, there were other items that seemed to make sense for the members of Liam’s party. They would never see this stuff. They were here during the fight, but they did not take out a single mob. I’d be damned if we shared things with the likes of them, anyhow.

Jun pulled out the other items and tossed them to Clint and I. There were three chainmail shirts, a red robe that was in the style of a medieval monk, a white robe that looked almost like a toga, a tiara made of gold with red gems, a steel choker with the libra zodiac sign, a silvery looking belt buckle attached to fine leather, a dagger, a set of carpentry tools, a case of 12 empty bottles, a battle axe, two swords, a whip, a deck of cards, a spiked gauntlet, and a great club.

I whistled in appreciation at the pile of items. “Is this how bandits feel after a raid? If it is, I can see the appeal.”

“This is what heroes get t’ feel when they win.” Clint said as he pulled a chainmail shirt over his head. As he put it on, the shirt changed sizes to fit his hulking form. “Now I ain’t runnin around the afterlife naked.”

“You had shorts.” Jun teased, pulling on the red robe. It, too, adjusted to fit her form pleasantly.

I picked up the white robe, but decided to change into it later in the privacy of my room at the inn. The case of bottles was something I figured I could use once I learned how to make potions, so I made a claim on them. Jun picked out the choker and deck of cards. Clint hefted the battle axe but said it felt awkward to wield. He traded it for the belt buckle and was happy.

“I don’t see anything else I want, I suppose we can get this stuff appraised and sell it to the store or see if anyone at the inn wants to buy it.” I suggested, putting as much as I could in my bag and gesturing for the other to do the same. “Should we pool our money until we decide what we are going to do with it?”

“I like having my own money.” Jun said with a shrug. “I think most of it should go as party funds, but, like, some for personal spending money. I don’t want to feel like I am asking my mom to buy things when I need them.”

“Fair. How about we split all money 4 ways? One for each of us and one towards party funds? If you want to donate more to party funds, that is up to you.” I moved the money into four piles to show them what I meant. “That way, you have money for things just for you and we have money for things for all of us.”

“Sounds good t’ me. This will keep a roof over my head for a long time.” Clint happily picked up his share and put it in his bag.

“We should put all the money we get from selling items into the party fund.” Jun recommended as she, too, bagged up her coin. “And any left over that doesn’t round into splitting things by four.”

Everyone agreed and that is what we went with. We packed our bags full and carried what wouldn’t fit. Jun opened the door with ease and we headed down the steps towards the second floor and the way out.