Several mobs sprinted through the open door. The attack was split into two waves. The first group fired all their range weapons—bows and crosses, throwing blades and axes—then ducked behind the rear wall, while the melee group met the survivors at the front barrier.

Gunnar hit a Level 9 dusk elf in the chest with his first throwing blade, dealing +30 Damage, while an arrow to the neck finished him off.

[You have defeated Dusk Elf Level 9, with an assist from Cork! Here’s 15 XP!]

Gunnar was impressed. The dwarf was a surprisingly good shot with a bow.

The range attack dropped one more mob, thanks to fine marksmanship—or womanship—from Em and Luda. But the remaining two attackers took only minor Damage and charged the wall. Grippa took down another with a mighty swing of his war hammer. Gunnar didn’t see the rest, because the next wave of mobs was already pouring into the room.

His first attack only grazed a shoulder, and he launched another, nailing the mountain orc in the face. Somehow—with a blade jutting out of his right cheek—the orc charged forward. Luda landed a bolt in its thigh. One of the hobos hit it in the shoulder with a throwing axe. And finally, Grippa finished it off.

[You have defeated Mountain Orc Level 13 with an assist from… allies! Here’s 10 XP!]

[Congratulations! You can toss things with relative accuracy. You have reached Level 16 in the skill Throwing Blade.]

[Congratulations! You have reached Level 13! You have earned Glory for your goddess Nymoria.]

The battle paused all around him, and a brilliant shimmering woman appeared in the midst of the madness. Nymoria reached out her hand, and Gunnar glowed as he leveled up.

“Well done, faithful servant. You have taken another step on the path to greatness. You have received one attribute point, which can be distributed at any time. But remember that every choice you make will echo into eternity. Choose wisely.”

Considering Gunnar only had four more range shots left, he applied the point to Strength, raising it to Level 10, then applied three skill points to Slashing Blow and two to Enhanced Blow.

The world unfroze.

The large mountain orc had taken so much of their attention, three more mobs charged the front barrier.

The action made it difficult to aim as another wave poured in. Gunnar took down a Level 6 shield-maiden, but used up three of his blades.

He sent his last dagger into the eye of another very large mountain orc. It dealt decent damage, but this one was a Level 16.

And the melee group was struggling already. Two had fallen, along with a couple of the range fighters.

Gunnar rushed forward, shield-raised, and joined the melee. One of the hobos staggered back from a slashing blow to the chest. An enemy goblin leapt over the wall, sword over its head to finish it off.

Gunnar rushed in front of the attacker, defending the hobo from the attack. The goblin landed on his shield, and with a surge of Sheer Strength, Gunnar heaved his shield upward, sending the goblin flying over the hobo and landing hard on his back on the stone floor. Gunnar leapt over and plunged his saber into the goblin’s unarmored chest.

[Critical Hit! You have dealt +45 Damage to Goblin Level 7!]

The goblin shuddered as he withdrew his blade, dark blood spurting from the wound.

[You have defeated Goblin Level 7! Here’s 10 XP!]

Gunnar looked up, ready to hone in on his next target, but his vision was skewed by a strange crimson light flashing all around the walls, casting bizarre shadows. At first, he thought it was the crypt untethering, but the timer had not quite run out.

Several of his comrades had been knocked back from the first barricade and rose slowly, crimson energy flashing over their skin and then fading. There was a bright flash from the doorway, and Gunnar ducked just in time as a bolt of magic shot past his head. Though there was no cold or heat in the attack, he could feel the energy like a rush of wind that nearly knocked him off his feet.

A very large and very bright woman stood at the doorway, pausing during the brief cool down between her attacks. A blue bar hovered over her head, quickly replenishing. Gunnar was about to shout for the range crew to attack, but when he turned he found the second wall had been damaged by the last spell.

He was relieved to see Em getting to her feet and helping up Cork and Luda.

Grippa had sustained damage from one of the other mobs after getting knocked down from the first magical attack, but he was already engaged with a dusk elf.

Another spell rocked the chamber, and this time Gunnar did fall to his knees. Splinters of wood exploded as the spell decimated their last makeshift shield wall.

“To the inner sanctum!” Gunnar shouted.

He helped Hank the Kobold to his feet and shoved him toward the exit. Em and Luda fired at the mage, but only managed to get one shot off before the remainder of Kohli’s forces poured into the room.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Cork shouted.

The slaves and hobos scrambled to their feet. Gunnar and a couple others with shields attempted to provide a little cover as Kohli’s troops launched a volley of arrows and bolts toward the back of the chamber.

Em cried out as she wrenched an arrow from her thigh and staggered out of the room.

Grippa had been hit by an arrow in the shoulder and a bolt had managed to pierce his chest plate. Nevertheless, he roared and charged at the mobs, dual-wielding his massive war hammers.

It was just enough cover for the others.

Gunnar took out a Level 8 thief with a swift exchange of blows, but in the process nearly took a bolt of magic.

But the bolt had not been aimed at him.

Grippa struggled back to his feet, having sustained devastating damage. His chest sparked with crimson.

“Grippa! Get out of here!” Gunnar shouted amidst the madness.

The mage hung back during her cool down, but several more fighters surged forward.

Gunnar clashed with a goblin, but a jarring blow from behind sent him to the ground. He lost his shield in the attack, and his Health dropped close to 50%.

The goblin and its dusk elf comrade grinned and raised their blades to finish him off.

But Grippa barreled into the elf, and crushed the goblin’s skull in one stroke. More mobs charged.

“Go!” Grippa roared.

“Not without you!”

“It is only way!” Grippa cried out as he took down the dusk elf, then turned to face the rest of Kohli’s force.

Gunnar hated to leave him, but knew the orc was buying them their best chance at saving this crypt. He scrambled to his feet, leaving his shield behind, and sprinted out of the room as best he could, considering his Stamina was even lower than his Health.

The door to the next chamber slammed shut the moment he made it out.

Em immediately formed a makeshift barrier of roots and vines, though her Mana was low and this one would not take long for Kohli’s forces to break through, especially with that mage.

Gunnar could hear Grippa’s roars as he cut through mobs on the other side.

Then, it went quiet.

There only ten slaves and hobos left.

They had lost half their people. Kohli had lost at least as many, but they were still outnumbered.

Silence hung over them.

The survivors glanced at Gunnar, awaiting further instructions.

A jarring thud resounded as the mobs began to beat against the door.

Gunnar backed away, but no sooner had the attack begun than the chamber went silent again.

The floor began to glow with an eerie blue light, set in a grid pattern that criss-crossed across the entire chamber. Along the floors. Up the walls. Across the ceiling.

“What the hell is going on?” Cork asked.

“Is it mage?” wondered Hank.

Then, the floor shifted beneath Gunnar’s feet. The entire room seemed to tip, and then, it jolted the other direction.

“What is going on?”

The timer at the top of Gunnar’s vision flashed red.

He had not been sure what to expect. He thought moving the crypt was just a matter of magically shifting some doors around. But this felt as though they stood upon the deck of a boat in a storm-tossed sea. The floor shifted so hard, Gunnar had to brace himself, so he didn’t go tumbling back toward the door to the loot room.

He frantically sent a message.

Gunnar: What is this?

Lex: The crypt has been untethered from the space-time continuum of our realm.

Gunnar: Oh, is that all?

Lex: It’ll settle soon. But not completely until the Crypt Keeper tethers us back.

Before he could reply, another notification appeared.

Quest Update: Salvation of Souls (2)

Description: You have successfully defended the crypt from invasion long enough for the place to be moved. But in order to safely relocate, the crypt must be clear of all enemy players and mobs.

Objective: Kill all 14 remaining invaders

Reward: Glorious victory

A new timer flashed: 15:00.