Cooldowns and bodies refreshed, the group moved to the next room.

Steven opened the door like usual while Micheal peeked. “All clear. It’s just a hallway with a door on the other end.”

They filled in, scanning for any hidden dangers.

It was just a normal hallway, it turned out.

They reached the end and repeated the process. It was a little difficult to have Buford get out of the doorways line of sight, the hall wasn’t that big, but they managed.

Steven pulled open the door. A lightning ball slammed into the ground.

Steven stared at the charred carpet right where he would have been standing.

“Oh shit!” Micheal spluttered. “Caution well warranted!”

He peeked around the door for an instant before pulling back.

Another lightning ball struck, impacting the ground with a crackling bang that made Steven tense.

“Six Shamblers near the door and two mages above and to the left on a staircase. At least, I think they’re mages. They have yellow dusters and black top hats.”

Margie met Steven’s eyes. “You and Buford push out and take care of the Shamblers.” She glanced to Micheal. “How close together are the mages?”

“A few feet apart.”

“How far away? And did the mage have a tell before chucking that attack?”

Micheal scratched his chin. “Probably…twenty feet away. And the mage cocked his arm back to throw, so you should be able to dodge.”

“Or I can throw a shield up.”

Margie nodded. “Alright. You and Buford go in, and you cover one of the mages with a shield. Block his hand or something. I’ll take care of the other.”

They all nodded. “On three.”

They all took a deep breath. “One. Two. Three!”

Buford dashed in, Steven hot on his heels.

The room was plain, without any notable features aside from a door across from them, a staircase on the left, and another door on the right.

Steven’s gaze snapped to the castors. Each zombie had a hand cocked back, a ball of lightning crackling in their palms.

He threw a shield up in front of their hands and a third in front of the left one’s eyes.

Or at least, he tried to.

The shields appeared at the spots he’d intended but about four feet closer than he’d wanted.

Out of range!

He rushed closer, but it was too late. Margie stepped out from the doorway and cracked off a shot. The castor on the right dropped, but the one on the left threw its charge.

Steven’s focus sharpened.

Micheal’s buff strengthened him in every way. He was more durable, faster, stronger. But the most potent boost was one he hadn’t even noticed at first.

Reaction time.

Steven dismissed his shields, calling them in front of Margie in the same thought. The first one at her face, then her chest, then stomach.

The lightning ball slammed into the shield at her chest. It exploded, but it didn’t wrap around the shield.

Margie hopped back and started to reload.

Steven turned to help Buford, but the dog didn’t need it. There were only two Shamblers left, soon to be one as he closed in, jaws flashing.

Steven charged the stairs before the mage could get another shot.

It saw him coming and cocked its arm back, but it was in range now. He dismissed his shields and called them around the mage—one at its eyes, one at its cocked arm, and one behind its leg.

It tried to throw, and when that failed, backpedaled straight into the third shield.

Steven cleared the stairs as the mage fell, Micheal’s buff pumping through him.

He destroyed the shields in his way and drove a stomp down before the castor could recover.

It took two more before it stopped moving.

He spun, but Buford was done. The malamute was accepting his praise from Margie and Micheal as his shroud scrubbed the gore from his fur.

Ding! Mob of Shamblers slain! Split with Margie Vern And Micheal Vane

Ding! 2 Lighting Hurlers slain! Split with Margie Vern And Micheal Vane

“Everyone good?” He called from the steps.

He got two thumbs up and a wag in return.

Just as Steven started down the stairs, a voice boomed into the hall.

“TRESPASSERS! HOW DARE YOU DEFILE MY SACRED HALLS OF KNOWLEDGE!”

They all jumped and looked for the source.

Holy shit, that was loud. And overflowing with equal parts pride and rage. The guy sounded like he was about to burst a vein.

“I AM NOWHERE TO BE SEEN, PEASANTS! I SPEAK THROUGH CHANNELS YOU CAN SCARCELY COMPREHEND”

Micheal glanced to the corners. “I guess he's using an intercom system or something.”

“NO. I AM USING A FAR SUPERIOR SYSTEM. THE ELECTRO-COM.”

“…So you added the word electro to intercom?”

“…YOU WILL ALL PERISH UNDER THE MIGHT OF MY CREATIONS!”

There was the buzz of electricity then the voice vanished.

They were quiet for several beats before Margie coughed. “So…I’m guessing that was the Mad Doctor?”

Steven started down the steps. “Yep.”

Micheal scratched Noodle behind the ears. The basset hound grunted.

“The guy sounded unhinged.”

“Mad is literally in his name,” Steven pointed out.

Micheal pursued his lips. “Fair enough.”

“Let’s move on,” Margie cut in. “We don’t want to waste Juggers cooldown.”

They nodded.

“So,” Steven asked. “Which door?”

Micheal pointed. “I vote middle again.”

Steven and Margie shrugged. “Good enough. The Mad Doctor seems like the type to stay at the center of his manor anyway.”

They started for the door, Micheal slowing to get into formation. “He’s going to be in the middle or the top of the manor. With an operating table with a corpse on it, just ready to hoisted up and struck with lightning.”

Steven chuckled. “You think he’s gonna shout ‘IT'S ALIVE!’ Or will he come up with his own material?”

Margie scoffed. “From that Electro-com nonsense, he’ll probably come up with his own, much dumber, phrase.”

They reached the door and fell into position beside it. This room had shown just how warranted their caution was.

Open door, pause, peek.

“Clear.”

They moved in. It was an average-sized square room with unadorned walls of grey brick. There was a door across from them and a few benches and stools lining the far wall.

The only thing that caught Steven’s eye was a long pipe stretching across the wall next to them.

Buford sneezed.

Steven eyed the dog, then sniffed at the air. It smelled dank and wet, despite looking perfectly dry, as far as he could tell.

They slowly walked in, wary of another ceiling monster drop.

As soon as Margie crossed inside, an iron gate snapped up in front of them, boxing them in. Another two slammed closed over the doors.

They backed up as much as they could. “Doors locking as we enter?” Micheal said. “I don’t like where this is going.”

The air crackled then the Mad Doctor's deep voice sounded out. “I SAID MY CREATIONS WOULD DESTROY YOU, AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE TO WASTE TIME.”

There was a crack of thunder, then the whir of machinery as a section of the ceiling opened and a grey form dropped through.

“BEHOLD! MY MOST DEVIOUS CREATION YET!”

The figure was a man…or had been, probably. There was the grey skin, for one thing, but his features were also off. They were stretched and drooping, making his skin seem like melted wax and his jaw hung loose as if he could barely close it.

The thing was dressed in the tattered scraps of a suit, its emaciated chest completely bare, and only a few scraps of fabric hung down from its shoulders along with strands of greasy hair.

It turned to them with milky eyes and groaned.

Electricity crackled through the air, quickly followed by something else. Steven couldn’t describe it, couldn’t even be sure he’d seen it. Yet, at the same time, was certain that something else had followed after the lighting.

That's not right.

Could this thing play with their heads?

“WHEN SCIENCE REACHES ITS LIMITS, A TOUCH OF MAGIC CAN BREAK THROUGH!”

The creature sucked in a warbling breath, and the air shifted.

Seven still couldn't point to any visible change, but he was suddenly pulled against the iron bars as everyone and everything in the room launched towards the creature.

Micheal slammed against the bars next to Steven, crying out as he fell against his injured arm.

Margie and Noodle were braced against Buford, whose shroud had sunk into the ground, keeping him rooted in place.

The stools along the far wall flew towards the creature like gravity had changed direction. As a stool rushed at the monster from behind, it twisted and unhinged its jaw, stretching it nightmarishly wide and exposing a mouth full of jagged teeth.

It clamped down on the stool, jaws snapping shut like a bear trap.

The wooden stool shattered.

The next stool hit the monster, causing it to stagger back a step, but its jaws shattered the third.

Brief delay between bites. We can use that.

After ten seconds, the pull ended.

Micheal staggered back, his jaw tight as he cradled his arm.

For someone who says he didn’t waste time, the Mad Doctor was certainly putting on a show. Though Steven guessed that was part of the Scenario design.

They got a brief example of what this thing could do before they had to fight it. The Scenario was only supposed to be ‘medium’ difficulty.

The Mad Doctor's voice crackled through the room. “THAT'S ENOUGH CONTEMPLATING YOUR FATE. DIE!”

The cage dropped, but the doors were still barred.

The monster's milky eyes locked onto them.

“Get to the pipe!” Steven snapped before shoving Micheal into motion.

Margie and the dogs rushed over with time to spare, but Steven and Micheal’s hands had barely closed around it before the pull started again.

Buford had planted himself against Margie and Noodle again. They’d be fine. But Micheal was left with only one hand on the pipe, his other arm still cradled against his side.

Steven hastily threw up his shields along Micheal’s back. His feet left the ground from the force of the pull, and he wasn’t sure if he’d have been able to hold on without Micheal’s buff.

The shorter man grunted as the force pulled him against the shields, but he wasn’t in danger of sailing into those jagged teeth.

Another ten seconds and the suction ended.

They all froze for a second, unsure of what to do. Margie broke the standstill by raising her rifle and firing off a shot.

The creature bit the bullet with a crack!

It bit the bullet!

The monster staggered, and a trickle of purple liquid dripped from its mouth. Was that its blood?

Margie cursed and started reloading. “That reaction time is ridiculous!”

“There’s a delay,” Steven said, his focus locked on the creature's mouth.

The way it moved, it was automatic, like a script kicking in.

The instant something entered its range, those hideous jaws would crash down. It had even snapped a stool that had been sailing at its back.

Was it a Skill?

“How are we supposed to trigger that delay?” Margie snapped. “I only have one shot at a time.”

“I have a plan. Take your shot after it bites my shield.”

Steven focused on Hand-Shield. A sound trap would be perfect. One shield and a quick chomp, and the thing would be stunned, hopefully, long enough for Margie to kill it.

Steven hesitated for a moment before calling. Those jaws had shattered wood. Was his shield going to hold? He couldn’t hold onto the pipe if he was blacked out from pain.

He shook his head. He had to try. It was less risky than getting close.

Just as Steven was about to dismiss a shield and call, a hole in the ceiling at each wall opened. Stools fell through to clatter against the stone floor.

“Wha-“ Micheal cut off as the monster sucked in a breath.

“Brace!” Margie yelled.

The pull started again, and the stools flew towards the monster. Steven twisted his head as his feet flew out, desperate to keep an eye on the beast.

Just as they were about to reach it, the creature dropped and stopped its pull.

The stools, though, didn’t suddenly lose their momentum. And two of them were heading straight for Steven and Micheal.

Oh.

Steven was reacting before his feet even touched the ground. The shields covering Micheal vanished in a flash of green motes, reappearing in front of each stool a half-second apart.

They crashed into the shields and bounced away, striking with enough force that one of them lost a leg as it tumbled to the ground.

That pull was absurd.

Steven caught a flash of jagged teeth as the creature smiled. And under the sound of clattering wood, he heard a deep, wheezing breath.

Shit.

Micheal left the ground before Steven could react.

The Skill box in the corner of his vision pulsed, but for once, it wasn’t Hand-Shield. It was Micheal’s buff, Oh Thank You, Hero.

Steven’s world slowed as Micheal sailed towards the monster.

He didn’t know if it was the Skill or the adrenaline, but the world seemed to crawl as he stared at Micheal’s falling form.

He had enough time to see the confusion written plan on the man's face, to take in the way the bits of broken wood tumbled through the air. Could feel the odd thrumming in the air that accompanied the creature's pull.

A shield?

No, Micheal was already moving too fast. He’d probably kill Micheal himself if he threw up a shield.

Could Margie shoot the thing?

No, she couldn’t make a shot before Micheal reached the monster.

Well, then Micheal would just have to reach the monster. And so would Steven.

He let go of the pipe and shoved, jumping into the pull.

The world rushed back, and everything happened at once.

Steven called his third shield in front of the monster's face, a sound trap attached while dismissing the other two.

With the added force of his jump, Steven almost caught up to Micheal as they fell.

The monster reacted instantly to the shield, its jaw unhinging as it lashed out. A deafening bang blasted from the shield and the monster spasmed.

The pull cut off, and they started to fall to the ground. But they were going too fast and were too close. Micheal slammed into the monster's chest, knocking it flat as they tumbled. It was still a hard impact, but the creature offered a far better cushion than his shield would have.

Steven hit the ground and rolled, a foreign strength coursing through him, making the rough landing easy to ignore.

He used his momentum to spring back to his feet straight into a run. He felt light, more graceful, more in control of himself than ever before.

He was barely two steps from them, but the monster was shaking off the stun, its jaw unhinging as he watched.

He called a shield, without an augment this time; Micheal was too close for that.

Those rancid teeth clacked down, and the shield started to crack.

Steven’s shoe slammed into its head as the shield shattered. The momentum of his hit sent the creature rolling, but the blinding flash of pain stole his balance, and he tumbled to the ground.

Through the wave of agony, he saw the monster slowly shaking off his kick, its milky eyes focusing on him.

Then Buford was there, and a crackling, savage bite crushed the monster's head like an egg.

Ding! Unique Creation vanquished!

Unique Creation’s vanquished 3/4

Augment gained!

Shield-Pull

Rarity: rare

Effect: pull shield within 15 feet of the caster straight towards a designated point on the body. The shield will stop when within 6 inches of the caster.

Energy cost: none

Cooldown: 5 seconds per shield

The pain from the Skill backlash ended. Steven only spared the words a glance before looking at Micheal.

It was better the creature than his shield, but…

Steven relaxed as the redhead climbed his feet, smiling from ear to ear.

“Level 3, baby!”