Shane felt goosebumps surface over nearly his entire body as echoes of the maniacal laughter whispered from the dark depths before him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Shane. I'm not worried at all!" Liz said unconvincingly.

Shane nervously laughed, "yeah, we got this!" The chills were still bouncing around his insides like a pinball. A new window flashed before his eyes as he stared into the creeping shadows beyond the open doors.

-Level 13 Dungeon Quest-

Explore the dungeon and vanquish its boss

Optional Objective: Slay all enemies

I was wondering when I'd get a quest for this. No more fear; this Cain needs to be put to rest, he mentally affirmed.

Sharlot was back to being tiny and perched on his shoulder when Alabaster flew down from the top of the open tower, returning to his humanoid form as he got close.

"There was a man and likely his overseer up there. Neither looked like they had properly prepared for this place either," Alabaster remarked.

"What do you mean properly prepared?" Shane inquired.

Alabaster yawned before explaining. "Both corpses were full of small holes, on top of them missing several appendages. One of them didn't have a head."

Shane wasn't sure if Alabaster's disinterest filled him with hope or worry. He ignored it, opened up his spells/feats tab, and picked the next one he wanted to morph. I'm going to need all the power I can, he thought.

-Major Soul Siphon-

(Rare Shadow Spell)

The user absorbs 1/4th of the opponent's Maximum Mana and 1/4th of their current Hit Points

Spend 5 Soul Points To Evolve?

Shane confirmed he wanted the spell to evolve.

-Success!-

-Soul Vacuum-

(Ascended Shadow Spell)

The user absorbs 1/3rd of the opponent's Maximum Mana and 1/3rd of their current Hit Points

Cost: 25 Mana

Range: Melee

Duration: Instant

Cooldown: 18 seconds

Requirement: 25 Intellect/25 Wisdom

Morph available, proceed?

Yes, please! He thought—the menu confirming his mental command.

-Morph Option 1-

-Essence Vacuum-

(Ascended Shadow Spell)

The user absorbs 1/3rd of the opponent's Current Mana and 1/3rd of their Maximum Hit Points

Cost: 25 HP

Range: Melee

Duration: Instant

Cooldown: 15 Seconds

Requirement: 23 Intellect/27 Wisdom

-Morph Option 2-

-Soul Vortex-

(Ascended Shadow Spell)

The user touches the ground beneath them and absorbs 25% of HP and 25% of Mana from living beings up to 3 meters in all directions

Cost 30 Mana

Range: Self

Duration: Instant

Cooldown: 25 Seconds

Requirement 26 Intellect/24 Wisdom

Shane could see the benefits of the first morph and its ability to ravage a singular opponent. However, the area-of-effect of the second morph interested him far more. Especially if the spell ignored teammates at will and absorbed life and Mana from things like plants and trees. He absolutely couldn't wait to test it.

"Sharlot, I want you to bite my arm. No poison, though," he commanded as she immediately jumped onto his arm and bit him with zero hesitation.

-30 HP (Sharlot's Bite)

The pain was fierce. Shane ignored the throbbing in his arm and kneeled to touch the grass beneath him while casting [Soul Vortex]. A dark, wispy haze emanated from his touch, quickly spreading outward. The green grasses and nearby flora immediately curled into dull gray husks as their life force ebbed away. A deep thrumming sound accompanied the spell's usage before sending dark tendrils back into Shane's body.

+20 HP

Shane looked around. His friends seemed to not be affected by his upgraded spell. All the flora, on the other hand, was definitely affected.

"If the spell had affected one of you, I would have likely been fully healed," Shane said, feeling proud of the spell morph he chose. He asked if everyone else was prepared to dive in. When no one objected, they began walking into the dark walkway in a single-file line. Shane's summoned Skeletal Crew led the pack through the darkness with the help of Mage's fireball spell piercing the thick shadows.

Shane and his party slowly walked through a dark, wide hallway. Its tan stone walls showed signs of wear and age with cracks, dust, cobwebs, and what looked like dried blood smeared here and there. The stone walls curved upward toward one another, giving his party plenty of headroom to roam about.

Shane turned to look past those walking behind him and took some relief in the fact the door they came through hadn't shut while they were inside. That trope was annoyingly overplayed.

Step after step, the sound of rushing water delicately bounced off the stone walls. The water's cascading current audibly increased as they edged closer to another set of bronze double doors—perfectly mirroring the ones behind them. These doors, however, were already partially open. The swirling blue light of the water's caustics bounced playfully against the bronze door's blocky geometric patterns.

The rushing water grew slightly louder in conjunction with a wafting stench of decay and filth. Shane's skeleton crew parted to the sides of the hallway, allowing him to peek into the next room. The small opening didn't reveal much beyond a bioluminescent river inlaid into the flooring that crossed the center of a large room.

That smell, though, was not enjoyable in the slightest.

He knew why, but he wanted the others to see it first to save himself the explanation. Shane placed his hands on the already opened door and gave it a mighty push. Unlike the previous entrance, this door quickly gave way to his kinetic intent and flew open with a creaking whoosh. Shane cringed and expected a loud bang from the door slamming into the wall's stone bricks on the other side. Instead, a loud splat echoed into the hallway.

Confused, Shane motioned for the group to slowly follow him through the open door and into the sizeable gloomy chamber. The bioluminescent glow he saw earlier came from small glowing mushrooms that littered the river's sunken edges. A river Shane realized was actually part of a sewer drainage system. That certainly explains the smell, he thought while trying to breathe through his mouth. Sharlot didn't seem fazed from it, whereas Alabaster had a hand over his mouth and nose and a look of disdain.

Looking up showed the group what he now didn't have to explain. The shadowed upper walls and ceiling were lined with several bronze pipes that wove in and out of one another at inflexible angles. The pipes became something they could all see thanks to Mage's firelight.

Something wet dripped onto his shoulder, and he hated he could smell it before seeing it. He sighed and brushed it off his cloak wordlessly before whispering to the group.

"This place is where Krooth's sewer system is maintained. At least, it used to be,"

Shane didn't need to explain any further. As a group, they walked over to where the door had failed to make itself known to the dense walls. It was evident that Cain housing himself here had an apparent adverse effect on the underground facility's upkeep—changing nearly every aspect of the original dungeon.

Shane was the first to recoil with tense horror at the sight of the heavy bronze door, having lodged itself into the soft, gooey remains of several hybrids and humans.