Corvayne stepped through the doorway in the bar, one of his feet still shredded from the giant woman's scythe. Kirae was next, with Brines and Bell riding on her camel with her. She also had a ton of gear strapped to the animal, to the point where Corvayne wasn't sure how it was moving.

Seru was last through, with Nyxion tied to her. He had lost an arm and a leg with wounds that Corvayne wasn't sure how he had survived. The only hint he had was that fine light blue crystals had formed around his injuries. Something like Corvayne's own adept powers, working to keep his friend alive. That and Seru stuffing a healing potion down his throat.

The boss arena in this case was sunset atop a plateau. Corvayne was fairly sure with the two forks of a river coming together that this was the imperial palace sometime in the past. Other hints were stonework being assembled above them, tools left scattered as if the workers were going to pick them up in the morning.

Standing on a raised dias that might one day hold the throne, Diamonds-in-Passing stood ten feet tall, her quadraped form similar to the monster that the empire had failed to stop on the outside. On her back was a large orb of diamond. No doubt the prototype of the moon. Corvayne guessed then that his goal for the fight was to tag the orb, and pull out the corrupted thorns he was sure were there. Given the gleaming form of the boss, that was easier said then done no doubt.

A voice he did not recognize called out. "Okay team! This one looks tough!"

He turned around and noted that Sugar, the would-be bar enforcer that had ejected the bride, had also snuck in with them. The armored woman was stretching and whistling. Around her vibrant flowers appeared out of light then vanished. As they did, Corvayne felt himself relaxing.

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. He tried to keep himself level. "Miss Sugar, I don't know the rules of the bar but I am afraid we don't have anything to offer you for your help."

"No need to worry! Freebie! I love helping folks!" Her stomach grumbled, and she put an armored hand over it. "Ahah ha, but if you can buy me something to eat, I'd appreciate it!"

While Sugar spoke, Corvayne saw a second Diamond split off from the first, though the second did not have a moon on it's back. Corvayne took a deep breath. "I mean, we have just multiplied the number of extremely elite swordswomen we will be facing. We were not sure how we were going to fight one."

Seru sat down and held her head. "What do we know about Diamond Weapon?"

Kirae was fishing in her bags. "Light attacks, obviously has a two handed sword so probably can sunder our gear like Corvayne would... what else Corvayne?"

"Diamonds-in-Passing will likely also have powerful ice attacks, she was sort of a winter queen. If for some reason she doesn't just target me with light attacks. They might nova eachother. She's a very smart tactician. I suspect with two, they'll do something like hit each other with light and double up on that counter move that nearly killed me and Bell."

Seru walked over to Brines and helped sew up his missing leg's pants leg. "Bell has white lines now, do you think she might wake up and help us?" She kept one eye on her work, the other on the bosses waiting for them across the arena.

Corvayne shook his head. "I get a feeling that the royal family stopped coming out of this because they are not terribly useful. So... maybe I try to just dash for the orb, see if I can suprise the boss and pull the curse out?"

Sugar looked between the group. "Ice and Light element? Okay. I'll nullify both of them. Miss monk, do you have buffs?"

Seru looked upwards. "I can make anything you do critical. As in, you'll do it really, really well. But it has to be something that has a variable."

"Great! Use that on me please."

"I was planning to see if Corvayne could fix his foot and go for an alpha strike." Seru said. Corvayne sort of agreed, but the person who had slipped in with them had thrown the insane woman almost effortlessly. So it was possible they had a high level ringer who just wanted to join them.

"Try her." Corvayne nodded. "What should we do different with your skills?"

"Oh, just try to destroy or disarm one of them, I'll take the other one and negate their magic. I'm basically the ultimate wall! Sugar.... spin!"

The 20 vanished as thousands of colors exploded out of Sugar. "Okay, Let me know when your ready for me to pull!"

"Is this usual that you just jump into groups?"

"I have a good feeling about you, like, maybe.... it's destiny?" Sugar started looking down at her armored fingers, her face blushing.

Seru groaned. "We've known you a minute! Hands off Corvayne!"

Nyx groaned something that Corvayne didn't catch, but Seru nodded and gave Corvayne a look that he was sure wasn't entirely flattery. She could do that, as Seru had saved his bacon pretty damn hard a moment ago. "Okay Sugar. We don't know for sure how the levels work in here, but-"

"These guys are going to be level 40 something tops. Even if the real target is higher. Just keep yours busy, don't bother doding magic or energy. If you can disable her, do that. I'm level 60 something but I'm a Tier 8 and punch way above my raw level. I'll go ahead and start us up!"

"Tier... Eight!?!?"

"[Floral Nova Blade!]" Sugar fast-drew her blade, flying across the rooftop trailing dust and glowing flowers, then on impact Corvayne saw a dozen rose shaped auras flying out. He felt his doubt melt away. Courage bolstered him. His foot clamped itself to his bones, pain forgotten.

He couldn't use his leg fully, but without pain he charged with Seru forward, using his spear to help him close the distance. Both Diamonds turned and fired rays of light at each-other, turning themselves into light bombs. Corvayne was sure, seeing both glowing like fire, they were doomed. The same moment, he heard Sugar cry out again.

"[Flag Blade! White!]" and a white flower spun appeared between them and moments later the glow between the monsters was gone, turning into a glowing white blade stuck in the ground. Sugar parried and slid over, picking the spare weapon up then slamming it into her own weapon. She used her blade and stopped an overhead strike, then spun and perfectly slashed at her diamond.

Corvayne and Seru both had to stop and gawk, but rather then let her get double-teamed Corvayne steadied his spear. "[Cross Skill: Shadow Stealer!]". He dove forward, blade running across Diamond's shadow. Seru, on the other hand, used her Impetus skill to perfectly dodge an attack, then activated [Springwind] to bounce forward and instantly spring back out of the counter attack.

"Aim for her leg, our goal is to stop her from moving then flank and get the orb!"

Sugar caught a sword flat and went flying but somehow used her two handed blade to arrest her momentum and go flying right back in, also catching and drinking a potion from Kirae.

Corvayne saw Diamond sweeping her weapon forward and pushed with [Unity] to Seru. A moment later, Seru used [Cross Skill: Flows Like Water] to move through Diamond's blade, and Corvayne used his own [Flows Like Water] to follow, throwing attacks and shadow limbs into her legs. The huge Diamond centaur stomped, and Corvayne was forced to roll away. Still, he could see faint cracks forming in one of her legs.

Kirae tossed them potions as he and Seru squared up with the monster. He felt Brines aura kicking in too.

Seru ran back in, and Diamond pefectly timed her attack to hit the [Springwind], except a shield popped up and deflected the blade, letting her nail the leg again. Corvayne flung his hand forward, throwing shadow at it then focusing Gravity on the Diamond above it. There was a crack and the leg shattered.

Nxy flared his fear intent, and for a moment his target was off balance. Corvayne leapt at the orb on Diamond's back, but Sugar's target snapped a hand out to grab it. Or would have, if [Sword Bash] didn't interrupt.

Corvayne landed on the orb, hitting his knee and summoning another jelly meteor, but gritted his way through the pain and plunged his hands into Diamond's real body. He felt his hands close around spined thorns and he pulled, using his foot to brace himself as he lifted something like a huge clog from her. A sword came whistling in at him, but Seru used Impetus to deflect it. Corvayne focused on what he was doing.

It was him. Diamond. He had his hands around a hot curse, fighting his every pull. He looked over at Bell's prone form, then grit his teeth and with a tug pulled the curse free.

Sadly, it didn't stop the boss fight, and a moment later he was hit with one of those swords, flung off of one Diamond. The one he had been on was trying to curl up, head in it's arms as it fell to the ground.

Sugar seemed to get the hint, and started to grow extra hands. "[Asuran Rainbow Blade!]" Sixteen swords started chipping diamond chunks off her adversary, and a moment later the other fell to her knees. Everyone was still a moment, then Seru cheered and ran over and hugged Sugar.

"I take back everything bad I was going to say about you!"

"Okay sorry for getting ya folks mad!"

Kirae was more focused, flipping open a chest and just adding everything to her bags. "It's how we pay for potions, but also camel feed. He doesn't eat the cheap stuff."

Corvayne could care less about the loot. Sugar's auras wore off and now his foot was killing him. He walked over and picked up Bell, once more tying her to him. He caught Nyxion winking at him while wincing, still tied to Seru's back. Well, that was one way for the girl to keep his attention.

He shook Sugar's hand, partially because he was pretty sure she had given him a bunch of ideas for new attacks, and because Corvayne had an inkling that Nyxion could someday have a set of skills like she did. They both seemed to have some sort of emotional basis in their moveset.

Corvayne stepped out of the dungeon and had only a moment to see that the Bride was waiting for him outside the Tower exit, armed with a polearm. He felt rather then saw the hit as suddenly everything from the neck down was numb.

Well shi-

[You died]

[Timeline Integrity at 6%]

[3.5 Left]