The Tower in the Shadows

Tobar and Gran led the way, with the others following behind them. Elian was able to get a good view from the doorway.

The room was bigger than the others they had recently passed through. Blue moss covered the walls, giving off some light. The ground was dirt, but the walls were brick. The thing that drew their attention was the large mound near the other side of the room illuminated by their lanterns.

"Well, it's not hiding." Nilus quipped.

"Because of its size. It can't." Hena retorted.

Gran and Tobar walked forward much slower now, with Kimora and Nilus moving to the sides. The group was tense, focused on the mound of dirt.

It did not take long before the boss revealed itself.

"Gods damn it! Look at the size of it!" Nilus was now worried and Elian could not blame him.

"Looks armoured. Keep it focused on us. The rest of you hit it with everything you have." Gran was not taking chances.

The boss did not give them time to attack as it went on the offensive.

The boss's length was its first advantage. As they inched forward, it struck at them. Tobar blocked the attack with his shield. The impact was loud and his shield or arm made a cracking sound. The boss's bulk knocked him back onto his back and as he landed, he let out a loud "ooff".

Gran attacked the giant worm as it pulled back. It was moving more like a snake than a worm. His sword raked across its hide, scaring it but not cutting through.

"Beware, its hide is a lot tougher!" He called out.

Arrows hit the hide, some digging in while others bounced off. Gran hard Nilus cursing. "Regular arrows are not getting through!"

Gran was too busy to respond as he continued to attack. His blade was striking, but the boss's hide prevented any significant injury. Tobar was getting back to his feet and Kimor was helping him. He looked like he might be winded, but as Elian could only see his back, she could not tell any more than that.

The boss glowed slightly.

"It's using a sk…" Gran never got to finish.

The boss's impact sent him flying back several meters. He impacted the ground and travelled for another meter, with the loose dirt absorbing some of the impact. Elian winced, knowing that that impact would hurt him.

"Gran!" Mags moved to him. Elian could see he was injured and possibly stunned.

Tobar stepped up to draw the monster's attention. He glowed slightly as he used a skill.

"I am right here!" His voice resonated and Elian recognised the [Taunt] skill in use. The boss turned to face him. The "face" opened like the other worms into four sections, revealing dozens of large, very sharp-looking teeth. Tobar raised his shield and braced himself.

“[Hold This Ground].”

Again, the boss impacted him, but this time, the top third of his shield was ripped off as he was pushed back a meter, leaving gouges in the ground from his feet.

The boss pulled back and reared up again, opening its mouth to strike again. Nilus hit one of the opened sections. His arrow dug in this time, but the boss ignored it again. Kimor was with Mags, helping Gran to his feet as she cast healing magic on him.

“[Firebolt].” With a flash, the spell connected and the flames were brief but intense. Hena had, like Nilus, aimed for the mouth area. This caused a slight recoil and turning of the boss's body to shield itself.

"Concentrate on the mouth when open!" Gran ordered, his voice firm, but the pain he was feeling was evident. He moved up to rejoin Tobar. Kimor took something from Mags and stood behind the two men.

The boss turned to face them again. Tobar and Gran rushed in to prevent it from using its length to get the advantage again. They hacked at the body, but it was hard to tell if they were wounding it.

The boss's head was above them and opened its mouth again.

"Alchemic Fire!" Kimor yelled, causing the two men to dive from the boss. The rogue threw a glass jar. Elian watched the jar and its glowing contents sail through the air and collided with the worm.

She squinted from the intense blue/green flash as the bottle broke, exposing the contents to the air. As the alchemical fire took hold, the worm's mouth was awash with blue/green flames. The boss writhed in pain.

Elian and the group saw the body glowing a soft, rich brown colour.

"It's activating another skill!" Nilus called out. The majority of the group tensed.

"No! It is a spell!" Hena realised. The boss pushed through the pain and cast a spell, and the effects were quickly seen. While still burning, the flames were diminishing, and the boss seemed less pained.

"Oh, Rickle's laughter!" Nilus moaned. It did seem the God of Luck was mocking them.

The boss hit Tobar again with its body, knocking him back.

“[Multi thrust- 3 strikes].” Gran attacked his arm, becoming a blur.

“[Piercing Arrow].” Nilus spoke as he loosed a glowing arrow from his bow.

“[Multi thrust- 2 strikes].” Kimor added.

The barrage of attacks hit as the worm's brown aura faded. This time, some of the attacks got through. Yellow blood was now leaking from the floor boss's body.

The fight was far from over.

When the boss opened its mouth and lounged at him, Tobar was just back on his feet. He barely got his shield up when they collided.

He was knocked from his feet again, but this time, he was seriously injured. His shield had given away, collapsing and allowing the boss's teeth to rake across his upper body. Red blood flew as those teeth tore through man and armour alike.

The other continued attacking to pull the worm's attention from Tobar as Mags moved to treat him.

Elian was unsure of which way the fight would end.

At the moment, neither side had gained the advantage and the injuries were stacking up. Had she been too hasty to rate this floor copper?

Gran and Kimor were stabbing at the bulk of the boss's body while Nilus fired arrows into its mouth. Hena was positioning herself.

“[Thrice Cast - Arrow of Light].” From her wand burst forth in rapid succession three Arrow of Light spells. They were so fast it appeared to be one spell. All entered the body of the worm through the open mouth. She slumped visibly after the casting from draining her mana pool so quickly.

Flashes of detonations could be seen from there. The worm reeled back in pain from the attack as Gran and Kimor delivered more blows.

"Have things turned?" Elian muttered to herself.

Gran triggered another skill, but she could not tell which in the fight's noise. His blade glowed and cut a clean wound across the worm's hide, causing yellow blood to flow. Kimor's blades were better at piercing attacks and were getting through. Nilus and Hena continued to attack when openings presented themselves.

The worm was not given any further openings outside of it, hitting the adventurers with its body. This marked a shift in the fight and the relentless assault had worn down the worm.

The worm suddenly shuddered almost, coughing blood from its mouth.

"Back!" Gran ordered.

The body shuddered again and then collapsed. The impact of the body sent a small shock through the floor. The room suddenly went silent apart from many adventurers' heavy breaths.

The sudden flash of the reward appearing marked the end of the battle.

"Mags, what is Tobar's condition?" He asked. Elian made her way to the floor boss's body. Nilus looked at what had been gained as Kimor looked down the other corridor in the room.

"He will be fine, but it will take time." Mags looked up. She was breathing hard and was sweating. Gran nodded.

"Nilus?"

"We got three silver and a large chunk of what looks like iron ore."

"Kimor?"

"I can see the door out."

"Let's collect what we got and get out of here as soon as Elian has finished."

Elian was working to finish the map and recorded everything she saw. The floor was tough and challenging, but she was happy with her rating. She was not arrogant enough not to ask.

"Gran, your final thoughts?"

Gran walked over to her and thought about her question. He was favouring his shield arm.

"High copper tier."

"I disagree." He was surprised at this.

"Why. The boss alone should be rated that."

"Does it? Think about it, Gran. It's big and tough but has few skills and spells. The Spider above had more abilities and tricks while this one relied on its bulk."

She could see him thinking about it as he came back to himself from the battle. Thinking about what they had just gone through. She waited for this response.

"I… I will have to agree." He now understood what she had seen.

She nodded, happy that he agreed. He turned and put his team together. He helped Tobar up and supported him. Mags told both men that they were going to her temple in town to get thoroughly checked out. Nilus collected the ore while Kimor was just alert.

Elian looked at her map. There were more issues and Comus would arrange the collection of this boss as soon as another Copper grade team was available. Gran and his team would be out of action for a few weeks.

"This means more paperwork." Elian mutters to herself.

## ## ## ## ##

Ranus had gone to see the team's return that explored the newly opened fifth floor. The town's adventurer community was excited about the possibilities that would appear. The younger ones talked and speculated while the older ones waited for information.

Their return was reported with great excitement. Ranus was near the gate and went to see.

The battered and bloody return was sobering even for most glory-hungry.

Many questions were called out, but all were ignored.

The crowd parted, allowing the group through. Elian split from them and entered the guild while the others headed into the temple district. All the time, there was the background hum of conversation from many. Ranus noticed the veteran groups were quiet, watching Gran's team.

He did not make them follow, respecting that they all would need time to heal and recover. Instead, he went back to work.

"Lord Goldwind! Lord Goldwind!" A merchant waved to get his attention from a stall. Sighing, he knew what he wanted. He spoke as he passed, not stopping, keeping his tone pleasant.

"Come now, good merchant. You must speak to the city planning council about your building requirements."

Several others tried this approach and he now understood why so many nobles travelled with a whole squad of guards. He passed through the town "square" as he headed to his new home. Many of the Guilds, the most prominent taverns, and his own home lined the edges. The ground here was newly paved with drains, but all the foot traffic was dragging in a lot of mud.

A recent addition to the square was a large, heavy wooden stock, the type that held a person's head and arms. It was presently graced with a young adventurer who had ignored the prohibition on removing a wine bottle from the Dungeon's first room. He had been pelted with rotten vegetables, probably by some local children or even some adults.

It never ceased to amaze him how stupid so many young adventurers were, which accounts for the high mortality rate. Back in the Old Empire, there were training schools and academies that were at least designed to prepare those who wished to walk the Path of adventure.

They were some of the first areas destroyed in the Folly because they were close to the Dungeons. The others suffered as the Empire collapsed.

He looked to his home and workplace.

Vulus designed and built a three-story longhouse. Made from local stone and wood, it was sturdy-looking but not grand or imposing. Function was its focus. The ground floor in front was for meetings; the back was for kitchens. The first floor was offices and bedrooms. The second was a tower rather than a floor, allowing Ranus to overlook the town. To finish it off, there was a basement for stores. Two watch members stood at the entrance to keep the curious at bay.

They snapped to attention as I approach. I nod as I pass them.

Entering the building, he nodded to the receptionist behind the desk in the first room. He waved her down as she started to rise. Several people were waiting to see him as he walked through.

The next room is the main meeting area. It is furnished with a large polished desk and several chairs. The fireplace is not lit and the room's shutters are open, letting in the mid-day light.

Watch Commander Danrum was sitting waiting for him. As he entered, the other man rose but was waved down.

“No need for that Commander Danrum.”

"As you will, Lord Goldwind."

Danrum was a welcome addition to the town. He was not a watch captain but a commander. He had walked his Path and received three class upgrades. When he arrived in town and presented himself to Ranus, he was hired on the spot.

He looked to be in his forties, with black hair that was grey at the temples. Clean-shaven, with a strong-looking body, he oozed an aura of command that most reacted to.

"Guild Leader Woodland has returned from the fifth floor." Ranus told him.

"Good news. I await her report." His voice was deep and so far, Ranus had never seen him flustered. Having to control a town full of rowdy adventurers was definitely going to tax his patience.

That was the reason he came. Most towns, even many cities, would have hired him to run their watches. He had come here to Shadow Vale because this is where his skills would be challenged the most.

"Shall we start then?" Ranus settled into a chair to hear about the crime happenings in the town.