A challenge.

  "I think he wants to fight just me," Josh said. The creature's gaze wasn't the mindless hunger of the other smaller Kobolds; it was heavy, weighted with a terrifying predator’s intelligence.

  “Well it can want whatever it wants, but we don’t have to give it!” Bhel bellowed, starting to walk towards the monster in front of them.

  "No," Perberos warned, reaching out to catch Bhel’s shoulder. "Look at the floor. Don't cast anything."

  From the beasts feet, a ring of jagged runes bled into the stone, glowing with a dull, malevolent crimson. The light hummed, vibrating through the soles of their boots, spreading ten meters around the monster.

  "It’s a Duellist's Circle," Brett whispered, his eyes scanning the glowing glyphs. "The manual calls it a 'Trial of the Lone Vanguard.' It’s a closed system. If we interfere—even a single heal or a stray arrow—the runes will feed that energy directly into him. He’ll get faster, stronger, and more frantic. If anyone but the challenger touches that circle, he’ll become an unstoppable engine of slaughter. Once someone enters the circle and starts to fight, the integrity will start to break down and eventually others can join the fight… the challenger just has to survive."

  Josh swallowed hard, his throat dry. He looked at the massive red-scaled kobold, then at the dented rim of his own shield. "So one of us has to step in," The weight of the realisation settling in his gut. "It has to be me or Bhel, and I’m the only one who can take the hits. If I don't engage, he’ll drop the challenge soon and hunt the party with those buffs. He’ll tear us apart."

  "Listen to me, Josh," Carcan said urgently, stepping as close to the red line as she dared. "You don't have to kill him. You just have to survive until the circle fades, or until his ego makes him sloppy. Just... stay alive and don’t do anything stupid."

  Josh stepped forward, looking back to his friends one last time before whispering “No promises,” and crossed the line of runes.

  The red kobold hissed, a sound like pressurized steam escaping a vent. It didn't growl or roar; it simply dropped into a combat stance that was terrifyingly fluid, its greatsword held in a low, deceptive guard.

  "Alright," Josh muttered, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "Let’s dance."

  The creature launched towards Josh. It was a blur of crimson scales and cold steel. Josh barely threw his shield up in time. The greatsword collided with the metal with the jarring force of a falling anvil. The impact didn't just push Josh, it drove him downward. The uneven stone floor spider-webbed beneath his shin guard as his knee hit the ground with a sickening thud.

  Josh didn't have time to process the pain. He rolled instinctively, the following downward chop shearing through the air where his head had been a millisecond before, sending a shower of sparks off the floor. He came up swinging, a desperate lateral cut aimed at the kobold's lead knee.

  The Dragon-Blood parried, but Josh didn't retreat. He stepped into the guard, turning his body into a weapon. He drove the reinforced rim of his shield upward, catching the beast under the chin.

  There was a wet crunch as scales cracked. The Kobold stumbled back, spitting blood, its eyes narrowing into slits of pure malice.

  It retaliated instantly. The greatsword whistled in a tight figure-eight pattern. Josh caught the first strike on his shield, but the second was a feint. The blade dipped, biting deep into Josh’s upper arm, finding the gap between his pauldron and breastplate. Hot blood sprayed against the cavern wall.

  Josh gritted his teeth, thrusting his sword out to keep the beast at bay, but the Kobold swatted the blade aside with terrifying strength. It stepped inside Josh’s reach, ignoring the steel, and slammed the heavy iron pommel of its sword into Josh’s side.

  The hilt caught him squarely in the ribs. He heard the dull crack of armour and bone and felt the air seize in his lungs. He stumbled back, clutching his side, his vision swimming.

  He was bleeding, breathless, and broken. He was outclassed. This wasn't a fight; it was an execution.

  Think.

  The beast lunged again, a horizontal cleave meant to bisect him. Josh saw the creature’s feet planted near the edge of the glowing red runes. Instead of blocking, Josh threw his centre of gravity into the dirt. He lunged forward in a desperate, low-profile rugby tackle, spearing directly into the Kobold’s planted shins.

  He didn't hit with his sword; he hit with the full weight of his shoulder and shield, driving his legs forward with every ounce of strength he had left. The Dragon-Blood, caught mid-swing and expecting his attack to be met with a solid surface, wasn't prepared for the raw, unrefined physics of the tackle.

  The kobold staggered back, its claws scraping for purchase on the loose cavern floor. It tried to brace, but its heavy tail whipped backward, crossing the line of glowing red runes.

  The effect was instantaneous. The circle shattered. The magic of the duel circle required both duellists to remain within the sacred bounds. As the beasts weight carried it over the threshold, the runes shrieked in a dissonant, magical feedback. The crimson barrier collapsed into a shower of harmless sparks.

  "NOW!" Josh screamed, gasping for air as he scrambled back to his feet. "The circle is broken! Kill it!"

  "Fire!" Brett yelled.

  A lance of arcane fire took the blinded kobold in the chest. Perberos put two arrows in its knee. Bhel charged in, sweeping the creature’s legs out from under it while it was distracted.

  They mobbed it. It was brutal, unfair, and desperate.

  When the Dragon-Blood finally stopped moving, Josh was lying on his back ten feet away, staring up at the blue vines, his chest heaving.

  "You cheated," Bhel said, leaning over him with a grin.

  "I used the environment," Josh wheezed, clutching his bruised ribs. "Tactical... advantage."

  Carcan knelt beside him, her hands glowing with healing light. "You are reckless."

  "I’m the tank," Josh groaned as the pain faded. "It’s in the job description."

  He sat up, looking at the dead elite and the darkness stretching out beyond it. The second floor was proving to be a test of everything they had learned.

  "We survived," Josh said, accepting Bhel's hand to stand up.

  "Barely," Perberos noted, retrieving his arrows. "And we have barely scratched the surface."

  Josh adjusted his shield, feeling the new dents in the surface. "Then let's keep moving."

  Stolen story; please report.

  They moved away from the Duellist's circle, leaving the motes of light to be swallowed up by the gloom of the cavern. The path ahead did not get easier. If anything, the architecture of the cavern became more hostile. The smooth, polished floor gave way to jagged, uneven slate that threatened to twist an ankle with every misplaced step. The bioluminescent vines grew thicker here, hanging in dense curtains that forced them to hack a path forward, their weapons slicing through fibrous strands that wept glowing blue ichor.

  "I hate this place," Bhel muttered, wiping a smear of vine-sap from his pauldron. "It is too quiet. A dungeon should have noise. Goblins sharpening knives. Orcs arguing. This? This is like walking through a grave."

  "Keep your voice down," Perberos hissed, his eyes scanning the impossible shadows that stretched across the walls. "Sound carries strangely here."

  Josh led the way, shield raised, the metal dented and scratched but holding firm. He felt the weight of Bhel’s words. The silence wasn't empty; it was heavy. It pressed against his eardrums like deep water.

  The path began to rise, spiralling upward along the edge of a massive chasm that split the cavern floor. To their left was the solid rock wall; to their right, a drop into absolute darkness that swallowed the light of Brett’s staff after only a few feet.

  "Don't look down," Brett advised, hugging the wall. "classic rule. Applies to skyscrapers, applies to abyssal dungeon pits."

  “What's a sky-scraper?” Carcan asked

  "Movement," Josh said softly, stopping dead. Perfect timing.

  Ahead, the path narrowed into a natural stone bridge that spanned the chasm, connecting their ledge to a massive central pillar of rock rising from the deep. The bridge was barely five feet wide, slick with moisture, and devoid of railings.

  And blocking the far end was a patrol.

  They weren't Bulwarks this time. These kobolds were lean, hunched creatures wrapped in tattered grey cloaks that seemed to blend perfectly with the stone. They held long, hooked spears and carried nets weighted with iron balls.

  "Trappers," Carcan identified, her voice tight. "They will try to pull us off the edge."

  "Lovely," Bhel grunted. "I always wanted to learn to fly."

  "We can't charge them," Josh assessed. "If we run across that bridge, they’ll bottle-neck us and knock us off. We need to draw them to us."

  "I can pull," Perberos said.

  He didn't wait for permission. He drew his bow, aiming not for the kobolds, but for the stone ceiling above them. He loosed an arrow. It struck a cluster of the glowing stalactites, shattering one. The shards rained down on the patrol with a clatter.

  The Trappers hissed, their heads snapping toward the sound, then tracing the angle back to the party.

  They didn't shout. They didn't roar. They simply scuttled onto the bridge, moving with unnerving speed.

  "Here they come!" Josh braced himself at the near end of the bridge, planting his feet on the solid ledge, lifting his shield to block any thrown attacks. "Brett, wait for them to group up!"

  The lead Trapper skidded to a halt at the midpoint of the bridge. With a practiced, fluid motion, it whipped its arm across its chest, releasing the heavy, weighted net.

  The iron balls whistled through the air, expanding just before impact. They slammed into Josh with a metallic clang, whipping around the rim of his shield and snapping tight against his shoulders. The mesh constricted instantly, pinning his arms to his sides.

  "Ah crap! I’m stuck!" Josh roared, thrashing against the binds.

  The Trapper didn't hesitate. It hauled on the trailing rope with both hands, using the leverage to jerk Josh forward onto the slick stone of the span. Josh grunted, dropping his center of gravity and digging his iron-shod heels into the rock. He leaned back, fighting the pull with sheer mass. He was stronger than the beast, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw two more Trappers rushing to grab the line. If they added their weight, he was going over the edge.

  "Cut it!" Josh yelled.

  Bhel stepped in, his axe flashing. The rope parted with a snap. Josh stumbled back, freeing his arm just as one of the Trappers landed in front of him, hook-spear thrusting for his throat.

  Josh battered the strike aside with his net-tangled shield and slammed his boot into the creature’s chest. It squealed, sliding back, but its claws scrabbled for purchase.

  From behind the front line everyone suddenly heard Carcan scream "No!" She had seen Brett began channelling his Fireball spell, and she knew she needed to stop him. "The bridge is unstable! You will collapse it!"

  "Right. Precision only. Got it." Brett shifted his grip, pointing his staff. "Molton Lance!"

  A beam of force punched through the lead Trapper, lifting it off its feet and hurling it into the chasm. Its scream faded quickly into the dark.

  But there were more. Six of them, crowding the narrow bridge, climbing over each other to get to the prey.

  "They’re swarming!" Bhel roared, stepping up beside Josh. The narrow ledge forced them to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, a wall of steel and dwarven muscle blocking them. A hook caught Bhel’s ankle. The dwarf roared as he was jerked off balance, falling to one knee. A kobold lunged, spear aimed for his exposed neck.

  Thwip.

  An arrow took the creature in the eye mid-lunge. Perberos was firing over their heads, his rhythm deadly and calm.

  "Up, dwarf!" Josh grabbed Bhel’s harness and hauled him back to his feet, absorbing a spear thrust on his pauldron to cover the move.

  "Thanks!" Bhel spat, swinging his axe in a brutal horizontal arc. The blow caught two Trappers at once, shattering wooden shafts and bone alike. The force of the swing knocked one of them clean off the side. It didn't scream. It just grabbed the edge of the bridge, hanging on.

  Then, to Josh’s horror, it began to climb under the bridge.

  "They’re flanking underneath!" Josh shouted.

  Claws scrabbled on the edge of the ledge right at their feet. A Trapper vaulted up from the abyss, landing behind their front line, right next to Carcan.

  It raised a rusted dagger.

  Carcan didn't freeze. She didn't scream. She spun her staff, the heavy gold head striking the kobold in the temple with a sickening crack.

  As the creature staggered, blinded by the blow, Brett stepped in and placed his palm on its chest, casting firebolt. The burst of flame at point-blank range blasted the kobold backward, sending it tumbling back into the dark from where it came.

  "Nice swing," Brett noted, eyes wide.

  "I am a healer," Carcan said, smoothing her robe. "I cure injuries. Sometimes, I must prevent them first."

  "Clear," Josh rasped, though the word scraped his throat. He didn't lower his shield; he let the weight of it drag his arm down until the rim rested on the blood-slicked stone. His chest was heaving, every breath stinging with the cold cavern air.

  Bhel spat a glob of phlegm and blood over the edge of the bridge, watching it vanish into the dark. "Meat grinder," the dwarf grunted, wiping his axe on a dead Trapper’s tunic before the body could fully dissolve. "Nasty business that was, like fighting on a tightrope."

  "I thought I was going over more than once," Josh admitted, his voice quiet. He looked down at the frayed remnants of the net still tangled around his shield. "When they all pulled at once... I felt my heels slip."

  "I had you, lad," Bhel said, stepping closer and clapping a heavy hand on Josh’s pauldron. The dwarf’s face was grim, spattered with gore. "You hold the line. I watch your back. That’s the deal."

  Josh nodded, managing a tired smile. "That's the deal."

  They crossed the rest of the span with deliberate, heavy steps. No one ran; they were too tired, and the bridge groaned under their weight, a reminder of the drop beneath them. They snatched up the loot, mana crystals and jagged weapons—hastily, stepping over the corpses as the monsters faded into gold mist. None of them wanted to linger on the creaking wood a second longer than necessary.

  As they stepped onto the solid rock of the far ledge, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew bitingly cold, and the metallic smell that had been faint before suddenly intensified, coating their tongues with the sharp taste of copper.

  They stood before the massive central pillar of rock. It loomed over them, silent and imposing. Bhel walked up to the stone face and rapped it with the haft of his axe. Thud. Thud.

  "Hollow," Bhel muttered, his brow furrowing. "It's not a support. It's a shell."

  They circled the structure until they found it, a jagged archway cut into the stone, revealing a spiral ramp that twisted down into the heart of the rock. The darkness inside seemed to breathe, exhaling a draft that made the torches flicker.

  "This feels wrong," Brett whispered, hugging his staff close to his chest. "Like walking into a throat."

  "It’s the path to the boss," Josh guessed, staring into the gloom. He rolled his aching shoulder, trying to work the stiffness out. "Either way, we aren't done yet. We’re going down."