No stranger to pain, Pos fought through it and turned his head. He saw madness. The tortoise was lumbering towards the adventurers, its reptilian eyes gleaming with madness and rage.

  Despite its injury, the shelled menace was still going!

  However, the damage Pos inflicted could clearly be seen. The neck of the turtle was red with blood, and that gave the adventurers heart. In the face of the seemingly unstoppable beast, they were fighting with a renewed sense of purpose. Their blades and spells clashed against the lumbering reptilian Boss and there was finally some small success.

  Arrows found their mark, embedding themselves in the joints of its legs, and spells finally began to find purchase in the cracks and crevices of its shell. The Boss might had sensed its end as it no longer bothered to retreat into its shell. Instead, it was lumbering on, vines slashing without stop, clearly trying to do as much damage as possible before its demise.

  Then, an adventurer Pos did not initially recognize leaped onto the massive shell of the Boss. The adventurer must had used some sort of stealth skill because Pos did not see him till he was a tiny speck against the monstrous creature. A tiny…Pos blinked and finally recognized the adventurer. It was Ferdinand, the no-good thief with a sharp mouth.

  Known for his nimble fingers, the halfling showed even nimbler feet as he managed to land on the shell of the tortoise. Pos was almost certain the halfling was using a Skill as his feet stick to the shell even as the Boss crashed and roared, seeking to throw Ferdinand off. Pos watched in amazement as he saw the thief raise his short sword and stabbed into the shell.

  [Mirage Cut], or something similar as the sword passed right through the seemingly impenetrable shell, leaving only a shimmering trail in its wake. The Boss roared again, clearly hurt by the strike, and it was a sound that shook the very ground. However, Ferdinand was unmoved. Instead, Pos saw smirk playing on his lips as he prepared for another strike.

  Vines changed direction as the Boss tried to strike at the halfling, but the thief dodged, ducked, and sidestepped all the attacks. The Boss could not see Ferdinand and that was to the thief’s advantage.

  Again, and again the thief used his sword to strike at the Boss, and it quickly became clear that there was nothing the monstrous Boss could do about it. Then, its legs finally buckled. The Tortoise Boss shuddered, and it collapsed in a heap. The adventurers ran from the falling giant, and Pos eyed Ferdinand, still on top of the turtle.

  He did not have to worry.

  With a flourish, the halfling vanished. There was no shimmering portal, no puff of smoke. One moment, he was there. Then, he just wasn’t. A simple, clean disappearance. Pos stared, mouth agape, at the empty space where the [Thief] had stood moments before. Pos swore he could hear the echoing sound of the thief’s mischievous laughter, and wondered what his exact class was.

  Silence descended. Everyone was quiet, broken only by the ragged breathing of the battered adventurers. Pos’s head slumped gratefully back to the ground. It was over. It was finally-

  “Something is there!”

  Pos’ head popped back up at the shout. Everyone was looking at the same location; an alcove where a monster had appeared. Maybe it was always there, and no one noticed but what matters was that there was a new monster, and it was…painting?

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  Pos blinked. The new monster looked like a Lizardfolk, a monster commonly seen in several dungeons, but there were some obvious differences. Most Lizardfolk monsters had scales that shimmered with unnatural colors. This monster did not. It had no scales. Instead, it had green leathery skin, a long snout, sharp teeth, slitted pupils, taloned feet and a long tail.

  However, the strangest thing everyone noticed was the paintbrush the monster was wielding. It looked delicate, a small brush the monster was using to add strokes to a canvas on an easel.

  Everyone was stunned.

  No one moved. Pos could not see what the monster was painting, none of the adventurers could, but the scene was so shocking no one thought of approaching the monster to see what was on the canvas.

  After a short time, the monster was done. The monster lowered the brush, and the silence was broken by a sudden pop when the brush disappeared. Pos realized the brush it was using was magical in nature. Then, the dwarf remembered the various paintings adventurers had taken from the Tomb of Ten Thousand Techniques. He wondered if they were all painted by this monster.

  The monster stood, it’s slight frame deflating slightly as it’s shoulders slumped just a fraction. It took the canvas from the easel, and it disappeared. The canvas turned into motes of light which disappeared as they floated upwards into the air.

  Pos saw the monster smiled, before it turned and began walking towards the adventurers. It had no fear, and none of the adventurers attacked. No one even moved. All the adventurers were too shocked, and curious, to stop the monster.

  The monster came before Ferdinand, and a scroll appeared in its hand. It handled the scroll to the halfling who took the scroll with a numb look on his face. Pos could sympathize. Who had ever heard of a dungeon monster that painted? Which monster paint while adventurers were fighting in the dungeon it was in?

  Pos saw Ferdinand’s mouth open in shock when the monster gave the [Thief] a small bow before turning away. A monster that both paint and was polite? That was crazy to even consider!

  Ignoring Ferdinand, the monster began walking again, strolling past several adventurers. Pos’ eyes widened. He realized the monster was walking towards him.

  Once again, no one stopped the monster. Pos wasn’t sure he wanted them to. The Lizardman-like monster stopped before Pos. With a strange look in its eyes, the monster bend down and placed a scroll besides the dwarf. Pos stared, speechless, at the offered scroll.

  The monster gave Pos another small bow, before turning away. It walked towards the entrance of the Lake Room. No one stopped it. Everyone just looked on as the monster disappeared into the depths of the dungeon.

  Pos sat up gingerly and with his one good arm, cautiously reached out. The scroll came with a key that had a watery design on the handle. The key was tied to the scroll and it felt cool to the touch. Pos ignored the key for the moment and unfurled the scroll.

  He did it carefully, and his breath caught in his throat.

  It wasn't a map, or a riddle, or a scroll offering a Dungeon Technique.

  It was a breathtaking beautiful painting, rendered in a style he had never seen before. The style was dramatic and extravagant, showing a giant green tortoise fighting against a group of adventurers in a big deep dark cavern. Bodies were on the ground, spells were flying in background, but Pos’ eyes were only on one spot.

  A dwarf, face unseen, with only his back towards the viewer.

  A dwarf who was charging towards the Boss.

  Pos felt a tremor. He felt the shout of rage from the dwarf, the whipping of the air, the fire within his heart. This painting of the fight, of the moment he charged recklessly towards the giant tortoise, filled him with emotion and passion.

  This was him!

  His act of courage, his example of steadfastness, his moment of madness; it was now a memory that was caught on canvas. A moment caught forever for all to see. The monster wasn't just a monster; it was an artist, a painter, and Pos instinctively knew that this was his duty.

  The monster was created to share what happened in the dungeon with the world, with the very beings who hunted it.

  Pos’ breathing, previously shallow and rapid, deepened as a faint sheen of sweat appeared on his brow. This painting, which captured the fleeting moment when he was a hero, was priceless.

  [Level up!]

  [Warrior Level 14]