Alex increased his pace to a brisk walk as he continued through the underground tunnel. The poison gas that lingered in the air would kill him within a few hours. He had to find a way out immediately.

Desperately hoping for some kind of rescue from the monotony, he opened his map to find another T-intersection not too far ahead. Finally, something other than this endless tunnel.

A light shone brighter and brighter as he got closer to the intersection. As he approached, he noticed that it was a fire. Two people, a boy and a girl, sat around it, their bodies slouched over in defeat. Were they dead?

“Hey, get up!” one of them called out. “Somethings here.”

“Where?” the other replied.

Part of him wanted to scare them but Alex decided against it. Instead, he put his hands up and came closer so that the fire could illuminate him. “Don’t worry, I’m not a troll. I’m stuck here just like you.”

The young man jumped to his feet. “Finally! Someone else is here! Maybe he can get us out.”

“Forget it.” The girl said, as she brushed her blond hair back and crossed her arms. “There’s no way out of this.”

The boy turned to her. “Come on! Have some faith.”

“What’s going on?” Alex asked. “Why are you just sitting here?”

“There’s nowhere else to go.” The girl said dismissively. “Isn’t that obvious?”

The boy sneered at her. “Ignore her, she’s just grumpy. We fell from a hole at the end of the left path. There’s a huge barrier covering the entirety of the tunnel to the right. Somebody came through from your direction earlier and said there was nothing that way either. He turned back to check again a few hours ago but we haven’t seen him since. So, we’re just waiting here in case the barrier comes down.”

He must be talking about the dead body I saw on the way here. It would be best if they don’t know what happened.

Alex walked around the fire and checked the path to the right. A large forcefield blocked the corridor top to bottom. Immediately, he recognized it as spirit energy. Behind the energy field were two totems, which were likely the source of the barrier. A troll dressed in torn clothes stood behind the totems. In its hand it held an artifact that looked like a typical rock.

Troll Shaman HP: 50

The monsters name was highlighted in gold, signaling that it was an epic monster. Further behind it sat another group of trolls, sharpening their javelins. They each had the same status screen above their heads.

Troll Ranger HP: 42

Alex let out an audible groan. “What a pain.”

The boy stood up. “You can say that again. That’s why waiting here is our only option. I’m Wayne, by the way, and that’s Rebecca.”

“I’m Alex. But you can call me Dead if we don’t find a way out. The same goes for you. This hallway is filling up with poison gas as we speak.”

“Huh. Is that what this smell is?” Wayne said. “I don’t see a poison debuff on my status screen.”

“The gas doesn’t induce a status effect; it just does damage over time. We won’t feel it now, but it’ll kill us in a few hours.”

Wayne gave him a skeptical look. “But won’t it kill the trolls too?”

“Come on, dummy.” Rebecca said as she fiddled with her nails. “They’re obviously immune to it. All they have to do is keep us trapped here and we’ll be their dinner in no time.”

An old memory popped into Alex’s head. “She’s right.” He said with a smile. “But there’s good news. Defeating an epic monster is one of the conditions for clearing this floor.”

Wayne perked up. “Wait, really? How do you know?”

“A friend told me.”

Rebecca stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. “And how exactly are we supposed to kill it when none of our attacks can get past the barrier? Do you have a skill that can break through it?”

Alex turned to face the trolls. “This barrier is made of spiritual energy. A direct attack won’t work.”

“That’s why we were waiting here.” Rebecca said. “It has to run out of juice some time, right?”

Alex shook his head. “The shaman is holding an artifact that’s likely stored with an abundance of spirit energy. He’s flowing that energy into the totems. He won’t run out of juice any time soon.”

Rebecca frowned. “Aha. So you’re saying we’re screwed. Great.”

Alex stared at the troll shaman as he contemplated his options. The monster cackled with laughter as it stared back at him. From its point of view, it was like looking through a microwave door, watching your food heat up. If only I could get around this barrier.

A thought sprang to his mind. He walked three paces to the right of the barrier and placed his palms against the dirt wall. He activated Spirit Blast, and the energy burst from his hands and crashed into the wall, breaking it and sending a hail of rubble flying behind him.

“Hey! Watch it!” Rebecca called out. “You’re gonna mess up my hair.”

“You really care about that right now?” Wayne said disappointedly.

Perfect. Alex thought with delight. This’ll work. He turned to the two of them. “Judging by the fire, one of you is a Pyromancer, right?”

“That would be me.” Wayne said. “And she’s an Assassin.”

“You have the Blaze Burst ability, right?”

Wayne nodded. “Just unlocked it earlier today. How do you know about Pyromancer abilities anyway?”

Alex ignored the question and turned to Rebecca. “Did you equip the Backstab talent?”

“Of course. Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned backstabbing?”

Alex smiled. “Good. We’re gonna clear this floor shortly. Huddle around and I’ll explain the plan.”

***

Alex used Spirit Blast against the wall once again, knocking another pile of dirt to the ground. Rebecca used her feet to sweep the rubble behind him. He was exhausted, having done nothing for the last hour or two except use the same ability against the wall repeatedly. He’d only stopped a few times to recover his spirit energy when it got dangerously low. But he was near the end; the final stretch. One more blast and the wall would collapse on the other side.

He’d made his own tunnel that went around the barrier. Shaped like a quarter-circle, this new tunnel would bypass the barrier and place them directly behind the Troll Shaman. One more blast and the wall would collapse, and they’d have their target in their sights. He only had a small amount of spirit energy left, but it should be enough. He couldn’t afford another rest.

“Is this the last one?” Rebecca said once she finished sweeping the rubble away. “I’m pretty sure this gas is taking its toll on me.”

Alex nodded. “Give him the signal.”

“WAYNE!” Rebecca roared within earshot, the sound rattling Alex’s brain. “Start channeling!”

“Got it.” Wayne said. “Channeling now.”

Alex turned to Rebecca. “Aren’t you supposed to be an Assassin? Don’t you think you should practice patience and being discreet?”

“Nah. A true Assassin announces their assault.”

Alex rolled his eyes. That statement was so wrong it hurt. But he brushed it off and placed his hands back on the wall. “You ready?”

“Yep.” Rebecca said as she pulled out two daggers. “That son-of-a-bitch shaman is as good as dead.”

With a gathering of his energy, Alex activated Spirit Blast and the wall came crashing down, revealing the shaman on the other side. Rebecca promptly sprung past him and he followed right behind her.

A flurry of sparks from Rebecca’s blades slashed through the troll shaman. Alex pounced next and threw a Spirit Punch to deal the final blow. The troll rangers to the side let out a cry as they got up and readied their spears.

Rebecca turned to him, her face twisting with rage. “What the hell!? Did you just steal my kil-”

Alex grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the makeshift tunnel he’d created. Javelins whizzed just behind their heads as they slid into the tunnel. A blast of fire followed almost immediately from the opposite direction, the heat from the flame leaving the air toasted for a moment before dissipating. The atmosphere was filled with a quiet eeriness as Alex gathered his breath.

Wayne finally broke the silence. “Holy crap!” He called out in excitement. “It actually worked.”

Alex poked his head around the corner. Not a troll in sight. In their place, piles of items littered the floor.

He couldn’t help but crack a smile as he examined the items. Finally, some useful loot.