Levi crept silently down a dim corridor—or perhaps a giant pipe would be a better description—the rounded walls lit in eerie ambiance by the caustic orange liquid he waded through.

He tracked the way his health continually dropped with only a tiny thread of attention, fully focused on rippling the heavy liquid around his knees as little as possible.

He’d occasionally wondered if the hidden boss room would have disappeared, but needn’t have worried. Not only had it remained, it had expanded. The entry chamber was now an arena-like circle with shallow tiers extending up the floor with perpetual waterfalls of orange liquid Destruction, and little alcoves up on the walls for gremlins to fire down from.

The first thing he’d done upon arriving was to clear out the gremlins, replacing them with Levi's own team—and in some cases, taming them to become part of his team. He had enough bonuses going into gremlins for them to be significantly stronger once tamed than they’d been while in the dungeon’s control.

Then he’d crept forward to scout out the rest of the secret area. Jason, one of the more forward members of their expanded group, had offered to do the scouting, but Levi was the only person among them to have reached level 20 and the substantial bonuses to health that threshold afforded. He had the best chances of surviving if things went wrong.

He reached the spot where the tunnel split, one end sloping upward toward the spike trap to the left, the other sloping downward to the boss kalvex's lair.

Like the entry arena, this area, too, had expanded in all dimensions. The increased length of the passage would allow the kalvex to build up significantly more speed as it charged, but the width almost negated that advantage by providing room for someone to dodge aside.

Levi didn't like it. Dungeons rarely made changes like this without good reason. Whatever the reason for the expanded areas might prove to be, Levi would probably find out painfully.

Dozens of tiny pinpricks of light illuminated the dark cave at the end of the tunnel where the boss resided last time. Levi recognized those patterns. It was the boss kalvex for sure. Equally certain, it wasn't level one anymore.

It had upgraded since the last time they’d met. At level 1, its spines had been short enough to be fully concealed by its bristly mottled fur.

Levi had sometimes wondered if, after he’d stolen its treasure and escaped its vengeance, the double-plus kalvex might have disappeared from its secret room.

He needn’t have been concerned.

Level 4++

(Spined Kalvex)

Health 100%

He also sensed the presence of a hidden item. He still hadn’t decided how to use the Convergence Array from last time, but looked forward to seeing if they’d receive another copy of it, or if there would be some new treasure here. A question for after they finished with the boss.

Since this was supposed to be only a scouting mission, confirming what they were up against, Levi silently backed away. He needed to return to the entry room and report to the others so they could properly strategize, and so he could recover his health. The constant drain of the liquid corrosive was starting to get to him.

A huff broke the stillness, then the entire surface of the corrosive liquid trembled as the kalvex jumped from its crouch and splashed toward Levi in an abrupt headlong rush.

The monster they’d come to capture, in all its glory.

Broad shoulders and thick mottled brown fur. Faintly orange-glowing spines surrounded its head like a deadly, stabby mane before tracing a double row down its bison-esque chest to outline its shoulders and legs, rippling with the motion of its charge. More spines stood up on its back, Destruction power ready to erode anything it came in contact with. On either side of its head, heavy downward-curved horns pointed forward ready to gore, like some combination of ox and ram.

Half stampede, half dire-wolf, no compromise, the monster ran at him as though the thick corrosive didn’t so much as slow it.

Levi turned and ran, or as close as he could manage. He couldn’t exactly sprint through the knee-deep liquid.

The relative safety of the side passage he’d come from felt impossibly far away. Those dozen meters may as well be a mile.

The kalvex slammed into his back with the force of a train, head lowered. One of its horns stabbed deep into his thigh as it scooped him up and tossed him aside like a ragdoll, charging past without even looking at him.

Levi crashed into the wall hard. His stamina dropped by a third to absorb the majority of the impact, then he flopped down into the corrosive.

Even brief contact from the glowing spines had left a row of thin scratches across Levi’s front and arm. No time to worry about that.

Levi scrambled to his feet in the knee-deep liquid—just in time to take a second kalvex to the chest.

Level 3+

(Spined Kalvex)

Health 100%

Levi Morrison: Level 20

(Tamer)

Health: 52%

Levi cursed as he was hurled against the other wall, a blur of black fur and rippling orange spines charging past.

Not only had the boss leveled, now it had a friend?

This whole operation had just gone from ‘very hard’ to ‘uhhh…. oops?’

Levi’s armor absorbed most of the impact, but the strength of the collision caved in his chest plate and the horn burned a sizable hole through it.

He staggered to his feet, severely disoriented from being thrown twice in quick succession. He regained his bearings fast, and that was all that saved him.

The first kalvex had turned, galloping back toward him.

Levi had only a split second to move. He jumped as high as he could, surging over half of his remaining stamina to his legs.

The kalvex thundered by below him as he crested the leap.

Then Levi was falling… just in time for the second kalvex to rush straight at him.

Levi grabbed hold of its horn even as he fell, having anticipated its attack. When it swung its head to toss him aside, he pushed off its back in the same moment, using the dual momentum to throw himself back up the way he'd come at increased speeds.

He hit the ground hard, splashing into the corrosive, but at least there was no longer a kalvex between him and the escape route.

Jumping to his feet, Levi sprinted forward in a series of stamina-enhanced leaps. The liquid trembled violently with the impacts of the kalvexes’ claws, every sound tuning him in to the imminent collision.

There was no way he could make it. The kalvex was too fast, too close.

He dove forward, fully submerging himself under the corrosive as the larger of the two kalvex trampled over him without stopping.

Levi Morrison: Level 20

(Tamer)

Health: 37%

He stabbed up with Bristleblade, flaring its spines into the kalvex’s leg. Its momentum dragged him along after it as its charge carried it past.

Level 4++

(Spined Kalvex)

Health 97%

The move bought him another quarter of the corridor length before the kalvex turned to snap at him with its wolflike jaws, orange eyes glowing malevolently.

Levi jumped back, feeling the scrape of teeth on metal as it tried to get a grip on his arm, just barely twisting away.

Almost to safety.

He ran along behind the kalvex before it could turn on him, then threw himself out of the way as it whirled and charged.

Out of reach of its attack, he allowed it to thunder past. Thick orange droplets flew in all directions, splattering everything and leaving sizzling new holes to mar the formerly-smooth walls.

He wasn’t fast enough to evade the other. For the third time in a handful of seconds, Levi was airborne from the impact, his armor sporting another fine kalvex horn shaped stab.

The second, smaller kalvex somehow ran halfway up the wall as it made the turn, not wasting any of its momentum. It splashed back down into the corrosive running straight back towards Levi without slowing.

Nope, nope!

Levi stabbed Bristleblade into the wall with a flare of mana, pulling himself up to be as small as possible. The smaller kalvex stampeded by beneath.

No time to catch his breath. The first was coming back again, and it was tall enough to reach him here.

For a precious split second, he was out of reach of both of them. He dropped with a splash and ran for the relative safety of the corner.

Ten more feet. Only the gentle upward slope allowed him to move fast enough, now the corrosive wasn’t as deep.

He ran up the corridor and around the corner, feeling the rush of wind as the large kalvex thundered by the opening just behind him.

He kept going. He had no certainty that the kalvexes wouldn't follow him this time. Last time, they had been limited to their corridor, at least somewhat, but he got the distinct impression that was no longer a limitation they needed to follow.

Sure enough, the second kalvex didn't slow, taking the corner with another half wall run – impressive for something that could out-muscle a moose on a bad day.

Becca flashed into appearance just behind Levi, clawing at the kalvex's face. The monster bit down on the rift cat’s leg, one of its horns driving straight into her stomach, and slammed her into the wall.

It cost her a solid chunk of her health, but in the seconds before she rift-jumped away out of danger she'd bought the time he needed.

Levi splashed out into the arena, the larger kalvex hot on his heels and the other not far behind.

“Incoming!”