“Is this normal?” Franco asked

  “What?”Oaken shouted.

  “Is this normal for underground monsters?” Franco shouted so Oaken could hear him. Franco found himself standing next to Oaken as they launched spells down upon a tidal wave of different skittering and slithering monsters trying to get up the stairwell. Zif stood shoulder to shoulder with two of his smaller golems on either side of him as their arms worked non stop to cut down, stab, crush and push back the tidal wave of monsters with the two auto crossbow carrying golems behind their brothers a step higher shooting into the mass with Oaken, Gull and Franco a step higher still shooting down into the mass. They couldn't miss but the tide of monsters alive and dead were damming the stairwell as the adventurers and golems fought to get down from the second level they had cleared this morning to the third level in the Second Vault of the temple. The noise in the stairwell was deafening as each monster screeched or screamed furry and fear in the mad melee.

  “No, this is madness.” Oaken shouted as he continued to put light arrows and magic bolts into the crowd. The only reason they were making progress was because of Gull. A Level 28 [Water-Mage] was an even greater monster than the tide of flesh and chitin. Every other minute or so Gull would step down next to the two crossbow golems and Ability cast [Water Jet] and a blast of water as wide as he was would spray out with such force it would knock back the wall of monsters sending them tumbling down the stairs into each other. The blast would last a few seconds and as soon as it ended Zif would step down into the opening and continue the slaughter.

  It took them half an hour to force their way down the stairs to the next landing. Where they saw that the frenzy was not only in the stairwell. A swarm of monsters fought and were still fighting each other in the hallway into the third floor and well into the first intersection they could see and had been for hours. The living fought atop the dead that now filled the hallways from wall to wall and feet deep. It was a wall of monster flesh by the door almost five feet high and compacted as monsters and beasts had climbed over each other to get in or out of the scrum. From the floor above them came ten of the golems that had helped them clear the first floor yesterday and Zif had six of them start to dig and hack their way into the wall of bits blocking them while four more golems helped the six hold the line past the landing where the stairs continued downward.

  Franco along with most of his team were struggling to keep their breakfast down as the smell of it all was overwhelming. Almost an attack on them by itself. All of them including the two old Kimber’s had plugged their noses with nose plugs. A common adventurer tool. Franco had to borrow a set from Finn as he had not brought one.

  With the extra help their group moved back up a few steps to a spot that Gulls [Water Jet] had mostly cleaned off. Zif remained on the landing overseeing his golems but kept them in sight. Oaken and Gull sat down and Maph handed each one of them some dried food of his. They had worked themselves hard while the rest of them had mostly watched. Franco had gone through all three of his wands and used his [Instant Recharge:Wand] Ability already and that still had at least an hour before he could use it again.

  “Zif, what in the hells is going on?” Finn asked, sitting down next to his teammate.

  “Honored Senior, I am unsure. This behaviour is most unusual but we have seen it before. Yes its a beast tide or swarm but of such verity and frenzy. Yes, it means that something is pushing them or something is scaring them enough to stampede and kill to get away. Yes. Something is moving up from below.” Zif said.

  He was covered in gore. No part of his armored body showed its true colors. Drops of blood and guts dripped off him in a little rain of gore onto a floor that had just been washed clean of it.

  “But there isn't an endless tide of life down below. So this must be new or at least the thing below has pushed up in stages right?” Franco asked the group.

  “That makes sense, Brother Zif, how bad was the fight when we first opened the doors into the Second Vault yesterday.” Maph asked.

  “Young elf, it was worse than I expected and the creatures did not flee while we slaughtered them. Yes that is a good question, they must have been the survivors of the flight up the stairwell and on that floor, but things have not settled and they push up still so this must be new. Very new as if caused by recent actions.” Zif said as his head turned to look at them, his large jade eyes flashing with light as he looked over the group of adventurers.

  “The Dungeon is awakening and has been now now for over a week. That has pushed something or someone into the tower. So what is your will now Zif.” Gull said as the old Kimber sipped on some water as he sat.

  “We must secure the Armory, any number of bad things might be pushing up for it or for the first Vault. Clearing these levels is less important than that. So I will summon more of my brothers to hold the landings behind us as we push downwards.” Zif said after some thought.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Frazier spoke up at his words. “We do have many high level and experienced fighters in our expedition Zif”

  “And I do not trust you fully yet. My back is secure now, not when thirty more of you are in my halls. We will still need to fight to the third Vault's stairwell and down two flights of stairs. My reward remains for all of you if you press forward. I can not lose more golems until I hold the Armory.” Zif said

  “Alright, we need to talk this out,.” Frazier said to the group.

  “Do we really?” Sara said as she juggled three throwing knives in her hands. Her black and grey leather and cloth armor showed signs of sweat stains but for the most part remained bug gore free.

  “Yes, of course things have changed for the worse and the risk is higher,.” Frazier said.

  “Sure.” Sarah said as she caught all three knives in her left hand. “but the reasons for doing this are better now than they were yesterday. Honored Senior over there is right. Something in the dungeon has woken up and now the temple is threatened. If old crazy Zif there won't let anyone in till we help or prove ourselves then we need to because the other option is some terrifying force of Undead or Goblins or something worse gets hold of hundreds of legendary artifacts and the temple is lost.”

  Frazier seemed a bit taken back by the clearly reasoned answer.

  “She is right,.” Franco added. Frazier looked at Gull and Finn and they both nodded in agreement. Finn finally sighed.

  “Yesterday your team's reasons were greed, the danger made it not worth it but that is how young adventurers like you learn. Now we need to do this.”

  “Alright then, you have let us take the lead mostly these last two days. Any ideas how we can make this possible?” Frazier asked the two Gold rank adventurers.

  “I’ll get us to the next Vault but then my best spell is out for at least half a day, as will I. With how much Mana I have already used. So so we need to find a place to rest for all our sakes.” Gull said.

  Finn trilled in agreement.

  “I could use a few hours to recharge my wands and it looks like Oaken could use it.” Franco added as Oaken nodded in agreement. So they waited resting till they could hear the steps of the descending Golems and then they got ready. His two spent wands had regained a charge or two but not much but he held his shock bolt wand in his left hand and his saber in his right. His three healing potions, two stamina and one antidote potion were on his belt and ready. He had used the bathroom a few steps up and was as rested as he could be.

  Zif watched as they readied themselves waiting till ten more golems joined him on the landing before speaking.

  “Honored Senior, can you get us to the third Vault quickly?” Zif asked with clear disbelief in his voice.

  They let Gull take the lead as their group moved down the stairs again to the landing and turned the corner to see the ten golems that had been battling back the tide of monsters while they had waited. The golems had made it down one step from the landing and the wall of monster flesh was chest high to the golems now.

  Gull just shook his head and trilled, resigned. “I hope to, Brother Zif but I will need you to lift me up so I can see over your golems. I am a [Water-Mage] and my capstone Ability is [Summon:Tidal Wave].”

  Oaken trilled at Gull’s words.

  “Is that good?” Franco asked Oaken.

  “That is a Master level spell Honored Senior and you have it at your level?” Zif asked, truly sounding surprised.

  “Does that really surprise you Zif, I am a [Water-Mage] and level 28.” Gull said, sounding affronted.

  “Master level spells before Level 35 does not happen or at least did not in my time.” Zif said worryingly. That got everyone to look at Zif.

  “Is that true because you are almost guaranteed one now at your Capstone Ability at 25 for The Way of Might and getting one the ability level before that is not uncommon.” Gull said.

  “This is a thing that we must discuss later, yes. Very interesting. Capstone Ability? These new terms could be the same as old, or new. Has the system of leveling changed? Very interesting but not now. I will lift you Honored Senior, ready yourself.” Zif said, putting down his weapons and lifting Gull above the now twenty golems ready to march down the steps. Gull put all three of his arms out. Hands open, fingers spread wide as visible blue light swaddled his arms and twisted around him. It took nearly twenty seconds, an eternity for an Ability casted spell before Gull shouted out

  “[Summon: Tidal Wave]”.

  Suddenly just in front of and above the golems the air split and a rushing salt filled wave of water poured out of the sky. The smell of the ocean meeting the land hit their senses. As fast flowing sea water poured down the stairwell knocking down and dragging with it the swarming tide of monsters and their dead companions. The rushing wave of water lasted for a full fifteen seconds before the spell ended and unlike the other water spells Gull had used before this, this was real water so it stayed after the spell ended and the split in the sky faded. They could still hear the crashing and tumbling mass heading down the stairwell when Zif silently ordered his golems forward and put down Gull.

  “Thank you, Honored Senior.” Zif said after putting him down. He bowed and then picked up his weapons and followed after his descending golems.

  “That was amazing,.” Franco said.

  “Yes it was, but let's not get left behind.” Frazier said as she slapped Franco on the back and started to follow after the golems. The rest of the group was right behind her.