Chapter 24
Sonny and Thomas wake. The crypt is quiet in a way that feels unnatural, like it is waiting for the group to move.
Sonny cooks breakfast for the group, moving carefully so the sounds don’t carry down the stone corridors.
Bull gets a whiff of the food being prepared. "God that smells great. I would have never guessed you were an amazing cook."
Jess sits up. "I’m not complaining." She moves over to Sonny and whispers a jest only he can hear, “I’m starting to understand why Ellie likes you.” Sonny doesn’t react and continues to cook.
Thomas eats quickly, nerves showing. "Floor two boss today."
Sonny nods once. "Yes. A mega golem. Everyone prepare for the journey." They pack up camp and head deeper into the second floor.
It takes nearly four hours to reach the boss chamber. By then, everyone is tired. They have fought through ambush after ambush, stone bodies shattering and reforming as they fought.
The boss chamber is massive. Stone pillars line the walls. The mega golem stands dormant in the center waiting to be activated. It is easily three times the size of the others they fought.
Jess rests her hands on her knees. “Okay. Let’s plan before we do something stupid.”
Sonny studies the room. “I’ll handle the smaller golems and keep them off Thomas. You three focus everything on the boss.”
Jess looks at him. “You can really manage that alone.”
“Yes,” Sonny says, like the task is just that simple. They rest for half an hour, catching their breath and recovering magic.
Then they move. Bull claps once. "Okay. Let’s get to it."
They take positions. Thomas raises both hands and casts his enhancement spell. A pale glow settles over Bull and Jess like a second skin. And it begins.
The fight starts with a roar as the mega golem animates, stone grinding against stone. Smaller golems crawl out from the walls like they were waiting for a signal.
“Go,” Thomas says, voice tight.
Bull doesn’t hesitate. He surges his energy and presses forward, metal crawling over his forearms and shoulders. His armor forms in clean plates, light enough to move but thick enough to hit like a hammer. Jess moves with him, but not straight in. She slides left, palms down, and freezes the stone floor in a wide slick arc.
Bull blocks the first hit with both arms. The impact rattles his bones. His feet skid back a full step, leaving grooves in the icy stone.
“Okay,” Bull mutters. “That’s got some weight.”
Jess answers with ice, snapping a ridge up to catch the golem’s ankle. The ice cracks immediately, but it slows the next step. That is all she needs.
Bull tries to capitalize, driving a metal coated punch into the golem’s knee joint. The golem barely flinches. Then it counters. A backhand catches Bull’s shoulder and throws him sideways. He hits the floor hard and slides. The mega golem attempts to follow up on Bull, but Thomas throws up a shield instantly to defend Bull. The barrier flashes as a stone shard slams into it.
“Bull,” Jess snaps. “Stop charging alone. Let’s work like a unit.”
Bull pushes up, annoyed. “I’ve got it.”
Jess points at the arena around them. “There are no scouts. No crowd. We just need to accomplish the task at hand and end this.” Bull’s jaw locks. He hates that she’s right.
While they argue, the smaller golems wake and peel off the walls in a staggered wave. They move straight toward Thomas. Sonny is already there.
He steps in front of Thomas like a silent wall and starts dismantling them. Nothing flashy, just clean killing motions. A kunai flashes. A golem’s head cracks and drops. A short palm strike lands. Ether pulses, and stone fractures down the center. A shuriken spins through a golem’s elbow joint and the arm falls away. Sonny catches one incoming strike on his forearm and twists, using the golem’s momentum against it. The golem hits the floor and breaks.
Thomas watches him for half a second, stunned at his capabilities, then forces himself back to the boss fight.
“I’m good,” Thomas says quickly to reassure himself.
Jess nods without looking. “Keep the buffs on. We will sync our attacks.”
Bull exhales hard. “Fine. Tell me what you want.”
Jess’s eyes narrow, focused now. “I slow it. You break it. Stop trying to win in one punch.”
Bull nods once. They move together.
Jess freezes the ground again, this time in smaller patches, creating an unstable path under the mega golem’s feet. The golem steps, slips slightly, and shifts weight to recover. That weight shift creates the opening.
Bull darts in and strikes the golem’s exposed side seam, where plates overlap. Metal magic sharpens his knuckles and he hits the same point twice, three times, each blow landing like a chisel. The seam starts to crack.
The mega golem roars and tries to swat him away, but Jess throws up an ice wall at the last moment. The wall shatters, but it steals just enough time.
“Again,” Jess says.
Thomas turns his enhancement up. The glow around Bull intensifies. Bull drives a final punch into the cracked seam. Stone explodes outward. The mega golem staggers, its core briefly visible, a dense mass of compact stone pulsing at the center. Jess sees it immediately. She snaps a spike of ice into the golem’s knee, forcing it to dip.
“Now,” she says.
Bull plants his feet, pulls all his metal into one arm, and forms a dense, heavy spike at his fist like a battering ram. Thomas pushes his enhancement spell to its limit, face pale with strain. Bull hits the exposed core. The strike lands and the core fractures.
A spiderweb of cracks races across the golem’s chest, then the entire body collapses inward like a building losing its support beam. Stone hits the floor in a thunderous crash. Silence follows.
Bull stands there breathing hard, fist still raised, then lowers it slowly.
Jess exhales. “That’s how you fight in a team.” Bull doesn’t argue. He just nods once at Jess, exhausted. Behind them, Sonny finishes the last of the smaller golems and turns back, calm as ever.
Thomas swallows. “We did it.” Sonny gives a short nod of approval.
“We did.” Jess exhales hard. "That was rough."
Bull says through his panting. "But we got it done."
“So,” Thomas says, “how confident are we about the third floor?”
Bull and Jess exchange a quick look. Their confidence from the first floor is waning. Not completely, but enough that neither of them answers right away.
Jess exhales. “We can do it. But it’s not going to be easy. We will need a sound plan of attack.”
Bull’s jaw clenches. “Yeah,” he says. “It’s going to hurt.”
They rest again, eating and rehydrating. Fatigue sets in, heavier now. After an hour, they move to the third floor.
The third floor is darker. The air feels alive. Sonny scouts ahead and returns with a warning.
“Wolf beasts. Fast. Strong. Pack hunters. We will need to keep our distance and strike to kill.”
Jess flexes her hands. "Great.” The group heads out.
The first encounter is chaos. The wolves move faster than expected. One slips past and slashes Jess’s leg before Sonny intercepts it.
Sonny kneels briefly, ether flowing as he heals her. "We need to adjust our tactics."
Thomas struggles to keep up, juggling shields and enhancements. Bull holds the line, but the pressure shows.
After they overcome the first ambush, they stop and regroup.
Sonny speaks calmly. "We are getting killed by their speed. Jess, freeze the ground. Limit their movement. Thomas, prioritize Jess’s defense. Bull, you finish them when they slip."
Jess nods. "Got it."
The next encounter goes better. Ice turns speed into a liability. The team moves together, coordinated and efficient.
After several hours and multiple battles, they set camp again. Thomas sinks against the wall. "I thought floor two was difficult. This is a grind."
Sonny looks at him. "You’re keeping up and doing well. Tomorrow is the pack leader."
Sonny and Thomas take the first rest. When they wake, Jess and Bull take their reprieve.
They sit together for a moment in the quiet dark. Thomas glances at Sonny. “I keep seeing you and Ellie together. Are you two dating?”
Sonny thinks for a moment. “I’m not exactly sure what dating fully entails, but we’ve been on dates and spend a lot of time together.”
Thomas stares at him. “Then she’s your girlfriend.”
Sonny looks blankly at Thomas. “I’m not sure. How do I know?”
Thomas chuckles and shakes his head. “You guys have seemingly been together since first semester and you haven’t asked her to be your girlfriend?”
“I have not. Do I need to ask?” Sonny ignorantly asks.
Thomas laughs. “Yes, you do. You’re really terrible at this. You should ask her when we return from this dive.”
Sonny inclines his head. “Yeah, I will then.”
Sonny glances over at Thomas. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Thomas laughs, a short, surprised sound. “I can tell you’re not very socially aware,” he says. “And no. I don’t.” Thomas shrugs. “I’m average looking and below average ranked. Not exactly a catch around AM.”
Sonny considers that. “Is there someone you like?”
Thomas hesitates, then nods. “Yeah. There’s a girl I’ve studied with. She’s actually one of Ellie’s friends.” Thomas describes her.
“I know her. She’s nice,” Sonny says without thinking.
Thomas brightens. “You think so?”
“Yes.”
Thomas scratches the back of his head. “If we make it out of here, could you maybe put in a good word. Or invite me to hang out with you all. I’d like to get to know her.”
Sonny nods once. “I can do that.”
Thomas grins, suddenly energized. “Seriously. Thank you. That would be so awesome.”
They keep talking quietly after that, like friends. The hours pass faster than either of them expects, until Bull and Jess finally wake and they continue their third floor expedition.
The team pushes deeper into the third floor, following Sonny’s route. The farther they go, the more the air feels alive. The wolf beasts stop attacking in random packs and start hitting with intent, like they’re being guided.
After a few hours of travel and fights, they reach the pack leader’s territory. The corridor widens into a rough chamber lined with broken stone and claw marks. Bones litter the edges. The smell is stronger here, wet fur and old blood.
Jess exhales. “This is it.”
Bull cracks his knuckles. “Good.”
Thomas swallows and looks at Sonny. “What’s the plan.”
Sonny scans the shadows. “Same as before. Freeze the ground. Limit their speed. Bull finishes. Thomas keeps you both standing.”
Jess nods. “And you?”
Bull glances at Sonny. “You’re not just playing bodyguard this time. We need you in the main fight.”
Thomas adds quickly, “But still keep the normal wolves off us. If they swarm, we’re done.”
Sonny considers it for a beat, then nods. “I’ll do what I can. Defending Thomas takes priority though.”
They take positions without overthinking it. Everyone knows their role and the goal. End it fast.
The pack leader steps into view like it owns the room. It’s larger than the others, broader through the shoulders, scarred across the muzzle, and its eyes are glaring and focused on the group as its prey. It doesn’t snarl right away. It watches.
Then it signals with a low growl. Wolves pour in from the sides. The fight explodes.
Jess slams both palms down and freezes the floor in a wide spread, turning the stone into slick ice. Wolf paws skid. Bodies slide. Momentum breaks.
Bull charges through the opening with metal forming along his arms, striking like a battering ram. He crushes one wolf’s ribs with a single hit and kicks another away before it can bite.
Thomas throws up a shield around them, then immediately pushes enhancement into Bull and Jess. The glow flickers with strain, but it holds.
The pack leader moves anyway. It is faster than the others even on ice. It digs claws into stone, launches, and slams into the shield hard enough to crack it.
Thomas flinches. “It’s on us.”
Sonny is already there. He steps in front of Thomas and meets the pack leader head on, not with a big strike, but with clean, controlled motion. He draws his sword and catches the leader’s first swipe with the flat of the blade. Sparks jump. The pack leader snaps its jaws toward Sonny’s throat. Sonny pivots and drives an elbow into its jawline, then follows with a short strike to the shoulder joint. The beast recoils away, surprised more than hurt.
Sonny knows he could have ended it there, but he doesn’t want to show his full ether ability and wants the other three to have their moment.
Jess shouts, “Bull, now.”
Bull attacks from the side, trying to pin the leader between them, but the pack leader twists and slashes. A claw rakes across Bull’s armor, scoring metal and forcing him back a step.
Bull’s jaw sets. “This freaking dog.”
More wolves try to swarm Thomas. Sonny breaks away in an instant, moving like a hinge snapping shut. A kunai flashes into his hand. He throws it without winding up. It hits a wolf in the neck and drops it mid lunge. A second wolf comes in from the flank. Sonny steps inside its bite and drives the pommel of his sword into its temple, crushing its skull. It collapses.
The pack leader surges again, trying to break through Jess and Bull with raw aggression. Jess adjusts, freezing in smaller patches instead of one big sheet, creating unstable footing under the leader’s front paws. The leader slips for half a second creating an opening.
Sonny takes the opening and slices hard. He doesn’t aim for the throat. He aims for an arm. Steel bites through fur and muscle. The pack leader’s front limb comes off clean and hits the ice with a heavy thud. The leader howls. The normal wolves hesitate, thrown off by the sudden blood and the scent of their leader’s pain.
Sonny steps back and calls it simple. “Finish it.”
Bull seizes the opportunity. He drives forward with metal reinforced fists and smashes into the leader’s exposed side. Jess follows immediately, sending a sharp spike of ice into the leader’s remaining shoulder to stop its movement. Thomas pours enhancement into Bull one last time, face pale with effort. Bull delivers the final blow. Metal cracks bone. The pack leader collapses, skidding across the ice and going still.
For a moment, the chamber is silent except for the group's heavy breathing.
Then the remaining wolves retreat into the shadows, no longer brave without a leader. The pack leader’s body lies still on the ice. The team stands in a loose circle with steam rising from their mouths in the cold air. The path to the fourth floor opens.
Jess wipes sweat off her forehead with the back of her sleeve. "Phew. Alright. We did it."
Bull flexes his hands, knuckles sore even through metal plating. "What a relief. At least we passed."
Thomas looks down at the dead beast, then up at the open pathway. "So… floor four."
Sonny stays calm and is seemingly untired. His eyes track the hallway entrances, watching for movement. "We can decide after we eat."
