Surviving the Simulation: The Grand Crusade

After a brief battle at the entrance of the grain elevator, the dungeon entrance was easy to pick out up close. It still looked like a regular entrance into the main building except for a series of faint runes bordering the frame of the door. There was also a small marker stone indicating…

Blackwhisker Stronghold
Status: Overflowing
Recommended Party Size: 5
Player Deaths: None
Dungeon Clears: None
Fastest Clear Time: None

All extremely unhelpful information, but Xander added it to his notebook, as well as some side thoughts. That the stone had specifically listed party size recommendations seemed to infer that there would be other dungeons that would need larger parties to clear.

What type of monsters would those kick out into the world during an overflow? Xander wondered.

Coming back to the task at hand, Xander gripped his spear tight before stepping across the threshold in a manner that projected confidence. More confidence than he actually had at the moment.

Congratulations! You have entered the Blackwhisker Stronghold. The Blackwhisker, a powerful rodentia colony, are known for their voracious fighting skills, matched only by their love of hoarding useful things. Gather your party and go forth and conquer. The greater the risk, the greater the reward!

WARNING: This dungeon is currently overflowing, causing monsters to exit the dungeon because of lack of space. The number of monsters within the dungeon will be higher than normal for the duration. Clear the dungeon to reset the overflow status.

WARNING: No one has successfully cleared this dungeon. New dungeons offer a range of one time benefits regarding loot quality and special rewards. The dungeon increases the chances of rare monster spawns for an additional challenge.

"Okay, we came, we took a peek, and the Simulation basically just told us to piss off!" Alex exclaimed.

"Quiet! You're going to bring the entire place down on our heads. We don't know what those messages mean exactly, and this first room is clear. Chill, and let's approach this logically," Zoey hissed.

A deep, echoing screech reverberated from somewhere deeper inside the dungeon, followed by the unmistakable sound of claws skittering against stone. Small bits of dust sifted from the ceiling in response, swirling in the dim light before settling onto the cold floor.

Xander glanced at the others. No one spoke. Even Alex kept his mouth shut, surprising Xander since Alex was normally one of the first ones with a joke.

"Calm down, everyone. Alex, sweep for traps. Zoey, there's something on that desk over there. Check that out once Alex says it's clear. I'm going to post up at that hallway in case something wanders this way," Xander barked, quickly taking control of the situation.

The room was fairly nondescript. It looked much like the lobby they had entered for the auto shop. A reception desk was off to one side and there were two exits from the room. One appeared to lead further into the building, while the other exit was actually a ramp down that looked to be made of stone. Xander had a theory that the door leading deeper into the building would take them out of the dungeon proper.

It reasoned that the ramp down led deeper into the dungeon, as it clearly had not been here before the reboot. Peering carefully down the hallway at the bottom of the ramp, Xander saw a soft golden glow emanating from some type of light source, spaced at even intervals. The light wasn't sufficient to see everything clearly, but it sufficed to avoid bumping into the walls.

Alex had discovered no traps, but Zoey found something a little more interesting. It was a book explaining a bit of background on the dungeon. A group calling themselves the Astral Artificers had abandoned the dungeon. The Blackwhisker colony had evidently moved in at a later date. Xander questioned whether this was a genuine historical account from before the AI crash because of the Simulation's failure, or invented flavor text. Either way, it looked like trying to three-person this dungeon was going to be a risk.

"All right, so the difficulty is increased, we're below the recommended party size, and the book Zoey found shows that maybe there's more than just rodentia in here. Thoughts?" Xander asked the pair. He was already leaning toward leaving and coming back with reinforcements.

"Better gear means better survivability in the long run, so I hate to miss out on the increase in rewards. Plus, I would expect rare monsters to drop even better loot. But it's like you've said a couple of times over the last couple of days. Getting killed trying to get the better loot doesn't do anyone any good. I'd like to see what the first encounter looks like," Zoey said. Her voice was a mixture of disappointment at the thought of losing out, but also practicality in that this may be more than the three of them could handle.

"I really think leaving is the best course of action, but I'm with Zoey. This may be a onetime chance at the good stuff," Alex added.

"All right, we'll reevaluate after each encounter."

Moving down the ramp into the hallway, Alex took the lead to search for traps, with Xander close behind him and Zoey watching the rear. Two hundred feet into the hallway, Alex held up his hand to indicate something was up ahead. Besides the soft lighting from the sconces on the wall, Xander detected another light source growing brighter as it progressed toward the trio from a bend in the corridor.

"Alex, swap me places!" Xander hissed as he readied his spear for the what was hopefully only a couple of rodentia. If there were more, the hallway would prevent them from getting surrounded, but the choke point was going to be a two-way restriction with Xander having to take the lion's share of the effort.

Quickly moving into positions, the trio waited with bated breath as the light crested the bend in the corridor to fully come into view. Taken aback, Xander wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at, but he was certain it wasn't what he'd been expecting. A ten-inch-high street sweeper-type device moved down the edge of the hallway. It certainly didn't look like a modern piece of robotic equipment, but more akin to what someone from the Victorian era would have imaged a robotic construct to look like. With six short legs, it walked, displaying a dull brass color and a rotary sweeping brush on each side near the front of its body. Blue energy pulsed through several visible cables and containers.

"Uh, guys?" Xander said, confused.

"Kill it, man!" Alex exclaimed. "Everybody always laughs at the little robot until Claymore Vacuum enters the room."

Darting past Xander, Alex plunged both of his swords directly into the automaton's chassis. Sparks flew as the whirling of various gears ground to a halt, freezing everything in place moments before falling over. As the construct's glow faded, a tone sounded throughout the dungeon, reminding Xander of the movie-style call to action that always preceded the discovery of attackers. If there was any doubt, the announcement directly following the tone removed it.

"Warning! Warning! New aggressors detected! Designating current players as hostile! Dungeon lock down initiated!" A monotone voice blared throughout the dungeon, declaring new aggressors detected and designating current players as hostile.

A distant grinding noise rumbled from the entrance, confirming their fears. Alex muttered a curse and slipped back up the hallway to check on it, keeping his footsteps light. Everyone already knew what it was, but as Xander had been fond of saying, assumptions get you killed.

Xander fumed as he tried to contain his anger. It didn't take a genius to figure out that not only did they now have to deal with the rodentia, any help they may have gotten from the constructions was now gone. He was also willing to bet all of his supplies that the grinding noise they'd heard coming from the entrance was some type of door or gate coming down. The only path now was the path forward, and he had already been doubting their chances of success when they still had the option of leaving the dungeon.

Zoey had taken a moment to investigate the small automaton lying on the ground. As she poked and prodded at various points in it, a small hatch popped open toward the back.

"Huh." She reached inside and pulled out a four-inch-long brass key, along with a small ring. "Found something."

Xander leaned in for a closer look. As soon as he focused on the ring, the Simulation's interface flickered into view, presenting its details.

Ring of Artisan's Insight
Quality: Uncommon.
Enchantments: Minor Tool Affinity.
Description: The Ring of Artisan's Insight forms a harmonious connection with the artificer's favored tools. It grants a mild magical attunement, allowing the tools to respond more readily to the artificer's commands. This results in a smoother and more efficient utilization of tools, leading to quicker completion of tasks and reduced strain on the user. When equipped, the wearer gains +5 skill points to skills related to tools they have attuned to. Current attuned tools: None.

Control Key
Quality: Common.

Enchantments: None.
Description: It is a key.

Xander picked up the key, rubbing a thumb over its surface. "'Control key' is vague enough not to be helpful at the moment. Hopefully, we'll know what it goes to when we see it." He handed the key back to Zoey, "The ring is neat, though again, not immediately helpful. I really hope we're not in a crafter's dungeon."

"I hear what you're saying, but we also don't know how important crafting is going to be yet either. A boon of crafting related items may very well give the three of us an enormous boost," Zoey reasoned.

"Fair point. First, we must escape from here in one piece, and it seems things just went from 'hard' to the 'you're boned' level."

Zoey looked at Xander, her face hard for a moment, but quickly softening. "Don't be like that. Your drive and belief in being able to achieve your goals is a good quality. Keep that optimism. As dumb as it sounds, it's helpful for my own mental health at the moment."

Before he could respond, Alex returned to the group. It was as they had feared. The dungeon was now sealed. There was a brief discussion why the rodentia hadn't tripped the sealing of the dungeon in the first place, but they all agreed that this felt like some Simulation shenanigans. The best answer was that the dungeon's response to creatures invading differed from it would be if it were players who were the aggressors. Xander still didn't buy it, but of everything he couldn't explain since the reboot, this would not be the item he hyper-focused on. He had to chuckle to himself as he thought of the outcry on the various online forums if there were still such a thing. He could see someone posting a long-winded rant about how the logic didn't work out and thus ruined the immersion. That, or it would be some overblown conspiracy theory.

With no choice left to them, the team continued their exploration of the dungeon. Everything they encountered was low-level rodentia or basic service automaton. Despite all the warnings of the dungeon difficulty being extremely increased, nothing so hard presented a challenge. With no challenge, also came no loot.

It wasn't until the eighth identical-looking hallway that things livened up to the promise of increased difficulty. Xander and Zoey stood on one side of the archway into a large, brightly lit circular room while Alex stood on the other. Spaced evenly around the circumference of the room were identical archways for a total of six, including the one the group stood at. A twenty-foot-tall statue, seemingly made of brass, lay on its side in the center of the room. Six rodentia surrounded it, trying to pry out various colored stones.

"Draw them in, or go for the sneak attack?" Alex said, looking over the situation. "They're all level five or six and have classes."

"Alex, the room looks a little bright. What do you think the chances are of you getting up close to them before they can spot you?" Xander inquired. Ambush was going to give them the best chance of survival, but it was going to be a massive risk.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it," Alex replied honestly.

Looking at them both for a moment before looking back out at the group of rodentia, Xander outlined his plan. "Okay, I think we're going to have to go for a hard first strike and then use the archway as a choke point. I'm going to chuck my spear at the one closest to us that ought to get their attention, and hopefully I can drop that one I hit right out of the gate. Zoey, you and I will stand back a couple of steps from the doorway, and you'll zip them with arrows as they run in. Alex, you stay right where you're at and get a flanking attack once they come through the door. It's going to leave you exposed a bit, but we've got to go for the quick kill here. We can't stand toe to toe with these guys. If anyone has a better idea, now is the time."

Neither of his companions had a better plan, so standing up in the archway, Xander took aim at the closest rodentia. Before letting his spear fly, though, he made a last-minute decision and shifted his aim to another enemy that caught his eye at the last second. Instead of the melee fighter Xander had first set his sights on, he had noticed what looked to be a caster-type rodentia in the middle of the pack. A black robe clothed it, and it carried a staff. If it had a shield like the cleric they had fought that first day, then Xander would most likely have killed his entire party, but if he caught it unaware and it didn't have a shield up, then that would most likely make the difference in the main fight to come.

His spear flew from his hand to be accompanied by the zipping sound of Zoey's arrows seconds later. The spear, thrown with such force, hit the robed rodentia square in the chest, producing a loud gong sound as it slammed against the fallen statue. Blood streaked on the brass as the rodentia slid to the floor and took its last breaths.

Stolen story; please report.

Zoey's arrows faired just as well, as she was able to land two on the lead rodentia that Xander had originally been targeting. One caught it in the gut, while her follow-on shot caught it in the left eye. It wasn't dead, but it also would not be in the fight in the first wave.

Xander brought his mace down on the first rodentia into the archway, simultaneously calling out an insult. He couldn't use his taunt ability yet, but he hoped the noise he was making would still be enough to keep its attention.

Having successfully plugged the archway, Xander had positioned the attackers that Alex had a clean shot at the second rodentia through the archway. Alex thrust both his blades deep into his target's side and gouts of blood poured from the wound, causing the floor under the attackers to become slick with blood as the third rodentia fell.

"Three rats out of the fight, three rats to go!" Alex cried as he repositioned with Xander.

Xander was now standing in the center of the hallway, fending off two rodentia simultaneously in a flurry of parries and swings. His duster caught the attacks that slipped through his defenses. He struggled to keep up, but it was a battle he was losing quickly. Thankfully, Alex saw Xander's predicament and kicked one of the two rodentia in the leg, the blow shattering bone and making it fall backward into the third rodentia, still struggling to reach the fight. Getting a moment's reprieve, Xander moved from pure defense to offense on the remaining rodentia he was engaged with.

Zoey continued to pour arrows into the same target Xander was facing, wearing it down until it finally succumbed to the duo. The remaining two rodentia were no match for the trio pressing their advantage. Victorious, the group took a moment to breathe and regroup in the room.

Spitting out blood from where he'd caught a fist in the face, splitting his lip, Xander took a moment to look over the carnage. Even though he was sore, the fight's outcome thrilled him. It was apparent the three of them were becoming used to fighting alongside each other.

"Xander, want to look at loot now or later?" Alex asked as he pulled various pieces from the monsters.

"No way we're going to carry everything. How about we take anything magical with us and look at it later as a group? The same is true for gold. Any non-magic stuff you guys find, take it with you if you have a use for it."

Xander examined the gems the rodentia had been trying to pull out of the statue. They didn't appear to be any gemstones he was familiar with, but he wasn't a gemologist. The statue itself was what drew Xander's attention. He wasn't sure this was a statue, as it looked more like a powered-down automaton. If it was an automaton, he hoped they wouldn't have to deal with an operational version. At twenty feet tall, any weapon it would carry that was size appropriate would give it a considerable advantage over Xander, even with his spear. Being made of brass or some type of brass alloy meant that Zoey's arrows would have little effect unless she could hit something vital. Her aim was great, and she had certainly gotten more than her fair share of lucky hits in an eye, armor joint, or other critical areas, but Xander certainly wouldn't want to bet his life on it.

"If it's an automaton, but just powered down, you'd think we'd be able to analyze it," Xander mused, more to himself than anyone specific.

"Unless it's foreshadowing the final boss battle," Alex chuckled.

That wasn't a thought Xander was willing to entertain at the moment, but if there was any doubt a moment ago, he was sure Alex had just jinxed it. Taking out a chalk stick from his bushcraft pouch buckled to his thigh, Xander marked the doorway they had just come from before looking at the remaining exits.

"No markings to show which way to go, so do we want to go clockwise or counterclockwise?"

"Clockwise. No reason, just the first response that came to me," Zoey offered.

The first three hallways contained various living quarters that the rodentia had taken over as their burrow. Rodents had broken and covered in filth whatever furniture had been in the room; the team could only tell these were living quarters from a partially intact bed frame against the wall. Half a dozen rodents inhabited each room, but the battles weren't as fierce as the one in the statue rotunda. Still, another two people on their team would have massively reduced the strain on the group.

It was the fourth passage that had offered a change in scenery. It sloped down to take the trio deeper into the dungeon complex before ending at another archway. Inside, the trio could hear loud squeaks and hisses of rodentia. While the trio had heard an abundance of noise coming from the rodentia in the living quarters section of the dungeon, they had not heard what amounted to rodentia engaged in some type of battle.

Watching for a moment, Xander wasn't able to understand what was happening. Inside the room were five rodentia, and they were all looking up into the rafters, throwing stones and other random objects. Something was in the rafters that was agitating them, but Xander couldn't tell what it was as it never left the shadows.

The implications of what was going on gave the team an advantage, but it also wasn't clear if whatever was in the rafters was friend or foe. They were still on the hostile list for any automaton in the dungeon, so the enemy of my enemy is my friend, may not apply. Instead, any encounter could twist into a three-way pitched battle. To make matters worse, as Xander analyzed the rodentia, he could see that two of them appeared to be rare spawns.

[Analyze] Gnawfang | Level: 6 Rare | Status: Hostile | Class: Dark Cleric
[Analyze] Twitchwhisker | Level: 5 Rare | Status: Hostile | Class: Ranger

Wanting a moment to strategize, Xander waved the group back up the hallway. "You guys get a look at those two named monsters? Gnawfang and Twitchwhisker. Dark cleric and ranger, respectively. Archers are always a problem in tight quarters, but a named ranger is going to be even worse. And that cleric? Every one we've faced has been nasty and this one's named. This fight isn't going to be easy."

"Anyone get a look at what's up in the rafters?" Zoey asked. "It'd be nice to know if we have help, an additional enemy, or even a non-combatant."

"No, I couldn't see it, but whatever it is, it's got the rats worked up." Alex said.

"I don't think me throwing my spear is going to be a good idea this time. It wasn't a great idea the last time, but if I'm going to hold these guys back, I'm going to need all the reach I can get," Xander said. "Zoey, try to drop one of the regular ones right off the bat. I don't think there's any way we're killing one of the names right out of the gate. I'm going to rush them and hold them in place, then we'll triage the battlefield after I establish it.

Back at the doorway, the rodents were still trying to reach whatever was bothering them in the rafters. Gathering up his courage, Xander bull rushed the rodentia that was closest. As the first clash erupted, Alex darted between the rodentia with finesse, narrowly avoiding their strikes. Xander, relying on his sheer determination, engaged them head-on with his spear. Zoey let loose with her first arrow just as Xander engaged in the scrum. Dropping one of the regular rodentia, she moved on to targets of opportunity as openings in the battle allowed her. She didn't seem able to focus on any one rodentia, but she could apply damage to the entire engagement.

Twitchwhisker, perched on a wooden table within the room, took aim at the party. Alex, already tracking the ranger, spotted the glint of the arrow and gracefully deflected it with a well-timed swing of his main-hand sword. Undeterred, he closed the distance to kick a leg of the table, splintering it. The table wobbled, causing Twitchwhisker to lose its high ground. Now in close quarters, Twitchwhisker discarded its bow and took up its longsword to engage Alex in a nimble dance of blades.

Gnawfang raised its hands, chanting something low and guttural. Xander couldn't tell what kind of spell it was, but the sharp rise in energy around the creature made his skin prickle.

"Move left!" Zoey called, urgency in her voice. Xander shifted just as the first arrow flew past him, striking the cleric in the shoulder. Another followed, then another. The wounds barely seemed to slow it down, but the creature faltered mid-chant, snarling as it tried to regain focus.

Xander, using his spear with surprising accuracy, incapacitated one of the rodentia with a thrust aimed at the joints in its armor. The tide turned as the party exploited the chaotic nature of the battle, using their surroundings to their advantage. The party systematically dismantled the rodentia pack, leaving only the dark cleric, thanks to Alex's agile maneuvers, Xander's bulwark defense against the onslaught, and Zoey's cunning use of arrows to lock down the cleric.

Xander's spear proved effective against Gnawfang's dark defenses, forcing the cleric to retreat and reevaluate its strategy before the other members of the party could engage it.. Sensing an opening, Xander pressed the attack, driving the dark cleric further against the wall. But Gnawfang retaliated with a lancing bolt of dark energy, causing Xander to stagger and grit his teeth against the pain.

The battle raged on, with Xander's spear finding its mark amidst Gnawfang's evasive maneuvers as Zoey and Alex joined the fray. Despite the relentless assault, the dark cleric, fueled by malevolent determination and rage, unleashed a barrage of shadowy tendrils. Xander was feeling signs of wear from the injuries inflicted by the dark magic, his movements growing labored.

In a final, desperate thrust, Xander pierced through Gnawfang's defenses, delivering a decisive blow straight to the heart. The dark cleric crumpled to the stone floor, defeated.

But the victory came at a cost. Xander, battered and bloodied, stood amidst the shadows, nursing several injuries sustained during the grueling confrontation.

"Damn, do I hurt," Xander grunted as he collapsed to a sitting position on the floor next to Gnawfang. Downing a healing potion, he continued, "Those named mobs are no joke."

"You going to be okay? I've got another healing potion if you need it," Zoey offered with concern in her voice.

"No, you keep it. I've got two left, but I think I just need to sit here for a minute," Xander said, looking up at the rafters.

He could finally see what the rodentia had been trying to get at.

It was a cat, which explained why the rodentia were going nuts. But it wasn't a normal cat. It seemed to be some type of ghost as it was translucent white with wisps of smoke emanating off of it. It took several attempts, but Xander could finally get an analyze on it.

[Analyze] Spectral Cat | Level: 4 Rare | Status: Indifferent | Class: Spectral Cat

"Hey, bud, what are you doing in here? Not really a great place for a cat in a dungeon full of bipedal rodents with a grudge. They're all dead, though. Do you want to come down here?" Xander called.

Spectral cat or not, it certainly had a lot in common with its non-spectral counterparts as it sat there in the rafters with an aloof air of superiority and judgment the way only cats can, Xander thought. Still, he didn't like leaving it here as he'd always had a soft spot for companion animals such as dogs, cats, and the like.

"How about you stick with us, at least until we get out of here? Maybe we find you someplace better to be than stuck down here," Xander tried again.

Moments later, a Simulation notification startled him.

Congratulations! The great cat distribution system has chosen you to be the bonded companion of Cabbot the Destroyer. Because you're the first person globally to bond with a companion, you receive one additional companion trait. Because spectral cats are rare companions, you have received an additional companion trait.

Cat's Grace: Always land on your feet with cat-like grace +10 dexterity

Cat's Sight: You are able to see in low light environments now as a cat does. You gain low-light vision. Some side effects may occur.

Spectral Sight: See things no one else can see. You gain the ability to see hidden specters. Some side effects may occur.

"Ow, cheese and rice, that hurts!" Xander gritted out, pressing his palms against his eyes as a stabbing pain tore through his skull. His vision swam as bright flashes, dark spots, like something was rewiring his brain from the inside out with a red hot poker. If he hadn't already been sitting, the pain would have dropped him.

Then, just as suddenly, it was gone. Xander exhaled sharply, chest tight from holding his breath. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open and everything was different. Details he hadn't noticed before stood out in perfect clarity, edges too crisp, colors too vivid. Strange glows pulsed from the equipment scattered around the room, their faint auras shifting at the edges of his vision.

"Xander, are you okay?" Zoey asked as she bent down to come down to his level. "Oh. Oh wow. That's certainly something. How do you feel?"

"What's wrong? The Simulation did some kind of companion bonding thing between me and the cat. Now I have a couple of abilities that don't seem to be restricted by the level-zero filter. I can certainly see a lot better, even in those areas of the room covered by shadow," Xander said, rubbing his eyes. It was going to take him a couple of minutes to get used to the change. It reminded him of when he'd first gotten LASIK done years ago in terms of dealing with a drastic vision change.

"Well, see for yourself," Zoey explained as she dug out a make-up mirror from her backpack.

"You okay, buddy? Let me guess, you didn't know that was going to happen either?" Xander commented to a visibly shaken Cabbot.

Taking the mirror from Zoey, Xander saw now what the changes had been. Instead of having round pupils, his eyes were more shaped like a cat's, with long vertical pupils. Plus, his iris had changed to a steel grey color with wisps of 'smoke' drifting off of them.

"What the hell?" Xander exclaimed.

Xander forced himself to take a breath, then another. His hands were still trembling, his pulse hammering in his ears, but Zoey's voice cut through the full-blown panic attack to help him calm down.

His eyes had changed. That much was undeniable. And yeah, people were probably going to have questions. But as his breathing evened out, another thought surfaced. One that didn't send his stomach into knots. I can see in the dark now.

Not just a little better. A lot better. The shadows in the room weren't murky voids anymore; they had depth, shape, detail. As much as the transformation freaked him out, it was a hell of a survival advantage.

Zoey peered at Xander's new feline eyes, smirking. "Well, congrats. You've officially hit 'mysterious fantasy protagonist' level weirdness."

Across the room, Cabbot stretched lazily, curling its tail around itself as it settled onto a chair. The spectral cat narrowed its eyes at him, gaze unreadable, before tucking its nose beneath its tail. Xander sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Real comforting, buddy."

"Does the little guy have a name?" Zoey asked as she approached Cabbot.

"Cabbot the Destroyer, and I think he is actually she," Xander replied as Cabbot disappeared before Zoey could touch her.

"The Destroyer? Think we need to be concerned?" Zoey inquired as she looked around to see where the spectral cat had disappeared to.

"Well, Jo had always said that cats were actually agents of chaos, so I'm going to say no, but who the knows," Xander offered, still looking at his eyes in the mirror, frowning.

"Guys, I think we're close to the boss room," Alex said has he slunk back into the room from exploring the hallway. "There's a big ass rat in the next room sitting on a throne of stone. If you thought these assholes here with names were tough, then we may be up the creek with the next one because it's got a name and a title. Dude, what is up with your eyes?"

Xander didn't respond. Instead, he let himself fall flat onto his back, arms spread out as he stared at the ceiling. He gave his head a slow, gentle thunk against the cold floor, then another. After a long, weary sigh, he finally muttered, "Dammit."

Finally getting up from the floor, Xander followed Alex back down the hallway to get a look at the situation for himself. Glancing back, he confirmed Cabbot was following along behind them, but seemed to be uninterested in what was going on around it. Xander sighed as he thought about it for a moment. He loved cats, and he decided the quiet indifference in which they viewed everything around them was part of the fuzzy little agents of chaos' appeal.

Deciding that Cabbot could take care of herself, Xander turned back to the issue at hand. The room Alex had found was square, with the throne in the center and four columns that stretched up to the vaulted ceiling. Each column was large enough for one person to hide behind, but that was it.

The rat perched on its throne, motionless. Even at a distance, Xander could tell it was far bigger than any rodentia they had faced so far. It was easily the size of a large dog, maybe bigger. Its fur was so black it almost swallowed the torchlight, like a void in the shape of a rat. A jagged scar twisted its lip, and one of its ears had been clipped, leaving a ragged edge.

The spear it held rested easily in its grip, its tail twitching just enough to show it was paying attention. Its red eyes locked onto Xander's, unblinking, unwavering.

It knows we're here. The thought settled in like a weight in his chest. The way it stared, utterly still except for that slow flick of its tail. It was waiting. Daring them to step forward.

[Analyze] Skarnak the Verminlord | Level: 10 Boss | Status: Hostile | Class: Dark Cleric/Fighter

"It knows we are here," Xander commented.

"Yeah, but I don't think we've got any choices. It's a level ten boss with a split class," Alex commented.

"Only thing for it is to go head on with it. It knows we're coming so there are no ambush tactics here. It's a boss, so I'm going to guess it may have some special boss mechanics. Everyone keep on their toes here," Xander said.

This is going to hurt, he thought.

As the trio stepped into the room, a stone doorway shut behind them.