The Dungeon's Worst Little Mistake

Down hallways and over bridges, up ladders and following curving paths of waterways that flow down and deeper into the Dungeon. They run, following a flashing trail of lights guiding them through the labyrinthine sewers of red brick and black water. Sprinting by as monsters leap from the water to fight desperately against the Undead, holding them back as they completely ignore the very beings that would normally be their prime targets. They step over pitfall traps that never activate, the inner mechanisms being mysteriously jammed or broken on this particular day. They move through shortcuts and hidden paths that should normally be locked by puzzles and challenges, but had accidentally been forgotten about and not reset.

They make progress, moving as fast as their slowest member can run, and follow as the guiding lights update and suddenly change directions, leading them away from ambushes and always on the shortest path to their target.

Avoiding fights is still impossible, however. The Necromancer had more than enough time to build her numbers as she waited, and even now, as the monsters of the Dungeon try to fight back, those numbers can only continue to grow. Resistance is inevitable, but they are on a time limit.

"Enemies ahead! We're pushing through; Ben, Elaine, make us an opening!" Dale orders as they run.

The corridor ahead is crammed from wall to wall with the Undead, their rotting bodies forming a wall of flesh a hundred strong that can't just simply be circumvented. They are getting closer. The flashing lights are only getting faster and faster. They need to cut their way through.

Incanting as they run, the mages release their spells into the gathered horde, their bodies withering away and burning as their bane touches their dead flesh and scales. With an explosion of light, a hole is made in the enemy formation, the remaining vile creatures hissing and sputtering as the residual light scorches their skin and blinds whatever is left of their eyesight.

But even suffering from Light's touch, the Undead have their orders and follow with absolute obedience. Hissing, smoking, gurgling from dead throats, gnashing their teeth, and dragging yellowed claws over red brick floor, they move to close the gap, lashing out to attack and grab the humans as they attempt to sprint through.

Susan leads the charge, her sword swinging faster that can be seen as she forces her mortal body to temporarily move faster than human limits, her lips moving against her will as she call out the name of her skill.

"Thousand Kisses!"

The Undead in front of her simply explode. Finely cut pieces of torsos, limbs, and heads fly like grapeshot fired from a canon, bone shards and viscera painting the red walls in an even deeper shade of crimson.

The attack only lasted a half-a-second, but in that time over a dozen-and-a-half zombies had been turned into modern art and pieces of trash littering the sewer's waterways.

With her sword glowing red hot and steaming against the open air, Susan releases a strained breath that escapes her lips as a visible cloud of vapor, her body almost at a boil and feeling as hot as her sword right now. Even still, she doesn't stop running and leads the rest of them through the wall of Undead before it can fully close. Still moving even as she can feel a muscle in her back snapping from the strain of using that move.

She didn't have a choice. The Necromancer moves far too fast. Even with the help of the Dungeon guiding them, even with it no doubt trying to slow her down for them as well; the adventurers have been chasing their target's tail for nearly two hours at a full sprint now. If this hunt takes any longer and the four-hour mark is reached, Susan has no doubt that the Necromancer, this weird Bug person, will uphold her promise.

At best, they have half an hour to catch her. And if they can't, well. Then their only choice will most likely be to run away in order to survive. But why it is that Susan believes Bug will do it is something that baffles her.

She has only interacted with the person via the report, a letter, and now through a proxy via one of her minions. But for some reason, Susan has zero doubt that Bug will keep to her word.

If they don't catch her soon, this hunt is over. Plain and simple. She doesn't have the option of holding back, even if it means pulling out moves that will destroy her body with each use. Using skills that were only ever intended to be used by Immortals.

"Susan, are you alright!?" Elaine calls out from behind her, no doubt seeing how much pain she is in.

"I'll be fine. Keep moving, we're almost there!"

"Let me heal you!"

"Not until we catch up to her, I can hold on till then!"

They turn a corner and find an ambush of Kappa filling the water, their cheeks already bulging as they prepare to shoot out spears of water.

"Keep moving! Ben, get behind me, Elaine, behind Susan, now!" Dale shouts as he raises his war hammer before him as a shield, roaring with challenge and barreling forward.

Ben is right behind the much larger man, chanting a spell as he continues to run through gasping breaths. Elaine is practically hugging Susan from behind as she hides her head and runs.

Dozens of spears of water are fired near simultaneously, filling the hallway with a buckshot blast of spraying water, moving so fast that it could take the head off of most men.

Susan and Dale don't stop moving. Dale protects his head with his hammer, bellowing out the name of a skill, eating blows left and right as spears of water hit his body with the force of a horse's kick, blood and water flowing down his front as he protects his vitals and holds off the assault with the determination of a steel wall.

"Unstoppable Charge!"

Susan cuts. With her body still screaming at her to slow down, she moves anyways and swings her sword, releasing another skill so that she can protect the life behind her.

"Field!"

Like a bubble forming around her, her awareness expands in all directions as her brain begins to heat up, blood trinkling down from her nose. She can see everything, and for a moment, time grinds to a screeching halt. Behind her is her sister, protected by her own body. A total of thirteen projectiles are coming her way, three already within striking range, four following half a second later, and the remaining six a full second. Predicting their path, accounting for her own motion, and knowing how fast she can swing her sword, Susan makes a plan.

She can't get them all, not without using another skill in quick succession, but her body wouldn't be able to take it if she did that. But she doesn't need to get them all; she just needs to move out of the way.

A quarter of a second passes and time snaps back into motion. With a twist of her body, Susan swings back a leg and trips Elaine. Two spears fly past them, the third finds her blade as she raises it in an upward swing. The next four arrive, and Elaine is falling to the floor, screaming in surprise from suddenly being tripped. One is heading for Susans head, one for her thigh, one will miss completely, and the last will hit Elaine in the ribs.

With a tilt of her head, the first passes by without effect, her rising sword catching the second. She won't be fast enough to bring the sword back down to take out the third, so she doesn't. Susan catches herself on the same foot she used to trip Elaine and then kicks out with the other, partially ruining her posture, but the blow sends Elaine tumbling over to the side and out of the way of the rest of the attacks. The fourth grazes Susan thigh, cutting a red line through her jeans and slicing though leather armor like it is made of paper. With her lowered posture from the kick, she had managed to avoid getting a hole blown through her leg.

The remaining six spears arrive last, half of them flying too high and no longer a concern. The last three should hit her chest, but her sword is already raised and in motion. One slash takes out two instantly, and a twist of her wrist draws the blade into place just in time to block the last, the hot metal of her blade hissing as it is rapidly quenched in an explosion of water and steam.

Elaine, somehow managing to get control over her fall, catches herself and rolls hard, her golden blond hair flying in every direction as she fights to get back up on her feet. Susan immediately moves over and grabs her hand, quickly pulling her behind her back as the two continue to run.

The Kappa, having just released their salvo are readying the next round, but Ben had been busy incanting while taking cover behind Dale's unstoppable form. With fire pooling over and dripping from his hands like burning oil, he breaks out from the cover of Dale's back and unleashes his magic.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Boilover!"

Sticky flames flow out and hit the water's surface, most of the Undead Kappa instantly going up in flames as the fire finds their rotting flesh. For those that dive under the water for safety, they soon find that the fire is not going out. Instead, it is sitting on the water's surface, continuing to burn away and only growing hotter and hotter. Below, the water starts to boil. It steams and bubbles. The Undead Kappa, being too dumb to know what to do without orders do not flee further downstream. Instead, they stay and slowly cook as the meat boils off their bones.

Normally, this wouldn't be enough to kill the zombies. They would just simply become skeletons and then keep fighting on once the fire is gone. To wait for the fire to pass so they can come back up and shoot at the fleeing human's backs. But waiting was a mistake.

The building steam reaches a critical point, and the magical fire provides the energy. The waterway explodes with enough forces to leave even the Dungeon walls shaking, reducing the Undead Kappa to shattered, steaming bones in an instant as the waterway is instantly emptied.

With searing hot steam billowing though the halls along with the clatter of an explosion, the adventurers run, pushing their sore and tired bodied to the limit as they outrun a cloud of steam that will leave them covered in burns if they touch it for even so much as a moment.

Further back, the perusing Undead from the wall get caught in the explosion, getting flashed cooked and blown apart into flying limbs. Those that aren't destroyed instantly are instead reduced to half melted bodies, stuck to walls and the floor, their own melting and seared flesh becoming a prison to hold them down.

"Almost there!" Susan screams as sweat runs down her face like a waterfall.

She doesn't know how, but she can feel it. Just around this corner. Just right up ahead, and she will finally meet her enemy!

Elaine can't even answer, gasping for breath as running for two hours at a full sprint and then away from an explosion is finally bringing her to her limit. Ben is no better and looks to be running on hopes and dreams at this point. Dale, is wearing a mask of stoic control, looking like a rock bathed in blood. He is probably in a world of pain, but he doesn't utter a single word in complaint and just keep pushing forward.

"Just around this corner!"

They turn and come to a slow stop. Sprint turns into a run, a run into a jog, and then a jog into a fast walk that eventually comes to a complete stop. Behind them, the tremors running though the Dungeon from the explosion finally come to a stop as well.

The Dungeon is drawn into a complete and utter silence.

Ahead of them, is an army of the Undead so dense that it would take an hour to count them all. Where they end is an underground lake, which are common in this layer with two or three usually being on each floor.

Where the Undead stop, the water begins, the view making it look as if the Undead themselves are simply a river flowing into the lake. There is everything here, bodies both small and large, crammed in so tight that even a mouse would struggle to make a path through all this dead flesh and scale and claw.

The adventurers of the Golden Mare; Susan, Elaine, Dale, and Ben, can only stand there and stare as they catch their breaths, their eyes scanning over an unliving tide of flesh and eventually finding a figure all the way in the back.

Sitting there like a little queen, relaxing atop a throne of pillows and blankets built upon the back of some insectile horror of twisted human bones, is the one they have been hunting for.

The insect is standing on a dozen legs of bladed bone, easily keeping steady and level, atop the shoulders and heads of those common Undead beneath it, treating their standing bodies as it would any other surface.

The moment their eyes lock, Susan can feel as something seems to pass over and through her body. The feeling of being weighed and judged and of having secrets teased out from hiding, an invasion of privacy that leaves goosepimples running down one's arms. It passes almost as quickly as it came, almost like it never even happened. The others clearly felt it too, and they all know that it came from the little figure before them, her emerald-green eyes seeming to shine even from this distance.

With a big smile on her face, The Necromancer, Bug, laughs and claps her scaled hands. Her enjoyment is clear, her excitement the only noise carried through these halls, reaching the humans ears with no issue. And when she finishes laughing, she spreads her arms wide, invitingly, all four of them as a pair of wings cover her shoulders like a cape and greets her guests.

"Welcome! It is so lovely to finally meet you in person! And also, I must congratulate you; you made it here with thirteen minutes to spare, amazing!"

She looks so full of joy as she wholeheartedly congratulates them, clearing deriving some sort of pleasure from them playing along with whatever game it is she thinks they are playing.

With her congratulations given, she starts to clap again, but this time, every single one of the Undead within this place join her. The hallway soon becomes like a theater full of people, clapping for the actors on stage after an amazing performance. It is deafening. It is over-the-top. It's embarrassing, like they are being made fun of for trying so hard.

But also, for Susan. This is exactly what she wanted.

Here is a villain, standing high and mighty above the would be Heros, clearly looking down on them and mocking them for their efforts.

A party of four hardened adventurers, no, HEROS, standing defiantly before the Big Bad, already tired and bruised, but ready for the final fight! They even have a swordswoman, a warrior, a healer, and a mage, a literal Hero's Party! This, this is the stuff stories are written about! This is what Susan had been hoping for all along. Her life's dream, finally come true! Her final aspiration before retiring. Right before her eyes, and so close that she can almost touch it!

This is her do or die moment, where she will either have her name written into the annuls of history as a Hero, or where she will die as just another slightly famous adventurer that will eventually be completely forgotten.

This. Is. Her. Moment!

While Bug is still happily clapping and is probably about to go in a villain's monolog, Susan looks back towards Elaine and tells her simply. "Heal us."

"Yes!"

With her arms outstretched, Elaine casts her spell and holy light covers everyone, healing their injuries and restoring some lost stamina. They aren't back to their peak. That would require proper rest and sleep, but with the final fight being right in front of them, this will have to be more than enough.

When Bug sees this healing light coming from the humans, she scowls, a look of disgust crossing her beautiful face, her emerald-green eyes growing bright with repulsion.

"So, I wasn't mistaken. You brought with you a Light mage. And the other one is most certainly Fire…" She declares as Ben finishes chanting, standing at the ready with a pair of fireballs held in hand and ready to be lobbed. "Smart."

"But it will take more than just two mages to bring me down, humans! If you wish to collect my head, you will need to earn it! If you think I fear a little light and flame, then you are in for a Deathly surprise! MuHahahahaha!!!"

She stands from her throne, swiping the air with her arm as if pushing something aside. With the motion, the Undead all fall into silence and bring their weapons forward, ready to fight. Claws and fangs, shoddy spears and rusty daggers, spells held at the ready to be cast!

"Humans! If you have any last, pitiful words; speak them now for they shall be your last!"

Susan steps forward, ready to speak in defiance of this evil villain. These will be the words recorded before the big fight.

When she walks down the street and sees kids playing Heros vs. Villains, this is the line she will hear the kid playing the Hero repeat before promptly smacking their friend with a stick and making them cry! It must be perfect. Her dream is about to come true!

She opens her mouth to speak... and is promptly interrupted by Elaine calling out first.

"Excuse me! Your letter said that if I collect ten of them, I could get a cookie?" She yells across the crowd of battle-ready zombies, holding a stack of papers in the air for Bug to see.

Susan nearly trips over herself, and Bug is even looking a little startled by the mood getting ruined. Blinking, she just looks at the papers and asks, "Wha- what? A cookie for…?

Then she blinks, seemingly remembering something.

"Oh, yeah. I did put that in there, didn't I? You know, I just meant that as a joke… Mhhh, but, a promise is a promise… You gathered ten of them, right?!"

"Yup!" Elaine chirps back with a big smile.

"Ok, hold on… Billy, go collect them for me real quick, thank you. I have to count them first, make sure you aren't lying! Just hand them over to Billy!"

A little skeleton no bigger than Bug herself goes running across the top of the crowd of zombies, jumping from head-to-head. It stops on the last one and holds out a hand to retrieve the papers. When Elaine moves forward to hand them over, Susan quickly stops her.

"What if it is a trap?"

"I don't think it is, though? Is this a trap!"

"No! I'm calling a temporary truce!"

"She called a truce."

"I heard… ok fine, just be careful."

"Mhm."

Elaine happily walks over and hands off the papers to the little skeleton, and much to Bug's word, none of the zombies try anything. The little guy runs back over to Bug, and hands off the papers for her to count.

"Ok, you're good! What flavor do you want? I've got chocolate chip, macadamia nut, sugar, and one peanut butter cookie left!"

"Ooh, chocolate chip, please!"

"Ok! Here Billy, deliver this to her."

Taking her cookie box out, Bug uses a clean piece of paper to grab the cookie out and place it on a wooden plate. Handing it over to Billy, the little skeleton runs it back over and delivers it to a very excited Elaine.

"Oh, it's still fresh! Thank you!"

"You're welcome! Enjoy!"

Susan tries to stop her from eating it, feeling rather rightfully frazzled by how everything is suddenly going off script.

"Wait, what if it is poisoned?!"

"How dare you! I would never poison a cookie!!!" Bug screams across the hall with righteous indignation at such a scandalous accusation. The nerve! Other food, a well full of drinking water? Most certainly. But never a cookie!

"Seriously, who would poison a cookie? They would have to be the worst monster imaginable." Elaine says with disbelief at Susans worry.

"Yeah!"

"Still, just please, check it for poisons first. For me?" Susan tries. Seriously, what the fuck is happening here. Everything was perfect until cookies got involved.

"Fine…" Elaine mumbles as she holds her hand over the still hot pastry, swallowing down a mouthful of drool just from the smell. So many days of living off of slop, and now she has this right in front of her. She can hardly resist!

She casts the spell, an incredibly simply Light spell at that, and the cookie glows golden. No poisons.

"There, it is safe. Can I eat it now?"

"Yeah…" Susan just sighs, feeling rather defeated right now…

Bug yells across the hordes of Undead. "I want an apology!"

Meanwhile, Elaine is sinking her teeth into sweet, melty, chocolate goodness and practically melting from happiness and a near foodgasm as sugar dances on her tongue and warm cookie fills her stomach with the warmth of a mother's hug.

"Hmmmmm~!"

Susan just sighs again as she watches Elaine enjoy her treat, her gaze shifting to look at her fated rival. Her Big Bad Guy, who is actually just a weird little midget with a love for sweets…

She can't help but to let out another sigh.

Why couldn't my villain just be normal and evil? Oh well, at least Elaine is happy…

"So tasty!"