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Chapter 11 - Yeah... Not doing that again

I woke with a gasp, the floor of the central chamber burning against my cheek. Dust filled my lungs, and my arms ached as if I'd been tossed by a boulder—but this time, I remembered everything. Every strike, every dodge, every bone shard hurled my way. Cycle 2, I thought grimly. Time to make it count.

The torso loomed above me, green orb pulsing with renewed intensity. Its movement had changed slightly—like it had learned from me, adapted. I noticed subtle differences: the arms moved more fluidly, the boulder throws came in arcing patterns, and the shadows it cast seemed to twitch independently, almost hinting at where its next attack would land.

I gripped my sword tighter, shield ready, rope coiled, and kept low. The first attack came almost immediately: the torso slammed the floor, sending out bone spikes in concentric rings, but this time, the spikes rose and fell in a wave, not all at once. I leapt, rolled, and dodged through gaps I didn't even know were there, the floor trembling under my landing.

Next, it unleashed a new attack I hadn't seen before: the green orb emitted a pulse that animated the loose skeletons around the chamber. Their bones twisted into jagged, whip-like forms, flailing toward me. I blocked, ducked, and slashed, realizing that the orb's magic now enhanced its minions, making them faster and smarter.

I made a quick mental note: target the orb when I can, but not recklessly.

The torso shifted, tilting its massive shoulders, and from the pile of bones beneath it, a skeletal tail sprouted, whipping toward me like a living whip. I rolled sideways, feeling it cut through the air where I had just been standing. Sparks flew as I smashed a smaller skeleton with the sword, using it as a springboard to vault toward higher ground.

Breathing hard, I scanned the chamber. There it was—a ledge I had noticed earlier, stable enough to rest momentarily. I sprinted, dodging a hail of skeletal shards, and leapt onto the ledge, heart hammering. For the first time in the fight, I could breathe, plan, and observe.

From this vantage point, I noticed something crucial: the torso's attacks now followed a subtle rhythm, with pauses between bone hurls, shadow strikes, and the necrotic tendrils. I could predict the next move if I stayed calm.

I clenched my teeth. "Cycle 2, baby. Don't die. Don't screw this up. Learn, adapt, survive."

Then it moved again, faster than I expected. Its arms slammed the ground, raising a mini tornado of bone fragments, spiraling straight toward me. I barely rolled under it, letting the wind and shards pass overhead. My sword cut through a few flying ribs midair, sparks erupting as they shattered.

I leapt from the ledge, landing close enough to strike at the orb—but now, the torso twisted, flicking a flurry of dagger-sized bones from its ribcage toward me. I barely blocked one with my shield, another grazed my shoulder, slicing a shallow line. Pain shot through me, but I kept moving.

Every dodge, every roll, every swing was deliberate. This was no longer about surviving randomly—it was about learning patterns, predicting attacks, exploiting weaknesses. The green orb pulsed furiously, and I realized the torso's health had dropped further, perhaps to 50% now.

I lunged at the orb while it retracted the skeletal tail, hitting it cleanly. The torso shuddered violently, bones rattling in a symphony of fury. Its roar echoed through the chamber, a mix of pain and rage. Skeletons surged forward, but I was ready. Shield raised, sword swinging, rope coiled, I danced through the horde, cutting, tripping, dodging, rolling—Cycle 2 in full effect.

Then the torso unleashed something completely new: its skull split open, two spectral bone hands emerging from the sides, slamming toward me from different angles, while the green orb pulsed rapidly, firing necrotic bolts in all directions. I rolled, ducked, and countered with a swipe at a bolt midair, sparks flying as metal clashed with energy.

I knew this fight was far from over. Every attack, every adaptation by the boss made it smarter, faster, more deadly. But so was I. Cycle 2 was teaching me, showing me patterns, giving me openings, and I was starting to feel—just a fraction—like I might survive this.

I barely had a second to breathe before the torso's next assault began. It slammed a massive fist into the floor, sending a wave of bone spikes shooting diagonally across the chamber. I rolled sideways, barely avoiding one that would have impaled me. Sparks flew from my shield as I blocked a smaller skeleton that lunged from the horde.

The green orb flared suddenly, shooting beams of necrotic energy like lightning, forcing me to dive behind a toppled pillar. My arm grazed one, leaving a shallow burn, and I cursed under my breath. I had to focus; one mistake here meant instant death.

I leapt forward, sword swinging, hitting the orb again. The torso shuddered violently, and the pile of bones beneath it shifted, forming a skeletal tail that whipped toward me like a living whip. I rolled, swung my rope to trip a charging skeleton, and slashed a few others out of my way.

"Okay… focus," I muttered, panting. "Patterns. Weak spots. Cycle 2, don't die!"

The torso's skull split open again, spectral bone hands lunging from the sides while the green orb pulsed rapidly. I ducked under one, rolled sideways, and slashed the orb midair as it glowed. Another shriek echoed, and I could feel its health dropping—probably around 35% now.

Skeletons continued to pour in from the edges, but I had learned how to move between them, dodge their attacks, and exploit openings in their coordination. I slashed through one, tripped another with the rope, and blocked a third with the shield. Momentum was slowly swinging in my favor.

Then the torso stomped one massive foot, sending a shockwave across the chamber that hurled multiple skeletons at me. I rolled forward, narrowly avoiding a flying skull that would have crushed my shoulder, and leapt onto a raised stone platform for a better angle.

I raised my sword, heart hammering, and charged the orb while dodging bones and skeletons alike. My first strike glanced off, but the second hit cleanly, sending a pulse of energy through the torso. It jerked violently, a deafening shriek echoing through the chamber, shaking bones from every corner.

The orb flickered weakly, green light dimming, and I realized this might be my final chance. I danced between the skeletons, swinging, rolling, and using the rope to vault over hazards, slashing at the orb with everything I had.

Finally, the torso stumbled back. Its massive pile of bones shifted uncontrollably as the orb pulsed one last time before cracking with a blinding green explosion. The torso roared in pain, shaking violently as its skeletons fell apart mid-motion.

I landed on my feet, chest heaving, sword and shield raised. Skeletons lay scattered, broken, some twitching still, but the green orb had been struck repeatedly—its power fading. I stared up at the torso, readying myself for the final moments.

The chamber was silent now, except for the faint rattling of dying skeletons. I swallowed hard, adrenaline still coursing through me. This was it—the final push. I took a deep breath, muscles tense, and prepared to strike the orb one last time.

I planted my feet firmly and charged. The green orb pulsed one last time, flickering weakly as if sensing its end. My sword swung in a wide arc, connecting cleanly with the orb.

A blinding green flash erupted from it, and the torso shuddered violently. Bones rattled, shards flying in every direction as the massive skeleton let out a deafening roar. I rolled backward, narrowly avoiding falling fragments, shield raised.

The orb cracked further, pulsing unevenly, and I realized the torso wasn't completely invincible. I lunged again, striking repeatedly. Each hit made it flinch, stagger, and finally—the pile of bones collapsed into itself, the skeletal torso shattering as if the magic holding it together had finally broken.

Skeletons that had been animated by the boss's power fell limply, clattering to the floor. I stood, chest heaving, sweat streaming down my face, shield raised just in case. For the first time in this fight, I allowed myself a shaky breath. The green orb lay in pieces, faintly glowing before going dark.

I muttered under my breath, "Okay… okay… that's something. Finally." My legs were shaking, arms sore, but I had done it. The boss was down.

But the labyrinth wasn't done with me yet. The walls trembled, dust and small rocks falling from the ceiling. The floor cracked in jagged lines. I realized… the maze itself was reacting to the boss's defeat. Perhaps it was trying to trap me before I could leave.

I stumbled forward, scanning the chamber for an exit. The central pile of bones had collapsed, leaving a jagged gap in the floor, almost like a passage leading deeper—or maybe out. I didn't pause to think. Every instinct screamed: run.

Skeletons that hadn't fallen began to twitch again, remnants of the boss's magic still clinging to them. I slashed a few aside, rolled under another, and sprinted toward the jagged gap. Dust, rubble, and debris tumbled down around me as the labyrinth seemed to constrict. Walls shifted slightly, narrowing my path.

I grabbed the rope, swinging across a widening chasm to a small platform above, landing with a heavy thud. My legs were trembling, chest heaving, but there was no time to rest. The labyrinth still had life, and it wasn't letting me leave easily.

Ahead, I could see faint light—probably the way back toward the surface. But between me and it were dozens of smaller skeletons, emerging from cracks in the walls, clawing, snapping, hissing with hollow sounds. My shield was ready, sword in hand, rope coiled for a quick swing if needed.

I muttered to myself, voice tight with exhaustion, "Alright, Nolan… just one more push. One. More. Push."

The labyrinth groaned and shifted again, and I realized: even though the boss was defeated, my escape wouldn't be simple. The maze had other tricks, other obstacles, and I would have to stay sharp to survive.

I stepped forward, heart hammering, dodging a skeleton that lunged from the floor. Another swung from above, and I rolled, using my rope to trip it into a wall. Sparks flew as sword met bone, and I realized… this wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

I took a deep breath, wiped sweat from my brow, and sprinted toward the faint light, knowing that every step could be the difference between freedom and being trapped forever in this living maze.

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