The corridor spiraled downward into soft green light, the air thickening with the scent of damp moss and old, rot-ting wood. When the tunnel finally opened up, they were standing in a vast hollow beneath the earth. Thick roots twisted across the ceiling like a woven cage, and glowing fungi clung to them like dim lanterns.
A low mist rolled across the floor, making the temperature drop fast.
Aria shivered, pulling her shoulders up to her ears. "Okay, this place has 'boss fight' written all over it. And probably 'free therapy sessions' for the survivors."
Dot clicked in agreement from Aria's shoulder, her tiny legs vibrating like a tuning fork.
Riley tightened his grip on Shimmerstring. He knew this room. In his previous life, this was where half-baked teams came to die. "Stay sharp. The mini-boss is here."
The mist stirred. Something moved along the wall—fast, jerky, and heavy.
"There," Riley whispered.
The monster uncurled itself from a cluster of roots. It was a mass of thorns and brambles shaped vaguely like a wolf, but its limbs were too long, and its blind eyes glowed with an oily light beneath a crown of twisting vines.
VERDANT STALKER — LV 8 (Mini-Boss)
"Remember—it's all about chip damage," Riley warned. "Don't let it swarm you. Hayes, take the lead!"
Hayes slammed his shield into the dirt. "ON ME!"
The Stalker hissed and lunged. CLANG. The creature's thorned claws rattled against the metal in a blur of strikes. It was trying to bleed him out through sheer speed, but Hayes didn't budge.
"Bramble! Guard!" Hayley shouted. The Bear Cub roared—a surprisingly deep sound for such a small thing—and slammed into the Stalker's hind leg to keep it from flanking.
Aria didn't wait for an invite. "Mossball—GO!"
The Mossball launched like a living cannonball. BONK. The Stalker hissed, its head snapping back as it was momentarily dazed. Dot clicked triumphantly, waving a leg in the air.
Behind them, the new trio found their rhythm. Jonathan's Tiger Cub tore a chunk of vines free while Kalyani's Fire Cat scorched the creature's flank with a burning tail strike. Rezion, usually the quietest, stepped forward with focus. "Frostbite. Chill Breath."
A wave of icy mist rolled over the Stalker, frost blooming across its wooden joints. It slowed down, its movements becoming heavy and brittle.
"Lumi—Flash!" Riley called out.
Lumi rose, bursting in a pulse of light that blinded the creature. Riley didn't waste the opening. He drew back Shimmerstring, the Star Trace activation humming in his ears. He fired. The radiant arrow carved a line of starlight straight through the Stalker's chest, snapping vines like dry kindling.
Enraged, the creature ignored the tanks and charged straight for the smallest target: Luna.
"No—Luna, back!" Riley's heart hammered against his ribs.
But the tiny dragon stood her ground. She inhaled, her chest puffing out, and launched a Moonlit Horn. It was a clumsy, wobbly lunge, but she caught the Stalker right under the jaw. The impact knocked its head back just enough for the kids' spirits to slam a combined fire and ice strike into its exposed core.
"THE BABY LANDED A COMBO!" Aria screamed. "WE ARE WITNESSING HISTORY!"
Then the Stalker's health hit the halfway mark, and the ground began to heave. Vines erupted from the floor like spears.
"Everyone spread—MOVE!" Riley shouted.
A vine shot toward Sofia, but Echo jumped in front, deflecting it with a brave tackle. Hayes was a blur of steel, blocking spear after spear. "Focus fire! Don't get cornered!"
Kalyani rallied Rezion to freeze the ground, and Riley saw his window. "Aria! Punch the frozen vines!"
"WITH PLEASURE!" She jumped, her electrified fists shattering the brittle vine pillars into sawdust.
"Riley, now!" Hayes yelled over the chaos.
Riley lifted his bow, Lumi flashing one last time as Luna stood beside him, glowing with a newfound stubbornness. "Together," Riley whispered.
They fired. A combined blast of Prism Kick and Starshot Impact struck the Stalker's core.
BOOM.
Vines exploded in a shower of glowing petals. The mist evaporated, and the Stalker collapsed into motes of light that dissolved into the dirt.
Silence returned to the cavern. Then, the system messages started chiming. Everyone hit Level 9, but the real victory was the new trio hitting Level 7.
Kalyani squealed as her Fire Cat learned Fire Burst. Rezion stared at his Husky's new Ice Fang, and Jonathan squeezed his Tiger Cub so hard the spirit let out a confused squeak.
"You three earned that," Hayes said, clapping Jonathan on the shoulder.
Riley exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders, but only for a second. He checked the potion count. Only four Mirage Draughts left, and the timers were still ticking down. They were running out of time before their evasion buff vanished.
"Time's short, right?" Hayes asked, seeing Riley's face.
"Yeah," Riley said, looking at the glowing vines parting deeper in the tunnel. "But we're almost there. Keep your heads clear."
They stepped through the doorway, and the chamber beyond lit up in an eerie, pulsing emerald light. The true boss was waiting.