Duelling Dungeons

“Is everyone ready? You remember the plan?” I asked as I adjusted my dress.

I knew I looked out of place wearing a flowy, knee-length dress in the middle of a veritable jungle, but I had a good reason to be wearing the garment. Despite looking like something you’d see in the middle of a ball, the dress was actually exceptional armour. The spider silk was far tougher than it appeared, and there was darksteel ribbing around the bodice to help deflect lethal blows. With all the enchantments layered over the outfit, it was far lighter and easier to move in than the best light armour on the market.

Normally, I wouldn’t break out myboss'ss outfit for practice, but Bea wanted my best, so I was going to give it to her.

“Yes…” came Rembrandt’s raspy reply.

I turned and surveyed the team I’d assembled for this skirmish. Five skeletal warriors stood motionless around the entrance to the garden floor entrance. At a distance, most people would mistake them for basic undead, but up close, you could see that each one had a thin layer of spectral blue flesh stretched over their bones, and their eyes glowed with fiery blue light.

Revenants were extremely powerful undead. Not only were they incredibly strong and nearly impossible to completely destroy, but they were also extremely intelligent. Most revenants became spellcasters, acting almost like a lesser lich, but not Rembrandt and his squad. Each one of them was a weapon master, capable of engaging adventurers in one-on-one fights.

They were so strong that Rembrandt, the greatsword-wielding leader of the group, could have registered as a subboss if he wanted. He just seemed more interested in sticking with his squad and improving his skills than moving up in the world, so Sullivan never pressed him.

“George,” I whispered, causing the massive spider to come sprinting forward. He skidded to a stop directly in front of me and started bouncing up and down excitedly. “I need you to sneak into the underbrush and perform some fishing once the fighting starts. Can you do that?”

George stopped moving for a couple of moments, then rocked himself back and forth, his version of a nod.

“Good. Get going,” I said. He didn’t need any more prompting, shooting off the side of the path and almost immediately disappearing into the thick underbrush.

Despite being called the Gardens, Chelsea and Bea’s floor was closer to a jungle. On either side of the path were absolutely massive trees, thick foliage, and wild animals. Although teams could leave the main path, it was not recommended. The thick brush prevented you from seeing more than ten feet ahead of you, and not only that, but the forest was the realm of the Alarunes, the half-plant people. Few people strayed off the path, and even fewer returned from their adventures.

Thankfully, both the Alarunes and the Pekeketua, a race of frog-like humanoids, were off today. This battle would just be between the revenants and the Anthophilans.

I lifted my glaive and rested the shaft against my shoulder. “Alright, let’s move out.”

The revenants instantly began moving forward, forming a loose skirmish line. Once they passed by me, I fell in behind the front line, staying far enough back that I couldn’t be directly engaged, but close enough that I could strike out if I saw an opening.

We travelled in silence for several minutes, following the twisting path until we came upon the creek. Halfway through the Garden was a large glass clearing which Bea often used as an arena. It was often called the Creak Clearing because on the far side of the area was a fairly wide, deep creak with a small wooden bridge across it.

Teams that tried to rush through the area to avoid a fight could easily be blocked at the bridge and driven into the water. Those that didn’t, and tried to hold their ground, would quickly find the clearing was wide enough to allow Bea and the Anthophilans to fly around them and strike at their flanks.

Unsurprisingly, we found Bea and the other Anthophilans waiting for us at the bridge. The squad of bee women hovered in formation, each wearing an identical helmet and breastplate, and they were all carrying spears and shields.

Despite their stoic expressions, I could feel nervous anticipation emanating from the women.

“Are you ready?” I shouted across the clearing.

“Of course. We were born ready,” Bea shouted back.

“Advance slowly,” I ordered the revenants quietly. “You’ll know when to strike.”

They didn’t reply. Instead, they all raised their weapons into a ready position, spread out, and slowly stalked across the clearing.

In response, the anthophilans raised their spears and shields to form a shield wall, then flew forward to meet their opponents.

Bea floated behind her troops, whispering directions to them as they advanced. I needed to put an end to that.

“Sorry, Bea, I’m here to test your girls, not you,” I yelled, causing the anthophilan queen to stop and stare at me in confusion. “George!”

A line of sticky silk shot out from the treeline and hit Bea square in the back. I watched her face flash from surprise, to confusion, to understanding before being yanked backwards and disappearing into the thick foliage at the side of the clearing.

As Bea disappeared into the brush, the revenants rushed forward. Despite being outnumbered two to one, the revenants spread out and struck confidently at the anthophilan defensive line. The girls appeared confused at first, unsure what to do without Bea’s directions. They tightened their shield wall and tried to weather the assault from the weapon masters. That was a mistake.

Rembrandt strode to the front of the formation, casually sidestepped the spears that poked at him, and brought his massive sword down on the nearest girl’s shield. Instead of being deflected, as expected, the blade cut straight through the metal barrier.

To the girl’s credit, she didn’t let the shock show on her face. Instead, she pulled back, out of range of Rembrandt’s follow-up swing, and the rest of the squad shifted over and closed the gap.

“Now what are you going to do?” I whispered, watching the formation. The attack had obviously rattled the anthophilans, yet instead of acting, they seemed to double down.

Rembrandt stepped back and let his teammates keep the anthophilans occupied for several seconds. He knew my plan, and after it became clear the girls wouldn’t respond, he stepped forward and did it again.

The force of his blow didn’t simply sunder the shield, but sent the second girl flying back several feet. It wouldn’t have surprised me to find out that the attack had shattered her arm.

The anthophilans once again slid together, closing the gap, but this time a murmur went through their line. It must have been clear at this point that if they stayed passive, their lines weren’t going to hold.

Rembrandt waited a couple more seconds, then darted forward. This time, when he raised his blade, the nearest two shields separated, and four spears jutted out, nearly impaling him. The undead stepped back, deftly avoiding the blow before stepping back out of range.

Another murmur ran through the anthophilan line, and a handful of shields pulled back from formation. The remaining six defenders struggled to keep their footing against the much more skilled revenants. More than once, I saw one of the undead knock a shield to the side, only to have their neighbour step in at the last moment.

This went on for several seconds, a desperate failing defence. Or so it seemed.

Finally, when the revenant on the far left, with the maul, smashed the nearest shield aside, he was almost instantly impaled by three anthophilans who had been waiting just behind the main line.

As he fell, dissolving into motes of light, the defensive line shifted. The right side collapsed backwards, while the left side pushed forward, wrapping around the next revenant in line. The duel-wielding undead attempted to pull back, parrying the spears that were suddenly thrust at them from the left and twirling away. The maneuver was slick, and probably would have worked against a ground-bound enemy, but a pair of anthophilans flew above their lines and plunged their spears into the top of his skull.

The next revenant in line quickly swept through the area with his halberd, but before he could connect, the shield wall opened up just long enough for them to slip back behind the protective barrier.

Rembrandt shot me a curious glance. Even though the girls were exceptional fighters, they’d always stuck to extremely orthodox techniques, and when they were pressed, they’d fall back and rely upon Bea’s orders. That was fair; not only was she their leader, but she was a queen. They had a biological imperative to protect and follow her.

When Bea was around, they always fell back on orders, ignoring their instincts. Now that she was gone, they had to rely upon each other. They reacted far better than expected.

“I think that’s enough,” I said softly. “They’ve warmed up, now push them.”

Rembrandt stormed forward, smashing into the left flank and throwing them back. The remaining two revenants also stopped poking the line and instead pushed forward. There was no point in holding back anymore. The girls had proved they could adapt; now they had to fight for their lives.

As Rembrandt shattered two shields with a single sweep, revealing the struggling girls behind, I stepped forward. “Alright, girls, show me what you’ve got. Are you going to plummet, or soar?”