After two hours, they left to the below-floor accompanied by a group of 25 2nd-tier goblins.
While they were carefully proceeding, they heard intense shouting, echoing in the shafts system. A battle. They picked up the pace and in a few minutes they entered a large cave. In the middle were a line of twenty shouting dwarfs defending against their poisoned and mind-controlled comrades who had pale blue skin and white eyes.
A large Myceliar, looking like an overgrown, 3-metres-tall brown mushroom with a large eye under the cap was observing the battle from behind.
"Mea and Scout-Durza go around to take down the Myceliar. You and the goblins attack the dwarfs!" Jarka ordered and left.
"Stone, could you prepare the fire elemental, please?" Lucifer asked as he observed the unfolding battle from a safe position, hidden behind the dwarven side.
"No!"
Lucifer blinked a few times. "What do you mean no?"
"He broke a stone! I won't summon him again!"
"Stone… You…" And here it was again. The endless frustration with the stubborn idiot. "If you don't summon him, there won't be levels!"
That put Stone into a conundrum. On one hand, there was a Stone-Breaker, a supreme evil. On the other hand, there were the Level-Ups.
Stone and Lucifer saw as Jarka and Durza appeared behind the Myceliar and began to attack it. It screeched, pulling half of its mind-controlled army back to itself. It was also the signal.
The goblins cried-out in a battle frenzy as they activated their skills and leapt towards the dwarfs who were so surprised that in the first second two of them died in the ambush.
Stone was still baffled, not knowing what to do. It was a big dilemma for him.
"Master, I have non-explosive spells too," Gorash sensed his master's problem.
"Non-explosive?"
"They will not explode and won't damage stone around, only meatbags."
"Why didn't you say it before?!" Stone was a bit angry. However, the problem was solved and agreed. Still, he did not like the fire elemental. Once a Stone-Breaker, forever a Stone-Breaker.
"You didn't ask, master." The elemental cheekily responded.
Stone mentally frowned.
[You have tagged 45 beings. Challenge accepted!]
A purple spark flew out of Stone's body. Stone pumped a whopping 500 mana into him. A large, purple cloud of fire streamed from Gorash as he conjured a spell [Fiery Rain Of Death]. He was proud of his naming sense.
The cloud moved towards the lines and drops of the fire began to land on everything in the area.
The dwarfs were already exhausted and lacked mana to conjure shields. They began to scream as they caught up in fire alongside the 2nd-tier goblins who were not fast enough. The blue-skinned dwarfs did not even notice and continued to attack the dwarfs.
Lucifer relaxed and sat back with both bodies, grinning from ear to ear.
The cloud grew smaller and smaller as the drops of purple fire ignited everything in sight.
Soon everything was reduced to ashes. The few barely surviving dwarves were quickly disposed of by Stone's [Mana Missile] spell one after another.
[Challenge cleared!]
[Stone gained 740.82% experience]
[7 times]
[You have levelled up 7 times!]
Yet again, the not-so-little-anymore boulder was drowned in the amazing feeling as he grew up.
'Oooooom. I am Stone. I am the level up. I am amazing. I am Mantra. Ooooom.'
He sensed something. Something was… different this time. It felt like he was seeing something blurry in distance. He wanted to grasp it. He could not. The amazing feeling receded.
Stone woke up, feeling a sense of loss. Unfulfillment. It was not craving like before. It was as if something slipped from his mind. Something important.
His instinct told him what he needed. More levels. Much, much more.
Meantime, Lucifer calmly observed as Jarka and Scout-Durza finally slew the Myceliar. Durza suffered a small wound on his shoulder as the Myceliar was able to conjure a [Ooze Poison Spear] from its 'blood' in its last moments and broke through his armour.
The goblins and dwarfs were all reduced to ashes. The blue-skin dwarfs collapsed the moment Myceliar died.
"New skill?" Jarka asked, holding blood-coughing Durza over her broad shoulder.
"Yea, after I levelled up I had enough mana… The goblins were caught into it though. Do ya mind?" Lucifer asked through Dori's mouth. He had assigned the male as a spokesperson.
"Mea? Nae… Camp leader? He'll lose his shit… Again," she grinned.
"Ya dinna have an antidote?" 'Eriv' asked.
"I have, but it donna work. We need the alchemist," she frowned. "It's strange. The antidote shoulda have worked. It used a new type of poison and I woulda bet it was artificial."
"And?" Lucifer asked.
"Well… Only Undead can do somethin' like this here."
Lucifer stumbled with both bodies. Undead, also called Paleskins. He did not hold any good memories from the time he was a Partner. However, he had to find that Lich Hen'Tai. He shuddered.
"Yea, mae reaction too," Jarka misunderstood, "and now, that we're alone here in the middle of nothin' and nobody can hear us," she dropped her act and drew her double-edged axe, "who THE FUCK ARE YA?!" She yelled as the blood poured from her pores and turned to a mist.
"Luci?" Stone sensed the danger and conjured a deep-blue, 45-RM [Mana Missile]. It hovered between stumped Jarka and facepalming Lucifer's male body. Eriv's body shifted behind Jarka and a purple [Flux Missile] hovered behind Jarka's head.
"Calm! I can save this!"
"Ya're naet Dori, nor Eriv. Flux… and refined mana," she observed the spells. "Spells. Dwarfs cannot use spells…" Her head was spinning. She did not expect this. Maybe some shapeshifted Myceliar or a possession attempting to infiltrate. But this?
"Weeell… It's kinda a long story," Lucifer smiled, trying to avoid battling her. They would be able to take her, however, he still needed these bodies to survive. And he really did not want to discover what would happen if his bodies were destroyed. They were too squishy to take on the experienced, powerful druegar.
"First, Eriv and Dori?" Jarka asked, her hand tightened around her axe as the bloody mist coiled around her, threatening to burst out on the first hint of aggression.
"Dead as they can be."
"Explain."
"They were blighted. Of course they died…"
"I thought Dafur helped them."
"He tried, but failed."
"That donna explain who're ya. Ye. Flux and refined mana. I guess Eriv is possessed by the second one," another misunderstanding on Jarka's part.
"Wrong. I am in both bodies. The second one… Look, it's a long story and I'm no threat to you. Look," Lucifer depowered his spell and stood with his both bodies before her.
"No experience?" Stone asked, disappointed.
Lucifer pinched his nose, frustrated.
"No, Stone. No experience. We need allies and she will listen."
"How do you know that?"
"Because she could have killed us a long time ago. She is lost and is searching for... something."
"What does that mean?"
"So? Will ya explain or we fight?" Jarka interrupted them as her blood mist surged again as she readied herself.
"Calm yourself. You may be strong for the first layer, but we are stronger," Lucifer bluffed.
"We are?" Stone ego inflated. He knew he was amazing!
"It's called bluffing," Lucifer explained.
Stone ignored him. He was amazing!
"Yea? I would like to see that! Durza!" She yelled and the druegar leapt up and in each hand he had crossbows, lock and loaded on both Lucifer's bodies.
"Luci? Should I…?"
"No! Fuck!" Lucifer did not see this coming. He had been played and he was played good. "Look, I will explain. Just listen."
The blood mist faded a bit. However, Durza's hands were steady.
"Talk!"