A week later.
The air was heavy with the scent of death and the staccato echoes of metal on metal as Thanatos and Charlotte faced off against a group of Kobolds.
The creatures moved with cunning precision, their blades and arrows striking from all sides.
The skeletons' ribcage and the mage's robes were bespattered with the dark ichor of their foes, a testament to the intensity of the battle.
The Kobolds were short, reptilian creatures with green, scaly skin, sharp, needle-like teeth, and long, slender tails that whipped around menacingly.
Their eyes gleamed with an eerie yellow light, like a predator ready to strike.
They were armed with a motley array of weapons, from crude swords and daggers to wickedly sharp spears and bows.
Their armor was made from bone, leather, and the hides of their fallen foes, giving them an even more fearsome, skeletal appearance.
In the thick of the battle, Thanatos and Charlotte faced a diverse group of Kobolds, each type of creature deadlier than the last;
Mages hurling fireballs and ice shields, Shadow Priests coating their weapons in sinister mist, Foot Soldiers rushing forward with battle cries, and Archers raining a volley of arrows from the shadows.
Towering over them all, the Kobolds' Big Boss barked orders, his large stature and imposing presence commanding absolute obedience from his troops.
As Thanatos charged towards the horde of Kobolds, his blade gripped tightly in his hand, he appeared to be a figure of unstoppable wrath, seemingly unfazed by the impending danger.
Just as the creatures' archers let loose a volley of arrows aimed at him, the surrounding rock began to rumble and shift.
With a sudden, earth-shaking roar, the ground rose up, forming a tall, protective wall of stone that deflected the arrows away from their intended target.
Thanatos, his skeletal form unharmed, turned his gaze towards Charlotte.
With their eyes locked, a silent understanding passed between the two allies.
A single nod of acknowledgement from Thanatos was met with a matching nod from Charlotte, their gazes steeled with determination.
As he soared over the throng of Kobolds like a harbinger of death, his thoughts drifted momentarily to the sight of Charlotte, her spells weaving a shield of protection around herself.
'She's grown so much,' he mused, a flicker of pride flashing across his skull-like features, 'no longer a novice mage, but a stalwart ally.'
Just as he touched down, three of the sinister Shadow Priests leaped into the air, their daggers cloaked in the shadowy aura of their dark magic.
Without hesitation, Thanatos leapt up on the spot, his blade a blur as he met each of the Shadow Priests in midair.
The clash of steel against shadow-imbued daggers echoed throughout the chamber, as he deftly deflected their strikes before retaliating with a flurry of his own.
"SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!" The strikes landed true, each blow cutting down one of the Priests, sending them crashing to the ground in a flurry of shadowy mist and lifeless limbs.
With a roar of rage and focus, Thanatos continued his whirlwind of steel, his sword a deadly extension of his will.
But the Kobolds, always calculating and cunning, were not about to allow him to remain unchallenged.
As the Mages let loose a fusillade of seven fireballs, rocketing towards Thanatos with incredible speed, his reflexes were put to the ultimate test.
In a feat of extraordinary skill, he managed to slice through four of the fireballs, causing them to dissipate in a shower of sparks, but the remaining three hit their mark with explosive force.
The cavernous chamber erupted into a cacophony of cackling cheers and chants, the Kobolds' bloodthirsty howls reverberating off the stone walls as they celebrated what they believed to be a victory.
"No!" Charlotte screamed in anguish, her eyes wide with terror as she began to weave a spell of healing and protection, unaware of what fate had befallen her friend in the smoke.
But as the dust settled, a faint glow could be seen emanating from within the heart of the settling cloud, growing brighter with each passing moment. The glint of steel.
As the Kobolds' gloating turned to confusion and silence, a solitary voice emerged from the fading smoke, cool and confident, like the stillness before a storm.
"Ah," the voice began, causing the Kobolds to shift uneasily, their sense of victory faltering.
"I'll admit it, you're very coordinated fighters," the voice continued, now clearly belonging to Thanatos, his skeletal form emerging from the smoke.
"But compared to everything I've faced so far, you're laughably weak."
The Kobolds, their expressions turning from smug arrogance to abject terror, watched in horror as a strange, verdant glow began to envelop Thanatos, revealing itself to be a shimmering shield that pulsed with life.
"Allow me to show you what true strength looks like," Thanatos declared, his voice a low, menacing growl.
With a calm, decisive determination, Thanatos took in the scene before him.
'I was hoping to save this for the boss room, but against these weaklings, there's really no need to hold back,' he thought to himself, his skeletal form straightening ever so slightly as he uttered a single, commanding word:
"Rage."
The air around Thanatos grew heavy, as if the very atmosphere were being manipulated by his immense power.
And then, like a sudden inferno erupting from within, a crimson aura surrounded him, beginning at his feet and swirling upward with increasing intensity.
The Kobold henchmen, cowering under the sheer weight of Thanatos' presence, scrambled to create distance between themselves and the fearsome warrior.
Yet, from the shadows, a hulking figure emerged, leaping over the heads of the lesser creatures, and landing with a resounding thud in front of Thanatos.
This was no ordinary Kobold. Standing taller and broader than the others, with cruel, bloodshot eyes and gnarled features, the beast glared at Thanatos with a bestial hatred.
Thanatos' intimidating gaze met with that of the large kobold as he uttered his confident, yet ominous, words…
"I was waiting for you to show up. I guess you'll be a worthy opponent for me…"
The air in the dungeon was tense, as Thanatos and the Kobold boss sized each other up, waiting for the other to make the first move.