"So this is the boss room…" James muttered once he and Marie arrived at the entrance to the large chamber. Thanks to another corridor leading here, it had taken them less than five minutes to catch up with Isaac and Elaine.

That left them about fifteen minutes before the Essence of Blood's effect wore off. More than enough—hopefully.

"What's the plan, man?" James asked, looking between Isaac and Elaine. "You two came up with something, right? Usually, I am all for running in blind, but well…"

He didn't need to finish. They all understood. Even if this was a starting area, the 'Guardian' title still dragged back some very uncomfortable memories for the three of them. And so, no matter what the nest's guide told them, they still had to be cautious.

That said…

"Not much to go on," Isaac said. "Still, the idea is for Elaine to throw her grenade to clear some of the area and bait the guardian out. Afterward, you and I will take the front, and depending on the threat of this thing, we will adjust."

James nodded. "I guess that's better than nothing. What about ultimates?"

Isaac clicked his tongue. "I will hold off from using mine. It might do more harm than good in a closed space. You? Do what you think is best."

"Got it." James mock-saluted, turning toward the chamber. "Everybody ready?"

"Hold up!" Marie called, raising her voice a bit. "If we're going all in from the get-go, let me give you my buff. It's not much, but it will help."

James snapped his fingers and turned on his heel, already marching toward the short woman. "Right… Forgot about that. Bless me then, lady Ari, with your gentle touch."

Marie groaned, slapping a hand over her face. "Why must you make everything weird, you buffoon? Hand. Now. And shut up."

With a grin, James mimed zipping his lips and offered his hand to the woman. She took it, and a moment later, three tendrils of water swirled around her fingers. With a flick, she sent them toward the palm in her grasp.

There was no flash of light, no explosion. The water just sank into James' skin, creating a small blue swirl pattern on his palm. The man gasped, raising his hand to inspect it.

"Huh… this feels weird," James muttered, poking the swirl with his other hand. It did nothing.

"Me next!" Elaine exclaimed, stepping forward.

Marie nodded and took the offered hand. Three tendrils of water appeared again, and a few seconds later, another swirl settled on Elaine's skin. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Damn. That's so nice… like taking a cold shower after a morning run."

"I know, right?" Marie gushed. "Small comforts."

Isaac, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow at the oddly specific comparison. How accurate was that? No idea. He valued his sleep far too much for early morning runs. Besides cold showers? Give him a break.

He shook his head and approached the two women. "Okay, you can talk later," he said, extending his hand. "My turn, please. Then we have to move. Those marks aren't permanent, right?"

"Five minutes," Marie said, taking his hand and summoning more tendrils of water. "Afterward, they vanish along with the buff."

Isaac gave a small nod as the water sank into his skin. He held back the gasp that threatened to escape his mouth as a surge of power washed over his body. He didn't feel any stronger, no. Instead, it was more like awakening from a half-slumber, full of energy and ready for the coming day like never before.

Still, now wasn't the time to fawn over Marie's skill. They had a job to do. He turned to Elaine.

"Your turn."

She nodded and passed them all, stopping just shy of the entrance to the boss room. There, she again raised her hand above the thick mist, enveloping it in a light white glow. Slowly, a familiar orb began to manifest above her palm, growing larger than ever before. Isaac had to turn his gaze away when it outgrew a football.

"Everyone ready?" Elaine asked, and upon hearing no protest, she continued. "Then better look away. Three, two, one…"

Isaac snapped his eyes shut just as the ground beneath him trembled. He waited for the usual heatwave to arrive, but it never did. Obviously, she had thrown the grenade farther than usual.

Good.

Although the bone-chilling, pained shriek that followed probably didn't agree with him.

At least they got a new notification.

The Rotborne Revenant and its guard are now awake. They won't rest until the threat to their nest is gone for good.

A guard? Not good.

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That said, Isaac pushed past his teammates and stepped into the boss room, his eyes glued to the spot where Elaine's light grenade detonated. "New plan," he yelled. "Deal with guards. I will hold off the guardian."

Another shriek followed his call, and four figures slid out of the fog, their bodies made of branches and familiar crimson goo. Larger and nastier versions of Barkspawns, with a few extra limbs thrown in for good measure.

Still, they weren't the main threat. No, that honor belonged to the creature rising in the middle of the chamber, where the mist had thinned.

It stood on two gnarled feet, a mix of roots, rotted flesh, and crooked bones. The rest of its humanoid body wasn't much different. The Revenant looked like an unholy combination of dead wood and long-decayed flesh. The burns it received from Elaine's grenade made its appearance even more disturbing.

Its three yellow glowing eyes locked on Isaac, and the creature opened its unnaturally wide mouth filled with teeth made out of tiny roots. Its next shriek rattled the chamber.

Potential Threat: Low-Moderate

That's new, he thought as the thrum of Symphony of Blood settled in his veins. Deep inside, he had been hoping for just a 'Low' threat ranking, but obviously, even a starting area couldn't be that easy. At the very least, the four guards still registered as weaker threats.

No time to waste.

The Root fell into his hand, and with one final deep breath, he dashed toward the Revenant. The massive Barkspawns moved to block him, but his teammates were faster, stepping in and allowing him to pass through with a quick transformation into his Legacy form.

Another shift brought him almost face-to-face with the large amalgamation. He brought his sword down, but the Revenant responded in kind, raising four twisted, root-bone arms that reshaped into makeshift blades.

Isaac's sword cleaved through the first and the second, only to stop at the third. The beast shrieked, and suddenly, dozens of branches burst out of its body, all aimed to skewer him alive.

Isaac broke their stalemate with a pivot, calling on more Viron and activating Harden. His body grew heavier, but unlike when he was tired, this weight felt controlled. His movements barely slowed.

Very good.

The Revenant's blades reformed, and it followed after him, swinging its overly long, gnarly limbs in hopes of cutting him to pieces. To make it more interesting, more roots burst out of the ground around it, slithering toward Isaac like angry snakes.

He cut through them with a Blood Dagger he summoned in his off-hand while fending off the root-bone blades with his sword. The beast was strong, almost overpowering him with its repeated strikes, but it was also slow, giving him space to evade and counter.

Yet, it still forced him on the defensive.

Time to kick it up a notch.

The blood in his veins ignited as the Symphony's tune filled his ears. Crimson liquid spilled over the Root, and just as he was about to clash again with the Revenant, he released the skill.

A tidal wave of blood washed over the beast, but instead of cutting through it, the skill met four blades wreathed in a dark red glow that definitely wasn't there before. The first blade cracked and shattered, then the second and third. But the last held firm, pressing back with strength beyond what the monster had shown before.

Isaac gritted his teeth and summoned a salvo of Blood Daggers around him. They launched toward the Revenant, but dozens of thorny branches erupted from the ground, intercepting most of them. Only one slipped through, plunging deep into the beast's rotted chest.

It screeched, stumbling back.

That was all Isaac needed.

Once more, Blood Draw ignited along his sword, and he slashed twice in an X-pattern. Twin crimson waves tore through the mist, consuming the Revenant and sending it flying into a wall behind it. There, it slid to the ground, its torso now shredded to pieces, uncovering a large dark crystal that pulsed within.

Must be the core of the nest.

Isaac ignored the continuous noises of fighting behind him and drew on more Viron and some fuel from Bloodbank. As he did that, he felt something shift inside his Origin, and instead of a flurry of enhanced daggers, a single massive cloud of crimson miasma coalesced before him.

It shifted and writhed until finally settling on a shape of spear as long as he was tall. For the most part, it was crimson like any other of his creations. That said, the black veins spreading across it were definitely a new addition.

Crimson Death, Isaac's mind supplied. Not the most original name, but it didn't matter. It was exactly what he needed. A skill evolution. The perfect tool to end the battle.

Go.

With that single thought, the spear shot forward, leaving a crimson trail behind. The Revenant's yellow eyes widened, locking onto the oncoming projectile. Whatever thoughts it had, it was already too late.

Or at least it should have been.

Only a few feet from impact, the entire wall behind the Revenant—and the ground around it—came alive. Roots sprouted in the blink of an eye, weaving together into a thick dome of gnarled wood and bone just in time to face the Crimson Death.

Still, the spear pressed on, unbothered, burrowing into the mass of roots and shredding them apart. Only when half of it disappeared inside the dome did something happen.

The chamber shook as the crimson projectile detonated, sending a storm of blood, splintered wood, and debris flying in all directions. Dust and dirt billowed outward, mixing with the ever-present fog to hide the guardian from sight.

Isaac frowned. No notification arrived to signal the beast's death. As such, he grabbed onto a bit more of Viron, ready to shape it into another Crimson Death. Then, he waited for the dust to settle.

When it did, the Revenant was there, its body mangled and torn beyond recognition but somehow still clinging to life. Roots rushed toward it, trying to stitch flesh, bone, and bark back together. Yet, it was a slow process, and the beast evidently didn't plan to wait.

No, on thin, unstable legs, it forced itself to stand up. Its remaining arms twisted and reshaped into jagged, root-bone blades.

Even now, in the face of death, it still wasn't giving up.

Isaac could respect that.

He released the hold on his Viron and took a step forward. For this, he didn't need skills. The Root would do well enough.

Only, he never got a chance to finish the beast.

From behind him, a gray bull, shrouded in phantom silver armor plating, charged, heading straight for the Revenant. The animal slammed into the beast head-on, its horns and armored spikes impaling the creature.

Still, the attack didn't stop there.

With the Revenant pinned, the bull continued onward, crashing through the root wall behind it, shattering it like brittle glass. Three more walls suffered a similar fate before the charge finally stopped, and the silver armor vanished.

The reason?

The kill notification.

[Rotborne Revenant (LVL. 10) slain.]

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