They rested for a while, laughing at their mistakes and the look on Rita's face when she saw the goblins. They all got up to continue, when Rita was annoyed and, stormed off. But before they could catch a break
The next wave hit.
The floors became slippery. What looked like water seeped through cracks and took shape — slimes, dozens of them, slithering silently. They were nearly invisible, moving like living glass. One latched onto Rita's leg, another climbed Ron's arm, hissing as it burned his skin.
"Get them off!" Ron roared, swinging his shield wildly.
Silver cleaved through two of them with his sword, but as his blade cut through their gelatinous bodies, they split — now four instead of two.
"They multiply!" Lux shouted. "Use fire!"
Rita pointed her staff downward, summoning a burst of flame that spread across the ground, evaporating the slimes. The steam burned their faces, but the slimes melted into puddles of dark goo.
Everyone caught their breath — until a rumble shook the floor.
From the wall behind them, a golem stepped out — its entire body made of ancient rock, runes glowing faintly on its chest. Silver charges at the golem and strikes, but the golem is too fast for him and dodges easily. It then manifests an exact replica of Silver's sword.
"It can copy and use our weapons," Silver growled.
"Then we'll fight smarter," Altleno said.
Lux dashed forward first, feinting left, while Ron slammed his shield into the golem's knee, forcing it to stagger. The golem countered with a swing of its copied sword, clashing with Silver's weapon in a burst of sparks. Rita unleashed lightning, but the golem raised the false staff and absorbed the spell — redirecting the energy back at her.
Altleno jumped in, punching the ground to divert the lightning strike and close the gap. His aura flared briefly as he slammed both fists into the golem's chest, cracking its runic core.
"Now!" he shouted.
Silver swung his sword in a final strike, splitting the golem's torso in half. The entire chamber trembled as the monster collapsed into rubble, glowing dust scattering across the ground.
For a moment, silence returned. The team breathed heavily, their bodies bruised and burned but alive.
Rita leaned on her staff, panting. "If this is the first level," she said, voice shaking, "I don't want to know what's waiting below."
Altleno wiped sweat from his brow and stared into the dark stairway ahead — the descent into the next layer. "Whatever's down there," he said quietly, "we'll face it together."