After a few hours of rest, they rose again, gear adjusted, blades sharpened, and fatigue worn down just enough to move.

  The next section of the dungeon opened up into a wide, columned hallway. Torch sconces burned with green flame, casting long shadows. Bones littered the floor—some fresh, some ancient.

  Thorin raised his axe. “Feels like a trap.”

  “Feels like home,” John muttered. “Let’s not keep the skeletons waiting.”

  They didn’t have to wait long. A rumble echoed from deeper in the hall, and six skeletal warriors emerged from behind the columns, armor clinking, swords raised. Behind them, a taller skeleton in a tattered robe lifted a staff wreathed in faint violet flame.

  “Calling it now,” John said, already moving toward cover. “That one’s the real problem.”

  “Agreed,” Kaia said, stepping behind a pillar and charging her magic. “Let’s deal with the guards first.”

  The warriors moved in a loose formation, advancing slowly.

  Thorin let out a sharp breath and charged. His axe collided with the first skeleton’s shield in a loud clang. He followed up with a sweeping strike that sent the bony creature crashing into its allies.

  John flanked left, ducking low and slashing at a skeleton’s knees. The bones cracked apart, and the creature toppled, where John drove a dagger through the base of its spine.

  Kaia unleashed a blast of radiant energy that shattered a second warrior. Another raised its sword at her, but she raised her staff just in time to parry, then blasted it point-blank with a burst of holy light.

  “Behind you!” John shouted.

  Kaia ducked just as the skeletal mage loosed a wave of violet fire. The flames licked across the stone, charring where they touched. John Shadow stepped across the battlefield and appeared behind the mage, plunging his dagger deep into its spine.

  It shrieked with unnatural fury and spun, casting a wall of force that threw John backward.

  “Okay, it’s mad!” he groaned.

  Thorin tackled two more warriors with a bellow, smashing one’s skull under his boot and driving the other into a column. He turned just in time to see the mage raising its staff for another spell.

  “Not today,” Thorin growled.

  Kaia shouted an incantation and unleashed a beam of searing light that struck the mage square in the chest. Its ribcage exploded in a burst of ash and bone.

  The remaining warriors crumbled soon after. The silence that followed was sharp and sudden.

  John dusted himself off. “That was too easy.”

  Thorin kicked a loose rib across the floor. “Not easy, but not the worst.”

  Kaia wiped sweat from her brow. “We’re getting better at this.”

  John moved to the remains of the mage, checking the cracked staff. A rune glowed faintly before fading. He picked up a ring that had fallen from its hand.

  [Ring of Channeling: +5% Spell Potency]

  “Kaia,” he said, tossing it over.

  She caught it and nodded. “Nice find.”

  Thorin was prying a gem from a shattered helmet. “This’ll sell well.”

  John grinned. “Looting: the true reward of dungeon life.”

  Kaia took a step toward the hallway, but a sudden pulse of violet light erupted from the center of the battlefield. The shattered remains of the skeletal mage glowed—and the cracked bones began to twitch.

  “Wait—no way,” John said, eyes widening.

  Kaia turned. “It’s reanimating!”

  The skeleton mage's staff levitated into its hand as its bones clicked back together. A dark gem embedded in the staff pulsed, sending waves of necromantic energy through the corridor. The fallen skeletal warriors began to rise.

  “Oh, come on,” Thorin groaned, already swinging his axe into a warrior’s ribs. “We just did this!”

  Kaia’s eyes narrowed. “That staff—it’s an artifact. That’s what’s powering the spell. We have to destroy it.”

  John cursed and dove behind cover as the mage unleashed a barrage of bone spears. “Working on it!”

  The reanimated warriors fought more viciously this time, seemingly empowered by the artifact’s dark energy. One skeleton pinned Thorin briefly, sword locking with axe, while another flanked Kaia.

  Kaia sent holy light into it, destroying the creature, but her breathing was shallow. “I’m running out of juice!”

  “Then we go physical,” John said, flipping his dagger in his hand. He Shadow Stepped directly behind the mage again, aiming for the staff. He struck—but a shockwave repelled him.

  “Protective ward!” he yelled. “We have to weaken it first!”

  Thorin slammed a skeleton to the floor and sprinted toward the mage, taking hit after hit. “I’ll give you an opening!”

  Kaia’s eyes flared. “John! I can overload the ward. Just buy me ten seconds.”

  John nodded and zipped forward again, tossing throwing knives at the mage to keep its focus. The creature snarled and raised its staff, preparing another blast.

  Kaia chanted, symbols glowing along the length of her staff. A pulse of blue-white light surged down the hall and struck the artifact. The glow around the staff dimmed.

  “Now!”

  John lunged, both daggers driving into the staff’s gemstone. With a loud crack, it shattered.

  The magic holding the skeletons collapsed instantly. The warriors crumbled mid-swing, falling into heaps of bone. The mage let out one last shriek before it disintegrated entirely, the bones scattering like dust.

  Everyone stood there, catching their breath.

  “That,” John gasped, “was much harder the second time.”

  Kaia fell back against the wall. “It was the artifact. I’ve never seen one that persistent.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Thorin, breathing heavily, pulled a new item from the remains: a black gem, cracked but still glowing faintly.

  John sifted through the remains of the skeletal mage again and found a tattered scroll.

  [Scroll of Returning Flame – Grants user a one-time resurrection spell. Single Use.]

  “Score,” he said. “Let’s not need this.”

  Thorin chuckled weakly. “No promises.”

  ***

  The hallway beyond twisted into a stairwell, and at the bottom was a grand, vaulted door carved with runes. It pulsed with faint energy.

  “Boss room,” John said, tightening his grip on his daggers.

  Kaia nodded. “Let’s go in together. No charging ahead.”

  Thorin grinned. “Charging ahead is what I do.”

  They stepped through.

  The chamber was massive, domed, with walls of smooth black stone. At the center stood a stone giant, easily twenty feet tall, made entirely of rune-carved granite. Its eyes glowed faintly, and its hammer was fused to one arm.

  As they entered, the door sealed behind them.

  The giant stirred, stone grinding against stone.

  “Yep. That’s the boss,” John muttered.

  “Positions,” Kaia said quickly, spreading out.

  The giant raised its hammer and slammed it into the ground. The shockwave rippled across the room like a rolling quake, sending Kaia sprawling backward and nearly knocking John off his feet. Thorin braced with his shield, but even he was forced back several paces, boots grinding across the stone.

  “Okay,” John coughed, forcing himself upright. “Big guy likes AOE.”

  Kaia pushed herself to one knee, her hair singed at the edges. “He’s warded, I can see the shimmer of mana around it.”

  “Then we go old-school,” Thorin growled, charging forward. His axe met the giant’s leg with a harsh clang, sparking off runed stone—but the blade barely left a scratch.

  The giant responded with a sudden backhand. Thorin tried to block, but the blow smashed through his guard and flung him across the chamber. He hit a pillar and slumped down, coughing blood.

  John circled fast, eyes locked on the giant’s footwork. The swings were wide, deliberate, and almost rhythmic.

  “Wait… I’ve seen this before,” he muttered.

  “What?” Kaia called, limping to cover behind a broken column.

  “It’s moving like that old arcade boss—Stone Sentinel X! You had to bait the stomp and hit the back of the knee during the recovery window.”

  “Is this really the time for nostalgia!?” Thorin roared, dragging himself upright with a snarl.

  John grinned. “Always!”

  He ran forward and feinted left. The giant’s hammer slammed down where he’d been, just a second too slow. As it lifted, John dove under and sliced deep at the back of its knee. A thin fracture spread through the stone.

  “Now!” he shouted.

  Thorin charged again with a guttural roar, swinging his axe with both hands. The blade struck the cracked spot and bit deeper this time, sending spiderweb cracks across the giant’s knee.

  The giant roared and retaliated, swinging its massive stone arm. The blow clipped Thorin’s shoulder, spinning him like a top. He hit the floor hard and didn’t rise immediately.

  Kaia emerged from cover and raised her staff. A radiant orb formed above her head, pulsing with stored power.

  “Cover me!” she cried.

  John sprinted forward, weaving between falling debris as the giant shattered a nearby pillar with one sweeping blow. He leapt up its side, using stone runes as handholds, and jabbed a dagger into its shoulder joint.

  It let out another roar and tried to grab him, massive fingers closing in. He dropped before it could snatch him, rolling away with a grunt.

  Kaia unleashed her spell. The orb exploded into a beam of searing light that struck the weakened leg joint. The glow pulsed through the cracks—finally, the ward failed.

  “It's vulnerable!” she shouted.

  The giant stomped again, the quake cracking the floor beneath them. Kaia lost her balance and fell hard, her staff clattering out of reach.

  John rolled to avoid another swing, but the hammer’s shockwave still threw him against the far wall. He landed hard, chest heaving, vision blurry.

  Thorin, despite his injuries, bellowed and charged once more. Blood streamed from his arm, but his grip didn’t falter.

  “Die, you rocky bastard!” he roared.

  His axe crashed into the glowing weak point again. A large chunk of the leg gave way, and the giant dropped to one knee.

  John forced himself up, ignoring the scream in his ribs. He sprinted and launched into a leap, stabbing one dagger into the joint behind the giant’s elbow. The other slashed across glowing runes near its neck.

  The giant reeled.

  Kaia, from her knees, cast a healing spell on the party.

  The giant lashed out with its remaining arm before John could land another strike. The massive limb caught him mid-step and sent him sprawling across the floor, scraping against the stone hard enough to tear through one of his sleeves.

  “John!” Kaia shouted.

  “I’m good!” he wheezed, pushing himself up just as the giant stomped in his direction. “Not great, but good!”

  Kaia raised her staff and fired a spell, trying to slow down the creature, aiming at the cracks in the giant’s armor. The magic glanced off harmlessly. The giant turned its glowing eyes toward her and raised its hammer for a punishing arc.

  “Move!” Thorin bellowed, barreling into Kaia and knocking her out of the way just before the hammer came crashing down, shattering stone and sending debris flying.

  Kaia winced. “Thanks.”

  Thorin helped her to her feet, gritting his teeth. “We need to stagger it again. Keep hitting the weak points!”

  The giant twisted and swung its hammer low, sweeping across the room. Thorin dropped to one knee and raised his shield, catching the brunt of the blow. The impact knocked him backward several feet, his boots skidding furrows into the ground.

  “Thorin!” John shouted, sprinting forward and leaping onto the giant’s back. He stabbed at the shoulder joint, using the grooves in the stone as handholds.

  The giant roared and spun, trying to shake him off. John held on, driving one dagger after another into the cracks, chipping away at the rune-etched armor.

  Thorin recovered his footing and rushed in again, swinging with renewed fury. His axe chipped deeply into the giant’s thigh, further widening the damaged joint.

  The giant howled, raising its hammer once more—but this time, John was ready. He leapt from its back, flipping midair and landing behind it.

  Thorin followed up with a leaping strike, his axe slamming into the arm just below the shoulder. Stone gave way under the impact, and the entire limb broke free, crashing to the ground.

  The giant roared and swung its remaining arm, wild and unbalanced. John ducked and rolled, then rose into a sprint, driving both daggers into the back of the giant’s exposed knee.

  With a groan like splitting mountains, the giant dropped to one leg.

  “Finish it!” Kaia called.

  Thorin charged up the front of the fallen leg like a ramp and leapt high. His axe came down in a brutal, two-handed swing directly onto the giant’s head, splitting the helm down the center.

  John leapt after him, driving both daggers into the glowing eye sockets.

  The giant froze.

  Then shattered.

  Dust and stone shards rained down. Silence filled the chamber.

  A soft chime echoed.

  [BOSS DEFEATED: Floor Guardian – Stone Giant Sentinel]

  [+3500 EXP]

  John sat on the ground, panting. “Okay. That was pretty badass.”

  Kaia smiled, exhausted. “We’re still standing.”

  Thorin leaned against a pillar. “And not even the hardest boss.”

  “Yeah,” John said. “Which is almost a shame.”

  As they caught their breath, John wandered over to a rune-etched pedestal where a new loot cache appeared.

  [Stoneheart Gauntlets – +3 Strength, +1 Resistance to Bludgeoning]

  John held up the gauntlets. “Thorin, these have your name on them.”

  Thorin took them with a nod. “Not bad.”

  Kaia found a small crystal vial glowing with warm energy.

  [Elixir of Focus – Restores 50% mana over 10 seconds]

  “I’m keeping this,” she said.

  They finished looting, still catching their breath.

  Then John paused, eyes scanning the strange carvings on the pedestal. He leaned in, brushing away dust and grime to reveal more intricate symbols—spirals, constellations, and geometric patterns that tugged at the back of his mind.

  He frowned. “You know… that boss’s movements, the puzzles, the music earlier… It’s weird, right? How much of this dungeon feels like it came from Earth?”

  Kaia looked up from her elixir, brow furrowed. “You’ve mentioned that before. What exactly do you mean?”

  John straightened, pacing slowly in front of the pedestal. “The first puzzle used musical notes from a movie. That attack pattern? It was identical to a game I played when I was twelve—same timing, same movement cycle. And some of the ruins earlier had designs I swear were from old comic books. Not copies—exactly—but close enough to set off alarm bells.”

  Kaia exchanged a glance with Thorin. “So… you think someone from your world built this place?”

  “I don’t know,” John admitted. “Maybe the two worlds have some random similarities, maybe an adventurer built this place. ”

  Thorin cracked his knuckles. “Then let’s find out who built it. And punch them.”

  John gave a small, crooked smile. “That’s the spirit.”

  He turned back to the carvings, gaze lingering on a symbol that looked suspiciously like a USB port. He shook his head with a quiet laugh.

  “Either someone’s messing with me… or this dungeon is weirder than we thought.”

  They turned, the next stairwell opening before them, leading deeper into the unknown. Then they heard the sound of rumbling stone.

  They turned around in time to see a massive boulder rolling towards them.

  John said, " See what I'm talking about, that's obviously a Raiders of the Lost Ark rip-off. Its like I'm in some book written by some 80's pop culture junkie"

  "Um, John," Thorin said

  "Yes, Thorin."

  "There is a huge boulder coming to kill us"

  "Right RUN!!!"

  With that, they ran into the tunnel, which sealed shut behind them.