Batrire spat on the ground. She had already cursed for a solid minute, and Max almost pulled out a piece of paper to write down some of the ones she had said.

“That doesn’t leave us many choices, does it?” Fowl asked as he watched Tanila tapping her chin.

“Batrire’s right,” Tanila answered. “It does suck goblin nuts, but we really can’t wait more than a day or two. We need to do the boss today if we are going to do it and then leave by tomorrow or the day after.”

“I’m sorry for dragging you all into this problem of mine. I never intended to force you to choose between me or this–”

“Seth, stop,” Batrire said as she glared at him, interrupting his poor attempt to apologize for what was happening. “This isn’t your doing. You didn’t choose your skill, and we accepted the consequences of partnering with you. We are…” she paused. A tear started forming, but she sniffed and blinked to prevent it. “We are a family. A weird, ugly arse family but still the only one I have had since I left home with Fowl. If I have a say, no one is taking that away from me.”

Fowl started to sniff and hugged Batrire, who groaned as the dwarf embraced her from the side.

“A family,” Tanila said, her voice sounding as if she had to say it out loud for it to be real. “I like that.”

Max gave in. Everything he thought might change their minds or convince them they were safer without him was gone. The words Batrire uttered broke the barrier he had kept up the last few weeks. Not getting too close, expecting he would have to leave by himself at some point, this was the reality he had believed in.

To hear that they would stand by him no matter what and to be called family was too much.

“I owe you… family or not, I owe you…” Max said, fighting against the emotions raging through him.

“You bet your ogre’s nuts you owe me. That next boss item we roll for is mine,” Fowl said, trying to sound tough as he spoke.

His attempt succeeded, causing everyone to laugh and take a deep breath, able to move past the potential emotional breakdown they were facing.

“Well, let’s get our arses in gear then,” Fowl said, pointing toward the direction they needed to go.

Any tears that had been close to falling were wiped away as they blazed through the dungeon. Every fight flowed better than they could imagine. Two days of practice had given them the ability to understand their foes and how they attacked.

“Warriors first,” Tanila said, grinning as she always did when she made that statement.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Max replied, winking and moving to the orange portal that pulsed before them.

“Who comes up with these boss rooms?” Max asked as Fowl let out a whistle. “Is there a reason why they can’t all be the same?”

“Wouldn’t always fighting on a flat floor in a certain size room get old?”

Max frowned and shook his head as he glanced around the room with his one good eye.

The seventy-five-yard diameter circular room was made out of worked green bricks. An open sky appeared above the thirty yard tall pillars and walls. Every five yards were three-yard wide stone pillars.

“Line of sight is going to be a pain, and then fighting that thing will be nasty.”

Fowl shook his head as he tsked his teeth with his tongue. “I’m not sure. Those pillars will act as a solid defense against the boss, and with no weapons, its hands and feet aren’t going to have the problems we will have when attacking. Besides, we can always fight side to side and hold off the boss.”

“Maybe…” Max said pausing as he bit his lip. “Something just feels off, and I can’t put my finger on it. Why limit the boss’s attacks? Why provide natural defenses against it?”

“Seth’s right,” Tanila said as she glanced around the room. “Perhaps if Fowl had more points in intelligence, he would be able to see it.”

Scoffing, Fowl gave Tanila a good view of his middle finger while trying to look around the room for more clues. “I still don’t see it.”

“Those pillars will also limit your ability to get to us. If the boss chooses to target us, there is a good chance you might not make it in time. We also have to shift constantly and be closer to the fight in order to see the boss. Either you fight it over here, or we fight it in the middle.”

Max nodded at Tanila’s assessment. He had realized the line of sight would play a major role. Near the entrance where they stood in the ten-yard wide tunnel that went back to the exit portal was actually the best spot to engage. They could fight at the first two pillars, using them as protection against the boss while also helping to keep it contained. It would allow Batrire to heal them and Tanila to cast when the moment came.

Max nodded and then focused on the boss. "That cat creature is over ten feet tall and all I see is a small chest piece and crotch area for amor. No weapon's either."

Fowl laughed and shook one of his armored gloves. "You don't see those claws on it? Maybe you are blind."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Groaning, Max shook his head and studied the boss for a few more seconds. I know it has claws but everything about it's appearance tells us it's going to move fast. It's fur is thicker as well. I mean I never expected to see a walking were-cat or something that size."

Tanila tsked her tongue at Max. "It's a kemonomimi. Not a were-cat. Those are much worse."

"Fine," Max replied. "I'm just saying there's something off about this boss and knowing it's possible skills really concerns me."

Once the portal activated, Batrire cast her buff as Max enchanted his spear with a fire enchantment. Once it was enchanted, he stored it and took out his sword, choosing to cast the ice enchantment this time. Max realized any possible delay that came from it would be better.

Fowl looked at him for a moment and then snorted. “Must be nice to have that in one's arsenal.”

“I’m just using what the gods gifted me with,” Max replied, shrugging his shoulders before motioning at the glowing yellow line a few yards before them.

“You all ready?” Fowl asked.

Two grunts came from behind, and Fowl took a deep breath then let it out as he rotated his shoulders.

A shriek came as the boss aggroed on Fowl the moment he darted across the line.

“Goblin shite,” Tanila shouted as Max and Fowl moved to get into position but saw the boss jumping from pillar to pillar as it closed the distance.

They realized the reason for the pillars wasn’t to help adventures but to provide the twelve-foot boss the ability to easily navigate the room.

Max swapped his sword for his spear without hesitating, realizing they were already behind in this fight.

“Aggroing it!” he shouted, even though Fowl was just a few yards ahead.

As the boss came, bounding at them, Max stayed a few steps behind, betting he could stop what he thought might happen.

Fowl planted himself between the two pillars, preparing for the boss to engage him when it leaped off a pillar jumping over him, coming toward the casters.

Max had read the movement, expected it, and as it entered the air, flying above Fowl, Max tossed his spear, sending it at the boss and impaling its leg.

The spear buried itself in the boss’s right thigh, causing it to land awkwardly as it came down in front of Max. The moment he tossed his spear, Max had pulled his sword out and prepared to attack.

Two clawed hands swept toward him. Massive nine-inch claws appeared at its fingertips, streaking toward Max as he planted his feet and prepared to block the attack.

The sound of its nails across his shield made him wince, almost not getting his sword up in time to deflect the left hand that was slashing toward him.

Max angled his sword, using all of his strength to absorb the attack that almost sent him tumbling sideways.

Another scratching attack came at him from the left, and Max managed to get his shield in place again, getting sent back to the right.

Without looking, Max sensed Fowl coming up behind the boss and taking a swing at it with his hammer.

His attack bounced off the right calf, not doing much damage, but it reminded the boss someone was behind it.

It spun on its left leg, its right foot coming around and slamming into Fowl’s shield. He stumbled back two steps from the attack but returned to the boss a moment later.

Max darted forward as it kicked at Fowl, slashing at the left leg that was the base of its balance on the floor.

His sword cut a gash along its calf, earning him a backhanded swipe as the boss did a somersault and twist in the air, landing to face Max.

As it came down, clawing at Max, the spear in its right leg caught behind its left leg for a moment, ripping it out and opening a massive hole in the thigh.

Somehow, the boss didn't fall, but the strike it hit Max with didn’t have the intended force and bounced off his shield. Using that opportunity, Max swung again, nicking the hand as it came off his shield and almost getting a finger in the process.

It jumped to the side the moment it got both feet on the ground, moving to Max’s right.

It ended ten yards from Max, close to one of the outside pillars, then flashed red and rushed toward him. As it came, Max put his sword in his storage and used both hands to brace for the incoming strike.

“Help him!” Fowl shouted, aware that some attack was coming, but no one knew what it would be.

It planted its left leg, the right leg snapping toward Max, and the speed of it was almost impossible to catch. His sphere of detection from sonar allowed him to track it and put his shield where he needed it to be, and Max knew what to do.

The kick hit him dead center of his shield, and Max flew back through the air. The moment before the kick connected, Max leapt backward, using his own momentum to lessen the impact of the kick.

Max flew over twenty yards from the point of impact like a ball hit with a stick. He felt the ground coming close and twisted as he turned over and over in the air. He had closed his eyes, trusting in his sonar and realizing it was better suited for what he was dealing with.

As the ground came, he swung his legs wide, adjusting his turning to a controlled movement. He landed on his feet and rolled once along the ground before standing back up.

Coming to his feet, he opened his eyes, seeing the boss charging at him.

His sword came out again, and he rushed forward, ready to take the fight to the boss.

Batrire cursed, her heal going off right as Max stood up, healing the fractures and injuries he had sustained from that blow.

“I can help!” Tanila cried out, but no one told her to engage. If she aggroed the boss, there was no guarantee they could get it off of her.

Max made the hard choice. Mana was limited, and his ability to keep casting was limited. Casting was something he couldn’t do over and over. Right now though, he needed to slow things down.

He began casting his ice spell, creating an area of effect to give him the needed edge.

“I can’t get its attention!” Fowl shouted as he sprinted after the boss.

The spell went off right as the boss reached him. Its attacks went from blazingly fast to slow enough that blocking both claws would be no problem.

For a brief moment, Max thought he saw the boss realize the attack had slowed, but there was no time to change its strike. One claw bounced off his shield, and the other was out of position, expecting Max to have been staggered like the first time. Able to resist the blow, he swung his sword, catching the bottom two fingers on its left hand, severing them as its attack whiffed his head.

The speed of the fight felt normal for just a few seconds.

Max moved toward the boss, slamming his shield into its injured right leg as he simultaneously jabbed his sword in.

It pierced the skin, hitting the femur and sliding along it on the inside of its leg, cutting flesh and muscle with ease.

The boss brought both hands down toward Max, yet even though he wasn’t looking up, he could see them coming, his sonar reading the attack as it started.

Taking one step back, he held his shield overhead, pulling his sword out as he moved.

Max realized right then that the attack from above had been a feint.

“Goblin shi–”