Ben’s expression became grim as he neared the final boss spire. White Fang slowed to a cautious walk. A strange sight awaited them.

  The enslaved NPCs were still there, sitting inside their cages. What stood out immediately was the lack of guards. Every cage door was wide open.

  Yet none of the NPCs had tried to escape.

  Ben and Eve dismounted from White Fang and approached the nearest cage. Ben recognized the woman who had thrown mud at him earlier.

  She sat on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs. When she saw Ben, her expression tightened.

  “Why are you back?” she said. “Leave. If the master finds out, we will be punished.”

  Ben did not respond. He removed the black sphere from his inventory and held it out.

  The captives tensed.

  The familiar pulse expanded outward. Brands flared briefly, then vanished.

  “By evil you were taken,” Ben began.

  “What have you done!” the woman shouted.

  Eve stiffened when she noticed the reaction.

  Instead of relief, several NPCs recoiled.

  “You have doomed us,” the woman said.

  Eve stepped forward and typed.

  “We have freed people like you before. This method works.”

  The NPCs responded as if she had spoken aloud.

  “You do not understand,” a man said.

  A middle-aged man stepped out from another cage. His clothes were worn, but his posture was composed. He clasped his hands behind his back as he approached.

  Despite his clothes being worn, the quality of his attire was notably better than the others.

  “What do you mean?” Eve typed.

  The man looked between Ben and Eve. His gaze lingered briefly on White Fang.

  “This is all?” he asked. “Just the three of you?”

  Ben stepped forward.

  “We are enough to clear the tower,” he said. “You no longer need to fear the master.”

  The man shook his head.

  “It is not our lives that bind us. The master has taken our children. If we flee or resist, they die.”

  Eve raised her hands to her mouth.

  Ben looked up at the spire.

  “Is there a way to free them?” he asked. “We can defeat him. Just tell us how to save the children.”

  The man nodded and gestured to the orb.

  “That artifact is a start. But it is not enough. You must drain the master before killing him. His power sustains what binds the children. If you rush, you will destroy them.”

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  Ben nodded. He placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

  “We will do everything we can.”

  The man studied him for a moment.

  “That remains to be seen.”

  He returned to his cage and closed the door behind him.

  Ben turned back to Eve. White Fang lowered itself beside her. Eve climbed onto its back and met Ben’s gaze.

  They didn’t need to speak.

  The trio advanced toward the spire.

  The moment they passed through the massive double doors, projectiles filled the air.

  Arrows, crossbow bolts, spears, and jagged weapons rained down from above.

  Ben reacted instantly. He summoned his cherub army and began channeling additional summoning spells.

  Six cherubs formed a shield wall, their metal frames locking together. Projectiles shattered or embedded themselves uselessly.

  White Fang and Eve did not need the cover. White Fang surged to the side at blinding speed. Eve cried in surprise from the sudden motion. White Fang no longer held back.

  The chamber was vast, with stairs spiraling upward. Hundreds of orcs filled the room. All of them belonged to the ranged clan Ben had defeated earlier.

  Something was wrong.

  They made no sound. No shouts. No cries.

  They attacked with rigid efficiency.

  When Ben closed the distance and struck one down, he saw its eyes.

  Gray. Lifeless.

  “Undead,” Ben thought.

  The fight was intense but controlled. The cherubs advanced steadily, shields absorbing punishment as Eve’s Soul Link redistributed damage. Ben moved with practiced precision, cutting through enemies while maintaining formation.

  White Fang was everywhere. It ran along walls, leapt between balconies, and tore through clusters of archers. Its movements were fast and clean, without hesitation.

  It still took time.

  Thirty minutes passed before the final undead orc collapsed and dissolved into dust.

  Only then did White Fang’s breathing deepen slightly.

  Ben wiped sweat from his brow.

  “I guess they were prepared.”

  Eve scanned the battlefield. No loot appeared. The undead vanished completely.

  She checked the system feedback and frowned.

  “The experience is reduced,” she typed.

  Ben nodded.

  “I noticed. This is probably part of the side boss challenge. Another reason most players skip this place.”

  They moved forward.

  The spire became a grind.

  Each floor repeated the pattern. Ambushes. Traps. Undead remnants of clans Ben had already defeated.

  No loot. Reduced experience.

  Hours passed.

  Ben resummoned cherubs as needed. They remained effective, but the strain accumulated. Eve’s focus wavered. White Fang began pacing its movements, choosing efficiency over raw speed.

  “Is it ever going to end?” Eve typed.

  Ben sat down briefly and drank a stamina potion.

  “This was designed for 40 players,” he said. “We are doing it with half. It is supposed to wear us down.”

  Eve hesitated.

  “You don’t think this will slow us down too much later?”

  Ben considered her question.

  “It might,” he admitted. “But I wouldn’t change a We’ll just have to try and make up for any lost time later.

  Eve fidgeted.

  “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help,” she texted.

  Ben smiled warmly at her.

  “I will.”

  After a short break, the group continued upward.

  To their surprise the next chamber was empty.

  Ben stopped to analyze the barren room.

  He recognized the insignia carved into the walls.

  The White Fang clan. He nodded in understanding.

  “That makes sense,” he said.

  Eve followed his gaze. Realization dawned on her.

  “We never killed them.”

  Ben nodded.

  “Every other orc we defeated has been sent back at us.”

  It was a much needed relief. They pressed on and reached the final staircase.

  “This is it,” Ben said.

  Eve tightened her grip on White Fang’s fur and her staff.

  The final door loomed before them, black and heavy, carved with arcane inscriptions.

  Ben dismissed his remaining cherub warriors and reshaped his army to prioritize offensive summons.

  He stepped forward and opened the door himself.

  The boss waited inside.