Your arcane ritual has awakened THE SKULL. Its terrible mandibles gnashing, THE SKULL attacks your party on sight. Though you try to flee, it flies in swift pursuit. Unable to outrun it, you are forced to turn and fight!

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The smell was absolutely foul, settling deep within the party’s nostrils. The Coursers felt faint, and the exit seemed so far away, so distant that they thought they just might not make it-

The research group stumbled into the new chamber, tripping over their own hooves and legs, and also other party members, and they all ended up on the ground, breathing heavily.

“Fresh air!” Hiraeth called out happily, before slumping on top of Phainon, earning an “oof” from them as they were laying on the ground, also catching their breath. Holding it for so long, and running at the same time… it truly seemed like a miracle that none of them fainted in that room.

“This was… probably worse than the time we ended up flooded by that water.” Phainon let out a heavy breath, slowly standing up when Hiraeth finally did it herself. Even so, they sat down on the ground again, their limbs slightly twitching from the long run and lack of air for quite a while. 

“Is anyone hurt?” R’yaženka’s voice was like comforting velvet, sliding across the aching muscles of her companions. Thankfully, it seemed like everyone was in one piece, and they had nothing to worry about. They just needed a bit of rest. 

Aelin moved the bags off her companions’ shoulders, placing it down on the ground as she set up a makeshift camp with Hiraeth. Lycidas was holding the tools in its teeth, helping around its owner and her friend. 

R’yaženka instructed Merikh to light up a campfire where it was safe to do so, and went to search through their bags with food to fish out something for them to eat. She carefully placed down the various pastries, and got out bottles of water for them to hydrate after the long run. 

Soon after, the research group was all recovering by the campfire, relaxed and satisfied from their meal. They planned to stay there for a little bit longer, to make sure no unwanted effects would arise from the foul smelling gas, but alas… 

A loud rumble could be heard in the distance, the ground vibrating slightly underneath their feet as some of them were laying down, some were sitting. Aelin furrowed her fuzzy eyebrows, raising one of them. 

“We should be in a safe section of the dungeon, so why does…” The rumbling echoed again, this time the shaking of the surroundings was stronger, making Aelin stumble on her feet to keep herself standing. What was happening?

“Could it be that the gas caught on fire, and caused an explosion?” Phainon asked, but it seemed unlikely. They’d probably see the door getting smashed to the ground… 

Just to be sure, Hiraeth packed their things quickly, throwing everyone their bags to attach to their gear once more, just to prepare if something bad was going to happen… 

What. The. Fuck. 

The Coursers screamed loudly as The Skull crushed the wall, appearing once more as it probably recognized that the prey that escaped it earlier had once again descended into the dungeon. But how!? They have specifically chosen another route, to avoid meeting it! They just had a meal and barely had time to rest, it was-

“What an annoying piece of shit.” Hiraeth scoffed, and Lycidas growled from beside her at the opponent. It seems like fight will be inevitable again, but the group knew what to expect… at least, mostly. 

“It followed us all this way…” R’yaženka mumbled, drawing her blade again, a fresh weapon that Hiraeth made and polished herself. She hoped the weapon made by her love will keep them all safe together once more today.

The Skull roared, its flames aggressive as it once more rushed towards the group of Coursers, wanting to settle the debt from weeks ago. It was like it wouldn't give up, no matter what they did, unless they stopped descending into the dungeon. Did it ever hunt down other adventurers like that, too? They'll definitely need to do additional research about this vile creature, and discover how to avoid crossing paths with it in the dungeon. To save the poor souls from getting suddenly ambushed while just wandering about - that’d be a true tragedy.

Hiraeth slashed with her sickle, leaving a slight crack on The Skull, yet it wasn't enough. Phainon’s attack was successful, making The Skull crash against a nearby wall once more, while Aelin’s attack missed completely. R’yaženka wasn't staying still, either - using her shorter height to her advantage, she quickly dashed underneath The Skull, making a deeper dent in the bone structure.