The Ancient Root Guardian finally fell.
Its massive wooden body collapsed with a thunderous crash that shook the forest floor.
For several long seconds…
No one in the Crimson Vanguard moved.
The battlefield was silent except for the faint crackle of burning sap.
Aldric stood in the center of the ruined clearing, breathing heavily as he leaned on his sword.
Around him, the forest looked like it had been through a war.
Massive scorch marks covered the ground.
Broken tree roots jutted from the earth like shattered bones.
The glowing corpses of Mana Hornets littered the battlefield in the hundreds.
Stormfang slowly slid her twin blades back into their sheaths.
"That… was the last one."
Her voice sounded hoarse.
No one celebrated.
They were too tired.
Gromm dropped to one knee with a heavy thud, the stone plates of his body grinding as he exhaled deeply.
"That was the fifth attempt."
Selene sat against a broken root and began pulling arrows from a cracked quiver.
"Sixth," she corrected.
"The second try didn't even make it past the swarm."
Darius wiped soot from his face and looked at the battlefield.
"Those hornets are the problem."
Talia nodded.
"They aren't strong individually… but the explosions chain together."
"Like fighting living bombs."
Aldric finally pushed himself upright.
Three days.
It had taken them three full days to break through this floor.
The first attempt had ended in disaster.
They had tried to overwhelm the Root Guardians with brute force, only to be engulfed by the hornet swarm before understanding the explosion mechanic.
The second attempt had been worse.
They tried eliminating the hornets first.
But that left the Root Guardians free to crush their formation.
Two members had nearly died in that attempt.
After retreating to the recovery chamber, they spent hours studying the enemy patterns.
They adjusted their strategy.
Built a defensive formation.
Assigned roles.
Tank the giants.
Pull the swarm.
Control the explosions.
The third attempt nearly succeeded…
Until a hornet detonation chain wiped out their support casters.
They had retreated again.
Regrouped.
Rested.
Tried once more.
And now—
Finally—
The floor was cleared.
Aldric looked around the clearing slowly.
"Report."
Stormfang raised a hand.
"Minor injuries. Mana reserves at about thirty percent."
Darius sighed.
"I'm dry. Completely."
Talia nodded in agreement.
Selene lifted her quiver.
"I've got maybe twenty arrows left."
Gromm finally stood again, cracking his shoulders.
"My armor's half broken."
Aldric gave a tired smile.
"That means we're still alive."
That earned a few quiet chuckles.
But everyone knew the truth.
They had won.
Barely.
Aldric stepped forward and placed his hand against the massive staircase leading upward.
The carved wooden steps spiraled deeper into the heart of the World Tree.
Floor 41 awaited them.
Stormfang crossed her arms.
"This raid is escalating faster than expected."
Darius nodded grimly.
"Floor thirty was manageable."
"Thirty-five nearly killed us."
He gestured toward the battlefield.
"And this one took three days."
Talia stared up the staircase.
"And we're not even halfway."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
None of them knew how many floors existed.
Rumors ranged from fifty to one hundred.
Some even claimed the World Tree had no end.
Selene finally spoke.
"There's something else."
Aldric glanced toward her.
"What?"
She slid an arrow into her quiver slowly.
"Other parties."
Stormfang shrugged.
"They entered after us."
Selene nodded.
"Exactly."
"If another group entered two days after we did…"
She looked back toward the staircase.
"They're probably still somewhere around floor twenty."
Darius snorted.
"If they even made it that far."
The Mana Hornets alone would wipe out most raid teams.
Gromm cracked his stone knuckles.
"The Crimson Vanguard still leads."
Aldric didn't respond immediately.
He had a feeling they were underestimating Jax and the Vixens.
He looked around the battlefield again.
Burned sap.
Broken roots.
Dead hornets.
A battlefield won through persistence and teamwork.
Then he finally nodded.
"Yes."
"For now."
He said these words, trying to convince himself of their situation in relationship to what the others were experiencing. But a feeling lingered. He wondered if they handled the floors differently.
Erasing the thoughts from his mind, he focused on the task at hand.
He turned back toward the staircase.
"We move in one hour."
The group nodded in agreement.
They began setting up a small temporary camp in the clearing.
Healing magic was applied.
Armor repairs began.
Weapons were cleaned.
Stormfang climbed a nearby root and sat silently, watching the staircase.
Aldric walked to the edge of the clearing and looked deeper into the forest beyond.
Somewhere above them…
The next floors waited.
Stronger enemies.
New mechanics.
More danger.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"Whatever comes next," he murmured quietly,
"We're ready."
Behind him, the Crimson Vanguard prepared to continue their ascent into the World Tree.
Still unaware that far below them…
Another team was advancing through the raid at a pace no one would believe.