The air felt heavy and green, thick with the smell of wet earth and flowers Pos couldn’t see. The fake sunlight on the ceiling had faded, and it now threw weird, shifting shadows everywhere—sometimes turning the maze’s hedges into things even an adventurer would rather not meet.

  No adventurer who had been to the maze previously ever mentioned the maze had its own day and night, so that caught everyone off guard. Maybe it was something new, or maybe the others just got out before the lights changed. Pos couldn’t decide which made more sense.

  Either way, the shifting light turned the simple walk into a tense affair. The paths all started to look the same, the walls pressed in tighter, and even the air felt colder. Silence had settled over the group with the increased tension, and Pos hated every moment of it.

  Pos gripped his rough, hand-drawn map, staring at the squiggly lines that were supposed to guide them. He shook his head. “Goat’s dung! Either I’m a lousy mapmaker, or the maze moved again.”

  Ferdinand just laughed. “Why not both?”

  “Keep it up and I’ll come over there and punch you, halfling. We’ve been wandering for hours thanks to your ‘skills,’” Pos snapped.

  “I’m a [Thief],” Ferdinand said, shrugging. “Can’t help it if I love treasure.”

  “Treasure is—” Pos started, but Bazel jumped in before he could keep going.

  “We’ll find the exit eventually. I’m more worried about the map. Are you sure the maze is changing?” Bazel shot the question at Pos.

  Pos let out a sigh, knowing that the map mattered more than the argument he was having with the halfling. “Look, I’m not some expert, but I can count steps. Plus, I’ve got [Mark Target]. At first, the route was simple, but the deeper we go, the less the map lines up. I’ve marked a spot, and I know we’re standing right at the spot I had marked.”

  Barwin shrugged. “We probably just looped around. It’s a maze. That’s what mazes do.”

  “Amazing. I had no idea mazes could do that,” Pos grumbled. He glanced back the way they’d come. “I’m telling you we’re in the same place—except now there’s an entrance here that wasn’t there before. The way we just came through previously? It’s gone.”

  Fabiana shook her head, not about to argue with a dwarf about directions underground. “So, it’s a moving maze. Great. This dungeon just keeps getting more interesting.”

  “Wonderful! I’m thrilled someone’s excited about another surprise in this dungeon,” Pos grumbled. “Seriously, has anyone even heard of a moving maze on the third floor?”

  Moving mazes weren’t just any obstacle—they had walls that actually shifted, making them a real pain to get through. Most adventurers only ran into them way deeper, not at the start of a dungeon. Finding one on the third floor just didn’t happen.

  “And it’s not just that,” Barwin said. “I swear these hedges are whispering to me.”

  “Same here,” Umdar quickly agreed. “I just can’t figure out what they’re trying to say.”

  “We already knew the Tomb wasn’t just some regular dungeon, but a moving maze? On the third floor?” Fabiana grumbled. “Come on, that’s too much. That must be a new record.”

  Pos shot a look at the [Sage], and saw he wasn’t alone. Honestly, Fabiana looked like she wanted to set the whole place on fire. She really hated the maze.

  “Let the Guild worry about records,” Bazel said, his voice steady. “Our job is to keep moving. Ferdinand, which way?”

  “Left,” Ferdinand answered, sounding way too calm for someone surrounded by shifting walls. The rest of the party trailed after him.

  Time dragged on as the group made their way through the dark, not saying much to each other. The floor had disappeared into shadows, so Fabiana had to keep her spell going just so the humans could see where they were going. The air felt heavier with every step, and the path kept turning and twisting, winding up everyone’s nerves. Still, with Bazel and Fabiana, nobody was really worried about running into anything too nasty.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Then, they finally made it.

  “Finally!” Pos grumbled as he eyed the big, round clearing ahead of him. Even though nobody said a word, the dwarf could feel everyone’s relief. After hours of trudging through the maze, everyone was glad to finally have a way out.

  “No wonder nobody finished this floor. This maze is way bigger than everyone thought,” Umdar grumbled as the party stepped into the clearing.

  Pos didn’t bother answering his fellow dwarf, he kept his eyes on the table in the middle of the clearing. This time, the jigsaw puzzle pieces lay scattered across the tabletop—not stuffed into a box like on the second floor.

  “This is it,” Fabiana said, sounding almost like she could finally breathe. “The final test.”

  They stepped up to the table. As soon as everyone was gathered around it, an image flickered to life above them.

  It was a flower in full bloom, petals stretching up toward the sunlight. Then they spotted the timer. Ten minutes.

  That’s all they have. Ten minutes?

  Pos blinked, then glanced down at the scattered pieces on the table, finally noticing that the puzzle was a lot smaller than the ones on the second floor. By right, this should make the puzzle easier, but it didn’t.

  The reason jumped out as soon as Fabiana and Ferdinand dove in. Pos wasn’t an expert at jigsaw puzzles, but he knew most folks rely on colors and the depth of the images on the pieces to figure things where they should be placed. This puzzle didn’t play fair.

  The pieces fit in more than one spot, and the picture—a yellow sunflower blooming right under a yellow sun—was almost the exact same color. The colors clashed, there was no easy matches, and everyone was exhausted after the trek in the maze.

  Time slipped away, nine minutes soon passed, and the puzzle was still unfinished. Bazel spoke up. “Time’s up. Get ready for the Boss.”

  Nobody complained. The puzzle sat half-finished, and everyone knew they weren’t going to beat the timer.

  The party moved to the center of the clearing. With no way of knowing which direction the Boss would come from, they formed a circle with Pos, Barwin, Bazel, and Umdar on the outside, guarding Fabiana and Ferdinand in the middle.

  The ground jerked under their feet. A low, bone-rattling rumble rolled through the clearing and then, right in the center of the group, the earth split open. A massive plant monster exploded out. Pos swore and threw himself sideways, scrambling to get clear.

  For a second, he just stared, trying to process what he was seeing. The monster was huge—vines as thick as trees, leaves sharp enough to slice skin, and a mouth like a pit, just packed with wicked thorns. No doubt about it. They were looking at a Boss. A Plant Boss, and it looked furious.

  “Take it down!” Bazel yelled, already nocking an arrow.

  The arrow shot through the air, hitting the Boss right as Pos charged in, swinging his axe and chopping at the plant’s tangled vines. Umdar didn’t waste a second—he swung his sword, lifted his shield, and blocked the thorny leaves flying toward Fabiana. The Boss was no fool. The [Sage] was casting spells, hurling fire bolts at the Boss.

  Ferdinand darted around, quick on his feet, doing everything he could to distract the plant. Barwin leapt in to help Pos, both of them hacking away at the vines. However, no matter what they threw at it, the Boss just wouldn’t go down.

  It was tough, stubborn, and every bit as nasty as it looked. The plant lashed out. One sharp leaf slashed Pos’s arm, leaving a deep cut.

  “It’ll take more than that to stop a dwarf!” Pos bellowed, gripping his axe tighter and refusing to back down. He caught a glimpse of Ferdinand weaving between the vines, landing a hit on the plant’s roots. That one stung—the Boss recoiled—but it wasn’t over. The Plant Boss pulled its vines close, building a shell around itself and Pos felt a rush of energy pulsing from the creature, He knew the fight was about to get real.

  “Special attack. Get ready to dodge!” Bazel shouted.

  Countless roots exploded from the ground, covering the clearing all at once. They whipped and struck at anything they could reach. One vine slammed into Umdar, hitting him so hard there was a dent in his armor. Fortunately, the [Knight] managed to stay upright. Ferdinard barely managed to [Shadowstep] away from a cluster of roots, but Barwin wasn’t so lucky. A thick root slammed into him and sent him flying. He hit the ground hard, the impact echoing across the clearing.

  Pos didn’t catch what happened to Barwin—he was too busy weaving between roots, hacking at them as they tried to grab him. He took a few hits, but good dwarven toughness let him shake them off and he knew the Boss could not keep this up for long. He was right.

  At last, the attacks stopped. The protective shell around the Boss dropped, and Pos didn’t wait for Bazel’s command. He charged in. The others, all experienced adventurers, quickly followed. Everyone except Barwin, who still lay sprawled on the ground.

  Pos hacked. Umdar swung his blade, slashing hard. Ferdinard darted in, stabbing fast, while Fabiana hurled spells that sizzled and cracked. Bazel just kept firing, arrow after arrow, not stopping to catch his breath. All together, they brought down the Plant Boss. The final blow? Pos’s axe chopped straight through, and the Boss just crumbled into dust, trailing dead leaves everywhere.

  They did it. They had won. Pos dropped to the ground, breathing heavy, trying to wrap his head around what they’d just pulled off. Umdar was bruised all over, looking like he had been tossed down a hill. Barwin wasn’t much better. He clutched his side, blood seeping through his fingers. He needed help, and fast. A simple potion would not help when a bone is sticking out of the body.

  They survived, but barely. Half the party was injured and the other half looked ready to pass out.

  “By The Pantheon, I think we just figured out why nobody’s cleared this floor yet,” Ferdinard muttered. Pos didn’t bother arguing. He just nodded.

  Sometimes, the damn halfling made sense.