Orugg was a towering behemoth, nearly five meters tall, with slick, glistening skin that deflected non-magical slashing and piercing weapons, and sky-high resistance to almost every elemental attack. Hurting the monster was like trying to punch through a waterfall, futile and frustrating.

Even so, its movements were sluggish, and its signature move, Croak Leap, while devastating, was easy enough to dodge if you were paying attention.

With thorough preparation, we managed to get through Phase One.

Now in Phase Two, the giant toad had unlocked a few nastier tricks up its warty sleeve.

"AAARGH! What the hell is this?!" Orin screamed as her entire body, including Hororo, was coated in a foul, yellow-green goo. It wasn't just putrid… it hurt, like being pinched a thousand times at once, all over.

Orugg had regurgitated a bubbling pool of corrupted bile, dousing us and turning the terrain into a sticky, poisonous swamp.

"Orin, do something!" Muradin shouted while gagging. "That damned toad's about to leap again!"

[Enhanced Aqua Bomb used]

Without hesitation, Orin cast Enhance Potion and hurled the item into the air. It exploded with a loud splash, drenching the battlefield in a torrential downpour of water that washed away the bile.

"MOVE, NOW!" I yelled as the cleansing rain hit us, scrubbing off the toxic sludge.

Darwyn helped a staggering Muradin to his feet, while Orin and I managed to dive out of the way just in time.

BOOOOM!

Orugg crashed down right in the middle of us, shaking the earth with the impact. But it wasn't done yet. The monstrous toad immediately followed up with a barrage of acid eggs, spraying them toward me and Orin like disgusting grenades.

The ground was still sticky and hard to maneuver on, which kept us from fully dodging in time. So I threw myself in front of Orin, shielding her with my body as the acidic projectiles hit me head-on.

I screamed in pain as the corrosive liquid burned through my robe.

Seeing this, Darwyn reacted instantly. He nocked an arrow and unleashed the Lightning Bolt.

ZZZAP!

The crackling shot slammed into Orugg. Though its slimy hide deflected most of the damage, the electrical shock managed to stun the monster, if only briefly.

[Piercing Arrow cast]

[Thunderlash Vials used]

Darwyn activated his skill and chugged down a potion, and in an instant, his arrows crackled with electricity. One after another, he loosed them at the boss, each shot sparking, distracting, and leaving nasty burns in its wake.

Orugg snarled in frustration, slamming its head against the ground in a wild attempt to shake Darwyn loose. Then, with a guttural croak, the toad suddenly stretched its jaws wide, and in a flash, it unleashed its long, sticky tongue, whipping it toward Darwyn with terrifying speed.

WHOOSH-THWAP!

Darwyn's high Dexterity and Reflex saved him… he leapt out of the way just in time. The Glutton's tongue almost hit him, landing exactly on the ground where Darwyn had just been.

That move, Tongue Lash, was one of Orugg's most lethal skills. If it hit, it would pull the target straight into its gullet. And once swallowed, the victim had only a short time before the stomach acid ate them alive.

The worst part? The acid ignored all resistance and dealt a fixed percentage of health over time.

It was, essentially, an instant-kill.

"Damn, that was way too close," Muradin said to Darwyn, who was still lying on the sticky ground, visibly shaken.

"Hold yourself together," he added, hauling Darwyn up by the arm.

Meanwhile, Orugg crouched again, preparing for another massive leap.

"Ethereal Form is ready!" I shouted to Orin.

"Okay, I'm on standby," she replied, her body still glowing with a soft blue aura, courtesy of the Hororo's Feather of Focus.

[Galestride cast]

I cast the spell on Orin just as she began repositioning, trying to find the perfect angle. Orugg launched into the air again, aiming to land with another earth-shaking smash.

I waited, timing was everything, and just as Orugg landed heavily and opened its mouth to unleash a follow-up attack, I cast Ethereal Form on it.

Its movement froze.

Orin raised her new weapon: Mothmother's Fang.

The staff was unlike any other. Its handle was made from thick organic fibers, smooth and chitinous, more insect than wood. At the top was a pale white fang, curved like a crescent moon.

Unlike typical druid weapons, Mothmother's Fang boosted the wielder's Agility and came with a unique spell to match.

[Quiver Dance cast]

From the weapon's tip burst forth condensed Mana, tiny glowing clones of the Mothmother, dozens of them. They surged into Orugg's gaping mouth like a tidal wave of shimmering death.

And it didn't stop there.

[Arcane Strike cast]

With her Arcane Strike buff from the Gravelurker active, each clone was imbued with additional power, their damage scaling proportionally with Orin's Mana pool.

The effect was devastating.

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Each mini-Mothmother exploded on contact with a pop, like magical firecrackers going off in rapid succession inside Orugg's throat.

"I can't believe this. Our support's turned into a bloody heavy hitter," Muradin said with a chuckle. "At this rate, Darwyn, she might just steal your job."

"Great," Darwyn replied with a wry smile. "Another rival. Just what I needed."

Orugg, now able to move again, looked absolutely furious. It inhaled deeply, then let out a sickening roar as it unleashed Mire of Decay, a stream of foul bile aimed straight at Orin.

I reacted instantly, tossing an Aqua Bomb above her to help free her from the sticky liquid.

"Orin, move! It's about to jump again!" Darwyn warned.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Instead of Croak Leap, this time Orugg used Tongue Lash.

SNAP!

Its tongue shot out and wrapped tightly around Orin.

"Help me!" she cried, panicked, as she was yanked toward the toad's enormous mouth.

Orin struggled, but the grip was too tight. She couldn't even move.

Luckily, I was close enough to grab her just in time. It turned into a desperate tug-of-war between me and a monster twenty times my size. My strength was nothing compared to the giant toad, we were both being dragged toward it.

With laser-sharp focus, Darwyn fired a precise Lightning Bolt that pierced Orugg's writhing tongue. In a flash, he unleashed a storm of electrified arrows, each one crackling through the air and hammering the beast into a stunned daze, just long enough for Muradin to roar forward and seize the opening.

BAM!

Muradin's shield slammed into Orugg's tongue with a meaty thud, hitting a sensitive spot and weakening its grip.

I activated Inner Beast, surged with adrenaline, and yanked Orin free with a roar of effort.

That was way too close.

Orin collapsed beside me, trembling, barely able to stand. Darwyn kept peppering Orugg with arrows to keep it distracted while I helped her to safety.

***

"My Soul Power's almost gone!" Darwyn shouted, panic in his voice as he fired another Lightning Bolt straight into Orugg's eye.

"My Mana's running low too," Orin groaned. Hororo had disappeared some time ago, after using up all its energy to recover Orin's Mana.

"I guess I can't save it for the bonus drop trick after all…" she muttered, clearly disappointed, before casting Mana Surge on herself and restoring a large chunk of her reserves.

"It's fine," I said. "We can grind for Mana Stones later. Right now, let's just make sure we survive."

The battle had dragged on far too long. The terrain had turned into a muddy wasteland, making it harder to dodge attacks and costing us time and stamina. With Quiver Dance and Ethereal Form still on cooldown, our only real offensive option was Darwyn's lightning arrows.

Muradin's Bastion Strike was off the table, it was too risky with all his defensive skills still recharging.

"Damn it, why is it so hard to bait this thing?" Muradin growled as Orugg flung its sticky tongue in my direction. Fortunately, it was deflected by my Tempest Shield.

"Hey, ugly! Over here! Come attack me!" he yelled, waving his shield.

But Orugg ignored him. Smart beast. It seemed the monster knew it was easier to pick off the squishier ones first.

"We should regroup," I called out. It wasn't ideal, but we had no choice. We had to take the risk.

"Yeah. The longer this drags on, the worse it gets for us," Darwyn agreed grimly.

"Everyone, fall back and take cover behind me!" Muradin barked, his fighting spirit rekindled.

Orugg responded with another Mire of Decay, spewing rancid bile across the field, followed by a spray of acidic eggs.

Muradin tanked the barrage with his shield. I hurled my final Aqua Bomb into the air, cleansing the field once more, while Darwyn launched another crackling Lightning Bolt.

[Arcane Strike cast]

With her cooldown finally up, Orin unleashed a series of Mana shots, amplified by her Arcane Strike. The glowing projectiles cut through the air and struck Orugg with a sharp crack.

Orugg went berserk again, slamming its massive head into the ground before leaping straight at us.

And so the fight went on: dodge the jumps, land a few counterattacks, rinse and repeat, while Muradin kept provoking and baiting him.

Unfortunately, we still hadn't gotten the opportunity to put our plan into action.

But our efforts weren't in vain. Finally, we were starting to see results.

Orugg was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Its massive body moved slower, its attacks less frequent. Even the signature Croak Leap was being used less and less.

It let out a loud, guttural croak, then struck.

This time, its tongue lashed out toward Muradin, who stood firmly at the front.

Muradin didn't even have time to dodge. The tongue coiled around him in a blink, yanking him off his feet.

With terrifying strength, Orugg reeled him in fast, faster than any of us could react.

I shouted and cast a spell toward Muradin, as he dragged toward the monster.

Orin and Darwyn unleashed everything they had, Mana shots and arrows alike, aiming for Orugg's eyes, its mouth, anything that could hurt the secret boss.

But it wasn't enough.

With a sickening gulp, Orugg swallowed Muradin whole.

One second, he was there—fighting, shouting, alive.

The next, he was gone.

***

Muradin could feel the thick slime coating every inch of his body. The stench was absolutely unbearable, and worse, his health was dropping fast.

To make matters worse, he couldn't see a damn thing. The constant motion of Orugg's insides tossed him around violently, offering no solid ground to stand on.

He lost his footing and fell face-first into the churning stomach acid. It burned like fire, searing his skin.

"Blugh! Filthy damned beast," Muradin spat, coughing up the foul liquid that had gotten into his mouth as he struggled back to his feet.

One minute.

That's all the time he had left before Orugg's stomach turned into his grave.

"I've gotta move fast," he muttered, planting his feet wide apart to balance himself while reaching out blindly with one hand, trying to feel his way forward.

He racked his brain, recalling Erynd's instructions. It didn't take long.

Fortunately, Erynd had managed to cast the spell just in time. A surge of strength pulsed through his body, his power had tripled.

[Quickdraw cast]

His weapon shifted, now he held two of his favorites: Mordok's Battleaxes, heavy and vicious. But that wasn't all. Muradin had already downed a Thunderlash Vial, infusing both axes with crackling lightning, ready to tear through anything in his path.

He raised both axes high, aiming for the pulsing interior of Orugg's body. Somewhere behind that wall of flesh… the heart had to be close.

[Thunderstrike Slam cast]

A thunderous boom echoed through the beast's gut as Muradin brought both axes crashing down on the spot with a massive slam.

The monster's stomach convulsed violently.

Muradin was thrown about like a ragdoll as acidic bile splashed all over him, soaking him in a fresh layer of searing pain.

Then, without warning, a powerful force surged behind him, an involuntary ejection.

He was hurled backward, flung through the same passage he'd been swallowed from.

Light returned.

He tumbled onto the muddy ground outside, drenched, steaming, and barely conscious.

"Mister Bromir!" Orin's worried voice rang out from nearby.

He immediately felt the familiar, soothing warmth of Rejuvenation spreading across his battered body, mending his wounds. Erynd had already begun healing him.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Orugg thrashing wildly, rolling left and right, clearly in agony. Another chorus of guttural croaks burst from its throat, shaking the entire area around Crystal Lake.

"Good job, dwarf," Darwyn said with a grin, hauling Muradin back to his feet. "Just one more phase to go."

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