The doorway behind the altar led to a descending staircase, the steps worn smooth by centuries of use.

  The blue torches of the Labyrinth had disappeared. The whole corridor was pulsing with an ominous crimson glow now, coming from the walls themselves.

  "Anyone else feeling like we're walking into a trap?" Kara asked, her voice echoing off the narrow walls.

  "My guess is boss room," Lothras replied. "It's essentially the same thing."

  The stairs continued for what felt like an eternity, spiraling downward into the earth. The air grew colder, carrying a metallic scent I was way too familiar with.

  Blood.

  Finally, the staircase opened into another chamber, and soon after I realized that the church above had merely been a prelude.

  The room was rectangular, easily fifty meters across, with a domed ceiling that vanished into shadows high above. The walls were lined with alcoves, hundreds of them, each containing skeletal remains arranged in the same ritualistic patterns we'd seen above.

  But the centerpiece commanded all attention.

  A massive altar dominated the middle of the room, far larger than the one in the church. It was carved from black stone, channels etched into its surface forming a pattern that spiraled outward across the floor.

  Four braziers stood at the edges, where the walls met.

  And behind the altar, seated on a throne of fused bone and rusted iron, was something that might once have been human.

  It was tall, at least three meters even while seated.

  Its body was broken and ugly, with skin stretched tight over way too many bones. Its arms were disproportionately long, ending in hands with fingers like curved blades. A tattered robe, once ceremonial vestments, hung from its frame, stained dark with old blood.

  But its face was the worst part.

  It had no eyes. Only empty sockets that wept a constant stream of dark fluid. Its mouth was too wide, filled with unnaturally sharp teeth, and across its skull were carved symbols that pulsed with faint red light, matching the glow that brightened the chamber.

  It was motionless as we entered, so still that for a moment I thought it might have been a statue.

  Then it smiled.

  "Visitors."

  Oh yeah, this officially creeps me out.

  The voice was completely at odds with the horror of its appearance. It spoke like a nobleman greeting guests at a dinner party.

  "It has been so very long since I've had visitors."

  The creature rose from its throne with grace, its movements disturbingly smooth for something so abstract. It stepped around the altar, those blade-like fingers trailing across the stone with a sound like chalk on a whiteboard.

  "I must apologize for the state of my sanctum," it continued, gesturing at the bone-filled alcoves. "I've let things fall into disrepair during my slumber. A century of sleep does terrible things to one's housekeeping standards."

  "You're the one who conducted the sacrifices," Kara said, forcing her voice to remain steady. "The cult's executioner."

  "Executioner?" The Sacrificer tilted its head, its creepy smile never-changing. "Such an ugly word. I prefer to think of myself as a... facilitator. I helped so many souls transition to their next existence. And in return, I was granted this."

  It spread its arms wide, displaying its twisted form.

  "Eternal life. Exactly as promised."

  "Eternal, maybe," Lothras said with deep disgust. "But that’s not life. You’re an abomination."

  "Is that so?" The Sacrificer seemed genuinely curious. "The flesh rots, transforms, becomes something new, but the mind endures. Is that not the very definition of life?"

  "I’m not one to roleplay," Lothras said, his shield already raised, “but it will be fitting, you succumbing to my blade.”

  "Ah, a paladin. How delightful." The Sacrificer's empty eye sockets added to the look of amusement on his face. "Your order sent warriors to cleanse this place, once. Long ago, before the sealing. Do you know what happened to them?"

  It gestured to a section of alcoves to our left. The bones there were arranged differently; not in ritualistic patterns, but in poses of agony, frozen in their final moments of suffering.

  "They made lovely additions to my collection."

  This is the first time I encounter something pure evil, I thought. I have to keep reminding myself that this is just a game.

  One other thing caught my attention. Before the sealing? The boss is aware of the Veil’s mechanics.

  I wasn’t sure how important it was, but it definitely made me look at the whole Veil thing from a new perspective. It felt like it was much more than just a divide for the kingdoms.

  "Enough talk," Athos growled, drawing his sword. "You're going to join them."

  The Sacrificer laughed.

  "Oh, I do hope you'll prove more entertaining than they did." It raised one blade-fingered hand, and the four braziers around the room suddenly ignited, each one burning with sinister fire. "Come then, young ones. Show me what the new generation is capable of."

  The flames in the braziers pulsed, and the fight began.

  Lothras charged first, his shield leading as he closed the distance to the boss. The Sacrificer watched him come with that unchanging smile, making no move to defend itself.

  At the last moment, it simply wasn't there anymore.

  The creature moved like smoke, flowing around Lothras's charge and appearing at his flank. A blade-finger lashed out, carving a line across the paladin's arm.

  -187!

  Bleed applied: 15 damage per second for 10 seconds.

  "Fast," Lothras grunted, pivoting to face the boss.

  "I've had centuries to practice," The Sacrificer replied. "You'll find I'm quite difficult to pin down."

  Athos came in from the opposite angle, his Blade Rush carrying him across the arena in a blur of steel. His sword connected, carving a gash across the creature's torso.

  -312!

  “Dodge this, you scum!” Athos really didn’t like the boss, which meant that the game designers did a really good job.

  The Sacrificer barely seemed to notice. "Better. But still lacking."

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  I raised the Emberwood Longbow, taking careful aim. "Arrow of Ash & Flames!"

  The charged shot screamed across the chamber, trailing fire and cinder. It struck the Sacrificer square in the chest, the explosion of flame engulfing its upper body.

  -723!

  The creature staggered: the first real reaction we'd gotten from it. I followed it up with a Burning Arrow to capitalize on the fire weakness left behind by the skill.

  -344!

  -58!

  -58!

  …

  When the flames cleared, I could see charred flesh already knitting itself back together.

  “Mark of the Eagle!”

  The buff increased my basic attack damage up another notch.

  "Now that," it said, "was impressive. You have a gift, young ranger. It would be a shame to waste it."

  "Save your breath," I replied, already nocking another arrow.

  Kara's Song of Valor filled the chamber, the melody echoing off the domed ceiling. Our damage numbers climbed as the buff took effect.

  The Sacrificer's smile widened. "Music. How lovely. I do so enjoy a nice melody while I work."

  It raised both hands, and dark energy gathered between its fingers. "Let me contribute to the performance."

  Crimson chains erupted from the ground beneath Athos's feet, spectral links wrapping around his legs and torso before he could react. He cried out in pain as the chains tightened, dark energy crackling across his body.

  -89!

  -89!

  -89!

  "Athos!" Kara shouted.

  "The chains!" I called out, already firing. "We need to break the chains!"

  “Do it!” Lothras shouted, then he cast Chain Aggression to lock the boss’s aggro.

  My arrows struck the spectral links, each hit causing them to flicker and weaken. Lothras abandoned his assault on the boss, rushing to Athos's side and hacking at the chains with his sword.

  -156!

  -143!

  -167!

  The chains shattered, releasing Athos. He stumbled but stayed on his feet, the damage-over-time effect fading.

  "Thanks," he gasped.

  "Don't mention it. Stay mobile, don't let it catch you again."

  “That I can do.”

  The Sacrificer watched our coordination with apparent approval. "Teamwork. Excellent. The paladins who came before fought as individuals, each trying to prove their own valor. They died as individuals, too."

  It moved again, that impossible speed carrying it across the arena toward Kara.

  “It’s ignoring taunts!” Lothras cried out.

  She barely managed to dodge the first strike, her Quick Step carrying her out of range. Athos and Lothras both arrived at the same time, Holy Charge knocking the abomination back.

  "The healer is always the priority," The Sacrificer observed after shrugging off the damage. "You know this, of course. That's why you're protecting her. But protection has its limits."

  It raised a hand, pointing directly at Kara. Dark energy gathered around her, forming a crimson aura that made her cry out in surprise. “Blood Tithe!”

  "No!" I fired a rapid series of arrows at the boss, trying to draw its attention. "Lothras, cover Kara!"

  The paladin was already moving, interposing himself between the boss and our support. "Stay behind me," he ordered Kara. "Don't move."

  The Sacrificer laughed. "How noble. How predictable. Do you think a shield will save her from what's coming?"

  It began to advance, those blade-fingers clicking together in anticipation.

  I intercepted it with Burning Arrow, the fire-imbued shot striking its shoulder and spreading flames across its arm.

  -256!

  -41!

  -41!

  "Your attention should be on me," I said, drawing another arrow.

  "Should it?" The Sacrificer didn't even turn to face me. "You're dangerous, ranger. I'll grant you that. Alas, it is not your turn!"

  It lunged toward Lothras with blinding speed.

  The paladin met the charge with his shield, the impact ringing through the chamber like a bell. Blade-fingers scraped against enchanted steel, sparks flying as The Sacrificer pressed its attack.

  Lothras held his ground, but barely. The creature's strength was immense, driving him back step by step despite his best efforts.

  "Athos!" I shouted.

  "On it!"

  The Swordsman flanked the boss. "Dread Cry!"

  The debuff rippled outward, and I saw The Sacrificer's movements slow slightly as the attack speed reduction took hold.

  "Interesting," it murmured. "You've learned some tricks."

  It spun away from Lothras, one arm sweeping toward Athos in a wide arc. He ducked under the strike and countered with a thrust that pierced the creature's side.

  -287!

  He then activated Comet, crashing into the monster.

  -486!

  But that was not the real threat. The three blades were already hanging from the sky.

  “Now you can experience the other side of execution,” the Swordsman said quietly.

  “How exciting!” the Sacrificer claimed. He then started moving with unnatural speed, juggling between Lothras and Athos, using its claws as brutal weapons.

  The two melee fighters, even Athos, could barely keep up. Three-Blade Execution took out more than 2,000 of the cultist’s health, but he didn’t seem to mind.

  He was stacking bleed on both of the fighters, despite their best efforts to dodge and block attacks.

  Kara’s healing was barely keeping up with the DoT. The Blood Tithe debuff on her meant she couldn't afford to take any direct hits, and if we lost her, it would be over.

  I was firing continuously, but this monster was the fastest I had seen in the game so far. It dodged and blocked, sometimes even caught the arrows mid-air to thrust them into my teammates, stacking the bleed further.

  It was like facing an unnervingly fast, grotesque combination of a priest, a mime and a clown.

  We were managing, but only just.

  Then the Sacrificer's health dropped below 70%, and everything changed.

  The creature threw back its head and screamed, but I was pretty sure it wasn't in pain.

  The alcoves along the walls began to glow with sickly green light, and the bones within started to move.

  “Communion of the Damned!”

  Skeletal forms pulled themselves free from their ritualistic arrangements, dozens of them, their empty eye sockets burning with sickly light.

  They weren't strong, between level 16 and 18, and they fell after a single shot, but there were way too many of them.

  "Adds!" Lothras called out. "We need to deal with the adds!"

  "I'll handle them," Athos said, already moving to intercept the approaching horde. "Keep the boss busy!"

  "Be careful!" Kara shifted her song, trying to provide support to both groups simultaneously.

  The Sacrificer watched its minions swarm toward us with evident satisfaction. "My congregation," it said. "The faithful who gave their lives for the promise of eternity. They serve me still, even in death. Even after all these centuries."

  I split my attention between the boss and the adds, firing arrows at whichever target presented the best opportunity. Piercing Shot tore through a line of skeletons, dropping three of them in a single hit.

  Fan of Arrows scattered another group, the knockback buying Athos time to reposition.

  But for every skeleton we destroyed, two more seemed to take its place.

  "This will do it!" Kara shouted, her voice strained. “Tune of Death!”

  The song was very effective. It helped with our sustain, as well as dealing continuous damage to the skeletons, grinding them down.

  “Also…” she gritted her teeth. “Double Cast: Soothing Melody!”

  It was shaky at first, but she stabilized successfully.

  She can already Double Cast it?

  I knew how hard using her passive skill was. She needed to practice a lot. She even told me she practiced IRL.

  To be able to Double Cast with a relatively new skill, merging two melodies together, was nothing short of miraculous!

  "Everyone, focus on the boss!" I made a decision. "Tune of Death will handle the adds!!"

  "Got it!"

  Athos disengaged from the skeleton horde, using Comet to launch himself over their reaching hands and back toward the main fight. The undead followed, but they were collapsing fast.

  We converged on The Sacrificer, all four of us attacking in concert.

  It wasn’t ignoring Lothras anymore.

  Maybe as long as it doesn’t cast that Blood Tithe skill, it can freely choose its targets, I thought. But now that it’s on Kara, it acts more or less like a regular boss.

  The Paladin tanked its attacks while Athos and I poured on damage. Kara kept us alive, her healing barely keeping pace with the bleed effects and incidental damage from the skeletons that reached us.

  But the boss's health dropped steadily.

  Then The Sacrificer raised both hands, and the four braziers around the room flared with renewed intensity.

  "You've proven yourselves worthy," it said. "Worthy of the ultimate honor. Worthy of being harvested."

  It began to channel.

  Dark energy swirled around its form, gathering into a vortex of crimson energy. Even the air was harder to breathe.

  Then the notification appeared.