Fiery lashes scorched my body, but Candy’s healing sunflower managed to soothe my wounds before they became a problem. The Flesh Hulk took the brunt of the attacks, but every so often there would be an unavoidable area of effect attack that would catch me. FeelinLucky continuously channeled Drain and Necromancer’s Prayer to keep our tank as healthy as possible. Suzuha also kept up her party haste song as well as taking time to smash Dres’na with instant cast, sound-based spells.

             Dres’na kept up her assault with increasingly powerful attacks. Each one chipping away at the Flesh Hulk’s health. Candy and Lucky began to struggle to keep up with the damage being dealt. I took it upon myself to cast another long cooldown ability, Bloodsport. Red goop dripped from my fists. Each blow I delivered afterward absorbed a little bit of health. I watched as my health bar remained steady despite the consistent damage.

            “You all deserve the dungeon once I’m through with you,” Dres’na yelled.

            Suzuha aimed the head of her guitar at Dres’na, “Not today, you wannabe dominatrix!”

            A lightning bolt of immense proportions fired from her guitar’s head as Suzuha’s pick power slid up the neck. Dres’na cried out in pain as electricity forced her muscles to convulse, stunning her for a short time. The rest of our party took the hint and piled on as much damage as we could. I unleashed a flurry of kicks that kept me healed, and Candy rushed Dres’na with her lollipop, bashing the demoness in the head with a holy damage infused melee attack. FeelinLucky cast his own high-powered spell, Dark Spear, dropping numerous sickly green spears into Dres’na’s body while his Flesh Hulk hacked away at her with all its might.

            Quickly, Dres’na’s health depleted from the onslaught of attacks. Sooner than expected, the demoness crumpled into a pile of ash on the floor. Left behind was a small key that would open up the underground dungeon area. Oddly, a second key also dropped, except this one was much larger and ornate in design.

            “No chest dropped from her,” FeelinLucky observed.

            Candy slowly turned her head to him, “That’s your concern?”

            “I’m just being practical.”

            “You’re being greedy, is what your being,” Suzuha interjected.

            Out of the corner of my eye, something glittered from underneath the warden’s desk. Without telling my friends, I took the bigger key and checked the glint. Sure enough, a chest that was not normally there sat under the table. The key fit perfectly in the lock.

            Unfortunately, the chest was too close to the desk and the lid got stuck. With little effort, I managed to pull the treasure from its resting place. The box opened to no fanfare.

            Inside was something I did not expect to see. A single set of gunmetal blue plate mail armor were folded and stacked neatly at the bottom. Resting on top was a jagged great sword.

            “Guys, this is Kit-Kat’s gear. I’d recognize her Sanguine Fang anywhere.”

            Suzuha covered her mouth, “You don’t think-“

            Lucky swung his arms outward, “Let’s not think about that. We won’t know until we go down to the dungeon. As far as I’m concerned, Kit-Kat is still here.”

            Candy was already at the door when she stopped cold in her tracks, “Uh, guys. Things aren’t normal!”

           I pocketed Kit-Kat's equipment before poking my head over Candy's, which was not hard given our height difference. She was right. Usually, the staircase was silent as we descend after beating this boss, but that was not the case. We could see light and hear demonic shouting rounding the spiraling staircase.

            I quickly shut the door. Luckily, there was a bookcase nearby and I prayed for my plan to work. The bookcase was surprisingly light, or maybe my video game muscles just made things easier, as I tipped it over, blocking the door.

            “We have to go now!” I yelled.

            “Where?” Suzuha asked. “We can’t go back down the stairs.”

            At the other end of the room was a large bay window, and I got another idea, “Hope you three have a way to avoid fall damage!”

            I charged at the window, smashing straight through the glass. The drop was much farther than I thought it would be. As I approached the ground, I only had one plan to stop myself, and I hoped it worked. Brick and mortar scattered as I smashed my fingers through the wall behind me. I continued to fall but at a much more manageable pace. When I reached the ground, I took no damage on account of the falling speed being decreased.

            Above, I could see my other party members attempting the jump. Suzuha strummed her guitar, giving herself ethereal wings for a short time that allowed her to safely land next to me. Candy quickly changed into an eagle and flew to the ground, changing back when safe. FeelinLucky was not so lucky. He and his Flesh Hulk launched themselves from the window, but, as a Necromancer, he had to way to reduce his fall speed. Thinking quick, Lucky climbed onto his zombie’s back before the creation went splat. The monstrous body cushioned the blow but the zombie was left with only a few hit points.
            “We don’t have time to heal it. Let’s just go!” FeelinLucky commanded as he wiped zombie slime from his robes.

            Our party dashed around the tower, luckily avoiding any confrontation due to the demons climbing the tower instead. Ahead was our destination. The simple stone building with a locked gate for a door was the entrance to the last section of the dungeon.