They thought that the differences from the second and the third floor was a lot but the fourth floor had such a large difference from the last floor that Skitter Nail almost thought they somehow left the dungeon. Instead of the tunnels that were the last three floors the fourth was a large, no massive room that was where all of the water collected into a large lake that was passable using stone bridges that lead to column islands of pillars, tunnels, and pipes. The fourth seemed to be not the typical sewer and was more of a water reservoirs a dirty and waste filled water reservoirs but still good at hold a lot of water, the duo did notice that each column island seemed had multiple floors and from the water damage and rust the lower ones have the water most rise sometimes.

  Still no signs of the third floor boss but from the obvious scars of claws and burnt stone on some of the columns it must have been here recently, they began to get a move on it because they don’t know anything about the floor and they are in the open. Skar walked on the stone bridge that went to the closest column while Skitter Nail stood on her back head on swivel on the lookout for danger, Skitter looked into the water below and swore he saw movement. It was when they finally got off the hundred meter long bridge that they met the first of the new monsters for this floor, the ugly monster that looked like a mix of a frog and a leech was called Freak which was a name it very much deserved.

  When the freak saw them it jumped off the column and as it fell it made what sounded like the mixture of a croak and the wicked laugh of an old hag, the both of them were surprised by the fact that they didn’t need to fight but maybe freaks are cowards. The column that they were on seems to be a grid of tunnels that random ladders to different layers, they chose to stay on the third layer since even though it did have some water damage they could easily get back to the bottom floor when they want to start moving. The plan to find out what else was different with this floor worked out greatly as they learned many things and Skitter meant when he said there were many differences.

  The first thing Skitter Nail learned was that their encounter with the freak was very lucky since those ugly things normally swarm in groups of 50, they could find a single lone monster other than that time they saw the one freak. Mud slimes filled pipes, goblins made forts, sewer wolves had dens, and torch roaches made hives and the only thing that didn’t change was that sludge drippers roamed in packs of two but instead of being level four they are both level five. It was with each of these discoveries that Skitter started to think it was a mistake to go down to the fourth floor, but he also knew that with great risk comes great rewards so they are going to stay.

  The trail of burning destruction that the boss left behind in its wake leads deeper into the fourth so they know where it is, but they are both worried with how much destruction it is causing that may have leveled up by now. The boss had already seemed strong, evident by the destruction and if it did get a level then maybe the two of them couldn’t take it down, it maybe time for them to get a third teammate which will slow down their already slow leveling. It would make fighting easier and they could take more fights if they had a more rounded team, it really matter what kind of monster and what class they had.

  As they looked around the floor for a new teammate they discovered that the reason why they were a lone freak when they entered the floor was because it seems freaks are the boss’s favorite food as many half eaten swarms litter many of the columns. It was also true that these swarms were larger and more deadly the more the boss consumed them, the last dead swarm they passed had to be more than a hundred strong but they lay dead, smoked and charred. The air was filled with the smell of hot putrid blood and filthy ash as the fires dead down and smoldering bodies of freaks seemed to plead from the beyond for justice.

  What can only be called a battlefield laid out in front of them and the horrors of it actually started to make the two feel sick, hundreds of bodies burn wasted not even allowed to be used to feed other monster, homes for other monsters that didn’t even want to be a part of the fight lost buried under bodies. From the center most piles of bodies a larger than normal freak crawled out covered in the cooked guts and blood of its own swarm mates, burn marks and jagged scars cover its body but they could see and feel a flame hotter than any that burned its skin blazed in its heart. It was something that both of them were familiar with that makes simple monsters become the things of legends if they use it to fuel their ambitions, anger, hate, disgust, fear, and despair even if monsters can’t be as empathic as humans when they do feel it they gain reason.

  Skitter Nail and Skar walk over to the lone survivor stood and watched as it noticed them, the freak let out a choked sound that was like a cry and a roar mixed into one for it knew the moment it looked in the rat’s and lizard’s eyes that they have once felt what it is feeling now. Humans have the luxury of having both more emotions and time to form powerful bonds, but monsters no they don’t have either but that makes it so monsters cherish what they do have and when that thing is gone that is when they break boundaries, befriend enemies, or become truly monstrous. The title monster has been debated for many centuries as at times the so-called monsters can feel more than any humans and they can forge bonds many times stronger than humans do.

  [Monster Mermarc has accepted to join party ‘Sewer Gang’]

  [Status]

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  [Stats & Class]

  Name: Mermarc

  Race: Freak

  Race Level: 4

  Class: Berserker

  Class Level: 2

  Hp: 47/130

  Sp: 7/30

  Mp: 8/8

  Strength: 9

  Dexterity: 6

  Vitality: 13

  Fortitude: 3

  Will: 2

  Intelligence: 5

  Wisdom: 4

  Perception: 6

  Unassigned Stats: 0

  [Skills & Titles]

  [Rage Lv 1]

  [Retribution Lv 1]

  [Savagery Lv 0]

  [Gene Tree]

  [Fatty Leech Happy Leech II] (+2 Vitality)

  [Blood Pumping] (heal 1 hp each attack)

  Unassigned DNA: 0

  It has now been an hour since Mermarc has joined their team and they are still following the trail of destruction that the boss had created, they now know the name of the boss and its abilities from the freaky looking frog that is Mermarc. The boss was an evolution of a torch roach with skills that make it be able to fly very fast and also produce liquid fire or well that was what Mermarc could best describe it as. Also as it turns out Mermarc is very strong for his level as it is almost impossible to get him off of you once sticks his teeth in you and good luck killing him since you can barely hurt him since he will be constantly healing.

  It was with his knowledge of the fourth that they learned better ways to travel and he seemed to know when the tides shifted, the freak was a little annoyed that they weren't rushing forward to find and fight the insect boss. There are some rare columns that the freak called ‘hub towers’ since these columns had to be double or triple the normal size and these columns seemed to be the way to the fifth floor as Mermarc said there were teleportation pads at the top of the towers. They were going to a special one of these hub towers since Mermarc thinks the boss will be there since this one is the freaks swarming grounds and since they had found a trail of burning destruction in the same direction he seemed to be sadly correct.

  They slowly made their way towards the hub tower since they already know it is there at the hub tower so rushing would be a waste of stamina and with going slow they can plan how they will fight the monstrous cockroach, even if Mermarc really wants to kill the horrible beast right now. At the top of a scorched spire the monstrous beast that could barely be called a roach screeched out into the void above the hub tower, the bodies of hundreds of burned freaks decorated the tower showcasing the boss’s power. The beastly insect of a boss notices its challengers on one of the bridges to its spire, rising from its throne of scorching death the boss lets out a clicky buzzing roar announcing its acceptance of the challenge.

  [the Scorching Roach Beast]

  [Floor III Boss]

  From the boss’s back feathered wings spread out to fly which looked so wrong on the insect that it couldn’t be natural, the roaches' unnatural front paws pushed it off the tower as it began to fly towards its soon to be snacks. Even though they don’t know everything about the dungeon it still tells them somethings and one thing it is telling them is that everything is wrong with this boss, the original boss is called ‘the Scorching Roach Mother’ not this beast and it not supposed to have feather wings, lion paws, or breath out liquid fire. It was so wrong that this must be how it broke out of its room in the first place, it was so wrong that the withering part of them that is connected to the dungeon is telling them that the thing is an outside invader even though it has the third floor boss title.

  Sweeping down towards the bridge the chimeric roach landed on it with noticeable weight to it, the beast’s plated spine raised as whistling steam blasted out and then the roaches stomach started to swell from double to triple and then to quadruple its normal size as mana shrank from the area. Then from the open maw of the beast an actual river of fire spewed out towards them, Skitter held on tightly to Skar as she [dash]ed out of the way and Mermarc hopped into the air towards the false boss, the butcher of his people. The freak berserker started to lose control of its emotions and it was surprising that he didn’t rush at the boss and instead dodge the roaches swipes while getting closer, Mermarc has seen many other freaks die by carelessly approaching the beast.

  As he approached the beast preparing to enact his revenge he noticed something about the boss that he hadn’t seen before, a second pair of front legs but it was too late as they swiped at him. When Skitter Nail and Skar saw their new freak friend get launched off the bridge they had to hope he was still alive as the beast brought its full attention on them, leaping at the remaining duo the roach opened its maw to eat them whole. [Dash]ing out of the way as a [ember] blinded the multiple pairs of incorrect eyes the duo continue to try and stall the beastly roach as it tried to kill them, that was until a clawed paw hit Skar and launched them away from each other and when Skitter Nail heard the whistling sound of the beast’s spines he knew everything has goon bad.