"Keep going, we're nearly out!"

The Captain's shout was strained, forced out between gasping breaths.

"Ambush! On the left! Durian, block them!"

A stout man pushed past, somehow accelerating despite the bulk of his half plate, and bodily rammed the emerging monsters back into the hidden passage. Not bothering to even draw his blade, Durian rolled, stumbled back onto his feet, then fought to catch up. No one dared look back.

"Captain! I can feel... they are.. the exit is..!"

Panted Pennant, their Seer. Ton knew little of the man as he wore a mask and was always wrapped in heavy cloaks. Not now though. The party had dropped everything they quickly could, whether worn or carried. Those who cared to much for their modesty or possessions were now.. gone. And so the Seer ran in his underclothes, glowing tattoos visible for the first time.

An cultist of Heradrius. We will be having words later. Assuming we survive...

"Are we blocked by the door or monsters?!"

"Monsters! Just monsters!"

"Then we make a path! Ton, handle it!"

His knees were aching. He could taste blood on his tongue from working his lungs too hard. If it weren't for the half dozen personal reinforcement spells he was powering, Ton would of keeled over by now. His body was reaching his limits, but his magic? His magic was deep and roiling, eager to break free and cause havoc. No spell was needed now, efficiency be damned. Ton plunged his consciousness into his arcane reservoir, wrapped a dangerous amount in his frustration and anger, then hurled it at reality while roaring wordlessly.

It hit the world as a thundering, all-consuming bright purple beam of heat and static. The ground shook, walls cracked, and the blockading monsters evaporated leaving naught but a stormy mess of embers.

With the path cleared, the last survivors of their party dashed over the crisp ground, up the stairs, and burst out into the sunlight.

"Never again. Never ever again. I don't care how much the pay is, that was NOT worth it."

Grumbled someone as they collectively stumbled to a stop. Everon, their only half elf, still had her waterskin. After a few sips, she passed it round to the others while Captain took a headcount. It didn't take long.

"Seven. Just seven of us got out."

"Elders be.. we went in with more'n thirty."

Durian sat down heavily, his face drawn into a grimace. It was his band of mercenaries that made up most of their front line. A front line that disappeared under a tide of green and blue madness. He was the only one to get out.

"I been down plenty o' dungeons in my march, fought nest o' the buggers out East, e'n took us a dragon once. But I ain't ne'er seen 'em bastards act like that. Like, like.. you know? Like ants but with strategy. Oi, wizard. What in the hells is that thing you snagged, to make 'em act like that?"

Collectively, all eyes turn to Ton. More to the point, the bulbous rune lined sack hanging from his belt.

"This, gentlemen, will change everything. It is.."

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USERS WITH CLASS DC001AE OBJECT HAVE LEFT D3513.F0 BOUNDS, UNABLE TO PURSUE]

The message jolted across their minds; ancient letters mixed with sound, chirpy and stilted.

"Can anyone read that? What's it say?"

[TRY: CREATE TEMPORARY ARENA D3513.T0 CENTERED ON UNAUTHORIZED USERS...]

[... SUCCESS]

"Sorry Captain, the only ones who could read Enlis were Lily and Tombero and, well, they ain't here."

While the rest huddled, clutching their heads and muttering, Everon cautiously stood up and began to look around. Once Durian noticed, he threw out a question.

"What's wrong elfie? You hear something?"

"No. Not hear. It's just something feels off."

"You thinking bandits?" sigh, "We'd best get to a camp 'n then.."

"MANA!"

They both turned to Pennant, who had suddenly sprung to his feet.

"The ambient mana just started shooting up after that last message! It's like we are back in that bloody dungeon!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the ground erupted, sending dozens of dark, screeching shapes at them. Golems. Through the sudden dust, Ton saw Everon grabbed by hands as large as her head, and pulled down. He dipped into is inner reservoir again, shallower now, and threw out an uncontrolled burst of force, throwing the enemies back, but damaging them little. The monsters made of rock and soil were not so easily brought down.

"We're surrounded! Everyone, form a square! Ton, get us out of here!"

At the Captain's orders, the others jostled into a rough perimeter around Ton, spending blood to buy him seconds. Teleportation was no blast or beam. It needed Form, it needed Intent, it needed Direction, precise power control and whole slew of other parameters. Good as he was, Ton could not simply bend it into existence. And so he fell to the ground, pulled regents out of his belt, and began to madly scribble in the dirt with a burning finger.

A sickening crunch and a short wail let him know another of his allies had fallen.

Damnit all! This is not how it was supposed to go. A kings' ransom, half up front even! The best mercs and delvers not currently conscripted to the war, an unproductive dungeon as the target.. this should of been a cake walk. All I was supposed to do was fire off the Mage Council's device when we got deep enough, grab whatever appeared and then retire on a mountain of gold. I don't know what the hell this ball is, but if they want it they better pay double, no, triple! I want danger pay!

He finished the last few symbols, did a quick check to ensure everything was correct, and sighed in relief.

"Done! Powering it up!"

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USERS WITH CLASS DC001AE OBJECT ARE ATTEMPTING LONG RANGE SPACIAL DISPLACEMENT]

[TRY: EXECUTE SHORT BURST HIGH VARIANCE QUANTUM PROBABILITY SCRAMBLE]

[...SUCCESS]

It was like a giant fist had grabbed his very soul and twisted. There was screaming. His, Ton realized. As fast as it had come, the horrid sensation left. He was left gasping, blinking through the pain to make sense of his surroundings. Durian was already on his way back up, legs unsteady but eyes firm. The Captain was a beat later. No one else was stirring.

"Well, on the bright side, wa'ever that shite was wiped ou' the stone men too."

As if to mock him, fresh golems began to pull themselves out of the ground. Not wanting to waste time, Ton steadied his shaking hands and hurriedly repaired the inscription in the ground. The moment it was complete, Ton began to pump arcane force through the spell weave.

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USERS WITH CLASS DC001AE OBJECT ARE ATTEMPTING LONG RANGE SPACIAL DISPLACEMENT]

"No! Not again!"

[TRY: EXECUTE SHORT BURST HIGH VARIANCE QUANTUM PROBABILITY SCRAMBLE]

[...SUCCESS]

"AAAGGHHH!!"

Fear gripped his heart as he hit the ground for the second time. Forcing himself to keep a shred of reason, Ton tried to work through what was happening;

Every time I start to charge a spell, that.. voice, the dungeon? Since when could they talk! Whatever, SOMETHING keeps wrenching all magical structures apart.

He looked grimly at his teleportation engraving.

Only one way to possibly get through such disruption. Simplicity and raw power.

Ignoring the world around him, Ton began ripping chunks from his work and tossing them aside. He disposed of all safety measures (like checks on end-point to prevent teleporting into a wall, or to make sure all items/people ended up in the right place), TRIPLED the width of the main power conduit, grabbed every spec of power he had left..

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USERS WITH CLASS DC001AE OBJECT ARE ATTEMPTING LONG RANGE SPACIAL DISPLACEMENT]

and hurled it bodily into the spell.

[TRY: EXECUTE SHORT BURST HIGH VARIANCE QUANTUM PROBABILITY SCRAMBLE]

[...FAILURE: TARGET LOST]