"Hey Vral, you feeling good?"

"Yeah!" She grinned and pumped her arm. "Never better!"

"Tris, you feeling rested?"

"I feel much better." The quarter-elf smiled at me. "Thank you."

"Ro, Na-Ya, you two ready?"

"Always." Ro grinned.

"Much better, yes." Na-Ya stood up from the table. "Which way are we going, leader?"

Hearing her call me that made my heart skip a beat. They were truly trusting me to lead this trip. I'd have to tell them how grateful I was for their support after this was done. "Let's check both passages and see which looks more traveled." I pulled out the map, placed one of the skitterslink hats on it, and watched as the footprints reappeared on the page. "It looks like the north is far more well-traveled than the south, but we should check both paths." Pointing to the southern door, I said, "Vral and Ro, check that way. Na-Ya, Tristan, and I will check north."

"Okay," Vral said as she jumped up from the table and walked to the door. "Come on, elf. Time's burning. Let's go."

With a nod, Ro stood and walked with her to the southern door.

Gesturing at the cousins, I said, "Alright, you two. Come on." Walking past the table they were sitting at, I listened as the girls stood up and began to follow. A moment later, the three of us were standing in front of it, my hand on the handle. "Spells ready."

"On it," Na-Ya said, her staff glowing.

"Yes, sir!" Tristan winked at me before bringing her two-handed mace around.

"Alright, let's do this." I heard the southern door groan open behind me. I pulled mine open a moment later.

A wave of musty, rat-shit laden air struck my nose. I had a feeling I'd chosen the correct passage based on the smell alone.

The sound of iron grinding on stone filled the space behind us.

"Go in, but don't go far," I called to Vral and Ro.

"Okay." Vral's voice was already disappearing down the tunnel.

"Come on, girls." I stepped into the tunnel, which was much wider than the ones we'd traveled through before, and began marching my way into the gloom. The smell was rank. It smelled like a mixture of wet basement and dirty shed. There was litter everywhere, too. Fur, trash, clumps that looked like skin and bones. Everything was absolutely filthy.

Before I'd made twenty feet, the darkness began to close in. "Could you get us some light, Na-Ya?"

Tristan spoke first. "I can—"

"On it." I heard Na-Ya whisper a few words.

[Brilliant Light]

The tunnel was illuminated in golden white light.

"I could have done it..." I could hear the pout in Tristan's voice.

"Save your magic for when it counts," I told my lover. "This is just a tunnel."

"Fine..." She sounded disappointed.

One day, beautiful quarter elf, we'd both be strong. Until then, let your cousin help you out. "Na-Ya's got it."

"He's right," Na-Ya told her cousin. "Just stay ready, and know that the time will come for you to use your magic well."

"Okay..." She still sounded disappointed.

Looking around the tunnel, I quickly found that the walls were covered in countless claw marks. Not just a few scattered scratches, but layers upon layers of thick, four-fingered gouges. Walking up to one of the walls, I ran my fingers across the stone. They were not only numerous but deep. "Looks like they were trying to carve their way through."

"I didn't know that skitterslinks were intelligent." Na-Ya's voice was thoughtful. "They always seemed mindless before."

"Maybe the dungeon changing led to them gaining more intelligence?" It was possible, I supposed. I looked back at Faye, but she was conspicuously not paying attention to us.

"Maybe." Na-Ya ran her fingers along the stone.

"Maybe they were always intelligent," Tristan said as she did the same. "But they never had a chance to show it? Or maybe the longer they're manifested, the more intelligence they gain?"

Faye's face twitching told me everything I needed to know." I think you're, love. It makes sense that monsters got smarter as they got stronger."

"You think so?" Her sapphire eyes found mine.

"You're brilliant." A little buttering up never hurt anyone. It was part of morale, right?

"Thank you!" She smiled brightly.

"Let's go a little further." I walked forward until the tunnel sloped downward. The air grew thicker the further we went, especially as the tunnel started turning down. I could hear chittering ahead, too, but it wasn't the random skittering we'd heard before. This had rhythm to it. A pattern. Why?

"Hold up." I raised my fist like a fucking spy. "Something's wrong."

Na-Ya and Tristan froze behind me.

"What is it?" Tristan whispered.

Three skitterslinks emerged from one of those little side tunnels about twenty feet ahead. They spread out immediately: two moving to the sides, one moving back. The one in the center wore a tiny, tattered tophat that sat crooked on its head. It began chittering to the other two, who both chittered back. What seemed like an argument ensued, but after a good thirty seconds of angry squeaks, the two skitterslinks inched their way toward us.

"Since when do rats use tactics?" Tristan whispered.

"The hell is going on?" Na-Ya sounded so confused.

The center rat released a piercing shriek.

The two rats darted forward, but they jumped backward before I could cut them down. Just as my sword barely missed the leftmost monster, I saw movement above. Squinting, I watched as the monsters moved along the ceiling, their long claws gripping the ceiling like a squirrel gripped the side of a tree.

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"Above!" I shouted, raising my shield.

Two furry monsters angled their beady eyes toward us, screamed, and leaped off the ceiling. They were both fast and at an angle I couldn't stop. Both shot past my head like furry missiles, their bodies aiming directly for the girls' throats.

[Intercept]

The world blurred around me. An instant later, I felt both of the women's bodies pressed against my back. Making myself as big as possible, I lifted my shield and guarded Tristan to my left.

[Rampart]

That triggered my Guardian talent, causing a second ghostly shield to appear in front of Na-Ya.

One of the monsters slammed into the ethereal shield with a loud shriek. The other smacked into my shield.

[Holy Light]

[Holy Light]

The cousins shot their spells at the same time. One beam of light struck the monster in the chest, the other in the throat. In a flash, it burned away, leaving nothing but ash behind.

With a stab, I caught the other monster in the throat. Its squeak turned into a gurgle as my sword punched through its throat. With a flick of my wrist, the monster's head fell from its neck, and its body fell to the ground and faded into black smoke.

The remaining three monsters looked at one another and began chittering, then stepped backward.

Not today, monsters.

[Provoke]

All three monsters' bodies were thrown forward a few steps. That hesitation would give me enough to finish this.

[Shield Throw]

In a flash, my shield was hurtling through the air, humming as it cut through the tunnel and toward the central skitterslink. Before it could even blink, my shield struck it in the head, cratering its skull in a single strike. Dashing forward, I slashed left, catching the leftmost monster in the chest with my sword and nearly cutting it in two. With the false edge of my blade, I cut backward right when the remaining monster leaped for my arm, but I wouldn't reach it in time.

[Iron Skin]

The monster's massive, jagged teeth bit into my arm an instant before it turned to metal. A loud, wicked crunch filled the tunnel as its teeth shattered. Then, a final squeak followed as my sword punched through its chest and pinned it to the stone wall. It screamed, gnashed twice, and then slumped, lifeless on my blade, before fading into black smoke.

"Damn... That was good, Alex." Na-Ya sounded astonished. "You've really grown."

"I could barely follow his movements..." Tristan's voice was heavy. "He's so fast now..."

"You will. Just give it time. You'll get there." Na-Ya's tone was consoling.

Not knowing what to say, I walked up the tunnel. There was movement at the edge of the light, but nothing else was willing to test itself against my shield. Instead, they all ran.

"Anything ahead?" That was Vral's voice.

"They ran." I stared after the retreating monsters. Pressing my shield against the only nearby tunnel, I turned and asked, "Anything your way?"

"The bitches ran," Vral said. Kneeling beside one of the corpses, she picked up some crystals. "Got two of 'em before they disappeared, though."

I heard footsteps behind her. Ro jogged up, sword drawn and covered in black blood, and said, "Three of them."

Vral's head whipped around. "They came back?"

"One did." He pulled a chunk of fur off his pauldron.

"Sorry..." Vral looked guilty.

"It's alright." He walked up next to her. "Everyone okay?"

"Nothing much." I pointed at the black dust coating the ground, in which a few crystals had formed. "Got five. Is the southern passage open?"

"Nope." Vral sheathed her daggers and collected the crystals that had appeared. "Collapsed. This is the only way."

Nodding, I said, "Alright, team. Let's get moving. Ro, take the rear. I'll take point." I stepped forward, shield up and sword ready. "And stay alert."

The others gave their affirmations.

"Let's move out." I started down the decline, the others following close behind.

***

Before long, the tunnel opened up into a network of intersecting passages. There were those small tubes everywhere, but the skitterslinks had also carved alcoves into the walls. Sleeping nests, storage spaces, refuse piles. It was like a monster town.

"This is a colony," Na-Ya breathed. "But it's way bigger than before. They built a damn city!"

"How is that possible?" Tristan moved closer to me. "I knew monsters could be intelligent, but skitterslinks?"

"Nothing I read in Arden's books said monsters this weak could coordinate." I couldn't help but shake my head. "Why can these?"

"Any monster can be a threat," Faye's voice was hard behind us. "Never underestimate a single monster. From the strongest Shadowspawn to the weakest pest, any one of them can be your death. Never, ever, underestimate them, and never trust them, no matter what any of them says to you."

Tell you? Trust? Who would trust a monster?

Before I could ask, chittering echoed from ahead. Then more from the left. Then the right.

"They're coming!" Ro said, raising his shield.

[Champion's Resolve]

A pulse of pale energy washed over us. The buzzing in my mind, the doubt, all faded away, replaced by certainty.

[Bless]

A second wave of glowing light washed over us. I felt my everything grow stronger, sharper.

[Barrier]

A wall of multi-colored light sealed the passage in front of us, sealing it off completely.

A breath later, I watched as five of the monsters slammed into the shield and bounced off, screeching as they clawed at the barrier.

"Good job, girls!"

"Th-Thanks!" Tristan responded.

That was Tristan? "You got it?"

"Y-yeah!"

That was my woman! "Keep it up!" I watched as the monsters clawed at the barrier, to no avail. Her barrier held them off.

Looking over, I saw beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. I couldn't help but be proud of her in that moment. I knew Na-Ya was throttling her, making sure she could survive the dungeon, but Tristan was nothing but determined. She'd contribute if it were the last thing she did. And I was proud of that, and her.

"I know you have what it takes."

"Of course I do." Her lips turned upward. "I'm Never-Miss Tris. I'll hold this barrier until the end if I have to."

Before I could say anything else, the sounds of a dozen more monsters approaching hit us. Skittering claws, dozens of them, echoing from the tunnels ahead. The sound built as they got closer, growing louder and louder, until dozens of the monsters were writhing beyond the barrier. Then, they turned and began entering the tubes in the walls.

"They're coming," I said, tightening my grip on the shield. "Look for the holes in the walls!"

Vral crouched low beside me, her red eyes gleaming in the dim light. "About damn time," she muttered, a wide grin on her face. "I was just about getting bored." She drew a half-dozen daggers between her knuckles, the blades shimmering in Na-Ya's light, and stepped toward the barrier. "Let them come. I'll cut down every shitty rat fuck that tries to come at my man and my woman."

"Your woman?" Trisan looked toward Vral.

"The fuck you think you are to me?" Vral's red eyes glimmered at the quarter-elf. "I don't protect just anyone."

"I... I didn't know you felt that way."

Vral rolled her eyes. "You're my woman, got it?"

"Got it." Tristan grinned. "Love you, too!"

"L-l-love... love..."

A series of squeaks cut off Vral's declaration of love.

Na-Ya shifted next to me, her sapphire eyes flicking down the passages. "The love's nice and all, but left or right?" She nodded toward the remaining passages.

Ro adjusted his stance beside her, golden hair glinting faintly under the glow of Na-Ya's light spell. "Tell us where you want us, Alex."

I nodded to the east. "You two take the right. I'll take the left." I looked at Tristan. "You keep that barrier up. No matter what, okay?"

"I've got it." She set her jaw. "I won't fail."

"I know you won't." I didn't know that, but I knew she needed to hear it.

"What about me?" Vrals' red eyes peered up at me. I could see the bloodlust in them.

I nodded toward the rear, right where Faye was standing, looking amused. "Take the rear, okay?"

"But—"

"You'll get the most action back there." I nodded toward the tunnel's walls. "Just keep an eye on the walls. They'll come. Trust me."

She twirled her daggers. "You sure?"

"Yeah." I watched as more of the skitterslinks disappeared down the small holes in the walls. "Get ready."

"Hell yeah. Come at me, bitches." She walked past Faye, blades twirling.

Looking back toward the others, I said, "Hold your ground. We take them slow and steady."

Faye's voice sounded in my mind. It was so calm... Teacherly... "Remember, chosen buddy. Leadership isn't just shouting orders. It's trusting the hearts that follow them. Do your trust your team to have your back?"

I didn't look back, but I felt her watching. "I do trust them," I said quietly.

"Show them." Her voice echoed in my mind. "Let them do what they need to do. And do the same. Protect them to the best of your ability. Let them do the same. They need it."

My heart rate surged. Could I actually do that? Could I trust that they could handle themselves without me intervening? "I'll try."

"Do."

As I thought about her final word, the first wave came into view. A crawling mass of skitterslinks flooded through the western tunnel, their eyes glowing, their teeth bared.

"Here we go!" I raised my shield, held my sword high, and braced myself. "Here they come! Everyone, do your best!"

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