A Dungeon’s Survival

Adraugon

I watched as the hand of my prey and the weapon it gripped rose and pulled back. She thought she could get the jump on me, a foolish notion at best. I waited. Then, as it snapped forward, I leaped into action.

I turned to the side and ran a short distance. From behind me, I heard a clink ring out as the blade crashed into my hoard. That filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction. It seemed that she had voluntarily put forth the trophy I had coveted as an offering. It looked like I would need to choose another prize to commemorate the occasion.

I turned on the spot and began closing the distance between us. What met my sight was not the girl, however. It was another glistening blade. I wouldn't be able to turn fast enough to dodge it too. Instead, I jumped and activated an ability.

Wind Flow!

Air currents instantly formed under my wings, lifting me from the ground. The thrown blade harmlessly passed by under my feet. Then, with the space between us cleared, I shifted the flow of the wind to carry me forward at a speed the pathetic bug could not hope to match up to. Slow and sluggish in comparison to me, it was time for me to assert my superiority. After all, last time, I had been the one who couldn't keep up. Now, the situations would be reversed.

Where to strike?

I only had the briefest of moments to decide. There were many options available to me, but I could only choose one. In the end, I went with what I thought would allow me to get the most decisive kill possible. I aimed for the neck. There was nothing there to protect it, and ripping into it should have been an easy matter. With that decided, I flew forth. Flexing my claws, I was ready to dig into her flesh, but just as I was about to land, the blade of a spear rose up between me and my target.

Annoying.

I swerved, the winds under my control carrying me in a narrow arc around to her back.

Let's see you counter this.

Less than a second later, I was swooping back in, but my target did not remain still. The bug had realized she could not keep up, so she tossed herself forward and twisted in midair to keep her distance. She was slow, though, too slow to buy herself any more than an extra moment, but she used that moment well.

She had already drawn two new weapons to replace the ones she had discarded and was in the process of reaching for another pair with the hands that had held the spear only a moment prior. The two blades she had at the ready were being brought up into a guard position. I picked up as much speed as I could as I closed in.

It should have been the perfect opening for me, yet her movements were precise. Annoyingly, even if she was slower than the last prey I hunted, the one that my efforts had allowed the lifespring stone to slay, she seemed no less capable. Bringing her blades toward me in what soon became a pair of diagonal sweeps, she managed to successfully back me into a corner.

My first thought was to use Velocity Transference to knock one of the blades back at her. Instinctively, I knew that wouldn't work, though. I couldn't get the angle right for a lethal blow at my current trajectory. Also, I would only be able to redirect a single blade. The other one would still slice straight through me. Even if I knew I could survive it, I would be left in worse shape than the prey. Regrettably, I needed to cut my losses and focus on the next exchange.

I made to pull back and slip through the opening in her strikes, but I had hesitated for too long and put on more speed than I could handle in the time that I had to react. Maybe I could have managed to redirect myself if I had invested more into my WILL, but it was too late for that now. The control over my Wind Flow ability was as good as it was going to get. I needed something else.

Gale Impact!

At the last possible second, I cast the spell at full power. Had the bug been grounded, it probably wouldn't have been enough, but since she was still mid dive, the wind caught her and carried her far enough away for me to pull up without being shredded by her blades. Indignation flooded me as I found myself without one of my tools. I hadn't wanted to squander my spell so early on, but what choice did I have?

Gnashing my teeth, I made my way to the tunnels above. I would secure my kill, but I would do so on my own time frame. When I struck next, she wouldn't have a clue what hit her.

* * *

Cameron

Seriously, Fabe, what's wrong?

“It–it's probably nothing.”

Don't give me that. I've never seen you act this way before. What's wrong?

“I'm sorry,” he struggled to get the words out, “she just reminds me of one of the people who killed my last core. As far as I can tell, she doesn't have shadow magic, though, so it's probably not her. Still, be careful. Don't let your guard down.”

That surprised me.

Wait, you think she's the one that killed your last core?

“No, logically, I know she probably isn't, but I can't shake this feeling. The resemblance is uncanny.”

Should I try to kill her, then?

“Uh …”

I don't really want to. She did possibly save me during the bandit raid, and I kind of like her, but I trust your judgment. Say the word, and I'll do it.

“If she uses any shadow magic, then, do it.”

So, you just want me to wait see if she does, or …?

“I don't know. I'm not thinking clearly right now.”

Work with me here. What exactly are you thinking? Is she possibly hiding that ability or what?

“If she is one of them, then, yes.”

Okay, we can do this, then. I'll just push her to her limits and see if she does anything.

With that decided, I turned my attention to my most loyal protectors, Vie, Pee, could you go help Adraugon? I want you to push her to her limits, but killing her isn't necessarily the goal here. Make sure you at least run her off, though.

“As you wish, our queen,” and, “Yes, mother!” were their responses.

I felt a concerning amount of eagerness from them and had to wonder if I just made a mistake.

* * *

Adraugon

“Nope, nope, nope. I wanted to fight a snake, maybe a Trenti, not this. I'm out,” the prey panicked.

I was making my way to the other side of her through the tunnel system, so I didn't have a line of sight on her, but her words carried all the same.

“Fuck! Hey, guys, move those boulders as soon as you can, please! I need out of here, now!”

It seemed the traps the lifespring stone had intended to prevent prey from making it this far were blocking the exit, preventing retreat instead. That worked for me.

Soon, I reached the tunnel opening I had been aiming for. Unfortunately, the bug was facing where I was emerging from, so I waited. I wanted the perfect opening, and if I waited long enough, Gale Impact would become available once more. Patience was key.

Then, something caught my eye. It was those annoying snakes. They were sneaking up behind the girl. I squinted at them. I didn't need their help here. If it were some mindless creature being controlled by the lifespring stone, I wouldn't have minded too much, but that pair in particular got on my nerves.

My claws scraped against the floor in irritation. That prey was mine to hunt. I didn't care if the pair also wanted revenge; they didn't deserve a chance to redeem themselves. They had yet to be useful even once. I would hunt the prey before they could. If I was feeling generous, I figured I might let them clean up the scraps in the room below, but this one was mine.

I launched forth from the tunnel opening and soared straight for her. With a burst of speed, she jumped toward me, in turn. I hadn't been expecting that. With how quickly she reacted, she had to have seen me before I made my move. She had only pretended that she hadn't.

I roared in frustration as a storm of blades closed in on me from every direction. I was not going to back down this time. I turned as I neared her and pumped air into my wings to carry me at the perfect angle to collide with one of the incoming strikes. I aimed for the dagger that moved a hair slower than the rest. As it landed, I activated Velocity Transference.

The weapon, along with her arm, shot back and made a loud cracking sound. I, on the other hand, had my momentum fully arrested. I spread my wings and let Wind Flow carry me backward, but before I could fully clear the area a dagger found purchase in my wing. It ripped its way through and into my stomach. Pain flooded through me with the lethal attack, but even as every part of my brain screamed that I should be dead, I clung on to life. I would not be able to take another hit.

I tried to sail away on the wind, but I found myself spinning uncontrollably instead. As I began to lose altitude, I saw the woman raise another blade. That wasn't what caught my attention, though. It was the teeth she had bared at me and the glint in her eyes. I had been mistaken. This bug was no prey. She was a predator. She wasn't a predator on the same level as a dragon like me, but she was a predator nonetheless, and she had earned my respect. I closed my eyes as I waited for the embrace of death.

This will only make victory over you all the sweeter in the future, I thought to myself.

Then, there was the whoosh of a blade and a pained shriek. I opened an eye and saw what had been the cause of the bug's failure to strike me down. Two pairs of fangs had found purchase in her neck. I felt both annoyance and begrudging respect at that.

Fine, I hissed as I plummeted down the hole to the floor below, clean up my scraps if you can.

* * *

Flur

I pushed through the pain and threw my dagger. This was it. I was going to finish that lizard off and get out of here. Then, just as the weapon was about to leave my fingertips, agony shot through my body like nothing I'd ever felt before. It wasn't even the chunks that were taken out of my neck that froze me in pain in that instant and threw off my aim. It was the feeling that my entire body had suddenly ignited, roasting me alive from the inside.

As quickly as I could, I swung my arms around in an attempt to cut through whatever was clinging to me. As my blades neared it, I felt a weight I hadn't even noticed leave my shoulders. That did nothing to diminish the anguish I was in, but it had bought me a precious second.

I spun on the spot and was met with the sight of the two-headed snake. In both pairs of its jaws were forming blasts of shadow magic. I didn't hesitate. I kicked the spear over the edge and threw myself backwards after it. I felt myself begin to descend down the hole to the floor below. I wouldn't survive that fall, but I was even less likely to survive sticking around for even a second longer. The blasts shot forth, and I knew I was about to die.

I gritted my teeth and thought as the world seemed to freeze around me, No, not here, not now. I've survived far too much to die like this!

I stretched my leg out as far as it would go.

There!

The tip of my foot barely touched the edge of the shaft. That was all I needed. With the prerequisite met, I reached for the only active ability I had that wasn't on cooldown.

Blurring Step!

All at once, my momentum doubled. I wasn't moving fast to begin with, but it was just enough to get me down the lip of the pit before the magic exploded in front of my face. I then made to spin midair. I dropped whatever daggers I was still holding and threw two of my three working arms out to create as much air resistance as I could. With the third, I reached for the spear.

My fingers closed in around its handle, and I knew I had only moments to act. I brought it up and gripped the very back of it with all of my working hands. Then, I thrust it into the edge of the shaft, digging my feet into the opposing wall. It was the maneuver I had intended to use to get up before the boulders had changed things, but with the momentum I had managed to build up, coming to a complete stop was out of the question.

Pain flooded my body as I tensed every muscle I had in an attempt to halt my momentum, but compared to the excruciating sensation of the venom coursing through my veins, drawing me closer and closer to death with every passing second, it was nothing. Besides, I was far more preoccupied with the bottom of the pit that was drawing near and the fact that it had been cleared of the boulders that clogged it. My party was at the bottom, looking up at me with shock on their faces. My priorities shifted at that moment.

“Start running! We need to get out of here, now!” I yelled two seconds before reaching the bottom of the shaft.

As the stone under my feet and pressing against the tip of the spear gave way to open air, I twisted my body, assuring that I landed on my feet. As I did so, I stumbled and felt a wave of nausea hit me. I didn't let that get the best of me, though.

“I said go!” I shouted at the others as I kicked my foot under a knife and brought it up in a motion that sent it airborne.

I caught it in my hand and spun on the spot to launch it up into the pit. I didn't know where I was aiming until it was already leaving my hand, but with a last moment adjustment, I directed it toward the monster above that I had been expecting to see coming down.

The two-headed snake evaded the projectile in a blur of shadows, but I didn't care. I just started moving while reaching into my bag for the much-needed antivenom. What followed was the most stressful sprint out of a Dungeon any living adventurer could possibly claim to have experienced. It brought back a lot of bad memories I wasn't fond of.