[CRICKET is participating in the November Writathon. Enjoy!] The dark, damp, rat-infested underworld is no place for a human slave. Fortunately, Cricket is not human. He's a five-foot-tall insect—six if you count his antennae, and he insists that you do.  He has a shiny black shell, ADHD, and a winning smile. After all, nothing improves forced servitude like a positive attitude! With his fellow slaves—an amiable dryad from the surface, a sour necromancer cephalopod, and a host of ratlings and lizardmen—Cricket develops a knack for combat as he assassinates rivals and hunts down deserters. Despite his love for a good fight, however, Cricket resents furthering the agenda of a corrupt and waning empire. When he uncovers a plot to overthrow that empire, he must decide whether his home is worth defending! What to Expect: -Progression High Fantasy with a Dungeons and Dragons feel -Fun banter with clean fight scenes -A neuro-divergent, non-human protagonist -Depictions of slavery, violence, and racism toward non-humans