Before the group came to the end of the passage, Dylan began to notice small holes hidden behind the webs. They were dug at random intervals into the walls. As he moved forward, the holes became larger. At first just big enough for a finger, they soon could accommodate an entire arm. And they kept growing.

Chester slowed down, obviously cautious about the holes. And about what had made them.

By the time the group had neared the tunnel’s exit, each opening they passed stretched more than two feet in diameter.

“I’m not comfortable separating the group with those there,” the Guardian nodded toward a hole positioned near his waist. “If spiders start coming out of them, it could get real easy for the noncombatants to be overwhelmed.”

“It’s not like having them at the heart of the fighting would be any better,” Rowan said.

“At least being closer gives us a better chance to respond if anyone’s in danger.”

“Wait a second,” Jaiden interrupted. “Let me try something.”

“What do you want—” Chester stopped talking when he saw the Earth Mage concentrate her mana on the hole. The wall around it began to vibrate, causing small clumps of dirt to slide down and disrupt the webs. After a few seconds of steadily increasing shaking, the hole collapsed.

“There,” Jaiden said, letting out a sigh of relief as she released control of her mana.

“What was the point of that?” Rowan gestured at the walls. “We’re still surrounded by the things.”

Jaiden rolled her eyes. “Assuming these holes continue into the next room, I was thinking I could help create a defensive position by closing a few of them.” She looked around the group. “I just needed to test if I could do it or not. I’ve never used Earth Manipulation quite like that before.”

“It’s not impossible,” Chester considered, “but we’ll have to see what the room looks like first.” The man firmed his grip on his shield. “Until then, I suggest we stick together.” Seeing no objections, he continued, “Rowan and I’ll continue to take point. Dena, you’re in the middle with Sara and Mark. Jaiden, Dylan, and Alice guard the rear.”

When the group exited the tunnel, the space around them didn’t open up as much as they’d expected. The earth above their heads was now close to twenty feet away, but there was a wall directly to the front, gently curving away from them on either side. It was as if they’d left one passage only to enter another larger passage.

When Dylan turned to look behind him, he saw a surface littered with what the group had assumed to be spider holes. Their number and irregular positioning made him feel queasy. And obviously, he wasn’t the only one; Mark looked pale. Even Rowan’s lips were a little tight.

The group tacitly decided that it would be best to move away from the place as soon as possible. Chester glanced in both available directions and chose to head to the left. There were no real distinguishing features in the cave to help guide the decision, so no one objected.

The tunnel was longer than they’d expected, and it took several minutes before it came to an end; an opening to their right spread a flickering pool of light on the earth before them. Along with the glow, there also came the sounds of something moving. Dylan slowed his breathing to listen. Several somethings.

Chester was about to peek around the corner when one of the lizard creatures walked into the tunnel. Rowan jumped out quickly, aiming to decapitate the thing, but he was too late. Just as his blade reached the monster’s neck, it let out a roar. Though it was cut short, whatever else was nearby had already been alerted.

“Shit!” The swordsman flicked blood off his blade as he cursed.

Scrambling sounds could be heard, as what Dylan assumed were more lizards got ready to fight. A horn of some kind echoed through the tunnels, and a moment after it passed, the world seemed to vibrate. A familiar skittering came from all around them.

Spiders were coming from the holes. A lot of spiders.

“Into the room.” Chester charged ahead, and the rest followed.

As he ran, Dylan summoned his deck. The environment was much more chaotic than the first room they’d fought in; he wouldn’t be able to wait and conserve his resources like before. The only good thing was that it had been long enough for his mana to have almost entirely regenerated.

Cards flashed into existence around him, and he rounded the corner.

There was another large cavern in front of him. Rocky walls were lined with torches, and a stream split the space in two. On their side were several small groups of the lizards, and on the other were crude earthen huts fronted by wooden doors. At the back of the room was a rampway carved into the rock. At its top was a waterfall, the source of the stream.

Dylan checked carefully, and he found that, although the cavern walls were still peppered with spider holes, their numbers were significantly less across the water.

Chester noticed too. “We have to get across the stream. When we do, Jaiden can start closing some of the holes while the rest of us fight.”

When the Guardian was finished speaking, Dylan’s hand finally appeared. He looked at the cards as the group charged forward.

Basic Energy, Basic Energy, Intermediate Energy, Immobilize, Phantom Rally.

It took effort not to curse.

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He only had a single card that was immediately actionable, and even that one wouldn’t be a great help right now.

He could only focus on running and watching out for the dangers around him.

Chester shouted, taunting the first group of lizards they approached, and as they clumped together to charge at him, Rowan used Elemental Cleave, clearing the group in an instant. He’d be weakened for the next few minutes, but his actions had saved the group from having to stop and deal with the monsters. With the opening he’d created, they were all able to rush to the stream.

“Get across, Rowan and I’ll hold them here.” Chester ordered.

Dylan looked back to see spiders begin flooding into the cavern from the tunnel they’d just left. More were coming from the holes around the room, but those were fewer and more sporadic.

As he stepped into the water, Dylan noted that it was almost the end of his turn. He played a Basic Energy to make room in his hand just before his mind split, and then he drew a card.

Intermediate Energy.

Shit.

There was nothing he could do but press on.

The water soon came up to his waist but didn’t go any higher.

He heard the clash of steel behind him, but didn’t look back. He focused on the shore in front of him. On the scattered spiders making their way toward their group. He needed to be on land before they reached the water.

It was a near thing. One of the spiders had emerged from a hole close to the waterfall, and it was almost on top of him when he came out of the stream. He almost had to activate Immobilize, but before he had time to react, a chunk of rock smashed through the creature’s head.

Jaiden had used Stone Bullet. Dylan turned to see her only halfway across the water; she’d slowed down to use the skill. In the same glance he saw Chester and Rowan finish dealing with another group of three lizards just as the first in the flood of spiders arrived.

Dena and Alice reached dry land a moment later, Sara still coming close behind. Mark was barely ahead of Jaiden.

Seeing the group’s situation, without even taking the chance to remove her violin case, Dena began to play.

The monsters slowed and Chester and Rowan took the opportunity to begin backing their way across the stream. The lizards were still agile enough to begin making their way through the water in pursuit, but the combination of the music and the current was enough to stall most of the spiders.

Another flying rock took the spider nearest Dena in the head as Dylan helped pull Mark out of the water. As they had during the first fight, the monsters viewed the music as an attack and moved to surround the violinist as she played. She separated herself a little from the rest of the group, giving her more space to dodge while simultaneously drawing the monsters away from the others.

Dylan played his second Basic Energy just before his turn began, feeling the familiar pressure begin to weigh down on him. When he drew his next card, he was once again frustrated. Mana Shield. It was better than what he already had, but it wouldn’t help him kill anything.

Still, he activated the card and readied himself to face the monsters. Maybe he could position himself as a human shield while the effect lasted.

When Jaiden finally emerged, she quickly turned around and began to provide support to the two still crossing the stream.

“Can you do that sword thing again?” Alice asked from the side.

“Sorry,” Dylan said, pursing his lips. “Don’t have it right now.”

“Let me know when you do.” She readied her hammer.

“Got it.”

Dylan could hear his heart beating in his ears; he was forced to cope with the fact that there was almost nothing he could do to help. Even though he already knew what was in it, he glanced at his hand. Cards that generated energy. A card that supported other cards he didn’t have. All he was able to use right now was one Immobilize, but that didn’t seem like it could make much of a difference in a fight like this.

He felt like he was letting his party down.

Everyone else was struggling.

Dena was carefully dancing around a slowly increasing number of spiders. Jaiden was constantly using her magic to kill monsters trying to cross the stream. Chester and Rowan were taking hit after hit as they backed their way through the water, nearing its edge. Even Alice and her small hammer looked more useful right now than he was.

All he was doing was watching while he prayed for better cards.

As his mind split, he drew again.

Suddenly, before he could look at the new card, there was a flash of light followed by a loud bang. Monsters exploded and the stream itself was blown backward, pushing the tide of spiders along with it.

When Dylan saw Chester hunched forward, chest heaving, he realized what must have happened. Retaliation.

For every one of the hits he and Rowan had taken as they’d fought, and for every one of the hits they’d taken while retreating across the stream, Chester’s Retaliation counter had been building. Because the monsters had been slowed by both Dena’s music and the water, it had been easier for Chester to block their blows. And for those hits he hadn’t been able to catch, the deceleration had greatly reduced their power. The Guardian had taken advantage of the situation to build up a truly abnormal number of counters, and when he’d finally activated the skill…

Monster guts were everywhere. Blown apart by Chester’s strike and spread further by the water. The survivors crashed into their companions behind them. A tangle of lizard and arachnid limbs giving the party a much-needed opening.

“Let’s go,” Chester said through heavy breaths.

Rowan, though bleeding from multiple cuts along his face and arms, wasted no time in rushing to aid Dena. Jaiden killed a spider newly emerged from the wall.

Dylan finally found the chance to look at his new card. Mana Shield. He mentally shoved it away from him to join the others floating uselessly to the side.

“There,” Sara said, pointing at the earthen huts. “We can use those for cover. We might have to fight some lizards, but there’re only a few spider holes in that area. If Jaiden can close them, we should be able to put up a good defense.”

Chester nodded. He didn’t speak but began to move across the room.

“Dena! Rowan!” Alice shouted. “We’re moving to the huts.”

The two didn’t say anything, but began to slowly move their fight in the same direction.

When the party had run about half the distance, one of the doors burst open. Two sword-wielding lizard creatures howled and ran out. Immediately after, more doors revealed more lizards.

Chester used Taunt and the monsters focused their attention on him. Jaiden tripped a pair by manipulating the earth beneath their feet as they ran, and Alice was quick to dash up and brain one with her hammer. It wasn’t really meant to be used as a weapon, but it was enough to incapacitate the thing.

The Blacksmith looked at the monster’s sword, leaning over to take it, but just as she was about to touch the weapon, something made Dylan turn sharply to the left. A sense of danger. An arrow was streaking across the room, straight at Alice’s forehead.

Time seemed to slow, and Dylan acted on instinct.

He pulled Immobilize into his hand and activated it. Reaching for the arrow.

It froze. Hovering in the air a mere foot from its target.

When Alice pulled the sword free from the lizard’s grasp, she looked up and then fell backward in shock.

The card’s effect ended, and the arrow, now bereft of momentum, dropped harmlessly to the ground.

Dylan let out a sigh of relief, then looked for the source of the shot. There was lizard with a bow standing on a ledge at the top of the waterfall. One of its vestigial arms drew an arrow from a waist quiver, passing it up, ready to be nocked.

“Archer!” Dylan called. “Get to the huts!”

He helped Alice to her feet, and the two ran.

Just as his next turn began, a second arrow sliced close enough at the air beside him to make his shield crackle. He chose to draw, but it wasn’t until he ducked behind one of the huts that he looked at the card.

Finally, Dylan thought, something I can use.