Brandt

A flick of the creature’s tail sent men flying into the white painted walls of the dungeon. Brandt ducked and stabbed his blade into the tail as it swung above him. Steel grated harmlessly against bone.

The lab was a mess. Papers littered the room. Smashed vials full of strange liquids splattered against the walls and ceiling. Several unconscious and possibly dead knights lie all around the lab. Brandt had led an army into the dungeon to capture their target, but now, his army was miles underground, facing a creature far more powerful than they’d expected to encounter.

“Should we retreat Sir Brandt?” one of the knights asked him.

Retreat. Brandt had operated under one simple belief since he assumed command of the hex knights. Something his former master had said. He whispered it to himself. “Retreat is failure.”

The creature before him was, as far as he could tell, an undead creature with the body of a serpent. Its form was so large that he could hear bones grinding against the ground of the dungeon floor above. What had really thrown him off, though, was the fact that the creature had severed a part of itself from its main body. Upon realizing it couldn’t fully fit in the lab, it had simply broken away and created a new tail for itself. This smaller yet still powerful form was enough to give them trouble. But Brandt believed that small size might give them the opportunity they needed to cut it down. They still needed to hunt down the boy, but this creature presented a threat they couldn’t ignore as well.

The creature looked like the skeleton of a snake, but where there should be open space in between the bones, there was instead a kind of shell-like material between them.

“Assessment!” he called out. Every moment that passed would further increase the chance of serious injuries or fatalities of the men on the front line. But battle is all about information. He needed to know what he was facing.

One of the scarlet hex knights approached on his left side. “In its current state, Chimera, or Minotaur class. However, it could potentially reach Cerberus class levels once it rejoins its body.”

He’d expected a high appraisal, but Cerberus class? That was enough to wipe out all of Arcadeya. This threat needed to be contained. There were 13 classes of hex beast. Cerberus was the fourth highest. This was the kind of fight he’d want all of his strongest knights around for. But he’d only brought three of them. Redrick and Talmot were still several levels above. Dalys had disappeared when the creature showed up. She was either dead, or she’d gone after the boy. The latter was more likely. She hadn’t risen up the ranks so quickly by being passive. Her initiative was at another level. Her unique hex was a level beyond that.

This battle would come down to strategy. “Fall back to formation!” he called out. The knights on the frontline disengaged. The wyrm hadn’t yet found its fill of blood and flesh. Its tail rampaged. Its jaw snapped. But hex knights are some of the most well-trained soldiers in the world. Several of them covered the retreat, while others picked up fallen allies. Brandt waited in the tunnel's mouth. A translucent shield formed before him as the diamond hex casters covered the retreat of their comrades. Their power likely wouldn’t hold for long, so Brandt hadn’t allowed its use until now. But they needed to reform ranks for the next attack.

The bright diamond blue shield wall before him parted to allow the last of their retreating comrades behind the barrier. They fell back, replaced by new knights. Even the undead can’t fight forever. Whether it was a war of power or attrition, hex knights would adapt and conquer. Brandt tightened his grip around his sword. He would lead this charge.

“Blades with me!” he called out. The swords of the men just behind him lit up a bright blue. Brandt didn’t use his own power. The dungeon was unstable enough as is. “Shields to ceiling!” he called out.

The barrier before them dissipated, and a new one lined the ceiling of the tunnel most of his force was waiting in. The threat of dungeon collapse was a legitimate one. They’d worked to reinforce the unusual route they’d taken to reach this point and ensured they’d have a way back if things went poorly. But as they’d gotten closer, he’d prioritized speed over safety. Now, he needed to make sure they weren’t crushed by the miles of dirt above them.

Retreat is failure.

Victory is everything.

He charged. The creature’s neck jerked, and it lunged directly toward him. He brought his blade crashing down upon its face. It stretched its jaw and bit down on his blade. His feet dug in the dirt, and he held the creature at bay while his men encircled the creature. Once they were in position, the knights went to work. They stabbed hex enhanced blades into the creature’s body.

Brandt nodded. So, their blades could pierce it. That was good. But as the creature bore down on him, forcing his feet to slide backwards into the dirt, he realized the creature wasn’t weakened at all. That was the thing about the undead. They were annoying as hell. The creature roared and reared back its head. Like a spring, it shot forward over and over, trying to wrap its teeth around Brandt. He deflected every attack. Brandt wanted nothing more than to destroy this creature with his power, but he feared the amount required to do such a thing would be too much for the dungeon’s stability. He would gladly give his life for Aysela if need be, but that didn’t mean he was eager to.

The creature roared again. Flecks of spittle landed on Brandt’s armor. They carried the scent of death. He gritted his teeth and pushed the foul stench from his mind. “Cast!” he called out, jumping to the side. The swordsmen pulled back as well, retreating to the outer walls of the circular lab. The wyrm lunged after Brandt but was forced back by the myriad of hexes that sent elemental projectiles towards its face. Balls of fire, streams of water, and even electricity rocketed into it.

The bones of its body smoked. The creature turned its gaze toward the casters assailing it. A line of armor-clad knights with outstretched hands and various hexes waiting to fire another barrage at their leader’s command. With its focus on them, Brandt saw his opportunity. He lunged forward and condensed power around his blade. It came clashing down on the creature’s neck.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

A moment later, the skeletal head rolled in the dirt.

Some of the younger knights cheered victory cries. The veterans did not.

You should never celebrate so quickly after slaying an undead creature. Mainly because you need to be sure that it’s actually dead.

“Sir Brandt!” someone called out. He looked up just in time to see a new serpent shoot down from the hole in the ceiling towards him. He threw his blade up to deflect it, but the creature was too fast. It shot forward and clenched down on his shoulder. It wriggled as it drove its fangs deeper and deeper into his flesh. This new serpent was larger and more powerful than the first. It drove him back, and he toppled over the remnants of one of Themis’ desk. His blade clattered to the floor below. Brandt gritted his teeth and grabbed the creature’s head with his opposite hand. He squeezed as hard as he could, channeling every ounce of his strength until an audible crack reached his ears.

The creature let go and retreated. It bit into the body of the smaller creature he’d decapitated. He watched as the head melded to reconnect with the severed body.

“Damn! Attack!” he ordered. “Don’t let it recover!”

The swordsmen rushed forward to attack the creature again. A few strategic hexes flew forward as well.

The creature’s tail slammed into the ground and sent a shockwave around the room, forcing most of them to stumble. A knight reached the creature and climbed atop it, stabbing it to distract it.

The wyrm’s head fused back to the new, larger body and, in the blink of an eye, snapped toward the knight atop it. It bit down on the core of the man’s armor. He struggled against it, stabbing its skull. But that only made it clench down harder. Brandt picked his fallen blade from the ground and hurried to assist the man when the struggling knight’s armor gave in.

He coughed blood.

Brandt felt his rage building. Power coursed through him.

A screech caught his attention. He turned and looked up as the wall Themis had created shattered. A horde of beasts emerged and charged into the room. To his surprise, they were wholly focused on attacking the wyrm. The creature spun to face them. Birds, lizards, and all manner of creatures attacked it.

The knights hung back, unsure of what to do as the creatures fought.

But something else caught his eye. Something floating above the horde. A pair of interconnected rings with a green aura around them. His eyes widened.

“Zephyr?” Brandt called out. “Zephyr!”

The interface of his master. He was sure of it. He broke into a run, pushing past the horde of creatures that poured into the room. Suddenly, though, they did turn their attention to him and the other knights. As if he had broken some kind of spell over them. The creatures attacked, but he ignored them. Claws, fangs, and talons beat against his armor. He covered his face with his arm and pushed forward. He swung his sword in one hand and his fist in the other, carving a path toward the interface.

“Zephyr! It’s me!” he cried out. The interface didn’t acknowledge him. It turned and floated deeper into the hallway. Brandt shook his head. “Why?”

Behind him, the wyrm screeched furiously. A new series of additional tails formed with sharp spikes on their ends. The tails flailed around wildly, cutting down beasts and knights alike. Its head lifted toward the ceiling, and it ascended as its tails wreaked havoc. The last thing Brandt saw before being pulled under the mass of beasts was the end of the creature’s tail slipping into the ceiling hole.

He shook his head, covering his face with both arms now to shield himself. “Where’s it going? Why—”

Parent

It didn’t take long for Zephyr to return. Parent did not fully understand the other interface’s action. Earlier, Zephyr’s rings had cascaded to the ground. Parent had experienced difficulty contacting Charlie after that. Not knowing what to do, Parent had remained by Zephyr’s side. But Zephyr had suddenly started responding again as if nothing had happened. Then he had somehow summoned a horde of beasts. Parent wanted to report to Charlie as soon as possible.

“Zephyr, we should return to our users now. Things are getting out of control,” Parent said. “Themis will need your help to get things back to normal.”

Zephyr’s rings vibrated violently. “That is no longer a concern of mine. This research is no longer a priority.”

Parent did not understand the logic Zephyr was operating under. “Please clarify. You don’t intend to aid Themis?”

“That creature presents a great threat. My former master originally found it in a dungeon. A special dungeon. For reasons I cannot say, he could not slay it. He sealed it instead and then transferred it here so that Themis could study it for his research. But a rogue dungeon core was unleashed. In its desire to take over this combination of dungeons, it broke the seal that was keeping this creature dormant. Though Themis was designated as my new master, I was given one objective that takes precedence. The protection of Aysela must come first.”

Parent hovered closer. “You intend to use the creatures of the dungeon to defeat the creature?”

“That would be impossible. None of the creatures in this dungeon are strong enough to overwhelm it. I’m already familiar with this creature’s nature. It relentlessly pursues any who crosses its path. In this case, it’s pursuing the humans and beast of this dungeon. A group of knights on the upper floors have begun their ascent. Their mission was to distract us while Brandt and the others attacked unexpectedly. Now, they’re heading back toward the surface. This means the knights likely have a way to communicate. The creature, however, will prioritize targets that are fleeing the dungeon. Brandt and his soldiers were willing to fight. Charlie and the others are still looking to regroup and haven’t made serious progress at escaping yet. So, the creature is going after the knights that have. It will return for the others afterwards.”

Parent’s rings suddenly stopping spinning. “We need to relay this information then. Why aren’t we doing so?”

Zephyr’s green aura drifted closer to Parent. “The creature’s hunt will buy time for me to finalize preparations. I’ll be able to seal the creature deep underground within this dungeon. But the process is slow, with so many of the dungeon cores being dormant. The chance of this succeeding will go up significantly if I allow the creature to distract itself with the hunt for now.”

“That is illogical. We’re here to aid our users. You’re abandoning yours.” Parent floated away. “I’m going to find Charlie.”

Something large burrowed out of the wall behind him. It swatted Parent out of the sky, and his rings cracked against the ground. Parent ran analysis. The rings were broken. But for some reason, he wasn’t able to free himself from them. “Zephyr, be careful—”

His warning came to a stop when he realized the creature was under the other interface’s control. Parent started running scenarios through his head. The data from observing the undead creature in combat. The knowledge of the dungeon he’d received from Zephyr over the last few days. And of course, the system update he’d recently experienced.

All the data led to one conclusion. Charlie was in terrible danger, and Zephyr intended to use the humans in the dungeon as bait.

“Charlie, you must—” His systems went offline.