Aster ran on. His legs burned and his arms ached. The heavy bag bounced against his back, weighing him down.

He paused for a moment between the rooms, leaning against the wall. The cool stone felt good against his sweaty skin. With a thump, the bag hit the stone floor. Wiping his brow, he looked ahead.

I’m past the King Slime. Halfway there.

Regret tore at him, as sharp as venom. He rubbed his forehead, trying to wipe away the exhaustion. I only left her for a moment. I only—I left her. I told her I’d keep her safe, but I left her when it mattered most. I thought closing the dungeon would be enough. I thought no one would come—I was naïve. If they hurt her or kill her, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have—

Aster took a deep breath and hauled his bag over his shoulder again. He pushed away from the wall and took his first step, then the second, then the third. Steps turned to walking. Walking turned to jogging. His breath came ragged, but he kept moving, pushing himself onward. Focus. Get to Stella. I can regret it later. The faster I get to her, the faster I can keep her safe.

Don’t hurt her. Don’t kill her. Until I get there… Stella, hold on!

--

Stella closed her eyes and watched from the ceiling of the snake chamber. The adventurers crept along, eyes on the walls. Still strumming his instrument, the leader hummed to himself, as though he was strolling down the center of town.

“Fight! Fight them!” Stella urged.

Lazily, the snakes rolled around in the walls, unwilling to attack. Don’t want to.

“Where snakes?” Alice asked, flipping her knife in her hand.

“I’m happy they’re gone,” Milo muttered, clutching his staff tight. He stared around him nervously, eyes darting from one dark hole in the wall to the next.

Silas raised a hand and pointed, lifting his other hand to his lips. Stella and the other adventurers followed his finger and found the tail of a small snake poking out of one of the holes.

“Do we grab?” Alice whispered.

Silas rubbed his hands together. “Do we grab the money lying on the ground? Of course we do!”

Stella tensed. That’s a baby snake. A little one. I should warn them!

But they were mean to me. They won’t fight for me. I should leave them be.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Milo mumbled.

Silas waved his hand. “You prep the antidote spell. Let me and Alice handle to violence.”

“You mean, let Alice handle the violence,” Alice muttered.

“Potato, potahto,” Silas said, lifting his lute.

Stella shook her head and slapped her cheeks. No! Even if they’re mean, they’re still my monsters. I have to warn them!

Besides, that little snake doesn’t deserve to get hurt. It isn’t the one who’s being mean to me!

“They’re attacking your baby! The little one, right there!” Stella shouted, pointing.

Alice tensed. Her body blurred, and she vanished.

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The snakes reared up, suddenly active. The little one fled into the hole, retracting its tail. A second later, sparks flew as Alice’s knife bounced off the edge of the stone.

“You alerted them!” Silas shouted at Alice, annoyed.

“I alerted them? You’re the one talk-talk-talking with your strum-strum lute over there!” Alice snapped back.

“Alice, Silas! They’re attacking!” Milo shouted, backing toward the center of the group.

“Yeah, yeah,” Silas grumbled. He strummed his lute.

Squirming scales flashed by the open holes. The hiss of scales on stone sounded from all directions. Alice stood at the front of the group, knives bared, while Silas and Milo fell back.

Everything fell silent. The room hung still, snakes and adventurers both motionless. Tension hung in the air, drawing taut as the silence stretched.

A drop of water fell from a stalactite and plopped onto the stalagmite below.

Scales burst out from all directions. The dark holes in the wall came alive as snakes leaped out, baring their fangs at the adventurers.

With wide eyes, Stella followed the adventurers’ every movement. I have to learn. When I fight them, I need to win, so right now, I need to learn how they fight!

Alice darted out to meet them. Silas stepped back, strumming furiously. Milo hung close to him, cowering. A wall of sound in the form of orange waves appeared around him. The first few snakes struck the wall and bounced off, but then the orange wall faltered. Another snake struck it, and the orange wall faded. Silas’ music faltered, and blood spurted from his hand as his string cut into his finger.

He winced, flinching around his hand. “Ow!”

When he looked up, he found two snakes reared up, baring their fangs. Silas’ eyes widened. He swallowed.

The snakes struck, flashing forward.

Milo thrust his staff out. “Reflect!”

A white rectangle of force appeared at the end of his staff. The snakes smashed their noses on it and fell onto their backs, writhing in pain.

“Alice, now!” Silas shouted.

“Right!” Alice retreated from dueling one of the largest snakes. Her body blurred, and she appeared over the defenseless snakes, her blades bared. She fell down onto them. Her knives flashed.

Blood spurted. The snakes writhed madly, then fell still.

“No!” Stella gasped, tightening her grip on her skirt. Don’t die so easily. Don’t die to them! Please!

The snakes drew back, suddenly taking the trio seriously. Half vanished into the holes, while the other half hissed amongst themselves, quietly communicating in their language. Their eyes flashed, and they began to circle the three adventurers.

Alice yanked her knives out of the snakes and gave them a quick wipe on the snakes’ belly scales. She climbed to her feet and glared around, daring the snakes to attack.

The snakes darted in as one. Alice jumped forward, parrying off the first comers in a flurry of metal and scales. Snakes fell back one after the other, bleeding from thin wounds on their snouts. As they fell back, the front line subtly gave in. Alice rushed deeper into the melee, and the snakes began to close in around her, cutting her off from the other two.

Go on! Get her! Stella cheered.

“Alice, behind!” Silas shouted.

“I know,” she grumbled, leaping to the side even as the snake struck.

In a flash of scales, a second snake spun around on itself and lunged for the instrument-player. Milo gasped. “Silas!”

Silas gritted his teeth and curled his body around his lute. The snake struck his back and retreated, hissing. Two puncture wounds punched through Silas’ leather armor. Blood ran down his back, darkening as the venom took hold.

Yes! Stella punched the air, excited.

Milo whirled. “Antidote!”

Green light congealed at the top of his staff, then burst toward Silas in a blob. The green blob settled on Silas’ wounds and soaked into it. His blood lightened, steadily rejecting the poison.

Spinning around, Milo twirled his staff and held it out again. “Heal!”

Silver light streaked up the staff and formed into a ball hovering over the staff’s head. Rays of light shot from the ball, settling on the punctures in Silas’ back and Alice’s scrapes and closing them.

No! Stella grumbled, annoyed.

“Do you really have to do the spin and twirl when you double cast?” Silas asked, quirking an eyebrow at Milo.

Milo gulped. “It’s… how they taught us in seminary. They said it helps stir the mana. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I can’t get out of the habit…”

“Focus!” Alice snapped.

Silas ran out and grabbed one of the snake corpses by the slit in its neck. “We don’t need to conquer this room. Run!”

Alice ran ahead, battering the snakes aside as she ran. Milo and Silas sprinted in her wake, chasing after her. The snakes hammered at them, but Alice kept them off. Silas strummed his lute again, blocking the ones that got through with a wall of orange waves. They ran through the door at the far end and came face to face with the rock wall in front of the boss room.

Stella’s stomach twisted. They’re here! She peered out of her crack in the wall at the fire slime bobbling by the door. Get ready!

The slime bounced in reply, its flames surging higher.

She took a deep breath. Here we go.