The white-and-blue snakes bobbed their heads as the five of them ran past, blue eyes glowing with the same light as the crystals. Silas frowned at them, confused. “Weren’t the snakes… less pretty?”

Stella nodded. “I made them pretty!”

One of the snakes reared up, horking down the body of one of the original snakes. It swallowed the other snake’s tail with some effort, then turned and blinked at them.

Silas swallowed. “Well. Alright. Whatever, I guess. As long as we don’t have to fight them.”

“Not unless you try to kill me… and Aster again,” Stella replied, panting as she ran. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Kill Aster… again?” Silas asked, confused.

“Er, we killed her mother, and now Aster’s adopted her, so I think she meant it as “kill me and my parents again,” rather than literally Aster,” Milo explained.

“Less talk, more run,” Aster said, giving Milo an encouraging slap on the shoulder. Milo staggered under the weight of the blow and almost toppled over.

Silas glanced at Stella, who worked her little arms and legs, struggling to keep up with them. “Surprising you can run this fast.”

“Can’t… for long,” Stella huffed.

“Need me to carry you?” Aster asked.

Stella shook her head. She pointed at one of the snakes, and it slithered over to her. “She’ll let me ride.”

“Oh! Wonderful, Stella,” Aster said, nodding.

“She really can control the dungeon,” Silas muttered under his breath. He looked around at the freshly grown crystals in the cave, some of them bigger than his head, and licked his lips.

Aster clapped him on the back of the head. “Don’t even think about it.”

“What? I’m an adventurer. It’s what I do!” Silas argued. He shook his head at Aster and pushed himself faster, rushing ahead.

“Oooh, are we racing now?” Aster grinned and started to run in earnest. In a moment, he’d easily passed the bard. He gave Silas a winning smile over his shoulder and winked.

Silas snarled and pumped his arms, forcing himself to run with all his might. He caught up with Aster, but only barely.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Aster taunted.

A rush of scales scraped over stone. Aster and Silas leaped aside instinctively as Stella surged past atop the snake, sitting regally atop its head. She turned back and stuck her tongue out. “Slowpokes!”

“You won’t get away so easily!” Aster shouted, smiling as he ran after her.

Silas grunted and charged on, refusing to give in.

“Guys! Guys, please!” Milo cried from the back, tripping over his robes. I didn’t train for this. I’m not a combat priest! Slow down! Dammit, why are we always racing everywhere…?

The labyrinth rose up before them. Not wasting a step, Aster leaped onto the labyrinth’s wall and ran for the center. Stella’s snake slithered over it, not bothered in the least by the pits and hallways between the labyrinth’s walls.

Silas jumped the first wall, then wobbled, barely maintaining his balance on the second. He threw his arm out. “Shit! Missed the landing. Alice—”

His lips twisted. He snorted at himself. “Yeah, that’s not going to…”

A flash of black appeared beside him and latched onto his hand. Alice caught him, stabilizing him on top of the labyrinth. She looked at him and chittered again, shaking her head.

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Silas stiffened. The soft fabric-like skin felt hot against his hand, not at all like Alice’s rough, knife-worn fingers, always somehow icy cold. He snatched his hand away.

Alice’s hackles raised. She backed away, instantly on guard, and hissed.

“You aren’t Alice. You’re a monster,” Silas told her, wary.

Alice narrowed her eyes, then whirled around and jumped away, vanishing into the shadows again.

“If… if she wasn’t… Alice, then, then…” Milo paused there, gasping for breath, his upper body draped over the labyrinth wall, legs dangling down. He swallowed a mouthful of spit and slowly climbed up onto the labyrinth, wiping the sweat off his face. “If she wasn’t Alice, then… why’d she help you?”

Silas turned away. “Shut up. What would you know?”

“More than you, apparently,” Milo said. He reached his leg out across the gap, pawing for the next wall with his foot.

Silas offered him a hand. Milo grabbed it and jumped across. Looking at him, Silas shook his head. “I don’t want the oblivious priest to lecture me on love.”

“You’re looking even more oblivious than this priest right now. How about that?” Milo returned.

Silas raised his brows. “When did you learn to talk back?”

“Oh, right. Yeah. Well, I kind of… told Fontea to back off, and now… I don’t know. I’m my own man,” Milo said, pushing his hair back out of his face. “It’s weird, but it’s nice. Not following someone else’s plan. Doing what I want for once.”

“Huh. Well… good for you,” Silas replied.

Daiyo looked up and nodded as Aster came up alongside him. “Hey! Killer just ran inside. Couldn’t hold back any longer.”

Silas startled. He pointed, gaping. “That, that—that monster just talked!”

Milo looked at him. “I told you about him. That’s Daiyo.”

“Wait… you guys weren’t just pulling my leg? Alice was actually talking to me?” Silas asked, taken aback.

Clambering up beside him, Viki snorted. “Surprises me too. That girl could do so much better than a douchebag like you.”

“Wh…what is this?” Silas asked, pointing.

“That’s Viki. She’s a plant monster. Uh, you don’t want to get on her bad side,” Milo said, backing away slightly. He gave Viki’s vines a nervous look.

Viki shook out her vines. She looked at Silas. “You’re going to want to get closer. The portal is at the center of the labyrinth.”

Silas paused, taking in the talking monsters, then gave her a look. “Why are you way back here, then?”

Viki shrugged. “I’m just a plant, weak to diseases. You two can attack non-physically and strengthen all the immune-to-disease monsters. Go on, go on.” She gestured for them to continue.

“Weak to… plant diseases,” Silas pointed out.

“Oh, well, if none of those come through, then I’ll move up,” Viki said, shrugging.

Silas gave her a last look, then reluctantly started leaping from wall to wall, following Aster and Stella toward the middle.

In the labyrinth’s center, the portal grew darker and darker. Abruptly, it spat out a figure in a red cloak. He staggered backward and struck the wall, panting, his eyes still glowing.

“Killer, what’s it like?” Aster asked.

Killer howled and charged back at the portal.

Still battle-mad, then, Aster thought, twisting his lips.

The portal thrummed, and a huge, pustule-covered monster lurched out. It took Aster a moment to recognize it as a dire wolf, its fur all stripped out and its mangy flesh twisted by the disease. The disgusting dire wolf swung its hairless head left and right, searching.

This time, Aster stepped in front of Stella, blocking the wolf’s view. “Stella, fall back. We don’t want to let them see you.”

“Oh. Should I use my dungeon eyes?” Stella asked, tilting her head.

“That’s a good idea. Go back by Viki and let her protect you,” Aster suggested.

Stella nodded. “Okay!”

She hopped off the snake. Turning, she pointed at it. “You stay and fight!”

The snake nodded.

With that, Stella ran off over the labyrinth, hurrying her way over to Viki.

The wolf gave up on searching and tipped its head back to let out a howl before charging at the dungeon’s protectors. Other monsters rushed through the portal, all of them twisted and diseased.

Daiyo’s stone spirits cried out and rushed at it, bloodstained stone hands raised high.

Aster spun his hammer and stepped forward, nodding over his shoulder at Milo and Silas. “You two hang back. We’ll keep you safe.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” Silas grumbled.

Milo nodded. “Thank you, Aster!”

Silas pulled his lute over his shoulder somewhat reluctantly and began to strum. Aster’s mood surged, and strength rushed through his veins. He grinned, suddenly eager for battle.

Rather than charge directly into the fray, Aster reached into his pouch and drew out a handful of steel darts. Waiting, he watched the battle. When one of the diseased creatures began to push past the slimes and stone spirits, Aster heaved back, taking a deep breath. All at once, he released it, propelling the dart through the air. It whizzed down and struck the diseased creature in the neck, piercing a vein. Bright red blood sprayed over the stone wall.

The slimes pressed in, seeping into the creature through the cut on its skin. The diseased monster screamed out and clawed its own neck open, trying to tear out the slime. Thrashing, it fell to the ground, falling mute as it bled out.

Aster tossed a second dart in his hand, scanning the battlefield for a second monster to strike.

Silas’ eyes widened. He glanced at Milo.

Milo gave him a helpless smile. “Why fight it when you can join it?”

“I’m starting to understand, now,” Silas muttered back.