Sargon rushed past the tunnel into a large chamber. The chamber wall and floors were lined up with peculiar insects. Their heads were minuscule compared to their bloated bodies. Their torsos were full of ant nectar. These ants belonged to [NectarPot Ant] type monsters; their sole purpose was to store sweet nectar. Ants would produce it while digesting mushrooms and other matter. There were hundreds of them within the chamber.

“This is it.” Nirah gestured with his hand towards their loot.

The [NectarPot Ants] were the size of a large pumpkin and at best each of them could carry only three.

“How do we do this?” Sargon asked.

“They are immobile and harmless. Kill them by cutting at their torso so they can’t signal to other ants and then collect the nectar pot.”

Sargon did as instructed. As soon as he cut ant’s upper torso, separating it from the bulbous bit, a fountain of nectar squirted at his face.

“Tie it so it doesn't leek” Lee advised.

Sargon licked his face tasting the nectar, it was very sweet. Then he tied a piece of thin rope around the end of bulbous torso stopping the flow of nectar. He did the same to other two ants, stored one in his rucksack and the other two under his armpits.

Others did the same, taking two or three [NectarPot Ants] with them before leaving the chamber. All they had to do now was find their way back and sell it.

The party navigated through narrow tunnels and then past the mushroom forest.

Demi-Ura carried her load and just like before remained a dozen metres behind the others; carefully observing her surroundings. She tried not to step on sticky droplets of nectar others have left. The nectar containers everyone carried would drip some of it even if it was tied with a rope. She kept her pair of nectar pots as far away from her body as possible. Her lower legs had fuzzy red fur and she did not want to get it sticky, others did not have such reservations.

They were lucky not to get attacked by ants again and were close to the tunnel leading back to the fourth floor. A loud growling sound echoed through a narrow passage.

“What is that?” Sargon asked Nirah.

The spear warrior just shrugged in return before hurrying his pace.

“Not good. Stop!” Demi-Ura voiced her concerns urging others to stop.

Another growl reverberated through tunnel walls.

Nirah and his party ran towards the exit while Demi-Ura practically froze in her spot. Sargon was lost for a second thinking what he wants to do, run after Nirah or check on his partner. He rushed back to Demi-Ura to check on her, even though he believed that running back to the fourth floor was a better option.

“The sound. In front of us!” Demi-Ura shouted dropping the ant bodies and pointing.

Sargon turned just in time to see a monster jumping out from one of the branching tunnels and ambushing the rest of the party. The monster was different from the usual monster here on the fifth floor. It was an oversized badger, its size similar to the [Armoured Ant] they had killed. Its thick coat was striped in black and grey colours. Three white stripes ran along its head which had not two but four black beady eyes. Its front legs were more muscular than the rear ones. The dagger long claws adorned its paws, the claws had a peculiar shine to them as if they were clad in some sort of metal.

The badger monster jumped between Wasi and Nirah, separating the two. Nirah, Lee and the rest was behind the monster while Wasi was in front.

The overgrown badger sniffed the air smelling the sweet nectar and jumped on Wasi leaving its back exposed. Badger bit at the arm carrying the corpse of [HoneyPot Ant]. Then it swallowed the nectar pot and half of the arm in one swift chomp.

Wasi used his right to slice at the badger with his sabre while Nirah stabbed at the badger from behind. However, the monster's hide was tougher than the two thought it was, their weapons failed to do any serious damage. All they did was infuriate it even more.

“I am coming!” Lee shouted dropping her nectar pots and ran towards the two. She was the healer and had to help Wasi before he bled out.

The badger ignored Nirah and sliced at Wasi with its claws. The steel-like claw cut past the armour like a hot knife through butter, gutting the heavy armoured warrior.

Nirah turned around to look at approaching Lee with horror in his eyes.

“NO! Run back.” He grabbed Lee by her arm and pulled her back.

Sargon too was rushing to help the two.

The badger ate all the nectar pots Wasi had and turned around to pursue the rest of it.

At that moment a dark projectile whizzed past Sargon, and then past Nirah and Lee, hitting the badger straight on the forehead. All it did was to singe its fur slightly and that's it; the badger continued chasing the party.

Sargon caught up to Nirah and Lee, he was ready to engage the charging badger.

“Wasi? How is he?” Sargon asked them as the two passed him.

“Dead! Run!” Nirah shouted while running at full speed away from the badger.

Two bloated and full of nectar ant corpses flew past the group and towards the badger.

“Run you fool!” Demi-Ura Shouted while grabbing Sargon from behind.

The badger was about to tackle him but was distracted by the sweet smell of nectar pots; it chose to eat those first.

“But…” Sargon wanted to protest. He didn't want to do nothing while another person has been dying in front of him; he believed Wasi could still be saved.

However, there was nothing he could do, at least not alone. Demi-Ura pushed him by his shoulder and they ran as fast and as far away from the badger as they could, leaving the ants they have gathered behind.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

They caught up with the other two and continued to run until they were completely out of breath.

“It should be safe now.” Nirah said in-between his breaths.

“I think it was after the nectar.” Sargon finally was able to put one and two together.

“Don’t you say.” Demi-Ura bit back bitterly. She was still unhappy about the turn of events.

“We are completely lost.” Lee said the obvious as she was looking around.

“Don’t you say.” Demi-Ura snapped at Lee this time.

“Let us rest and we will think of what to do next.” Nirah tried to calm everyone down. He was just as shaken as the others but he was the leather here and had to act like one.

Everyone agreed as there was no better option. They sat down in one of many small rooms scattered across the dungeon. It was very cramped for the four but it was better than staying in even more narrow tunnels.

They talked it out and mutually agreed that running back to the floor exit was not an option. The badger could still be there or nearby. They have also concluded that the badger monster was too strong for this floor. It should not have been there at all, it was an oddity. However, such things happened and sometimes strong monsters wandered from lower floors to upper ones, especially if something had attracted them.

The party decided to stay in the Labyrinth for a day or two. By that time the badger would either go somewhere else or be slain by a stronger party.

…

Everyone was sleeping except for Niraj, he was keeping watch, or at least he was supposed to. Instead of watching the only entrance leading to their campsite he was leaning over Lee, who was in a deep sleep. He crouched closer to her and looked at her sleeping face.

“Wasi is no longer here so this is my chance.” Nirah whispered to himself and crawled atop of Lee putting her in between his legs. He was careful not to wake her.

Nirah’s hand slid under Lee’s dress caressing her smooth skin and moving towards her chests. He squeezed her delicate bosom coping up a good feel. Lee stirred in her sleep before waking up.

She was about to jump in panic and shout for help but Nirah stopped her with his body, he pressed his other arm to her mouth preventing her from screaming.

“Calm down, it is me.” Nirah whispered to her ear.

Lee continued to struggle, she did not like this one bit.

“Tsh…” Nirah clicked his tongue. “Just relax. Wasi is not here to look after you anymore. Let me take care of you now, Ok?”

He pressed his body closer and continued to assault Lee. His hand moved away from her breasts all the way down in between her thighs.

Lee twisted her neck away from his pressing hand and bit on one of his fingers.

“Auch!” He pulled his hand freeing his finger from sharp teeth. “Feisty, aren’t you. I like it when you struggle.” He grabbed her neck and choked her before she could shout out anything. He trusted his other hand jabbing his fingers deep inside her.

Lee stirred in pain, her eyes tiered up and she tried to scream but couldn’t. However, she will not be had so easily. She had a dagger behind her back which she kept for emergencies. All she had to do was get it out of its sheath.

Her vision started to blur but she managed to move her waist just enough to get her hidden weapon. Her fingers grasped thin blade handle and then she thrust it towards Nirah.

The dagger pierced his side and he screamed in pain rolling away from Lee. Lee coughed grasping her sore throat.

Sargon jumped out from his laying spot and turned towards the sound.

“What is going on? Are we under Attack? Nirah you are hurt!” He struggled to understand what was going on.

“He… He tried to molest me.” Lee pointed at Nirah with her dagger.

“You wench, I was just playing around… You did not need to stab me!” Nirah spat back clutching at his wound which was leaking blood excessively.

“Amm…” Sargon found himself lost for words. “Can’t you heal him?”

“What? After what he did to me? NO!” Lee was clearly outraged at Nirah.

“This might have been just a misunderstanding. He does not need to die? Can’t we resolve this in a civilized way.” Sargon tried to reason.

“I am not healing him.” Lee put it in a stern tone.

“Look…” Nirah winced in pain and then continued “I am sorry. Please heal me.” His face was getting awfully pale. She had hit something very important; his side burned in pain, it might have been one of his kidneys.

Sargon looked at Lee beggingly.

“He did this to himself.” Lee stepped away from Niraj and Sargon while clutching the dagger in front of her. The terror of what had happened was still fresh in her eyes.

Sargon looked at Demi-Ura who remained silent the whole time. She looked at him with her neutral expression and shrugged.

“I have to do something or he will die.”

Nirah swayed to a side and was about to fall. Sargon caught him just in time and then lovered him to the ground. He tried to mend Nirah’s bleeding side but he was not experienced in this sort of thing, and for sure he was not a healer.

“Please, save me.” Nirah begged while grasping Sagon’s arm.

“I will. I won’t let you die!”

“I don’t want to…” Nirah’s voice got gradually weaker and he didn't get to finish his sentence.

His eyes were still staring towards Sargon but there was no more life in them, Nirah was dead.

“Why? Why did you not heal him?!” Sargon shouted at Lee.

“How could I? He had almost strangled me!” Lee pointed at red marks on her neck. “It was all his fault.”

Sargon was angry at her, but he understood that Nirah was to blame. There was nothing he could do anymore.

“What now?” Demi-Ura asked Sargon.

It was a good question, but he did not want to think about it at all.