“Four more coming from behind!” Marianne’s voice yelled out.

Liliana ducked under a grasping set of pincers big enough to slice her in half if they clamped around her. Three daggers flew through the air with lethal accuracy and buried deep within the Centipede Soldier’s eyes and mouth. Blue blood poured out of it as it reared back in pain, revealing its vulnerable underbelly to Liliana’s blade. She darted forward, dragging the sharp, shining blade of her naginata down the creature’s length, twisting away as a spray of blood and organs spewed out of the monster. A thought had her daggers digging out of its body and returning to her side to circle her body with the rest.

“Shit. Dawn?” Alistair called out from where he was holding off three soldiers himself, Lelantos beside him with his own monsters to contend with.

“A little busy right now,” Dawn’s voice called out, strain coloring it. Alistair cursed again as his blade lit up with bright light, and he bisected one soldier.

“Lili, get to the back!” Alistair barked out an order, and Liliana grimaced from where she was.

Koth’talan and she were ahead of Alistair, attacking the group of Centipede Soldiers that were focused on the tanks from the back, crushing them between the melee fighters and the tanks. Liliana wiped off the blood that was streaming down her face, blue and red mixing together from a glancing blow she’d taken to her face, the blue from the dead body she’d left in retribution for the injury.

“Boost me?” Liliana asked Koth’talan.

All she got was a two-fingered salute as a warning before the ground under her feet erupted and a pillar of hardened earth shot her into the air [Windwalk] caught her and [Wind Surge] propelled her further forward, boosting the momentum she’d gained as she twisted through the air. She directed herself at the first of the Centipede Soldiers that had erupted from the ground to attack their mages from the back. Dawn was already occupied with two of the beasts here before the sneak attack, darting around them but unable to break away lest they turn their attention to their physically weaker teammates.

Liliana flipped as she rocketed through the air, [Windwalk] cut off and she dropped from the sky like a stone. Her naginata bore down, cleaving through the head of the first of the horrid beasts and pinning it to the ground. Her daggers flew past her, glowing with [Radiant Ignition], the wet thunking noises announcing that they’d found homes in the bodies of the other beasts that had tried sneaking up on them.

Liliana yanked her blade out of the ground and the body of the Centipede that was still bucking under her feet. She activated [Pierce] and [Radiant Edge] as she pivoted on the ball of her foot, swinging her naginata down and slicing through its neck, beheading the creature and stilling its throes.

[Perception] gave her a half second warning of something approaching her and Liliana dug the butt of her weapon into the ground and used it to vault herself back and away, pulling on [Threads of Control] and summoning her daggers back to her. They came soaked in blue blood with another body falling with their brutal removal as Liliana dropped lightly back to the ground.

A warm hand pressed roughly into Liliana’s back, Mana and Health surged through her, the dipping bars jumping back up to nearly full as cuts and bruises Liliana hadn’t even felt healed in seconds. A thick blade of blood flashed over Liliana’s head and sliced through the legs of a Centipede Soldier charging them, sending it crashing to the ground.

“Thanks Mari,” Liliana called out as she rushed forward again, three of her daggers shining bright with [Radiant Edge] before they plunged into the wounded beast and shredded it.

Liliana sliced her polearm at the last of the beasts that had snuck up on them from behind, her blade gleaming, three daggers embedding themselves in the thing’s chitinous armor. Spears made of ice and blood thunked in tandem with her attacks. Liliana twisted her weapon as she danced to the side of the thrashing, injured beast and with a strong downward swing, she beheaded it, finishing it off. Liliana called her daggers back and turned sharply on her heel once more, dashing back through the grouping of mages. Mari pressing her hand against her arm as she passed, filling her with vitality and Mana once more before Liliana burst out behind Alistair.

“The back’s good,” Liliana called out as she jumped up, using Alistair’s shoulder as a springboard to throw herself into the air again.

[Wind Walk] caught her as she took a moment to gage the battle field. Anya was thick in the midst of the fight, carving a path with her fists as she jumped up and then fell back to the earth with all the devastation of a meteor. Koth’talan had a circle of lava around him, shredded Centipedes strewn around him. The sleeve of his shirt had gotten ripped at some point and Liliana could see the thick and intricate runes covering every inch of visible skin, glowing the same fiery orange as his infernal marks.

This fight had started with close to twenty Centipede Soldiers rushing them from the front, with another ten coming up from the ground. They were down to maybe twelve left, four on Lelantos, three on Alistair. Dawn had finished hers and was back in the shadows, protecting their flank. Koth’talan and Anya were facing off against the rest. The mages were directing whatever attacks they could at anything they could hit that wouldn’t strike one of their own. As Liliana watched a fireball, a bolt of light and several water spikes impaled one of the Centipedes facing Lelantos, taking it out.

Liliana directed a [Gatling Barrage] at one of the reaming Centipedes attacking Lelantos, all six of her daggers following after the bright light bullets and peppering the nightmarish creature from head to tail. It fell under Lelantos’ jaws a second later. Lelantos used the dead corpse to bludgeon an already lagging and injured Centipede, knocking it right into a brutal hail of blood and ice bullets.

Liliana canceled [Windwalk], falling to the ground, wind rushing past her face filled with the song of battle. A wicked grin slipped over her face as she fell. She loved flying, but there was something about a freefall that sent adrenaline surging inside of her. Her naginata arrested her fall as it dug deep into the middle of the last Centipede Lelantos was facing off against, pinning it down and making it easy prey for Lelantos’ claws.

Liliana tugged her blade out of the dead beast and ran off towards Koth’talan without a word as Lelantos turned to the Centipedes still fighting Alistair. The sounds of roars and explosions let her know their depleted mages were helping their tank finish off his opponents and Anya’s happy yell told her the girl had killed another of her Centipedes.

Liliana easily cleared the moat of cooling lava still around Koth’talan with a single leap and she twisted as she landed, daggers and naginata spinning with her in a tornado of flashing steel and death as she tore into the underbelly of a Centipede Koth’talan had knocked on its side with a shove of earth.

“How are you holding up?” Liliana asked, her voice rough from dirt and dust coating her throat.

“Mana’s getting low,” Koth’talan growled out as he ducked to the side of a Centipede that had rushed over his cooled lava moat, his blade flaring bright with fire and runes before it dug into the side of the beast and blue blood fountained out to cover the already muddy ground.

“Fall back,” Liliana barked out as she jumped over a charging Centipede, feet landing on its back just long enough for her to hack her blade into its chitin, two shining daggers driving down to rip the armor wider as [Gatling Barrage] pelted down on the wound and into the squishy flesh underneath.

“I’ll be-shit!” Koth’talan’s words cut off by a pained yelp. The sound of a body hitting the ground turned Liliana’s attention to where Koth’talan had been tackled by a Centipede. His sword skittered away from his fallen body, one arm sliced open from a pincer, the runes on it flickering weakly.

Liliana cursed colorfully under her breath as she directed the last four of her daggers into the Centipede she was on, her naginata’s blade shining brightly as she plunged it into the opened hole. She jumped off the thrashing beast, her body weight pulling the blade down and to the side, tearing the creature in two.

Liliana darted towards the sword, grabbing it and sprinting towards Koth’talan, who had barely gotten back to his feet and was backed into a wall, his right arm hanging uselessly at his side, blood painting the entire limb red.

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“Catch!” Liliana called out as she threw the sword towards Koth’talan right before she plowed blade first into the Centipede trying to charge Koth’talan, sending it off balance and tumbling, her naginata sunk deep into its side.

Liliana was sent to the ground with it in a tangle of insectoid legs and human limbs as she struggled to get out from under it, her grip on her naginata lost in the process. Panic clawed at her throat and fear pounded in her blood, breaking through [Battle Clarity] like an axe through thin ice. Gods above Liliana really fucking hated these damn bugs. Fear pumped adrenaline through her veins like a rushing river and it filled her with strength and a desperate, primal need to get out.

Daggers flew to her, and she grabbed two, pushing them into its soft underbelly and shredding it, the other four digging in next and twisting around like a blender, [Radiant Ignition] lit the blades up seconds before six explosions rocked the beast. Liliana closed her mouth and eyes tight as a rush of blue ichor and other disgusting bits fell out from the destroyed creature. It writhed weakly in its death throes over her, falling to its side and finally freeing her.

Liliana kicked it back as she struggled to her feet, rubbing the blue blood from her face with her sleeve. When she could see again, she took in the battle, and she saw the last of the Centipede Soldiers falling to her team. Liliana shook her head and walked towards the one that still had her naginata embedded in its side. Her daggers followed after her like puppies as she planted her foot on the corpse and yanked her weapon out.

“You okay?” Liliana asked as she approached Koth’talan, who was leaning against the cave wall, his blade buried in the ground, his left hand grasping the hilt so tightly his fingers were white.

“Could be better.” Koth’talan got out through clenched teeth.

“We need Mari over here!” Liliana called out, double checking to be sure the fight was done.

Yup, it was. Anya was hefting one mostly intact Centipede Solider over her head and roaring out her victory to everyone. Lelantos was nosing at another body, clearly trying to figure out if it was edible, and the rest of the mages looked sweaty and exhausted. Even Dawn looked tired, well, more tired than normal.

This was their eighth fight of the day, and thanks to the equinox, the fights had been rough. They were always outnumbered, facing twenty, thirty, even forty Centipede Soldiers at a time, occasionally with a Ceturionede or a Phalanxede mixed in. Luckily, they weren’t deep enough yet that the evolved versions appeared in larger numbers than one or two mixed in with groups of Centipede Soldiers. That would likely change tomorrow.

“Lili? Are you okay?!” Marianne burst out of the group and rushed to Liliana, her face a picture of worry and concern as she looked at her friend.

Which, to be fair, Liliana knew she looked like shit. All the melee fighters did. That last Centipede had ensured she was drenched in blue blood and bug guts, so she probably looked one step away from the grave.

“I’m fine. Koth’talan needs immediate aid.” Liliana said, nodding at the prince, who was going a concerning shade of pale. Marianne looked at her for a long moment as if she didn’t believe her, but she turned her attention to the more injured of the pair and began layering healing spells on the boy.

“You’re all so fucking lucky I have a Blood affinity. Healing potions don’t do anything for blood loss and you all lose blood like it’s an unlimited resource. Honestly, is it so much to ask you not to get hit? We have two tanks. Why are you drawing aggro like this?” Marianne began her nagging as she patched up Koth’talan, something all the fighters had heard multiple times throughout both this dungeon dive and the one before.

The only one to escape most of Marianne’s caustic rants was Liliana, and she wasn’t sure if it was because Marianne was more forgiving of her mistakes or because Liliana got injured the least out of the melee fighters. Normally Liliana would be far more reckless with herself in a fight, but her need to not touch these cursed creatures made her more responsible, and less prone to getting hit.

Her phobia and ever present fear seemed to strengthen [Perception] too, letting her avoid attacks she couldn’t even see before they hit. If Liliana didn’t hate this dungeon with every fiber of her being, she would admit it was doing wonders for her battlefield awareness and fighting style.

Liliana checked over the battlefield one more time before she let her actives cut off, except for [Regeneration] which was working overtime right now. Liliana groaned softly and leaned her weight onto her naginata. Her daggers fell to the ground around her with a clatter of metal on stone. She’d need to clean them before she put them in their sheaths. But right now her ribs were screaming at her, some of them broken from her impromptu wrestling match with the Centipede.

A sharp, burning pain on her thigh let her know one of its sharp legs had sliced deep into the leg and she could feel the blood leaking out. She had a few other minor aches and pains that were fading with [Regeneration] but the broken bones were the most troublesome. Gods, Liliana could do with a nap right about now.

Warm, glowing hands pressed into her shoulders and Liliana lifted her head, not even realizing she had hung it low in exhaustion. She met Marianne’s bright, ruby eyes, filled with worry as her healing magic washed through Liliana.

Liliana closed her eyes in a wince as she felt the bones of her ribs shift back into their proper spots. The wound on her thigh itched something fierce as it stitched back together. When Marianne pulled back, Liliana was still sore. Her ribs ached with each breath, but it was the ache of a bruise, not a break. Liliana’s [Regeneration] could handle the rest of it on its own.

“Sorry, I’d do more, but my Mana is getting low.” Marianne frowned.

“It’s fine, thanks for the heal.” Liliana said with a smile as she stood straight again, ignoring the twinges of pain from her ribs and body.

Liliana looked over at herself and grimaced, her skin crawling as she saw the state of herself. She had so much drying, blue blood on her she hardly looked human. There were bits of gore and chitin stuck to her and Liliana gagged as nausea rolled through her. [Battle Clarity] was no longer active, and there was nothing stopping the tide of disgust and horror that washed over her.

“Oh, ew, ew, ew.” Liliana chanted, her voice rising in pitch as she frantically cast [Cleanse] again and again until all the bug matter was removed from her, and a few times again because her skin was still crawling.

“You had no problems during the fight.” A voice called out and Liliana’s head swung to glare at Basil, who was approaching their small group.

The rest of their team were either cleaning themselves, their weapons or skinning the Centipedes for what they could sell. If Liliana wasn’t utterly repulsed by the creatures, she’d find it funny that Alistair was one of the ones doing the skinning. The same boy who a couple of years ago hadn’t even known how to skin anything, proclaiming it a servant’s job. Now he had his sleeves rolled up and a knife in his hands as he sliced off chitin and dug for cores.

“Adrenaline and a clear mind skill do wonders.” Liliana grumbled as she picked up her daggers with [Threads of Control] and brought them with her to sit against the wall beside Koth’talan. She summoned cloths to clean off the blood and other things on her blades. Liliana couldn’t stop the quiet retching as she began to clean the first of her daggers. It was disgusting.

“Give me that.” Basil said with a sigh as he sat down in front of her, swiping the cloth and dagger out of her hands and cleaning it himself.

Marianne snorted as she watched for a moment as Liliana sagged in obvious relief before she turned and headed towards the rest of their team. To heal them and probably lecture them on getting hurt enough to need healing in the first place, undoubtedly. Liliana tilted her head and seconds later she heard Marianne ripping into Anya, who apparently had a broken ankle and a punctured lung. The girl must have a ridiculous [Pain Resistance] level if she had been strutting around with her kill held above her head with those injuries.

“Here,” Basil handed her back a sparkling clean dagger.

She slid it into a sheath, and she directed her next dagger to him without a word, too squeamish about the bug blood to complain about him cleaning her weapons for her. She was fairly certain he was doing it to get out of skinning their kills, anyway. Liliana watched Basil cleaning the daggers for several minutes, her breathing calming over time as the adrenaline faded from her system.

They kept trading clean weapons for dirty ones in a silent partnership, Liliana’s mind too tired for conversation. Exhaustion made her limbs feel heavy, as if her bones were made of lead and her skin steel. They’d been in this dungeon for hours. Fighting constantly. She was certain if they didn’t find a safe spot soon, they’d all pass out from Mana exhaustion and fail.

“Hey, Dawn found a safe spot a little further in.” Alistair called out, as if he could read Liliana’s mind. She could cry from the relief. If her eyes were a bit teary, then no one had to know, not even Basil, with his amused smirk.

“I’ll go and get it set up!” Liliana called out immediately, jumping to her feet, face not betraying the symphony of aches and pains that screamed with the move. She felt like one giant walking bruise on top of an overworked muscle.

“I’ll come with,” Koth’talan groaned as he slowly climbed to his feet, looking how Liliana felt. Like utter shit.

“Me too,” Basil offered as he finished the last of Liliana’s weapons, her naginata.

The three of them didn’t give the rest of the group time to agree or argue as they set off after Dawn, who had reappeared from her shadow lurking to lead them to the safe spot. Liliana just wanted any excuse to be away from those cursed bugs, dead or not.