“I don't like it, Arecia. I don't like it at all.”

“Uh huh,” Arecia says while her hands move quickly. Before her is a piece of chitin that had come from a rare but undoubtedly resilient monster. The specific piece she is currently using was a part of the monster's face, a chitinous extrusion that allows them to quickly burrow under the sand. The part has an interesting ability to vibrate quickly and Arecia wants to utilize that aspect.

“It’s just, I can't trust him. He seems too… capable. Like, he already has Nighmora’s respect, and more than that, it looks like the [Queen] is obeying his every word. She even came to the party and mingled with everyone. I didn't even see any of her protectors.”

“I see.” Arecia grabs her knife and slowly begins cutting the chitin into a comfortable workable form. She carefully removes excess material that would only increase the weight of the chitin but added nothing to its durability.

“I also can't accept what happened to Zorren,” he pauses, and then frowns. “Nevermind. I can. Zorren is a failure who led an elite team to their death and had the gall to survive. His anger is a problem and I guess it would make sense that he would attack Nighmora. Still, I don't like him.”

Arecia snorts, “You don't like him because your daughter has feelings for him.”

Aldonis quickly looks away, “How do yo-”

“I talked to her. We had a nice fun chat. She told me everything.” Arecia explains while she lifts the chitin and begins sharpening the sides with her blade.

Arecia chuckles, “I also learned of your little confrontation. You taunted him and he almost killed you.”

“I-”

Arecia interrupts him by throwing her knife that lands an inch from his face. His eyes widen in surprise.

“You want to test him to see if he is worthy of your daughter, but you can't do that because he may very well be strong enough to outright kill you. So now you whine and complain instead of finding some alternate way to see his worth.”

“We-”

He pauses as Arecia gives him the look. He closes his mouth.

“Aldonis, if you get in the way of your daughter's love, I swear I will break you.”

Aldonis raises the scales around his eyes similar to how one would raise an eyebrow, “Break me? I’m more than twice your level.” Aldonis quickly shuts up as his [Danger Sense] goes off.

“Aldonis, I hope you understand that I am a [Carapace Smith] and that my strength is quite significant. It wouldn’t take much effort for my hips to crush your dick. Is that understood?”

Aldonis gulps “Y-yes,” he says as his legs slowly close. There are many things he does not fear, but Arecia’s wrath is not one of them.

“Good. Now then, what do you think about this shield?” she says, lifting up a heavy piece of equipment.

After a moment, Aldonis asks, “Who could even wield that?”

“My idiot spawn, of course. He has the [Guardian] class, which means he specialises in defense. So, I have to make sure he survives.”

“That still seems heavy. You look like you can barely even hold it.”

Arecia shrugs, “My son has a lot more strength than me, so this should be good for him.”

She looks down at the shield, a smile forming on her face.

“He’s grown. I’m proud of him. He used to be such a useless idiot, but now I have to make sure he survives all of this.”

She sighs, “Well Aldonis, you’re going to the combat meeting soon, right? Bring this to my son. Make sure he comes back alive.”

Aldonis slowly nods. He stands up and grabs the hefty shield, wincing momentarily at the weight.

“I’ll take it to him,” he says, hefting the thing over his shoulder. He begins walking out of Arecia’s workshop when he once more hears her voice.

“Aldonis, trust your daughter. She’s grown a lot too.”

He stops, frowns, then sighs. “You’re right. I need to trust her judgement… I still hate that black thing. I’ll wrangle it the next time I see it.”

He walks out, oblivious to the smile coming from Arecia and the hand rubbing her stomach.

___________________________________________________________________

The Gejan on this floor are competent. All of them have that drive to survive and prosper. All of them look to improve the group as a whole and are willing to risk their lives for one another.

In essence, this has developed into a close-knit community… A high level, close-knit community. All of the combat classes are in their second tier class and the crafting professions are surprisingly near one hundred. Even the [Cook] is a high level. He’s level 93 and his food apparently has a small stat boost.

I gaze at the huge crowd in front of me. Many of which are my [Soldiers] while the rest are the upper tier fighters.

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“First off, before we get started, cities like this one need a fucking name. No, seriously. We can't just call it ‘the city’ or ‘home’. That’s stupid. So, as of this moment, unless someone has a better name- put your hand down Darrow. We've talked about this, Quasi-city is not going to work.”

I scratch my head. What was I talking about… Oh, right. A name.

“So, after some thought, we will call this city Shinypuke.”

Many of the Gejan chuckle while others gaze on confused. Some even begin to glare.

“Don't glare at me. It’s not my fault that you have hardened shiny puke covering your walls.”

More chuckling ensues.

Jessica elbows me on the side, signifying to get on with it.

“Anyways, you all are called here because we will be invading a nearby [Queens] lair.”

The chuckling quickly stops as all eyes fully focus on me. Attacking a lair is a very dangerous thing to do. It is where the monster concentration is at its greatest and the risk of death or permanent injury is at its highest. Even level two hundred fighters would find it difficult to survive due to sheer enemy numbers alone.

“First off, I want to inform you all that I have not lost any Gejan on my trip from the first floor. None have died by my command, and thus, I have full confidence in my ability to make sure each and every one of you survives.”

Darrow, near the front of the crowd, stands with his back straight. He now towers over the Gejan around him. He had placed his hands on the dungeon stone and was finally able to combine his classes.

“YES SIR!” yells the [Guardian Captain].

Immediately after, the rest of my unit does the same. Each saluting and holding their pose. Their voices are loud and proud as they yell out.

Then they begin to cheer.

“COMMANDER! COMMANDER! COMMANDER!” they begin chanting in unison as I look on with a twist of emotions.

“You’re blushing, Quasi.”

“Shut up, Jessica,” I say, unable to stop the smile on my face. I did not expect them to start chanting, nor did I expect the other Gejan to start joining in.

I raise my hand and their chanting quickly dies down. My serious expression lasts for only a couple seconds before I start smiling. It has been awhile since I have felt actual genuine pride.

“Well then, it seems as though the pressure had just multiplied. Regardless, it changes nothing. I will lead the attack and if you want to survive, then I need you to follow all of my directions. If you cannot do that, then leave now.”

Some Gejan begin to turn around and begin to leave, but stop as they notice my [Soldiers], each of them are smiling with a salute still on their foreheads. None of them move, each is staring confidently at me. Their loyalty and trust is unwavering.

“Quasi, you’re crying again.”

“I’m not crying Jessica, I just have some sand in my eye.”

“Both your eyes are crying.”

“The other one just wants to fit in.”

“Uh huh…”

I look away from Jessica, watching as practically nobody had actually left.

“Now then. All those who will join in the operation, arm up and meet me at the front of Shinypuke. We will begin marching soon.”

_____________________________________________________________

“[Shieldwall Formation]” Darrow yells as a swarm of spiked monstrosities ranging from giant cockroaches, to millipedes, to even grasshoppers surges forwards. Insects the size of cars and covered in spikes rush towards the five hundred strong Gejan army. Over twice as many monsters, each with a unique trait of being covered in spikes.

Darrow’s skill activates and his [Heavy Infantry] lock shields with one another. Most are tower shields with thick bone plating, but Darrow’s is different. The chitin sparkles in the crystal light as he lifts it up.

The monsters crash into the formation with enough speed and force that the spikes break on the shields first, and then the kinetic energy forces the bodies further towards the shieldwall.

Cracks are heard as chitin breaks and the frontal charge of the monster army is stopped.

“Thorous!” Darrow yells quickly.

“On it. [Linebreaker Charge].”

The shieldwall opens as Darrow’s men quickly bend down, allowing those specializing in combat to quickly charge forward. Thorous leads the charge, her blades flashing as the confused monsters begin to get cut down. Their spikes, though dangerous, are much less useful if the enemy is immobilized. The battle has begun in earnest.

Darrow’s [Heavy Infantry] raise up their shields and begin slowly walking forward, albeit with an opening in the shield wall.

Those specializing in combat retreat behind Darrow’s men when the fighting becomes too chaotic. The heavy infantry continues moving forward, allowing their superior defenses to break the enemies’ spikes before the fighters begin to carve into them.

Overall, the battle was chaotic, slow, but safe. Those that have taken injuries had rushed back and were replaced with fresh troops.

____________________________________________________

“That is… organized,” Orlan exclaims as he watches from atop a hill.

“Yea,” Aldonis agrees.

Orlan gazes to the side, “Tessa, is this how you always fight?”

The [Combat Courier] slowly nods. Her eyes continue to stare at the battle as it continues. Her team is dispersed and is constantly staying vigilant for any new threats. Quasi had specifically stated that they need to learn to not rely on him for vigilance.

“Not always. It depends on the situation, but we always work as a team. For example, those spikes are dangerous. A mistake could have you impaled and killed. But if those spikes are destroyed, then getting outright killed becomes far more difficult.”

Tessa points near the back of the formation where an impromptu camp is located. Lilly’s forces stand around the camp, making sure to intercept any threats that may reveal themselves. Floating about the camp are half a dozen [Minor Angels] that are in the process of healing the injured.

“Jessica can [Heal] a lot of people at once with those [Minor Angels], so the commander has ordered any and all injuries to be immediately healed.”

Orlan and Aldonis look at the camp and the commander in question. The commander's clothes are removed except for something to cover his crotch. He lays on a makeshift bed while allowing sunlight to pour on his flawless skin. He licks his lips and takes a sip of some kind of drink in his hand.

“He seems to be relaxing,” Aldonis voices, slightly annoyed.

Tessa chuckles and points towards the raging battle. In the midst of the monster army, some have a slight purple glow and move despite their fatal injuries.

“The undead.”

“Yes. The commander can raise those deceased and have them fight for him.”

Aldonis crouches, frowning at the ease in which they are winning. “So me and Orlan are going to just wait here.”

“Your job is to intercept anything unexpected. Since both of you can move quickly and have the levels to make a difference, the commander wants you both ready to deal with anything unexpected.”

“So, how often does something unexpected happen?” Orlan asks.

Tessa shrugs, “Rarely.”

“Well, it looks like me and Orlan aren't going to even fight. Though I can't necessarily argue with saving lives...” He frowns, “What the heck is my daughter doing? Those movements don’t look normal at all!”

Tessa chuckles but chooses to keep her mouth shut as she continues to focus on the surroundings. She needs to stay constantly vigilant. The battle will get bigger and more dangerous as they get closer and closer to the [Spike Queen].