Falaise looked me up and down. “You’re 100% certain that you are ready for this?”

I put the studded leather helmet on and snugged it into place. “I’m ready.”

“Open the gates!” She called out.

The crossbar had already been taken down. Instructor Nills grabbed the pull handle with both hands and put a leg on the wall. You could see the strain in his back, then his leg straightened. The great weight of the huge iron-bound oak door slowly moved on silent hinges.

For a human it would have been dark. Probably pretty scary too. Not for me. I was made for this.

“Six trophies Mike.” Instructor Nills said, “Good luck.” I nodded and stepped forward.

I had 33 mana points, which translated to 11 zeroth order spells. Mentally reviewing them, I carefully scanned the initial section of the cave.

Candleflame x2, Snowcone x4, Summon Lesser Beast x2, Tough Hide x3

It was a good roster of magic and represented a huge increase in capability over when I’d first come here. My ears strained as I listened, hearing nothing.

It looked like water flooded in here from time to time. The bottom of the cavern was silty. The squeaking of bats and dripping of water made up the only sounds that came to my ears. This cave was free of the jagged teeth of stalactites and stalagmites. Probably a different kind of stone.

There was movement among the loose rocks. I could see hand sized beetles and a few centipedes as long as my arm. Shelf fungus jutted out from the walls, one type glowing dimly.

A faint breeze ruffled my beard, feeling almost like the susurration of a vast creature’s breathing. All I could smell was the dung from the bats. Roaches popped under my boots as I walked.

Axe in my right hand and shield snugged down over my left, I was ready. Trying to creep, but I kept tripping when I didn’t look at the ground. I’m sure I’m quieter than a normal dwarven stomp, but probably not by much.

I paused. There was a staccato sound, almost like an old fashioned typewriter being used at incredible speed. Something shined in my vision, low to the ground and sinuous.

Was it a snake? No. A centipede.

The monster was knee high and twice my length, thick as my thigh. I dropped the axe in its loop and ran to the wall. This was my plan. I realized when we’d been chasing Deniz that I fought like a human. A short human, but a human.

That didn’t play to my strengths. I wasn’t a short human. I was a dwarf.

Slinging the shield onto my pack I leapt up onto the wall, clinging for dear life. I found a grip, then another. Now I was climbing.

There was a small ledge around five feet from the ground. I crowded into it and got out my crossbow. There wasn’t a lot of room to move here but it was okay with me. I’d set my feet and the mountain would have to fall to move me.

I’d left the crossbow strung, so I just dropped a quarrel in it and aimed. Its carapace was black with red markings. They were almost like tiger stripes but more the color of blood than orange. It ranged across the floor, I don’t think it knew I was here, and ate a beetle.

While it shredded the smaller insect’s carapace, I took careful aim. As it tore off a wing, I pulled the trigger. The bolt skittered across the floor, hitting a big stone and exploding. A miss.

I took a deep breath and put my foot back in the loop to draw the bow. The big centipede ran over to where the bolt came apart. It scratched furiously at the floor, antennae waving wildly.

Aiming again, I held my breath. Loose. HIT! The bolt ran deep, cracking the big bug’s exoskeleton. It curled around the injury, mandibles tearing at my quarrel.

That’s instructive. It shredded the penetrating bolt about as fast as you could count to three. A blue ichor oozed from the wound as the centipede straightened back up and started walking towards the rear of the cave, near the door.

I put my foot into the loop and strung the bow again. I’d keep doing this until it stops me. My weapon hurled another quarrel. I started pulling the string before the bolt even hit. The thing’s wide head covered in compound eye and mandible focused at me. Its antennae waved my way, clearly trying to investigate this thing in its territory.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

That last bolt missed. It dug a big groove into the sand at the bottom of the cave but didn’t menace the bug in the slightest. I loaded the bow and aimed it. Loosing the next bolt, I hurriedly went through the process of loading. Missed again. Drat!

I heard a skittering sound echoing off the walls. It was coming for me. This would be my last quarrel. Staying steady, I loaded and fired. HIT! One of its compound eyes shattered.

Don’t rush, haste makes waste. My fingers went through the practiced motions, pulling back the string, bolt into the groove. Pull the weapon to shoulder, aim. Its below me now. Loose. HIT! It got it mid-back. Dropping the bow, I poured water on my fingers.

I chanted the words and my fingers twisted through the runic gestures of shifting. The ball of ice appeared in my hands. The centipede was climbing the wall now, weaving its sinuous way around a shelf mushroom.

I dropped the Snowcone. It plunged straight down, striking the huge insect on the side of the head. The ball of ice erupted, exploding into a cone of frost. It glimmered for just a moment and was gone.

That moment was long enough to shock the centipede and get it to fall off the wall. I grabbed my shield from where it was leaning and pulled my axe from its loop. I took a deep breath and stepped forward off the ledge.

Falling towards the ground I curled up so the shield would take the first impact. I thudded to the ground. The tail of the monstrous bug thrashed back and forth, crazed. My axe fell, then again. The rear half of its body was cleanly separated from the front, twisting and curling around itself.

I’d already stood when the rear half of the monster stopped thrashing around. The front half was crushed. Possibly my Snowcone spell made it brittle, but it shattered under my weight. Didn’t damage the shield or anything either. I cut off the mandibles and poison glands. Five more trophies.

I cleaned off my shield by wiping it on the wall of the cave. It wasn’t perfect but most of the slime and carapace sections came off. I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth as a test. It was great! Tasted sort of like nachos without the cheese or cool ranch flavor added on. I grabbed a few more segments of shell and tossed them in an empty pouch.

Moving on, back to creeping and listening. My gemstone eyes allowed me to see a good ways in the dark and this cave was finally open enough for that to matter. Watching and moving so carefully.

I heard a squeaking noise come from the side of the cavern. I carefully moved in that direction. Each time I’d make a noise I would just freeze. There was no hurry and being a dwarf wasn’t well suited to rushing about.

Eventually I got over to the other cavern wall. There was one of those cubby holes in the wall here. Chewed bones and fragments dotted the floor all around it’s entrance.

I removed the mirror from its pouch on my bandolier. Very slowly I eased it around the edge of the cave so I could see into the cubby. There was a rat, sitting on a nest of young. I briefly had a full body shiver then was back to business.

Stowing away the mirror, I set down my shield. It clattered a bit when I leaned it back against the wall. I heard the rat squeak but froze. It eventually started shuffling around again and I felt like I could breathe.

I took the horn from its pocket. Fingers twisted through the gestures, I said the chant of bringing. I heard the rat squeaking, enraged something was near its nest.

Its narrow nose poked around the cavern wall, wriggling as it snuffled the air. I heard a pop as my horned rabbit appeared. I stowed the horn, grabbing my shield from the wall and axe from its loop.

The cubby entrance was narrow. I could just about block the whole thing off with my shield. It widened out once you went into the nest and my bunny was struggling against the rat swarm and its giant mother.

Seeing them all distracted by the horned rabbit I dropped the axe into its loop and leaned the shield against the wall. I poured water on my hands and quickly cast Snowcone. Tossing it into the den, it triggered with a BOOF noise.

I followed it, rushing in behind my shield. The zeroth order spell had killed many of the baby rats but just pissed the mother off. She rushed me, squeaking so loudly it could almost be called a roar.

I took the initial rush on my shield. She started to run up it and I chopped. Good hit, the blade got into the meat of her ribs. The mother made a chirruping honking noise and leaned over, lunging for my feet.

Backing up, I fended her off with my shield. The bunny was wreaking havoc on the children without their mother to protect them. Its horn dripped with ichor.

The mother bit down on the edge of the wooden and hide shield. It was at the bottom so I kicked her off. She didn’t let go so I slammed her head against the wall, trying to crush her with my weight she pulled back too quickly.

The mother reared up, like a horse on its back legs. Her claws raking at my shield. One of her children bit me in the ankle.

-1 hp

Aigh! That hurt. I stepped on the little monster with my other foot and could feel its bones crunch. I kicked it back into the next. The mother bared her teeth.

She darted at my foot. The bottom rim of my shield crashed to the ground, hitting her in the jaw and busting out one of those huge incisors. Her hand clawed my shin but the greave took the blow. Money well spent there!

I feinted with my shield and she jerked away. I chopped with the axe, drawing blood. She bit at me again, hit this time leaving a long scratch along the inside of my right arm.

-2 hp

Catching her extended head under the rim of my shield I chopped. She squeaked, claws scrabbling for purchase on the stony ground. I chopped again. It wriggled out from under the shield, leaving blood and hair sticking to the wood.

I stalked forward. One of its babies bit at me and I kicked it. The mother went crazy then, letting out a weird chirping howl. She jumped at me. I deflected most of her weight with my shield and chopped. Got her good with that one.

Her claw scratched at me. I chopped, missed! The horned rabbit was finished with the swarm of babies. It leapt. HIT! The spire of its horn sunk deep into the rat’s lower back. It was hurt now, those big rear legs not moving. My rabbit vanished with a POP.

She bared her teeth. Empty threat. I moved forward and she drug herself at me, lone tooth gnashing. I chopped. She couldn’t move now, watching me from her one good eye. I chopped.

Victory!