I kept my eyes on the tracks as the tunnel narrowed once again. The boot prints were getting fresher - more defined edges, deeper impressions in the muck. We were gaining on them.

Movement caught my eye. Rats. They scurried in the shadows, quickly disappearing into cracks in the walls. Unlike the bloated horrors we'd fought earlier, these looked almost normal. Well, as normal as rats could look in a place like this.

"Finally," I whispered under my breath. After hours of trudging through substances I desperately hoped were just water, we'd found what we came for. I studied their movement patterns, noting how they seemed to flow toward something ahead. An uneasy feeling formed within me, rats didn't gather without reason.

We quickened our pace, the promise of ending our sewer ordeal spurring us on. The air grew thicker here, carrying new scents, ozone and something else, something that reminded me of burnt sugar. The rats became more numerous, their tiny forms fleeing from our approach with increasing urgency.

However, as we moved through the dim corridors, the sound of combat caught my attention. Not the scrabbling of rats or the distant drip of water, but the unmistakable ring of steel on... something wet. The echoes bounced off the ancient stones, making it difficult to gauge distance.

Estella withdrew her chakrams. "Sounds like our mysterious friends found trouble."

I drew my sword with a sigh. "And here I was hoping they'd just gotten lost and stopped for a tea party."

We rounded the corner and the tunnel opened into a larger chamber. Two figures stood back-to-back in the center, surrounded by gelatinous creatures.

Acidic Slime Level : 3 Special Ability: Acid Splash Warning: These amorphous creatures secrete a highly corrosive substance that can melt through armor and flesh. Exercise caution when engaging in close combat.

Slime monsters. Their semi-transparent bodies revealed partially dissolved bones and armor from previous victims. Acidic droplets sizzled where they touched the stone floor, leaving pockmarked trails in their wake.

The man at the center wore a set of iron plate mail, clearly identifying him as a knight. He stood lithe but strong. Two tall, velvety rabbit ears poke through his helm, twitching at every sound. A beast-kin: bunny variant. Rare to see one specced as a knight class, but the way he handled his sword showed it wasn't just for show.

Beside him, the lady radiated magical energy that made my skin prickle. She was clad in dark flowing robes of deep purple embroidered with shadowy runes and symbols—spirals, eyes, and crescent moons. Her ears were long and elegantly pointed, marking her as an elf. The shadow magic crackling around her fingers suggested some variant of dark magic user, probably a shadow priest or similar class.

“Lysa, we need to move faster,” the man urged. His sword cleaved through another wave of slimes, his movements precise but slowing. Sweat darkened the fur around his rabbit ears as fatigue crept in.

"I'm trying, Tirion!" Lysa's voice cracked with frustration. Her slender elven fingers traced arcane patterns in the air, but the movements were becoming erratic. Purple shadows flickered weakly around her hands.

Tirion's ears twitched at her distress. "I know, love," he murmured, his voice gentle despite the chaos. "Just breathe. Focus on the shadows. You've got this."

Lysa’s fingers crackled with dark energy, but it fizzled out shortly after. “I’m out of mana.”

The slimes gathered around them, their bodies undulated in disturbing synchronization, merging and splitting apart like a living tide of caustic jelly. One lunged at Tirion, its mass elongating into a spear-like tendril that barely missed his face. Where it struck the wall behind him, the stone bubbled and smoked.

Tirion grimaced, wiping sweat and blood from his brow. “Lysa, pass me a health potion, will you?” He called back, trying to keep his voice steady, though the strain was evident.

Lysa's face fell as she ransacked her pack, her long ears drooping. “We’re out,” she said, her voice laced with regret. “That was the last one.”

Tirion gripped his sword tightly, stepping in front of Lysa instinctively. “This might be a little tough”

The slimes closed in with increasing speed, utilizing their advantage in numbers. Lysa pressed her back against Tirion's, a sigh of resignation on her face.

“I love you,” Lysa whispered, wrapping her arms around him in a deep hug from behind

"I know," Tirion replied softly, one hand leaving his sword to squeeze her fingers. His ears stood alert, tracking the sounds of approaching death. "Always have."

I watched their final embrace with a strange tightness in my chest. Lysa's robes rustled against Tirion's armor as she pressed closer to him, and I noticed how naturally her chin found its place between his shoulder blades, like she'd done this a thousand times before. His rabbit ears drooped down to brush against her elvish ones and despite everything, the familiar touch made her smile.

We couldn't let it end like this. I caught Estella's eye and she nodded, already reading my intention. I lifted my hand to the stone surface.

“Knock Knock”. I rapped my knuckles against the tunnel wall. The sound echoed across the room , catching their attention. They looked over at us, their expressions a mix of hope and surprise.

"Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting," I said. "But it looks like you could use a hand."

Estella emerged beside me, chakrams in hand. "Or four," she added with a grin.

I assessed the situation quickly, reaching into my pack for potions. Four vials - two health, two mana. They arced through the air in paired trajectories.

"Catch!"

Tirion plucked the vials from the air with ease. He downed two himself and passed the rest to Lysa beside him. She broke her combat stance just long enough to drink both potions in quick succession, pressing the empties back into his hand without a word. The whole exchange took maybe two seconds - the kind of seamless coordination you only get from partners who've fought together for years.

With our new allies refreshed, Estella stepped forward. "I'll play support," she said.

Sing : Song of valor Party stats have increased by 20%

Estella started to sing a melodious tune which bolster our spirits. Her song was uplifting and I felt a surge of strength flowing through my body, turning my exhaustion into renewed vigor.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Dance of distraction Enemy stats have decreased by 20%

Then, she started to sway gracefully. Her movements were hypnotic, drawing the attention of the slimes. Their amorphous bodies seemed to quiver in confusion, their attacks becoming sluggish and uncoordinated.

Tirion surged forward, reinvigorated by the health potion. His blade sang through the air, carving through gelatinous bodies with precision. Gone was the exhausted warrior from moments ago, this was a knight at his prime.

"Watch out for their acid!" he called out, narrowly dodging a glob of corrosive slime. "It'll eat through armor and flesh alike!"

I nodded, positioning myself at his flank. My sword felt lighter somehow, energized by Estella's song. A massive slime hurled itself at my face, its body distorting mid-leap. I sidestepped, letting momentum carry it past me. The creature took a full two seconds to reshape itself, leaving plenty of time to bring my blade down in a clean arc. The creature split perfectly in two, its halves dissolving into harmless puddles.

Behind us, Lysa regained her composure. Her hands glowed with dark energy as she closed her eyes and went into a prayer. She chanted in a language I didn't recognize, gradually chanting faster and faster until she yelled out:

Shadow Crush

Pure darkness erupted from her fingertips and suddenly, tentacles of darkness shot forth, wrapping around several slimes. With a gesture of her hand, the shadows constricted. The monsters didn't even have time to react before they were crushed into nothingness, leaving only fading wisps of dark magic in their wake.

"Nice trick," I called out, impressed.

Lysa managed a smile tinged with exhaustion. "A gift from the Shadow Lord,” she said as she slumped against a wall. “Effective, but it drains me quickly."

As we fought, I began to identify our path to victory. The slimes, while numerous, weren't particularly strong. Their attacks were predictable - straight-line lunges followed by a recovery period. The real danger wasn't their individual strength, it was the risk of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But if we could cluster them together, their very numbers would work against them. They'd get in each other's way, making it impossible for more than the outer layer to attack effectively.

"Tirion!" I shouted over the sounds of battle. "Can you draw them together? I have an idea!"

Tirion’s ears perked up in understanding. Without hesitation, he let out a battle cry and charged straight into the heart of the slime horde, his armor clanging purposefully as he moved.

Taunt Slime aggro to Tirion increased by 30%

The monsters swarmed toward the noise and motion, forming a tightening circle around him.

Just as I'd hoped, they seemed to operate on basic stimulus response rather than any real intelligence.

"Estella," I signalled to her, "on my mark, throw your chakrams in a wide arc!"

She flashed me a thumbs up, already spinning her weapons into a ready position.

"Lysa, can you manage one more shadow crush?" I asked.

The shadow cleric gritted her teeth. "I'll try my best."

As Tirion continued to draw the slimes in, I raised my sword high. "Now!"

Several things happened at once. Estella's chakrams flew out in a wide circle, corralling the slimes even tighter. Lysa's shadow tendrils erupted from the ground, further constricting the monsters. Tirion and I brought our swords down with all our might.

A wave of dark energy exploded outward from the impact point. It split into smaller rays of darkness and rained over the slimes, causing them to explode into thousands of harmless droplets.

For a moment, all was silent save for our heavy breathing. Then Tirion let out a whoop of victory, which Estella quickly joined.

Lysa sagged to her knees, but her exhausted smile said everything. "Thank you," she managed.

Tirion Leicester has joined the party Lysa Hawkeye has joined the party

Name: Tirion Leicester Base Class Knight Race : Bunny-kin Elemental Affiliation: Earth/Dark Advanced Class: None Level : 8

Talents STR: A INT: C CON : A DEX : C

Main Stats HP: 114/314 MP: 10/10 ATK: 19 M.ATK: 4 R.ATK: 7 DEF: 41 M.DEF: 22

Name: Lysa Hawkeye Base Class Cleric Race : Elf Elemental Affiliation: Dark Advanced Class: None Level : 7

Talents STR: C INT: A CON : C DEX : B

Main Stats HP: 70/130 MP: 8/35 ATK: 13 M.ATK: 27 R.ATK: 15 DEF: 14 M.DEF: 22