Phantom pain burned in Jade's healed wound as she laid eyes on the monster that had so savagely mauled her mere days before. No, it wasn't the same creature, that one had been crushed by machinery in the factory, but it was the same type of monster. Jade hadn't used the system to examine the first venomhound she'd encountered, it hadn't been activated yet, but seeing the creature's name displayed in her interface sent a shiver down her spine.

"Siora, stay back. This thing is fast." Jade said, drawing her weapons. Dagger in one hand, wand in the other. Despite the many battles they'd been through over the past several days, the daggers were still in relatively good condition.

"Then it's a good thing I got that new spell." Luis said, eyes locked on the creature.

The venomhound remained in place, watching them intently.

"Are we really going to fight it?" Naomi hissed. "It's level 15."

"I don't think it'll let us get away." Jade replied, recalling how mercilessly the first venomhound had pursued her.

"People are stuck in there." Luis added, glancing at the hut. The structure's wooden door was cracked, as if the beast had been trying to break it down.

The monster crouched lower and fell silent. It narrowed its eyes at them, tensing.

"Get ready…" Jade murmured.

She swallowed, knuckles turning white as she gripped her weapons tightly. It was going to strike at any moment. Before it could, Jade focused her senses on the monster, revealing a few small weak points. Her talent tagged the tail just below the stinger, its neck, and a spot on its belly, in red. In the same moment, as if it could sense her ability taking effect, the venomhound charged.

Luis invoked his 'Shield Burst' spell as the monster bounded towards them, enveloping the four of them in a protective shell of energy. Before it could close the distance, Jade took aim and fired off a spell, channeling the magic through her wand to increase its accuracy. A bolt of darkness leapt from her hand, flashing across the open ground between them in an instant. It struck the creature in the face, twisting into a cloud of shadow that obscured its vision.

"Go!"

Jade and Luis charged the monster while Naomi and Siora kept their distance. The bard immediately began to play a fast tune, sending waves of energetic music rolling across the riverbank. The venomhound stumbled, momentarily confused by its sudden blindness. Jade could already feel the spell's mana fracturing, the monster's resistances were too high for her 'Clinging Darkness' spell to take full effect. But for a moment, it was vulnerable.

Jade swung wide to pincer the monster, letting Luis get to it first. He slashed at it with a powerful lateral strike that carved a gash into the hyena's flank, sending a shower of blood spraying into the air. Jade dashed in on its other side, aiming a strike at its vulnerable throat. It snarled in pain, twisting to blindly snap at Luis. The sudden motion threw off Jade's aim, and her dagger scored only a glancing hit against its side. She struck again, plunging her blade into its hip just as the monster shrugged off her spell, regaining its sight. Its eyes snapped towards Jade, and she felt a flutter of panic as its stinger swung towards her.

She rolled away from strike, forced to relinquish her grip on the blade still buried in the monster's side. The barbed tail swiped harmlessly over her and Jade sprang back to her feet, landing a short distance away. Luis continued to engage the monster, trading blows and relying on his magical protections to shield him from its razor claws. With Jade momentarily out of the way, Naomi sent a blast of fire streaking in from the side. The monster evaded the spell but couldn't fully avoid a follow up cut from Luis's greatsword.

Seeing that it was occupied, Jade took a chance and stooped low, running her hand across the ground. A soft flash of violet light signaled the activation of her trap spell, 'Chains of Shadebloom'. The spell took precious seconds to cast, but she thought it would be worth it. This creature was agile, and they needed a way to pin it down. The glow faded a few moments later, leaving only faint traces of the runic circle etched into the ground.

"Tangle!" She called out, stepping to the side and using her wand to point out the trap to her allies while she drew her second dagger. Jade almost took the opportunity to shift into her demon form, but at the last second decided against it. They didn't know who was in that hovel, and she didn't want to carelessly reveal her nature unless it was absolutely necessary.

Luis responded to her shout by maneuvering to the side and launching a force blade at the monster, trying to knock it back into Jade's trap. The venomhound was too fast, leaping away and avoiding the attack entirely. The arc of energy crackled past Jade, slamming into a tree with enough force to send leaves and small sticks raining down around her.

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Jade dashed back in to rejoin the fight, hoping to find a way to lead the monster into her trap. Their barriers had faded by this point, and now she only had her light armor and quick reflexes to protect her. The hybrid creature was pressing Luis back, swiping at him with its stinger and snapping with its mouth. Luis used the long reach of his weapon to keep it at bay, jabbing at the venomhound's tail every time it poised to strike. He was fending it off well for the moment, but he couldn't fight it alone for long.

The monster turned as Jade approached it from behind, shifting targets and leaping towards her without warning. She channeled power into her body, activating her newest talent and warping several feet to the right just as the beast snapped its powerful jaws into where she had been a split second earlier. Its attack caught nothing but empty air and the fading illusory afterimage Jade had left behind. It skidded to a stop, claws digging furrows in the dirt, looking around in incomprehension. Its confusion lasted just long enough for Naomi to nail it with a crackling burst of fire, her 'Pyrotechnics' spell catching it right on the rump.

Howling in fury, the now-ablaze monster turned towards the bard with a snarl even as Jade dashed back in to slash at its side. It slapped her away with its bulky stinger, using it like a hammer to send Jade spinning to the ground. She rolled to her feet in an instant, her side aching from the blow, and saw the wounded monster charging towards their isolated support.

"Oh no you don't!" Luis called, stretching out an open palm. He shouted an incantation, summoning a tendril of icy energy that lanced from his hand to connect to the venomhound's back as it bounded away. The frigid cord stuck to the beast, pulling taut and jerking it to a halt.

* Spell: Frost Hook

* Rating: D Level spell

* Cost: Low mana

* Duration: 2 seconds

* Cooldown: 25 seconds.

* Effect: Project a lasso of ice energy to strike a nearby target, dealing low frost damage and tethering it to you for the duration. Any force you exert on the target via the tether is amplified. When the tether breaks, the target is slowed for a brief duration.

Luis planted his feet and heaved, tugging the monster back towards him and away from Naomi. It stumbled backwards, off balance, and Naomi seized the opportunity to circle to the side, lining up a spell. Jade saw what she was planning to do and changed course, running towards her trap sigil. A blast of sound and a whine of pain announced Naomi unleashing her 'Sonic Boom' spell, which slammed into the venomhound right after Luis's ice tether faded away. The monster was sent reeling once again, this time right into Jade's trap.

Umbral chains burst from the ground, wrapping around the monster's body, legs, and stinger. Jade didn't waste any time, lunging in to slash at the weak spot highlighted on its tail. She severed the stinger in one clean cut, her damage amplified enough by both her 'Vital Sight' talent and 'Bondage Queen' ability to overcome the beast's tough hide. It screeched in pain, crimson blood spewing from its severed stump of a tail while it struggled to free itself from the arcane bindings.

Jade didn't give it the chance, swooping in and drawing her dagger across the monster's neck as it lay pinned and thrashing. It managed to rake her across the chest with a swiping claw before her blade found its target, but only succeeded in gouging a layer of her armor. After that it didn't have the strength to fight, its lifeblood spilling from its throat and soaking the ground beneath it.

She backed away, shaking from a mixture of fear and adrenaline. A certain satisfaction stirred within her as well. A distant hunger, one buried deep within her soul, had been sated by the brutal kill.

"Jade!" Naomi ran up to her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"Yeah. Good job, you did well."

Naomi gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks. I don't want to see another one of those."

"Definitely. It's a good thing we had it outnumbered."

"Is it safe now?" Siora called out, poking her head out from around the tree she had been sheltering behind.

"Yup, amiga. It's all good now." Luis said, striding over to join them.

"All… good?" Siora looked confused.

"Luis." Jade sighed. "Idioms don't translate well, remember?"

This was a problem they'd been having over the past few days. While the Labyrinth's translation magic was incredible, it was also far from perfect. The more time they spent with Siora, the more they understood its limitations.

"Right." he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's safe now!"

"Hey, did you get this weird notification too?" Naomi asked.

Jade turned her attention to her interface. Indeed, she did have a pending prompt.

* System Notice

* You have helped correct a Labyrinth anomaly. Your assistance is appreciated!

* Reward: 1 bronze compensation token.

The air in front of Jade shimmered. A bronze coin the size of Jade's fist appeared in front of her, dropping to the ground with a thud. Beside her, Naomi, Luis, and even Siora each had the same experience, their own coins falling next to Jade's. She picked one up, looking it over curiously.

* Item: Bronze Compensation Token

* Awarded for assisting to correct a Labyrinth anomaly. Redeemable at the Labyrinth store.

The coin was embossed with a maze-like pattern that looked like their wayfarer marks. Text lining the rim read: "Making the Labyrinth of tomorrow, today!"

"The hell…?" Jade muttered, reading it again.

"I think that monster wasn't supposed to be here…" Naomi said.

Jade thought that over. She hadn't gotten anything like this the last time she'd defeated a venomhound. Maybe an environment kill didn't count, or maybe it was because her system hadn't been fully active yet. Before they could discuss the topic further, the door to the small hut on the riverbank creaked slowly open. Jade turned to see a man peering out into the darkening evening, staring at them warily. After a moment, he opened the door fully and stepped outside.

"Can you help us?" he asked cautiously. "Or are you one of them?"