The cave was a misnomer, it was a gaping jagged hole in the side of a mountain, a football stadium worth of people could have easily danced the Salsa through the opening. The adventuring group was not dancing with glee of a large open space where they could easily be spotted by their prey. The mountain itself was a grim, grey stone that was covered in patches of lush vegetation.

"Well, not gonna beat this monster any faster waiting here." Devourer muttered. He dropped down from the mini ledge the group had been resting on. He landed with nary a leaf rustling around him. He waited a few breaths and when no monster came roaring out of the cave the rest of the group descended.

They quickly traversed through the crowded vegetation and entered the gaping maw without incident. The Mottoy knight atop his steed was able to get a view from a higher vantage point and led the team through the maze of flora. As the ground changed to hard rock the vegetation thinned until the team could easily move. And the team was awed by the cavern they had entered; it had walls made of gleaming white quartz. There were silver trees with roots splitting open the crystal. Onion zigzagged his way across the mirror like floor to inspect the trees “Organic silver.” He breathed out in wonderment. He ran his fingers over the metal bark. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Tiny silver flowers blossomed from his roots. He carefully touched one of the curling leaves and quickly withdrew his leaf finger that had been cut. “Careful those are sharp!” the Silken warned.

“Might be best to not go touching things without reason.” Gus advised. He had exchanged his long polearm for a short sword; allowing for easier mobility in tight quarters. His skin had become a currant red as he climbed down from his mount. “Remember, the Colligere has been living here for centuries; she will likely have some type of warning system in place. Possibly even traps.”

Devourer pointed at the single tunnel leading deeper into the mountain, it was composed of normal grey rock and was dark. “Luckily we don’t have to decide which way to go.”

“Means it is more likely to be a trap.” Gus pointed out.

“I can scout ahead.” Descendre offered. At a nod from the mushroom knight, she entered the tunnel and became one with the shadows.

Mrs. Strawberry slid down to the ground from her beetle, she rearranged her gear to get at her weapons more easily. She looked up at the various sized rare metal trees growing throughout the cavern. “Something feels off with these trees.”

“Why do you say that?” Onion asked, he had frozen with his hand on one of the branches of a smaller tree, only second from snapping it off.

“Trees generally have to gain moisture to grow…” She explained.

Devourer shook his head to ensure his ear blades were not going to jam together. “Where are they getting the moisture?”

“I don’t know, but I think it best you slowly remove your hand from that branch.” The ranger cautioned. She spun her pan in anticipation. The beetle behind her chittered; picking up the general vibe and preparing for battle.

Onion withdrew his hand.

They waited.

Nothing happened.

“What’re you all doing?” the feline asked from the tunnel.

The group collectively jumped. The three-eared gentleman was the first to get speak “Quieter, stupid cat!”

“Anything to be worried about?” Gus asked while he patted his steed in reassurance. The ant-horse made a chittering rebuke directed at the Derkaz. The steed took a few quick steps away from the dark furred cat and chittered again in agitation.

Descendre clicked her tail claws together and surveyed the group. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. Just some little animated statues that I pushed off the edge of the steps. Shall we?”

The group followed the cat through the large circular tunnel and into another cavern. This space was vast, with a network of bridges leading to various tunnels throughout the open space. The bridges were made of more quartz, with more of the silver trees everywhere, and moving among the trees were little seventeen-legged statues. The statues were the dull grey to match the mountain. They had featureless humanoid heads. Their limbs were thin and humanoid. On each limb they had little dove wings made of the same rock. The animated stone pruned the trees, made minute cracks in the quarts to guide the silver roots and poured a gleaming liquid onto them.

“Don’t touch the trees and they’ll ignore you.” Descendre advised.

The Auris shot Onion a look “Geez. Good thing none of us were going to try doing that.”

The adventurers carefully winded their way among the foliage. Onion was staring at one of the trees and smacked into a statue with a loud clunk. The party froze. The statue righted itself and moved towards the Silken. It bumped into the plant mage. It paused, backed up and moved forward smacking into him again. On the third attempt it moved crablike around Onion’s position to reach the tree behind him. The Silken was much more focused on his path after that.

They came to the landing of the largest tunnel.

Mrs. Strawberry surveyed the stone “I would suggest we find another route.”

“Why’s that?” Gus asked.

The cook pointed at the ground “That tunnel hasn’t been used, it’s a trap, we want to find the tunnel with the ground warn down by travel.”

The group turned to retrace their steps when a multitude of eyes opened in the tunnel and the horde of yellow spotted simians charged. The ant-horse caught the movement with her three-sixty vision and turned in place with the grace a horse would never be able to imitate. The red armored insect leapt towards the rushing enemy. Her four longest legs extended outwards away from her abdomen giving space for her two short legs to catch the closest enemy by the throat, she threw the spotted biped back into its companions sending them crashing to the ground in a heap. She grabbed another and used it as a makeshift club to slam two more to the ground. The mushroom knight had regained his balance by that time and was driving a newly grown spear into another enemy. The Mottoy kept his calm, his words commanding “I need protection, cook!”

Mrs. Strawberry was beside him in a moment, striking an amber colored creature with a clang of her pan. “Got it!” she responded as she used an upward swing to snap back a simian’s head and send her crashing into her murderous companions.

“ONION! DOT!” The fungus knight’s spear was yanked from his hands, he switched to a shield and sword as he shouted orders “CAT! AURIS! OFFENSE!”

“Got it boss.” Devourer acknowledged as he and Descendre struck the attackers from the sides.

Onion stayed back to use his damage over time (DOT) magic and summoned his spectral hands to tear through the yellow swarm. The battle was chaotic and short lived with the adventurers coming out victorious.

With the monsters eradicated the team searched deeper and deeper into the mountain. They met three more of the monkey type creatures. The adventurers were grumpy and grubby by the time they killed the last batch. Devourer cleaned his blade fastidiously with a handkerchief “You know, this is feeling less and less like an adventure and more like a chore…”

“I usually don’t agree with you…” Descendre said as she groomed herself. “But it is feeling monotonous.” She flicked an ear. “Shhh.”

“What is it?” Gus asked, discarding his damaged swords and growing another set as he looked in the direction of the cat’s gaze.

The cat’s eyes narrowed to slits as she focused on the footfalls of the approaching entity, her lips drew back to show fangs as she hissed “I don’t recognize the creature that makes that sound…but it’s a predator.”

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Light flickered from the subway-sized tunnel they had just vacated.

The Mottoy climbed atop his steed. “Battle formation: Spider Web.”

Devourer shook his ears loose and stepped back into the shadows with a grim expression. Descendre moved behind the granny and fungus. Mrs. Strawberry stood behind Onion with her pan in one hand and the Tattered sword of Sister Blade in the other.

“Only lure it in.” Gus ordered the Silken. “You’re the bait, remember no engaging.”

The plant mage lifted his hands on either side and summoned rootfire. “Theatrics and distractions.” His voice was mischievous, his roots expanded across the stone floor to keep him stable as the branches of his tail grew into a tree with leaves colored with all his experiences. He crushed a leaf between his fingers. The shadows grew deeper within the rest of the cavern causing Gus, the cook, and their steeds to become uninteresting to any that would observe them.

Onion took a deep breath.

The Colligere entered.

She was shaped like a bear and moved into the open space on all four legs. It was tough to tell where her neck ended and her head began. She surveyed the plant mage like a tasty morsel. Her predatory presence was palpable as she took another step closer to her victim.

The Silken didn’t notice clusters of tiny grapes growing along the shrinking branches of his tail. His roots retracting away from the nails of the final adversary. By her next step he was in his fully mobile state. He crouched low to the ground, waiting, uncertain of what to expect.

She ran a thick tongue along her tongue and rushed.

The Silken dove to the side at the last moment, opening his fingers and sending a blast of pollen into the face of the towering creature.

The Colligere lost her footing in surprise and skidded across the floor, she slammed into a stone wall and shook head. She turned towards the annoying snack that was evading her, she made snarling hiss that caused thin gills across her neck and torso to flutter open in agitation. She launched at him again.

He dropped low and rolled away, eluding her raking fingers. She attempted to turn mid leap but ended up losing her footing and slamming to the ground with an earth shaking crash.

Onion couldn’t help himself and he dashed towards his fallen adversary.

That was when the Colligere’s gills opened and blood red arms emerged, they moved faster than a frog’s tongue. Onion attempted to drop low beneath them, but she had anticipated the tactic and sharp Colligere nails met Silken flesh.

Onion flew through the air with a trail of blood behind him.

He smacked to the ground and didn’t move.

She made a rumbling sound that escaped from her gills, she moved across the floor with eyes only for the still plant mage.

Descendre’s tail snapped through the air and poisoned claws struck the Colligere’s neck but didn’t penetrate the skin; purple toxins dribbled the white skin as the beast turned towards the attacking feline and charged. She faded back into the shadows and the large behemoth’s nails clicked together empty. Devourer dropped from the ceiling with a dagger clasped in hands and feet. He attempted to drive blades into the creature’s spine without success, he rolled away before she could react. She turned back towards the Auris. She made a leap to crush him, but he disappeared into the inky darkness. Gus’s spear failed pierce her back flank, he wheeled his insect steed around and back out of range, the Colligere had an opponent who couldn’t hide, she dove at his exposed back with a grim underbite smile. She didn’t see the cook. Mrs. Strawberry’s cast iron pan landed three strikes; one to the beast’s extended hand aimed at the fungal knight’s spine, the second to the beast’s jutting underbite, and the third to the hand descending to the ground to catch all of the Colligere’s weight in her charge.

The behemoth’s hand went wide from the fungus’s back, her mouth snapped closed; there was the crunch and snap of teeth breaking against each other. But most devastating of all was her massive hand meant to land on the ground and support her entire weight as she ran; the cook’s strike caused the hand to land at an angle; tendons and muscles were stretched to their limits as gravity and momentum clashed against each other. Gravity won and the creature fell towards the ground. The bones of the extremity snapped, the Colligere made a surprised grunt as her limb was crushed beneath her falling weight. Another earth shaking could be felt in the room as she slid across the floor in a jumble of limbs and agonized sounds.

“Blunt objects!” Mrs. Strawberry shouted, retreating from the thrashing beast.

Devourer dropped from the stalactites again, this time with his club gripped by his feet. He moved in a cartwheel motion gaining momentum in his spin until he brought it crashing down into red limbs, crunching of bone was his reward as he moved in a complex pirouette away from her undamaged appendages that attempted to reach him. “CAT! TAKE CARE OF ONION!”

The Colligere rose; using red arms to compensate for the damaged front leg. She was showing teeth that were cracked and splintered as she snarled at her prey turned threat.

A mushroom shield flew through the air like a frisbee, she batted it away with a dismissive swipe, more of the fungus discs sailed through the air, each deflected without a glance. A few missed her completely, striking the ground beneath her. She made an amused grumble at the pointless attempt, she was so focused on her superiority that she didn’t see a shield land in front of her remaining front arm. She slipped on the smooth surface. There was a moment where she hung in the air; her eyes widening as she realized the trap. She crashed again to the ground with a “Oomph!”

The ranger shattered the bones of the red limbs with her frying pan, between Devourer and the cook blood red extremities were nothing but floppy muscle.

The Colligere pushed away the treacherous shields and rose on her three limbs. She looked battle weary and distinctly confused by the outcome of the battle. She ran her tongue over her ragged teeth and opened her mouth with another snarl. And then spoke? “To think five of you could hurt me this much.”

Devourer moved from the shadows and landed another strike with his club before answering “You talk?”

“Of course, I talk!” the Colligere snarled as she snapped in his general direction. She caught herself in the moment and attempted to mimic a smile; though it was ruined by the bloody teeth “Now, how about we all talk this through; I have treasures, I have land, I can give you these if you will just ask.”

“Of course, we can talk.” Gus answered from atop his red armored mount. “We are after all civilized.”

Mrs. Strawberry didn’t stop in her own attacks, striking ribs and deflecting the maw of the beast as she backed away. She turned the momentum of the deflection into a strike that dislodged more teeth. She made a feint that allowed the three-ear to land another blow to a hand.

“Call off your stupid allies!” the pale beast snarled, whipping her head around at the Auris. “Let’s talk terms.”

“I suppose…” The Mottoy said uncertain.

“Yes, yes, term!” The desperate creature urged.

The fungal knight looked her over thoughtfully; his spear lowered, and he assumed a relaxed pose, nodding his head towards the cook and roguish gentleman. “Oh, good call. Cook, three-ear, we should stop.”

The Colligere breathed a sigh of relief and moved into a relaxed position as well.

Devourer struck her with his club. The force snapping her head around, the ranger met the swinging head with her own strike. The Colligere slumped to the ground with a dazed expression.

“I think we are going to have to reject your tempting offer.” Gus announced to the whimpering creature. He removed his mushroom cap and dusted imaginary dust off it before adding. “We found a better investment, but we will be sure to reach out if that changes.”

“But I surrendered.” The pale creature mumbled.

Devourer landed another blow to the head before rolling away from swiping nails “And we appreciate that, but we also appreciate that you are a mass murderer.” From the inky darkness his voice floated “And well, only a moron would leave something like you running around.”

“That’s right.” Onion said, finally standing with a hand braced on Descendre’s shoulder. “We need to exterminate you.”

She grew more of the red limbs in an eyeblink, in that same moment she lifted herself up, moved across the floor and had an open maw aimed at his throat. The Silken feinted right and rolled left, evading the attack. The Colligere crashed into the side of the cave, and this time the already weakened wall gave way. On the other side was natural sunlight and the forest that encircled the mountain. Onion was right behind her he grabbed berries and crushed them, the spectral hands appeared around the Colligere. Before she could react, they grabbed her undamaged arm and yanked. The Colligere roared as her arm was torn from her torso by the spectral hands.

Onion dropped backwards to avoid the swipe of the razor claw. He rolled and sprinted on all fours away. The Colligere charged after him.

Gaining on him.

Only meters away.

Devourer dashed from the shadows and spun with his ear blades. This time the edged weapons were able to cut into the flesh of the gaping wound. She roared and tried to turn in time to reach her new assailant. He flipped and jumped to evade her hands as he sliced and cut at her. When she had slowed enough to start angling on him he dashed into back into the darkness. She shoved aside trees and undergrowth with roars of impotent fury. Descendre rushed in to use her poisoned tail on the creature’s gills. Forcing her to turn over. The cat pouncing away as quick as possible. Gus threw mushroom spores into the wound, the fungi growing into a house, a wall and a spear. She had to tear herself free from the growing mushrooms or have them grow into her and become the new paint scheme for the cottage. Mrs. Strawberry charged in atop her beetle, using the brute force to crush ribs and dislocate a shoulder.

The Colligere stumbled from side to side as she was attacked and harried by the adventurers. As Descendre whipped her tail through the air the giant beast caught the appendage and the cat was turned into motes of energy. The creature grinned with blooded teeth at the remaining group. IN that brief moment of respite from attacks she made a disconcerting shiver and a thick layer of skin was peeled off. And beneath she was fully healed. She grinned at them “Guess it is best I remove my winter coat.”

“No!” Devourer shouted and whipped her across the jaw with his club, her jaw shattered again. She roared in pain and slashed at him. He dodged backwards. “We have to keep her from getting back to her tree! She can’t consume the cat until she touches her tree!”

The Colligere made a disturbing chuckle, she made a quick crab walk to the side and cornered Gus before he could manuever out of her range, she energized him just as quickly. She looked at the three remaining members “You are already down two members, what can you hope to do?”

She leapt towards them.

Mrs. Strawberry glared at the beast as she shouted “THAT’S IT, I’M SWITCHING TO PLAN B!”