Cold metal bit into Mud's neck. After traveling only a finger width into the golems flash, the blade halted. Visible slightly through eye holes in his black metal helmet, the knight's eyes opened in shock. Retracting his blade, the knight took a few rapid steps backward. Although he retracted his attack, he did not lower his fighting stance.

Mud heard a disappointed sigh from behind itself, but refocused on the enemy.

The black knight glanced down at his thin curved blade. "No blood... it's good I didn't injure you." His voice sounded young, perhaps in his late teenage years. Silence followed as the golem and the knight sized each other up.

His armor was considerably divergent in design from those worn by Thagi Ghul and Bark. The black knight's armor appeared to be constructed of numerous thin strips of metal connected together. Two large rectangles hung from the bulky chest plate, protecting the knight's upper legs. Two similar rectangles sat against his shoulders, providing protection for the upper arms. Gauntlets and greaves of similar design covered the knight's forearms and shins, but left his hands and feet exposed. The back of the knights helmet swept low to protect his neck, while the front was forged to resemble a face twisted in rage. Under the armor, hiding the majority of the knight's body, lay fine black fabric. In place of shoes, he wore sandals of an unknown blackish material.

Tiring of the silence first, the knight spoke. "I meant no... hostility. The thrill of fight blinds me. My name is Shin." His speech was slow and carefully annunciated. Despite his efforts, the pronunciation of the words was slightly different than Mud was used to.

Before the one-sided conversation could continue, a familiar figure entered the tunnel from a side passage. Again, the knight turned his head towards the new entrant, and again he rushed forward, swinging his blade. This time, however, he did not halt his strike. In one clean stroke, the beast was decapitated. It didn't even have time to notice them before it was dead.

That could have been me, thought Mud, as the corpse fell to the cave floor.

Although the knight was now non-hostile, Mud was concerned it might attack again if provoked. So, instead of sending a Paracusia directly to him, the golem sent it to Jabrax to speak by proxy. Following a spike in malice from the demon, Jabrax repeated his message.

"You're not going to attack us again, right Shin?" Of her own accord, she added to the message. "It would be bad if it got out that the Prince's henchmen are attacking random delvers. How are you going to make this up to us?"

Flicking the blood off of his blade with a twitch of his wrist, Shin turned towards the demon. "No one would know if I killed you." After a moment of pause, he went on. "Sorry, that was my joke. I won't kill you."

Mud was pleased. It had never met somebody worse at communicating than itself before. Perhaps its communication skills weren't as bad as it thought if people like this existed.

Reaching into a pouch at his side, Shin produced a small flask filled with a multi-colored liquid and held it out towards Jabrax. "Here, it is gift. For healing." Jabrax stared at the bottle, but didn't move.

"Take it Jabrax, it's not a trap. I sense no malice from him."

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Looking down at the golem, Jabrax sneered. "Oh, and since when are you an expert on reading people?"

"I acquired the Detect Malice skill."

Immediately after Mud sent the message, Jabrax's face blanked. An instant later, the constant feeling of malice flowing from her halted completely. "Don't trust something like that blindly."

Still, she walked up to Shin and accepted his gift, then returned to the golem's side.

Nodding in satisfaction, the strange knight spoke again. "Return to higher level. You will die here, small man. You are not yet ready."

Mud turned around immediately and began climbing back up the ramp to the first floor. Not only because it was ordered to do so; Shin's advice rang true. Mud's defenses were still too weak. It could effortlessly crush those much weaker than it, but against a tough enemy death could still arrive swiftly. Mud would wait to conquer the second floor until it received its equipment from the blacksmith. As Mud climbed, the last he heard of Shin was a woosh and the sound of another beast being cut in half.

The trip back up the ramp did not prove as uneventful as the way down. As Mud and Jabrax neared the half-way point, the form of an evolved caterpillar crested the top of the tunnel. Mud's skill at stealth was useless in the straight and empty tunnel, and the pair was immediately spotted. Flailing its long clawed arms, the beast let out a screech.

As the beast began rushing down the tunnel, Mud launched itself to the cave roof and held fast, the steep incline actually making the surface easier to grip than normal. At the same moment, the Corpse Worm sprinted down towards the pair's position. Unfortunately, Since Mud was below the beast, it would be able to reach its position on the roof by standing higher on the slope.

Three long arms wrapped around Mud, anchoring into the golem's flesh with hooked claws. As the beast pulled itself forward with its mandibles wide and white bubbles spewing, the golem decided to attempt a theoretical maneuver it had thought of previously.

Utilizing its control to the upmost, Mud created a gap in its body around the beasts arms, causing them to sink deep into its torso. Continuing to create gaps in its flesh in front of the arms and filling in the space behind, the Worm's own strength pulled its arms entirely through Mud's body and out the other side, freeing Mud from its grip.

[Unarmed Combat Skill increased to level 7]

The Corpse Worm, unbalanced by its unexpected loss of anchor, stumbled down the tunnel. Its multitude of stubby legs quickly regained its posture, but that was enough time for them golem and demon to begin their counter-offensive.

Jabrax, who was floating lazily up the passage on one of her invisible platforms, rolled to the side and landed on the cave floor. Then, grabbing hold of the platform she had just been resting on, she swung her arms towards the beast. Although her arms passed harmlessly through the air in front of the Worm, the beast's head was smashed to the side as though struck by an unseen weapon.

Still reeling from the blow, the Worm was crushed to the ground by the improved rock-fall technique of Mud. As expected, this completed monster did not die as easily as the half-formed one.

Clinging to the monster's back, Mud repeatedly stabbed at the monster with its dagger. Although each blow only did slight damage, the beast was unable to retaliate. Although its clawed arms could reach and snag at Mud, the golem simply allowed each attack to pass harmlessly through its body. All the while, Jabrax continued to slam her invisible platform into the monster's head, not even bothering to dodge its attacks as the claws harmlessly bounced off of her skin. A manic, shark-toothed grin split her face as specks of green blood and white acid sprayed against her face.

After a short but erratic battle, the beast was finally knocked unconscious. Reaching into the beast's mouth, Mud stabbed the roof of its mouth into its brain, finally killing it.

[Experience Gained: 11]