Any movement I took was suddenly halted as I felt a wire laid taut against my throat. Even through Ironhide, It’s edge bit into me. My eyes traced from left to right as I now saw the small, almost invisible string stretched between pillars. Attention returned to the undead elf as I now saw her finger for what they truly were. Spools of wire wound along mechanical reels and disappeared into the darkness.

“You know her?” Velton demanded, arms writhing with magicks that wailed to be unleashed.

“The elf with the party.” Ishila growled. “You’re alive. How?”

There was the semblance of a smile upon the drawn, dead lips.

“Not a word I would use to describe myself.” She uttered, voice harsh. “Not for the longest time.”

“And yet here you are.” Velton rebuked. “In the dungeon’s bowels, mostly whole and doing quite well for yourself.”

This was true. The workshop, for that was what it plainly was, lay quiet around us, a vast expanse of mage-machines and resources. Tanks glowed with multi-colored fluid, bodies suspended within.

The wire tugged at my throat, only to loosen and fall slack an instant later as the undead elf gestured. One hand came up and I traced the small nick in the steel that my hide had been transformed into. Some type of mono-filament wire, perhaps? Or just magic would be a more likely explanation.

Webs of it coated the room, I saw now. With a flick, those too vanished, though to where, I knew not.

“Despite the situation I find myself in, I know that any confrontation with you will end in my demise.” The undead elf spoke and spread her arms even as Le’rish appeared behind her. “Perhaps I may be able to kill a few of me, but my own survival would be far from assured.”

“So you’re switchin’ teams now?” Ishila barked with laughter, a sound that echoed through the massive chamber. “Not once, but twice.”

Her scorn only elicited the smallest of shrugs from the figure.

“Whatever happens, my own survival remains my primary concern. One does not grow to be as old as I by taking foolish, uncalculated risks. Of those, I have already chanced too many in the last little while. The tiefling who led us here was such a fool that even I was swayed by his reckless enthusiasm. No longer. I have faithfully assisted the swarm-mind after it spared my existence, and I will not endanger my own survival now to stop you.”

“So you are twice a traitor.” Tehalis spoke, face flat.

“I cannot commit treason unto one that never held my loyalty to begin with.” She looked between Ishila, Velton and Tehalis now. “Your..mate might know of this.”

There was no show of power, only grim silence as the red-haired elf regarded his undead counterpart.

“Tread carefully now, lest the last spark of your existence be snuffed out.”

“Oh no.” She smiled in return. “The remark was not meant as an insult, but rather an observation. I am one such as you, if you could perhaps not tell. Just as you have, I yearn to experiment, to create, to elevate my race, even if it must be through methods they do not approve of.”

“And you think I share your motivations?” Velton looked cold enough to freeze a volcano now, drawn taut and ready to spring free. “That what I do is for the sake of the elven race?’

“Silence.” Le’rish growled, her voice far deeper than anything I had heard from her before. “Every moment you stand here and trade insults is another this swarm-mind grows more aware of our presence.”

“Ah yes.” The undead one replied. “The Arn’thema’s Overmind prepares for its descent down into the dungeon, to devour the shards that still sleep and rise as true conqueror of the dungeon. You may want to hurry.”

“You.” Le’rish seized the elf from behind. “Will guide us.”

“Revealing my newfound treachery to the Overmind will endanger my own safety.” The elf frowned.

“Further than it already is?” The huntress snarled, her hackles well and truly raised.

“Absolutely.”

“It is a divine thing then, that I care little for your safety.” I could almost feel the malice in the huntress’s voice. Something spurred her on that was far deeper than shown on the surface. Through it all, I stood silently and let them exchange their duels of words. Now, I stepped forward, expression grim.

“Tell us. Everything.” She gazed up at me, illuminated by the sickly light of a containment tank next to us. For a moment, I saw a sardonic smile cross those dead lips.

Perhaps I could show you instead.” She turned and began to walk, a gesture to follow her made to us. With a growl, Le’rish released her hold and trailed to the side, teeth bared.

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“The Overmind prepares below. One last wave upon the surface, and it will have gathered enough combat knowledge to overpower the guardians that await it in the depths.” She revealed casually. Le’rish stopped and turned upwards, her face suddenly contorted. Almost on instinct, I turned and grabbed the huntress to haul her back as a wall of force slammed between us. Veton’s spears struck the shimmering wall, sending cracks through the ward.

“And unfortunately, I will not be here when that happens. You have opened the perfect path for me. With your presence, the Overmind will be too distracted to notice as I slip away into the darkness. I should thank you, I suppose.”

Claymore out, I battered away at the wall of force, determined the shatter the thing before the elf escaped. Cracks spread along the surface as I watched the elf hurry towards several particularly large tanks and fiddle with their sides. Horror overshadowed by annoyance which in turn was drowned out by rage grew as several popped open and revealed massive Arn’thema inside. The wall had nearly been splintered when she realized this and bolted for the far exit.

Perhaps it was her own arrogance that demanded she turn and give one last wave of mockery just as the wall fell.

Either way, she did not witness the wall behind her buckle and explode as Valencia burst through. Black, armored fingers wrapped around the elves’ throat and hoisted her upwards.

“Remember me, sunslave?” The dreadknight snarled.

Any reply was drowned out as black, hellish flames engulfed the corpse-elf, her existence wiped from reality a heartbeat later. One arm still upraised, Valencia turned and opened her fist to let blackened dust fall.

“Who shall join her?” The dreadknight’s cruel laughter drifted through the laboratory as I processed what had just happened. Here one moment, snuffed out the next. A reminder that life was not cheap within this place. It was worthless.

“Go.” I growled solemnly to the others. “I will overcome this foe and meet you further in.”

To this regard, I had my doubts, yet we could not afford to be held up here. If what was spoken had been the unfettered truth, there would soon be a new wave unleashed upon the surface. And without Velton there, it would almost certainly break through.

The burden of countless lives lay upon our shoulders, and this weight would not find my wanting.

The Arn’thema unleashed wobbled around, still fresh from their tanks, unused to these massive bodies. It was rare that I faced a creature larger than I, yet these abominations stood my height and then some. Larger than I, and perhaps stronger. One for I, one for Valencia. The dreadknight ignored me as she stalked towards that closest to her, fists aflame. She give not a whit of notice to the others as they moved along the chamber’s walls, towards the door.

The claymore slid into one hand as I regarded the twisted giant whose gaze and rage turned itself upon me. The other dug into a bag upon my belt. Spore-dust fell as I withdrew metallic spheres, several inside my fist. I had seen what these hybrids were capable of. Now my enemies would learn the same.

Frantic energy began to pulse beneath my fingers as the burst-pods awoke. I felt fly the spheres of hunger, and watched as they blurred through the air, an entire volley of nearly mature fusions. Steel meteors crashed into the giant’s body with enough force to crumple its carapace. Then they ricocheted again, buried deep inside it. Its body wracked in pain, the monster did the unthinkable and charged me.

Claymore at ready, I stepped forward and chopped the slab of steel down to bite into an upraised arm. The goliath continued even as the blade sheered away a hand and bit deep into the shoulder. Cold and focus flowed through me, the realization that I would not stop the charge on the forefront of my thoughts. I let slip the blade and ducked aside as three massive fists crashed through the space behind me.

One arm lay upon the cold stone floor now. Three more remained. Ichor flowed from rent-open wounds, yet the creature showed no pain. If it was even capable of feeling the sensation. Leg drawn back, I stepped forward and stomp-kicked into the side of its knee joint.

Carapace splintered and something beneath shattered beneath my weight and force. Leg destroyed, the obsidian mass had nowhere to topple save toward me. Once more I move aside, cold and methodical strikes breaking it piece by piece.

Shrikes of unholy fury roiled from its maw, and just in time I saw the glass behind me shatter from the force. More bodies joined the fray now, destroyed tanks awakening those within. An unnaturally thin form landed before me, a multitude of claws outstretched. Its head vanished a heartbeat later, my fist in its place.

One final surge of valiant effort left within, the goliath staggered to one knee and raised its arms heavenwards. Whatever it attempted was rudely destroyed as I crashed into its body with Relentless Charge, sheer force enough to splay it out upon its back.

Even on its back, it attempted to batter me with powerful fists. With a grunt, I seized the claymore still embedded within one shoulder and ripped it free. A swift kick to the head interrupted another shriek. Motion from behind told me to whirl, and another monster was upon me.

Another worker-type lunged for me, claws outstretched. My hoof caved its chest in as I snapped off a front kick. Simply being large did not mean I was unathletic. The opposite, really. The claymore swiped its head off a heartbeat later as it staggered back up. Well clear of the crumpled body, my attention turned back to the goliath.

Once more, it attempted to rise, and again I kept it down. More and more flocked to its rescue, a swarm of Arn’thema throwing away their lives so that the goliath might live. But death was not denied this day. It too fell, claymore buried within its head. For it was true that Prodigious size alone did not dissuade the sharpened blade.

“Well done.” The mockery rang within my ears as I turned to face Valencia. Corpses lay strewn around the dreadknight, torn to an unrecognizable degree. Raw hatred flowed within her, her scent naught but danger and malice and spite.

“Step aside.” I rumbled in return. This was not a fight I desired. Not with this much gambled upon our success. “There are greater things at play here.”

She laughed, a cold and cruel thing.

“You bow to the will, to the needs of others. Give and give and give until you are naught but an empty husk, and expect me to do the same?” Came the bite of derision. “I will have what mine heart desires, no matter the cost.”

“Now, the truest test, minotaur.” She howled with dark glee, fist crackling with hellish rebuke. “Gods Above and Below, witness me now!”