“Is it still there?”

“…No, it must have stopped following us.”

“Do you think it knows something?”

“I faintly smelled a human’s scent, blood too.”

“Karth.”

“I don’t know him, so it’s best not to just to conclusions. Do you have any belongings of his?”

“No.”

“Then we’ll play it safe.”

Red Mountain, a black bear beastborn, sniffs at the air as his companions wait to hear more.

“It should be safe to follow it back. Maybe we’ll find its nest.”

Stone’s Throw, a red-haired dwarf woman, feels the need to ask for confirmation,

“Are you sure it was just a catilyss? That thing left behind some nasty looking traps, and it’s been stalking us just out of reach.”

“I’ve known their kind’s scent long enough to know.”

“Aren’t those things easy kill? They aren’t that bright either.”

Dedicantus, a dark teal-haired dwarf, strokes his beard while muttering aloud,

“These are the mid-level floors, nothing that weak could live here unless it was special in some way.”

Silver Lining is a fairly quiet, white scaled dragonborn. However, the cloaked man occasionally loves to talk about traps and inventions.

“Did any of you look closely at those traps? If you weren’t careful Red Mountain, you would have fallen in that huge spike pit or been crushed by boulders.”

“Something that small couldn’t move boulders that high. Do you think they had help?”

“There could be a whole nest of catilyss, so I’m not sure of anything yet. However, we shouldn’t rely on our dark sight so much. Those traps were made to be easily noticed by adventurers with a light source.”

The dwarf woman scoffs.

“What makes you say that? Monsters kill adventurers.”

“The tarp covering the pit was painted in blood. Red Mountain said it was specifically a goblin’s blood, but those monsters are weak and don’t frequent this floor, nor do they make anything with their own blood. Larger monsters, like ogres and trolls, are drawn towards the smell of weaker creatures. They will eat anything.”

“That doesn’t prove they were trying to keep people from falling in.”

“The smell was noticeable before we even entered the room. If we had torches to light our path, we would have noticed the distinction in color of the blood compared to the dark stone and rubble around it.”

“You’re such a nerd.”

“It’s not about being a nerd, it’s about survival. Maybe you’ll learn something from the traps here.”

“I’m far older than you, kid. Don’t lecture me on survival.”

The hot-tempered dwarf stomps off ahead grumbling something under her breath.

Dedicantus slows to walk beside the dragonborn and pat him on the back.

“I appreciate the wisdom. I’m not too old to pass up on something new to learn, and you have given Stone’s Throw a bit more to think on.”

Silver Lining sighs.

“I could do without her mockery. I know others of my profession that won’t shut up about their knowledge, but at least I know when to keep my mouth shut.”

Red Mountain stops suddenly, and silently signals for everyone to be quiet.

As one, the group tip-toes forwards until they reach a small crevice in the rock wall.

“I’m not even going to attempt to fit in there. You two go, I’ll stand guard with Silver Lining.”

The two dwarves nod their heads and crawl into the small tunnel.

They find nothing but a dying fire, a dried-up puddle of blood, and a bundle of bones and flesh in one corner.

Stone’s Throw calls to her allies outside.

“There’s a campfire, a corpse, and some dried blood.”

The beastborn askes to see the corpse, and the woman brings it out for him.

*sniff* *sniff*

"It's prowler, not human."

"That's a relief."

“Take a look at this.”

Dedicantus shouts to get Stone's Throw's attention, and points towards a section of the wall for his companion to see.

She enters the small space again and peers into a crack in the wall, concealed by the flame’s shadows.

“Adventurer’s equipment?!”

“A whole stockpile. Backpacks, water skins, weapons, food. It’s all organized.”

“So, it’s an intelligent monster.”

“One that has been killing adventurers and stealing their gear. Do you think..?”

“No, Karth is still alive. No body, no confirmation.”

"That corpse?"

"It was a prowler."

The pair exit the small dwelling and regroup with their allies, informing them of everything they saw.

Red Mountain sniffs at the air.

“The monster left with the human, not too long ago. We’ll catch up.”

----------------------------------------

Wyrrm Bait is making too much noise with his armor. The human insisted on wearing all of his gear, despite the weight and noise.

I thought people were smarter than this, but maybe they’re still in their early years of learning the true horrors of such a place.

“Hey Daedalus, why do you only walk on all fours? Other catilyss walk on two legs as well.”

The human has been saying this one particular word a lot lately. ‘Daedalus’. It must be the name of the organization hunting him.

I’m surprised he narrowed down the name of the organization so quickly. Unless there aren’t many others like it.

He seemed a lot more relaxed before he learned the identity of the ones chasing him. Now he won’t stop talking about them.

I understand his fears, I too have been hunted down by people. Terrified for my life, barely surviving day to day.

Monsters are scary too, though they’re just driven by hunger and can be fooled once you learn how they think.

‘Don’t worry Wryym Bait, I’ll get you out of here safe and sound!’

I scale up a steep rock face, then tie a rope around a large rock. The rope is tossed down for Wryym Bait to climb up and join me.

In hopes to throw those hunters off our trail, I had rubbed the human and myself, with the hide of a grimm caller. I use it to camouflage my movements whenever I go out hunting for food.

Only problem is that it can sometimes attract other grimm callers. They recognize the smell of one of their fallen brothers.

Wyrrm Bait didn’t complain, he must have understood its purpose too. Maybe there is some hope for the people above after all.

“Daedalus, is that..?”

I turn around and cover my mouth with a hand, indicating for him to be silent.

It looks like he understands.

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The noise that alerted him was of a troll just around the corner. I have to help guide the human in the pitch black.

I'm a mining helmet with a candle sitting atop, facing towards the human. I didn’t want to hold his hand or give him a torch, so he would have to follow me as best as he could.

We quietly sneak past the troll, taking a right instead of a left, down the fork in the road. Once we got past without detection, I made a small trail with bits of old meat for the monster, leading him to the center of the crossroads.

That should slow down those hunters.

“You’re pretty smart, aren’t you. Covering your tracks and keeping other monsters away.”

I have no clue what he said, other than “monsters”. Going based off context clues, he must be praising my tactics to keep those hunters at bay.

I nod with the man in agreement.

He’s more aware of our situation than I gave him credit for. Though, if only he was a lot quieter.

* * *

We’re getting close to the end of this floor.

No matter how much I have tried to slow down those bounty hunters, they keep getting closer.

I don’t want to have to fight them, especially since I can’t fight most of the monsters on this floor head on.

“Daedalus, are we getting closer to my friends?”

Wyrrm Bait has noticed their approach as well. He’s in no shape to fight, we’ll have to run, or find somewhere to hide.

“Hurry! They’re right behind us!”

“What is it boy? What are you trying to say?”

Neither of us can tell what the other is saying.

I gesture for Wyrrm Bait to move quickly. He nods in understanding.

We run as fast and hard as we can, down a winding corridor. The exit is just up ahead.

I skid to a stop, and the human almost trips over me to stop as well.

It’s an ogre. They’re hiding in a space above the exit.

I don’t think the large creature has noticed us yet, but I’m not taking my chances with that thing, if it sees us, then we’re dead.

I might be able to get away, but I won’t risk the human’s life.

I have no other choice but to leave Wyrrm Bait to his fate with the bounty hunters. Hopefully they won’t be too rough with him.

I turn to the human, give him the mining helmet, and frown.

“I’m sorry.”

Is all I can say.

He watches me for a long moment, holding the helmet in both hands. Cogs turn in his mind as he tries to process what’s going on.

“D-Daedalus!”

I dart away into the shadows, scale up a steep wall, and hide within a small tunnel.

From here, I should be able to watch after the human.

The bounty hunters might be less hostile towards him if he’s alone. My presence will only make things worse.

The sound of fast approaching, armored footsteps, grows louder. I brace for the worst.

All the while, Wyrrm Bait stares thoughtfully into the shadows from where I left him.

He’s frowning.

----------------------------------------

“The scent is stronger here, we’re close.”

Red Mountain says with a grin.

Everyone is tense with excitement at the prospect of not only finding the lost human, but also capturing an intelligent monster.

“Remember: make no lethal attacks, unless the catilyss tries to kill the human.”

Silver Lining repeats his previous statement, hoping that the other adventurers aren’t just blood thirsty barbarians.

The group make noises of agreement, then as one, they burst out of the winding tunnel and into a huge open clearing.

At the other end of the space is a set of stairs that lead to the next floor. In the center of the room stands a confused, and sad looking human.

“Karth!”

Dedicantus shouts out loud, excited to see his friend. He begins to run towards the man, only to get yanked back by his collar.

“Wait…”

Stone’s Throw says in a low, cautious voice.

“Karth is standing there alone, the catilyss is gone, yet… there’s a heavy tension in the air.”

“Dedicantus? Is that you?”

Karth responds, uncertain as he stares in their direction.

“Ogre, at the gate.”

The beastborn growls, retrieving a greatsword from the sheathe on his back.

He charges forwards as the large monster ahead, leaps down from its hiding place.

Karth stands dumbfounded in the crossfire, uncertain where he should be.

The ogre’s first target is the blind human. It soars high above, aiming to land on top of him before Red Mountain can stop it.

The black bear beastborn runs as hard as he can, but he knows he won’t make it in time. He launches his weapon at the large monster, in hopes to change its course.

With both the projectile and the ogre, quickly approaching Karth, he realizes he’s in danger a moment too late.

A small figure darts through the space and slams into Karth’s side, forcing him to tumble roughly out of harm's way.

In that same instant, the greatsword pierces straight into the large pale creature mid-air. It tilts the beast backwards but fails to move it away from its initial target.

The ground shakes as the ogre lands hard on its back. It slowly picks itself up off the floor, looking around angrily to find that the only blood spilled was its own.

“Daedalus!”

“It’s the catilyss!”

“Which is a greater threat?”

The one called, ‘Daedalus’ scrambles to get away from Karth.

“Is that what you named it?”

The catilyss retreats once more, but circles around the back of the ogre.

“Karth, are you hurt?”

Dedicantus asks, while preparing a spell.

Stone’s Throw fires a large bolt at the pale monster and begins to nock another bolt into her heavy crossbow.

Red Mountain moves close to retrieve his weapon, but is forced to raise his arms in defense, bracing for the ogre’s one large horn.

The impact sends him flying to the side.

He tumbles along the rough stone floor, a dozen meters away, then quickly regains his balance with an absurd amount of agility, comparable to his size.

“I’m alright, thanks to Daedalus.”

“That’s a terrible name.”

Red Mountain growls as he kicks off the floor and rushes the ogre once more.

Stone’s Throw chimes in, while firing another bolt.

“You do know what Daedalus was famous for, right?”

Karth shakes the dust from his clothes and armor, while moving away from the fight.

Dedicantus helps guide his friend in the dark, while healing his internal wounds and whatever injuries weren’t fully recovered.

The human shrugs.

“Wasn’t he the guy who made the maze to imprison a minotaur, or something?”

The teal-haired dwarf chuckles.

“That’s one of his achievements, but why did you choose that name?”

“I don’t know. It sounded cool, I guess. I wanted to give him a cool name.”

“Fair enough.”

The ogre launches a couple fists at Red Mountain, though the beastborn is quick to avoid both and deliver an uppercut to the monster.

“Silver Lining, we could use your help.”

“I’m trying to find where that catilyss went, I don’t want to lose it.”

As if on cue, the dark furred creature leaps out from an outcropping of large rocks above. It lands atop the ogre and claws at its eyes before darting away once more.

The ogre stumbles back, crying out furiously after having lost its vision.

“Ah, there it is!”

The dragonborn spins his staff in the direction of the catilyss. Yellow sparks glow from the blue crystal on the end.

An arcane projectile is sent flying on course with the catilyss’s path.

However, the creature changes direction, zigzagging around the projectile’s destination.

“What?!”

Stone’s Throw hesitates to nock another bolt, choosing to punch the dragonborn nearby.

“Stop attacking the cat, it’s being more helpful than you are right now.”

“R-right…”

He focuses his attention on the ogre now, preparing another spell while also trying to keep the catilyss somewhere within sight.

With the ogre blinded, Red Mountain rushes forwards to tear his weapon from the monster.

The pale creature flails its arms about, desperately trying to hit something, however, its other senses are worse than its sight.

The dark beastborn gives it several more deep wounds slowing its movements.

Silver Lining’s spell glows brightly at full power. He summons a rod of lightning hovering just above the ogre’s head, then sends it crashing down through its body.

The monster lets out one final groan before it hangs limp against the rod of lightning piercing through it.

Sparks coarse along the floor harmlessly for a moment longer, before the dragonborn releases his magic, letting the spell dissipate into nothing.

“The catilyss.”

“It’s up there.”

Silver Lining points towards where he last saw the creature hide. It hasn’t moved away from that location, at least, as far as the dragonborn is aware of.

Dedicantus looks to his human friend. Knowing it must be difficult for someone who can’t see well in the dark, he forms a ball of light from magic and sends it up in the air to light the area.

Red Mountain scratches his chin in thought.

“Is it dangerous?”

“No. Daedalus saved my life. He’s been nothing but helpful since I ended up down here. Tried to help me find you guys, but somehow found the exit instead.”

The group looks at one another with an unspoken question, leaving Karth curious.

“What?”

Dedicantus clears his throat. He opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by his female companion.

“That monster has been leading us on a wild goose chase, even sent some monsters our way.”

“…What? No – he’s been avoiding them and luring others to block the path behind us, in case something were… to be… following us.”

“Ya see? He can’t be trusted.”

“He hasn’t done anything to hurt me though. Why doesn’t he like you guys?”

Red Mountain speaks up again.

“We noticed the catilyss stalking us at one point. Maybe he saw us do something that he didn’t agree with.”

“You don’t think he’s sympathetic to other monsters, do you?”

Silver Lining digs through his bag to retrieve a magic crystal and shows it to his party.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Dedicantus grabs him by the cloak, preventing the dragonborn from getting any closer to the creature.

“Isn’t that thing harmful to the mind? If we hurt it, it may become hostile.”

“It’s a catilyss! What is it going to do?”

The dragonborn pulls away from the dwarf’s grip, continuing forwards. Karth moves to block his path.

“I’m not letting you hurt Daedalus.”

*sigh*

“Then what do you suppose we should do, human?”

“It’s intelligent–“

“We already know that, genius.”

Stone’s Throw jabs with sarcasm. The beastborn shushes his companions.

“Hear him out.”

“Thank you, Red Mountain. Daedalus drew this for me, he was trying to tell me something about you guys, but maybe I misunderstood his meaning.”

Karth pulls out the drawing from his pack, that the catilyss made for him.

“I thought he was trying to help me find you guys, but maybe he was warning me instead. We can’t assume that he thinks the same way we do.”

“Then I’ll repeat my question again; what do you think WE should DO?”

Dedicantus looks around at each member of group, and asks,

“Who knows how to draw?”