I turned back to Brier. He was looking less crispy, just more smoldery. His eyes weren’t full of fear, but he looked apprehensive of me.

“You ate those creatures like you enjoyed it.” His voice was less raspy. “What is your plan with those vials? Do you have some kind of bounty for legion centipede acid?”

“No," I answered. ”They’re for a more personal use. Are you going to be good to walk on your own?”

He hung his head. “Unfortunately, I’ll need some help.”

I offered him a hand. “If you tell me which way to go, I’ll make sure we both make it out of this dungeon alive.”

I pulled Brier’s good arm over my shoulder.Orange, would you consider this dungeon part of the Antennae Alliance?

If you go by Kuljack’s words, yes. He said, ‘Past that door was the Antennae Alliance.’ You realize what that means, right?

I sighed internally. I do. My vision drifted to Brier as he hobbled next to me. The least I can do is make it painless. But I find it hard to believe that I have to kill him. What if Kuljack’s words aren't’ right? If the dungeon connects all four factions’ bases, then wouldn’t that make it more of a natural zone? As long as he doesn’t leave the dungeon, then he can live.

That’s a big risk. How are you going to prove one way or the other? What if he entered anyway? Would you kill him then?

I’d have to. I hate this whole situation.

Brier had been uncomfortably quiet. We came up to another intersection of three possible paths. One went straight into a large room, while the other two looked like they circled around it. Chittering sounds were coming from the path on the left.

“So which way?” I asked. “But be quiet. There’s something down that path.” I pointed to the left path with a stinger arm.

The chittering sounds were joined by heavy thuds.

“That’s the way we have to go though.” Brier was starting to look and sound tired.

I led him into the room. “Well, it sounds like whatever is down that way is coming closer. Maybe they will pass us by. Will this area be safe enough for you to rest and get some sleep if they do?”

He looked around. There was a pained twitch as he tilted his head back. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the best spot around for a while. It’d be better if the creatures headed this way were dealt with. Also, your hearing must be really good because I can’t hear nor sense anything.”

I helped him take a seat against a wall. His words sparked a question in me. “How have you been able to see? It’s pitch black down here. When I first saw you fighting the ants, you didn’t have any light.”

“That’s because I don’t use my eyes to see.” Brier huddled up. “The roots of this great tree show me everything I need to know.”

I looked into his eyes, really looking for the first time. They weren’t eyes; instead, they were imitations made of green wood. He’s blind. I’m impressed.

He likely uses his natural magic to create a similar effect of echolocation.

The thunderous footsteps grew closer. I sat with Brier quietly. Eventually they got close enough because the dryad sat up and stiffened.

I put a finger to my lips. “Shh.”

He nodded and remained still. I wasn’t worried about being unable to fight what was coming. I was less interested in using more mana without having to. Besides, rushing into a fight blind was never smart.

If the opportunity presents itself and there aren't many, I could try to kill them without a fight by sneaking up on them.

You may wish to use this strategy while you’re in the Antennae Alliance. You haven’t had many attempts at stealth to gain an advantage. Which is strange given your skill set.

Well, I’m supposed to be a predator android now. If it allows me to ensure those in the Antennae Alliance suffer less, I’d prefer it. It’s just going to be harder to not be seen when people notice you.

You can create a forty-foot-wide cube of darkness that very few people would be able to see in. The disorientation caused by that would give you more than enough time to make quick strikes and hide again.

That’s a new perspective. I guess I never really thought about how large of an area I can create now. A predator android fits me quite well, doesn’t it? With my skills and stats, it’s probably why it was available for me to pick it. But it looks like I'm going to have some practice.

Lumbering around the corner, there were two creatures. They looked to be a cross between a beetle and a gorilla. Dark purple chitinous plates covered the nearly ten-foot-tall hulking creature. Their two short, stubby legs barely held up a large muscular body with the assistance of its oversized arms. The flat, triangular fingers on their hands looked like they were specialized for digging.

Two pairs of mandibles, one larger attached to the sides of its round head, and the smaller around their mouth, clicked against each other. On top of their heads was a long, upward-curving horn with luminescent spots lining the underside.

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Underhulks. They are subterranean creatures known for luring prey with the lights on their horns, similar to angler fish. They can emit a dissenting warble, leaving those who hear it vulnerable. Few creatures can match their strength at a similar size and weight.

Will its sound attack work if I turn my ears off?

That won’t be necessary. You have no eardrums, and your balance is completely controlled by your muscles. It will have no effect on you.

This is starting to feel like an unfair fight.

Are you feeling bad for the monsters?

Not in the slightest.

I slowly and quietly got to my feet while extending my arm blades. With a little shadow magic, I coated the ground right where I was going to step to muffle any sound my steps would make. My vision zoomed in as I began my approach, looking for any weak points in its exoskeleton. Hundreds of thousands of tiny, thin hairs that were almost invisible covered the creature. While they looked out of place, I didn’t think about them.

When I got within thirty feet of them, the closest one stopped and turned around. As it stopped, the second one took one more step before stopping and turning around itself. As they faced me, I thought about filling the cave with darkness, but noticed that they didn’t have any eyes.

Are they blind?

Yes.

So why did they react to me?

We don’t know.

The closest creature took three steps towards me and leaned forward. Two small vertical oval holes, that I could only assume were its nose sharply inhaled.

Does it know I’m here?

To answer my question, it emitted the strangest sounds I’d ever encountered. My hearing split the noise into four distinct channels, one for each unique sound. The first was a constant whine, oscillating in pitch from a low, almost subsonic hum to a piercingly high screech. The second was a harsh, rhythmic thrum, pulsing so deep that my pressure sensors picked it up more than my microphones. The third was a grating static, the kind of sound that would tear through any speaker. And the final sound was a low hiss, cutting through the cacophony like a blade, slicing through even the static.

Okay. I can see how that would mess with normal people.

But as it made its impossible sound, it held its arms and mandibles out wide, leaving me with a perfect target. With a quick burst forward, I speared the creature in the mouth and into its brain with a jumping stab. The four sounds were quickly replaced by gurgling as the creature dropped to the ground.

I saw that I received five stat points and eighty-six thousand seven hundred shards.

I removed my armblade as the second one tried to use its horn to impale me. Sidestepping it, I raised a leg with a scythe extended to decapitate it as it barreled past. My attack just bounced off the hard chiton.

I rolled my eyes as I spun on one foot to face the underhulk. Of course, it’s not strong enough.

The creature dug its fingers into the ground as it turned around to charge me again. While it was bigger and stronger than me, it was annoyingly slow. I ran towards it while reinforcing my arm blades and stinger arms with my magic to increase their toughness. The underhulk attempted to swat at me with a backhand. With a slash from each of my arms in the same place, one right after the other, I cut through its forearm.

Most of its arm and hand went flying past me, and it retracted what was left. It let out a shrill shriek as it stumbled back. I didn’t relent and charged with my stinger arms leading the way. The creature tried to crush me with its arm, but I slid under and through its legs. As I went past, I cut off its legs with my stinger arms. When the creature fell face first to the ground, I ran up its back and buried my arm blade into the back of its head. The creature died instantly.

Another five stat points and eighty-six thousand seven hundred shards were added to my totals.

As I looked at the two corpses, I couldn't help but think. Am I really that powerful? Outside of Elveil, my lycan form makes any challenging fight trivial. These creatures are supposed to be my level, but I’m killing them like it was nothing.

Your ability to learn how to fight in such a short time is a quality you underappreciate. Also, your level doesn’t take into consideration your mana imbuements and aguments. That adds another at least ten levels at your current proficiency.

So I’m cheating the system. I get sixteen free levels of toughness and resilience from my epidermal plating augment, and they don’t even count against me. You’re right; that is so not fair. And now I’m up against someone who is able to do the same thing.

I retracted my arm blades after flicking the blood off them. Besides, I’ve had a pretty good teacher for fighting. Although, your method of teaching only works with me since a regular person would’ve died a hundred and seventy-three times by now.

We tailor our method to the circumstances. You have learned quite well from practical application. It has developed your style of fighting into one of minimal action and removed a lot of mechanical traditions that serve no purpose.

I rolled my eyes at Orange’s words. Yeah, practical application. If that’s what you want to call borderline torture. But I’ve always been better at doing things. It’s why I struggled with school and took to being a thief so well, whether I liked it or not.

I took a minute to carve open the underhulks and ate all the meat inside. When I returned to Brier, he was lying on his side in the fetal position with a puddle of vomit nearby.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I hope so.” He rolled into sitting upright while holding his head with one hand. “Are you going to finally tell me what you are?”

I hate that question. “Does it matter?” I sat next to him, opposite of the vomit. “I’m not human, that much is obvious. Why do you need to know so badly?”

Brier lulled his head back. “Your form and movements are like those of a blade devil. I just want to know if you’re not just using me to cause more death.”

Time stopped at his words. He figured me out. Maybe if I tell him, he’ll relax. “I’m not a blade devil. I’m an android. Specifically, I’m a predator android.” He deserves to know. But all this is doing is making it harder to kill him when the time comes.

A weak chuckle came from the dryad. “Android you say? It seems they exist here too. Is that the fate of all nature, to fall to machines and steel?”

I turned my head. “You know what an android is?”

He gave a slight nod while looking straight ahead. “Androids are why I left my world. There was so little nature left that it was suffocating. All animal life in my world had been wiped out, leaving only robots, golems, and androids. Androids were a menace seeking to replicate the mistakes of their progenitors.”

I hung my head.

If he keeps talking, would you be able to go through with it?

I’ve got to keep myself from getting attached. But I can’t keep doing this. It’s not right. Brier, I’m so sorry. You are right; you are in danger.

“Something is bothering you.” He nudged me. “I find it hard to believe someone as powerful as you can be bothered by anything.”

I buried my head in my arms as I folded them over my legs. “First off, not every problem can be solved by power or strength. It’s not the end all be all. There are more important things in life. On that note, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not the most powerful person on this floor. But I have a very important question for you.”

I can’t keep this hidden any longer. Even though my body doesn’t show signs of stress, I still feel it.

I turned to Brier. “If I told you that I’m supposed to kill everyone in the Antennae Alliance, what would you do?”