“Now!” Orion teleported Shadow and himself behind the scout in a tree.

Shadow’s Vicious Blow slammed down to kill the primate, sending it to hit the forest floor with a soft thud. A keen observer may have heard Shadow whisper an anime-adjacent finishing move.

Waiting for Orion’s Portal ability to come off cooldown, the two sat still and silent, scanning the trees for any more of the corruption-laced primates.

The scout had been easy to spot, the corruption present rooted in its sick-looking body. It had twitched oddly, its limbs moving erratically. Something about its movement was eerily similar to that of Doc the Destroyer, the original source of the corruption. Femera had warned of a nearby creature, and Honeypot spotted its green-tinted body before the primate had a chance to notice the adventurers.

Somehow, Orion knew that if the foxes had been this far gone to the corruption, his potion wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing. This creature wasn’t merely afflicted; it was the corruption itself made manifest.

With Portal available again, Orion and Shadow rejoined their team behind the dense brush they were hiding within.

“Did you guys see anymore movement?” Orion wasted no time, immediately scanning the tree-line from their new position.

“Nothing”, Honeypot said, “though I did see some cool-rogue-shit go down.” He held out a fist, which was promptly bumped by Shadow.

Arika rolled her eyes.

“I saw nothing either. Pretty sure that was the only scout in this area, at least. Femera is great at detecting other creatures.” She scratched the small fox on her head, and the familiar leaned into the scratch with vigor.

“Alright, let’s continue ahead, then. Honeypot, lead with Stealth again.”

“Aye, boss.”

They continued closer-and-closer to the mark shared by Azeria, spotting and dispatching three more scouts before they saw the cavernous entrance to the dungeon. They approached cautiously, Honeypot scouting ahead while they hid in the tree line.

The size of the gaping cavern's mouth was enormous. Above the entrance, giant trees grew from the earth. They must have been at least a hundred meters tall, twice again as tall as the cavern itself. The thick trunks of the trees lead to branches that were all but barren of leaves, only a few small clumps remaining. The inside of the cave was composed of dirt and rock, with long, thick roots hanging from the roof above that didn’t quite reach the ground.

Orion cast his eyes up at the behemoth structure, and his stomach twisted.

I hope this entrance wasn’t made to match the size of the boss inside. If it was, we might be in trouble…

After Honeypot cleared the entrance, they slowly made their way into the dungeon. There was a cloying smell of rot present in the air as soon as they stepped over the threshold, almost hitting the adventurers like a physical wall. Femera retreated and hid inside Arika’s robe, the smell clearly all too much for her acute sense of smell.

Orion knew how the little fox felt, imagining it must be a lot better on the senses to be curled up inside a cloak, as she was. The smell of Arika and the touch of her skin from the other morning came to his mind unbidden—her arm brushing his, and the sweet perfume that radiated off her

Forcing his mind to focus on the present, his stride became firm, his resolve iron. This dungeon didn’t stand a chance.

The cavern the primates lived in was unlike any of the other dungeons they’d entered so far. Instead of many winding paths with multiple offshoots, it was linear. There was a single path to follow, as tall as it was wide—tapering down to about twenty meters from wall to wall, and floor to ceiling.

A shiver ran down Orion’s spine as he imagined a horde of monkeys swinging toward them through the roots above. Despite the maneuverability provided to the monsters, the party had no choice but to advance. The longer they waited, the more the insidious corruption would burrow itself into the primates, and the stronger they could become.

His fears got worse as they started spotting movement in the roots above. At first, Honeypot said he might have imagined it, but eventually they all caught sight of the green blurs appearing before retreating deeper within.

“So…” Orion wiped his forehead, the humidity and anticipation causing beads of sweat to form. “They know we’re here… and they’re not attacking.”

“Greaaaat.” Arika shook her head. “Can’t wait to find a boss room filled with a hundred angry slime monkeys and a giant boss—who will be as big as this cavern, no doubt.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Honeypot shot a condescending look at Arika. “There could be significantly more than one-hundred of the little slime monkeys, and the boss could be way bigger than the cavern if he’s on all fours like a gorilla.”

Arika shot a look back of her own, accompanied by a rather unladylike gesture.

The party continued on, doing their best to ignore every instinct telling them to leave, and trying just as hard to ignore the green shapes watching them from above. As they delved deeper and deeper, the number and frequency of the blurs above increased until, abruptly, they didn’t return. The adventurers’ advance slowed, still moving into the depths of the dungeon, but wary of an ambush that could occur at any moment.

Orion’s eyes illuminated the path ahead, and he believed he’d be able to spot any monkeys hiding in the thick roots above. The roof and walls of the cavern were smooth other than the roots, with no secret passages or branching tunnels to provide a hiding spot for any enemies. He took his time regardless, scanning every dip of the tunnel with his glowing eyes.

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His anticipation reached a peak when a soft green glow became clear in the cavern ahead, and as they rounded a corner, the source of the sickly green light took their breath away.

A giant gorilla was lounging in a cavernous room, languidly laying against the back wall. Its ominous green eyes fixated directly on them.

The wall behind the boss seemed to be made of slime. Oddly uneven and lumpy, it was emitting the soft glow that lit up the entire room. Along the sides of the room, the hanging roots from the trees above draped their way to the floors, the taproots running through the floor and deeper still.

They continued approaching cautiously, still expecting the hypothetical rug to be pulled out from under them at any moment.

“Oh my god…” Orion stared at the back wall of slime.

“What?” Arika hissed.

“That wall behind the boss… look at it closely…”

The rest of the party all stopped as the sickening realization sunk in. With lumps and uneven lines, the odd movement of the wall, the way it squirmed; the entire wall was composed of hundreds of the monkeys, all undulating around each other.

“Well, that’s fucking disgusting.” Arika had a look of supreme disapproval on her face.

“I don’t know, the jiggle is kind of hypnotizing and satisfying…” Honeypot’s face betrayed his words, a tinge of disgust peaking through.

“Does your rudeness know no bounds? You’ve already trespassed in my home—will you at least have the human decency to address me?” The gorilla released a booming laugh that shook Orion to his core.

Sparing a moment to look at his friends, Orion nodded to them and squashed his fear, then strode into the boss’ room.

As they made their way toward the boss and wall of sentient slime, the figures in the wall became easier to make out. Even more jarring than the wall itself was the hundreds of eyes watching their approach, heads bent at unnatural angles, allowing every pair of eyes to lock onto them.

Now that Orion could clearly see every pair of eyes, it became clear just how many of the subordinate monkeys there was—hundreds was a conservative guess. Their numbers were approaching—or were already over—at least a-thousand.

How are there so many? The other dungeons had nowhere near so many regular monsters…

“Has a fox got your tongue?” The gorilla sneered, and they stiffened. “Yes, I know of your collusion with that troublesome vixen. I can smell her all over you… and you, little girl… you have one with you, don’t you?” The gorilla let out another booming laugh, genuine mirth bellowing out as he looked at Arika’s protective stance. “I knew she had retreated from her lair, but to think she would subjugate one of her own to such a lowly creature—what a disgusting wretch.”

Looking to coax the gorilla into speaking more while they approached, Orion spoke up.

“Why aren’t you attacking us?”

The boss let out a dismissive breath of air. “Would you rush to attack a bug that stumbled into your house? What’s the point? I grow stronger by the hour, my precious subordinates multiplying. You can attack if you wish, but you wouldn’t live long enough to regret your decision.”

They’re… multiplying?

The implication rocked Orion. That was why there were so many monkeys. Once the corruption consumed them, they could replicate themselves? Every moment they had delayed in coming here had caused more monkeys to join the wall before them.

Their multiplication is exponential… what would have happened if we waited another day or two?

“Ahhh, yes. I can see you understand, puny human. Your precious town will fall, and it’s too late for you to do anything about it. We are… inevitable. Run. Flee if you wish. I would suggest a destination far from Valbrand.” It bared green-tinted teeth. “If you want to live, that is.”

“Orion…” Arika said.

Orion turned to see the obvious question in her eyes. He nodded to her and braced himself, Shadow and Honeypot obviously understanding the implication as they also planted their feet in preparation.

With a swift motion of her hand, the thundering boom of Arika’s Explosion rocked the cavern, the sound and force washing over and trying to overwhelm Orion’s senses.

The great plume of fire consumed the air within. Light spread to every corner of the underground room, Arika’s leveled-up and empowered ability wreaking havoc. Even from behind Orion’s closed eyes, it lit the world up like a sun. As the brightness and heat dissipated, he opened his eyes to see a transformed world.

Most of the wall had been engulfed, leaving behind black smears and smoking ruin wherever the ability bloomed. The gorilla itself had been within the blast, and its body was black and smoking.

It shook, ash falling away from its behemoth body. Looking confused and mildly charred, it gathered its senses and spun its head to look at where its subordinates had been. It released a blood-curdling howl. The remaining creatures screeched in response, the mass of bodies undulating as they sang their warbling cry.

Arika’s attack had dispatched every creature it touched—those hit by the Explosion were removed from existence. Just under half the monsters remained, which seemed like more than enough to wipe Orion’s party from the map and destroy all life in Valbrand.

They were outnumbered, but retreat wasn’t an option. Any remaining monsters would continue to duplicate. There was no choice but to destroy every one of them here and now, lest they be given more time to increase their number. Unbidden, an idea sprang to mind.

Is it too risky? If it’s successful, it’ll turn the tides…

The giant gorilla charged at them on all fours, its patient demeanor replaced by one of outrage. It roared, the deep bass reverberating in Orion’s very core.

He smiled to himself.

Guess I’m left absent choice, then.

Behind the charging boss, the smaller monkeys dispersed. Some swinging from the roots above, some running along the floor—they all made their way toward the intruders who had so heinously killed their brethren.

“Start retreating, and protect Arika!” Orion looked on at the hulking boss charging his way, unmoving despite his words.

“What about you?” Arika asked.

“I have a plan.”

“A non-suicidal one?”

“There’s no time to explain.” He glanced at her as he bent down and picked up a rock. “Please, trust me.”

Arika scowled at Orion fiercely, but allowed herself to be pulled along by Shadow, making their way further out of the cavern.

The ground shook as the gorilla approached, threatening to break his resolve. He shrugged off any negative thoughts trying to make their way in, knowing that this was the only way to stand a chance in this fight.

He wanted to move, to take his shot and get it over with, but he had to wait. The boss charged toward him still, but it still wasn’t close enough. The size of it took over more and more of his field of view as it approached. Anticipation fueled the fire that made him want to run, to turn and flee from this overwhelming presence, but he held—right until the last possible second.

He threw the rock up in the air, launching it in an arc towards the boss. As it reached his intended target, he used Swap.

Orion swapped with the thrown rock and appeared mere feet in front of the gorilla—directly in line with the boss’ open, howling mouth. In the space between heartbeats, he passed the lips, then the teeth of the colossal beast. He threw the cauldron filled with thirteen charges of Potion of Miraculous Healing. It collided with the ridges along the roof of the gorilla’s mouth, spilling every remaining dose of his healing potion down the boss’ throat.

The gorilla closed its mouth around him, robbing all light from the world.

The next moment, he was being crushed.