As I stood there, right at the threshold, it all made sense, didn't it?

Those cunning cultists had found a way to keep the dungeon beasties at bay, and of course, it was enchantments! What else could it be? Some device must be cloaking the place or sending the monsters packing. That was about as far as my imagination was willing to stretch at the moment.

Now, smack dab in front of me, was the entrance to cultists' lair. No grand door, no flashy entrance—just the outline of a solid metal gate, like the bloody thing had vanished but left its shadow behind. Usual shade of black, obviously crafted from Orichalcum. Filthy rich bastards. A SINGLE KILOGRAM OF THIS STUFF COULD KEEP A LOWER HOUSEHOLD FED FOR A YEAR! And who knows how much of it they'd squandered on this setup? First, those metal pillars, and now this! Hah, pointless to dwell on it.

Maybe Stephan could scrap it later and make a pretty penny. A plan for another time, perhaps.

But it wasn't just the metal that caught my eye. Oh no, it was that damned enchanting script again, etched all over its surface—a web of runes and symbols, now lying dormant. Probably shut down when that white shockwave hit.

Now, I was no expert in enchantments, but I've learned the Empire's official script, Vel' Tan, for crafting magic tools. The more I looked at this mess, the more it felt like it was either derived from Vel' Tan or maybe the other way around. Ehh, not worth fussing over right now. But I could recognize a few runes here and there. That shield-like one? Definitely Aegira. The diamond-shaped rune with mirrored halves, each side reflecting the other? That's Reflectis.

The hexagonal rune with six evenly spaced lines radiating from the center? Stabilos, no doubt. And then there was one on each side of the frame, a spiral-shaped rune curling inward like a vortex. A bit off, with thinner lines than I'm used to seeing, but it had to be Absorix.

Huh, something that siphons mana? From the bottom of the frame, no less? HOH, did those sneaky cultists have hidden mana batteries stashed underneath? Makes sense, considering I didn't see anything else that could let this frame soak up ambient mana.

Based on what I could piece together, the whole script seemed to form one massive barrier. Probably the very shield keeping those dungeon nasties out! Cracked it, didn't I? Again! Take that, you daft pile of Manaroe shit! Vel' Tan was always superior! But I'll give credit where it's due, whoever crafted this was no bumbling beginner. Oh, it does make one wonder, just how far do these cultists' tentacles reach, and who might their Patron be?

But no sense in getting your knickers in a twist now, Jade! What's done is done! Best scarper before their mates pop by, all inquisitive and bothersome.

So, the final verdict? That plain old metal frame was a fortress in disguise! Hah, magic—never ceases to leave me flabbergasted, even now. And there, just beyond the threshold, I could see the outline of another cavern, crammed full of webs. White, thick, everywhere! It's no wonder the spider critters were all over the place the moment this barrier crumbled.

But it does make me scratch my head! What on earth is the entrance to this base doing smack dab in the middle of a spider monster's den?

Maybe they never used it, opting for those nifty portals instead? But then, what was the point of this grand protective barrier? Why not just—oh, I don't know—block it off with some great hulking iron gates or make the whole thing collapse into itself? Voilà, natural barrier!

Once again, I might be missing something glaringly obvious. Oh well, on to the dungeon, Jade! Off you go, step outside, please! Hehe!

I raised one clawed paw...

Erm...

I slowly turned my head and flashed a grin at the wall. Nervous, was I? And talking to walls again, Jade? Tsk, tsk, bad habit.

With a sigh, I steeled myself, blinking four times to refresh the ol' focus. Then, with a long, serpentine neck, I peeked outside. Reconnaissance, I say! No way I was about to get caught out in the stalls again!

Ah, the place looked more like a tunnel than a cave—a bit of a geographical faux pas, really. It was rather spacious, though, all hollow and echoey, with dimensions that'd certainly make my father grin. He was always banging on about natural caves and rocks, though I never quite caught the bug myself.

The chamber stretched maybe about ten meters in diameter, with a ceiling height of at least eight meters, adorned with jagged stalactites like oversized, threatening icicles, all covered in webs of course.

Despite all that webbing laced about, one glaring question nudged at my thoughts: WHERE, PRAY TELL, WERE THE BLOODY SPIDERS?

I slinked out and swatted away a particularly annoying web that dared to obstruct my view. The hues in the air, as usual, were putting on a bit of a light show, bright and flickery, but those pesky webs—ah, they were somehow …holding onto these hues, glowing faintly in my vision.

Made it a right bother to see through them, so I took to them with a vengeance—one-two, one-two! Hacking away like an overly enthusiastic lumberjack. Every time the sticky stuff clung to my claws, I gave them a good shake. Stupid, sticky webs!

A few slashes later, something caught my eye. Instinctively, I slipped into stealth mode, scrunching up like a startled cat, eyes giving that reliable four-blink routine. Was it…? My gaze settled on what appeared to be a spider, but… no, not quite.

Just a few meters away lay the twisted remains of what had once been a spider—no mistaking that. Its abdomen was torn open, the poor creature lying belly-up in a grotesque display, with a trail of gore that suggested it had been dragged there, perhaps after something had violently disemboweled it. I swallowed hard, taking in the sheer size of the thing—it was monstrous, easily six times larger than the spiders I'd seen in the tunnel earlier. Hulking, really.

But what in blazes was it doing there, just lying about like yesterday's rubbish? Nothing seemed to have feasted on it, which was odd, considering the general rule of the place seemed to be "eat or be eaten." Huh.

My gaze lazily wandered about, until it landed on another distressing sight—an ominous green print smeared on the wall. Naturally, my eyes couldn't help but follow the trail upwards, leading to the ceiling.

Hoh.

HOH!

Ah, of course, silly old me!

I began to retreat, ever so cautiously, inch by inch, attempting a spot of humor to keep the growing dread at bay. I suspect it didn't quite work, though, because before I knew it, my pace was hastily quickening, eyes fixed on the ceiling, not daring to blink.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Four.

Four of those ghastly creepers, the very ones that had devoured the entire spider colony with such unsettling enthusiasm. Their claws were firmly embedded in the ceiling, unmoving, watching—or rather, not watching, as they had no bloody eyes to speak of—just waiting, with a hint of those barbed tongues peeking out.

Their hideous bodies almost blended with the ceiling, which, I suppose, is why I hadn't noticed them earlier. But there it was, the hues reflecting off their shiny, carapace-like bodies, giving them away. And saving my life, again.

I edged backward into the tunnel, slowly—very slowly.

Perhaps waiting for Barn to wake up wasn't such a dreadful idea after all…

As I slipped back inside, through the dormant protection gate, fully prepared to bolt like a startled Quiliar, I froze mid-step, my blood running cold.

Another one. Inside. Crawling ever so slowly along the ceiling. And, the moment I entered, it stopped, its head twisting ever so slightly in my general direction. It had no eyes, so I had to assume, of course!

Oh, dear lord, no. No, no, no.

I swiftly tore my gaze away, heart hammering madly.

It hadn't pounced yet—perhaps it was eyeing me up, trying to decide if I was more snack or sport? Oh, what do stealthy critters do best? Lurk about, no doubt, plotting their dastardly schemes before springing! But it just kept creeping, inch by insidious inch, and with every agonizingly slow movement, I could feel my blood turning to ice.

What was I to do? If I bolted, it would know I'd spotted it, and that would be practically begging for a chase! No, no, no, couldn't have that.

But I had no choice.

With a breath that felt more like swallowing a brick, heart jammed firmly in my throat, I readied myself. Oh, for the love of Thalador, I had no intention of becoming this beastie's next course.

Only one option left! No turning back now.

Just ahead, I felt the tingle—Quick Dash—surging through my legs, filling them with power while greedily draining my stamina. The beast on the ceiling inched ever closer.

I started the countdown, legs coiling like springs.

Three. I hunched a little, setting my posture just right.

Two. Tail stretched out, balancing me.

One. Neck craned, eyes locked on my escape route.

AND ZERO!

I was off!

I think the creeper realized I was up to something because, in an instant, there was an explosion of pebbles and dirt as something hefty crashed right where I'd just been. But I was already five meters away, darting into the dungeon. I dared a glance back—blimey, it was just its tongue that caused all that chaos! If I'd been a second slower, I'd have been a dragon skewer!

But no time to pat myself on the back—I could almost feel all four of them snapping their heads toward me in perfect, terrifying unison, just out of the corner of my eye.

Wasting no time, I bolted with another Quick Dash, zipping through the maze of webs in one mad blur. The blasted things stuck to me everywhere—horns, eyes, mouth—one name it. But did that slow me down? Not a chance!

The moment my claws hit the ground, I launched into another Quick Dash, then another, blinking past the dungeon tunnel. Five times I did it, and by the end, I was knackered, but claws crossed the distance I'd put between us would be enough.

[Quick Dash has reached level 2]

Oh, splendid—a level up! Yay!

NOW WAS NOT THE TIME FOR IT!

These monsters weren't just fast; they were ridiculously fast, and much, much stronger than me. I'd have no chance against even one in a fair fight, let alone FOUR!

I heard crashes behind me, one after another, but no way was I going to risk a glance back. It could have been more of those tongue attacks, or who knows what, but the fact that I wasn't already digesting in their bellies or skewered by some ungodly appendage gave me a shred of hope.

OH CRIKEY, OH BUGGER, OH CRIKEY, OH BUGGER!

So, I ran. Like my life depended on it—because it did! The forest of webs ended soon enough, and I could finally see the dungeon tunnels for what they were: deep browns and blacks, now free of those sticky nightmares, with only the hues of my vision lighting them up.

The attacks seemed to stop, so I risked a quick peek behind me. My heart nearly leapt out of my throat—it was still after me, barreling down on all fours like some bloody werewolf on a mission!

I didn't think it was catching up, because it seemed we were practically neck and neck in speed. But alas, it had a trick up its monstrous sleeve: a ranged attack. That grotesque maw gaped wide, and with a sickening snap, it fired off that barbed tongue of its straight at me.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I shrieked, darting sideways like a mad hare. Yet, those wretched barbs still managed to graze my toes, sending a shiver through the scales as they hardened in defense. The tongue crashed beside me, missing by a whisker.

Speed was well and good, but I knew I couldn't keep this up forever. That thing was so much larger than me—naturally, it had stamina points to spare, unlike little me. And dodging its infernal tongue indefinitely? Not likely.

I whipped my head forward, eyes scanning frantically for salvation. Something—ANYTHING! Please, not now! I wasn't keen on becoming a skewered snack. What a bloody fool I was! Why on earth did I leave that cozy little hidey-hole?

Hues danced madly in my vision—on the walls, the floor, the ceiling. But wait—huh? HUH? Just ahead, there was a small spot devoid of hues, a hole, perhaps? A HOLE! And by the looks of it, just big enough for me to squeeze into! Oh, sweet mercy!

A surge of hope propelled me forward, making a beeline for the opening. Another lash of that cursed tongue caught my tail, pain shooting up my spine. But I was close—so close!

YES!

I launched myself toward the hole in the wall, carried by sheer momentum.

But just as my head neared the supposed escape, my eyes widened in horror. It wasn't a hole at all—just a patch of tunnel where the hues had taken a holiday. Same black-brown stone, no escape in sight.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But the momentum was unforgiving, and before I could even gather another coherent thought, I slammed into the solid wall.