In the almost pitch black caverns of a mid-tier dungeon, somewhere within the human kingdom of Eorona, a dung beetle with the intelligence of an adult human needs to run for his life.

"Seriously? A fucking dung beetle? Why not a dragon, or, oh I don't know, a God damn rock golem!"

Dakota loudly chitters with his mandibles as he takes a sharp left into a rocky corridor.

"Why, why am I being punished like this, I cant fathom the reason behind making someone go through this hell over and over and over again. First a rabbit, then a-"

As he continued to chitter away while his six legs worked at full speed, a loud chant was shouted from the previous intersection of rock and shale.

"BRING THY RIGHTEOUS HEAVENS ABOVE, WRATH UPON THY ENEMIES, FORWARD SHINE THY PATH AHEAD, AND NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN!"

With the chant ended, Dakota would eventually turn around to see a large golden orb of white/yellow light flying straight for him.

"Are you fucking kidding me? A chanted light spell to kill a measely dung beetle? What's the point in doing that?! I don't know if I can dodge this one!"

Dakotas mandibles clicking away as the light travels closer, and closer to his backside. Swerving left and right didn't seem to make a difference in regards to the spells amazing tracking ability.

As the light got ever closer, his carapace rear end grew ever hotter. His speed may have increased, but it matter not when the spell is propelled by light itself.

After a few seconds the only thing that would be left after impact is the pebbles and debris off the side of the cave wall. A loud bang proceeded by the creation of a huge crater now sits upon where Dakota had, without realizing it, started to run along the vertical dungeon wall in an attempt to run away fast enough.

"Did we get it??"

A question posed by a scrawny looking human boy wearing white robes laced with gold trimming. Carrying a staff endorned by a golden sphere with intricate designs upon its surface.

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"I hope so! If we let him get away then he could go and get the rest of his buddies from the lower floors and really do some damage! I can handle a couple of those things, but more than a handful and even this baby is going down!"

Responded a human man covered head to toe in heavy-plated black armor while patting his silver tower shield with a smirk.

"Keep it down will you! If you attract a mob of trash and get us killed again like the dungeon in the Elven country I'm going to report you to the guild master for incompetency!"

Snided an Elven woman wearing a face mask and hood colored dark green, daggers in hands at the ready.

"Fine, fine. Let's just go to the stairs and head down to the boss room. I'm getting sick of the smell of these trash mob levels anyway. Literally smells like shit in here..."

The burly man in armor said while wafting the air and making a face of disgust.

"Agreed. Let's move."

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Once the party had left the area, a small pile of rubble began to shake free as if to say 'not so fast!'.

From the pile emerged Dakota the dung beetle. Covered in shale dust and fieces.

"Who knew shit could be so versatile... Saved from a literal burning orb of energy! Also lucky for me that party didn't check the kill feed to make sure I was in fact dead..."

Cleaning himself off of rubble, Dakota slowly got up from the crater along the vertical wall and proceeded to fall upon the ground onto his backside.

"Ugh, come on! Ugh, are you kidding me... This is how it ends? I'm to lay here and die on my back because this body of mine can't even do a crunch?"

Dakota struggled to get off his back by rocking back and forth to no avail. It would appear he would indeed be stuck like this until an outside force came to intervene.

As if on que, a loud, ravenous cacophony of chittering sounds started down the corridor in the direction the party from earlier had gone.

A literal stampede of golden retriever sized dung beetles started running at full speed, mandibles clicking, towards Dakotas prone form. In front of the stampede was the three party members from earlier, seemingly arguing over whose fault it was this was even happening in the first place.

The knight stopping for a moment to look down and see Dakota laying next to the cratered surface from their cleric's spell earlier.

"Oh, looky here! FREE KILL!"

The knight dragged out the words in such a way that made Dakota shudder for what was about to happen...

Taking his sword and raising it into the air, and thrusting it down upon Dakota's flailing body, causing a critical hit that instantly killed him. His soft underbelly much more susceptible to damage than his hard outer carapace.

Dakota loathed this part. The death, the pain of actually dying. Having to feel the pain for even a split second before reviving into a new mob was the worst part of the experience. No way to escape the torment of being stabbed, burned, or even thrown off a bridge for 'good fun'.

He just hoped that this next body will actually be able to defend itself in some way...

But deep down, Dakota knew that most likely wasn't going to happen...

END.