Dozens became hundreds.
Kevin clicked his tongue. "Really? All this for a cave?"
The mites' combined screeching echoed through the cavern, bouncing around the stone walls until it sounded like the rocks themselves were hissing.
"Black Rabbit!" Kevin called.
A ripple of shadow peeled away from his feet, unfurling like dark smoke. The rabbit burst forth.
The moment the mites saw it, the swarm hesitated.
Kevin grinned. "Now that's the reaction I like."
With a single leap, Black Rabbit landed in the middle of the horde. The impact shook dust from the ceiling. Its claws slashed in broad arcs, shredding mites by the handful. Shadowy wisps trailed behind every movement, as if the rabbit's limbs blurred into darkness itself.
Celize ducked behind Kevin as one mite rebounded off a rock, flying toward her face. Kevin moved instinctively—his dagger flashed, slicing it clean in half.
"You alright?" he asked.
"I—yes," she breathed out. Her hand clutched her chest. "I didn't expect them to be this many."
"You and me both."
The battle intensified.
Mites swarmed from cracks in the walls, dropping from the ceiling, crawling out of holes Kevin hadn't even noticed before. The cavern was practically alive with movement.
Kevin spun, kicking one away and stabbing another through the head. Sallie, still wordless and empty-eyed, cast repeating pulses of sickly green energy, thinning the swarm wherever Kevin turned.
Black Rabbit tore through mites with savage elegance, every motion a blur.
Yet for every ten mites they killed, it felt like fifteen more crawled forward.
Celize pointed toward the darker part of the cavern. "There—look!"
About twenty meters ahead, stone pillars formed natural columns around a larger hollow space. And in that hollow…
Something huge shifted.
A deeper rumble echoed.
"Oh hell," Kevin muttered.
Celize whispered, "A broodmother."
The massive mite queen dragged itself forward, its bloated body covered in armored plates, mandibles large enough to snap Kevin in half. Its eyes glowed brighter than the rest, and its huge abdomen pulsed rhythmically—birthing more mites.
"Alright," Kevin said, cracking his neck. "That one's mine."
"No!" Celize grabbed his sleeve. "Kevin, broodmothers spew acid—"
The queen reared and spat a stream of sizzling liquid. Kevin shoved Celize aside and rolled, the acid burning a hole through the stone where he had just stood.
"—I was trying to tell you that!" Celize finished, voice shaking.
Kevin jumped up. "Got it!"
The mites surged again, protecting their queen.
Kevin raised his dagger and dashed toward the broodmother. Black Rabbit followed, shadows swirling around its form. Sallie cast shields to block incoming acid sprays, the magical barriers sizzling but holding long enough for Kevin to advance.
The broodmother lifted its massive front legs, slamming them down. Kevin dodged narrowly, the impact cracking the stone floor.
He sprinted toward its head.
Another acid spray.
He ducked—too slow.
A droplet grazed his arm, burning instantly. He hissed and stumbled, but before the queen could strike him down, a spear of green energy pierced one of its eyes.
Sallie.
She stood motionless, hand extended, empty expression unchanged.
Kevin smirked. "Good girl."
Using the distraction, he climbed onto the broodmother's front leg, sprinting up its armored body. The queen screeched and thrashed violently.
"KEVIN, WATCH OUT!" Celize shouted.
Too late.
The queen jerked sideways, throwing him off. He crashed into the stone, breath knocked out of him.
Mites rushed at him instantly.
Black Rabbit materialized over Kevin, shielded him with its broad back, and slashed through the incoming swarm.
Kevin shook his head clear and pushed himself to his feet. "Thanks."
The broodmother reared again, mandibles clicking rapidly. Acid pooled in its throat.
Kevin clenched his dagger.
"Rabbit—distract!"
The Fallen rabbit sped across the cavern like a streak of black lightning, leaping onto the queen's back and digging in its claws. The queen screeched, whipping around wildly.
Kevin saw his opening.
He dashed forward, leaped onto a rock, then onto a pillar, gaining height. As the broodmother thrashed below, he jumped from the pillar—dagger aimed straight at its remaining good eye.
He drove the blade in.
The queen shrieked, legs buckling.
Kevin held on as the creature thrashed, nearly throwing him off. But Sallie sent another pulse of green energy straight into the queen's throat, disrupting its acid buildup. Black Rabbit tore into its abdomen with savage force.
Finally—
The giant mite collapsed, convulsed once, and lay still.
Silence slowly settled into the cavern.
For several long breaths, Kevin remained on top of the broodmother, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his chin. Celize rushed toward him, relief washing over her face.
Kevin hopped down, tossing the dagger in his hand. "Well," he said between breaths, "that was fun."
Celize glared. "Fun? I thought you were going to die!"
"Die? Me?" Kevin grinned. "You wound me, Lady Celize."
She huffed but couldn't stop smiling.
Sallie simply stood still, expression blank, awaiting her next command.
Black Rabbit wandered around the swarm's corpses scattered across the cavern like black pebbles. He kept his watch for any incoming attacker.
Kevin stretched. "Alright. That's enough adventure for one cave."
Celize shook her head, still trying to catch her breath. "Let's never go into a random cave again."
Kevin shrugged. "Can't promise that."
He then looked at Black Rabbit.
"Go. Bring me the queen's core."
The rabbit didn't hesitate. It went straight to the queen's corpse, and started to dug inside using its claw.
Celize watched with a faint shiver. "I'll never get used to seeing him do that…"
Kevin only shrugged, rolling the stiffness from his shoulders. His muscles ached, and a faint burn marked the cut he'd taken earlier, but compared to the swarm they had just fought, he considered it a win.
Black Rabbit returned almost silently, with something clutched in its claw—a crystal the size of a large apple, faintly glowing. Kevin took it carefully. Up close, the color looked strange: a shifting gradient between cloudy white and soft blue, as if unsure what it wanted to be.
Celize stepped closer, eyes wide.
"That's… a queen's crystal. It's a rare Fallen Beast crystal."
Kevin didn't answer immediately. He stared at the crystal, then at the rabbit waiting obediently in front of him.
Kevin knew what to do. Soul crystals are useless to him.
"Here," Kevin returned the crystal to Black Rabbit.
"It's yours. Eat it."
The shadow blinked once, then tilted its head. When Kevin nodded again, it took the crystal, opened its mouth and swallowed the crystal whole.
A soft chime flickered across his vision.
[Your shadow has obtained 50 Soul Fragments.]
Kevin was shocked, "That much for a Soul crystal."
He then glanced toward the back of the cave where Sallie was standing, waiting for order. No emotion. No hesitation. Just obedience.
Her faint green aura flickered around her body.
She's not just a healer, Kevin thought.
He had seen what she could do during the fight—raw nature energy shaped with precision: healing light, empowers ally, and deadly orbs that pierced the mites easily.
A druid. A good one.
If she had stayed human, she could've become something incredible.
But now she was a shadow. A reminder of the betrayal she once committed.
Kevin stared at her for a long moment, feeling a knot of conflict tighten in his chest. She won't betray them now.
He sighed quietly.
"…Maybe next time," he whispered.
Maybe he'd give her a crystal someday.
But not today.