“By the smith’s own hammer,” I muttered as I opened my stat sheet, the numbers appearing before me. I pretended to look up at the glowing root as I went over the numbers.

  NAME: Ash Aldrich

  CLASS: Hammerlord

  LEVEL: 11 (0/12)

  STRENGTH: 44 (+1)

  AGILITY: 23 (+1)

  VITALITY: 32 (+1)

  MIND: 18

  TOTAL STATS: 115

  “Rift spawned monster balls! I leveled up!”

  "Congratulations!" Roq said. "Your officially a step closer to the 'slightly less likely to die horribly' stage of your career! Should we throw a party? Perhaps invite some monsters? I bet Claw Sprecks are excellent dancers, though they do surely tend to stab their partners."

  “We’ve saved a fortune. Eleven mind gems! It’d take us three or four trips to get that, unless we funnelled everything to me.”

  “Correct. And I am really very pleased for you. Proud that my wielder is growing stronger and more worthy of carrying me into combat.”

  “Sarcasm?”

  “Only some of it. I’m really trying, Ash. And I am happy for you. It’s just, you know.”

  “I know. And thank you for the experience gain, buddy. It is appreciated. Even more so since we won’t always be low level. Once we become strong enough, all these monsters will stop giving us mind gems, so being able to siphon directly off them…yeah.”

  “I bet it is very tasty, no? Using my own ability against me.”

  I chuckled and shook my head as I headed to the massive root, and stopped to stare up in awe as I was close enough. It was even more impressive than it’d seemed earlier, with an uncountable amount of roots grown together. Maybe the entire pine-ish forest had a root attached here.

  “I’d like a taste," Roq said. “For science. Break off a piece."

  I tapped him gently against the root, careful not to damage it too much as Roq hummed to himself and mimicked eating sounds. It sounded…horrible.

  A small chunk broke off, and I held it up for inspection.

  “Unique. It's like I could feel what it's like to be a tree,” Roq said, his voice taking on an almost reverent quality. “It is clearly inferior to my Steelhusk body, but the slow pull of nutrients from the soil, the gradual reaching toward light… There is a simple delight to it, but more than that, there's something in these roots. It has potential. Forging potential. I believe it would work excellently with steelhusk. The juice from these roots… I won’t say more for now. I need to ponder this, but make sure to bring back enough. Pa will appreciate it.”

  “You are too considerate.”

  Eryn joined me, her eyes wide as she gazed at the root.

  "It's beautiful," she said and even let out a sigh. "Almost like something out of a fever dream."

  I leaned close to her ear.

  "I leveled up," I whispered. “One of the Sprecks pushed me over."

  Her face lit up in that gorgeous smile of hers and I smiled back. "That's wonderful! Thank you, Roq, for helping him."

  "Tell her I wish I wasn't stuck like this," Roq said. "But at least some good comes from my misery."

  I relayed his message, and Eryn's eyebrows rose in surprise.

  “That is mighty considerate of him. Is he trying to be a better… person?" she asked, sounding equally sarcastic.

  "Entity," he said. "The term you're looking for is 'entity.' And no. I am merely. Adapting to your fragile egos.”

  “Right, entity,” I relayed.

  “Of course he is,” Eryn said, rolling her eyes at me.

  “I saw that. Also, there are four gems among these.”

  After looting, we cleared the chamber, and finding no other exits, we grabbed a few other samples of the main root and then started heading back. The return journey felt lighter somehow, despite our wounds and fatigue.

  I kept Roq in storage for a while, healing my minor wounds.

  "Unless monsters start crawling out of the pits of infinite depth," Nabeeh joked as we retraced our steps, "I'd say this quest was a complete success."

  "An adventure to remember," Eryn agreed. “So we never go into the dark again.”

  "Good fight. Good team. Good loot,” Knut said.

  Thanks to Knut's markings, we made our way back toward the exit without getting lost, filling the two backpacks we’d brought with root samples on the way, and our spatial storages were loaded with Rock Golems, Shadow Spiders, the Cave Constrictor, and enough Claw Sprecks to outfit a minor party.

  As we approached the cave entrance, Roq's voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. He even sounded weird.

  "Something's off, I think."

  I held up a hand, stopping the group, and stared out of the exit.

  "Wait. Something doesn’t quite…”

  “What’s wrong?"

  "The dirt doesn't look right," he replied. "It's been disturbed."

  “The ground. Does it look different?” I asked, exchanging glances with the others, and I set down my backpack, activating my sigil.

  Nothing lit up.

  Knut leaned forward and eyed it for a moment, then shrugged.

  “Is ground. Looks like ground.”

  Eryn shook her head.

  “No idea what to even look for. What do you see, Ash?”

  “That piece of ground, it looks… weird.”

  "Nabeeh, can you cast Immolation on anything out there? For example, there,” I asked, pointing.

  Nabeeh dropped her backpack and extended her staff, frowning, before shaking her head.

  "The spell won't catch. There's nothing visible to target."

  “Knut, let’s check it out.”

  The big northerner knew not to doubt me, so he readied himself and the two of us emerged from the cave entrance. I scanned the ground, trying to see what Roq was picking up on. It was just as the others said: the dirt looked… like dirt.

  “See anything?” Knut asked, his voice low.

  I shook my head.

  “No. Roq says it’s disturbed. But I don’t see it.”

  “It’s subtle,” Roq said. “But trust me, something has been digging here.”

  “You sure it was after we entered?”

  “No?”

  “Well. Doesn’t look like anything’s here now,” I said, stomping at the ground. “But something’s nearby, so we should get back to base.”

  Nabeeh walked out with Eryn following right behind her, an arrow already nocked.

  “Jumpy, eh?” Nabeeh asked.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “A little bit. After the whole snake and spider thing, I’m not sure--”

  The ground suddenly exploded around us, dirt, rocks, and debris flying in all directions and peppering us. Before any of us could react, eight grotesque figures rose from the ground. They were covered in fresh dirt and roots.

  The closest of the creatures to me was something called Gnash, a monster marked in dark orange. A rat-like creature, if a rat had dedicated its life to hammering metal and eating too much chicken, growing large as the trolls we’d faced in the Twisted Titan. Its hands ended in claws the size of knives, and it glared at me as if I’d been the one putting the cheese in the trap which had killed its mother and three first wives. The seven other monsters were yellow, named Gnaw Hulks, and were different from most monsters I’d seen before. They looked designed in a way no other creature had, like something nature would never produce. They stood on two legs, were about my height, but bulky as prize winning breeding oxen mixed with moles, except their faces which had a scaled up version of the Blightpedes’ maws. Their skin was a patchwork of scales, fur, and exposed muscle, with strange growths protruding from their shoulders and backs.

  “I thought I smelled a rat.”

  The monsters had us perfectly encircled, two on each side, blocking both escape and retreat into the cave. Knut reacted without waiting for orders.

  "Break left!" he shouted, charging in the same direction, and pointing to two Gnaw Hulks on our flank. “Middle bad!"

  They moved to meet him and he leaped into the air and crashed down with his ground-slam ability. The impact staggered both monsters.

  "Girls, follow Knut!" I shouted, heading for the Gnaw Hulk beside the ones Knut had staggered, next to Gnash. "I'll hold these!"

  Eryn loosed her nocked arrow, the projectile punching through the skull of one of the staggered Gnaw Hulks.

  Nabeeh reacted with impressive speed, casting a Flame Trap at the feet of the monsters closest to the cave entrance. One of the monsters trying to get at the girls from inside the cave, stepped on the magical sigil and howled as fire erupted from beneath, knocking it backward and into the other Gnaw Hulk.

  Nabeeh pivoted and cast Flame Breath at the entangled Gnaw Hulks. The monsters staggered back even further, their patchwork hides smoking and blistering from the searing flames.   .

  I reached the Gnaw Hulks on Knut’s right and activated Smash. Trusting in my weapon, I ran straight in and brought Roq down on its skull, caving the creature's head in before it could get a swipe in.

  I flew through the air the next moment, Gnash slamming into me. His fist glowed with sickly green energy as he struck. I twisted around and put my shield up, blocking the attack, but the impact was worse than the Platemaw’s charge. It wasn’t just physical force, but an ability that amplified its attack.

  The shield exploded in my grip, and something in my arm snapped. Pain flared like a burning fire along the bone, sharp enough to make my vision blur for a moment. My forearm hung there, useless and already swelling, the remains of the shield slipping from it to the ground.

  I gritted my teeth and then cried out, anger erupting from within me. I swung Roq, parrying his next attack. The creature’s hand exploded as it met my hammer. . The Gnash screeched and hopped back, pulling its hand close to its mouth.

  The two Gnaw Hulks that’d accompanied the rat monster charged me. Not even five steps in, the one to the Gnash’s left suddenly stumbled and screamed as flames burst out from beneath its skin.

  Immolation.

  With Gnash yet to recover, I glance over my shoulder to see Knut hammering at the staggered Gnaw Hulks. They were proving surprisingly resilient to normal blunt damage.

  I had no time to help him. He would have to do with Eryn and Nabeeh’s help.

  Gnash drew himself up to his full height and roared, spittle flying everywhere. I prepared for its attack, not wanting to get anywhere close to it as my left arm was useless. The creature spun its body around, and the tail whipped along the ground, wrapped around my leg, and yanked me off my feet. Pain lanced through my damaged arm as I hit the ground. My right acted on instinct, and I hammered down on the tail with Roq. The spot where I connected just turned flat like a pancake.

  Gnash cried out, squealing like a wounded pig, and backed away once more.

  I scrambled to my feet and looked around frantically. I spotted Eryn on the ground with a charred Gnaw Hulk on top of her, likely the one who’d been hit by the Fire Trap. She had jammed her bracer into its mouth, preventing it from reaching her face or throat, but its claws were slashing downward, trying to get a good angle at her armor and flesh.

  Nabeeh yelled something in her native language and cast a Fireball that struck the monster's skull, exploding it all over Eryn.

  “I’m on cooldowns!” she yelled. “Help!”

  Knut roared, swinging his mace around him wildly and kicked the one hulk off him, then charged the two monsters Nabeeh had hit with Flame Breath earlier. They were dangerously close to the girls.

  “This isn’t going to end good. Fight smarter!” Roq yelled in my mind.

  It was easier said than done as I couldn’t even get a bit of breathing room from the giant rat monster. It swept its claw at me, and I dodged, activating Armor Break. With Roq glowing red, Gnash pulled his arm back and stepped away from me, chittering something unintelligible. The burning Gnaw Hulk hit by Nabeeh's Immolation, finally fell dead to the forest floor. Gnash seized it by the neck, hurling the creature at me.

  I swung Roq, knocking it to the ground and killing it if it hadn’t been dead already, but the monster was way too big for me to dodge in time. It clipped me as I tried to duck, throwing me off balance. I fell to the side and caught myself on Roq, but Gnash was already there, his fist connecting with my helmet and the world went sideways.

  A hot pulse shot through my skull, and my legs folded beneath me. I collapsed onto my side, and rolled to my back where I tried to stand. Nothing. I could still move my one good arm, but my legs were like rubber. Useless for the moment.

  Gnash approached, drawing a long, wicked-looking dagger from behind its back. It snarled and a red glow sprang up along the blade. As he came close, I swung Roq, but what remained of his tail slapped my wrist away.

  The rat raised his dagger and stabbed straight for my heart.

  “Cocoon!”

  My cloak’s protective bark-like shell materialized, wrapping around me just in time to absorb his empowered attack.

  The rat hissed as my cloak's protection faded, and the rat stabbed again, this time with a normal attack. The tip pierced my chest armor but stopped against my rib, barely inches away from my heart.

  He pulled the dagger out again and prepared for a third strike, his tail still pressing Roq away. Knut barreled into him with a roar, knocking the rat off me, its tail tugging at my arm but slipping away.The northerner positioned himself protectively between me and the rat as he rolled to a halt, facing off against Gnash and one of the burned Gnaw Hulks that had followed him.

  I looked around frantically. The other burned monster stumbled toward Eryn, who sat on the ground cradling her right arm, her left fumbling to draw her dagger. Nabeeh lay on her back, staring up at the sky, a red patch growing on her stomach, her staff just beyond her open hand. I couldn't tell if she was breathing.

  "Forge Anchor!"

  I struck Roq on the ground, focusing on the Gnaw Hulk heading towards Eryn. Roots erupted from the ground, digging into its legs and wrapping around the monster. Wounded by the fire and Knut’s attacks, it collapsed under the constricting roots and lay there, struggling to get free.

  Gnash attacked Knut with a flurry of blows, dagger in one hand and the wounded hand too, seemingly wanting to overwhelm the northerner, but each attack met only with his shield, and with every blow, the Thornwall drew more blood, infuriating the rat.

  I lifted Roq, hoping to land a strike on Gnash, but they were too far away, as was the Gnaw Hulk as it threw itself at Knut’s legs. Despite Knut’s mace slamming down on its head, it managed to latch onto the armor.

  “Can you transform? Like you did with Arclight?

  "No," Roq replied, his voice heavy with regret. "I can't. I'm sorry, Ash. Help yourself. No one’s going to save us this time!”

  "Then heal me, quick.”

  I stored him and immediately felt the healing process starting on undoing the damage. I just hoped he could do anything in time for me to make a difference.

  Unable to move freely, Knut failed to dodge as Gnash stabbed at his mace arm, the rat’s dagger piercing between two plates and drawing a furious cry from my friend.

  Knut screamed in pain as the mace dropped from his limp grip. The rat left the dagger inside, putting its wounded hand on Knut’s shield, and stabbing its claws at his face.

  Despite the extra pressure on his shield and the monster gnawing on his leg, Knut blocked twice, ducking behind his shield and bashing it into the rat monster, drawing more blood.

  Gnash seemed to lose patience and it grabbed Knut’s limp arm, and leaned down to bite at his neck, only for Knut to snap his head forward in a vicious headbutt. The impact stunned both of them, with the rat letting go and Knut barely remaining on his feet.

  Gnash recovered first and hissed, shaking its now-glowing fist.

  A Fireball blasted away a huge chunk of its leg, eliciting warbled cries of pain from the rat monster as it fell backwards to the ground. Before anyone had the time to try and finish Gnash, he scurried into the hole he'd emerged from, dragging his ruined leg behind him, and then disappeared as the hole closed shut.

  “Immo—” I looked over to see Nabeeh lying on her side, staff gripped tightly and pointed at where the rat had stood. She turned the staff towards Knut, who was bashing the monster’s head in with his shield, knocking it off his leg and into the ground until its skull was crushed.

  As the monster stopped moving, Knut staggered in a circle, shaking his bloody shield, screaming from battle lust.

  “Come! Face me!" Nabeeh sat up slowly, one hand pressed to her bleeding stomach. Eryn crawled toward me, her right hand still cradled to her body.

  "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice trembling.

  "Just stunned," I lied, not wanting to worry her. "I'll be fine. Help the others."

  She hesitated, but I mouthed ‘Roq,’ and she glanced down at my empty hand. She nodded and moved to assist Nabeeh and Knut.

  * * *

  The forest around us was silent except for our wheezing and grunts of pain. We had survived, but barely, and the journey back to Sentinel Station had seemed impossibly far. Not only because we were badly wounded, but it was far. Physically.

  Knut and Eryn had helped me at first, until Roq's healing allowed me to walk on my own. The relief I felt as my toes started tingling was akin to the time I’d seen my parents on the hill after the monster surge. The day Samuel had passed.

  Now I supported Knut, his arm draped across my shoulders as I bore most of his weight. His mace arm was lame and one leg clearly broken. Only adrenaline and his warrior’s abilities and stats had kept him fighting for as long as he did.

  Nabeeh clutched her stomach where a Gnaw Hulk had torn through her robes. She’d heated a knife and pressed it to the wound as we walked, cauterizing it with a hiss of pain and a string of curses about the damage to her favorite robes. A desperate attempt at masking her suffering.

  Eryn walked in the front, her right hand mangled and useless from where a Gnaw Hulk had bit it, but she’d wrapped it in a bandage and brought the detached finger. A deep gash ran along her other arm, and blood had soaked through her tunic.

  "I'm sorry," Roq said quietly in my mind. The first thing he’d said since I took him out. "I should have seen them earlier. I should have smelled them, or felt them, or...but I just froze and wasn’t of any use. Something was off about that rat monster. It was different, almost like the hive mind. It dampened my abilities."

  "Your warning was enough. We were as prepared as we could have been. That was no random attack. They were waiting for us. If we had retreated to the cave, would the Hive Mind not have sent more monsters until we’d been overrun and dead?"

  Roq went silent again.

  “And I'm sorry I couldn't change," he added after a short while. "Into my other form. My failure to do so nearly led to our…your deaths.”

  “But we survived, buddy. With healing, they should be fine. Also, I know you are, so don’t worry. I believe you'll figure it out eventually, and once you do, you’ll be our greatest ace. Nothing's going to stop you from stabbing things to death, right?"

  "Damn straight," he agreed, with a hint of his usual bravado returning. “I’m going to make that overgrown shrubbery pay for messing with my humans.”

  At last we emerged from the trees, the extended killing grounds around Sentinel Station spreading before us. A team of Steelhusk lumberjacks were the first to spot us, their eyes widening in shock. They dropped their tools and hurried toward the station, shouting for help.

  Never before had the sound of ringing bells felt so good.